Chapter 2: Ground rules
About a month later.
"Bell, I invited the group to come visit us, I need some fitting measures."
Octavia was chiming but Bellamy wasn't really paying attention, Octavia had decided to work force several places in town that needed costumes and he was sure that she was either talking about the little theater down the street or maybe her ex-cheerleading squad friends she had been making their outfits since she got in the squad arguing that those classic cheerleading uniforms wouldn't make them stand out enough. Either way, he couldn't care less about his sister having people in their house for a couple of hours.
"Yeah, O, whatever. Just tell me when and I get myself out of the way."
Knock – knock – knock.
Bellamy went for the door before Octavia could stop him, he opened it looking at his jumpy sister before turning around to politely greet his guests, and when he met the deep blue eyes of the young blond standing before him he closed the door on her.
"How about right now?" Octavia said looking at him with puppy eyes.
"That's who you meant by 'the group'?" Octavia only nodded in response waiting for him to snap. "I don't want her in my house, go make the fitting somewhere else."
Octavia suddenly got enough of her brother's antics and got around him to open the door to Clarke.
"Yeah, I just need a minute." She told her rolling her eyes and Clarke giggled at her.
"Take your time, the others stopped by the diner on the way, I'll joined them you can just call me once you calm him down." Clarke said quickly.
Bellamy had his back still to the door and was biting his lower lip to prevent him from yelling at her for talking about him like he was a mad dog but hearing her voice again brought a smile on his face. One that he tried hard to get rid of once his sister had closed the door.
"Get lost!" She told him before passing right through him again.
"I told you I don't want her in my house." Bellamy repeated even though he knew Octavia wouldn't listen to him anyway.
"Stop being a downer, just go play some game with Miller or find something more useful to do with yourself. They are actually paying for my work so you better play nice." Octavia was suddenly very strict with him not taking no for an answer.
"They are paying you?" Bellamy asked proud of his sister.
"Yep, their manager even send me a confidentiality contract to sign so they could talk about anything they wanted when I am with them." She stated and sounded very professional. "And it would make all of our lives easier if you just sign one too since I am working from the house. Please." She knew he would do it for her and the 'please' wasn't necessary but it would appease him. Octavia went to her room quickly and came back with a folder containing her sign contract and the one he had to sign along with a pen.
"Now sign this while I call her to come back." She send a stern look at him. "And you will behave while they are here." She pointed a finger taping lightly at his chest. "Understood?" Bellamy nodded his sister could be scary when she wanted to. It was a Blake thing, they were caring and good at convincing people to follow them but if something really matter to them whether it was their friend or something they were passionate about they would put the fear of God into people until they get exactly what they wanted.
Bellamy took the pen and sign the papers not even caring to read them. Who was he going to tell whatever secrets they wanted to keep anyway? This town barely had 500 citizens, and the only newspaper only goes about lost cats and pie contests. Bellamy liked his town, it was boring when Miller, Murphy and him were teenagers so they tried to spice things up a little by hitting the bars on the surrounding towns, picking up brawls, engaging in car races, all until Miller's dad caught them and showed them that being in a little town didn't meant that they had to play bad boys to get an interesting life.
"Let's pull out some ground rules here!" He was the one staring at her now. "No one wondering half naked in the house, no one in my room, and your door stays open and one of the girls stays with you when you take care of Jasper!" Octavia laughed at his last sentence.
"Take care of Jasper, really? Do you even hear yourself when you talk?"
"Don't you worry about that I'll keep everyone in check?" Octavia told him pushing him toward the door where he bumped into Clarke, playing with her acoustic guitar on their front stairs.
"Try not to let her influence you." He said.
"I am not a fangirl, Bellamy!" Octavia grunted at him.
"I was actually talking to the Princess, O, I know how you can be." Octavia stuck her tongue at him, but even though her back was still on him her upper body against her guitar he could see a smile on Clarke's face.
"Not that Princess thing again." She sighed but Bellamy was already walking away.
Clarke followed his path, watching as he walked down two houses before entering without knocking.
"Don't worry he signed the contract." Octavia told her, getting her attention back to the brunette.
"We can do all of this in our hotel room if you prefer." Clarke said "I loved pissing him off it made my day but I don't want you to get in trouble."
"Call the others, I'll make lemonade and we can start working on the measurements." Octavia dismissed her last comment getting back in the house.
C: House is jackass free you can come in.
R: Can't we're eating the best pie ever.
Clarke laughed at Raven text. None of them had ever been the strict diet type whatever their PR rep was telling to the press, but being on tour most of the year had led to some pretty bad meals and one or two trip to the ER for intoxication.
"What got you all laughing?" Octavia asked her from the kitchen.
"The crew refuse to leave the Grounders apparently they found the witch's house." When Octavia came back to the living room with a questioning look Clarke explained. "You know from Hansel & Gretel? They have a bit of a sweet tooth" Octavia smiled at her.
"I got the reference but …" Octavia stopped herself looking at the kitchen and went back inside.
Knock – knock – knock.
Octavia went and opened the door to meet face to face with the tall bold dark man she had her eyes on when they were at the music festival. She gasped and took a step back her feet ending up tangled in the door mat and she was about to fall on the floor when a large hand got to her back to steady her. Octavia blushed deeply and stood back on her feet.
"Nice catch big boy." A feminine voice spoke behind them as a hand went on his shoulder. "You can let go now." And the man suddenly realized he still had his hand on the brunette's back, taking his hand off her quickly.
Octavia took a peek around him and was met with a sight that made her laugh instantly, Raven was wearing a mechanic jumpsuit covered in grease, a strict contrast from the little purple sundress Harper was wearing, some stripes of blue hair on her light blond natural ones, and Jasper was wearing a jean with a white t-shirt but that didn't mean he didn't stand out all the same with a pair of goggles on his head. They were caring doggy bags so she went back to the kitchen to retrieve plates.
"If you don't mind Raven I can land you some clothes, I think my brother will go crazy if you get grease everywhere." Raven followed her upstairs explaining the stains on her jumpsuit.
"Clarke loves to drive her old car whenever we get to get out of the tour bus and this old piece is holding up but she just crash on us from time to time." Raven stated with a big smile on her face. She wasn't complaining actually she looked like she really enjoyed those so called crash of the engine.
Octavia gave Raven sweat pants and a shirt to go with it before they went back to find out that Jasper had ate Raven's pie.
"Jasper!" Raven screamed, running after him in the living room. Clarke tucked Octavia in the couch to protect her before she got run down by one of them.
"I have more pie in the kitchen." Octavia whispered to Clarke watching the show.
"Yeah that is just going to end up the same way, don't bother." Harper answered her.
After the two trouble makers almost broke the TV, Lincoln caught them both and forced them to seat back on the couch.
"Tour must be fun." Octavia said standing up.
"They are not always like that. Too much sugar I guess." Clarke rolled her eyes at them. "Maybe you should take care of Raven first that way they won't have to seat together."
Octavia took the hint and led Raven back to her room leaving the rest of the group to watch the TV and wonder around the house.
When Bellamy decided he gave his sister enough time he walk back there only to be stop at his door by a man taller than the one he remembered from the tent.
"You won't go inside sir please walk back to your house." The man towered him and spoke in a low voice that send shivers through Bellamy spine, he was about to obey when he came back to his senses.
"This is my house." Bellamy stated, showing him his ID not wanting to engage in a battle with the man.
The bodyguard let him in. The group was still there, Harper and Jasper were playing video games and didn't pay any attention to him. Lincoln was hovering over them but stood up when he saw the man enter the room.
"How did you get Tristan to let you go through the door?" he asked with a smile.
"Showed him this." Bellamy showed the same ID he showed Tristan, his detective badge from the Ark Police Department.
Lincoln shrugged it off and sat back on the couch. "The girls are upstairs."
"You know that Tristan isn't exactly discreet, right?" Bellamy asked passing Lincoln. "I mean I had to sign a contract that basically says that I am not to tell that they are here but you have a bouncer on my door steps."
He didn't wait for an answer and went to his room on the top floor. He stopped and leaned at the door frame.
Clarke had spent the last hour wondering around the house, looking at the painting on the walls, the DVD collection on the shelves in the living room, the pies that were sitting on the kitchen counter, one room intrigued her it was filled with books of all kind all well-worn off, there was some pictures and a fire place that had clearly not been used for a while, the sun was getting directly through the window and was reflecting all kind of colors from the stained-glass.
"I thought I told my sister I didn't want anyone in my room." Bellamy said trying to be rough but his voice was caught up in is throat. She was beautiful in that light, not that he found her hideous in other circumstances but the light was reflecting in her hair putting rainbows on it and she seemed captivated by one of his books.
She didn't even look up when he spoke she must have hear him come up since the stairs were squeaking so much.
"I never read this one." She told him getting a hold on one of his book. "Was it any good?"
"Why don't you take it, that way you can make your own opinion." He told her finally entering his room. He was waiting for her to take the book and leave but she opened it and sat on his bad making herself comfortable.
"Making yourself at home Princess?" Bellamy crocked his eyebrow looking at her and taking into account that she still haven't lifted her head to look at him.
"I have a few hours to kill, your sister is very thorough with her work." Bellamy smiled at her. His sister was very efficient but she also very much liked to talk with her client and that could take hours.
He sat on his bed next to her and sighed.
"So did you find that little town you were looking for to enjoy your time off?" He asked curious as to where the group will end up once Octavia had all of her informations.
She nodded not getting her eyes of his book. "hhhm. Not yet no. But Jasper wants to stay here for a while and taste every pies on the Grounders menu."
Bellamy laughed just as Octavia had earlier and that intrigued her getting her to finally lift up her head and look at him.
"What's up with that by the way? You know that a pie diet isn't healthy." She asked concern on her face.
"What are you talking about?"
"I went to the kitchen!" She simply said getting her head back in her book.
"Do your little contract says that you have to keep my secrets too, Princess?" he replied seriously.
She rolled her eyes and nodded.
"I am cooking the pies they sell at the diner. It was a nice way to make a couple of bucks before I got a real job, it was helping with the bills and I just got used to it." He was waiting for her to laugh at him or say something mean but nothing came and they stayed silent for a while.
"Will you make me a coconut pie? It's the only one I can eat." She finally said cutting their silent moment.
"I'll think about that, Princess." He said taking one of the book on his night stand and leaning himself on his headboard to read beside her.