sixteen - Hard Out Here Part One

She kept her back leaned against the one of four tires of the rover, as her narrowed eyes were focused on Clarke who was pacing back and forth in front of her.

Tristan dropped his presence beside Brandi, sending daggers towards the same blonde his older sister was. ''How long do you think it'll take before the others realize that we're nightblood?''

She scoffs. ''How long is it gonna take take till she tells them that I'm the damn commander?''

''The rovers almost charged'' Bellamy speaks out. ''We need to pack up. We'll be home soon.''

''Then what?'' The blonde quarrels. ''Run away?''

''We're not running away, Clarke'' Bellamy prompts before slamming the drivers door to the rover. ''We need to regroup with the others, and find another way to defeat--''

''There is no other way'' She snaps. ''We need to find a nightblood. We need to unlock the flame. It's the only way to stop Alie.''

''Well, what do you expect us to do now, Clarke?'' Brandi questions from her stilts spot. She turns to look over at Clarke, shrugging her shoulders. ''Walk into a random village and ask for their nightbloods?''

The small group notices her features at the tone Brandi was using on her.

''Brandi'' Bellamy calls, a scolding tone laced with her name.

Her brown orbs shift over to lock contact with Bellamy, only to look away with a sneer and a scoff slipping past her lips.

''If that's what it takes, then yeah'' Clarke replies, answering Brandi's, what was meant to be, rhetorical question.

Octavia shakes her head. ''No, Clarke. If Alie can find us on Luna's rig, then she can find us anywhere. I won't help you destroy another innocent grounder village.''

Clarke takes a step forward towards the Blake siblings who stood side by side to each other. ''If we don't find a nightblood, there won't be any grounder villages or a home for us to go back to.''

''That's all the more reason we go there and make sure our friends are okay'' Bellamy tells her.

Brandi and Tristan watch as she looks towards the others with a pleading stares.

''Wow'' Brandi breathes out. ''So self centered that you don't think about anybody else.''

''Brandi,'' Bellamy calls again. ''Stop.''

Brandi got up and walked past the Blake's, making sure to purposely bump her shoulders with the blonde's as she walks off into the wilderness.

Tristan let's out a breath while standing. ''I should probably go after her.''

''No,'' Clarke starts, turning to look back at the younger Potter. ''Let me.''

Brandi chewed on her inner cheek as she makes sure to walk over the long branches that got covered with moss and were stuck to the ground.

'All she does is look for an answers that's already in front of her..'

With furrow brows and a pout, she let's out a sigh. 'I don't know what's more frustrating, the fact that she's trying to get someone else in my place or that she knows what she's doing and continues to do it?'

''Brandi!'' Clarke calls, struggling to run after her with the heavy suit she wears. ''Wait.''

She stops in place, but doesn't bother to turn to her as she listens to the sound of her rushed footsteps grew closer and heavy panting grew louder.

Brandi looks to her side to see Clarke trying to maintain her breathing before saying, ''Brandi, I'm--''

''What are you doing?''

The blonde blinks rather rapidly at her abrupt question. ''What?''

Brandi's dull brown almost almond shaped eyes scan her features before shaking her head. ''Why are you doing this? You know that I'm already commander, why couldn't you just give me the A.I.?''

Clarke licks her dry lips and swallows deeply. ''Brandi, I'm sorry--''

''I Don't Wanna Hear That!'' She snaps with bulging eyes. ''Why did you take the A.I. from me, Clarke?''

''I don't think your capable enough to handle this'' She blurts out.

Brandi tilts her head to the side. ''What?''

She flattens her lips into a straight line and shrugs her shoulders. ''You go around and you tell everyone to fight with your head and not your heart, yet you don't take your own advice.''

''Excuse me?'' Brandi scoffs.

''Every decision you make is for either Bellamy or yourself.''

''Name one time'' She hissed, staring her down with challenging eyes.

''You didn't come with me at Mount Weather, and because of that, you got raped--''

Clarke let's out a grunt after Brandi spins, raising her leg in the process and kicking her in her square jaw.

The blonde fixed her head, slowly turning to her with eyes narrowed to slits.

Brandi shrugs at her. ''I guess I was thinking with my heart on that one.''

For a split second, Clarke's oceanic orbs shift past Brandi's shoulder but quickly returned to the lock contact the two shared.

But Brandi wasn't dumb. She heard the footsteps behind her as soon as they got closer, she turned and grabbed onto the gun that was ready to be lifted when an arrow was launched into the strangers neck.

He fell almost instantly.

Brandi turned to Clarke with a grimace, not caring who shot the arrow. ''You were going to let him kill me, weren't you.''

Mimicking her actions, Clarke shrugs. ''I guess I was thinking with my heart on that one.''

''I'll take this'' A gruff and familiar voice speaks from beside the two, snatching the A.I. Clarke was holding.

''Give that back'' Clarke says, reaching out to take it but Roan blocked it from her reach.

''Goodbye, Wanheda.''

He begins to walk off when Clarke pulled out her gun, aiming at him. ''Wait.''

He turns to her and within a blink of an eye, he snatched the gun from her. ''You got a real gratitude problem, you know that?''

Brandi let's out a dry chuckle when Roan tosses the gun elsewhere.

When Roan continued to walk, Clarke chased after him. ''Would you just hear me out?''

He turns to her with little patience and much annoyance.

''I need to find a nightblood to put that in'' She explains to him, but it was a big smack to the forehead considering he was going to give that A.I. to Ontari.

''I already have a nightblood to put it in.''

Clarke continued to chase after him. ''Please, just stop!''

Roan turned to her again after taken another three steps. ''Because of you, this one over here--''

Brandi begins to feel smaller when he pointed the attention on her. ''Never ascended, so no, I won't stop. Not until Ice Nation has its commander, which will be Ontari.''

Once he turns, the sound of a gun clicking echoed with a voice following afterwards. ''You were saying?''

Clarke stiffened in place, turning to see Bellamy. The two wonder if he heard or had seen what Roan said.

''Hands where I can see them'' He commands, walking closer to the three.

He looks over at Clarke and removed to Brandi. ''You okay?''

The two nod in response.

''Then let's go.''

''He's coming with us'' Clarke clarifies that earned many reactions.

''The hell is he is'' Bellamy scoffs.

''Why would I do that?'' Roan asked.

''Because we both want the same thing, to put the flame in Ontari.''

''You must be really desperate'' Brandi remarks from behind, making her way in between Clarke and Bellamy.

Bellamy nods at him, not even acknowledging the idea. ''How do you know he's not chipped?''

''If he were, do you think he would've saved me?'' Clarke counters.

Brandi clears her throat. ''Us.''

Bellamy shifts his gaze from the brunette and back go Roan who was doubtful of the whole situation. ''Still, we need to be sure.''

He pulls the trigger, aiming for his arm and knocking him unconscious with his gun.

''Now we're sure.''

× × ×

''Hey.''

Brandi looked over at Raven with solemn and tired eyes as the shorter Latina held a light grip on her arm.

''You okay?''

She ripped her arm from her touch and kept on walking, leaving Raven to watch her a grimace and furrowed brows.

''What the hell is her problem?'' She asks aloud as Octavia walked to her side.

She shakes her head. ''I don't know. Something happened before we got in the rover, between her and Clarke. But she's not saying anything, no matter how many times we ask.''

Raven jerked her neck back. ''We?''

''Me and Bellamy.''

''Where's Luna?'' Monty asks aloud, earning everyone's attention from the small talk.

Octavia and Bellamy watch Tristan and Brandi carefully as they stiffen at the name.

''Luna said no'' Octavia answers for him though still keeping eyes on the younger Tristan who stood not too far from her.

''Who the hell is this?'' Harper asks with a sneer as she follows behind Roan.

''Roan'' Tristan answers, dropping his weight in a seat beside Brandi. ''King of Ice Nation.''

''And he's our way into Polis'' Clarke adds.

''Let's go, your highness'' Bellamy remarks. He looks over at Bryan and Miller, nodding at him. ''You two, on me.''

''I thought that was your job'' Tristan mumbles under his breath, where he and Brandi could hear, which is why he starts laughing when she kicks him in his shin bone.

By the time they're out of the room, Raven turns back to the group, instantly figuring out the situation. ''You wanna use him to get to Ontari.''

''Yes.''

''What happened to his arm?'' Harper asks right after.

Jasper looked over at Monty. ''Bellamy shot him.''

''Good luck trying to get him to cooperate.''

× × ×

''Monty and Harper!'' Octavia and Brandi exclaimed in unison as they stare at Raven with wide eyes.

''I didn't see that coming'' Brandi chuckles softly as she leans make into her seat.

''But it's cute, you know? He could really use someone at a time like this'' Octavia clears her throat. ''Like someone we know.''

Both brunettes stare at Brandi knowingly, a discrete message passing along through the eye contact.

''One and two should look be looking the other way'' Brandi points at them with a playful smirk playing her lips.

Octavia brings a hand to her chest. ''I have an excuse.''

Raven gapes at her. ''And I don't?''

Brandi waves her hands in the air. ''Bellamy is the least of my priorities right now.''

Octavia cocks a brow. ''But your mom is?''

Raven looks at Brandi with furrow brows. ''Your mom? I thought she was dead.''

She shrugs her shoulders and let out a breath. ''I thought she was too. I also thought I was an only child but life likes to be funny.''

Raven shakes her head, looking back and forth between her and Octavia. ''What do you mean? Whose your mom? How--''

''Yeah, I'm kinda curious on that factor too'' Octavia nudges in, propping her arm on the table and resting her cheek in her hand as she stares back at Brandi.

Brandi furrows her brows at Octavia. ''How?''

Octavia furrows her brows back at her. ''Because how is Luna both Tristan and your mother?''

Raven smacks her lips together. ''What?''

Brandi rubs her temples. ''Everything I knew about my parents before was true. The only difference is that my mother gave me up when she was close to giving birth to Tristan. That and my father actually died trying to be with us.''

They're features fall as they notice Brandi's mood diminished.

''You know, when Tristan and I found out we were siblings, he blamed me for everything. I even blamed myself because if I knew about Tristan,'' She shakes her head. ''I would have never let him go.''

She looks at them and let's out a dry chuckle. ''But now, I don't blame myself. Because my mom got to see us, and told us in a different perspective how hard it was to give us up. Yet there we were, standing right in front of her, and she dropped us back on that damn island.''

''At least she remembers you guys'' Octavia points out at attempt to make her feel better but she fails miserably at it.

''I saw her hug this little blonde girl'' She tells them, fiddling with her nimble fingers as a sunken feeling enters her chest. ''The way she was looking at her, it was as if she was her world. She even had a man in her life. Like she replaced everything she used to have.''

Raven and Octavia couldn't retaliate much into the conversation, which had the tension grow thicker between them.

''I'm not complaining though'' Brandi clarifies, knowing that neither had they're mothers with them. ''I actually want to be with her. But she doesn't wanna be bother.''

Octavia smiles weakly. ''Well that's her lost. Who wouldn't wanna be bothered by a stubborn and a sassy brunette whose actually warm at heart?''

Brandi smiles softly at her. ''Awe, O.''

''I was talking about Tristan.''

Raven threw her head back with laughter, grabbing onto her stomach as she does so while Brandi slapped Octavia in the arm.

''But your pretty awesome too'' Octavia chuckles.

The three turned when Tristan stood at the door, knocking lightly at the tech room the trio were in. ''Bellamy sent me, said we're getting ready to head out.''

''Okay, we'll be out in a minute'' Brandi smiles softly at him. The corner of his lips quirk into a hint of a smile as he turns around and walks away.

''I might not be the best example, but one thing I do know about family is to keep them close. Because at the end of the day, they're your home'' Octavia spoke as Brandi kept her eyes fixed at the empty doorway.

× × ×

As Brandi reached for another gun to stuff in the front waistband of her jeans, Bellamy gripped onto her wrist.

She looked up at him with a downward pout, snatching her arm away from his touch.

''I don't think you should go with us on this one'' He breathes, lifting up his jeans from the belt loops.

She flattens her lips into a straight line and shrugs her shoulders as she lowers the thin fabric of her shirt over the gun. ''I think I should.''

He lowers his height by an inch to look her in the eyes. ''I'm serious.''

''Your gonna need as much people on the job as you can if you wanna win this fight'' She tells him as she ties her long locks into a ponytail.

''At what cost? To lose a life?'' He asks.

Brandi let's out an exasperated breath when dropping her arms to her side. ''The best we can do is to try and stay alive.''

''Sorry to interrupt,'' Tristan says as he stands between Bellamy and Brandi, eyeing they're tense features. ''But I need to borrow her for a second.''

''We don't have second, we need to leave as soon as we can'' Bellamy snaps with bitterness.

Brandi rolls her eyes. 'Even finding out that he's my brother, he's still acting like a major dick towards him.'

Tristan's gaze lingers Bellamy's before he slowly turns over to the female archer. ''I'm gonna stay this time. I think you should too.''

Bellamy pats him on the shoulder. ''Take as long as you need.''

She narrows her eyes at him. ''Shut up, Bell.''

She then looks over at Tristan and let's out a puff of air. ''You're younger than me, you don't get to decide for me.''

Tristan scoffs. ''Okay, I don't think that's how older people negotiate things.''

''I need to help,'' Brandi says, the tone in her voice changing instantly as she folds her arms across her chest. ''And I think you know why I need to help.''

Bellamy licks his lips and looks down at his shoes before looking back up at the two. ''I'll be over there.''

Brandi watched as he walked over to Miller who was stacking up more equipment than she was.

''I don't blame you anymore, you know?'' He mumbles, looking at everything else but her.

Brandi looks back at him with a smirk. ''You blame mom, don't you?''

He looks up at the ceiling with a stiff chuckle. ''Hell yeah.''

A light melody of laughter filled their ears as Brandi's smile reached her eyes for what seems like a while now.

''Do we always have a tendency of blaming someone?'' He asks, pointing a finger between the two.

She shrugs her shoulders with the smile still printed on her face. ''Well I do, so I guess.''

He smiles as she chuckles at her own little joke.

''Come here'' He barely whispers with open arms.

Octavia and Bellamy watch in the distance as they share a tight embrace.

''I love you'' She mumbles into his shoulder.

He was taken back by the three letter word, but it brough a grin to his features as he tightens the hug. ''I love you.''

''Let's Move Out!''

'Way to kill the moment, Bell.'

× × ×

''Move, move, move'' Bellamy whispers as Octavia, Brandi, Miller and Bryan followed hastily behind him.

''This way'' He leads, stopping when two gated rectangular windows were in sight.

''Get the gates open'' He says as him, Miller and Bryan are the only ones who follow the instructions while Octavia and Brandi watch from outside the windows.

''Maybe this was a bad idea'' Brandi whispers as she watches Clarke's tied up presence walk next to Roan.

'I know I have a disliking for Clarke at the moment, but I don't want to see her get hurt. If she's gonna get hurt, I wanna be the one that causes it.'

Brandi turns when she feels a hand grip hers.

Octavia nods at her with a soft smile. ''We got this.''

''Are we ever gonna stop fighting?'' Bryan asks as him and Miller were situating all the guns and magazines they carried in the book bags.

Brandi looks over at Bellamy who was already looking at her as Miller replied, ''Hell yes. We're gonna build a house on a lake and your gonna plant corn.''

Brandi couldn't help the small smile that twitched at the corner of her lip, still sharing the eye contact with Bellamy as Miller laughs.

''And raise chickens'' Bryan smiles.

''Yeah, and grow old.''

Bellamy was the first to break contact when looking back out the window. ''Eleven o'clock.''

Brandi raises a finger when saying, ''You know, I never understood that-''

Her words were cut short when everyone around her shushed her.

''Roan will signal when he sees Ontari. We wait till she's standing in front of them, and then we launched the gas.''

Brandi stood close to the wall with no weapons ready, instead she had all the weapons she needed attached to her body.

''Anyone who gets in our way, we use nonlethal force. These people are not the enemy, they're being controlled. The only thing we're here to kill is Alie,'' Bellamy nods his head. ''Is that clear?''

A bunch of 'clear's went around until it was time for Brandi to confirm. ''Yes, clear, Bellamy. Now shut up.''

''Good'' He says, ignoring Brandi's snappy attitude as he blinked his flashlight three times.

They watched as Roan and Clarke walked a little further, before Roan spoke aloud. ''I am Roan, King of Azgeda. And I have what the leader seeks.''

The people who were kneeled on the floor stood when Roan held up the A.I.

''I don't like what I'm sensing. So if she wants, she can come to me.''

It was getting harder to see when more people kept crowding around them.

It wasn't until a dark skin man came up to them that Bellamy spoke. ''It's Jaha.''

''What the hell is he doing here?''

''You see Ontari?'' Bryan asks.

Brandi shakes her head. ''No.''

'Something really doesn't seem right.'

''Hello, Clarke'' He spoke. ''Your mother would be so pleased to see you.''

''Who are you?'' Roan interferes. ''Where's Ontari?''

Jaha then looks at Roan, shaking his head. ''Not coming out, but you can give the flame to me. I'll be sure she gets it.''

Roan made a fist, lowering his arm he had the A.I. in.

''Something's wrong'' Bellamy takes note of.

''Your friends in the tunnel can't help you. Now give me the flame.''

Things were moving too fast when Roan grabbed Clarke, holding her hostage by pressing a blade against her neck.

''Back up, or she dies!''

Brandi grabbed the two guns from under her shirt, tucked in the front waistband of her jeans and turned at the heel of her foot.

She kept pulling the trigger at the people who was coming at her and the group, but one was fast enough to press the butt of the gun against her head. it was hard enough to knock her out cold.

× × ×

Her eyes were groggy as she woke up to the sound of a constant thud. She lifted her head off of Bellamy's shoulder, trying to stand when someone cocked the butt of their gun into her stomach which caused her to fall back with a groan.

''Hey, hey'' Bellamy calls, his way of telling them to just chill.

''Let's go, she wants Bellamy Blake'' one of the grounder guards inform from the front.

''Bellamy'' Brandi cries out as she struggles to sit back up, watching them pull him away from her.

Octavia stands, ''Where are you taking him?''

They repeated the same actions with Brandi, on Octavia that had Bellamy yelling at them to leave her alone.

''You know, if I were you, I'd hit the deck'' A familiar voice suggest.

''Murphy'' Brandi breathed out in a whisper.

''Everybody get down!''

Almost instantly, bullets were firing from across the room.

''Fancy meeting you here.''

As Brandi lifted herself with struggle, Indra spoke. ''More will come. We have to hurry.''

''Hey there, princess.''

Her dark colored locks swiftly turn when she does, meeting the blue orbs that belong to John Murphy.

''What you been up to?'' He asks as he cuts off the rope tied around her wrist.

''Nothing just my usual Potter ways'' She shrugs with the matching deviant smirk Murphy was sending her.

Murphy turned around and walked back over to Pike, grabbing his bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

''You okay?'' Bellamy asks as walks up to her side, pulling herself behind the head and pressing his lips against her temple.

''Yeah'' She breathes out. ''Thanks.''

''Okay,'' He turns around. ''You guys missed the part where it's time to go?''

Bellamy looks up from Brandi and looks at Murphy, shaking his head. ''We're not leaving.''

He chuckles dryly at him. ''We just saved your lives. Why do I think I'm gonna regret that?''

''Clarke's in trouble'' Brandi shortly informs him.

''Yeah,'' He nods with an arch of a brow. ''She's always in trouble.''

''They took her and the flame to the tower. It's a safe bet Ontari's there, too'' Bellamy says. ''Everything we need to stop Alie is in the same place.''

''If we go up that tower, we won't be able to fight our way out again'' Octavia counter, walking closer to the front.

''If we stop Alie, we won't have too.''

Brandi felt herself getting smaller as Murphy stared blankly at her, but she held her head a little higher and arched a brow.

''You know, after this doing the right thing can kiss my ass.''

She purses her lips when swallowing deeply as she reaches for Bellamy's hand giving it a tight squeeze.

× × ×

''And your up here because?'' Murphy questions, him and Bellamy only turning their heads to look back at Brandi who was leaned against the wall.

She shrugs her shoulder. ''Same as you are, Murphy.''

He cocks a brow. ''You care this much.. about Clarke?''

She chewed on the insides of her cheek before mumbling, ''Yeah, let's go with that.''

The elevator shaft suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

Murphy looked around his surroundings. ''Well, that's not good.''

A crack in the elevator doors appeared as people from the outside were slamming against it.

Brandi and Bellamy stood behind both doors as they tried to close it, while Murphy stuck out a stick that had an electrical fuse to it.

''Shock him, Murphy!''

As someone got closer to the inside, Murphy got inbetween the two and struck him with the stick.

Someone then came in and pulled Brandi by the arm, half of her body falling out of the shaft while the other was being tightly pulled back by Bellamy.

''Oh, Hell No!'' Brandi exclaimed while Bellamy was calling for Murphy.

Brandi used her free arm to shake the small blade hitched up her sleeve, stabbing it into the head of the person that was grabbing her.

She felt another hand on her leg pull her back in, her body slamming against the back of the elevator.

She watched as Murphy and Bellamy tried closing the door on the one grounder who was still trying to get in.

As Bellamy tried to push him back out, Murphy brought out the stick and both were taken back by the other grounders that started to outnumber again.

Murphy used his foot to kick him back but it wasn't much for the situation.

''Screw this'' Brandi mutters as she gets back on her own two feet, pulling out a gun from the back waistband of her jeans and aiming from in the open two doors.

''Watch out!'' She warns as she pulls the trigger on one of the grounders.

Bellamy looks back with wide eyes. ''Brandi, no!''

The lack of attention to the grounders on the outside brought enough time for at least one of them to jump and attack Murphy instantly.

As Bellamy was able to close the doors, another bullet rang within the moving shaft.

''I said nonlethal force!'' Bellamy snapped while Murphy pushed the now deceased body off of him.

''They would have killed us either way'' She hissed at him, tugging her gun back in place.

Murphy leans his figure against the while trying to regain his regular breathing level, watching the two get into a fit.

''Being with you damn people made me forget who I am,'' She pokes a finger at herself. ''I'm not a pushover, and letting these people continuously attack us gives me just enough reasoning to kill- and I don't care if they're being controlled or not.''

She takes a step closer to Bellamy. ''No more of this little peace negotiation crap. From this point, we're doing this my way. Do I, make myself clear?''

She watches with satisfaction as his adam apple falls slowly and a nod following afterwards. She turns to look at Murphy who nods instantly.

''Okay, now here's what we're gonna do..''

× × ×

She cocks her gun and aims it behind the blonde's head. ''Tell them.''

Bellamy and Murphy stiffen with wide eyes as they watch the scene unfold.

''Tell them!''

''Tell us, what?'' Bellamy asks as his gaze shifts back and forth from Brandi to Clarke.

Brandi purses her lips as the blonde remains silent. ''I swear to god, Clarke-''

''Brandi is commander!'' She blurts out with tears threatening at her sacks.

Murphy's features dropped at the knowledge he already knew of. ''Oh, that's it?''

Bellamy stuttered incoherent words when turning to Murphy, his face written with astonishment.

''What do you mean, that's it? This could've helped us this whole time!'' He looks back at Clarke. ''Why didn't you tell us this before?''

Brandi lowers her figure to they're level as the group was kneeled beside Ontari's dead body. ''Tell them all about how you think I'm not capable enough to be commander. That I make decisions based off of favorites..''