Here we are again … I'm embarking on a new journey of a fanfiction story. This time, we're going with a post-apocalyptic vibe. I recently watched The 100 on Netflix. I'd been intrigued to write a story based off that show/series of novels. I decided to write it for NaNoWriMo. I'd starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going. My goal is to finish the story for NaNoWriMo July Camp …

Chapter Twenty-Four

Edward

My parents dragged me away, wanting to spend some time with me. I hated to leave Bella, but Renee said I needed to focus on my mental health. Spending time with my family was a good way to disconnect from my mental anguish. They spoke with the kitchen, arranging for our meals to be delivered to their suite.

Mom was flitting around their suite, fluffing pillows and cleaning unnecessarily. "Mom, you're making me nervous," I said. "Sit down."

"It's just nice to have our space again. Our quarters on the Ark were destroyed," Mom frowned. "Most of the inner ring was sheared off upon entry of the atmosphere. That's why we lost the back half of the Ark."

"Dinner's ready," Dad sang, balancing the tray on his arm. "We even have lemonade." When he mentioned lemonade, my heart gave a little twist. It brought back the memory of how she freaked out about the lemonade. Dad placed a plate in front of me, along with a glass of lemonade. I gently pushed it away, giving it to my mom. "You don't want any?"

"Unpleasant memories from the Ark," I answered, getting up to get a glass of water. Taking my glass of water, I sat back down. "Not my memories, but out of solidarity with Bella, I'm not going to have lemonade. I didn't care much for it anyway. Too tart."

"So, what happened with you and Charlie?" Dad asked as he sat down next to me.

"Who told you?" I grumbled.

"Renee and Charlie," Dad snorted.

"We raised you better than that," Mom chided. "You should respect your elders."

"He doesn't deserve my respect. He was going to kill his own daughter," I spat. "Respect is earned. He lost all my respect when he questioned my intentions for his daughter, after he told me that he was more concerned about his approval ratings."

"Es, Edward has a point," Dad said, reaching over and taking her hand. "But, Edward, he's trying to atone for his sins."

"As I told him, I won't ever forgive him. If Bella does, I won't stop her from having a relationship with him. I'll be coldly polite, but that's about it," I shrugged, poking my fork into the mix of vegetables on my plate. I sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'll never be a fan of our former chancellor. At one point, I thought he was one of the best, but knowing the truth?"

"Unfortunately, there's a lot of politics when it comes the leadership of the Ark," Dad explained. "You have to sashay people in order to get what you want. Charlie was … he could sashay with the best of them."

"But, at what cost?" I asked, arching a brow. "Enough of this … I want to talk to you. I want to hear about what happened up in the Ark. To be honest, I just want to be a family. No politics. No threats from psycho madmen. Just us sharing a meal."

"I think that's doable," Esme said.

Dinner was pleasant and it was nice to not think about Jacob, or Charlie. However, in the back of my mind, I was worried about Bella. Dad said that she was doing well. Her sedation was being weaned, which meant that she could wake up soon. The moment I saw her eyes, I'd breathe easier.

After helping with the dishes, I brought the tray back to the dining hall. I saw Kebi in the dining hall, speaking with Renee and Alec. I walked over to their table, sliding into a seat. Kebi gave me a smile. "How are you doing, President Cullen?" she asked.

"Edward, please," I said. "I'm doing well. Probably going to head down to medical to check on Bella. But, I wanted to see how you all were doing since I saw you here."

"We were enjoying a late dinner," Renee said. "We had a few accidents that required sutures."

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

"We might have to perform surgery on Peter's hand," Alec said. "He was doing some work on one of the Rovers and he sliced his hand open."

"We're worried about nerve damage," Renee clarified. "He's staying medical overnight in case he needs more substantial pain killers." She checked her tablet. "Austin just messaged me. Peter does need something stronger. Kebi, if you want to head back to our quarters, you can. You've been working nonstop."

"I think I will, Dr. Renee," Kebi nodded. "I don't remember how to get there."

"I'll take you," Alec offered. "It's on the way to my quarters." He stood up, taking Kebi's tray. They left the dining room, heading to their quarters.

"Do you want to see Bella?" Renee asked. "Without beating up my husband?"

"I promise … no bloodshed," I deadpanned.

"You can't spend the night, Edward. I'm speaking to you as your doctor and future mother-in-law, you need to sleep in a bed. I'm working overnight and I'll keep an eye on her," Renee said, leading me to the elevator. "Fifteen minutes, tops. Then, medical is closed except for emergencies."

When we arrived at medical, I saw Peter in the main medical bay. He was whimpering as he shifted on the gurney. Renee went to the drug lock up, pulling out some stronger meds. She injected them into his IV, which made him calm immediately.

I went back into the private bay, finding my princess. She was resting, but she looked uncomfortable. "Renee, she looks like she's in pain," I called.

"She probably is. We're weaning the sedation and lessening her pain meds," Renee explained. "She's okay."

I sat down next to her, picking up her hand. She sighed, gripping my hand, and shifting closer to me on the gurney. "Hey, Princess. Your mom said that you're getting better." Her grip grew tighter. "I'm here. Do you want me to stay?" She tightened her hand on mine. "Renee …"

"I said fifteen minutes, Edward. I know you want to stay, but you need rest," Renee chided. "I'm here with you, baby girl. We can gossip about your man." Bella's brows furrowed and she moaned. "It'll be fun."

I scowled at Renee, but stayed my requisite fifteen minutes. Renee practically had me escorted out of medical, calling Emmett to drag me back to my quarters, by way of the dormitory to play something called Madden. As much as I bitched about it, it was nice to decompress.

xx MWMA xx

Renee

Working with Carlisle, we removed the wiring that kept Alice's jaw shut. Alice was not comfortable with Carlisle, but I explained that he was the best one to help me. Alec didn't have the expertise to remove the wiring and Austin's specialty was cardiothoracic surgery. When we finished, Carlisle smiled softly and left the treatment room.

"All done," I said. "How does the jaw feel, Alice?"

She moved her jaw and grimaced. "It's tight, but much better than before."

"How about the rest of your injuries?" I asked, gently laying her back on the table.

"I'm sore," she answered. "The thing around my ribs helps, but I can't move."

"That's the point," I said.

"How's Bella?" Alice asked. "She looked worse than me."

"She looked worse, but her injuries were not as severe. Our concerns were about head injuries and psychological trauma," I answered.

"I get that," Alice deadpanned. "The nightmares are real." She sighed. "Bella said she'd help me, but with her own injuries, I doubt that she'll be able to …"

"I'm going to help both of you," I murmured. "I know that you don't …" The door opened in medical, and Esme walked in. She was holding a tray, presumably delivering my breakfast. Alice stiffened, narrowing her gaze at her birth mother. "She's not your enemy, Alice."

"She threw me away," Alice hissed.

"Not by choice. Think of what you endured … by someone that you thought cared about you," I murmured. "Jacob tried to take what wasn't his, correct?"

Alice's face paled, nodding slowly. "I couldn't let him do that. If what Edward said was true, he's my half-brother."

"It is true. Jacob is your half-brother and a clone of his father," I said, arching a brow at her. "Having your body violated that way, it's traumatic and you feel out of control. She didn't know that she was pregnant, and it was another violation of her body."

"So, I'm a violation," Alice spat.

"No, you are a gift," I argued, taking her hand. "What happened to your birth mother was a violation."

Esme stepped into the treatment room, wringing her hands. "I … I didn't want to give you up. But, the laws of the Ark dictated it. It wasn't my fault that I was raped and that I got pregnant with a second child. We had to bury it. I wanted to keep you." She moved into the treatment room, reaching out her hand. "I hate that I missed all your firsts. I also hate that you hate me."

"I don't hate you," Alice whispered. "I just wanted to be loved." She eyed Esme's hand. "My parents were cold, distant … And then, my dad died. My mom couldn't cope without him … she turned all her rage toward me. That's when I found out about the truth of my parentage, and I lost my shit. Then, we were sent down here to the ground, and I thought I found my people. Instead, I was beaten and almost raped."

"You're not alone anymore," Esme breathed. "I want to know you. I want a chance to be more than a stranger."

"I had a mom. She sucked, but she was still my mom," Alice grumbled.

"I was hoping we could become friends, but I would like to help you," Esme murmured. "I may not be a psychologist like Renee, but I know what it's like to be …"

"She can help you," I added when Esme trailed off.

Alice stared at Esme, blinking down at her outstretched arm. With her good hand, she placed it in Esme's palm. Esme's face lit up as she stepped closer to her daughter. "Anything you need … I'm more than willing to help you," she breathed.

"I'm staying with Charlotte, but …" Alice trailed off. "She's nice and all, but she's so bubbly. I can't take bubbly right now."

"You can stay with us. We'd need to get a bigger suite, but I'd love to have you join us," Esme offered.

"Or you could take my suite. It's right across the hall from Esme and Carlisle," I suggested. "I'm getting a larger suite since I'm hosting Kebi."

"What about the chancellor?" Alice asked.

"We're separated at the moment, and he's not the chancellor anymore," I frowned. "I love him, but he's done too many questionable things for me to allow him into my home or my heart." I blinked to my sleeping daughter. "I need to focus on Bella and healing her."

"Who do we need to speak to in order to switch rooms?" Esme asked.

"For now, speak to Rosalie Hale," I suggested. "Edward's struggling with a lot."

"He looks haunted, broken," Alice frowned. "I was here when she was brought in. It's like the world collapsed around him. He's surviving, but once she wakes up …"

"All will be right in his world," Esme nodded. "When he loves, he loves fiercely. Now that he opened himself up to Bella, she's it for him. Carlisle was the same way. It took him some time to break through my walls, but when he did, we were attached until …"

I gave Esme a sympathetic smile. "But, you got back together," I whispered.

"So will you," Esme replied.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "We'll see."

"Dr. Swan, now that I'm … better-ish, I want to help here in the mountain," Alice said. "I know that Edward doesn't trust me …"

"Did he say that?" Esme asked.

"Not explicitly," Alice responded, shifting on the gurney. "The whole reason why I stayed at the Drop Ship camp was because he trusted Bella with the codes to access all the systems in the mountain. He didn't ask me. He didn't trust me."

"It's not that he didn't trust you. He knew Bella from the moment she was born," Esme explained. "He just met you and all he knew about you was …"

"My file when I was arrested," Alice frowned. "I suck."

"No, you're young," I explained. "It wasn't a personal affront to you, Alice."

"I need to apologize to him," Alice sighed. "And, to Bella. I called her some pretty awful names. Despite that, she still helped me." She bit her lip and looked at me. "I still want to help. There's got to be a way for me to help."

"You can speak to Rose about that, too," I told Alice. "She should be in the garage or the hydroelectric control room."

"Come on, Alice," Esme said, offering her a hand. "We'll find Rose and go from there."

xx MWMA xx

Edward

Amun, Indra and the tribe of Grounders left early this morning. Commander Blake left with them, taking Tyler and Jasper with him to see their winter home. I wanted to go, but since I was still in charge, I was tethered to the mountain. After doing rounds and making arrangements for new residents joining the mountain, I went down to medical.

Alec was working with Austin on some fake looking arm. "What is that?" I asked.

"A tool to help with sutures," Austin said. "Apparently, a blind rhino can stitch better than me."

"You keep practicing, Austin," Alec deadpanned. "Dr. Swan is in with Bella. She's completely off the meds and we're just waiting for her to wake up."

I walked into Bella's room. Renee was typing on a computer, blinking up tiredly. "Do you sleep? Ever?" I asked, sitting down next to Bella.

"I'm off in an hour," she breathed. "I'm going to crash … my bed is calling." She sighed, looking up at me. "Charlie was in here an hour ago."

I grunted, picking up Bella's hand and kissing her knuckles. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to talk about punishment," she answered. "For everyone involved in Jacob's schemes, including himself."

"I'm shocked that he wants to hold himself culpable for all of this," I snorted humorlessly.

"I was doing some reading from the database," Renee began, pulling up a file on her tablet. "The government had three branches in the United States: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. What I was most interested in was the judicial branch, a justice system." She handed me the tablet with an article about the justice system. "The way we handled things on the Ark cannot fly down here."

"You mean, I can't float Jacob, Charlie and the rest of them?" I asked.

"Jacob? He deserves to be floated," Renee snarled. "And, no one will deny that. Charlie? He deserves punishment, but not death. His punishment will need to reflect the severity of the crime. That's why we need a justice system. Judges and attorneys and juries …"

"You lost me," I snorted.

"Read this article about the justice system," Renee said, pointing to the tablet. "I think this is something that we need. When Bella's awake, bring it up to her and have your council discuss it."

"I will," I said.

"Okay," she nodded, smiling when the door opened to medical. "Now, I have a date with my bed. She should be waking up soon."

"You're not timing me?" I asked, giving her a wry grin.

"You're funny," Renee deadpanned. "Carlisle, my notes are on the desk. Bed is calling."

"Do you want me to radio you if Bella wakes up?" he asked.

She looked at me, ruffling my hair. "She's surrounded by her loved ones. She'll want Edward," Renee answered. "But, call me if there's any concerns." With a kiss to my forehead, Renee left medical bay and I continued to sit next to Bella, hoping that she'd wake up and wake up soon.

Bella

I awoke with a start. I was inside the Ark.

Was it all a dream?

I rubbed my eyes, listening to the constant hum of the Ark, but didn't hear it. Instead, I heard quiet birdsong. It was soft and sweet and completely unexpected. I sat up, standing on unsteady legs and walked to the door. With a grunt, I opened it up. Outside, it was a beautiful summer's day, with a soft, steady breeze and flowers blooming in an idyllic meadow.

In a word?

Perfection.

"Took you long enough, Princess," Edward quipped, munching on an apple. "I've been waiting for you."

I looked around, walking toward him. I was so confused. "Am I dead?" I asked.

"No, you're not dead. You're just hopped up on some really good drugs," Edward snickered. "With your injuries, your mom had to sedate you. The real me is currently drooling on your arm." He gave me a sweet, crooked grin.

I looked down, noticing that my arm was in a stream, but it was warm. "Oh," I replied dumbly. "What happened? I mean, I know what happened, but since you found me."

"I didn't find you. The real Edward found you," Edward chuckled. "But, he's been a mess. It's all been a mess."

"The alliance, Amun …" I said, reaching out to touch him. He took a step back. "Why can't I touch you?"

"Because I'm not real, Princess," he said softly. "I know you want nothing more than for me to pull you into my arms. I want to. I hate to be away from you, Bella." He reached up to touch my hair, but his hand went through me. "See?"

"So, I'm not dead, but I'm not awake?" I asked.

"Great drugs," he answered again with a snort. "The alliance is intact. In fact, Amun and your Edward have created a friendship."

"I wish I could have been there for the negotiations. What did we share with them? What are they sharing with us?" I whispered, sitting down on a log.

"I don't know those answers," Edward answered, sitting down next to me. "What I do know is that there's a lot of drama between your Edward and your dad."

"Yeah, you're not my Edward. He's not this gossipy," I deadpanned. I shifted and whimpered. "Why do I hurt?"

"Because you have several broken bones from the beating you received from those assholes," Edward snarled. "It appears that the good drugs you're on are being weaned off. Hence, the pain."

"I'm going to be worthless," I said, moving down on the log and leaning heavily against it. "My ribs … I feel like I can't take a deep breath. My leg is throbbing and my head?"

"Your head is from withdrawals from the pain meds," Edward explained. "Do you want to hear about your dad and Edward? It'll help distract you from your pain."

I shifted on the ground, giving him a baleful glare. "I'd rather be without the pain, but okay."

Dream Edward told me all about how my father was more concerned about his approval rating, going through with floating me to improve his likeability.

Say. What?

No wonder why my Edward abhorred my father.

I abhorred my father at the moment. I went to stand, and my body barked in agony. Edward crouched in front of me, his eyes wide with concern. "Bella?"

"Oh my God," I whimpered, reaching for him, and coming into contact with his shoulder. Edward took my hand, threading our fingers together. "I'm dying."

"You're not dying," he whispered, squeezing my hand. "You're waking up."

"Why does it hurt so fucking much?" I cried out, looking at him. "Edward … just let me go."

His gaze grew dreamy, moving closer to me and pressing my hand to his chest. "I love you," he said, but it sounded more resonant. More real. "I'll always love you. I need you, Princess. Don't leave me. Our people need you."

"Edward," I whimpered.

He leaned forward, caressing my cheek. "I'm here, love. Come back to me. I'm not letting go. I know it hurts, but I'll be with you. Every step of the way," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss my temple.

I gasped, my eyes shooting open, and I found myself in medical. Every inch of my body was on fire. I blinked over to see Edward. He was caressing my cheek and whispering what I'd just heard in my mind. "I'm with you, Princess. Come back to me, please?"

I squeezed his fingers. His evergreen gaze found mine. "Bella," he said, taking my face in his hands. "You're awake."

"Edward," I muttered, feeling disconnected to my body. "I love you."

"I love you more than words can say, my Bella," he breathed, leaning forward, and kissing me. "I've missed you so much. I'm so happy you're awake. I have so much to tell you."

A/N: So, we have one more real chapter and then an epilogue. We'll find out what will happen with Jacob, Charlie, and the future of the residents of the ground. We're also going to get … wait for it … some lemonade? Not something super descriptive, but enough to know that Edward and Bella adore each other.

Thanks for reading and for your patience!