Chapter 3

I do not own any character of the 100

Warm morning sunlight flooded into Clarke's lone room. Dust particles danced in the rays of morning sunlight as they shone over her golden hair. She stirred slightly, the bed hugged her in a way she had not experienced in what felt like years. Even though she could not sleep as soundly as her body wanted, from being anxious about her friends, she still felt comforted. She slowly opened her eyes, giving up on trying to sleep. Her limbs tingled as she yawned and stretched to greet the new day. It was really early in the morning, the sun had just begun poking it head above the hills. Dew from the night dripped off of the blades of grass in the fields outside of her window. A smile crept over Clarke's face as she began walking towards Maddie's room. She tenderly cracked her bedroom door open to see a sleeping Maddie curled up with the loyal golden retriever. In that moment Clarke felt more at peace than she had ever had. Her daughter was safely sound asleep, she had a roof over her head, and the atmosphere was not that of blood and war, but peace. She began recalling the event of the night after Bellamy and her had given the flame over to the guards. They had walked back to town with Maddie and explained what happened to Indra. She was worried about Gaia and expressed guilt over sending her to the stone with them. She then told Clarke all about how ShadeHada managed to take control and the blood baths that followed, it made her sick to her stomach. It was a bitter-sweet reunion with all the people who were left on Sanctum, she was overjoyed to see them alive but her guilt from leaving overwhelmed her. The number of people that died was nothing they weren't used to, however it hurt the same. It had been a long night and once everyone felt somewhat up to date, the exhaustion set in. The uphill battle they had all been fighting had finally come to a halt and their battered bodies fell. Sanctum was eerily quiet that night. No one spoke a word, everyone slept.

Clarke made her way down into the kitchen, the countertops had a soft layer of dust, if it hadn't been for that she would have sworn it had been frozen in time. Everything was paralyzed in the warm air as if it had been waiting for her. She grabbed a cloth and began dusting the surfaces, once she began, she didn't want to stop. The kitchen turned into the dining room, turned into the living room, turned into the entire first floor. In satisfaction, she wiped the last end table, a faint humming sound caught her attention. It was coming from town and it could only be one thing. Clarke was out the door with a jacket in her hands in the blink of an eye. Her eyes hungrily searched for the green hue of the portal. She ran over a crest of a hill to see Bellamy standing with their friends and a few guards. A smile burst from inside her as she picked up speed to greet them. As she got closer she could hear the guards lecturing them on the ascension.

"You are fools, the Shepard has shown you the way and you turn your nose up at him. There is no place for you in the new world."

"You can keep your new world. We don't need it anyway." Bellamy spoke with Octavia under his arm. A silence fell over them all as the guards turned and disappeared within the portal.

"Guys!" Clarke shouted still running to the group

"Clarke! You did it!" Echo said in excitement hugging her. Even though Clarke was smiling, the hug felt awkward. After everything that had happened with Bell, she felt a twinge of guilt in her gut.

"Uh, no it was all of us. We did it." She said pulling away to look at the rest of the group. She made eye contact with Bellamy who was smiling at her with admiration. Clarke tried not to blush as his eyes swallowed her. Faint footsteps rushed from behind them, it was Maddie running alongside her pup.

"You're back!" She squealed, running up to the newly reunited group

They started making their way towards the tavern to celebrate. Bellamy leaned towards Clarke and whispered in her ear "I'll talk to her today" Her heart jumped and her stomach filled with butterflies. She could feel her face blush as she tucked her chin down. She watched him as he ran up to meet the group inside. The day was filled with reunions, food, and drinks all being shared amongst family. It was a well overdue celebration, but both Bellamy and Clarke felt an elephant in the room. After many hours Clarke excused herself with the excuse of having to take care of business at home. Maddie offered to go with her but she wanted to be alone.

The walk back to the cottage felt long, the loud atmosphere of the tavern faded away with each step she took. Her mind was racing- "I know my feelings. I know how I feel about him! So why? Why does it have to be so hard? Why is my stomach in knots knowing he is going to end things with Echo. I should be happy, but all I feel is guilt." She stared at her feet as she walked, now approaching the cottage. Her legs guided her to the front porch to sit on a patio chair with a view of the fields. It was beautiful, the sun had begun to set, the trees glowed orange as it passed behind them. Their leaves rustled under a faint breeze that carried the sweet scent of apples and wheat. Autumn was on its way, she thought as her body inhaled deeply to grasp the smell. She sat there until the sun was completely gone, the time had passed so quickly she barely noticed the dark that swept across her and enveloped the world. A dark figure began to emerge along the long grass of the fields, his dirty boots brushed loudly along the ground. He was not trying to be quiet, he was confident and he knew where he was going. It was Bellamy, his shoulders were slightly elevated from the cold. She sighed, letting go of a longing she had to see him. She stood to greet him, and without saying anything they walked into the living room.

"So" Clarke said breaking the silence "Did you uh.."

He nodded "Yeah, a little bit ago."

She stared at him expectantly waiting for the story.

"We stepped outside a while after you left, and it went well all things considered. After I told her she wasn't surprised. She said she was upset but she could feel the rift forming between us." Clarke could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke. "But I'm glad I did it. No matter how much we could have tried to work on it, my feeling for you would never go away. And it was best to have a clean break…. Even if it hurt."

"I'm sorry Bellamy. I-" The words were escaping her, she could see the guilt he felt but had no idea how to console him. This is all because of her after all.

"To be honest, I'm happy. And that's what makes me the most upset. I mean I just ended a long and important relationship, I should be upset but…. I'm not." He looked deeply into her eyes searching for a response.

"I feel guilty…. Really guilty that someone is in pain because of me. However.." Clarke paused

Bellamy listened intently as she thought.

"I am also happy because now you can be ….. with me" she stared at the ground in shame, it was hard for her to say. The tips of his boots came into her view, she slowly looked up to him. Her eyes scanned up his muscular body until they rested on his calm face. His strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her in tight, he smelt of cloves and spices. Her cheek rested on his shoulder and her arms rested on his waist.

"We can take this slow, nothing has to happen until you feel ready," he said into her hair. Her head began to shake. "No, I'm ready….. We have waited long enough"

Hearing this set his eyes ablaze, his hands grasped behind her head and the other pulled her in around her waist. Their lips pressed together softly. Her heart was set on fire as he pulled her in closer increasing the pressure of the kiss. His lips were warm and she never wanted to part from them. Her hands that were resting on his hips moved up to the small of his back and pulled in tightly.

They slowly parted, keeping their bodies close. He looked into her beautiful face, how her lips parted ever so slightly, how her eyes gushed with admiration, and her cheeks blushed red. He smiled.

"W-What!?" Clarke said blushing more and squirming but not pulling away.

"Nothing" He whispered leaning in again.

The next morning was warm as the sun shone down upon them. Her cheek rested on his chest among the rummaged blanket and sheets. Bellamy's breath rose a fell in a deep sleep, completely relaxed next to her. Alongside him she felt calm, finally her body and her mind slept soundly.

Thank you for reading my story. Please leave a review to let me know how it was!