Cause this is what dreams should always be

(I'll focus on Aria for now, since Finn's just helping Raven with the flares!)

A small frown formed on Aria's features and she hugged her sister tighter to herself, pressing a light kiss to the top of her sister's head before she closed her eyes and attempted to relax a bit. "Shh," she breathed out, trying to soothe and calm her sister as much as she could manage to, though she wasn't really sure anything she could think to say would help at all. "It's not really... Earth that sucks. I mean, sure, we're in danger so much, but... It's Earth." She pulled back a little to stare down at her sister and sighed out quietly. "But, the guys definitely suck. It's so weird, since none of them gave a damn on The Ark, but now they're making us fall for them and breaking our hearts. It's not fair at all." A deep frown settled onto her features and she closed her eyes, resting her head back down while she attempted to relax.

"I think they can handle getting the flares set up on their own," she assured quietly, "Once the flares are ready and they're ready to send them off, I'll go out and watch, just to make sure they actually work. I doubt I'd be of any use in setting the flares up." She wasn't really a chemist or an engineer, so she wouldn't really even know how to help with the flares. For now, she just wanted to focus on helping her sister. There was way more that she could do here, for her sister, than she could out there, with the flares. At least, that's what she thought and hoped for. She knew Evie needed her and, really, she needed Evie. After everything Bellamy and Finn had put them through lately, she just wanted to pretend that it was just her and Evie right here for now, that there weren't people outside, that they were okay. "I want Mom and Dad back, too. We'll get them back soon."

Evie looked at her sister who was right, Earth was amazing when their lives weren’t in danger. It was the company they had decided to put their trust into that sucked, but hearing that Aria had fallen for Bellamy was all Evie needed to put her focus onto something other than Finn. “You fell for Bellamy?” Her voice was soft as to not draw attention to them from anyone passing the tent outside, “I hate that he hurt you and I hate what he did… but I do understand the reason he had now, maybe he is a decent guy.” Evie looked at her sister, she knew it would still take Aria time if she were going to trust Bellamy again after everything he has done. But now they knew why he did what he had, of course it still wasn’t a good reason to keep The Ark away from Earth but it had been to Bellamy.

“I wouldn’t have done what he did, but if you were being taken away from me and the offer was brought to me. I know I’d at least think about taking the offer… Octavia is all he has now. If we didn’t have Mom and Dad… I’d do everything for.” Evie wasn’t trying to encourage her sister to forgive Bellamy, Aria was old enough to make that decision herself. But it did show to Evie that Bellamy would do whatever it took to be with the people he loved, which could mean he would protect Aria at any length that was needed and that would give Evie some comfort.

“I just don’t want Clarke thinking she’s running the place because you aren’t out there,” Evie used the back of her hand to wipe away any tears that were staining her cheeks, listening to her sister was helping in keeping her calm. “I hope they do, because we really need them. We need The Ark, especially with the Grounders around.” She sighed knowing it still might take time until The Ark came down, if it survived the journey. Just because they did and Raven did, didn’t mean a ship as large as The Ark would survive as well.

"I did," Aria admitted quietly, though she sighed as she listened to her sister's words. She didn't like admitting her own feelings when it came to Bellamy, but it wasn't like she'd ever hidden anything from her sister before. A small frown formed on her features, but she nodded slightly. "No, I know that. I understand his reasoning for that, too, because I would have done the exact same thing, maybe even something worse." And, she wasn't lying about it. She loved her sister to death and she wouldn't have let anything keep her from her, no matter what it might have cost in the end, no matter what she would have had to do. She would do anything to protect her sister and to be with her sister; her sister was the only person who made her feel whole.

"But... He could have told me. Of all the people who could have understood it... Instead of having me hate him, he could have explained himself," she sighed out before she curled up closer to her sister, a small pout on her features. "And, what he did to Murphy... I can't unsee that. He didn't listen to me. I can still hear the group chanting for Murphy to die and I can still see Bellamy kicking that crate out from under Murphy and doing nothing afterwards to save him... I can't just forget how easy it was for him to do that." She nodded, though, to her sister's later words about Clarke. She knew her sister had a point, but she didn't want to leave her. "I'm not running the place yet. One night of letting Clarke think whatever the hell she wants won't kill me," she assured quietly.

Evie wasn’t defending Bellamy or his actions, she wouldn’t forgive him for hurting her sister until he had proved himself. But he did have a reason for doing what he did, unlike Finn who just thought he wouldn’t get caught. “He should have told you, but maybe he thought you might push him away for what he did on The Ark. Or you could have looked at him differently for what he did, which I know you wouldn’t do but he obviously didn’t. It could have been easier for him to hurt you, then tell you his big secret and have your feelings change that way.” She looked at her sister before rolling onto her back, her eyes staring at the top of their tent.

“But who knows what goes through their minds,” She murmured as she didn’t know what Bellamy’s thought process had been when he decided to not tell Aria what he had done, or why he was acting the way he had. “I think the pressure got to him with Murphy, not everyone is cut out to be a leader. I think he knows that he isn’t now, and no I’m not happy with how Murphy was treated but I do see how Bellamy could kick the crate. I would have given in too, whereas you wouldn’t. Not everyone is like you, Aria.” Evie looked to the side at her twin, she’d never forget how the group were so ready to kill Murphy but she wasn’t as strong as Aria was.

She knew she felt pressure from other people and herself, sometimes she couldn’t block that from her mind. Maybe Bellamy was the same. “At least he didn’t sleep with you and then you find out he has a girlfriend, who he never mentioned.” Bitterness flowed through Evie’s voice, something she didn’t bother hiding from her sister. Sighing softly, she used her fingers to rub her eyes lightly, “You’ll be running the place soon enough, Mom and Dad would be so proud of you.” Evie smiled at her sister, she couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if Aria was stuck on The Ark.

Aria sighed quietly in response. "I don't understand why he'd think that was the better option, though. Hurting me by keeping our parents from coming down is much worse than shooting Jaha," she pointed out quietly as she stared at her sister. "Family is family. Nobody should try to get in the way of that and expect for things to be okay. I don't care what happened to Jaha, but the fact that he kept our parents away from us... That's what makes it so hard to understand his reasoning."

Shaking her head, she reached out to take her sister's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I don't think you would have given in. You were the one who cut him down. You saved him." She watched her sister for a few moments, her expression softened a bit. "All I did was stand there and watch and yell at Bellamy for what he'd done. But, you were the one who acted, Evie. I may be good with words, but... Well, actions have always spoken louder and that was always your forte." She offered a small smile, then.

But, she soon sighed, lacing her fingers between her sister's. "Do you want me to go kick Finn in the balls? I won't hesitate to do it, I swear." She hated Finn for hurting Evie as much as he had. Evie was the last person to deserve what had happened to her, and how Finn of all people could have done that was beyond Aria's understanding. She'd thought Finn was a good guy, that he was nice and sweet to her sister. But, now, she wondered if that was all an act.

“I don’t know either, and I’ll never agree with the way he handled that. But at least now we know why he wanted to stop The Ark from coming down, maybe when he started he didn’t think he’d get as close to you as he eventually did. He should have just told you what he did to Jaha, but he could have thought he’d lose you… but now because he didn’t tell you, he had lost you.” Evie was attempting at making Aria feel slightly better about what Bellamy did, as they would have do the same for each other. But nothing would excuse him for trying to keep their parents from joining them on Earth, sighing softly Evie knew nothing she said could fix things for her sister and Bellamy. Bellamy would have to do that on his own.

Holding onto Aria’s hand was all Evie needed to feel slightly calmer, “Everyone reacts differently in situations like that. None of us have ever been in that position before, and I hope we never have to go through that again. I knew that I didn’t want Murphy to die until we heard his side of it, and you act as well. You were the one who went to find the pod, I didn’t see Clarke trying to help and no one else volunteered to go with you.” Looking at her sister, Evie forced herself to not even think about Finn which was harder than she thought it would have been.

Evie was silent for what felt like a few minutes, “No. As much as I want you to, Raven doesn’t deserve to have this reunion ruined because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.” If Raven wasn’t there, she would have at least allowed Aria to yell and scream at Finn.

But she didn’t want to hurt Raven because Finn didn’t think with his head, “I’ll be fine.” She promised her sister before she heard some cheering from outside the tent, “Sounds like the flares are ready. Go supervisor them, make sure nothing bad happens.” Evie didn’t feel up to joining her sister and watching the flares, she knew she would only bring the mood down and she wanted everyone to be happy and have hope that the flares would work.

Aria listened to her sister quietly, taking in everything that she said, but it still bothered her that all of this had happened. She wished Finn hadn't hurt her sister. She wished Bellamy hadn't destroyed her trust in him. She wished everything was just... Better, but everything seemed to be getting worse instead. Aria hated it. Sighing, she only focused on the last few things her sister had said. Evie was right; Raven didn't deserve that. While she wouldn't know why Finn was getting hurt or yelled at, it would cause questions to arise, and she didn't want Raven to end up upset with her sister, either.

Regardless, she took in her sister's expression for a few moments before she offered a small nod. "Okay, if you're sure," she murmured before she shifted, pressing a kiss to Evie's forehead. "But, if you decide you want to join us, you can come stand by me, okay?" She gave her sister's hand one more squeeze before she moved to get off the makeshift cushion bed and made her way to the exit of the tent. She unzipped it before eying her sister for a moment, watching her before she made her way out to join the group.

“I’m sure, you can’t be the leader if you’re hiding in here with me.” Evie sent her sister a smile, Aria needed to be outside to make sure the flares worked and that nothing else went bad. None of them seemed to have the best luck since arriving on the Earth, maybe it was Earth’s way of telling them that they didn’t belong there. Evie watched as Aria left their tent, her smile instantly vanishing as she continued to lay there on the cushions.

She could hear what was happening outside, she wanted to be there for Aria in case Bellamy tried to talk to her. But she just couldn’t, she didn’t have the strength to stand out there and pretend like she was happy. But after what felt like hours she decided to just stick her head out, slowly she got up and unzipped the tent. Stepping out she saw a flare flying up through the dark night sky, she stayed there in front of the tent as she would only stay out for a few seconds.

Stupidly her eyes seemed to seek out Finn, because that had become a habit for her. But it only proved to cause her more pain now, as he had his arm wrapped around Raven as they watched the flares together. Turning Evie went back into her tent, she happened to see Octavia leaving the camp as she did but her mind didn’t process it as she couldn’t think about much other than how heart-broken she was.

---

Bellamy had been standing around watching as Raven worked on creating a rocket launcher for the flares, once she had finished cheers erupted from everyone who had also been watching her. As she got the flares prepared to launch up into the sky, he glanced over his shoulder to the twins’ tent and he noticed Aria was climbing out.

He knew he should have given her space, but he wanted to check on her. So, he waited until she made her way over to where the flares would be launched, before he stepped over to her. “Are things okay?” He asked which he wanted to kick himself for, he knew things weren’t okay. He had hurt Aria and betrayed her, but he knew something else was going on because Evie wasn’t beside her.

“Raven said our chances of The Ark seeing the flares are pretty high, and considering no one saw anything from the Earth before. She said they would know it’s us,” He told her as he wasn’t sure what else he could say right now, he probably should have stayed away and kept his mouth shut but he still cared so much about Aria.

Finn had done what he could to help Raven set up the flares, but he tried not to get in the way, for the most part. He wasn't a chemist or a mechanic, so he didn't know about this stuff; it was better for him to just help with lifting stuff if Raven needed help or to just do whatever Raven said so that he didn't screw it all up. He didn't want to ruin this, not when it meant that Evie's parents would find out that they could come down. That was his main reason for wanting to let the Ark knew they were alive - well, that and the fact that so many people would die otherwise.

Besides doing whatever Raven asked of him, though, he stayed out of the way, glancing towards the twins' tent on occasion. He spotted Aria coming out at first, but he hadn't seen Evie come out yet. It made him worry that he'd really screwed things up. He knew he had hurt Evie badly and he regretted it because it was the last thing he'd ever wanted to do. But, surely, she'd come out eventually, right? His attention was drawn back to Raven when she asked for his help with something else and he did it.

When it came time to send the flares up, his arm was around Raven and his gaze went around the camp and he spotted Bellamy near Aria - that probably wasn't going to end well. But, glancing around more, he spotted Evie, but only in time to see her ducking back into the tent. His heart ached at the sight of her disappearing and he shifted, dropping his arm from Raven while his gaze went up to the sky again, watching the flares. Eventually, he excused himself from Raven and went to the twins' tent, but stayed outside, announcing his presence with a quiet, "Knock, knock?"

---

Aria couldn't help but to tense slightly when she heard Bellamy's voice. For a moment, she wanted to turn and walk away and put as much distance between herself and him as she could. But, she knew that she'd never get to be the leader if she showed weakness and avoiding Bellamy completely would be weak; the others would get suspicious and she definitely didn't need that. No, she needed them to believe in her and trust her, and they wouldn't do that if she always ran from Bellamy.

Sighing, she turned her attention to the flares, watching as Raven set up the flares. "Not really, but it's between Evie and me," she said simply - because it was. Even if she and Bellamy were on better terms right now, she wouldn't tell him what had happened, because it wasn't her place to tell anybody what had happened or why Evie was upset. No, the only thing she could do was be there for her sister; she couldn't even approach Finn and tell him how shitty he was because it would just cause more pain.

Her gaze stayed focused on the flares when they were sent off, but she offered a small nod in response to his mention of the flares. "Well, then, we just have to hope that we get them high enough in time to save those people from dying." But, who knew? For all they knew, the massacre could have already happened. Her heart clenched with the thought and she breathed out to try to avoid letting herself go into a panic or freak out with concern.

Bellamy nodded his head lightly when Aria told him that it was between her and Evie, he hadn’t been expecting for her to tell him anything. Honestly, he hadn’t expected her to speak to him at all. As he watched the flares fly through the sky, he glanced at Aria a few times. He noticed the deep breath that she took after she spoke about hoping the flares would be high enough, he wanted to try and take her mind off of what could be happening on The Ark right now or what could have already happened.

“Do you and Evie know what the other one is thinking?” He asked quietly, she didn’t even have to answer him but he wanted to keep her calm. Keep her mind calm, so she wouldn’t have another panic attack. “I read this book, well I only read a few pages. But there were twins, and they could feel the emotions of the other twin.” He looked beside him to where Aria was standing, his eyes taking in her body language. To see any signs that she was working herself into a panic, if he did he would take her somewhere quiet and then get Evie’s help.

---

Evie sat down on the make shift bed and crossed her legs, she would wait there until Aria came back. All she wanted to do was spend time with her sister and try to get some sleep, as she hoped the morning would be better. Her body froze when she heard his voice from outside the tent, she stayed silent even though he obviously knew she was inside the tent. Should she answer him? Did she want to talk to him? She wished Aria was there to give her some advice, or to just tell Finn to go away but Aria was already busy.

She could very well ignore Finn and he’d eventually have to leave, but Evie wasn’t sure if she wanted or could ignore Finn. She found herself reaching over and pulling the zip of the tent up, “What do you want? It’s been a long day, Finn.” She was exhausted, not only from the long day but she had cried a lot that day and she was tired. She didn’t move from her cushion bed, but her knees moved closer to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. As if that would protect her heart from any more pain that Finn may cause her.

Aria's brows furrowed slightly at the topic and she looked over at him with mild confusion. It was so random, she was sure there was a reason that he was asking. But, then, she recalled that Bellamy knew her better than she wanted him to at the moment. He'd probably noticed her freaking herself out. Was he trying to distract her? For a moment, she tried to convince herself that couldn't possibly be it, because she didn't want to believe that he cared at all. She didn't want to care about him or the fact that he was trying to help her.

"No, not really," she answered eventually as she offered a small shrug. "But... We know each other well enough that, just looking at each other, we know if the other is hurting in some way. And, when one of us hurts, so does the other - not physically, but like... Emotionally, where we feel helpless because we don't know what to do to help. We hate seeing each other hurting in any way, but it's even worse when we feel guilty because we can't help fix that pain, we can't take it away."

---

For a moment, Finn wasn't really sure what he expected this to accomplish. He knew that being around her would only serve to hurt her more and that was the last thing he wanted, but he didn't want her to think that he didn't care, either. He wanted to be there for her, even though the pain she was in was caused by him in the first place. Knowing that he put her through this, that he was the reason she was hurting and excluding herself from everything, hurt him, but he knew it was nothing compared to the pain that Evie was feeling and he hated it.

"I just, ah... I wanted to check on you," he told her gently as he watched her, though he shifted, moving to sit down in front of the tent so that he could watch her through the flap, eying her carefully. "I know that you're still upset with me and that I hurt you, but... But I can't just sit back and watch you be in pain and do nothing about it. I want to be able to help you. Maybe that's selfish of me, but... I just... I can't do nothing. I know I probably won't be able to help, but I have to at least try, you know? I don't want you to be alone and in pain."

“Neither of you should ever feel guilty about not being able to take pain away, sometimes being hurt and feeling pain will make a person stronger. Not that either of you need that, you two are some of the strongest people I know. You’ve already proved that,” Bellamy stated as he wasn’t trying to win Aria back, he wasn’t trying to mend things between them. All he wanted to do was talk to someone he knew and cared about, he would always care about Aria even if she wanted nothing to do with him ever again. He deserved that. Right now, though, she was the only person who was willing to speak to him.

“I used to have that with Octavia, but I ruined that over and over again. Now it seems like she can’t stand to be near me, not that I blame her. It’s my fault she was on the dropship in the first place,” He signed as he glanced down to the dirt ground, he always seemed to ruin things in his life when he was happy. This time he would deal with his actions, instead of pushing it all aside. “I’m interested to meet your parents, if they’re anything like you and Evie then they’ll survive anything.” He had only seen Aria’s parents around The Ark, he hadn’t ever spoken to either of them as he didn’t had the need to.

---

Evie looked over at Finn as he moved to sit in front of the tent, she honestly didn’t know why he bothered to care about her now. Seeing him there was torture now, because Evie could touch him or hold him or kiss him. No matter how badly she wanted to still be with him, after what he did to her. Even though he hurt her deeply, her feelings still sat in her chest making her feel heavy. If he wanted to help her, he could break up with Raven. But Evie knew that wasn’t ever going to happen and she wasn’t going to ask that of him, she wasn’t going to be the other girl in his life or be a rebound girlfriend.

“You can’t do anything to help me, Finn. I don’t want anything from you, but I do want you to be happy and it’s obvious that she makes you happy.” It was hard for her to tell him that, she didn’t want Finn to feel torn because Raven was the right person for him. Evie could see that, they had so much history together which she wasn’t going to ruin. “Don’t worry about me either, I’m fine.” She looked at him as she would have to be fine, it may take her a little while and for now she’ll just pretend and put a smile on her face.

“We didn’t come here strong,” Aria pointed out with a small frown. On The Ark, they’d tried to be strong, but the most they could do there was ignore what everybody said about them. Here, though, they had to stand up for themselves and each other; it was the only way they could survive. And, they’d made friends who helped them grow. To survive Earth, a place that was clearly much more dangerous than The Ark, they’d had to become strong and that’s what they’d done, even though so much of it had blown up in their faces. The most they could do was continue to try, though; they couldn’t give up. They had to keep growing if they wanted to keep surviving.

Sighing, she looked to Bellamy, listening to his words and, for a moment, her expression softened at the mention of Octavia. “It’s not your fault she was on the dropship. Besides… Being on the dropship is why she’s alive now. If she’d been on The Ark - if either of you had been on The Ark, - one of you would probably be dead right now.” She watched him for a moment, frowning slightly before she looked away and chewed on her lip, weighing her thoughts for a long moment. “If you’d succeeded in keeping The Ark from knowing we’re alive down here, you’d never get to meet them. You realize that, don’t you?”

---

Finn frowned slightly as he watched her, observing her for a moment. Did she really think that he’d buy her claim to be fine? She didn’t look fine at all. No, she looked upset - beyond upset. And, really, how could he blame her after what he’d done? He was angry at himself for doing this to her and he only wanted to find a way to fix it, but he wasn’t sure if he could manage to figure out how to do that, especially if she was going to pretend to be okay. “I just want to help, Evie,” he told her quietly, “You don’t have to lie to me. Really. I know… I know that I hurt you and that you’re probably annoyed with me or at least angry or upset and heartbroken and… That was never what I wanted, you have to believe that.”

His expression softened as his eyes ran over her features and he tried to think of the right thing to say, of anything he could say to make this even a little better, a little easier for her. He knew there were things that he could do, but he wasn’t even sure that she’d forgive him if he did them. “I want to help you feel better, Evie. I want you to know that you mean something to me, that I didn’t just… Plan all of this to happen, okay? You’re important to me, I care about you. I never, never wanted to hurt you. And, I’m so incredibly sorry that I did. I wish I could fix it, that I could, I don’t know, prove it, but I don’t know how.”

Bellamy shook his head lightly, “I have to disagree with you there. You may not see it, but you were strong on The Ark. So, you may have just ignored what people said about you and your family. But that takes strength, Aria. Strength not to lash out at people, you had strength to believe you were better than fighting back against what people said. I know that you were strong on The Ark,” Of course, that was just his own personal opinion. And yes, he knew the twins now had to be extra strong if they wanted to survive Earth. It was different for them on Earth, like on The Ark not many people would have the twin’s back if things turned for the worst. But that was how it was on The Ark for them anyway, it’s just that Earth is more dangerous for all of them.

He glanced over at Aria, “It is my fault. I know it is, I wanted to give her a night she’d never forget… and I succeeded in that.” He would always blame himself for getting his sister locked up, it was his idea to take her to the damn dance in the first place. He thought he could protect her and keep her safe, like his Mom begged him to and he let them both down that night.

“Of course, I know that. I didn’t know The Ark was running out of oxygen,” Bellamy wasn’t sure if he would have changed his actions if he had known The Ark would start floating so many people, just so everyone would survive a little longer. He hoped he would have, he didn’t want to be the cause of so many innocent deaths. “And I know that isn’t an excuse,” He sighed softly as he needed to stop being selfish and think about his actions before he acts, he would need to better himself as a person if he wanted Aria to ever trust him again.

---

None of Finn’s words were helping Evie, listening to him only made everything worst for her. He wanted to fix things between them, he obviously still cared for her. But that wasn’t what Evie needed right now, deep down she knew he was telling her the truth. He hadn’t meant for this to happen nor did he want to hurt her, but she wouldn’t be able to move on from him if he continued to be around her. Which is why she made her mind up on what she was going to do, she would have to push him away. Which she didn’t want to do but she had to, he could now be with Raven again and Evie wasn’t going to be the one that gets in between them.

“You can’t fix this, Finn. Did you really think coming here and talking to me was going to fix anything? Like I told you before, being with you was a mistake.” Evie looked into his dark eyes as she spoke, although she didn’t mean what she did say. She had to pretend like she did mean every word. “You were upset and I felt sorry for you, that is all it’ll ever be. I don’t care about you, Finn. I feel nothing towards you… you’re nothing to me.” Evie somehow managed to keep her voice from cracking as she looked at him, she knew if he continued to spend time near her than Raven would notice and she’d start asking questions.

Evie wouldn’t be the one to answer those questions, so the sooner she pushed Finn out of her life and out of her heart, the better it’ll be for everyone involved.

Aria listened to him quietly and, for a long moment, she was reminded of why she liked Bellamy so much. She looked over at him, watching him while her expression softened. For a moment, she let herself pretend that he hadn’t messed up the radio, that he hadn’t tried to sabotage their chances to contact the Ark. But, she only let that moment last for a bit, only long enough to process everything he said, before she looked away from him and turned her attention back to the flares, watching them. “If you saw how strong we were on The Ark, then you can see why we have to keep getting stronger,” she muttered, “Because, that’s the only way any of us will survive down here. And I don’t want to die.”

They had lost so many people already. Who knew when it would turn out to be one of them? Who knew how long they’d have before she or Evie had left before they became targets of some attack or before the group decided to turn against them? They’d been so quick to turn against Murphy, after all - even Bellamy. Her heart still ached with the thought, with the possibility that Bellamy would turn on them. “It wasn’t your fault, Bellamy. You tried to protect her as best as you could. We can’t always protect the people we care about, though,” she murmured before she sighed.

“We tried to tell you. You just wouldn’t listen.” Because he’d been so obsessed with taking over as the leader of the group. And, she was going to steal that away from him, one way or another, no matter how much Bellamy ended up hating her for it. She couldn’t let him control the group. And she wouldn’t follow him, not anymore.

---

Finn paused for a few long moments, processing what she’d said and trying to understand it all. Did she really mean it? Did he really mean nothing to her? His brows furrowed slightly, watching her as he tried to figure out what to think about it all. Eventually, he moved to stand up, nodding slightly. While he wasn’t sure if she meant that or not, it definitely meant that she didn’t want to talk to him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be trying to push him away. But, really, he knew that she didn’t want to talk to him, anyways. He had hurt her, after all. Of course she wouldn’t want to talk to him or see him or listen to him. But, he’d wanted to try to fix things. It seemed like that wasn’t possible, though, especially not right now.

“I’ll leave you alone, then,” he decided after a moment, watching her. If she didn’t want anything to do with him, then he wouldn’t try to force her to spend time with him. And, he wouldn’t try to fix everything between them when she was trying so hard to push him away. Maybe it was better this way. Or, maybe, he needed to find a better way to show her how much she meant to him. But, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do that without hurting Raven, and he didn’t want to hurt Raven. Raven was still important to him, after all - just not the way she had been back on The Ark. He didn’t want to hurt either of them again.

But, he wasn’t sure if there was a way around it. One way or another, one of the girls were going to get hurt, all because of him. He felt a pang of guilt with the thought and he rubbed at his face, nodding to himself. “I’ll, uh… I’ll see you around,” he told her, managing a small smile, though it was forced. He wasn’t sure what else to do, so he turned and walked away.

“I know that, we all have to continue growing stronger if any of us want a chance of surviving Earth. I know you will grow stronger, that’s just who you are as a person.” Bellamy commented as his eyes watched the last of the flares get launched into the night sky, his stomach dropped when Aria told him that she didn’t want to die. “You won’t die, I won’t let that happen.” He told her but left it at that, even though he hurt her and shattered all the trust she had in him. He still cared deeply for her, he didn’t see that changing any time soon. Bellamy knew what his feelings were telling him, he was still falling for Aria but now there wasn’t a chance of her returning his feelings.

“I should be able to protect the people I care about, there aren’t many left so I should be strong enough to protect them all. I’ve hurt two of them, I doubt they’ll allow me to protect them and the other one is hurting and I don’t know how to fix it.” He spoke about Octavia and Aria first, before bringing up Evie. He didn’t trust anyone else nor did he care about anyone else, he knew that would sound bad if he told Aria but it was the honest truth. Bellamy didn’t let many people into his heart because they usually ended up getting taken away from him.

“I wouldn’t listen and I am sorry about all of that, everything I did. But I’ll listen now,” He would listen now, especially to Aria. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore, he wanted to fix their friendship but he wasn’t sure if she did. The group watching the flares soon started to fall away when all the flares had been launched, Bellamy turned around and watched the others for a few seconds. “Everything alright with those two?” He asked Aria when he saw Finn step out of the twin’s tent, he realised then that he hadn’t seen Evie and the flares were something she would have wanted to watch.

---

Evie put on a brave face as she watched Finn leave the tent, she waited what felt like hours before she crumbed onto her makeshift bed. It hurt even more having to push Finn away from her, because against her better judgement she still cared for him. Even though he had hurt her, his actions didn’t seem to stop how she felt about him.

She wanted to hate him so much but she just couldn’t, she tried to force herself to hate him but it wasn’t working. Her feelings for him were still just as strong as they had been when they shared their first kiss or when they made love to each other. A few silent tears escaped from Evie’s eyes, she knew where Finn would be headed now. Back to Raven.

She was confused, her mind wanted him away from her but her heart still longed for him. All she wanted was to stop hurting and move on, she wanted to be able to see Finn and Raven and be happy that they were reunited. She wanted to stop feeling the way she did about Finn, she wanted them to remain close friends because they still worked well together. But right now Evie couldn’t, she couldn’t let go of what happened.

(I’m not sure what to do with Finn right now. x.x)

Aria shifted, peering up at Bellamy for a few long moments. She wasn’t sure whether she believed that he could stop the possibility of her dying if it really came down to that. They hadn’t been able to save anybody except Jasper lately; everybody else just kept dying. They kept losing people and a part of her was sure that it was only a matter of time before it ended up being one of them. “You barely know me, Bellamy. How can you know that’s who I am as a person? That I’ll keep getting stronger?” she pointed out quietly before she sighed and looked around at everybody else for a moment. “How can we even be sure that we can prevent anybody else from dying? Even me.”

She listened quietly as he spoke more, though, and her expression softened. For a moment, she wished that he wouldn’t talk so much, so that she could just keep being mad at him. And she was still completely mad at him, but hearing him mention how he wanted to protect them made it so difficult to stay angry. “You know, you keep saying that I’m strong, so why would you feel like it’s even necessary for you to protect me?” she asked, watching him. “Maybe you don’t have to protect everybody, Bellamy. Maybe you just have to accept that.”

Sighing out, she followed his gaze towards the tent, watching Finn leave it for a moment before she frowned slightly. “It’s not my story to tell, Bellamy,” she reminded easily, “If Evie wants you to know, she’ll tell you. You’re not allowed to bother her about it, though. If she wants to tell you, she’ll come to you and tell you, so don’t ask her about it.” She frowned, protective of her sister, and looked to Bellamy for a moment before she headed to the tent to check on Evie.

(I’m just going to join Bellamy and Evie’s parts together)

Bellamy had been awake for a while and still hadn’t seen Octavia, he was beginning to worry as everyone in the group knew not to leave camp on their own. Especially without telling someone where they were heading, Octavia always told him if she wanted to explore the area around the camp. But he hadn’t seen her all night, he didn’t even remember seeing her when Raven had launched the flares which she normally would have wanted to watch. He didn’t have a good feeling as the morning went on, which made him turn to someone he trusted.

“Have either of you seen Octavia?” He asked when he reached the twins, they were the only people who would truly understand the panic that was building in his gut. “Um… actually yeah, I think I saw her last night… leaving camp.” Evie spoke as she looked at Bellamy, she only realised now what she saw last night. It hadn’t processed in her mind then because of what happened yesterday, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Her eyes moved from Bellamy to Aria, she was positive that Bellamy would get angry and yell at her for not saying anything to him. But he wasn’t, and Evie wasn’t sure why. Bellamy looked at Evie, “Which way did she go? I have to go find her, it’s not safe out there for us.” He stayed calm because it wasn’t Evie who he was pissed off at, he was annoyed at his sister.

Evie turned her eyes to the direction that Octavia had gone in, “That way. But it isn’t safe for you either, I’m coming with you.” She had to get away from the camp, even for a little while as she had already caught a glimpse of Raven giving Finn a haircut. Plus, Octavia was missing, she knew the pain and heart ache of not having Aria near her. She had to help Bellamy, even if Aria thought it was a bad idea. Bellamy watched the twins, he wasn’t sure if Aria wanted Evie to join him or not but he wouldn’t say anything as it wasn’t his place. “I’ll take anyone who’s willing to help,” He stated simply before he turned around and started to ask for people to help him find his sister.

By the time he was ready to leave camp, he had gotten a decent group which included Jasper and Evie. They both seemed eager to help him. “I’ll be fine, I have to go. It’s my fault that no one knew Octavia had left the camp, I feel so bad.” Evie looked at her sister, she felt so guilty that she hadn’t said anything sooner about Octavia leaving. She also knew exactly what Bellamy was feeling, she felt the same when she didn’t see Aria for so long.

(I shall combine Aria and Finn’s bits as well!)

For a while, Aria wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Evie going off to look for Octavia when the area outside the camp had become completely dangerous. Almost every time that somebody left camp, somebody usually died, and that left Aria worried. But, she knew why Evie wanted to help; hell, if Aria wasn’t so worried about the radio, she’d probably go along as well. “It’s not your fault,” she assured her sister quietly as she watched her before she moved to hug her, holding her tightly for a few long moments. She worried about the possibility that her sister might not return or that something could easily go wrong. She didn’t want to think about it and she watched Bellamy from a long moment from where she was hugging her sister, silently pleading him to keep Evie safe. While she and Bellamy weren’t on the best of terms, she hoped that he’d at least look out for Evie, but she also understood that he was desperate to find his sister, so she wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Is a last minute addition to the search party alright?” Finn’s voice came as he made his way over and Aria pulled away from Evie to stare at Finn with shock. Was he serious? A small frown settled on her features as she worried about how Evie would do with Finn there after Finn had broken her sister’s heart and she looked to Evie with concern. “I mean… The more people to help, the better, right? There’s power in numbers… Strength, safety,” Finn mentioned, looking between the twins, watching Evie for a few long moments before he looked to Bellamy, wondering what Bellamy would think of the idea. Arching a brow, he waited, but he eventually decided that he didn’t really need permission. “Either way, I might as well go along. The more, the merrier,” he added. Aria shot him a look. “Except when things aren’t so merry,” she muttered in response.

Finn watched Aria, mildly surprised by her reaction. But, he supposed he deserved it. Anybody who saw the twins together, either down on Earth or up on the Ark, knew how protective they were of each other. His gaze went to Evie, then, and he eyed her, hoping that she wouldn’t be too upset with him joining up. For the most part, he wanted to help find Octavia. She was a part of the group. She was their friend. And, who knew what had happened to her? If they could find her, they could make sure that she was okay. That was how Finn viewed it, anyways. But, he couldn’t lie and say that a part of him hadn’t decided to go because it gave him a chance to hang out with Evie - it was a part of his reasoning, after all. And maybe Evie would see that, would see how much he wanted to be around her and how much he wanted to fix things, but… He was doubtful.

“Right,” he said eventually, nodding slightly. “Either way, I’m going.” His gaze focused on Evie, taking her in, and he hoped that she’d be okay with this. But, more than anything, he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her during this trip. Eventually, he moved away to go join Bellamy and the others. Aria watched him leave before she sighed out and looked back to Evie. “Be careful,” she murmured gently, cupping her sister’s face as she watched her with concern. “I mean it. But… While you’re gone, I’ll try to help Raven find a way to fix up the radio so we can contact the Ark. We’re going to see our parents again, one way or another.” Because she wouldn’t give up until they did and she knew her sister wouldn’t give up, either.

“Maybe,” Evie whispered as Aria tried to assure her that Octavia missing wasn’t her fault, even though it felt like it was as she hadn’t spoken up sooner. Wrapping her arms around her sister, she returned the hug as Evie knew anything could happen once she left the safety of their camp. She tried not to think about that, she had to keep her mind positive as it would help the group find Octavia which was their main focus right now. “You worry too much, I’ll be back before you know it.” Evie gave her sister a small smile as it was all she could muster up. Bellamy stood waiting for the twins to finish, his eyes stayed on them before Aria’s eyes lock onto his. He instantly saw the emotion behind her eyes and knew exactly what she was asking him, protect Evie and bring her back unharmed. It was a question that Aria didn’t need to ask, he would always protect the people he cared about.

He nodded his head slightly to let Aria know that he would keep her sister safe, although he wanted to tell Evie to stay at the camp he didn’t. He would just be wasting his time if he did, both the twins were stubborn and would do what they wanted. No matter the danger or how much he refused to take them along, they wouldn’t listen and if it meant helping others then they were the first to volunteer. It was beginning to irritate him as it was harder for him to keep them safe from the Grounders and whatever else was lurking on Earth, his eyes moved away from Aria when a voice hit his ears. He glanced over to where Finn now stood, Bellamy stayed silent as Finn volunteered to go with the small search group. He wasn’t going to try and get in the middle of what was going on, he had already tried and Aria pushed him away more. Besides he had to admit that Finn was right, there was better safety in numbers and he knew Finn knew how to track which meant they could find Octavia sooner.

Evie looked from her sister to Finn when she heard his voice, she listened to what he said before she turned her head to look over at Bellamy. He wasn’t saying anything about whether they needed or wanted Finn’s help, and really Finn didn’t need their permission. “It’s fine… we need all the help that we can get,” Evie muttered to Aria as Finn was right, not many had volunteered to help search for Octavia so they needed whoever they could get. “We need to get going then,” Bellamy finally spoke as they were wasting time, none of them knew how far Octavia had gotten from camp or if she had gotten hurt. Bellamy was trying to keep his mind clear of thoughts like that, but they were starting to creep into his head the longer they stood around at camp. He didn’t even know if a Grounder had found his sister… he prayed not as if a Grounder had, Octavia may not be alive anymore and it was all his fault.

Evie’s hands found Aria’s arms, “I’ll be careful. When am I not?” She smiled in hopes to lighten the mood and reassure her sister that she would be careful, “Good. If we can contact our parents, then everything will be better.” Evie knew their parents would make everything better again, but hearing Aria’s plan made her realise that she could possibly help with that. “Actually, there might be stuff in the… bunker that could help Raven fix the radio. You could give that a try,” Evie suggested before giving Aria directions so she would be able to find the bunker where she spent time with Finn, it was worth a shot as Evie had been too distracted to completely look around the bunker. “I’ll be back soon,” Evie promised stepping back from her sister, turning around she moved over to Bellamy and followed him as he lead the group away from the camp. Right now Evie only felt truly safe with Aria or Bellamy, so she planned on sticking to his side and staying away from Finn.