There was a smattering of whoops and shouts in the dorms and Clarke looked up from her sketchbook in alarm. Bellamy and Finn were standing in the doorway, looking shockingly clean and put together. Clarke threw her sketchbook aside and jumped down from the top bunk, charging across the room towards them.
"Oh my god," she cried and pushed through the crowd to reach them.
"Clarke!" Finn shouted as he caught sight of her.
She ran into him, wrapping one arm around his trunk and reaching with the other arm to grab Bellamy by the front of his shirt. Her heart soared and then promptly plummeted, her insides turning to ice. She was so relieved to see them but they would have been safer out in the forest.
"They kept telling us you were dead," she choked.
"Not yet," Finn squeezed her tightly. She laughed (maybe a little hysterically) and released him to turn toward Bellamy. She crashed into his chest, hard enough to make him lose his footing.
"Umph," he grunted and stumbled backwards, catching her in a hug. "Good to see you princess." His arms nearly crushed her but she couldn't complain.
"How did you get here?" she asked, her voice muffled by his t-shirt.
"Long story," he muttered into her hair.
She pulled back to question him further but thought better of it when she considered the crowd milling around them.
"Octavia?" he asked
Clarke shook her head and his face fell.
"So what's going on," Bellamy crossed his arms and stared at Clarke expectantly. "How long have you guys been here?"
And why didn't you come looking for us?
Clarke heard the unasked question as clear as day.
"Three weeks," she smiled. "The people here have been so accommodating, they've been monitoring our health closely and insisting we stay until we're fit to leave."
Bellamy furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak.
"I've just missed you so much," Clarke blurted out and leaned in for another hug, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "They're watching," she hissed in his ear, "act happy."
He inhaled sharply and his arms tensed around her but she didn't think anyone else had noticed. When he let her go he was wearing his poker face.
Finn glanced from Bellamy to Clarke and back with a bemused frown at his lips. He quickly fixed his own smile in place when he caught Clarke's eye.
The next several minutes were spent meeting the surviving 100 held captive at Mount Weather. Monty, Jasper, and Miller broke through the crowd to see them and it wasn't long before food was brought in and music was turned up to celebrate. Everyone dispersed throughout the dorm, dancing, chatting, and even starting a game of beer pong.
"Clarke," Bellamy caught her by the arm. "Where can we go to talk?" he whispered.
"Here's the best place," she said and nodded toward her bunk.
"Seriously?" he asked. "Shouldn't we go somewhere more private?"
"This is as private as it gets," she muttered as she dragged him over to her bed. "They have cameras everywhere and I have no idea if the place is bugged. Best place to talk is where its loud and rowdy."
They sat down on her bed and Clarke waved Finn over to join them. She told them everything she had seen and suspected in the last three weeks. When she told them about the people caged up in the isolation wing, all of the blood drained out of Bellamy's face and Finn jumped to his feet.
"Who else knows?" Finn demanded. "We need to do something."
"Slow down," Clarke said. "And sit, we can't let them know we're upset," she pulled him back to the bed. "Nobody else knows but me and Miller," she muttered in an undertone.
"Not even Jasper? Monty?" Bellamy asked in disbelief.
"I only told Miller. Monty would tell Jasper and Jasper might tell someone else," Clarke huffed. "They didn't believe me before and I still don't have any proof, just my word. Jasper is too close to Maya, he might let it slip," she grumbled.
No sooner had she finished saying it than Jasper appeared around the corner of her bunk.
"Anna's teaching us how to salsa and we need one more boy," he said breathlessly and stared pointedly at Bellamy and Finn.
Bellamy screwed up his face in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"
"Come on, do me a solid," Jasper begged. "There's a very pretty girl who wants to dance with me, I need this to work out."
Bellamy shook his head no and Jasper turned his attention to Finn.
"Come on, Finn, I know you didn't come all this way to find me only to leave me hanging in my greatest time of need."
He put his hands together in prayerful reverence.
"Alright, fine," Finn relented.
Clarke watched them go and shook her head disdainfully.
"You know its Jasper who disappointed me the most," she said. "He's so thrilled to be holding a silver spoon that he doesn't even notice the shackles."
Bellamy smirked. "Wow, princess, very poetic."
"Shut up," Clarke said moodily, "I've had a lot of time to think in here. I've been on my own with nobody to talk to for ages."
"What do you mean?" he asked. "Have they been keeping you from talking to each other?"
"No," Clarke shook her head. "Not yet. But I haven't seen you in three weeks."
Colour crept into his cheeks and he cleared his throat loudly.
"Felt like longer," he admitted. "Especially since they locked me up, it was all I could think about and-"
"Since they what?" Clarke asked sharply.
Bellamy's eyes widened. "Clarke," he reached for her shoulder and shook it. "Your mom's here!"
"What do you mean here?"
"Well, not here, but back at camp. Camp Jaha. They made it, they're on Earth."
Clarke misted over and Bellamy launched into a recounting of everything that had happened since the explosion at their camp. By the time he was done, the party was winding down. People were straggling off to bed.
Clarke sucked in her breath. "God, we have our work cut out for us, Bellamy."
"I know," he nodded and clenched his jaw. "But not tonight. Sleep tonight, work tomorrow," he said.
"Alright," she stood and started climbing the ladder to the top bunk.
"Clarke," Bellamy stood. She stopped. He cast his eyes to the floor and then back up to her. "I'd sleep better if you were in reaching distance."
Clarke sighed. "Me too," she admitted. "But if they know you're important to me then they could hurt you to get to me."
He scratched his head. "Clarke, I think they already know," he said. "Let them think you were only trying to leave before because you wanted to find me. And now that I'm here you're content to be a proper princess of Mount Weather. It could work in our favour."
She chewed on her lip. "I don't know."
"Please," he said. "If you disappear again…" he trailed off and a dark look crossed his face.
She stared at him for a moment and allowed herself to feel the ache that had been gnawing at her since she woke up in isolation. "Okay," she said finally. "Okay."
She fell asleep beside him, her side pressed up against his and their hands tangled together. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, her eyes fluttering closed, she thought she heard him whisper into her hair. She must have been hearing things but it sounded suspiciously like I missed you.