Voila! Another Chapter, and it hasn't been a month! I'm on a roll with this story, usually my muse to write goes away for weeks when I start writing a story but this one seems to be stickin' with me for now!
I know, I really should make the chapters longer. But I swear! I'm writing all I that my muse allows me to!
Enough of my rambling! On with the chapter
Disclaimer as always; I don't own the show, characters, or original idea for this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Once the rain had started it had really started, the water pouring down so heavily you couldn't see a few feet in front of you let alone walk through the forest. Accompanied by
the loud rumbling of thunder and the crack of lightening, Clarke and Murphy had decided to play it safe and just stay in the drop ship for the night, which wasn't much of a hardship. To be honest, Clarke was relieved to not have to return to the camp and the inevitable nagging of her mother for going out to do what they had, to not have to take care of an entire camp for one night and simply be for a night. Murphy could be what you call a plus to the situation, his company not at all unwanted and the comfortable silence around them lulling her until she was relaxed.
"So, Princess..." Clarke glanced up when Murphy spoke and hummed in question. Once they'd realized they would be staying the night in the drop ship they'd gathered their bags, closed the door and made their way to the second level where there were still blankets and pillows from when they'd slept here before everything had happened. She had claimed one nearest to the wall and curled up into the blankets, watching Murphy chose one a few feet from her and settle down himself, his gun laid on the floor beside him.
"Are you okay?...You seemed out of it earlier" Despite herself she snorted in response, leaning her head back against the coolness of the metal wall behind her and closing her eyes. Her words were quiet when she chose to speak, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly.
"No...I'm really not, Murphy..." She stopped herself from saying anything more, instead cracking a tired eye open to look at the boy across from her and give him the best attempt at a smile she could. Clarke knew it bothered him when she was like this, when the guilt that she thought she'd accepted seemed to creep upon her and swallow her whole. It wasn't even the emotional part that upset him, she knew he didn't see the point of guilt when you had to do what you'd done and he'd told her this several dozen times. It was the fact that someone had hurt her by making her do it, that they'd made her weaker...but harder. Murphy had watched her harden her heart to everything around her and it pissed him off. So when she was in moods like this he did what little he could to help her.
"Obviously...Here." The boy reached into one of his bags and tossed her a dirty old bottle of whiskey, her hands automatically reaching out to catch it before it shattered against the floor. Clarke snorted slightly, turning it around in her hands before popping the cork and taking a gulp. Grimacing, she swallowed and held it out to Murphy in offering, only taking it back when he shook his head and motioned for her to drink it herself. Once she'd taken several ore gulps, she settled the bottle between her legs and took a deep, steadying breath.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were tryin' to get me drunk..." Clarke joked, toying with the cork as she watched the boy sitting opposite of her. It wasn't often she really got a moment alone with Murphy, without him or herself worrying that the other had gotten themselves killed...or the days they were both trying to make sure the camp was safe. She'd come to treasure the quiet moments, to look forward to them no matter how few and far between they became. The quiet and lack of rush to do her next errand making it near impossible to dwell on the darker thoughts lurking near the back of her mind. Clarke knew that tomorrow the thoughts would come right back, but for now she only felt relaxed and warm thanks to the whiskey currently settling in her belly.
"Maybe I am..Y'never know, Princess." Murphy smirked, leaning forward and grabbing the bottle from between Clarke's legs without a word about it. She started to protest but stopped herself, simply relaxing further into her mound of blankets and blinking at the lanky teen currently gulping down whiskey like it was nothing more than water. Which, compared to Monty's Moonshine that was basically paint thinner it probably was. The burn was much weaker than the inferno that the moonshine seemed to leave in it's wake, but the was a lot that could be said about the flavor. The whiskey was ambrosia compared to it, the faint taste of what she thought could be cinnamon giving the alcohol a certain kick that the moonshine just didn't possess.
"I wouldn't have doubted that before, but now that you've joined me I think I'm pretty safe." She leaned forward and made a grab for the bottle in his hands, a small pout forming on her lips when he held it just out of her reach. "C'mon, Murphy, really?" Clarke moved to rest on her knees, leaning further forward as she chased after the bottle until she about fell into his lap. To his credit, Murphy didn't flinch or even really react other than to smirk at her and flick her hard on the cheek.
"That's what 'ya get, princess. You shouldn't mess with a mans whiskey." Smirking, he took another long gulp before handing the bottle back to the girl laying in his lap. Clarke shifted so she was pillowing her head on Murphy's thigh and took the now close to half empty bottle back into her possession.
"Seeing as I'm the princess, I feel I should get first dibs on this..." She gave the boy above her a rare, unrestrained grin before leaning up on her elbows to take a long gulp of her own, a few drops of the amber liquid escaping her mouth and dripping onto her collarbone. Pulling the bottle from her lips, she frowned slightly and handed it back to Murphy.
"Think I've had enough..." Clarke slurred slightly, wrinkling her nose as she settled back into her previous position, arms folded across her stomach. She could already feel herself starting to become tired, the weight of everything from the last few months seeming to melt away as the alcohol worked it's way through her system, warming her all the way down to her toes. Before she let herself think on it, she opened her mouth.
"Y'know, I don't think I thank you enough...you know, for all that you do for me. I mean, you really don't have to but you do it anyway...It means a lot to me, Murphy.." Clarke spoke quietly, looking up at the other teen as she did so to gauge his reaction.
"I know, Princess...You don't have to say it for me to know...But either way, you're welcome...I don't do it for thanks. I do it because I want you to be safe and happy, because you deserve that. You're this beautiful light...that I selfishly don't want to lose. You, Clarke Griffin, are my princess and I will continue to be here to protect you until either of us dies." Clarke stared up at Murphy, shocked at his short speech. He'd spoken so candidly, like the words coming from her mouth were general knowledge. She really shouldn't be so surprised, he'd taken to treating her like some kind of...princess...for a long time now. Snapping and snarling at anyone that dared to threaten her or question her decisions.
"Does that make you my knight?" She teased around a quiet yawn, hand coming up to cover her mouth as she did so. His answering smile seemed to warm her even more than the whiskey had.
"Nah...Haven't you heard? I'm the guard dog." Still smiling, Murphy gently moved them around until she was laying back where she'd originally been and him sitting beside her, her head in his lap. "Now get some sleep. I'll stay up for tonight and wake you when the rain stops." Clarke would've protested if she wasn't so tired but seeing as she was, she just nodded with another yawn and let her eyes close. As she was drifting off, she could've sworn she heard Murphy whisper something to her as he ran a surprisingly gentle hand through her hair. But before she could dwell on what he might have said, she'd drifted into a peaceful sleep, Murphy still gently running his fingers through her hair.