AN: Hey, guys, sorry for the late update. I had a really busy week, which turned into a really shitty week, and I just wasn't feeling it… but it's Saturday, which has been a little better than the last few days, so let's do this. Time for South America, where I've never been, but it was a lot of fun to explore with Google Maps, so hopefully it'll be fun for you guys too!
I don't own anything relating to The 100
Chapter title from "All We Have Is Now" by Ross Copperman
49
Waves on the Ocean, Hearts in the Sand
Their last couple of days in Bora Bora basically fly by, and not just because they sleep until noon the day after Clarke's birthday. They go snorkeling in the afternoon, and then it's the last day, even though they have their room for the whole day and their flight doesn't leave until the evening. It's still their last day, and neither of them can really relax and enjoy it as much as they probably should.
"So, Peru up next, right?" Bellamy asks once they're at the airport.
"Eventually, yeah," she confirms. "Long flight first, though."
"Yeah?"
"We're not getting to Cusco until Monday morning." She lets out a sigh. "But this is the last really long flight, at least."
"That's something, I guess." He leans his head against the wall behind them and closes his eyes. "But we'll get to see Machu Picchu, so it's all good."
Clarke leans her head against his shoulder and closes her eyes, feels his arm go around her. "Say that again after two eight hour flights, two short ones and a bunch of layovers."
He just groans in response.
The do end up managing to sleep almost the entire flight from Papeete to Los Angeles, though, probably because it leaves at midnight and they're both tired after being a little on edge all day, so they're fairly coherent during the two hour layover in LA.
"This feels wrong," Bellamy notes when they're grabbing some breakfast.
"Going through the US to get from Bora Bora to Peru, you mean?" she asks, taking a sip of her orange juice.
"Yeah. I mean, we're not going to LA, obviously, but it's still weird, being back in the States but not really back, you know?"
"I guess."
The rest of the trip isn't as much fun. The flight from LA to Lima is another nine hours, but now neither of them are really tired so they end up watching movies the whole time, and they can't sleep during the layover at the airport, and then it's just another hour and a half to Cusco.
They land at six in the morning, local time, which means that they've been awake for over twenty hours.
Again.
"You'd think we'd eventually get used to this," Clarke grumbles when they're in line for a cab.
"Nope, there's no getting used to this, it's not natural," Bellamy replies. "The human body is not meant to stay awake this long. Come to think of it, it's probably not meant to keep going between different time zones and shit either."
"That sounds right. All I know is I'm so tired I don't even remember my name."
"Clarke," he supplies, helpfully.
She narrows her eyes at him but his are completely closed, so he doesn't see. "Thank you," she says, hoping the sarcasm comes across despite the fact that she can barely remain upright.
"No problem," he assures her, reaching out to, she assumes, pat her shoulder but hitting her in the nose instead. "Sorry!"
They both feel more like human beings after a couple of hours of sleep at their hotel, at least, and set out to explore the city a little.
To Clarke, Cusco was more or less a pit stop on their way to Machu Picchu, the nearest city with a large airport, even if they'll have to take first a bus and then a train to actually get to the ancient Inca city. The only reason she didn't book the bus to Ollantaytambo, from where they're taking the train to Machu Picchu for a day long visit, the same day they arrived was that she figured they'd be tired from the long flight and it sounded nice to have a day to relax and charge their batteries.
But Bellamy, of course, has researched the place and has a list of places he wants to see before they move on, and she's more than happy to give him free rein.
So they spend the morning strolling around the city. Their hotel is right by the main square Plaza de Armas, so they're really slap bang in the middle of all the action and both the church La Compañia and the cathedral are basically on their doorstep. They check those out first, before continuing along a winding, narrow street leading off the square, past souvenir shops and restaurants, eventually finding the old wall of an Inca palace, impressive with its huge, smooth stones. A few twists and turns later, they arrive at the Santo Domingo convent, built on the ruins of the Inca temple Coricancha.
"It's a shame the original temple was destroyed," Bellamy notes, voice thoughtful, when they're standing in the middle of the courtyard.
"It is," Clarke agrees. "What happened to it?"
He shrugs one shoulder. "The same thing that happened to a lot of the native places of worship, the conquistadors tore it down when they got here. Some stonework is all that remains, but it used to be an amazing place, the walls were lined with sheets of solid gold and there were statues and stuff in gold as well. All taken down and melted."
"It must have been breathtaking."
He gives her a half-smile. "Yeah."
They take a roundabout way back to the square, past the church and convent of La Merced, and grab a late lunch in the shadows of the arcades lining the open space, trying out some local delicacies.
The afternoon is spent at Museo Inca, where they get a better understanding of the culture, learning about its rise and fall and admiring art and pottery, jewelry and textiles.
Their bus leaves at two in the afternoon the next day, but they still have time to check out the San Pedro market in the morning, with a pit stop at San Francisco church and monastery on the way, and even climb the steep hill up to the ruins of the old fortified complex Sacsayhuaman. The massive ramparts are impressive, and the view of the city below, nestled in the valley, with mountains reaching towards the sky all around, is absolutely stunning. After a quick lunch on the way down, they're back at their hotel a little after one.
"OK, so we need to pack what we need for tomorrow," Clarke says, emptying her carry-on bag out onto the bed.
"We're not bringing everything?" Bellamy asks.
She shakes her head. "No, you can only bring small bags on the bus, so we'll have to leave the rest here. We're not checking out, so it's not a problem."
"Oh, I thought we were. Seems like a waste to keep a hotel room for two nights when we're not even here," he notes.
"It was just the way it made most sense, with the luggage restrictions," she explains. "Actually, come to think of it, we might as well pack everything up so we don't have to do that when we get back on Thursday. The bus is supposed to get in at eleven in the morning, and our flight isn't until five thirty, but you never know."
So they get everything they need packed into their backpacks, and the rest into their suitcases, and still manage to make the bus stop with ten minutes to spare.
The bus ride is definitely an experience, especially the last half hour or so, when the road is sandwiched in between the Urubamba River on one side and the mountains on the other.
Clarke knew that they were already high in the mountains, and they actually travel further down on their way to Ollantaytambo, but somehow she feels it in a different way here. Their hotel is near the station where the train to Machu Picchu will depart from, with mountains on all sides, their peaks shrouded in white, fluffy clouds.
"So we'll be spending all day at Machu Picchu tomorrow, and then the train back to Cusco leaves early on Thursday, right?" Bellamy asks once they've checked into the hotel.
"Well, we're meeting the guide in Aguas Calientes at ten, but the train ride is an hour and a half, so we're leaving at eight. The drive from the village to Machu Picchu is twenty minutes or so, then we're doing a two hour tour, half an hour for lunch, and another two hours, so we'll be done around three. There is a train back here at ten minutes to four, but that would be cutting it a little close, with the drive back to the village, so I booked the next one, which leaves at four twenty, and we'll be back here a little after six." She pauses to catch her breath and glance at him. "So yeah, pretty much an all-day thing, and we won't have any daylight after we get back, so if there's anything you want to do here, we should probably get that done today."
He huffs a laugh. "Am I that obvious?"
"Only to me," she assures him, leaning up for a brief kiss. "Come on, let's get going, you can tell me what we're checking out on the way."
So they head off along what appears to be the main road leading into the town.
"Right, so Ollantaytambo is actually also a pretty important archaeological site," Bellamy starts once they've gotten their bearings. "It was conquered by an Inca emperor back in the fifteenth century and became a part of his personal estate, so there was a lot of work done – fancy buildings for the nobility, terracing the mountain sides, irrigation systems… Actually, some of the oldest, continuously inhabited buildings in South America are here, which is pretty cool."
"So is that where we're going?"
He shrugs. "I don't know which buildings are that old, but we'll probably pass some pretty old ones on the way. No, we're going to Temple Hill, which are fortified terraces leading to an Inca temple. The temple itself was never finished, but what was built is pretty well preserved, plus you have an amazing view of the valley below." He squints ahead of them for a moment, before lifting his hand to point. "It should be that, over there, up on the hillside, see? And on the opposite side of the valley, there are old Inca granaries and storage buildings. Those are pretty difficult to get to, though, a really steep climb, so I figure we can just check those out from down in the town."
They take a bit of a roundabout way through the town, past the main square and then along the street right below the eastern mountain. They get a pretty good view of the granaries above the town when they get close to them, so they snap a few pictures, and then cut west, back through the winding streets. There's a small market in the square at the foot of the mountain, and they peruse the stalls selling mostly souvenirs for a little while.
It's a good thing they left the hotel when they did, because they end up exploring the old ruins on the hilltop until the sun sets and they have to start climbing back down the terraces before darkness falls completely. They find a nice restaurant on the main square before returning to the hotel, where they turn in early to prepare for the day ahead.
-100-
The sun has already risen when they get up on Wednesday, despite it being only six thirty. The mist is still clinging to the ground around them, not only the mountaintops, which creates an almost ethereal landscape when they leave the hotel.
"It's almost like a fairy tale," Clarke murmurs, not sure why she's keeping her voice down other than the otherworldly atmosphere.
"I know what you mean," Bellamy agrees, eyes fixed on the meadows across the street from the hotel, where the white mist is swirling around. "I don't have a lot of happy memories from my childhood… I mean, I love Octavia, and all my memories of her are happy, sort of, but they're also tainted, with everything…"
She reaches out to squeeze his hand. "I know."
He shoots her a grateful smile before continuing. "There's one, though, even if I sometimes doubt it's an actual memory… I think it must have been when we were moving from Detroit to New Jersey, because we were driving for a whole night. Don't ask me why we didn't just go during the day, I guess my mom would have had her reasons. Anyway, I remember waking up in the backseat in the early morning, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, nothing but fields all around. And the mist was playing over them, just like this." He nods at the mist in question. "Mom told me it was the fairies, dancing. I have no idea why it stuck in my mind, but it did…"
"It's a nice memory," she tells him, leaning lightly against his shoulder, even though it's not particularly comfortable while they're walking. She wants to be close. "And a nice thought."
"I guess," he says with a shrug. "I don't know where it came from, she was usually pretty straight forward, never sugar coating anything. Maybe it was something her parents told her and she just thought of in the moment, who knows."
Clarke stays quiet until they reach the tracks, and while they grab some coffee for the trip, and when they watch the train rolling into the station. Once they've found their seats, she picks up the conversation, though. They're not alone, of course, the train is pretty much full, but she doubts any of the other tourists have any interest in what they're talking about.
"Listen, I know your mom's parents kicked her out when she was a teenager," she starts, and Bellamy pulls his attention from the large window next to her. "But did you ever think about looking them up?"
He frowns for a moment, as if the question never occurred to him. "Not really," he then says. "I mean, social services suggested it, after Mom died, but based on what she used to say about them, I didn't think they would take it that well, if me and O just showed up on their doorstep. I mean, if you kick your sixteen-year-old daughter out of the house for kissing a guy, would you really want to have anything to do with her two illegitimate children?"
It's a fair point, of course, and basically the reason she didn't bring it up until now, even though it's been sort of brewing somewhere on a back burner ever since they talked about his grandparents back in France.
"I get what you're saying," she tells him as the train lurches a little and then starts moving out of the station. "And they might have reacted that way, but… wouldn't you rather know that, and not just assume?"
Bellamy's eyes stray to the window again, but she knows he's not just brushing her off. And, sure enough, a few minutes later, he lets out a long breath.
"I have thought about it," he admits. "I mean, I managed to convince social services to give me a chance taking care of O before contacting them, so I don't think they ever did, and Mom definitely never reached out to them after she left home… they probably don't even know they have grandchildren, or that Mom's dead."
"They might not," Clarke agrees, trying to choose her next words carefully. "And I'm not saying that your mom lied to you or anything, absolutely not, but… there are always two sides to every story. I might not have personal experience, but I know from pop culture that everything is basically life or death when you're a teenager. It might have been some… ultimatum situation, you know, 'as long as you live under our roof you do as we say', or 'if you leave this house, young lady, don't you think about coming back', and she took it literally. They might not have actually meant to kick her out…"
The corner of his mouth turns up in a fond half-smile. "Basically that exact thought has crossed my mind, more than once. Only, you know, without the whole 'no personal experience' part. Seriously, don't say stuff like that, you sound like some sort of alien trying to pass off as a human."
She elbows him lightly in the side. "Shut up. But… maybe you should think about looking them up when we're back stateside?"
They won't have that much time when they are, of course, but if they fly instead of drive, they could take a day-trip to Chicago, assuming his grandparents still live there.
Bellamy gives her a suspicious look. "You didn't already find them, did you?"
"Of course not." She throws in an eye roll for good measure. "I don't even know their names. Octavia was easy, I just had to do a Facebook search and there she was, but Blake is a pretty common last name and Chicago is a big city, I need a little more to go on than that."
"Right, I thought maybe you'd had Raven use my mom's name to find them or something."
Clarke considers that for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't put it past Raven to be able to do that, but it actually hadn't occurred to me."
He laughs softly at that, once again turning his attention to the view beyond the window. "Good to know."
"So did we decide on something?" she has to ask after a minute, when he seems to be finished with the conversation. "Do you want to look them up?"
Bellamy nods slowly, not looking at her. "Might as well, right? Even if they don't want anything to do with us. Get all my ducks in a row before…"
He cuts himself off, but she knows what he was about to say, of course, and her eyes flick to the Number on his forehead for the first time in… weeks, she realizes. 45. In just two weeks, she'll be able to go into the app to claim the Transfer, and then…
Clarke slams the breaks on the thought firmly. She knows Bellamy has been looking forward to today, and she has too. She's not going to bring them both down by focusing on the future. Or the lack of a future.
"OK," she says, pitching her voice deliberately cheerful. "So when we get to San Francisco, we'll see if we can find them just using the internet, and if not, I'll get Raven on it. If they're still in Chicago, we can do a day-trip there once we're back in New York, and if they've moved somewhere else, we'll figure it out."
The smile he gives her is indulgent, and she knows he knows exactly what she's doing. He doesn't call her out on it, though, so she figures it's fine.
To her great relief, the scenery around the train track once they've left Ollantaytambo behind soon draws both of their attention, and they spend the rest of the train ride admiring the river, which follows the track like a shadow most of the way, the surrounding mountaintops, some of them capped in snow, and the occasional village and ruin they can spy from the train.
The bus station in Aguas Calientes is already teeming with people when they get there, but their guide has one of those plaques with their names on it. Or, well, close enough – it says 'Clark Griffen and Belamie Black'.
"Mister Griffen," he greets Bellamy when they've reached him.
Bellamy gives him an amused look. "Mister Blake, actually, but call me Bellamy. This is Miss Griffin."
The man looks slightly flustered for a moment but then smiles. "My apologies, this was what they sent me, I made assumptions. Miss Griffin," he says, turning to Clarke and offering her his hand as well. "Welcome to Aguas Calientes, my name is Juan and I will be your guide today."
"Thank you," she replies, shaking his hand. "And call me Clarke."
"Clarke." With one final smile, he turns to gesture at a Jeep some ways off. "Right this way."
Clarke's glad they didn't decide to drive themselves to Machu Picchu during the ride from the village to the archaeological site. It's obvious that Juan's very familiar with the road, but she had a look at it on Google Maps when she was booking all of their trips, and it's pretty much the definition of a serpentine road, with the added bonus of a sheer drop about five inches from the road. They meet a large tourist bus about halfway up, with them on the outside, and it feels like they're halfway over the edge.
But they make it up, of course, leaving the Jeep in the parking lot and setting off on foot.
"We have to walk the last part," Juan explains when he's led them to the path, which is stunning in its own right, hugging the mountain and offering a 180 degree view of the surrounding range. The mist still hasn't cleared the highest peaks, but the sky is a clear blue and the sun is shining. It's not too hot, which might be good, considering they're going to be walking in the sun all day, but the temperature is still pleasant.
Juan talks as they walk, telling them about the Inca people, the importance of this place, and its history, Bellamy piping in now and then, which seems to delight Juan.
And then they climb some stairs, take a couple of turns, and there it is, Machu Picchu, laid out below them.
"Whoa…" Bellamy breathes, eyes widening and mouth dropping open slightly, and Clarke has no doubt that she has a similar expression on her face.
"This is amazing," she says, because it is, even if it feels… inadequate.
"This is my favorite part," Juan says from a few steps ahead of them. He's not looking down at the ruins, but back at the two of them. "I have seen this place so many times now, but seeing it through someone else's eyes the first time they see it, that is still amazing."
He gives them another few minutes to take it all in, and to get some pictures, and then ushers them along the path. He tells them that he'll keep his guiding to when they're stopped, since they need to watch where they're going, which seems like a good idea – Clarke has no interest at all in going rolling down the stone terraces because she's not paying attention to where she puts her feet and slips.
They pass a couple of the famous on site llamas, and Juan insists on getting a photo of both of them with the animals, so they pose, Bellamy trying to not burst out laughing when one of them starts nibbling on his sweater. Juan snaps a bunch of photos before handing the camera back, and leading them along again.
They spend the first two hours of the tour outside the actual city, exploring the end of the Inca trail, the terraces, the old guard house and the cemetery, before climbing a peak to get the iconic photos of the ruin city surrounded by the mountains. They even get photo bombed by a llama on the way down, which Juan assures them is like a rite of passage here.
They're not technically allowed to eat on the actual site, so they head back along the path to a spot where they are, and Juan unpacks a backpack Clarke didn't even notice before, setting out sandwiches and water for them. It's not, objectively, the best meal she's ever had, but the setting definitely puts it in the top ten.
When they've had their fill, they return along the path, this time heading straight through the old wall and into the actual city. The next two hours are a blur of amazing ruins and views, Juan telling them everything he knows about each one – the different temples, the Royal Palace, Sacred Plaza, and Sun Gate.
They actually go over their allotted time, and just barely manage to thank Juan before they have to hurry to catch the train back. They make it with a few minutes to spare, and both slump into their seats, lost in thought for a long moment as the train heads out and picks up speed.
Then Bellamy lets out a long, deep breath. "That was… I don't even know how to describe it."
Clarke nods, scooting closer so she can lean her head against his shoulder, and his arm comes around her. "I know what you mean, it was so amazing, but that doesn't feel like enough, somehow."
He hums in agreement, his grip around her tightening, and she feels him lean his head on top of hers.
The scenery is just as stunning on the way back, and even more so when they catch the sun setting an hour or so into the trip, painting the mountainsides in a multitude of colors before dropping below the horizon.
Just like she predicted, it's completely dark by the time they make it back to Ollantaytambo, and they decide against venturing out when they're finally back in their hotel room, instead trying out the on-site restaurant. Somehow, they manage to run into another American couple on the way there, and end up eating with them. They just arrived at the hotel and are heading to Machu Picchu tomorrow, so they listen eagerly to Clarke and Bellamy's experience of the site.
They end up staying at the restaurant until it closes at midnight, laughing and drinking with the couple, Callie and Jacapo, and having a good time in general.
So it's been a very long day when they finally make it to bed, and while they end up wrapped around each other as soon as they're both under the covers, neither of them even try to initiate anything.
"Good day?" Clarke asks quietly, sliding a hand across Bellamy's chest and finding her favorite spot to nuzzle her nose against his throat. He gets one arm underneath her, trailing his fingers up and down her back once, his other thumb rubbing circles against the skin on her elbow.
"Amazing day."
AN: Bellamy's memory of "fairies dancing" is actually my memory – I have an aunt who lives way up north in Sweden, while we're in the south, and we usually visit her every other year. When me and my sister were little, we'd drive up overnight and we'd sleep in the backseat, and one of my strongest childhood memories is waking up when we're parked somewhere with a view of a meadow with the mist swirling around… I don't know where I heard that it's fairies dancing, but it's kind of sweet, I think