*Shout out to my amazing readers – I couldn't have done this without you! Please favourite/follow/review the last chapter of my first proper story and follow me on twitter WildMockingbird Thanks so much again I love you all and I hope you like this*
It didn't take long to get everyone out of the room and within minutes they were making their way through the mountain, led by Octavia, Bellamy and Clarke. Bellamy glanced down at his fierce little sister as she took them to where Jasper and Maya were and he couldn't help but feel pride warm his chest, pushing through the pain and the guilt that was pressing down on him. He felt Clarke's hand slip into his and he turned his head to the other side to look down at the other fierce woman in his life, feeling his pride only grow.
Jasper's head lifted at the sounds of footsteps once more, and he knew that they had done it, before he even saw Clarke's solemn face appear in the doorway, flanked by the Blakes. He turned to Maya with a small smile, knowing how conflicted she must feel. She had helped save a lot of lives today, but she had lost even more, including her father. He wrapped his long arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side, feeling her warmth even through her suit.
The rest of the sky people gathered inside and around the room, their expressions ranging from confused to outraged at the sight of the two dozen mountain men (and children). Bellamy recognised the mass unease but when he turned to her, Clarke was already stepping into the middle of the room.
'We will explain everything when we get back to camp, but for now you will just have to trust me and Bellamy and know that these people are not a threat to us.' Her voice was firm and dared anyone to question her. The room remained silent.
Her word was enough for the original members of the 100, who knew that every decision that their leaders made was for them and their safety, no matter the cost. Besides, they were only alive right now because of them, how could they argue their decision?
Bellamy caught a few people's eyes – Miller, Monroe, Raven – and he knew that they had accepted Clarke's words without question, he just hoped that it would be enough to keep the adults in line as well. He moved to stand next to Clarke.
'We don't have much time.' His words reverberated around the room. 'It's a long walk back to camp and these oxygen tanks only have about 9 hours in them so we have to move, now.' Bellamy's voice was commanding and immediately people began to file out of the room again, parting in the corridor to allow Bellamy and Clarke to retake their position at the front of the group. Nodding to each other they lead their people, and the people from the mountain who had kept them alive, safely out of the mountain and back to Camp Jaha. Nobody questioned what had happened to the rest of the people inside the mountain, presumably the sight of what had happened to the armed and uniformed men guarding them was enough to allow them to piece it together, and for that Clarke was grateful. For now, she could focus on keeping everyone alive and getting them home, it was later, when she had nothing to distract her and she would have to face everything, that she was worried about.
The walk was long and arduous. They were poorly equipped for a trek and many of their people were injured. But determination was discernible everywhere Bellamy looked; in the set of Jasper's shoulders where he walked, hand in hand with Maya, in Octavia's eyes as she paced the rear of the group, always on the lookout for more danger. It was in the way Wick carried Raven, and in the way she held her head up proudly, despite both her injured leg, and the fresh wounds marking her body. They would make it home, he knew it. He turned to look at Clarke and saw that she was the most determined of them all. He knew that she would get them home no matter what, otherwise everything they did inside the mountain was for nothing.
During the walk Bellamy and Clarke slowly explained everything to Kane and Abby, who had been placed on a make shift stretcher at the start of their trek, and was being carried by two Ark guards who had been captured along with her. They skimmed over their time in the command centre, focusing instead on the rescue of the people who had helped them. Abby understood what her daughter wanted and she promised to begin work on voluntary bone marrow transplants, to allow those who had risked their lives going against Cage to be able to live on the ground once more, without anyone having to die.
Clarke sigh quietly. 'That was all we wanted.' She said to Bellamy quietly.
'We tried,' he murmured back, 'Cage made his decision.'
A commotion spread through the back of the group and Bellamy whirled round, his gun already gripped in his hand before he felt Clarke's hand grip his forearm. Lincoln had emerged from the trees and was lifting Octavia off the ground, gripping her tightly to him as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck. They would find out what had happened to him later, but for now he was all Octavia's.
Maybe it was because of Lexa's betrayal, or maybe just because they got lucky, but their group didn't encounter a single grounder and, after hours of walking, the exhausted group finally reached Camp Jaha.
'Open the gates.' Shouted Bellamy, and seconds later the sound of grinding metal reached their ears as the gate slid open.
Bellamy and Clarke halted just outside of the gates, allowing their people to file into the camp. Abby and Kane went straight for the medical centre, instructing the guards to move the mountain men inside the airlock chamber until they could begin the transplants. Jackson rushed to Abby's side and took her hand, the one that wasn't gripping Kane's. As word spread people began pouring out of the buildings inside the camp, rushing towards their friends and family. Bellamy watched as Miller walked past him, his dad's arm gripped around his shoulders, and a small smile lifted his lips. Octavia and Lincoln walked past next, both offering him a smile and a nod before turning back to each other. Lincoln's eyes were so full of love Bellamy couldn't help but wonder if that was how he looked at Clarke, and as he glanced at the woman next to him, he knew it was. Harper, Monroe, Wick and Raven, his friends filled past him, their bodies exhausted, their faces weary, but each glanced up at him gratefully as they stepped through the gate, finally home.
Jasper and Maya came next, also hand in hand. She had stayed with him the whole journey, instead of with the rest of the people in suits, and Bellamy knew that Jasper would be the first to volunteer bone marrow. They smiled at him but he was surprised when Jasper pulled him into a tight hug. 'Thank you.' He murmured quietly and Bellamy squeezed his shoulders in response. Maya was next, wrapping her arms around his neck as he stooped down to hug her back.
When he stepped back he saw Jasper wrapped around Clarke and he smiled fondly at the top of her head, just visible against the tall boy's chest. He released her finally and Maya stepped in front of her hesitantly. 'Thank you.' Maya said quietly, looking up at Jasper before hugging Clarke tightly.
'Thank you.' Clarke replied and she looked over Maya's shoulder, her eyes locking with Bellamy's.
After a moment the two girls stepped apart and Jasper reclaimed Maya's hand, tugging her into the camp, talking excitedly as they went.
Finally, Monty was the only person left outside the camp. Clarke looked him over, noting how his shoulders hunched in guilt, how tired and sad he looked. That was her fault, she had made him hack into Mount Weather. She walked a few steps towards him and pulled the young boy into a hug, and though Bellamy couldn't hear what she was whispering to him, it must have worked because Monty's shoulders relaxed before he gripped Clarke tighter. After a minute or so he pulled away from her a little and Clarke reached a hand out to brush the boy's hair from his eyes fondly with a small smile. She nodded her head towards camp and Monty smiled ruefully before stepping towards Bellamy.
With his usual shyness, Monty stopped in front of him, wanting to do something, but unsure what. Bellamy found his arm stretching out before he realised and he placed a firm hand on Monty's shoulder, consoling him. They didn't speak, but it was all Monty needed. He breathed out, relieved and comforted, before turning and walking into camp, leaving Clarke and Bellamy alone outside the walls.
He walked to stand next to her, their shoulders brushing together once and Clarke felt the familiar tingle that his touch always left behind.
'I think we deserve a drink' He said dryly, his voice soft, as he turned to look down at her, but something in her eyes worried him. 'We'll get through this.' He said softly and they both looked over the camp mournfully.
Clarke couldn't face him, he would see right through her, he always did. 'I don't think I can go in.' Her voice broke and he turned back to look at her, his eyes bottomless.
'Clarke, if you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you.' Her eyes snapped up to his before she could help it and she regretted it immediately, his eyes were shining with tears, but they burnt her like fire. 'You're forgiven.' Her eyes filled with tears again at his pain and she had to look away. Those were the words she'd said to him all those months ago, before she let herself fall in love with him, before they were attacked, before the mountain, before everything.
Her heart ached and yet again she was struck by how accurate the words 'broken hearted' were. Every part of the doctor inside of her knew that it was impossible. But when she closed her eyes she felt her heart fall to pieces. Leaving him would kill her, but didn't she deserve that?
'Please come inside.' Bellamy begged, and Clarke felt the first tear slip down her face.
'Seeing their faces every day is just going to remind of what I did to get them here.' She tried to explain.
'What we did.' Bellamy said impatiently, taking her face in his hands. 'You don't have to do this alone, I won't let you.' She closed her eyes as his thumb brushed against her cheekbone lightly. She thought back to what Dante had said to them outside the command centre. 'I bare it, so they don't have to.'
'We killed so many Bellamy.'
'We saved so many too.' His voice was gentle but urgent. 'Please Clarke, come home with me.'
She felt Bellamy step closer to her, felt the heat from his body before he even touched her, and her body ached. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and her knees weakened. She longed to fall into his arms, to let him hold her, but guilt kept her from him.
Bellamy watched, his heart in a vice, as a battle raged inside of her. But he knew one thing for certain - whatever she chose, he would be by her side. He stepped closer and slowly pressed his lips to her forehead, willing her to let him do this, to let him be there for her.
When they had arrived on the ground, before they had even stepped out of the dropship, he had two priorities, the first being Octavia, and the second being 'whatever the hell he wanted.' He didn't care about leadership other than to use it for his own gain, he didn't care about the people around him, he wasn't one of them. But then she had come to him, her eyes flashing dangerously, warning him that only one of them was scared, and everything had changed. Since then he found himself risking his life over and over again to rescue and protect his friends and the people who looked up to him. He didn't think twice before volunteering to go into the mountain, and he would do it all again for the woman in front of him. She had done this; she had saved him. Now it was his turn to save her.
For the longest time they stayed like that, his lips pressed to her forehead, his nose buried in her hair, waiting for her, before he felt her arms come up and grip his sides. She let out a shuddering breath before falling into him, and Bellamy felt like he could finally breathe again. His arms wrapped around her as they sank to the floor and she wept into his shoulder as he knelt down, pulling her into him. Closing his eyes Bellamy felt tears slide down his own face but he did nothing to brush them aside, instead he pulled Clarke tighter against his chest, feeling her tears dampen his shirt.
'Okay.' She whispered.
If you asked either of them, they couldn't tell you how long they stayed like that, it could have been hours. But finally, Clarke's tears slowed, and when she straightened up to look Bellamy in the eye, he knew that she had come to terms with what she had done, and that she wasn't going anywhere. He pressed his lips to hers softly over and over again until she kissed him back, deepened his kisses. She pulling him closer to her, begging him to stay, to forgive her, to love her, and he responded in kind.
When they finally walked into camp they did so hand in hand, side by side, together. And the first night, when they woke each other from their nightmares, they comforted each other, together. At the first chance to volunteer bone marrow they did so, together. And in the days that followed more and more of the mountain men joined them on the ground, and they never tired of seeing the wonder on their faces, mirroring their own faces when they had stepped off of the drop ship that first day.
And three years later, as they stood in front of all of their friends and family, exchanging rings and vows and kisses, they knew that they were exactly where they were supposed to be – together.