— CHAPTER FIVE,
clarke.

RUBY HELPS ELOAH PUT HER SUIT BACK ON. As her does does so, she looks to her mother. "are you okay?" The little girl asks.

Ruby looks at her daughter's face. She sees the concern in her hazel eyes. "I'm fine, baby. It's just a bruise. You've seen me with plenty of bruises."

"But those were from Uncle Murphy, he's not a bad man." Eloah says. Murphy's eyes snap to Eloah. "He wouldn't actually hurt you like that man."

Ruby frowns.

Murphy has hurt her before.

Worse than that inmate ever could have.

But time has healed them. They're siblings once more. They live for each other and they'll die for each other.

Eloah will never know the truth about her mother and uncle. She'll never know about how Murphy broke her nose or held a knife to her throat. She'll never know about how Murphy abandoned her. She'll never know how Murphy tried to murder Bellamy. And she sure as hell is never going to know about how Murphy put a bullet in Ruby's leg and then threatened to put on in her head.

"No," Ruby glances to her big brother. He looks away, "he wouldn't."

"Alright. Let's do this," Bellamy announces as he rounds the corner. Eloah and Ruby both look to the man.

"Where the hell is she?" Emori steps up after not seeing Raven.

"It's technical, but, um, someone has to run things from here." Bellamy says.

"What?" Ryland questions, worry creasing his dark eyebrows.

"So let it be John," Emori holds her arm out towards Murphy.

"Hey," Ruby quickly stands to her full height, staring at Emori, "he's not staying up here."

"I said it's technical." Bellamy repeats.

"I'll do it," Monty speaks up suddenly. Harper is fast to protested as Monty starts to walk away.

Bellamy stops him, placing his hand on Monty's chest, "enough. It has to be Raven. Once we have a truce, she'll come down with the prisoners. If we fail, she'll take the ship's escape pod. Either way, she'll be fine."

"If I'm flying solo, she'll be the only one." Emori informs them.

"You can do this," Bellamy quickly reassured her. "Let's go."

Suddenly, Murphy walks past Ruby and Eloah. "Murphy, stop." His sister calls out.

He turns back to them, glancing between the two of the three most important girls in his life, "I'm staying, too."

"No, you're not," Ruby's face turns into a face full of hurt and betrayal.

"Raven might need backup, Ru. What? With Emori flying, this is the survivors move." Murphy says with a sly smirk.

Before he can continue, a sudden force smacks into his legs. He grunts quietly as he stumbles back a step. When he looks down, a small child is wrapped around his legs, hugging him tightly.

Murphy is fast to kneel down and bring Eloah into his arm. He closes his eyes, wishing he didn't have to separate from her. When they pull apart, he looks at her tear-filled eyes.

"I'll be okay, Little Lola. I promise." He whispers, brushing his brown hair away from her face. "Remember what your mom said about me being a cockroach? I just keep on surviving."

"Good," Eloah leans up and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Uncle Murphy."

Silently, everyone watches as Murphy's eyes soften to an unbelievable degree.

"I love you, too, Lola ." He smiles weakly at her, "now, go to your dad."

She rushes back to her dad, wrapping her skinny arm around his legs. He drops his hand on top of her head.

They all watch as Ruby approaches her big brother. There are tears in her eyes.

Their eyes lock briefly before the siblings wrap their arms tightly around each other. Ruby's arms go around Murphy's middle while Murphy's wrap around Ruby's shoulders securely, keeping his little sister locked in his arms.

"You'll be okay?" She whispers only loud enough for her brother to hear.

"Cockroach, remember?" he whisper back in hers. "Will you be okay?"

"I'm also a cockroach, remember?" She says as they pull apart. "Be safe, John. I mean it."

"You, too, Little Sister." He smiles weakly at her. "See you on the other side."

Ruby's heart cracks in half as she remembers Jasper Jordan. The boy that saved her from her own mind when her father died, when she learned that her entire life was a lie.

"Time to go, Ellie," Bellamy says to his daughter. Eloah looks back at Murphy. She waves. He waves back.

The group loads into the rocket. Ruby takes the spot beside Emori at the control panels.

"You got this," Ruby says to her, always encouraging Emori.

"Yeah," Emori mutters. "Yeah, I got it."

─────────

"I told you you'd get it," Ruby tells Emori as the ship door open.

Eloah unbuckles her restraints, too excited to see Earth for the first time. She is on her feet in seconds. "Hey, woah." Bellamy grabs her gently. "Behind me, El."

"Okay," she nods.

As she looks to her mother, Eloah immediately notices that the sacred sword is no longer in its sheath. It sits in her mother's hand perfectly, as if she was always meant to find the sword. Her little heart starts to beat faster with both excitement and fear for what might be outside the rocket.

Bellamy is the first off of that rocket. Eloah follows. As soon as he feet hit the ground, her eyes widen. She slowly lowers herself so she can touch the grass. As her hand connects with Earth for the first time in her life, a small gasp leaves her lips. The ground is wet with night dew. It tickles the palm of her hand.

It's amazing.

Even with her five year old mind, Eloah realizes this is a beautiful place.

"Hey," Ruby says as she crouches beside her daughter. "It's not safe yet, 'kay? We'll have plenty of time to look at this place soon. We gotta go help the others right now."

Eloah nods, eyes still wide with wonder and awe as she looks at the stars from the ground.

"Come on," Bellamy says to Ruby and Eloah.

As they walk on Earth for the first time in six years, Ruby breathes in the scent.

It's just as sweet as it was the first time they landed.

"It's so quiet," Harper states.

"Okay, so how did we find them?" Monty asks.

"We don't. They'll find us," Ryland tells them.

And he's right because as soon as the last syllable falls from his lips, two men with guns emerge from the trees, pointing the weapons directly at them.

"Mama!" Eloah cries out, hiding behind her mother's long legs.

"It's okay, baby." Ruby tells her daughter. Eloah doesn't recognize the hardness in her mother's tone though, the danger. "It's okay."

"Everybody on your knees!" One of the men orders harshly.

"It's okay, it's okay. We don't want to fight—"

"Now!"

"No, wait! We just want to talk!" Ruby tells them, eyes wide. "Please, we just went to talk. We mean no harm."

"We just came from outer space, you stupid dumbass," Ryland motions to the rocket.

The man lifts his radio to his mouth. "Colonel, we have seven—" his eyes catch on the small child that stares at him from behind her mother's legs , "eight more hostiles. At least two of them are armed. Are we still playing nice?"

"Stand by." Diyoza says over the radio.

Bellamy glances back at Ruby, asking if they should. She shakes her head.

"Four of ours are dead. It's time to even the score." Diyoza says.

"Congratulations. Four of you get to live." The man with the radio says.

As he and the other raise their guns and prepare to the pull the triggers, something sounds in the air. A spear rips through the throat of the man with the radio.

Eloah let's out a scream as gunshots sound. The second man drops to the ground dead.

A girl with brown hair comes from the shadows. She's a couple years older than Eloah.

"She's just a kid." Bellamy shakes his head, eyebrows creases.

The girl looks at the group, her eyes wide with surprise and astonishment. "Bellamy?"

Ruby's heart skip a beat.

"Ruby?"

The two in question share a confused look.

"Clarke knew you'd come," the girl announces.

Shock hits all of them.

But it hits Ruby and Bellamy the hardest.

They've spent the last six year of their lives believing Clarke Griffin was dead. That she sacrificed her own life so they could make it in space. They'd all spent years mourning the loss of their friend and their leader or co-leader.

Ruby mourned her first lover, her first everything. Clarke was her friend, her partner, her co-leader. She's mourned her everyday for the last six years.

But she's alive.

Clarke is alive.

With tears in her speckled eyes, Ruby breathes out, "Clarke's alive?"

"She's in trouble." The girl tells them. "We have to go."

Monty swiftly steps up. "What about the others in the bunker?"

"Still there," the girl replies.

"What?" Bellamy's dark brows dip in. "No, no. How can that be?"

"I'll explain on the way." The girl tells them.

She rushes forward. She grabs Bellamy's hand. And then she takes off. The others follow.

The child leads them straight to the rover. Ruby can't help but grin when she sees it. She assumed it was destroyed by Praimfaya, along with everything else. Death Wave.

"Hello, beautiful." Ruby mumbles as she opens the back doors of the rover.

Bellamy and the girl swiftly get into the front seats while Ruby and the others take the back. Ruby shrugs off her backpack, setting it between her feet. She then turns, taking her daughter's small face gently between her hands. Her eyes scan her daughter's worried face.

"Daddy and I are gonna go save Aunt Clarke. You remember her from the stories, right?" Ruby tells their daughter.

"Yes, but Uncle Roan is still my favorite." Eloah tells her mother with a small smile.

"Of course he is." Ruby says, a distant look forming in her eyes at the mention of Roan. "But look, El, you have stay right with Uncle Ryland and the others, understood? You don't leave any of their side's. And if you have to hide, you hide." Ruby instructs.

Eloah nods. She glances at the front see. "Will you and Daddy be okay?"

"We will," Ruby nods as the rover comes to a sudden stop. She shrugs her shoulder off of her shoulder and hand it to Ryland. She looks back to her daughter. She plants a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Mama." Eloah says shakily.

Bellamy turns around in the front seat to look at his baby. She glances at him with her big green eyes as he brushes a piece of hair out of her face. "Be good, Ellie."

"I will, Daddy," she nods, tears clouding in her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he smiles weakly at his little girl.

Eloah watches with terrified eyes as her mother and father exit the rover open and step out into the night. They step right into the grip of the one of the two things they've only ever known, Danger. His brother, Death, isn't far behind

Together, Bellamy and Ruby walk on either side of the rover. As soon as they come within sight of the prisoners, Bellamy announces, "we're both unarmed. Just wanna talk,"

They raise their arms into the air.

"Talk." Diyoza sneers. "Give me one good reason not to kill you two where you stand."

"How about two hundred and eighty-three?" Ruby asks the woman she's heard so many stories about from Ryland's father. "That's how many of your people are gonna die if you can't make a deal with us." 

Bellamy holds up a mug that reads Best Dad in the Universe. The couple both hood a closed fist into the air. Behind them, the rover begins to back up.

Ruby looks down at Clarke. She's cut her hair, it's cropped past her shoulders. She's lost all of her girlish features, just as Ruby has. She's a woman now.

Her blue eyes are wide as she stares at Ruby and Bellamy. Ruby sends a barely noticeable nods at Clarke. But the blonde sees it.

The couple walks forward together, "that's far enough." Diyoza says to them. "Two hundred and eighty-three lives for one. She must be pretty important to you both."

Ruby's nostrils flare as she says,

"She is."

________________________________

word count: 2,106
episode: sleeping giants

first off, i'm sorry for not updating in a hundred million years guys. it's been very hectic for the last few months and i've been more focused on other works of mine. but it's now summer time and i'm going to try to rewrite and write more for this book but i can't promise anything as it's not my main focus and i have a very busy month of june and maybe july.

but we're back on earth!! Eloah is about to experience earth for the very first time in her life. the poor kid has no idea what's in store with this monstrous, amazing planet they call home. spoiler alert, she doesn't like earth now but she loves it when she's older.

we also just met madi for the first time!! ruby and the others found out that clarke is alive and ruby saw her for the first time in six years after mourning for her. we also got to see ruby's very first reaction with diyzoa!! next chapter we get a load more of the beginning to ruby and diyoza's dynamic which is rough and very strange.

roan being el's favorite </3. that makes me so sad because she calls him 'uncle roan' even though she never got to meet him. roan would've absolutely loved her. also, yes, eloah calls everyone who's passed aunt and uncle mostly.

like lincoln is uncle lincoln, jasper is uncle jasper, river is aunt river, finn is uncle finn. luna isn't auntie luna because of the brief romance ruby and luna had together.