Clarke bolted up right in her bed. Her back was coated in a thick layer of sweat and her breath was rapid and quick. She felt like she couldn't breath and her heart was beating quicker than she had ever known it to. The still silence of the night meant that there was nothing to distract her mind from the disturbing images of the nightmare she just had. Clarke ran her hand through her tangled blonde hair and then cupped her head in her hands; facing the floor. This was the fifth nightmare this week. Uncontrollable shivers ran up and down her body and she knew that there was no chance in going back to sleep again.
Clarke sat there alone in the dark for several minutes before deciding what to do. Seeing as she wasn't going to be getting any sleep she might as well go outside and check the perimeter of the camp. She slid out of bed and put on her tatty brown boots before opening the flap of her tent and stepping outside. She could feel the pressure on her cheeks of the cool night air and could smell the sweet scent of grass and lilac flowers. The night was quiet; no one was awake. Above the trees tiny, glittering stars could be seen in the skyline and a faint, smeared blob of the ark was visible among them. Sometimes Clarke would miss the ark and her mother and most of all her father. She longed for her once peaceful life of spending the day with Wells and then eating dinner with her family. Everything used to be so simple.
As Clarke wondered around the border of the fence she stopped by the gate to take in the pictures scene of the camp at night. After all she may never see it again because the grounders are surely coming for them. Each of the tents lay evenly spaced apart leading up to the drop ship and occasionally Clarke believed that she could hear snores coming from some of the tents. As much as she missed the ark, she loved the ground. She loved the earth and the forest and their camp. She loved the delinquents and she loved her place among them. Being a leader was hard but it felt right.
While Clarke was daydreaming she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye and she immediately slipped her knife from her waistband. Her eyes scanned the area around her looking for any potential threats but not finding any. "What's wrong princess?" said a familiar voice. Clarke whipped round to see a tall, muscular figure standing behind her. She instantly relaxed when she realised it was Bellamy but for some reason seeing him out this late felt strange and made her feel on edge. "Nothing, what are you doing here Bellamy?" she asked. He grinned slightly in a smug way like he usually did, a way that Clarke often found annoying. "I could ask you the same question" he said. The dim night light masked Bellamy's face and made it difficult to depict his features but Clarke could still make out that smug smile of his. "I couldn't sleep, okay?" she said with a touch of irritation. "You?" Bellamy's smile disappeared and left a hard line on is face instead. He answered rather abruptly "Same"
A long awkward silence settled between the two before one of them finally decided to speak after about 10 minutes. "I had a nightmare" Bellamy said as he slid to the floor and sat down on the cold earth. Clarke debated what to do before deciding on joining him on the ground. The earth made her feel cold so she pulled her knees into her chest and hugged them. "What about?" she asked. "I dreamt that Octavia was taken by the grounders and there was nothing could do to save her" His voice cracked a little as he spoke and Clarke sensed that something was wrong. "Bellamy…" She sighed "that will never happen." Bellamy looked at her as she spoke. "Octavia is strong enough to take care of herself, if she was taken by the grounder then she would find her way back to you" Clarke was surprised by how casual her and Bellamy's conversation was. For some reason she felt like her and Bellamy were talking more intimately than they ever had before. "What was yours about?" Bellamy asked. Clarke was surprised, not sure what he meant so she gave him a questioning look. "I know you had a nightmare as well Clarke that's why I told you about mine"
Clarke was caught off guard for a moment, unsure how to respond. She had never really felt comfortable talking to anyone about her dreams let alone Bellamy but tonight something felt different. She knew she could trust him. "It was about my Dad" Clarke said. Bellamy leaned in a little closer to Clarke. "The day he got floated, I was there watching him. My mum held me as I watched him get sucked out the air lock" said Clarke. They were quiet for a moment before Bellamy said "I'm sorry" Clarke was used to people apologising for her father's death by now even though it had nothing to do with them so Bellamy's response didn't surprise her. However the next thing he said did. "My mum was floated too" he stopped to take a deep breath "So I know how you feel and I know how bad the nightmares can be"
In this moment Clarke felt closer to Bellamy than she ever had before. It was like all the arguments and disagreements they had, just fell away and she felt like she had known him forever. In the dark night Clarke could never have pictured herself sitting next to Bellamy Blake have deep discussions yet here she was, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Clarke rubbed her fingers up and down her arms in an attempt to warm them up. She had forgotten her jacket and the cool night-time air was seeping into the bare skin on her arms. Bellamy must have noticed her hand movements because he asked her "Are you cold?"
"A little" she said
Without any hesitation Bellamy hoisted his raggedy black jacket of his arms and carefully placed on top of Clarke's shoulders. Clarke looked up at him astonished at what he had just done. "Since when was Bellamy Blake nice to me?" she said with a jokey tone and a look of mock-surprise on her face although she was genuinely shocked. Bellamy smiled at the ground and shoved Clarke playfully before saying "Shut up." Bellamy's cheeks had gone red from embarrassment and Clarke smiled subtly to herself. Then without even thinking about it, Clarke leaned over and rested her head on Bellamy's shoulder. She could smell his strong scent of dirt and something sweet, that she couldn't quite out her finger on, but it was a nice smell, it made her feel safe. Leaning on Bellamy's shoulder was incredibly un-Clarke like and Clarke was expecting herself to do it so casually but she just did.
"Hey Princess?" Bellamy said to her.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here"
Clarke smiled.
"When I first met you I wanted to kill you" he said abruptly. "But now I don't know what I would have done without you all this time"
Bellamy's words made Clarke look up to see him. In the limited light she could just about see the expression on his face. He looked the most satisfied and the happiest that Clarke had ever seen him. "Do you really mean that?" She asked. Bellamy looked straight into Clarke's big blue eyes and said "I honestly do" Clarke beamed, her smile stretching from ear to ear. Suddenly before Clarke really knew what was happening, she closed her eyes and leaned towards Bellamy. Bellamy did the same. As their lips made contact each was initially still and tense but as a moment went by they each relaxed into each other. The pressure of Bellamy's lips just felt right. He kissed her rough but gently, hard but passionately. Clarke brought hand up to Bellamy's face and ran her fingers through his soft, curly hair.
Bellamy's whole body swivelled round to face Clarke properly and then his strong arms rapped around her waist, pulling her in. They moved as one. Clarke curled her other hand around the back of Bellamy's neck so that they were closer than ever. His warmth radiated onto Clarke and she felt the happiest she had been in a very long time. Clarke pulled back from the kiss but left her hands where they were. She stared into Bellamy's deep, dark brown eyes. For the first time Clarke noticed just how beautiful they were. His eyes shined so bright in the moonlight and they were full of curiosity and wonder.
"Bellamy" she said.
"Yeah?"
"For as long as I've know you, you have always irritated me and driven me crazy"
Bellamy laughed a little.
"But even when we don't get on, I know that I can trust you and can rely on you"
He smiled and nodded along to what she was saying.
"I can't explain it but whenever I am with you I feel safe, comfortable, relaxed"
They stared into each other eyes for a long time and let Clarke's last words hang in the air. Then they kissed again and again and eventually they swiftly moved into Bellamy's tent where they spent the rest of the night. And when Clarke awoke the next morning she found herself rapped in Bellamy's warm, strong arms and she knew that no matter what would happen, as long as she had Bellamy then she would be okay.
