Adventures in Happiness

by devilpup105

What happens when Lexa and Clarke talk about a potential deal that could be made with Mount Weather before the Battle? What happens when Clark embraces being Wanheda? What follows will be the start of a relationship that will become the one of Clarke and Lexa that we all wanted.

7. Chapter 5

Clarke's nightmare

Middle of the night

The smell of the filtered air hit her first, then came the voices all shouting at opened her eyes and saw where she was and her heart started to beat faster. She was in the security room of Mount Weather again. She looked around and saw the same people there. Dante was dead in the corner of the room. Bellamy was alternating between watching her and the monitors and Monty was waiting for her orders.

Why was she back here? The mountain men were gone. There was no way all that had happened was a dream. She watched the monitors trying to decide her next move when Cage brought someone forward from off screen. Their head was covered and she watched intently as he grabbed the radio again and removed the hood.

She sucked in a breath at the person that was there now. How was this possible when she had left. Kneeling by the table that Wick was on was Lexa. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was gagged. Clarke shook her head in disbelief and looked at Bellamy who just held a look of shock on his face the same with Monty.

"Bell I have to go now. Pull that damn lever if I don't come back." He nodded at her and moved to where she was standing.

She took off not caring who was in her way. She entered the lunch area of level five and saw the startled faces on all of them. Her gaze turned red and she could feel Wanheda taking over. She drew her sword and started heading toward the door she needed to reach. The first person that tried to stop her was met by their throat being slit, their blood flying over her. She heard the screams and saw more people rush her.

She shrugged her shoulders at them knowing they had decided their fate. Her body went into overdrive and she fought her way to the door. She felt the blood of these people that were trying to stop her as it hit her. She felt no remorse, Cage had her love and no one was safe. Blood was flying everywhere covering her and anything it hit. She hesitated when she went to swing on the next person and it was a child. She stilled but couldn't bring herself to kill a child. She was not expecting to be surrounded by more children that were a few years younger than herself. She looked at all of them.

"If you do not move out of my way you will meet the same fate as the others." Her voice was low and she felt her lungs expanding and contracting as she breathed.

They all slowly backed away from her and she was glad. Adults were one thing but she wasn't ready to slit the throats of children yet. She made her way to the door with little resistance and she estimated half of the people in the dining area were dead. She pulled the door open and saw down the halfway to her left more guards.

She smiled at them and launched herself at them with a war cry. Each one tried to shoot her but she was moving too fast and she was on them in a blur. Each one went down trying to fight but it was all for not. She looked at the pile of bodies and could tell her body was covered by the blood of everyone. She reached the door and pulled it open stepping into the room. Her thoughts were running on overdrive as she locked eyes with Lexa. The look on her face caused her to lose the remaining control she had. Cage set the remaining guards on her and her fury took over. She glowed white as she dispatched each one till it was just cage and Emerson.

She looked up at Cage and he had now put a gun to her head and she stopped in her tracks. She locked eyes with him and he smiled. She wanted to do nothing but slice his neck but she was not close enough and couldn't risk the gun going off.

"Clarke, it seems you have changed. How many of the innocent people in the dining area did you kill?" She saw the shock on her mother's face but she ignored it.

"They were in my way just like everyone else that has died tonight. Just like you will." She flexed her fingers on her sword while slowly moving one of the daggers from her sleeve to her hand.

"I don't think I will Clarke. You see I have the one person you care about at my mercy. All I have to do is pull this trigger and no more commander." She clenched her teeth and tried to school her emotions and risked a glance at Lexa. She saw her trying to tell her not worry about and just take him out.

She turned the dagger in her palm and she felt the grip of it. She knew she only had one chance at this and she hoped that Wanheda would help her.

"What do you want, Cage?" She asked as she moved her hands up to sheathe her sword trying to distract him from the dagger in her hand.

"Your unconditional surrender and she will be spared. All you have to do is walk out of here with her and leave your people. Are you willing to sacrifice your people for just one person." She looked at everyone in the room and saw the emotion on all of them. Her mind was made up already.

"Sorry Cage no deal." She flung the dagger at him and it connected with his neck but she heard the gun go off and Lexa slumped forward. She let out a scream and ran to catch her.

No this couldn't be happening. She cradled her in her arms hoping and praying that she would open her eyes. Her hands roamed to the wound and it was instantly coated in the black blood. Tears ran from her eyes and she held her love.

"I win, Clarke." She heard the gurgled words come from Cage as he stilled.

She looked at Lexa again and couldn't hold it back anymore. Her rage erupted from her as she cried out. White light seemed to radiate off her skin and the light grew the more she released her rage.

---

Clarke awoke with a scream as she sat up trying to figure out where she was. It was all so real. She looked around the cave trying to find Lexa and she was nowhere to be found. She was sweating and she looked around and the walls felt like they were moving closer. She grabbed her things and ran towards the front of the cave trying to escape the voice in her head. She heard the laughter of Emerson and Cage's words ringing in her head. She heard voices of the people in the mountain telling her she would never rest.

She had managed to put her gear on as she made it to the entrance. She needed to leave this cave. She quickly put everything on and made her way outside surprised that no one had stopped her. It was dark as she walked out of the cave and the moon was directly above her now. She walked to a tree that was close to the entrance of the cave and climbed her way up into it. She was struck by a memory of Lexa showing her how to do this for the first time and she smiled. She braced her back against the trunk of the tree and stretched a leg out in front of her while she let the other hang off the branch.

She knew someone would come looking for her soon but she needed this. She tried to ignore the voices and what they were saying to her. She focused on controlling her breathing and Lexa. She opened her eyes and looked at her hands expecting to see them covered in Lexa's blood. This nightmare shook her to her core and she didn't know how to approach it. She slaughtered innocent people that were just there because she was trying to get through. She felt sick to her stomach as the memory of being ready to kill the children if they didn't move came back to her. She had been too late and couldn't save the woman she loves.

If she was being honest with herself that was her worst fear was not being able to save Lexa. It wasn't what the killing and war was turning her into, but that was it. She would deal with whatever came from the war she would fight here on the ground but if she lost Lexa she knew there would be no stopping her.

She heard the footsteps approaching and she instinctively reached for her sword. Her nerves were shot and she still felt groggy from the sudden jolt of waking up. She looked at where the steps were coming from and saw that it was Aslena and Octavia coming her way. She sighed and climbed down from her perch trying to ready herself for the questions. Once she was down she made her way over to them and she could tell at least Octavia had a worried look on her face.

"Wanheda, is everything okay?" Aslena asked as she came to stand in front of the women.

"Sha, just a bad dream." She saw the look of worry on Octavia's face.

"I'll be okay. Let's go back to the cave and I'll take watch." They nodded at her hopefully recognizing that she needed the space.

---

They made their way back to the cave as she focused on anything but her dreams. Her mind wandered to a pair of green eyes that always seemed to peer into her soul when they met. She shook her head for what felt like the millionth time as she let a small smile show itself. No matter how long she had been down here did she ever think that just one woman would be able to carve a part in her heart like Lexa had.

She looked up and saw the entrance to the cave with a light coming from it. The fire had been relit at some point throughout the night. She stayed at the entrance to the cave as Aslena made her way inside. She saw the nod come from Lincoln as he tended to the fire. She saw Octavia was standing next to her.

"I am guessing it was your watch?" She asked as she looked out in the forest.

"It was and still is. I just have an extra pair of eyes now. Come on. We need to do a patrol." Clarke nodded and followed her.

"I'm surprised you didn't try and tell me to stay inside." She tried to fall back into her normal self or what she perceived as normal.

"Clarke. We all heard the scream you let out and we all saw you tear out of the cave like you had seen a ghost." She stilled and turned to face her.

"I don't know what caused that but I know it wasn't like you. It worried all of us." She looked at her face and saw the concern evident in her eyes.

"It was just a nightmare O, I will be fine. I just needed to get out of there." She waited to see what she would say next.

"Was it about the mountain?" Octavia asked and she wondered how she had known.

"How did you know?" she asked as she started walking again.

"Lucky guess. What you did there would not be easy for anyone. You made a hard call just like you and Lexa did at TonDC, I can see that now. If you need to talk about it I'll listen." She looked at her and tried to read her.

"Thanks Octavia, I'll keep that in mind." She took a breath before she spoke.

"It just felt so real. I have never experienced something like that. I have to talk to Lexa because if I had to guess it has something to do with my being a Natblida now. There is so much I don't know because of everything going on." She sighed as she scanned the trees looking for any sign of danger.

"I feel like since we came down here all I have done is wind up getting people killed. I know it was done out of survival but I have caused so many people to die." Clarke knew she was spiraling into a panic attack again but everything just started to hit her once more. She was growing tired of this and just wanted to run.

"Look at me Clarke." She felt her grab her and turn her to face her.

"You are the reason we all are alive right now. You made sure that no matter what was going on we survived. Yes you have blood on your hands but it was done in defense of our people when you had no options left. If it wasn't for you all of us would have died the first time Lexa's army came at us." Octavia pulled her closer when she saw the tears form.

"I don't care what your mother or whatever is left of that council says. The remaining of us that came down here together look up to you. We weren't expected to live this long but here we are. You put us in our place and made sure we all came out of that mountain." Octavia felt the sobs coming from her friend as they racked through her.

"How can you all look up to me with everything I have done. I sentenced Finn to death, I let Wells, Charlotte and Atom die, I banished Murphy even though he was innocent. I condemned a whole race to death to save our people. I killed innocent children O." Octavia had been waiting for her to break like this.

Octavia had been harsh on when she found out about TonDC and a part of her still didn't agree with her but she had come to see that if they had tried to stop it her brother would not be here. She realized that Clarke may not have wanted to be their leader but she had been the only one willing to make the decisions required to make sure they survived. Clarke was the true leader of Skaikru, council be damned.

"You kept us all alive Clarke. That is why. You made a deal with the people sent to kill us and in the process found someone that will care for you and help you through all of this." That got Clarke to look at her.

"Lexa is good for you. I am not saying everything that comes with being with her will be easy. Lincoln has told me some things about how their politics work and I can say I do not envy you right now. But I know that if anyone can get through it, it is you." She saw the smile slowly come back to her face.

"Thanks O." She pulled away from her friend and wiped her eyes and quickly realized that she still had not washed the blood off of her.

"There is a stream close if you want to wash that off." She looked up at her friend and saw the smirk on her face.

"As long as we can get there and not stray too far. I had honestly forgotten about it." She shivered at the thought of everything that had gone on today with her still wearing the blood of the mountain men.

"It probably helped your cause with Echo. She actually looked a little terrified of you." Clarke let out a laugh.

"Good. I still don't trust her but I see why Lexa sent her there." Octavia nodded as they came up on the stream.

Octavia just nodded her head at the stream. Clarke nodded at her as she approached it, glad Octavia was giving her the moment to get as much off as she could. She grabbed a rag from the pouch that she had on her side. She stepped towards the edge of the stream and dunked the rag in the water. She felt the chill of the water as it soaked the cloth. She pulled the cloth out of the water and gave it a squeeze not wanting to completely let all of the water out of it. She washed her face first and she could feel the remnants of her warpaint and blood starting to peel away. With every scrub that removed blood or paint she started to feel normal or whatever that was now.

She could feel the weight of her choices slowly start to dissipate like she was shedding the skin of Wanheda. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a curse when she came across a knot. She knew her hair was matted with the dried blood but it would have to wait till she got to TonDC when she could properly clean it. Her hair had grown to where it was mid back length now and she still had some of the braids left it in from when Lexa had done her hair. She stood up from the stream once she felt like she had removed as much of the physical stain of the mountain for the moment and made her way back to where she had left Octavia.

She came up the small hill and saw her friend standing scanning the woods. Once she was next to her she nodded and they continued doing their patrol. The patrol they did took them not long to complete and they made their way back to the cave. Clarke saw that the fire was still going inside and she made her way to the front of the cave and stood against the entrance looking at the people there. Elanta was asleep waiting for her turn to watch which would be coming up in a couple of hours. Aslena and Lincoln were staring at the fire as if waiting for something to jump out of it and burn them. She still was unsure of the past between the two but with what she had heard there was something there and it had to do with Anya.

Octavia left to go scan the area just a little further out from the cave and Clarke stepped out of the cave to get some air. She was joined by Aslena shortly after that. She looked up at the woman and gave her a quick smile as she turned her attention back to the woods.

"Wanheda, you know if you stare long enough you might actually see something." Clarke looked at her and saw the small smirk on her face.

"You can call me Clarke. It is just us here and if Heda trusts you then I do as well." Aslena nodded and sat down next to her.

"I must say you have surprised me Clarke. When I first saw you in that meeting in TonDC I was shocked to learn that you were the one that had caused Anya so many troubles." She let out a huff at her words.

"Well I did what I had to do for my people. Trust me I wish I didn't have to sentence that many people to death." Aslena heard the grief behind her attempt at keeping her voice level.

"You had to do what was necessary. After that day word spread of this girl from the sky that could control fire. You kept your people alive longer than most that came into contact with Anya." Clarke looked over at the woman.

"She was cunning and ruthless when it came to something. There were many times where we would be sent out on a mission and I had to pull her back from going too far. She was a noble warrior but her heart sometimes made her rash." Aslena looked over at her and she could tell she was on the verge of learning something about Anya.

"You were the first one that had tested her in a long time. I was sent to TonDC with Tristian to see if further men were needed to wipe you out. When she came back from your meeting on the bridge she was furious. She came to me and expressed how much she was intrigued by you and how much it frustrated her that you were able to outsmart her." Clarke just stayed silent as Aslena spoke.

"Before the attack on your people at the metal ship you came down in, She told me that if you were born as one of our people you would have made a great Sekon for someone. She saw the strength and leadership in you Clarke and it reminded her of Heda." To say Clarke was shocked was not the most accurate description.

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Sha made an impression on her. She would be proud of what you and Heda accomplished. I know her leaving you at the mountain was hard but she had to make the best choice for her people." Clarke nodded at her still processing what she had been told.

"I know she did. Heda and I talked about that possibility and as much as we both didn't want that to happen it did and she made the right call. My people are new down here and have way less to lose than she did. She thought of the Kongeda before us and I am okay with that." Aslena smiled as Clarke spoke.

She knew Clarke was special and that the commander had taken a special interest in her. She may not have seen all of their interactions but even she could see what the commander saw. Anya would definitely have taken her as a Sekon if she were still here. Clarke was different than everyone had believed initially and she had done something that everyone thought was impossible.

"The dreams will always be with you. They will become easier to deal with over time. All of the warriors in the Kongeda deal with them. Some of us deal with dreams that are detailed while others have dreams that seem normal but stay with them for a time." Clarke looked at her.

"What you accomplished Clarke freed so many of our people but it cost you much. I will not ask what you had to do because it is obvious that it was something that caused you much pain and grief." Clarke watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pouch.

"This will help you sleep. It is a mixture of herbs and leaves that our Fisas have found to help suppress dreams. It will make you sleep for a few hours. The rain may have stopped for now but it might return. If you would like I can go to TonDC and inform Heda that you may take another day to arrive." Clarke took the pouch from her and started mixing them with some of her water in a cup she carried with her.

"I want to get to TonDC as quickly as possible. You are welcome to stay here with us. If this helps me get some more sleep we can leave when I wake." Clarke swallowed the mixture and had to fight to keep it down. She heard Aslena laugh at her reaction.

"Elanta and I will go hunt at daylight for breakfast and we will await for you to wake. I will inform Octavia and Lincoln of your request. Sleep now Wanheda." Clarke nodded and made her way into the cave.

She took her gear off for the second time and laid down where she had laid out her bed roll. She stared at the ceiling of the cave and wondered how long the mixture would take to start working. In the time she had spent with Nyko, she had learned that some of the mixtures work quickly while some take time. She could feel her eyes start to get heavy from the lack of sleep and for the first time since the mountain she gave into the darkness that started to consume her and she closed her eyes.

Camp Jaha

Just before sunrise

Bellamy had spent all day yesterday assisting Echo with building the training area back to what it should look like. They had worked well together and they had managed to get a decent training ground set up by sundown. Kane and given the two of them a small building that had been built for the head guardsmen to stay in. Kane had informed him that with what he accomplished in the mountain the council had approved him to take over the role considering Clarke had told Echo to train their guards it made sense for him to lead them.

He could hear the rain bouncing off the metal roof of his quarters. He knew today would be a wet and soggy day. The ground would be mud and no matter what training Echo had planned for him he knew that he would need a long shower. He had never been one to wake up early but he mind would not stop running with unanswered questions. He had so many questions about what had happened since he went into the mountain. What had happened to Clarke that made her the person he saw take down the guards and shoot someone without remorse? Why did the commander leave them and how did Clarke know about why she chose too? What did Clarke mean by not to trust her own mother?

He was brought out his thoughts as he heard the soft footsteps of Echo. He looked toward the noise and saw that she was starting to get around for the day. He immediately felt like he should give her some privacy but he caught sight of her back through the sunlight that was starting to trickle in. He saw the scars littered across her back and his breath caught in his throat. He could tell that the scars were old but had been deep enough to cause them to still remain. He for the first time since being down her felt sorrow for a grounder. It caused him to want to ask but he knew that they weren't to the level yet.

"You can stop staring and get ready." Echo said as she pulled her shirt on. She let a small smile appear on her face as she heard him scramble to recover from her words.

She had known he was awake from the moment she started to get ready. She had not been able to get much sleep through the night as every noise she heard caused her to wake. She finally gave up trying to get some rest and just decided to relax as best as she could. Throughout the night she heard Bellamy toss and turn and fight in his sleep. She listened as he talked about Clarke, Octavia, the commander, and his mother. She could tell the boy was haunted by something and it was causing him to lose sleep.

She had started to get around when she could tell that he was awake. She had no qualms about getting dressed in front of him. She had learned a long time ago to forget about decency as she was always on the move and needed to be ready at a moment's notice. She was not used to being still.

"I wasn't staring by the way." He grumbled as he started to get the clothing on. He heard the muffled grunt come for her but he didn't say anything about it.

"So I am afraid to ask what you have planned for me today." He looked at her as he laced his boots.

"First I need to test your stamina so we are going to go on a run. Then when we get back I need to test how well you do in a fight without your gun. Once I have done that I will know the best way to teach you." She looked at him as he stood up.

She could tell he was excited to do this but she was not going to go easy on the boy. He may have saved her from the mountain but she would not fail Wanheda or Heda. Both of them scared her more than anything and she had not seen what Clarke really was capable of and she hoped she never would.

She motioned for him to follow her as she made her way to the door. The sun was just now peaking over the horizon and she let a small smile appear on her face. This was one of the things she was grateful for after she was trapped in the mountain. She fully believed that she would never see the sun again.

She felt the rain fall against her arms as she stepped out from under the roof that was attached to the house. She let out a sigh as the rain washed her skin taking away the physical stain of the mountain. Her eyes opened when she heard footsteps behind her and she turned to look at the man that had saved her. In her life she was told never to get attached to anyone as it would only make her job harder. She had never expected for one man to break through that wall without even saying anything to her. She shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts and she saw a smirk on his face.

"We will see if you still have that smirk on your face after we are done." She motioned with her head to follow and she took off at a jog heading for the main gate. She felt him come up beside her. She turned her head slightly to look at him and she growled at the smirk still on his face. He would not be so cocky after she was done with him.

Once they hit the gate she looked at him and told him to keep up. She took off for the wood off to the left of camp. She was going to make a large circle around the camp that way she could accurately judge how well he did on his feet maneuvering through the forest. She could tell he was at least somewhat capable of maneuvering through the forest as she could hear him behind her. She veered to her left going behind the camp picking up speed. She looked behind her and saw he was losing ground on her. Perfect she thought as she slid behind a tree and waited.

She heard his labored breathing as he got closer to where she was. She calmed her breathing and waited for the perfect time to strike. She counted down in her mind as he got closer. She struck out her arm with precision as he came up on her tree and her forearm collided with his chest knocking him off his feet.

She watched as he rolled backwards from the force of the unexpected blow and came to a stop on his knees clutching his chest trying to take in air.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked between breaths.

"It was to test your awareness of your surroundings and I must say you have much to learn." she stuck out a hand to help him up.

"Keep up and stay aware. You never know where someone could be hiding waiting to take you out. That is your first lesson you will need to learn." She turned and took off again.

She kept changing up her running speeds as she led him around the camp. She learned quickly he did better at a pace that was more of a jog than a sprint. After her first attempt to catch him off guard she was happy to see him paying more attention to his surroundings. She had been able to get him again by taking off ahead of him and hiding till he passed. Once he had passed her she came up behind him quickly and tackled him taking him down and pressing a dagger to his throat.

"You are getting better but your enemy will not always attack from in front of you." She looked at his face and then noticed the proximity of them and she got up quickly and took off again. She had no time for thoughts to linger right now. She had a job to do and could not afford to even fantasize about the man that way.

They continued the back and forth she had established for an hour and had made four complete laps around the camp before she came to a stop in front of the gates. Bellamy had impressed her as he was a fast learner. She had to quickly change up her strategy every time she went to go for what would be a kill. She was glad that he had been able to pick up the basics of learning his surroundings. It was a start and she could work with that.

She looked up at the sky and the sun was only a quarter of the way through its cycle for the day. She sighed quickly knowing today would be a long day. She would never tell anyone this but she was honestly glad to be in one spot for once in her life. She still watched over her shoulder but something about being her with Skaikru made her start to feel calmer. She knew at some point she would have to accomplish her second part of her mission. She just was not expecting that part of her mission to appear so soon.

"As much as I am enjoying our training I need to go check on Abigail and some other things." Bellamy said as he came up beside her slowly pulling her out of her mind. She grunted at his words.

"You are more than welcome to come along. The more people see you here, the more they will get used to you and any others that might come along." She turned and looked at him. She could see the sweat pouring off him. She smiled inward at the fact he had not mentioned he was exhausted but instead moved on to his other duties.

"So be it. I suppose I could accompany you. It is not like there is much else to do around here." She said gruffly as she motioned for him to lead the way. Better to follow him around than get caught snooping she surmised.

"Come on then. The chancellor awaits." Bellamy said as he yelled for the gates to be opened. She could tell just by his voice that he was not really keen on this part of his day. Interesting she thought as she followed him through the gates.

---

As they made their way inside she looked around as they made their way through the camp. Everywhere she looked she could see influence from the Trikru. There was a farm that was very similar to the one she would come across on her travels but she could tell it was a mix of both Skaikru and Trikru. She saw a building that had an orange glow coming from the entrance way. She saw smoke coming out of the roof and she guessed that Wanheda's people had realized that their bullets would run out eventually. Good she hated guns and if she never had to see one again she would die a happy woman. She saw another building that had a steady stream of people entering it and she could not tell what it was so she asked her guide.

"Belomi, what is that building over there?" she asked, surprising herself with how her own voice had a tinge of curiosity behind it.

"That is where everyone eats. All meals are served there. We haven't been able to really explore the surrounding area to hunt because most of us are still afraid of the commander's people. We are making do with what we can find close to camp and what we can grow but as much as we like to say we can survive, without all Clarke has done we most likely would have died the first time we encountered your people." Echo watched and listened as he talked and she could tell there was something else going on but he was right without Clarke they would have died.

"Well then your people must be glad that they have her as your leader, correct?" she saw him tense at her words.

"The original 100 that came down are yes. From what I have been told almost everyone here has bought into her but there are still some that don't believe she is capable of leading us. The biggest one being her own mother." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Clarke's mother doesn't support what she is doing?" She knew that this could be a way to gather some much needed intel so she knew what she was walking into.

"Yes. She believes that Clarke is too young to be leading our people. Abigail was a part of the council that sent us down here to begin with." he paused as he looked around and she jumped when he grabbed her arm and started pulling her somewhere.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked irritated as she ripped her arm out of his grasp.

"Too many ears. Still don't know who I can trust besides the people Clarke told me too." She nodded as she followed him behind a building. Once they stopped she raised an eyebrow at him waiting.

"Abby has it out for The commander. Last night she called me into her room in the medical ward and told everyone else to leave. She is under the assumption that The commander is holding Clarke against her will and has brainwashed her. She wanted me to help her get Clarke back. I know you were given other orders besides to train us." he paused waiting for a response and she knew that so she stayed silent.

"I'll take that as a yes. I don't know what she has planned but even I can see it won't be good. This meeting with her today is so I can get more information to pass to Clarke. I wanted to warn you so you didn't get the wrong idea if you hear anything." She nodded appreciating his honesty. She had to admit he had a head on his shoulders for the most part. She just hoped that he was telling the truth because she was actually taking a liking to him.

"Good to know. I think the more you find out the better it will go a long way with Heda and will show that your people are able to take care of your own." She saw his shoulders relax at her words.

"Good. Now let's go see how Abigail reacts to unexpected guests." she saw the smirk show on his face and she followed as he led them inside the metal ship.

MedBay

They walked into MedBay and were stopped by Jackson. He tried to tell them Abby was in no condition to be seen right now but Bellamy informed him that he had been requested to come today by Abigail personally. Jackson relented and led them to the correct section of the area that was reserved for higher ranking personnel. The counselor had a personal section of Medbay as it was more secluded and easier to move around in thanks to the space inside.

Bellamy thanked Jackson as they opened the door and stepped inside. Echo looked around the room as she came in and was surprised at how well this place was outfitted compared to the rest of the medical area. Her natural instinct was to stay to the shadows but Bellamy had wanted her to make herself known. She stayed to the right of him never losing sight of the door or any exit for that matter. The smell of this place sent her nerves through the roof. It sent her mind back to the room where she was first taken in the mountain for examination. She would never forget that smell as it was invasive and burned her nostrils with every breath.

They came up in front of the bed that had been set up in the middle of the room against the far wall. She gazed upon the woman propped up against the back of the bed and took in her features. She had hair that was close to the same color of Wanhedas' minus the streaks of blood. Her complexion was fair and skin looked like it had been well taken care off. She could tell she was middle aged but not too old. She watched as the woman finally noticed she had guests and her face lit up at seeing Bellamy but her face changed at the sight of her. It was replaced by confusion and a tinge of anger.

"Bellamy, I thought I asked you to come alone." Abigail's voice was calm but she could tell there was a hint of anger laced between her words.

"You did but this woman here is helping train me in more ways to survive down here. She was one of the grounders that we helped rescue from the mountain." She watched as Abigail raked her eyes over her sizing her up. She already hated this woman just based on how she was being eyed alone.

"Was she sent here by the woman that has kidnapped my daughter?" Abigail was no longer trying to hide the anger in her words.

"Was she sent here to spy on us to see if we could be overrun?" Abigail turned from Bellamy and locked eyes with her.

"Tell me something. Did that bitch of a commander send you here so she could gather intel to use against use while she holds my daughter against her will?" Before she could think about what she was doing she was on Abigail with a dagger against her throat.

"You would be wise to watch how you talk about Heda. As for your daughter she is not being held against her will. I spoke with her before she came back to camp and she actually invited me to come to her camp and train Bellamy in our ways. If you haven't noticed Chancellor, Skaikru relies too much on their guns when we have many ways to deal with our threats." She smirked inward at the fear that was being shown on her face. She pressed the dagger ever so slightly just to draw a little blood.

"Now if you are done making accusations that you absolutely know nothing about then we can continue. Or if you speak another word ill against Heda or Wanheda, I will happily carry you out of here and take you to Heda herself and let her deal with you." She heard the gulp come from Abigail and she pulled back and locked eyes with Bellamy who was stunned but had a hint of amusement behind his eyes.

"Bellamy, who is this Wanheda this woman speaks of?" So Clarke's people were oblivious to this name. Good to know she thought.

"Clarke is Wanheda. If I am correct it is a title among the grounders that holds her in high regard. Am I correct Echo?" She nodded at him.

"Well then it sounds to me like my daughter has been brainwashed even more." Echo went to go for her again when she was cut off by Bellamy. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not now. Later just act like you left. I know how your people like to hide in the shadows." She heard him whisper. She nodded and looked at Abigail.

"You are lucky he stepped in my way otherwise you would have more than a small prick on your neck." She said as she turned to the door that was behind the curtain. She opened the door loud enough for Abigail to hear it and she pulled it back with some force to cause it to slam.

---

She waited for a minute to make sure she had bought it before she concealed herself in the shadows but was close enough to hear any conversation they were having.

"Bellamy, what were you thinking bringing one of those savages in here. She almost killed me for nothing." Echo had to control the rage that was building inside her.

"Abby, that woman helped me survive in the mountain. I am still alive because of her. The least you could do is try not to treat everyone like they have personally scorned you." She smiled at his words.

"They are all the same Bellamy. Which is why I wanted to meet with you today. I think I have found a way for us to get Clarke back." Her ears perked up at the change in conversation.

She watched as Bellamy got up and approached the side of the bed that had some contraption with a bag attached to it. She couldn't hear what was being said but she saw Abigail wince as she pointed to the table next to her. She watched as Bellamy pushed a button and a couple of seconds later Abigail relaxed and laid her head down.

"My plan is to use a modified version of the gas grenades that the mountain men used on you guys. If my theory is correct I should be able to replicate the formula and create enough of them to gas where Clarke is and knock out all of those savages and get my daughter back." Her eyes fell on Bellamy and saw his fist clench as he still held the remote. She watched as he pressed the button again and set down the remote. He moved to where he was previously sitting and waited as he watched Abigail.

"You only pressed that button once right?" He nodded at her question.

"Interesting, that is stronger that the last one. I will have to ask Jackson about it after you leave." He nodded at her again. Echo could tell whatever was in that bag was taking effect as Abigail's words began to slur.

"Now there is something else you should know." Abigail's words were coming out slower like she was trying to speak every word correctly.

"In my office in my cabinet in the leftmost drawer is a journal that is hidden in the false bottom. Inside are all my notes. I want you to take it and study it. I have memorized what I need for my plan. After you are done with it destroy it for me." She watched as Abigail's head started to fall to the side before snapping back to face Bellamy.

"I will go immediately and look over it." He stood and turned towards the door but stopped when Abigail spoke again.

From where she was hidden Echo could tell something was going on with Abby. She was not the person she was a moment ago. What had Bellamy done to her.

"Thank you Bellamy, I know Clarke will come around and be happy that we saved her from those people and my baby girl will finally have someone worthy of her that loves her." Echo stiffened at her words. What did Abigail mean. Abigail's head fell to the side as she fell asleep.

She made her way to the door and got there at the same time as Bellamy. She looked at him and could tell his cheeks were red. Weather that was from embarrassment or anger she did not know.

"Do not mention that last part to anyone. She is loopy because of the extra dose of drugs I gave her. I didn't want her to remember that she told me that much." He told her as they made their way out of Medbay.

"If that is what you wish." she said and he looked at her again.

"I hold no feelings for Clarke anymore. I thought I did once we came down here to the ground. We have an interesting past to say the least and I thought that since we were leading the original 100 together I may have a chance. It has been made clear though that those feelings were not reciprocated so don't worry about that." She nodded at his words, not trusting her voice right now.

"Follow me." He said as they cleared the last door of Medbay and took a left.

---

She followed as he led them to what she assumed would be the chancellor's office. She had gathered plenty of information to give to Heda. If she had actual proof of this then it would be better. She knew Clarke needed to know about this; she just didn't know how she was going to let her know without abandoning her post. It would look too suspicious to leave the next day after she arrived. A problem for later she thought as they came to a stop in front of a door that had "Chancellor Griffin" on it.

He pushed open the door and she followed inside. She stood by the door as he made his way to the cabinet. She watched and listened as he followed Abigail's directions. He pulled out the drawer and lifted the stuff inside and then lifted the book out of it. He returned the drawer with everything inside of it as he turned to her and smiled as he raised the book.

"Just where she said it would be. Now let's have a look shall we." he said as he came to stand beside her.

She watched as he opened the clasp on the journal and flipped through the pages. She wasn't seeing anything that would say that Abby was up to something. From what she could catch this looked like a personal journal more than anything. He kept flipping through the pages when he finally stopped on a page that had a very interesting heading. The top of the page read "Chemicals" and they looked at each other.

They continued to scan the pages reading through Abigail's notes. They both came to the same realization that Abby was hellbent on getting Clarke back by any means necessary. They came to the end of her notes when they hit a blank page. He closed the book and looked up at her.

"This is not good. We need to go see Kane now." She nodded and followed him out the door.

Her mind was racing as they exited the metal structure and she covered her eyes as the sunlight hit her. She looked up at the sky and noticed that they had been inside longer than she thought. The sun was not at its peak for the day. So much time had been spent learning information that she could care less right now. She had information now and she just needed to contact Heda somehow. Her thoughts were interrupted as they entered another building and two heads snapped up as they entered.

"Kane, we have a problem." He spoke to the man at the table as he raised the journal for them to see. She watched as both of their faces dropped and their eyes widened.

Cave eight miles from Mount Weather

Midday

Clarke awoke from her slumber pleasantly surprised to have not had any more dreams. Damn I need to get some more of those herbs, she thought as she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the cave and saw that no one was there and the fire had started to dwindle out.

She got up from where she was laying and started to pack her things. She found the roll of cloth she stored her weapons in and unrolled it. She took the small daggers out first and sheathed them in the corresponding spots on her jacket. She grasped her sword and slung it over her shoulder and adjusted it to where it felt comfortable. She was amazed at how easy she had taken to the feeling of the added weight of her weapons. It made her feel more secure than the gun had ever done for her.

She rolled the cloth back up and stuffed it back in the bag she carried with her other belongings. She slung the pack over her opposite shoulder and adjusted it accordingly. Once she made sure everything was in order she moved toward the fire and made sure it was out by stomping the remaining embers till it was no more.

She moved out of the cave and shielded her eyes from the rays of light that trickled through the leaves. She scanned the surrounding area and noticed that not far from the entrance stood the rest of her party, the only difference was that they had horses. She wondered where they had come from, but probably could guess. She smiled at the thought of having horses because that means she would reach TonDC quicker than she had anticipated.

She started to make her way over to them when Elanta noticed her first. She smiled and nodded at her and tapped Aslena on her shoulder and pointed in her direction. Aslena turned and looked at her with a neutral face. She stopped when she started to make her way over to her. Her mind replayed the conversation they had the night before and she stiffened.

"Wanheda, it is good to see you. You look better. I am guessing the herbs worked?" She made eye contact with the woman.

"Sha. Mochaf." She watched as Aslena pulled something from behind her back.

"Here is some meat from this morning's meal. You were still asleep when I returned." She took the food and thanked her as she took a bite.

"So where did the horses come from?" She asked as they made their way towards the rest of the group.

"A nearby village. Elanta and I retrieved them this morning on our hunt. They were more than willing to help out Wanheda." Clarke stiffened and had so many questions run through her mind.

"How? I know word spreads fast among your people but I thought it wouldn't spread this quickly." She asked as she stood by a tree eating the rest of her meal.

"Well, you knew people would watch the door otherwise you wouldn't have put that symbol on the door." Clarke nodded at her.

"Well when we arrived at the village we arrived at the same time as a couple scouts did. They were talking about the symbol in the door so I knew they had seen it. I followed them to the leaders hut and the leader recognized who I was and invited me inside to hear the report." Clarke raised an eyebrow at her as Elanta came over.

"The scouts reported seeing the symbol for Wanheda on the mountain door along with seeing you leaving the area shortly before they arrived. The leader asked me at this point if I had come across Wanheda."

"What did you tell her? I don't need any more eyes than necessary right now." Clarke's voice went deadly calm as she spoke.

"I told them on orders of Heda that I was escorting Wanheda to her camp and that you were in need of horses. I trust the leader of this village, Wanheda, he has done nothing but be loyal to Heda since she ascended to her role." Clarke still was on edge. She trusted Aslena to an extent but still was being cautious.

"This village is where Anya and I would come to lay low after a mission. No one had been able to find us when we went to this leader." Those words calmed her down. If Anya trusted this leader then she could as well.

"Well if both you and Anya trusted him then I should not be worried. Forgive me Aslena, you know you can never let your guard down sometimes." Aslena nodded at her as Clarke pushed herself off the tree.

"Now we should probably head for TonDC. Having the horses now should have us arriving by nightfall correct?" Clarke made her way over to the horses and one came up to her immediately. She stuck her hand out to its nose and it neighed at her in greeting.

"Sha, I had one of the scouts from the village go ahead of us to inform Heda of when we will be arriving." Clarke attached her bag to the saddle then pulled herself into it.

"Good. Better to have them watching out for us then for us to take them by surprise. I really would love to avoid conflict at all costs right now." Aslena nodded as everyone else mounted up to leave their camp site.

---

Right as they were leaving Octavia came over to her and handed her the radio saying she was being asked for by Kane. Oh shit what now she thought as she took it.

"Kane?" she said over the radio.

"Clarke, I have some news that you should know. It is about the chancellor." Clarke stilled as he spoke.

"What has she done now? It has only been a day since I left." she said through the radio.

"Nothing yet. Bellamy met with her today and he was informed of something. I'll let him explain."

"Hey Clarke."

"Bellamy, I would say it is nice to hear from you but I don't think I am going to like this am I?" she said moving closer to the rest of her party. She trusted Aslena enough to fill her in on this.

"Probably not. Who all is with you?" he asked.

"Octavia, Lincoln, Aslena kom Sankru and Elanta kom Trikru. Aslena is one of Heda's generals sent by her to escort me to TonDC. I trust her Bellamy." She locked eyes with Aslena and saw the nod come from her.

"Okay. I met with your mother last night because she requested me to come see her. I brought Echo with me to see how she would react and she acted about how you would think." Clarke pinched her nose.

"Please tell me Echo didn't kill her."

"No Wanheda, I didn't even though she deserved more than a little cut for how she spoke about Heda and you." She heard the familiar growl of Echo come across the radio. She didn't know how to feel about her answer but she took it for what it was.

"Good. I can't afford anything to happen till the time is right. Continue Bellamy." she said ready to hear the rest.

"After Echo made her opinion very clear I made it look like I sent her away when in reality she hid in the shadows so she could have something to report to The commander. Your mother went on about how she thought you were still being held captive and being brainwashed. She said that she had been experimenting with one of those gas grenades you had found. She said that she wanted my help to save you by gassing the whole camp to knock them out and get you back." Clarke could feel the rage starting to take over again.

"She started to be in pain more so she asked me to administer some of her pain meds that were being given to her by IV drip. I may or may not have given her an extra dose to make her loopy and not remember the next part of our conversation." Clarke's laugh broke through the rage at the thought of her mother being drugged out of her mind.

"After that she started to drift into the clouds so to speak and told me that she had a hidden journal that had all of her notes on the gas and a map of TonDC in it with details of where to strike the most effectively. Clarke I am worried that once she is able too she will try something. You have to fill in the commander when you see her." Clarke looked around at the gathered people.

Octavia looked ready to hurt someone, Lincoln was stoic and in thought, Aslena and Elanta were quiet but she could tell that Aslena wanted blood. Clarke couldn't blame her really as Abby was plotting to break the alliance.

"What did she tell you to do with the journal?" She asked.

"Study it then burn it. She said that she didn't need it anymore as she already had her plan and everything she needed to know memorized."

"Okay don't let that journal leave your custody. My mother is still laid up in Medbay and wont be able to leave for a week and if I know Jackson she won't leave till that week is over." She heard the agreement and chuckle come from the radio.

"Then in two days' time Echo I need you to leave and come to TonDC and bring that journal with you. If anyone asks, say your presence was requested by Heda and I. Kane you will need to make sure she is able to leave without issue. I know her leaving so soon will cause suspicion. Bellamy keeps doing what you are doing, I don't need her to think we have caught on to her plans just yet. I need her to dig her own grave or at the very least continue to dig it deeper. I will bring this information to Heda as quickly as I can. Thank you for informing me." She let go of the button and took a deep breath.

"No problem Clarke. Safe travels and may we meet again." She heard Kane say before the radio died.

"Wanheda, I know this may not be my place but why do you have to wait to deal with your mother?" Aslena asked.

"Well Skaikru ran differently while we were in space than how I ran things when we came down. Up there was a council that elected someone to the role of Chancellor. Basically this person was over a council that made the decision for our people. My mother was elected to the role when they came down here and the previous one went crazy. In order to remove a Chancellor from their position they had to commit a crime that was considered to threaten the lives of the Ark. And if said accusations were brought up you had to have a solid reason to remove this person. I knew she was up to something and that she hated Heda for some reason I just didn't have my proof. Now we have some evidence of what she is up to." Aslena was quiet as she listened. She knew that she had just given her a lot of information to process.

"So Clarke, because your mother was elected to that position you have to play your hand carefully and make sure you have the evidence and support of your people to make your move." Clarke nodded.

"So complicated. It would be so much easier just to challenger her like we do. Then you could be done and over with her games." Clarke chuckled at her. She wasn't wrong but she knew that wouldn't go down well but she needed to do things different than they did on the ark. She just didn't have an idea of how to go about that yet.

"I'll keep that in mind, Aslena but yes you are correct that would be easier and she may force my hand but I particularly would like to avoid killing my own mother if I can." She turned away from the rest of them and ready herself for the ride ahead.

"My apologies Clarke I did not mean to upset you." Aslena said as she came up next to her.

"It is okay. My parents are just a touchy subject, especially my mother." Aslena nodded at her.

"I would assume you are wanting to get to TonDC before nightfall now?"

"Sha, you wouldn't happen to know a faster way would you?" Aslena smiled at her.

"I hope you can keep up." She said as she took off.

Clarke laughed and spurred her horse in motion to keep up with her. The rest of her party was caught off guard initially but managed to recover fast enough to not fall behind.

TonDC

Three hours later

The gates of TonDC came into view just as the sun was beginning its descent for the night. Clarke could tell her horse was starting to tire. She had learned from Lexa that the horses down here had been bred specially to do sprints like this, but that was nearing their limit before they would need rest. They slowed their pace as they approached the gates. Aslena took lead on doing the talking. Clarke was still unsure if word had spread about her speech to the army in fluent Trigedasleng. Clarke was surprised when Aslena told them that there was no need to hand over their weapons. Lexa had apparently sent word to the guards to let them pass and to come find her upon arrival.

The gates swung open and they made their way inside. Clarke still could smell the after effect of the bomb being dropped on this place but the one good thing to come out of it was that the crater that was left had been cleaned and flattened to form a fighting pit per say. It had become a hot commodity among the warriors. It was centralized in the middle of the town and when it was not in use it acted as a secondary training ground. They passed through the middle of the town and Clarke heard the people whispering about her. She caught the name Wanheda multiple times as she passed through the market. Everyone seemed to come from all places to greet her and all of them wanted to touch her like she was some kind of god. Well technically the spirit that she was not linked to was but that was beside the point.

She had adopted a face and it was in full effect just to curb her rising nervousness with all the attention being directed at her. She should have expected this in all honesty but she was still not used to it. She was glad to finally come to a halt at a private stable that had been built for the commander and the generals. Her party dismounted and followed Aslena to where Lexa's tent was. Normally Clarke knew netting's like this would have taken place in the bunker like, war room but it was still the one thing that was still being uncovered.

She didn't know what to expect as they made their way to Lexa's tent. She was unsure of what she would say when she finally came face to face with her love again. The nagging pain from the choice made at the mountain still lingered even if she knew it was the correct choice. Her mind had made peace with it because she was the one that basically made the choice for her. Her heart was another matter altogether. Wanheda had given her a reason for this but something still hadn't set right. She couldn't tell if it was because their relationship was still so new or if there was something else behind it entirely.

The sudden stop brought her out of her own thoughts as they arrived outside Lexa's tent. Indra was outside to greet them with her normal gruff façade. Clarke searched her eyes for any sign of what she could expect but found no answers.

"Wanheda, it is good to see you are still alive. Heda is waiting inside for you and your party. Follow me." Clarke could have sworn she saw a glimmer of relief hidden behind her eyes but if it was there it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Her party followed Indra inside the tent and she couldn't shake the sense of Deja Vu. She looked around the tent and realized it was almost identical to the one that had been set up outside the walls of Camp Jaha. In the middle of the room near the back wall sat the woman that never left her mind. She sat there on her throne looking across the crowd that was entering. She noticed that Lexa had her favorite dagger out and was toying with it. What was she nervous about?

She locked eyes with her love and she saw the worry and nerves hidden behind those green orbs. She tried to convey that she was okay as much as she could and it must have worked because she caught the small change in her face. She saw the small smile that quickly vanished and the quick sign of relief in her eyes. She was shook from her thought when Lexa spoke.

"So the mighty Wanheda has decided to grace me with her presence. It is an honor for her to come to my camp. You will find that you and your people are welcome here in TonDC." Clarke had to hide the smirk that was threatening to appear on her face. Lexa was always one for dramatics she had learned.

"Sha Heda. Ai lid in word kom maun defeat en lid in hopes kom furthering Skaikru place among bilaik kru."( Yes Commander. I bring word of the mountain defeat And bring hopes of the furthering Sky People place among your people). Clarke saw the eyebrows raise on Indra, Aslena, and Elanta and she just smirked.

"Den Ai would biyo a feast ste raun order. Oso na kom op together moron en celebrate fall kom maun. Oso na discuss Skaikru place deyon after dei de."(Then I would say a feast is in order. We will come together tomorrow and celebrate the fall of the mountain. We will discuss the sky people place the day after that.) She could see she was looking around at all of them when she felt green eyes lock on to her.

"Ste der anything else dei de Ai should na made aware kom"(Is there anything else that I should be made aware of.) Clarke should have known this was coming. Lexa was good about reading the room.

"Yes Heda. I bring word from Camp Jaha about the Chancellor Griffin." She watched as Lexa made the slightest movement on her throne.

"Well then. The rest of you are dismissed. I will speak to Wanheda alone." She looked around and everyone nodded at Lexa and took their leave. Aslena made eye contact with her and handed her a pouch. She raised an eyebrow and Aslena just smirked at her and pointed to her head. Ah more herbs. She silently thanked her and let her leave to do whatever she was going to do. She tucked the herbs into her waistband and turned back around to face Lexa.

---

She was not expecting for Lexa to be standing right in front of her. Her senses came alive at the smell of earth and pine that was always permeating around Lexa. She looked into those deep forest green eyes of her love and she could see the unanswered questions swirling around in them. Her eyes dropped to her love's lips then back up to her eyes silently asking a question. She got her answer when she was pulled closer to Lexa and felt her lips crashing with her own. She had missed this so much and she was so glad that she was here right now and not dealing with her mother.

"Hello Clarke." Lexa said as she pulled back slightly and rested her forehead against hers.

"Hello to you too." she quipped back at her which caused a smile to appear on Lexa's face.

"I am so sorry I had to leave you at the mountain. I was worried I would never see you again. I almost came back to help you but I knew my people would not approve." Clarke saw the hurt and grief in her eyes.

"Hey, I know why you did it and we discussed this remember. I won't lie and say that it didn't affect me. My head understood why it just took my heart longer to catch up." Clarke took her hand and led her to the table that was close by.

"I have a feeling you have a lot to tell me, Ai hodnes." She took a breath as they sat down not knowing where to begin.

"Where should I start because there is a lot and I am not proud of what I had to do in there."

Lexa POV

Lexa could see the pain and sorrow in the blue eyes of her love. She could see that the normal brightness in her eyes had gone dull. Lexa knew that whatever had happened inside the mountain was haunting Clarke. She felt her heart chip as she looked at her love.

"How did you get inside the mountain?" Lexa figured this was the easiest place to start.

"Well after you left, I headed for the reaper tunnels. I found Octavia and Lincoln which surprised me. I thought they would have left when you sounded the horn." Lexa knew what she was talking about. Indra had filled her in on what she had told Octavia and she was right Octavia would have to prove herself again if she still wanted to be Indra's second. The only reason she hadn't been banished was because she was Clarke's general which overrode her role as a Sekon.

"I was pissed and hurt when I arrived there. I tried to bust my way through the door by Octavia stopped me and I almost attacked her. I could feel the anger building and it almost caused me to attack Bellamy when he opened the door. I had my sword at his throat." She felt Clarke's hands start to sweat as she spoke. She gave her a reassuring squeeze to let her know that she was safe.

"Once we got inside we made our way to meet someone that Bellamy said could help us. Along the way I connected with Wanheda again and had to fight my way through their guards." Lexa saw the cloud come over Clarke.

"There was so much blood Lexa. The odd part was that since I was connected to Wanheda, I enjoyed spilling their blood. My instincts came alive and every life I took seemed to fuel me and make me faster and stronger. By the time we made it to our destination I was covered in the blood of the mountain men. My blonde hair was now red and every part of my skin that was not covered by clothing was covered in their blood." She saw Clarke look down at her hands and arms and she quickly pulled Clarkes' gaze to meet her own.

"Clarke, listen to me. You did what you had to do to survive. Wanheda is a mystery to all of us. The commander's spirit is similar but my combat ability comes from years off training and passed down experience from the previous commanders. Becca spoke with me and tried to give me any knowledge she could but there wasn't much." She saw Clarke processing her words and they seemed to offer some solace for the moment.

"Thank you Lexa." She felt Clarke give her hand a squeeze before she took a breath and continued.

"The man Bellamy took us to was a former president of the mountain. Bellamy tried to get him to help us but of course he wouldn't. We took him with us as we made our way to the security room. He was the one that came up with the idea to offer you the deal not his son." Lexa had known that the deal came from somewhere but she wasn't aware that there were multiple people in charge there.

"We made it inside the command center and Octavia went to take one of the mountain people that helped us get inside to Level five so she could breath. The suit she was in was running out of air. We got the system online and I saw where they had my people trapped. They were chained to the wall and in the middle of the room they had Wick on the table drilling into him for his bone marrow." Lexa raised an eyebrow at her.

"They were using it to cure their people. Our bone marrow was able to bond with theirs and allowed them to survive outside the mountain. We may have killed their generators but if I had left with you and turned my back on my people we would still have to worry about them eventually. You were right to not trust them Lexa." She didn't know how to feel about this news. She knew that they had taken Clarke's people as well but the gravity of why hit her like a Pauna.

"Once I saw this I talked to Cage who was the acting president and tried to offer him a deal of his own. Release my people and he would live. He refused so I took matters into my own hands. I tried again by telling that I had his father and I would kill him if he didn't take the deal." Lexa knew where this was going and she hated it.

"He was a fool wasn't he?" Clarke nodded at her.

"I made it a point for him to hear as I shot his father. I had to have him know I was serious. I watched as he made his way to where my people were being held and somehow my mother was there as well. She apparently had been captured at some point along with Kane and their guards. How that happened I had no idea but he pulled my mother off the wall and strapped her to the table and started drilling into her." Lexa was trying to figure out how they were captured when she saw the tears start to form in Clarke's eyes.

"I watched as my mother writhed in pain Lexa. I was out of options now so I had Monty go into their computers to find a way to reverse turbines to pull the outside air in. It didn't take him long and once he had it ready I tried one more time to reason with him. I didn't want to take anymore lives, Lexa. He said that he could not let us go because it would mean that his people would die. That was the last straw." She listened as Clarke took a breath.

"I caused mass genocide Lexa, I pulled the lever that reversed the turbines and killed them all. Men, women and children were killed because their leader chose to not take a deal. I ended all of their lives with a pull of a lever. 381 innocent lives slain at my hands." Lexa knew that war had unintended lives lost but she hated that Clarke had taken so many lives since she had landed here on the ground.

---

She watched as Clarke pulled out a pouch that was attached to her right hip. Clarke opened the bag and pulled out a rectangle shaped object, a pin and a watch. She had no idea what these items were and Clarke must have seen the confusion on her face.

"Before we left the security room I sent Lincoln to stop Emerson from coming to stop us. He wound up going after Cage and killing him." She watched as Clarke pointed to the watch and pin.

"Lincoln brought these back to me as proof of death. Cage is dead and the last vial of the drug they used on your people are gone. Emerson escaped and we don't know where he went but he shouldn't be able to use the mountain against us." Clarke picked up the rectangular shaped object.

"I had Monty transfer all of the security access and codes to this card here. The only person that can access Mount Weather now is me. The mountain is offline and I am the only one that can turn it back on." Clarke stretched her hand out towards her with the card.

"It is only right if you hold on to this. The mountain can not be turned back on without my code and that card. If you have the card then no one can force me to open it because it requires both for it to work." Lexa flipped the card back and forth between her fingers. How so much power could be held by a single object was beyond her but she saw this for what it was. Trust.

"That is a wise plan Clarke. Thank you for telling me. What of the people inside the mountain?" Lexa saw the cloud return and she hated herself immediately.

"They are still inside on level 5. All of the bodies of the mountain men are still there as they lay. I was hoping that we could at least burn the bodies of the innocent. It won't be pretty but it is the right thing to do." Lexa thought for a moment as to why Clarke wanted to do this then she realized that it meant something to Clarke.

"We can do that when we retrieve what medical equipment your people require from the mountain. You are right the innocent deserve a chance to reach the afterlife. The sins of their leader should not affect them more than it already has." she saw the relief wash over Clarke. She smiled at this sight. She knew that going back there would affect her again and this time she would be there to help her through it.

"Thank you Lexa. You should also know that the door now bears the mark of Wanheda." Lexa had heard rumors that some of the villages close to the mountain had seen the mark. She knew word was spreading quickly of what happened there and she knew that it would reach Azgeda eventually and she feared what would come once it did.

"My scouts reported something along those lines. Why did you do that? You had to know that word would travel." Clarke chuckled at her.

"Lets just say Echo made a good point. I had to let everyone know what happened there so they would believe me. Speaking of her, I thought she wasn't to be trusted." Lexa shrank under the gaze that was being thrown at her. She shook her head trying to regain control but it was to no avail. Clarke held something over her with that gaze and it was fighting to her but strangely attractive at the same time.

"I still don't trust her but she was the best choice for the assignment. I sent her to keep an eye on your mother. Someone that I respect told me that if I ever came across her that I should try to suede her to my side. I saw my opportunity and took it. I am sorry that I sprung that on you without warning." She was not expecting the smile that she was greeted with.

"Well it's a good thing that Bellamy was there. He basically vouched for her saying that she saved his life inside the mountain. Honestly I think he is attracted to the woman. I allowed her to come but not before I threatened her of course." Lexa laughed at the image present to her.

"Now Aslena and her Sekon was a welcome surprise. I hope you didn't punish Elanta harshly when she delivered my message." Lexa shook her head at her.

"No I didn't. I knew she most likely would get noticed. She is still young but I made a promise to Anya to look out for her. So I made her Aslena's Sekon. I sent them to escort you here. From the looks of it you and Aslena bonded."

Clarke POV

Clarke couldn't believe what she had just heard. Lexa made a promise to look out for Elanta. She had so many questions running through her head and Lexa was right she did bond somewhat with Aslena.

"Lexa is Elanta related to Anya? She looks exactly like her."

"Yes Clarke. She is the younger sister of hers. I have known her since Anya became one of my generals. She made me promise that if her fight ever ended I would look out for her." Clarke saw the brief flash of emotion cross her face.

"Hey. It's okay Lexa I know that she meant a lot to you. Apparently she meant a lot to everyone. Aslena told me that you would send her and Anya on missions together. The difficult ones at that." Lexa smiled at her.

"Yes that would be correct. They were the best unit I had. They were efficient and worked well together. They became like sisters over time and became inseparable when they were together." She heard Lexa chuckle at memories.

"Anya touched many lives didn't she." Clarke asked as she remembered her interaction with the woman. She was starting to feel the guilt creep in when she felt a hand being intertwined with her own.

"Yes she did You made an impression on her Clarke. After the meeting on the bridge she came back pissed off. I had just arrived and she pulled Aslena and I aside to brief us. She saw potential in you and believed that you were being truthful with her and that all you wanted was peace. She was pissed off that your people caused it to go bad and forced her hand." Clarke smiled as Lexa spoke. She could feel the tears start to form.

"She saw something in you Clarke. You are special Clarke and she saw it. It is hard to make Anya flustered and you managed to accomplish that. She was so conflicted on what to do because she knew that you meant what you said but your people attacked first. If Tristian hadn't forced my hand I would have allowed her to try and offer you a deal. It wouldn't have been an easy one and would have required you to turn over the shooter but it would have secured you peace." Clarke felt her breath hitch as her words sank in. She would have had to turn over Jasper but she would have had peace. Would she had been able to make that call at that point. She would never know because it didn't happen and she wound up having to wipe out 300 Trikru.

"Well that definitely is something. Good to know." Clarke shook her head trying to clear the guilt from it.

---

"Now for the last bit of news I have to fill you in on." Clarke switched from Clarke to her Skaiheda persona and she saw the realization hit Lexa.

"What news do you bring, Skaiheda?" Clarke smirked. Of course Lexa would notice her switch.

"Bellamy was approached by Chancellor Griffin the night I left. She asked for his help with something but he wasn't able to find out that night. Earlier today he met with her again and she told him that she still believed that I was being held against my will by you. She somehow managed to get her hands on one of the gas grenades we found and she had been experimenting with it." Clarke saw the anger flash across Lexa's face.

"She asked for his help to gas this whole place and try to Save me. He wound up drugging her so she would not remember the next part of the conversation. Oh I should also mention that Echo threatened her before all this started. She already is looking out for both of us. It would seem she really is trying." Lexa nodded at her.

"Echo was asked to leave after the threat but she really didn't leave. She melted into the shadows like your people like to do and observed the whole conversation."

"Good, I will need to speak with her soon." Clarke nodded at her.

"Well once the drugs took effect and the Chancellor was starting to lose track of what she was saying, Bellamy was informed that she kept a journal of her plan and all her notes. She told him to retrieve and memorize it as she already had. He was told that once he was done with it to burn it that they couldn't afford it to fall into the wrong hands." Lexa got up and started to pace taking all the information in as she spoke.

"He left once the Chancellor passed out and went to her office with Echo. They retrieved the journal and looked through it. They brought it to Kane immediately and they radioed me to fill me in. The chancellor will be in MedBay for at least a week. We have that long to come up with a plan Heda." She watched as Lexa paced back and forth as she took in the information. She was amazed as she watched. Lexa was the image of a strong leader that looked at every angle.

"This is definitely worrying news, Skaiheda. The chancellor will need to be dealt with but we can start on a plan tomorrow. It is late and I would imagine that you are hungry." As if on cue her stomach growled loudly and it caused Lexa to laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lexa moved to the entrance of her tent and sent one of the guards to retrieve food for the both of them.

---

Lexa came back and sat down at the table with her. Clarke took in her face as she watched the Heda face disappear and Lexa returned in front of her. She smiled as her features softened and she felt pride in the fact that she was the only one that got to see this side of her.

"Now, while we wait. Tell me about your journey here. Did everything go okay?" Clarke smiled at the sincerity in her words.

"Yes it did actually. Well beside the nightmare but overall it went well."

"Nightmare?" She saw the concern on Lexa's face and it caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Yeah. It was so real and it caused me to suddenly awake. I wound up leaving the cave we were at and climbing into a tree." Lexa chuckled at that image.

"I fought against the ghosts coming for me, blaming me for everything that I had done since I came down here. Eventually Aslena and Octavia found me and helped me through it. That was what the pouch Aslena handed me is for. It is herbs that help with the dreams." She saw the recognition cross her face as the guard made his presence known.

She immediately was hit with the smell of the food and it made her stomach growl again. She hadn't realized that she had not had a proper meal in days. She thanked Lexa as she set the food down in front of her. She heard Lexa tell the guard to send a bath in an hour and she smiled at her again. She realized that she had never smiled so much before. She was sure that her face stayed that way when she was around Lexa.

"I hope the food meets your satisfaction." Lexa said as she took a bite.

Clarke cut a piece of the meat off and ate it. She let out a moan as the flavor attacked her senses. She looked over at Lexa and saw a blush on her cheeks.

"It tastes so good. Make sure to thank the chef." She said as she took another bite.

They fell into a comfortable routine as they ate. They talked about the rest of her journey to TonDC. It was a welcome moment compared to the last couple of days. She couldn't help but think if this would become a normal occurrence between them. She was glad to be back with her love but she knew that their relationship would never be normal. They both had to put their people first but when they were alone it was just them and no one else. Clarke pushed her plate away when she felt herself lose the ability to eat anymore. For the first time in days she was full and happy.

"Is there someplace I can change?" She asked Lexa but before she got her answer a couple of guards asked to enter. Lexa allowed it and they entered carrying a tub full of steaming water. Clarke was surprised that they had filled it before they came in. She was sure that it would have been easier to do it once they were her but oh well.

Lexa told them to put it behind a curtain that Clarke recognized what the side of the tent reserved for all of her gear. She thanked the guards as they passed and she stood from her chair and looked over at Lexa. An idea came to her and she blushed but shook it away quickly.

"Care to join me?" She asked before she lost her nerve. Lexa smiled at her and took her hand.

They made their way toward the tub and shed their clothing. Lexa entered the steaming water first and settled into the tub. Clarke was surprised at how big the thing was. It was huge and she felt a twinge of guilt for the guards that brought it in her. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Lexa grabbed her hand and started to pull her in. Clarke stepped into the tub carefully and set down in front of Lexa. She felt arms wrap around her and she let out a sigh as she relaxed into the arms of her love. She leaned her head back and she was greeted by a kiss on her forehead.

"I am glad that you are safe Clarke. If you hadn't returned I don't know what I would have done. You mean so much to me and I promise that I will do everything I can to protect you. No one will harm you as long as I am alive. Your needs are my own and I will do whatever I can to make sure you have a life down here." Clarke felt the tears form at the emotion being shown by Lexa. What did she ever do to deserve this kind of love from someone. She turned her head and pulled Lexa into a kiss.

"Thank you Lexa. I will do the same for you. You deserve to be happy. You give so much for you people you should be allowed to have something for yourself. I want this to continue between us. I haven't ever felt what we share before but I am glad I am now." Lexa smiled at her as they enjoyed the warmth of the water.

Before Clarke realized it she drifted off while still in the tub. Lexa heard the steady breathing of her love and smiled. She relaxed readjusting to make sure Clarke didn't fall under the water. She stayed there holding Clarke afraid to let go. So many things could have gone wrong at the mountain and she knew that they were lucky that nothing had happened. She hurt for Clarke and the things she had to do to save her people. Clarke was strong for someone that was not born of the ground. Her angel of the night sky and the spiritual body of Wanheda. She smiled at how Clarke had managed to keep her people alive against all odds and she was glad that she had broken down all of the walls that she had put up over the years. She knew that whatever came next they would face together.

She felt the water go cold after about thirty minutes. She woke Clarke and they quickly washed themselves. She helped Clarke out of the tub as she was still groggy from her nap. She found the clothes she had set aside for the both of them and she helped Clarke get dressed and she laughed at how clumsy Clarke was when she was tired. It was cute in a way. They eventually were changed into their clothes for the night and she led Clarke to her bed on the other side of the room. She pulled the covers back and pulled Clarke in with her. She smiled as Clarke immediately melted into her side and wrapped her arms around her.

"Sleep now Ai hodnes, you are safe." She kissed the top of her head and relaxed as she matched her breathing to the steady beat of Clarke's heart. She drifted in a blissful sleep for the first night in a long while and she was grateful.

Somewhere deep in Azgeda

Emerson awoke as icy water was thrown on him. He frantically looked around trying to get his bearings but quickly realized that he couldn't see anything. He felt a cloth over his eyes and started to panic. The last thing he remembered was running for his life then offering himself and information in exchange for his life.

"I was told you had information for me Mountain man." He heard the icy voice come from in front of him. It was like dull nails on a chalkboard.

"I do, but I would like to see who I am talking to." He tried to sound tough but it was difficult as he was freezing.

"Well that depends on if I find your information of value. If I do not I will kill you." He realized that the voice belonged to a woman.

"I have information on the so-called commander and her personal life." He was being careful with how he worded his words. He knew that he had no advantage besides his information.

"Do you know. Well we shall see about that in the coming days. Free one of his hands so he can eat." He felt someone roughly grabbing his left arm and heard the unlocking of a lock. He could tell that he was chained up by his arms against a wall. For the first time in his life he was afraid of what was to come.

He heard the plate land in front of him and reached out to find the food as he didn't dare take off the blind fold without being told to. He heard the chuckle come from one of the guards and a sigh come from the woman.

"You can remove the blindfold now." He did as he was told and saw that the guard had been dismissed.

"I do apologize for all of this but I have to be careful with who I allow into my kingdom." He looked up at the woman in the room with him.

In front of him stood a woman that had a fair complexion with scars on the sides of her face. She had long blonde hair that was pulled back behind her head. She was older he could tell but not old enough to be his grandmother. She wore heavy clothing that he desperately wished he had now. She looked like she had been through a lot in her life but there was something about her that made him want to do whatever she asked.

"I am Queen Nia of Azgeda. What is your name Mountain man?" He was surprised by how soft and welcoming her voice was.

"Emerson. I am the last of my people. That so-called commander and her bitch wiped out my people. I will do whatever it takes to get my revenge." He said as he slowly ate at the food in front of him.

"So the fake commander has a new bitch. Interesting. Who is this person?" he looked up at her.

"Her name is Clarke and she came from the sky. Her people came from the sky as well. I can tell you everything I know about them as well." He could have sworn he saw a feral smile overtake the woman's face.

"Thank you Emerson. I will have someone retrieve you in the morning and we can discuss more of what you have to offer." He nodded at her as she turned and left. Well that went better than expected he thought as he finished his meal.

Unbeknownst to him Nia was still outside the door. She felt disgusted about how nice she had just been. She hated playing nice but she knew that was the easiest way to get information from him and now she had the leverage she had been looking for since her last attempt to take out the commander failed. She smiled wickedly as she left the dungeon of her castle and made her way to her throne room, happy for once that she was a step ahead of the commander for once.

Polis

Titus sat in the basement of the tower as he contemplated what to do with the boy that was unconscious in a chair. He had been brought this boy as a gift from his ally to the north. He knew that he belonged to the people that fell from the sky but he had been captured by Azgeda wandering the woods.

He stood from his chair and grabbed a bucket of water. He needed information and quickly. He splashed the water on the boy and he sputtered from his sleeping state.

"What the fuck was that?" The boy said and Titus took a step back.

"Where the hell am I?" The boy said as he struggled to try and free himself from his bindings.

"Hey I'm talking to you baldy." Titus whipped around and struck the boy with a rope.

"What the fuck man. What the hell was that for?" Titus already heated this boy.

"I need information on your people." The boy looked at him like he was speaking a different language.

"My people. You mean the delinquents. Well sorry to tell you but I haven't been with them for a while so I don't know what I can tell you baldy." Titus hit him with the rope again. He was going to get information even if it meant he had to hurt this boy.

"What is your name. Be honest with me and maybe I won't have to keep hurting you." The boy spat blood out of his mouth.

"My name is Murphy. You can cut that shit out with the rope. I'll tell you what I know." Titus smiled at this boy. This was going to go better than he thought.

AN: I am so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I hit a brick wall called life and it caused me to not update for a while. I finally found the time to work on this chapter. I am grateful for everyone one of you that has read this story and followed it. I still have so much planned for this story and I am excited for you all to read it. Thank you for the support and reviews are always welcome. :)