She woke up first. Her head was resting on his thigh and she felt the weight of his arm curled around her upper chest. Looking up, she saw that his head was leaning against the car door at an impossible angle. She kept her position for just a moment, knowing that in only a few minutes the warm hum sparked by her body touching his would be gone.

"Hey," he whispered, lifting his head from the door with a yawn.

Clarke smiled, rolling onto her side to fold herself into him. "Five more minutes, Mom."

Bellamy felt a tug of delight that pooled in his stomach. Their bodies fit together like an odd jigsaw puzzle, and he was comfortable despite the nagging pain from leaning at an uncomfortable angle against the window. He could feel her breath warm against his side and suddenly he was bitter that daylight had arrived.

He gently moved the hair that was obstructing her face and she looked up at him in earnest, eyes tinged with sadness. He watched her uncurl, flexing the muscles in her whole body right down to her toes, which popped with a sharp crack. She sat up, slumped to the side in protest, a distinctive grump screwing up her features.

He let out a soft chuckle and then looked at his watch, "It's almost six. I'm going to walk a few miles up the road-try to get some cell service and call Jasper. You up for it?" he asked, glancing at her hopefully.

"Actually, I'd love to get a different perspective of this shoreline. It would be a crime to not get another sketch in before I leave. I can wait here for you guys to get back."

Bellamy tried to hide his disappointment as he got out of the truck. He wandered around to meet her at the passenger door, opening it and helping her down.

"Princess."

"Ah, kind sir!" Clarke laughed and made a overly dramatic curtsey at Bellamy, who just shook his head. They stood there for a moment, Bellamy not quite wanting to leave.

"You sure you'll be okay out here?" he said with a tiny bit of optimism.

Clarke felt a little flush. "Yeah, of course. Nothing a city girl like me can't handle."

"Because I can hang around and-" Bellamy was shut up by the pressure of Clark's lips on his. For a brief moment, his brain shut off, barely having time to close his eyes before she pulled away.

"What was that?" Bellamy asked, breathless with raised eyebrows.

"I just really wanted to do that before we go back to reality." She smiled up at him, her eyes matching the water sparkling just behind them - a bright blue he just got lost in every time they met his.

Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair and a small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. He had to force himself to breathe normally.

"I'll, uh, be back soon, okay?" he said as he took a few steps backwards before reluctantly turning away from the blonde in front of him. Chancing a peek over his shoulder, he saw her walking in the opposite direction, toward the shore. He brushed his fingers along his lips where hers had been just moments before, still prickled with a warm sensation. Bellamy returned his gaze forward and shoved his hands in his pockets to begin the early morning trek to reality.

He strode along the highway with his cell phone in hand, kicking rocks and scaring deer back into their hiding spots between the trees. There was a lot of water puddled on the road in potholes after last nights downpour, and every once in a while Bellamy would catch a glimpse of his reflection - a dumb smile pinching at his cheeks.

The sky was still a bit hazy, and the sun was trying to poke its way through the remaining clouds as it rose higher in the sky. The walk was somewhat therapeutic; it was a way for him to clear his head after the events that had transpired. Half an hour passed before he actually got a signal on his phone and he could dial Jasper's number.

It rang three times before the irritated mechanic picked up the line.

"Bellamy Luanne Blake-" he groaned into the phone, sleep still heavy in his voice.

"That's not my middle name."

"You'd better have a good goddamn reason as to why you're calling me before 7 AM on a Saturday."

"Well, I stalled the battery on the truck last night out at the house - right before the storm hit. We were stuck out there all night with no cell service, so I had to wait until this morning to walk down the road a ways to find a signal."

"We?" Jasper inquired.

"Yeah, uh, Clarke was with me."

You could almost hear the eyeballs popping out of Jaspers head.

"Dude, what?"

Bellamy recounted the evening to Jasper, from running into her at Wok Palace to bringing her out to the house. Although, he did leave out the part where she kissed him. He didn't think that was something Jasper needed to know.

"... So can you come jump the truck?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm at mile-marker 13."

Fifteen minutes later, Jasper rolled up in his jeep and Bellamy climbed in. A smug grin tugged at his lips as he nodded at Bellamy, silent amusement tainting the air around them.

"Just drive the damn car, Jas."

"Well, I brought you guys coffee, but if you're going to be rude about it…"

Bellamy eyed the drink holder in between them and grabbed the two meant for Clarke and himself.

Bellamy rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Thanks, I owe you big time."

"Yeah, you do."

They drove just a short while, Jasper rattling on about something unimportant. Bellamy couldn't quite remember what it was. His part of the conversation was mostly chiming in with a properly timed "Yeah" or "Uh-huh." He was too distracted by what Clarke had said. Reality? Reality was autoshop grease stains and Octavia talking about Summer Solstice non-stop. Reality sucked.

Clarke was sitting on the log where, less than 12 hours before, they had been lounging and enjoying the sunset. She heard the jeep pull up and gathered her things while the boys prepared the truck to be jumped.

"Welcome home, sailor." Clarke jokingly saluted Bellamy.

He chuckled, holding the hot cup out towards her. "Coffee?" he offered.

She took it earnestly. "Hi!" she called out to Jasper, whose head was already engulfed under the hood of the truck. She continued, undeterred by the lack of eye contact, "I don't know that we've officially met. I'm Clarke."

Jasper dropped the cables and wiped his hands on his pant before sauntering over to take Clarke's hand. He placed a dramatic kiss on it before speaking. "Clarke, my princess, it's lovely to meet you. I am Jasper, Bellamy's loyal steed-"

"Or court joker, whichever you prefer," Bellamy interjected.

Jasper shot him a look before returning his attention to the trucks. Clarke leaned against the tailgate while Jasper and Bellamy finished connecting the batteries. Everything was set to go, so Jasper hopped into his jeep, starting it up and revving the engine a bit to help with the charge.

Bellamy walked over to Clarke, who was still leaning on the tail end of the truck, and rested his hand a few inches from her shoulders. "So… come here often?"

Clarke went into a small fit of giggles. "Actually, yes, I make it a habit of getting involved with vehicles that just can't go the distance."

Bellamy shook his head with both first and second hand embarrassment from their conversation, but he couldn't help it but laugh right along with her.

"Alright, start 'er up, Blake," Jasper called out. Bellamy swung a leg into the cab, turning the key to the ignition. The truck rumbled to life and Jasper clapped his hands together victoriously.

Bellamy got out of the now purring truck and stuck his hand out to shake Jasper's. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah, I'll remember that next time I have an emergency first thing on a Saturday morning," he said with a grin. "See you guys back in town." With a wave, he hopped back into the jeep, leaving a small cloud of dust behind him as he pulled away.

"Alright, let's get moving then," Clarke said as she made a move toward the passenger door. She felt a strong tug on her wrist, and Bellamy spun her to face him. Her eyes were wide with fascination.

What was this girl doing to him?

Bellamy tried to steady his breath. "Who says we can't actually do that back in reality?"

"W-what?" Clarke managed to stammer.

Bellamy's hands went to her face as he crashed their lips together. She tasted like coffee, coursing through him like caffeine in his blood. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of his shirt, wrenching him in closer. He felt his heart rate quicken as he pressed his body into her, backing her up to the truck. Her hands had slid up behind his neck and into his hair, tangling in the dark locks.

Bodies pressing against each other, both of them fought for air but refused to disengage. Their hands struggled to find purchase, losing all sense of decorum as they explored one another.

The long moment seemed entirely too short when they finally both broke apart, chests heavy with the air they could finally take in.

"I have been wanting to do that all week," Bellamy said breathlessly.

"Uh-huh." Clarke managed to nod in reply.

They stood with faces just inches apart, and Clarke's hands were fisted in Bellamy's shirt again. She realized the grip she still had on him, slowly releasing the wrinkled fabric and patting down the creases she had created.

Bellamy brought his hands back up to Clarke's face, slowly encouraging her to look him in the eyes.

"How would you feel about a date?"

"Like, a date-date?"

"Like a date-date."

Clarke was silent, eyes sweeping from side to side in quick bursts as she wracked her brain.

What happens when your car is fixed? What happens when it's time to move on? Why would you get involved with someone you hardly know?

"Yes."

Her heart and her brain were clearly not on the same page. Or maybe it was her… body... that was on another page.

Bellamy tried, and failed, to hide the smile spreading across his face.

"Okay… okay, cool, okay." Bellamy was nodding as he spun on his heels to return to the drivers side of the cab. Clarke was blushing, and she took a second to compose herself before climbing into the truck. She sat a little closer to the drivers spot this time, one of the perks of an old truck - front bench seating. Bellamy splayed his right arm across the back of the seat, just barely playing with the hair below her ear.

Back at Octavia's, Clarke rummaged through her bag while her mind ran at 100 miles per hour. Bellamy had walked her to the door when he dropped her off, giving her a reluctant kiss on the cheek.

Neither one of them quite knew what the protocol for this kind of thing was.

She wasn't prepared for this. What do you wear on a "first" date? God, was it technically even a first date since they had already slept together? It had been so long since the last time she actually "dated." With her last relationship, they had been together long enough that routine had set in, the initial excitement had died down, and domesticity had become the norm.

She was slightly caught off guard, snapping to attention when she heard keys jingling at the door soon before Octavia came waltzing in with a bag of groceries.

"Guess who has food for dinner toniiiiight," she let out in a sing-song voice. "Also, where were you this morning? You were gone when I got up."

"Oh?" Clarke didn't fail to notice that Octavia was wearing the same outfit she had left in the previous evening. "Or do you mean when you got home this morning?"

Octavia scrunched her nose up in a defeat, laughing. "You caught me. I stayed out all night, but that still doesn't answer my question as to why you weren't here at 7 AM."

Clarke averted her eyes and bit her lip, focusing on Anya's painting just above the small cabinet of board games and blankets on the wall. "I may or may not have been out all night, too…" she took a breath before continuing, "with your brother."

Octavia couldn't stop her mouth from opening slightly from Clarke's admission.

"You. My brother. You and my brother. Oh my god." Realization dawning on her, her tone went up an octave. "How was I blind to that? The couch wasn't slept on - the weird tension that first night. Oh my GOD. You're sleeping with my brother!?"

"No! Well, not technically- not last night! We just got caught out in the storm last night, and the truck wouldn't start." She didn't mention the house; she felt like that was Bellamy's secret - a place he needed for himself for a while - one he had shared with her.

"Not… technically?" She could see the gears turning in Octavia's head. "Oh, OH. The first night? God, I knew something was weird. I'm, like… never that oblivious, but oh my god. Oh my god. I don't EVER want to think about my brother having sex, and right now it's fucking consuming my brain. I mean, you're so great and lovely and of course my brother has that weird, mysterious, dark thing going on and-"

"Octavia!" Clarke broke in. "Slow. Down."

Octavia shut her mouth, lips pursed in a comical pout.

"He wants to take me out on a date? What do I do? What do I wear?" Clark threw her arms up in defeat and sat down on the couch.

Octavia's pout slowly turned upward, and it was replaced by a sly grin (that slightly scared Clarke, if she was being honest). "Now if there is one thing I'm good at, it's getting dressed up," she said, stepping closer to the helpless blonde on the couch. "Show me your clothes."

Clarke looked skeptical, but somehow she trusted that Octavia knew what she was doing. They went back to Anya's room, and Clarke plopped down onto the bed as Octavia began rifling through the box of clothes Clarke had been living out of for the past week. She occasionally pulled something out of the box to hold up to Clarke, then, making a face, she'd put it back.

It had happened four times.

Finally, Octavia stopped and studied Clarke for a minute, "Okay, I think I have something that might work." And with that, she dashed out of the room and across the hall into her own. Clarke remained stoic but anxious as she waited for her free-spirited friend to return.

Octavia skipped back into view and threw a wad of clothing at her. "Put this on," she commanded.

She stared at the dress in her hands. Octavia wasn't that much smaller than her, but Clarke definitely had more curves.

"Octavia, I don't know if this is going to fit."

"Put. It. On."

Clarke stood there awkwardly before shimmying out of the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing and pulling the dress on over her head. It fit, but it clung to Clarke, accentuating each dip and plane of her feminine body.

"Hot. Hot. HOT!" Octavia clapped with joy. "You look hot," she determined, eyeing Clarke from head to toe.

Clarke stared down at the scarlet dress. It hit her a few inches above the knee and it had a semi-plunging v-neck that allowed the girls to make an appearance. Oddly enough, Clarke felt good, she felt confident. Most of the time, dressing up to her meant wearing black and actually putting on makeup.

"Okay, so here's the plan Clarke. You and I are going to go out to lunch and get mani-pedis, and then I am going to bring you back here and complete the look- then you are going out with my brother looking like a babe and you're going to like it." The finality of her tone let Clarke know that this aspect of the evening was not up for debate.

Something about Octavia brought out a more adventurous side of her. "Okay. Deal. But, let me pay, okay? I've been staying in your house letting you feed me and take care of me, and you've just been so great."

Octavia was grinning from ear to ear now. "Perfect," she beamed.

Bellamy pulled into the auto shop parking lot about fifteen minutes after dropping Clarke off at Octavia's place.

A date-date? What the hell did he know about dates?

Jasper and Monty weren't at the shop yet. They normally opened later on Saturdays, so he had a few moments alone. He busied himself with the car parked in the first garage spot. The spark plug cylinders were misfiring, which was a relatively easy repair. He hadn't realized he was repeating the same motion over and over again until he heard the distinctive sound of the garage door opening.

Looking up he saw Monty strutting in, popping almonds into his mouth as he walked. "Morning, stud-muffin."

"Oh god, shut up," Bellamy groaned.

"I hear you had quite the night," Monty teased, picking up a small jack to get started on the car in spot number three.

"Nothing happened- nothing… well okay, something kind of happened."

At that moment Jasper waltzed in. "You told me you just got stuck out there! What the hell happened?"

Bellamy wiped his hands on a rag and threw it at Jasper. "She kissed me, right before I left to find cell service, and said, 'I just wanted to do that before we go back to reality' or something."

"Oh, home girl's got game," Monty laughed.

"Well, then after you left from jumping the truck, I may have kissed her again. Not just like, a kiss, but, like, a kiss kiss…" He sighed, memories from the morning washing over him. "And then I may have asked her out on a date," he added hurriedly.

The was a loud clang as Monty dropped the jack on the floor of the shop.

"Dude, when was the last time you went on a date?" Jasper asked.

"Who is this girl, and where do I sign up to thank her?" Monty said, reaching down to pick up the fallen tool.

"Thank her? Guys, I'm not a hermit!" Bellamy exclaimed. But as he thought about it, he realized he hadn't had a date since before his second deployment, and, even now, he mostly just left the apartment to work on the house and to get takeout. "Shit. What do I do?" His shoulders slumped and his eyes were wide with worry.

Monty and Jasper converged on the car that Bellamy was working on.

"Take her to mini-golf!" Monty suggested.

"A restaurant in Concord where no one can recognize you?"

"Jasper, this is no time to quote Legally Blonde." Monty shot him a look.

"The diner has been experimenting with new pie flavors?" Jasper offered.

"I know a good place in Mount Weather- makes the best steak you've ever tasted." Monty

"That's a bold faced lie, Monty. You know I made the best steak you've ever tasted." Bellamy countered.

"Take her to Cabo!" Jasper submitted.

"Take her on a scavenger hunt?"

"Basket-weaving! Crash a wedding!"

"Scuba diving! White water rafting!"

"Ballroom dancing, skydiving, uh, go feed stingrays at an aquarium," Jasper rattled off. "Horseback riding on the beach!"

"Guys!" Bellamy said forcefully. "The date is tonight! Simplify."

Jasper pouted. "Fine, but I want you to know you're severely stifling my creative juices, Bellamy Louise-"

"That's not my middle name."

"Well, I know, why don't you just take her to the gun range. That way, if she ends up hating it... she can just shoot you." Jasper resigned.

Bellamy slowly closed his eyes in silent aggravation, grimacing slightly.

He sighed, lips ticking upward, when something about Jaspers final suggestion reminded him of another option. "Jas, you know I don't do gun ranges, but you may have just given me an idea."