(Author's notes: Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews! Chapter 3 is on hold for the developments of episode 6- I'm waiting to see what we learn about the grounders on the show)
Octavia carefully tucked her blanket around Jasper's sleeping form. He had done a valiant job of keeping her and Clarke awake. But ultimately he had drifted off a few hours before sunrise.
Octavia had been surprised at how Clarke's 'no nonsense', 'I'm right, so you better listen', personality eased into warmth and compassion. She had found herself opening up and talking about what life had been like while having to hide on the Ark. She had believed Clarke when she said that they weren't going to let things get like that again. "We have to do better than we did in the past." That's what Clarke had told her. Octavia had decided she liked that message far better than "Do whatever the hell we want."
Clarke interrupted her thoughts "You ready?"
Octavia stood and followed Clarke to the water basin. The sun was beginning to rise so they finally had ample enough light to see the full extent of everyone's injuries. First though, they had to check one another"
Octavia felt her head be pulled down by light fingers. Her bandage peeled away carefully. Octavia couldn't hold back a flinch as it stuck slightly.
"Your bleeding has stopped, I think we can go with just the poultice for now."
Clarke applied a thin slave then bent her own head for inspection. Her bandage came away easily. "Is there flesh blood? Or...oozing of any kind?"
Octavia passed the bandage back to Clarke and looked at the wound. "No to the bleeding, yes to the oozing."
Clarke saw the yellowish pus in the bandage and decided some dirt must have been left in the wound, embedded by the splinter may be?
"I will lean back, you just need to run clean water over it." Octavia soaked a cloth and squeezed it out over the cut before lightly dabbing at it with care and precision.
It still hurt, but Clarke was grateful it didn't have to be any worse than it was. "You're good at this"
"Thank you, I think. Somehow I managed to be decent at dealing with people despite living under the floor."
"Compared to some people who lived their whole lives out in the open, you are not screwed up at all." Clarke smiled. It was true, Octavia may be impetuous but she wasn't selfish or hard hearted. She was like one of those ridiculous princess from the fairtails who grow up poor and abused but end up being kind to animals and loved by the prince.
"Atom said it was because I was loved." Her voice seemed small. Clarke marveled at how close their thoughts had been. She then thought of everything Octavia had told her about the night before and had to agree with Atom's theory.
"All done!"
Clarke reached up and felt the new bandage. Octavia had done a good job. "You are a natural at this! Do you think you can do the same for Marcus? Clean the wound and change the bandage?"
Octavia smiled at the challenge "You bet!" She gathered supplies and headed in the boy's direction and Clarke went to boil some water.
Montey had been helping her identify the local herbs and all their properties. The Valerian Root had been especially potent and was easily made into tea for pain relief. Clarke hadn't made very much progress when she spotted Bellamy emerging from his tent. He gave the camp a quick once over, noted her location then made his way to Octavia.
Clarke watched him place a gentle hand to his sister's forehead. He must have asked how she was because Octavia gave a small nod. One hand stayed cupped in her hair while the other gently rubbed her shoulder. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and shot to her face.
Clarke quickly looked away and busied herself with preparing the tea, embarrassed at being caught staring. Was he mad at her for putting Octavia to work? She risked another glance in his direction.
Bellamy left a light kiss on Octavia's forehead before making his way over.
He had slept in longer than he planned to. He wanted to be up at first light but the sun was already well on its way when he rolled out of bed. He had gotten dressed quickly, anxious to see how his sister was doing. The sight of her tending to Marcus came as a bit of a surprise. Instinctively he looked around the camp for the other caretaker in their midst.
He had his second surprise of the morning when he caught her blue eyes resting on him. He looked away quickly, but not before noting how pale she seemed. He then made his way to Octavia. Her eyes were clear and her face full of color.
"You seem happy?"
She looked down and to the side, as if she had to ponder that idea. "It's weird, but, I am"
"You make a good nurse" Octavia smiled self consciously at his compliment. He meant it though. Marcus looked well taken care of. Speaking of which, Bellamy's eyes moved to Octavia's hair line. All he could see was the smear of the poultice so he gently cupped her head and moved in for a closer inspection.
"You look much better then yesterday. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine" she nodded.
Her blood soaked face and twisted body suddenly flashed before his eyes. Bellamy reached out with his other hand to assure himself that his sister was indeed "fine."
"You had me worried."
"That's my job!" Octavia smiled, but then her brows crumpled in thought. "Clarke has me a little worried. I don't think she is healing well."
Bellamy felt his eyes snap in that direction and he tried to ignore the slight tightness he suddenly felt in his chest. Clarke had been watching him again.
Even though he told himself he wasn't worried, her watching him so closely made him think she was trying to hide something, like pain. And that only seemed to make not worry more.
Without fully thinking through his next course of action, Bellamy made his way over to blonde.
He stopped a few feet away,maybe Octavia had been exaggerating? Clarke did seem pale but her hands were steady as she set ocut away small pieces of root. "How is everyone doing?"
Yeah, that's what he walked all the way over there to ask.
"Healing nicely." She smiled and then nodded toward the sack from the lake. "That has been helping"
Bellamy clenched his jaw and took a step closer. "How are you doing?" Stuffing his hands deep inside his pockets, he searched her face and examined her bandaged head as closely as possible.
Clarke briefly thought about how nice it would be to have her head held and temple kissed, her father used to do that. "I'll be fine."
She was surprised to hear her voice come out at just above a whisper.
Bellamy nodded, cleared his throat, then walked away. His hands, if possible, were pushed even deeper inside his pockets.
Clarke was surprised, she had been expecting a lecture for making his sister work, but he was just checking on her.
Not for the first time, Clarke questioned her own judgment when it came to boys.
Did she really want it to be Finn? If so why had the thought of kissing him never really cross her mind until after Wells died? What was the name of that hormone released in the brain after sex? Did that have anything to do with how she had been feeling?
Clarke shook her head. Bottom line, she was mad, and hurt. It sucks being the other woman. Especially when the other girl is so much smarter and cooler than you. And friends with you mom.
Maybe nothing would have ever happened with Finn if Wells hadn't died. Clarke felt tears pushing against the back of her eyes. She should have been the friend Wells deserved, why hadn't she forgiven him sooner, or better yet, stuck around just a little longer that night? It was her fault. She should have had her friend's back. I should have stayed with him.
Clarke felt the tears slide down her face and quickly hid their tracks with the back of her hand. She can't do this now. Her hands and feet began moving automatically to pass out the tea.
She didn't notice Raven coming up behind her. "Clarke, you look like you are going to pass out. Come sit down."
Clarke allowed herself to be led to a shady spot. Once her legs felt the coolness of the ground, her back, arms and head quickly to followed.
Raven glanced over the prone form and took in a deep breath. "This is going to sound like crappy timing, but can you meet me later?"
Where? If it is secluded location say no! Clakre shook her head at the crazy path her thoughts had taken. Evidently head injuries can sometimes lead to paranoia. She pushed onto her elbows and turned to Raven. "When were you thinking?"
"Early evening, not too late though, at the ship. I know you haven't been able to sleep yet."
"I'll be there" She smiled, but in this moment, they were out of Valerian Root, and Clarke had decided she needed some alone time. "I need to go get more supplies now any way."
"Alone? Are you sure that's safe."
"It's not far at all, plus I need a light walk."
Raven looked doubtful but didn't raise any additional arguments.
Clarke quietly made her way out of camp, slowly making her way to the small grouping of trees to the north. Her pace was deliberately slow, the emotions of the morning still weighed heavily upon her.
She had been wrong, wrong about Wells, her mother, Charlotte, and to some extent, even Finn. Her conversation with Octavia the night before drifted through her mind. Could she have been wrong about Bellamy too? He had been such an ass when they first landed, correction, he has been an ass as recently as yesterday! And everyone loves him for it. The guy knows how to play a crowd. But then he had also protected Charlotte at the risk of incurring their wrath.
Based on what Octavia had said, many of the kids in Bellamy's crew and known him before on the Ark. He had run with a ruff crowd trying to get extra rations for his little sister. Octavia said he was the fastest and smartest of all the kids so he never got caught. Which was good since Bellamy applied to be a guard as soon as he was old enough.
At first Clarke had been surprised that someone like Bellamy would sign up to take orders from other people. The it hit her: All the guards get an extra portion of rations.
She had never known of anyone having a sibling before. It seems kind of nice. Except for the whole hiding and starving part.
Clarke also had never seen anyone with such deep brown eyes before. His emotions would flicker across them like a screen, telegraphing his very thoughts. Finn had said there was no way to predict that Bellamy would go after that radio. But Clarke had seen the desperation in his eyes whenever there was talk of making contact with the Ark. She knew.
Those eyes would always find her too. Every time something happened, she would look to see what he was doing about it and he'd be looking right back at her. At first, it was a look of challenge: brows drawn together, his eyes measuring every word she said.
Then as things on the ground got more complicated, and he found himself struggling under the weight of responsibility, his eyes became searching. There are far more questions in his gaze than challenges these days.
Clarke knew very well that she had to rely on Bellamy's charisma and leadership to make things happen in the camp. Only now did it finally dawn on her that Bellamy needed her too.
Distant chants interrupted her thoughts. Something was happening at the camp!
Sprinted towards the wall, she stuffed roots in her pack as she went. After sliding through the narrow opening left for getting in and out, Clark looked around to get her bearings.
There! Off to the left of the drop ship, at the base of a hill was a circle of teens. She could hear clearly now, they were chanting "Fight Fight Fight."
In the middle of the circle two boys were facing off.
This is madness! Clarke thought. She saw Bellamy on the outer edge of the circle and immediately took back any kind thought she just had about him.
Clarke rolled her shoulders and marched forward. There is no way she was going to tolerate blood sport! Passing close by Bellamy she made sure to bump him hard with her shoulder and glare at him as she continued past so he knew exactly how pissed off she was.
Somehow he managed to catch her wrist before she made it any further into the circle.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going princess?"
Clarke twisted her arm out of Bellamy's grasp. "To do what you should be doing, and stop the fight!" She tried to make her way further into the fray but a tight pressure pulled down on her shoulder forcing her to turn back around.
Bellamy held tight to Clarke's shoulders as he bent forward to look her in the eyes. "You want to stop the fight? Talk to her." His chin jerked in the direction of a girl on the inner edge of the circle.
Clarke snapped her icy stare to the girl in question. "They are fighting over a girl?" Clarke gave the said female a once over. She didn't see much in her face or figure worth fighting over. She turned back to Bellamy, her fight mostly lost in the absurdity of it all. "Why?"
"Well" Bellamy's bottom lip rolled under the edge of his teeth and his eyes took on a darker shade. Somehow Clarke felt as if he was suddenly looking very deeply inside of her.
"Sometimes love is worth fighting for." His arms slid down her arms to cup both elbows. "And sometimes, it's just sex."
Bellamy used Clarke's elbows to turn her back to the fight. One boy was already on the ground being tended to by the girl he had been fighting over. The other stood off to the side, chest heaving, looking oddly satisfied.
Bellamy couldn't resist leaning in towards Clarke's ear and whispering. "See, it's all over and everyone got what they wanted."
Clarke was positive he wasn't referring to her situation and that she wasn't blushing.