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Chapter 50
Clarke put the finishing touches on her mascara, stepping back to examine her work. Her blonde curls were piled atop her head, and the black dress fit in all the right places.
Octavia had brought it home the night before along with a pair of blood red heels. Bellamy had stared at both gifts, a look of longing in his dark eyes.
He'd pulled her close, bending to whisper in her ear.
"It's a pity I won't get to see you tomorrow night."
His hot breath sent shivers down her spine, and his dark eyes made heat spread from the blush that stained her cheeks all the way to her toes. She'd grinned, leaning in as he kissed her.
That's one thing she would never get used to- the euphoria of kissing Bellamy Blake. Every time his lips touched hers it was like the 4th of July, fireworks exploding in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Now she stood in her bathroom, wishing she could see him. However, she had a party to get to. She quickly sat down on the edge of the tub, strapping on the red heels and then making her way out into the living room.
Waiting for her on the couch was Octavia, Jasper's girlfriend Maya, Monty's wife Harper, and lastly Miller's girlfriend Monroe.
"Finally! Let's get this party started", O exclaimed.
Clarke laughed as she hugged her friends. She didn't get to see them much, so this was a rare treat.
"Maya, when are you and Jasper tying the knot", Clarke asked when they'd finally all settled down again.
"I keep waiting on him to pop the question, but you know Jas. Slow and steady wins the race!"
The room erupted in laughter at the dark haired girl's description of her beloved boyfriend.
"Well, what about you Harper? What's it like rubbing elbows with the city's elite?"
"Tiring! I declare Monty would rather stay in and make moonshine in the basement. I have to drag the man out of the house for important events!"
"Dish, Monroe! Tell us all about the illustrious Nathan Miller", Clarke said with a grin.
The girl laughed, her features softening.
"Nate's amazing. Everything has been so much better since the take down. He was always terrified something would happen to Bellamy. He knew that Lynx would be all over them if the Rebel were out of the way. Now he doesn't have to worry anymore, and things between us are really great."
The room quieted, and then Clarke raised her glass of strawberry lemonade.
"A toast. To our men, who drive us crazy most of the time but who also make our lives so much better."
They all clinked their glasses before taking big swallows of the citrusy liquid.
"Alright, enough girl talk. It's time to get down to business", Octavia said with a devilish grin.
She moved into the kitchen coming back with wrapped parcels of every shape and size. She set them down at Clarke's feet, and then took the seat across from her.
Clarke's cheeks reddened as she smiled. "Aww, you shouldn't have… But really you shouldn't have", she ended with a groan.
"It wouldn't be a true bachelorette party with out the lingerie", Harper grinned.
Clarke picked up the first box, "From Harper", she read aloud.
She pulled the hot pink wrapping paper away to reveal a beautiful red and black lace panty and bra set. Her mouth hung open as she turned to stare at Harper.
"Thank you, Harper. It's gorgeous."
"You're welcome. We all need a little black lace in our lives", the other blonde smirked.
Clarke picked up the next box, which had Maya's name scrawled on the tag in her delicate script. She pulled off the lid, taking a purple lace trimmed slip from the tissue-lined parcel.
She held it up for all to see and then turned to thank Maya.
Monroe's came next, a black gift bag with two bra sets. One was grey and trimmed with white lace, while the other was leopard print. She thanked the girl, and then reached for the last box.
Octavia had attached a card to her box, so Clarke went for that first. Tears filled her eyes as she read her friend's heartfelt words of congratulations and well wishes.
Clarke ripped off the silver paper, and then lifted the lid on the white box. She pulled out what had to be the most beautiful nightgown she'd ever seen. It was short, and would fall just above her knees. The material was a deep midnight blue, satiny soft as it glinted in the florescent lighting.
She looked to her friend, finding a devious smile curving her lips.
"I thought Bell might like it. He loves you in blue", Octavia said, her dark eyes twinkling as Clarke's face reddened anew.
"Thanks, O. I'm sure Bell will really appreciate everything you've all given me", Clarke stammered in embarrassment.
The girls all laughed, and then Harper piped up. "Where's the food, I'm starved!"
"O, could you get the food out of the fridge while I go put these up", Clarke asked, gesturing to her the pile of lingerie laid out before her.
"Sure. Come on girls, to the kitchen", O said, leading the charge.
Clarke shook her head at her friends' antics as she carried her gifts to her bedroom. She'd just gotten her new things situated in a drawer when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She reached for it quickly, thinking maybe Bellamy was calling. However, she was sorely disappointed when it was her mother's face and not that of her fiancé that popped up on the screen.
"Mom, I'm…", Clarke said as she answered.
She was cut off by her mother's frantic voice, "Clarke where are you? I need you to come home, something's happened."
Clarke tried to get her mother to tell her what was going on, but she refused. She could hear the fear in the older woman's voice, and knew that it must be something serious.
"Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes. Stay put", Clarke said as she hung up.
She grabbed her purse, shoving her phone down into the little clutch as she quickly walked back into the living room.
"O, I need to head out for a minute. I'll be right back", she threw over her shoulder.
"But the party's just starting", Octavia complained.
"I know, but I'll only be a minute."
Clarke hurried to the elevator, and then out into the lobby. She ran to her car, her heart racing. She'd never heard her mother's voice sound so frightened, and that in turn frightened her.
She'd just made it to her car, reaching for the door handle when a hand covered her mouth and an arm banded around her waist. She struggled against her captor's tight hold, dropping her purse on the cold concrete as she was dragged backwards.
Clarke tried to scream, but the hand that gripped her jaw with bruising force muffled any sound. She tried to squirm free, but the arm simply tightened- stealing her breath and crushing her ribs.
She was dragged to a waiting car, the trunk open. Her flight instinct told her she had to get free or she was done for. She thrashed, trying to bang her head into her captor's face.
The man was too strong, and he anticipated her movements. He shoved her into the open compartment, her head hitting the hard metal edge. She went limp, but was coherent as he folded her legs and closed the trunk.
Clarke was thrown into darkness, her vision blurring in and out of focus as she fought to keep her eyes open. She could feel the warm trickle of blood as it poured down her face, and matted her hair.
Her thoughts turned to Bellamy, and tears slowly leaked from her eyes. He would be so scared and so angry. She began to sob, only wishing for him to hold her one last time.
As her lucidity began to fade, her thoughts remained with the man she loved. Until finally the darkness claimed her, her head lolling to the side, her body going limp, and Bellamy's name on her lips.
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When Clarke didn't return after nearly half an hour, Octavia became worried. She called the blonde, tapping her foot as it rang four times before going to voice mail.
She looked around at the worried faces of her friends, and then tried again. When no answer came, she began to panic.
"I need to call Bellamy", O said.
She dreaded telling her brother. After everything he and Clarke had been through to come to this made her sick. She raised the phone to her ear, listening as he picked up after the second ring.
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Bellamy sat in the garage with the guys; they were swapping stories about the early days. Miller sat to his left, Murphy straight across from him, Wick off to the right, and Lincoln at the edge of the circle.
"I never will forget the day that Clarke threw that knife at Murph's head! That was priceless", Miller said with a guffaw.
"Hahaha", Murphy answered dryly.
"I still can't believe she tried to take this place over", Bellamy said with a shake of his head.
"She didn't just try! She just walked in and took it! I pity the man that would've tried to stop her", Wick said.
Then Lincoln, to everyone's surprise, raised his head with a smirk.
"I was that guy. Still got the scar to prove it!"
Everyone busted out laughing. Bellamy chuckled, and then quickly began to grab for his phone where it buzzed on the arm of his chair. His sister's face appeared on the screen and he smiled.
"Here we go, boys. News from the girls", he said before answering, "Hey, O. What's up?"
The other men in the room watched as he sobered immediately, his smile fading from his lips and his hand gripping the arm of his chair until his knuckles turned white.
"When was that? Ok, I'm coming. Stay put, don't leave the apartment", he said before hanging up.
"What is it", Lincoln asked, worry etching his features.
"That was O. Clarke's gone."
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Martha: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :) Since you're a guest, there's a bit of a delay between when you review a story and when your review is posted to the feed. I don't know the exact timing on it, but your reviews should show up in the next day or so if they haven't already :)