Dividing Lines
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
Abby watched as more snow fell from the dark sky and she tightened the rag of a blanket around herself. The Ark Camp was covered with snow, ice falling off the metal roofs and splashing onto the hard ground. People rarely stepped away from their sections, trying to huddles together for warmth. Abby let out a sigh and saw her breath mix with the cold air.
She couldn't stop thinking about Clarke. It had been over a month, almost two, since she had been taken. Abby couldn't help but think about what they wanted from her or how they were treating her at the 100 Camp. They wouldn't waste her medical talents; that would just be stupid. But they probably kept her in a hole somewhere and fed her scraps. Why would they be kind to a privileged child, the image of how badly they had been treated on the Ark? Bellamy Blake ruled that camp and while Abby didn't think he was a bad person, she knew that he didn't show kindness to his enemies.
Those thoughts had been plaguing her every waking hour and in her nightmares too. Kane was there to support her which she was thankful for. Finn had been on edge for a while now too, especially after he had told them about his run in with the Grounder siblings. Those two may have said that Clarke was ok but her long absence and no attempts to come home made Abby think otherwise. Plus they were clearly on Blake's side, so why would they tell Finn the truth?
It had taken everything in Abby to not run to Diana and beg the woman to help her get Clarke back. What stopped her was the fact that Abby wouldn't have to beg; Diana wanted any chance to take down the 100 Camp and the Grounders too, if she could. And now, because of the snow, there could be no rescue attempt until spring.
Abby ran a hand over her face and willed her tears away. She could not break down when Clarke needed her to be strong. She started to sniff when a sleeve appeared under her nose. Abby looked up to see the little kid, Chris, staring at her.
"You can wipe your face on it if you want to," he said, "I don't mind, as long as you don't cry anymore."
His sweetness actually made Abby smile but she shook her head. "Thank you Chris but I'm fine. And you should try to find something else other than your sleeve to wipe your nose on."
Chris sat himself down on the bench beside her, his feet not even touching the ground. "Oh I don't use my sleeve but I've seen other people do it and I don't have anything else you could use."
She ruffled his hair and stared down at him as he swung his legs back and forth. The orphans had always been of importance to Clarke, especially Chris. He was a little leader, even at such a young age. One minute he could be ordering the younger kids not to waste food and the next, he was distracted by something shiny.
Abby looked back out at the snow again, casting her eyes at the pitiful excuse of a shelter the orphans had. They were huddle together in it, shivering. Clarke had always let the kids sleep in their section and Abby had certainly never minded. She wasn't about to stop that tradition.
"Chris, go get the other kids and tell them that you are all sleeping in mine and Clarke's section from now on," Abby ordered, "Make sure they don't tell anyone though."
Chris nodded quickly. "So the mean lady doesn't get mad?"
Abby nearly laughed at Chris's description of Diana and watched as he scampered away with a whispered, "Thank you!"
He reached the others and quickly got them standing. "Be quiet guys," he said, "Clarke's Mom is letting us stay with her but we have to be extra, extra quiet."
The kids nodded and picked up whatever blankets or coats they had with them. Chris spotted the youngest kid, Lucy, shivering in just her jumper. She was only five years old. Chris shrugged his jacket off and bundled her up in it, her fingers just peeking out from under the sleeves.
"W-what about you C-Chris?" she stammered but Chris just grinned at her. "I'll be ok; my shirt's just fine."
As he led them around the camp to the section, he focused all his attention on not letting his teeth chatter together.
The snow continued to fall as an entire month went by until every surface was covered in it. Clarke had calculated that they had gone past the halfway point of the season but that still meant another month of snow. It had been so long since she had seen the Ark Camp that she was forgetting what it looked like. She certainly wasn't missing it and the harsh way of life there.
Since living at the 100 Camp, Clarke had started to get more and more furious with the Council. There were ways to live comfortably on Earth and safe ways, but they refused to see them. All that did was cause unnecessary suffering to the people. For instance, the 100 Camp had found a way to make hot water bottles out of left over rubber from tyres. They had saved Clarke so much work; people were snug and warm instead of catching colds. Clarke was also amazed at their ration system, not to mention their food stores. They had it down to a fine art, how much food to give out, how much meat or vegetables. Clarke had seen so many good ideas that she knew the Ark Camp could use. If only the Ark Camp could take down its walls and see them.
This left her in a strange, uncomfortable state however. As much as she wanted to go back and improve life for those at the Ark Camp, she didn't want to live there anymore. She was sure now; she wanted the stay at the 100 Camp.
Clarke hadn't spoken a word about it to anyone though because she couldn't be sure if they wanted her to stay. Even if her friends loved her just as much as she loved them, what if they still thought she belonged at the Ark Camp? What if Bellamy did? Clarke couldn't handle that thought; the idea that Bellamy could just one day turn around and tell her to leave. Anyone else she'd deal with it but for some reason, if he ever told her he didn't want her at camp it would hurt beyond imagination.
Maybe it was because he was so interlinked with the camp or because they had gotten so close. She had told him things she had never even hinted to anyone else, things about her parents, about her life on the Ark and even about her fear on Earth. It had been so easy as well, like he would never judge her. What made matters so much worse was that he did the same for her. Bellamy told her all about his mom and hiding Octavia; his fear and worry in the first few days of the 100. He usually told her all these things late at night, sat in a chair with a low voice and a face lit by candles.
They still hadn't worked out the electric lights yet.
This all added up to Bellamy becoming far, far too important to her. Clarke was terrifying of a day when he just shoved her out those gates without a second thought. The gates themselves hadn't been open in weeks, however, so when Clarke saw a group of hunters gathered around them, she was startled.
She had been coming from one of the far out houses, giving medicine to a woman with flu-like symptoms, when she spotted the hunters. They had bows and arrows, spears and guns and Clarke knew that they were the group Bellamy usually went out with.
"Clarke!"
She turned around at the loud shout of her name to see Octavia sprinting towards her. "You have to stop him Clarke!" Octavia panted, "My stupid brother wants to go out in this weather!"
Clarke had heard some pretty idiotic ideas over the years but that one made the top of the list.
"Where is he?" Clarke asked and Octavia led her towards the steps of their house. Bellamy was there, a gun on his belt and was giving some orders to Wick and Jasper.
"We won't be gone for more than a few hours," Clarke heard him say, "Use the two deers for dinner tonight with the vegetables in the brown boxes."
He caught sight of the two girls and let out a sigh. Wick and Jasper saw them too and made a very quick exit.
"What the hell are you thinking?!" Clarke said to him, trying not to yell.
Bellamy faced her, his hands on his hips. Octavia stood back, happy to let Clarke take the lead. "A boar was spotted this morning around camp; he can't have gotten far and he'll be easy to track in this weather. It looked bigger than the one you saw so we can get it for the stores," Bellamy explained but that didn't calm Clarke down.
"You want to go out hunting in the snow Bellamy?!" she said, "When a storm could come at any minute? Monty said one might be on the way."
"All due respect to Monty, he's not a weather expert," Bellamy stated, "We need this food."
"Not really, we could survive just fine with the stores we have-you're just bored of staying in camp."
She hissed that last part, making sure that no one else overheard her. The boar may have been a tempting idea but he shouldn't be risking others just because he wanted to go outside the camp walls.
Bellamy's jaw twitched but he tried to take a breath instead of snapping at Clarke. She may have a point but he really was going crazy and experience taught him that if he didn't see the outside in the next few days, his mood would get worse. Plus a boar would be a huge morale booster. "I know what I'm doing Princess," he sneered, "Give me five hours and I'll be back here with a boar and an 'I told you so'. Trust me."
Clarke let out a huff as he walked away and she fully intended to march straight after him if Octavia hadn't caught her arm.
"Sadly Clarke, I think we both know that there's no changing his mind when he's in this mood," she said.
Bellamy strode towards the gates and nodded to Miller, giving him the go ahead to open them. He looked back once to see Clarke and Octavia deep in conversation but then he just led his group out into the forest. This would be an easy hunt; he would be back in less than five hours. It wouldn't even be dark so he would be able to see the scowl on the Princess' face. With that happy thought, the gates shut again behind him and the hunters set out to follow the boar's tracks.
Five hours passed, night fell and Bellamy had not returned.
Octavia was out of her mind with worry and Jasper was the only one who could get her to calm down. Everyone at camp, especially the parents of the young hunters were distraught. Clarke couldn't blame them. First their kids had been sent to Earth to die, and then even when they all survived, the kids felt confident on Earth to hunt and fish. They had grown up without their parents noticing and looked at Bellamy with loyalty. And now all they had was worry. Plus everyone was scared and lost without Bellamy. They all had questions and Clarke didn't know the answers.
As she stood at the entrance to the Main Hall, Clarke looked in at the mass of people. They were loud and confused, all gathered around trying to find some solution.
"Clarke?"
She turned to see Monty climbing the steps. He glanced out at the dark cloud in the sky, visible even at night. "There's a snow storm coming. Everyone should get back to their homes as soon as possible."
He didn't have the heart to mention anything about the hunting group. Clarke nodded and took a deep breath. Then she strode as confidently as she could to the raised platform at the end of the room. When she stood on top of it, people started to notice her and quieted down. She levelled the room with a stern gaze until everyone was silent and staring at her.
"The hunting party is clearly not back yet but there is nothing we can do until morning," she stated, "Right now, everyone needs to go back to their homes and we will have more news when it's light out."
"But we have to send out someone to find them!"
Clarke didn't know who that came from in the crowd but she shook her head. "There's a snow storm coming and they would only get lost too."
A wave of fear spread through the crowd. A snow storm? In the middle of the night? What would the hunting party do then?
"Listen!" Clarke exclaimed, "Do not forget that this is Bellamy we are talking about, as well as Miller and Monroe. The rest of the hunters are just as experienced and knowledgeable of the land. They will be fine. Please everyone, go to your homes and lock up for the night."
Slowly, everyone exited the Main Hall and went back to their cabins. Clarke didn't let her face fall until the room was empty. Part of her was in shock; they had actually listened to her. They had taken orders from an outsider without pause. Maybe she wasn't an outsider anymore.
Clarke hopped off the platform and ordered Monty to put out the fires in the Main Hall. She stepped out onto the porch, where only a few weeks before she and Bellamy had been watching the snow fall. Now, as the flakes started to come down at a furious pace, Clarke could only hope that he was somewhere safe.
She, Monty, Jasper and Octavia quickly did the rounds; locking up the medical bay, putting out fires and checking the guards on post had warmth and cover. After a lap of the camp to see if everyone was inside, they all went back to their homes. Clarke couldn't even stand to look into Bellamy's room because he wasn't there so she went straight to her own. She lit one candle on her table and got into bed. She sat against the head board and picked up her book. Clarke tried to read about medicinal plants but it wasn't working.
Bellamy and his smirk just kept popping up in her head. Her gut was twisting around and she didn't want to stay still. She was worried about Bellamy, that was for sure but she couldn't believe how much. Her lip was getting chapped from her chewing on it; in some moments, she could barely remember to breath properly. It was ridiculous. He had been gone for barely a night and she felt lost. Clarke wanted him back, safe from the storm outside and the boar he went to catch. If Bellamy didn't come back, she would kill him.
She thought about trying to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door. "Come in?"
Octavia looked around the door and gave Clarke a hesitant smile. "Hi...would it be ok if I stay in here with you tonight?"
Clarke had always thought Bellamy was ridiculous to think that his little sister was still a kid. She was a confident and capable woman. But seeing her chew her lip with worry made Clarke imagine the little girl under the floor of the Ark. Everyone needed the comfort of a friend when they were scared.
"Sure," she said and she pulled back her blankets to let Octavia curl up beside her. The bed was big enough and Clarke kept up the pretence of reading to show Octavia that she wasn't worried about Bellamy.
"It was really great, what you did today with the crowd," Octavia mumbled, "I don't know how you calmed them down so fast."
"It was nothing; there is nothing to worry about. Your brother will be back and annoying us in no time."
Octavia chuckled and laid her head down on the second pillow. "I know; he's going to come back to us."
Clarke's fingers tightened slightly on the cover of the book. To us. Bellamy would come back to us. Something in the way Octavia had said those words made Clarke's stomach flip around. Of course, she probably meant the camp in general. Probably.
Clearing her throat, Clarke put down the book and blew out the candle. Clarke was determined to forget about the concern that gnawed away at her gut, about the strange emptiness of the room down at the hall. She especially tried to ignore the part of her that was demanding she head out those gates and drag Bellamy Blake back to camp. Instead, to help Octavia, Clarke settled down underneath her blankets and tried to sleep. Really, she just hoped the group would be back by morning.
As the snow storm hit outside and the smoke from the candle faded, neither one of the girls heard or saw the crack in Clarke's window getting bigger.
The sun rose late in the morning so usually everyone got up just as late. On this particular morning however, people were up and about before the sun. Clarke was back on the raised platform trying to reason with the parents of the hunters. At the same time, she was organising a search party to go out and look for the group. She hadn't slept well the night before and she had already had to get people to sweep the fresh snow from the trails.
Suddenly, there was a shouting outside and some people started to hurry to the exit. Her heart leaping to her throat, Clarke practically ran to the door, with a few people making way for her. Once she was outside on the steps, she couldn't miss Octavia's shout of joy. "They're back, they're back!" a guard called but the hunting group were already in the centre of camp.
A boar was sitting beside the newly lit fire and Miller and Monroe were looking at it with pride. Octavia had her arms thrown around Bellamy, who looked exhausted. Clarke just stared at him and for the first time in hours, she felt herself breathe.
Jasper suddenly appeared by her side and he was smiling. "They caught the boar just in time!" he explained, "Right before the storm hit, they got into a cave and waited it out. How lucky is that?"
Clarke just nodded weakly, not taking her eyes from Bellamy. And then, suddenly, he was looking at her.
He stared right into her eyes with such a serious face for a moment and then let his gaze drag from her head to her toes and back again. It was as if he was drinking her in. Then, she saw the infuriating smirk stretch over his face.
"I told you so," he said, his gravelly voice reaching her ears from halfway across the clearing.
Before she knew it, Clarke's feet were moving and she was down the steps in a second. A few hurried strides and Clarke threw her arms around his neck, letting out a ragged breath. She felt Bellamy's arm wrap around her waist and crush her to him. She was thankful that he was still holding Octavia's arm with his other one because if he was really hugging her than she'd have a bruised rib. He let his head fall in the space between her shoulder and neck and Clarke was sure she heard him say "Sorry, Princess." Neither one of them was sure how long they stood like that but Miller made a big show of the boar so clearly it was enough to make people start whispering.
Clarke pulled away from him and let her arms drop. She went into doctor mode and started to check his face and hands for injuries.
"Everyone is fine," Bellamy said, "No injuries except for being absolutely freezing."
"You get that from spending the night in a cave during a snow storm," Clarke said briskly and she went about ordering bed rest for all the hunters and ignoring the smug smirk on Octavia's face.
Clarke was on her feet for the rest of the day, going from house to house and checking on all the hunters. Like Bellamy had said, they were all fine except for being a little too cold. It was nothing some hot tea and an early night couldn't fix.
She had left Bellamy until last, mostly because of the incident earlier. That was the only way to describe the way they had hugged, the relief she had felt at just seeing his face. It was night again when she finally got back to her house. Octavia met her at the door and smirked at her again.
"Hey," she drawled out, "I'm just heading out to see Jasper and Bellamy is in his room."
Clarke nodded to her and watched as she skipped away down the porch steps. Clarke swallowed and marched down the hallway. She knocked on the door and when she heard Bellamy's clear "Come in", she opened it.
Bellamy was sitting on his bed, which was much bigger than her one. He had more blankets to keep him warm and there was a large window on the right wall. He had trunks and two tables, filled with papers and lists. Bellamy looked up from a book to smile at her.
"Hey Princess. Are you here to check me out?"
Clarke ignored his choice of words and walked over to the bed. When he tried to get up, she just pushed him back to sit again. She checked his temperature and his vision but he seemed fine.
"You are so lucky that none of you got frostbite or worse," she grumbled and Bellamy shook his head.
"I knew what we were doing; we had packed blankets and extra jackets just in case. I have done this before you know?"
"What? Scare the crap out of me?!"
Bellamy looked shocked at her admission. Clarke blinked at him and went back to the end of the bed where she had left her medical bag. She busied herself with packing everything else away so she wouldn't have to look at him.
"I should be thanking you," Bellamy finally said, "I heard you took charge while I was gone. You really calmed down the mob."
"Anyone would have done it."
"But not everyone could have done it," Bellamy interrupted, "I messed up and you dealt with the consequences. From what I've heard, people listened to you without a second thought."
Clarke paused here and then snapped her bag closed; one hand on her hip. "From what you've heard? Have you been having meetings when you were supposed to be resting?"
Bellamy blinked and then said, "Just one."
Sighing, Clarke picked up her bag and threw open the door. She just wanted to put her things away and get a good night's sleep.
"Stay."
Clarke froze in the doorway and then turned around slowly. Bellamy watched her as he stood up. He had a blanket around his shoulders and he walked closer, towards the end of the bed. He swallowed thickly and then said, "Stay at this camp. Don't go back to the Ark."
Her mouth opened and closed but no words would come out. She had been wishing that someone would finally say those words to her. The fact that it came from Bellamy made it so, so much better.
"What?" she asked weakly.
Bellamy took a few more steps until he was right in front of her. "You're wasted at the Ark Camp, Clarke. They'd lock you away behind those walls. You belong here with all of us. You have the whole medical bay and Monty can learn so much from you. People listen to you and you know that I take your advice, despite not wanting to admit it. You're practically leading this place with me. Raven and Octavia would be thrilled; Jasper would probably try a cartwheel and injure himself. Clarke, stay."
She heard his kind words, words that meant so much to her. All the words, except the ones she really wanted to hear. She wanted know that he wanted her to stay.
"I-I would love that," she admitted and nearly stopped thinking when she saw the wide smile on his face.
"But I can't just leave my mom and Chris. Not to mention that the Ark Camp still think I'm one of them. By now they probably think I have really been kidnapped. Plus, there's Finn..."
Bellamy suddenly stiffened and Clarke felt a tension seep into the air. "You owe Spacewalker nothing," he exclaimed, "And your Mom and Chris can come here-as can anyone else!"
"Bellamy, what you're talking about is practically invading the Ark Camp, Diana won't stand for that."
"I don't care what she thinks or anybody else! I just want you to stay Clarke."
She inhaled sharply and Bellamy licked his dry lips.
"It's good for the camp for you to be here," he added, "Like I said, you belong here Clarke."
She nodded, her fingers picking at the straps of her bag. "I'd have to talk to my mom and Kane first, not to mention Diana. But...ok..."
Bellamy's grin got wider and he looked at her carefully. "Ok? Really?"
Clarke nodded, more sure this time and then they heard a loud cry of "Finally!" behind her.
Octavia and Raven rushed in the door and tackled Clarke in a hug. Monty and Jasper were right behind them.
"Were you people just standing around on my porch?!" Bellamy complained but the girls were too busy squeezing Clarke. She laughed loudly and caught Bellamy's eye over Octavia's shoulder. His smile went from ear to ear and in that moment, she could deal with him saying it was for the good of the camp.
She did have to settle into her new home after all.