Well, guys, I'm on a roll! This is the second time today I've posted the wrong chapter! Thank you to Redhead17x, who caught my second blunder! I really do have the best readers! After today y'all are really going to question my sanity :D

Chapter 8

Clarke walked the five miles it took to get to the building site. Work had begun two weeks ago, but progress was slow. Timber had to be cut, sized, and notched so everything would fit together snuggly.

Bryce skipped along beside her, his hand held lightly in her own. He'd missed Bellamy, and had begged to come along. She'd seen no reason to deny the boy some time with his hero, so she'd brought him along on her latest trek.

Bellamy had only been in camp to sleep lately, and the little boy had been lost without the other most important person in his life. They'd been practically living with Bellamy, Clarke and Bryce taking the bed while he slept on the floor.

She'd protested, saying she could stay with her mother.

"I don't mind, Princess", he'd whispered from the other side of the room.

Clarke was propped upon her elbow, blonde hair falling free, and Bryce curled against her side. She stared into the darkness, catching a glimpse of his dark curls.

"You need your rest, and that pallet can't be comfortable", she persisted.

"I sleep better knowing where you are", he answered before rolling over.

She lay back down; wondering not the first time what his time without her had been like.

Clarke was pulled from her thoughts when Bryce jerked his hand from hers, running ahead and into Bellamy's open arms. She watched as the two had their little reunion full of tickling and giggles.

"Hey Princess", he said as she approached.

"Hey, Bell. How's construction coming?"

"Slow", he answered, his voice dripping with worry.

In the past few weeks the air was already becoming cool, and they'd had their first frost only a few nights ago. The temperatures weren't climbing as high during the day, and a chill floated on the breeze as it twisted Clarke's blonde curls.

"We'll make it", she reassured him.

"That we will."

Bellamy showed her the cabin that would be hers. She walked through the work in progress, her boots shuffling on the packed dirt floor. It would have three rooms, one for living and two for sleeping.

"It's perfect", she said with a smile.

"I figured you and the kid would need your own space so I went with three rooms instead of two", he said bashfully.

"Thanks Bell", Clarke said laying a hand on his shoulder.

He simply nodded, brushing off her praise with a shrug.

"What have you been up to, buddy", Bellamy asked the little boy in his arms.

"I stay with Auntie O while Momma works. A mean man yelleded at her, and Auntie O got mad", the little boy tattled.

Bellamy looked to the blonde, finding her staring down at her dusty boots.

"Princess", he said, his voice filled with questions.

"It was nothing, Bell."

Something about her voice caused him to pause, she was lying, but he wouldn't get anything out of her so he switched tactics.

"What did the mean man say, Bryce?"

The child's face was serious as he answered, "He told Momma that she was bad, and that his little girl should have lived instead."

Bellamy's eyes riveted on Clarke's tired features, and he knew this happened more often than she would let on. Some people didn't understand the Princess, nor did they try to see things from her perspective.

"Can you point him out to me, buddy", the Rebel asked, his voice low and angry.

The little boy nodded, pointing to a middle aged man arguing with Lincoln. It was Fox's dad. Bellamy handed Bryce to Clarke, ignoring the way her eyes begged him not to react.

He stomped across the clearing, his strides purposeful and his fists clenched at his side.

"I need to speak with you", he growled when he finally reached the man's side.

"What do you want? We need these young men working back at camp instead of building that worthless whore's cabin!"

Bellamy grabbed the man's collar, the muscles in his forearm bulging as he pulled the man's face near to his own.

"Just because your daughter didn't come home that does not give you the right to lash out at those who survived. She did what she had to do to make sure that those kids came home safe. This is your one warning. If I hear that you've insulted her or of any more verbal abuse, then you and I are going to do more than chitchat. Do I make myself clear?"

He watched as the man nodded, fear in his watery blue eyes.

"Good, now get back to camp."

Bellamy walked back to Clarke and took Bryce from her arms. He didn't look at her; he just started walking and began to point out the improvements Wick had made to their design.

When they stopped, and Bryce had run to see his Unlce Linc, Clarke pulled Bellamy to a stop.

"You can't keep doing that, Bellamy", she said softly.

"What", he asked, his face expressionless.

"You know 'what'", the blonde answered, "You can't defend me to the whole camp. I won't have you ruining your chances at a better life just to ensure that I don't get my feelings hurt."

Bellamy stood there staring at her, wondering how she couldn't see it.

"Clarke, I care about you. Whatever better life you think looms out on the horizon for me is bull crap. Everything I want is right here. You and Bryce are all I need", the Rebel said with steely conviction.

Clarke's features softened, and she reached to take his hand in her own.

"Bell, I'm no good for you. I can't give you everything you deserve. There are so many other girls who could and would give you the home and family I know you want."

After the words left her mouth, Clarke watched as something about him changed. His dark eyes grew cold, and his hand went limp in hers.

"You expect me to find someone else to love", he said wearily.

"Yes, Bell because you deserve…"

"Don't you get it Clarke? I love YOU! YOU are who I deserve!"

Clarke gasped at his honest outpouring of emotion. Her eyes welled with tears because she so wanted to tell him that she loved him back- wanted to admit that he and Bryce together made up her whole world.

Instead she took the road that would break her heart, the road that she hoped would lead to his happiness even if it didn't lead to her own. She could feel the cold seeping into her bones as she raised her gaze to meet his own.

"I don't love you, Bellamy. We can't be together because it's not worth the risk", she said quietly, "You're not worth the risk."

She watched as his gaze shuttered and his features etched in pain. She would remember the look on his face for the rest of her life, adding it to the long list of wrongs she'd committed.

He ripped his hand from hers, tears coursing down his cheeks.

"You don't mean that", he whispered.

Clarke couldn't answer him, she was afraid that if she did she wouldn't be able to stop the declaration of love that threatened to spill forth. He turned from her then, stalking off into the woods, and leaving her to stand in the wreckage of her shattered heart.

She felt a presence beside her, turning to find Lincoln watching Bellamy leave.

"I had to do it", she whispered, "It's better that he hates me now, than to wake up years down the road and find that he despises me."

"Clarke, he wouldn't do that to you", Lincoln said softly.

"But I can't do that to him. Being associated with me will ruin his chances at a better life. I've seen how well he's done with the cadets, and how much responsibility Kane is giving him. I won't let him throw that all away just for me. I'm not worth it."

"To him you are. We all need people in our lives who see us as more than we are, who believe in us even when we think we've sunk too far- become unredeemable."

"How do you do it, Lincoln? Forget", Clarke asked brokenly.

"I don't. I remember all of them, every face, but I move on. We can't dwell in the past, Clarke. The past is filled with ghosts that will haunt your every waking hour. We have to live in the present with those we love if we ever hope to have a future."

Clarke stood quietly, staring out over the tree lined forest. She knew Lincoln was right, but trying to move past everything she'd done was hard. She'd kept everyone away, not wanting to taint them with her darkness, but in doing so she'd kept out the light- a light that could only come from love.

"What if he never forgives me", she asked of her silent companion.

"He's done nothing but forgive you, Clarke. When Octavia told him about Tondc, she tried to make him hate you and I think he wanted to. He couldn't do it though. I would catch him on guard duty, staring out into the forest. He never stopped believing that you would come back, even thought he wanted to give up on you he couldn't."

"It doesn't matter anymore. After what happened today, he won't have anything to do with me", the blonde said remorsefully.

"Give him time, but more importantly, give yourself time. You can't expect for all of your problems to fix themselves over night. Take the time to heal, Clarke, and stop pushing us all away."

Clarke nodded, taking Lincoln's words to heart. He was right; she couldn't dwell in the past. She had to move on. Maybe if she moved forward then Bellamy would to.

She dreaded the day that she saw him with someone else, but she would never stand in his way. She wanted more than anything for the man she loved to be happy, and she prayed he found that happiness soon before her resolve crumbled.

Bellamy tromped through the dense vegetation, his mind rehearsing Clarke's words like a broken record. He could see it in her eyes that she loved him, that she wanted to tell him, but something was holding her back.

His traitorous heart wanted nothing more than to run back and make her listen, make her understand that he couldn't do what she'd asked of him. To leave her would surely mean his ruin.

If he moved on that would simply add weight to her belief that she wasn't worth it, that she didn't deserve the happiness he knew she craved. He couldn't do that to her- he had to save her from herself.

Bellamy began to walk back slowly, a new determination soaring in his chest. He would do whatever it took to make Clarke Griffin see that his happiness rested with she and Bryce. He couldn't have peace without them.

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Clarke took Bryce back to camp, moving their meager belongings out of Bellamy's quarters and into one of the spare tents. It wasn't ideal, but it would keep the weather out.

She looked at her little boy, finding his little head bent as he fiddled with something in his small hands.

"What's that", she asked with a smile.

"Bewamy gave it to me", Bryce answered, "He said I wouldn't see him for a while."

Clarke watched as tears slowly began to seep from the boy's dark brown eyes. She took him in her arms, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"Bellamy's not gone forever, I promise. He'll be back soon."

"Does he not love us anymore", came the quiet little voice, breaking Clarke's heart.

She pulled back, tipping Bryce's gaze up to meet her own.

"Bellamy loves you, Bryce. Nothing or no one can ever change that. He's not leaving you, he'll always be there", she soothed.

The little boy relaxed, but she could tell that his hero's absence weighed heavily on his mind. That night, as Clarke held her son close to her body trying to keep him warm, her thoughts wandered to Bellamy.

She hadn't spoken to him since that morning, and she missed him. She tried to tell herself that it would get easier, but she knew it was a lie. Her love for Bellamy was her lifeline, and to let it go would mean tumbling into the dark abyss.

Silent tears coursed down her cheeks as she contemplated her life without him. It was dark and dismal, the only bright spot being the little boy in her arms. He needed her, and she would care for him the best she could.

"We're going to be alright", she whispered into Bryce's downy soft curls, praying that it was true.

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! :)

Eva: Thanks for catching my flub up! I would have had my stories crossed and never would have known! :)

Wright: Thanks for the review! I figured you would all like getting the 100 away from Camp Jaha! I'm so glad you liked the Lexa stomping I did! I so want Clarke to tell her off in she show! That was super fun for me to write! I got to vent my frustrations and bash Lexa for the traitor she is! Octavia does love Clarke, and I really wanted them to make up. They're good buddies, so I'm happy I could bring them back together! Bellamy, Clarke and Bryce as a family are like cotton candy, sweet and fluffy! I'll try to keep this thing going for as long as y'all want! :D