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Chapter 26

"What do you mean sooner", Clarke asked.

Bellamy turned to her with a smirk, "You were eight, and I was ten…"

Bellamy sat on the playground during recess with his head in his hands, watching the kids around him at play. It had been a long day, especially after having to take care of his drunken mother the night before.

He could hear Clarke and Octavia a few yards away, where they sat in the swings. Their girlish giggles grating on his nerves until they stopped. When both girls grew silent, he turned around to see what had happened.

His gaze swept across the grassy yard until it fell upon Clarke. She stood toe to toe with the biggest bully in Broken Shield Elementary. The boy held something above her head, and the little blonde stood with hands on her hips.

"You give that back this instant", she said, her voice holding all the menace her little eight year old self could muster.

"And if I don't", the bully said.

"If you don't you'll be sorry", Clarke muttered darkly.

"Who's gonna make me, Princess?"

Bellamy groaned, this was going to get ugly really fast. He began to rise from his seat, and then he saw what the bully held aloft. It was O's beloved puppy pencil case. Their mother had bought it for her for her birthday- one of the only birthdays the woman had managed to celebrate while sober.

He had nearly made it on the scene, his sister's tears tugging at his heart, when Clarke kicked the bully in the shin. The pencil case fell from his hands, and Clarke snatched it up before handing it back to Octavia.

"I'm telling", the boy whined.

"No you're not", Bellamy growled,"I saw the whole thing."

"Stay out of this Blake!"

"Last time I checked, I told you not to mess with my sister or Princess, here."

"I can do whatever I want."

Bellamy watched as the bully advanced, only to fall face first in the dirt. He turned an astonished gaze on Clarke, where she stood victoriously grinning. She'd kicked the kid in the bend of the leg, sending him sprawling.

"Thanks, Princess, but I could have handled it", Bellamy said later on the bus.

"I know, Bell, but that's what I'm here for", Clarke had said with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we both take care of O, but it's my job to take care of you."

The bus had come to a stop, and she'd flounced off the bus with her blonde curls bouncing behind her.

"After that, I realized that it was true. You did take care of me, still do", Bellamy said with a smirk.

He watched as Clarke's gaze grew gentle and her features softened. He was thankful they were stopped because he sure wouldn't be able to concentrate on the road with her looking at him like that.

Bellamy turned as she scooted closer, her hands moving to frame his face. Her thumb ghosted over his lip, and a smile brightened her eyes.

"You, Bellamy Blake, have always been mine to take care of. I appointed myself your official caretaker long ago."

"I'm glad you did, Princess. No telling where I'd be without you", he whispered seriously.

He saw her eyes darken, and then she was kissing him. She pulled him close, and he was lost in the moment. Her fingers ran through his hair, and she tasted like the caramel coffee she'd always loved.

When she pulled back, all of the love and passion he felt for the woman in his arms were reflected in the cerulean pools that stared back at him. He leaned his forehead against hers, enjoying the peace she always seemed to bring.

"We should head in, O's going to wonder what's happened to us", Clarke whispered.

"Yeah", Bellamy said, his voice low and filled with emotion.

They walked hand in hand up to the apartment in silence, reveling in the assurance that they each loved and were loved in return. When they finally reached the flat, Bellamy opened the door for Clarke and then followed her inside.

"Hey, we were wondering where you two got off to", Octavia said from the couch.

"We went to the shop for a few hours", Bellamy answered.

"Ah, I see", O said with a knowing smile.

"Order me pizza, babe", Clarke called from her room.

"Babe", Octavia said with raised brows.

"We're together, O, get over it", Bellamy growled.

"I just never pegged you two for the endearment type."

"How could you not? I've been calling her Princess since she was seven. Of course we're endearment people", he said pulling his phone from his pocket.

"Well, I'm just glad you two finally got with the program. I was tired of waiting for that realization to hit", O smirked.

"You knew?"

"Come on, Bell. You and Clarke have been dancing around each other since you were sixteen."

Bellamy's eyes widened when he realized his sister was right.

"You never had a steady girlfriend, and if Clarke even looked at you wrong you'd dump whatever floozy of the week you were with. Her opinion has always mattered to you", Octavia finished softly.

"You're right, O. I've loved Clarke for as long as I can remember, and I'm glad the torture is finally over."

Bellamy ordered the pizza, and then made room on the couch for Clarke as she entered the room.

"What were you two whispering about", the blonde asked curiously.

"Nothing", the siblings chimed in unison.

"Alright, I don't even want to know", Clarke said as she sank down on the couch.

Bellamy wrapped his arm around her, his fingers dancing on her rib cage. They spent the whole afternoon eating pizza, and watching the history channel because Clarke had promised to watch the special they were having on Homer and the historical soundness of his two great epics, both of which were Bellamy's favorites.

Both girls groaned at first, but soon all three of them were settled in silence in the dim living room.

"Thanks for doing this", Bellamy whispered, pressing a featherlight kiss to Clarke's temple.

"Anything for you, my love", she whispered back softly.

Bellamy smiled, and tugged her closer. Everything felt right in his world. He had his girl and his business was flourishing. He had everything he'd always thought out of his reach.

This was a new feeling- contentment. All his life he'd had to fight for everything he had, and to keep those he loved safe. For the moment, it seemed like he could just rest- a foreign concept. However, he couldn't help but feel that everything was not as peaceful as it seemed.

Finn Collins slipped stealthily through the shadows until his form was bathed in pale moonlight. He had enough contacts on the inside to stage an escape, and he'd been successful. There was only one thing left to do before he left Broken Shield for good, take revenge on Bellamy Blake.

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