Chapter 12
“Bellamy?” Raven laughs. Clarke finally found a moment to sneak away and fill Raven in all of the baby daddy drama. They were all waking to the valley again, but stopped momentarily at the halfway point for a break.
Clarke groans. “Like I love my daughter, right? And I’m super proud of her and all that, but honestly? It’s pretty fucking embarrassing having everyone knowing that me and Bellamy slept together.” Raven roars with laughter. “No one was supposed to, like ever! It was a one time thing and heavily influenced by Monty and Jasper’s moonshine.” Raven laughs again. There’s a long pause. “Raven?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I was laughing,” Raven says as she returns to the radio. Clarke rolls her eyes. “Murphy! Murphy! He’s here, tell him.”
“Raven,” Clarke says, exasperated.
“So you know Clarke’s baby?” Raven asks Murphy.
“Well, she’s five,” Clarke corrects.
“Yeah, yeah, you know who the baby daddy is?” Raven continues. Clarke sits waiting, another person to know the most embarrassing event of her life.
“Bellamy,” Murphy answers.
“How the hell did you know?” Clarke yells.
“He told me,” Murphy answers, nonchalantly.
“I’m going to kill him,” Clarke mumbles.
“Well, he didn’t exactly tell me. Before Praimfaya, like what three weeks maybe, I saw you sneak out of his room. When I asked him about it, he tried to lie, but I knew, and he knew I knew so he just told me. So when Clarke shows up, after six years with a baby, sorry five year old, I just assumed.” Murphy explains.
“Still going to kill him.”
Just a few hours ago, things were going well. Things were almost perfect. That’s how Clarke should have known something was going to go terribly wrong. That’s how things usually go, from one extreme to the other. Clarke was playing with Madi, and proudly introducing to all her friends. Madi was being kind and polite. She pretended she knew people that Clarke knows for a fact they never talked about.
But then it all went to shit.
The prisoners found out that Wonkru smuggled weapons out of the bunker in violation of the deal Lexa made with them. Then her mom and Marcus were taken by (or defected to) Diyoza and her people. They lost the valley; Clarkes biggest fear and it came true. She lost her and Madi’s home. The last livable place on Earth, and it was stolen from them.
And then Octavia gets shot. Madi shrieks. It’s the only thing anything can hear over the ringing caused by the blast, is Madi’s shrieking. Clarke tries to stand up to get to her child, but her legs give out from underneath her. She was too close to the blast.
“Auntie O!” Madi screams again, running full speed to Octavia. Wonkru is already surrounding her, trying to control the bleeding and stabilize her injuries. Their red queen, apparently.
Madi is snatched before she can make it to Octavia. Lexa holds her close to her. “It’s okay,” Lexa says and squeezes her. Madi flails, still trying to run to her aunt. “She’s fine. She’s going to be fine. See they’re helping her. It’s going to be alright. Alright?” Clarke watches them. She can hear, see, and move but she doesn’t. She just watches. The scene is frozen in front of her. When she sees Bellamy running over to Madi, she wakes up and runs to her daughter. Madi is holding tightly to Lexa.
“Madi,” Bellamy says, stroking her back. “She’ll be fine.”
“Madi,” Clarke says as she reaches them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Bellamy yells. “Go help Octavia! Aren’t you supposed to be some genius doctor? Go doctor!”
“But, Madi,” Clarke argues.
“She’s fine, we got her.” Lexa tells her calmly. “You can go.”
Octavia is fine, relatively. She’s injured, yes, but she’s alive. Her people did a great job of stabilizing her, Clarke hardly has to do anything.
She stays with her overnight anyway, just in case; it’s hard to tell if there’s any internal injuries or bleeding. They stay in a tent set up by some Wonkru members and Clarke sleeps in a chair next to Octavia’s cot.
“Hey big brother,” Octavia says, groggily. Her voice wakes up Clarke. “Hey kid.”
“How are you feeling?” Bellamy asks leaning over, brushing back Octavia’s hair.
“Better. You good kid? I heard you screaming, impressive pipes you got.” Octavia laughs, grabbing her side and groaning in pain.
“Auntie O?” Madi asks, her concern growing again.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Octavia reassures.
“Little one,” Clarke says in a quiet voice. Madi jumps on her mom's lap, smothering Clarke in kisses. “You’re okay?” Madi nods in confirmation.
“I just missed you today,” Madi tells her, sighing.
“Me too baby.” Clarke says kissing Madi on the top of her head.
“So,” Octavia says, trying to sit up, unsuccessfully. Bellamy is there, like always, to help Octavia. “How are we going to take the valley back?”
“O, you just got shot trying to take the valley.” Bellamy reminds her.
“You want to go home, right Madi?” Octavia asks. Madi quickly nods yes.
“Okay hold on. Don’t bring her into this,” Clarke intervenes. The last thing she wants is for Madi to be put in the middle. “Maybe we should get Lexa if we’re going to plan something political.”
“No,” Octavia responds, suddenly becoming Blodreina again. “Not Lexa. She’s not the commander anymore.” Bellamy and Clarke share a look. “Okay what? What’s with the looks? It’s been six years, things change, I’ve changed.”
“Yeah mommy, she’s changed.” Madi says with a pointed look.
“See,” Octavia agrees. “I like you kid.”
“I like you too, Skairipa.” Madi says mischievously.
“Skairipa, huh? I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” Octavia notes, looking beyond them in thought.
“She loves hearing all about you. Madi’s a big fan,” Clarke explains.
“What about me? You like my stories too?” Bellamy asks, kneeling down to get on Madi’s level.
“Ehh,” Madi answers honestly, shaking her hand back and forth making a sort of gesture.
“Ooh, I win big brother.” Octavia teases.
“You pain me, Madi,” Bellamy dramatically falls over, grabbing his heart. “I’m your dad.” The girls laugh at Bellamy’s antics. Madi kicks Bellamy while he’s down, literally with swift kick to his gut, but also with her words:
“Sorry daddy, Auntie O is my favorite.” Madi laughs, switching herself to be sitting next to Octavia on her cot.
“She’s sassy like you were, O,” Bellamy says.
“We’re a team!” Madi announces. “The sassy team!” Madi and Octavia laugh.
“I thought we were a team, Madi?” Clarke asks, grabbing her heart like Bellamy had done.
“Sorry mommy!” Madi apologizes, but sends a wink to her aunt. Madi, who is still learning to wink, blinks both her eyes.
“We’ll figure everything out,” Octavia says, kissing the top of Madi’s head. “I promise.”