Hello lovelies! Again, sorry to keep you waiting longer than usual. A huge thanks to everyone who had followed so far! I have another 100 fic in progress called The Fight for Peace, go check it out! Because I suck at doing one thing at a time, I'm already trying to get new ideas for my next story. I was thinking of trying something with The Vampire Diaries (my guilty pleasure) or maybe Game of Thrones. Let me know what you think. PLEASE REVIEW!

CHAPTER 15

Her feet crept forward, bringing her closer to the Grounders in the clearing. Every cell in her body vibrated with an excitement that she couldn't explain. What was it about these four men that she found so intoxicating? Was it the possibility of control? The promise that she could govern her own actions for the rest of what little time she had left? No one was there to tell her no, or to lock her up and say it was for her own good. She relished in the feeling of freedom.

Deep down she knew it was a mistake to reveal herself to the grounders, but for once, it was her choice to make. Knowing that death was inevitable gave her a new sense of adventure, an unexplainable need to take risks.

Her foot was in midair, about to take another step when a large rough hand clamped down over her mouth. She felt an arm snake its way around her middle and pull her back against something hard. Lina's cries for help were muted by the hand. Her attacker dragged her further away from the clearing, away from the grounders that she wanted so desperately to reach. The four men's head's all turned at the sound of the cracking of twigs and falling leaves under their feet.

"Be quiet." A familiar voice breathed into her ear, his breath tickling the hairs on her neck. Bellamy pressed his own back against a large nearby tree, keeping her forced against his chest. Her eyes widened at the realization that her attacker was the same man who she had shared a bed with, in the most innocent of ways, not twenty four hours ago. He craned his neck around the tree, keeping his grip on Lina tight.

"You're hurting me." she tried to say, but her words sounded like mush against his hand. His arm was still wrapped around her stomach pulling her close and the pressure made it hard for her to breathe.

"Shhh." He hissed. "I don't think they saw us. Probably think it was an animal." He waited another few seconds before uncovering her mouth. His arm loosened around her middle, but he didn't take it away. "Don't be stupid Lina, those people are not your friends." Bellamy kept his voice low so the grounders wouldn't hear.

"Let go." She whispered, trying to shrug out of his arm only to have him tighten it again.

"So you can get yourself killed? I don't think so."

"I'm dying anyway." She argued. Lina was apparently too loud for his liking because he threw his hand back over her mouth.

"You'll get us both killed if you don't keep your voice down." He murmured. "The Mountain Men have been kidnapping and killing Grounders for a hundred years. You really think they'll welcome you with open arms? They'll want payback for everyone they've ever lost, and you're literally the only one left who can give them the satisfaction of revenge."

His words triggered something inside of her. She had been so distracted by the euphoria of experiencing the world and all its wonders that she had forgotten the nightmares that her own people had caused. She turned her head as best she could to look at Bellamy. This was the third time he'd saved her life. Lina gave him a nod of understanding and he took his hand from her mouth again. His dark eyes looked back towards the clearing.

"We should wait here for a while longer." He whispered. "Let them get settled and then head back quietly." Lina shook her head violently.

"I'm not going back Bellamy."

BELLAMY'S POV

He kept his arm around her waist, his fingers curling around her side. He was afraid to let her go, afraid that she would take off into the clearing. Back in the drop ship when she had shoved her way past Kane and towards the gate, Bellamy knew he would have to follow her. She was sure to get herself killed out here, especially since she'd never experienced the world. And sure enough, she'd almost walked up to four very large, very armed grounders.

"I'm not going back Bellamy." She said, her voice barely audible. He didn't respond, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary. If they waited for the grounders to make their fire and settle in for the night, their guard would drop just enough for Bellamy and Lina to make a quick getaway without being noticed.

As the minutes ticked by, Bellamy felt the warmth growing in his stomach. Lina hadn't tried to move away from him and her back was still pressed tight against his chest. Her small body trembled when the wind picked up.

"I think we can go now." She said through chattering teeth. He knew she was right, it had been almost twenty minutes that they stood in silence behind the large oak tree. He nodded and pulled his arms away from her. Worry instantly filled Bellamy's veins. He couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but before Lina could step out of his reach he latched his hand around her wrist. He needed to touch her. He needed to feel her skin against his. He had the sickening fear that if he let her go, even for a second, she would be lost forever.

Lina was his only way of coping with the terribly things he'd done at Mount Weather. He knew that saving her wouldn't absolve his sins, but it gave him a sense of purpose, and purpose was the only thing keeping him from running a dagger through his own heart. Before Lina, he had focused his attention on Octavia. Protecting his baby sister had been the only thing in his life that had made sense. But now that little girl who used to cry under the floorboards could kick some serious ass. He was proud of his sister. Proud of who she became, of how she's grown into such a strong woman. But he needed someone to protect because that was one of the only things he had ever been good at; protecting.

"I told you," Lina's voice snapped him back to their present situation. "I don't want to go back."

"Two days." He bent his head down so he could capture her dark eyes in his. "Two days is all I ask. Forty eight hours to let Abby work on finding a cure." His hand, which was still griping her wrist, slid down to her hand. He felt her stiffen at the intimate contact, but he persisted on keeping their hands interlocked. "If she can't then you have my word I will let you leave."

He knew it wouldn't take that long for Abby to figure something out. The doctor had already been running tests on the old man's blood. Wallace had been alive for almost four whole days without presenting any signs of radiation poisoning. Abby believed that he had been given the bone marrow cure that Cage and his followers had concocted. If she could separate the cure from his blood, she would have the recipe to save Lina's life.

Lina's eyes flicked from their hands back up to his face, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she weighed her options. Twice, Bellamy saw her lips part as though she was about to speak, but the snapped shut before any sound escaped. Finally, after an agonizing sixty seconds, she responded.

"I know that if I refuse, you'll follow me anyway." There was hostility in her voice, which made his heart flutter in hope. "And if you swear that after the two days I can leave without a babysitter," she stared intently for a few moments. "then I will stay."

Bellamy felt his lips curl into a smirk, but he turned to keep Lina from seeing the victory as it danced across his features. She slid her hand out of his and continued to trump through the woods. The sun had set some time ago leaving the Earth blanketed in a darkness so complete that it was hard to see more than a foot in front of them. Bellamy had gotten quite good at navigating through the bumpy terrain of the forest surrounding the camp, but it had been a while since he'd done so at night.

The cold started to nip at his skin, leaving goosebumps on his arms. If he was cold, then Lina must have been freezing. Her body wasn't used to changing weather. In the mountain they had control over the temperature, and Bellamy doubted she had ever experienced anything less than fifty degrees before she entered Camp Jaha. But to his surprise, she didn't voice a single complaint as they made their way back home.

In fact, she didn't speak at all.

It wasn't until they reached the open field in front of the gates that he heard her make a sound. It was a soft gasp that left her lips as she stood on the edge of the forest. Her head was tilted towards the sky, mouth agape. Bellamy followed her gaze until he too, was staring at the star lit sky. It occurred to him that this was the first time she was seeing the stars, the last few nights had been too cloudy for a good look. Not so long ago he'd been drifting among them, but looking up now, it seemed to have been a lifetime since he came to the Ground with the 100.

His eyes dropped to Lina again, not wanting to see billion twinkling reminders of his past. The corners of her mouth had pulled into smile, a true smile, and for a moment, Lina shone just as bright as the stars above.