A/N: Hello faithful readers! Second chapter, getting into the in between time and how Bellamy and Clarke use their time. Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 (Book series), the CW Network or anything that resembles content from the book or show.
3 Months had passed since I had given birth to Calliope. I remembered a few Greek names from school on the Ark and thought it suited my beautiful girl. I knew how important Bellamy's Greek heritage was to him, and hoped he approved. But I added his Mom's name, as a tribute to the women who had raised such an amazing man. I imagine that would make him blush, and it made me smile to imagine him happy.
She was a Nightblood, so I was excited to be able to venture outside after months trapped in the Lab. Callie was such a happy baby, loved to play with socks I found, and was already rolling from her stomach to her back. I was trying to fashion something to keep her strapped to me while we walked, adding it to a pack the gang had left behind. If we were getting off this island, it was by salvaging the boat.
I had taken to talking to Callie in English and Trigedasleng, hoping that she would be bilingual. I had learned some French on the Ark, but it was useless down here. I imagined Bellamy would tell her all the Greek myths he knew as bedtime stories, if he were here. It was the though that she would be four years old when he got here that made me cry. He would have missed four years of her beautiful face, her laughs, her smiles. I drew her, I drew him, so that she could memorize how he looked, and recognize him on his return.
So when I finally opened the doors, the computers telling me it was at a safe level for us, I peered out at the wasteland before us. The sky was still red, reflecting the barren, scorched color of the land that was once green and lush. Callie giggled at the warmth on her skin, and the new color after her first months of greys and blues making up her environment. I gave her a small smile as I tugged the door open further.
Hiking over the land slowly, I noticed the tower was still in place, so I was surprised why I hadn't received a signal or sign of life from the Ark Ring. But I hoped again, it was that Raven was having issues with their radio's output.
"Bellamy?" I asked into the radio, "I opened the door to the lab. The land is scorched, desolate. It's awful. I just hope that in a few years the vegetation will come back. I know from lessons on the Ark that entire forests would regrow after wildfires, so it's not outside the realm of possibility."
"Callie and I are fine right now. I probably should have gone out by myself first and then waited to see if radiation sickness sets in. But my little 'natblida' seems okay. Opening the doors reminded me of the Dropship, and the rush of wind over my face after a lifetime of recycled air," I sighed, reveling in the memory.
"I'm gonna make my way to the boat. Hopefully get off this stupid island. I'm going a little stir crazy. But I imagine you guys are too. Repairs must keep you busy. I wished that I had something to do to keep busy, and look what that wishful thinking got me? A pretty little thing with dark hair and blue eyes. I wish she had your eyes Bell, or O's. She has your hair though, dark and curly. But I'm just happy that she's here and healthy. Well as healthy as can be when you're breastfeeding on rations. But we have lots of food. I hope you guys are doing well. Recycled water sucks, but it's better than nothing."
The boat was damaged mildly, which surprised me. The destruction the Death Wave had caused to Polis before we lost the drone a year ago was immense. But I tested out the engine, after putting Callie down in a safe spot. She gurgled, and played with her hand, sucking on it, while I tried to fire it up. There was very little fuel, so I knew that it might only be a one-way trip.
With that knowledge, I weighed the pros and cons of leaving the island just yet. If I waited another year, there might be food. If I went now, without all our rations and recycled water, we might die of dehydration and malnutrition. It was a toss up, but I knew to give us the best chance, we had to stay at least another year.
I found another drone stashed away while I was cleaning up one day. Callie had been enthralled with how it flew, so I thought we could try and see how the mainland looked with it. Once I saw some green, we would go over. I would pack the boat full, and test the water to make sure we could drink outside. But there was nothing for five months. Callie was 8 months old when I saw, the first bit of green erupting from the earth, on the drone. She had taken a few wobbly steps earlier that day, so I rewarded it with a bit of outside light. The air was warm, still heavily radiated, but warm nonetheless. She had just started saying Mama, which made my heart hurt.
Another thing Bellamy missed.
I was trying to teach her how to say Dadda, Papa or something like it, making her try over the radio everyday, just so Bellamy could hear her voice and giggles. If this was all for nothing, I would have broken not only my heart but also my daughter's.
I didn't dwell on that, but before I went to sleep some nights, I would radio Bellamy. I told him how much I wanted to hear his voice, to have his arms around me. I didn't care if others on the Ark Ring heard. I hadn't voiced it enough here, that I loved him, when he was here. I was making up for lost time, damned whoever overheard.
"I love you, I love you, I love you. And Callie will love you too," I said, wiping the tears that fell from my eyes.
Another month later, the green had increased. It still didn't seem right to leave the safety of the lab, but there wasn't much more to do. I had converted one section, using dirt from outside and a makeshift greenhouse. I found seeds in the ruins of Becca's house and hoped they had survived. Callie had liked the shiny pots and pans, banging on them while I scavenged. It was my signal that she was okay. Not that there was anyone that could take her.
I grabbed a few books that had not been too badly burned, ones that I could teach Callie from one day. I had been getting stronger, carrying her and our spoils everyday, over rough terrain. But my hair was getting longer too, and she enjoyed pulling it while we walked.
It was coming up on a year since she had been born, and I knew I wouldn't have much to give her. But I thought a book of stories would be perfect. But there weren't fairytale books in Becca's house.
So I wrote the ones I knew down, drawing pictures to go along with them, and adding a few made up ones. Ones of her father, the Rebel King, who loved a Princess, but only after a whole bunch of crap happened to them. The Legend of the 100.
Days dragged on, Callie and my daily transmissions to the Ark Ring my only constant. The greenhouse worked miraculously, so I had fresh vegetables for Callie. She needed them more than I did, so she got more.
"It's been a year and nine months since Praimfaya. Bellamy, it's Callie's 1st birthday today. She's walking, and loves to hear about her Daddy, the Rebel King. She learned how to say Daddy the other day, well sort of, which makes me so happy to share it with you. Go ahead," I said, holding the radio up to Callie's mouth.
"Dada!" She exclaimed, clapping.
"She's a bright little girl, Bell. And so beautiful."
On the two year mark, Callie and I headed out and off the island. It had been a place to live, but never to stay completely. We might be back, but I wasn't sure. Packing up all our stuff on the boat, in several trips while Callie napped, we were ready to shove off at first light. The stars could be seen again through breaks in the haze, and I loved to point them out to Callie on the rare clear nights. Shoving away from the dock was the hardest thing I had to do yet since telling the gang to leave without me.
As we sailed away from our temporary home, Callie waved goodbye to the island.
"We did it Bellamy. We left the island, and are on the water now. Boat has minimal fuel so it is likely a one-way trip. Packed everything just in case. Books, seeds for vegetables when we find fertile land, and Callie's doll. I only really needed one thing. Your jacket. It still smells like you Bell," I sighed, watching the water for signs of life.
"Hopefully, we can set up a good homestead. I'm going to search for that bunker near the Dropship, grab some things if it's still sealed well." It might be a long hike for us, but we have a tent, an axe for firewood, flint, and I'm 92% sure this is what we need to do. She needs to see more of the world than the island, and I can't be in the frame of mind to hide. Good things never came from comfort zones."
"I see the Rover Bellamy! It looks like it survived almost better than the boat. Callie, can you say Rover? Or boat?"
"Ooova," She said, before laughing at herself, "Oat."
"We will work on those r's and b's. She's the best thing that has happened to me down here. I thought I was going to be alone the whole time. I thought I was dreaming her up when I first got those symptoms. But childbirth is not something I could have imagined," I laughed.
"Dada?" Callie asked, tugging on my sleeve.
"Dada," I said, holding the microphone down to her.
"Ove ou," She said quietly, before looking bashful.
"I'm sure you understood that, but she loves you. She has a storybook about you and how you lead a group of scared kids as their Rebel King. I think she wants to be the Princess in the story," I smiled, hoping he understood the reference.
"Well, we made it to the other dock, or what's left of it. I should sign off so I can see if it's safe to walk on. Love you," I sighed, sending all my love through those words.
The dock was sturdy enough that I could walk on it, not carrying more than another 30 pounds, so my trips were smaller. I took the key from the boat, pocketing it for safekeeping, and pulled Callie out of there last. The Rover's doors opened and I was hit with a wave of nostalgia.
"Sleeping bags, lantern… oh." I said, looking at the extension of Bellamy. His rifle from the FEMA bunker. Callie played with a doll I made her, unaware of how close I was to breaking down. I touched the strap reverently, savoring the softness of the leather, worn from use. The safety was on, making me smile. Even during an apocalypse he was careful with his weapons.
I pressed the cool metal to my lips, smelling the lingering gunpowder residue. Callie looked up at me and asked, "Mama?"
"This is your Daddy's. I'm gonna keep it safe for him until he returns for us."
"Kai?" She asked, looking up.
"Yes, Daddy's up in the sky. He's coming back to us soon," I smiled, kissing her nose.
The rover didn't start, but it was okay for now. We had shelter, and food. The water wasn't radiated as badly, so we could drink it after boiling it, and used some to clean our clothes and Callie's diaper rags. I scavenged for plants around the Rover, some I recognized from making medicine for the 100 Camp. Callie fell and scrapped herself a couple times, learning how to walk over rough terrain, but she got the hang of it quickly.
I deduced the problem with the Rover quickly. It was dead, like I suspected, but the good news was that I just had to reconnect the solar panels and wait for it to charge. They had gotten knocked loose in the Deathwave, and I did know how they connected. So Raven would be semi proud that I was competent enough to fix something Callie could of.
"Day 745. I got the Rover fixed. There were a few panels loose on the roof, but now we should be able to search around. I'm going back home Bell, and I hope it's in good enough shape we can live there. Back where it all began," I smiled.
"It's just over 2 years since Praimfaya, and only three to go."
Bellamy's POV:
Clarke named her Calliope, telling me that I was her inspiration. Well, my Greek heritage. And she gave her my mother's name as her second, making me blush as everyone listened in. She said because she wanted to honor the woman that raised me to be the man I am. After that she explained how Callie was a Nightblood too, and she could finally venture outside when the year mark passed and the computers told her it was safe for them. I was worried so much that I couldn't work, and I would sit next to the radio for hours, trying to get Clarke's attention.
"Bellamy?" She asked, "I opened the door to the lab. The land is scorched, desolate. It's awful. I just hope that in a few years the vegetation will come back. I know from lessons on the Ark that entire forests would regrow after wildfires, so it's not outside the realm of possibility."
"Callie and I are fine right now. I probably should have gone out by myself first and then waited to see if radiation sickness sets in. But my little 'natblida' seems okay. Opening the doors reminded me of the Dropship, and the rush of wind over my face after a lifetime of recycled air." I thought back, reveling in the memory. And how only moments before I had seen her face for the first time.
"I'm gonna make my way to the boat. Hopefully get off this stupid island. I'm going a little stir crazy. But I imagine you guys are too. Repairs must keep you busy. I wished that I had something to do to keep busy, and look what that wishful thinking got me? A pretty little thing with dark hair and blue eyes. I wish she had your eyes Bell, or O's. She has your hair though, dark and curly. But I'm just happy that she's here and healthy. Well as healthy as can be when you're breastfeeding on rations. But we have lots of food. I hope you guys are doing well. Recycled water sucks, but it's better than nothing."
She was right, the recycled water did suck, but we survived. We were careful to ration it, along with the algae, in case something failed. I was happy that she and Callie were okay to be exposed to the outside air. For weeks after that, she would tell me about what Callie did, what new things she discovered, and how she was trying to get her to say Daddy over the radio. I heard her giggles and Clarke's baby talk to her.
She told me about how she found seeds at Becca's house and how she had planted a greenhouse in the lab, because it was still too warm outside from the radiation. She filled me in on every little milestone. How she was rolling over, how much she looked like Octavia and me. It helped me heal a bit, after the pain of leaving her behind, to hear the happiness in her voice. She would radio at night to tell me she loved me, sometimes it was the only thing she said all day. I anchored myself to that feeling, to how much I loved her.
A year since Callie was born and the gang partied. It was nice to have these breaks from working non stop. Emori and Murphy were in charge of gathering anything that looked important to Raven's efforts to getting us home in the next 3 years. Harper was medical, having received a small bit of education from Clarke and Abby before everything with A.L.I.E. Echo was Raven's hand, lifting and passing her things. Monty was in charge of the Algae farm, with everyone helping in shifts. And of course Raven was always trying to figure out a new way to get us home.
"It's been a year and nine months since Praimfaya. Bellamy, it's Callie's 1st birthday today. She's walking, and loves to hear about her Daddy, the Rebel King. She learned how to say Daddy the other day, well sort of, which makes me so happy to share it with you. Go ahead," She said.
"Dada!" Callie said, with little hands clapping in the background.
"She's a bright little girl, Bell. And so beautiful."
"She's like her mama, in both those ways," I said, smiling at the radio.
And then the day came when her transmission didn't come until a few hours later. It was two years since Praimfaya when she radioed about leaving the island.
"We did it Bellamy. We left the island, and are on the water now. Boat has minimal fuel so it is likely a one-way trip. Packed everything just in case. Books, seeds for vegetables when we find fertile land, and Callie's doll. I only really needed one thing. Your jacket. It still smells like you Bell," She sighed. I imagined her wearing it, and a sense of pride ripped through me. Mine, you are mine, I thought.
"Hopefully, we can set up a good homestead. I'm going to search for that bunker near the Dropship, grab some things if it's still sealed well. It might be a long hike for us, but we have a tent, an axe for firewood, flint, and I'm 92% sure this is what we need to do. She needs to see more of the world than the island, and I can't be in the frame of mind to hide. Good things never came from comfort zones."
"I see the Rover Bellamy! It looks like it survived almost better than the boat. Callie, can you say Rover? Or boat?"
"Ooova," Callie said, before laughing, "Oat."
"We will work on those r's and b's. She's the best thing that has happened to me down here. I thought I was going to be alone the whole time. I thought I was dreaming her up when I first got those symptoms. But childbirth is not something I could have imagined," She laughed. I felt my heart ache at the thought of her, being so alone she might go crazy.
"Dada?" Callie asked.
"Dada," Clarke said.
"Ove ou," She said quietly.
"I love you too Princess," I said into the radio.
"I'm sure you understood that, but she loves you. She has a storybook about you and how you lead a group of scared kids as their Rebel King. I think she wants to be the Princess in the story," Clarke explained, making me smile at the reference. I didn't see her as a Princess anymore, rather, my Queen. I would make her mine when we got back down to Earth, I promised myself as much.
"Well, we made it to the other dock, or what's left of it. I should sign off so I can see if it's safe to walk on. Love you," She said.
"I love you too Clarke. Be safe," I said, sending out all my love for her.
"Okay boss, time to get to work. It's recording so you won't miss anything she has to say," Monty said, dragging me out for my shift on the Algae farm.
…
"Day 745. I got the Rover fixed. There were a few panels loose on the roof, but now we should be able to search around. I'm going back home Bell, and I hope it's in good enough shape we can live there. Back where it all began." I smiled at knowing she was going to the Dropship. They both would be safe. Clarke knew what she was doing.
"It's just over 2 years since Praimfaya, and only three to go." I laid my head on the table, missing her smile, the way the sunlight hit her hair from behind, making her glow like a goddess in the right light. He way she felt wrapped in my arms, or the way her legs had encased my waist that last day… the way she felt wrapped around my…
"I'll be back." I said to Murphy, who just nodded, and I took off down the hall. As I made it back to my room with a raging hard on, I grabbed a rag from my back pocket, unzipped my pants and lost myself dreaming about her. The way her skin smelt, the taste of her kiss, the way her dusty pink nipples brushed against my chest. Groaning, I pumped faster, imagining how her lower lips must taste and all the things I was going to do to her upon our return.
Spilling into the rag, I took a couple ragged breaths, coming down from that high. I was beyond repressed, that being the first time in over two years I had actually done something about a boner. I felt the shame, because she was out there, all alone and fending for our daughter and herself, and here I was, imagining her naked. The rational part of my brain said it was natural, and not something I needed to be ashamed of, but there was a tiny part of me that didn't want her thinking that I thought of her as a means to get off. It was a moot point because she wasn't here.
