Chapter 1:

Clarke darted across the ground, heading towards Bellamy's quarters and while trying to avoid her mom at the same time. She hated this situation. It was hard to believe that she longed for the previous simplicity of their camp of delinquents… she'd thought that things were so bad then- she wished she'd known it could have been so much worse. She longed for the times when she was "Princess" and Bellamy was "King" and no one had the right to tell them differently- even if it was all slight humor. "Bellamy…" She whispered and waited for him to look at her. He was laying on his left side without a shirt on, eyes closed as if he were trying but failing to sleep. She knew the feeling all too well. How could you close your eyes and sleep peacefully when the whole world was going to hell? When YOUR world was going to hell? "Hey." She said when his beautiful brown eyes met her blue ones. She smiled and so did he.

"Hey." He responded sleepily, "You know your mother would freak out if she knew you were in here." His voice was low while he looked at her. Her heart was beating extremely quick while her thoughts circled around her head. She wanted to fall into a vain state where all she had to worry about was the way his abs were starting to be more pronounced each day they were on earth. His statement pissed her off more. The way her mom looked at him like he was the bad guy... It made her blood run cold like steel.

"I don't care." By her facial expression, he knew she really didn't care what her mother thought. She was still angry- refusing to forgive. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing yet. "What happens when we get the 47 back and they don't listen to the people that sent them to die?" She sat down on his makeshift bed-it was truly a fall from grace from his previous set up. She didn't really know how it felt against her but she'd seen it before. She'd heard the rumors about how comfortable his bed was from the gossiping girls. She pushed that thought out of her mind. "You know we'll die fighting because we have survived on our own. We can't take orders when we gave them last week. We're at war. Our people are missing, probably hanging upside down, and all anyone gives a damn about is peace."

"Princess." He said pleadingly, "Let's not talk about this tonight." Bellamy was thinking the exact same things but he knew if they talked about it- they'd lose focus. They wouldn't be thinking about getting their people back, they'd be thinking about a way to destroy the only people helping them. Also, Clarke was on his bed and that was more than distracting.

"When, then?" She asked. He made his move like she'd made hers earlier- their hug meant something in both of their eyes. He wasn't willing to take it slow anymore- not when time was running out. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his bare chest as he laid down. She didn't even second guess it or try to struggle away from his gift. She followed him because he was the only person-next to Octavia and Raven- that she actually trusted in that moment. "I'm scared, Bellamy." Her head fell into his neck while his arm moved back and forth across her back. "I'm putting it in your hands, you know?"

"I've already put all my trust in yours." He said, "Our band of mis-fits, too."

"No, Bellamy- I'm putting it in your hands." Clarke repeated, "Everything. If things go horribly wrong I want you to know that it's been an honor to lead with you. I want you to know that I trust you. I want you to know that I couldn't have done any of this without you. And I want you to know that I love you." She became teary-eyed when she said the word love.

Bellamy was taken aback by her confession but he still had sense enough to respond. "I love you too."

Maybe they weren't talking about romantic love. How romantic can you be in a post-apocalypse world? But love- that's the word that described everything they'd done and the reason behind it. It's the word that extended towards their people. It's the word that they usually left unspoken. It's the word they needed to hear in right then before they made the most important decisions about the sake of their people. "I don't think I've ever loved someone the way I love you." She continued even if she was scared that he might reject her- might think she lost it like Jasper thought she had. "The only thing that kept me going is the fact that our people are alive. But now I know you're alive too, I don't think I could survive without you… I don't think I want to."

"You're strong." He said. His words were short. She took it as a solid reason to stop talking about love. She could feel his heart beating against her ear- she could feel the way it changed when she started talking and the way it sped up when she shifted on him to get more comfortable.

"We're strong." She corrected him while she got settled. Her dirty hair fell on his bruised and bloody skin like they were clean and they weren't in the worst situation. Her hand fell on his shoulder as her head returned to his neck. She yawned, finally feeling sleepy.

Bellamy kissed her forehead for a long time before he said, "We have to sleep or we're going to be completely useless." She felt like they'd accomplished something. They'd moved forward in ways that people were too scared to move. Once they got their people back, they'd think they were moving too fast. But they didn't have the time to be slow anymore. They had to announce how they felt, when they felt it because that was the only way they could operate now.

She nodded. She wasn't willing to move or leave him that night. Even if it meant that her mother walked in and yelled or tried to make a move against them. "So, when we get everyone home and they ask why we're so…different…"

"I'm sure you'll make it known in your typical Bellamy way." She said, "Don't be too dramatic though- I don't need people to be afraid to talk to me because I'm your girl."

"You're my girl." Bellamy chuckled, "I could get used to saying that…I could get use to saying a lot of things that have been on my mind for a long time."

"Funny, isn't it?"

"What?"

She sighed, "Up until now we've all been afraid of our secrets. Now we aren't. Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Bellamy shrugged, "Let's sleep on it, Princess."