The next few days were one big blur to Sara as she was adjusting to living in Mount Weather. The truth was that she'd never before in her life felt so comfortable and happy. Having Lily near her would make things much better, but this was her life now and she couldn't possibly come back to what had been before. All she could do was to go forward and she was actually content with the way things had turned out. She kept on mingling and even though at the beginning Mountain Men weren't very trusting, gradually more and more of them actually got used to yet another adult in their midst. And then there was Cage. Sara truly didn't know what that thing between them was. The more she saw him, the faster her heart was beating and she kept catching herself on staring into his eyes a little bit too long, of tracing the line of his lips, of watching his lean body from the other side of the room. She hoped he didn't notice her lingering gazes and she tried to pull herself together and to just stop doing it, but it was too late every single time. She seemed to sense him appearing in the room before she even saw him and it both scared and exhilarated her. When she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his eyes set on hers and it only drove her more crazy. She knew that just a few days had passed since she'd met him, but living in such a confined space seemed to fasten things up. There was no outside world, there was only the inside. It was simply inevitable that she saw Cage more than she would if they lived out in the open, even if they dated. Somehow Sara felt more confined in Mount Weather than she'd ever had in the space or maybe it had something to do with the presence of the one man she seemed to react to in a special way. It'd never happened to her before with such intensity and she felt like if they didn't take it to the next level, she would simply explode. She knew it was ridiculous, she tried to tell herself that it'd just been a few days, but she still couldn't help it. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice the disappearance of Clarke and the stealthy conversations a small group of the 100 seemed to be having every free moment. Sara was just living in her own world.
The day one of Jasper's new friends, Maya - Sara thought was her name - was exposed to the radiation, she didn't see Cage anywhere. It kind of bothered her and spoilt her mood as she was so used to talking to him during meals or just spending time with him. It didn't miss her attention that ever since Cage had met her, he'd never been late to a meal and he'd claimed before to always be forgetful about what time it actually was. Well, this was the first day he didn't show up at breakfast and then at lunch and Sara started wondering what he could be doing. It was way past dinner when she finally left the dining room, completely bored as even the people she'd already gotten to know in Mount Weather couldn't take her mind off of Cage for a longer moment. As she was walking through the long and empty corridor, slowly making her way to her room, she finally saw him approaching her from the opposite direction.
"Cage," she said his name when being a little startled by his sudden appearance, but she was also happy. "I haven't seen you today. Is everything all right?" she asked when they met in the midway and her heart fastened up as usual in his presence.
"We had a leakage today," he explained, "but I guess you already know about that."
"Yes, I'm sorry it had to happen to one of your people," she voiced her regret.
"Well, it would never happen to one of yours," he resolutely pointed out. "And one of the Sky Kids, Jasper, actually offered to donate blood and it worked. We managed to save Maya thanks to him."
"I'm glad to hear that," Sara said and smiled. Then they just stood there, looking at each other and she completely forgot about what they were even talking about. All she was aware of was his closeness, the smell which must've been the aftershave invading her senses and his eyes boring straight into hers and then… yes, they actually shifted to her lips.
That day Cage was simply tired following the rules, he was tired of waiting, tired of living locked inside the metal cage that ironically was also his name. He'd just had a very unpleasant conversation with his father and he felt like he had enough of everything. He couldn't possibly do what Dante Wallace told him to for any longer. He also couldn't possibly court Sara even for one more day. He needed to have it all and he needed to have it now.
"You tricked him into giving her his blood?" Dante was angry when he heard about the whole incident and it didn't take long for him to figure out that the leakage wasn't accidental. He accused Cage of causing it immediately, but of course his son denied it even though they both knew that he'd done it.
"Dad, relax, they're both fine now. Dr. Tsing had this theory that with the help of Sky People's blood we would actually be able to walk out into the open again, but it only works for a few minutes. We still don't have a permanent solution."
"Oh, we do have one, but it takes time," Dante disagreed.
"Time we might not actually have," Cage argued. "Do you really want to wait for a whole new generation? You know that you'll be long dead by then."
"Cage, if I let you use those kids for experiments, I won't deserve to be able to walk outside, do you understand me?" Dante nearly growled.
"We don't need to experiment on them! We've already found a way! If we harvest their bone marrow…" Cage started and it made his father even more furious.
"Are you out of your mind?! Those are kids! My answer is no and never expect me to change it." After having said that, Dante just walked away, leaving Cage boiling with rage.
And now Cage was standing right in front of Sara, the woman he'd desired strongly ever since the first moment he'd seen her. There was no one else around them. And he couldn't possibly get the permission from his father to start harvesting the bone marrow. The woman standing right in front of him, the woman wanting him as strongly as he wanted her, was the one thing he could actually have.
"Oh, screw this!" he just said and grabbed her face, bringing her closer to his own and crashing his lips against hers.
At first Sara was just stunned by the sudden change in Cage, by the sudden movement and then the kiss itself. No one had ever kissed her like this, not with such a strong desire which was nearly visceral, primal. His lips were hungry and demanding as he moved them over hers and finally she was able to kiss him back, grabbing his face as well and pulling him even closer until their bodies blended into one, his arms took her into his embrace and his mouth prided hers open, so she could allow him the access of his tongue.
Soon Cage pushed her against the wall and she didn't even feel the pain from her back colliding hard with it, all she could feel was the heat coming off of his body, his kisses hot on her lips, his hands wandering all over her skin, his chest pressed against her own and his pelvis pushing against her pelvis and the hardness there. It all caused her to completely lose herself in the sensations and when she realized that they could just let go without worrying about getting pregnant, she moaned with pleasure and buried her hands into his hair, kissing him with even more fervor. His hand was on her thigh, then he gently rose it up and put around his hip and she released another moan when her core found some friction and in that moment they heard a door opening and merry laughter coming from the dining room.
Sara didn't even manage to check who was walking out of the room and whether they even saw them embracing so passionately because Cage just grasped her hand and pulled her towards the part of the bunker he'd come from before. She felt slightly dizzy as she suddenly found herself running. Dizzy and strangely cold when she lost the feel of his hot body against her own, but she followed him as he led her a long way and eventually pressed his thumb against a scanner next to some door to open it.
As they came inside, Sara realized that she must be in Cage's bedroom. There was a desk in the corner and a couch in another and the next door led into a bedroom where he walked in now, looking at her, making sure she was stil here. As she followed him inside, she spotted a bed and a closet, probably full of his usual suits. There was also a small adjacent bathroom.
"My whole room from the Ark would probably fit in there," she said when pointing the bathroom.
"We have a lot of rooms like that in here, too," Cage answered when closing the door and turning back to her. "But I have privileges."
"And I'm so happy about that right now," Sara answered him with a smile and before she could say something more, he got to her again and started kissing her with the same fervor he'd showed her a moment before in the hall. He was more attentive now, though. There was no danger of someone walking in on them, so they could just go all the way. And Sara surrendered to Cage completely, losing herself in his body as they quickly got rid of their clothing. She really liked him wearing all those suits, but she quickly discovered that it meant more layers of fabric and she just wanted him naked right away. She took off his jacket, glad that he wasn't really a fan of ties; then she undid the buttons of his shirt and pulled it out of his pants and finally, after discarding of it, she could get down to his belt. Still, she was constantly interrupted by Cage's kisses and by his ministrations when he was trying to take all of her clothes off in the same time. Also, when he finally stood in front of her completely shirtless, she stopped for a moment, just admiring his chest, running her hands through it, watching as his muscles tensed and his nipples peaked. Then she looked up into his eyes and was completely mesmerized by what she found there. She'd never before seen a man who looked at her this way. It nearly set her on fire as she was burning from the inside. Then he was kissing her again and pushing towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge of it and she fell into it. In this position he hovered above her, taking care of the remaining clothes she was still wearing, getting rid of the bra when exposing her breasts to his eyes and then disposing of the lower garment. He came back to kissing, this time his lips trailing down to her cleavage and finally to her breasts, his hands already on her thighs, opening her legs, so he could situate himself between them. She still wasn't completely satisfied since he was only half-naked, so she tried to fumble with his belt, but his head and hands kept getting in the way. Eventually, he helped her out, opening his pants himself and pulling them down his legs, revealing his impressive and erected length.
She reached her hands to his face then and pulled him back to bed, kissing him deeply, licking his upper lip when tracing the peculiar scar he had there. She had yet to ask about that one. Not now though, she decided, being too busy placing her hands on his butt and then moving them to the front to stroke him. He groaned and stopped kissing her, too distracted to be able to focus on the movements of his lips.
"Wait…" he suddenly remembered. "Condom."
"Right," she agreed, both happy that he thought of that and disappointed that she lost the contact with his body above hers when he moved to get the needed item from his bedside drawer. She decided not to think about any other possible females he might've entertained in this place. This was her night and he was hers for now.
This time she spread her legs all on her own and took him into her arms until her body enveloped him completely. They were both too far gone and needed to get down to business, so he just rolled the condom on and positioned himself, entering her with a fast and urgent stroke. Sara opened her mouth widely as she felt him inside her all the way. Finally, she could find some outlet to all that pent-up sexual tension. She thought that she'd felt it the very first time she'd actually seen this man.
He started moving, first slowly but then more urgently, burying himself inside her over and over again, slightly changing the angle of his penetration, so she thought she would simply melt away under his touch. He was driving her crazy, causing her to fall apart underneath him completely. It was like he was taking her to hell with him and then back to heaven. She had him, but she still wanted more, she still wasn't satisfied and needed more of him and she started to wonder if she would ever have enough. This deep and primal need she got to feel for the very first time in her life caused her chest to actually ache. It was such a pleasure, this pain, she thought.
And then he fastened up, grabbing her thighs and diving even deeper inside her, pushing her over the edge fast and effectively. And she felt herself coming, her mouth opening again, her vision nearly going white as she was riding her orgasm along with him who seemed to be coming as well, too far gone to hold on for longer. He actually kissed her when pushing into her one last time and they both fell apart, the kiss getting sloppy, but they didn't care.
When Sara came down from her climax and Cage was just lying there, spent, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his breath hot on her ear, his body stuck to hers; she felt beyond happy. It might've happened fast, she thought, but it seemed to be inevitable somehow. She was falling for this man and it was stronger than her. She couldn't possibly control it, it just happened. The only thing that scared her now was that it might be the kind of love that could actually crash her and burn her until all that was left were ashes. But that was the point, wasn't it?
"It was… amazing," Cage finally spoke breathlessly and forced himself to get off of her in order to take care of the condom. He disappeared in the bathroom and then came back right away. Sara couldn't help but watch his naked body as he made his way back to the bed and got under the covers.
"Yes, it was," she agreed then and snuggled into him comfortably. His arms enveloped her and she was glad that they were on the same page. She would be devastated if he suddenly told her that she should go now. "Maybe it happened too fast, but… I'm glad it did," she admitted.
"Why wait when we can die any moment?" Cage just asked and placed a soft kiss to her lips. A kiss that actually grew and grew until they were making out again. Sara just couldn't get enough of him, of his lips, of his touch and of his body. Soon she felt him hardening again and was happy that there would be a round two.
It'd been three days since Cage had taken Sara for the first time and every single morning she woke up in his bed and to him staring at her.
"Ok, seriously, you're starting to creep me out," she said instead of good morning. "I'm not that beautiful."
"Have you seen all the women in here?" Cage just asked when remaining in his position, propped up on his elbow. "You're the prettiest one in the whole bunker."
"Oh, so that is why you're sleeping with me. I think I should start looking for someone who could appreciate more of me than what's just skin deep."
"Oh, no, you most definitely can't do that," Cage disagreed when getting closer to her until he was hovering above her and placing a heated kiss to her lips. "You're all mine now."
"That's not true. I don't belong to anyone but myself," she argued when he pulled away, but somehow she felt that he was actually right. She did feel as though she belonged to him and as he belonged to her even when she didn't particularly liked the way it sounded.
"You're killing me, you know that?" Cage actually sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Always disagreeing, always being the elusive one. It's driving me completely crazy."
"Well," Sara started when spreading her legs and sliding one up his hip until she heard him gasp, "if it's working, then my job here is done," she teased him and pulled him closer for another kiss. They'd had sex so many times those last three days and yet she still couldn't get enough of it. He was like a drug to her and she was becoming more and more addicted to him. Sometimes she caught herself thinking about the future and it caused her to feel cold dread inside. In the end she always decided to just let it go and live in the moment. Yet that fear was still there and every time she was with Cage, every time she saw him or kissed him and felt him inside her, there was a bitter tone in that pleasure since she knew that their relationship might not actually last. He was still susceptible to the radiation and therefore he couldn't possibly get out of Mount Weather. If her people decided to actually leave in the end, would she be able to leave with them? Or would she become a traitor when choosing the Mountain Men over her own people?
"Hey, are you ok?" Cage suddenly asked when breaking the kiss. "Are you even here with me?" he got worried.
"Yeah… I'm-I'm sorry," she eventually said when looking into his brown eyes. "I was just thinking about this impossible situation. There's so much to figure out."
"Maybe there is, but we don't have to do it all now," he said. "We'll deal with everything as it comes." He placed his hands on each side of her head, cupping her face as he was saying that. "All that matters right now is that we're together, right here and right now. I do care about you, I hope you know that. I have feelings for you and you're not like any other girl. You're special, Sara. I might tease you about loving the way you look and trust me, I do love it, but there's more to it."
"I know," she said, her voice actually growing hoarse and she needed to blink a few times so she wouldn't break a tear. "And I want you to know that I do care about you, too. That is why it's so hard for me. I'm torn between my people and yours since they just refuse to blend together."
"A couple of the kids actually volunteered yesterday to donate their blood," Cage informed when getting off of Sara and lying next to her on the bed. "So maybe there's some hope for us, after all," he said, but he didn't really believe it himself. The blood donation only worked for a few minutes and then they were at square one. The only way to make it possible for the Mountain Men to leave the hatch was to actually harvest the Sky People's bone marrow and Cage wasn't sure what Sara would think of him if she knew that he was seriously considering doing it. His father was strongly against the whole operation, but what other chance did they have? Eventually, they would all die out if they didn't do something. There were also other things Sara had no idea about like the Grounders being made into reapers by the Mountain Men or the harvest chamber in which they kept those whose blood they were using to heal themselves. How Sara would feel about that if she knew? Cage wondered and in such moments he could truly understand her own fears. He had them, too. Maybe he even had them more often as he was painfully aware of the differences between his people and hers. They were something the authors in all the books usually called star-crossed lovers and Cage should really laugh at the irony. Before he'd met her, he'd never thought he would become so obsessed with a woman, that there would be someone that would cause him to literally ache when he wasn't around her. Yet it was happening to him right now and it was also scaring the hell out of him. He was terrified of the future, too.
"That's great," Sara said and then she actually straddled him when pushing the covers away and running her hands through his chest. "So maybe we can live in peace. Maybe everything will work itself out." She smiled to him and bent down to capture his lips again, licking his scar and then sucking on his lip. She'd asked him about that mark the night before and he'd actually told her that he'd been exposed to such a huge amount of radiation when he'd been a kid that this place had never truly healed despite the doctors' best efforts.
Cage kissed her back, groaning in pleasure at her ministrations and quickly getting aroused until she put the condom in place and took him inside, starting moving over him. Maybe they really should think about getting her on IUD, he thought when holding on to her desperately, enjoying the moment he got to have. All the time they had seemed to be stolen as Cage seemed to only be postponing the inevitable. Clarke had escaped and the Sky People had actually come down to the ground and he wasn't sure what Sara would say if she knew that he lied to her about that, too. He just wanted to forget about all the obstacles that stood in their way. He just wanted to stay buried deep inside her, spent. He wanted to enjoy simply being with her. It was the closest to heaven he would ever get, he was sure of it.
When Cage and Sara parted after breakfast and after he actually spoke to Lorelei Tsing about possibly harvesting the kids for their bone marrow in secret, his father found him.
"I heard about your relationship," he simply said.
"Dad, whom I'm seeing is really none of your business," Cage tried to brush him off.
"It's everybody's business, son. Don't you see the potential?" Dante actually stopped Cage when placing his hand on his son's arm.
"What do you mean?" Cage asked tentatively, but he thought he already knew the answer and he didn't like it at all.
"You actually asked me for my permission to harvest the kids and you don't see the most obvious solution?" Dante raised his eyebrows. "She wants you, so she's willing. Stop using birth control and get her pregnant. It'll both force her to stay here with you and it'll give our people the chance to walk outside one day."
"She's not cattle, father!" Cage seemed outraged at the very possibility. "I will do nothing against her will."
"Really? You're holding her here against her will. We're holding all of them. Their people are out there, Clarke is out there and if they knew, they wouldn't spend another second in our company and all would be lost."
"Then I suggest you rethink harvesting that bone marrow," Cage just said.
"You're really taken with her, aren't you?" The older Wallace seemed to be surprised. "My, my, it's something I never actually thought I would see."
"Spare me, dad. If you dare touch her or even talk to her, you'll deal with me!" Cage threatened and walked away angrily. Neither he nor his father noticed doctor Tsing behind a corner, listening on their conversation.