Author's Note: school has started up again and everything's fine thus far (I'm taking Classics, so if this fic suddenly fills itself with references, you know why), but updates might get a bit more few-and-far-between. That said, I'm very passionate about this story - I think about it practically every night before I go to sleep - so don't you worry about a thing. Except maybe what's going on in Mt. Weather after 2x11.

Chapter Four

"Ruse Continues"

Or

"A Paul Rudd Movie"

As has grown customary on Friday nights, Clarke finds herself at Raven's watching movies. The audience has increased: what was originally just Clarke and Raven has grown to five, with Miller and Monty and even Lexa tagging along. Now the quintet is huddled together in the living room, with Clarke, Raven, and Lexa on the couch, and Monty and Miller on the floor in front of them. It's a cramped excuse for a comfy couch, because Raven pulls her legs up and has them half laid onto Lexa, and there really isn't that much space for Clarke in the first place, but they manage to fit.

The film is almost halfway through, after a ridiculously long period of bickering over what genre to choose. A comedy is always safe, so they go for that, and the majority of them like sarcasm and subtlety, so their brands of comedy are catered to.

There's a general rule on Friday nights that no one is allowed to use their phone until after the movie has finished, and it's a rule that Clarke has implemented at least seventeen times. Miller is usually the worst offender. Sometimes he gets bored partway through and starts looking up Breaking Bad trivia. Raven is next worst, though she's the fastest to kick someone in the head for sending a text. So when Clarke's phone starts ringing, it's not well-received.

"I fucking swear – you'll have to apologise to Paul Rudd when you've ignored that call."

Clarke pays Miller no heed, pulling out her phone and seeing the Caller ID. "Shoot. I actually have to take this. It's Bellamy," she tells Raven, standing from her place on the couch. "Don't bother pausing the movie – this shouldn't be long."

She pads across the room and out of earshot, but not before Monty voices his confusion as to why Clarke is taking calls from Bellamy Blake. She presses the green button and pulls the phone to her ear.

"Bellamy."

"Princess, I need you."

Clarke bites her lip. "Aren't you at the dinner?"

"Exactly," says Bellamy, sounding slightly desperate. "I know I said I could probably manage on my own from this point, but I wasn't counting on everyone having fallen in love with my girlfriend Clarke."

"I do have that effect on people," she jokes, before wondering if perhaps now isn't the time.

"Look, how fast can you get here? Six people have asked where you are, including Kane."

Clarke narrows her eyes. "Why do you presume I'm going to show up and save your ass?"

"Because you love me," Bellamy says without hesitation. "And you're the sort of person who goes out on a limb for the people they love."

"I stopped pretending to love you last week, Bellamy."

There's a pause. "Clarke, please."

She's a goner.

"Alright, fine – where are you?"

In a voice brimming with relief, Bellamy replies, "The fancy Station place two blocks from Raven's."

Clarke raises her eyebrows, even though she knows he can't see her. "That's too perfect. I'm at Raven's."

"What? You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not. I'll be there in twenty minutes," she says, "and you had better be waiting for me at the door."

"Wear something nice," Bellamy replies in the same tone. Then a moment later he says, "Okay, see you soon, Princess. Love you."

And Clarke responds with a "love you, too," even though there's no one around to pretend for.

"So what did Bellamy want?" Raven asks over the back of the couch as Clarke returns.

"I'm meeting him at the Station in twenty minutes," she says gravely. "I'll need to borrow something of yours."

Monty and Miller are left successfully nonplussed.

"I wasn't aware you and Bellamy were friends," says Lexa with a confused look on her face.

"I've ended up his girlfriend, actually," Clarke replies, not bothering to provide context for what she has just said. She instead launches herself in the direction of Raven's bedroom and the dark-haired inhabitant of said bedroom follows quickly behind.

"So you're back to the girlfriend ruse?" Raven surmises as Clarke begins to root through her closet.

"Yes, and he needs me – like, now, so if you can find me a suitable dress, that'd be amazing."

Raven raises her eyebrows. "I thought you couldn't stand Bellamy."

"I can't," says Clarke, flicking through the small selection of formal wear Raven owns.

"Then why are you dashing off in the middle of Friday Movie Night to save his ass? You could tell him to get fucked."

Clarke turns to Raven. "Why are you telling me to bail on your best friend?"

"I'm not!" says Raven. "I'm just pointing out the fact you're acting like an actual girlfriend."

Clarke ignores what she knows Raven is implying. "Well, hopefully ARK thinks so." She pulls out a dress. "This would fit me, wouldn't it?"


Clarke walks up the steps to the doors of the Station and as soon as they open she's scooped up into a tight hug. Realising from the familiar cologne that it's Bellamy, she wraps her arms around him and holds on tight.

"Thanks, Princess," he whispers into her hair.

"I'm missing a really good movie for this, Bellamy," Clarke mutters back.

"I know," he says, pulling out of the hug but keeping his arms around her. "And I love you for it."

She beams up at him. "That's what I like to hear."

"Clarke!" somebody calls. "You made it!"

Bellamy and Clarke turn, and it's Jasper walking towards them.

"Where's Maya?" Clarke asks when he reaches them, noticing that their friend is companionless.

"She had to work," Jasper explains. "Big performance art week by that Grounder group – you know, the ones who do rallies for Native American rights and their reservations and stuff? It's actually really interesting," he continues, getting distracted, "the one they're doing at the moment is called Cages – it gets kind of graphic, like people are getting drained of their blood and stuff – imagine the job for the cleaning staff – "

" – Riveting, Jasper," Bellamy interjects. "We'll have to go check it out sometime."

Jasper grins. "I'm sure Maya would be happy to see Clarke there. You two really hit it off," he adds to Clarke.

"Yeah, even though I almost stabbed her with my shoe when it got to talking about her boss," Clarke jokes.

Bellamy looks down at her with furrowed brows. "Context, Princess?"

Clarke shrugs. "It was do or die."

"I'm sure it was," he says with a glance at Jasper. "Now, how about we stop holding everyone up and go sit down?"

This seems like good timing, as they enter the room just as Thelonious Jaha's fork dings against his wine glass.

"Good evening, everyone. It is such a pleasure to have you with us this evening, in the final stages of our decision-making process."

As a show of good faith, Clarke reaches along the table to Bellamy, beside her, and takes his hand. He glances at her and gives a small nod, grateful.

"So many of you are impressively qualified, and ARK Enterprises has been so privileged to be given the opportunity to employ such worthy candidates. From your talents as historians in the library, on the scene, and through a microscope, every one of you is instrumental in helping us find the future, in the past."

A small laugh rolls around the table, and Thelonious nods.

"Now, I am aware that many of you are just here for the free food" – he glances pointedly at Jasper, and everybody chuckles – "so perhaps we had better get that attended to."

And, just like that, a flurry of attendants and waiters and all points in between appear, carrying trays that they set down on the table, piled high with all kinds of delicious food. Clarke suddenly doesn't mind missing the Paul Rudd movie.

"Think I could get away with stealing some of this as payback to Raven?" she mutters to Bellamy, a smile on her lips.

He smirks back at her. "I think you could get away with anything in that dress, Princess. If anyone's having to pay back Raven, it'll be me."

Clarke raises an eyebrow. "Have you been checking me out, Mister Blake?"

Bellamy shrugs. "It's a nice dress."

Jasper turns to them with a mouth full of food, blessedly oblivious to the situation outside of dinner. "Guyth, thith ith awethome!"

Bellamy laughs. "Yeah, it sure is, buddy."

Harper, who is sitting on the other side of the table, breaks out of her conversation with Kane. She glances at Bellamy before addressing Clarke.

"I'm so happy you could make it."

Clarke smiles, but she hasn't been introduced to Harper. Bellamy realises this and steps in.

"Clarke, this is Harper. She does my job, but probably better."

Clarke laughs. "I doubt that's very difficult, Bellamy. Nice to meet you, Harper."

"This one," says Harper, gesturing to Bellamy, "never stops talking my ear off about you."

Bellamy doesn't meet Clarke's eye when she looks over at him questioningly. She suspects he would say something about playing the part if it was only the two of them in the room – but it's not just them, and Harper's waiting for an answer.

"You're killing my tough guy act, Harper," Bellamy mutters, voice brimming with mock irritation.

Clarke rolls her eyes. "You're not a tough guy. You're a dork. We've been over this."

Jasper laughs. "I'm so not scared of you anymore, Bellamy."

"Damn it, Princess," Bellamy says – he even manages to make it sound fond.

John Mbege, beside Harper, snorts. "You're so fucking whipped, Blake."

Clarke smirks. "See?" She laughs. "Now, let's talk history and hopefully stop embarrassing my boyfriend, as fun as that is."

"You're right," says Harper. "It's really fun."

"You work for the DA's Office, right?" Mbege asks Clarke.

"Yes, why?"

"Isn't the DA, like, really intense and hard to work for?"

Clarke raises her eyebrows. "Anya? At first, I guess – she's just strong in her convictions, or giving people what they deserve. Which sometimes leads to a conviction."

She glances at Bellamy, who doesn't laugh at the pun. She rolls her eyes and continues. "My humour is lost on you – anyway, Anya's good if you've got what she needs. She doesn't give something for nothing, you know?"

Bellamy laughs now. "Maybe you should be the next DA."

Jasper leans over the table to Mbege and Harper. "Was that a sex joke?"

Bellamy slaps the back of Jasper's head. "Eat your spring rolls and shut up, Jordan."


They survive dinner, despite Jasper's constant commentary and the majority of the group's enthusiasm about Bellamy and Clarke's relationship. It's only when the two of them are leaving – a couple of the remaining few – that things take a turn… though which direction it is in is open for interpretation.

Thelonious, having barely had the opportunity to speak to Clarke all evening, calls out a goodbye as she and Bellamy make their way to the door.

"I hope we'll be seeing you in Greece, Clarke."

Clarke stops dead with her arm around Bellamy's waist. She looks up at him, facing away from Jaha, panicked, and then turns around. "What?"

Thelonious looks confused. "The introductory weekend, welcome to all recruits and their spouses – or, partners. I presumed Bellamy would have…"

"Oh," says Bellamy, thinking on his feet, "well, I would have, Thelonious, but Clarke is just so busy with work at the moment and – "

" – I'm sure I'd be able to take a few days off to go to Greece with my boyfriend and his colleagues…" Clarke tries not to think of the architecture, the sculpture, the beauty of it all, and beams at Thelonious. "It's the least I can do."

The older man smiles. "Have a good evening, you two."

And now that Clarke has commandeered her way to Greece, she thinks she will. Bellamy takes her hand and his grip is tight, clammy. He opens the door for her once when they leave the building and once when she's climbing into his car, but his jaw is clenched the entire time he's starting up the car. Eventually, Clarke snaps.

"You know, I'm sorry if you didn't want me to come to fucking Greece, but I left a group of my best friends – and yours – to come out tonight, without a second thought, and I don't think I deserve to be treated with this… this fucking… clench-jawed protest!"

Bellamy glares at her from the driver's seat. "I don't know what you're talking about, Clarke."

"Oh – don't you? So far, you're the only one who has benefited from this deal. I intend to make good on my half of the bargain, the part where I get something I want."

"Good for you," he says, still in that frustratingly clipped tone.

Clarke stays silent, too angry to speak. She doesn't even know what she would say that she hasn't already.

"You know what's so scary about this, Clarke?"

"What?" she snaps.

"You signing yourself up to come to Greece means five fucking days we have to convince everyone that we're a couple – and while I'm working, too – "

" – then you'll at least get to do one thing you enjoy, you asshole!" Clarke scowls at him. "Sure, we'll share a hotel room, but you'll be out on a dig every day and we'll probably only hang out at meals and when no one's around, so don't worry about having to fucking like me!"

Bellamy groans. "It's not that I don't like you, Clarke, it's that it's… I don't know – this isn't just a game for me. I'm not going to be a massive ball of sunshine all the time – "

" – oh, is that what you are?"

" – I'm going to be stressed about getting a job and doing well and I just don't want you to get – "

His phone chimes, but because he's driving, he can't break the law to check who's texting him. Instead, he says, "Jacket pocket," and Clarke has to lean over and pull the phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. She ignores how tightly the shirt underneath it clings to his pecs.

"It's from Octavia," says Clarke, not wanting to read the content without his permission.

He's softer now. "Oh – what does it say?"

"Two weeks from today, for three weeks," Clarke reads.

Bellamy curses.

"What?"

"O's timing could not have been worse."

"I'm still not following."

Bellamy sighs. "My sister. She's coming to stay with me while she's on break from college. Problem is, my apartment's set for fumigation around the time she's coming. I mean, I'd go and stay with Miller, but two of us…"

Clarke has an idea. Granted, it's a ridiculous one, but it's an idea nonetheless.

"Why don't you stay with me?"

"…I'm sorry, Princess?"

She groans. "My apartment has a spare room with an en suite bathroom. Octavia can have that room, and you can share mine."

Bellamy almost chokes on nothing. "What?" he splutters.

"Oh, please. Be logical. We're meant to have been together six months – being in my bed shouldn't scare you." Clarke shrugs. "If it does, you can sleep on the couch, but I think that'll do more harm than good."

"Are you sure, Clarke?"

She nods. "And Octavia can housesit while we're in Greece."

Bellamy raises his eyebrows, still sceptical. "And that's okay with you? You trust my sister?"

"Well, I trust you, don't I?"

He goes silent.

"What?" asks Clarke. "What have I said?"

"Nothing," he says, clearing his throat. "Thanks for the accommodation, Princess."

She smiles at him, but his eyes are on the road.