Planning
Clarke winced as she moved over to the bed and she collapsed ungracefully upon it. She groaned as her shoulder made contact with it and she could feel the bullet embedded within her. She pulled herself up slowly so that she was sitting and she bitterly wished she could have let Lexa kill Titus.
Lexa walked slowly over to the bed and sat next to Clarke. She paid no attention to Titus who was sitting on the floor and looking utterly defeated. Lexa seemed to sense that he would not fight whatever fate awaited him. Clarke could have laughed at such display of loyalty if she wasn't in so much pain. Murphy, however, didn't tear his eyes away from Titus, as if waiting for him to try to launch himself out of the room.
With her left hand Clarke grabbed at the hole in her shirt over her right shoulder, left by the bullet wound, and she began to pull so that it gave a hiss as it ripped. Lexa watched in concern as Clarke grimaced as she observed the wound for a moment but she turned back to Lexa and met her tender gaze.
'I can leave it in for now.' Clarke said, her breathing still slightly ragged.
The bleeding had at least begun to slow. Clarke pressed the piece of her shirt to the wound gently and Lexa stood up.
'You need a healer.' Lexa stated but Clarke shook her head. 'At least some bandages!'
'No.' Clarke muttered, exhausted.
It was against every one of her instincts. She wanted to cry out, to have Lexa call for healers or at least be able to instruct Murphy how to take the bullet out. She even fought the urge to just tear into her shoulder with her left hand and pull it out herself.
'Why?' Lexa asked, baffled and Clarke couldn't help but admire the respect she was shown even now.
Lexa's first reaction would always be to want to run to get healers, and then to kill Titus for ever posing a threat to her life, and yet Lexa had done everything Clarke had asked and no matter how frightened she must be of losing someone else close to her. Too many took Lexa's stoic reactions on face value and didn't appreciate the strong will power and years of training (at the hands of Titus) that allowed her to have such composure even now. Clarke felt a surge of pride that she could read Lexa so well and that Lexa was doing everything she could to help her, even when it seemed against all reason. Clarke was slowly learning to trust Lexa again but Lexa had never once doubted her.
'Can you bring Octavia up? She'll be waiting at the entrance to the tower.' Clarke asked Lexa finally; she wanted to put off revealing her plan for as long as she could but they were short on time.
Lexa's jaw clenched slightly that her question had been avoided but within a second, she turned on her heel and Lexa strode across the room and wrenched the door open and disappeared into the corridor. Clarke knew it would take her less than a minute to summon a guard from one of the lower floors. It had been strange they were absent at all but Titus must have sent them away. Clarke could have cursed herself for not realising something was wrong when there were no guards waiting outside of Lexa's room earlier.
Murphy shuffled awkwardly and Clarke glanced over to him. He looked worse than Clarke felt.
'I'm sorry he hurt you.' Clarke offered; she couldn't help the guilt as she had been living in Polis and in truth, she felt a greater connection here now than she did with her own people.
'I'm sorry he hurt you too.' Murphy replied softly and he glanced back in disgust to Titus, who was sitting with his legs sprayed out and a single tear was rolling down his face. 'He could again.'
It seemed strange to think that mere minutes before this had been a man who could have killed her, Murphy or even Lexa with his paranoia. She'd never seen a more defeated looking person, not even Finn when he had been tied to that post.
'Lexa won't let him.' Clarke dismissed quietly.
'She couldn't stop him before.'
Clarke opened her mouth to argue but before she could, Lexa strode back into the room. She immediately occupied the space net to Clarke and stared at the wound and Clarke saw her swallow back tears.
'I'm okay.'
Lexa blinked slowly and gave a slight nod but Clarke was sure that Lexa was believing it out of pure hope and faith more than reason. Clarke could feel her hair clinging to her face and she knew how drained she must look. It would not be a comforting sight.
The sound of thunderous steps echoed up the corridor and they drew closer. Clarke closed her eyes briefly, hoping this would be easy. She didn't have it in her for another fight, not what with what lay ahead.
'What happened?' Octavia demanded angrily as soon as she lay eyes on Clarke and she rushed over to the bed, throwing Lexa a look of contempt.
Indra stayed by the door as though unsure of who to attack first as she looked around at them all.
'Titus tried to kill Clarke.' Lexa informed them and Octavia stepped away from Clarke as she brushed her off.
'Then why is he still alive, Heda?' Indra asked.
'I need him.' Clarke repeated.
'Wanheda's got a plan.' Murphy smiled.
'What the hell are you doing here?' Octavia hissed, rounding on Murphy.
'Titus tortured him too.' Clarke replied wearily; she didn't want to have to go over the same old facts when the pain in her arm was telling her they were running out of time. 'We don't have time to go through this.'
'We're supposed to be going back, Clarke. They're counting on us.'
Clarke resented the anger behind Octavia's words and her voice was more icy than she intended when she responded.
'We are.'
'What?' Lexa challenged immediately. 'You cannot leave.'
'I have to.' Clarke told her regretfully and she looked directly at Lexa finally and silently pleaded with her to make her case but she know Lexa would; she always did. 'They still need us.'
'You're not exactly in any state.' Murphy replied.
'That's why I have to.' Clarke said. 'Our plan to go back...it was stupid. Pike's tried to arrest us once. There was no way we'd be welcomed back and be able to convince everyone to trust in Lexa. Lexa was right weeks ago...he'd arrest us on sight.'
'You said-' Octavia said in a low and deadly voice but Clarke cut her off.
'I still would have gone, but now we are going with a plan.'
'To die?' Indra asked incredulously.
'I'm not going to die.' Clarke denied. 'Pike is.'
'Clarke-' Lexa started but Clarke interrupted again; she had to get through this now she had started.
'Titus has given us an opportunity to seize.' Clarke retorted wryly. 'When we go back, Murphy will have been tortured by Titus and Titus will have tried to kill me. Octavia was here trying to help ease tensions but she saw what the grounders were and she rescued us both.'
'What the grounders are?' Indra demanded angrily.
'Don't you see! They want to believe Lexa is a murderer and that your people are heartless!' Clarke half shouted, her patience failing. 'They want to hear this story so they'll believe it! They'll let us in, thinking we're sorry and one of them. They won't suspect us and then we can get to Pike.'
'How can you kill him when you are half dead?' Indra snarled.
'The bullet has to stay in. If I try to heal myself then it'll look too suspicious. I have to look as though I'm about to die or they'll never fall for it.' Clarke answered. 'My mother or Jackson will fix me. They are loyal to me. They'll help when I tell them the plan. They never wanted Pike.'
'Clarke, this is-'
'Genius.' Murphy breathed, now being the one to interrupt Lexa and she scowled at him angrily.
Clarke looked up at Murphy in hope.
'You'll come?'
Murphy shrugged.
'Not had the best time here, Clarke, in case you hadn't noticed.'
'It'll be dangerous...if they catch you-'
'I thought you were trying to talk me into this?' Murphy asked, eyebrows raised.
'I am.' Clarke said. 'But-'
'Let him help someone else for a change.' Octavia interjected quickly and Murphy just smirked.
Lexa, however, stood up quickly. She paced slightly around the room before turning to Clarke. Clarke knew that look; she was utterly torn. Lexa's eyes moved slowly down to Titus as though trying to work out a problem. Arkadia wouldn't have any way of knowing that Titus was dead from here if Lexa had fulfilled her revenge.
'I'm supposed to wait here to see if you can carry out this mission?' Lexa asked slowly, her eyes slowing moving to Clarke's and Clarke felt herself shudder under that intense gaze.
'No,' Clarke answered honestly, 'it's time for you to raise your army against Arkadia.'