Bellamy sat on a crate, placed strategically between Libby and the Grounder. He was sharpening a stick with his knife, trying to make a spear.

Libby had been asleep for fifteen hours, mumbling occasionally. Once, she distinctly said, "Keep it up and you'll regret it."

She's a fighter even in her sleep, Bellamy thought. He didn't know Libby well, but he relied on her as much as he did himself or Miller. She was smart, and didn't take the moral high ground the way Clarke and Finn did. She even had the balls to argue with Bellamy, which he could appreciate when he was done being pissed about it. And he'd never forget how she'd introduced herself with a formal handshake, when he'd literally caught her with her pants down.

Bellamy put the spear aside. He stood and stretched, cracking his neck both ways. Bellamy glanced at the Grounder, who hadn't moved in several hours. The Grounder's chin was sunk into his chest; whether he was feigning sleep or not, at least he was quiet.

The hatch opened with a screech. Bellamy whirled, ready to angrily shush the intruder.

It was Monty. "The Jordans are on the screen. Jasper's talking to them now, but they want to see Libby, too."

"She's sleeping," Bellamy said.

"So wake her up." Monty crossed the room, glancing warily at the Grounder, and swung Libby's hammock. "Libs? Wake up."

"No," said Libby flatly.

Monty poked her in the ribcage. "Libs, c'mon. We've got your family on Line 1."

"There's only one line." Libby sat up. "Where'd this blanket come from?"

"Beats me," Monty said. "Your hair looks like something slept in it."

Libby swung out of the hammock. "Where'd my shoes go?"

"Right here." Monty handed them to her.

Bellamy had taken Libby's shoes off overnight. (She had disproportionately large feet, he thought.) He'd draped a blanket over her, too (She must be cold, he'd thought).

Libby stomped into her boots and ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it. "Aunt Beru will ask why I haven't washed my hair."

"Tell her we haven't installed indoor plumbing yet," Monty said.

Libby followed Monty down the ladder. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long. It's not noon yet."

On the first floor, the place where the radio had been was occupied by a video calling system. Jasper sat in front of the screen, wearing a headset. He saw Libby, and grinned broadly. "Monty found her. Yeah, she's fine. I think she was sleeping."

Monty ushered Libby into a seat next to Jasper and handed her a second headset. Uncle Geoff and Aunt Beru's faces filled the screen, looking both happy and worried.

Libby put the headset on. "Hey, guys."

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" said Aunt Beru. "Jasper said you were asleep. It's almost noon!"

"I hadn't slept in a few days," Libby said. "Things have been busy down here. How are you guys?"

"Fine, fine," said Aunt Beru dismissively. "What's it like on the ground?"

"Green," Libby said.

Uncle Geoff beamed. "Have you been putting your botany training to good use, Liberace?"

Libby squirmed; that nickname was not her favorite. "Um, yeah. I've found a lot of medicinal plants down here, and some things we can eat, too."

"Libby's in charge of food for the whole camp!" Jasper said proudly.

Aunt Beru gasped. "Sweetheart, really? That's wonderful!"

"Jasper's making it sound like a bigger deal than it is," Libby said, smiling. "And it's hardly an easy job."

"Well, of course not, but it must mean that people know how smart and dependable you are," said Aunt Beru.

Libby blushed under the praise. "Thanks, Aunt Beru."

"Mrs. Kane has been asking about you," said Uncle Geoff. "She wants us to tell you that the Tree is doing fine, but they miss you in the singing."

"The Council is preparing exodus ships," Aunt Beru said. "Now that we know Earth is survivable, there's no reason to delay."

"What ship will you guys come down on?" Jasper asked.

"We don't know yet," Uncle Geoff said. "But we're told that our skills will be highly valued on the ground."

"There's lots of scrap metal down here, Uncle Geoff," Libby said. "You'll have a blast."

"Ah, my kingdom for a soda can!" Uncle Geoff said.

The four Jordans laughed together.

Aunt Beru glanced at something offscreen. "They're telling us our time is up."

"No!" Jasper said.

"Don't worry, champ," said Uncle Geoff. "We'll see you real soon."

"We love you both," Aunt Beru said.

"Love you, too," said Libby. "Bye." She took off her headset, but Jasper didn't. Another woman was onscreen, talking.

"Sarah?" said Jasper. "I don't know who that is, but I'll ask around."

The woman said something else.

"Oh! Monroe! Yeah, we'll get her." Jasper took off his headset.

"I'll find her." Libby went outside, blinking against the bright light. The camp looked a little messier than it had, with storm debris strewn everywhere.

Libby found Monroe at the smokehouse, holding up one end of a beam while Miller tied it in place with wire. "Monroe, your mom's on the line."

"I'll be right there," Monroe said.

"I'll help Miller. You go," said Libby. She stood next to Monroe and put her hands on the beam. Monroe eased out from underneath the beam and hurried toward the dropship.

"Glad to see you're up," Miller said.

"Why'd you let me sleep so long? You clearly need help out here."

"Wasn't me. Bellamy's been on watch up there since last night."

"Oh." Libby thought about this for a moment. "Should you go relieve him soon?"

"As soon as I'm done with this. I want to start smoking meat so we can store it."

"Good call."

"Can you take some people out foraging? We're low on food, and it's getting colder."

"Yeah, I can do that," Libby said.

Miller climbed down the half-built wall. "Slide down so I can get at the other end."

Libby obeyed, and stood patiently while Miller worked. Not for the first time, she wished she were taller. The log she was holding was almost too high for her to reach.

When Miller was done, Libby went to the fire in search of food. There was a pile of fern rhizomes sitting on a tarp, but nothing else.

Libby snorted derisively. "I take a nap, and everything goes to shit."

She boiled the rhizomes and mashed them up. When she was done, a number of people appeared by the fire wanting breakfast.

"I'm not the only one who can do this crap, you know," Libby said sourly as she handed Sterling a plate.

"Yeah, but you're better at it." Sterling winked.

Libby scowled at him.

Bellamy was next in line. "You can delegate people for this," he said. "I did put you in charge."

Libby piled his plate high; she suspected he didn't eat often to leave more for the others. "What's my title?"

Bellamy moved to the side, so Libby could serve more people. "You need a title?"

"Yes. I want to feel validated."

Bellamy chuckled. "Okay. Vice Chancellor of Supplies."

"If I'm 'Vice Chancellor,' then who's Chancellor—you or Clarke?"

"Okay, let's avoid Chancellors," Bellamy said. "How about Quartermaster? You know, like in an old ship's crew."

"I know what you're talking about," Libby said. She smiled. "I like it."

"Good." Bellamy returned her smile. "So what's your plan for today, Quartermaster?"

"Foraging," Libby said. "We need to start stockpiling for winter."

Bellamy looked somber. "And figure out how to keep warm."

"We could cure the hides from the animals we kill," Libby said.

"Do you know how to do that?"

Libby thought. "I know it involves tannins, which come from oaks, but beyond that…?" She shook her head. "I don't know. I'll keep thinking."

"Me, too. See you around." Bellamy stalked away, holding his steaming plate.

"I expect you to eat all of that!" Libby called after him.

Harper was next in line. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean? We're talking logistics."

"Oh, c'mon," said Harper. "I've seen Bellamy smile maybe twice, and he doesn't joke around with people."

"Libby's not 'people,'" Jones interjected, grinning.

Libby's face grew warm. "Jones, can you lead a hunt later today?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jones said. "How many can I take?"

"No more than ten," Libby said decisively.

Libby put a scrawny younger girl named Mel in charge of serving. Taking a plate of food for herself, Libby did a circuit around the camp.

"I'm taking a group out gathering," Libby said to everyone she encountered. "Twenty minutes. Spread the word."

At the appointed time, about ten people gathered at the gate. Everyone carried a crude bag or basket for gathering. Libby took them to a clearing full of ferns.

"This is where breakfast came from," she said. "Dig up the roots, and we might as well gather fronds, too, for beds."

Libby set three people on watch while the others dug. It was dirty, satisfying work. They found a multitude of nuts, too, that had fallen from the trees. Libby wasn't sure what they were, but she saw no reason why nuts shouldn't be good to eat.

Monroe led the way to a place where the river ran slower, and Libby showed her people how to dig for cattail roots and overturn rocks for mussels.

"I wish we had salt for these shellfish," Libby said as they marched back to camp, tired and dirty but laden with food. "I have no idea how to preserve them."

"I guess we'll just have to eat them, then," said Monroe. "Tough break."

"We should make a place in the dropship to be a storeroom," Libby said. "If the rhizomes get wet, they'll rot."

"I had an idea about keeping everybody warm," Monroe said.

"Shoot."

"We built a wall, right? We can probably figure out how to build a hut or something. Keep a fire going in each hut all the time. And we can use the tent parachutes for insulation."

"That's a great idea," Libby said. "I'll talk to Bellamy about it."

When they got back to camp, Libby charged a few people with starting a storage space in the dropship for more than half of what they'd gathered. The rest of the crew set to chopping up fern rhizomes and shelling mussels, which they threw in a metal tub Libby set in the fire. Before long, the savory smell permeated the camp and drew eager onlookers.

Libby spoke to the people who'd gone out with her: "I want each of you to take two other people out and show them what I showed you. The more people know how to find food, the better."

By the time darkness fell, all of the delinquents had been fed. Clarke was last in line. "Good work today," she said.

"Thanks," said Libby. "How's Finn doing?"

"He's awake," said Clarke, "and we've moved him back into his tent. Raven's looking after him."

Libby studied Clarke's face, which was carefully blank. "I'm sorry," she said.

"About what?"

"I'm not stupid, Clarke. You and Finn disappeared overnight, and now Raven's here. That must suck."

Clarke said nothing.

"All I'm saying is I feel for you."

"Thanks." Clarke started eating, using a wooden fork someone had whittled. "This is really good."

"Could use some salt," Libby said.

"I know a place where there might be some salt," Clarke said.

"The same place there might have been a radio transmitter?"

Clarke looked startled.

"Again: I'm not stupid."

"Sorry."

"It's cool. You can take whoever you want to go look," Libby said.

"Thanks." Clarke left quickly, avoiding eye contact with Libby.

She thought her secrets could stay secret, Libby thought. But secrets were hard to keep on the Ark, and they're harder to keep down here.

Libby scraped out the pot and made three plates. She hadn't seen Jasper or Monty at the fire, and she wanted to make sure they ate.

"Is the food gone?"

It was Bellamy. "Not quite," Libby said. She handed him a plate. "Here."

"I already ate today."

"And you need to eat again," said Libby firmly. "You won't be any help to anybody if you starve yourself."

Bellamy didn't move. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have you eaten today?"

Libby pursed her lips; she, too, had only eaten once. "Touché."

Bellamy smirked. "Share?"

"Fine."

They sat side by side on a log and passed the plate back and forth.

"Monroe had some ideas about building huts to keep warm," Libby said. "Do you think we can cut down more trees?"

"Probably, if we're really careful," Bellamy said. "We could haul rocks, too, and build at least partially with stone. That'd be pretty warm."

"Good thinking."

Edith, Roma's friend, sauntered by the fire. She looked at Bellamy from underneath her eyelashes, clearly waiting for him to notice her, but Bellamy stared fixedly at his plate. When Edith finally gave up and walked away, Bellamy shoved the plate at Libby.

"You finish it."

There wasn't much left, so Libby didn't argue. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"Edith was making bedroom eyes at you and you totally ignored her."

"'Bedroom eyes?'" Bellamy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be coy, Bellamy," Libby snapped. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. What's the deal? An hour after Charlotte died, you've got Edith and Roma in your tent and the whole camp's talking about it. I mean, what the actual fuck?"

Bellamy stared at his feet.

"Fine. I guess you don't owe me an explanation. But I thought you cared about Charlotte, and I don't understand."

"They came to me," Bellamy said quietly. "And nothing happened. Okay, nothing much happened. They did most of it. And they didn't leave afterwards. Which I was cool with. Because I don't think I could've slept alone that night." Bellamy rubbed his face. He looked tired, and as young and scared as any of the delinquents.

Libby set the empty plate on the ground. "I know." She reached out slowly, hesitantly, and patted Bellamy on the shoulder. "Last night was actually the first time I'd slept since it happened. And I dreamed about it."

Bellamy said nothing, but his dark eyes were locked on Libby's.

"I dreamed about Charlotte, and Atom." Her voice caught. "He stopped to save me, and now he's dead." She looked at her feet, blinking back tears.

"Hey, c'mon." The warm weight of Bellamy's hand rested on her shoulder. "That wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it? "

"He chose to stop for you. And I could've gone out after him."

Libby shook her head. "You would've died, too. And if you die, Bellamy, I don't know what'll happen to us."

"They'll be okay. They've got you."

Libby hoped he couldn't see her blush in the dark. "You know the Ark's coming down."

"I figured they would," said Bellamy, "now they know we're alive."

"I won't let them execute you," Libby said. "They can't."

"Yes, they can."

"No, they can't! The ground isn't the Ark. The laws are different down here. They have to be. Life is valuable, dammit!"

Bellamy was quiet.

Libby stood. "I'm going to go see if they need anybody on watch."

Bellamy watched her walk away. She planted her feet solidly with each step, almost stomping around the camp. People got out of her way, smiling or nodding at her as she passed.

They respect her, Bellamy thought. They listen to her. And why shouldn't they? Libby's smart. She knows a lot. She can keep them alive.

The Ark was coming to the ground. Libby's vehement promise to defend Bellamy was heart-warming, but there was no way in hell Jaha would show him mercy. If they didn't kill him, they'd imprison him for the rest of his life. He had to leave to stay alive. Octavia wouldn't miss him too much, not after he'd tortured the Grounder. He'd fallen off the Big Brother pedestal, and there was no climbing back up. Octavia would be fine. They'd all be fine. Bellamy just hoped Libby would understand.

A/N: Sixty followers! Wow. Thank y'all so, so much. That's amazing. Hope you enjoy this week's chapter; I got into Bellamy's head for a few minutes, which was fun. The next few chapters should progress the romantic plot considerably, so stay tuned for that. Season 3 starts up this week and I am not emotionally prepared. The trailer looks intense. I'm excited. Best, ST.