*Shout out to my German readers! I met so many amazing Germans last year and one of my flatmates at Uni is German, I love visiting my friends everywhere from Munich to Berlin, your country is beautiful! Please favourite/follow/review*
After washing off the rest of the blood and dirt left from her journey, and being patched up by her mum, Clarke slept. She slept for longer than she had allowed herself to in months, and when she woke up her mum was still at the end of her bed, sleeping with her head against Clarke's leg, hair fanned across the bed.
After waiting impatiently for hours, Abby released Clarke from her care, and she was overjoyed to find Raven waiting for her outside the medical tent. Pulling Clarke into a hug the two girls couldn't help but think how strange it was, but how relieved they were to find the other alive. Clarke had no more room for jealousy in her heart, and suddenly found she was ok with the idea of Raven and Finn. She wondered what had changed to stop the pang of envy that used to shoot through her when she saw them kiss, or when she saw Raven leave Finn's tent in the mornings.
The two talked for a moment, explaining to the other how they had survived the weeks after the drop ship and made it to Camp Jaha, eyeing the other in amazement as they heard of their trials. Raven's eyebrows knitted together in shock and concern when she learnt of the others trapped in Mount Weather.
'Open the gates'.
Clarke's head lifted in the direction of the shout and she saw four figures staggering into the camp, covered in mud and blood, exhaustion set in the slump of their shoulders. Two girls at the back, and a third with her arm around a boy with dark curly hair in front.
'Bellamy' Clarke breathed, hardly noticing Raven turn to look at her with a smile.
'Go,' she said knowingly, 'I'll catch up.'
Clarke started automatically towards where they stood, just inside the gate, barely even registering the people around her. Her eyes never left him as he talked briefly to Abby, running a hand through his ark, messy hair, as she took two of the injured party to medical with her. Clarke felt herself break into a run as she neared the boy and as soon as she was close enough she threw her arms around his neck, lifting herself up on tip toe. Her heart was racing against his and she couldn't hide her smile at the one thought running through her head. 'Bellamy was home.'
Bellamy turned to look at Octavia as Abby Griffin walked with Mel and Monroe back toward the medical tent in the middle of the camp. He ran a hand through his hair, the weight of Sterling's death heavy on his shoulders, when he felt a small force knock him backwards and arms wrap around his neck, gripping him tightly. He stepped back to balance himself as her scent washed over him. Clarke. His arms came up in surprise and before he realised it they were gripped tightly around her waist, crushing her closer to him.
She buried her head in the join between his shoulder and his neck and relished in the warmth and strength that was Bellamy, deliriously, blissfully happy that he was alive.
'Now there's something I thought I'd never see' quipped Octavia, but Bellamy didn't care. He closed his eyes and dropped his head so his chin rested on Clarke's shoulder, nose buried in her hair, and closed his eyes, enjoying how good it felt to hold her in his arms again. He let out a mix between a sigh of relief and a chuckle of amazement, and Clarke's smile grew wider still. She rubbed her thumb down the back of Bellamy's neck and felt his strong arms squeeze her closer than she thought possible, until they were completely flush, with no distance between. Both marvelled at how right it felt.
Too soon for both of them they pulled away to face each other, still just centimetres apart, they drank in the sight of the person they thought they'd lost. Bellamy's jaw tightened at the dozens of cuts scattered across Clarke's face and he felt a protective rage shoot through him at the thought of her being hurt so badly. Clarke took in Bellamy's tired face marked with cuts and dirt, and the sadness still colouring his eyes, and ached to help him, to soothe him.
Dragging her eyes away she belatedly realised that Octavia was there too and drew her in for a hug too, feeling guilty for not recognising her next to Bellamy at first.
'I'm glad you're ok' said the other Blake emotionally.
'You too' smiled Clarke.
She turned back to Bellamy and felt the relief wash over her all over again, thinking she would never get enough of that feeling, would never get tired of seeing his face as it was just now, gazing down at her in something akin to wonder. Then she saw Raven stop next to her she remembered what her mum had told her.
'Where's Finn?'
Bellamy tried to hide his jealousy at the mention of the boy, cursing him for taking Clarke away as soon as he had found her again.
'Looking for you' he told her carefully.
Worry and confusion flickered across Clarke's face and Bellamy's expression softened again.
'Come on.' He said gently, taking her hand and leading her into the camp, oblivious to the surprised glance that Raven and Octavia shared. They walked silently until they reached the quarters that he and Octavia had been assigned. When they were inside the small chamber Bellamy sat on the side of the bed and pulled Clarke next to him, he released her hand reluctantly and started to talk, his voice low, eyes on the floor.
'Finn wanted to go-'
Clarke cut him off by placing her hand on his leg. 'First let me tell you something?' her voice was soft but resolute. Bellamy dropped his hand over hers and squeezed it gently, so she continued, 'I didn't get the chance to say anything that day, and after the drop ship door closed, after I closed it, I just kept thinking about how much I regretted not telling you.' She closed her eyes, summoning the courage to continue. 'I understand why you judged me the way you did. What you went through on the Ark was unjust and shows how flawed our system was, I don't blame you for the way you treated me to start with, but Bellamy, since we arrived on the ground things changed, we changed, and I need you to know that.'
Bellamy didn't realise he was holding his breath until she had finished, surprised that she was choosing to reassure him, rather than find out where Finn was. What was she saying? Bellamy had changed because he realised he had been wrong about Clarke, thinking that she wasn't the person he believed she was when he first met her in the medical station. She was that person and more, she was kind and caring and brave and beautiful. But how had Clarke changed?
'You don't have to say anything, but we need to go see my mother. We need to get Finn back.'
Bellamy didn't know what to think anymore, let alone what to say, so he left the small room with Clarke without a word, grateful that she did understand.