Chapter 23

Sorry, it took so long... AHA, ya won't see this coming.

Bellamy held back his laugh as Clarke threw clothes around their room. She was pushing for 6 months and her bump had only gotten bigger, much to her dismay. Kane had invited them to another BBQ at his place, wanting to bring the family back together again a couple more times before Octavia got back into her classes, and because they hadn't had one since Bellamy had gone away.

"I can't go Bellamy." Clarke shook her head, her voice shaking.

Bellamy stood from the bed, seeing Clarke was now tearing up. The tears only made her angrier, the hormones in her body were out of control, and she hated it.

"Hey." He told her softly, pulling her into his arms. "You'll look beautiful in anything."

It wasn't that her clothes didn't fit, because Octavia had taken Clarke shopping for maternity clothes. The problem was that today, she didn't feel comfortable in any of them. They'd bought a lot of dresses and Clarke didn't want to show off her growing body today.

Clarke breathed Bellamy in, trying to stop her tears. After a couple of seconds, she pushed him away, turning back toward her dresser. Spotting a light grey material, Clarke in her bra and panties, walked out of the room.

Bellamy's brow frowned, he wasn't quite sure what she was us too, but he stayed put. After their little night out a couple of weeks back, he'd tried not to be all over her all the time. It wasn't easy for him, and if you asked Clarke she'd probably say he was still all over her. But he'd dialled back as much as he could, that was as much as she was going to get.

A moment later Clarke came back into the room, one of Bellamy's black zip-up hoodies that at been on the couch, in hand. She grabbed for the grey material in her dresser, not stopping, she made a B line for the bathroom.

Keeping his mouth shit Bellamy plopped back down onto the bed. About 10 minutes later, the bathroom door opened.

Bellamy smiled up at his girlfriend. She'd put on a grey maxi dress that clung to her, showing her belly. His black sweater, unzipped lay on her shoulders. Lastly, she pulled her hair out of her face into a braid.

She looked beautiful, Bellamy made sure to let her know. With one hand on her growing bump, the other going to the back of her neck. Bellamy pulled her in for a kiss.

Her being pregnant woke something primal in Bellamy, while he always had that alpha male characteristic, it just seemed heightened.

After a couple more kisses, Clarke pressed her hands against Bellamy's chest. He had no choice but to take a step back. With her belly between them, soon enough it would be hard to kiss her front on.

.

Octavia squealed when she saw Clarke, running up to her and feeling her stomach.

"I don't see you for a week and you've grown so much," Octavia said happily.

Clarke tried to hide her cringe, but Bellamy say it and laughed. Kissing her on the temple, before leaving the girls to catch up.

"SO how is he?" Octavia asked.

Both girls smiled, knowing she wasn't asking about baby Nate but was asking about the baby's father.

"He's Bellamy." Clarke sighed. "I love him, he seems happy. That's all I can hope for."

Octavia nodded, "And you've been good."

The blonde smiled, walking toward the picnic table, so she could get off her feet.

"When you're brother came home and my mom- and after what happened to her. I didn't expect my life to end up like this."

"Two years isn't a long time. Not even all of high school."

"It feels like an eternity. Every day felt like a week. Longer when Bellamy was gone." Clarke explained. "Now things are normal. As normal as they can be, that is."

Octavia laughed. "Yeah, life with my brother can't be normal."

Clarke agreed. She bit her lip, looking past her friend to her man. Bellamy and Kane were laughing by the grill.

"He's been great though."

"Bell was born to be a dad. Even if he wasn't, after he raised me he sure was ready for it. As much as I annoyed him, and as hard as it was. It's like Bellamy needs to take care of people. If he doesn't have someone, he'll find someone. As I said, once he had you to focus on, I got a break."

Clarke shook her head, hand going to her belly. "I'm just happy it's a boy."

"I think he is too." Octavia shot a thumb out in the direction of her brother.

"That poor girl wouldn't have a chance."

"She'd find a way," Octavia assured. "I always did."

"Girl foods ready!" Kane called them over.

Instead of sitting around the picnic table, the group found seats around the fire. Even though it was summertime, the nights were still chilly. At 8 in the afternoon, the heat from the fire was a welcomed addition.

"Ugg," Octavia complained. "I have Shumway this fall."

"Who?" Bellamy asked.

"That sleaze professor that keeps eye fucking Clarke whenever she use to visit me at lunch," Octavia explained.

"Whoa." Clarke broke away from her conversation with Kane to interject. "Octavia he was not."

"Oh no?" Octavia asked, leaning toward the blonde, a glint in her eye. "That's why he totally didn't touch your ass-"

"What?" Bellamy asked, already not liking the sound of this guy.

Clarke's eyes shifted to Bellamy, then rolled back to Octavia.

"It wasn't my ass, it was my back."

"Did you tell the dean?" Kane asked, now also involved in the conversion.

Clarke laughed humorlessly. "I don't even go there."

"But O does.-" Bellamy said.

"She's making it out worse than it was. He passed by me, and as people do, he touched my back to move me slightly so he didn't bump into me." Clarke looked at Octavia.

Sighing Octavia leaned back in her chair. "Fine maybe he didn't touch your ass, but there is no way he hasn't thought of you while he's home alone-"

Clarke stood quickly, taking her cup of water with her. "Okay!" She raised her voice. "Nobody here needs to hear you're conspiracy theory."

Octavia smiled as her friend retreated toward the house for a refill. "My theory is based on facts sister. Shumway has a thing for you."

Clarke shook her head, Octavia was something else. She loved to rile up her brother, Clarke sometimes just wished she wouldn't use his feelings for her as a way to do it.

Off to her right, there was a movement by the gate. Clarke wouldn't usually think anything of it, but the movement was accompanied by a throat clearing. When Clarke turned toward the noise, she was a figure of a man.

Once her body was turned and whoever it was had her full attention, the man moved toward her into the light. Clarke didn't feel her glass slip through her fingers. She was only faintly aware of the stinging on her outer ankle was the glass collided with the cement and shattered, a sharp piece cutting her.

.

Bellamy looked at his sister. "If that creep tries anything, you come to me."

Octavia rolled her eyes and takes another sip of her wine cooler. "Calm down big brother and save the hero act for your kid and baby mama."

Kane shook his head but smiled. It was nice to see the two siblings interacting and having fun together. Granted because of the topic, Octavia was having a little more fun than Bellamy at the moment, but it didn't matter.

"So you only have three years left to go?" Bellamy asked.

Octavia nodded. "Yup, but I think I'm going to take classes next summer, see if I can shave a year off."

Bellamy nodded, a little surprised his sister would give up summer for school work. He squinted at her, suddenly figuring out why, three years was now too many.

"The boyfriend."

Octavia blushed. "You know his name. Would it really hurt you to use it?"

Bellamy was about to reply with some witty comeback when he heard glass breaking behind him. Bellamy turned in his seat fully prepared to see Clarke pouting over a glass she accidentally tripped and broke. Instead, he saw her off to the side of the house, a man walking toward her.

"Hey!" He called out, getting up quickly and running over to them. "Hey, you!"

Clarke wasn't moving, she didn't even flinch as he barked in her direction, it was like she was frozen.

"Get away from her," Bellamy demanded, reaching out for Clarke as he came upon them.

"I knew you were the right choice." The man said, his voice gruff.

Bellamy felt better just having a grip on Clarke's arm, concealed by his sweater. He looked at the man, his brain glitching as he told his brain what he was seeing, and his brains told his eyes that it wasn't possible.

"The fuck." He couldn't help the curse that flew from his lips.

"Bellamy?" Octavia asked nervously behind him.

She and Kane had followed behind him. The older man seemed to have recognized who was before him as well. Bellamy heard him mutter how it wasn't possible.

Bellamy agreed, it just wasn't possible for Jake Griffin to be standing in front of him. But there he was.

.

Clarke couldn't see the man before her, at least not as he was. What she could see was grey stone at the cemetery, what she could see was a bloodied and beaten a severed head in a box. What she couldn't seem to see was the living breathing man standing before her.

"I know this is hard. You've been thought so much." Jake talked directly to his daughter. "I promise you, I will explain it all."

Even though his own shock, Bellamy pushed that down and looked over at Clarke. Her eyes were glossed over, her mind trapped in that dark place, no doubt recalling the last time she'd seen her father's face.

Bellamy stepped into her space. Calling to her softly.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Octavia asked.

"It's Clarke's father," Kane told her.

"What?" Octavia looked at the man.

"I don't understand." Clarke's voice was horse, her eyes showing no emotion.

"Clarke." Her dad reached out for her but Clarke stepped back like she was afraid of his hand.

Turning to Bellamy Clarke's eyes became pleading. "We saw it. You were there that day. I'm not the only one who saw inside that box." Both Clarke's hands were fisted in Bellamy's shirt.

Bellamy shook his head. "We saw it."

They stayed looking at each other in silence, for well over a minute.

Bellamy watched as Clarke's eyes stayed connected with his, trying to find answers. When it seemed she'd found what she'd been looking for, she slowly turned her head back toward her father.

"Dad?"

He smiled at her softly, his eye held many memories within them.

Clarke let out a sob, her hands flattening against Bellamy's chest. Standing up, she turned and launched herself straight into her father's arms.

"I saw it, I know I saw it." She sobbed. "I visited you."

Jake rubbed her back soothingly. "Shhh."

"No." Clarke's mood swings making it easy for her to quickly change from sobbing to angry. She pushed herself away from him. "Why'd you stay away. You aren't cut up or injured. You know how messed up I am because of you!?"

"Sweetheart if you just let me explain."

Clarke shook her head. Giving him a wide birth, Clarke walked quickly around him and through the fence.

Bellamy stood there a second, his brain still not able to make sense of what was happening. Once he couldn't see the blonde hair, as it disappeared around the front of the house, Bellamy's feet moved to follow her.

But he was stopped, Jake raised his hand to the front of Bellamy's shoulder. The young man looked at him.

"I'm staying on base. When she's ready, I will be too."

Bellamy gave a sharp nod, hurrying after his girlfriend.

.

Clarke felt her lungs burn for air. Baby Nate was wiggling around inside her like he having a one-man dance party. Instead of bringing her comfort, it only freaked her out even more.

She saw Bellamy coming toward her, she held out her hand and shook her head, not wanting him to touch her.

"Baby just breath." He told her, worried by what he was seeing.

Her face almost looked blue, she was this wheezing sound but she wasn't sucking in any air.

"Ahh." Clarke cried, bending forward and putting her palms flat to Bellamy's car. "I can't, I baby won't stop moving. Why is he moving so much."

While he refrained from touching her, Bellamy moved in close.

"He can feel that you're upset."

"I'm not upset." Clarke snapped, her anger coming back.

Bellamy took a beat, "This is a lot. I'm shaken up too. You won't get answers by staying out here."

"He's alive."

"He is." Bellamy reaffirmed her statement.

"Who's head was that?"

"I don't know."

Clarke looked at him, feeling a lot less overwhelmed as Nate settled.

"My dad's here." She whimpered, tears springing back to her eyes.

Bellamy smiled at her. "He is."

"I want to talk to him."

Nodding Bellamy reaches his hand out toward her. Clarke accepted, finding warmth in Bellamy's touch and strength.

Bellamy lead Clarke back into the backyard, where Kane was talking with Jake. Clarke felt like her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, all she wanted to do was throw up, get rid of this intense feeling.

They had Jake's attention as soon as they came through the fence. While he wanted to run over and hug his daughter, he forced himself to stay put and let her come to him.

"Hi." Clarke managed to get out.

Jake smiled, his forehead frowning slightly as he took in the fact that his daughter was buried into the side of the man he sanctioned to protect her.

"Clarke." He said, focusing back on his daughter.

"I want you to tell me everything." She demanded.

He tilted his head, "That might take a while-"

"I don't care. I've been living as an orphan, you left me alone again. I want to know."

Jake agreed with a nod, pointed toward the chairs, that were still set around the fire. Clarke nodded, grabbing Bellamy's hand in hers, letting him know she wanted him with her. While Kane and Octavia silently made their way into the house.

Clarke found the heat of the fire suddenly too much, in almost a panic she shoved the material toward Bellamy. Not stopping to think about what removing the sweater would reveal to her dad.

Jake froze halfway lowered into the seat, his eyes locked in on Clarke's belly. Clarke realized her mistake took the sweater back from Bellamy, sitting with it in front of her as she tried to hide her stomach.

"I'm around 6 months," Clarke told him.

Those words only seemed to upset Jake more, his face contorting into different emotions.

"I-" Jake started to say, but then stopped himself, not quite sure what he was going to say. "The last time I saw you were in Pike's basement, It took me months to figure out that you hadn't died in that explosion."

Clarke shuttered, remembering to bring in that basement, a big man pulling her father away from her. That had been the last time she'd seen her father until she got his head delivered to her.

"How long were you with Pike?" Clarke asked, getting them back on topic.

Jake looked down, "I saw the bomb go off... There were too many of them in the boat, when I fought back I was hit over the head with something. When I woke up, I was stripped of everything. I was in a desert wasteland, No clothes, I was cut up, and I had no memories."

The backyard was quiet as Jake told his tale, there wasn't a sound from the neighbours or Kane and Octavia inside, the lights weren't even on.

"I was confused, so I just started walking. There was nothing around for miles, it was all just flat. The sun was so hot, in the end, I passed out again. When I woke up I was in a cot, in some kind of med bay. The women there said I'd been found miles outside their small village. The only reason people were out riding that far is that in a couple of months they were migrating. The scouts brought me in, she said I'd been there for over a week."

"How long did you stay there?" Clarke prompted.

"Up until two weeks ago. That is when I got my memories back."

Clarke shook her head. "I don't understand. That was over a year. How could you get your memories back after so much time?"

"After the trauma of thinking I'd lost my daughter, we think that my brain tried to protect itself."

His words stung, but Clarke held her tears back, "By forgetting about me."

"I thought you were gone." Jake tried to reason with her.

"You just said you had no memories." Clarke shot up from her chair. "You didn't think there could be someone out there missing you!? Didn't even bother to check if there was news about a missing middle-aged man!?"

Bellamy reached out for her hand, but in the heat of the moment, Clarke snatched hers away. She didn't want the comfort, she wanted to be mad.

"Where I was, they didn't have access to anything like that." Jake sighed. "I figured a man who wakes up naked in the desert must not be a good guy."

Clarke shook her head. "I lost mom."

"I know." Jake's voice wavered, as he swallowed hard.

"No, you don't. You don't know."

Not being able to figure out how she was feeling, Clarke turned and quickly walked into the house. She needed some time and space to think about everything.

Bellamy considered getting up to follow her, but knowing she was in the house calmed him, he knew Octavia would take care of her.

"You're with my daughter?"

Bellamy refocused on Jake, feeling a little uneasy. "Yes sir."

Jake nodded his head, "What did she mean When Clarke said she visited me?"

Bellamy rubbed his palms together, "You weren't missing. You were dead."

"I guess If enough time had passed they'd have to call off the search, turn military resources someplace else." Jake stopped talking, seeing the young man shaking his head.

"You're head was delivered to her, in a box. What we thought was your head."

Jake's eyes widened, his head turning toward the house, where his daughter had disappeared to.

"There was a funeral. She visited your gravestone for months."

"Oh my god." Running a hand through his hair, Jake sighed. "No wonder she's so upset."

"Her emotions are all over the place right now," Bellamy explained under his breath.

Jake chuckled. "Abby had to sever mood swings while she was carrying Clarke."

"I didn't think someone could go from crying to majorly pissed off than happy in 20 seconds."

Jake smiled, thinking of his ex-wife. While times were hard with him away, they had many lovely years together.

"I'm going to go check on her," Bellamy announced, pushing himself up from his seat.

Jake stood as well. "I'll give her some time. As I said, I'm staying on base until I figure out my next move."

Bellamy nodded. turning to go search for Clarke.

.

Kane was in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in his head. He slides it to Bellamy when he comes in from the backyard.

"Thanks." Bellamy was grateful for the warm liquid. "Is O with her?"

Kane nodded. "They went upstairs to her room to talk."

"How'd she seem?"

"... Lost."

Bellamy shut his eyes and hung his head. He'd talked a little about Clarke's depression with Kane, asked for advice on the subject.

"She was doing so well. The baby really giving her something to focus her energy onto."

"Having her father back in her life could have the same effect."

Bellamy nodded. "Or it could remind her of back then, drag up old memories."

Kane paused, really looking at Bellamy. "Does Jake being back made you think of Nathan?"

"I'm always thinking about him. I guess Clarke and I both have used the baby to motivate us."

"I'm here. If you need to talk. Or just sit and drink coffee."

Bellamy clapped Kane on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'm going to take her home."

"Fell free to stay. The crying stopped a little while ago. They may have fallen asleep."

Bellamy shook his head. This baby had turned Clarke into a pro napper.

Sure enough, when he stuck his head into his sister's room, he saw her and Clarke curled up together on the bed. Instead of waking her, Bellamy trailed down the hall to his old room. He figured a night here would do them good. Besides Kane's place was closer to the base than their apartment, and Bellamy assumed that's where Clarke would be headed tomorrow morning.