Chapter 10:

Mom: Soon, hun.

Clarke stared at the text message in shock—the world was ending and her mother still had time to reject her. She looked into the mirror, straightening her green dress before walking down the stairs in her matching flats. Monty snapped a picture of her with his phone, "Our baby is all grown up." He said like a southern mother, "Aw shucks. Honey, why don't you get a picture with your crabby body guard?" Clarke stole a glance at Bellamy, who'd taken Octavia home to change because he didn't "like" any of Clarke's dresses on her. He was wearing a button-up navy blue shirt and a pair of jeans. The shirt looked like it was suffocating his strong arms. He looked attractive.

Bellamy stepped forward, frowning in the picture as she smiled like a clown. "This is ridiculous." Bellamy muttered after Monty was finished making a fool out of himself. "A wedding is really the answer?" Clarke opened her mouth in shock at Bellamy's lack of respect for Jasper's choice. He'd found a way around the system—he was saving someone's life. It was noble.

"Jasper's a romantic at heart." Clarke closed her mouth only to open it again, "It's the last option. He won't leave her behind." The doorbell rang and Clarke looked up, "Who is that?"

"Most likely my on-again-off-again girlfriend Lexa." Bellamy mumbled as if he didn't really want her to hear the answer, "I told her about the wedding. She wanted to come. I said come on."

"Does she know anyone?" Clarke asked, annoyed that he invited a stranger into her home. He was a stranger—one chat didn't mean that they were best friends. He couldn't just do whatever the hell he wanted to do.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe?"

"This is Jasper's day, how can you be so stupid?" She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Do whatever the hell you want, Bellamy! Who brings a date to a courthouse wedding?"

"Princess, you aren't seriously going to get mad because I'm bringing a date to one of the last events on Earth, are you?"

Clarke shook her head, "Whatever."

XXX

She was absolutely stoned out of her mind by the time the wedding was over. She was walking around her house at the make-shift reception with her phone turned off in her pocket and her mind in a bubbly haze. Somehow, she ended up in the kitchen with her body leaned against the table that she couldn't remember having a family dinner at once. "Clarke…" Bellamy walked into the kitchen, "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Clarke bit her lip and nodded in the affirmative, "My home is going to be destroyed." Clarke said, "This kitchen table will never have a good family to sit around it."

He looked at her with sad eyes, "Your family has never sat around that table together?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Not your biological family but your real family…" He said, "I'm sure Lincoln, Monty, Jasper, and even your boyfriend have sat at that table and laughed." Her lip quivered as she sucked back tears—it only caused her to sob. "Your family is going to be okay."

He stepped closer to her when she said, "What about you? And O?"

"I don't know. We have to wait…I have to get approved."

She swallowed her tears, "What if you don't?"

"Then I don't…" He said with a shrug, "My fight is over. I lived a good life—" He stopped midsentence, striding over to her quickly and pressing his lips to hers in a crushing manner. Her reflexes were slow but she pushed him away with force. "—now I've lived a fulfilled life."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched him leave. She didn't even know if it really happened or if she was hallucinating. Did Bellamy just kiss her? She touched her lips, leaning back into the table. She thought of her family—she thought of Miller. How would he feel about that? Clarke did the right thing by pushing him away…she hadn't kissed him back, either. She hadn't welcomed the kiss but it was stuck in her mind like a brand.

It was wrong.

It was so wrong…

And what had he meant? Fulfilled life? They barely knew each other. How could one kiss fulfill his life…

She was confused when the red banner ran across the television.

MEXICO ATTACKED: MIDDLE EAST TAKES CREDIT

Clarke ran into the living room, turning on the T.V. before she threw herself into the couch. It was the first time it had been breathtakingly silent. She couldn't even hear her own breathing. Their phones started ringing but no one answered. She heard Lincoln set his beer down on the coffee table, leaning forward. Their phones started to ring again, this time they answered—everyone but Clarke.

Her body was completely frigid as she watched the satellite image of Mexico being bombarded by nuclear weapons. There were four spots that seemed to be affected. She put her hand to her mouth but there weren't any tears.

She heard her phone ring once more and this time she answered, "Hello."

"Clarke…" Her father breathed in relief, "I guess you're watching the news right now."

"I guess you're telling me to cut my trip short." She said, trying to add humor into her statement but she couldn't. "I'll get mom. I'll be on the next shuttle. Monty, Jasper, Lincoln and Harper are permitted, right?"

"Yes. I got their paperwork minutes ago with the rest of the evacuation placements...or I had their parents flagged because they are my best friends and I care." She nodded at her dad's word, knowing that he couldn't see her.

"Thanks." She said, "I'll see you soon."

"The next shuttle leaves at 7:30 PM. Be on it, please." He said, "I love you, kid."

"I love you too."

She put the phone against her forehead as she hung up. She felt like everyone's eyes were on her. "Report to the shuttle in five hours." Clarke said, "Get your necessary things together and say your goodbyes. It's time to go to the Ark."

Her eyes met Bellamy's and she frowned. Those brown eyes were so… so something. She didn't have words to describe it. There was a certain amount of fear somewhere in the brown orbs. Fear for his life, fear for his sister's life…maybe fear for everyone else. He moved his head to the side to indicate that he wanted to talk to her.

She followed him and he said, "You want to stay—this is your chance."

"I can't make that choice right now."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a hard choice!" Clarke said, "Death or life…that's a difficult choice."

"The ground or the sky, Clarke?" Bellamy asked and she really didn't know the answer. "Are you going to waste your time with something that makes sense or are you going to take a risk?"