𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐄 → john murphy [1] ✓

→𝟷.𝟶𝟺←

The sun beat down hot against Rosie's face. They had finally made it to the desert, which meant Jaha thought they were close. In reality, Rosie had a feeling he had no clue where they were. She pulled tighter at the cloth she had wrapped around her face, the best way they could think of to avoid sunburn. Her father had taken to walking beside her for a few hours, although neither spoke. At the front of the group, her mother and John walked alongside Jaha. Everyone seemed sluggish, and Rosie realized the morale had never been so low.

"Sir, do you recognize anything?" A man asked as the group slowly came to a halt.

"The tent was near here," Jaha declared, pointing out a shaky hand towards the sand dunes before them. "I'm sure of it."

Rosie felt her stomach drop at the sound of the second part. She wasn't sure if he was saying it to convince them, or himself. She watched as a few of the members shared tentative glances. Perhaps they were finally starting to realize what a mistake this was. She too shared a nervous glance, first with her father then with a pair of eyes that had already been resting on her. Piercing green eyes that belonged to none other than John Murphy. He was the first to break the gaze, pushing through two men that were sharing their inhibitions.

"What's the matter?" He started, before turning to look back at the men. "You guys got someplace better to be?"

Rosie felt a smile creeping onto her face at his insistent sarcasm. Even now, when they were low on water and supplies crossing the freaking desert, he was still being a humorous ass. She hoped he would never change. Her father caught a glimpse of her smile before it disappeared, causing fear to grow inside of him. The last thing he needed was for his daughter to get involved with someone like John Murphy. Not when he was trying to get her back.

"So, ya got a boyfriend?" Her father awkwardly questioned, scratching at the back of his neck.

"What?" Rosie's eyebrows shot up at the question. Her father and her had hardly spoken on this trek, it felt a little late for him to be playing protective dad now.

"Girlfriend?" He pushed on, trying to show he was openminded. He stuck out his hand to his daughter as they began to descend the dunes and was shocked when she accepted it.

"No to both." She replied after a few seconds, careful not to lose her footing. The last thing she needed was to stumble and go hurling down the mountain of sand.

"What about that Blake boy? Don't you room with him?" Her father pressed on, somewhat hopeful.

Since the ark came down, he had hardly spoken to his daughter. Not because he didn't want to, but because his wife wouldn't let him. Even when they were fighting to survive, his wife only cared about appearances. And in her book, associating with their daughter was a negative. He had kept tabs on her, though. He'd ask around about her, check to make sure she got into her room safe, beg Abby not to let her go on guard missions, no matter how hard she tried. Lucky for him, she was a terrible shot anyway. She just wanted to stay with Bellamy. All of those things combined had led him to believe she had a relationship with the boy, and he even came to accept it. At the end of the day, he knew she could always date someone worse. Like John Murphy.

"Just friends." She replied shortly, hoping she could stop discussing her love life with her estranged father.

"Seems like a nice kid, maybe—"

"Dad." She cut him off sternly, hoping he'd take the hint and let it go. 

It was the first time she'd referenced him like that since the ark came down. His heart filled with joy as he realized maybe there was still hope for their family. A smile grew on his face and just as he was about to point it out, she stopped walking. She didn't have time to process what she had said, she was too busy staring ahead. In front of her, Murphy and Jaha stood side by side staring at something. Rosie could see it too, and it looked just like an old abandoned cart. She was suddenly filled with hope, perhaps there could be some food or water on it.