A/N: Here we have protective Mama Bear Abby. Enjoy!

Also, science-schmience. Just nod and act like I know what I'm talking about.

Clarke woke suddenly, jumping when she saw the face looming over hers.

"Get up. I have an idea," Raven said excitedly.

Clarke blinked the sleep from her eyes, looking over to find Bellamy doing the same thing a few feet away from her.

They'd fallen asleep in the room beside the med bay, talking late into the night about their plans for the trip. Miller had been in there with them earlier, and Abby and Kane had stopped by for a few minutes before that, but when it came down to the final decisions, the final strategy, it was left to Clarke and Bellamy, as it always was.

"I really hate you," Clarke murmured half-heartedly.

"I'm just glad I don't have to spend the next 6 months getting woken up like this." Bellamy was fairly glaring.

Raven just snorted. "Come on, grouchy asses. I said I have an idea, maybe my best one yet. And that's saying something!"

Clarke exchanged an eye roll with Bellamy. "Okay, hit us with it."

Raven lowered herself onto the ground with them somewhat awkwardly. "I'm not going South with the group."

Bellamy's forehead furrowed. "Why? You'll be on horseback most of the time, and the brace Wick made has been helping you a lot, right?"

"Yeah…I mean, I had worried about slowing them down a little, but that's not what made me want to stay. I think I can be of more help here."

Clarke leaned forward. "How?"

"I couldn't sleep last night. At first, I thought it was just nerves, but then I realized it was because I couldn't get something your mom said out of my head."

Clarke frowned. "My mom?"

"She said something about how we didn't know what was out there…how there could be other Grounders, maybe even another Mount Weather."

"Okaaay…"

Raven's eyes widened, lighting up like they always did when she'd gone down her mechanic's rabbit hole. "She's right. There has to be other people out there. If the Grounders here adapted to the radiation and learned how to survive, I'm sure people in other places did too. There could easily be another underground bunker with survivors…and there are also sections of the Ark still unaccounted for."

Clarke's gaze flew to Bellamy, who seemed to be connecting the same dots she was, his head starting to nod slowly.

Raven continued, "Some of these people have to have technology of some kind. We know the Ark stations would…underground bunkers might…and there could be other sets of Grounders that still use technology, or at least have access to it. I was starting to work on building a better signal before, to try to reach any other Ark Stations, but then everything with Mount Weather…it kind of got pushed to the back burner, especially after Jaha and Pike…"

She shifted, leaning toward them even more, her face focused. "I think I can build something…maybe try to use one of Mount Weather's old communication towers…or maybe build my own…I don't know yet. But I think I can build something that will send out a signal…create my own network, basically. If anyone has any access to any technology…computers, radios…maybe even old cell phones…I might be able to communicate with them."

Bellamy's gaze flicked rapidly back and forth between Clarke and Raven, the excitement rubbing off on him. "And if we can get in touch with other people, we can tell them how to disable the nuclear reactors near them. We could get even more of them shut off…even the ones we'd never get to in time...even ones in other countries."

Raven was nodding enthusiastically. "Now, I don't know how far I can get a signal to reach. If there are any other towers still standing, I may be able to get my signal to ping off them. Back in the old days, they used to use satellites for this sort of thing…" Her eyes widened. "The main section of the Ark is still in space, right?"

Clarke responded, "Yeah, why?"

Raven hurriedly stood up. "I need to talk to Wick before he leaves. I wonder if I can use it to bounce the signal somehow…"

Clarke and Bellamy exchanged a look, as if to say 'we're totally out of our depth here.'

Raven just glanced at them. "I know, I know, I might as well be speaking Greek. Just leave it to me, okay? Oh, and I'm trying to work on a radio for each group to take with them. Theoretically, if I get the signal working, we should be able to communicate. And we'll definitely be able to communicate using the computers at the power plants. Well…if this works, that is."

Clarke smiled. "If anybody can get it to work, it's you."

Raved smirked. "Damn straight."

With that, she hurried out the door.

Clarke turned to Bellamy, her look a little incredulous. "We might actually have a chance."

Bellamy just lifted one side of his mouth in that smirk she knew so well. "Damn straight." He got up, patting her knee before he left. "You act like you were worried or something."

Bellamy hurried into the med bay, hoping to speak to Clarke for a minute before they left. Instead, he came face to face with Abby Griffin.

"Oh." He stopped short. "Sorry. I…uh…I was looking for Clarke."

Abby looked even less pleased than usual to see him, and that was saying something. "She's with Raven."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." He started to turn around.

"We need to talk."

Uh oh. Bellamy's eyebrows rose as he looked questioningly at Clarke's mother.

"You said you'd take care of her."

"Huh?"

"In Polis, when Clarke fainted…you said you'd take care of her. I TRUSTED you to be man enough to keep your word." Abby looked ready to spit nails.

Bellamy frowned, completely confused. "I DID take care of her. What are you talking about?"

"When I was finished patching everybody up, I came to find you two."

"Okay…"

"I…saw you." Abby gestured uncomfortably with her hand.

Bellamy's exasperation was starting to leak through. "You saw me what?"

Abby was practically shouting now. "I saw you in bed with my daughter!"

Bellamy felt a slight flush rise to his cheeks, although he refused to back down; he hadn't done anything wrong. "How did you even…I locked the door."

If looks could kill… "You son of a bitch…"

Bellamy held out his hands. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold on. I locked the door because I wanted her to SLEEP. I figured if I didn't lock it, someone would barge in an hour later and swear they just couldn't manage to do SOMETHING without Clarke." He frowned. "But you didn't SEE anything. We weren't doing anything. And you do know your daughter is an adult, right?"

"She's barely 18! And that's not the point! She was practically unconscious! And I walk in to find your clothes on the floor and you in bed all…"

"All…what?"

"Wrapped around each other!" Now it was Abby's turn to flush.

Bellamy pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "So you thought…what? I forced myself on my unconscious best friend and then stayed around after to…cuddle?"

"I…I…" Abby's mouth opened and closed a few times, reminding Bellamy of the fish he'd gotten good at catching out of the river.

He forced his voice to remain calm. "Some of our clothes were on the floor because they were filthy and uncomfortable and I wanted her to get a good night's sleep. I asked her if she was okay with it and she was fine. I even asked her if she wanted me to go get you or my sister to help her instead, and she said no."

Abby's mouth abruptly shut.

"And I was going to sleep on the floor, but she refused to shut her eyes." He ran his hand over his face, remembering how petrified her eyes had looked. "She was terrified she was going to be back in the City of Light. She kept talking about a mob chasing her…I don't know. I just wanted her to sleep. I WAS taking care of her. I'll always take care of her." By the time he finished, his voice was soft, sad, almost a little wounded, and the last sentence was barely a whisper.

Abby searched his gaze, and apparently accepting his explanation, she had the decency to look guilty. "I…" She shut her mouth before opening it again. "I'm sorry."

Bellamy's eyes briefly met hers, nodding once.

They stood there in an awkward silence for a minute.

Bellamy let out a sigh. "I know you don't like me, and I can't really blame you…but you do know I'd never hurt her, right?"

Abby's eyes flitted over his face. "That was the conclusion I'd come to before. It's why I'd started going easier on you…but then I saw you in bed and I just…"

Bellamy let one corner of his mouth turn up. "This was you going easy on me?"

Abby chuckled, almost unwillingly. "I've asked her, so many times, if you two are together, and she always says no. So when I saw her unconscious and you…"

Bellamy sighed. "It's fine. I get it." He ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck. "You…asked her that?"

Abby's expression shifted, suddenly holding a bit of amusement. "Yes."

"Uh…why would you…" He trailed off, embarrassed.

"I may be old, but I'm not blind."

Bellamy just raised his eyebrows.

Abby's voice softened. "Have you told her how you feel?"

"I…uh…"

Abby just watched him.

Bellamy could feel the flush all the way down his neck. "It's not like that."

The look on Abby's face said 'yeah, right.'

"You hate me. Why are you even…"

Abby sighed. "I don't hate you. But you know you're not good enough for her, right?"

Bellamy's jaw set. Of course he knew that. He was nobody; a janitor, a poor schmuck whose mother had…

He was startled out of his thoughts when Abby placed a hand on his arm.

"I'm never going to think ANYONE is good enough for my daughter. But if I HAD to choose…I guess you'd come pretty damn close."

Bellamy's mouth snapped shut in surprise.

They just stood there, awkwardly coming to terms with this beyond awkward conversation.

Bellamy looked at the floor near Abby's right foot. He supposed there was no reason to lie about how he felt; Abby seemed to already know. "It doesn't matter. She doesn't…she doesn't feel that way about me."

Abby scoffed. "Please."

His eyes snapped to hers. "She doesn't."

She sighed. "When I was chipped…ALIE was telling me to use what I knew about my daughter to get her to break. Do you know what I said…what I KNEW would force Clarke to break?"

Bellamy shook his head slowly, eyes weary.

"I told them to torture you."

He made some sort of noise, somewhere between a gasp and a scoff. He knew his mouth was doing the gaping fish routine now. "I…"

Abby's look softened, taking pity on him. "I just want her to be happy."

Bellamy's eyes widened at the implication that he could be the one to do that. "So do I."

Abby studied him, seemingly gauging his sincerity. She must have been happy with what she found, because after a minute, she nodded and started to walk out the door.

She paused in the doorway, turning back to where Bellamy was still somewhat shell-shocked, standing in the middle of the room. "You'll protect her." It was a half question, half statement.

Bellamy's eyes raised to hers, his shoulders squaring. "With my life."

Abby nodded, finally leaving him alone in the med bay.