Disclaimer - I don't own anything to do with the 100. Story title and inspiration 'Lay It All On Me' is from Rudimental feat. Ed Sheeran.

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Lay It All On Me

Chapter 1

If you're hurting, if you're hurting

Lay it all on me

You can lay it all on me.

~ Then ~

Spring, 2015

"Clarke! My brother's here, I want you to meet him!" Octavia calls out to her over the heavy bass of the music. Grabbing onto Clarke's hand, she excitedly guides them through the mass of sweaty bodies and off the dance floor.

They approach the table they had reserved earlier in the night, which is at the back of the 'Grounder's Club', where it is quieter and more intimate. Clarke notices a young man with dark curly hair and a serious expression on his face, as he talks to Octavia's boyfriend, Lincoln. Even with the soft warm glow of the downlights dancing across the man's face, she can make out dark eyes, olive skin and a soft dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks. He's gorgeous. As he takes a drink from his beer, Clarke can't help but admire his toned arm muscles and broad shoulders in his navy blue shirt. Her heart gives a flutter and she suddenly feels nervous.

Clarke watches as Octavia reaches her brother's side and pulls him into a tight hug. He returns her embrace with a smile that lights up his entire face.

"I've missed you big brother."

"I've missed you too," he replies in a deep smooth voice. "I've only been gone a couple of months and look at you," he appraises, standing back to admire her. "I swear you've gotten taller."

"Nah, it's probably the heels," she jokes as she lifts up a sequin encrusted shoe to show him.

He chuckles, "It must be." Taking a more serious tone he adds, "So Lincoln tells me you're still going well with your classes."

"All going well, stop worrying," she assures him with a sigh, and takes a seat, gesturing to Clarke to sit next to her.

"It's what I do best, O" he replies light-heartedly, sitting down across from her and taking a long sip of his beer.

Octavia places an arm around Clarke's shoulders, giving it a comforting squeeze, before turning her attention back to her brother. "So Bell, this is my friend Clarke, the one I've been telling you about. She works with Lincoln." Looking back over to Clarke with a wink she adds, "Clarke, this is my over protective, stubborn ass, brother, Bellamy. He will never admit it, but amongst that tough exterior of his is a heart of gold," She sums up, her tone playful.

Clarke smiles at the guy that she's heard so much about over the last few months. She was keen to meet the man, who took it upon himself to apply and be granted guardianship of his younger sister after their mother had passed away. At the time he'd only been 21 years old and had dropped out of college to take a job as a security guard so he could offer a more stable home life for Octavia, who'd been 13 years old.

"It's nice to meet you." Clarke smiles nervously. "Octavia never shuts up about you."

Bellamy's dark brown eyes finally fall onto hers and they give a hard and apprehensive look. He then curls up his lips into a forced smile. "O has told me a lot about you too," he replies curtly.

Feeling suddenly put off by the coldness of his actions and his abrupt tone of voice, she tries to ignore it, along with the nerves swirling in her belly. "Well I hope it was all good," she laughs awkwardly.

Bellamy pulls a face and takes another sip of his beer, avoiding eye contact with her. Clarke feels her heart sink and her face go red. This was not going well at all. Where was the nice guy who was just joking around with his sister? Where was the guy who tutored his sister in history or learnt how to braid her hair so she wouldn't feel left out at school or taught her how to drive a car or helped her get into college? Does she have another brother? Because it's hard to believe that the unpleasant guy sitting in front of her is the same one Octavia has been raving about.

Noticing the uncomfortable silence settling in the air, Octavia speaks up with gentle concern. "Is everything alright, Bell? You don't seem like yourself."

Instantly noticing the worry in his sister's eyes, Bellamy takes her hand and flashes her a comforting smile. "Everything is fine, O. Don't worry, I'm taking care of it."

Unable to hide the worried lines forming on her face, Octavia leans over the table so she's closer to Bellamy, and softens her voice. "Did everything go alright at the hearing? You were gone longer than you said you would. It's done now? Over?" she asks anxiously.

Clarke tries not to eavesdrop into their conversation, but it's impossible considering their close proximity to one another. Looking to distract herself, Clarke looks down and fiddles with the lace material on her black dress. Taking a chance she glances up and looks over to Lincoln, hoping to see some reassurance in his features. His eyes are kind but he gives a tight smile in return.

"Everything went well, O," Bellamy assures her, keeping his voice quiet. "The problem was taken care of. And in return they accepted my resignation and they're going to write a letter of recommendation and support my college application. I've got this." he promises.

After a few moments of silence, Clarke peeks over and observes Octavia. She is staring at Bellamy with a measured look, like she is carefully considering what he just said. After a moment her eyes flash brightly in relief and her mouth shifts into a smile. "Okay, good." As she becomes more aware of her surroundings and the people sharing a table with her, Octavia declares "Alright, enough of this serious adult stuff. It's Saturday night - let's get drunk. Lincoln and I, are going to get drinks."

Clarke looks over to Lincoln, who is staring back at her with a worried look. She's about to speak up and announce she's happy to go and get the drinks, as she couldn't think of anything more painful and awkward than being left alone with Bellamy. However, Octavia quickly grabs Lincoln's hand, gives Clarke a wink and says "Be nice, Bell, she's my best friend," before she drags Lincoln over to the bar.

For a few minutes Clarke and Bellamy remain seated in an uneasy silence and avoid each other's gazes. She can still feel the indifference shooting off him. What the hell has she done to cause him to act this way? What's his problem? She sneaks a subtle glance his way and observes him concentrating ridiculously hard on drinking the last dregs of his beer.

Sighing inwardly at the rejection that the supposed nice guy in front of her would much rather pay more attention to the backwash sitting at the bottom of his beer glass then to her, she looks around the bar, watching the other party goers. She feels a hint of jealousy - all of them are smiling, laughing, dancing and seemingly having a good time. None of them are currently trapped next to a guy who is being a rude and disrespectful dickhead. Bellamy Blake doesn't seem to care about making a good first impression.

Wishing Octavia and Lincoln would hurry up with their drinks, she begins to realise that she doesn't want things to be this way between her and Bellamy. Octavia is her best friend and she knows if she can't get along with her brother, things will be difficult. She only moved here a few months ago and Octavia is her only real friend, so she needs to get along with him. From what she could gather from the brief and tense conversation between them earlier, something serious must be going on with Bellamy's job. Things like that can be stressful and Clarke knows all too well how easy it is to lose your sense of self when you're feeling under pressure and worried. Maybe his bad attitude is just a onetime thing and he's just having a bad night. She should try to give him the benefit of the doubt. Give him another chance. For Octavia.

Feeling a sense of optimism, Clarke turns her head towards him with a determined smile on her face. She is shocked to see that he is already looking back at her, staring intently with a look she can't decipher.

Noticing her gaze on his, he quickly sets his eyes hard and his mouth into a frown. "This isn't going to work," his states firmly, "I know this is a set up."

"What's not going to work?" Clarke's brows furrow in confusion.

Bellamy shakes his head in frustration. "You're kidding right? You couldn't see this coming a mile away? My sister is trying to set us up!"

Clarke's jaw drops and her blue eyes open wide as saucers. Is that why Octavia winked at her before? This was news to her. She thought she was meeting her brother because he's one of the most important people in her life.

"You're telling me princess, that my sister hasn't been talking about me more than usual to you lately?" He said, breaking through her stupor. "In the last month all I've heard on the phone is Clarke this and Clarke that," He adds, rolling his eyes.

Thinking about it carefully now, yes, Octavia has been talking about Bellamy more than usual lately, but she just thought she missed her brother, not that she was telling Clarke all this stuff so she would date him.

Wait! Clarke's brain finally catches up and registers something - did he just call me princess? The feeling of nerves that were swirling in her belly earlier were now starting to boil in anger. How dare he!

"Did you just call me princess?" she asks incredulously.

Bellamy's lips curl into an arrogant smirk. "I know all about you, princess."

Clarke's eyes flash with disbelief and her mouth parts in shock. She didn't misunderstand him, he did say it. And now he seems to be getting off on her reaction, if the look on his face at the moment is anything to go by – his eyes are glinting in triumph.

Taking advantage of her lack of response, he continues. "When Octavia told me you guys had become friends and that I should meet you, I thought it was strange that you just seemed to have appeared in her life out of nowhere. And when I asked Octavia questions about you, she said she didn't know too much. That's when alarm bells started ringing in my head. So I decided to do some investigating." He stops dramatically and pulls out a folded piece of paper from the back of his jeans. Placing it on the table he looks over to Clarke smugly.

Clarke continues to stare at him in a strange and unbelievable wonder as shock and disbelief run through her body. Her mouth feels dry and her voice won't cooperate. She feels her hands clenching into fists, she would love to lean over the table and wipe that obnoxious smirk right off his cruel yet gorgeous face. Eurgh! Octavia wasn't kidding when she said he was overprotective. She also should have added mean, ignorant, judgemental and a psycho.

She suddenly feels a rush of laughter rise up from the back of her throat. Her whole body shakes in amusement and she releases a little snort. She is flabbergasted at his boldness and the absurdity of this whole situation.

"You think this is funny, princess? He asks, through gritted teeth.

"I do actually," Clarke smiles in amusement. Looking at him she feels a sense of satisfaction when she notices his nostrils flaring and his jaw clenching in anger. "Let me get this straight." Clarke continues taking a deep breath and trying to keep the laughter at bay. "You run background checks on everyone that Octavia comes into contact with. Do you know how obscene and creepy that sounds?"

Bellamy leans over the table, boring his face sternly into hers, "I take the welfare of my sister very seriously. My sister, my responsibility." He states it like it's a fact, like he's reciting a mantra.

"I would never intentionally hurt your sister." Clarke snaps back, her blue eyes staying glued to his blazing brown ones. She's not backing down.

"Really? So she knows all about where you're from and who your family is?" he asks, incredulously.

Feeling suddenly alarmed and taken back, Clarke furrows her brows in surprise and turns her face away from him, determined not to show any more emotion. She hasn't told Octavia or anyone for that matter where she's from and why she's here. She has her reasons not to share anything about her previous life. She doesn't do it to be cruel or to keep people in the dark. She enjoys her life now in Arcadia and the freedom she finally has. She isn't ready to confront her past just yet.

Not seeming to care about the dilemma currently playing through Clarke's mind, Bellamy straightens himself up in his chair and folds his arms across his chest like he's some superior leader. Breaking the silence he resumes goading her, "I'm quite surprised you get along with Octavia so well, since you wouldn't be used to conversing with the peasants of Arcadia."

Failing to hide her emotions any longer, she turns around and fires back, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're from Mount Weather!" he states, like he's answering the simplest question in the world. "Your family is known as royalty amongst the town's higher social circle." He unfolds the piece of paper he brought out earlier. Clarke looks over at it and can see it's a copy of a newspaper article with a photograph. Recognising it immediately, Clarke nervously chews on her lip and says nothing.

Looking pleased with himself, Bellamy begins to read the article out loud in a patronising tone…

"All eyes were on the esteemed Griffin family tonight. Well respected researcher Dr. Jake Griffin, along with his wife, Mount Weather Hospital's emergency department head, Dr. Abby Griffin, and their daughter, Clarke Griffin who is currently studying pre-med at the prestigious Mount Weather Academy, took centre stage tonight as they were out celebrating the Mayor's birthday at Town Hall. Both doctors have been long-time friends and supporters of Mayor Jaha, as well as esteemed members of the town's council. Their contributions and financial support has helped the town expand and prosper, notably over the last ten years. Dr. Jake Griffin, has brought about –''

"That's enough!" Clarke interjects sharply. She can't bear to hear any more of this ridiculous and self-serving article (that her mother demanded to feature) come out of Bellamy's disdainful mouth. On top of that, if he mentions her father again, she will well and truly lose it. He obviously hadn't done that much research on her, considering the article is nearly a year old and her father died 6 months ago. There was no way in hell she was bringing that to his attention. Pushing down the mixture of anger and sadness that the article stirred within, she turns to him directly, wearing a stony expression.

"Well isn't that a nice memento for your familys scrapbook," Bellamy sneers, throwing the article on the table in disgust. "So, tell me, what is Mount Weather's princess doing in Arcadia slumming it with its working class?" Relishing in her silence he continues talking down to her, "Maybe the princess is rebelling against the King and Queen? Or maybe the princess didn't realise that med school was actually going to be hard work and she couldn't take the pressure? Am I getting close, sweetheart?"

Choosing not to get sucked into his little game, she decides to ignore and deflect a question right back at him - one that she thinks will rile him up. "You know you seem awfully worked up and obsessed with someone you've just met - what are you, jealous?"

"Don't flatter yourself princess," Bellamy spits in disgust. "My issue is that you have been lying to my sister and are using her in whatever little game you've got going on with your family."

"This whole thing is ridiculous. You're ridiculous!" Clarke shouts back wildly. "I may not have been entirely truthful to your sister about my family, but that's my business. I'm not using Octavia or anyone."

"I don't appreciate liars and I don't trust you," he growls back, his mind made up. "Octavia has had too many people lie to her throughout her life –''

Clarke cuts in. "I know what you and Octavia have been through, but you don't –"

"You don't know anything about what we've been through!" Bellamy bellows back. "You think you have some kind of understanding of us because my sister shared some tidbits of our childhood to you? He asks ludicrously. "People from Mount Weather can never understand what it's like for people in Arcadia. Our towns are only a few miles apart but with the difference between our socio-economic statuses, we may as well be from different planets. All of you from the mountain are the same - a bunch of lying, self-centred and egotistical rich assholes who have never had to struggle a day in their lives and don't give a shit about anyone else!"

Clarke can't hide her shock at his outburst, she feels she has been given an electric shock. Her mouth hangs open as his strong words settle around them. She watches as his features change from anger to shock, like he's surprised himself about his outburst. That quickly dissipates as he leans back in his seat and takes a deep breath.

Clarke's brain is on overload as she tries to process all the thoughts and feelings running through her. She will never admit it to him but she does agree with a lot of the things he said. A lot of his assumptions are spot on. He has described many people who are associated with her parents perfectly - even her own mother fits into that mould. Clarke knows she comes from a privileged family and has had more opportunities than most, but there was a definite downside to that lifestyle, which she became more aware of as she grew older. The sense of feeling trapped and having no control of your life was something she was very familiar with. Clarke had always had an interest in studying medicine, but it was more on what her mother would call the 'alternative side'. Since a young age, she was always interested in nature and the wonders it had to offer. She was fascinated with flowers and herbs and how they could be used to treat and cure ailments and improve one's health. This interest horrified her mother and she did everything in her power to steer Clarke onto the approved path that 'Dr. Abby Griffin' paved out for her since birth. Guilt and pressure eventually won out and Clarke attended medical school. During her second year, her life took a dramatic turn and her father died suddenly in a car crash - Clarke was devastated by the loss. Out of her parents, she was the closest to her father - he understood Clarke's passion and interest in nature due to his research projects. During that sad and difficult time, Clarke didn't think her life could get any worse – but she was wrong. The day before her father's funeral, she had come home to find her mother in a loving embrace with her colleague, Dr. Marcus Kane. After a lot of screaming, crying and throwing objects around the living room her mother finally revealed that she and Clarke's father hadn't been happy in their marriage for a long time. The final stab in the heart came when her mother revealed that Clarke's father learnt about the affair the day he died. Feeling utterly distraught and betrayed Clarke fled the house and cut off all ties to her mother. Sitting alone, after the funeral Clarke pondered and came to the realisation that life was too short. You could be miserable or you could be happy and she knew her father would want her to be happy. That afternoon she pulled herself out of medical school, packed her bags and headed to a hotel in Arcadia – away from her mother's pressure and influence. The day she was offered an apprenticeship at Lincoln's Remedies and Preventative Medicines she took a selfie of herself in front of the practice, put up her middle finger and sent the photo off to her mother. It was the only time she had ever contacted her. Since she's been gone she refuses to answer any of her mother's calls, texts and emails. She knew that this new development would upset her mother and she wanted her to feel it – badly!

During her 6 months of living in Arcadia, Clarke has never regretted cutting ties with her mother, but she does feel a lot of guilt and shame about where she comes from when she sees a lot of the struggles many Arcadians go through everyday – financial, social and physical hardships. How could Bellamy, someone she only just met, someone she doesn't even like, be able to make her feel like crying? How hard was his life growing up? She wonders. Was it just one thing or was it a combination of difficult life experiences and circumstances that caused him to develop a tough and unkind exterior? Is this the real him or a defence mechanism? Looking over to him, hoping to gain some detectable insight, she catches him looking at her with a sneer. Clarke groans internally - that settles it - he's an asshole.

Looking at him closely, Clarke pushes away the thoughts and emotions that she's been thinking about in the last few minutes. "Are you done now?" she asks without sentiment.

"Yeah, I'm done," he says bluntly, his eyes showing a sense of exhaustion - Clarke recognises the feeling immediately. She watches him get up from his seat and walk slowly around the edge of the table to her.

"I'm not going to be able to stop Octavia being friends with you. I know she finds it difficult to make friends and she seems quite attached to you, so I don't want to ruin that for her. But keep in mind, I'll be watching you and if you hurt my sister, you and me are going to have problems."

Before Clarke can reply with a comeback they are suddenly interrupted by a bubbling Octavia, Lincoln following close behind carrying a tray full of drinks.

"Alright, let's get our drinks on!" Octavia shouts happily. "Clarke, I got you your favourite." She points it out as she places all the drinks onto the table. Lincoln picks up the empty tray and takes it back to the bar without a word. "So what have I missed? Anything interesting?" Octavia directs her attention to Clarke then to Bellamy.

Clarke and Bellamy glance at each other, wearing identical expressions of indifference, their eyes, however, communicate a message of understanding. "No, not much," Clarke replies with a forced smile, grabbing her drink and taking a big gulp. She's never needed a drink more.

"Yep, all good," Bellamy agrees and takes a beer off the table. "O, I'll be back, I need to get some air."

"Alright, see you soon," Octavia calls out to him as he walks away. She sits down next to Clarke and grabs a fruity cocktail to take a sip. They drink in silence for a few moments before Octavia puts her drink down and turns to her. "Alright, spill it Clarke, what did my brother say to you?"

Clarke chokes on her drink, spluttering and coughing. Calming herself down, she takes a couple of deep breaths and puts down her glass, "What do you mean?" she asks innocently.

"Ha!" Octavia scoffs, "I know my brother, Clarke. Remember I told you he can be overprotective? Well that's not an understatement," she declares.

Clarke doesn't know what to say, the conversation between her and Bellamy was awful and her emotions are still all over the place. She really doesn't want to relive it with Octavia, especially at this point in time, "Can we just drop it for now?" she asks. "We're here to drink and have some fun, so let's drink to that," she insists, picking up her glass with a smile and clinking it with Octavia's.

"Yes, let's drink to that," She agrees, clinking her glass right back. "Oh, and let's drink to my failed attempt at matchmaking," Octavia grimaces as she gulps her cocktail down in one motion.

Clarke scoffs and shakes her head, "Even though I don't want to talk about this right now, I will say that you were clearly off the mark. I don't know what you were thinking," she sighs. "Your brother's a dickhead."

Octavia bursts out laughing, the alcohol clearly affecting her. "I'm sorry, please don't be mad," she says placing a drunken arm around Clarke's shoulders. "I just think you both have a lot in common and – you both just seem so lonely." She looks up at Clarke sadly.

Clarke looks at her in surprise, she feels touched that Octavia can read her so well. She has been lonely. She barely has any contact with her old school friends anymore and now living in an unfamiliar place makes her feel isolated. Meeting and becoming friends with Octavia has been a blessing. Octavia is a kindred spirit, she automatically felt a connection with. "Thank you," Clarke says, leaning her head down onto Octavia's shoulder. The effects of the alcohol start to run through her veins and she begins to feel that great sensation of weightlessness and the fading of her inhibitions.

"He really is sweet you know. I really thought that as soon as you saw each other the sparks would fly," Octavia admitted thoughtfully.

Clarke snorted, yeah the sparks flew alright, but not in the way she was sure Octavia desired. But she didn't want to reflect on that right now, though - Clarke just wanted to put that part of the night behind her and have some fun.

"Come on, let's dance," she suggests as she gets up and leads herself and Octavia onto the dance floor. It's packed full of bodies and the atmosphere feels hot and reeks of cologne and sweat. The bass of the new Skaikru hit song 'Whatever the hell we want' is playing through the speakers, causing the walls and ceiling of the dance floor to vibrate. In their drunken haze, Clarke and Octavia try to choreograph a dance move they saw on the T.V show 'Reapers Dance' - they end up failing horrendously and fall into girlish laughter.

Moving her hips provocatively and swinging herself around so her back is to Octavia, Clarke looks out through the crowd and is momentarily distracted by the coloured lights and the smoke. Blinking a few times, she notices a tall masculine figure standing in the midst of the crowd. Bellamy. Clarke groans, great, she didn't want to see him again tonight, or ever again if she could help it, but even through her drunken stupor, she knew that wasn't realistic. He was Octavia's brother, of course, she was going to see him again. Confusingly though, Clarke can't turn away when she notices he has his arms around a brunette and is leaning in to kiss her.

Clarke tries not to stare, but she is mesmerised by his strong hands moving down the woman's body and settling on her hips. From where she's standing, she can see his fingers tightening as he pulls the brunette flush against his muscular chest. Clarke can see the woman's hands curling into his hair lazily as they both deepen the kiss. It's hot and wet.

Clarke feels a jolt in her belly and her skin turns hot and clammy while her heart thuds oddly in her chest, and she's baffled why. Clarke immediately makes herself turn around and face Octavia, who she can now see is dancing with Lincoln. Putting a smile on her face she continues to dance to the beat. She doesn't know what these feelings mean or where they came from. And she finds it quite unsettling considering everything that went on between them tonight.

Not being able to help herself again, Clark sneaks a peek over her right shoulder, seeing Bellamy and the brunette finally coming up for air, the woman whispering in his ear. He looks down at her with a small smile and nods his head. The brunette's eyes shine in excitement and he takes her hand and leads her to the exit.

Clarke's eyes follow them out; the flashing exit sign above the door becomes a welcoming and appreciated sight, as it breaks Clarke out of her confusing state. Shaking her head, she thinks good riddance, she doesn't need people like Bellamy in her life anyway.

When the music envelops her into the next song, she feels a pair of hands behind her as they slide down to her hips, startling her out of her reverie - she turns her head and notices a guy with shaggy light brown hair and brown eyes, smiling sweetly at her. He's cute.

"I'm Finn. Wanna dance?" he yells over the music.

Clarke smiles and nods her head – there's nothing like a good looking guy to take her mind off things she doesn't want to think about. She then joins her hands with his as they dance closer together for the rest of the night.

It's not until later, when she's lying in bed that night, staring at the stars through her open window that she allows herself to think of Bellamy again. She's quick to come to the conclusion that the odd feelings she felt briefly towards him while she was dancing were alcohol induced and the fact that she was feeling lonely. Because even though she felt a slight attraction when she first laid eyes on him, that has definitely gone now!

He's cruel and a judgemental bully and she has no intention of letting herself ever consider getting involved with someone like that. One of the reasons she left Mount Weather was to forge her own path, not to listen to people put her down, but if he wants to watch and taunt her, well that's fine, he could go right ahead. She's not going anywhere – Octavia was her friend, and she wasn't going to let him ruin that. And she's damn good at dishing insults out, and was more than happy to throw them right back at him, now that she knows what she's dealing with.

She grins triumphantly in the dark, knowing that she's not going to let him walk all over her. She's on guard now, because from now on, Bellamy Blake won't know what's hit him.

She figures it's time he's met his match. And it's her.

Thank you so much for reading. This is the first story I've written for the 100 fandom and only the second story I've ever written so I hope you liked the first chapter. This will be a small multi chapter story and from now on it'll be set in the present.

You can find me on tumblr under 'Peetaspikelets'. I usually post sneak peaks to my stories and other things I'm working on.