Chapter 3: "Home is a Safe Place to Land"

Clarke cuddled closer to the man next to her. It had been a long day at work and all she wanted to do at the moment was forget all her problems and believe she had a normal life. He always could do that for her: make her believe that the outside world did not exist. In this bed, it was only the two of them.

"Want me to grab another blanket?" he asked lovingly as he rubbed her shoulders. Her skin must be cold if he was asking.

She tossed her leg on top of his, keeping him where he was. "No," she said lazily. "I want you to stay where you are."

He planted a kiss on top of her mane.

"But in the morning, can you get some new batteries and lights?" she informed him.

He agreed to do so.

For the next fifteen minutes, the two conversed about trivial things. They bantered and made each other laugh, something they hadn't each done much of that day. Clarke wouldn't want her relationship to be any other way.

Since she and the rest of The 100 had landed on earth, she had gone through many transformations. She had been the calm one; the reasonable one who held on to her humanity while those around her gave in to chaos. She had been the tough one; the impulsive one who shut down her emotions. That had been her dark stage, when she had lost reason and heart. It had made her turn her back on her people. And while she was told time and time again that she was forgiven for her past mistakes, Clarke never fully let herself off the hook. Her people needed her to be her best; locking down her emotions had not been the wisest decision.

There had been a moment when she wasn't so sure she was deserved to be leader—she had doubted herself. She had been responsible for many of her people's deaths. At first, it had been difficult for her to forgive herself for all the bad she had done, but the loving man she was embracing now had showed her how to let go. He brought her back her humanity and confidence and convinced her that she was meant to lead.

Clarke didn't think there was another person in the world who knew her better than he did.

During the few times she lost faith in people, he was there to bring her back her hope. After knowing her for so long, he knew what to say to make her believe again. With a simple look, he was able to bring her back to her center.

Clarke never would have guessed she would have found a life partner who would be her emotional rock. Most of her life, she had done that for herself. But after all the events had occurred just a month before she turned eighteen years old, she no longer had to deal with her baggage on her own. The time came for her to accept that if she were going to remain sane and have happiness in her life, she would have to lean on this man. He was there to keep her calm when she was close to losing it. He was there to catch her tears on the few occasions her emotions were running on high. He was the place to land when all she wanted to do was give up.

Here in his arms was all the energy she needed to face the harsh reality of earth. Here in his safety was all she needed in order to be the queen her people needed.

He was what she needed.

~t~t~t~t~

Bellamy had always been a hothead; he knew it. His mother had done her best to keep him in check. Even his sister had tired herself endlessly to keep him from making ballsy decisions. But due to his background, he was the way he was and there would be nothing that could change him.

Having to grow up at the age of six, Bellamy had never truly experienced what innocence meant. He had aged ten years when his sister was born. And when she had been caught, he was a man nearing midlife as opposed to being a twenty-two-year-old. So, when he landed on earth, he tasted what adolescence was like and became infatuated with it. He made shitty decisions; poor choices that cost one too many lives. But that period of rebellion lasted no more than a month before he noticed the errors in his ways. He became an almost-forty-year-old again and took his role as a leader of the Hundred serious.

With time and experiences, Bellamy became less intense and only turned harsh when the occasion called for it. He was cold towards his enemies for obvious reasons, but his soldiers also had first-hand experience as to how tough he could be. The delinquents couldn't be babied. They needed order and someone to follow. Bellamy had been that person for them.

But being leader and the person people depended on came at a price. Sometimes, the pressure to make the right call became too much. People were killed—some of his soldiers lost their lives. He blamed himself of course, but kept it in.

It had been his wife who broke down his walls. She saw the pain he carried on his shoulders. It took time for him to trust her with his thoughts. It took months for him to let her in. It took many full moons until he finally broke down in front of her. But he finally did.

That night—it had been too much. He had lost one of the few people he still very much cared for and loved. But she had been there.

She hadn't said anything as he finally gave in to the agony and guilt. She had simply held him close in the dark. She allowed him to finally mourn all he had lost: his childhood, his friends, his innocence, his mother, his…..

It had been a dark night. The blame slowly ate at him. But she refused to allow him to lose himself fully to these emotions. She made him fight. He was a soldier amongst soldiers. A fighter amongst fighters. He was her warrior and she would be damned if he proved her wrong.

So, he did. He fought. He dealt with his demons little by little and learned to be stronger. For her. For their people. For himself.

She was what he needed.

This strong, fierce blonde who always had been able to bring out the best in him was what he needed.

A long time ago, in their past lives, she had been a pain-in-the-ass princess. But now, she was the queen who he vowed to always protect and stand right next to. He had come a long way from the rebel leader he used to be. He was now a powerful King and that was mostly thanks to the blonde in his arms.

Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake had saved and changed one another in many ways.

NOTE: Ok, it was pretty evident that this was a pairing of Clarke and Bellamy, but I thought leaving their names out of each other's POVs for a while kind of added an element of "are they, aren't they". :)

DATE: 12/10/15