"Can someone please explain to me why there's a psycho manic still breathing in our interrogation room?"

Clarke rubbed her temples, hating the question because she wanted nothing more than to kill Cage already. "We need to know where he's doing his experiments."

"We found his base though," said Jasper. "Are you saying that wasn't it?"

"After we blew through the tunnels we searched the debris. We didn't find any of his research, but we did manage to free the humans he captured. We can rest a little easier knowing we returned them to their families," said Lincoln.

"So that means he's taking them somewhere else to perform the experiments. We just need to find out where," mumbled Clarke, glaring at Cage through the one-way mirror.

The side door opened and Clarke steeled herself. "Ready?" she asked.

Finn nodded. "Let's see what this bad boy is hiding," he smirked.

Bellamy's hands tightened around the wheel and he held his breath waiting for Gina to get out of the car. He had spent the entire car ride trying not to look at her, not for fear of the bond they had, but because the guilt was too much for him.

"Thank you," said Gina, body turned toward his. She felt a little better being in the same space as him. Clarke had been right, of course. Gina had felt more at ease with Bellamy near her. And after the talk she had with Clarke, it was easier for Gina to separate her feelings of emotional attachment with Bellamy. She knew it wasn't real, not the way Bellamy and Clarke were. She looked at both of them with more respect than she thought she could when she first entered the interrogation room at the mansion.

Bellamy nodded, stiff.

Gina reached across the seat and placed her hand on his arm. She tried not to feel offended when he tensed. "She'll forgive you," she said.

Bellamy eased only slightly. "Maybe."

"But that won't happen unless you can forgive yourself first."

Bellamy laughed humorlessly. "Right."

Gina shook her head at his short answers. "It wasn't your fault, Bellamy. It was a fake connection that Cage made. He knew it would tear you two apart. He told me that all the time. He said you two made a stronger coven together and in order to gain the advantage he had to break you two apart."

"How strong can we be if we get broken apart by a connection that isn't real. That isn't hers and mine." Bellamy frowned.

"Trials and errors," Gina said, tentative. "This can only make you two stronger. You both need to learn to trust the connection you have."

Bellamy finally looked Gina in the eyes, the connection felt dull, like it was fading away. But he still felt grateful to her. He hoped she found her own sense of normal once this was all over. "Stronger together, huh?" Bellamy said, smiling.

Gina nodded and got out the car.

"Gina?" a voice yelled across the lawn.

A young woman stood at the door. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her skin, although dark, looked pale even from the car, Bellamy observed.

Gina smiled and the young woman needed no other words. She ran toward Gina, her smile wide. They crashed together in a tangle of limbs and breath and Bellamy smiled at the sight. He understood that kind of passion. Stronger together, he said to himself.

Then he remembered Cage's eyes, the fathomless eyes and the smirk on his lips as he was carried up the steps to the mansion. It made Gina's previous words enter his mind again. In order to gain the advantage he had to break them apart. A chill swept down his spine.

Bellamy cursed before hitting the gas. It was a trap, he thought.

Finn leaned against the one-way mirror and tried to read Cage again. It was harder to do when he wasn't being cooperative and answering Clarke's questions. He wasn't even lying to her, just ignoring her.

"You wouldn't be taking them far, would you? Have to stay close to the research," said Clarke across from Cage.

Cage maintained his smirk. "Would we?"

It was the first thing he had said since they got into the room so Clarke was thrown off by the sound of his voice, so calm and sure.

"How many successes?" asked Clarke.

A smirk was his only answer.

"How did you get our kind to help you? You couldn't have done all this without magical help."

His smirk never waivered. Cage suddenly leaned forward on the table.

"Where is Bellamy?"

Clarke flinched at the question. Clearly thrown off, she cleared her throat, and recomposed herself. "Where were you performing your experiments?"

"The same place you stumbled upon as a little devotee of my father's," he said.

Clarke's eyes widened and she turned her head slightly to Finn.

Finn inspected Cage a little longer before nodding, indicating that Cage was telling the truth.

"But you won't find anything," Cage went on.

"Why is that?" asked Clarke.

"Because the experiments have ended."

Again, Clarke looked to Finn and he nodded. Cage was telling the truth.

"So what? That's it? You gave up, just called it quits?" Clarke taunted.

Cage titled his head at her, amused at her reaction, so angry and frightened by what it all meant. She should be, thought Cage. "Claaaarke," he said in a sing-song voice. "Where is Bellamy, Clarke?"

Clarke clenched her jaw. "Why did you stop the experiments?"

"Bellamy isn't here, is he?" Cage smiled.

It was then that the ground beneath their feet began to rattle. The lights overhead had started to flicker and the smell of burnt tar filled the air.

"Now he is," said Cage.

Clarke bolted from her seat. "Detain him!" she shouted and ran out of the interrogation room.

There was the sound of footsteps pounding overhead and she heard the shouts before she saw Kane and her mom running toward her.

"Clarke!" her mom shouted. "We're being surrounded."

"What? What do you mean? By who?"

"We're not sure," Kane admitted. "But they're creating some type of force field around the mansion somehow. And, well,…" Kane trailed off.

"Well, what?" Clarke demanded, sensing she wouldn't like whatever it was he was about to say.

"Bellamy is out there. He's trying to make it to the mansion before the force field closes in."

Yup, Clarke was right. She didn't like what he had to say one bit.

She bolted, shoving Kane and Abby aside, tuning out the loud shouts and questions from people around her. She saw Octavia's face in her peripheral, but didn't hear the words she was saying. Clarke threw open the front door.

There was something oddly peaceful about what she was seeing. Magic users, no, humans she realized, were surrounding the mansion – hundreds of them. She had a sinking feeling there were more than what she was seeing. They were all linking hands, and from their hands spun long white tendrils, like wispy pieces of hair. The tendrils tried to knot themselves together, to make the barrier stronger. But it formed slowly and had enough gaps that Clarke could see Bellamy trying to fight his way through them.

Bellamy had his gun drawn and he had it trained to their heads. But the humans trying to form the barrier barely spared him a glance. It was the other human magic users marching from the overpass behind Bellamy that worried Clarke the most. They didn't have the same docile look the barrier makers did; these users looked angry. They were out for blood.

"Run, Bellamy!" yelled Clarke.

Bellamy turned to the sound of her voice but it distracted more than it did direct him; the split second he spent looking at her was enough time for the users closing in to shake the ground underneath Bellamy's feet.

Clarke didn't waste another second. She ran toward him, ignoring the cries behind her or the fact that if she got too close to the barrier from the inside it would zap her.

A loud hum filled the air, so loud that even Clarke could hear it from within the barrier. She noticed the users pulling out their guns. Sparks flew from their hands and engulfed their guns. Electric users, Clarke realized.

Their guns were pointed directly at Bellamy and Clarke's chest swelled with pain. There were at least fifteen guns pointed in his direction, and only one needed to hit him for it to do the job.

Clarke flung both her hands out. "No!" she screamed, ice shooting from her hands and forming together in a matter of seconds, creating a shell around Bellamy and protecting him from the shock.

Bellamy's breath hitched in his throat as he saw the ice form a few inches from him. His entire left side chilled and the hairs on his arm rose from the cold. He heard the gunshots hit the ice shield and knew it was now or never. He took off running, crouching so as to not hit his head on the ice and to prepare himself for the jump past the gap in the force field. He made it through the barrier but not before a tendril struck him behind the shoulder. Bellamy tumbled into the grass and took a quick breath before getting up and putting as much distance as he could from the barrier. They hadn't attacked him when he drew his gun, but he didn't want to take anymore chances.

"Bell!" Clarke cried out, catching him around the waist and trying to take some of his weight.

He cringed against the stinging sensation at his shoulder.

Clarke breathed him in and tightened her hold. "We need to get that patched up," she said. She led him back toward the mansion, only sparing a few glances behind her at the now fully formed barrier. The horde of angry users that had shot at Bellamy finally reached the barrier, too. They stood behind the barrier and holstered their guns again, waiting.

Octavia was the first one to help carry Bellamy to the infirmary. She asked what was going on, if Bellamy was okay, if they would be okay. And Clarke kept quiet the entire time because she just didn't know. She didn't know what was happening or if they would be okay. But she knew someone who did. He was being held in their cells. And now she was pissed.

"Hey," Bellamy whispered in her ear as they limped along.

She turned toward him, shaking her head a little to focus on him.

"Stay here," he said.

Her brows furrowed at him. What did he mean by that?

"Don't think about him or your hatred for him. Stay right here for now. You won't stop whatever is happening if you let the anger guide you."

Where did that come from? She wondered. "What if anger is all I have left?"

Bellamy smiled and Clarke almost felt the wind get knocked out of her. It had been so long since she'd seen him smile; she didn't realize how much she missed it.

"That's why I said stay here. In this moment. Focus on one thing at a time."

One thing at a time, she told herself. Clarke found herself smiling back, and tears flooded her eyes. But she swallowed them back. First Bellamy, she told herself. Then she'd cry later.

Clarke hovered mercilessly around Bellamy. She made sure they patched him up quickly but efficiently and even then, she kept correcting her mom's techniques. Abby grit her teeth to keep from snapping. She understood Clarke's concern. Bellamy could have very well died out there. Clarke and Bellamy reminded Abby so much of herself and Jake.

Abby placed a hand on Bellamy's good shoulder. "You're going to be fine. Rest up," she smiled.

Clarke let out a breath, feeling like she had been holding it in this whole time. She watched the way Bellamy fidgeted on the examination table, the way he wrung his hands out. "Come on," she said. She held her hand out and waited, transfixed by his hesitation. Did he hesitate because he no longer wanted her?

Stop, she told herself. That wasn't the reason. He wouldn't have risked his life coming back if he didn't.

His hand trembled but the warmth in it spread through their touch.

She led them to her room, to the room where it all started. Bellamy couldn't help but picture it again; he saw her opening her eyes, lunging from the bed to pin him against the wall, crying because she worried about him, telling him her secret.

Clarke didn't say a word. She feared anything she said wouldn't feel honest enough. She had been so scared seeing him out there, risking his life to make it back to her. If she had lost him she would have hated herself forever. There was so much she still held on to, the guilt, the resentment, the betrayal. All of it felt irrelevant now. She wanted to erase those feelings and replace them with what mattered.

He placed a finger under her chin and brought her gaze up to his. The tension in her face made him come undone. He leaned his forehead against her own. "Hey," he whispered. "It's okay."

Clarke shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. When the tears started she couldn't stop them. They slithered down her cheek and fell on Bellamy's lap.

"No, Clarke, I'm sorry. I should have been stronger. I shouldn't have fallen for his stupid trap."

"We both fell for it."

"No," he said, vehemently. "Truth is, he played on a weakness he knew we had. Clarke, you and I are full of fire and passion. But we've also been through a lot of heartbreak. I think we were waiting for an excuse to push each other away. Cage knew that. He hoped on it." Bellamy wiped away her tears. "And I proved him right."

"Then so did I." Clarke carded her fingers through his hair. "We're in this together," she said, tightening her hold. When she said it, she knew she meant it. No matter what was tossed their way, she wouldn't be letting go of him.

"Together," he said, the words ghosting along her cheekbone.

She pressed her lips to his temple. "Make love to me."

Bellamy felt the air leave his lungs. He shook slightly. Normally he would have stopped to ask if she was sure, maybe even mention that the time wasn't right. Under the stress of the situation, with Cage still a threat, it wouldn't be right. But Bellamy was overcome with this feeling, a need to be closer. He brushed his lips against hers but slow and soft didn't stamp the need he felt. Apparently, it didn't for Clarke either. She reached forward, wrapped her hands around the material of Bellamy's shirt and pressed them closer together. She could feel his heart beating against her breast. It was strong and quick, fueling her own desire. She ran her fingers down his arm. He was hot to the touch and Clarke wondered if she felt the same. When he touched his lips to her neck, Clarke felt a jolt shoot through her. It propelled her forward, pushed herself closer into his touch, and lit her skin on fire. Her bones felt weak and strong at the same time. She wished that feeling would last even once they were done.

Bellamy pealed her shirt off. Her skin made him catch his breath. She was beautiful. It marveled him; she marveled him. Underneath all that skin was her blood and her power. Yet underneath all that was her soul – her soul that called to his, that matched his. Stripping her of all her clothes, Bellamy thought about their souls.

How did they know to choose each other? Did they choose each other because they were so alike, or are they so alike because their souls chose each other?

"Hey," Clarke whispered, hand caressing his cheek. "Stay here."

Bellamy smirked. "There's nowhere else I want to be."

Clarke bit down on his lower lip. "Prove it."

Skin on skin, Bellamy decided, was his favorite sensation. Especially when the skin touching his was Clarke's. He wanted to be wrapped in her. He hiked her leg up around his waist as he laid her out on the bed.

The action opened her up to him and when he brushed against the damp part of her that craved him, he had to clench his jaw to relax. As much as he wanted to dive right in, he didn't want it to end so quickly. He wanted to savor every kiss, every sigh, every pleasure.

They devoured each other, a clash of tongues and teeth, and heat and sweat.

Bellamy drew his tongue down the column of her throat. He enjoyed the way she breathed faster at that. He took a nipple into his mouth and bit down, drawing it to him. Clarke cried out against him, back arching and cunt moist, begging. She tried to thrust her hips toward his, but Bellamy pinned her to the bed.

He shook his head as he pulled back. He took her hands in one of his and held them above her head. Drawing his head down her chest and down her stomach, he left a kiss against her sternum before taking one long lick on her folds.

"Fuck," Clarke breathed. Her hands wound into the headboard above her and she pushed against Bellamy's tongue.

He hummed against the taste of her, a mixture of sweetness and something that was just Clarke. His fingers joined the action, running along her puckered lips and finding her clit. His thumb rubbed against it slowly, drawing the moans from her.

Clarke didn't allow herself to feel self-conscious for practically dripping on the bed sheets. Bellamy was there to lap it up. And the way he was playing her, sucking at her, Clarke knew he was on a mission.

"Wait, Bell," Clarke said. She pulled her arm from his grip and wound her fingers in his hair despite her words to stop him. She pushed into his face once more.

"I don't think you want me to stop," Bellamy chuckled. He brought his mouth back to her, sucking and lapping at her juices.

Despite herself, Clarke moaned aloud, encouraging him. But then she shook her head. "Not like this, Bell."

Bellamy pulled back at that, thinking she wanted to stop entirely. "Oh," he said. "We can wait till this is over. I'm okay to wait."

Clarke smiled through her flushed face. "No, silly. That's not what I mean." Clark leaned forward, dragging her lips across Bellamy's neck and cheeks, stopping by his ears. "I want to come with you inside me."

Bellamy shuddered at her words, and when Clarke pressed her hips up toward his, Bellamy snapped.

He yanked Clarke closer and she squealed, her hair dragging across the pillow. Bellamy pinned her arms above her head again and took her lips. He didn't wait for her reaction. He drew it out from her. He didn't let her catch her breath, he gave it to her. And when she whimpered against his mouth, he left her for just a moment to shed the rest of his clothes.

When his skin touched hers this time, they both took a breath and held on. It felt like time had slowed for this moment, the moment where they joined. They watched each other and spoke volumes in the silence. They spoke of the pain they had endured, of the happiness in finding each other, in the betrayal, in the guilt, in the newfound trust they were forging. They groaned as Bellamy sank inside her and when they moved, they did so together. They shared a rhythm and sped up together.

Clarke tugged on Bellamy's hair and brought him closer. He pressed a kiss to her temple as his hips slammed into her. She moved along with the bed at his force and drank in the pleasure and ache between her legs.

"Harder," she breathed against him. She tried to pull her legs up farther but they faltered under Bellamy's force.

He groaned and took hold of her thighs, pressing them back against her chest and spreading her wider. The change brought him in deeper. Clarke gasped and her fingers curled around his shoulders as she felt and heard the smack of his thighs slamming against her.

More, more, more.

Bellamy knew she wanted more. Clarke knew he would give it to her.

His fingers rubbed against her clit in time to his thrusts and felt Clarke tighten around him. Bellamy cursed against Clarke's lips. She was so close from what his mouth had done to her and she was clenching around him like she wanted to take him in even further and never let him go.

Suddenly Bellamy gripped her hips. Her legs fell by his sides, no longer held up by his arms, but Clarke barely noticed because Bellamy was fucking her like he meant to leave an imprint deep inside her. Clarke reveled in the sounds. She loved hearing the headboard bang against the wall in time to their fucking. She loved hearing the slap of skin as Bellamy thrusts into her. She loved hearing him groan as she clenched around him. And then she fell apart. Clarke whimpered Bellamy's name as she came, nails dragging down his skin as he kept fucking her through it. But she wanted to feel Bellamy come apart inside her while she was still riding this high.

"Bell," she whimpered. "Come inside me, please."

Hearing her beg was enough for him. Bellamy groaned again and gave two more shallow thrusts before falling apart inside her. Clarke almost thought she'd come again at feeling him inside her like that. She clenched once more around him and moved her hips a few more times.

Bellamy nodded against her neck and left lazy kisses on her warm skin as they breathed together, trying to wind down.

If there wasn't danger just outside the mansion walls, if the man she was going to kill wasn't downstairs being held captive, if the end wasn't so imminent, Clarke would try for another round. But for now, she'd settle for a quick nap in his arms.

And so they slept.

Well. It's been a hot minute since I've updated. Lul. I'm on winter break, so let's knock out a few chapters while I'm free. Almost to the end! REVIEWS help, they really do... I mean it... I'm serious.