A/N: I wanted to have this up sooner but finals got the best of me. Sorry all.
Also, your reviews always make me smile so thank you very much.
"I know how disappointed you must be and I'm really sorry. I was looking forward to going on a honeymoon with you, princess."
Laughter blossomed with relief and filled the silent tent. Clarke pulled off her headset, her eyes sparkling with tears. She was not prepared to lead a camp of criminals on her own but she had been even less prepared to adventure out into the wilderness with Bellamy. Jaha had pardoned Bellamy for his crimes, the first step of forgiveness that Bellamy clearly needed for his own sanity. As the communication screen faded into a darkness that matched the universe, Bellamy's eyes connected with Clarke. It had been the first time he had seen her laugh and it was an absolutely gorgeous sight, contagious even. For just a moment, they laughed in unison, sharing the sweetness of the night.
"A simple thank you would have sufficed." Clarke wiped away a tear of happiness. Exhaustion had finally set in but the smile lingered on her face. Even with all of the stress that had continuously been piling up, the moon still found a way to bring joy on such an unusual night.
"You're right Clarke," Bellamy brushed the back of his fingers against Clarke's hand, the emotion of the moment being shared through such a simple touch. "You're welcome."
Once more Clarke burst into a small fit of giggles. She punched his arm, causing no real damage. He may have been a foolishly arrogant man but at times he knew exactly what to say.
"It's getting late, I need sleep."
"Yeah, you look a mess."
Together they stood and exited the tent. Outside, things had been expectedly calm. The moon was at its peak, the cold wind rustled the trees, and the soft sound of late night murmurs had finally subsided. The two leaders parted ways with a smile and a wave because for once it had felt like things were going to be ok.
Bellamy walked to his tent at an unusually nonchalant pace. The cold chill of the night reminded him that he had been without a shirt but the warmth radiating from his chest was no match for the temperature. Words would never be enough to describe the relief he had suddenly felt. He would never forget the feeling of shooting a man or the 300 innocent lives sacrificed. He would never forget Charlotte but the acceptance of his fate after death was slightly easier to accept knowing that Jaha was able to pardon him for his crimes.
He lingered by the flap of his tent, his attention roamed until his eyes were upon Clarke's tent. The moonlight bounced off her blonde hair before she completely disappeared from his sight. She was such a strange woman.
"Hey shooter, it's about time you showed up."
Bellamy had taken two steps inside of the tent, his feet stuck in their tracks. His eyes could've easily fooled him on the sight of the apparition that was before him but the voice, it was unmistakable. The warmth in his chest from earlier disappeared like the civilization on Earth, agitation wasted no time filling the newly vacant emotional opening. Bellamy crossed his arms and allowed a sharp exhale to leave his body before acknowledging the woman before him.
"What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Raven moved the blanket away from her body, exposing a rather desirable frame to Bellamy. Her undergarments had remained in place but her intentions were fairly clear. "I'm looking for some fun and I heard you were the man I needed to see."
"Spacewalker not doing it for you?"
"I didn't say that."
"It's implied."
"Does it matter? You have the hottest woman on earth in your bed and you want to discuss Finn?"
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize the most attractive woman was in my bed right now? Where is she, are you laying on her?"
A devious smirk broke his unamused expression. Bellamy never considered sleeping with Raven. She was tied to Finn and it was evident that Finn was possessive over his girls, even those he threw to the side. Spacewalker was a magnet for drama. It was entertaining really, to think that in the midst of a possible war with the grounders girls were still fighting over the attention of a man. Despicable.
"Bastard." Raven sat up, her fingers motioning for Bellamy to move closer. "Get over here, I want to taste the lips of a murderer."
"Put your clothes on Raven."
"You're kidding."
"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
The tent fell silent, mimicking the late evening outside of this unwarranted drama. Bellamy tapped his foot impatiently but Raven made no effort to put her clothes on. She was stubborn which meant this conversation was not going to be dismissed so easily.
"Look, everything aside, I find your smug face as passably attractive and I really need to let off some steam."
"Clothes." His eyes fell to the pile on the ground, the realization of the situation finally hitting him. Bellamy Blake was not a man to turn down a beautiful girl. He lived to please and protect those he cared about. If women wanted a night of fun he was going to give them just that. One night of cuddling with Clarke and he found himself turning a blind eye at the advances from these desperate women. His heart told him the situation was illogical but his brain told him he had better things to stress about. If he slept with Raven he would find himself in the middle of this teenage love fest, the same one that had broken Clarke's heart. Bellamy took a good look at Raven's face in an effort to search for that pain he saw in the eyes of Clarke that was caused by the mere mention of Finn. Alas, no such thing was visible. Raven hadn't been throwing herself at Bellamy because she needed to forget the mistake of a man that was her boyfriend, she was here to make a mistake of her own.
"You don't understand. This could benefit us both. I could make things even with Finn and you could let off the stress of having to deal with the constant nagging of Clarke." Raven smiled, feeling confident in her own reasoning. She may have been intelligent but human connection was not her strong point.
"She doesn't nag, she worries."
"Seriously?" Raven exhaled in exasperation, it was clear she didn't think it would be so difficult to get Bellamy in bed with her.
Bellamy nodded his head in response to Raven, not quite aware of what his words had implied. He owed Clarke his life, without her his plan to run away would have still been on the agenda. As frustrating as she may have been, he was starting to admire her. They were thrown on a planet completely unaware if it was suitable for human life and she stepped up to the plate. He pushed her buttons and she returned the favor. When he had lost all hope, Clarke was the one to yank him back into reality. She was the most maddening woman he had ever met but earth wouldn't be the same without her.
"Put your clothes on and get back to Finn before he winds up in bed with someone else." He nudged his head toward the flap of the tent, putting an end to this uncalled for effort of seduction.
Raven didn't react. The gears in her head were ticking away but the words never came out of her mouth. The tent fell into a pit of silence once more. Raven bit down on her bottom lip and made an effort to stand. She reached a displeased hand down to grab her shirt; her fingers lingered on the hem.
"Hey Bellamy, are you asleep?" A new voice bounced through the slit of the tent opening. Raven and Bellamy exchanged a look but there were no time for words.
A familiar blonde head of hair popped through the tent opening. Clarke's eyes went from Bellamy to Raven before disgust filled her face.
"Raven?" The name fell from her lips with complete disbelief before her face disappeared from sight, leaving the two alone once more.
Clarke found herself meandering toward the gate of camp. She couldn't sleep; she couldn't run away, she was imprisoned in a camp of terrors. She placed a hand on the edge of the gate, taking the moment to gather her thoughts. Seeing Bellamy with another female had not been shocking. No, it was Raven that came as the surprise. She was so possessive over Finn but she was willing to cheat on him. That didn't make any sense, not to Clarke. How could a woman travel through space just to cheat on her boyfriend? The thought instantly sent Clarke's stomach into a series of flips.
"Clarke wait, it's not what you think."
"Go away Bellamy, I really don't want to talk about it."
She hadn't expected him to follow her. It didn't seem like a trait of his after all. The touch of his gentle hand laid upon her shoulder made her heartbeat increase. It was clear, she wasn't one for confrontations. She had avoided discussing matters with Finn and she avoided confronting her mother about the murder of her father. Clarke was a woman of words not actions but there she was, being forced to listen to the explanation of a man she had actually believed could have been her friend.
"That's your issue Clarke, you don't want to talk about anything."
Clarke pushed away the hand that was on her shoulder and turned to face Bellamy. Her eyes seethed with emotion but she kept her words down. There was no need to wake the rest of the camp.
"You're one to talk."
"I confronted Jaha about my problems, more than you can say about your mom."
"You only confronted him because I made you. I didn't want you to leave camp and this is how you celebrate? You sleep with Raven? Seriously?"
"Are you jealous Clarke?"
"No! I'm not jealous, I'm disappointed, I knew you were sleazy but I didn't think you would slink this low."
"Why do you even care?"
"Because she has a boyfriend!"
"Finn, the guy you slept with."
"Don't you dare." Clarke brought her hands to her hips. She would not stand to be compared to him, a home-wrecking sleaze who only cared about his own relationships. "We are not-"
"Similar? Yeah, you're right because I didn't sleep with her."
"If you didn't sleep with her then why was she practically naked in your tent?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
"No. You don't." Defeated, Clarke made an effort to move away from Bellamy back toward the center of camp.
Her thoughts had been a buzz, it was clear that sleep wouldn't be an option on this horrendous night. As she took a step past Bellamy, she could feel a light pressure on her wrist. She didn't need the sense of sight to tell her he had grabbed her arm. After all that had happened, his touch sent her heart racing toward a fit of disappointment.
"Believe what you want, but I'm telling you the truth. Nothing happened between Raven and I. She came into my tent as a broken woman looking for a reason to forget the fact that her boyfriend is in love with you." The conversation between them became increasingly quiet. Bellamy released the grip on Clarke's wrist but she didn't move. "That night in the bunker, I made a promise to you. A promise I'm going to keep."
"Raven might've been trying to escape her own problems but Finn doesn't love me." Her eyes fluttered toward Bellamy's face, the hurt still too real. Bellamy dismissing a half-naked woman in his tent was unlikely. He may have had a convincing story, but what would he lose by sleeping with Raven? None of it made sense to Clarke.
"I know a man in love when I see one." His eyes connected with hers. The tension between them paralleled the night in the bunker except this time they wouldn't be falling asleep next to one another.
"A man who has never been in love can't possibly know what love is."
"Who says I've never been in love?"
"Finn doesn't love me, Bellamy."
The words drifted through the air, their gaze unbreakable. This was a debate that could go on for days. Clarke was stubborn and in denial, she would never accept the fact that someone could possibly have feelings for her. Not after all she had witnessed. Feelings, romance, it was all a luxury they could not afford.
No more words followed their conversation only a chain of silent glances. The wind whistled between them, reminding them that this petty drama was nothing more than a star in a galaxy filled with billions of other stars. By the next day this issue would have to be forgiven if they cared to survive. Bellamy opened his mouth but the words that reached Clarke's ears were not in the voice of Bellamy, it had been Finn who was speaking.
"No Princess, for once I have to agree with Blake. I do love you."