Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 4: Playing With Knives

Clarke can understand why Octavia is annoyed at Bellamy for forcing her to stop seeing Atom, but over two hours of complaining has her dreaming of the days when Octavia's complaints were about betrayals and kill orders. At least then it was easier to pretend to care – after everything, it's hard to view the end of a three-day relationship as something that matters.

She's fairly sure she became Octavia's confidante today due to the lack of other people. What with Atom pointedly ignoring her, Bellamy being the cause of her anger, Jasper and Monty busy fiddling with her wristband, Wells and Finn huddled over the map trying to figure out where they are... well, Octavia's kind of out of people. That Bellamy banned her from leaving the camp and Clarke just volunteered to go hunting was probably an additional incentive.

That doesn't mean Clarke's particularly happy about it. At her best guess they have maybe an hour until the first yellow fog happens, and they have to get back to camp before then – and hopefully make sure everyone else is there too. If she was out on her own, she would have already caught something. Octavia's chattering has kept all the animals away from them until right now.

Apparently, this deer likes tales about overprotective brothers.

Clarke's just lining up her throw when a noise surprises her. Her knife hits a tree only two feet away from her target, the deer startles and flees, and she curses.

Clarke's wristband drops to the ground. She stares at it for a second, then strides to the tree and pulls her knife out.

"I guess they didn't manage to make my wristband work as a radio," Octavia says, eyeing Clarke and not looking particularly concerned. "I'm sorry."

Clarke shrugs. "We knew it was a long shot. We'll come up with something else." It doesn't really matter, after all. In a week Raven will be here, and Clarke can get to the radio before Bellamy this time.

What does matter is that she's lost the deer.

No, scratch that. She's being negative.

What matters is she still has her people. What matters is that Wells is still alive and spends all his time with her or Finn, so she thinks he'll stay that way – surely Charlotte won't kill him with people around. That Jasper doesn't have a scar and PTSD. That yesterday when she brought back her kills, Bellamy gave her a smile and a compliment, giving her hope that someday they can find their partnership again. What does matter is that Octavia is here with her, wanting to talk to her and spend time with her, even if it's annoying. That Raven will be here soon and there won't be any Finn between them to taint their friendship. That's what matters.

She's getting them all back, all of her people (nearly all her people. All but one). In the original world, when's the last time she had a good moment with one of them? With no arguing and hurt feelings? She can't remember.

Clarke looks at her unbloodied knife and sighs. "Now we have to find something else to hunt." She holds it out to Octavia. "You should take this."

"What?" Octavia automatically takes the knife, then stares at it, frozen. "I don't know what to do."

Clarke almost laughs, it's such a contrast to what she knows about Octavia. About who Octavia will be. "There's no real trick to it. I have another knife. This way, next time we find something, we can both throw. Double the chance. I was going to give it to you for the deer, but I forgot."

After a short pause, Octavia tightens her loose grip on knife. She passes it from one hand to the other. Her soft face hardens, eyes narrowing, growing intent and purposeful.

Now she looks like Clarke's Octavia. Less butterflies, more blades.

"You should practice," Clarke suggests.