A Deal with the Mountain
Summary: What could have happened if the Mountain Men got to the group before the Grounders arrived with their army? What about if they asked for the donations instead of taking them? Clarke and Bellamy have a lot of choices to make.
A/N: Hello! So this is my submission for Day Two of the Bellarke AU Week, which was canon divergence. I guess to put this somewhere in canon, it would be a change up to the season one finale. I hope you enjoy!
Clarke looked at the man in the full radiation suit with distrust, as did Bellamy if the gun he had aimed at the man was anything to go on. They had just convinced their people that they needed to leave the dropship before the Grounders showed up with their army but before they could actually evacuate the camp this man had come up to the gates. Those that Bellamy trusted had their guns trained on the man as well, while scouts were scanning the area around camp for more of them.
"A Mountain Man." Clarke heard Octavia mumble from behind her.
Bellamy shared a look with Clarke, she nodded and turned back to the man, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"My name is Emerson, and we have come to offer you protection." The man replied, his voice slightly muffled by his mask, but they heard him well enough.
"And just exactly who is we?" Bellamy asked, lowering his gun just enough to be able to see the man clearly.
"We are the survivors of Mount Weather and we would like to offer you the safety of our home." Emerson elaborated, "My President can explain everything to you in more detail, but we must leave now if we wish to be clear of the Outsiders when they arrive."
"We don't know if we can trust you." Clarke told him, her eyes drifting over to Bellamy before going to back to the Mountain Man.
Emerson smirked under his mask, "You either trust me or die here."
Bellamy lowered his gun completely and stepped closer to Clarke, he lowered his voice, "I don't like it Clarke. Why are they just showing up now?"
"I don't either but he is right. It is too late to leave now before the scouts arrive and I still don't think we have a strong enough to position here to survive."
Clarke replied, and looked at the scared 80 odd teenagers that relied on them, "What other choice do we have?"
Bellamy looked like he was about to argue more when Finn showed up at their side, "Raven is getting worse, she said she can't feel her legs."
"Shit." Clarke said through clenched teeth, before glancing at the intruder in their camp, "Do you have medical facilities?"
"Of course we do." He answered with a roll of his eyes, "Can we get this show on the road? It is a long walk back to Mt Weather."
Clarke looked back to Bellamy and he sighed before turning around and yelling, "Grab your stuff, we are going to Mount Weather." He then walked up to Emerson, the look on his face one all the delinquents knew well, "When we get there, Clarke and I are having a very long talk with your President."
"I will make sure he knows." Emerson responded and then pulled pointed toward the gate, "My men are waiting for all of you about a quarter mile from here. Follow me."
"I sure hope this is right decision Princess." Bellamy commented as they watched their people follow Emerson.
"So do I." She answered quietly before they too began the trek to Mt Weather.
Three hours into the walk, a large boom came from the sky, causing everyone to stop and look up.
"Is that from the Ark?" Clarke heard someone ask from behind her.
"No." Clarke responded, and her voice was near breathless, "That is the Ark."
Bellamy was suddenly at her side as they watched the ship break into multiple pieces, "That wasn't something I thought I would see."
"We need to keep moving." Emerson suddenly shooted at them, and everyone but Bellamy and Clarke followed the command.
"This could change things Clarke." Bellamy told her, his voice low to avoid anyone overhearing them.
She nodded and scanned the forest around them, "There is no way that we could reach them before dark, not with the Grounders probably stalking our every move."
"Do you really think these Mountain Men are going to help us?" Bellamy asked, but he walked with her as they continued forward.
"We don't have much of a choice Bellamy. Do you want to go back to the dropship and hope that the Ark finds us before the Grounders?" She asked him, her voice low but firm, "If we can trust these people, then they can help us locate the Ark survivors and protect us from the Grounders."
"I hope you're right about this." He muttered before jogging over to talk with Octavia and Miller.
Clarke sighed and went to check on Raven. Finn gave her a small smile before saying, "She fell asleep a few minutes ago."
"That is probably for the best right now. The sooner we get her to Mount Weather, the better." She told him and placed her hand on Raven's forehead, "I think she is getting a fever."
"I am guessing that isn't a good thing." Jasper stated, he was carrying the other end of the stretcher.
"No, it isn't." Clarke responded as she turned away, and looked at a tower of smoke off in the distance, "My mom would know what to do."
"You've done the best you can Clarke. Jasper and I are proof of that." Finn assured her, his eyes begging her to forgive him and she simply nodded.
"Call me over if she wakes up before we get to the mountain." She told him before walking away, not even waiting for response, she needed some space from Finn.
Clarke was getting tired of her white room, the painting was pretty but it had stopped entertaining her after a few hours. She wanted to check on her people, Raven especially, and she wanted to meet with the Mountain Men's leader. So far she had not been allowed to do either of those things. The girl that brought her food that morning had told her that everyone had to undergo a 24 hour quarantine and that when it was up she would be allowed to meet with the President. Clarke huffed in frustration as she feel back onto the bed, she was not someone that could relax easily, no matter how comfortable the mattress was.
She moved into a sitting position when the door to her room opened, the girl from before entered with Bellamy right behind her, "Please wait here, someone will come to see you both shortly." Before either could reply to her statement she had closed the door behind her.
He turned to look at her, "Think we are finally getting our audience with the President?"
"It would be about time." Clarke replied and swung her legs over the side of the bed, "Have you been allowed to see anyone else?"
"No. Octavia was in the room across from me, so I could see her through my window, but I wasn't able to talk to her." He answered and sat down on the bed next to her, "What do you think they want from us? No one just offers help like this out of the goodness of their hearts."
"Do you have to be so cynical?" She asked, but didn't wait for a response, "My guess is that Raven's bomb has something to do with it."
"Why do you think that?" He questioned in return, his eyes resting on the painting.
"Just something Lincoln said after he had saved Finn and I." She replied and looked around the room, "I hope this isn't where they want us to live, it makes me feel like I'm back in solitary."
Bellamy smirked and knocked her shoulder with his, "I would pity anyone who tried to lock you up again Princess. Besides, we aren't in space anymore, if we needed to escape we would now have a place to run."
"How optimistic of you Blake." Clarke teased, coping his action with a small smile.
"I have my moments." He replied, a smile of his own on his lips before it fell, "We should probably discuss what we want to request from this President and what we are willing to give."
Clarke nodded as a sigh escaped her lips, "What we need is protection from the Grounders and the weather, winter is going to be here sooner rather than later. We also need to look for survivors from the Ark and hopefully reach them before the Grounders do." She looked up at him, "What are you willing to give to protect these kids?"
Bellamy bit his lip before looking at her, "Whatever we need to."
The door opened then and both of them quickly got to their feet. Through the door walked a older man, probably in his sixties, and he was wearing a suit that had looked as though it had been restitched many times. He eyed both of them carefully, "I am Dante Wallace, the President of Mount Weather, and I welcome you." He stuck out his hand for them.
Clarke and Bellamy shared a look before she acted and shook it, "Clarke Griffin."
"It is a pleasure Miss Griffin." He said before extending his hand toward Bellamy.
He took it firmly, "Bellamy Blake."
"Welcome Mr. Blake." He replied before placing both his hands in front of him, "I am sure you both have many questions and I will answer them but I would like us to have this conversation in my office. If you would both please follow me." He waited for their nods before turning around and walking out into the hall.
Members of the delinquents had their faces pressed into their windows, watching as their leaders walked by. Clarke stopped as she spotted one she was expecting and went up to the door, "Monty!"
Bellamy turned to look Wallace, "You are the ones that took him." His voice was low and threatening.
"We did and I will explain why if you just come with me. I promise you he is unharmed." Dante replied and gestured toward the elevator at the end of the hall.
Clarke smiled at Monty, promising with her eyes that she would be back before she stepped back into pace beside Bellamy and together they walked into the elevator.
Dante studied the two young people with him on the short trip to his level. They were having some sort of silent conversation with their eyes while he noticed that Bellamy's hand was resting against the small of Clarke's back. He wondered if perhaps they were more than just co-leaders but he figured it was none of his business as long as they were good at their jobs, and from everything he had witnessed, they were. The elevator door opened and he led the pair down the hall and into his glass walled office. "Please, have a seat."
Clarke took one of the offered chairs but Bellamy remained standing, taking a place beside Clarke his hand resting on the back of the chair. Bellamy spoke next, "Why did you suddenly decided to help us? We have been on the ground for almost a month."
"We couldn't interfere until we knew what kind of people you were. You chose to destroy a bridge instead of using it on your enemy." Dante told them his eyes looking from Clarke to Bellamy, "We decided then that we would like to make an alliance between your people and ours."
"You are offering us protection from the Grounders but what do you get from us?" Clarke asked in return, her back straight as she watched him, "We don't have weapons, or food, or really anything of value."
"That is where you are wrong Clarke." Dante said and gave her a smile parents gave to small children when explaining something complicated to them, "You can walk outside and that is something we would like to do."
"Why can't you?" Bellamy asked, as he shifted so he was standing directly behind Clarke.
"The radiation." Dante answered simply.
"But there is no radiation." Bellamy replied, and he looked down at Clarke for clarification and she nodded.
"There is. The Outsiders have evolved to tolerate it and so have you. Your people were exposed to solar radiation. From what Dr Singh has gathered from the blood samples she took from each you is that your immunity to the radiation is stronger than even that of the Outsiders." Dante explained to them, "Our medical staff believes that if we receive blood transfusions from your people that it will increase our immunity to the radiation."
Clarke bit her lip and glanced back at Bellamy, whose face was not hiding his emotion, before she turned to Dante, "So, you give us a place to live and we give you blood?"
"That is the deal we are proposing yes." Dante replied, and then held out a folder, "You will probably want to consider this in your decision."
Bellamy grabbed the folder from Dante and handed it to Clarke before looking at the contents over her shoulder. Pictures of broken pieces of the Ark appeared, people dotting the landscape around it.
"Some people from the Ark did survive." Clarke commented as she flipped through the photographs, she stopped as one appeared showing her mother talking with Kane. Her eyes immediately flashed up to Dante, "If you knew the rest of our people are alive, why are you offering us this deal?"
Dante gave them another smile, "Will the rest of your people accept any alliance that the two of you make?"
"Yes." Bellamy answered after a long pause, "They went through a lot to save our people, if we make an alliance that prevents a war, they will agree."
"That is why I am offering you this alliance. You can accept and we will escort to retrieve the rest of your people, or you can refuse and we will show the way to their camp." He got to his feet, "I will give the two a few moments to discuss this."
Bellamy waited until he was gone before he took the other chair, turning it to face Clarke, "What do you think Princess? Is everything he offered worth being blood donors?"
"Depending on how many people are in Mount Weather, and how many survivors there are, it is possible that no one would need to donate more than a bag a week." Clarke told him, her medical training coming in handy. She sighed and looked down at the photo still in her hand, "This isn't a decision I want to make Bellamy."
"It isn't being in charge." Bellamy told her before he reached forward and grabbed her hand, "Wallace isn't going to let us leave this decision up to the Chancellor, or your mother. This is on us Clarke."
"Then we need to make the alliance." She said and her eyes caught his, "It is the only chance we have against the Grounders. Enemy of my enemy right?"
Bellamy smiled at her but as looked out the door to where he could see Dante talking with a younger man it fell, "Let us hope we picked the right friends."
Three Weeks Later
Bellamy collapsed on his bed, he had been on one of the patrols all the day and he was ready to sleep until breakfast. He was just about to fall asleep when there was a knock on his door, with a groan he got up to answer it, completely forgetting he had taken off his clothes and was wearing nothing but his boxers. He smiled as saw who was there, "What can I help you with Princess?"
Clarke huffed and brushed past him into his room. Bellamy let out a small laugh as he closed the door and turned around. Clarke's eyes were roaming over his body but she shook herself out of it and said, "The blood is not working like they wanted it to. They want to try bone marrow transplants next, my mother and Kane agreed."
"How many transplants would they need?" Bellamy asked and moved toward her until they were only a few feet apart.
"One for each of the Mount Weather population." Clarke answered and she crossed her arms while keeping her eyes on his face.
"So not everyone needs to donate?" Bellamy asked and she nodded, "Then we will tell them that this will be volunteer only and no member of the 100 will do it otherwise. I know you are having trouble living here and talking with your mother, but we can't leave yet Clarke, everyday out there is getting older than the last."
She let out a long breath and looked down at the floor, "We don't even have anywhere to go even if we could leave. We may have avoided a war with the Grounders by releasing the prisoners and curing the Reapers, but I doubt they will welcome us with open arms."
"Octavia wants to go with Lincoln to live with a tribe near the ocean in the spring." He told her and used his finger to get her to look at him, "We can always go too, and take anyone else that wants to leave with us."
"I doubt it will be a very long list." Clarke whispered and wrapped her hand around his when he had moved it to cup her cheek, "Everyone else seems to enjoy it here and I don't want to take that away from them."
"Even it is just the four of us, it is enough." Bellamy assured her and went to remove his hand but she didn't let go, instead their joined hands rested in the space between them, "Is there something else Clarke?"
"Do you actually want to leave or are you just offering to come with me because you don't want me to go alone?" She asked him, her eyes looking at his shoulder instead of his eyes.
Bellamy smiled at her, "Both. I enjoyed living outside, I feel like I'm slowly suffocating in here and the only things getting me through it is protecting our people and my patrols. And, if I am being truthful, the 100 don't need our protection anymore. So I would rather live out there with you then live the rest of my life in this mountain without you."
"That was so very romantic of you Bellamy." Clarke teased, but she moved closer to him, her chest bumping up against his.
"If that is how you want to take it then I won't complain." He said in return and his free hand landed on her waist, "The choice is up to you Clarke."
"Right now all I want to do is this." She told him and leaned up so her lips brushed against his.
Bellamy wasted no time in responding to the kiss and pulled her flush against him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
Clarke eventually had to pull away to breathe but the smile never left her lips.
Bellamy leaned his forehead on hers, "That is not how I thought today was going to go."
"Are you complaining?" She asked, a laugh in her voice as her body molded to his.
"Never." He replied before he leaned down and caught her lips. No one saw either of them until breakfast.
A/N: Please leave a review letting me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!