Crashing Chapter 21, a 100 fanfic

First off. I am so sorry about my absence. But I am happy to tell you that my mother is well. She had a load of chemo and radiation and then a massive operation but she is now cancer free! Happy days!

Two. I should be updating regularly from now on in. I am back at school so it might take me a week but I will update!

Clarke

I fell into bed after catching up with mom for an hour. She really seemed happy with Marcus. The smile on her face when she spoke about him both delighted me and broke me. It was a smile that was for dad.

But he was gone now. Bellamy had been right. Mom deserved to be happy. And Marcus made her happy.

My message tone pulled me from my rambling thoughts. Octavia let me know that she had sobered up and was not happy about it and that she would see me tomorrow. Sending back a quick message, I set my alarm and turned over in the bed. The drive had drained me of all my energy and my eyelids grew heavy even though it was only ten at night.

Octavia and I hadn't made any concrete plans but I knew I would see her at some point. Whether we would be alone was another issue. I knew O would want to spend some time with Lincoln but that meant that Bellamy would probably be there too. And after the drive home I didn't know if that was a good idea or not.

That man couldn't help himself. Always flirting. But I inwardly debated whether I liked it or not. All I knew for certain was that he was trouble.

Trouble that I couldn't afford.

Sleep came easily when I cleared my mind of all thoughts of Bellamy.

000

Octavia arrived at the house with Aurora at nine with the intention of going food shopping for the dinner. We had ordered all the food from the store and just had to pick it up. Taking mom, we went into town but we all got side-tracked, as we always did by clothes shopping.

Octavia and I had emptied our purses in less than an hour. Two tops and a pair of jeans and I was flat broke but that didn't mean we couldn't look. Aurora and mom had disappeared and Octavia had dragged me into the lingerie section. "Still holding out hope that Lincoln will give it up?" I asked, as O gently fingered a gorgeous bright green bra set.

Octavia rolled her eyes and huffed at me. "I swear I'm never getting laid." She laughed. "I know he's being a gentleman and all that but it's driving me crazy."

I had to laugh at the situation my friend found herself in. I felt sorry for Lincoln because I knew he was trying to do the right thing by both O and Bellamy but he really was driving my friend insane. Octavia was falling hard for Lincoln and I knew there would be no separating them.

Octavia dropped a bra quickly when Aurora came around the corner and her checks turning pink as I giggled and wiggled my eyebrows at her being caught.

"You girls find anything else?" Aurora asked, a small smirk playing on her lips as I grabbed a pair of pyjama shorts and whimpered. I needed to get out of here before I started putting things on my credit card I just couldn't afford to pay for.

"Clarke, do you want me to get those for you?" Mom asked, rolling her eyes at me as I scanned the price tag, thinking it over. I got paid tonight so I could easily pay her back later.

Bellamy's letter popped straight into my head and my eyes automatically found Aurora. Octavia's mother did not make eye-contact with me but I saw a slight flinch.

"No. I'm good." I gave mom a wink in thanks while dragging O out of the store before I made her mom any more uncomfortable.

I never noticed the awkward position I put Aurora in before Bellamy had pointed it out. In our final year in high school, I asked O if she wanted to go away for the weekend but it was an automatic 'no' from Aurora. I had always thought that she was just being a bitch or that she didn't trust O and me being away for a whole weekend but now I understood.

I understood that I had an easy life. But Octavia did not.

Pulling my best friend into a stumbling hug as we walked out of the store, O squeezed back even though she couldn't have known what was going through my head.

000

"The groceries could not have taken that long!" Bellamy moaned as we all struggled with the bags of food and clothing before setting them on the floor. Everyone hated making two trips so we all had over-loaded our arms with bags and bags of shopping. Rolling his eyes, Bellamy lifted some of the bags off the floor but spied the bags of new clothes. "Women." He muttered, earning himself a slap on the back of the head from Octavia, who quickly ran to her room with her shopping.

Mom followed Aurora to the small living room in the Blake house and the two began easily chatting, leaving the food for myself and Bellamy to unpack since Lincoln was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll leave the heavy lifting to you." I mumbled, picking up a grocery bag that only had a few items in it and giving Bellamy a quick smile as I made my way to the kitchen.

We worked in silence as Bellamy emptied the bags on the kitchen table and I began putting them away. I soon realised that Bellamy didn't know where everything went so I didn't argue. "What are your plans for later?" he asked as he emptied the last bag.

"Just make dinner, eat dinner…" I answered, eyeing him with a little suspicion. "Then complain that I ate too much. The usual." I laughed as I put the washing up liquid under the sink and began folding the now empty grocery bags, placing them one by one on the small wooden dinner table. "You?"

Bellamy busied himself with filling the kettle to boil and just shrugged his shoulders. "Linc and I are going for a few beers, you're welcome to join." He muttered, giving a small smile.

"It's Thanksgiving, you can't go out. It's family time." I argued, placing my hands on my hips and giving my best strict face. There were two days of the year which were complete family time. Christmas and Thanksgiving. "Plus, you can just have your beers at mine. Apparently were having joint Griffin-Blake celebrations." By the look on Bellamy's face, he didn't know that we were all celebrating Thanksgiving together.

Mom and Aurora had made the decision while we were out shopping. Octavia had nearly squealed in delight when they told us. Mom and I would be in charge of the turkey and all the sides and the Blake's would provide the starter and dessert. A good division of labour since O could make ridiculously good pies when she put her mind to it.

Bellamy came around the table and folded the last grocery bag and added it to the pile I had made. I could see him contemplating my words as his hands slowly worked the bag flat. "Griffin-Blake celebrations?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows a little. I immediately knew my mistake as I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. "It's lucky you got a lot of whipped cream."

My jaw dropped as Bellamy pulled the bags from my slackened grip and moved behind me to put them away. "That is not what I meant." I stuttered quickly, feeling my face heat up. I wished I had worn my hair down so that I could try to cover up my embarrassed face but Octavia had dragged me out the door this morning before I had a chance to shower.

"Then why are you blushing?" I froze when I felt the heat of Bellamy's body behind me, effectively boxing me in. I couldn't turn around, even if I had wanted to. Reminding myself to breath I opened my mouth, determined to reprimand Bellamy but it snapped shut again as the scruff of Bellamy's unshaved chin made contact with my neck. I involuntarily shifted my head to the left, my eyes fluttering to a close. "I promise, I will give you something to be thankful for." His breath warmed my ear as he whispered and I could feel his checks lift into a smile.

The kettle boiled and he was gone, leaving a coldness behind me. Taking me more time than I would like to admit, my eyes finally opened when Bellamy left the kitchen. Shaking myself out of the hormone driven state he had left me in, I went to the sitting room where Aurora and my mother were giving Bellamy their orders for tea.

Bellamy did not seem affected at all as he nodded to our mothers, ignoring my presence and left for the kitchen again.

I sat quietly; not really listening to the conversation until Octavia appeared again, practically sitting on top of me on the couch. "You okay?" she silently mouthed, seemingly worried about my mute state. Nodding, I gave her a smile and whispered that I would fill her in later.

There was no keeping secrets from her any more. I think Octavia would actually hit me if I did that again.

000

Mom and I arrived home a little after eleven and I set the dining table for seven before taking a shower. A well needed one too. Bellamy's actions had put me into a tizzy and I knew I would need a long hot shower so that I could be relaxed for the evening.

Standing in a towel in front of my wardrobe, I tried to decide what to wear. It wasn't the warmest day but it was Thanksgiving so I decided to dress up a little. I finally picked a pale blue strapless dress that stopped just above my knees. I didn't need to find shoes as I wasn't going anywhere to need any which was handy because I didn't have any that matched.

By the time I got downstairs; mom already had the turkey in and was preparing the sides. "Sorry. Sorry. I'm here to help. Give me a job." I gave mom an apologetic smile as she handed me an apron and a bag of potatoes to peel .

"Peel. The whole bag. By the look of that Lincoln, he eats a lot." Mom said, letting out a little laugh when I nodded in agreement.

I hated peeling potatoes. It was the most tedious job and I wasn't the best at it either. By the time I was finished, half the potato was gone. I could hear my mom tutting behind me as she binned the skin. "Don't laugh at me, this was da-" I stopped mid word, turning slowly and cringing at mom. "Sorry."

"Clarke, don't be sorry." Sliding her arms around my neck, mom hugged me tight. "It was dad's job." Nodding, mom pulled away. I felt like an idiot. The last thing I wanted to do was upset my mother on Thanksgiving. "Finish those." She ordered, laughing again at the 'skins'.

Time dragged on as one vegetable after another was prepared for dinner. I was a little envious of O, I would have loved to be baking a pie or a cake right now but I had been stuck with chopping carrots.

000

Marcus arrived first, while mom was in the shower, typical. "Happy Thanksgiving Marcus." He smiled at my polite greeting and nodded nervously when I told him it would be a while before mom would be down.

"When are the Blake's arriving?" he asked, fidgeting while I handed him a cup of coffee. Glancing at the time, I told him that they would be over soon. "You know that I really like your mom Clarke. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her." He was stuttering and blushing a little. It was actually kind of sweet.

"I know Marcus, really I do." I forced a smile. I wanted it to be real and I was sure that in time it would be but right now, all I wanted was my mother happy. "It just might take me a while, but if moms happy, I'm happy." Marcus nodded and lifted the cup in thanks. "And hey, if you break her heart, I know two fairly big, burly army men." Giving Marcus a big smile that did not match my threat, he let out a laugh and patted my shoulder.

"Oh what have I gotten myself into?" he asked, still laughing, nearly spilling his coffee. Passing him the remote for the TV, I got up when I heard the front door open.

"Clarke?" Octavia yelled her hands full of dishes and her face flushed. I gave her a questioning smile while taking one of the bowls from her. "We don't have room in the fridge." She answered before waving a hello to Marcus. "So what happened earlier?" she asked, handing me the bowls as I placed them in our much larger fridge. "And by the way, you look fab!" she added.

I rolled my eyes at her compliment but delved right in to her question. "I just…" I found that I didn't have the words to explain what had happened in their kitchen. "He's just messing with me. The man can't help himself." I tried to explain but Octavia just lifted an eyebrow at my inability to summarise the morning's events.

"I'm telling you Clarke, he likes you." Octavia placed her hands under her chin, tilted her head and fluttered her eyelashes at me.

Giving her a shove, I rolled my eyes at her girly actions. "He just wants more sex." I laughed as Octavia gave me a hard kick in the shin.

"Hi, Marcus right?" Octavia got up from the stool she had occupied while I kept my back to my mother's boyfriend. This was embarrassing. I busied myself by rearranging the bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter as Octavia and Marcus chatted for a minute.

I didn't look up when I heard Marcus leave the room and Octavia promptly burst out laughing. Giving her a stern warning glare, Octavia laughed again. "Okay, I have to go; we'll be over in about an hour." Octavia gave me a sympathetic hug. "Try to keep the rest of your sexual history to yourself!" she whispered as she left the room and I let out an audible groan.

***Bellamy***

"Have you seen the mess your sister left in the kitchen?" Lincoln asked, walking into the room we shared. "It's like a bomb went off." I rubbed a towel over my wet hair again and shrugged.

"She's a messy cook." I explained, finding his shock a little funny. Obviously Octavia had hidden this bad habit from him up until now.

As soldiers, both Lincoln and I were compulsively neat and tidy. Anything less wouldn't be tolerated in the army. But Octavia was messy. I had passed her room earlier and I literally couldn't see her carpet because of all the clothes on the floor.

Speak of the devil. Octavia poked her head in my room and smiled. "Okay, I'm going for a shower and when I'm ready, we're out of here. Kay?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously and then disappeared after giving Lincoln a wink.

"So, did you ask her out yet?" Lincoln pried while he tried to stop smiling at Octavia's wink.

"Didn't actually get around to it." I answered, shrugging my shoulders when Linc shook his head at my lack of action. "I will, I'm just having a bit of fun while working up to it." I couldn't help but smile at her reaction this morning. Clarke was so easy to get to, but then again it took all the strength I had to walk away from her when all I wanted to do was spin her around and kiss her.

But I had to work up to it this time. Put in some ground work.

"You're a wuss." Lincoln called out to me as he left me to my thoughts.

000

By the time Octavia showered, fixed her hair to her satisfaction and found a pretty white dress to wear it was nearly four. Abby had called mom to say dinner would be around five so we were cutting it fine.

When we arrived all the men were sent to the sitting room to watch the football and out of the way of the women at work. There were a few awkward silences at the start but Linc and I soon settled in to an easy conversation with Abby's boyfriend. Marcus seemed like a nice enough guy, even though he had too many questions for me once we sat down.

I felt like I was being interrogated.

It had just turned five when Abby called us all the dining table and everyone took a seat. Everyone was a little dressed up but Clarke looked amazing. She had on a blue strapless dress and hugged her chest and stomach achingly well.

Clarke had taken the seat beside her mother, the furthest position away from me. I smirked to myself when I realised that she had yet to even glance my way.

The starter and main went off without incident and the conversation went from one random thing to another. It included Octavia's disastrous attempt to dye her hair blonde when she was seventeen, Clarke's inability to keep a pet fish alive and the new apartment Linc and I moved into.

It had to be the best Thanksgiving dinner I had had in a long time. And the girls had done a fantastic job with the food. I hadn't cooked anything so I was given the job of cleaning, along with Marcus, who had volunteered while everyone else went out to the patio.

Marcus and I worked in a comfortable silence as we filled the dishwasher, hand washed the pots and pans and sealed up the little leftovers in Tupperware. It didn't take us that long and we finally joined the others as the sun was setting.

I pulled a beer from the cooler and joined Octavia and Lincoln who were lying on a thin blanket on the grass, deep in conversation.

"Where's Princess?" Lincoln smiled at my question as I sat down with them. Lincoln sat with his legs straight out in front of him and leaned back on his hands and my sister was lying on her back, her bare feet resting on his thighs.

Octavia moved her head to glance over at Clarke who was sitting with Abby, mom and now Marcus. "She'll be over in a minute." Octavia announced, obviously she had more information than I did.

She was right. Less than a minute had passed and now Clarke was lowering herself down beside me. "Hey." Octavia nodded, leaning up on her arms to take a sip of her wine.

"Hey!" I exclaimed when Clarke pulled my bottle of beer from my hand and took a drink. My eyes were wide in shock as I reached for it but she just pulled it away from my hand.

"You're not allowed to be drinking. Remember?" the blonde announced, a smug smile appearing on her features to which I childishly narrowed my eyes at her. I had forgotten about the antibiotics.

"Awkward?" Octavia asked Clarke, her eyes not even opening.

"Yep." Clarke picked at the blades of grass at her feet. She looked a little uncomfortable and Lincoln and I shared a dumb look. Neither of us knowing what was going on. "Oh, just to let you know that if I need you to, you have to kill Marcus. I had to threaten him." She said nonchalantly as Lincoln started to laugh.

Finally getting up from her horizontal position, Octavia looked a little shocked. "You did not?" Clarke only nodded and laughed. The two clinked their drinks and saluted each other. It was a little funny that Clarke was taking on the role of parent but Lincoln and I really didn't need to be involved in her plot.

"I knew he was acting weird with me." I said to Lincoln who agreed with me. It made sense now. Marcus had questioned me on my status in the army, if I was going to be sent away anytime soon, my living situation and my relationship with Octavia.

"Doubt that was the reason." Octavia whispered earning a quick kick from Clarke but it only made her smile brightly. I quickly questioned their interaction but was only given a mumbled 'never mind' from Octavia.

I studied Clarke but she was giving nothing away. She was reading the list of ingredients on the label of the beer. Whatever was going on, I was not privy to it. And probably wouldn't be.

000

"Everyone up for desert?" Mom called out from across the lawn where they were sitting on patio chairs. We all grunted in the affirmative but no one moved. Dinner was so good that we had stuffed ourselves. "Alright, Octavia and Lincoln, you're up." Mom called out, smiling when Lincoln stood immediately. He grabbed Octavia's hands which she held up for him and pulled her to her feet.

"What did O make for dessert?" Clarke asked, taking another sip of my beer. She had stretched herself out on the now damp blanket and her dress had ridden up to so that I could see a delicious amount of thigh. She had good legs. Legs that I have very good memories about.

"Blueberry pie and little meringue things." I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. It all looked great but I wouldn't pretend that I knew what those things were called.

I heard Clarke let out a moan and she shifted again. She was cold. I could see small goose bumps form on her arms and chest. The temperature had dropped when the sun had set but Marcus had made a fire in the barbeque pit that was letting off some heat at least. "If I eat much more, I'll burst." She laughed.

"Yeah, dinner was fantastic. Best I've had in a long time." Clarke smiled at the compliment, her eyes still closed. She shivered once again and I had had it. Getting up and leaving her there, I went into the house and got O to get me a blanket we could use outside.

I wouldn't have known where to look but Octavia was back in one minute with a blanket. Marching back out to the lawn, I got a small nod from Marcus as I walked past. "Here, you're cold." I placed the blanket over Clarke's legs, pulling it down to cover her feet.

Clarke fixed the blanket around her, snuggling into the new found warmth. "Thanks."

"Alright, people! Gather round for the best dessert you've ever tasted!" Octavia yelled from the door as she set down desserts on the patio table and Lincoln followed her with dessert plates and cutlery.

I held out my hand for Clarke but she didn't look up at me and struggled to get up with the blanket wrapped around her legs. "I don't bite you know." I whispered to her as she finally stood up straight, clutching the blanket. Clarke just widened her eyes at me and stepped around me, making her way to the table. "Self-praise is no praise Octavia." I told her as she stuck out her tongue at me when I took a seat next to Abby.

Lincoln helped Octavia dish out slices of blueberry pie and meringue, adding some sort of sauce and whipped cream. It all looked great and Octavia enjoyed the round of compliments she received when everyone tasted the dish.

"So when are you girl's home for Christmas?" Abby asked, pouring her and mom more wine.

"About three weeks, we have two more weeks of lectures then a week of exams." Octavia answered, taking another mouthful of pie. Abby nodded and I could see her mentally counting the days until the break.

Everyone chatted easily about the plans for the break and Clarke explained to Marcus that she still had to work in Ark at the weekends. "Bellamy, you want some more?" Abby asked, noticing my empty plate.

"Oh god, no more." I said, rubbing my stomach. I was so full. It wasn't very often I had a three course meal and my stomach wasn't used to all the food. I heard Clarke let out a laugh at the end of the table and looking over I couldn't help but wind her up. "Clarke? More whipped cream?" I asked, lifting the bowl of cream and offering it to her.

The blonde balked and coughed, nearly chocking on her dessert. I lifted my eyebrows waiting on an answer but she just shook her head and went back to her food.

I let myself have a small smile as the conversation continued but Lincoln nudged me under the table. Leaning over so our conversation was private he whispered. "Do I want to know?"

Letting out a little chuckle, I nodded my head. "But I'm not telling you." Lincoln rolled his eyes at me but I couldn't help but enjoy myself.

Clarke didn't speak until everyone was finished when she helped clear the dishes. "You kids can stay out here and leave the dishes to us." Abby motioned us all to sit down as she and mom brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

Clarke moved to the other side of the table which was against the house and pulled her feet up on the seat and placed the blanket around her. "Was that necessary?" she asked as Lincoln and Octavia went to collect the other blanket that was still on the grass.

I gave Clarke a mischievous smile. "No. but it was fun." I laughed as Clarke took a long drink, emptying the beer bottle and getting up.

"You don't need to torment me." Clarke puffed out, dropping the blanket, obviously a little annoyed with my antics from dinner.

I rolled my eyes as Clarke made her way to the house. "Do you really think that you're not tormenting me with that dress?" Clarke spun around; looking like she didn't know how to respond but Octavia and Linc appeared and she took her leave with O following her.

000

When Clarke and Octavia finally reappeared the four of us sat outside talking. Although, Clarke was keeping a little quiet, letting the rest of us fill the silence. She and my sister continued to drink while I remained sober and Lincoln stopped.

I knew he wouldn't want to be getting drunk when he had to go home with my mother. Not a great impression to give off to your girlfriend's mother apparently.

When mom appeared to ask if we were ready to leave it was just after midnight. It had been a long day. And everyone was ready for the food coma that was sure to come. Getting up, Linc and I brought in the blankets while the girls collected the glasses and empty bottles.

Abby and Clarke walked us all to the door as mom thanked her and wished her a happy Thanks giving before making her way to the truck and Abby gave me a quick hug and wished me the same before she made her way back into the house.

A round of hugs came from Lincoln and Octavia as he then helped a tipsy Octavia make her way to the car. "Thanks for dinner Princess." I said, making my way around her to the door.

"Mm hmm." Clarke responded, giving me a smile. Leaning down to give her a hug, she automatically responded by lifting herself up on her tiptoes.

"You really do look stunning by the way." I whispered and without even thinking about if it would be a good idea, I let my lips touch her check for a lingering kiss. Clarke let go immediately and stepped back, blushing again.

"Goodnight Bellamy." Clarke said, her face still but her hands knitting together.

"Sweet dreams Princess." Smiling, I left Clarke standing at the door and made my way to the car where both the women were already snoozing.

I watched Clarke stay by the door as I reversed out of her driveway and make my way home. Lincoln let out a quiet laugh beside me and he watched me watch Clarke. "I have to give it to you man, you're determined."

000

I'M BACK!

Please review as I really don't know if I have lost all of you because of my absence and I wouldn't bother to continue if everyone has forgotten about this story.

- AL xxx