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chapter nine, I. Love. You

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OCTAVIA SNUCK NOVA AND CLARKE INSIDE the dropship without anyone seeing them. Octavia took Clarke to a room so she could speak to Bellamy privately and Nova hid in a small storage closet waiting for Octavia to come back and let her see Fio.

Nova heard commotion going on outside, but she stayed quiet and still. After a little while, Octavia opened the storage closet and motioned Nova out the closet and Nova walked out taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Octavia asks and Nova nods her head before Octavia starts walking through the dropship discretely with Nova following behind looking behind her to make sure no one was following.

Octavia led Nova to a cell where a bunch of grounders were placed.

She was in shock, but she waited for Octavia to unlock the cell door and when Nova went to walk in Octavia grabbed her arm.

"Be quick" Octavia warns and Nova nods her head then walks in.

The grounders look her up and down. Some grounders were curled up in a ball scared and some stood up against the wall exhausted.

Nova looked around and saw a muscular man sat up against the wall. He turned his head and his eyes widened and so did Nova's. Nova realized it was Fio and she quickly ran to him.

"Fio" Nova breathed out as she kneeled in front of him and hugged him tightly. Once she pulled away from the hug, she spotted dried up blood on the top of Fio's head along with bruises on his knuckles and face. "Oh- Fio" Nova mumbled as she rubbed Fio's cheek.

"Nova. Are you okay?" Fio asks in a groggy voice. "Yes- I'm- Are you okay? Gosh" Nova questions as her eyes start to water looking at Fio. The man who became her best friend.

"Oh, this-" Fio scoffed pointing to his bruises. "-Just some bruises. I'll be fine" Fio mumbles as Nova spots a scar on his chest and she furrows her eyebrows in confusion and lifts the rest of his shirt spotting multiple other scars from a knife. Some blood dried up and some blood still sliding down his stomach.

"Oh my gosh. Fio, what the hell happened?" Nova questioned worriedly as a tear fell down her cheek. "I wouldn't tell them where Indra's camp was, so they... -- I'm fine, how's my sister? How's Naira?" Fio asks, changing the subject, trying to take the attention off of him.

Nova pulls Fio's shirt down and takes a deep breath before wiping her tear away. "Uh- Iris is fine she's- she's at polis" Nova states and Fio's eyes widen.

"Azgeda found the cabin and- they found Naira and they-" Nova stops speaking and covers her mouth trying to stop her from crying as she started to think about Naira's death. "Iris is fine, but Naira is- is dead. Queen Nia killed her" Nova finishes her sentence taking a deep breath.

Fio lifts his hand and places it on Nova's shoulder and brings her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry" Fio whispered as Nova heard a noise coming from the cell door. Nova turned her head and seen Octavia motioning her to leave.

"I have to go but Fio. I promise I will be back to get you" Nova says as Fio nods his head and pushes Nova's hair behind her ear.

"Goodbye for now" Nova says as she kisses Fio's cheek and rushes out of the cell leaving Octavia to close it behind her and lock it. Nova and Octavia start rushing to get Clarke when they hear Bellamy in the distance.

Octavia and Nova hid behind a wall and take a peek around the corner to see Bellamy dragging a cuffed Clarke through the halls with Gillmer, one of the guards.

"Bellamy, you don't have to do this" Clarke pleads and Bellamy scoffs shaking his head. "Yes, I do" Bellamy states as Clarke tries to fight back with the cuffs on her wrist.

"Believe it or not, I am doing this for your own good" Bellamy says getting closer to Octavia and Nova. Nova pops out the corner and kicks the guard in the stomach, then spins around and kicks him in the face with her foots making him hit the ground, out cold.

"Believe it or not, I'm doing this for yours" Octavia says coming out the corner as well and looking to Bellamy. "Nova? You can't just hit a guard" Bellamy argues and Nova scoffs holding onto her sword in her weapons belt.

"I just did now Bellamy, let her go" Nova demands and Bellamy shakes his head.

"I'm sorry Nova, I can't do that" Bellamy states and Nova and Octavia look to each other before sounds of footsteps cloud the hallways.

"You should go. Both of you" Bellamy warns and Nova looks back to Bellamy before Clarke grabs the knocked-out guards' shock stick off his body and catches Bellamy in the guts who goes down out cold. She gets the handcuff keys off him and starts undoing her handcuffs.

"Let's go" Clarke says and they take off running down the hall away from the voices.

"Follow me, come on" Octavia says as they burst through the aforementioned red plastic door where Abby and Kane are waiting.

Clarke widens her eyes, "Mom!" Clarke shouts and Abby and Clarke hug as Octavia and Kane open the panel. Clarke and Abby have a conversation about the massacre while Kane, Nova, and Octavia wait by the open panel.

"Abby, hurry" Kane rushes. "We came here to give them Pike" Nova confesses and Kane furrows his eyebrows. "He's the duly elected chancellor. Our people knew what they were voting for. Besides, he has the guards and all the guns. We can't get close to him" Kane states and Nova sighs.

"And that's not the way we do things" Abby states and Nova rolls her eyes. "Then maybe it's time we change the way we do things" Octavia confesses.

"Security breach. Lock down the exits" A voice on the PA states and Kane clears his throat.

"You three need to go now" Kane warns and Nova stands by the panel.

"What about Lincoln?" Octavia wonders as Clarke and Abby come up on the panel as Kane pulls out his walkie-talkie.

"You want to help him, do it from the outside with this. The range isn't great- you stay close and wait for me to contact you. Now go, all of you" Kane says motioning them to leave. Octavia and Nova disappear down the passageway and Clarke steps in but turns back making Nova stop and wait for her.

"Come with me" Clarke begs and Abby shakes her head. "I wish I could" Abby says as she holds Clarke's face lovingly.

"May we meet again" Abby says and Clarke slowly walks down the passageway meeting with Nova.

"You okay?" Nova asked softly, her eyes scanning Clarke's face as they walked side by side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clarke replied, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Nova could see the strain behind it, the weight of unspoken fears and worries.

"Clarke, you'll see her again," Nova said gently, her voice filled with quiet reassurance. Clarke sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly as she nodded.

"I know. I know. I'm fine, I promise," Clarke repeated, glancing at Nova with a flicker of vulnerability. Nova nodded slowly, understanding the delicate balance between offering comfort and respecting Clarke's need for space.

They continued in silence, the tension between them palpable, until they reached Lexa's tent. As they approached the entrance, Clarke came to a sudden stop, turning to face Nova.

"I can do this by myself," Clarke said, her voice firm but laced with uncertainty.

"Are you sure? I can help, give you some backup, maybe," Nova suggested, her concern evident in her eyes. Clarke placed a hand on Nova's shoulder, offering a small but genuine smile.

"I got it," Clarke promised, her tone steadier now. Nova nodded, reluctantly starting to walk away. But after a few steps, she halted, her heart pounding.

"I love you... I love you," Nova blurted out, her voice trembling with emotion. Clarke's eyes widened in surprise, her breath catching in her throat.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop around them. Clarke's eyes softened, her expression a mix of shock and tenderness. She reached out, gently touching Nova's cheek, her fingers warm against her skin.

"Nova, I..." Clarke began, her voice breaking. "I love you too."

Tears welled up in Nova's eyes as she leaned into Clarke's touch, feeling a surge of relief and joy wash over her. They stood there, wrapped in the intensity of the moment, the weight of their emotions hanging in the air.