Hi Everyone! I'm back from the cruise. We had and awesome time, and I wrote some great stuff ;)

I seem to be having some difficulty loading all of it into the 'Doc Manager' part of the website though. It keeps freezing halfway through after I press save and then asking me to refresh the page. It didn't mind if it was a small amount of words but it doesn't seem able to handle 6k (Has anyone else had this problem?) Basically it just means that I had to load it as two chapters instead of one. Sorry guys. (I could just be my computer? anyway).

Hope you all enjoy.

Wishing you all a happy new year xoxo LT.

Bellamy was distracted from his argument with Lincoln when Clarke appeared by his bedroom door. She was dressed in tight black pants with a white top, some sort of shiny jacket and heels. She looked hot. She was clearly going for a 'You're an idiot for leaving' look. Bellamy decided that Clarke had succeeded hands down in that regard. She looked like a woman who knew her own mind, and wasn't going to put up with any crap. It wasn't just that she looked good, she looked strong and sensible enough to look after herself and Bellamy loved it.

He also decided he didn't like his train of thought, and tried to drag his attention back to the argument with Lincoln, but Clarke had other ideas.

"I don't need someone else to keep an eye on me," she said. "Dad will be there and he knows that Finn leaving means we'll be breaking up so he can keep an eye on me," Clarke was facing her brother and Bellamy was pleased that Clarke was on his side, until she turned to him and said, "and Raven doesn't need you to keep an eye on her, she'll have Wick. Both of you need to sort your stuff out, otherwise I'll pick which one of you stays."

The boys were silent for a few moments.

"I'll stay," Bellamy volunteered with resignation. He wasn't sure he wanted to see Finn or Wells fawning over Clarke, especially when she looked at good as she did.

He ignored his reasoning behind that decision.

He then ignored the thought he was ignoring himself.

"That was easy," Lincoln said triumphantly.

Bellamy shrugged.

"Go get dressed Lincoln, there is no way you are leaving this house with that stupid shirt on. You look like some 40 year old going through a midlife crisis whose decided he's going to live in Hawaii," Clarke turned back to her brother now that a decision had been made.

Lincoln looked down and Bellamy glanced at Lincolns blue Hawaiian style shirt.

"You leave my shirt out of this," Lincoln said defensively. "It's a beautiful shirt. I pull in all the chicks with this shirt."

"Not the good ones," Clarke shot back at her sibling who scoffed.

"Did you want me to wear a Rambo shirt - with those ribbed sleeves?"

"No," Clarke said without hesitation. Lincoln laughed at his sisters' disgust and patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll learn to love me with my shirt," he said. Clarke rolled her eyes. Lincoln walked away then, since he had won the argument and was going to the party.

"You sure you're happy to stay home with the boys?" Clarke checked with Bellamy.

"You sure you're happy to go and see Finn? I didn't think the two of you had spoken much this week."

"We haven't. He sent me a text the other day asking if I was going to the party and that's about it," Clarke shrugged. "You should answer my question before you go asking me one."

"Just because you ask me a question doesn't mean I'm obliged to answer it," Bellamy said smiling. He wanted to touch Clarke's hair to see it was as soft as it looked but he kept his hands to himself. He wasn't sure she would appreciate him touching her hair.

"I didn't especially want to go to the party, so I'll stay back. The only reason that I wanted to go was so I could keep an eye on Raven."

Bellamy didn't add that he also wanted to keep an eye on Clarke during the party, but a moment ago she had seemed adamant that she would be fine, and he thought she might be annoyed if he revealed he wanted to keep an eye out for her.

"What are you going to do if Wick and Raven start dating?" Clarke asked curiously. Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Buy a shotgun?" Bellamy laughed at Clarke's skeptical face. "Well, maybe not."

"It's a shame you'll miss the party. I heard that Miller was going to be there as well."

Bellamy knew that his mate was going. Miller had been making progressively more jokes about him and Clarke lately, and Bellamy couldn't help but hope that Miller didn't say anything to Clarke at the party. At least when they were at camp, he would be around to stop Miller from saying anything stupid.

"Bellamy?" Clarke asked, curious about Bellamy's silence. Bellamy shook his head and brought himself back.

"Go finish getting ready for the party," he said and waved Clarke away.

"Oh by the way Clarke," Bellamy called out before Clarke disappeared upstairs. She turned to look at him. "Have you been avoiding me? You didn't ask me to go jogging with you at all this week."

Bellamy could swear he saw the blondes' cheeks turn a shade redder.

"I just wanted to hang out with Lincoln before he goes to university."

Bellamy frowned slightly but accepted the explanation.

"You missing my company Bellamy?" Clarke grinned at him.

"No," Bellamy lied. "Just curious."

"Sure," Clarke said skeptically, and disappeared into her attic room.

The Blake-Reyes/Griffin household minus three arrived twenty minutes after the party started, thanks to the debacle of leaving the boys at home.

Jake gave Clarke explicit instructions to let him know if she wanted to leave early. He could drive her home, or they could call Bellamy to collect her if it wasn't too late. Clarke gave her father a hug and replied that she could always get Tahlia or another friend to drive her home. She didn't want to be an imposition.

Jake glanced around to make sure Aurora wasn't nearby and whispered to Clarke,

"I really don't mind if you need someone to drive you home. I don't know most of the people here. They're all friends of the Collins family, and Aurora fell into that category."

Clarke laughed at her father.

"You want an excuse to leave early?"

"You said it, not me," Jake Griffin gave his daughter a hug and together they entered the building.

Jake watched as his daughter slipped away to find her friends, and hoped that she would be alright. Aurora appeared by his side just as he started to turn and look for her. She slipped her hand into his and smiled at him. Jake returned the smile. He cared for Aurora deeply. Almost as deeply as he had for Abby. Aurora also knew what it was like to loose loved ones, which was how they started talking after meeting at the school. They had both lost the love of their lives, and now they found another love in each other.. Aurora clearly picked Jake's train of thought and stroked his face gently.

"Thank you," Aurora said to Jake.

"For what?"

"For coming here tonight even though I know you've been stressed at work. For accepting that I didn't want to get married again. For taking this step with me."

Jake wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her chaste kiss, unwilling to be the talk of the party.

"You're welcome. Now I suppose we'd best go mingle."

"There should be someone here that can help you with your problem at work," Aurora remembered. "His name is Marcus and he's a lawyer. A good one. He might be able to advise you on how to bring those faults to the attention of Go-Sci. I know you've been having problems with getting anyone to meet with you. Marcus might be able to help."

"Marcus…" Jake paused, he was sure he'd heard that name before.

"We dated a long time ago. Before Bellamy. It was just a university fling."

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Is he Bellamys'…." he trailed off, unsure where to go. Aurora gave Jake a sheepish look.

"No, Bellamy came after university. His father wasn't the kindest person, or the most intelligent, as he demonstrated when he walked out. Marcus is both of those - at least he was when I knew him last."

"I hope you'd describe me as kind and intelligent as well," Jake joked. Aurora smiled at him and nodded.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. Marcus and I were nearly 20 years ago."

Jake smiled and said, "I didn't think there would be a problem. Lets go meet Marcus the lawyer, and see if he can help us."

Octavia meanwhile had found her friend Monroe and was sitting on a couch with a drink in her hand. The drink had originally been non-alcoholic punch, but Octavia had brought a hip flask with whiskey and she had promptly spiked her and Monroe's drinks. They now sat happily watching the rest of the party goers. Raven and Wick were off in a corner discussing something with an intensity that made Octavia think it could have something to do with their holiday project. Miller had appeared in a doorway, and once he spotted Octavia and Monroe he made a beeline for the girls.

They greeted him enthusiastically, so he sat with them. They talked about Finn moving, and the up coming camp. Monroe asked Octavia why Bellamy had let Clarke on the team, because up until that point all Bellamy had told Murphy and Monroe was that Clarke could be useful.

Miller jumped in before Octavia had a chance to respond.

"He's got a thing for her," Miller grinned proudly answering the question.

"No he doesn't," Octavia scoffed at the thought.

Miller laughed at Octavia.

"Yes, he does!"

"No, he doesn't. I think I would know. I'm his sister. I live with them."

Miller shook his head.

"Of course he's not going to tell you that he has a thing for Clarke Griffin. How can you not have noticed? Whenever we're at practice and he thinks no one is looking at him, he watches Clarke. When I make jokes about it, he's casual; too casual. As if he's trying to hide something."

"I've noticed that as well!" Monroe gasped. "I just thought he was looking at her because he thought she sucked at sport!"

"She's not that bad," Octavia defended Clarke's sporting abilities. Monroe shrugged in response.

"Its not just me then," Miller seemed pleased he wasn't alone in his assessment of the situation.

"Why would Bell like her? They're total opposites. She's into art, and culture and science and he's interested in playing sport," Octavia was trying to wrap her head around this hypothesis.

"You know, they say opposites attract," Monroe said thoughtfully.

"Even if they did hook up, which I seriously doubt will happen because Bellamy refuses to be a hypocrite and he's already told me not to hook up with Lincoln because we're all living under the same roof, they wouldn't last long. Clarke's determined to go to Harvard medical school, and there is no way Bellamy is going to that university."

The three of them pondered the possibilities.

"Clarke could invite him to live with her near the uni, that way even though they wouldn't be studying together they'd be able to see each other," Monroe suggested.

Miller shook his head.

"Wouldn't work. We finish school before she does. Bell would probably already have a job nearby, or be studying at a university near here. Either way it would mean that he's probably going to stay here while she moves towns."

"Can we please stop talking about this," Octavia was sick of hearing about her brothers' love life.

"No! Bellamy needs a girlfriend, a proper one. Not just someone he's hooked up with once or twice. Clarke would be an awesome girlfriend," Miller said. "I'm just looking out for my mate, trying to be a good wingman."

Octavia sighed, "I just don't see him and Clarke together. It would never work. They argue loads at home."

"That, my sweet summer child, is sexual tension," Miller patted Octavia on the shoulder. "One day, before we know it, they could be making out behind the bleachers."

Octavia and Monroe laughed at the thought of Clarke Griffin making out with anyone behind the school bleachers. She was a goody-two-shoes, no way would she do something so outrageous. Octavia liked Clarke, but she also had gotten to know the girl better over the holidays and knew that Clarke was not the sort of person who took enjoyment in doing that sort of thing in public.

"That will never happen," Octavia shook her head at Miller.

"Care to bet on it?" Miller grinned at Octavia. Octavia hesitated for a moment, and then agreed.

"What are we betting on?" Octavia asked.

"Lets say, $80 that Bellamy and Clarke will hook up by the end of the year and an extra $20 if they do it behind the bleachers."

"I'll take that bet," Octavia held her hand out to Miller who shook it.

"The deal is complete." Miller wiggled his eyebrows. "Now, we have to keep an eye on the lovebirds."

Octavia shook her head in exasperation.

"She's still in love with Finn, I doubt that she wants to hook up with anyone, let alone my brother."

"True, but she'll be okay eventually and we've got the whole year ahead of us," Miller smiled a knowing smile. At that moment Clarke wandered into view and they all fell silent - caught red-handed talking about her when she wasn't around. Luckily enough for them, Clarke didn't seem to notice.

"Have any of you seen Tahlia?"

The three of them shook their heads.

"You can sit with us if you like," Miller offered, before he realised she wouldn't fit on the couch. Clarke smiled and thanked him, but she needed to speak to her friend.

"You can always check the backyard, she might be out there," Monroe suggested. Clarke nodded, and thanked the girl for the suggestion.

When she was gone, Miller returned to the topic of conversation.

"She's totally hot, why would Bellamy not like her?"

Both girls groaned. They'd had enough of this particular topic.

"Alright, alright," Miller laughed. "How about you Octavia? I know I'm curious to hear if you're getting along with the older Griffin sibling."

Octavia smiled coyly at her friend.

"What you don't know can't hurt you."

Nathan Miller snorted in laughter.

"I take it that you're both getting along well then."

"We certainly don't argue," Octavia grinned.

"Whats the plan when he leaves in a couple of weeks?" Monroe asked.

"No idea, at the moment we haven't done anything serious so we'll just play it by ear."

The three of them fell silent as they pondered the difficulties the future would bring.

Clarke meanwhile had found her friends. They were in garden as Octavia had suggested. She was pleased that Finn wasn't there because even though she'd been determined not to let herself get anxious, she was starting to get some butterflies in her stomach.

Wells was the only member of their group who didn't come to the party, and Clarke suspected it had something to do with his dislike for the host. As much as she loved her friend, she was glad that Wells wasn't at the party. She didn't need to listen to him complaining about Finn all night. It would just make her feel worse. She couldn't tell if she wanted to see Finn or if she didn't. She wasn't sure she trusted herself around him. Eventually she would have to face him. They hadn't spoken for long on the day that Finn told Clarke he was leaving, but she suspected that Finn might want to talk to her tonight.

After an hour Glass and Luke went inside to get a drink, and Tahlia left Clarke's side to use the facilities. Clarke made a beeline for the door inside, unwilling to be left alone - knowing that Finn would take that as an opportunity to speak to her.

She wasn't wrong. Finn appeared just as she reached the door. Clarke felt the butterflies in her stomach acutely now.

"Hi Finn," Clarke said, not sure how to proceed.

"Clarke," Finn looked awkward, just as awkward as Clarke felt. They stood together in silence for a little while. Both of them trying to think of something to say.

Eventually Finn gestured to some chairs and they sat together. Finn initiated the conversation.

"How are you?"

"I've been better, I've been worse," Clarke replied.

The two of them sat and talked for a short while without saying much. Clarke kept wondering where her friends were. Finn eventually turned the topic away from casual nothings to something Clarke had been half expecting.

"You should stay away from Bellamy Blake,"

Clarke sighed internally. 'Here we go,' she thought.

"Why should I listen to you? We just broke up - you don't get to have a say anymore."

"He has nothing going for him. He's not going to a good university, he doesn't have any skills that will help him earn money…"

Clarke put her hand up and cut Finn off.

"Finn. I know you still care about me, we probably wouldn't be breaking up if you weren't moving away, but since you are moving away and since we have broken-up, you don't get a say who I spend time with. Besides, I live with Bellamy. Get over yourself. He and I are going to spend time together. We eat dinner together most nights, and I'm on his team for camp. Bellamy was the first person home after you left the other day so he was being nice to me. He's not going away anytime soon, neither is the rest of his family, so lay off. I saw that text you sent him."

Finn looked chastened but pressed forward by saying,

"I don't like him."

Clarke shook her head.

"You don't have to like him. No one asked you too. It's not like Bellamy and I are dating anyway."

Finn grumbled.

They sat for a little longer, until Clarke decided that she wanted to go home. She'd seen Finn, they'd talked. She'd done what she came to do. Clarke gave Finn a goodbye hug, and went to find a ride home.

She spotted her father and Aurora in a deep conversation with a tall, dark haired man and decided not to bother them about a ride home. Tahlia offered her a ride once Clarke tracked her down and Clarke sent text messages to the other members of her group telling them she was leaving.

Clarke told Tahlia about her conversation with Finn on the ride home.

"He told you to stay away from Bellamy?" Tahlia laughed.

"He thinks we're either dating already, which we aren't, or we will be dating soon."

"Would that be so bad? I mean, look at the guy. He's a hunk."

"It's not that I hate him anymore. I mean, I almost like him now but there are lots of reasons, good reasons, not to date him. Us living together is a big one."

Tahlia nodded understandingly.

"As much as I dislike Finn for saying it, he isn't wrong when he said that Bellamy doesn't really have any prospects - not that I'm aware of- and he's a serial womaniser. You've heard all the stories at school. I don't think I could date someone and be worrying about being dumped when the next girl comes along."

"You're putting too much thought into it Clarke," Tahlia counselled. "We're only 16, who cares if he doesn't get a university degree. I'm not telling you to marry the guy. The womaniser thing is a little bit more difficult but again, if you're not planning on marrying the guy or having a long term relationship - what does it matter if you go into whatever it could be, knowing that you have a time limit? It's better, that way you know not to get too attached."

"Still doesn't solve the living together problem. Plus, I'm not ready to get together with anyone again, let alone Bellamy."

Tahlia laughed at Clarke.

"You'll get over that eventually, but if you think you might want to date Bellamy one day, you need to get over those feelings sooner rather than later. He might start dating someone else - how would you feel then?"

Clarke sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know, what I do know is that I don't want to push something that probably isn't there for the sake of dating someone I'm not sure I have feelings for. I'm happy with things the way there are at the moment. Besides, can you imagine if we broke up and had to live together afterwards?"

Tahlia sighed.

"You'll never get another boyfriend with this kind of commitment."

Clarke didn't reply. She loved her friend, but they had different views on dating which rubbed Clarke the wrong way sometimes. Tahlia was all about getting new boyfriends to get over the last one. Since she'd started dating halfway through last year, she'd had three boyfriends. She hadn't slept with any of them as far as Clarke was aware. Clarke suspected that if her past record was anything to go by, their eleventh year at school would be more of the same.

"You could kiss him, and see how that works out."

"I don't want to kiss him!" Clarke squealed at her friend. Tahlia grinned.

"You totally do! Why wouldn't you want too? Again - Hunk."

"It's not that simple Tahlia,"

"Only because you're making it complicated Clarke."

"Tahlia, just leave it alone. I'm not going to kiss Bellamy Blake. It's only been a week since Finn and I broke up."

Tahlia sighed, and changed the subject much to Clarke's relief. They talked about school and camp, namely who was going to replace Finn on the Wells/Tahila team. They arrived back at Clarke's place around 9:30.

"Night Clarke, chat later."

"Bye Tahlia, thanks for the ride."