TWENTY TWO.   may we meet again

      If you had asked Tatum four years ago what she thought her life would be like, she would have very well told you she'd die by the age of eighteen. But she wasn't dead, no matter how many times the universe tried to tear her down. She always came back up stronger. She was eighteen-years-old, alive, and she wasn't the same girl she was back on the Ark. No longer that person who was afraid to speak up about her ex boyfriend, or the girl who thought she was going to die on the sky box. She was strong. A leader. She'd be okay.

If today was her last day to live, Tatum would be okay knowing she fought her hardest. Her whole life was about surviving now and she had to be strong, not only for herself, but for her friends.

But now they were in a war. A cluster of kids whose lives were taken from them by the Ark. Her girlhood was over. She was now the center of an atrocity.

The boys carried Raven on the makeshift stretcher. Her skin was growing paler by the minute. Bellamy stood looking around the almost abandoned camp. Everything he worked towards, what he tried to build, was slipping through his fingers. A pair of cold hands brushed against his neck and he flinched, until he saw who it was, then he relaxed under her touch. "You did good here, Bell."

He shook his head. "Eighteen dead."

"Eighty two alive." Tatum emphasized. She brought her hands to his face and her thumbs brushed against his cheeks. "You did good. I'm proud of you. We would have never gotten this far without you."

"Give yourself more credit, Tate. You've done just as much as I have."

"We're a team." She said with a small smile.

Bellamy grinned. "Yeah, we're a team."

She brought her face closer to his. "If this is our last day, I want you to know that I love you. And if we somehow get separated, I will find you. I will always find you." She whispered.

His eyes glossed over but he wouldn't cry. He would do that later. He turned away from her to pick up a bucket of water. He poured it over the still burning fire, the smoke rising to the sky. Bellamy looked back at her, seeing her standing there patiently, and he held out his hand. "Together?"

She nodded and took his hand. "Together. Always."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

She walked side by side with Octavia. The groups delinquents followed behind them, marching into war. She tried her hardest to appear strong, but she felt numb. The innocence she once bared with no longer there. It rotted away, killed by the world she lived in.

When Octavia came to a halt, Tatum turned to her. "Why are we stopping?" She voiced.

"I don't know." Finn answered, standing on the other side of her.

"I don't see anything." Muttered Jasper while he looked around them.

"What do you see, Via?" Tatum asked her. She kept her riffle pointed.

"I'm not sure. I have a bad feeling though." Octavia remarked.

An axe was thrown and it collided with Drew's face, right in the middle, and he fell to the ground. Tatum's jaw dropped and she grabbed Octavia, pulling her back while she looked at the boy in horror.

"Grounders!" Jasper shouted at the top of his lungs.

And just like that, all hell broke loose. The group of delinquents immediately rushed back to camp. Shouts of fear spread over them as they bumped into each other, not caring if anyone hurt someone and just focused on getting back to camp alive. "Come on, 
move it!" Tatum ordered over their screams.

"Go, go, go, go!" Bellamy urged as Finn ordered them to shut the gates.

Tatum followed him to the post. They aimed their guns toward the forest. Her breathing was rigid and adrenaline coursed in her blood.

Bellamy glanced at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just watched a boy's face get caved in with an ax. I'm perfectly fine." Sarcasm dripped from her tongue. He raised his eyebrows. "Sorry." She quickly apologized.

Clarke joined them at the top of the post. 

"Where are they?" He questioned and his hard eyes scanned the woods. "Why aren't they attacking?"

"Because we're doing exactly what they're wanted us to do."

Both him and Tatum looked at her. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

Clarke didn't answer and instead turned around to look at Finn. "Lincoln said the scouts would be the first to arrive." She mentioned.

"If it's just scouts, we can't fight our own way out."  Octavia butted in. "That's what Lincoln would do."

"We're done doing what that grounder would do,"  Bellamy declared. He jumped down from the post.  "We tried it and now Drew's dead. You want to be next?"

"That grounder saved our lives. I agree with Octavia." Finn interrupted them.

"All these grounders have done is ruin our lives. How can you say we can trust any of them?" Tatum snapped in anger, still at the top of the post.

"Tatum, just trust me. For all we know, there's one scout out there."

"One scout with insanely good aim." Said Jasper.

"Clarke, Tate, we can still do this." Octavia told them.

The two girl looked at each other, contemplating. Bellamy waited for an answer. "Looking at you,  Princesses. What's it gonna be? Run and get picked out in the open or stand and fight back?" It was clear what he wanted.

Tatum clicked her jaw. Her eyes met with Clarke's again. They thought the same. They always did. They wanted the same thing. Clarke jumped down from the post and was met by Finn immediately. "Clarke, if we're still here when Tristan gets back—"

"Lincoln said scouts, more than one," she reminded him. "He said get home before the scouts arrive. Finn,  they're already here."

Tatum jumped down from the post. "I, for one, don't trust any grounders considering one almost killed me,  but i'm not going to die because I ran from a fight. If i'm going to die then i'm going to do it honorably." She  stated honorably, making Bellamy crack a grin. She looked his way. "Looks like you've got your fight."

He nodded curtly. "Okay. Then this is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners,  to your post! Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed!"

Tatum quickly grabbed Jasper's arm. "Please be careful. I'll come find you as soon as I can." When he nodded, she grabbed his face and pulled him downward, their foreheads touching. His hands grasped her wrists. "May we meet again." She whispered to him.

"May we meet again." He whispered back. He squeezed her wrists once more and she relaxed him. He quickly ran with Harper through the foxhole.

She watched him leave with a heavy heart. "I love you." She whispered to herself.

From a foot away, Octavia marched past Bellamy and into the foxhole. Tatum turned to him. "We're too young for this." She muttered with a shaky voice.

Bellamy grabbed her hand. "If we got each other, we'll both be fine. It'll be okay."

They would hold each other's hands till they couldn't anymore.

A group of them gathered back on the drop ship to form a plan. "We got twenty five rifles with twenty rounds each, five or take. Roughly five hundred rounds of ammo." Bellamy told them.

"While you two were gone, we made some improvements." Tatum added in.

He motioned to the model of the camp. "Thanks to Raven, the gully's mined."

"Partially mined, thanks to Murphy." Raven grunted in pain.

"Still, it's the main route in. If the grounders use it, we'll know." He remarked. "She also built grenades."

Clarke shook her head. "It's not many."

"Again, thank you Murphy." Said Tatum with an annoyed grumble.

"We'll make them count. If the grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back." Bellamy enlightened.

"And then?"

"Then we close the door and pray." Raven stated.

"And pray what? That the ship keeps them out? Because it won't." Said Clarke in disbelief.

It went quiet and she turned back to her fellow leaders. "Then let's not let them get through the gate," Bellamy declared and picked up a radio. "All foxholes, listen up. Keep yours eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan." He instructed thoroughly.

"That's always your plan, just like the bomb on the bridge." Finn bitterly stated.

"You have a better idea? Cause we would love to hear it." Tatum almost snapped. She was tired of hearing him complain when he wasn't even speaking up.

"It can't be that simple." Clarke muttered. She looked back at Raven. "You said there's fuel in those rockets, right? Enough to build a hundred bombs?"

"I also said we've got no gunpowder left."

"I don't want to build a bomb. I want to blast off."

Raven and Tatum smirked. "Draw them in close. Fire the rockets. A ring of fire." The mechanic described.

"Barbecued grounders. I like it."

"So do I." Bellamy agreed with her.

"Will it work?" Asked Finn.

"The wirings a mess down there, but yeah," Raven exhaled. "You give me enough time, i'll cook them real good."

Tatum raised her hand. "I'm down."

She walked around camp with the rifle around her back. The campers were working on collecting everything they would need to overcome the war. She was helping carry bags of weapons and food to the drop ship line up. They lit fires to keep them warm with the cold night sky surrounding them. She dropped another bag and sighed.

Bellamy glanced at her. "Are you okay?"

Tatum pushed her messy black hair behind her ear.  "I'm just. . . I don't know, drained."

He frowned slightly and reached his hand forward,  curling a piece of hair behind her ear and he cupped the side of her face and neck. "We're going to be okay."  He told her with determination.

She leaned into his touch. "I just got you. I'm so afraid to lose you."

He stepped closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You won't lose me. I'm here, okay? No matter what's happens tonight, i'm here."

Even though she didn't believe him, she nodded anyway.

"And hey." She looked at him again. Bellamy grinned. "You didn't just get me. You've had me since day one."

Tatum's spirits lifted and she grew a smile.

The sound of drums going off in the distance caught everyone's attention. "They're here." One of the campers muttered.

Tatum and Bellamy looked at each other. "I need to find Jasper." She spoke in a panic.

"I have to find Octavia." He understood. "Keep your radio on you and answer me when I call you. If you run into trouble, you know what to do and let me know if you need help, got it?"  He instructed.

"Got it."  She answered with a quick nod.  She grabbed his face and pulled him toward her, pressing her lips firmly to his as if it would be their last kiss. She pulled back and stared deeply into his eyes. "I love you." She spoke like it would be the last time she ever got to say it.

His breath hit her lips. "I love you."

"May we meet again."

"May we meet again."

She took off to the west foxhole with the rifle clutched in her hands. She ducked into the tunnel and was swallowed by the darkness, though she was grateful because it would mask the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. She hurried through the tunnel until she got outside and immediately ran to Jasper and Harper. "I think I got dirt in my eyes."

Jasper jumped at her voice and then relaxed, sighing in relief. "Oh, thank god. I thought you were staying back?"

"I heard the drums and I got scared. I couldn't leave you." She confirmed and then remembered Harper was there too. "And you too Harper. Hi."

Harper smiled for a quick second. Tatum ducked down behind a fallen tree and pointed her rifle. It was dark but she knew the grounders were lingering behind the trees. "They're close. I can feel it."

"What the hell are they waiting for?" Jasper questioned in a quiet voice.

Her radio went off. "I see them. They're moving! I count one, two, three. . . no wait, there's more,"  Sterling's voice rang. It then went to static. "I don't know, there's too many of them!"

Gunshots started to go off and Tatum jump out of her skin. "Who was that?" Voiced Harper.

"I think it was Sterling."

"South foxhole, report now." Bellamy ordered into the radio. 

A few minutes later, Sterling responded. "Yeah, yeah,  we're okay. They didn't attack. It's like shooting at ghosts."

"What the hell is their motive?" Tatum said into her walkie.

"I'm not sure yet. Just keep your eyes focused." Said Bellamy.

It went quiet again and everyone looked around for sight of a moving figure. Tatum held her breath and got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Suddenly, the sound of twigs snapping and a shadow figure in the distance made her eyes widen. "There!" She shouted and immediately started firing bullets.

Jasper and Harper followed suit and she shot fire after fire but they were too fast. Sterling was right. It was like shooting at ghosts. "There's too many!" Harper shouted over the gunfire.

More gunshots fired off in the distance and Tatum kept shooting, hoping any bullets would hit at least one of the grounders. It was like they were multiplying. "They're too damn fast!" She hissed in frustration.

The longer they fired shots, the more they started to run out of ammo and she grew worried they would fire all their bullets and it would be too late. 

"Tate, Harper, get down!" Jasper shouted at them.  "We need backup!" He hollered into the radio. 

Tatum fired another shot and when it hit the ground,  an explosion went off and flames erupted in the air.  She gasped. The mines were working.

Jasper quickly grabbed his radio again. "Raven, our mines actually worked!"

"Jasper, we need you in the drop ship now." Clarke said into the radio. 

"Negative, we can't give up the west woods." Bellamy instantly denied. 

"The west woods are mined, Bellamy. The grounders just figured that out. Jasper, get in here."

"No. If he goes, it's just Harper and I and there's too many of them." Tatum objected as well.

"I see one, there! There!"  The said girl shouted and fired another shot. Sparks went off in the stance and smoke clouded the air. 

"They're drawing our fire." Jasper realized.

"Dammit, i'm out of bullets!"

"They want us to run out of ammo." He raised his radio again. "All gunners, listen up. The grounders are not attacking. They're making us waste bullets. Don't shoot when they're running laterally."

"Jasper's right," they listened to Bellamy. "Don't fire until you're sure it's attack. Repeat, do not fire until you are sure. West foxhole, hang tight. I'm on my way."

Tatum looked at Jasper. "You go help Finn and Clarke.  Harper and I will hold down until then." She instructed.

"Are you sure?"  He voiced.

"Not at all. But go now. I love you."

Jasper hesitated. He looked between the girls and nodded his head. Tatum took out her last clip of ammo and handed it to Harper. They reloaded their weapons and pointed the scope forward. Then, rustling filled the air and numerous grounders appeared from the treeline. "Here they come." She voiced firmly.

And the chaos theory took its place.

Bullet after bullet shot from both of their rifles and grounders went down. War cries left their mouths and they charged at them. The closer they got, Tatum realized just how many there actually was. Her bullets sent them to the ground but the majority easily dodged them. There was too many. "Harper, fall back! There's too many! Let's go!" Tatum shouted strongly.

Harper obeyed and the two girls sprinted toward the tunnel. The grounders followed them and Tatum shot bullets from over her shoulder. Everything was happening so fast that she didn't notice a grounder had been so close to her from the side until she felt a knife slash into her arm.

She screamed in pain. A long slash mark embedded into her skin from her forearm to her elbow, cutting into her jacket. She angrily fired a bullet into his chest. 

"Tatum!" Harper called out in worry.

"Go! Go!" She yelled and they ran into the deep tunnel until they saw the dim light from outside. She took out her radio. "Bellamy, the west woods are down. The grounders broke through. They're headed for the gate!" She bellowed 

"Tate, get back to the drop ship now. Don't argue with me!" Bellamy demanded.

She grabbed Harper's hand and they ran through the woods. Blood pounded in her ears and her heart rate quickened with fear. Gunshots fired from all around and the cries of grounders pierced her brain. A booming sound caused her to come to a halt and she looked up, seeing a ball of fire come from the sky. 

"What is that?" Harper questioned while gripping her hand tightly.

"It's the Ark." Tatum realized. "We need to get behind the wall!" She continued to drag Harper down the path until they made contact with the gate. "Don't shoot! It's Tatum and Harper!"

"It's Tatum and Harper!" Miller repeated to everyone and they let the two girls run inside camp.

She dropped Harper's hand and bent down with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The adrenaline in her body almost made her forget about the pain in her arm. "Mother of god, why do you hate me?" She groaned to the sky and clutched her arm.

Clarke sprinted over to her and her eyes went wide when she saw her wound. "Tatum, you're hurt." She pointed out.

"Thank you for that info, Princess." She replied sarcastically while breathing in and out. "Hurts like a bitch."

A flashing light came from the tunnel and caught both their attention. Finn came running out of the tunnel.  "Finn!" She exclaimed and they ran to him.

Clarke ran into his arms and they held each other tightly. When they let go, Tatum followed suit and clutched her childhood best friend in her arms. "What did you do?"

"I kicked the hornets nest." The spacewalker answered.

Tatum laughed. "That's my boy."

"You brought the reapers?" 

"I just bought us some time. How's Raven?"

Clarke shook her head. "She's not good."

The three of them began walking to the drop ship and that's when Tatum realized someone was missing. "Wait, where the hell are Bellamy and Octavia?" She asked out loud.

With the grounders and reapers fighting in the background, Bellamy dropped Octavia from his arms behind a tree. She gasped in pain, an arrow lodged deep into the side of her thigh. "What the hell is that?"  She gasped.

"I don't know. While they're distracted, let's move."  Bellamy instructed. 

"I'll never make it. Leave me, i'll find another way—" she panted.

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Octavia!" Lincoln called out and appeared in the darkness. He fell the ground by the siblings. 

"Lincoln." Octavia exhaled and the two of them embraced.

Bellamy stared at them with sad eyes. All he could think about was Tatum. Then, his heart began to break because she was back at camp and he told her he would come back. "You did this?" He asked the grounder once they pulled away, motioning to the fighting grounders and reapers.

"With Finn." Lincoln confirmed. A grunt of pain from Octavia made him look down and see the arrow lodged in her leg. "It's deep. I can help you but you have to come with me now."

Him and Bellamy locked eyes. That's when the older Blake came to realization. All the both of them wanted to do was protect her. "Go." he ordered when he finally understood.

Octavia looked at him. 

"Let him help."

"No way, I have to see this through." She objected while panting in pain. 

"You can't walk and I can't get you back to the drop ship." Bellamy said with hurt in his voice.

"He's right," Lincoln agreed. "This fight is over for you."

"O, O, listen to me," he spoke and the Blake siblings locked eyes. "I told you my life ended the day you were born. The trust this. . . It didn't start until then. Go with him. I need you to live. Besides, I got this." He recited with tears in his eyes.

Octavia's eyes bored into his and a smile grew on her lips. "That's not completely true, Bell." She spoke shakily. He titled his head. "Your life restarted the day I was born, that's true. But it didn't start until you met her."

Bellamy's expression softened and his lips curled into a somber smile.

"You love her so much, Bellamy. She brings out the best in you and the part of you that you've been searching for, for so long. She loves you," Octavia continued and squeezed his hand. "Go back to Tatum, okay? And please, tell her that I love her." She pleaded.

He drank her words and nodded. They embraced tightly. Tears swam in their eyes and they knew this would probably be their last hug. "I love you, big brother." The girl cried.

"May we meet again."

"May we meet again."

Just like that, the girl he spent his whole life protecting ventured off into the darkness with another and the hole in his heart shouted to him to return to his other half.

Tatum paced around nervously in the drop ship. She bit her nails until they were almost completely down to the nub. Clarke injected the medicine into Raven's thigh and they prayed it would be enough. Miller came running into the ship. "Clarke, Tatum, they're taking down the gate."

Jasper's head peaked out from the hatch. "Good, because I did it. . . I think."

"I'm closing that door!" He motioned to the drop ship door.

Tatum immediately retaliated. "No, Bellamy and Octavia are still out there!" She yelled.

Clarke agreed. "We still have people out there!"

From outside, the sound of grenades going off could be heard from inside. Tatum followed Clarke and Jasper outside. "Alright, Jasper, get everybody inside now!" She shouted over the noise.

The firing of bullet made them duck behind the bags to keep from being hit. Tatum watched in horror as a grounder sliced through the campers and they fell to the ground, dead.

Bellamy appeared from the tunnel. "There he is!" Finn shouted and pointed at him.

"Bellamy!" Tatum shouted his name and immediately ran to him.

"Tatum, wait, he's not gonna make it!"

But she didn't listen. Her hearing clouded into nothingness and all her eyes were set on was the love of her life. Determination settled in her heart and she didn't care if she lived or died, all she wanted was to feel him one last time. She was fast and that's what made her able to reach him. She threw her body into his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh god, I thought you were dead." She cried against him.

Bellamy held her tightly. "No. I'm here. I promise."   He responded with a break in his voice.

"I needed to feel you one last time."

He sighed into her neck and felt tears trail down his face. "Are we gonna do this together?" He asked in fear.

She nodded. "Together."

"What happens if we can't?" His voice cracked again.  He still never let go of her.

Tatum blinked away the tears. "I'll cross rivers to find you, Bell." She answered in agony.

"I love you."

"May we meet again."

"May we meet again."

Bellamy grabbed a rifle from the ground and the two scurried down the trail. A large grounder swiped his axe at them and they quickly lunged back to avoid it. He punched Bellamy in the face.

Tatum fired her gun at him and the bullet him in the arm. The grounder yelled in pain and he glared ferociously at her. He dropped Bellamy to the ground and his her in the face, causing her to fall this time.

She heard Bellamy scream. Tatum got up from the ground only to be met by another grounder. A fist collided with her stomach and she stumbled again like the air had left her lungs. She lifted her rifle but the grounder was quick and grabbed it from her, hitting her across the face with it.

Her hands dug into the dirt below her. Her hearing was muffled, only a slight ringing coming through. She lifted her heavy head and her blue eyes found Bellamy's. A tear slipped down his dirty face before he was taken down again by another grounder.

Tatum's word was spinning. A metallic taste formed in her mouth. Everything was pure chaos. Dead bodies littered the ground and the smell of smoke filled her nose. It made her so sick. She wanted to give up. Her body screamed at her. Her mind told her to let go. But Tatum wouldn't give up. She worked too hard to give up like this.

She thought about her life years ago before she got put on the drop ship to be sent to her death. She was a weak and fragile girl. She never fought back with those who wanted to hurt her. Even with Riley, she never fought back. Until she grew tired of all the pain and suffering and ended it, but even then, she only thought of herself as weak.

But now, she was a complete different person. She didn't put up with bullshit. She fought for what was hers and what she believed was right. She wasn't afraid to lead or take the stand. Tatum allowed herself to break down her walls to help others. She never thought she would be someone who cared so much for others that's weren't the people she grew up with. Tatum Adler was never afraid of dying but now, she wanted to live.

With wobbly legs, Tatum rose from the ground. She grabbed her rifle and aimed it at a grounder running towards her. Her fire blue eyes bored into his and she cried out. She fired bullet after bullet until the grounder was on the ground dead.

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and the impact caused Tatum to fly back at a swift speed. She collided with a tree, her head bouncing off the bark, and she fell to the ground with a hard thud.

There was cry of her name. Clarke wailed while Miller dragged her to the drop ship. Blood poured from the side of Tatum's head, the liquid drizzling down her face. Clarke cried again. "Tatum, no!"

The ringing in her ears got louder. Like someone was blowing a whistle. Tatum tried to move but her body was weak. It was on fire. She felt paralyzed. A choked son left her mouth and blood escaped.

Clarke entered the drop ship and was immediately met by multiple stares. "Clarke, where's Tatum?" Jasper asked frantically when he didn't see his best friend.  That's when he noticed the tears in her eyes. The quivering of her lip. He blinked his eyes. "No. N-No," he stuttered in denial. He moved toward the drop ship exit.

"Jasper, wait—"

"No, no, no!" His cries increased. They pierced through everyone's ears. "No! No!" 

"Jasper, i'm sorry." Clarke cried again and tried to hold him back. 

He let out another loud cry.

"There was an explosion." 

"She's my best friend. She's my best friend!" He shook her shoulders, which only made her more upset. "She's my best friend. I didn't say it back." He sank to his knees "I didn't say it back!"

Tatum always knew she was going to die. Death called her name. She stumbled. She fell. She rose. She fell again with bloodstained hands. It was a sign from the world that she could cheat death all she wanted, but ultimately, it was her fate. And Tatum accepted that.

She'd die knowing she wasn't a monster. That she wasn't thought of as a killer. That she was loved. She overcame her trauma and freed herself of the shackles. The universe has a funny way of rewarding those who have survived the toughest of battles.

From head to toe, Tatum felt like she was on fire. There was blood everywhere. Her vision was clouded by smoke and tears. She told herself it was okay. She fought her hardest until the very end. For herself and her friends. She'd see them again. "May we meet again." She muttered.