They had offered to go back.
They might have regretted it later on, but Clarke and Bellamy willingly volunteered to go back to the dropship to scavenge supplies they had stored away before the first battle. Abby and Marcus couldn't spare any guards and Clarke had left supplies and things in medbay. Bellamy had offered to be her 'protector', although he told her later that she was accident-prone so he just had to come with her.
The trek didn't take long. With Anya, Clarke had taken 15 minutes at most to get to Camp Jaha, but it was a leisurely stroll with Bellamy next to her. They were sure to take careful steps so they wouldn't trip.
The shock when they got there was immense. Beautiful flowers and grass had started to grow in the ashes of charred tents and dead bodies. Little tree sprouts were budding in the wake of a disaster.
"Wow." Clarke breathed out, taking small, unsure steps towards the dropship, as if not wanting to harm the innocent beauty with her damaged, heavy feet.
The sound of Bellamy's feet crunching behind her made her aware of her surrounding again. Suddenly, she was angry at herself. Her faint steps turned into heavy stomps as she made her way into the old medbay and she picked up a box to go through. Instantly, Bellamy noticed the change in her mood.
"You alright there, Princess." He said, less of a question and more as a statement. He knew her well enough to know when she's had a nightmare the night before and when she's only grumpy because she had been depriving herself of food, and he knew why the air changed around her so suddenly right then. He was thinking the same thing.
This had been her home, their home. They had built a life here with their bare hands. Their first memories of Earth were at this spot. Their dead were buried here. And they burnt it to the ground, along with some of their friends and 300 warriors.
"We were responsible for this place," Clarke said in a hoarse voice while sorting through the bin of objects. "and we destroyed it." Her hands, still in the bin, started becoming more violent, rummaging through loudly, and throwing things to the side.
"Clarke." His voice cuts in. She doesn't stop. "Clarke!" His voice becomes louder and more urgent. "Princess, stop!"
She whirls around and the tears are already coming. Her hands suddenly grasp at his shirt and curls, clawing his back and then coming to rest on his sides. Her face meets his warm chest and his strong arms envelope her.
Clarke doesn't know how long they stood like that.
She lifts her head and mumbles "It was never much but we tried, Bellamy. We made the most of it."
"Shhh, I know, Princess. I know." He strokes her soft hair, a smile toying at his lips. "How about I grab everything from in here and you go check on Wells, okay?" Clarke gives Bellamy a grateful smile and a kiss on the cheek before she leaves.
When Wells died, Clarke visited the grave site every day. It had become a part of her normal routine, something Bellamy understood and didn't nag her for. He got it.
But Clarke hasn't seen the graves in over 4 months.
She felt extremely guilty about it. After all, she blamed herself for Wells dying. She had hated him for over a year and when they finally came to speaking terms again, she ditched him because she was too tired so he took up night watch. He ended up with a knife in his neck and two fingers missing. She thinks that maybe if they decided to hang out, he and Charlotte would still be alive and- "Bellamy!" Clarke yelled without thinking.
He was by her side in less than 30 seconds. "What's wrong Clarke? Did something happen or- holy shit." His eyes maneuver over to where Clarke's finger was mentally leading him. "Is that-"
"Yeah, it is." Clarke can't even believe her eyes. "And it's fucking beautiful." She steps closer in amazement.
"Must be a gift from god." Bellamy breathes out. He grabs Clarke's hand and pulls her over. She takes his hand in hers and slowly brings it up to touch the pink blossoms. "Did you know that these trees were a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo City in 1912 and given to the U.S.-"He notices Clarke's mesmerized gaze and blushes. "Sorry."
"No, I'm just surprised at your knowledge of history." Her hand brushes his cheek. "It's amazing, actually." She caresses his freckled face. His gaze switches from her face, to her hand, to something behind her.
"Hey, would you look at that." He nods his head to where he was looking. "Must be another gift from the man up above." She turns around and smiles when she sees what he's talking about.
"Wow, the cherry blossoms are right above Wells' grave." Her brows crinkle. "He didn't deserve to die so soon." Her joyful mood became sorrowful again.
"None of these people did." His arm comes around her shoulder and he hugs her close. They just gaze out at all of the graves for a moment, taking in the beauty of something so dreadful.
"I don't know how we let this place go, Bell. It was our home."
"Well, welcome home, Princess. We can stay as long as you'd like." They watch the sunset as they find warmth in each other.
