Thank you all for the reads and the faves/follows! That makes me very happy:) I'm not sure yet how long this fic will be. Currently I have about 12,000 words, but I'm anticipating that it will get much longer. Did anyone watch Acceptable Losses yet? Octavia is so much different...

Please review!

Chapter 2

Clarke stayed the night by the river. In the morning she spent a while just staring at that one green shoot. Perhaps they wouldn't need to have a war after all. If she was right, the earth was regrowing. She had prepared for this. She had collected seeds every year in the Shallow Valley. With the help of the farmers from the Ark and Monty she was sure they could grow things in the earth again. She wondered to herself why she hadn't told Bellamy yet. He certainly would have liked this plan better than her lazy, half-thought-out malaria plan, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to tell him yet. War was easy, hope was hard. If this plan failed it could cost them everything. Malaria was her back up plan.

When the sun started to rise she walked away from the river towards the house. Inside it reminded her of the time before. There was a bed against the far wall and a fireplace. There was a very old bathtub and a couch. She sat down on the couch, disturbing six years of sand and dust. She coughed loudly and stood back up.

When she arrived back at camp, sweaty and hot she saw Maddy walking with Octavia. Octavia was smiling down at Maddy. Clarke searched that smile for signs of disingenuity but could find none. She hoped that Octavia would do right by Maddy. Maddy was only a child and she thought the world of Octavia.

Octavia caught Clarke's eye and she walked over to her telling Maddy to wait. Octavia stood in front of Clarke, eyes boring into her.

"Hi Octavia."

"Hi Clarke." Octavia looked over Clarke. "Maddy has nothing to fear from me."

"She thinks very highly of you." Clarke said quietly. "She admires you."

"She is a wonderful fighter." Clarke scratched the back of her neck in frustration. It was like she and Octavia were having different conversations. Maddy was so much more than a fighter. But Octavia could only see her as a warrior.

"She's a child."

"Lexa was a child as well." Clarke felt her heart drop.

"They are nothing alike. Maddy does not want power. She has no desire to be the commander."

"She has nothing to fear from me." Clarke opened her mouth to say more, but Octavia was already walking back towards Maddy. Maddy shot Clarke a look then walked off with Octavia. Clarke was left staring at the space they had occupied.

"What are you looking at?" Clarke turned around so fast, she lost balance. She stumbled then rubbed her head.

"Nothing. When did you get up?" Bellamy frowned.

"An hour or two ago."

"Have we gotten any word from Echo?" His mood darkened.

"Not yet."

"She'll get to Raven soon enough." He only nodded. "I'm going out scouting today. The food that Diyoza sent us won't last long. We can go to the river to get fish and if we go to the west of eden we can go to the ocean. The water was minimally affected by praimfaya. We should be able to fish and to harvest seaweed and algae." Bellamy made a face.

"What?" Clarke asked.

"Algae. That's all we could eat on the ring. It's disgusting." Clarke laughed.

"I hope you're not too sick of it. It might be our only option if you don't want to go to war with Diyoza."

"Are you going to take the rover?"

"Is it fixed?"

"Yeah some of the people from the bunker were able to get it working alright."

"Then yeah let's take the rover."

"How long is it to the ocean?"

"To the ocean it's a couple of days, but I just want to go to the river today. Can you go get some spears? There should be some in the bunker."

"Alright, meet you back here in ten." Clarke was amazed how easy it was to fall back into routine with him. It was like they had spent no time apart, and yet she felt the distance as if it were physical. The juxtaposition of proximity and distance had her reeling. She wondered if he felt the same.

The rover was parked not too far from the bunker. It was badly scratched, but the solar panels were working just fine. She started the engine and climbed into the back to make space for the spears. She drove it to the place where she was supposed to meet Bellamy and saw that he had brought two people. She called out of the window of the rover.

"Monty, Harper!" They smiled and waved. Bellamy climbed into the front seat and threw the spears in the back. Monty and Harper climbed in the back and Harper began going on about something she had seen last night.

"I thought we could use some extra hands." Clarke only smiled. He leaned in towards her ear and whispered softly. "I told Maddy so she wouldn't worry."

"Thank you." Her words were barely audible over the hum of the rover. She drove fast over the land, away from the broken city of polis. The river appeared over the horizon and Harper laughed loudly.

"I guess it's a good thing Diyoza only cares if we come near Shallow Valley."

"We hope." Monty said with a quick glance towards the sky.

"Just let us know if you see any missiles." Bellamy joked lightly.

"Will do." Harper laughed. The three of them fit together perfectly. Clarke felt the backs of her eyes burn. She no longer fit with them. She was an outsider. She was not Wonkru, she was not Skikru. She was something else entirely now. Her right hand was resting on her leg and she almost jumped when Bellamy put his hand over her's. She looked at him. She could see the words in his eyes.

One people.

If they truly wanted peace they had to forget about all their past loyalties. There could be no more 'your people, my people'. There could only be people. She knew that was how it would have to be, but she doubted it would be easy, maybe not even possible. It was like trying to transcend family ties. It was nearly impossible.

She pulled up to the river about a mile from the house. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing the shoot. Not when it could be meaningless. She would tell everyone. Soon.

She pulled the spears from the back and threw one to each of her companions. She had light, black pants on and she rolled them up to her knees. She pulled her shoes off. She waded into the river. The river was very wide. It was perhaps half a mile wide.

"I never thought about the water." Monty said absentmindedly. He was wading into the water behind Clarke.

"How so?" Clarke asked.

"The oceans would have been virtually unaffected by Praimfaya. The rivers and lakes would have been irradiated, but now that the radiation is no longer a threat the creatures that survived in the oceans can move back to the rivers." Clarke tried to hide her smile. That was exactly what she had been thinking.

"Yes." She waded farther into the water. "Watch out for a fish about this big." She held up her hands for them to see. "It's usually a white-brown color and it has venom." Harper arched an eyebrow.

"Is there anything else we should know about?"

"Watch out for the sharks." Harper jumped. "I'm only kidding." Clarke said smiling. "But really watch out for those fish. I had one bite me a couple years ago and I almost died." Monty swallowed.

"Well this should be fun." He said sarcastically. Clarke stood still watching the water. Soon she saw a silver dart. She threw her spear into the water expertly and pulled out a wriggling fish.

"Got one!" She cried happily. They caught seventeen fish in total that day. Most were under ten pounds, but Clarke caught a couple that were easily fifteen pounds. A couple hours before sunset they were sitting on the bank of the river, smoking the fish. Clarke and Bellamy had gutted and cleaned the fish and Monty had built the fire. Harper was taking a nap and nursing a sore ankle. She had overturned it in the river.

Bellamy sat at Clarke's side, shoulders almost touching. He was completely soaked and his hair dripped. He shivered involuntarily. She shrugged out of her sweater and handed it to him. He thanked her and pulled it over his head. It was small on him, but it served its purpose. Monty laid down next to Harper and promptly fell asleep.

"Real help they are." Bellamy joked. Clarke smiled lightly.

"What was it like?" Her voice was quiet, and she looked at him expectantly. Bellamy stared into the fire.

"Which part of it?"

"All of it."

"It was…" He seemed at a loss for words. "It was peaceful sometimes. Other times it was infuriating. Sometimes I loved all of them, and sometimes I didn't want to see any of them for days. Six years is a awfully long time to only see five other people."

"Or one." Clarke said. He nodded.

"Sometimes I would just sit in a quiet room for days. Sometimes I couldn't bare to be alone. It was life, but on such a small scale. I felt… so far removed. I worried about O and I wondered what it would be like on the ground. It was like I was stuck on the Ark all over again. What was it like here?" She laughed.

"It was much the same. Sometimes I wouldn't let Maddy out of my sight and sometimes I would go off and just stare at the stars. I worried about Octavia and I worried about you. Everything was so silent." Bellamy rubbed his arm, shivering again. Clarke poked the fire.

Monty shifted.

"Is the fish done?"

"Just about." Clarke said. She started to put the fish into the bag she had brought. Bellamy got up and started to help, but a sudden cough wracked his body. "Sit." She ordered. He sat back down and she kneeled next to him. She put a hand on his chest.

"Breathe." He breathed in deeply. She felt a tiny rattle. She sat back on her heels and smiled lightly at him. He looked at her expectantly, eyebrows raised. "Just relax. I'll get the fish. When we get back to polis I can get you some meds."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't think so." She patted his back lightly and picked the bag back up. When she finished getting the fish, she put the fires out and helped Bellamy back to the rover. Monty helped Harper back in and they were all ready to go.

A sudden shift in the air put Clarke on edge. She sniffed the air deeply.

"Something wrong?" Bellamy asked, gazing at her inquisitively. She didn't answer. She stepped away from the rover and peered at the sky. Her eyes widened.

"There's a sandstorm. We have to hurry." She climbed in and slammed the door. Bellamy followed suit. She slammed on the accelerator and the rover sped off. The sky darkened and Clarke bit the inside of her cheek. If they got stuck in a sandstorm she would never forgive herself. She pushed the rover harder. She felt Bellamy's hand on her shoulder, a reassuring presence. She nodded her thanks to him. She had forgotten what it was like for someone to always be at her back. She wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder because she knew someone else was doing it for her.

She pulled into polis, skidding on debris. She parked the rover near the edge of the city then jumped out. They were safe here from sand and glass, but they wouldn't want to be outside while the winds were raging. She pulled the bag over her shoulder then helped Harper out. They all ran back to Clarke's tent, surprising Maddy. Maddy jumped up from the bed looking from Clarke to Bellamy.

"Is something wrong?"

"Sandstorm." Bellamy breathed out. He sat down on his cot hard, and began coughing. Maddy looked at him frightened.

"Are you okay?" Clarke put Harper down on her bed and Monty sat down on the floor.

"Where have you guys been staying?" Clarke asked Monty.

"They set up a tent for us not far from here."

"You can stay here tonight if you want. Harper looks tired." Harper was already sleeping soundly on Clarke and Maddy's bed. Monty nodded at her gratefully and climbed up beside her.

"Maddy we can sleep on the ground tonight." Maddy nodded easily.
"Is Bellamy okay?" Bellamy was breathing hard. Clarke went and sat next to him and put her hand on his back.

"May I?" She asked, holding the hem of his shirt. He nodded absentmindedly. She pulled up the hem of his shirt and slipped her hand onto his back. His skin was hot to the touch.

"Are you hot?" She asked.

"I'm freezing."

"Maddy I need blankets and hot water. Wear your cloak the winds are still going outside." Maddy nodded and ran out of the tent. "Breathe for me." She directed Bellamy. He breathed in and this time she definitely felt a rattle. She rubbed his back trying to ease the tension she felt there.

"I think you just have a cold, but you haven't been on the ground in a very long time or been around many people. You probably just picked it up from somebody in Wonkru. We just need to make sure it doesn't develop into anything more serious." He nodded. "You'll be okay."

"Thank you Clarke." She put his shirt back and stood up as Maddy returned.

"Drink all of this." She said handing him the jug Maddy had brought back. He drank it quickly. He laid back and she piled blankets on top of him. He looked up at her, eyes glassy. "Just relax." She said quietly. "You just need rest and plenty of water. You'll be fine." Her words sounded strained even to her. She knew logically that he would be fine, but she couldn't help but worry. She had just gotten him back. Even a cold felt like a terrible risk.

He gripped her hand as she was turning away.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I know." It was barely more than a whisper. Maddy was standing near the opening of the tent, watching them. Clarke left his side and went to Maddy.

"Walk with me?" She asked. Maddy nodded. Outside the wind had died down and they could hear some people talking. Maddy grabbed Clarke's hand and held it tightly.

"Is everything okay?" Clarke asked.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Clarke said confused. "Maddy is everything okay?"

"I just... I want you to be happy." Clarke smiled.

"I am. I'm with you."

"I understand that you had a family before me." Maddy said looking into the distance. "I'm not jealous. They were your family before me. Bellamy was your family. I get it. I'm not jealous."

"I didn't think you were." Clarke said.

"I just want you to know you don't have to worry about me." Maddy struggled to find the words. "I like having him around." She finally said. "I can share." She gave Clarke a lopsided smile. Clarke laughed.

"Alright Maddy."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you're serious."

"You're right. He is a nice guy."

"What about the others, do you like them?"

"Monty and Harper seem cool. I want Monty to teach me how to make cool stuff. Like bombs!"

"I don't think so."

"Clarke please! Monty is a pro, we'll be careful."

"We'll see." Clarke said pulling Maddy close. "Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted. And I was thinking," She whispered conspiratorially. "We could go to the beach tomorrow."

"What about training with Octavia? I can't leave." Maddy pulled back quickly. Clarke bit her lip.

"Okay." She didn't want to fight about this. Not now. "Will you be okay if we go to the ocean? We'll probably be gone for a week or two." Maddy smiled.

"I said I was okay sharing."

"That's not what I meant Maddy."

"I'll be fine. Octavia will take care of me." Clarke shook her head. She would ask Monty and Harper to stay behind with Maddy. She didn't trust Octavia with Maddy as much as she wanted to.

"Alright. Let's get to bed." They walked back to the tent and curled up on the floor. The other three slept soundly and Clarke listened to the sound of Bellamy breathing for a long time before drifting off to sleep.