AN: We're continuing through Great Britain – next stop London! Another of my favorite cities… Also reconnecting with some old friends, and we get a little more info on Soul Keepers
As always, I don't own anything relating to The 100
Chapter title from (obviously?) "London Calling" by The Clash
28
London Calling to the Faraway Towns
They get an early start on Sunday, just grabbing some breakfast before checking out of the hotel and hitting the road, Clarke behind the wheel to maneuver them out of the city and onto the M6. Once they're on the highway, though, they take turns driving, switching at rest stops. Bellamy is a little tense the first few minutes he's behind the wheel, but seems to get used to it pretty quickly.
It's the weekend, so there's more traffic than there was during their drive from Edinburgh to Glasgow, but they still make good time. Even with a couple of bathroom stops and a longer stop for food somewhere a few miles after the greater Liverpool-Manchester area, it's not quite two in the afternoon when Clarke spots the first sign for Stratford.
"Hey…" she starts, unlocking her phone and opening Google Maps. "You want to make a quick stop in Stratford-upon-Avon? You know, where Shakespeare was born?"
Bellamy's driving but glances at her at the question. "We have time for that?"
"It should be fine," she assures him, checking the time the app says it should take from there to Wells and Sasha's place in Notting Hill. "It's only another two hours to London, if we spend an hour or so here we should still arrive by seven, even if the traffic's horrible the last bit. Wells promised to make sure there's food if we give him a heads-up before we get there, and we don't have anything else planned tonight. Or we'll be passing Oxford a little further on, if you'd rather stop there."
"No, I think Stratford would be more interesting," he decides. "So am I getting off soon?"
"Not for a while, just stay in the left lane, maybe there's a rest stop where we can switch before the exit."
There isn't, but Bellamy handles the turn-off and subsequent roundabouts fine, only pulling into a driveway on the side of the road when they get onto the narrower A439.
"Maybe we'd better switch before I turn into oncoming traffic," he suggests, giving her a sheepish look.
Clarke laughs a little at that. "Sure."
She's not sure when she was in Stratford last – she does have a vague memory of having visited Shakespeare's birth place at some point with Wells, probably when they lived in London back in the fifties and early sixties, and wants to say that there were a lot of half-timber cottages with thatched roofs, but honestly, that could describe any village in the British countryside at the time. Besides, the town has probably changed since then, so she sets the satnav to a public parking lot in the center of town before she pulls onto the road again.
It turns out her memory is pretty spot on. While some of the houses lining the pedestrian street in the middle of town look new-ish, there are still a lot of half-timbered buildings, though most of the roofs are tile these days.
They stop outside the old building where William Shakespeare was born and raised, but decide against going inside, since they don't know how long the tour might take and they want to get going soon again. Continuing down the street, they stop for a coffee before returning the way they came. Outside the coffee shop are two old-fashioned red phone booths, and Bellamy refuses to keep going until Clarke takes a photo of him in one of them.
"There'll be a lot of these in London too, you know," she tries to tell him, but he's adamant, so she gives in.
The traffic picks up a little as they get closer to London, and when the satnav says they have half an hour left, Clarke calls Wells.
"Hello?" his voice echoes in the car.
"Hey, Wells."
"Hi, you getting close?"
She glances at the satnav. "The system says twenty-eight minutes, but there's some traffic, so probably make that forty-five minutes to an hour, at least."
"Anything in particular you're in the mood for your first night in London, or will Sasha's cooking do?"
She considers for a moment. "Think she can make her chicken enchilada casserole?" She glances at Bellamy. "It is so good."
Wells chuckles over the line. "She did pick up the ingredients for that earlier, so you're in luck."
"Yes! How's parking looking?"
"The driveway's available for you guys, I moved the car to the street earlier."
"Great, see you in anywhere between half an hour and, I don't know, two hours then. You never know with London traffic."
"Drive safe."
They continue on their way and soon enough turn off the highway and onto Holland Park Avenue. Clarke knows the way, of course, but she leaves the satnav on anyway, so when she takes a left before the system wants her to, it of course objects to the detour.
"You made the satnav lady angry," Bellamy notes amusedly, reaching out to turn it off. "I'm guessing you have a reason?"
"There's usually a lot of traffic on Ladbroke Grove," she tells him. "This way's a little longer, but it's almost always faster." He hums in agreement and within minutes, she's pulling into the off street parking space in front of Wells and Sasha's house. "Here we are."
Bellamy gets out of the car and looks around. "I feel like I'm in Notting Hill," he notes.
"You are," she tells him with a frown.
"No, I know. I meant the movie."
"Oh. Well, one of the houses further up this street was used for exterior shots, I'm pretty sure," she says. "And there are those little private gardens all over the place. Wells should have the key to the one behind this house, remind me to ask him so we can take a look at some point. Unless you want the full movie experience and prefer climbing the wall?"
"Key's fine, thanks."
Clarke freezes in the middle of reaching out to grab her bag from the trunk of the car. "Hang on… you've seen Notting Hill?"
He sighs. "Not voluntarily. O had a Hugh Grant phase when she was, like, twelve," he explains. "I don't know how many times I saw that damn movie, it was her favorite."
"Aw, poor baby," she teases with a laugh. "So you want to go looking for the blue door?"
He gives her a withering look. "Funny."
She grabs her bag, slamming the trunk closed and looping her arm through Bellamy's. "Don't worry," she assures him. "It's not actually there, anyway."
He groans but lets her pull him along towards the front door.
Wells opens before she can even knock, a big smile on his face.
"Welcome!" he exclaims, stepping aside and waving them into the hallway. "Let me take those." Clarke hands over her bag and he grabs Bellamy's too before heading towards the stairs. "Sasha's in the kitchen, you know where it is. I'll just put these in your regular room."
She offers him a smile. "Thanks, Wells." She opens the door to the hallway closet and they both hang their jackets up and remove their shoes before venturing further into the house.
"This is… not what I was expecting," Bellamy notes quietly.
"No? What were you expecting?"
He shrugs. "I don't know, more traditional, I guess. Maybe dark wainscoting, heavy velvet curtains, winged leather armchairs…"
She can't help but laugh. "You just described Wells' office to a T. But the rest of the house is mostly Sasha."
Which means light base colors, minimalistic décor but large, comfy furniture and plenty of details in bold accent colors.
"Did I hear my name?" the woman in question asks as they turn into the huge kitchen, which is open to the living room that runs along the entire back of the house. "Hi, guys!"
She comes to greet them in the middle of the room, giving Clarke a tight hug before pulling a slightly surprised Bellamy into one as well.
"Hi, Sash, it's good to be here," Clarke says when the hugs are done. "And the food smells amazing, as usual."
Sasha bends down to check the oven. "It should be another ten minutes. Come on, I have wine – I assume you need it after a day on the road!"
By the time Wells comes into the kitchen, all three of them are seated at the large table with glasses of chardonnay in front of them.
"So, Bellamy…" he starts when he's grabbed himself a glass and joined them. "Have you gotten over the shock of finding out about Soul Keepers yet?"
Clarke almost chokes on her wine, but Bellamy just chuckles. "I think so. The dying thing might take a little longer though… not that I have that much time to get used to it." Everyone goes silent for a long moment before he continues. "Come on, it was just a joke, guys!"
Wells and Sasha start laughing, sounding a little relieved, and Clarke tries to join in, but it feels hollow, and she knows she's a little distracted the rest of the evening.
Which Bellamy of course notices. "What's wrong, Princess?" he asks as they climb the stairs later. "You've been quiet all night."
She shrugs. "It's nothing, just… I don't really like it when you… talk about it."
He looks confused for a moment but then he grimaces. "Sorry, I should have thought about that. I really was just joking."
"I know." She gives him a smile she hopes will assure him that she's OK and changes the topic. "So what did you think of Sasha's food? Amazing, right?"
He gives her a long look but doesn't call her out on her obvious subject change. "It really was, yeah."
Still, when Bellamy's fast asleep a little later, Clarke stays awake next to him, trying and failing to push his words out of her mind.
It takes a long time before she finally succumbs to sleep.
-100-
London isn't quite as intense as Dublin was, possibly because Wells hasn't planned anything for them and both he and Sasha are working – they both do volunteer work, Wells at an animal sanctuary and Sasha at a sort of group home for teenagers who have gotten into trouble or just need a safe place for whatever reason. They're taking some time off to go with Clarke and Bellamy on their two-day-trip down to Devon, but for now, they're on their own.
On Monday morning, they all have breakfast together before Sasha leaves for a Transfer, Wells for the shelter, and Clarke and Bellamy for their first day of sightseeing in London.
"So what's on the agenda today?" Bellamy asks as they enter Holland Park subway station.
"We're starting at the Tower," she tells him. He knows everything they're doing, but he hasn't wanted to look at the actual itinerary since he thinks it takes some of the fun out of traveling.
"Nice."
She's not sure 'nice' is the word she'd use to describe the Tower. She's visited before, while she lived here back in the fifties, and gruesome might be a better description, especially when you think about all the horrible things that have happened there over the centuries.
She watches Bellamy more than she watches the different exhibits, enjoying the way his eyes light up at a particularly interesting piece of historical information.
After a couple of hours in the fortress, they cross Tower Bridge, climbing up to the shielded walkway to admire the views of the city from there, before setting out along the south bank of the Thames.
They pass The Shard in the distance, but decide against its viewing platform in favor of taking a tour in the London Eye later, hoping that the clouds that are gathering at the horizon won't result in rain. They do stop at the Globe theatre, though, just checking out the exterior and the areas inside that are free to visit.
Clarke had estimated three hours at the Tower, so since they're making good time, they take a brief detour across Millennium Bridge to check out St. Paul's Cathedral before getting back on track. They grab some lunch before they reach the London Eye and don't have to wait too long to climb aboard one of the pods.
"So, what do you think of London so far?" she asks while they're moving slowly towards the top of the wheel, the city in question spreading out underneath them.
There are only two more people in their pod, a Japanese couple in their fifties or so, chattering animatedly about what they're seeing and snapping photo after photo with their phones. Bellamy has Raven's camera raised and has taken a couple of pictures, but seems to prefer watching the view.
"So far, I get why you love it," he replies, giving her a smile. "I didn't really see London as a historic destination, to be honest, it was more… I wanted to go here, experience the city, see the Tower, of course, Buckingham Palace… but I could probably keep myself busy for weeks, maybe even months, just exploring the different sites with historical value around the city."
She understands what he means, she thinks – at first glance, London is like any other bustling, modern city with millions of inhabitants, but as soon as you scratch the surface, you find so much more, layers and layers of history stretching all the way back to the Romans. They actually passed a part of the old Roman city wall on their walk from the tube to the Tower earlier, and they'll be checking out both an old Roman amphitheater and a temple that Clarke didn't even know existed while they're here.
She desperately wants to tell him that he'll be able to explore all he wants, but she knows it would be a lie. They only have a week here, and she knows they won't be back. There's not time for that.
Almost like Bellamy's read her mind, he comes over to where she's sitting on the bench in the middle and joins her, pulling her against his side. "Stop thinking so much," he murmurs in her ear. "Let's just enjoy this, make the most of the days we have in the city, OK? That was your idea, remember?"
Clarke nods, swallowing down the lump in her throat and putting on a smile. "Of course."
They take a silly selfie at the top of the wheel, for Raven's benefit, and then continue gazing out over London on the way down. Bellamy keeps whispering silly made up stories about different buildings they see, making her laugh out loud and startle their Japanese companions, and by the time they leave the pod again, she's managed to push the sad thoughts away.
For the moment.
They set out along the river once more, climbing the stairs up to Westminster Bridge a few minutes later and crossing the Thames for the second time. Big Ben is wrapped in scaffolding and barely visible, but they do have a nice view of the Houses of Parliament, and Bellamy pauses to take some more pictures.
Soon after, they reach their third stop of the day – Churchill's War Rooms, a museum housed in underground facilities used by the British government during the Second World War. This is new to Clarke as well, since it didn't open until two decades after she left London, and she hasn't gotten around to visiting during any of her trips since. She did experience the war, at least from the American side, so she honestly hasn't really felt a need to.
It's interesting, though, she has to admit. Even if the best part is watching Bellamy take in the different displays behind glass walls, the map room, the war cabinet room…
It's a little after three when they emerge into the fresh air again, and Clarke pauses on the street. She doesn't really have anything else planned today, but they're close to Westminster Abbey.
"Do you want to check out Westminster while we're here?" she asks, giving Bellamy a questioning look. "They close at three thirty today, so we should probably get a move on if you do."
He just chuckles and grabs her by the hands. "Stop. Breathe. Slow down, OK? We don't have to hurry, I'm not that interested in going inside, it's enough to just have a look from the outside."
She hesitates. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"OK." She frowns. "Are you tired? Do you want to take the tube back, or we could get an Uber?"
He hasn't shown any signs of being tired, but they have been basically walking for the past six hours, so it wouldn't surprise her. Now that they're standing still, she can feel her feet aching a little.
"I'm fine, Princess, don't worry," he assures her with a smile though. "It's not even dark yet, is there anything else you want to do in this area?"
She considers that for a moment. "Well, Buckingham Palace is pretty close by."
"Great. Let's check that out, and then…how far would it be to walk back to Wells and Sasha's place?"
Clarke's not completely sure, so she pulls out her phone and opens her maps. "Google says around an hour and fifteen minutes, so pretty far."
He leans in to be able to see the little map too. "I don't mind. And look, we'd be going through Hyde Park, I want to check that out anyway. And Kensington Gardens, if we take just a little detour we can cover Kensington Palace as well. What do you say?"
She doesn't really have to think about it, she loves strolling through Hyde Park, and this way they're clearing up all of Sunday, which she had put down for checking out both Buckingham Palace and the parks.
"I say that sounds like a plan."
So they head off, but instead of going back out to Birdcage Walk, they cross Horse Guards Road and enter St James's Park.
Buckingham Palace is much like Clarke remembers it – the black, cast iron fence with gilded spikes surrounding the huge building and the Victoria Memorial overlooking the area.
After admiring the palace for a bit, they continue up Constitutional Hill, past Wellington Arch, entering Hyde Park through the gate at Apsley House.
It's been a while since Clarke's visited London at this time of the year – she prefers spring, when the trees in the park break out in pretty flowers and the sun starts warming up the city. It's beautiful like this too, though. All traces of the park's Christmas attraction, Winter Wonderland, are gone by now, but the sun, weak as it is, is shining down on them, lighting their path. They follow The Serpentine and then The Long Water, passing the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, before taking a sharp left towards Kensington Palace.
By the time they finally turn onto Lansdowne Road again, it's dark, the first stars already appearing overhead.
"You only now getting back?" Wells asks with a raised eyebrow when they find him in the living room.
"Yup," Clarke confirms, flopping down next to him on the couch. "Long day."
Bellamy just chuckles as he continues into the kitchen. "You'd think we've been hiking a mountain or something," he teases. "It was just walking. Anybody want something to drink?"
"Grab me a beer, thanks," Wells calls back, giving Clarke an amused look which she rolls her eyes at.
"Me too!"
They order Indian for dinner – because Clarke is still of the firm opinion that Indian food is best in London, she has yet to find a restaurant in the tri-state area that do chicken tikka masala half as well as any of her favorite places in London – and basically just lounge around in front of the TV for the rest of the night.
Tuesday, they wake up to rain pounding violently against the windows, and instead of catching the tube, like Clarke had planned, she and Bellamy get a ride from Wells to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. They spend an hour or so exploring the home of the fictional detective, during which the downpour luckily lets up. The sky is still an angry shade of grey, but they get to Madame Tussauds dry, and that's really all you can ask on a day like this in London, as Clarke knows only too well.
They spend longer in the wax museum, before catching the tube from Baker Street to King's Cross, to check out Platform 9 ¾ and the Harry Potter Shop. They embrace the tourist aspect of it all and snap photos of each other with the luggage trolley embedded in the wall under a sign for the platform, before leaving the station for some lunch.
Once they're both completely stuffed, they wind their way down to Oxford Street, passing the British Museum, where Bellamy lingers longingly.
"Don't worry," Clarke assures him. "I wouldn't take you to London and make you miss the British Museum. We'll have all day here on Friday."
His eyes light up at that and he willingly lets her tug him along again, and soon they're in the middle of the hustle and bustle of London's main shopping street.
They're not really here to shop, of course, so they just stroll along, Clarke people watching and Bellamy admiring the varied architecture.
They've just turned onto Poland Street – on their way to the area around Carnaby Street, which Clarke loves – when they meet another Soul Keeper. It's not someone Clarke recognizes, but she nods at him almost out of habit, getting a half-smile and a nod in return.
"Did you know that guy?" Bellamy asks, turning to glance at the man over his shoulder. "I mean, nobody we've met so far has greeted us in any way, so I'm guessing it's not a London thing."
She shakes her head. "Oh, no, he was another Soul Keeper, it's sort of expected that we at least acknowledge each other when we run into each other," she explains.
"How do you know he's a Keeper?" Bellamy continues with a frown.
"No Number."
He just stares at her for a moment before realization dawns on him. "Of course, since you guys are technically immortal, you don't have Numbers."
"Nope," she confirms.
"So how many Soul Keeper do you think there are in London?"
Clarke considers the question for a moment as they cross Great Marlborough Street. "Well, when I lived here back in the fifties, there were about a hundred and twenty, I think. The population has grown since then, but I'm not sure the death rate has changed much, so I would guess somewhere between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and fifty, probably."
He takes in the information in silence for a moment. "I honestly don't know what I was expecting, so I can't say if I think that sounds like a lot or not. How many are there in New York?"
"Right now, there are a little over a hundred," she tells him. "In general, the number of Keepers in a specific city or area relates directly to the number of deaths in a year. We're expected to do on average two Transfers per day, though of course that varies a lot, some days you might have three or four, and others you don't have any at all. So for every seven hundred deaths or so in a year, there's one Keeper."
"What about really small towns?"
"In that case, you're assigned more than the town in question. When I lived in Clovelly, which only has a few hundred inhabitants, I had the whole county of Devon, along with three other Keepers."
"Oh." Bellamy nods thoughtfully. "Is the county large?"
"Not huge, but I did do a lot of driving during my years there."
"Huh." With that, he lets the topic go and turns his attention back to their surroundings – they've just reached Carnaby Street with its beautiful half-timbered houses and stroll around aimlessly for a while, before eventually finding their way to Regent Street and then Oxford Circus.
At New Bond Street, Clarke once again takes a left, and a few minutes later, they find themselves looking up at Claridge's impressive façade.
"A hotel, Princess?" Bellamy asks amusedly. "You know, if you're… in the mood, we can just head back to the house."
She punches him in the arm for that comment. "Please, if I wanted to have my way with you I wouldn't pick a hotel with rates that start at over a thousand pounds."
He abruptly stops chuckling. "Per night?"
"Per hour," she replies with a wink, stepping through the door when the doorman holds it open for them.
"I'm going to assume you're joking about that one," Bellamy says quietly, following her into the hotel.
It's been ages since Clarke had afternoon tea at Claridge's, but as soon as their selection is placed on the table in front of them, she remembers why the hotel gets the 'best afternoon tea in London' award year after year.
"God, I know we were talking about Chinese food tonight," Bellamy says as they leave the hotel some time later, emerging into the now dark street, "but I honestly don't think I can get anything more down today."
Clarke loops her arm through his and pulls him along in the right direction, back towards Oxford Street. "I know," she agrees. "Afternoon tea is deceptively filling."
It's almost six by now, and the street has filled with people while they were enjoying their food. Soon enough, though, they reach the park and leave Oxford Street and most of the crowds behind.
It's a surprisingly nice evening, considering the horrible morning, and as soon as they don't have to weave between people, they slow to a more leisurely pace – it is a bit of a walk back to Wells and Sasha's place, after all, and they're not in any hurry.
They walk mostly in silence, Clarke pointing out something they pass now and then, or Bellamy asking about something he finds interesting.
A sense of calm settles over Clarke as they slowly make their way through Bayswater and then Notting Hill, and she realizes that this is all she wants. She doesn't need a bunch of sights and attractions – not that she isn't enjoying showing them to Bellamy and watching the amazement on his face at whatever it is they're currently checking out – all she needs, all she wants is these quiet moments, the two of them simply enjoying each other's company.
For as long as she gets to.