<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">Clarke was surprised to hear someone moving around already in the kitchen the following morning. She removed her gun from the strap at her hip and pointed it out in front of her as she walked the rest of the way down the hall, and then into the kitchen. She sighed softly at the sight of Echo sitting down at the kitchen table, looking alert </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)">but bored. The blonde was used to being the only one awake at 3am. But that was when it had just been her and the kids, and now it wasn't just the three of them any longer.</span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><br/>
Her eyes raked over Echo as she took the other woman in and considered how much of a threat the Azgeda spy had once been and how much of a threat she could still be. Part of her hated the thought of having the woman in her house, much less anywhere near Jake or Madi. But Raven had pulled her aside last night and filled her in on some of the things that had happened in space over the last six years. Apparently Echo had changed. Who knew it was so easy to turn a killer into a good guy? The thought caused her to chuckle.<br/>
<br/>
But it was more sarcasm than amusement at the situation they found themselves in</span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">. </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">"You're up early," She said and after debating whether or not to just pull the trigger and be done with it, she sighed and put her gun back into the strap on her hip. The young woman looked up and met the brunette's eyes. "I wanna make some</span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">thing clear here, Echo. I don't care what or who Bellamy does in his spare time, that's not my business. What I </span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">do </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">care about, is making sure my kids are safe. I don't want to hurt Bellamy. He's my best friend."<br/>
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"But if you ever threaten my kids or put them in danger, I will kill you without hesitation or remorse</span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">, that's a promise." She walked around the brunette and pulled down a bowl from the cupboard and set it down in front of the other woman. "There's berries and meat. Canned food that I got from a shelter, other stuff that I've scavenged and collected over the years. Eat, and stay quiet." After she spoke, the blonde went to check on Jake and Madi and took some time to pull herself together.</span></span><br/>
<span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><br/>
___________<br/>
</span></span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">Echo looked up when Clarke entered the kitchen and didn't move as she watched the other woman move around. She listened to what the blonde had to say and when she was sure the other woman was done speaking, said, "I get it, Clarke. I know that you don't trust me, and I'm fine with that. But, you should know that I'm not the same person that I used to be. The Queen of Azgeda, </span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)"><span style="font-size: 15px">Queen Nia, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)">was right when she said that war makes murderers of us all. We have all killed people, but that doesn't that mean we like doing it."<br/>
<br/>
"For a long time, killing was all I knew. But then I went to space with the others. And got to know them, and Bellamy. And it changed me. At least a little, if not entirely. Bellamy and the other's have helped me to be better. To want to be better." She pushed some of her brown hair behind one ear and said, "It's good that you're protective<br/>
of your family.  But you don't have to worry about me hurting your kids. Not just because your son is Bellamy's son. But because they're just children in the first place."<br/>
<br/>
"I've never told Bellamy, or any of the others about my past. About what happened in Mount Weather</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">, or about my life before it.  But seeing as I'm with Bellamy, and the two of you share a son, I'll be honest with you. You need to know what kind of person I used to be. I was 23 when I lost my husband and daughter in Mount Weather. They </span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">were used for their bone marrow and then slaughtered like animals when it turned out it wouldn't help protect those monsters. I had to watch for 4 days as my family was tortured and killed."<br/>
<br/>
"Reapers were cannibals who were brought in to 'dispose of the trash', a</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 255, 153)">s Wallace and his idiot son called it. So, I get it, that you're protective of your kids. I did and would do anything for my family. And Bellamy is my family now, and so are the others that were with us in space." She fell silent when Clarke walked off.<br/>
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_______________<br/>
</span></span></span><br/><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">Raven smiled when she woke up the following morning, and kissed Bradley. "Yeah, it's a very good morning.." She said and laughed softly. "It's always a good morning when I wake up with you. As for how I slept, yeah, you're right. I was restless. I'm tired of fighting wars for every little thing. While I slept, different ways of trying to work things out came to me. And I want to </span></span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"><span style="font-size: 15px">surrender</span></span><span style="font-size: 15px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99"> myself to these people. Talk to them, see if I can get them to understand that we can all share the land. Get them to see that we don't want to keep fighting any more than they do."<br/>
<br/>
"We all want the same thing, to be able to live our own lives without war, fighting and death all around us."</span></span></span>