seven; CRAPPY JOKES DO NOT LIGHTEN MOODS

"Garden of Eden, this ain't."

Reese glanced up and away from her work to look at Finn, she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation at hand, too engrossed in the wires that lay mishappen between her and Monty, the two engineers trying their hardest to come up with a way for them to contact the Ark and so far, had come up with nothing aside from reverse-engineering the wristbands which were proving difficult, considering they were dying once taken off.

Clarke had been firing off doctor words for some time and Reese had completely tuned her out because, in that very moment, Clarke reminded Reese of her own mother and how she had been taken from her far too soon.

"Monty? Reese!"

Reese, who had been in the middle of taking apart the entire wristband in order to see what made it tick, hummed her acknowledgement that she was now listening before she turned her head to face Clarke, knowing how much she used to hate when she did that and probably still would.

"Any progress?" She said in a way that made Reese think she'd been trying to get their attention for some time, but with no luck.

"That would be a firm no." Monty answered at the very same time a hopeful Reese said, "Not yet."

Clarke sighed, "My mother would know what to do."

"Same here." Reese murmured to herself, going back to her task, but keeping her ears open, so she wouldn't annoy the blonde girl any further and she smiled faintly at Wells as he stepped off of the ladder and made his way over to Clarke, asking how Jasper was progressing when he stopped behind her.

"How does it look like he's doing?" Clarke snapped at him, not turning away from the twitching boy who's pained grunts Reese was slowly getting used to, as opposed to the delinquents on the lower level who had been screaming abuse for the last hour.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." He told her gently.

"All right, you want to help?" Clarke shot at him, "Hold him down."

Reese and Monty shared a look as Finn and Wells each help Jasper down and another one when Clarke put her knife over the flame they had going.

"I am not going to like this, am I?" Monty questioned, his expression horrified.

Clarke didn't answer the question as she moved the glowing blade to Jasper's wound and Reese felt a tight pressure on her hand and she squeezed Monty's hand gently when Jasper began to scream, more agonised than ever.

"Hold him still." Clarke was shouting and Reese tightened her grip on Monty's hand, tears springing to her eyes, "I need to cut away the infected flesh!"

Jasper stopped screaming entirely.

"Stop it! You're killing him!"

"She's trying to save his life," Finn told Octavia who had fallen to her knees beside Jasper's head, quick as lightning and Reese was the only person to have seen Bellamy enter the top-level behind her.

"She can't."

Reese sighed as Wells stood up to face the self-appointed leader, "Back off."

"We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die." Clarke snapped.

"Kid's a goner." Bellamy exclaimed, "If you can't see that, you're deluded."

"Tone it down, Bell." Reese sighed, not bothering to look up at him to see if he was glancing at her.

"No." He refused, barely sparing the woman a glance, "He's making people crazy."

"I'm sorry if Jasper is an inconvenience to you." Clarke spoke loudly, sarcasm lacing her tone, "But this isn't the Ark, down here every life matters."

Bellamy narrowed his eyes at her, "Take a look at him, he's a lost cause."

"There's always hope." Reese said, loud enough for all those around her to hear and from the corner of her eye, she saw Clarke turn her attention to a crestfallen Octavia who had taken Bellamy's word, "Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching both my mother and Reese's heal people, so if we say there's hope, there's hope."

"This isn't about hope, it's about guts and you don't have the guts to make the hard choices, I do." Bellamy snapped, "He's been like this for three days, if he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

No, you won't, Reese thought to herself, That's not who you are.

He left shortly after those words and Reese returned to the wristband in her hand, popping off the inner layer around the spikes in order to see what was inside

"Power-hungry, self-serving jackass, he doesn't care about anyone but himself." Monty was murmuring angrily, and Reese looked up at him for a moment with a small frown, "No offence."

Reese shrugged, using a small screw she had found to move one of the yellow wires on the inside to see behind it, marvelling in the advancement of the technology.

"Yeah, Bellamy is all that." Finn spoke, his voice quiet, "But he also happens to be right."

Reese did not expect those words, especially not from him.

✦❀✦

Frustrated with her lack of progress, Reese exited the dropship, hoping to do anything else in order to jumpstart her brain into finding a solution and she now felt guilty that her father probably thought she was dead, she hated him, she was still furious with him, and yet, guilt was making her stomach flip.

She quickly found Clarke with very little searching, unsurprised that Finn was with her and she took a seat on the log beside the blonde, bringing her knees to her chest as she examined the clumped up plant that the blonde girl was holding.

Clarke spared her a quick glance as she gestured to the plant, "Whatever this stuff is, it has to have had antibiotic properties."

As Wells approached, Reese began to list every plant she knew with that particular property from what she remembered from her classes on the Ark and plants that her mother had mentioned that had stuck with her.

"Before you refuse my help, remember who aced botany in Earth Skills." He told her.

Clarke scoffed, shooting back, "Remember who helped that now bragger so he wouldn't fail."

They spared a quick glance at Reese who was still in her own world, her face a mask of concentration.

"The grounders used it as a poultice." Clarke spoke, "I'm thinking a tea might be even more effective if we can figure out what it is."

Garlic extract, oregano, thyme, sea-

"It's seaweed." Reese exclaimed at the same time as Wells did, who then continued to speak, showing the plant to Clarke, "Look, no root structure."

"Right." Clarke nodded, only acknowledging Reese, "Well, then there must be a water source nearby."

"Yeah, it would have to have a slow current, lots of rocks." Wells commented, "The water would probably be more red than green."

"I know just the place," Finn replied and Clarke leapt to her feet, nodding at Finn, "All right, let's go. Reese, any chance you want to come?"

"Please." She replied, jumping to her feet, "I need a break."

Clarke smiled and the three began to make their way to the dropship to secure their things.

"Hey, I know what this stuff looks like." Wells called after them, "Do you?"

"Reese does," Clarke shouted, not bothering to turn.

"Reese hasn't taken Earth Skills in nearly four years." Wells responded, "She might have forgotten."

Offended, Reese turned to open her mouth but when she caught Clarke's resigned eye, she closed it, still incredibly annoyed that Wells doubted her skills.

"Is it bad that I kind of want to go back?" Reese whispered to Finn, almost an hour into their trek through the woods, "They're killing me."

Finn snorted at her words but nodded, though she was also kind of annoyed with Wells' incessant talking to only Clarke, who looked about ready to hit him.

"You got my father killed." The two heard Clarke exclaim, "Not possible."

"This is Earth, Clarke." Wells replied with a positive attitude, "Anything's possible."

The trail began to steepen and they slowly found themselves grasping trees so they wouldn't fall back and Reese grumbled to herself as she took her pack from her shoulder and threw it to the top of the hill before she began to climb, the muscles in her legs aching painfully.

"I'd let it go."

"Yeah." Wells shot back at Finn, "Well, I've known Clarke her whole life better than you ever will, so, I'll decide when to let it go."

"What about when it's me telling you to let it go, Wells?" Reese snapped at him, "I've known the both of you your whole lives enough to know that Clarke is going to lose it at you very soon."

"You would barely look at either of us after your mother died, let alone talk to us unless you were forced to." Wells responded snarkily and Reese stiffened in anger, "So, thanks, but I don't need your opinion either."

"Watch your mouth." Reese warned him angrily, before she quickened her pace to the top of the hill, quickly picking up her bag, and jogging her way to Clarke who hadn't stopped walking, "I'm gonna smack that kid."

"Wells?" Clarke asked darkly, "Join the club."

An odd noise caught their attention and they turned just in time for Finn to pull open an orange door.

"What is it?" Clarke asked.

"It's an automobile." Wells and Reese said in unison, the former in surprise and the latter in awe over the old machine.

"Come on, guys." Clarke sighed, "This thing's been here a hundred years, all right? It can wait, Jasper can't."

Reese sighed softly in disappointment, itching to get her hands dirty, "I suppose you're right."

"You're in love with machines, I swear." Clarke said with a sweet, nostalgic smile, "Once Jasper is better, we'll come back and you can take a look."

✦❀✦

"What the hell is that?" Finn breathed out as a cloud of yellow fog billowed toward them.

"Run, run!" Clarke shouted.

Stuffing the seaweed in her grasp into Clarke's open bag, Reese turned on her heel and took off in a dead sprint, sparing a quick glance over her shoulder to ensure the others were behind her, she jumped a few tree roots and ducked beneath a branch as Finn rushed passed her and she quickly followed after him when he veered off to the right.

"Run." He shouted as her pace was quickened, stumbling down the hill and she skidded to a stop beside Finn who was prying the automobile door open, "Get in."

Clarke jumped down in the hole, followed by Wells and Finn shoved Reese in first before dropping down after her, pulling the door closed as he went.

"It's getting inside." Clarke panicked as Reese began to cough, noticing the yellow mist entering the vehicle.

"Seal off any openings," Reese ordered as she quickly pulled off her jacket and stuffed it through one of the cracks, the others quickly following her lead, coughing violently as they grabbed rags and their own outerwear to cover anywhere the mist could get through until nothing else came through and they each fell back with sighs of relief.

They waited and waited for what felt like hours before Finn slowly stood and had started trying to open the little box on one side of the machine.

"Is it still out there?" She asked Finn who peered through the glass above him and nodded.

"Look, we should just make a run for it." Clarke exclaimed, "Jasper can't wait much longer."

Reese sighed.

"Us dying in a cloud of acid fog isn't gonna help Jasper." Finn responded as he finally pried open the box and a few contents fell from it.

"Is that–"

"Booze, hooch, rotgut," Finn replied, cutting her off as Reese took a look at the things that had fallen and picked two up, the first being a manual of sorts and the second being a photograph that Reese could just barely make out of a blonde girl and a raven-haired boy and she flipped it over with a frown.

Dean,
You'll be the only one I miss.
All my love, Josie xo

Reese smiled at that and placed the photograph into one of the pages of the manual and tucked it away in her pocket as Finn stepped over her to sit back down in his spot beside Clarke and she glanced up away from the rest of the stuff Finn had left there when she heard Clarke telling him to be careful.

"It could be–"

"Whiskey, I think," Finn responded and Reese perked up, immediately holding her hand out for the bottle which he passed to her, "Better than the moonshine on Agro Station."

Reese took a swig, her face scrunching up due to the unfamiliar taste before she grinned and took another.

"Better than my father's collection." She announced, passing the bottle back to Finn who grinned and offered it to Wells who shook his head in disgust.

"Alcohol's toxic."

"This is Earth." Finn scoffed, "Everything's toxic."

"Plus, it is a time-honoured rite of passage for every teenager," Reese told him with a small smirk, grabbing the bottle and taking another drink from it.

"We'll pass," Wells told them with a frown.

"Here we go." Reese murmured when she caught the look on Clarke's face before she practically ripped the bottle from her hold.

"Far be it for me to stand in the way of tradition." She told him bitterly, quickly taking a swig, and she looked disgusted as she swallowed the liquid, coughing slightly as it went down before she passed the bottle to Finn who smirked slightly at her face.

And so it went, the three passing the bottle between them with Wells' disapproving eyes watching them and Reese quickly discovered that Clarke was somewhere between a sad drunk, a happy one, and an angry one, though it may have had something to do with being in such close proximity to Wells.

"Octavia will take care of him." Finn was reassuring her.

"While we're on the subject, why is it that everyone thinks me wanting Jasper to not die is a bad thing?" She asked, her words slightly slurred.

"It's not a bad thing, Bright Eyes," Reese replied with a smile.

"Like I'm such a downer." She continued, "I can be fun."

Reese snorted, "Oh jeez."

"Yeah, you think I'm fun?" She asked Finn who was grinning in amusement, "Right?"

"Oh, yeah." He responded, "Among other things."

"You're fun." Wells snapped as he looked Finn before he turned to Clarke and his expression softened and he began to smile, "You, uh, remember that time–"

"Remember that time you betrayed me and got my father executed? Yeah, I remember." Clarke cut him off and his smile vanished, "Where were we? Fun."

"Yeah." Finn barely got out before Clarke was directing her attention back to Wells, "Well, since you brought it up, and I didn't, because I don't want to talk about it, what were you thinking?"

Reese and Finn shared an uncomfortable look as tears began to fill Clarke's eyes.

"I made a mistake, Clarke," Wells responded softly.

Clarke made a small noise that was a mix between a laugh and a sob that had Reese reaching out to grip her hand gently, squeezing slightly when Clarke circled her fingers around Reese's hand.

"'I made a mistake, Clarke.' That's not good enough." She mocked him tearfully as she sat up, "You know, I bet you couldn't wait to run to Daddy."

"Clarke..." Reese said gently.

"Tell him everything." Clarke cried, ignoring Reese's warning, "So that he'd finally believe you were the perfect son he always want–"

"What do you want me to say?" Wells finally snapped.

"I want an explanation."

The silence inside the vehicle was deafening and Reese found that she would rather walk out into the fog than listen to this conversation any longer.

"I can't give you one." Wells' words finally broke the tense air, "I thought I could trust him."

Clarke slowly sat back against the chair, "Well, I thought I could trust my best friend, guess we were both wrong."

"I'm still your friend."

"No, you're not." Clarke exclaimed, her voice breaking, "If you were my friend, you would walk out into that fog and never come back."

As she moved to have another drink, Reese quickly grabbed the bottle and moved it away.

"I'm cutting you off." She murmured, seeing Wells' expression from the corner of her eye.

"How about we just take it easy," Finn told them softly as Reese took another drink.

"I have no idea how to do that," Clarke responded as Wells snatched the bottle from Reese's hand.

"So, uh, four delinquents get stuck inside a car..." Reese spoke lightheartedly, trailing off when she received dark looks from both Wells and Clarke, the former bringing the bottle to his lips, "Or not, I guess."

The air became tense and harsh once more as Finn brought his knees to his chest and Reese took the bottle back from Wells to take a long swig.

"So, we having fun yet?"

Reese scoffed, a small chuckle passing her lips.

✦❀✦

"Ther fog's cleared." Clarke called, her voice making Reese wince as she sat up the next morning, "Come on."

The woman grabbed her jacket from where she had stuffed and allowed Finn to help her out of the 'hole' and when she was back on solid ground, she shrugged her jacket back over her shoulders

"Let's go, Jasper's waiting!"

Reese and Clarke walked ahead, as quickly as their legs would take them through the woods, in the semi-familiar direction they had come from the day before.

"You okay?" Reese asked softly, her head throbbing more with each bird that squawked somewhere in the distance.

Clarke nodded, "You don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, I still do, though." She replied with a smile and she picked up her pace when Finn jogged up to them, the look on his face signalling that he wanted to speak to Clarke privately.

She continued to hike at a steady pace until a scream pierced the air and she turned and shared a look with Clarke.

"Who was that?"

"Get the seaweed back to camp." Reese told Finn and Wells, "We'll meet you there."

The two didn't stick around for an answer from either male, quickly following the direction of the screams, until they broke through a final set of trees where they saw the full effect that the poisonous fog had on human skin and as they made their way over, Reese stepped on a branch which snapped beneath her weight.

Bellamy sat on his knees, an expression of utter guilt on his face as he turned to look over his shoulder at the two and Reese dropped to her knees beside him and he laced his fingers through her own as Clarke crouched on the other side of Atom's body.

"We heard screams," Clarke spoke, her voice soft.

"Charlotte found him." Bellamy responded and Clarke's face fell at that news, "I sent her back to camp."

Atom's chest heaved and he sobbed tearlessly as Clarke looked his seared body over before looking at the two across from her and shaking her head sadly and took a deep breath, leaning forward to stroke Atom's hair gently.

"Okay, I'm gonna help you." She whispered to him, "All right?"

Atom made a choked sound but nodded as Clarke softly began to hum a tune that Reese herself hadn't heard in years and she continued as she grabbed the knife in Bellamy's hand and as she brought it to Atom's throat, Reese grasped his hand with her free one and began to sing the words softly to the tune of Clarke's hum.

"And drink a health whate'er befalls, then gently rise and softly call." She sang softly, her grip tightening on both hands, "Good night and joy be to you all."

Clarke hummed a little louder when the blade was pushed into his reddened skin and tears filled Reese's as blood began to stain the forest ground and Atom began to choke, "Of all the comrades that e'er I had, they're sorry for my going away."

The noise faded and Atom's chest slowly stopped heaving and when the grip on her left hand loosened, a tear fell down Reese's cheek

"And all the sweethearts that e'er I had, they would wish me one more day to stay."

✦❀✦

The journey back to the dropship had been rough and despite any irritation that Reese still had with Bellamy, she didn't let go of his hand until they had been inside the walls and Clarke had needed her help and a smile pulled at her lips when she heard Bellamy order someone to give Clarke whatever she needed.

She sat across from Clarke on the top most level and stirred the water that was slowling turning a light pink from the seaweed that was seeping into it and finally, Clarke had poured some into a cup they had made and gently coazed it into Jasper's mouth.

"I'm really sorry about Atom." Clarke broke the silence as she looked up at Octavia who had been helping her, blue eyes a mix of sad and sinscere.

Octavia remained silent for a moment.

"I guess we're gonna have to get used to people dying down here, aren't we?" She spoke without expecting an actual answer, before she looked down at Jasper and her expression turned soft, "But not you, you hear me? You're not allowed to die."

Reese smiled softly at the exchange before she turned her attention back to her earlier task, in the hopes that she could finally come up with something.

Clarke left shortly after, claiming that she had something she needed to do and Finn pulled out the whiskey that he had taken from the automobile and took a swig before handing it to Monty who did the same.

"Smooth." He coughed out before he leant over to hand Octavia the bottle, who hesitantly took it from him and took a sip, her face screwing up in a way that made Reese laugh.

"Disgusting." She announced, "Love it."

She passed it to Reese who had a mouthful and gave it back to the girl to pass to Finn.

"Can I, uh, get a hit of that?"

Reese's head snapped up to see Jasper staring at the four of them, his eyes squinting slightly.

"Jasper!" Monty shouted as they each got to their feet and rushed over to the boy.

"Let's start with the soft stuff." Finn answered him with a chuckle as he picked up the canteen that Clarke had made out of parts from the dropship, "Welcome back, buddy."

Jasper groaned in disappointment but complied when Finn brought the cup to his lips and when he swallowed the water he brought a hand up to clasp Monty's, grinning up at his elated expression.

"Was that a dream or did I get speared?" He asked them tiredly.

"Honey, I wish it was a dream." Reese responded gently, "How do you feel?"

"Like I got speared." He replied causing the group to crack a few smiles at the poorly timed joke.

"You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it, too." Clarke's voice said and Reese moved to the left so Jasper could see the girl who was pulling herself from the ladder.

Jasper grinned happily up at her.

"My saviour." He crowed.

Clarke's face was much lighter than it had been in days as she looked at the injured boy with a brilliant smile.

"Thank you for not dying." She told him emotionally, "I don't think I could've taken that today."

"Well, I'll try not to die tomorrow, too, if that's cool." The five delinquents surrounding him laughed as Jasper looked at them before his eyes locked on Octavia who had grabbed his hand and his face lit up, "Oh, hello."

Reese smiled at the exchange as exhaustion took over his expression and he slowly let his head fall back onto the makeshift pillow and he fell asleep.

══════════════════

i couldn't find a way to split up this episode so it's all in the one chapter and while there wasn't much bellamy and reese interactions in this chapter, there may be some in the next.

thanks for reading!

~r