She was still barely walking. She knew that she shouldn't complain especially after seeing what Raven had gone through and lost, but Clarke needed her body to move faster.
He was here and she couldn't get to him fast enough. And when she sees his defeated look as Monroe walks away, that look she knows well from her own face, she finds the strength to push her still healing body past its limits.
Her legs are carrying her closer to him and he is all that she sees. In the small crowd of people around him, he is all that she sees.
He hasn't seen her yet, and she doesn't know whether or not to be grateful for that fact as she throws her arms around him. She knows that she would never have the guts to do so with him looking at her.
She feels him reeling in surprise and wonder and then his arms are wrapped around her and she can't breathe but none of it matters because he's here. Bellamy is here, in her arms, relatively safe, and alive. For that fact alone she is the most grateful person on Earth right now.
He's alive. And all she sees and feels is him.
She feels his strong arms around her keeping her from falling, as they always are.
She feels his sigh of release and knows that the band around both of their chests has broken and they can finally breathe because they are safe, together. Safe and together.
She feels his face buried in her neck whispering words she can't hear but it doesn't matter because she knows that she's saying the same things to him under her breathe so that he is the only recipient.
She feels his smile, and his relief, and his utter joy at the fact that he is holding her in his arms.
Because she is smiling, she feels relief, she feels joy.
Finally, they are together. And Clarke does not acknowledge anyone else around them.
Until Octavia breaks their single-minded awareness for only each other.
"There's something I thought I'd never see."
With those words, Octavia rejoices in the fact that her brother and future sister-in-law have finally gotten their shit together, or so it seems, because she was very much done with being the only person that would acknowledge their feelings for each other. She was happy for these two people that she deeply cared for. She was happy that they would be happy together.
With reality coming back to both of them, they slowly pull away from each other. They just stare at each other for a moment and it's as if they still can't believe what they are seeing.
And then Clarke realizes that Octavia had said something. She's not sure what, but Clarke knows that she's glad that Octavia is safe because she wasn't in the drop ship and Bellamy hadn't come back with her when he was fighting off those Grounders with Finn so she had no clue as to what had happened to the girl.
She reluctantly breaks contact with Bellamy and wraps this young girl who has grown up before her eyes, in her arms.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"You, too."
The warmth Clarke feels from the care and fondness she has for these two people that have wormed their way into her heart, blossoms from her chest and rids her of the residual chill that resided in her bones since she closed the drop ship door.
When she lets the young girl go, she turns back to Bellamy fully aware of his presence. A longing to feel his touch again takes over her body and she can feel herself reaching for his hand before her mind has a chance to veto the idea.
To her utter surprise, his hand reaches out the remaining distance and their fingers twine together. That sense of alive, safe, and together hits her again and she does everything she can to not gasp at the feelings flowing through her.
She shares another look with Bellamy. Bellamy, the boy who pretended to be a man and instead was fooling himself with his stubborn selfishness. The man in front of her was truly good and she knew that they were going to get their people out. He didn't know what had happened yet and she was loathe to put that resigned sadness back into his eyes when he found out that she couldn't save anyone while trying to save herself and him.
However, she was eager to see that righteous anger burn against the other adults, her mother and Kane especially, as they took charge once again for the sake of their own. They weren't going to let anything stop them from saving those that they care so dearly for, from saving what was left of their family.
As Raven comes up behind her and greets Octavia, Bellamy asks her the dreaded question.
"How many with you?"
"None," she sighs. She regrets that she couldn't convince the others to try to leave with her. Bellamy could have. She knows that he would have gotten them all out of there safe. He had always been their heart, she was just part of their brain.
He squeezes her hand and shakes her out of her thoughts, once again knowing just what she needs. A small look of thanks is all that she can manage in return as she becomes aware of the people around them.
With her grip on Bellamy tightening, she finally notices Murphy's presence. She looks up at Bellamy (Since when was he that much taller than her?) with an angry question blazing in her eyes. His answering look says, I'll explain later, just leave it for now. And her observations continue.
Next comes Finn. He is looking at her in reverence. As if she is an apparition sent from the beyond, a specter come back to haunt him.
And it makes her uncomfortable. She's glad that he is okay, but this level of esteem he's showing for her make her skin crawl, in the bad way.
"It's you," he says breathlessly.
"Yeah. I'm glad you're all okay."
The underlying conversation includes words about how she is sorry that she had to close the drop ship door. She had to save the defenseless inside the ship. She had to.
And it seems as if Bellamy and Clarke are the only ones aware of this silent exchange she is attempting to make.
Bellamy switches hands so that both of their right hands are entwined as he steps close behind her, silently supporting her decision. He clasps their hands together a little tighter and it steadies her.
Finn has watched Bellamy's movements closely and he seems confused. Like he's been left out of the loop of something.
And he has. They all have. Not a single person has been able to crack Bellamy and Clarke's personal enigma code of silent communication that is hidden behind words, glances, and touches.
Finn seems to decide that he doesn't care what is happening with Bellamy and makes a move to come closer to Clarke.
She tenses more and more as he comes close. She takes a step back, almost touching Bellamy's full length, as he steps directly in front of her.
Everyone feels the tension rising and no one really knows what to do about it.
Clarke can't seem to move at all anymore.
Bellamy is waiting for his cue to come from Clarke.
Finn is reeling from Clarke's reaction.
Octavia is just standing there with a shit eating grin on her face, because omigosh, FINALLY! She's so happy her brother got his shit together!
Raven is standing there, feeling the hurt once again as the last of her family has chosen someone else above her again. She doesn't blame Clarke, they're friends and Raven knows that Clarke never did anything to encourage Finn's affections after she knew of Raven's existence.
That leaves Murphy to try and defuse this awkward situation.
Not known for his tact in any situation he decides to go with, "So this is awkward."
Everyone lets out a breath at the statement and Bellamy and Clarke shuffle awkwardly to the side a little so that Finn is not stuck staring at them peculiarly.
Clarke decides to just ignore the weird situation with Finn, because honestly he needs to move past whatever he thought they could have been. It was over before it had even started when he ignored Raven's existence when he was on earth.
She moves slightly so that her side is pressed into Bellamy's chest as she looks up to speak with him.
"I need to tell you what's going on. We need to get moving soon."
He nods and they walk off together as one, the determination rising as they get back to what really matters. (More than awkward some-kind-of-ex situations anyways.)
Octavia links her arm with Raven's as they share a small smile. They move towards Raven's workshop that she shares with Wick. Raven has decided to let Octavia know of all that has happened with Clarke, though what she knows is all hearsay. They both know that Octavia should probably plan more with Clarke and Bellamy, but they also both want to give the pair some time alone together.
Finn keeps standing there flabbergasted as what has taken place.
Murphy just smirks at his face and goes to check on Mel in the Med Bay area that Camp Jaha had set up. Maybe there's a few people left that he can attempt to help and not fuck up their life.