How excited is everyone for the season premiere tonight? Eh?

Okay wow. So, I know it's been a while, but I also know you guys don't want to hear excuses about where I've been or what I've been up to (if you really wanna know though, you can ask, I don't mind). So I'm not gonna take up your time here.

I do just want to say a quick few words. This is not getting abandoned. Or left behind. Or forgotten. Ohana means... wait, wrong media.

Anyway, I've still got plans and ideas for this story, there are just a lot of other things going on in my life right now.

That being said, I want to thank my Beta for not giving up on me, and to my very good friend who edited this cause I didn't wanna pile more things onto my proper Beta's plate.

Disclaimer: See at least the first chapter.

So without further ado!

The next chapter of Once More.

When Anya stepped towards them, Raven stiffened. It was unnecessary though as Anya only laid a hand on Lexa's equally tense shoulder.

Clarke watched Lexa's anger drain with the touch and shift into her own resolve as she took a step back to give herself breathing room. She was glad Lexa had moved back on her own though because Clarke felt like, if she hadn't, she would have pulled her closer, getting rid of any distance between them and showing Lexa reason though her lips. Perhaps if they were alone, she thought she would have taken the chance.

But they weren't.

Her eyes moved to Anya.

"Let us speak of other matters." Anya cut in, her tone brokering no arguments, not even from her Commander. Clarke watched as Lexa took a deep breath before she let it out and moved to stand, once again, beside her general.

"And what exactly do you suggest we change the course of discussion to, Anya?"

"The remaining prisoner."

That discussion passed with minimal issue. Lexa wasn't sure that Bellamy could be trusted to leave peacefully after what had happened with Finn. After some deliberation on her part, Clarke decided it would be wise if Octavia and Lincoln left with him. Lincoln so that the camp could be shown that not all of the grounders were against them. Lincoln would be her advocate and he knew what was coming. From this point on, there was no more waiting, not after Finn. Not with what would be coming next.

Raven would stay with her, Clarke thought. She needed one other person by her side and Raven was who she wanted in her corner right now. With more than one person remembering their previous time, she had options, especially now that Lexa was more with them than against them.

After they talked about the plan for Bellamy, Lexa and Anya led them towards where he was being kept on his own. Octavia and Lincoln noticed the small procession and joined them. The four stopped as Clarke explained the plan to Octavia and Lincoln.

"We don't have to go, Clarke. Just let me talk to Bell, he'll see." Octavia's tone was sure and Clarke gave her a sad smile.

"I want you to stay, Octavia. I want both of you to stay," She looked between Lincoln and Octavia. "But I need you both at the camp with the rest of the hundred. With what I told you, you're going to be needed there."

"Both of us?" Lincoln asked. Clarke nodded and looked at him.

"Both of you. You need to teach her everything you can about the ground, everything she needs to protect herself." Octavia looked like she wanted to protest but Clarke held up a hand.

"Not that you can't, Octavia. I know you can handle yourself. Lincoln can make sure that I have nothing to be worried about. This is more for my own sanity than it is about me not believing in you." Octavia sighed and looked at Lincoln, smiling softly before looking back at Clarke and nodding assuredly. "Okay Clarke."

"Good, okay, that's good. Lincoln can also be a kind of-" she paused, trying to think of the right word. "ambassador, between the Commander's people and ours. Our people think they attacked us but we know that was only a few.

"A few that we took care of." Her voice strained slightly and Octavia nodded. Clarke felt Raven's hand on her shoulder and took a breath.

"Lincoln can tell them that that isn't the case. We're safe from the bulk of the grounders, at least the ones around us now. The only things we need to be wary of are some of the wildlife and, well-" Clarke gave them a look and saw Lincoln's answering nod. She could feel Lexa's hard stare on her back but she ignored it. She wasn't getting any answers about her dreams, Lexa wasn't getting specifics of what would be coming. Not quite yet at least.

Soon, maybe.

"Okay Clarke, you can count on us." Clarke smiled at Octavia's answer and nodded.

"I know I can; that's why I picked you. Now, let's go get your brother." She turned back to Lexa and Anya, the former nodding silently before continuing her trek to Bellamy. They all followed silently.

When they got to where he was being kept, Clarke, Raven, Octavia and Lincoln stood back as Lexa nodded at the guards out front who moved at her command. Lexa turned back to them and gestured for them to enter.

Bellamy stood when he saw Clarke coming inside.

"Clarke!" She bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at him, bedraggled and wild-looking. The others followed her inside, Anya closing the door as she came in behind Lexa.

"Octavia." Bellamy pulled on his chains as he looked at their company, recognizing the lurking grounder they had captured and held in their own camp.

"What have they done to you? Where's Finn?" His eyes skittered between Clarke, Raven, and Octavia, looking for any signs of foul play. There were none to be found though.

Clarke stepped forward.

"Bellamy, we came on our own," she started slowly. "Finn… he killed Anya's people, and he's paid for that action." The realization came slowly to Bellamy's eyes, and she knew he had it figured out when his eyes shot to Lexa, Anya, and Lincoln, all fire and fury and pain.

"He was protecting himself!"

"He was not in any danger from us," Anya answered calmly. "It was you who brought the fayogon into my camp; who sought to do harm when no harm had come to pass." The gun. Clarke heard the sneer in Anya's tone but kept her eyes on Bellamy, still struggling against his bindings.

"Your people attacked us before!" He raised his voice slightly, not yet yelling but not calm either. "My sister was missing and Raven was missing and we thought they were in trouble." Clarke watched his hands drop, no longer fighting.

His eyes moved to her and then to Octavia. "But I guess you weren't." His tone changed quickly from accusing to resigned. Bellamy sat heavily on the ground, letting his weight fall completely as he folded in on himself. He kept his eyes on Octavia as he spoke to Lexa.

"I guess it's my turn then?"

"No! Bell, you didn't kill anyone." Octavia protested immediately and finally moved to Bellamy's side. She knelt beside him and put one arm around him while the other rested over his hands.

"But I was with him." Octavia shook her head and looked over to Lexa. Clarke looked at her too and raised an eyebrow.

"He must first promise not to attack my people when we set him free," Lexa said. That was fair to Clarke. She looked back to Bellamy who was looking at her in confusion.

"Who is she?" Clarke bit the inside of her cheek.

"I am the Commander of the Trigedakru, Uniter of the 12 Clans. You came into one of my camps ready to kill but, lucky for you, you did not spill blood and your friends have spoken for you. The blood that was spilled has been paid and I have decided that you will be freed." Lexa stepped up beside Clarke as she spoke and Clarke couldn't pull her eyes away. Lexa was Righteous and Strong and she was using the voice that commanded attention at the barest hint of it. It was the Commander's tone that Clarke could count on one hand the amount of times she'd heard it.

"However, I do not trust you as much as your lukot do, so I require for you to promise me, right now, that you will go from here and not harm anyone. You will not be welcome again in Ton DC and if you do step foot within its boundaries, you will be forfeiting your life.

"I tell you this now so that, should that happen, you cannot claim to not have known. I have witnesses to confirm that you do, and to remind you of this fact." Halfway through her speech to Bellamy, Clarke had looked back at the Commander and stared. Lexa looked at her then and they both held each other's eyes. The room was quiet as they looked at one another.

The others might have assumed that Clarke found something wrong with what Lexa had just said but they would be wrong. Clarke was just enthralled with the presence of Lexa's tone, how she held herself, unable to even think about looking away.

Someone cleared their throat and Clarke tore her eyes away from Lexa to look for the source, finding Anya motioning towards Bellamy. She looked at him and saw his expression, confusion and resignation. There was also anger and understanding.

"Bellamy?" Clarke asked. He took a breath and dropped his head before Clarke saw him nod.

"Speak," Lexa intoned, still looking at Clarke. Octavia ran a hand over his back and Bellamy looked up at her before looking again to Lexa.

"I won't come here again, and I won't attack your people." Clarke let out a breath, her shoulders dropping visibly as she let a small smile cross her lips. She looked at Lexa again and was surprised to see the Commander's eyes still on her. Lexa nodded and Anya moved over to the Blakes, Lincoln following behind her.

"Stand." Anya said. Bellamy looked at her and then stood slowly, Octavia helping him and standing with him.

Anya drew a key from her belt and unlocked Bellamy's fastenings, letting the chains drop to the ground when she was done. Bellamy immediately turned and pulled his sister into a hug before pulling away, keeping an arm around his sister as he looked to Clarke and to Lexa beside her.

"So what now?" He asked.

Clarke cleared her throat. "Now you go back to the camp and take Octavia and Lincoln with you." She watched his eyes go to Lincoln as he connected the name with the surly looking grounder. She saw the hesitation cross his eyes.

"They really won't hurt us Bellamy; not any that obey their Commander. The few we… took care of, they disobeyed Le- Alexandria." Clarke motioned to Lexa, correcting herself at the familiar use of the shortened name in front of both Lexa's general and Bellamy who needed to see that Lexa was to be respected.

"Lincoln will help with the first steps of bringing our people into an alliance. The hundred need to understand that the Trigedakru aren't our enemies and can teach us a lot about what the ground has to offer. We won't survive long if we're on our own," taking down the Mountain would not be an easy task to do alone, not if Clarke didn't want a repeat of what happened previously – and she didn't. Beyond that, winter was rapidly approaching sooner than she thought they would be ready for if they didn't have anyone teaching them the in's and out's of this new Earth.

Bellamy looked at her, his eyes hard, and it reminded her of how he had looked at her in this time when they'd come to the ground; calculating, evaluating. Sometimes Clarke forgot that he was older than the rest, she was so used to the hundred and being around those who were within a couple years range of her own age.

He looked at Lincoln. "You'll help us?" he asked. Lincoln nodded and Bellamy mirrored the action. Clarke saw the happy look that Octavia shot both boys, that there was no yelling or threatening – only Bellamy, accepting.

"We will give you time to speak and say your goodbyes." Lexa said. Clarke watched as she and Anya left before turning back to the Blakes and Lincoln who now stood in front of Bellamy. Raven stepped into place beside Clarke, a faint smile on her face as she watched the siblings stick close to each other. Clarke briefly wondered what would happen when this Bellamy found out what Octavia and Lincoln's relationship was and what the two were going to do about it under the ever watchful eyes of her older brother.

"What happened to Finn?" She heard Bellamy ask quietly. Clarke sighed and shut her eyes tightly as Octavia explained what the grounders were going to do and what Clarke and Raven did to derail the plan. She heard feet scuffing the dirt on the ground, growing closer, and opened her eyes to find Bellamy in front of her.

She thought she would find betrayal – like she had with Raven last time – when she looked into his eyes, but she didn't see them for long before she was pulled into an embrace.

"You did what you had to do," he said and then moved to Raven. Both hugs and subsequent words lingered for moments after Bellamy had pulled away from them.

They both knew his words were true, but both Clarke and Raven held guilt for their actions, despite their necessity. Clarke for the first time, doing it on her own and then shoving the memory to the deep recesses of her mind until the spectre of Finn had showed up, pointing her to look – to really look – at the things going on around her, letting her absolve Raven of the charges set against her.

Raven for this time, for pushing Finn away to punish him for actions he hadn't even taken in this timeline.

Clarke was beginning to realize that if she continued to dwell on the past, she wouldn't get to live her future. What had happened before was a guideline, but things were changed. If her plans worked, then the future would be better than it had been before.

"Alright," Raven said, her voice only breaking slightly as she reigned control of her emotions. "enough with the feelings and shit. You guys need to get a move on." She looked between the three going back to the dropship.

"You know what you need to do." Clarke's words were to all of them but directed at Octavia and more pointedly, at Lincoln. He nodded resolutely and so did Octavia. Bellamy gave them both a sombre, crooked grin before moving back to his sister.

"Don't forget to grab your things on the way out. Le- Alexandria, said we could get them back, just as we were leaving."

As they walked, Clarke stopped Lincoln, waving the others on when they stopped as well.

"I just need to talk to Lincoln quickly. We won't be long."

Raven nodded and motioned towards the Blake siblings who moved at her behest. Clarke smiled softly before turning back to Lincoln.

"When you get back, you need to talk to Monty and get close to him." Clarke gave him a look and Lincoln gave her a searching one in return.

She continued, "the Exodus came down, that means rocket fuel which also means bombs. We need that fuel, and someone needs to get it. Raven and I… I don't think we'll have time to get any of it collected. I have a bad feeling." Clarke motioned around her stomach area, a sinking feeling settling there as she continued to talk.

"Monty is probably the best person we have to stand a chance at harvesting the stuff or, at least, he can contact Raven so she can walk someone through it. Work with Octavia, and protect Monty." Lincoln nodded. He remembered the boy from the past time. Lincoln knew what he had done to help and remembered Octavia regaling him with stories about Monty and Jasper and the antics that the two got up to.

"I understand Clarke, and I won't let you down."

Clarke nodded and sighed, the anxious stampede in her stomach settling to a dull roaring. She motioned towards the direction the other three had walked in and Lincoln nodded, making his way that way with Clarke following behind him.

They caught up to Bellamy, Octavia and Raven just as they were coming up to a guard standing watch at the boundary.

Octavia and Lincoln were easily given their packs but Lincoln was also handed Bellamy's along with an empty – and clearly stripped by an amateur – semi-automatic. Clarke saw the dark look the guard shot Bellamy and was glad he hadn't managed to get a shot off or hurt anyone in his and Finn's half-cocked endeavour.

Clarke and Raven said their goodbyes, hugging everyone – even the tall grounder who somewhat awkwardly hugged them back. The two watched the group leave and then Clarke turned to Raven when they were out of sight.

"Come on, we need to talk." Clarke lead Raven away from the people in Ton DC and towards one of the seemingly perpetually burning fire pits, sitting on a nearby log. Raven sat beside her, body angled towards her to listen.

"What are we gonna do?" Raven asked. She toyed with her radio in her hands, having grabbed it before they left the village limits. There was no answer to their hails to the Ark and the both of them were planning for the worst. The exodus had fallen. Someone had hijacked it and the question now was who; the answer probably being the same people as had done it the last time.

"We plan, right now, for the worst. Lincoln is going to get Monty to go to the Exodus and get the rocket fuel harvested carefully and you have the radio. They'll be able to talk to us if anything happens. You can walk Monty through the process, right?" Raven snorted and then shot Clarke a private grin.

"It's not like it's rocket science, right?" Clarke laughed, truly laughed, loud and deep. The statement had caught her off guard and reminded her of when things were a lot simpler. Given, a lot simpler meant a viral infection in the camp and Murphy killing people while they were weakened, Raven shot and Bellamy hung from metal bars.

Raven chuckled along with Clarke's mirth and moved a hand to one of Clarke's squeezing it gently when she looked at her, her laughter fading out.

"We'll get through this right?" Clarke turned her hand and squeezed back, nodding resolutely.

"Of course we will." And in that moment, despite anxiety attacks, and doubt, and guilt, and nightmares, both of them believed Clarke's words more than they had ever before.

And there we have it you guys. Another day, another chapter.

I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and who continue to review and - preemptively - everyone who's gonna review this chapter. You guys keep me writing - and planning and plotting when I don't have the time to sit down and properly grind out a chapter.

So what do you think? Let me know? I do so appreciate the feedback.

I sincerely hope the wait between this chapter and the next won't be as long as the last wait and it probably won't be, but I'm not gonna promise a day or date for the next one.

Keep the faith!

- Bad Wolf.