HELLO
I'm so excited to write season 4, I have so many ideas :') So many reveals, twists and turns are in store! 

Here's a fun fact: There was not a single Brin x Bellamy kiss in book three .... I wonder if that'll change in book four? 

Guess you'll have to wait to find out!

*UNEDITED*

*****

Brinley felt dizzy.

Any relief, any hope that had sparked in her chest as A.L.I.E had been defeated was completely snuffed out as a pale faced Clarke pulled her and Bellamy to the side to deliver yet another blow.

'You can't be serious?'

It was Bellamy's words that brought Brinley back into reality, his voice dripping with incredulity as he processed the weight of the information Clarke had just dropped onto both of their shoulders.

'I wish I wasn't.' Clarke's face was grim, her nails digging into her fists as she forced herself to stay calm. It had been hard enough to find the courage to inform Bellamy and Brinley of the new information, how was she going to tell everyone else that they were going to die, too?

'How long?' Brinley's voice sounded foreign even to her own ears. 'How long, Clarke?'

Clarke hesitated only slightly. 'Six months.'

Brinley let out a startled laugh that was filled with anything but humour. 'Six... six-'

Brinley kicked over a small table closest to her in a sudden fit of anger. Clarke watched with sorrowful eyes, thankful that she'd chosen an uninhabited room as their meeting place.

Bellamy watched Brinley pick up a discarded stool and throw it against a concrete wall, splintering the stool into multiple pieces. Had it been any other time, Bellamy would have stopped Brinley from her destruction, but it was hard enough for Bellamy not to join her in tearing down the room around them.

Hadn't they already suffered enough?

Brinley watched the pieces of the stool fall as she turned around, her back hitting the wall, which she slid down, resting her head in her hands, her fingernails digging into her scalp.

There were a few tense moments of silence before Brinley lifted her head, a small bead of moisture on her cheek as she asked, 'What the hell do we do now?'

'Nothing.' Clarke's answer surprised both Brinley and Bellamy. 'Right now, we do nothing.'

'Clarke-' Bellamy tried.

'Right now, we need to focus on rebuilding, on making sure everyone is safe.' Clarke continued over Bellamy. 'We need order.'

'What's the point when we're all going to be dead in six months?' Brinley uttered lowly and angrily.

'We'll find a way to survive, we always do.' Clarke sounded hopeful and it only fuelled Brinley's anger.

'Yeah, well what if this time, we don't?'

It was as valid concern, and Clarke couldn't think of a thing to say that would make Brinley feel better.

'Right. So we'll just pretend like everything's fine and hope that the radiation doesn't kill us before then. Sounds like a great fucking plan Clarke.' Brinley rolled her eyes.

'It's just for now, once everyone starts to heal, we'll start telling people-'

Brinley stood up. 'You're unbelievable. If you were one of those people – one of our friends – wouldn't you want to know that there's a timer on your survival? Keeping it quiet for a day or so until everyone calms down, I understand, but any longer than that-'

Clarke sounded tired when she spoke. 'People need time to heal.'

'Well guess what, Clarke? We don't have time!' Brinley looked to Bellamy, who was already watching her with a wary gaze. 'You're just going to go along with this, aren't you?'

Bellamy said nothing.

'Of course you are.' Brinley shook her head. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised.'

'Brin, we don't know if what A.L.I.E said was the truth, we keep it to ourselves until we know what we're dealing with.' Bellamy explained half heartedly. 

Brinley scoffed, turning around and flinging the door of the room open, stomping into the hall outside and standing in front of the glassless window.

'What are you doing?' Only Bellamy had followed and Clarke was nowhere to be seen.

'Going down.'

'It's not safe-'

'Go back to Clarke, Bellamy.' Brinley stepped onto the ledge outside, gauging her next move. 'You both have people to lie to.'

*****

Brinley's feet hit the ground heavily.

The way down hadn't been as easy as she'd thought, and more than once she'd swayed dangerously. People were watching her that much she knew; their eyes followed her with a mixture of curiosity, fear and hatred.

All around her, people were reuniting with their loved ones, stepping over twisted and broken bodies unidentifiable by the fall they'd taken from above.

Brinley had been angry, upset and terrified all at once as Clarke dropped her bombshell. After that initial moment of shock, as the other emotions began to set in, Brinley chose to focus on the one she knew best;

Anger.

Because as long as she held onto her anger, the fear wouldn't set in.

Brinley's eyes caught Octavia's across the blood stained courtyard. The younger Blake was crouched beside a bloodied Indra, whom Brinley was pleased had survived. Octavia gave Brinley a firm nod, one which Brinley returned as she retreated towards the shadows to take in what was happening, momentarily disregarding what was taking place in the tower above them.

Brinley watched grown men sob over the bodies of their partners, watched children reach for their parents who remained still and unmoving, their bodies still in the final position they'd taken in life.

There was a twisted and cruel beauty in death, about the finality of it.

Brinley decided this, feeling her heart squeeze painfully, as a small child crawled into the lap of a woman who, though she remained upright, remained unresponsive. The child reached up for his mothers face, pressing it's his hand against her cheek and beginning to cry, as his mother remained motionless.

Brinley moved forward, out of the shadows and towards the child. She knelt down beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder gently.

The child startled, turning his eyes on her.

'It's okay.' Brinley reassured. 'Yu nomon gonplei ste odon.'

The boy understood, Brinley's words sending him into a fresh wave of tears.

Brinley held out her hand, murmuring reassurances as the boy took her hand, standing up and moving away from his mother. 'Where is your father?' Brinley asked.

The boy looked frightened, tearing his eyes from his mother. 'I don't know.'

Brinley was saved from having to ask anyone whom the boy belonged to, as there was a shout from behind them, and the boy let go of Brinley's hand, rushing towards the grounder man.

Brinley nodded towards the man, who reluctantly nodded back at her.

Skaikru, trikru, Azgeda; all of them had attachments.

All of them were human.

'- Wanheda – !'

Brinley heard the loud cry and cursed. Clarke had obviously found her way back down. Brinley neared all the commotion, and upon seeing that Bellamy stood beside Clarke, decided her help wasn't needed after all.

Brinley had every intention of climbing back up the tower when she ran into someone.

'I'm sorry, I- Brinley?'

'Abby.' Brinley acknowledged. 'Sorry.'

'Are you okay?' Abby touched some of the sore spots on Brinley's face, making her flinch. She also didn't miss the way Abby's eyes went to the red mark on her neck.

'I'm fine.' Brinley nodded politely as someone else appeared behind Abby.

Marcus avoided Brinley's gaze.

'It's hostile out there; they blame us for what happened. We aren't safe here anymore.' Brinley spoke to Abby directly.

'They have wounded.'

'And they have many, many dead.' Brinley reminded her. 'By all means, offer assistance, but don't be surprised if they will not accept.'

Abby nodded in understanding. 'I have to try.'

Brinley half smiled. 'I know.'

Abby moved towards the first injured person she saw, crouching down beside them.

Brinley turned to look at her father, whom quickly looked the other way.

'So we're back to not speaking then?' Brinley's voice was emotionless.

Marcus said nothing.

Brinley scoffed and went to move past him, but Marcus gripped her arm gently. 'Brinley, I'm so sorry.' Marcus looked ashamed as he viewed the red mark on his daughter's neck, one that had happened by his own hand.

'It wasn't you.' Brinley shrugged it off. 'It was A.L.I.E.'

'That doesn't make it okay.' Marcus' voice was rough.

'I did the same thing.' Brinley reminded him. 'You had Bellamy, I didn't have a choice.'

Marcus nodded. 'I don't blame you, it was the right thing to do.' A touch of pride coloured Marcus' tone for a moment.

'I don't blame you for doing what you did, because it wasn't you. It was A.L.I.E.' Brinley sighed. 'And the sooner you understand that, the sooner you can forgive yourself.'

Marcus sounded choked up when he spoke. 'Do you? Forgive me.'

Brinley shrugged simply. 'There's nothing to forgive.'

Marcus' eyes watered as he pulled Brinley into a hug. While Brinley wasn't one for displays of affection, all it took was the small voice in the back of her mind to remind her that she had six months left, before she wrapped her arms around her Father, tighter than she had since she was a child.

*****

Murphy's feet landed on the ground with a dull thud.

It had taken him awhile to descend from the tower, but upon noticing Emori's disappearance, he'd decided that maybe he should join the chaos happening below.

Murphy's eyes were immediately drawn to Brinley, whose hair was tangled around her face as the wind whipped at it furiously. Her expression was blank, a careful blankness that he knew only too well.

Murphy recalled the way Brinley's expression had changed, frozen and then smoothed into that same hard blank look, when Clarke had initially mentioned the transfusion, dropping the news that Bellamy had saved Brinley's life like it was nothing special.

Except it was.

Because while Murphy had been foolishly following Jaha, Brinley had almost lost her life.

If Brinley had died, if Bellamy had told him that she'd died, Murphy didn't know how he'd cope.

Murphy put finding Emori in the back of his mind for the time being, deciding to corner Brinley while he had the chance.

'Hey.'

Brinley barely glanced at him. 'Hey.'

'Anything interesting happening?'

Brinley pursed her lips. 'People dead, people grieving, people fighting, the usual shit, you know?'

Murphy smirked slightly at her blasé attitude. 'Just another day on the ground.'

Brinley glanced at Murphy, a small smile on her face as she shook her head. 'You okay?'

'Yeah.' Murphy nodded, staring down at his black stained fingernails for a moment. 'Yeah I'm good.'

'I fucking missed you, asshole.' Brinley wasn't looking at him now, but her voice trembled slightly.

Murphy's throat got tight for a moment. 'Missed you too doll face.'

'Course you did. I'm fucking awesome.'

Murphy laughed as Brinley made her way to a quieter area where they could talk more freely. Brinley slid down behind a broken concrete wall that concealed the two from any prying eyes, Murphy copying her movements.

'Tell me everything.'

So Murphy did. He told her an overview on everything that had happened from the moment they'd separated right up until they'd reunited only hours ago. Murphy didn't leave out many details, he told her about Emori, and about the bunker and the journey there. He recounted the fear and the madness he felt after being locked away alone for so long, and about how close he was to giving up.

He left out the more intimate details of some of his encounters with both Emori and Ontari, but by Brinley's expression he could tell she'd read between the lines.

'Jesus Christ, John.' Brinley frowned. 'That's... I don't... I don't even know what to say. It's literally insane.' Concern blazed in Brinley's eyes as she looked at her best friend.

'I know.' Murphy agreed. 'Following Jaha was the stupidest idea ever.'

Brinley laughed. 'You think?' she paused. 'Are you okay? After everything...'

'Yeah. I'm okay. Survivor, remember?' Murphy smirked, receiving a light shove from Brinley.

'Asshole.'

'Bitch.'

There was a short moment of companionable silence before Murphy spoke, sounding hesitant. 'What about you? What did I miss?'

Brinley picked at a fray on the hem of her jacket. 'Not much, same old shit.'

Murphy sighed. 'Brin, I know when you're lying.'

Brinley knew he was right. 'Fuck, I don't... I don't know where to start or what to say.'

'Start from when I left.'

So Brinley did. She recounted her journey into Mount Weather, and the grizzly details of what had happened to the people inside, and to the Arkadians themselves.

When she told Murphy how she'd been shot, and the events prior to her injury, he paled, tensing up as Brinley's hands began to shake.

' – I didn't know until kinda recently that it was Bellamy who saved my life by allowing Clarke to do a transfusion.' Brinley rubbed at her eyes. 'I thought I was going to die, I was so sure that was it for me.'

'Brin...' Murphy sounded horrified.

'The transfusion worked. Bellamy saved my life and I fucking repaid him by leaving camp in the middle of the night and not coming back for months. Months.'

'You left?'

Brinley nodded. 'I went off by myself. Clarke did, too. Octavia was the only person who knew I was leaving and that was by chance. Bellamy deserved to know but I couldn't- he wouldn't have let me leave.' Brinley willed Murphy to understand where she was coming from. 'I had to leave-'

'I get it, Brin.' Murphy reassured her. 'So you and Bellamy aren't...'

Brinley shook her head. 'Sometimes I think we're barely even friends.'

Murphy could hear the regret in Brinley's voice. 'What happened next?'

Murphy listened intently as Brinley recounted everything that happened after her return. Pike's rise to power, Bellamy's acts of violence, the death sentences handed down, Lincoln's execution and everything that had happened with A.L.I.E.

Murphy's eyes were wide by the time Brinley stopped speaking. 'Brin... fuck.'

Brinley was silent for a moment before she spoke again. 'After all that bullshit, atleast we're together again, right?'

Murphy smiled slightly at Brinley. 'I guess there's that.'

Brinley rested her head on Murphy's shoulder, Murphy instinctively resting his head on top of hers, kissing the top of her head as he did so. He could tell there was something on her mind, but chose not to ask. Brinley would tell him when she was ready.

Brinley's hand sought Murphy's, their hands linking together as they had a hundred times before. Murphy gave Brinley's hand a small squeeze, as though reminding her I'm here. It was a single silent, stolen moment of friendship before the pair would regretfully return to the anarchy that was rearing it's ugly head all around Polis.

*****

Brinley knew they couldn't hide away forever, but that didn't mean she didn't want to.

Nonetheless, she and Murphy eventually made their way closer to the rest of the survivors of A.L.I.E. Brinley could sense Murphy's unease, and see the way his eyes continuously scanned the area.

'You're looking for Emori, aren't you?'

Murphy looked at the ground. 'Yeah.'

Brinley bumped her hip against Murphy's. 'Go find your girl.'

Murphy rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching up slightly. 'Are you-'

'I'll be fine. Go.' Brinley shooed him.

Murphy nodded, ruffling her hair lightly as he did so. 'See you later.'

'See ya.'

Brinley watched him leave for a second, before hearing a low hiss spread through the grounders in the area. Wanheda.

Brinley slowly made her way to the area all the grounders were concentrated on, seeing that Abby and Marcus had beat her to it. Brinley was about to turn around when Marcus caught her eyes, and waved her over.

Brinley sighed, walking towards the group of four.

'-Our people, we'll treat at Arkadia.' Brinley only caught the tail end of what Bellamy was saying.

'I take it we're clearing out of here?' Brinley joined in the conversation, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

Clarke nodded. 'We're not safe here anymore.'

Bellamy looked to Brinley. 'Rover's in the north woods, we-'

'Hel-lo?'

There was a startled moment of silence as a disjointed voice joined the conversation.

Brinley was the first to react, pulling Bellamy's radio out of its holder, turning and walking away from the group, trying to increase the signal.

'Bellamy, please, come in.'

'Raven! Raven, are you okay?' Brinley held her breath as she waited for Raven's reply, feeling Bellamy standing close beside her, Clarke not far behind him.

'Brinley? Thank god. Yeah, yeah, we're all in one piece.'

'Good.' The relief was evident in Brinley's voice. 'That's good.'

Brinley met Bellamy's eyes, watching as he held his hand out for the radio. After a moment, Brinley reluctantly passed it to him. She wanted to know what had happened there, and how Jasper, Monty and Harper were holding up.

'There's something we need you to look into.' Bellamy didn't even say hello before he began requesting Raven's assistance.

'First, tell me how my friends are.' Raven sounded almost annoyed, and Brinley didn't blame her. 'Did everyone make it? Clarke?'

Bellamy handed Clarke the radio. 'I'm here. Thanks to you.' Clarke waited for a few seconds. 'Raven, did A.L.I.E ever tell you why she created the city of light?'

'No, why?' There was wariness in Raven's tone now.

'The king, he's alive! We need a healer!' Clarke's eyes widened as people began gathering around a body that Brinley assumed was Roan. Clarke practically threw the radio at Bellamy, demanding he fill Raven in as she hurried towards her mother, who was by Roan's side.

'Clarke? Clarke?' Raven's voice came faster now, sounding worried.

'Raven, Clarke's busy so you'll have to deal with me.'

'What the hell is going on, Bellamy?'

Bellamy paused for a second, seeming unable to find the words he needed.

Brinley reached out, gently sliding the walkie from Bellamy's hands.

'Raven...' Brinley paused, shutting her eyes for a moment. 'A.L.I.E told Clarke why the City of Light was so important, and why she was so hell bent on chipping everyone – and it's not good. For any of us.'

'What do you mean? What did she say?'

'A.L.I.E said that nuclear reactors inside the power plants not destroyed by the bombs are starting to melt down.'

There was a moment of silence.

'She was lying, right? Brinley, she was lying.'

'She told Clarke that the radiation levels are already rising around the world, and that once they reach critical, even our bodies won't be able to survive it.' Brinley bit her lip, hating that she had to tell Raven something so devastating, and that she couldn't even do it to her face.

'I-I don't –' Raven sounded horrified. 'Did she say how long?'

'Yeah.' Brinley admitted. 'Yeah, she gave us a number.'

'Brin-'

'Six months.' Brinley choked out. 'Raven, we have six months.'

Brinley felt nauseous in the silence that followed. Bellamy let out a sigh as he watched despair cloud Brinley's face. He stepped closer to her, squeezing her arm gently, to which Brinley gave him a half-hearted smile.

'Raven, are you still there?' Bellamy spoke into the radio that Brinley still held.

'Yeah.' Raven breathed before she cleared her throat. 'What do you need me to do?'

'Start monitoring the radiation levels, check for any spikes and find out as much information as you can about the power plants.'

'Yeah, okay. No problem.'

'Raven, you can't-' Bellamy sounded regretful.

'I can't tell anyone, I know. I'll let you know what I find.'

'We'll be home soon. Be careful.'

'Worry about yourself Blake, we're good.'

*****

Things went from bad, to worse after that.

Echo got a hold of Clarke and, after slicing the throat of one brave ambassador, declared Polis to be under Azgeda rule.

It took hours, and many disagreements, to formulate a solid enough plan to get as many Arkadians out of Polis as possible, but thankfully, with the help of Octavia and Indra, they managed to pull it off.

Which was how Brinley ended up standing, alone, in the corner of the temple while Clarke argued with Octavia and Indra that they needed to save Roan, not start a war.

'-They won't let us near him.' Octavia's voice was hard as she stared at Clarke as though the older girl had lost her mind. Octavia had been strangely silent, and she hadn't even once acknowledged her brother since she'd entered the room.

Bellamy gave Clarke a hard look, as though trying to gauge what the blonde was going to say next.

'Wait a second.' Abby's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Clarke. 'What don't we know?'

'Yeah, Clarke. What don't they know?' Brinley moved forward, the torchlight hitting her face and illuminating her stern expression. 'What aren't you sharing with the class?'

'Brinley...' Bellamy sounded tired.

'No, she's right.' Clarke agreed, looking at Brinley and then back to Indra, Octavia, Marcus and Abby. 'You need to know.'

Brinley was surprised at Clarke's sudden agreement, but she didn't let it show.

'Need to know what?' Abby prompted.

'The reason A.L.I.E created the City of Light.'

'Why?' Marcus was frowning, sounding intrigued and worried at the same time.

'Nuclear reactors inside power plants that survived the bombs are melting down.' Clarke sounded all business as she spoke, ignoring the shocked looks Abby and Marcus were giving each other. 'Radiation levels are already rising, if we can't figure out a way to fix it, all of us will be dead in six months.'

'A.L.I.E told you this?' Marcus questioned.

'Yes.'

'And you believe her?' Abby piped up.

'Raven's looking into it-' Bellamy started.

'I believe her.' Clarke added.

'Even if it's true, that's six months away. There are a thousand Ice Nation Warriors on the street who want to kill us today.' Indra looked thoughtful, no signs of fear on her face. 

'They won't kill us.' Clarke sounded confident in her words.

'How could you possibly know that?' Octavia spat at Clarke, looking angry.

Brinley waited, sure that Clarke had a plan she'd yet relayed to anyone else.

'Because we're gonna surrender.'

'Clarke, that better not be your entire plan-' Brinley growled.

'It's not.' Clarke hurried to reassure. 'We're going to surrender, but it'll be a distraction.' Clarke explained. 'Once Echo is distracted, we can get to Roan.' Clarke looked at Abby.

'How are you going to get anywhere near Roan?' Brinley frowned.

Clarke looked to Octavia. 'That's where you come in.'

'Clarke-' Bellamy protested.

'I'm in. Tell me what I need to do.' Octavia looked interested suddenly.

'I will.' Clarke nodded. 'But first, we need one more person to help pull this off.'

'Who?' Marcus asked with a frown.

Clarke sighed. 'Jaha.'

Brinley groaned. 'Fucking Jaha.'

*****
Brinley stood reluctantly beside Bellamy.

So far, their plan was working. Jaha had agreed to help them by smuggling Octavia into to room where Roan was being attended to. The plan was that Octavia would clear the way for Abby and Clarke to get inside and heal Roan as best they could with what time they would have.

Brinley had offered to go with them, to be an extra set of eyes and ears in case things went south, but Bellamy shook his head and told her she was with him.

Brinley was on edge, knowing that Echo wouldn't make surrendering easy for the Arkadians. She'd take her time; make them wait until she deemed it convenient.

It was a power move; something Brinley grudgingly admitted she would have done in her position.

'You okay?' Bellamy glanced at Brinley. His gun was lined up, peaking slightly out of a window, aimed and ready for action, should things not go their way.

'You know she's not going to make this easy, right?' Brinley shook her head. 'If Echo suspects anything, even slightly...'

'She won't.' Bellamy sounded confident. 'We can pull this off.'

Brinley nodded, though she still looked worried.

'You get to talk to Murphy?' Bellamy asked off handedly, startling Brinley with the sudden change of subject.

'Uh yeah. Yeah, I got to talk to him.'

'Good. I know how much you missed him.' Bellamy was looking down the scope of his gun as he spoke. 'Who's the girl he was with?'

'Her name's Emori, Murphy met her while he was with Jaha.'

Bellamy nodded. 'She sticking around? Once we get out of here.'

Brinley felt a wave of suspicion roll over her. 'I don't know.' Brinley spoke slowly, testing the waters. 'But if she leaves, I think Murphy will too.'

Bellamy looked at her with raised eyebrows. 'You think so?'

'Yeah. Murphy doesn't care about many people, but he cares about her. A lot.'

'He cares about you too.' Bellamy pointed out. 'You know that.'

'Maybe.' Brinley agreed. 'But if you heard the way he talked about her... I think if she left and he stayed, he'd be miserable.'

'And you'd be okay with that?'

Brinley wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with the turn in conversation. 'All I want is for Murphy to be happy. If he has to leave with Emori to do that, then so be it. I'm not going to stand in the way of his happy ending. God knows he deserves one.'

Bellamy watched her, noticing the regret in her face. 'You didn't tell him, did you?'

'No.' Brinley shook her head. 'I – after the things he told me, I just couldn't.'

Bellamy looked curious at her words, but wisely chose not to pry.

Brinley glanced out the small window. 'Looks like Octavia's inside.'

Bellamy and Brinley watched an empty handed Jaha stumble towards Marcus. Brinley's eyes followed Echo's movements, watching as she answered whatever questions Marcus had asked her.

It didn't take long before Echo left the area, her guards eyeing the watching Arkadians, daring them to try something.

Once Marcus and Jaha had retreated, only then did Bellamy lower his gun.

*****

Brinley stood in front of a mirror, staring at her reflection intently.

There is always something strange about watching your reflection, Brinley decided. The longer she stared, the less she recognised the image staring back at her. She moved, the reflection moved, and yet she felt disconnected from the image in the glass.

It wasn't until another face joined her own in the mirror that Brinley broke out of her trance, blinking furiously.

'What are you doing?' Bellamy looked confused. He'd tried three other rooms before this one, trying to find her. They were still residing in the tower in Polis, because truthfully there was nowhere else they could go.

'I-' Brinley didn't know how to answer that. 'Fixing my hair.'

'Right.' Bellamy nodded as though he believed her.

Brinley sighed. 'The longer I look, the less I recognise myself.'

Bellamy frowned. 'It's just you over analysing. You still look like you.'

'Mhmm.' Brinley hummed, neither in agreement nor disagreement as she turned around. 'Are you sure you want to be the one to talk to Echo?'

'She asked for me. I'm doing it.' Bellamy's tone was firm.

'I don't think it's a good idea. There's a reason she asked for you, and it's not because you were cage buddies in Mount Weather.'

'She knows me-'

'She knows how to push you.' Brinley interrupted. 'She knows enough about you to know how to manipulate you.'

'Brinley-'

'She'll be looking for a reason to take us out, Bellamy. I'm sure she's hoping you give her that chance.'Brinley frowned. 

'There's nothing she can say to me-'

'Bullshit.' Brinley rolled her eyes. 'What if she mentions Gina?' She asked bluntly. 'It's because of Echo that all those people, including Gina, died in Mount Weather. What if she gloats?'

'I can handle it-'

'Can you?' Brinley scoffed, walking closer to Bellamy and gripping his arms. 'I can feel how tense you are, worse, I can see it all over your face.' Brinley shook her head. 'She'll eat you alive.' 

Truthfully, Bellamy was worried. It was a lot, knowing the lives of so many were at risk. If he couldn't keep Echo's attention, if he couldn't buy Clarke and Abby more time, they could forget having six months, - they wouldn't even last the night.

Bellamy's eyes studied her. 'You're worried.'

Brinley dropped her hands. 'Of course I'm worried; you're meeting her unarmed. If she decides you aren't worth it, you'll be dead before anyone can reach you.'

'The guard will be there, and they'll be armed. I'll be fine.' Bellamy reassured Brinley, his hand resting on her arm. Bellamy felt Brinley relax slightly at the gentle touch.

'I hope so. Because we still have another six months, and that means six more months I get to keep everyone on their toes.' Brinley hesitated for a second. 'It wouldn't be the same if that didn't include you.' Brinley's tone was light, playful even, but she'd opened up her heart slightly, just enough to let Bellamy know that she still wanted him around, and that she wasn't going anywhere.

Though her tone was light, Bellamy could sense the slight hesitancy in the admission, and see the nervousness in Brinley's eyes. His lips quirked into a soft smile as he reached up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, his touch lingering too long to be considered just friendly.

'I wouldn't have it any other way, sweetheart.'