A/N: Hello, everyone! I am proud that I've managed my time well enough to get this up relatively close to the last chapter. I swear, I'm working on time management to get new chapters up sooner. I found this chapter very easy to write, which is odd because I tend to struggle with some aspect of a chapter for a decent amount of time. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it. As always, read, review, and enjoy!


Chapter Six

The trip to the diner hadn't gotten Bellamy anywhere with Clarke. She was still acting like he hadn't rocked her world and changed her life. He was pretty sure he'd never be the same again. He'd always kept Clarke at a distance, probably because he knew she'd be able to hurt him if he let her get close. So they danced around their feelings, never letting one or the other land a blow. That had all changed that morning when he'd settled his hands in her hair and devoured her mouth. Thinking about it got him hot under the collar, so he pulled his tee shirt away from his skin and waved it enough to get the air moving again.

Apparently Clarke wasn't in the mood to be holed up in a hotel room with him all day, because her next suggestion had been to take a hike in the woods. It made sense at the time. They were both dressed in active clothing and sneakers and as much as Bellamy wanted to fuck some sense into Clarke, he knew that wasn't an option at the moment. And he wasn't quite sure what sense he wanted her to have. Admitting their chemistry was one thing, but he had the sinking suspicion that sex would mean a lot more to him than it would to her. He was the one with more feelings in this situation, and that put him at a disadvantage. He'd never understood why his peers were so obsessed with playing games in dating, with making it seem like they had the upper hand. But now that he was the one who was more involved, he finally got the desire to make it seem like he couldn't care less.

Because the person who doesn't care is in control. And Bellamy really liked to be in control.

Now, half a mile into their hike, he finally brought himself into the moment enough to appreciate their scenery. Carrington really was a beautiful town, even if it was in the middle of nowhere. He tried to imagine a time when he was more peaceful than he was at that moment, and he came up empty. Clarke was like a soothing balm to his tense soul, and their surroundings were working wonders to decrease his stress. He seemed to have a fondness for carrying tension in his shoulders, and long walks in a gorgeous stretch of woods with a beautiful girl were like a deep tissue massage for his soul.

Bellamy refused to let their kiss affect their relationship. If she wasn't interested, which she had outright stated was true, then he would just have to get over his feelings. She wasn't special, and he'd gotten over many girls in the past—she would be no different. Deciding to break the silence, he said, "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I think this might be the first time we've ever agreed on something." Clarke smirked over her shoulder at him, before beginning to climb up a somewhat steep hill.

Damn, that was a nice ass. He might be trying to get over his feelings for her, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the features that God had put in front of him. Clearly God was trying to put him to an early grave, because it was a spectacular show. High and firm, with a nice round curve and just the right amount of bounce as she walked. He imagined waking up pressed against that ass every morning for the rest of his life. He was in fucking deep.

"We don't disagree on everything." He said, returning to her statement.

"No? What else do we agree on?" She didn't look at him that time, but her voice was surprisingly devoid of sarcasm. She genuinely wanted to know what they might have in common.

"Well, we both agree that the Dodgers are clearly the best team in baseball."

A musical laugh floated back to him, and he basked in his ability to amuse her. "That is true. It is also an indisputable fact."

That caused a smile to break across his face. "We both think cherry pie is the food of the gods."

She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "You like cherry pie? But you had all health food this morning for breakfast."

"Anyone who doesn't like cherry pie can never speak to me again for all I care. I like to keep myself healthy, but that means I also need to be happy. And cherry pie sure as hell makes me happy." He wouldn't mention that the reason he liked cherry pie was because he'd helped Octavia to make one for Clarke's birthday when they were kids.

"You are not who I thought you were Bellamy Blake." She looked pensive. Maybe she could find it in herself to allow them to be friends and no longer bitter enemies.

"I'm still Octavia's overprotective obnoxious brother who lives to torment you. Never forget that."

She scoffed. "There's not a chance in hell I will ever forget that. But it's kind of nice to know there's a real human under all the annoying bluster. One that I actually have things in common with, nonetheless."

There wasn't a damn thing he could think of to respond to that so he contented himself with taking in the sight of her lovely face. She looked at peace in the woods, and he hadn't realized until then how much he wanted a woman who could go hiking and play a pick up game of basketball and enjoy it as much as he did. It was probably one of the reasons he'd never really had a serious relationship before; the women he tended to date liked manicures and upscale clubs.

Bellamy hadn't realized that he was inching closer until her breasts brushed his chest and her head tipped back to meet his gaze. She hadn't moved back, and she seemed to be just as entranced by his gaze as he was by hers. They were connected in the moment, and he debated going for another kiss. She was starting to realize that maybe they didn't have to be enemies, and a kiss might help solidify his case. Then again, a kiss might just get him slapped.

He glanced down at her lips. Pink, parted, and shiny in the wake of her tongue as she slicked it over them. She looked ready to be consumed, and he was more than ready to help with that. He might get slapped, but he could care less about the consequences. He needed a taste.

Bellamy bent his head, his lips a few scant inches from hers. He saw movement over her shoulder and flicked his eyes up at the distraction in annoyance. He had just a moment to quickly swing Clarke up into his arms as a small brown and green snake lunged towards her ankle. Having failed at sinking his teeth into her leg, the snake slithered away in search of easier prey.

Clarke was staring back up at him, shock apparent in her wide eyes. He smiled comfortingly as he set her back on her feet. She was still stunned enough that her hands had curled into fists around the fabric of her shirt.

"Thank you," she finally said, releasing him and backing up.

"No problem," Bellamy shrugged it off. "It was probably not poisonous, but you can never be to careful."

"How did you know it was there? I couldn't see anything other than…"

"Too wrapped up in me, huh?" His ego took pride in that, even though he knew it meant nothing to her. She was sexually frustrated and he was the only viable man in the area. Knowing that didn't make it any easier for him to know she'd never care about him the way he wanted her to.

She blushed at his words and turned her head away. "I was stunned that we had anything in common. It was temporary."

"Yeah, well, I saw something move over shoulder and just barely moved you in time to miss the snake bite. Nothing special, I swear. Taking you to the hospital would have been so much extra work. Plus, dealing with you with a snake bite would be such a pain in the ass."

She shot him a glare. "I'm a doctor, I know how to treat a snake bite."

"You yelling at me while I try to suck blood out of your ankle? Not my idea of a good time." The idea of sucking anything on her set his mind on a different track.

"We should keep going. There's a clearing up ahead, we can stop for our picnic there." She started off without him. He watched her ass move in front of him again as he imagined taking a bite out of it and then moving down to suck the sweet area between her thighs. He shivered and tried to forget that image as he started after her. His boner didn't seem to get the message.


Raven was practically whistling as she made her way down to the kitchen. Another day she got to spend with Wick was another day she could be happy. She couldn't remember the last time she was so interested in just spending time with a person and not wanting sex or anything more out of it. Not that she didn't want to have sex with him, because she most definitely did. She didn't see how any living, breathing woman could not want to have sex with Wick. But she didn't need sex or anything in return from him, and she couldn't remember the last time that happened.

As she turned a corner, she collided with a person walking in the opposite direction. And she suddenly remembered why spending time with Wick was such a relief. "Hi, Finn."

"Raven." They both took a few steps back to look each other in the face, and Raven noticed the woman on Finn's arm. "Sorry, where are my manners? Raven, this is my girlfriend, Lexa."

Lexa extended an immaculately groomed hand with inch long blood red talons for nails. Raven really didn't want to shake it—partially because she was worried Lexa might draw blood with her claws—but found herself reaching out to shake the other woman's hand. The only thing more uncomfortable than running into your ex is running into your ex with their new girlfriend. Especially when you haven't started dating again since the two of you broke up. Raven was most definitely at a disadvantage in the situation.

"So, you're a bridesmaid, huh?" Finn tried to start a conversation. "It's nice that you and Octavia are still so close."

"Yeah, same to you and Lincoln." She nodded, desperately trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation without making it seem like she was trying to escape. Which she definitely was.

"Well, without me, he and Octavia probably wouldn't have ever met."

"Oh, that's right! I totally forgot about that. He helped you sneak her out of that party when the cops showed up, and fell for her pretty much as soon as he actually laid eyes on her."

"We can all agree it was love at first sight, but I still think it was a little creepy at the time. He was four years older than her, and she was just a freshman. Man, I can't believe college was five years ago already." Reliving the past had both Raven and Finn smiling. She knew it was just nostalgia, but getting along with him again was nice. She missed him, even though she knew that they weren't meant to be together. He was her first love, her best friend, the boy next door, and he held a special place in her heart. No one would ever be able to replace that.

A strategic feminine cough broke through their moment, and the smile faded from Raven's face as she realized what had just happened. She smiled tightly at Finn and Lexa. "Excuse me, I have to be getting down to the kitchen. Busy day today." She passed the couple and continued down the hall to the kitchen.

"Wow, could you act anymore like you're still in love with her?" Lexa dug her nails into Finn's arm and he wanted to wince in pain. Those things hurt like a bitch when she put some force behind them.

"I'm not still in love with her, Lexa. It's just nice to talk about when things were good between us sometimes. I never wanted to stop being in her life, but I understand why she doesn't want me to be. But you're my girlfriend now, and you're the woman I want by my side this week."

"Good." Lexa grinned at him. "I have my own reasons for being here as well."

"I know," Finn said, rolling his eyes. "You just adore weddings."

"No." She paused and tipped her head. "Well, yes. But that's not why I'm here. I'm glad you invited me, because I've been trying to figure out how to get back at Octavia for years."

"Come again?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Get back at Octavia? For what? She was one of the sweetest people he'd ever met.

"She stole my boyfriend from me."

"I'm sorry, you want to get back at her because she went out with some guy you went out with? And what does get back at her mean?"

"She didn't just date my ex-boyfriend or something. Lincoln and I had been dating for three years at school before he met her. And then he dumped me so that he could start dating her."

Definitely a sting to her ego, but she was beautiful and had no shortage of money. She could have any man she wanted. And prior to this conversation, Finn counted himself damn lucky to be the man she'd picked. Now he wasn't so sure.

"You're at your ex-boyfriend's wedding?" Why that was the question that tumbled out of his mouth, he couldn't figure out. But he couldn't bring himself to confront her either. Get back at her could mean any number of things, and some fun might actually put Octavia in a better mood this week. Octavia usually thought pranks were fun, he contemplated. He would keep an eye on Lexa. If she looked like she was about to step over the edge into crazy, he would definitely intervene. But for not, monitoring the situation seemed to be sufficient.