prompt: future bellarke where they get separated again but Bellamy's the one's in trouble this time. And Clarke is freaking out just like Bellamy had in 3x02 and everyone notice, and try to stop her from doing something stupid, and eventually she rescues him and finally admits that she loves him ?
Note: This is ignoring most of what will happen in season 3, including the Blake siblings fight.
It seems like they've really achieved peace this time, and after a month of nothing to dispute this, people seem to have relaxed a little. Clarke can't help but wonder how long it will really last. She finds it hard to optimistic anymore.
Bellamy still barely speaks to her, except when strictly necessary. She's tried apologising a thousand times, but Bellamy doesn't seem to want to hear it. She knows why he's mad. She left. She left their people and she left him to carry the burden alone, and then she teamed up with Lexa again. She knows he's not Lexa's biggest fan. She knows all that, but she still doesn't know what else she can say, what he could possibly want to hear that could make things alright between them again.
They barely have to see each other, since Clarke spends her time in medical with her mom, while Bellamy and Monty teach small groups of kids, somewhere out in the forest. It doesn't stop her checking up on him from time to time though.
"How's Bellamy lately?" she asks Octavia at sunset one evening as she watches Bellamy and Monty take a group of older kids out into the forest.
"Why don't you ask him?" Octavia rolls her eyes.
"He doesn't want to talk to me," Clarke sighs.
"I wonder why," Octavia mutters under her breath.
"What does he teach them?" Clarke asks her, ignoring the barbed comment.
"Just stuff about the ground," Octavia shrugs. "Lincoln sometimes goes out there too, teaches them about Grounder culture. I think they tell them little bits about The Grounder War and The Mountain. Not everything obviously, but enough to know."
"Does it help him? To talk about it?" Clarke asks.
"You really should be talking to him about this, Clarke," Octavia points out. "I have things to do anyway." Clarke nods and Octavia heads off in the direction of the stables.
It's only about half an hour later when Monty rushes into medical, looking frantic. Abby hurries to check him over but he immediately turns to Clarke.
"Clarke, Bellamy's been taken," he says hurriedly.
"What do you mean?" Clarke responds, not really understanding Monty's words.
"I mean some grounders took him. We were out in the forest with the kids and we were teaching them how to navigate the woods in the dark when this group of grounders just came out of nowhere and grabbed him. I couldn't do anything because the kids were there and I had to protect them but I came straight to tell you," Monty blurts out the story.
"We have to go and get him," Clarke says without thinking. "Who else have you told?"
"Just you," Monty says glancing from Clarke to Abby. Abby's eyes are trained on her daughter in concern. Clarke doesn't say anything else, just tries to push past Monty so she can get out and go after Bellamy, but Abby grabs her arm.
"Clarke, let's do this properly. You don't even know where they've taken him. We'll inform the council and they can make a decision about the best way to go about getting him back," Abby says firmly. Clarke hesitates but nods her assent.
It's only five minutes later that Monty is telling the council exactly what happened. They don't have a chancellor at the moment, instead all decisions are made by popular vote by the members of the council.
"Did you see what clan they were from? Was it Ice Nation? Trikru?" Kane presses Monty.
"That's the strange thing," Monty says. "It looked like a couple of them were Ice Nation, and I think some could have been Trikru. They didn't really look like they belonged to any tribe I've seen," Monty shakes his head.
"Rogues," Lincoln murmurs. Everyone on the council turns to him. "Sometimes outcasts, or people who have left their clan form clans or tribes of their own," he informs them. "They're mostly harmless. They usually just steal supplies from bigger clans. They probably took Bellamy so they could barter him for supplies. We'll most likely get a ransom message in the morning."
"But we're still going to go after him, right?" Octavia asks and Clarke nods in agreement.
"Girls…" Kane says slowly. "Lincoln is sure he's going to be alright until morning. If all they want is supplies we can probably give that to them."
"That's not good enough!" Clarke snaps, and Kane flinches. "We can't just leave him out there with some rogue grounders! What if Lincoln's wrong?"
"Clarke, Marcus is right," Abby tells her daughter soothingly. "It's dark out. We don't know where they've taken him. Lincoln says he isn't in any danger. We should just wait until morning."
"Mom, please," Clarke begs. She feels like she's on the verge of tears, but she's not sure why. "You know he would do the same for me. I have to go after him." She doesn't miss the look that passes between her mother and Kane and it frustrates her that they think she's overreacting.
"We'll vote on it," Kane says hesitantly. "All those in favour of going after him tonight…" Octavia and Clarke raise their hands while everyone else keeps their arms lowered. Clarke gives a cry of frustration and Abby tries to move to give her a soothing hug but Clarke pushes her away.
"You're all a pack of cowards," Octavia spits and storms from the room. Clarke isn't far behind her.
"Miller, keep an eye on them," she hears Kane sigh to Sergeant Miller. Clarke heads after Octavia, she's sure Bellamy's sister will come with her (because there's no way either of them are going to sit back while Bellamy is in possible danger), but someone catches her arm and she turns to see Lincoln.
"Clarke," he says solemnly. "I didn't want to say this in front of Octavia, but there is a possibility Bellamy isn't just a way to gain supplies. Sometimes these rogue groups also do… rituals. Sacrificial rituals."
"He's a sacrifice?" Clarke cries. Lincoln nods.
"What's going on?" Octavia walks up behind Clarke.
"We're going after Bellamy," Clarke declares.
They easily slip away from Sergeant Miller, since he never caught up to them in the first place. They decide to go on foot because neither of them can drive, and anyway they wouldn't be able to manoeuvre a horse through the trees, let alone the rover.
They only pieces of information they have are the spot where he was taken from, and Lincoln's general knowledge of any rogue clans. Lincoln says people from rogue clans rarely make an effort to cover their tracks, so they should be easy to follow. He's right and Clarke finds the trail easy enough and she and Octavia trek through the forest as fast as they can. Clarke's heart is pounding hard. They have to find him. She doesn't understand why no one else gets that.
"Why isn't anyone else as worried as us?" Clarke groans to Octavia in frustration.
"He means more to us," Octavia answers, and it's the most gentle Clarke has ever heard Octavia sound, and that's how she knows Octavia is really worried.
"You heard what Lincoln said, didn't you?" Clarke asks. Octavia doesn't answer, but Clarke knows she must have. "Maybe that's why we're more worried," Clarke decides. "Because we know he's in real danger." She's thankful Octavia doesn't remind her she'd been just as panicked when Lincoln said Bellamy would be fine.
"Do you think he'll forgive you if you save him?" Octavia asks. Clarke thinks about it. That's not why she's doing this. She's doing it because she needs to. She feels like it physically hurts to know he's in danger. It would be nice if he could forgive her, but somehow she knows it's not as simple as saving his life. "You know what he wants you to say, right?" Octavia continues, Clarke obviously having been silent for too long. Clarke shakes her head.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," is all Octavia says before they fall into silence again.
The trail the rogues have left is so obvious that Clarke and Octavia don't lose it once, and it soon leads them to the entrance of a cave. There's laughter coming from inside, and the flickering flames of a fire somewhere within casts shadows at the entrance.
"What's the plan?" Octavia asks.
"How many did Monty say there were?" Clarke asks.
"Six," Octavia tells her.
"We could probably take them. Sneak attack. I assume Bellamy is somewhere is inside," Clarke whispers. Octavia nods. It's clear the grounders aren't expecting company tonight, otherwise Clarke is sure they would be more on guard. She and Octavia edge their way to the mouth of the cave and Clarke gives a nod to Octavia and the slowly sneak inside, and the grounders slowly come into view.
Octavia moves first, using her sword to slash the throat of the closest grounder, and Clarke is just behind her, managing to shoot two of the rogue's as Octavia grabs another one around the neck.
"Stop," they hear the voice of one of the rogues echo through the cave. They look up to see a man holding a knife to Bellamy's throat.
"Bellamy," Clarke breathes, and she's simultaneously relieved that he's still alive, and anxious that he's still in danger.
"Let him go," Octavia orders, sword still at her grounders throat.
"Don't do anything stupid, O," Bellamy warns.
"If you kill my friend, I kill yours," the grounder holding Bellamy says. "Weapons down," he orders. Clarke drops her gun to the ground without hesitation. Octavia pauses a moment before letting her grounder go and dropping her sword.
"Please don't kill him," Clarke says desperately, and she hates the vulnerability she can hear in her own voice.
"What will you give me?" the grounder smiles maliciously.
"Anything," Clarke says immediately. "Please. What do you want? Food? Clothes? My people can give you whatever you want." The grounder laughs at her.
"Now see, that just won't do. We need him for a sacrifice. Our Gods demand it," he tells her.
"Then take me instead," the words are out of Clarke's mouth before she can stop them, and even she's surprised by how easily she offers herself up. She doesn't regret her offer though, if it's the only way to save him then so be it.
"Clarke, no!" Bellamy bursts out and the grounder kicks him.
"Come on then, girly," the grounder says, and Clarke is happy this man doesn't seem to know who she is. The hunt for Wanheda may be over, but she's still something of a legend among the grounders. She walks over slowly to the grounder and he grabs her roughly and kicks Bellamy away.
"Come on," the grounder says to his remaining friends. "We'll take her elsewhere."
"Clarke," Bellamy says pleadingly. His arms and legs are still bound where he kneels on the ground. "Don't do this."
"It's okay," she assures him, tears welling in her eyes. Her heart swells for him and she finally realises what he's been waiting to hear. "I love you," she chokes out, because it might be her last and only chance to say it.
"And I love you," Bellamy tells her, his voice strained. Clarke can't hold back the tears then and they flow down her cheeks.
"How touching," laughs the grounder. "Let's go!" He drags Clarke out of the cave, but they barely make it a few steps before they hear shots ring out, and the grounder slumps to the ground, as well as his two friends.
"Clarke!" Abby's voice cuts through the darkness and she emerges from the trees, followed by Kane and Sergeant Miller. Abby wraps her arms around her daughter. "What were you thinking?"
"Bellamy…" is all Clarke can manage.
"I know, I know," Abby says soothingly. "Is he okay? What about Octavia?"
"We're here," Bellamy's voice comes from behind them. Abby lets Clarke go immediately and she runs to him, throwing her arms around him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she babbles as Bellamy's arms close around her, and somehow she's crying again.
"It's okay," he whispers into her hair.
"I didn't know, I-," Clarke starts, pulling away from him slightly.
"It took me a while to figure it out too," he smiles wryly. Clarke lurches forward to kiss him then, grabbing his face and pressing her lips to his.
"I love you," she breathes again, once she pulls away.
"I know," Bellamy tells her. "I'm just glad you know now too."