Exhaustion was just a state of being. Tyga had gotten more used to her parent constantly in the Chancellor's makeshift office while they sent her to spend time with Octavia or Raven.

She didn't complain. First of all she liked both girls. They were interesting and smart in different ways that had Tyga entertained for hours at a time. She knew better than to bother her parents with asking for too much attention when they were so busy trying to keep the sky people safe. Instead she rode horses with a wooden sword in hand as Octavia taught her the proper way to protect herself and rummaged through things from Mount Weather with Raven. It no longer felt like she was a grounder among people who she couldn't understand. Rather than she was just at home.

Even the treecru clothing that she had worn dedicatedly had changed into a tan t-shirt and cargo pants that had been found in Mount Weather. The moment she picked it out, Raven laughed. She looked like a mini Abby with her hair halfway braided away from her face and her hands on her hips with determination. The little girl was definitely her mother's, blood or not.

Somehow Abby Griffin had found a little girl that needed exactly what she needed to give. They had an sweet family dynamic with Marcus Kane perfecting it. The day that Raven watched him trade the watch he had owned since the ark for a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant that had "daddy's princess" engraved on the back, she was sold. Any negative emotions she had toward the man melted away as she and several other watched him approach Tyga and Abby in the mess hall, shyly presenting the necklace to the little girl and explaining what was on the back.

It was clear that Abby was holding back tears the best she could as Tyga looked at the necklace in wonder.

Abby and Marcus were another thing. The entire camp wasn't exactly sure how to take them. Obviously there was something going on, but they didn't want to intrude with it. They held hands with Tyga, shared shy pecks, even living quarters, but they seemed professional in every setting. Every setting that didn't include their daughter of course.

"Let the kid go, Abby," Raven argued as Abby and Marcus continued looking over the makeshift map they had been working on for weeks now. It was clear that neither of them had slept really in days and Abby was really beginning to get tired and snippy. If Tyga was away for at least couple of hours, Abby could maybe get enough work done to also get some sleep. Or laid, of Raven had anything to say about it. "She's going to be with Octavia and Lincoln."

Tyga rubbed her eyes and leaned against Abby's hip as the chancellor continued making notes. "She's already tired, Raven. The last thing she needs today is to join anyone on a hunting trip," Abby argued as one hand came down to gently pet Tyga's curls and the other handed off the clipboard to Marcus.

"They're going to be back before sunset. It's just a little ride and she'll sleep like a rock," Raven continued. Tyga really did want to go, but she wasn't about to ask. She was much too obedient to ask for anything from her parents other than affection and care. Then again she didn't even have to ask for that.

"We would just feel better if Tyga stayed in camp if she's not with one of us," Marcus offered as he glanced down at the little girl with one hand playing with her silver necklace and the other arm wrapped around Abby's thigh. "Another day would probably be better anyway."

"We'll take care of her," Octavia sighed as she walked through the door, already picking up on where the conversation was headed. "She's a grounder. She needs to be free every now and then."

The wolf pup that had adopted Tyga as her master tugged on the little girl's pant leg as if for emphasis. They both needed a bit of open space to run that their current home had a bit of difficulty providing. If there was a particularly slow day, Marcus was sometimes able to take her just outside the gate and let her explore. Abby would always want to join them but somewhere something always came up.

"What she needs is to be safe," Abby fired back, giving the girl a firm look as the hand on Tyga's back turned a bit more protective.

"And she will be with us, Abby."

The chancellor looked at Lincoln. She had really grown to like the boy over the last couple months and he was definitely one of the most capable guards they had. He knew the area and he truly accepted them as his new home. There was also a connection he had with Tyga. She rarely spoke her birth language anymore, but she shared other things of her previous life with him as he taught her the ways of their people.

"Please, Mama?" Tyga's sleepy little voice piped up as she raised her chin to look sweetly up at Abby. "I'll be very good."

Marcus could see Abby melt just before she scooped Tyga into her arms and hugged her tight. "You are always very good, baby. I just don't want anything bad to get to you."

Tyga sat back in Abby's arms, absently playing with the hair that fell on her mother's shoulder. "Tavia and Lincoln will take good care of me and I can run really fast and I'm a really good hider."

Hiding and running were two things the girl definitely excelled at, sometimes to her parents' misfortune. She was a lightning fast chameleon and was only ever found when she wanted to be found. Luckily they had only learned this through a few games of hide and seek and nothing more serious.

Abby turned to Marcus for help. It probably wasn't the worst idea, she just really didn't like it. Part of her just had a bad feeling about letting Tyga out of her sight today. She had even eaten a quick bite for lunch just so she could bring Marcus and Tyga food in her office. There was just something in her that told her to keep Tyga close.

"Let them take her," Marcus suggested with a shrug. "They'll be back before sunset, and I'll send a radio with them."

Raven smirked as Octavia slid her a high five before Lincoln plucked Tyga from Abby's arms and settled her on one of his broad shoulders. "Hear that? You're our play thing today!"

Octavia reached up to tickle her and the little girl's laugh filled the room making everyone crack a much needed smile. Marcus's hand slid onto Abby's back as she relaxed a bit and even dared to rest into him.

"Chancellor?"

Everyone silenced as they turned around to Miller standing in the door. "Jackson needs your assistance in medical."

With a sigh, Abby nodded and leaned over to press a kiss to her daughter's cheek before turning a firm gaze on Lincoln and Octavia. "Stay safe and keep her safe."

"We will, Abby," Octavia replied easily, slapping a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Geeze, you act like we're going to use her as bait for a lion or something. That was only once."

Her joke was not appreciated by either of the parents while the others in the room tried to hide their humor. Turning on her heels, Abby followed Miller out.

Marcus pulled a radio off of the charger nearby and tinkered with hit before handing it off to Octavia. "Check in every half hour." When it looked like the girl was about to argue, he raised an eyebrow that quickly silenced her. They would not be taking Tyga at all if it wasn't for him so they would obey his conditions.

The entire camp knew that the chancellor and her right hand man were not to be crossed when it came to their silver eyed daughter. It had taken long enough for their people to accept the girl as one of their own, but now she was treated with kindness and the familial ease that many people treated Abby with as well. Tyga was one of them, as was Lincoln.

"If you're not back by sunset I'm sending Bellamy and Monty after you and I will not be happy," he told them firmly. Raven almost laughed at how soft Marcus Kane seemed to be since he came to earth. She had a feeling a lot of that was because of Abby. Any fool could tell they were in love even if they never spoke of their relationship or lack thereof. They were more than just co-parenting for little girl who loved both of them, they had actually managed their own little family between the three of them.

For a short moment, Raven wished Clarke could see her mother now. Before the girl left, she had once mentioned she was glad her mother had Tyga to love. It was clear that Clarke didn't believe she deserved loved after some of the things she did, and at the time Raven would have been the first to confirm that to her. After all, she was the one who killed Finn, the boy they both loved. Now, she understood but at the time she was sure Clarke was every bit of the monster that Clarke thought she was.

If Clarke could see the way Abby and Marcus looked out for not just the whole camp, but also each other and their daughter, she would be pleased.

You should be here, Clarke, Raven thought. You would love teaching Tyga about how to get in and out of all kinds of trouble with us.

"Love you, princess," Marcus told Tyga as he too pressed a kiss to her cheek and gave her knee a little squeeze.

"Love you too, Papa."

Octavia rolled her eyes good naturedly. "We're going for a short ride, we're not sending her off to war."

Marcus gave her a look but accepted her jest.

"We'll be back by sunset," Lincoln confirmed again. "Please ensure Abby of that as well."

With a nod, Marcus allowed the trio to exit leaving on him and Raven in the space. "So," she began putting both her hands on her hips. "You and Abby knocking boots yet?"

"Raven," the man sighed shaking his head in exhaustion. Seriously, sometimes he felt too old to be running a camp of nosey teenagers with too much power.

She nodded. "Not yet. Got it."

"Raven."

She shrugged and plopped down on the couch, making it clear she was getting comfortable to continue this conversation. "I just mean, Abby's a catch. She's busy as hell, but she's also hot and we all know she's smart."

"Raven." The girl was always meddling, and though he knew she meant well, well enough at least, he really wished the girl had something better to do than nose into their personal life. He knew she had better things to do, she just wasn't doing them.

"Listen, Kane," she started again, this time shifting forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "You have a kid together. You share freaking quarters, you're always hovering around each other and if you don't make a move on her someone else will. You could be beat out by some hot, younger piece of man and it would be your own fault."

Marcus rolled her eyes. "Abby wouldn't go for a younger man, Raven."

She raised a challenging eyebrow. "Do you really know that? Let's face it, she could definitely be a cougar." When Marcus didn't respond to her she studied him for a bit longer. "Unless you do know it." He said nothing, just continued working on the map in front of him. Suddenly the girl was on her feet. "Oh my God, you finally made a move."

With a sigh Marcus shot the girl a glare. "How does Abby put up with you?" The girl only grinned and waited for more. "I am not worried about Abby seeking out attention from other men," he clarified for her, if only to get her to shut up and leave him alone.

The smug look only intensified. "You what you're saying is you told her you love her, but you both are too busy and sleep deprived to actually get any."

When Marcus shot her a look she all but jumped up and clapped. "I knew it. You all are too damn cute. So cute it actually makes me a little sick. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone… for a bit."

Just like that she was out the door leaving Marcus with a big enough headache for him to be concerned her needed medical attention. Or maybe all he needed was Abby's attention.

With a frustrated groan, he tossed the clipboard he was holding on the couch and headed out the door toward medical. The woman hadn't slept for days and she was very aware that if it wasn't for him holding her up, she would have already crumbled into failure.

He found her standing in medical re-bandaging one of his man's hands that had caught a blade and broke a few bones. The moment she caught his eye, he could tell exactly how tired she really was. More than anything, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and let her breathe again.

Placing a bottle of medicine in the man's hand, she turned her attention to Marcus. She offered him a small smile as she went to make note of something. "Didn't I just see you?" she quipped as she worked. He only response was a smile as she sighed. "I could really use my daughter's help with some of this," she muttered as she dropped her pen beside the pad she was writing on and hung her head.

Without thought, he moved in behind her running his hand up her back to massage the tight muscles in her shoulders. Almost instantly she relaxed and into his touched as she closed her eyes.

Missing and worrying about Clarke was still a part of Abby's everyday life, but he noticed that most recently she only mentioned her daughter in a more professional environment. It seemed like she was trying to separate her pain from hit. He'd still wake her at night when she cried out Clarke's name, begging her to stay, but during her waking hours she only spoke of Clarke's usefulness to their community.

Nightmares however did not just begin and end with Clarke. He would also hear her whimper his name, asking him to help her before screaming out in pain or her desperately calling to Tyga when it seemed that her dream land had taken her other daughter.

"So many contraception implants have been removed I'm concerned about a baby boom," she sighed as she ran her hands over her face while his hands continued his work. She looked as though she could fall asleep on her feet.

Suddenly she turned around in his arms and pressed her face into his neck. She needed to be held and he wrapped his arms around her instantly. Pressing her body into him like she wanted to disappear with him she let out a sigh.

"How many more patients do you have?" he asked softly. Part of him was considering carrying her out of the clinic and tucking her into their bed. If he was lucky he may be able to catch a bit of sleep with her.

"Two, maybe three. That's if no one else shows up in that time." He could feel her snuggling in closer and relax as he began to gently massage her scalp.

"Any way Jackson could handle them?" he asked glancing at the list of names split between the two of them. Jackson had one name left on the list.

"He needs to go home and sleep too. He's basically running medical nowadays," she sighed somehow falling even closer to sleep. He wasn't exactly sure when the last time she slept was, but he knew they hadn't laid down together in over a week. He had managed to catch a couple of hours here and there on the couch in the office, but Abby was always working when he fell asleep and when he woke.

"You're running medical and the entire colony."

When she only hummed, Marcus made the decision for her. Scooping her legs out from underneath her, he cradled her in his arms. At first she startled and tried to argue, but with a firm look she silence. That's how he knew she was exhausted, when Abby Griffin didn't argue.

"Jackson?" he called, shifting Abby into a more comfortable position as her head lulled into his chest. The younger man poked his head through the door. He wore an annoyed and tired expression, as he had for a couple weeks now.

"I'm taking Abby home."

It was not a question, or a suggestion, it was a statement. Without another word Marcus moved past the man. He had barely made it out of medical when he could feel Abby's breathing start to even out.

For a long moment it was concerning how quickly she feel asleep to him. As long as he had known her, Abby was not a light sleeper. Espeically now with Tyga. A single move or sound from Tyga had Abby stirring awake and awaiting more. Not to mention she always waited for him to even attempt sleep.

Every night he was on late rounds, he would find her sitting on their bed with a book in hand either with Tyga curled up against her or the little girl's curtain pulled to keep the light off of her while she slept. He knew that Abby was a big believer in Tyga sleeping in her own bed, but he also knew that Abby did not like feeling alone. Even just in their private quarters, Abby needed someone there with her.

It probably came from being so busy. She hadn't had a moment truly to herself since the ark and then she probably had too many moments to herself.

He held her close, even when they arrived at their quarters. She slept best he was able to hold her that close. Even then it wasn't exactly peaceful. As he settled them on their bed, he could feel her start to tense as he laid down next to her. His lips pressed to her hair as he wrapped his arms around her back.

Without so much as a boost, Tyga slid off Octavia's horse before she had even come to a stop. She slid off easily and quickly took off toward the Winter Berry trees. They were her favorite, and she knew exactly where to find them in the area. It was the perfect time to pick them and she had been waiting all winter to gather some for her and her mama. Papa probably wouldn't like them. They were a mix of tart and sweet and he was not a fan of anything with too much taste.

"I thought that was where you were heading," Lincoln chuckled as he watched Tyga easily climb up the divided branch. She moved so easily that amused him. Obviously she was trikru, even if it wasn't always seen.

"Mama will like them," Tyga explained, wrapping her legs around a limb and dangling upside down to look at him. "I wanna share."

"You gunna share with me?" Octavia asked as she tossed the little girl up a bag.

In truth, Lincoln expected the little girl to say no, so when she shrugged instead he was a bit impressed. Winter Berries were hard to come by and only a few trikru even knew where to find them, even fewer were light and nimble enough to get to the good berries that grew at the top of the trees, where the sun hit them.

There was legend to the winter berries as well. They grew when everything around them died. Some nations believed they were made of foul spirits, others believed that they contained power. The trikru believed the latter.

Tyga's mother had been known for climbing and collecting the berries twice a winter, once at the very beginning and again at the end. It was the only time the berries were perfect enough to eat.

"What about Kane?" Octavia tried again, watching the girl climb higher and higher up the up tree. It was probably a good thing she was out there with Lincoln and Octavia rather than her parents. They would probably be in a mad panic over watching her climb thirty feet up in a tree so easily.

"Papa can have some, but he won't like them either," she called back.

Lincoln smirked at the girl as she continued to climb up branch by branch. "We're going hunting. Don't fall or do anything stupid, okay?"

She stuck out her tongue at them as they headed off. Hopefully Lincoln would bring her back a rabbit pelt like he had promised her. She wanted to make a shawl for herself before it was too cold.

Poppy, who had happily trotted along after the horses, settled herself at bottom of the tree.

Tyga really didn't remember a whole lot about her parents, she just had feelings about them. This was just one of the places she felt them. At this point she wasn't even sure how long ago her parents died at this point. All she knew was that they weren't there anymore.

She grabbed a couple of berries and resisted the temptation to pop the berries in her mouth. They smelled like home. She closed her eyes as she brought one of the berries up to her nose and she inhaled.

One by one, she picked the berries. Every one she chose was carefully examine to ensure it was the perfect blueish purple with no flaws and smelled perfectly ripe. All she could think about was how much her mama was going to love them too. It would be like sharing them with her real mama…

A wave of sadness hit her as she once again felt confused. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go home to her mama and papa. Pulling her knife from her boot, she looked up at the higher portions of the tree. She could easily climb just a bit higher.

Pressing the knife into the bark of the tree, she carefully carved her name with the perfect letter Mama and Tavia had been teaching her. T-Y-G-A.

For a moment she just admired it. She liked to practice in the dirt because if she did a letter wrong she could just dust it away and try again. However, she was becoming more confident in her writing skills. Then she added Skaikru right underneath it. Because she was.

Sliding her knife back into her boot, she carefully started to moved back down the tree, the bag of berries tied to a loop in her pants. By the time her feet hit the cold ground again, she was already looking for her next adventure. Poppy yawned and stretched as she followed behind her master.

"Tyga!" Abby called happily to her little girl as she came running back into medical with a bag in hand. She went straight to her mama and leaped into her arms. It was easy to see that Abby was better rested than she had been and even more cheery. Tyga settled in her mother's arms as she happily held up the bag.

"Present!"

The big smile on Tyga's face had Abby almost glowing. The sight of Abby sitting on the end of a table with their daughter on her lap, completely bemused by the happiness they had found in each other had Marcus's heart fluttering. Somehow he was sure he would never get tired of seeing those two girls so happy with the attention of the other.

"You have a present, huh?" Abby's hands held onto Tyga's back to ensure she didn't fall backward as she opened the bag and reveal a large blueish berry. Immediately he could tell Abby was curious about it.

Quietly Lincoln sat down beside Kane and also watched as Tyga took a bite of one end and offered Abby the other. It was clear that Abby was hesitant about it, but she quickly followed and took the rest of the berry in her mouth.

Marcus watched Abby's expression carefully as she let the taste of the berry fill her mouth. At first she pursed her lips and then her eyes softened. Whatever it was, Abby certainly enjoyed it.

"Delicious!" Abby assured the little girl who broke out into an even bigger smile.

But then that smile slowly fell and Abby could feel the change of Tyga's emotions. Brushing Tyga's hair out of her face, Abby waited for her daughter to speak. Those silver eyes started to mist over as Tyga's gaze fell.

Marcus quickly got up and moved to his girls, placing one hand on Tyga's back while his other arm went around Abby to settle on her opposite hip.

"I sorry," Tyga hiccupped quickly brushing away falling tears with the back of her hand.

Marcus gave his daughter a soft smile as he rubbed her back. "Don't be sorry for crying, baby. Maybe if you tell Mama and I what's upset you we can help."

For a moment she looked up and her chin quivered, but she said nothing. Instead she wrapped her arms tightly around Abby's neck and let out a hard sob. All Abby could do was hold on while Tyga's sobs echoed through their quarters, looking helplessly up at Marcus who scrambled to hold as much of both of them as possible.

"Winter berries are a gift to be shared with family."

Lincoln's voice had both parents looking up at him as he spoke stoically despite the disheartened features on his face. "Tyga's mother was one of the few people who knew where and when to gather them."

He didn't need to say more. Tears pricked at Tyga's eyes as she held her baby closer. She didn't think of Tyga's birth mother often, not because she didn't think she was worthy but because it was easier for her to push the thoughts of another mother loving her daughter out of her head. The child was little, young, maybe three or four years old. Definitely not old enough to really have any cognitive idea what was happening around her. In fact, Tyga may have not understood why she was crying either.

There was not the tiniest doubt in Abby's mind that Tyga didn't love her and accept her as her mother. Marcus was her father. Clarke was her sister.

Together all of them were a family no matter if they were all present or not.

"Thank you for taking her out with you today," Abby replied quietly, not trusting her voice to be any louder as she rocked Tyga against Marcus's body. It was enough to cue the young man to leave without further note.

She continued to rock Tyga slowly with whispers of love and reassurance until Tyga's sobs were hiccups that soon became mews of slumber. Her body leaned into Marcus as she bit her lip and closed her own eyes to keep tears at bay.

"She's alright," he assured her quietly, punctuating the statement with a kiss to the back of her hair.

"I know," Abby mumbled in response, her voice cracking as she turned her forehead into his neck and sighed.

Somehow all this made her miss Clarke even more. It made her miss Jake too. It wasn't that she wasn't completely overjoyed to have Marcus and Tyga, but she couldn't help but miss them at the same time with so much gut splitting pain that it broke her.

Apparently Marcus must have been thinking somewhat similar thoughts because he suddenly held her a little tighter and let out a heavy breath. "Can you imagine how spoiled she would be if my mother were here."

The very thought triggered a chuckle from Abby because she could easily see Vero and Tyga getting themselves into as much trouble and adventure as they pleased from their love of Earth and one another.

They had all lost a lot. Sometimes she tried to forget it even if it was completely impossible to forget. Perhaps that was why she had so easily fallen in love with Tyga. It was more than Tyga was a child who needed to be loved when Abby needed to give love, but a mutual understanding of grief. Of what it was like to struggle to keep going. To know what it was like to fall and fail and wish everything was back to where it once was.

"Promise me we won't leave her," Abby whispered weakly as she held her eyes closed against tears and played with the ends of Tyga's curls. "One of us always has to be here for her to come back to."

For a moment Abby wanted to leave it at that, but she couldn't. There as more than just that. She needed him to come back to as well. She couldn't survive losing another person she loved so much. One more loss like Jake's death or Clarke leaving would completely and officially break her.

"And you always have to come back to me."

Her voice was calm and clear as she took the moment to look into his eyes. She completely meant it. Of course he knew that. The idea of going on with her was more painful than death to him.

Carefully he reached up, brushing away a falling tear from her cheek as they took each other in. "A morning does not have a sun without you," he whispered to her before placing his lips on hers.

That was all the promise she needed to know that he would come back to her. However she also knew that the world had a way of overcoming will to break them.