Kira carelessly crashed through the trees, not stopping until as she neared the camp, a wolf stood in her way. She tried to shoo Fenrir away, but he didn't budge and remained whimpering at her feet. Upon closer inspection she saw that half a dozen porcupine quills protruded from his muzzle. "Stupid wolf!" she yelled to everyone and no one all at once. "Come on," she sighed, leading the way towards the river, but still he didn't move. Kira crouched on all fours and growled at him until he obeyed his alpha.
She sat on the river bank in front of Fenrir and pulled out the first quill. The wolf yelped and ran several paces away. "Come! Here!" she ordered and he slinked back towards her. Kira was able to remove the rest of the quills and then dragged him into the river to rinse the blood from his muzzle. She grabbed the wolf's snout and held it close to her face. "You're fine," she murmured when she had finished inspecting it and without another glance continued on her way to the camp. Fenrir stayed by her without an order all the way to the wall.
Bellamy stood in the center of camp overseeing the quarantine. His eyes scanned the area outside of the wall in case the grounders would attack while they were weak. "Miller. Take over," he ordered when he thought he saw movement by the gate. He left the safety of the camp and found Kira, looking like she had been waiting for him. Her face looked tired, but her body language declared that she was ready for war. She turned and walked several paces from the wall and Bellamy followed.
"Kira. It's Kira, right?" Bellamy spoke first.
She stopped and looked at him now that they were alone. She nodded. "You're Bellamy."
He started. He had not expected her to know his name, but something in his chest wished desperately for her to say it again. "What's going on?" he asked. "They infected one of us with something and now others are getting sick. Clarke's eyes were bleeding."
Kira gulped; she hadn't expected the tree people to retaliate so quickly. "It doesn't kill. Not usually. It spreads through contact."
Bellamy nodded and moved to return to camp with the information. A hand on his forearm stopped him, though. He looked up and saw Kira holding on to him.
Kira reached out and grabbed Bellamy before he could leave. She wanted to keep him there with her although she had no idea how.
A thought occurred to Bellamy. The grounders wouldn't use a disease that could hurt them. "The grounders are immune to it, aren't they? It won't affect you?"
The woman nodded. It had been discovered while fighting the mountain men.
"Can you come back? Help the sick?" he asked.
She nodded again. There wasn't anything to do, but keep the sick away from the others and bring them water, but it would be better for her to do it than a vulnerable sky person. She walked into camp next to Bellamy causing people to stare. She hunched her shoulders and leaned closer to him, worried that they might try to hurt her.
Bellamy ignored his people and brought Kira to the dropship. Inside, he found Clarke looking pale and exhausted. "This is Kira. The grounders are immune to the virus, she'll help with the sick."
"Nice to meet you," the blonde replied through gritted teeth. "I'm Clarke."
Kira looked around at the kids shivering and vomiting blood. It was stifling inside and reeked of sweat and urine. She spotted Octavia hanging out on a ladder as though she was waiting to speak to Clarke or her brother. Kira tried to smile at her, but the girl didn't even notice the woman in the pelt, her eyes fixated on Clarke.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the blonde whispered to Bellamy.
"We can trust her," he replied. "Can't make things any worse."
When he was gone, Clarke nodded at Octavia and the girl disappeared.
"Where is she going?" Kira asked. It seemed like Clarke was in charge so she was going to wait for her to give instruction. These people wouldn't want a grounder taking care of them anyway.
"To see Lincoln," she replied curtly. Seeing that Kira didn't become aggressive or defensive, her face softened. "We need water."
Kira obeyed and began distributing water to the sick.
Weak with the virus, Murphy still had strength to check Kira out. He smirked up at her as she handed him the water. "Girl like you bringing me water? I must have died," he coughed.
Kira smiled back at him, enjoying the attention although she didn't understand what was so great about exposed boobs. She left him when she heard a commotion outside of the dropship. Not officially part of the quarantine, she lingered in the entrance near Clarke. Several more people had collapsed and Octavia had returned.
"They don't use it to kill, they use it to soften the battleground," she was trying to explain.
"We already know!" Bellamy growled annoyed that she had been to see Lincoln. He motioned towards Kira to explain how he had this information.
"And they're attacking at first light!" she announced, undeterred by her brother.
That bit of information caused the kids to panic. Kira's eyes fixed on Bellamy so that she barely noticed Finn carrying Clarke inside the dropship followed by Octavia. His eyes connected with hers, but she had nothing to say; no advice to offer. His mind churned, searching for a way to stop the grounders from coming. He moved towards Raven, looking for a way to stretch their bullets.
Kira returned inside to the metal cage and watched Clarke resist Finn's orders of bedrest. She moved to the other side of the hammock and looked down at the girl. "Rest and you'll be better in day or you can exhaust yourself and die," Kira told her. "I can take care of the others."
Clarke gave in, but only because she had nodded off. Kira moved towards the water supply to fill a cup so that she could make sure the others stayed hydrated.
"I'll help," Murphy offered, clearly feeling better. He had no problem standing on two feet, but his face was still bruised and caked with blood and dirt. Kira knew he was the one that they had hanged, but she couldn't picture what he looked like with a clean face.
After hours of checking on people, Kira sat down with her back against the cool metal of the ship. She had taken off the pelt long ago when she first began sweating. It was exhausting taking care of dozens of kids. If she ever had the chance, she swore she would only have one. The grounder had no idea how much time had passed until she saw Bellamy stagger into the dropship and caught a glimpse of night behind him. She sprang to her feet to steady him.
"Not you too," she groaned, helping him into a hammock.
"Bell?" Octavia called and rushed over to them.
The man coughed and blood bubbled up, landing on the side of his mouth. This is what dying must feel like, he thought. His blood was on fire and his bones ached. Kira took a piece of cloth and gently cleaned it away. He heaved again and Kira made sure he made it onto his side before the blood spewed from his mouth.
"He'll be okay," Kira told Octavia, but the girl didn't look convinced. "I promise."
Octavia nodded and went back to helping the others, leaving her big brother with the strange, topless woman.
"Don't look so worried," he tried to smile. "It won't kill me."
"But the tree people are coming and your people need their leader," Kira brushed his bangs back from his forehead. "I can fight with you, but I can't kill all of them. Maybe half."
"I can't tell if you're joking," he coughed as she went to get him water.
She lifted his head and poured the water into his mouth. "You've seen the scars on my shoulder? We use them to mark our kills in battle. I was sixteen when I was banished and I still have more than men twice my age now. Besides I wouldn't be fighting for you, I'd be fighting against them."
"You really don't like them, do you?" he spoke slowly, focusing on his breathing.
Kira shrugged. "I stole some food; barely more than my share and I was basically condemned to death. The punishment is losing a hand, but that usually ends up killing the person. And banishment? Between mountain men and reapers, no one is expected to survive on their own."
"I'm sorry," he said and rolled back onto his side.
"Don't be, just rest."
He woke again in a couple hours and Murphy went to offer him water. Bellamy shoved the kid away. When his nose began to bleed, Murphy tried again to offer a rag, but Bellamy wiped it on his sleeve rather than accepting help from Murphy. "Where's Kira?" he growled.
"The grounder?" Murphy asked realizing he hadn't learned her name. "She's upstairs. I can get her."
Bellamy shooed him away to do so and Clarke moved to speak with him. "It's nearly dawn," he told her.
"What do you want to do?" she asked.
"Get ready to move everyone into the dropship. If it doesn't go up, we pull up the doors and hopefully they think we ran," he explained his plan.
Kira found Bellamy standing at the entrance to the dropship among other sky people. The sun had risen and above the trees was a mushroom cloud of ash. "What is that?" she whispered.
"A bomb," Bellamy told her. "The grounders aren't coming today."
Kira breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could congratulate him he was back to barking orders.
"Alright, everybody! Sick get back on the ship!" he yelled and herded them back inside. "If you're feeling better and Clarke clears you, then you can leave." He was first in line for her to look at, using his leadership status to cut in front of everyone else.
"No swelling, you're good to go," Clarke told him and he grabbed Kira's hand dragging her out of the ship.
He dragged her through camp and into his tent. Kira watched silently with curiosity as he reached into his pack and pulled out a ball of fabric. "Here," he offered it to her.
Kira let the ball unfold and saw that it was a shirt. "I can't take this," she tried to return it.
"You'll freeze. You need it," he replied.
She considered it. In fact she really wanted to put it on right then. It had been three years since she had a shirt and this winter was threatening to be colder than the last. Before she could agree or refuse it, Bellamy's lips pressed against hers. She let the shirt drop and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. He picked her up and carried her over to his bed where he moved on top of her. He ground his hips against hers and Kira moved to remove his shirt. He began trailing kisses down her throat, stopping to suck at the soft spot between her neck and her shoulder as she trailed her fingers down his back, leaving marks of her own. His hand that had been cupping her breast moved between her thighs. She let out a small gasp and he began tugging her pants down. Kira let him undress her, kissing his shoulders and chest as he did so. Now naked, Bellamy's hand returned to Kira where his thumb rubbed her clit. She let out a small moan of satisfaction, causing Bellamy to smirk as he slipped his fingers inside of her. Kira dug her nails into Bellamy's shoulders and cried out in pleasure. Her hands ran down his chest and to his own pants which she expertly began to remove. He helped slid his pants from his ankles and then positioned himself back on top of her. As he kissed her lips, he thrust himself inside of Kira. Her back arched and he pulled out to thrust again. She bucked her hips into his as he groaned softly in her ear. He began picking up pace and Kira felt herself ready to cum. She tightened on his cock and with a moan of "Bellamy," came. Feeling her tighten around him, Bellamy couldn't hold it in any longer and pulled out, spilling his own cum on her inner thigh. He kissed her gently several times on the jaw and on the lips and then rolled to the side. He wrapped arms around her naked body, kissing her shoulder. Everything was perfect for a moment. Kira, suddenly aware of his closeness, weaseled out of his grip.
"What's wrong, you don't like being held?" he chuckled.
"No," she replied curtly, pulling on her pants.
It was not the answer Bellamy had been expecting. "Fine, I'll be the little spoon, but you don't have to go."
Kira frowned, but crawled back into bed with him, putting her arm around his abdomen as they laid on their sides. She tentatively placed her forehead on his back, not sure how it was supposed to work. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but rolled away from him the moment she felt herself drifting in and out of sleep. Bellamy rolled over as well, watching her pull the shirt he had given her over her head. It was slightly too big, hanging past her hips and Kira wiggled awkwardly trying to adjust.
"You don't have to go," he told her. "Ever."
"Yeah I do," she sighed. "I don't belong here."
"Well you sure as hell don't belong with them," he growled about the grounders as he stood to confront her.
She shook her head at him. "You don't understand how they look at me. I brought them water and wiped up their blood and they still don't want me here."
Bellamy frowned. He was in charge and if he wanted her to stay everyone else would have to deal with it.
"I'll be around," she spoke again before he could.
She ducked out of the tent and saw that the sun had already set. Most of the sky people were busy, but those that weren't glared as she walked by. She stood out less now that her torso was covered, but the bear still sat on her head and shoulders. It didn't go unnoticed that she had come from Bellamy's tent and Bellamy hadn't been seen all day. No one tried to stop her, though. They were too scared to find out what the grounder was capable of.
Octavia knocked on Bellamy's tent flap and he let her in now that he was dressed. "You can't get on my ass about Lincoln now," she smirked.
"What do you want, O?" he demanded, in no mood for her games.
"Lincoln said that you would be good for her, but I think you should leave her alone," Octavia told him.
Bellamy decided to humor his sister. "And why's that?"
"She's dangerous, Bell!" his sister replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She'll sleep with anyone, but if you want to be in a mutually exclusive relationship, you have to fight for her."
"Fight Lincoln?" he scoffed. And who said anything about a relationship? he asked himself although he knew damn well the thought had crossed his mind.
"No, fight her," Octavia explained and Bellamy's mind immediately thought of Kira's scarred shoulder. "And she killed her previous two suitors."
"Relax, O, you don't need to worry about me," Bellamy said to her, but his mind couldn't get past the scars. Somehow the news had made her seem more attractive and he was determined to have her. He would just need a plan.
