Sorry guys, this chapter gave me fits yesterday! Nothing was sounding right, and then I woke up this morning and the fog of writer's block had thankfully cleared. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 51

Clarke woke to the stench of stale air. She sat up slowly, her head feeling like it might explode. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, taking in the cinderblock walls and damp concrete floor of her prison.

The room was inky black, the only light coming from a crack beneath the door at the top of the rotting wooden staircase. Cardboard boxes were piled everywhere and rusty bear cans littered the floor.

From what she could tell, it looked like a basement. That thought sent a shiver down her spine. Basements were hard to find, and taken as she was there would be very few clues that would lead to her current location.

Her hopeless spiral soon changed to thoughts of Bellamy. By now he would know that she was gone, and the guilt would eat him alive. Her chest tightened at the thought of never seeing him again; never being able to tell him she loved him one last time.

Clarke was pulled from her thoughts when the door at the top of the stairs opened, light filtering into the dark recesses of the dungeon as her captor clomped down the wooden steps.

As he drew closer, realization dawned.

"Dax", Clarke spat.

"Hello there, Princess. Happy to see you finally awake."

"What do you want?"

"All in due time. First I need to make a phone call, and I think he's going to want to speak to you", Dax said with a malicious grin.

Clarke instinctively put some distance between herself and the man before her, her back hitting the cold wall and stopping her progress. She watched as he took the phone from his pocket, soft beeping echoing out in the quiet room as he dialed.

She could tell the moment that whoever he was calling picked up because a slow grin curved his lips.

"I've got someone who wants to speak to you", he said as he approached.

Clarke shrank from his touch, but found herself hauled to her feet and the phone pressed to her ear. Finally she heard a voice, a voice she would no anywhere and the sound of it caused tears to course silently down her cheeks.

"Princess!"

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Bellamy gripped the steering wheel of his truck so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The smell of Clarke's perfume lingered, taunting him. It felt as though his fear would strangle him, the raw emotions swirling in his chest and making it impossible for his ribs to expand.

However, his fear was quickly being squelched by anger- anger at whoever dared to take the woman he loved. As he pulled into the parking garage, the heat of rage was all he felt.

He heard car doors slam as Murphy, Miller, Wick, and Lincoln arrived. He ignored them, knowing they would follow in his wake. He pressed on, his boots devouring the asphalt at a jaunting pace until something caught his attention.

A flash of silver made Bellamy turn aside from his march, bringing him to stand beside Clarke's car. He bent, picking up the abandoned clutch. Inside he found her phone, a tube of red lipstick, and her keys.

One of the charms on her key ring caught his attention. An intricate golden crown lay nestled against the deep purple satin lining the inside of the small bag. His mind wandered to the day he'd given it to her, and he closed his eyes as flashes of blonde hair filled his memory.

Bellamy grinned from the passenger seat of his truck as Clarke maneuvered expertly through the late afternoon traffic. It was a beautiful April day, and the Princess had just gotten her license.

He'd taught both girls how to drive, and oh what an interesting experience that had been. Clarke was the conscientious driver, always wearing her seatbelt and obeying speed limits. While, O was the speed demon, taking turns at a breakneck pace and always forgetting to put on her seatbelt.

When Clarke had asked him to teach her, he'd hesitated. However, her pleading and those big blue eyes made it impossible to say no. It shouldn't have surprised him that he'd be the one taking on the task. He'd taught her how to ride her bike, tie her shoes, and throw a pretty mean slow pitch.

He knew that Clarke's parents loved her, but they'd always been too busy- too wrapped up in their careers. This just made a little more work for him, but he'd enjoyed every moment of it.

"Great job, Princess", Bellamy praised as they pulled into the driveway.

"Thanks Bell. You were a great teacher", the little blonde said with a smirk.

They made their way inside, Clarke and O jumping up and down with squeals of delight as the Princess showed his sister her brand new driver's license.

"You didn't smile", Octavia said with a pout.

"They told me not to, and I was so nervous I didn't feel like being rebellious."

Bellamy laughed at this because the picture she painted was blaringly accurate. Clarke had been a bundle of nerves when she came from the instructor's office. He'd been waiting out in the lobby, flipping through one of the magazines laying on the table beside his chair, when she walked out ringing her hands.

"Well", he prompted as he stood, "Did you pass?"

A wide smile broke out on her face as she grinned, then launched herself into his arms.

"I passed, but I don't know what to do now."

"Now we go to the tag office and get your license", he'd answered her.

Bellamy had had a hard time not cracking up as he watched Clarke sit to take the photo. She'd primly straightened her blouse, and ran a shaking hand through her hair before the flash went off.

Now, however, all her nerves had settled and she was staring at the little card in her hands.

"I'm going to make something special for dinner", Clarke exclaimed.

"Lasagna", Bellamy asked hopefully.

"For the guy who taught me how to drive, of course", she said giving him a tight hug.

Later, while Clarke was building the lasagna, Bellamy slipped out of the house. He drove to the shop owned by a local airbrush artist to pick up one of Clarke's congratulatory gifts.

He entered the building, smiling at the woman who sat behind the counter.

"Mr. Blake, here to pick up that gift", she asked with a polite smile.

"Yes, I am. She just got her license today and I'd like to surprise her."

The woman smiled with a nod, going into the back room and then returning with a square metal plate. She rang up his purchase, counting his cash before giving him the receipt.

Bellamy smiled down at the decorative license plate, "Princess" emblazoned on the front in sparkling silver letters, popping on a bright blue background. A golden crown sat haphazardly on top of the 'p', adding the finishing touch.

He laid it in the passenger seat, his other gift tucked safely in his glove box. The little golden charm had been a spur of the moment purchase only three days ago, small but something that held significance.

When Bellamy got home, he found Clarke still in the kitchen and the radio turned up at an unholy volume. He unplugged it as he walked by, both girls turning at to glare at him.

"Come here, Princess, I've got a surprise for you", he grinned.

He watched as her eyes lit up as she made her way over to stand before him.

Bellamy pulled his hands from behind his back, handing her both of his gifts in one swoop. He watched her features as they changed from surprise to delight, and then his arms were full of petite blonde.

"Thanks Bell! They're beautiful!"

"I know you don't have a car yet, but I just thought you should have something to commemorate the day."

Clarke kissed his cheek, her blue gaze riveted on his face as a slow grin spread across her features.

"Thanks Bell, for everything."

"You're welcome, Princess. Now let's eat! I'm starved!"

Bellamy was pulled from his thoughts when Murphy laid a firm hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her, Bell. I promise."

Never in his life had he seen John Murphy so sincere, and yet so angry at the same time. Rage radiated off the man in waves, from the tenseness of his shoulders to the firm set of his jaw.

Bellamy nodded his gratitude and then once again set off for the apartment. When he got there, Lincoln and Miller had already made it. Octavia and Monroe were the only two women left, Maya and Harper having already gone home.

Octavia was sobbing in Lincoln's arms, and Monroe gripped Miller's hand tightly in her own. When O saw her brother she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him close.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let her go alone", she sobbed.

Bellamy set his sister away from him so he could look her in the eye.

"This is not your fault, do you hear me? The person responsible for this will pay."

Just then Murphy spoke up, "I'm going back to the parking garage, look around and see if I can't find anything that might give us a lead."

Bellamy stared at the other man knowing that not doing anything was tearing him apart.

"Alright, call if you find anything."

Bellamy turned back to his sister, placing gentle hands on her shoulders.

"How long ago did she leave?"

"Maybe an hour ago, or a little more. She got a phone call and then she just ran out, said she had to take care of something."

Bellamy reached for the clutch he'd set on the coffee table, taking out Clarke's phone and scrolling through the recent calls. Abby's name popped up and he felt dread spiral in his chest.

"Abby", he growled, "O call Kane, tell him what's happened. Lincoln you stay here with her. Miller, take your girl home. Wick, you're with me."

"Where are we going, Boss", Wick asked as they made their way to the door.

"We're going to pay Abigail Griffin a little visit", the dark haired rebel growled.

Before Bellamy could even reach for the door his phone began to ring. He looked down at the screen to find that the number was blocked. He answered quickly, the voice on the other end sending a chill down his spine.

"Dax", he spat, "If you've harmed one hair on her head I'll…"

"Temper, temper", Dax cooed, "The Princess is fine for now, and I'll even let you talk to her."

"Bellamy", came her broken whisper on the other end.

"Princess! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine Bell, but I don't know where I am", she said.

He could tell she'd been crying and the thought of her hurt and scared broke his heart.

"Don't worry, I'm going to find you", he said firmly.

"Alright, time to go", came Dax's voice over the speaker.

"No, please", Clarke cried, fear tainting her words.

"Shut up", came an angry yell right before the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed over the receiver.

Bellamy bristled, ice rushing through his veins and his mind narrowing on one thing.

"Dax", he said coldly, "If you return her right now, I'll spare you. However, if you disobey me, I will hunt you down like the animal you are and your death will be agonizingly slow."

Nothing but silence greeted him, until a mirthless laugh sounded on the other end.

"Listen to the Rebel, willing to sacrifice his freedom for his Princess. I'm not done with her, Blake, and I'm not done with you. Catch me if you can, but you're running out of time."

The line went dead, and Bellamy fought the urge to throw his phone against the wall. He felt helpless and terrified. Without her here, he could feel the darkness encroaching.

He welcomed it, knowing that who he was and who he needed to be to survive were two very different things. He'd held the monster at bay, afraid to give in to the freezing rage that had begun to chill his body.

He was done holding back. The streets had created a killer, a killer he'd fought long and hard to suppress, but Dax had backed him into a corner and he would fight his way out.

Clarke was the most important person in his life, and he would die before he saw her taken from him. Bellamy looked up, new purpose bringing clarity to his terror.

"Wick, gather the men", we've got work to do.

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! :)

Wright: Thanks for the review! All questions will be answered soon, I hope lol I'm glad you enjoyed the flashback, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the most recent update! :)

Martha: You are most welcome! I didn't want you to think you weren't being heard :) Thanks for the review, and I really appreciate your support of my stories! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the latest update! :)