Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 6: Muscle Memory

Clarke waits as long as she waited the first time for the fog to subside, except without the distraction of alcohol. Instead she spends the time bandaging Lincoln and listening to Octavia's various theories and thoughts as she goes through his bag, finds his sketchbook, and begins flipping through it. Lincoln stays unconscious but Clarke thinks he'll be all right, given time. Knowing Lincoln's stubbornness, he'll be up and about once the sedative wears off.

Eventually she says, "The fog should be gone by now. I think one of us should head back to camp, let them know what happened."

"Tell them that there's Grounders?" Octavia continues studying Lincoln like he's a Rubik's cube she has to solve, not even looking up. She traces his face from cheek to chin with her finger.

Atom appears to have been forgotten.

"Yes, exactly," Clarke says. "And about the fog, and why we've been gone so long... if you're willing to wait here with him until he wakes up, I'll head back."

"Wait here with him? What if he's dangerous?" It's Octavia at her most contrary.

"Oh, okay," Clarke says. "If you're worried, I'll stay here, and you can head back."

"No, it's fine!" Octavia says, a little too quickly, just as Clarke had known she would. The mysterious connection between Octavia and Lincoln had been as instant as it was in the original world.

Meeting someone in whose eyes you see the same weight, same frustration, same love, same hopes... perhaps the connection is not so mysterious after all. Perhaps when Octavia, forced to live her life quietly, invisibly and lonely, first met the eyes of Lincoln, forced to live his life coldly, ruthlessly and lonely, something of their shared desperation passed through the gaze.

Clarke can relate.

"You go tell them about all this, I'll wait." Octavia continues, then hesitates. "Just... maybe you shouldn't tell them exactly where we are."

Clarke allows herself a small, secret grin. "No?"

"Bell would overreact, you know he would," Octavia says decisively. "This guy has a sketchbook of us and a lot of medicine. But he didn't even reach for his weapons... he's harmless, I can tell. He didn't even look angry that I'd stabbed him. But you know all Bell would see is that he's a Grounder and he's armed. I don't want to get this guy in trouble." She leans to the side, so that her face is lined up with his in the semi-darkness. "You can see he's a good person. His face is really..." she pauses. "...gentle. I'm sure of it. I know, you think I'm crazy, but -"

"No, I don't." Clarke makes her voice firm, unwavering. "I trust you, Octavia. If you think I shouldn't tell Bellamy where you are exactly, I won't. It will take a while for the drugs to wear off. When he wakes up, just head due south – so the morning sun is on your left – and you'll get close to the drop ship. Or he might help you find the way if you ask, clearly he knows where it is."

Octavia's smile is so pure that it's like a beacon in the darkness. Clarke knows that no one has ever trusted her before, not like that – even Bellamy, the big brother she adores, tries to place walls around her, tries to tell her what to do. No one's ever done what Octavia says before instead of the other way around. She's not just agreeing to leave Octavia in an enclosed space with a potentially-dangerous stranger twice her size, she actually suggested it. Octavia's so used to being protected that to her this seems like freedom instead of risk.

She hopes she can live up to the adoration in Octavia's face, this time.

It doesn't take her long to get back to the camp. She doesn't bother to stop on the way, to gather food or to check the environment closely. It's too soon for the Grounders to attack directly and they haven't done anything to anger them this time.