AN: It really feels like we're on the home stretch – B and C certainly are, getting back to New York in this chapter… still a lot of story left, though, and I hope you'll stick with me until the end!
I don't own anything relating to The 100
Chapter title from "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day
59
For What It's Worth It Was Worth All the While
They really are pros at efficient mornings by now – even with having to pack up the last of their things, checking out, loading up the car, and enjoying a delicious Old English breakfast, they have time to make a pit stop at the glass house before arriving at the Historic Jamestowne visitor center a few minutes after nine.
The sun is already blazing down, and the thermometer in the car showed eighty-five degrees when they parked, but at least the island offers some natural shade in the form of trees. And the visitor center is nice and air conditioned too.
They stroll through the introductory exhibit and watch the movie, getting acquainted with the place, before going back outside and following the other tourists along the footbridge.
"So, where do you want to start?" Clarke asks when they stop in the open space near the church, the water spread out in front of them.
Bellamy looks around, as if hoping for some sort of sign. "Well, I definitely want to do all the tours we can, there were… three, right?"
She pulls the schedule the woman who greeted them at the visitor center gave them out of her pocket and flattens it out. "Yeah, the archaeological tour, the first African's tour and the first assembly tour. So… archaeology at eleven to twelve, then the others at two and three?"
"Sounds good," he agrees with a nod. "We still have almost an hour and a half before the first one, want to check out the archaearium, get some background on the dig?"
So they make their way there and spend the next hour exploring the many artifacts and admiring the paintings that tell the story of the first settlers.
The actual archaeological tour of James Fort is just as fascinating as Clarke had hoped, and judging by Bellamy's perpetually widened eyes and slightly open mouth, he's of the same opinion. Their guide, David, tells them about what they've found at the dig site, what those finds have told them about the lives of the settlers over four hundred years ago, and how they've changed and shaped the past.
"You know, I thought about studying archaeology back when I was applying for college," Bellamy tells her when the tour is over and they're exploring New Town. They need to grab something to eat before the afternoon tours, but they have almost two hours, so they're not in a hurry yet.
"Yeah?" she asks, stopping to read a plaque.
"I was already into ancient Greece and Rome, it seemed like it would be fun," he continues with a shrug. "In the end, I had pretty much decided against it by the time I realized I wouldn't be going to school anyway. It's not a very large field, it didn't seem like it would be very easy to get work, and if I did, odds were it would be a professor position or something like that, not doing actual digging."
"So you decided on history teacher instead?" Clarke flashes him a smile. "With zero chance of working on a dig site?"
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It seemed like the more sensible plan at the time. Not that it matters…"
"For what it's worth, I think you would have made a great archaeologist," she offers, reaching out to squeeze his hand and trying to not let the mood shift. They're supposed to be having fun. "I can totally see you dressed up Indiana Jones style, trying to find hidden treasures before the bad guys."
As she had hoped, he laughs and tugs her along again. "I don't think the Indiana Jones movies are really a good representation of what it's actually like to be an archaeologist."
"Are you saying movies lie to us? They would never."
They continue along the gravel road leading around the New Town, reading the information on the plaques provided, stopping at another dig site at the ruins of the Ambler Mansion, before heading to Dale House Café for lunch.
The afternoon tours are just as interesting – the first taking them around the fort again, and the second around New Town – giving them a deeper insight into the path to democracy for the early settlers, and into the first African Americans who arrived at Jamestown in 1619, exactly four hundred years ago.
They stroll around for a while after the last tour, checking out the church, just wandering around. It's still way too hot out, but they find a nice bench in the shade of a tree, overlooking the river, where they sit down for a while and share the last of their bottles of water.
"Time to head back to the car?" Bellamy asks after a while, and Clarke sighs.
"Yeah, I guess. We're still doing the island loop thing, but that's driving, so…"
"And how long is the drive up to… Boyce, right?"
She freezes. "Shit, I forgot about that.
"What?" He gives her an incredulous look.
"I was just… I was focused on this," she explains, waving a hand vaguely to indicate the area around them. "I forgot we had to drive for hours to get to the hotel, fuck."
He just stares at her for another long moment before bursting out laughing. "I thought you were the one planning all of this!" he exclaims when he's gotten himself under control again. "Shouldn't you be on top of hotels and distances and shit?"
"I am," Clarke grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest. "I forget one little thing…"
He's clearly still struggling to not start laughing again, but he still wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer, pulling his phone out with his other hand. "Come on, it's not a big deal. It's only… around three hours, that's nothing. And the world's largest roller skate in Bealeton seems to be literally on the side of the road, so we won't have to take a detour or even stop for that."
She drops her head against his shoulder. "I forgot about that too. I suck."
Bellamy squeezes her. "That's definitely not true. Now come on, the car is going to be a sauna, I want something to drink on the way."
They make it to the visitor center with five minutes to spare and grab some more water and a couple of sodas before getting in the – yes, baking – car and starting the drive around the island.
It only takes half an hour, even though they do stop to check out Black Point at the far end of the island, and soon, they're leaving Jamestown behind.
They probably could have stayed another night in Williamsburg and driven all the way back to New York tomorrow, and Clarke can admit that she might have been trying to drag the trip out a little when she put a final stop on the itinerary, but she's glad now – going back to New York feels kind of like the end of the road. Which it is, of course, in an absolute sense, but it also feels like the end of… well, a lot more than just the trip. At least this way, she can put the inevitable off a little longer.
They stop for dinner and to get gas before getting off the I-95 and she gets behind the wheel so Bellamy can focus on the roller skate when they get there.
"Huh," he says once they've passed it.
"Another disappointment?" she asks, glancing at him.
"Not quite as impressive as I was hoping, no," he admits.
"What do we have left now?"
He finds his phone and opens his list. "World's largest pencil and world's largest clothes pin."
"Oh, I've seen that. It's in Philadelphia, right?"
"Yeah," he confirms, putting his phone away again. "The pencil's in Glen Burnie, a suburb of Baltimore."
"OK, so that first and then Philadelphia. Do you want to do anything else while we're there? There's a lot of historical stuff in Philadelphia, right?"
He huffs a laugh next to her. "Yeah, there's a lot of 'historical stuff' in Philadelphia," he confirms. "But we did a couple of school trips there in high school, so I've seen all the important stuff – Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, like, all the museums."
Clarke can't help but smile. "Oh, all the museums?"
"Yup, all of them. Every single one."
He continues to list all the museums he's been to in Philadelphia in great detail, which takes them all the way to the county line.
When they pass the sign telling them they're leaving Fauquier County, Bellamy snorts. "Are we seriously staying in Clarke County?"
Clarke frowns, but the sign did say Clarke County, and the sat nav indicates that the inn they're staying at is only a few minutes away.
"I guess so," she says. "Honestly, I was just looking for something nice in this general area, I didn't focus on the county."
"Of course not. How many Clarke counties have we been to on this trip, huh? I know Vegas is in Clark county…"
"With a different spelling!" she interjects, laughing.
"It still counts," he insists, scrolling through something on his phone. "There are twelve Clark counties in the US – no E – and five Clarke counties, plus the Lewis & Clarke County in Montana. We've only been in this one and the one in Nevada, but we've definitely passed another two, maybe three… and not a single Bellamy County."
"I wonder why."
The sat nav tells her to take a right then, and a moment later, a left onto a driveway, and they reach their home for the night.
Since they arrive at nine in the evening and leave again by eight thirty the next morning, the place honestly doesn't make that much of an impression, but their hosts are kind and welcoming, the room a little old fashioned but the large, four poster bed comfortable, and the breakfast definitely amazing.
Clarke can't help the way her mood dips when she gets in the driver's seat, and judging by his silence, Bellamy seems to be feeling something similar. Once she's started the car, he turns the radio on, and they drive in silence, apart from the music and the directions from the sat nav, for a while.
He did a bit more research into the large pencil that was supposed to be in Glen Burnie last night, only to realize that it's no longer there, so they skip that little detour and head straight for Philadelphia, parking the car in a garage near City Hall a little after noon.
"So, where's the clothes pin?" she asks when they've left the garage and are on the bustling street outside. He looks around for a moment and then grabs her by the shoulders and turns her a quarter of a turn to the right, and there it is, just the top of it peaking up above a few trees. "Oh. Convenient."
"Fuck, I thought the weather would be better a bit further north," Bellamy grumbles.
"We're in a heat wave," she offers with a shrug. "It's supposed to be over a hundred and ten in New York tomorrow, that'll be fun."
"And people think climate change is some big conspiracy."
It doesn't take long to check the large clothes pin out in more detail, but he seems as reluctant to leave as she is once they have.
"It's a little early for lunch," he notes, hands in his pockets and eyes somewhere a few inches to the right of her own. "Do you want to maybe just… walk around for a while and then get something to eat? We're not in any hurry, right?"
"No hurry, no," Clarke replies, forcing her eyes away from the seven on his forehead. His Number has been drawing her attention for days now, ever since ten ticked down to nine. "Harper said they would make sure there's some food in the apartment, so we won't have to go to the store tonight, and I told her I'd let them know our ETA when we were getting close, but I didn't say when it might be."
"OK." He takes her hand, his grip a little tighter than usual. "So one last sightseeing tour?"
She has to swallow down a lump and can't say anything, but she nods.
So they just wander around for a while – along 15th Street to Love Park, because Clarke loves the statue, then down Market Street past the imposing Masonic Temple and Liberty Bell Center, even if they don't go inside, through Christ Church Burial Ground and past Betsy Ross House to Elfreth's Alley. When they get hungry, Bellamy Googles 'best cheesesteak' and they discover that number six on the list – at least according to the top site in the results – is only a couple of blocks away.
"I've actually just had cheesesteak once before," Bellamy notes when they've gotten their food. "And that was out of some food truck at… Washington Square, I think. So I have no idea if this is as good as they claim it is, but it's definitely delicious."
"I can't say I have that much more experience," Clarke admits. "And it's been… a couple of decades since I tried it last, but this is definitely the best I've had."
They stroll around for a bit longer after they've eaten, but there isn't really that much to do unless they want to actually visit a museum or tourist attraction, so by mid-afternoon, they're making their way back to the car.
"Last leg," he says with a deep breath, voice a little rough, as he maneuvers them onto the I-95.
She reaches for his hand, not even sure if she's asking for or offering support. "I can't believe it."
She texted Harper a few minutes ago, letting her know they're about two hours out, and after her phone pings with the response – Great, we'll clear out in a little while, let you get settled in peace. There's leftover lasagna in the fridge, plus stuff for breakfast! – silence settles over the car. She can't be bothered turning the radio on, and Bellamy knows the way, so they don't need the sat nav. She thinks about a million different things she could bring up, but doesn't, and catches him opening his mouth now and then, only to close it again and offer her a small smile.
The first actual sound either of them makes is a half-choked sob that tears itself out of Clarke's throat, that she has no control over, the first time they see Manhattan in the distance.
"Hey, hey, shhh," he immediately tries to soothe her, thumb rubbing against the back of her hand.
"Sorry," she offers, trying to swallow down the heaviness in her throat and blinking to keep the tears in. "I always love the first glimpse of the city when I've been away, but now it just feels…"
"I know," he assures her when she trails off.
She scoots closer, so she can lean her head against his shoulder, and he presses a quick kiss to her hair. "Maybe this was a bad idea."
"What do you mean?" she asks, turning her head so she can look up at him. His eyebrows are furrowed and his jaw is tense.
"Coming back here," Bellamy expands. "Especially when I got to see Miller in Vegas, that could be enough. We can just… keep driving. It's been a while since I was in Boston, that could be fun. Or we could head straight to the airport, find that Caribbean beach…"
She remembers that conversation, of course, back when they started planning the trip. Asking when he wanted to get back to the city, if he did. She honestly hadn't thought about what it would be like for her to get back to the city at the time, had just wanted to make sure he got whatever he wanted.
"I know you asked because you wanted to know what I wanted," he continues when she doesn't say anything, as if he's reading her mind. "And I know you're just going to tell me to not worry about you again, but I… New York is your home too, and I never wanted to ruin that for you. I don't want to leave you with these… bad memories of the city."
Clarke takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words that won't make him feel worse. "Do you want to know the truth?" she finally asks and he nods, eyes on the road but attention clearly on her. "I really don't think it matters at this point. I already have all these memories, moments, even if it was just a couple of months… great memories, happy ones, but still… everything in the apartment, everything in New York… it's all going to remind me of you. And I know… I know I'll be grateful for that, at some point, and don't think for even a second that I regret a single moment of the last eight months, but… honestly? I've thought about maybe leaving, for a while, just until I can… until it doesn't hurt as much, I guess. Just being there."
He's quiet for a long moment. "Why didn't you say something?"
She lets out a humorless laugh. "We agreed to try to not think about it, remember? Enjoy our trip. I didn't want to mess that up."
"You could have still talked to me," he insists.
"I know. But, to answer your question, no. I don't want to keep driving or fly somewhere or anything like that, OK? I want to be here, with you."
Until the end. She doesn't say it, but it feels like it's hanging in the air between them.
"OK," Bellamy agrees, squeezing her hand again. "Love you, Princess."
"I love you."
They soon reach her building, and then they're unloading the car, and riding up in the elevator, and they're home.
When they step through the front door, Clarke lets out a relieved breath, because a calm settles over her, the feeling she always associates with her apartment. She was afraid that it would be gone, that all the anxiety bundled up inside her would take over, but this is still home.
"Good to be home?" Bellamy asks cautiously next to her, and she offers him a genuine smile that makes him relax.
"It is. I was a little worried it wouldn't be, but… it really is."
He squeezes her hand tightly for a moment. "Good."
The moment is broken by a loud meow and Bastet winding around their legs. She reaches down and picks the cat up, and she butts her head against Clarke's chin.
Bellamy chuckles next to her. "I guess she's happy to see you."
"She always is when I've been gone for more than a day," Clarke replies. Bas has apparently had enough cuddling, though, so she puts her down on the floor where she continues to rub up against their legs. "I know some people say that cats don't care about their owners, not like dogs, and maybe that's true, but I know she misses me when I'm gone."
Bastet rises up on her back legs and paws at Bellamy's chinos, purring loudly, and he leans down to pick her up as well.
"And you too, apparently," Clarke notes, watching the two of them as Bastet repeats her head butting against Bellamy's nose and he scratches her behind the ears.
"You missed us, huh?" he mumbles, a half-smile on his face. "Yeah, we missed you too."
They eventually get past the hallway, dumping their bags in the bedroom. Bellamy insists on getting a first load of laundry going, and Clarke leaves him to it to check the mail Harper or Monty have left piled on the kitchen counter. She has all her bills on direct debit, so it's basically personalized marketing and six months' worth of newsletters from the library. Definitely nothing pressing.
"We're not being social tonight, right?" Bellamy asks when he comes into the living room a little later, and she looks up from the last newsletter.
He's changed into a new t-shirt and a pair of cut off sweatpants, and looks soft and inviting.
"We don't have to be social at all, if you don't want to," she replies. "I mean, you said you wanted to do a dinner or something with everyone, but Raven offered to have that at her place, so we don't get stuck with cleaning up after."
"That sounds great, actually," he says, leaning against the counter across from her. "I was thinking maybe doing some sort of… buffet of stuff from the trip, a bit more casual than a sit-down dinner."
Clarke reaches over the counter to take his hand. "Sounds good. I'm sure Raven will be happy to help with the cooking, too."
"What, you're not even offering?"
The half-smirk and glint in his eyes tells her he's teasing her, and she punches him lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up!"
He chuckles and squeezes her hand before straightening up. "Just kidding – I don't want to burn Raven's kitchen down. Couch?"
She nods and goes to change into something more comfortable herself before joining him on the couch. The AC is on, so they can even curl under a blanket, even though it feels strange with the blazing sun outside. Bastet joins them after a few minutes, stretching out over both their laps and purring up a storm.
Bellamy turns on some costume drama on Netflix and complains about all the historical inaccuracies under his breath, and Clarke does manage to forget everything else and just be in the moment. They heat up the food Harper and Monty left when they get hungry, and even find a half-full bag of cheese doodles in the pantry.
When darkness has fallen outside, Bastet perks up and abandons them to watch whatever interesting thing is happening outside her favorite window.
They watch another episode of the show – Clarke can admit that she hasn't been paying much attention, she's mostly been listening to Bellamy grumbling – but when that one ends, he straightens up and stretches. "Bed?"
She untangles the blanket from around them and swings one leg over his, leaning down to kiss him for a long moment before pulling away. "Bed."
-100-
When Clarke wakes up the morning after they get back to New York, she's alone in bed, and for one horrible moment, she's convinced that it's already happened. He's gone.
Then laughter floats through the crack in the door, and when she pads into the living room, she finds Bellamy by one of the windows facing the river, holding up his phone like he's showing it the view.
"Is that Brooklyn Bridge?" she hears from the phone and realizes he must be Skyping.
"No, it's Manhattan Bridge," Bellamy explains, turning away from the window and spotting Clarke. He gives her a big smile. "Morning."
He looks so happy, she can't help but return the smile. "Morning." She takes a few steps closer and waves at the screen, which is now facing her. "Hi Rosamie."
The smile on Rosamie's face widens. "Hello Clarke, how are you? It must be nice to be home?"
"It is, yeah," she confirms. "Not that we don't miss you guys."
"Yes, yes, we all miss you too. I was saying to Bellamy, maybe you could come visit in the winter? I know it is cold in New York, but here it will be nice and warm." Her eyes narrow a little but she's still smiling. "And we want to celebrate your wedding with you, of course."
Bellamy winces a little behind the phone and Clarke has to fight to keep the smile on her face. "That sounds really nice, we'll see if we can make it happen."
"Good."
Bellamy turns the phone back to face himself. "Come on, you can see Brooklyn Bridge from the bedroom, let me show you."
Clarke squeezes his hand. "I'll start on breakfast."
He offers her a smile before leaving the room, and she hears Rosamie chatter all the way into the bedroom.
She's just spooning up scrambled eggs onto two plates when he comes back into the room, dropping his phone on the counter before rounding it and coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you with her like that," he apologizes, unnecessarily. "She just started talking about us visiting and I couldn't very well tell her that we couldn't, so I just tried to keep it vague, you know, can't promise anything, we both have work, I'm going back to school…"
She puts the empty frying pan down and leans back against him. "I know, you don't have to apologize. She's just… she's happy she finally got you back, she just wants to… to make sure she gets to see you again." She can hear her voice shaking by the end of the sentence, and his arms tighten around her, holding her together as she takes a few deep breaths and gets herself under control. "Sorry."
"Stop."
She has to laugh at that. "Yeah, let's both stop apologizing and eat breakfast.
"Deal."
They get some toast going as well before settling down at the counter, Bellamy pouring them both some coffee.
"So do we have anything planned today?" he asks when he's taken a large gulp.
"No, nothing," Clarke replies after swallowing down a mouthful of eggs. "I wasn't actually sure if you wanted me to keep us busy once we got back or not."
He freezes with a fork-full of eggs halfway to his mouth, obviously trying to figure out what she's talking about. "Oh, you mean what we talked about in… was it Mexico?"
"I think so, yeah. But if you do want me to come up with things for us to do, just say the word."
He pops the eggs in his mouth and chews in silence for a moment, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Honestly?" he then starts. "Now that we're back, I think it'll be nice to just be, for a while."
Clarke nods. "Yeah, that does sound good, especially with this heat. I do have one thing booked tomorrow, but it should only be an hour or two in the afternoon. And we're driving up to Bellport one day, but we can still just hang out and relax too."
"What are we doing tomorrow?" Bellamy asks, going for casual but sounding just a little too curious.
She hides her smile in her coffee. "You'll find out tomorrow."
