Wow… more than a YEAR since I last updated this story… I feel like you all deserve an explanation because a lot has happened in that year… I was going through a major writer's block and on top of life and mental/substance struggles it got hard for me to stay motivated but… I got help, quit the substances and I'm doing much better now and I'm ready and excited to embark us all back on this adventure to Calgary!

To all of the amazing followers/readers who have stuck with me on this journey and especially to those of you who come back for this chapter… Thank you! From the bottom of my heart. I know it's just a fanfiction and it might not mean much to some but to me, this is such an amazing place for me to share my ideas and writing with wonderful people, and escape reality which can be so cruel. With all your support it truly helps in ways you can't imagine. HERE'S TO ALL OF YOU! :)

I answered your reviews at the bottom as always. ENJOY!

Chapter 23: Jackpot

Clarke's P.O.V (7:30 am)

"Clarke, it's ready." When I heard Raven say those words I felt a rush of anxiety come over me, like jumping into freezing cold water. It was the next day after we camped out on the shore of the icy ocean and everyone was just waking up. I was sitting with Bellamy around the fire, talking, when Raven told me the high-frequency radio Trevor gave us was all set up and ready to contact Arkadia. To contact my mother, Abby Griffin. I didn't move at first but when I felt Bellamy place a comforting hand on my thigh I immediately felt better.

"Come talk to her with me?" I asked. Bellamy smiled and tilted his head in a way that said 'Do you even have to ask?'

"Let's go," He said, as we both got up and followed Raven to where she set up the radio on the ATV buggy's hood. Raven went over a few things with us about the radio,

"Alright. This radio is a high-frequency one but that doesn't mean dick in a snowy wasteland, so the reception might not be to your liking but… it's something." We nodded towards her and she just looked at us. I with the microphone in my hand and Bellamy leaning against the buggy.

"Raven?" I asked, trying to get her attention. She shook her head like she was trying to snap out of it.

"Sorry, just getting flashbacks to when I first landed and had to fix up that communicator for you two." I smiled at her, remembering the earlier days of the Dropship camp before it all went sideways. Raven continued, "Y'know, The one that SOMEONE threw in a river!" She gave an accusing eye towards Bellamy, who put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey! I said I was sorry."

"I know, just busting your balls." Raven flipped a switch on the radio and then turned a knob, the sound of static coming through the speakers as she did. "Alright, if that's all you guys need I'll head out." We thanked her for her help and watched her walk away towards the rest of the group who were packing up and getting ready to continue on our journey. I was just staring at them all for what seemed like hours. Trying to build up the courage to just contact my mom. I killed 300 people to save 47 people. Two hundred and fifty-three people less than who I killed. And now? I can't even talk into a microphone with my mother who's miles and miles away from me. I felt a hand being placed on my shoulder and it brought me out of my trance.

"You got this, Clarke." Bellamy's deep but soft voice lulled me back to reality. I was smiling before I even turned around to him. He returned the smile with his lips that I wanted to plant kisses on more and more each day.

"Thank you for being here." I settled with that, instead of kissing him all over. I put the mic to my mouth and pressed the button.

"Arkadia. This is Clarke Griffin. Come in Arkadia." I said that same sentence about six times before I heard the static over the speakers start to break up.

"-larke?" When I heard Harper McIntyre's voice come over the radio my heart jumped. "Clarke? Is it -eally you?" Raven was right. The reception was not good. But doable. I quickly put the microphone to my mouth and pressed the button.

"Harper! Yes, it's me. Is my mother there? I have to speak with her."

"I'll go get her, right now." The radio went quiet again and I was rehearsing in my head what I was going to say to my mom. Bellamy's voice soothed me again,

"Hey." I turned to see him smiling his gorgeous smile at me. "If she's not proud now… one day, she will be proud of you." He didn't know how perfect those words were.

"Thank you." I choked out.

"Clarke!? Cl-rke?" My mother's voice filled the cool silence of the snow around us.

"Mom. Yes, it's me. I'm okay. So is everyone else."

"Where are you!? What ha-ened? We've sent search parties and scouters for -iles around- You said a week and it's been two! Everyone thou- you were all ca-tured or killed or God knows what." My mother sounded frantic between the static. "I was so worried."

"I know, Mom, but I promise everyone's alright and we're going to continue to be alright."

"Where are you?" She asked again, this time sounding less frantic.

"Near a city. Well, what's left of one, that is." I answered. "The city of Chicago."

"Chicag- Clarke, how the hell are you in Chicago? Our cartographers said we're in what wa- once Washington DC."

"We found working cars. It's a lot to explain and I promise I'll tell you everything soon. But first… I have to tell you the truth." I heard no response from her side, just silence. I assumed she was waiting for my response. Bellamy gave my shoulder a light squeeze and I pressed the button on the microphone. "We didn't find any 'safe haven' on a map in Mount Weather. Bellamy and I-" I looked at Bellamy, now. "We couldn't stand being in Arkadia for more than a day. We're just kids, mom." We're just kids. I said those same three words to Kane when we told him. Tears were collecting in my eye and it was hard but I didn't care. "And w-what we h-had to do." I collected myself for a minute, noticing the rest of the group standing closer to hear and giving me encouraging smiles. I couldn't help but smile back before going back to talking. "We couldn't just sit in that camp and do nothing. So me, Bellamy and Octavia Blake, Raven Reyes, Jasper Jordan, Monty Green, Marcus Kane, John Murphy, and Lincoln Kom Trikru set out on a mission to find Calgary, Alberta Canada. A city that's said to be still standing but no one has had the guts to get to it." The radio was quiet for a while, I was beginning to think that I lost connection with Arkadia but then the static broke again.

"I can't say I'm not surprised that you kids would do something like that." I couldn't tell if she was angry or not, her voice was so monotone. "Marcus knew about this?"

"No, mom. We didn't tell Kane until a week into the trip." I answered, realizing again how wrong it was to not tell him earlier.

"Jesus, Clarke!" My mom exclaimed. "This is- How could you-" It was getting hard to handle my mother's reaction. I was about to break but then Bellamy took the microphone out of my hand and pressed the button on the side.

"Miss Griffin. What Clarke did… setting off to find a place for the Arkers to thrive is exactly what we should be doing. It's what your daughter does. She led a hundred teenagers through landing on a planet everyone thought was impossible to survive on before she even turned 18. She buried her best friend then she set up meetings, and peace offerings so that all of you didn't have to come down and immediately start fighting for land. She made the hardest decision no eighteen-year-old girl should ever have to make and we took 300 lives so that her people- so that you didn't die." He looked at me now, my tears of guilt and fear turned into tears of joy and amazement at this beautiful man. "We all followed Clarke without hesitation. And my God, Miss Griffin, are we ever glad that we did."

"You're damn right!" Raven exclaimed. My eyes never left Bellamy's. I felt so speechless. This man is everything. I didn't know what to do so I just hugged him again. Never wanting to let go. He put the microphone down on the hood and wrapped his arms around me. His hands rubbed up and down my back. I didn't know how my mother was going to react to what Bellamy had said and frankly, I didn't care. I just stayed in the safety of his arms until I heard her voice come through the speakers again.

"M-Marcus, are you there?". I didn't move from where I was hugging Bell. I just turned my head to Kane and nodded. With that confirmation, Kane picked up the microphone.

"Abby." He said into the device before they started talking. Bellamy led me away from Kane who, from what I could hear, was getting an earful from my mother about not getting us to come back. We made it over to the rest of the group. Monty placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled his contagious smile.

"You did good, Clarke."

"Yeah, you killed it." Octavia added.

"Thank you, guys." It felt like my throat was closing up with all the emotions I was feeling at that moment. "For everything."

"I mean we don't have much choice," Murphy stated with his signature smirk. "Y'know, you being our hero and all." I couldn't help but smile at him for that and place my hand on his arm as we passed by. Everyone disbanded and headed to the cars to continue loading them up. Bellamy made sure I was okay and then went over to help the group pack up.

Not long after that Kane made his way over to me on the shoreline after talking to my mom. He seemed… content.

"What did she say? What did you say?" I asked, somewhat worried about the answer.

"She told me I should have brought you all back, or came back myself and told her where you all were," Kane answered.

"And…?" I said.

"I told her what she needed to hear." Kane gestured to Bellamy, who was helping Raven tighten one of the bolts on a wheel of the Charger. "Just like Bellamy did." I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. We stood there for a while, together. Looking off into the ruined city that once housed millions. Kane decided to continue. "I told her you are the bravest person I have ever met." I looked at him, now, noting his slightly grey facial hair had grown since the start of this trip. "I told her how effortlessly you have led these kids, and me, through what's known as one of the most dangerous trips a person can make." I didn't know why, but hearing Kane say these things to me meant more than words can put together. Marcus Kane was the man who, back on the Ark, was known for being orders first, and morals later. He, like many others here with me now, has changed so much. He's been such an asset to our survival on this journey. "You need to know, Clarke. You are giving so much, for the good of our people. You fight harder than anyone I have ever known. And in the future, when people hear the name 'Clarke Griffin', shortly after the word 'hero' will be said as well." I gave him a sad smile, partly trying not to cry for the hundredth time on this trip and partly because I didn't know if he was right or not.

"How do I know if I really am doing the right thing?" I managed to ask. "How do I know if this'll all end one day and we won't have to fight anymore?" Kane looked down at the snowy rocks at our feet, seemingly thinking.

"Well, you don't." He looked back up to me as he answered. "All we know for sure… Is that we have each other. We managed to bring our people out of space back onto Earth. Earth Clarke." He turned his gaze back out to the city. "Something I thought I'd be too old to see."

"I just want everything to work out, Kane."

"Well, I think as long as we have you we'll be just fine. And one day, very soon, your mother will agree with me." I managed to smile at him finally. For some reason, these words, coming out of Kane, were exactly what I needed to hear. I still felt so lost. But not alone. "As you know, I was friends with your father. And Clarke, I know… without a doubt in my mind… that he is so proud of you. We all are." That's it. That right there is what I needed to hear. The tears I was holding back slowly fell down my cheek as I looked at him. Before I knew it I was hugging Kane. Wrapping my arms around his lower back and pushing my face into his chest. He seemed to be taken by surprise but soon returned the hug.

At that moment I felt like I was right back on the Ark, in my dad's arms

Safe.

Ravens P.O.V (4:19 pm)

It's been 9 hours since we left Chicago. Twelve STINKIN hours on the roughest terrain we've faced on this trip so far. There were hills, trees, and WAY too many big-ass rocks. The ground was an orange dirt color, almost like what you would have seen in the Grand Canyon. According to Murphy's phone, the trip from Chicago, Illinois to Minneapolis, Minnesota seems to only be a 6-hour drive. That's minus the hills, trees, and BIG-ASS ROCKS! I fucking hate rocks! Minneapolis is where this so-called "Badlands" is going to barbeque us alive. It better not hurt my baby! I mean my car… I mean OUR car… Yeah…

"Wait, stop here," Clarke said in a sort of calming urgency that only Clarke could pull off.

I stopped the car, shifted it into park, and we all piled out to see what Clarke was seeing. In the distance, we could see it. The Badlands. Orange and black rocks with only a few driveable paths and beside all of those paths was burning hot lava. Far enough away not to melt us into a puddle, but close enough to where it would be hot as hell.

"Amazing," Monty stated after all the guys in the buggy came over to us. "I never thought I'd get to see lava in person." Murphy put a hand on his shoulder and said,

"Well, now you get to drive through it and possibly swim in it." Which promptly wiped the smile off of Monty's face and turned it into a nervous look.

"It's said the Badlands doesn't take long to travel through, but it will be hot," Lincoln informed us.

"Well, let's get moving then," Bellamy stated. We piled back into the vehicles and started our careful drive through the paths of molten death. Even from inside we could feel the temperature rising higher and higher. I looked at the screen behind the steering wheel that read out the speed we were moving. 7mph. I also looked at the temperature that was on the top right of the same screen: 155ºF. This was an understatement, however. Just the limit of the temperature gauge. The lava bubbled to our right and left and we stayed quiet. The quietest it's been this whole trip. I took a peak at the rearview mirror to check on our friends in the buggy. Jasper was trying to pat out a fire that kept starting on the hood while Monty stayed focused on the path. Bellamy and Kane were standing in the back of the buggy making sure the tires weren't melting. Warin, our wolf comrade, was standing up between them with his front paws on the light bar of the buggy for support. I took a peak through the mirror at everyone sitting in the back of the car I was driving and saw Clarke looking out the window nervously and Octavia, who was sitting in the middle, clutching Lincoln's hand while they both looked out their window.

"Can you go any faster?" Murphy asked.

"Sure, if you wanna fall off when I miss a turn or something!" I spat.

"Jeez, it was just a question."

"Sorry John, but when our lives hang in the balance my moodiness goes through the roof," I answered.

I kept driving at that slow pace noticing the mirrors starting to melt as the white paint on them was turning a gold-brown color before the plastic started dripping down onto the ground below. It hurt me to my soul to see the car getting damaged but I knew I had to focus on getting everyone out of this literal hell.

"Look!" Octavia pointed from the back straight forward in front of us and I could see the end of the lava path and blue sky. It was like we were driving toward the gates of heaven.

After what felt like hours… We made it. We actually made it through something on this journey without having to fight for our lives. I know, pretty crazy right?

We all exchanged sighs of relief once the boys passed through the smoke from The Wasteland we were leaving behind. We were back in a run-down forest-looking area. Much like the area where we first started our lives on Earth. This one had fewer trees, however.

"Welcome to North Dakota ladies and Lincoln," Murphy stated while looking at the map on his phone, which was plugged into the car to charge its fast-dying battery. "We're halfway to Calgary." I felt that rush of excitement hit me again. Calgary. Our home waiting for us.

Bellamy's P.O.V:

After making it through The Badlands, a lava-infested pathway between Minnesota and North Dakota we drove for about another half an hour before we found another abandoned, run-down, small town. I checked the map that Clarke drew up, with the help of Lincoln, and sure enough, we were right on track. This town was less beaten up than The Wasteland, the first town we came across on the journey, but it was still pretty rough around the edges and had only a few structures still standing.

"Great…" Murphy complained, "Another bunch of fucked up buildings, probably guarded by a whole army of fucked up people ready to rip us limb from limb."

"Nah they'll only want to do that to you. Considering your biggest skill is pissing people off." Octavia joked. I couldn't help but quietly chuckle at my sister's comment but turned back to look around the town as we drove into it.

Raven pulled into a run-down gas station and put the car in park before all of us got out. The guys in the buggy pulled up behind us and did the same. We all stretched harder than anyone has ever stretched before. Even Warin gave a big stretch. Being cooped up in a vehicle for 9 hours will do that to you, I guess… The weather wasn't as freezing as it was in Chicago but it was still cold, so we all kept our winter jackets on.

"Alright, guys, I think we all know the drill by now," I said, as I put the strap to my rifle around me and let the gun hang on my back. Trevor put 45 bullets in the backpack when he gave us the radio so we managed to split them up between me, Jasper, and Kane. His kindness seemed too good to be true. "Murphy and Jasper, check out the gas station for more alcohol that we could use to mix with the fuel. We're also running low on our rations so everyone keep your eye out for any food we could eat."

"Right… because we're definitely going to find food over a hundred years old that won't rip up our insides or give us botulism," Murphy replied sarcastically as he took a pistol from Kane.

"How do you know the word botulism?" Clarke asked, sounding impressed.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, princess," He answered with a wink before he and Jasper headed off into the worn-down building of the gas station. I couldn't help but feel a bit pissed off at his wink to Clarke but I knew it was just Murphy being Murphy.

"What should the rest of us do?" Monty asked.

"How do we all feel about splitting up to scavenge the area?" I asked, looking at everyone. We all looked around at each other and came to a quiet conclusion that it was a good idea. "Alright then, O, Lincoln, and Kane. You guys check out those apartment buildings over there with Warin." I pointed to two, four-story, apartments across from the gas station. They were made of brick and had some parts of the top floor missing but for the most part, they were still standing. The three of them nodded and made their way across the, barely visible, cracked-up road with our wolf companion happily following them. "Raven, Clarke, and I will head up the road a bit on foot to see if there's anything else to scavenge that hasn't collapsed in on itself. And Monty-"

"No…" Monty said, sternly, before I could finish. I looked at him, confused. "I know you're going to tell me to stay with the cars again and that is not happening. I want to explore and scavenge too." I was shocked and honestly quite proud of the shorter man standing in front of me. He rarely spoke his mind so this was a breath of fresh air. I looked at the girls who also looked impressed.

"Alright, Monty, you're coming with us," I said with a smile which he quickly returned looking excited. "Jasper and Murphy can keep an eye on the vehicles."

With that, the four of us made our way up the road of the broken-down town. On either side of us were mounds of rubble and collapsed buildings. Nothing safe enough to walk into, let alone even find an entrance to. Passed the town, we could see a residential area, a short walk away, with destroyed houses. None of which looked of any use to us. I was starting to lose hope of finding anything until…

As I walked up ahead, looking down at the houses I stopped hearing the three sets of feet walking behind me on the gravely road. I turned around to see Clarke, Monty, and Raven staring up at something in awe. I walked over, confused, and asked what was up with them when Clarke held out her hand, still keeping her eyes locked on whatever they were staring at, and taking my arm. I got closer to them and stood next to Clarke. I followed the three pairs of eyes and looked in the same direction. There, in the distance up on a hill… was a perfectly intact white mansion…

No damage.

No missing windows.

No collapsed roof.

Just a perfectly good high-end home.

Raven said the one word that was on all of our minds.

"Jackpot."

Reviews:

Inesucashiro131: Me está llamando mucho la atención este fanfic, tengo mucha curiosidad por lo que pasará, apenas voy en el cap 2 (This fanfic is catching my attention, I'm very curious about what will happen, I'm just on chapter 2)

Answer: ¡Me alegro de que te guste! Espero que el resto también te haya gustado y espero que todo te vaya bien, amigo mío. (Glad you're liking it! I hope you liked the rest as well and I hope all is well with you my friend :)) I used Google Translate so I hope it's accurate enough!

Thank you all for checking out this chapter! I PROMISE I will try to get the next one up very soon. I will not make you guys wait that long ever again! Have a wonderful day :D