CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

"Hey... bro." 

***

The walk to camp was long, and each step felt like a mile. 

 I had my arm around Monroe, trying to help her keep as much pressure off of her injured leg as possible. It wasn't bleeding much, but we didn't want the muscle to tear, so I helped her walk. Octavia was helping Mel, while Bellamy had his cautious eyes raking over the tree's. 

 Monroe was tough. I could tell because if I had an arrow in my leg, I would be swearing every step. She gritted her teeth and stayed silent. 

 Respect. 

 I could hear a female voice bark an order from inside of the electrified gate, and the door swung open. I practically carried Monroe the last couple of steps, and my already-sore legs screamed in protest. Abby rushed over almost immediately, bee-lining for Mel, and lightly touching the side of her face with the back of her hand. "I know you. Factory station." 

 "She broke her elbow," I said, as Jackson walked over and shifted Monroe's weight over to his shoulders, I saluted him using my less-achy arm. "It's bruised and swelling a lot around the joint, and it got kinda knocked out of place from holding on to the branch for so long." 

 "Get her to medical!" Abby shouted, and a group immediately rushed over to help Mel, Jackson disappearing with Monroe. I relaxed for the first time in what felt like years, but it didn't last long, because I was instantaneously tackled. 

 "The hell-" I began, before registering  that I wasn't tackled, I was aggressively hugged, by a blonde that was too familiar for me. "Clarke!" I swear I didn't mean to yell it, but I did, wrapping my arms around her waist and hugging her back just tight enough to male sure it was real. 

 "Oh Nate, you're okay." She whispered, her face nuzzling in to the crook of my neck, her hands lapping over each other, and her hair tickling my face just like it always does. My breathing was shaky when I exhaled, but for once, it was with relief. "Hi..." I couldn't think of anything to say, "uh, bro." 

 She pulled away after a while, and surprised me by jumping into Bellamy's arms. Octavia laughed, and as did I when I saw the shocked look that jumped on to the boys face. "Now there's something I never thought I'd see." She teased, before getting her own hug. 

 "Nate, Monty's okay." She said, turning back to me with wide eyes and a smile. Again, I felt like my knees would collapse, and my throat felt like my heart had been forcefully shoved into it. I did the most dramatic thing I could, without even meaning too, and raised my hand up so it covered my mouth, feeling like I was shaking from head to toe. 

 Monty's okay. 

 Clarke is okay.  

 "Where is he? Where-where are the others?" 

 Clarke's face turned grave as I took in the bloody cuts scattered around her face, and read in between the lines saying that even though Monty was okay, it was possible that he wouldn't be for so much longer. I heard loud footsteps, and I turned around. 

 It was Raven, and as soon as I saw the brace clamped around her leg, for a moment all I could see were images of her blood pouring from her back, and the screams as she went through all of that without dying. 

 "Hey doctor," she grinned coyly, walking forward close enough to clap my shoulder, Raven does that a lot. Instead of hugs, she gives those weird, but oddly comforting, shoulder pats. "How you doin'?" 

 "How am I doing?" I repeated, slightly appalled that she would ask such a question, what kind of a question even was that? "Dude, how are you? Are you okay?" 

"Of course I'm okay," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at my audacity, "have you forgotten how awesome I am?" 

 I laughed, part of me happy that Raven was, more or less, still her old self... but the other part swimming in guilt that it was me who did this to her. 

"Where's Finn?" Clarke finally asked, probably hearing he was with us from her mother. I could see Raven's head perk up as well, and I shared a look with Bellamy and Octavia, though it was the former who responded. 

 "He's looking for you." 

***

 If I thought that this council meeting wasn't going to make me mad... that was my first mistake. All Abby had done was blatantly stated that we were going to leave Phia, Finn, and Murphy in the woods, by themselves. To die, basically. 

"We can't just cut them loose!" Clarke defended, while I bit my tongue so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and Bellamy paced behind me, so close that his rm could occasionally brush against my back. 

 "Sweetheart, we don't have the manpower to send out two separate rescue missions, and protect our camp." Abby tried, although her reasoning sounded like a load of bullshit to me. Clarke seemed to agree, as she continued to speak. 

 "Mom, they're in trouble! They're either gonna get themselves killed, or they're gonna make things worse with the Grounders, who we need to get our people out of Mount Weather." 

 "I know you feel this is the right thing to do, but our priority has to be chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace." 

 "If you wanted peace you shouldn't have killed the one Grounder who was trying to help us!" 

 "Back it up!" I held my hands in the air, as I realized that I had a valid argument all along, I was just too stupid to see it. "You say that Anya is dead," I pointed to Clarke, who nodded. "But there is still one more Grounder who would help us, and she is out there with Finn and Murphy." 

 "She is a child!" Abby snapped, her eyebrows creasing, and her frown deepening the lines on her face, "a child who seems to have betrayed her people one too many times!" She took a deep breath, and I bit the inside of my cheek just a little harder, knowing that if I lost my cool on Abby, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Once she had composed herself, she continued. "I am sorry,  the decision has been made." 

 Bellamy scoffed lightly, his eyes drifting across my face, seeming to take in the expression of utmost disbelief I had painted on. My hands clenched, and I felt a great urge to spit out some of the blood in my mouth on the floor, just to prove how stupid I think that idea was. Bellamy was the one who spoke up, voicing the exact words I would have said, only in a less rude manner. 

 "You're sorry?" 

Abby stopped, turning around and seeming wary of Bellamy's set jaw and stormy eyes. I swallowed my grin. This was about to get interesting. 

 "Finn, Murphy, and 'that Grounder' are out there looking for your daughter, with guns that you gave us.  Now that you know she is safe, you're just going to abandon them?" 

I raised my hand in the air, "I second that statement." 

 Bellamy nodded, taking a cautious step forward. "If you can't spare the guards, we know the terrain. We have a map, we can do it-" 

 "Absolutely not!" Abby didn't even hesitate to shut the idea down. She looked like she was about to cry, and I internally prayed that she didn't. 

 "Mom-" Clarke tried in a soft voice, but Abby wasn't having any of it. 

 "I just got you back!" She exclaimed, and much to my surprise, she turned to look at me. "And knowing you, the Grounders aren't the most dangerous things out there." 

 My eyes flashed, and Abby's gaze faltered slightly. I know I'm clumsy, but damn, you don't have to rub it in that much. My fists were clenched together so tightly that my entire hand was an odd shade of yellow. 

 "Abby, we need you in medical." 

 Clarke's set gaze didn't even waver, "you better go." 

 Her mother wasn't stupid though, and she turned to the blonde woman in a guards uniform standing in the corner of the room. "Byrne, nobody leaves this camp." 

 "Yes ma'am."  

But even as Abby left, I shared a look with Clarke, and one thing that we were both positive of was clear. 

 We sure as hell would be leaving this camp. 

 A/N: Guys we are getting in to season two, and I am freaking out! I have no idea what to do for Nate and the whole "Mount Weather" incident, so if anyone has any ideas, please, please, please let me know!

 Also, I am watching season five, and I keep imagining Nate in all of the different situations... like would he be in the bunker, with Clarke, in space, who fricking knows? Thank you for reading, and please keep voting and commenting!