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When Bellamy's eyes shot open he knew that the sun had not risen. No sun light shone through the tent, making it impossible to see more than shadows. He lay for a few minutes, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. To his right he heard a low creak of metal.
On the extra cot he'd hauled into his tent a few days before lay a small unmistakable figure. He could tell that she was bundled beneath the blankets for warmth, but still saw the soft tremors caused by the cold.
Winter had snuck up on the Sky People like a predator on the hunt. For weeks, their minds had been set on the rescue mission in Mount Weather. Not once had anyone stopped to ask what the hell they would do when the snow began to fall and food began to run short. They had such limited resources that Bellamy knew death was inevitable for some of their people. Young children and elderly would be the first to go, their bodies not strong enough to cope with the harsh conditions of Earth's winter months.
Lincoln had been working with the hunters, showing them new ways to trap and kill beasts. With his help they'd been able to double their haul each day. Kane had already set ration controls which allowed them to store more meat for the winter when most animals were driven into hibernation. Fresh water wasn't much of a concern. Once the snow started falling they would be able to melt it by the gallon and ration it out as well.
The cold was the biggest challenge they would face. Lincoln suggested hot houses, which was how his people survived each year. A few chosen areas throughout the camp would be set up with large fires and blankets and all the citizens would be split among them. They'd share the heat of the fire and the heat of each other.
From her cot Lina let out a small cough. He sat up and readied himself to rush her back to the medical center, but relaxed when she made no other sounds. He wondered when she had made her way back to his tent. Had she been carried? Or was she strong enough to walk? Clearly the procedure had worked if Abby allowed her to leave her sight. She had been sure that Lina would survive and sure that she would die if they didn't try. He had volunteered but his blood wasn't a match. Kane's was, and he didn't hesitate to do it. Abby had told the men of Lina's protests, but Bellamy didn't care. Something in him felt as though saving Lina's life could make up for all those he'd killed.
What a stupid thought.
He watched a shudder run through the small girl's body and heard her teeth begin to chatter. His eyes closed and his head leaned back as he thought about his options. Sharing body heat was the only logical solution, but it was also the one that was most likely to get him slapped. He could have thrown one of his blankets over her, but since his fingers were already starting to lose feeling he knew he couldn't last the rest of the night. Loss of fingers meant he wouldn't be able to grip a gun.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the angered reaction he was sure to get. Doing his best not to touch her, he lifted the corner of the blankets and slid between them. He knew that simply sharing blankets would be enough to keep them warm, no cuddling necessary. For some reason that disappointed him. He hardly knew the girl, and was more than sure that she was still partially terrified of him. But he felt responsible for her, like it was his job to keep her warm and safe.
What a stupid thought.
He was the reason she was here in the first place. Her entire life was in shambles and it was his fault. He had pulled that lever. He had opened the air locks allowing the contaminated air to fill the lungs of every person she's ever loved. The memory disgusted him and he wondered how Clarke was dealing with it. She'd left right after they brought their friends home. her leaving bothered him more than he'd let on, but Clarke was too much like her mother and impossible to argue with. He smiled when he thought of her, but the smile faded when the girl next to him shifted in her sleep.
"What the hell are you doing?" he heard her hiss and his heart fell straight to his stomach. She wasn't sleeping after all. His body stiffened slightly, as though he were caught in the middle of a crime.
"Staying warm." He did his best to sound confident and nonchalant about the closeness of their bodies. Only inches separated his chest from her back, a distance that he wanted so badly to close. For a long time she stayed quiet, and he wondered if she had spoken in her sleep. But then she rolled her head to the side so their eyes could meet. The look lasted longer than it should have, and Bellamy could see the hurt and fear that swirled in her dark eyes. Her lips parted as though she was going to speak, but she turned away from him instead. He had no idea what to do, so he opted for keeping his body as still as he could manage.
"You knew what they were going to do." She said the words in an accusatory manner. Bellamy didn't have to answer. "You know I'm dying. All Abby's doing is prolonging it." Her voice quivered with cold.
"She'll figure out a way to …" he began but she cut him off.
"A way to what?" she slid her body another inch from his. "A way to keep me alive long enough for Robert and his followers to cover my back in more scars?" Bellamy flicked his eyes down between them as though he'd be able to see the burns through the shirt she wore. The guilt tightened around his chest, like a snake constricting its prey. "Maybe next time they can do us all the favor of finishing the job."
Bellamy placed his open palm on her shoulder blade, careful not to hurt her. The touch was meant to be comforting, but she jerked away from his hand at once. He let out a long breath of air before he formed his thoughts into words.
"Not everyone wants to hurt you." He kept his voice low and said the words slowly, hoping that it would calm her nerves. "Robert and his band of trolls are assholes. But there are others who want you to stay. Who want you to live." He thought of his little sister and Lincoln. Raven wanted to meet her as well, but had been working long hours on establishing some kind of water heater. He knew that the rest of the 48 who had been trapped in the mountain held nothing against Lina. The real enemy had been Wallace, and he was dead.
"What if Abby can't find a permanent fix." She whispered. Her voice traveled away from Bellamy making it hard for him to make out her words. He perked himself up onto his elbow so he could lean closer and hear better, but apparently she was done talking. The rest of the night passed by in silence. Bellamy wasn't sure when he had fallen back to sleep, but he did remember noticing that her body had stopped trembling.
When he woke again he was acutely aware of her back brushing against his chest. They had shifted in the night and his hand now rested just above her hip. He removed his hand and listened to her slow breaths. She was finally asleep.
Outside he could hear a commotion and see the silhouettes of people running past his tent. He tried to listen, unwilling to leave the warmth under the blankets. None of the chatter gave him any indication of what was going on and he ground his teeth together at the thought of pulling his body away from hers.
"Bellamy." A deep voice said from the entrance of his tent. His head snapped around to see Lincoln peering in. His eyes traveled over Bellamy and the sleep girl beside him, but he gave no hint of judgement. "You may want to come see this."
"What is it?" He whispered as he made his move to leave the bed. Next to him, Lina gave a small whimper and snuggled deeper into the blankets.
"They found another from the mountain." Lincoln said. Bellamy furrowed his brows in confusion. "Another survivor. An older man."
Lina surprised them both by jolting upright. She'd been awake and listening the whole time. Did the girl ever sleep? When she sat up her shoulder collided with his, but she seemed not to notice. Her big eyes urged Lincoln to continue.
"We found him as we were clearing out the mountain." He spoke directly to Lina. "He was locked in a small room on a lower level."
"Did you get his name?" she asked pushing Bellamy out of her way as she climbed to her feet.
"He hasn't spoken."
She glanced at Bellamy while she tied her shoes. He watched as her shaking hands fumbled with the laces. He bent down in front of her, forcing her eyes to meet his again. Her body was shaking worse than it had the night before, but he knew it wasn't from the cold.
"Relax." He warned her. Bellamy knew that Kane would never let her speak to the man until he had been questioned. There was no use in rushing. "You have plenty of time, don't push yourself." She nodded and took a deep ragged breath before finally lacing the strings of her shoes together.
The three of them walked towards the ship and straight to Kane's office. Miller's father stood guard at the door. He shook his head when they asked for access to Kane and the Mountain Man. Lina tried to shove passed him, but Bellamy caught her arm. Fighting with Miller wouldn't get them anywhere. He knew the protocol, the chancellor had to finish with him before Lina could go inside.
"Don't." he pulled her back from the guard. "Just wait."
He and Lincoln waited across the hall with their backs leaning against the wall. Lina paced in front of him and he could see the wheels turning inside her head. Twice he tried to get her to sit, afraid that she would collapse at any given moment. But all that earned him were glares strong enough to bore a hole through his face.
When Miller finally opened the door for them to enter, Lina didn't hesitate to step through the threshold. Bellamy followed so close behind that the top of her head nearly touched his chin as they walked forward. The man sitting across from Kane was indeed older, maybe in his sixties or even seventies. His hair was white as snow and his body was long and thin. He noticed the way Lina's breath hitched when she saw the man.
"President Wallace!"
Bellamy tried desperately to keep up with fast paced conversation that commenced between the two Mountain people. From what he was able to gather, the old man was the father of the bastard who had herded the Sky People like cattle to be harvested. Lina explained to the man how she was able to survive in the Earth's atmosphere and how it was slowly killing her. While the two became reacquainted, Bellamy , Kane and Lincoln had a conversation of their own.
"You're people will kill him as soon as they realize who he is." Lincoln's eyes drifted to the old man. He had more a reason to hate Cage than any of them, but his eyes remained impartial to the father.
"Not if I tell them he had no part in what happened in the mountain." Kane shook his head. "He was imprisoned by his own son for Christ's sake."
"Doesn't matter." Bellamy shrugged. "They won't see it that way."
"They are rational people." Kane argued. "Most of them take no issue with Marcelina, I don't see why they would have issues with Wallace." Bellamy snorted at the chancellor's ignorance.
"What crime did my sister commit, Kane?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Lincoln tensed beside him. Kane's eyes never left Bellamy's as he searched for a logical answer. But there was none. "That right," Bellamy continued "Octavia was not a criminal. My mother committed the crime of having a second child and they were both punished. What makes you think that they'd forgive the father for the son's crimes when they couldn't even forgive a sixteen year old girl for the sins of her mother?" the volume of his voice had raised enough to capture Lina's attention.
"I agree." Lincoln interjected. "The man needs to be kept somewhere safe. Here." He gestured around the room. "With guards posted at all times." Bellamy nodded in agreement, and to his astonishment, so did Kane.
The five of them escorted Wallace to the medical wing to be tested by Abby, just as Lina had when she first arrived. The girl stopped at the door, refusing to go inside. He could see the anger bubbling in her eyes.
"We can go back." He stepped in front of her. "Lincoln won't let anyone near him." He nodded towards the president. Relief washed over her face. It was too soon for her face Abby again, and he knew that forcing the two into the same room would only cause more tension and stress on her body. But as they began to walk away from the medical center, Lina stopped in her tracks.
"I can't." she shook her head. "I can't just leave him." She turned on her heels and strode right through the doors before he could stop her. Bellamy watched the girl march passed Abby with nothing more than a sidelong glance in the doctor's direction. She took a seat next to the old man and crossed her arms over her chest. Her back was straight and her chin pushed up in the air as her eyes fell upon Abby once more. Defiance and persistence shone through her eyes, and everyone in the room knew she would not be persuaded to leave.
Bellamy had to bite his lip to hold back a smile. Her stubbornness reminded him of Clarke. He shared a meaningful look with Lincoln, and knew that she'd be safe with him for the time being.