Hello everyone! Here is my contribution to the fics about Bellamy and Clarke's reunion after the 6 years has past. I'm toying with extending this one to explore Bellamy and Madi's relationship. If you guys think that would be worth exploring let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
The Head and Heart
Bellamy Blake sat in his cell on the Eligius Corporation's ship. He sat slumped against the wall, his eyes closed but his ears open for any sound. Now he knew what the others had gone through, especially his sister. After surviving Praimfaya, he and the ring crew had figured out a way to make life on the old ship work. They'd been not just surviving, but they'd been making progress on a way to get back down to the ground. Then one day these guys had shown up. In a very Mount Weather like invasion, they'd managed to get the exterior door open and had more gun power than Bellamy and his friends. They'd wounded Echo on purpose to make them comply, shooting her in the shoulder. Bellamy knew it hadn't been a fatal injury, but after they'd been captured they'd all been separated. He didn't know if they'd fixed her shoulder or not. As soon as they invaded, they took the supplies they'd been after then took Bellamy and the others with. They'd stuffed them all in separate cells and he hadn't seen any of them since. That was three years ago. 6 years and 7 days since Praimfaya. 2,199 days since he'd left Clarke behind.
Not a day went by that he didn't think about her. He missed her. Her smirk she'd give only him. The way she always believed in him - no matter what he'd done. The selfless way she lived her life. Echo had tried to start something up with him, but his heart just couldn't take it. After loosing Gina, now loosing Clarke he didn't think he'd ever be able to love someone else. He'd done his best to use his head along with his heart as she'd asked him to, but how do you use both when one is broken?
The door to his cell was suddenly jerked open and two guards came through. One held a gun trained on him and the other held two sets of shackles.
"Stand up," The guard with the shackles roughly requested. Bellamy stayed seated where he was and the guard yanked him up to his feet. He placed one set of shackles to his wrists and the other to his ankles. Then the guard punched him and chuckled. "Today's the day. You're going home."
He took Bellamy out to the hall where the rest of his friends were lined up with two guards of their own. They all had the same set of shackles he did, but were all chained together. Monty was sporting a black eye as was Harper. Raven was at the front glaring at her guard and was rubbing her knee brace. Echo was silently fuming, the hate in her eyes clearly visible to him. At least they'd fixed her wounded shoulder. His guard chained him to Murphy who was trying to provide some type of comfort to Emori the best he could with his hands chained.
"Here we go again," He murmured.
"What do you mean?" Bellamy whispered back.
"They're making us get out of the ship first when we get down. To confirm that the ground is survivable," Murphy looked at him. "Sound familiar? When did expendable get branded on my forehead?"
"Why take the whole ship? What if it's not survivable," Bellamy whispered back.
"Apparently they picked up something on the radio," Murphy glanced at the guards to make sure they weren't listening. They were re-checking the chains on the others and hadn't made it to them yet. "It was someone down on the ground. The signal wasn't from space and the person was apparently talking about how it's been safe to come down for a year. But just in case, we get to walk out of the ship first not their people."
The guards started leading them down the hall where they stopped at a set of doors. All of the other prisoners on the ship were strapped and chained into seats along the wall. There were seven chairs in the center of the room in a small circle that also had chains and straps and Bellamy's heart sank. After all they'd been through, they were going to die chained to a chair on a prisoner ship. At least the promise to see Clarke again would come true soon.
The guards led them into the room then sat them all down in the chairs facing each other and chained them in. The guards then took the other empty seats in the room, their guns still in hand.
The guard that had chained Bellamy took a radio from his belt and said "All good to go down here."
With that, the ship started to rumble and soon Bellamy started to feel the descent to earth.
XXXXX
When Clarke Griffin had woken up a week after Praimfaya had hit, she thought she'd been dreaming. When she tried to stand, the pain in her wrist that she'd fallen on and apparently broken as a result told her she was very much alive. When she'd first woken up she'd spent a week feeling angry and sorry for herself. Angry that Allie had been right, angry that Praimfaya had come earlier than Allie had said, angry that they'd run out of time when she was proof they'd figured out how to beat it.
After the anger had faded, the sadness hit. An overwhelming sadness that she'd be spending the next 5 years alone. Sadness that she'd have to wait 5 years to tell her mother how brilliant she was and sadness that she might not ever get to see Bellamy again at all if they couldn't figure out how to come back down.
He was right after all. Their fight wasn't over. Her fight wasn't over. After that realization hit she finally realized how ridiculous she was being and ventured outside. After that she rarely spent time inside.
About 6 months after Praimfaya, she'd found the remnants of an old grounder village and started picking through the remains to see if anything was salvageable. While doing so she'd nearly been decapitated by a young girl. To her shock and surprise, there was still one nightblood left and Clarke had found the scared young girls' hiding spot. When she'd found her, Madi was very antagonistic but time had done a world of difference. Clarke now had a maternal love for the girl and was fiercely protective of her. Madi was her second chance and she'd started training her in everything she knew - combat, guns and shooting, and anything else a nightblood would need to know. Even normal things they'd learned on the Ark.
Clarke had been talking to Bellamy on the radio every day since she woke up. He never responded, but it made her feel better. After waking up when she thought she wouldn't she'd never loose faith again. So she spoke into the radio silence. Day after day with no reply or even a second of static.
Today was different though. While telling Bellamy about the a new green spot she and Madi had found, a ship started to make its' way from the sky to earth. He was finally coming back. At least that's what she thought until she'd seen the size of the ship coming down. She ran back to the rover and grabbed her riffle, Madi at her heels sensing her distress.
"What is it Clarke?" Madi stood at her side, ready for whatever Clarke told her to do.
Clarke lifted the rifle and aimed it at the ship. She could see the ship descending from the scope of the riffle and through that she could see the words "Eligius Corporation" and "Gagarin Prison Transport" visible on the sides. She turned to Madi and handed the riffle back to her.
"Madi go move the rover. Then climb in the nearest tree you can find with this. I'll give you the signal if you need to shoot," Clarke followed her back to the rover and grabbed another rifle from the back, shoved a pistol in the waistband of her pants at her back, then stuffed a knife in her boot.
Madi moved the rover further back in the trees and then climbed into one. Clarke nodded up at her when she was in place then found a spot behind a group of bushes. The large ship slowly made its' way to the ground, gently landing right in front of her. Clarke watched as the door slid open and a ramp descended. At first no one came out. Then slowly, 7 faces she'd recognize anywhere came down the ramp with shackles circling their wrists and ankles. Bellamy came down the ramp last.
"Bellamy," Clarke whispered.
Her friends stood at the bottom of the ramp and waited. It wasn't like the last time they'd arrived on earth. This time they looked weary. The hope they'd had when they left was gone from their eyes. After a few minutes two men, both in uniforms with guns, came down after. The excitement she'd felt the first time she'd landed on the ground was embedded in their eyes. Clarke took their distraction as an opportunity and lifted her riffle as she stepped out from behind the bush.
XXXXX
Bellamy knew he should feel happy that they were finally back on the ground. But the shackles immobilizing them and the guns trained on them were making that a little hard. The guards had told them to wait at the bottom and if they didn't die right away, two guards would follow. When the guards followed, their reactions to the ground had been similar to his at first. They were in awe, their excitement pouring off of them in waves. The only difference was that for them, this was like coming home. It might not look like what they remembered before being put in cryosleep, but it was still home. A rustle in the nearby bushes had everyone watching in shock as a woman came out with a rifle pointed at them.
Bellamy narrowed his eyes at the woman, until realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened in shock and he whispered, "Clarke?"
Clarke shot him that special little smirk then glared at the guard gripping his arm, "I suggest you let them go. Now."
"I don't know who you are sweetheart, but you're outnumbered. Put down the gun and we won't hurt you," The guard replied.
"What makes you think I'm alone?" Clarke smiled and lifted her left hand in the air. As soon as she'd lifted her hand, a shot rang out and the guard standing next to Raven hit the ground with a bullet between his eyes. "Let's try this again. Let them go. Now. Or you join him."
The guard chuckled and lifted his gun and aimed it at her. Bellamy was about to intervene when another shot rang out and the guard landed in a heap at his feet with a bullet between his eyes too. Bellamy leaned down and grabbed the keys out of the guards' pocket and tossed them to her.
"There were other guards on the ship," He said to her and turned to the others. "We need to hurry. Think we can run and unchain ourselves later?"
They all nodded and took off after Clarke at an odd run. After a few miles they stopped at the rover. Clarke started at Raven's end and used the keys to unchain them. It took longer than it should have because they were all hugging her after she'd finished. When she finally made it to him, he was still in shock but extremely happy. She'd survived and here she was saving them again. She unchained his ankles first then his hands. As soon as his hands were free he cupped her jaw and kissed her. He could feel her smile against his lips and felt her wrap her arms around his waist. When he pulled back he rested his forehead against hers and smiled back.
"I missed you Princess," He rubbed his thumbs along her jaw. "I can't believe you're alive."
"I missed you too. All of you," Clarke pulled back and smiled up at him. "I guess you didn't hear my radio messages?"
"No we didn't," Bellamy shook his head. She must have been the one the guards had heard. He should've known she'd survive. "The nightblood worked."
"It did and not just on me," Clarke looked up to the trees. "Komba raun daun Natblida." ("come down nightblood" .info)
Bellamy and the others looked up into the tree where the shots had come from. A young girl dropped down from the tree with a rifle in her hand. She looked about 12 and had long brown hair. She hovered close to Clarke when she landed and glanced at Bellamy shyly.
"This is Madi," Clarke put her arm around the girl protectively. "I found her in a village a few months after Praimfaya. She's the last remaining nightblood. At least natural nightblood any way."
Madi studied them all closely and smiled. "Clarke's told me all about you. I'm glad to finally meet you."
Bellamy smiled back at Clarke then knelt in front of Madi. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of her for us. She means a lot to us."
Shouts drifted from nearby causing them all to jump. Clarke turned to Madi. "Take them all to the rover. We'll have to squeeze everyone in."
"You're coming too right?" Madi, despite the calm she obviously had shown when shooting two men, looked scared at the prospect of leaving her behind.
"Yes," Clarke smiled at her and cupped her cheek. "I'll be right behind you."
The rest of the group followed, but Bellamy stayed behind. Clarke handed him the pistol from her waistband. "Figured you'd want protection."
"Thanks Princess," He threaded his fingers through her newly chopped off hair and kissed her once more.
"Let's go," She took his hand and wrapped her fingers through his. They took off at a run towards the woods and separated when the rover came into view. Clarke climbed into the driver seat and Bellamy the passenger seat. "Everyone ready? Let's go!"
Clarke drove away as shots buzzed by the windows. She drove for a long time before stopping at the mouth of a cave right outside Polis. The others slowly jumped out of the rover and entered the cave where two cots had already been set up. There was a shelf with a small amount of medical supplies, art supplies and a little bit of loose paper. There were also a few books littering the shelf too.
"When the weather sucks we stay here," Clarke explained. "We went back to that bunker Finn found and what was left of Becca's lab and grabbed what we could. There wasn't a huge amount of medical supplies left, but we make do."
Madi came in last carrying the blankets that were in the back of the rover and dropped them on one of the cots. Then she ran back out and brought back all the guns that had been in the rover and laid them gently on the bottom shelf.
"I'll go grab some firewood," She started for the entrance, but Clarke grabbed her jacket and pulled her back.
"Hold up. With those guys out there I don't think you should go alone," Clarke replied. "Give me a minute and I'll go with you."
"I don't need protection," Madi rolled her eyes in true teenager fashion.
"I'll go with her," Raven said and put her arm around the girl and winked. "I'll tell you some embarrassing Clarke stories."
Clarke chuckled as the two left the cave, each with a gun in hand. Despite the guns and Raven's presence with her she still worried. Clarke jumped when Bellamy's thumb brushed against her bottom lip that she'd been biting.
"She'll be fine," Bellamy smiled. "She means a lot to you."
"She's the only person I've been around and talked to for the last 6 years," Clarke smiled fondly. "She's family."
As soon as the words came out she wished she could take them back. Bellamy's smile fell from his face and guilt swam in his eyes instead. She hadn't wanted to bring up their time apart, but it had slipped out. She sighed and changed the subject and offered to give them a tour of the rest of the cave. The conversation they needed to have couldn't be done with everyone surrounding them.
Later that night, Clarke rolled over on the blanket she was sleeping on and found Bellamy gone. He'd been sleeping next to her when she'd gone to bed, but now his blanket was empty. Panic started to set in until she saw him sitting at the entrance to the cave. Clarke laid back down on the blanket and placed her hand on her rapidly beating heart. When it had slowed to a more steady rhythm, she sat up. He was sitting with his back against a large rock at the front entrance with his knees pulled up and his arms loosely looped around them.
"Hey," Clarke sat down next to him and put her arm through his. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No. I've spent the last three years in a cell. Just wanted some fresh air," Bellamy put his legs down and grabbed her hand. "Clarke I'm so sorry."
"Please don't," Clarke put her finger against his lips. "I knew I wasn't going to make it back in time. The box at the bottom of the tower didn't work. I had to climb to the top and it was already at 10 minutes before I'd even started. You did the right thing."
"I left you behind Clarke and not just for a few months," Bellamy shook his head. He rubbed his hand down her arm, trying to reassure himself this wasn't a dream. To reassure himself that she was really here. "I thought you were dead."
"I'm not. I'm right here," Clarke brought his forehead to hers and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm right here Bell and I'm not going anywhere."
He shook his head as tears formed in his eyes. She also saw the guilt all over his face. It was comforting to know that at least some things hadn't changed in the last 6 years. He may not look like the Bellamy she remembered with his new goatee and leaner build, but nothing else had changed. Like her, he still carried more guilt than he should.
She cupped his jaw and ran her thumb along the stubble until his brown eyes looked into her blue ones. "I know you. Even after all these years apart I know you and I know that the guilt is still eating at you. Just promise me that you'll try to let it go. Please? We're together again and that's all that matters."
"I'll try," Bellamy placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll make it up to you."
"You don't have to make it up to me," Clarke shook her head and smiled. "I forgive you Bellamy."
"You always believed in me even when no one else did," Bellamy smiled at her and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I missed you so much Princess."
"I missed you too," She whispered back. She snuggled against his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat.
"So what's the secret to getting on Madi's good side?" Bellamy asked after a few minutes of silence had passed.
Clarke chuckled and glanced up at him. "Why do you know want to know?"
Bellamy shrugged. "She's your family. You're important to me so she is too."
Clarke's eyes teared up. They may not be related, but Madi was her family. She came first now and the fact that Bellamy had only been back a few hours and could see that made her heart flutter.
"You won't have to do much," She replied. "I told her stories about you. All of you. You're a hero to her already."
"I'll try to live up to that," Bellamy said. He leaned his head back against the rock behind him and closed his eyes. After a while Clarke's breathing evened out against his chest and he knew she'd fallen back asleep. He could seriously get used to this. His arm encircling her with her weight against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "I love you. I'll never leave you behind again. That's a promise."
He drifted off to sleep with the woman he'd spent 6 years mourning sleeping peacefully alive and well in his arms. They still had a lot to talk about not to mention coming up with a plan to deal with the guards from the ship. But right now, he desperately needed this moment with her more than anything. The world would always need saving and now that the brain and the heart were reunited they'd once again be unstoppable.
