Apparently the last time this chapter was posted something went crazy in computer world and half of the story was written in code! Thanks so much to DevilInWhite for pointing it out to me! Hopefully it's crystal clear now! Thanks for the overwhelming flood of follows/favorites! Never thought this story would take off so well, especially since its one of my very first fics!

CHAPTER16

"Lina." Bellamy's deep voice pulled her from the world above. Her eyes left the sky and traveled down to his face. He had lived up there, among the stars. She shifted her gaze to the frozen ground. She had lived down there, under the dirt. They'd both been forced from the only homes they've ever known and settled somewhere in the middle.

There were only a few lights shimmering inside the fence. She watched over Bellamy's shoulder as a stillness overcame Camp Jaha. The one thing she's learned about the ground is that life starts early. The people wake and sleep with the sun, using as much of the daylight to accomplish the tasks that can't be done under the veil of night. With that knowledge, she assumed most of the camp was already asleep.

"Come on." Bellamy nodded his head in the direction of the camp. She followed his lead as they strode up to the gate. The guard on the inside gave a small gesture of recognition to Bellamy and opened the gate just enough for the two of them to slip through. Once on the inside, Lina took the lead. Her feet guided her along the familiar path that ended at his tent. She didn't wait for him to catch up, she just ducked in and plopped herself down on her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin.

She was aware of Bellamy as he entered the tent. The corners of his mouth had been pulled upwards into the shadow of a smile ever since she'd agreed to come back. Its presence had a strange effect on Lina. On one hand, that arrogant little grin really pissed her off. It was like he had won some game and was now gloating about his triumph. But on the other hand, the idea that she was responsible for putting that smile on his face made her chest tighten just the slightest.

But she would never let that show.

"I'll wipe that smirk right off your face if you don't stop." She mustered up some anger to make the words appear more toxic than they really were. But she was unsuccessful. In fact, his grin only widened.

"I'm just glad we're not dead." He huffed out a light laugh along with his words.

"Not dead yet." She corrected, but it didn't deflate his smile. It was like he knew something she didn't. His confidence in Abby was astonishing, and extremely annoying.

"You gonna be warm enough?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Lina scoffed and spoke her next words without hesitation.

"Is that your way of inviting yourself back into my bed?" She instantly regretted the words when hurt flooded his features. "I didn't mean it like that." She tried to save herself. "I know you did it to…"

"It's fine." He cut her off and leaned forwards a bit so that his massive frame now towered over her bed. "When you decide that you'd like to wake up with full feeling in your finger and toes, you know where to find me."

His smile returned, but it didn't quite reach his dark eyes. She thought about the night before and how unbearably cold it had been. Honestly, she would have welcomed his warm body, but it was too late for that now. Instead, she settled on watching him slide into his own cot. He turned on his side, his back facing Lina and her eyes followed the rise and fall of his breaths, quick at first, but becoming slower as the minutes ticked by.

With a sigh, she resigned to allow her body to fall into the sleep that lapped at her heels. Only, the sleep didn't come. Her lids were heavy and she let them drop close, but the continuous shivers that ran up and down her spine kept her awake for hours into the night.

Lina snuggled deeper into her blankets, thrusting her hands between her thighs for warmth. She eyed Bellamy angrily. How can he possibly sleep in this weather? As if on cue, his shoulders shuddered violently, but Lina had the feeling it wasn't from the cold. Her suspicions were confirmed when his foot began to kick and he thrashed his body around on the tiny cot. Propping herself up onto one elbow, she tentatively spoke.

"Bellamy." She knew her whisper wouldn't be enough, so she said it again with more force. His fit continued and he had started to mumble incoherently. Lina dug up whatever energy was left in her exhausted body and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, momentarily forgetting the cold that bit into her.

She knew it was a bad idea to try and wake him, but she hated to let him suffer in his own nightmare.

"Bellamy." She laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "Bell, you're dreaming." She gave him a slight shake which only seemed to worsen his terror. Small beads of sweat broke out over the skin of his forehead, and she could see his eyes close tighter and tighter as he struggled against whatever horror he faced inside his mind. "Wake up!"

Her final shove did the trick. Bellamy bolted upright in the bed. The sudden movement made Lina stumble back. She would have fallen over had he not curled his fingers just above the hand that had been on his shoulder. His grip was tight and painful but she bit her lip to keep from yelling out. It took him a few more seconds to realize that he was no longer trapped in his nightmare, those big dark eyes turning to Lina.

"What the hell?" his brows knitted together in confusion. He looked down had his hand, still clenched around her wrist, and let go immediately. Lina drew her hand back and rubbed at the sore skin.

"You were having a bad dream." she kept her eyes down. For some reason she felt embarrassed, like she was intruding on something private. Bellamy didn't speak and eventually threw his body backwards onto the cot. He rested his arm over his face as he tried to regain control of his rapid breathing. Lina crouched beside his bed awkwardly, not knowing what to say next.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked almost lazily. She looked down at her wrist and lied.

"No."

"I'm sorry." He breathed out heavily.

"I said you didn't hurt me." she rose to her feet, ready to tuck herself back under the protection of her blankets. But Bellamy's hand shot out and once again wrapped itself around her wrist; this time however, his touch was gentle.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, his voice weighed down by an emotion that she had trouble placing. When he released her, Lina felt instantly colder without his touch. She nodded as she stared down at him on the bed. Bellamy wiggled back towards the tent wall, leaving a small space on the mattress. "Come stay warm."

The invitation hit her like a tsunami. She felt herself being swept away by the tides of different emotions. Shock at his forwardness. Gratitude for his offer of warmth. Annoyance at his assumption that she would say yes. Anticipation of what it would feel like to lay against him, to be surrounded by him. There was one final feeling that she couldn't find the word for, but it laid in the pit of her stomach generating a heat that spread through her veins.

Lina counted her breaths.

One. Her heart beat stuttered like a starting engine.

Two. Her tongue became dry, her throat scratchy.

Three. Her body shuddered. From the cold or from her eagerness, she wasn't sure.

With one last deep breath she turned towards her own bed, but not before seeing the disappointment flash across his face. That alone told her that she had made the right decision.

Lina grabbed the two heavy blankets that were crumpled on her cot at spun back to Bellamy. She tossed them over top of his and, before she could think of one of the million reasons why she shouldn't, she slid her body under them all.

They were lying face to face, but neither of them spoke. Lina felt the heat seep through her skin and sink deep into her bones. She closed her eyes and let her body greedily soak up all the warmth that was offered to it. Bellamy hadn't moved, and she wondered if she was thankful for his stillness or frustrated by it. She lifted her gaze to meet his. Their faces were close enough for her to feel his breath breeze over her forehead. From that distance she could practically count the freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks. She was half tempted to do just that before her focus was brought to his lips. They were thick and stretched wide and seemed to always be pulled downward at the corners in a perpetual look of dissatisfaction. Tonight had been one of the first times that she had seen the corners pulled in the other direction. She had liked it.

"Thank you." She squeaked when she realized she had been staring too long. His body visibly relaxed at her words and she felt the bed give with his sinking weight as he melted down into it.

For a while they laid like that, less than an inch apart, nothing touching except their exhaled breaths. But just as Lina was about to succumb to the waves of sleep that rolled over her, she felt him shift beside her. His hand found her side and he softly pulled her in to him. Lina didn't protest, instead she nestled her head into his chest, her nose rubbing against the soft nape of his neck.

She raised her eyes to find his closed, long lashes sweeping against the tops of his cheeks. His arm coiled its way over her side, hand coming to rest on the small of her back. She chastised herself for not pushing away. Her nostrils filled with his scent, a mix of pine trees, fire, and sweat. She listened to his breathing as it finally became steady.

Even through their mess of clothing she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. She was suddenly furious with the clothes between them, wishing she could touch his skin. Bellamy's hand twitched at her back and she was acutely aware of that ball of heat that had been growing in her stomach. She welcomed it as she finally yielded to the sleep that pressed in on her from all sides.