Nora held onto Kyra's hand, giving it a subtle squeeze every now and again. The pair took up the back of the crowd as they walked through the hallways of the Ark. They were going on a special treat tonight to see the moon rise.

The redhead's eyes were counting the heads at every moment to make sure she never lost sight of a child. Gwen took the front spot, glancing over the crowd every so often. Jimmy was bouncing on his heels in front of Nora as they went.

The boy's eyes were wide as saucers at every turn, taking in the sight of space at every opportunity. He turned sharply to Nora when they paused at the entry way to the viewing platform. "Will Bellamy be here?"

She hadn't seen the man in a couple of days due to the business of the centre. One of the kids hadn't been feeling well and another was having problems with his sight. She knew it was happening slowly; oxygen depletion. She had gone to enough science lessons to know the signs.

The children's centre was also seeing reduced rations this month. This meant that once again, the children took priority and got as close to full rations as possible, while herself and Gwen took a cut.

The redhead didn't feel as bouncy as usual, that was for sure. Her energy wasn't at its peak and she didn't feel like training at all. Gwen and she were both tired, taking turns to stay up with those who were unwell and missing out on sleep in the process.

Rubbing a hand over her eyes, she saw the queue move forward as the doors to the platform opened with a beep. Jimmy stared up at her with those golden doe eyes of his and she forced a smile. "I'm not sure, I haven't seen him lately."

"Will he come to read to us again soon?" Kyra asked, walking forward.

"You'll have to ask him if we see him."

"I miss his stories." She mumbled and Jimmy silently agreed.

"I know, me too, Ky."

Bellamy hadn't been by the centre in a week or so. Last time they had seen each other he had said there had been trouble at home and she hadn't poached the subject any further. She never wanted to intrude on his home life. That was his business.

Nora knew he lived with his mother; he never spoke of his dad. She half wondered what happened to him, who he was and why Bellamy never spoke about him. She could speak about her dad for days and never tire of the stories from her childhood with him. But it occurred to her that maybe his relationship with his dad wasn't like hers was.

The bright light from space illuminated the room as they wandered inside and Jimmy's eyes scanned the room immediately for the taller man. It was plain to see that the younger boy looked up to the man like an older brother, something no one had on the Ark.

"Bellamy!"

Before she had the chance to look up to see him, the young boy yelled and went to sprint off, but Nora held him back by the shoulder. "Woah, there. Don't run through the crowds, mister." She gave him a stern look. "Ask politely if he is free to talk, he is working, remember."

Jimmy nodded excitedly, bouncing on the heels of his feet before slipping the crowds to the cadet, with Kyra following hot on his tail behind him. A smile touched her lips at the pair of them, watching carefully as they slipped through the crowd to meet Bellamy Blake.

The cadet was good natured by the way he bent down to see them, giving Jimmy's hair a ruffle and them both a wide smile. Their mouths moved at a mile a minute, talking animatedly at the man and Nora felt her smile grow bigger. She was proud of the two youngsters; they were good kids, well behaved too.

Bellamy sent her a smile; he looked tired too, like he could do with a break. A nosy part of her crept up and wondered if anything had happened at home or maybe it was the guard. Had he had problems with Devin again?

She made a brief head count of the kids quickly, sharing a thumbs up with Gwen before looking back over at where Bellamy, Jimmy and Kyra chatted. Her smile faded though, when she saw the looming figure of Shumway growing closer to the threesome.

Without a second thought, she squeezed past people and strode towards them. Nora's protectiveness surged when the kids were involved, especially Jimmy and Kyra.

"Cadet Blake, may I remind you that you are working tonight." As Nora stepped up to the threesome, catching the guards words with distain. Her hands curved around their small shoulders, immediately feeling better that she was there to guard them.

"Yes, sir." Bellamy answered back with a monotonous voice. Nora watched as he stood in front of herself, Jimmy and Kyra, shielding them from Shumway's prying eyes. The guard looked at the three of them with narrowed eyes and curled lip.

Nora shot him a challenging look, with a glare of her own.

"Miss Thorn. Long time, no see." A cocky smirk appeared on his face but Nora remained un-phased.

"Not long enough apparently." Her pale face was impassive as she looked on at the older man.

Shumway's smirk grew wider before sparing a look at Jimmy and Kyra beside her. Instinctively, she pushed them behind her out of sight and stood up beside Bellamy. Their shoulders brushed as they blocked the guards view of the younger two.

Nora felt a surge of strength from the cadet as Shumway gave her a look that she couldn't decipher. He still looked like his cocky self, but something was off in his eyes, as if he were scrutinising the pair and their behaviour, piecing together pieces of a puzzle.

"Get back to work, cadet. I don't need to tell you what happens when you disobey an order."

"Yes, sir." Bellamy answered without a thought. He spoke the words like he had spoken them a thousand times before. Turning back to the younger two, Nora felt a small arm wrap around her midsection and looked down to find Kyra frowning up at her. She always worried, far too much for a girl her age.

Snaking her arm around her shoulder, she gave it a squeeze and offered the girl a smile.

"He really is an ass."

Nora's mouth dropped open. No words were spoken as her eyes went as wide as saucers.

A snicker was heard to her side and she turned sharply to see Bellamy covering his laugh. Sucking his lips in, he tried not to smile but it was useless. The woman quickly slapped him on the chest with the back of her hand to quiet him.

But still, he chuckled silently.

"Where did you learn that word, Jimmy?"

"Bellamy taught me."

Once again, the woman turned to the cadet but this time with a horrified look on her face.

"Hey! Woah, man, it was an accident. I didn't teach you it." Bellamy corrected him, giving him a gentle but serious look. Jimmy bounced on his toes, avoiding Nora's gaze.

She slapped him on the chest again. "What were you doing saying it around him in the first place?!"

"I slipped up!"

"You don't slip up!"

"He said that guard was an ass." Jimmy explained, just trying to be helpful in the situation.

Nora shook her head at the cadet. "Unbelievable."


Huddled around the middle, the kids watched the moonrise as if they had never seen it before. Their eyes were wide, mouths parted slightly. Nora hung back to the side, watching them with a smile on her lips.

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a figure moving closer to her. Looking over, the redhead found Bellamy. They stood facing out to the crowd with their shoulders brushing.

"This must be your rowdiest bunch you've ever had in here."

"You got that right." He joked back, watching the almost silent children and the other bored cadet on shift. "You doing good?"

"Been better. You?"

He shrugged, "Been better."

"I can't believe you taught him the word 'ass'."

"It was an honest mistake." Bellamy did his best to hold back the chuckle. "Promise not to teach him 'shit'. Although I would have thought you would have slipped up on that one by now."

"There has been multiple close calls, trust me."

"You wanna pick up your training again soon?" He asked, his eyes firmly on the doors and people walking in and out.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Give it a week though. Maddox isn't getting any better, Abby thinks he'll lose his sight next. The kids know something is up too."

"I'm sorry." For the first time, he looked over to meet her sad golden eyes. He wanted so badly to reach out and comfort her. She didn't cry though, she just looked helpless. "I'll try and stop by tomorrow to read to them."

His words were enough to put a smile on her face. "Thanks, they'd love that." He nodded, giving her a soft smile. "You better get back to work before Shumway catches you talking to me."

"Right." He offered her a smile and nod, before briefly patting her on her leg. "I'll catch you later." Bellamy made his way over to the other side of the room, passing Jimmy on the way and ruffling his hair with a grin.

Jimmy adored Bellamy. He was the older brother he never had, but also the father figure he never had either. The cadet didn't know that though. Nora didn't think he understood the reason why Jimmy wanted to see him so often and would keep that to herself for now. She didn't think she had any reason to worry either; Bellamy wouldn't let him down.

The next day, that thought was confirmed. When she returned from collecting new clothes from good will, she was met with the sight of Bellamy on the floor, surrounded by the kids as he read to them. He made the most expressive faces sometimes as he read and the kids ate it all up. Jimmy was by his side as always, hanging off his every word.

She knew in that moment that she was right about Bellamy. He wouldn't disappoint these kids or let them down in any way.

"Would ya look at that?"

Gwen's voice broke her from her thoughts as she turned to look at the older woman. "What?"

"You've gone all googly eyed again."

Groaning, Nora took off for the storage closet, neatly folding and storing the clothes away by age. "I am not. I was merely looking on at the sight of quiet children."

"Embrace it while it lasts. The minute that man leaves, they'll be running all over the place again."

"Maybe we should ask him to move in." Nora joked with a snort, packing the last item away.

"Oh, I bet you'd love that."

The redhead turned back to the woman to see a wide smirk on her lips. "Really?"

"Okay, fine I'll stop." She gave in, raising her hands in defeat.

"How's Maddox doing?"

"He's with Abbey now. He's having meds by a drip to help."

Nora nodded, before the pair slowly walked back into the main room to see Bellamy ending the story animatedly. The eleven small children who surrounded him squealed in excitement before piling onto the cadet. A smile slipped back onto her lips as he laughed along with them.

"Roar!" The sudden noise made their squeals of delight louder as he lurched up, with Jimmy over his shoulder and ran around in circles. Mid-run, Bellamy's dark brown eyes met hers and he gave her a wickedly charming smile. Dropping Jimmy down onto his feet, he lowered down to the kids' level, whispering something to them.

Seconds later, they let out yells as they surged towards Nora and Gwen with bright gleaming smiles on every one of their faces. Their hands reached out to tickle the pair.

Nora couldn't remember the last time she had seen all the kids playing together so happily. Through all the crappy, awful things that were happening on the Ark, these kids were still little balls of sunshine.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist suddenly. Before she could protest, she was lifted onto a shoulder and flew through the room. Bellamy. Reaching for something to hold, she grabbed the back of his shirt that her eyes were level with. His hands held her legs to his chest tightly and when he ran faster around the room, she screamed. The kids ran along behind them chasing the pair and Nora gripped Bellamy tighter. "You ass." She muttered to only him and he just laughed a little bit louder.

The kids had never been happier and neither had she.

A/N: I feel like we need a bit of happiness for these two, they deserve it. I'm glad that everyone is enjoying reading more about their time on the Ark. I feel that we never got to see enough of it for the 100 really, except for flashbacks of them.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, love hearing what you guys think! :)