You'd better be prepared for the cutest chapter of the whole entire story, folks.

Chapter Twenty Six

"He's finally asleep." Melody sighed softly as she fell backwards and landed in a crumpled heap on top of one of the foreign, uncomfortable mattresses that had been pushed to the far end of the dropship, away from the rest of the sick campers. This small zone was dedicated to those who were either immune to the virus or who had beaten it already. So far, the grand total was at four people.

The last few hours had slowly ticked by, each more painful than the last. True to her word, Melody had stayed by Bellamy's side the entire time. They both hated being helpless and defenseless, but there was nothing that they could do to make those feelings of desperation go away. Instead, they decided to make the best of their current situation.

It was funny how just being near Bellamy could make her feel a million times better. Every time doubt had begun to consume her, all Melody had to do was look down at their clasped hands and she was immediately brought back to reality. Together. Always. Those weren't just words; it was a promise. It was the beginning of something that Melody couldn't even begin to understand. It was the beginning of them, of Bellamy and Melody, as something that was larger than life itself.

It was the beginning of something worth fighting for.

"It's about time." Replied Octavia, who was sitting gently on the edge of the same bed. O's arms rested across her bent knees as she gazed across the room, keeping a watchful eye out for anything that may require her attention. "We're going to need him healthy. We're going to need all of them healthy in order to stand a chance against the grounders."

"Right now, I don't care about the war." Said an exhausted Melody, who had spent the last 48 hours in a constant state of frenzy and panic. "I'm just glad that our people are safe."

"For how long? If -and that's a big if- we can blow up the bridge, then what? Blowing up the bridge isn't going to stop the grounders from attacking. It's not going to stop them from waging a war against us. It's just going to delay the inevitable." Octavia pointed out. "We're not safe; not really."

Wow, thought Melody in surprise as something suddenly dawned on her. Where is my reckless, fun-loving Octavia? What happened to the girl who swam with sea serpents and chased butterflies? When did she grow up?

It seemed that all of this stress was beginning to take its toll on the youngest Blake. Melody had been so wrapped up in herself lately that she hadn't stopped to think about how Octavia was being affected by all of this. Right now her brother, the only family she had, was battling a potentially deadly virus that had already taken a handful of lives. All of her friends were either infected with said virus or out risking their lives in an attempt to blow up the bridge. The man she loved was on the opposing side of the battlefield, straining their star-crossed lovers' relationship all the more. And Octavia herself was being forced to grow up in ways none of them had thought imaginable.

Her days of chasing butterflies were long gone.

"We're always going to be living day-to-day, O. Nothing is going to change that." Melody shrugged half-heartedly, doing her absolute best to keep an optimistic outlook on the current situation despite her best friend's rather negative approach. After a few beats of silence, green eyes fluttered shut and a quiet sigh escaped from between slightly parted lips. "At least we're safe for tonight."

Or were they?

When it came to Earth nothing was guaranteed. They were safe right now, in this very instant, but Octavia did pose a very good question; for how long could they remain "safe" when safety was such an inconsistent state of being. It was no secret that they could all die tomorrow, grounder style, or they could live to the ripe old ages of seventy or eighty. One outcome seemed more likely than the other, but nothing was set in stone, which was both a blessing and a curse.

There was a brief moment of hesitation and then Octavia's shoulders slumped slightly, in a rather defeated manner as she finally gave up her notion that they must all be battle-ready before the sun came up. "Yeah…I guess you're right. Better take advantage of it while we still can." Admitted Octavia with a gentle, likeminded nod.

They were silent then.

Melody was thinking about how much her life had changed since that very first day. She had come down to Earth scared and alone, worried about how -and if- she was going to survive. Jasper had been her saving grace, really. He was the one who comforted Melody, who saw her through the crash-landing and then the first few days on Earth. And there was Monty, of course, whose friendly and light-hearted demeanor had drawn Melody to him immediately. Melody had been weary -and perhaps a bit jealous- of Octavia in the beginning, but now the two of them had become vital part of one another's' lives. Clarke had been a good friend to Melody despite the fact that the two of them had their differences, and now they were working on patching up their relationship. Finn and Melody hadn't always gotten along, but now they realized that it was easier to rely on one another than to rely on themselves. Raven, although initially treated like an outsider by Melody, had become a good and trustworthy friend.

And then there was Bellamy.

Could words even begin to describe what the two of them shared? It was unlike anything that she had ever felt before. It was something deeper, something more complex than the bond that she shared with the rest of them. There was just something about Bellamy Blake that drew her to him, like a moth to a flame. She didn't need the rest of them like she needed Bellamy. Melody needed Bellamy like she needed air, and that was saying something considering she had spent most of her life on the Ark being deprived of oxygen. As far as Melody was concerned, a life without Bellamy Blake was no longer a life worth living…and that scared the hell out of her.

"Thank you for helping me with Bellamy tonight. I couldn't have handled it without you, Mel." Said Octavia suddenly, as if she could read Melody's very thoughts on the matter. There was a sincerity behind her words that did not go unnoticed, a sincerity that warmed Melody's heart.

"It's no big deal, O. I was glad to help." Melody said honestly. "Bellamy took care of me when I was hurt. It was the least I could do to repay the favor."

Without missing a beat, Octavia said, "He really cares about you. And I know you care about him, too."

Way to be subtle, Octavia, thought Melody, slightly amused. There's nothing like jumping right in.

"I care about all of you." Melody shrugged her shoulders easily, but the deeper meaning behind Octavia's words were not lost on her. Brushing off Octavia's comments was much easier than being honest about what was going on between her and Bellamy. It suddenly seemed so frightening to say aloud the words that she barely dared to think. Her feelings about Bellamy were complex, but they were definitely strong. Stronger than the feelings she had towards the rest of the people in camp combined.

"Don't play coy with me, Melody Pond." Octavia narrowed her eyes in a playful manner when she spoke, obviously not intending to beat around the bush. "I'm your best friend, remember? I know the words you're too afraid to say."

"Then why should I bother saying them?" Countered Melody, arching a quizzical brow in question. Once again, she was doing her best to avoid the conversation. "Seems like a waste of breath to me."

"Saying it will make it real." Octavia insisted.

"It already is real, O." It's real to me, anyways.

"You like him." Octavia wasn't asking, she was outright stating the fact. Her smile was broadening, turning into a goofy grin that she just couldn't contain. "You like like him."

"Like like? We aren't in second grade anymore, Octavia." Melody rolled her eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed by the fact that O continued to press the matter. It was just Octavia and Melody knew that everything she said would remain between the two of them, but it was still frightening to confirm her feelings for anyone, let alone Bellamy Blake.

"Come on, Mellie! Admit it!" Octavia's voice was rising slightly as her excitement -and her grin- grew. "Admit that you've fallen for my pain-in-the-ass older brother."

"Shh!" Melody hissed, nudging Octavia rather sharply. "Would you be quiet?"

"Oh my gosh. I knew it. I knew it." Octavia looked over towards where Bellamy lay fast asleep on his mattress, just a few feet away from the two of them.

"Octavia, please." Melody fought the strange urge she had to giggle as she watched Octavia make a skeptical of herself. Not that it mattered, since 99% of the campers were barely coherent.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry." But she wasn't really sorry. "You have to tell me all about it, Melody. I mean…wow. You and Bellamy."

"There isn't much to tell." Now Melody was grinning as well, her embarrassment overridden by her excitement about some real "girl talk." Even if the girl she was talking to just so happened to be the baby sister to the object of her affection.

"You're such a liar. There's a lot to tell, Melody." Octavia scoffed and gave her a chiding look, obviously milking this bit of juicy information for all that it was worth. "When we got down here, you two absolutely hated each other. What happened?"

"Well…" Melody trailed off and shrugged, thinking.

What had happened?

For a long, long time Melody had despised him. She had thought that Bellamy Blake was arrogant and manipulative and just downright mean. All Melody had seen was a bully, a man who ruled by fear. Bellamy was constantly doing things that made Melody angry. He manhandled her, talked down to her, threatened to kill Jasper, forcefully removed Melody's wristband…just to name a few. Melody would never have foreseen herself becoming Bellamy's friend, let alone something more than that.

Things started to change, Melody realized, the night of Charlotte's death. For a while she and Bellamy had been a united front, two people working towards the same goal. And Melody had realized that they made one kick-ass team. Even though things hadn't gone in their favor that night, Melody had gained his friendship. And it had lasted for all of one night before Bellamy completely shattered every bit of trust she put into him.

Although she hadn't realized it at the time, Bellamy revealing Melody's secret was a good thing. It seemed that Melody needed to fall apart in order to put herself back together properly. Bellamy's revelation had crumbled her world -oh boy, did it crumble- but it had also begun the foundation for a new one. A new world where Melody wasn't some weak, spineless little girl who broke down and pitied herself just because her childhood had been a little dark. No, it gave promise to a new world where she was stronger, where she could come out on top; Melody always came out on top.

It was the bow that really sealed the deal. It had been a peace offering, something to show that Bellamy regretted telling her secret. Melody had taken that bow and with it she had taken a bit of his trust. In that moment, she had become the protector. The defender of their people. And that meant more to her than anything else.

Over the last few months Melody had grown and learned a lot about herself. And Bellamy had been right there beside her; he was the one who taught her. Things between them had been changing rapidly and they'd been changing for a lot longer than Melody realized. There was a fine line between love and hatred, a line that the two of them had been teetering on for far too long.

And now she was ready to jump.

"I don't know. I guess it just happened." Melody smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'what can you do about it?' It didn't just happen, though. Their relationship had been a work in progress from the very beginning and after a lot of heartache and dedication, they were finally right where they needed to be. And as much as Melody loved Octavia, she chose to keep this knowledge just between herself and Bellamy.

"I'm so glad he has you, Melody." Said Octavia sincerely. Her eyes were alight with excitement and happiness, her smile radiant enough to shed some light on a day even as dark as the one they had recently endured. Octavia was genuinely happy about all of this, and that just made Melody feel even better about things. "I know Bel might be a bit of a fixer-upper, but he's worth it. I think you already know that."

"Yeah." Melody nodded and turned her head to look at Bellamy, who was still fast asleep. A smile curved her lips as she watched him for a few moments, unable to shake the feeling of home, of security that she got whenever she looked at him. "I know."

|oOo|

Hour after hour passed with no word from Finn or Raven. Melody began to worry, her mind wandering away with all of the horrible possibilities. They could have gotten caught or delayed or blown up alongside their homemade bomb. The only thing that kept her from truly going into all-out panic was the fact that the area around camp remained clear of grounder soldiers. If the grounders were going to attack, wouldn't they have heard or seen them by now?

The situation at camp definitely wasn't doing anything to help calm her frazzled nerves. People were still sick, but the good news was that no one had died since that morning. The body count was still only at four, which wasn't a lot in the grand scheme of things. It seemed that Lincoln's words had been honest. The grounders didn't use the sickness to kill, they just used it to weaken their enemies. Those who had died were the weakest of the weak.

Call it natural selection.

"Get the hell away from me!" Grumbled Bellamy groggily, from where he still lay on a mattress across the room. "Where's Melody?"

"Bellamy, you're sick. Take it easy. Okay?" Murphy, still playing the role of doting nurse, offered Bellamy a cup of water, giving him an almost pleading look as he did so.

"Where's Melody?" Persisted Bellamy, struggling to sit up in bed, obviously confused and annoyed by the guy who was acting so out-of-character and nice. Murphy might have everyone else fooled, but Bellamy was not convinced.

"Relax, she's fine. But you're not. Clarke says that you need to stay hydrated." Murphy continued, gently shaking the cup of water in front of Bellamy's face. "I just want to help."

Bellamy lashed out, knocking the cup of water out of Murphy's hand with enough force to send it flying across the dropship. "When I get better, if you're still here…" Bellamy trailed off threateningly, shaking his head slowly to get his point across. John Murphy was not forgiven. "Now…where's Melody?"

Melody chose this moment to approach the two of them. She had been on the other side of the dropship, taking care of all the sick campers. Octavia had needed a break so Melody volunteered to take over. She soon realized how big of a mistake this was when she saw how much work actually went into looking after everyone. It kept her mind preoccupied, though, so it was better than sitting around and worrying.

"Hey, I'm right here." Crooned Melody softly, brows furrowing as she knelt down beside Bellamy. Without even thinking about it she reached out and grabbed his hand, silently reassuring him that she was alright. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Echoed Bellamy. He ran a shaky hand through his tousled black hair and then sighed heavily. "What's right?"

Melody stared at him silently for a few moments, not knowing what to say. He did have a point. They didn't have much going for them right now, what with the impending war and the seemingly endless cycle of death. Life on Earth was messy and it was hard and sometimes they just felt like the whole world was against them. There were a lot of things that were wrong right now, too many of them to count.

"Us." Melody's voice was soft and hesitant when she spoke. Her green eyes peered up at Bellamy from beneath lowered lashes. The corners of her mouth quirked upwards in a shy but genuine smile. "This is right. We're right…right?"

Bellamy stared back at her, brown eyes narrowing slightly. For a few moments he seemed to be processing her words, thinking that maybe he hadn't heard her correctly. And then a slow smirk spread across his face.

"Melody Pond…what are you saying?" Asked Bellamy mischievously, arching a brow in question. Even though he had purple bags under his eyes and his skin was unnaturally pale, Bellamy somehow managed to look devilishly handsome.

"Oh, shut up." Melody rolled her eyes, face flushing slightly as she turned her head, breaking eye contact. A smile played on the corner of her lips as she did her best not to laugh at his playful words and his villainous expression. "You know what I mean."

"No, go on." Urged Bellamy, moving his hand in a circular motion, a gesture that was meant to signal her to continue on with what she had been saying. "Please tell me more about 'us'."

"Bellamy, I swear to god…Just because you're sick doesn't mean I won't deck you." Warned Melody, her words half-serious. "Don't make fun of me. I don't know how to do…this." She said, gesturing between the two of them impatiently.

"Okay, okay." Bellamy held his hands up in surrender, still grinning widely. "I won't laugh. I promise."

Melody remained silent, not convinced.

"Come on, sweetheart." Pleaded Bellamy gently, giving her a knowing look. "Just tell me what's on your mind."

Well, if you insist…

"You." Said Melody, without a moment's hesitation. "You're on my mind. You're on my mind all of the goddamn time."

There were a few beats of silence. Melody sat there staring at him, not allowing her gaze to waver. She was the one who had brought this up and she wasn't going to chicken out of it now. If Bellamy didn't have the same types of feelings towards her, well then that was his own damn problem. Melody was going to be honest and vulnerable for once if it killed her. And with each passing moment, she thought it just might.

But then, Bellamy spoke.

"Well that's something we have in common." He wiped the smirk off of his face and leaned forward slightly, piercing her with his overly-intense stare.

It is?

"Oh." Melody said softly, not expecting something like that to come out of his mouth. Actually, that was the last thing she thought he would say. "Oh."

Normally Bellamy was so closed-off. He was their rough and tough leader, a guy who couldn't afford to have such emotions. The only ounce of compassion he had ever shown was towards his sister, but that was to be expected. Hearing such a real and heart-felt statement coming from him…well, it made her pretty weak in the knees. Melody's throat suddenly seemed dry and her face grew hot.

"Yeah. 'Oh.'" Repeated Bellamy, nodding his head. Those dark brown eyes bore into hers, completely captivating Melody. There was a new light in his eyes, something dark and dangerous, but also soft in a way. Gentle. The look he was giving her made Melody shiver with anticipation.

"I see." Melody cleared her throat nervously and withdrew her hand from his so that she could fold both of her hands in her lap. Green eyes watched him hesitantly, shyly for a few moments before she spoke again. "So what are we going to do about that?"

"Well…" It was Bellamy's turn to clear his throat now. One of his hands rubbed at the nape of his neck and for the first time his gaze wavered and his eyes darted around almost nervously before they found hers once more. "I was thinking we'd do this."

One of his hands cupped her chin gently as Bellamy leaned forward, moving in what seemed like slow motion. For a few moments he pierced her with that smoldering look, the one that always made her heartbeat quicken. And then, he was smirking at her for a fraction of a second before Melody watched as his brown eyes fluttered shut. Bellamy leaned towards her, continuing to come closer and closer, until he was impossibly close to her.

And still he didn't stop.

Strangely enough, Melody found herself leaning into him. The weariness that she had expected to feel when put into such a situation was all but nonexistent. There was no fear and there was no hesitancy. Instead, she was fueled by something much, much more intense than the pain that she had forced to endure in the past; she was fueled by passion.

Their lips met and it was nothing like Melody had imagined. Bellamy wasn't rough and demanding like she knew he could be. Instead, he was soft and he was sweet and he was patient. His lips were gentle as they brushed against hers, his kiss as light as a feather and sweeter than anything she had ever known.

The world seemed to fade away, as cheesy as it sounded. All Melody could focus on was Bellamy and the feeling of utter completeness that she felt the moment he kissed her. It was like she hadn't even known that there was something missing before, but now that she had that missing piece…something clicked.

The underlying emptiness that she had always felt before was gone. The lingering guilt and the feeling of helplessness that had been with her since that tragic day long ago when something had been stolen from her that she would never get back seemed to disappear. There was no hesitation now, and there was no doubt. Melody knew that this was right. She could feel it in her mind, in her heart, her gut, her soul.

He had finally done it.

He had single-handedly slayed her demons.

"That was…wow." Melody whispered as she pulled away, her heart and mind both racing a mile a minute. A breathless laugh escaped from between her parted lips, which were red and slightly swollen. Her fingertips brushed against her lips gently and she shook her head, unable to believe that he had actually kissed her. "Wow."

"Yeah." Agreed Bellamy, sounding just as breathless as he stared back at her, gaze dark. He was looking at her differently now. It was like he was seeing her for the first time, not as the girl he had known, but as the woman he was just beginning to discover. "Wow about sums it up."

But "wow" didn't even begin to cover it.