Bellamy doesn't know what to do with his hands, he holds them hovering over the bed for a moment, his strong arms tense, gently sweeping his fingers across the soft, feathered texture of the baby's hair. He doesn't know why, but in that moment, his whole body is paralyzed by the implications of taking the small sleeping child in his arms. He watches the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, her intricate fingers balled in an impossibly small fist resting at her side. He sees Clarke in her already; he recognizes the determined leader in the baby's sleeping features, tracing Clarke's round heart shaped face like a map of a place Bellamy has always known in his heart, her familiar lips miniaturized in this baby, her mouth slightly agape. When open, her eyes flash with the same brilliant blue as her mother, matching their intensity in these young eyes that look around constantly, trying to absorb the world around her. Funnily enough, in the same way this serious child scans the new world around her, Bellamy is reminded of the first time the 100 landed on the ground, his eyes had been glued to Octavia's back as his headstrong sister spun around and whooped into the liberating air, yet at the same moment his eyes had wandered to that of the girl from the dropship, her defiant stare, chin angled up towards him as she flashed him a look that just dared him to disagree with her, and he more than willing to comply. When he sees Clarke, her face showered in a gentle ray of sunlight, the tension he had read in her eyes had been erased from her glowing iris' as they shone with a radiant excitement to just be a part of this lush new world. To him, this girl was something fantastically new, she was stubborn and strong and of course she would get in his way, challenge him, and this thrilled him in a strange way that made his stomach flip. He could not tear his gaze from her star struck eyes, their blue depths like an ocean of mystery. Even then he had recognized something special in Clarke Griffin, and she had not disappointed him, time after time proving to surprise him with her strength, her courage and her love.
His heart beating wildly in his chest Bellamy carefully scoops his hands around the baby, her doll-like size making his hands look abnormally large, and lifts her to his chest. Without batting an eye, the baby nestles her cheek to his heart and his breath catches in his throat. As much as he sees Clarke in her, Bellamy sees pieces of himself in the baby's fragility. Her dark curls and freckled cheeks a reminder of what he sees in himself, and the thought terrifies him. What kind of an influence will he be for his daughter, will his faults shine through to her? The crippling agony he feels already in himself is something he only wants to keep from baring down on his daughter's tiny shoulders. He would carry the weight of the world for her, yet he fears he cannot escape the monster inside of him.
A small whimper escapes the baby's lips as she begins to squirm in his arms, instinctively, Bellamy rocks her in his arms, and he hums the soft entrancing lullaby Clarke had sung the day they had stood together over Atom, Clarke able to inflict gentle mercy on the dying boy when he did not have the strength to. The baby's eyes flash up at him, a searching look in her unfocused gaze that seems to recognize him and a warm feeling washes over him as he realizes it doesn't matter who he is, or what he's done. What matters is that he will be here always for this little girl, as her protecter, her comforter, her friend. He is reminded of Clarke's words ringing in his ear,"I need you, Bellamy, we all need you." I can't loose you too." "I love you."Bellamy gently angles his chin so the baby can see his face, his eyes raw and gentle as he croons, "Its ok Aurora, I've got you Princess, I'll do anything for you, to protect you, always."