Between Law and Heart - The 100 Fanfiction

When they got back to the dropship, the sun had been down for a couple of hours, according to Clarke. Finn and Wells had carried Jasper all the way, while Bellamy and Murphy had dragged the dead animal so they could eat it that night.

Lily just walked quickly through the forest, trying to figure out what the Grounders might have used to stop Jasper from bleeding. And as they stepped into the clearing, where all the hundred were gathered around the fire, Lily simply followed Wells and Finn inside the dropship.

"Jasper!" Monty exclaimed as they moved the curtain at the ship's entrance. He ran to them, his eyes widening when he saw his friend's condition.

"Is he going to be alright?"

At his question, Clarke and Lily shared a look. For now, Jasper seemed stable enough, but a spear had hit him square in the chest. He could get better—or maybe not.

"We'll do our best," Clarke answered, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. Monty looked at them, eyes full of worry, but there was nothing more he could do except nod as Finn and Wells brought Jasper up to the upper level.

"I'll go get some boiled water," Lily said to Clarke, who thanked her before following the others up the ladder.

The girl stepped out of the dropship and noticed that the others had already started skinning and cutting the feline's flesh. That was not a situation she would have ever imagined finding herself in: on the ground, surrounded by survivors who just wanted to kill them, with very little chance of survival.

Lily felt exhausted, but she couldn't afford to stop. She had to help Jasper. He has to survive, she thought. She needed to believe it was possible for them to make it—and that they weren't just waiting helplessly to die.

You hadn't thought it through, Marcus, she thought, looking up at the sky, as if she could spot the Ark. And she wished she could—and that they could see her back, and see how angry she was at that system. They had thrown a bunch of kids into a world they knew nothing about, just because they weren't important. They didn't even send guards down with them to protect them. They had just left them alone to die.

"Hey," Octavia's voice made her turn as she walked towards the water. "Is Jasper alright?" she asked with worried eyes.

"He's alive, for now," she answered honestly, and Octavia let out a frustrated breath. But then she spoke again.

"I've put some water to boil," she said pointing to a bucket set above the fire, "I've found you some clean clothes too." Lily's lips turned up into a little smile, thanking Octavia for her kind gesture. Then she observed the girl leave, she truly seemed worried for Jasper, she must have grown fond of him as they went to search for Mouth Weather. 

Lily took another deep breath, to make her way to the bucket and sat next to it, bringing her knees against her chest, her eyes looking at the flames of the fire. She didn't have the chance the night before, to look at the fire. On the Ark there was no reason to light one. And she tried to get distracted from all her thoughts by looking at the flames. But even if she could not deny the beauty of all the things she was seeing, it didn't appease her mind at all. There were too many dangers all around them to have them forgotten.

"Smile, sweetie," Murphy's voice made her look up, to see him in front of her with a smirk. "We're alive, and we got food."

"For now," she answered, not sharing his enthusiasm.

Murphy let out a chuckle at her reply, crouching beside her with a piece of raw meat skewered on a long stick.

"Try to lose it up," he said, glancing toward the fire where the others were cooking, "Bellamy says we've earned it today."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Earned what?"

He gestured toward the meat. "Dinner."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

Murphy smiled as if it were obvious. "You want to eat, you take off your wristband. That's the rule now."

Lily stared at him, refusing to believe his words, even if she knew that he was telling the truth.

He leaned in a little, lowering his voice. "Come on, you didn't think this was charity, did you? Bellamy's got to make sure the Ark thinks we're dying. No signals, no rescue mission. That's the plan."

Lily's eyes dropped to the wristband still around her wrist, her jaw tightening.

"He can't be serious."

Murphy chuckled as he observed her face. "Serious enough to make it happen. No wristband, or no food."

She looked toward where Bellamy was making everyone line up all around the fire, so that two of his 'followers' would start to open the wristbands one by one. Lily felt suddenly cold despite the fire in front of her.

"But we all need to eat," she said, returning her gaze to Murphy.

Murphy didn't answer, he just smirked one last time, before standing up and walking away, to join his mates to open the wristbands.

They were forcing them all to take it away like that. Bellamy liked to say that they could choose whatever they wanted to do, but in reality he had no intention to make them choose. Lily felt anger flare in her, she would rather starve than doing what Bellamy wanted for them to do. 

I'm tired of his games, she thought standing up, and taking the boiling water so that she could finally go back to Jasper.

And next to Jasper she remained all night, cleaning his wound and taking turns with Clarke so that one of them would always be awake. And they had kept it up for two entire days now. 

The camp was getting restless, Jasper was in a lot of pain, and he would moan loudly all day and night. He would pass out from time to time, and people seemed to be wishing for his death every day more. Lily hated that. Why was no one caring about what had happened to him? They just cared about the threat of the Grounders. They didn't want to end up like Jasper, but all of them wished for him to die soon so that they could sleep at night.

"He should be getting better by now," Lily whispered as she looked at the wound on Jasper's chest.

"Yeah, I know," Clarke said, sharing the same worry that Lily was feeling. "Look at it," she said pointing at the red flash around the wound. That was a bad sign. They had already talked about it. The Grounders had cauterized his wound, and that was giving him time. But the medication seemed to be losing its benefits and they were risking letting it get infected, and it seemed it was already happening.

Clarke pushed the sweaty hair back from Jasper's forehead. "I hope Monty will be able to make contact with the Ark," Clarke said, not hiding her worry, "I need to speak with my mother." 

Lily nodded in understanding. She knew what Clarke was feeling, and she knew that they were the only two people who could do something about it, but that was even worse.

"You're doing all you can," Lily said, trying to sound encouraging. "You always say he is going to make it, so he will."

Clarke forced a little smile, and then she nodded her head. Then she passed a hand on her hair, "I don't like his flesh though," she said thoughtfully.

"What should we do?" Lily said, but Clarke took a breath.

"I'm still not sure," then she looked at her, "Did you figure out what they had used?" Clarke asked with a hint of hope, but Lily didn't have good news.

"With no microscope, I can't be sure," she said with all honesty, "But we are in the same woods they used to cure him." Clarke looked at her with a little frown.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked quietly.

Lily took a breath, "Search for some herbs, if we'll need it," she said, trying to sound as steady as possible. In all honesty she really didn't want to leave the dropship. But she had to or Jasper could get worse. 

"Alone?" Clarke asked, but Lily shook her head.

"I've heard there's a hunt party," Lily answered, not liking her own idea. "They are going to cover a lot of ground, and maybe I could find all the herbs I think can help."

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked her as Lily got on her feet. Lily wanted to be honest, but she nodded her head. And as she did Jasper moaned loudly once again, making her heart ache. She didn't have much of a choice.

She didn't like the idea of asking him anything—but for Jasper, she'd do it. She walked out, looking for Bellamy.

He was talking with Murphy, Atom, and another boy, surely giving them orders like he always did. Murphy was tossing his knife lazily at the trunk of a tree.

Lily took a deep breath and stepped forward, her voice calm but firm.

"Bellamy."

Murphy turned first, his brows lifting. "Well, well," he said with a grin. "Look who's not playing nurse for once."

Bellamy stopped mid-sentence and turned toward her, expression unreadable as he sent Antom and the other boy away. "What do you want?" he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've heard you are organizing a hunt party," she said, and at her words Murphy chuckled.

"Do you wanna hunt, sweetie?" Lily only glared at him, before she turned to Bellamy.

"I need to go out there-" but Bellamy shook his head as he passed her.

"Not gonna happen," Lily frowned, turning fast to follow him. 

In the last three days, they had managed to set up the tents that were inside the dropship, and when he entered in his tent, Lily did not think twice to follow him inside, pushed by the loud moans inside the dropship.

"I need to find some plans," Lily exclaimed, stepping inside, followed by Murphy who was still chuckling. Bellamy took a deep breath when he heard her.

"Let me guess," he said, turning to look at her, "You think you can save him."

"I know I want to try," she answered, her heart aching at every moan she heard echoing in the clear. They were getting worse. 

Murphy chuckled again, brushing her shoulder with his as he passed to set down looking at her. But she didn't let his mockery gaze bother her.

"Bellamy," she said, looking at the boy in the eyes, "I need to go out there, but I can't go alone." 

Bellamy didn't answer right away. He looked at her, jaw clenched, then let out a breath and turned his attention to his bag, clearly trying to ignore her.

"I can't spare anyone," he muttered. "And I'm not taking liabilities into the woods."

Lily raised her chin. "I'm not asking to be protected. I know what I'm looking for, and I won't slow anyone down."

Murphy snorted. "You gonna sniff out herbs like a bloodhound? Come on."

She ignored him. "If we don't find something soon, he dies. You've heard him. You all are starting to want that."

Bellamy's expression tightened. He didn't deny it.

They stared at each other for a long beat. He was observing her face, studying her, but he had no time to answer because, suddenly, the flap of the tent was thrown open with force. Octavia stormed in, her expression blazing with fury.

"What did you do to Atom?" she snapped, her eyes locked on Bellamy like daggers.

The tension in the air shifted instantly. Bellamy's jaw clenched, but his gaze flicked sideways toward Murphy, giving him a subtle nod.

Murphy stood up with a sigh and turned to Lily, the usual smirk creeping back onto his face.

"Come on, nurse. Why don't you take a look at my wounds now?" he said mockingly, gesturing toward the exit as he ushered her out.

"Wait," she protested. "Bellamy-"

"Later," he said firmly, before looking at Murphy, "Bring her out." 

Murphy nodded once, placing a hand on her back pushing her forward, Lily let out a frustrated breath and as she walked out she casted a quick glance over her shoulder. Octavia looked livid with her brother, and judging by Bellamy's face, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

But why was she bringing up Atom?

"What have you done this time?" Lily asked, looking up at Murphy.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "You got a thing for poking around where you shouldn't?" he muttered, eyes avoiding hers.

"Like when I stopped Wells from hurting you?"

Her response made him snap his head toward her. Lily stopped in her tracks as their eyes locked. His gaze sharpened, narrowing as he leaned in.

"What?" he hissed, voice low and dark. "You want my thanks?"

"I just wish you'd all stop trying to kill each other before someone actually dies," she replied firmly—more firmly than she expected.

Even she was surprised by the strength in her voice. A flash of regret hit her like a slap. Murphy had a short temper, and she had no idea how he'd react to someone speaking to him like that.

Their eyes remained fixed on each other, intense and unreadable. Lily couldn't decipher the look he was giving her—mocking? Surprised? Intrigued?

But before he could say anything, a loud scream split the air.

Lily gasped, instantly turning toward the dropship. "Jasper…" she whispered, before breaking into a sprint toward where they kept him. Her legs almost hurt from how fast she was running; were they too late? Was he dying? Those kinds of awful questions kept repeating in her mind as she climbed up the iron ladder. He had been holding on until now—he couldn't give up. They couldn't give up.

"Clarke!" she called as she reached the top section of the dropship. "What's going on?" Clarke, Finn, Wells, and Monty were all gathered around Jasper, who was jerking uncontrollably, moaning in pain, while tears streamed down his tightly shut eyes.

"I need to cut away the infected flesh," Clarke answered, glancing quickly toward where Lily was standing.

Lily's eyes widened. "Already?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her panic from rising in her throat.

"Help us keep him down." Lily didn't need Clarke to tell her twice. She ran to the side and dropped to her knees beside Monty, gripping Jasper's arm as firmly as she could. His skin felt hot, slick with sweat, his body trembling beneath her hands.

"Stop!" Octavia's voice cut through the air as she launched herself next to Jasper, glaring at Clarke. "You're killing him!"

"She is trying to save his life," Finn snapped, already ready to defend Clarke. But Octavia wasn't the only one who had climbed up.

"She can't," Bellamy said, his voice cold and certain.

Lily looked up. He stood at the edge, arms crossed, his expression unreadable—stoic, almost detached. But could someone really feel nothing while listening to Jasper's screams?

Wells was on his feet in a flash, stepping between Bellamy and the others, blocking him from getting closer. The two of them locked eyes, tension radiating from their stances. Lily was tired of this. Tired of power struggles, tired of glaring contests, tired of violence.

"Wells, please, don't," she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the tension. Both boys looked down at her, but Lily turned her gaze from Wells to Bellamy. "If you're here, just help."

Bellamy let out a frustrated breath through his nose.

"We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die," Clarke added, not even looking up at him.

"Kid's a goner," Bellamy said stubbornly. "If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy."

Lily felt her anger flare. She stood up and took a step toward him. "Is that all you really care about?" she asked, her voice sharp, eyes locked with his. "He's suffering. Who cares if people are annoyed by it?"

"They'll get real crazy soon, just wait and see," he answered, his voice steady and dark.

Lily felt her eyes burn with angry tears, but she forced them back. He wanted to be a leader. Fine. Then it was his job to keep them grounded, to protect them. But what kind of leader wanted to get rid of the people who needed help the most? I can't go through this again, she thought, her chest tight with a sadness she hadn't expected.

"Sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you," Clarke said. She never turned, but her annoyance was evident, her tone sharp enough to slice through steel. "But this isn't the Ark. Down here, every life matters."

On the Ark, those who couldn't keep going were considered a waste of oxygen—and left to die. Bellamy had always said he hated the Ark, that he didn't want them to repeat that life. But what was he doing now?

He's acting like Marcus, Lily thought, watching him glare down at Clarke.

"Take a look at him!" Bellamy barked, pointing at Jasper. "He's a lost cause."

Silence fell. They all knew Jasper's condition was terrible. But what were they supposed to do? What kind of society were they building if they didn't help the ones who needed it most? Why couldn't they at least try?

"Octavia," Clarke said, turning to the girl, "I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope." Her voice was calm but firm, and her words seemed to reach Octavia, calming the fire in her eyes.

But Lily wasn't so sure. She didn't know if Clarke truly believed what she was saying—but she hoped so. Lily knew one thing for certain: they couldn't just keep cutting into Jasper over and over. That wasn't a cure. That was desperation. They needed something real, something that would stop the infection from spreading.

"This isn't about hope," Bellamy snapped, "it's about guts. You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do." Lily glanced up at him. His tone was harsh, but his face was dead serious. This wasn't bluster—he meant it. "He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

Lily felt her breath catch. She watched as he turned and walked toward the ladder. He wasn't bluffing. She could see it in the way he moved, in the cold finality in his voice.

Before she could stop herself, her body moved. She stepped forward. "I know how to cure him," she said, her voice cutting through the room.

Bellamy froze, caught off guard. Behind her, she could feel all the others turning to stare. But her eyes stayed on him.

"You gave us a day, right?" she said, walking closer. She didn't wait for a response. "A day is all I need. You bring me with you, and I'll find the plants to cure him."

Bellamy studied her face, his eyes narrowing. A little frown crept onto his features, but his expression stayed guarded, unreadable.

"You're going to kill him tomorrow," she pressed, heart pounding. "What do you care if I try today?"

He was silent for a long second. Lily felt every thud of her heartbeat echo through her chest.

"Be down in five," he finally said, then turned away.

Lily let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Octavia, let's go," Bellamy called.

Octavia stood still for a moment, clearly torn, but eventually she stepped back. She refused to follow him. Bellamy left the dropship alone.

"You've figured it out?" Wells asked, stepping up beside Lily. She looked up at him with a heavy sigh.

"I lied," she admitted, heart racing as all eyes turned to her. "I've got a few ideas… but I needed to buy you time."

"So that we can figure it out," Clarke said, understanding flashing across her face. There was something close to gratitude in her eyes.

"What do you think it is?" Wells asked. He was watching her intently now. "I aced botany in Earth Skills."

Lily felt a flicker of relief. Someone who could help. "I've spent the last three days staring at that wound, trying to figure out what they put on him." She glanced at Jasper's still-trembling body. "Whatever it was… it stopped the bleeding almost immediately, and it slowed the infection. At least for a while." She turned to Wells. "Based on the texture, the color, and how it reacted with his skin, I've got three guesses."

"Really?" Monty asked, still kneeling beside Jasper.

Lily nodded, hoping—praying—she wasn't wrong. "Yarrow," she said. "It's known to stop bleeding fast. Has those white, feathery flowers. If they crushed it into a poultice, it might explain the clotting." She took a steadying breath. "Seaweed. Some types are used in traditional medicine. It's moist, soothing, and might help draw out toxins or reduce inflammation." Wells nodded slowly, absorbing every word. "And mugwort," she finished. "It has antibacterial properties if processed right. Could've helped slow down the infection."

"I get it," Wells said, his eyes focused and thoughtful.

She gave him an encouraging nod, then turned to Clarke. "I'll look for all three while I'm out, but—"

"If we figure it out, we'll go look for it," Clarke said firmly, cutting her off.

The two girls locked eyes. No more words were needed. They both wanted the same thing.

"I've got to go," Lily said, already heading for the ladder. "I don't think Bellamy will wait for me."

But just as she reached the first rung, Monty approached her. "Thank you, Lily," he said softly. There was a flicker of hope in his voice. "For buying us time."

She gave him a small, tired smile. "It's going to be alright, Monty," she whispered. Then, with one last glance at Jasper, she climbed down the ladder.