Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and faves! You guys are the absolute best! Now, I got some requests for more Lincoln and Octavia, which I plan to deliver on in this chapter. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 35

Octavia walked through the door of her apartment to find Lincoln sitting on her couch. He turned to look at her, concern evident in his dark eyes.

"How is she", he asked.

"Clarke is going to be fine. Bell's with her now, so I figured that giving them some time to themselves would be for the best. However, I also imagine that my brother is facing down Abigail Griffin, and I really didn't want to stick around for that."

"That's Clarke's mom, right", Lincoln asked hesitantly.

"Yep, the woman who kicked her out when she was sixteen. Bell was so angry. He came home and found Clarke there alone. She hadn't known where else to go, but he just moved her in with us. It was unusual, but it worked."

"They're quite the pair, aren't they", Lincoln said as Octavia settled beside him.

"Yes they are. I swear she can read his mind sometimes. He'll look at her, she'll look at him, and then they just act. It's creepy and extremely romantic", Octavia smirked.

"They've had a lot of time to get to know one another. Even at the shop, Clarke permeated every part of your brother's life. He kept a picture of her on his desk, and I often caught him just staring at it."

"Bellamy has loved Clarke for I don't know how long. He pretty much stole my best friend, but I didn't mind. They are a seriously good team, and I firmly believe they could do anything as long as they do it together."

Lincoln chuckled, "I never will forget the first time I came over to meet your brother!"

Octavia threw her head back, a giggle escaping as she rolled her eyes, "That night was full of surprises!"

Silence reigned as both people remembered that day, not long ago, that would be a humorous memory for years to come.

Octavia stood outside her own apartment, her hand clutching Lincoln's in a death grip. She took a deep breath, plastered on a huge smile, and opened the door. They walked into darkness, the faint glimmering of the TV the only offering of light.

In the dim glow, they could just make out two shapes huddled on the couch. The blonde turned, her eyes widening at the sight behind her. Her gaze met Octavia's, and she rolled her eyes as her friend's hands raised in a pleading gesture.

"Bell, I'm gonna get some juice. You want anything", Clarke asked.

"No, I'm good. Thanks Princess."

At the deep voice, Lincoln turned to the girl beside him. "Princess", he mouthed silently.

Octavia shrugged, and turned to her friend as she approached.

"You just had to do it tonight, didn't you", Clarke said in exasperation.

"I thought it would be a good time."

"Well, you're in luck. We've been watching 300, so he's in a pretty good mood", then the blonde turned to Lincoln, "Clarke Griffin, nice to meet you."

Lincoln shook her hand, and then froze when he saw a dark figure standing just a few feet away. This night could not get any worse.

"Princess", Bellamy growled questioningly, his angry glare focused on Lincoln's hand encasing the blonde's.

Lincoln dropped her hand like he'd been burned. He watched as Clarke turned on the lights, a tight smile curving her lips.

"Bell, this Lincoln. Lincoln, this is Bellamy Blake", Clarke said with a grin.

"We've met", Bellamy said taking a menacing step forward.

From the moment Lincoln had seen the tiny blonde, he knew that he was in trouble. He'd seen her picture on his boss' desk, the man now standing before him with an angry frown etched in his features.

Clarke stared at Bellamy, taking in the firm set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders. Then she happened to notice an achingly familiar tattoo on Lincoln's forearm.

"Octavia", Bellamy said angrily, "Did you know that your new boyfriend is a Grounder?"

"Yes, but Lincoln's not like them. I promise Bell…"

Bellamy advanced, his features contorted in rage. "How could you do this? I thought I told you to stay away from them", he yelled.

Lincoln felt his own anger spark to life, stepping in front of Octavia and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Don't speak to her that way", he said, words dripping with ill concealed rage.

"She's my sister, and I'll speak to her however I see fit", Bellamy said quietly.

Lincoln felt something within him snap, he surged forward punching Bellamy in the stomach. He'd expected the man to come at him, what he hadn't expected was the little blonde firecracker.

"No", she yelled angrily, "You wanna fight you go somewhere else! Don't ever insinuate that Bellamy would hurt his sister! You don't know him, and I won't have anyone disrespect him in his home."

Suddenly a chuckle erupted, deep and rumbling. Bellamy stood to his full height, taking in the vision before him. There stood Clarke, hands on her hips, blonde hair piled in a messy bun, and blue eyes shooting sparks. She stood toe to toe with the large man, her chin held high and her words bringing a chill to the air.

"What's so funny, Blake", she snapped turning to glare at him.

"You, Princess", he said wrapping an arm around her waist, "This isn't my house, it's yours and O's."

"Well, I don't tolerate your abuse in my presence", Clarke said with a huff.

"Easy there, Tiger. Let's get to know this fella before we plan his demise, hmm?"

"Whatever you say."

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about something to eat? I'm starving", O said nervously.

"Sure, sounds great", Bellamy said with an easy grin.

Lincoln followed everyone into the kitchen and watched as Octavia began to pull things from the fridge. Over in the corner, he could see Clarke and Bellamy. From where he sat at the island, he could see the blonde run a careful hand down the Rebel's side.

He didn't miss his boss' wince, and it all came coming back. Bellamy had stopped a young boy from being initiated that morning. He'd taken the brunt of the beating, and in true Rebel fashion had given the boy an honest job.

Lincoln cringed as Clarke's gaze collided with his own, catching him blatantly staring. Her glare was enough to curdle dairy, and he felt his face heat. He'd thought Octavia's brother was going to be the one he was to fear. Instead he'd discovered that the Rebel had a protector in the form of a little blonde lioness.

He watched as she turned back to the dark haired man, her features softening instantly. She seemed satisfied that there were no other injuries, and moved to get a class of orange juice.

"I'm not hungry, O. I'm just sticking to my OJ tonight. Come on, Bell, we've got a movie to finish. You can keep an eye on these two lovebirds from the couch", Clarke said, taking his hand.

"Watch it, Linc, that's my baby sister and if you hurt her I won't hesitate to end you", Bellamy whispered as he passed by.

Octavia turned from the stove in time to see her brother and Clarke meander back to the couch. They sat down, shoulders touching and murmuring quietly back and forth. Those two were a force to be reckoned with, and she pitied anyone who tried to come between them.

Lincoln chuckled at the memory, "I was so worried about how Bellamy would react. You didn't even warn me about Clarke!"

"That was a complete surprise to me too! I thought my brother would be the one to trying to rip your head off, not my best friend!"

"I think we both learned something that night, Clarke and your brother protect each other. It's a two way street, one they both make use of."

Octavia smiled lovingly at the man beside her, "I'm so glad they didn't scare you off that first night."

"It would take more than a Lioness and a Rebel to keep me from the woman I love."

Octavia grinned, and pressed a chaste kiss to Lincoln's lips. She loved this man, and she was so thankful for him. She now understood why Clarke had jumped to her brother's defense; she loved him- even if she hadn't been ready to admit it at the time.

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! :)

Wright: Thank you for another great review, and such a lovely compliment! :) I'm going to try to keep this story going for as long as I can! I'm thinking very seriously about doing one more trial scene, but we shall see. Clarke is definitely going to go back to the shop at some point! They guys are just to great to leave out! :)

Martha: Thanks for the review! I know how hard it is to wait for updates, so I try to be as speedy as possible :) I'm not always successful, but I try my hardest! Thank you for you continued support, and I hope you enjoy the most recent update!

To all my other guest reviewers: You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your support! :)