Bellamy picked Lincoln up and Octavia moved to sit in the back with him so Lincoln could hug her while she cried. He tried not to look in the rearview mirror as he drove, knowing he would only see Lincoln's sorrow filled eyes as he ran a big hand over Octavia's hair, trying to soothe her. The Greens, Jasper, Clarke, Miller, Monroe, and their foster parents were already in the hospital waiting room when they got there and Octavia left Lincoln's arms to hug each of her friends, all of them breaking down once again when she pressed her way into their arms. Bellamy stood back, watching his sister hold onto Jasper like she was going to break apart while Jasper stared up at the ceiling and tears dripped down his cheeks silently. Bellamy's eyes slid away from him to Clarke, who was sitting in a chair with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. As he stared at her, she lifted her head up and her bloodshot blue eyes met his. She moved first, standing up from the chair and taking a step forward. He took the final steps, catching her in his arms and cupping the back of her head to hold her face against his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Clarke," he murmured.

"No, no," she sniffled. "It doesn't matter. I don't care. Just please hold me, Bellamy. Please be here."

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "I'm here as long as you need me."

She collapsed into sobs again and he caught her, holding her steady before he moved to the couch in the little lobby. The kids settled around him and it was Na Green who explained, "He's in surgery now. The bullet hit him in the neck. The gangs on that street have been getting worse and worse."

"He's not affiliated," Lincoln said gruffly. The big teenager was standing behind where Miller was holding a sniffling Monty. Monroe was tucked under Lincoln's arm, staring silently at the wall. "He was probably caught in it."

"Three other boys were shot too," Na agreed with a nod of her head. "Two of them died before the ambulance could get there. Atom's mom is with the doctors now. She's the one who called Clarke."

Clarke raised her head at the sound of her name, but Bellamy only carded his fingers through her hair and tried to soothe her with a kiss to the top of her head. The kids shifted through positions on the couch, taking turns tucking themselves into Clarke or Bellamy's side. If they tucked themselves into Bellamy's side, he draped his arm over their shoulders and hugged them tight until they calmed down. If they were on Clarke's side, they draped themselves over her, covering her completely. Bellamy found himself soothing Jasper, Monty, and Monroe just as much as he did Octavia, until, finally, all the kids had settled into various positions and were deep asleep. Lincoln was sitting on the floor against the wall with Monroe's head on his legs. Monty and Miller were curled together on the other couch and Jasper had ended up under Bellamy's arm and reaching across him to clasp Clarke's hand in his own. Octavia was on the other side of Clarke, holding her other hand and snoring lightly.

Miller and Monroe's foster parents settled in near the TV and fell asleep soon after all the kids nodded off. Na took the rest of the Green's home and returned with blankets to drape over the sleeping children and coffee for herself and Bellamy. Bellamy pulled his arm away from Jasper's shoulders and took the coffee with a nod of thanks in Na's direction, careful not to spill it on the sleeping teenager when Jasper flinched in his sleep. Na settled into the only empty chair and said softly, "They've taken to you, Mr. Blake. I've never seen the ARC kids react this way to anyone."

"They only like me because Clarke does," he said with a grim smile. "She makes their sun shine. If she started dating Ted Bundy the kids would give him a chance."

Na chuckled and replied, "But she isn't dating a bad man. She's dating you. And the kids don't care if Clarke doesn't see what's inside. Monty hated Finn from the minute he met him, but he never told Clarke. My boy likes you though. Says you care about Clarke for more than what's on the outside."

"Yeah, I do," Bellamy replied, turning his eyes away to smile softly down at the sleeping blonde.

"You love her?"

"Yeah," Bellamy admitted. "I'll find a better time to tell her later, when she remembers that she was mad at me yesterday."

"Yesterday doesn't matter anymore," Na said with a nod. "Whatever happens tonight makes yesterday null and void."

"Atom's a strong kid."

Na only nodded again and sipped at her coffee.

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Atom's funeral was on a Thursday, and none of the kids went to school between Monday and Thursday. They stayed in Clarke's house, camping out in the living room while the parents slept upstairs. Bellamy stayed wherever Clarke or Octavia were, ready to shake them out of their nightmares or soothe a panic attack that sometimes started in Octavia and ended in Jasper. With the help of Miller and Monroe's foster parents, he cooked breakfast in the morning and picked up dinner in the evening on his way back from work. Na rotated between her house and Clarke's but told Bellamy solemnly, "I trust that you have everything under control. This is what Monty needs right now. To be with the people like him."

The night after the funeral, a solemn affair with a closed casket, Bellamy lay with Clarke sprawled across his chest. The door to the room was cracked so he could hear any whimpers from the kids, and he was slowly running his fingers through her hair. He was sure she was asleep when her cracked voice sounded out. "Oh god, Bellamy. What am I doing? I need to get a counselor for the kids, and we need to start having group sessions and we need to…"

"You need to rest," he stopped her. "The kids are doing as well as can be expected in this situation. They're all sleeping downstairs. Lincoln promised that he's not going to try to find out what gang did it, and Octavia is keeping him pretty busy anyway. Jasper and Monty have been working on a memorial video for Atom. They started it today and it's their way of coping. Miller's been cooking lunch for everybody and he and Monroe have been keeping each other close. Call for counselors in the morning, but know that you did the best you could have tonight."

"I could have gotten Atom out of that neighborhood ages ago."

"No, you couldn't have. I talked to Na. She told me that you offered Atom's mother the same deal you offered Lincoln's family and she said no. She was too proud to accept help."

"I should have tried harder," Clarke argued.

"The world doesn't rest on you, Clarke. There are other people in it to hold it up as well. None of this is on you."

She fell silent and Bellamy closed his eyes, convinced that she'd fallen asleep that time. But she surprised him when she said quietly, "I love you."

Bellamy opened his eyes and stared down at her. She was peeking up at him, her face barely turned up and her eyes still bloodshot. He tangled his fingers in her hair so that he could pull her head back and attach his lips to hers. He kissed her, deep and long, and when he pulled away and she was gasping for breath, he murmured softly, "I love you too, Clarke Griffin. You are likeable, and warm, and an incredible mother and woman."

She smiled for the first time since hearing the news and finally fell asleep in his arms.