DISCLAIMER: I do not own THE 100 or any of the characters herein. That luxury belongs to The WB and The CW. I'm just a fan that likes to play in the world.

A/N: Okay, raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by the last few episodes of 'The 100'. *raises both hands* Great, I'm not alone. But we will get through this, fandom. We will prevail!

Once again, I have no beta, so any mistakes are all mine (I say that like I'm proud or something. Sheesh).

CHAPTER TWO

"Bellamy," I choke out.

He is clutching my arm, his fingers digging softly into the crook of my elbow. He has a look that is a mix of concern and amusement. Smiling, his thumb begins to slowly caress the inside of my elbow, and I can't help but shiver slightly.

When I remember the feel of Raven's fingers clutching that same spot just minutes ago, I pull my arm away a bit harsher than I intend. I cover the act by coughing in my free hand and giving Bellamy an apologetic smile.

"Clarke," he begins, tilting his head slightly. "Trying to escape so soon?"

I let out a quick laugh that sounds more like an exhale. "You caught me."

"I tried to tell Raven that a surprise party with a shit-ton of people was probably not the best idea, but you know Raven…" he trails off, taking a sip of his beer.

"Yeah," I watch him drink, slightly mesmerized by the movement of his Adam's apple when he swallows. "I know Raven." Clearing my throat, I take a big gulp of my martini.

"Actually," I begin, and Bellamy turns back to me. "I was trying to find Jasper, have you seen him?"

He frowns, looking like he was trying to backtrack in his mind. "I haven't seen him, no. But I'm sure he's around. He wouldn't bail on you."

"Probably because he knows I would kick his ass if he did." I say dryly. Bellamy laughs at this, deep and rich, and I can't help but smile at the sound.

"A terrifying thought," he says, taking another drink.

We stand together in comfortable silence for a few moments, just drinking and enjoying each other's company. I watch Raven finally pull herself away from the bar and head to the middle of the dance floor, another martini in hand. The DJ plays a song that's popular in the clubs nowadays, and Raven lets out a loud whoop! Some of the dancers make a small circle around her when she begins her dance, arms in the air and hips swaying. Her skin has a soft sheen of sweat and her hair is tumbling down her back in waves. All the men in the room can't take their eyes off of her and the women know this. They also can't take their eyes off of her, but their looks are ones of envy. One brave man makes his way through the crowd and plugs himself into Raven's lewd dance. Laughing, she yells out the name "Charlie!" and wraps an arm around his neck, pulling him close. The man named Charlie laughs too, his hands on her hips.

For some reason I feel a flush of embarrassment for Bellamy, and I sneak a glance his way to see his reaction to Raven's antics. He smiles a tight-lipped smile at the show on the dance floor, shrugging and taking another sip of beer. Only this one seems more like a chug than a sip.

He turns away from the dance floor and faces me. "So, how's the hospital?"

"Oh," I glance back at the dance floor. There are more couples gyrating to the music, and it's harder to see Raven and the guy she's dancing with. Since she knew his name, he's probably a guy from her work. At least he's not a stranger. "The hospital is fine. Hectic, but fine." I wet my dry tongue with another sip of gin. "I'm up for Chief Resident."

Bellamy's eyes widen at this. "Chief Resident. Damn, Clarke, that's great!" He gives my hand a congratulatory squeeze, and I notice his eyes slide to the dance floor. "You'll get it, no sweat. No one else holds a candle to you at that place."

I laugh at this. "And you know this because?"

"Because I know you." The look he pins me with is so strong I feel like he's looking straight through me. Squirming slightly under his gaze, I hide it with another smile and begin to eat the olives that are resting at the bottom of my glass. I glance down and notice his glass is empty. I am about to ask if he wants a refill when I hear someone yell Bellamy's name. He turns.

"Hey, Finn!"

A dark-haired man appears next to Bellamy. He looks to be a few inches shorter than him, but still fit. His hair keeps falling in his eyes, and it looks to be a habit for him to push it back. His dark brown eyes are warm and his smile sweet. I can't help but smile whenever he does; it's contagious.

"Clarke, this is an old buddy of mine, Finn. Finn, this is Clarke. We went to medical school together."

"Ah, the infamous Clarke!" Finn holds out his hand for me to shake. He has a firm grip and his hands are warm. It makes me wonder if he's warm all over. This thought makes my face heat up. "Bellamy's told me a lot about you."

"Has he?" I turn to Bellamy and raise my eyebrows. He simply shrugs, not making eye contact.

"And judging by the look on your face he hasn't once mentioned me, has he?" Finn turns to Bellamy and shakes his head. "What an asshole."

I laugh at this a little too hard, and both men turn to stare. I try to hide my embarrassment by eating more olives. I curse my fair complexion, hoping the poor lighting in the bar hides my flaming cheeks. What is wrong with me?

"Well –" I swallow quickly. "Now that you mention it, I think he has mentioned you before. Old high school buddies, right?"

"Yes!" Finn does a fist bump in the air. I smile. "I gave this kid hell for four years. I think he befriended me so I would stop."

"Hell?" I ask.

"He always kicked my ass in basketball," Bellamy explains, leaning in close. I clear my throat. "I was sick of it, so I asked him to be on my team for once."

"And no one stood a chance," Finn finishes, slapping Bellamy on the shoulder. "Hey, so a few of the guys are gonna head out soon, hit up this new bar downtown. Apparently it's Monty's new place, and he swears it's the shit."

"Bailing on my party already?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. Once again, I feel the heat. Damn it.

Finn smiles, but it's different than the ones before. This one makes me feel lightheaded. "Gonna miss me, Princess?"

"Princess?" I ask, caught off guard. It takes me a few seconds to figure it out. "No, you didn't Bellamy!"

"What?" Bellamy asks innocently, even though his face screams guilty.

"That was one Halloween!"

"Yes, but it was a memorable one," Bellamy sighs wistfully, like he is remembering it all over again. I punch him in the arm. "Ow!"

"Jerk," I mumble.

"I heard you were beautiful, Your Highness," Finn laughs.

I give him a look. "No, you didn't."

"No, I didn't. But hearing about it and seeing you now, I just assumed."

I inhale sharply as he smiles again, and once again it is infectious and I can't help but reciprocate it.

"Anyway," Finn turns back to Bellamy. "Monty's. In about an hour?" He gives Bellamy a playful pout and Bellamy shakes his head.

"Not tonight, dude. I have some things to do."

Finn turns to look at the bar, where Raven decided to climb on and dance there instead of the dance floor. "Ah," he says simply.

With one last clap on the shoulder and a "good luck" to boot, Finn flashes me a smile and disappears back into the crowd.

Sighing heavily, Bellamy drags a hand over his face, a nervous habit I first noticed in college. "I really should –"

"Yeah, of course." I gesture to the bar with my empty martini glass. He gives me an apologetic smile.

Without taking his eyes off of her, he heads toward the bar where Raven is swaying along to the music, laughing and spilling her full martini.

That's probably her fourth one since I got here, I think to myself.

I am about to follow Bellamy to the bar when I'm stopped by a petite brunette. It takes me a second to recognize her, but when I do, I let out a surprised laugh.

"Octavia!" I pull the young woman into a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in LA!"

"Like I could miss this milestone birthday!" I groan at this and she laughs. She squeezes me back tight before pulling back, a smile that makes her look just like her brother. "I flew in a few hours ago. I'm using your birthday as an excuse, but seriously, I just missed you. It's been years."

I smooth her soft, dark hair behind her ear. "It hasn't been years, just a year."

"Potato, potahto." Octavia waves a hand in the air. I laugh.

"Does Bellamy know you're here?"

"Nope, I'm a surprise all around." She looks around the bar. "Where is he anyway?"

I point to the bar, where Bellamy is trying to corral Raven off the counter. Octavia huffs. "Figures," she mumbles.

"It's been a long night."

"It's 10 freakin' 30!" she argues. "If that's a long night, then the girl needs help in the worst way."

"O…"

"No joke, why did you introduce them again?"

I sigh, thinking about the night Raven and Bellamy met, all those years ago. It was in The Ark, of all places. Bellamy and I had just finished a full week of studying for the USMLE, or the United States Medical Licensing Exam that medical students take after their first two years, and we were beyond exhausted. Even though we both felt this, Bellamy still wanted to head to The Ark and grab some beers. It was a "thank you" beer, he said, for being there for him and helping him out with the hell that is the USLME's.

"Please," I had said, laughing when we both walked into the bar. "You helped me out as much as I did, if not more. So really, I should be the one to buy you a drink."

"Well, I won't complain about a free beer." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed even harder, the lack of sleep getting to me.

He nodded to an empty booth, telling me without words to grab it and he'd get the drinks. Nodding, I head to the booth and slipped in, taking my jacket off and settling in. Soon enough, he came with two bottles of Blue Moon.

"Nice," I hissed out, smiling. "My fave."

Bellamy simply hummed softly, taking a long swig and placing his bottle on the coaster.

"So," he began, taking his own jacket off and doing his trademark head tilt. All through medical school he would give me a soft smile and a head tilt whenever he was going to ask a question. I soon learned to love it. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

"Like what?" I asked, taking another drink.

"Like…" he trailed off. "What made you want to be a doctor?"

"Surgeon," I corrected, pointing at him with my beer.

"Of course."

"I don't know," I said, peeling the label off my beer. "Probably because of my mother. She's a surgeon. It was just expected of me."

Bellamy didn't say anything for a moment, just took a slow drink and gave me a look that almost said I don't believe you.

"Nah, I can't see that as being the only reason," he said, smirking. "You love helping people. I've seen it."

"Well," I said lamely, ending it at that. "What about you?"

Bellamy's smile faltered for a moment, but he caught himself and the smile came back so quickly I had no idea if I imagined it or not. "Oh, you know. Helping people."

"Lame," I accused, laughing once again. "Come on."

"Okay, okay," he raised his hands up in mock surrender. "For my mom."

My smile faded at this. "Your mom?"

"Yep." He left it at that.

Silence surrounded the booth for a moment before I couldn't take it anymore. "Is she… okay?" I mentally kicked myself, the words sounding idiotic the moment they left my mouth.

He let out a humorless laugh at that, glaring hard at his beer bottle. I bit my lip. "Never mind. I'm sorry, let's just drop –"

"No, shit Clarke, I'm sorry. This is supposed to be a celebratory beer, not a sob fest." He ran his hand over his face, covering his mouth for a moment before dropping his arm. "My fault, I brought it up."

He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Without thinking, I reached across the booth and placed my hand over his, my thumb running across his knuckles.

I heard his quick intake of breath and my own got caught in my throat. I looked up to see his eyes burning into my own. My brain told me to look away, but I couldn't. It was like were stuck in this bubble, and all the noise of the bar and the surrounding voices faded away, and it was just us. I felt his hand clench underneath mine, and I instinctively squeezed harder.

Bellamy swallowed loudly. "Clarke –"

"There you are!"

Like an electric shock coursed through my body, I jerked my hand back. For a wild moment, it looked like Bellamy was going to reach across the table and grab it back, but the moment passed, and he had a blank face on instead of his intense gaze. I quickly took a long gulp of my beer.

Raven chose this moment to plop into the booth, right next to Bellamy. A large smile on her face, she pulled her jacket off and flung it across the booth so it landed in the empty space beside me. "Ugh, thank God I found you, traffic was a bitch and I was about to bail on your ass." She glanced around the bar, wrinkling her nose. "Seriously? This is your favorite bar? What about Couture? Now that place is hoppin'." Raven looked around the bar until she spotted a server walking around.

"Excuse me? Excuse me," she waved the server over. "Could you be a dear and get us, what?" She turned to look at me and I shrugged. Sighing, Raven turned back to the server. "Get us three shots of your best tequila. Salt and limes, too, please!" When the server escaped behind the bar, Raven turned to Bellamy, who was staring at her with an incredulous look the whole time.

"Well, hello there, stranger," Raven flipped her hair behind her shoulder, and I immediately recognized that action: She was definitely interested.

"Hello," Bellamy said with a hint of a question in his voice, turning towards me with eyebrows raised.

"Raven, this is Bellamy. Bellamy, this is my best friend Raven."

"Charmed," Raven smiled sweetly, holding out her hand. Bellamy took it with a smirk.

"Best friend, huh?" He turned to ask me, but Raven cut in.

"Oh, of course! We've known each other since we were kids. BFFs for life!"

"Isn't that redundant?" Bellamy couldn't help but ask, and I kicked him under the table. That caused his smirk to turn into a full-blown smile.

"Just emphasizing the strength of our friendship," Raven replied curtly.

The tequila shots arrived at that moment, and Raven squealed, clapping. "Excellent."

We each grabbed our own and Raven raised hers to the ceiling. "To being done with stupid ass medical tests!" She downed her shot and grabbed a lime wedge, sucking on it for a few moments.

Bellamy and I locked eyes for a moment before taking our own shots as well. The tequila burned down my throat, and I couldn't help but let out a little cough; tequila was not my specialty.

"So, Mr. Blake," Raven began, tossing the lime wedge across the table. "When are you going to ask my friend out?" Her face had a mischievous grin on it, and I gaped at her.

"Raven!" I said, shocked. I turned to look at Bellamy, and he also had a surprised look on his face. After a few moments of awkward silence his face changed, and he looked at me with a warm smile.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, I panicked. I didn't want to hear the rejection from Bellamy, and definitely not in front of Raven, so I blurted out, "We're just friends!" I hoped that that would silence him.

It did. He closed his mouth quickly and looked back down at his beer bottle. His face almost had the same look on it when we were talking about his mother earlier. I swallowed thickly.

Raven made a sort of humming noise. "Fine," she said, grabbing Bellamy's beer and taking a swig. His eyebrows shot up. "Then ask me out."

Raven was always one for the theatrics; she loved to surprise and shock people, but that took the cake. My jaw dropped and my hands clenched tight around my beer bottle. I gave credit to Bellamy for covering his own shock relatively well. His eyebrows stayed up, and he gave me a sidelong look.

Not knowing what to say or how to respond, I let out an almost maniacal laugh. "Raven likes to take the rug out from underneath people, huh?"

Bellamy stared at me for another few moments, and it made me squirm in my seat. He turned to fully face Raven and did his head tilt. My heart clenched. "Are you always this forward?"

Raven smiled, turning her body to match his. "Are you always this uptight?"

"I'm uptight?"

"Yes, Doc, you are. But I can fix that."

"And how do you expect to do that?"

"I tend to help people let loose and have a little fun. Especially after a long, hard week of studying."

Soon they were both laughing and flirting with each other across from me, and I felt so uncomfortable that I excused myself to go to the ladies' room. When I returned, they were still at it, and I took that as my cue.

"Well. Thanks, Bellamy for the beer and for being an awesome study partner, but I should head home and hit the hay." Plastering on my biggest smile, I grabbed my jacket and purse from the booth.

Bellamy put his beer on the table and made a move to get out of the booth. "I'll walk you home."

Raven covered her face so Bellamy couldn't see what she was mouthing to me. Make him stay!

I sighed, waving Bellamy off. "No! No, you two stay and continue having fun. I don't live far from here anyway. I'm good, Bellamy. Once again, thank you for this week, and maybe we'll pair up for more awesome exams in the future." My voice sounded so formal I almost cringed, but I kept my face friendly and neutral. Before Bellamy could respond, I gave Raven a quick kiss on the cheek and one last wave before I slipped through the busy bar and out the door.

Not long after that, Bellamy and Raven were a couple, and not long after that, Raven moved in to Bellamy's place and there was a huge rock on her left ring finger. They were the perfect couple; they even looked gorgeous together. And that was that.

"Raven is a sweetheart, and my best friend. And your soon-to-be sister-in-law. You'll love her soon, I know it," I say now to Octavia, watching her narrow her eyes, as if trying to see if I'm lying. She sighs heavily and it makes me smile.

"Fine, we'll see." The last part is said almost like a threat, and I laugh.

Just when I'm about to offer Octavia a drink from the bar, Bellamy comes up to us, Raven leaning heavily against his body. I wince at the horrible face she's making.

"O?" Bellamy smiles, using his free arm to give his little sister a side hug. Raven moans at the movement. "When did you get into town?"

"Just a few hours ago. Had to be here for our girl's birthday." Octavia links her arm through mine, and because my brain wants to kill me, I focus a little too hard on the our in her last comment.

To get my mind off it, I reach out to grab Raven's arm. "Are you okay, Hun?"

Raven raises her head and her face is one of despair. Knowing her, though, I know she's milking this for all it's worth, but I smile sympathetically anyway.

"I'll be okay, Clarke," she slurs. "Bell'my's just gonna take me home. 'm sorry, sweetie. I just wanted to be there for your birthday."

"It's okay, just get better and drink lots of water."

Raven smiles. "Always taking care of me. Don't worry about me." She manages to stand up taller and lean more on Bellamy. "I've got my own doctor at home. He'll take care of me. Real good."

"Ew," Octavia pretends to gag. Bellamy gives her a glare. I stifle a laugh.

"Call me tomorrow, okay O?" Bellamy gives Octavia's shoulder a squeeze.

She smiles. "Of course."

"Happy birthday, Clarke," Bellamy gives me one last wave and heads toward the exit, Raven in tow.

"Well, that is a sight I've never seen before." Octavia and I turn to see Jasper suddenly standing behind us, grimacing slightly. "Raven being carried out of a bar? I'm shocked." He says this last part in a deadpan voice, and Octavia snorts.

"Where were you?" I ask, giving his arm a half-hearted swat.

"Making the rounds," he says simply. I stare him down for a few more seconds until he caves.

"Fine! I was dodging Raven. Girl doesn't like me."

"She likes you just fine. We're all old friends, aren't we?"

"Note the way you put that 'aren't we?' at the end of that statement."

I am about to respond when Octavia lets out a loud cough. I look at her and she stares at me with wide eyes.

"Oh!" Laughing, I put my arm around Octavia. "Jasper, this is Octavia, Bellamy's younger sister. O, this is Jasper, an old friend."

"Define 'old'."

"Been friends since the 6th grade," Jasper says proudly.

I smile. "Yep. Me, Jasper, and Raven. Thick as thieves." Jasper rolls his eyes at this.

"So, 'younger sister'. Just how young we talkin'?" I elbow Jasper once again. "Ow! It's a legitimate question!"

Octavia smiles. "I'm twenty-four."

Jasper nods. "Nice."

"Nice and legal?"

Jasper sputters at this, and I can't help but laugh. "What? No! That's not what I meant. I just meant… Wow, twenty-four. That's a good age. I liked that age. When I was that age, I mean."

"Stop, Jas," I stage whisper. Jasper buttons up his lips.

The three of us hang out for a few more hours and have a few more drinks until we decide to share a cab home. Just as Jasper is about to hail one, it shows up almost instantly. Jasper lets out a whoop! which makes Octavia and me laugh.

"I am. A god," he says. He's about to open the door when it swings open on its own. Jasper jumps back and Bellamy steps out of the cab. He looks surprised to see us. "Hey."

"Hey," I say. "What are you doing here?"

"Raven left her purse here. I have been sent to retrieve it."

"Crap, her new Coach purse?"

"Oh no! Not the Coach purse!" Jasper mocks, slapping his forehead in fake terror. The action makes him whimper in pain due to the drinks he had. Octavia giggles.

"You two go ahead, I'm going to help Bellamy look for it," I say, giving both Jasper and Octavia quick pecks on the cheek. Jasper grimaces at me, and I stick out my tongue back at him.

"Fine," he says, ushering Octavia into the cab first. "See you later?"

"Of course," I give one final wave before heading back into the bar.

Since it is past two o'clock, the bar is mostly empty. I spot Bellamy under one of the booths in the corner, and I head his way. "Any luck?"

"Nope," he straightens and sighs. "Shit, it could be anywhere."

"I'll try this side," I say, pointing toward the bar.

After a few minutes of kneeling on the questionable floor, I spot a glint out of the corner of my eye. Getting a better look, I see that it is Raven's white sparkly purse.

"Aha!" I grab it from under the table and raise it in the air in victory.

"Eureka?" Bellamy asks, meeting me in the corner where I found the bag.

"Eureka," I smile. He returns it and takes the bag from my hands. "Thank God. I would not have been able to handle that freak out."

"Well, it is $2,000." I say. He winces.

"I wish I didn't hear that."

"Oh, my bad," I smirk. "It's actually only $50. I swear."

Bellamy returns my smirk, and I laugh. We head out of the bar and Bellamy's trying to hail a cab for us when he turns to look at me.

"Hey," he says. "One more drink?"

"Oh," I mumble, clutching my own purse. "I don't know…" I just want to get home and jump in my comfy, yet disgusting (Raven's word) sweats and drown my thirty-year-old sorrows in a pint of ice cream. Turning thirty is hitting me harder than I would like, and ice cream sounds like something I need right now.

"Come on, just one? I know a place."

"Is it Monty's?" I joke. He laughs.

"No, another bar. More… Low key."

We lock eyes and once again I feel like he's staring right through me. He pins me with these looks and I feel warm. Warmer than Finn's hand.

And suddenly, all I want to do in my final hours as a twenty-nine year old is be with someone else's fiancé. With Bellamy Blake.

"Okay. One more drink."

A/N: Reviews are ah-MAY-zing! Please let me know how I'm doing so far.