Hello! Thank you for clicking on this story to read. A few notes before we start:

- This will be my first multi-chapter Bellarke story. Originally, it was supposed to be a one-shot, but it turned out to be a lot longer than anticipated.

- I have this story all pre-written. I will try to have a consistent posting schedule. I'm thinking one chapter every Saturday until it is done?

- This story is set to be 4 chapters long, 5 chapters maximum.

- It will be a short multi-chapter. It is set to be around 15000 words.

Genre Tags: Romance, drama, angst.

Warnings: As always with an angst story, there are darker themes in here. I don't want to give any spoilers, so if you are concerned about the themes, please send me a PM and we can have a discussion. Also, stronger language is used throughout the chapters.

Rating: Please note, this is rated higher T. This is because of language used, as well as descriptions of gore. If you are concerned, please contact me and I will be happy to chat.

Setting: This is set during the season 4 finale (4x13).

Enjoy!

Ashes

Chapter 1: Awakening

Clarke awoke with a gasp.

Her heart rate instantly skyrocketed and her hands flew out beside her, slamming into the hard ground. There was a small splash as she hit water laying beside her. Not feeling the wetness seep up her sleeve, she concluded that she was in a protective suit.

Where had she gotten that?

Instantly, she remembered. It was the black protective suit that Monty had given her. It felt as if it was ages ago, but it really hadn't been. It had only been earlier that day.

Where did the time go?

She was thrown back into the past day.

Then, nothing.

It was almost like there was a large gap in her memories.

What happened?

Her head was spinning, and it was almost like she could see stars behind her closed eyelids. She could feel a throb in her head. It felt almost as if her brain was pressing against her skull – like there wasn't enough room. It felt like a migraine, but much worse.

So much worse.

She didn't want to open her eyes – she knew it would make everything worse. Her head already hurt too much, she didn't need to add more pain.

Her body hurt like hell.

What happened?

She couldn't remember. That scared her. It scared her to much that she no longer had memories that she should have. It was almost like something in her mind had skipped. It shouldn't have been this way. She knew that she was missing something.

Where was she?

Clarke thought back to earlier that day. The conclave. Stealing the bunker. Fighting against Bellamy. Going to rescue Raven. The race against time to make it back to the bunker. The long stare from Bellamy, a smile gracing both of their faces. The crash and the attack by Grounders. Emori's suit ripping. Sacrificing her own safety for the safety of her new friend, trying to make up for the time she was on the verge of killing her. The conviction to head to save Raven, even though they all knew they wouldn't be able to make it back to the bunker in time.

She could clearly remember the hours leading up to Praimfaya.

The arrival on the island. The plan to go back up to space. The rush and panic to get the oxygen scrubber, prep the rocket, pack the suits, align the satellite-

Clarke's thoughts halted. Her heart hammered at those words.

Align the satellite.

She could hardly remember what those words meant, but her body instinctively tensed up.

Clarke thought back to the last moment she could remember.

Raven, Clarke and Bellamy raced out of Becca's lab, into the radiation soaked planet.

It looked like what Bellamy imagined the Underworld would look like.

It looked like the world was falling apart, which was a fair statement since it was. The sky was grey, clouded over with ash and dust. The air was orange, the radiation impacting the sunlight and the atmosphere. The ground was covered in a mix snow and ash.

Clarke knew what was on the ground was heavily soaked with radiation, but she couldn't help but stop and stare at it. She hadn't seen snow like this – ever.

It was their first snowfall.

She laughed at herself. It was most likely acidic, toxic and lethal. Monty had put everything simple for them – assume everything was now deadly.

"The tower's less than a mile away," Raven began explaining, desperation clearly in her voice. She pointed to a distant metal structure, unmistakably visible over the low trees. They were all panting heavily from fear and exhaustion.

Clarke was scared.

There was hardly any time. They were cutting it close before the communication system on the rocket had blown up. Now, it was unbelievable how close they were cutting it.

It would be very tough – nearly impossible – for her and Bellamy to make it to the tower, align the satellite, and make it back to the group for take off. Not only would they have to make it there, but they would need to properly use the technology Raven had packed for them.

Great.

It would be close.

Everything was close.

For them to survive, they would have to move quick, work together and have a considerable amount of luck.

Clarke felt like luck was never on their side. She hoped it would be different this time.

"One more time," the mechanic said, crouching down to reach into her backpack. Clarke nodded her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bellamy do the same.

Bellamy.

She was so thankful to have her best friend beside her in this time of panic. She felt like he was always by her side, no matter what. The past few months had been hell on earth, but he made it bearable. He had lead them and saved her. He understood her and supported her through so much. Of course, they had their moments of turbulence, but Clarke was always thankful he was around. She would never wish for him to be different – their clashing personalities was what lit the spark she felt with him.

God, if she ever needed support, it was now.

Thank god for her Bellamy.

"All you have to do is plug this into the junction box at the base of the tower." Raven handed Clarke a flat piece of technology. Clarke felt odd holding it.

This was their survival.

If they failed, they wouldn't be going anywhere. If they failed at implementing this technology, they would all die. Clarke had felt the weight of the world on her shoulders before.

This, somehow, felt heavier.

It was no longer just faces. It was no longer about the people as a whole. It was no longer about civilization.

It was about her friends.

It was about her closest friends. They – and they alone – needed her to succeed.

Clarke felt her heart rate pick up. Her hands were sweating under her gloves. She gripped the disk tightly, but not with enough force to cause it harm. Just holding it made her squirm. She was holding their lives – their futures – in her hands. How could something so important be so small and so fragile?

Clarke didn't even know what she was holding – was it a computer, a disk, a flash drive, or a hard drive? Wait – was there a difference between those things?

Shit.

How the hell was she supposed to fix a damn satellite?

But she had to.

They had to.

Everyone had their jobs – herself included. They all needed to work together to make it to space and survive Praimfaya.

She just ended up getting a job that was a little out of her grasp.

"Sat-Star-One is the name of the dish," Raven continued, unfazed by the look of panic Clarke held on her face.

"Sat-Star-One." Clarke could feel her lips moving, but the words were hard to process. Her brain was reeling, trying to keep up with all of the information being thrown at her. It was all happening too fast. The wave of death was drawing closer and closer. Their time on Earth was decreasing at an exponential rate.

They needed more time.

She glanced towards Bellamy. His face was made of pure concentration, his eyebrows pushed together and his eyes slightly narrowed. It was hard to see the details of his face through the multiple layers of glass between them, but she knew him well enough to know that his nose would be crunched up, his forehead lined with wrinkles, his mouth set in a line, and his jaw tightened. He always minutely adjusted his face when he was thinking or concentrating on something.

Clarke shook herself and turned back to Raven. This was not the time to marvel at Bellamy. She would have the next five years to do so.

Now was the time for their survival.

"Sat-Star-One," Raven confirmed. Her voice shook with urgency, but her face did not show the fear she had. It was clear that she knew how close this would be, as well. She knew their chance of survival was very slim. Clarke handed the disk back to Raven, who put it back in the bag. "Everything is set."

It was Bellamy's turn to glance at Clarke. Just as his face was earlier, hers was set with focus and determination. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead, glistening from the burning sun. Bellamy smiled. He wanted to crease her forehead again, just as he did moments before.

He wanted more time with her.

He wanted more time to sit together in Becca's office. He wanted to wrap his arms around her frame, holding her tight. He wanted to crease her face, brushing her golden hair away from her eyes. He just wanted her.

Rolling his eyes internally, he turned back to Raven. He would get more time with her. Five years of it.

Gods, he was looking forward to the time on the Ark. It would just be him and his closest friends.

And Echo.

Regardless of the traitorous Grounder, he appreciated the others that were going up to space with him. Even Emori. She had brought so much happiness and strength to Murphy, how could someone hate her?

Bellamy frowned at having to spend a long period of time with the Azgeda spy in space. He had considered her a trusted ally once upon a time, during their escape from Mount Weather. All of his respect and appreciation for her had turned to ashes when her actions had caused the death of Gina.

While he knew Gina was not the love of his life, she helped him heal. She helped him reach forgiveness and peace with himself and with others. She was a kind soul. She deserved a better life – a longer life.

He would never forgive the traitorous Grounder.

Yes, he may not like her. And yes, he may never forgive her. But, damn it, he would not let his dislike for her be the cause of the end of her life.

He never wanted to kill again. He never wanted to be the cause of someone dying. She was human too and she deserved a second chance.

Realization struck him.

He would never have to kill again. He was going up to space for five years with some of his closest friends. He would never have to pick up a gun for the next 1825 days and force himself to pull the trigger. Even after returning, he had faith in Octavia that he would never have to go to war again once they were all together.

This was the beginning of peace. Of a new life.

Bellamy shook himself from his thoughts, turning back to the task at hand.

This would be the turning point of their survival.

It was life or death.

He needed to focus. He had five years ahead of him to daydream.

"Once the tablet is connected, the dish will align itself with the Ark." Raven broke Bellamy out of his thoughts. She looked him dead in the eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Like he didn't know that already. "The graphic will flash green, and that's how you know it's locked on." She slowly rose to her feet.

Clarke felt sick. Adrenaline was rushing through her system and her ears were filled with pounding of the blood flowing through her veins. The adrenaline was making her acutely aware of her surroundings and her body. She could feel the shakes in her legs, feel the slick sweat on her forehead, and feel the stickiness of her palms. Clarke could even feel the prickling of her back, as her body pumped out adrenaline.

She had to do this.

One last mission before peace.

Her eyes flicked over to Bellamy.

They had to do this.

"When it says 'send,' hit send. The power up signal will turn on the lights," Raven zipped up the backpack and took a deep breath. "Well, that's it."

"That's it," Bellamy laughed. "We have got to be the two worst people for this job," he added, voicing the exact thoughts running through Clarke's head. Raven smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Any questions?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, why are you smiling?" Clarke questioned. In this time of crisis, she wondered how Raven could look so happy. It was clear that fear and panic were set in her features, but she looked more free than Clarke could imagine anyone looking in a time like this.

"Because without the comms, even with the power on, we still can't open the hanger bay door from inside the rocket." Bellamy felt lost. He glanced towards Clarke, who shrugged in response.

"How is that a good thing?"

Realization hit Clarke.

"She gets to take her spacewalk." Raven just smiled in response. Before any more words could get exchanged, a brighter smile lit up her face as she focused on an object behind the two leaders.

"Thank god! Hurry inside, we need to load the generator and then my suit." Clarke spun around, catching sight of Monty and Murphy. The oxygenator from the bachelor pad lighthouse was clutched in their hands, their faces strained from the weight of it. "Tell Harper to start undoing the clips on my suit. I'll be right in."

"Hurry!" Murphy grumbled as they disappeared into the lab. Raven turned back to Clarke and Bellamy. The three of them shared a similar look on their face – thank god something is going to plan. They were all relieved. Clarke hoped that the rest of their plan would run just as smoothly as the first phase had.

"Here's the pack." Raven gestured the Monty's bag in her hands. She handed the bag quickly over to Bellamy. "Everything's inside." He swung the bag over his shoulders and tightened the straps around him. Their future lay in that bag. The mechanic turned to Clarke. "It's going to take you two a good ten minutes to get back from the tower and down to the cockpit. You have to leave that tower with 10 minutes on the clock, or you'll be left behind."

"10 minutes," Clarke responded numbly. She glanced at Bellamy, his eyes wide with fear. "We got this." He smiled back at her weakly. Just looking into his eyes, Clarke felt the boost she needed. She would do this for all of them. She would do this for their future. She would do this for him.

They could do this.

"Go. I'll see you soon." Raven made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Any last advice?" Clarke asked.

"Run fast." Bellamy and Clarke shared one last look before turning away from the mechanic.

"Let's go," he told her. Clarke nodded, taking a deep breath. They both took off in the direction of the tower, the snow sliding under their feet.

I love the concept of Bellamy going with Clarke to align the satellite (you might know if you've read "Time" - one of my other Bellarke one-shots).

Credit to "The 100" for most of the dialogue between Raven, Clarke, and Bellamy. Obviously, the conclusion of that scene has been changed to fit my story.

Also, just to clear things up. This story will be flipping back between "present" (Clarke laying on the floor) and the "past" (covering 4x13 and Praimfaya). I hope this makes sense. I try to make it clear which scene is which. If you need something cleared up, let me know and I would be happy to do so.

Thank again for reading. If you want to check out more, be sure to look at "Time," "Tortured Souls," "The Demons Within," and "Gray" - these three are my previously published Bellarke works. They are all one-shots, so if you want a quick read, be sure to check them out.

Remember to review. I love feedback. I am new to writing this fandom and these characters, so if you have any pointers on what I can do to improve, let me know. Let me know your opinions in a review or a PM! Both are wildly appreciated! Plus, they might encourage me to update faster *wink*

Thanks again!

Paw

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