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chapter fifty-one, Always and Forever

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"No" Nova breathed out as she looked around the dark bunker she had been sent too. "Nova, Nova calm down" Echo begs as Nova begins to hyperventilate as she hears the screams of her victims she had killed down here. "I have to go" Nova says as she rushes to find the exit of the bunker and when she does she wastes no time and rushes outside. When she arrives outside all she sees is green. Nova drops to her knees and catches her breath trying not to reminisce on the dark days.

"Nova" Octavia calls out and Nova raises her head looking to Octavia who was already outside. "Would you like to join me?" Octavia asks and Nova swallows a large lump in her throat as she walks over to Octavia and takes a seat next to her. "It's okay. I had to get out of there too" Octavia says before Echo joins them outside. "Are you guys okay?" Echo asks and Nova scoffs as she looks down at the green grass. "I just came back to the place where I caused the most pain, spilled the most blood and your asking me that?" Nova states as she looks to Echo who clears her throat.

"Hey, Nova" Theo says as he emerges from the bunker. "I won't ask if you're okay because it's obvious your not but I'm with you" Theo assures as he pulls Nova into a hug which she gives back.

A few hours later, Octavia, Echo, Theo and Nova were still outside forbidding themselves to enter that bunker. While Echo and Nova were having a conversation while Octavia and Miller were sleeping in a little encampment they made Clarke, Madi, and Jackson emerge from the Bunker. "Clarke!" Nova calls out as she stands to her feet and rushes to Clarke but stops in her tracks once she sees Clarke is obviously upset. "Nova!" Madi cheers as she rushes to Nova and wraps her arms around her. Nova smiles and pushes Madi's hair out of her face and hugs her back with such love.

"Raven, are you alright?" Theo asks as he rushes to Raven and when she assures him she's okay he pulls her into a kiss. Soon after Jackson and Miller hug and Raven and Octavia greet each other. "Murphy, long time no see" Nova jokes as she pulls Murphy into a hug which he returns. "Gonna leave me hanging?" Emori asks and Nova chuckles, "I was thinking about it" Nova jokes making Emori scoff as she pulls Nova into a friendly hug despite there differences.

Nova pulls away from the hug with Emori so Emori can greet the others and looks over at Clarke and doesn't see Bellamy. "Um- Clarke. Where's Bellamy?" Nova asks as she wipes the grass off of her jeans. Clarke doesn't answer and everyone starts getting worried. "Clarke?" Octavia urges and a tear slides down Clarke's cheek. "Dead. He's dead" Clarke confesses and Nova widens her eyes a little bit as she looks to a very upset Clarke.

"Bellamy? Clarke, he was fine when we left. I'm a little confu-". "I killed him. I had to" Clarke says as she begins crying. "Clarke..." Nova breathes out as she looks over at Octavia. "Why?" Echo asks. "Madi's sketchbook. He had it, and he knew that she still has the memories of the Commander. She would never be safe. I begged him to stop. I tried to get the book back, but he...I tried everything, I promise. I tried. I'm so sorry" Clarke pleads as she looks to Octavia who strides closer and closer towards her and pulls her into a hug shocking Clarke.

"I understand. So would the old Bellamy. The one that would do anything for his baby sister and the people he loved" Octavia reassures as Echo and Nova slowly step towards Clarke. "You can hate me if you want to. God knows I do" Clarke states as she looks to Echo. "We lost him a long time ago. He needed all this chaos to make sense, all the violence, all the people we've killed. He couldn't accept that it's all meaningless. Cadogan gave him meaning, and that meaning is what killed him...not you" Echo says accepting Bellamy's fate. "I bare it so you don't have to" Nova whispers as her and Echo pull Clarke into a hug and a single tear slides down Nova's cheek as she begins to believe Bellamy is really dead.

They've had their differences and there fights but he had been there since the beginning. He wasn't the best person to Nova but Nova forgave him and he began to understand her and that's all Nova wanted. Nova knew Bellamy wasn't going to make it. She just didn't know it would hit her this unexpectedly.

Night time had fell upon Octavia and Nova who stayed in the forest above the bunker, not ready to face their demons just yet. "Still up here huh?" Indra asks and Octavia and Nova whips their heads in her direction. "You thought we'd go down there?" Nova questions as she looks down at the grass while shaking her head. "Well, one of you have to take watch in the rotunda" Indra states and Octavia scoffs. "No way. I'm not going back down there".

"Fine. Then neither am I" Indra says as she takes a seat next to Octavia and Nova. " I saw you guys days ago, but for you, it's been like 10 years on another planet, yet still you haven't made peace with what happened here" Indra says as she looks over at Nova and Octavia. "How would I? I became the worst version of myself here" Nova declares as she looks at the fire Octavia has made for them. "I seen those fighting pits and it all came back to me. I couldn't" Octavia says as she mourns her brothers death and what happened down in that bunker.

"We did what we had to do to survive, but if it is your penance to sit here in the freezing cold, then it is my penance, too. Because I am equally guilty about what happened down there. We were all Blodreina and Keket" Indra says and Nova shakes her head. "I forced you. It was that or death. Those were my rules and I- I can't go back there okay?" Nova pleads as she continues to look at the fire unable to face Indra and the bunker just yet.

"We're facing our demons together. I'm not going with our both of you" Indra says as she stands to her feet and puts her hand out. Octavia slides her hand into Nova's and Nova looks over at her. "I'm in if you are" Octavia whispers and tears cloud Nova vision but she stands with Octavia and Indra and walks toward the Bunker.

She immediately sees people fighting the fighting pits and screaming and cheering heard from the people of Wonkru. "Keket- Goddess of darkness has risen!" Octavia shouts from above lifting her sword in the air making everyone else in the bunker erupt in cheers in roars. A tear slides down Nova's cheek as she sees the blood splatter on the walls from every victim who was murdered in this very bunker when all of a sudden the anomaly appears down in the fighting pit.

"Here they come!" Indra shouts and Nova shakes the tears out of her eyes as her and Octavia run down the ramp to the Fighting Pits. Octavia, Gaia and Nova grab a sword off the wall and get prepared to fight. Once the bridge closes no one is seen to have passed through. "What?" Nova questions as she furrows her eyebrows looking around. "What was that? Why open the Bridge and not use it?" Octavia asks and Indra shakes her head, "They used it. Someone's here. I can feel it" Indra states as she looks around.

"Ghost mode. When you wear the suits like the guards at Bardo you can go ghost mode. It makes you invisible" Nova explains as she looks around the room cautiously. "They're here for Madi. Go warn Clarke. I'll stay and make sure no one else comes through" Gaia states. "I'm going for Clarke" Nova states and Octavia agrees to join her. Octavia and Nova start to leave, Indra stops them and hands a gun to Octavia to keep them safe. Octavia takes the gun and leaves along with Nova who keeps her sword.

"Clarke!" Nova shouts as she and Octavia find Clarke in one of the bunk rooms and explain how someone came through the bridge but they cannot be seen. "They're here for Madi" Clarke says and Nova nods her head slowly as she bends down to Clarke's level. "Clarke, do you know where she is?" Nova asks as she places the palm of her hand on Clarke's cheek and Clarke shakes her head.

"We had a fight. I have to find her" Clarke says as she slowly rises to her feet along with Nova. "Octavia, check the other levels. I'll help Clarke" Nova orders and Octavia nods her head as she rushes out of the room. "We're gonna find her" Nova reassures and Clarke nods her head slowly as she and Nova rush out of the room and travel down almost every hallway and check every room to try and find her but they come up empty.

"Madi? If you can hear me..." Clarke trials off as Octavia is heard running down the hall to meet up with them. "She wasn't on level 6 either. There's 4 more levels. We'll find her" Octavia reassures and Clarke weakly nods her head as Octavia takes them towards the stairwell and Clarke, Nova and Octavia enter to the stairwell together.

"Madi? Answer me!" Clarke shouts desperately as the three of them walk down the hall on the next level. "She's gotta be here somewhere" Nova mumbles as she looks up and down the halls and even into some rooms just incase Madi is hiding.

"Madi, where are you?" Clarke asks as her, Nova and Octavia continue to search level after level until they the room with Raven and Emori having a chat. "Is Madi with you?" Clarke asks as Murphy, Theo, Jordan, and Hope follow Clarke, Octavia and Nova into the room. "Did you fix it? I need to find the stone" Clarke asks referring to the helmet she destroyed while Nova was hiding out in the forest instead of facing her demons.

"Oh, now you want to find the stone?" Murphy truants and Nova looks over at him with her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, Murphy. You were right. We need to leave" Clarke states frantically. "What's going on?" Theo asks as he walks over to Raven. "Disciples are after Madi. Has anyone seen her?" Clarke explains and asks and everyone shakes their heads except Hope and Jordan. "Oh, She's in the Rec Room" Hope answers and Clarke lets out a sigh of relief and a smile spreads on her face but is quickly wiped away when Octavia is thrown into the room unexpectedly and the door closes and someone locks it but the group can't see who.

"No, no, no. No, no! Madi! Madi!" Clarke pleads as she bangs on the door. "Here, get out the way" Murphy urges and gently pushes Clarke out of the way and starts to slam a crowbard against the window of the door, to no avail. "Murphy, I don't think-" Nova begins but the sound of Murphy continuing to slam the crowbar against the window interrupts her. "Let me try" Theo scoffs as she pushes Murphy out of the way and begins beating on the window himself with the crowbar.

"Good job tough guy" Murphy taunts as he pushes Theo back a little. "Oh god" Nova groans as she shakes her head before Murphy hits the window and smashes through it. "Hm, you were saying?" Murphy questions mockingly. "I could've did that" Theo mumbles and Raven pulls him towards her. "Of course you could" Raven jokes and Nova chuckles as Murphy reaches his hand through the broken window and unlocks the door from the other side.

"Thanks, Murphy. All right. Let's go" Clarke says and Clarke, Nova, Theo, Hope, Jordan, Emori, Raven, and Murphy leave the room and run down the hallway. One by one the room enters the rec room and sees Gabriel on the ground, bleeding out. "Gabriel! No.." Nova breathes out as she, Theo and Hope run towards him. "No, no, no, no" Hope cries out as she holds up Gabriel's head. "My friends..." Gabriel mumbles and Nova rests her hand on Gabriel's arm. "We're with you man. Don't go just yet" Theo begs and Nova looks around the room.

"Madi?" She asks and looks down at Gabriel before Madi rushes in the room. "I'm right here" Madi says and Madi and Clarke share a loving hug before Madi breaks away from the hug and goes to Gabriel's side. "He saved my life. Sheidheda got away. He stabbed himself in the gut and...disappeared" Madi explains and Octavia sighs. "I know how that works. Cadogan will send more Disciples" Octavia informs and Nova stands to her feet.

"We have to get back to Sanctum now" Clarke states and Raven shrugs her shoulders. "I couldn't fix the helmet" Raven states and Gabriel coughs harshly before he reminds them that Sheidheda left his behind and Raven picks up Sheidheda's helmet from the floor and puts it on. "It's damaged. It can't pinpoint the exact location" Raven state before Miller and Jackson enter and Jackson sees Gabriel and runs to his side. "Tell me what happened" Jackson asks and Hope shrugs her shoulders and Gabriel refuses treatment. "I'm ready" Gabriel breathes out and Nova shakes her head slowly. "Gabriel-".

"We need to find that stone and get back to Sanctum and get our army" Clarke interrupts. "Clarke, you're not going to war over me" Madi reassures. "If they try to take you, I am" Clarke states and Nova nods her head. "We all will" Nova says as she looks down at Madi. "No one else is getting killed trying to protect me" Madi demands and Nova furrows her eyebrows as she walks over to the pills that Sheidheda left. She picks it up from the table.

"Madi!" Clarke calls out. "Maybe I should just-" Madi says as she tries to take the pills but Clarke takes the pill bottle away just in time. "Absolutely not" Clarke declares and Nova walks over to Madi. "What's your deal?" Nova asks and Madi catches her breath as she locks eyes with Nova but both of their attention is grabbed by Gabriel coughing.

"I want this. It's ok" Gabriel assures as Hope cries looking down at a fellow friend. "In peace, may you leave this shore. In love..." Octavia chokes up and Nova bends down to Octavia and puts her hand on her shoulder. "In love may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels until our final journey on the ground" Nova finishes as she looks to Gabriel who smiles slightly. "May we meet again" Everyone says in unison before Gabriel lets out a gasp of air and alley dies in-front of everyone.

"No!" Hopes cries out and Nova can't help but lock eyes with Theo who has tears staining his cheek. "Madi? Madi?!" Clarke calls out and Nova turns around and sees Madi is not there. "The vent" Jordan points out and Nova furrows her eyebrows in shock and confusion. "What? Raven, Murphy, find that stone!" Clarke shouts before her and Nova run out together.

Clarke, Octavia, Nova, Hope, Jordan, and Miller enter the fighting pits seeing Madi hold Sheidheda's knife to her stomach. "Madi!" Nova shouts as she slowly approaches her. "I'm am sorry. I did not know what she wanted until it was too late" Indra apologizes before everyone looks back at Madi. "Octavia said Cadogan would just keep sending more people until he gets me. No one will ever be safe" Madi declares and Nova sneakingly takes a few steps towards Madi when she's not looking.

"Madi, I get it. You want to fight for everyone else so no one has to fight for you" Nova calls out and Madi looks over at her. "You don't want anyone else to die, right?" Nova asks as she slowly steps towards Madi. "Nova.. what are you doing?" Clarke asks as Madi nods her head to Nova's question.

"I want that too" Nova says as she places her hand on Madi's stomach where the knife is. "Clarke, I'll try my best to keep her safe" Nova says as she looks into Madi's eyes. "Nova, what the- Nova.. please" Clarke begs while Nova sends Madi a sad smile. "Take me with you" Nova whispers and Madi slowly nods her head. "I love you, Clarke" Madi says and Nova nods her head. "Always and forever" Nova says as Clarke runs toward Madi and Nova but Madi stabs the knife through Nova's hand and into her stomach.

"Ah!" Nova grunts as her and Madi disappear into thunk air leaving behind green smoke. "Nova!" Octavia shouts.