<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">"It's not that I need you to prove anything to me," Echo explained. "I just.. I want you to take some time and think about it. Really think about it. I've done a lot of things that have hurt a lot of people, and I'm just trying to help keep you from doing the same. My feelings for you are almost as strong as they were for my husband," She admitted softly. "But, if you have any sort of doubt, about us, or you have some niggling feelings for Clarke that you're trying to hide because you think I'll get upset, then you don't have to. I mean, come on."<br/>
<br/>
'There's no possible way that you don't have feelings for Clarke. She obviously meant something to you at least for a while in the past, for the two of you to have slept together when you thought she was going to die. And she definitely means something to you now, as your child's mother. Look, I know it's frustrating and feels like it's going in circles. I just want all of us to be careful. </span></span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 15px">Kids are involved now, and I don't want them to get hurt. They won't and probably don't understand everything and I just want to make this painless for them."<br/>
<br/>
"So yes, I'm a little... concerned and yeah, I'm repeating myself, but I'm worried. And I think I have decent reason to be. Anyway, moving on. As for Clarke not speaking to you, maybe it's not because she doesn't have feelings for you, but maybe because she does. Perhaps she knows that you and I have come to care about each other over the <br/>
last six years, and maybe that time when the two of you slept together and made your son.. well.. that could have meant more to her than it did to you. You should keep that<br/>
in mind the next time you try and talk to her."<br/>
<br/>
'Men and women don't always read things the same way. Okay, I'm going to drop it for now. I don't want to risk starting an argument when I'm just trying to do what I think's right for all of us, but especially Jake and Madi.."</span></span></span><br/><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px"><br/>
_________________<br/>
</span></span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">Raven reached out and she cupped Bradley's cheek in one of her hands. "I am using my head," She said softly. "I never said anything about turning myself in to these people. And if I did, that's not what I meant. I mean that I want to talk to them. I'm not trying to sacrifice myself. I just think that we need someone who's willing to do what needs to be done. And what needs to be done, is that we need to meet with these people and start a dialogue and try to find some common ground with them. We're talking about the possible nuking of the last remaining livable bit of land on earth."<br/>
<br/>
"We can't just rip each other to shreds for it. We need to try talking to them. We need to get through to them, make them realize that it's in their best interest to share with us, so that we can all survive." She paused for a moment when he continued. "I'm not eager to die. But cowering in fear and not lifting a finger to help our situation, isn't a good use of time. </span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">And you know that I love you. That I've loved you for a long time. But we need to do something or me dying won't be the only outcome of this.. We'd all die, and none of us want that to happen."<br/>
<br/>
"So, if you have a better idea, let's hear it. Because talking to them and trying to reach some kind of compromise, if all I've got. I'm not eager to get into a firefight with these people. They're dangerous, they're killers and who knows what other kind of criminal's. So, we have to figure out a diplomatic way to work things out to everyone's advantage. We can't just keep killing everyone we come across. Sure, we protect ourselves, but only from actual threats. So much blood has been spilled, so many useless deaths have happened because we jumped the gun and overreacted. We need to do better now. We need to be better now, and that starts with us putting down our weapons and at least trying to talk to them. It doesn't always have to be 'shoot first, ask questions later.'"</span></span><br/>
</span>