28.

Strange how the way we apprehend things change after a life changing trauma or event. The way we see, hear, even communicate can change in one instant. No warning, just simply life changing. And from there you just have to adapt or else you are stuck in a place, possibly worse than limbo. But the thing is that life doesn't come with an instruction manual, especially when life screws you over.

The next morning Bellamy was standing outside the gallery, waiting along with Octavia for Lincoln and everyone else to show up so that they could put this show on the road. He had gathered the only people at the moment he found reliable and trusted to keep discretion for what they were going to do. As it turns out, those people happens to be Octavia, Miller, Raven and begrudgingly Jasper, who he still hasn't forgiven for his role in Clarke's attack but still thought that maybe his help could be useful as well needed to work on this case that's linked with Maya's death in order to get closure.

Monty was given the task to stay with Clarke and keep her company, acting as a mediator in case Abby decided to see her daughter when she was actually awake and start an argument that was bound to happen between those two in their present relationship.

"How are you holding up?" Octavia asked suddenly, interrupting his train of thoughts and pulling him back to the reality where his life is pretty much leftover pieces of Ancient Rome. Instead of focusing on his personal problems, he focuses on the case that appears to link to the source of his current problems. So what do you think I'm holding up? I have an unsolved case that's directly linked to the Mt. Weather case, my ex-paramour or whatever I'm supposed to call Clarke is in the hospital after being shot, I learned that she had miscarriage three years ago, and everything that has happened is connected with one way or another and that Clarke was trying to protect me, possibly everyone from it. So yeah…I'm great.

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes while trying to stop thinking about his Princess in the hospital as well as the loss they both had and was never given proper time to mourn about it. "Not good. But I'm working on it."

His reassurance didn't seem to soothe Octavia since she asked carefully, "Maybe you should go home and rest, let Miller and Lincoln handle this. I mean, a lot of things has happened in a short time period. Maybe it is for your best interest to recuperate."

"I'll be fine, O." Bellamy answered annoyed, clearly didn't like her insinuation that she was saying between the lines. "Let's go inside."

"Bell…" Octavia called after him, trying to get him to talk, which was exactly what he didn't want to do at the moment. More specifically he didn't want to talk to his little sister about it, not now or ever if he had a say in the matter.

He pulled out the key he managed to snatch from Clarke's key chain when the doctors handed over her personal effects. He also took her necklace with the engagement ring, which had fortunately come off as big as a shock now that he learned from Lincoln that Clarke had worn it since he met her, and put it on himself as reminder to stay focus on the case and what Clarke sacrificed for everyone, even if they didn't know the truth.

Anyways, he used Clarke's key and opened up the door and stepped right in. He was thankful that he had permission to enter the place from Lincoln and likely from Clarke too if she was awake enough to give it because otherwise he would have gotten in some huge legal problems, especially if Pike found out about it. So he walked around the place, looking at the few paintings that were being displayed when he stopped in front of one painting that stuck out from the rest.

"Oh my God…" Bellamy said astonished.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lincoln said, who had somehow managed to sneak up behind him and almost given him a heart attack for his troubles. "It's one of Clarke's famous and valuable paintings. In fact this painting is part of an art series, which she was determined on not selling for any price due to its personal value."

"Let me guess, based on Greek mythology," Bellamy said, with eyes still focused on the painting. And he had every reason to stare because it was a painting of him posing and representing the mythological god Ares. Everything was detailed and exact about the character from sword and shield to the vulture flying in the background.

"Yeah, she drew and painted several paintings like this," Lincoln explained before nodding his head towards some of the other similar painting next to it. "She told me that her inspiration were the mythology, but also the people she considered important to her. Each god reflect the person she cares about personality, for example she painted Octavia as Artemis and her friends Jasper and Monty as a two-person version of Hermes."

Impressive. "So why paint me as Ares? Besides his valor, there aren't a lot of nice personality traits about the war god. In the Iliad he was the most hateful god to Zeus."

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders, telling him that he honestly doesn't know the answer and as far as he knew Clarke never mentioned the reason either. The conversation topic pretty much dropped after that because shortly after that Octavia, Jasper and Raven entered the gallery. No one said anything, but they all gathered around the Ares painting. I guess Clarke meant the painting when she was talking about the war god before. So the question is what exactly did she mean when she said the answers lies behind Ares's frame?

The second time Clarke woke up from her slumber, she found herself in company with Monty who was sitting on a chair next to the bed reading a comic book. She smiled, thinking how nice it was to see that certain things never changed and one of those things were his and Jasper's love for comic books. Captain America, Ironman, Wolverine, you name it, those two loves their comic books and they have loved them since they were kids or so she had been told. And they often used references and ideas from these comic books in their everyday life; especially pulling crazy stunts that often got them in trouble with Bellamy and the law. They are a couple of nerds, but completely lovable nerds.

"Hey…" She tilted her head to one side of the pillow, trying to catch his attention. Monty looked up surprised, but most of all relieved that she was awake and appeared to be doing okay. "How's it going?"

"Clarke!" Monty literally threw the comic book on the floor and leaped to her side, checking her out like he expected her to break like a piece of glass. "You're okay. You're okay. Thank god…"

Did you think I wouldn't be? Clarke stared and wondered by his reaction. But when I think about it now, I'm really not okay and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be any time soon. Not when Bellamy and the others soon find out the truth and they all become official targets. Open season on Clarke's loved ones, just pick a number and kill them since they are of no value to us now that the truth is about to come out. But instead of voicing her true thoughts, she covered it up with a small forced smile and said reassuringly, "Yeah, I wasn't taken down by a bullet. As it turns out, I'm not that easy to kill as one might wish me to be."

Monty shook his head and threw his arms around her neck, literally taking her by surprise and making her lose her balance yet managed to hold it steady and wrapped her own arms around him.

"Don't joke about that," Monty muttered angrily into her ear, but the anger quickly vanished from his voice and was replaced with guilt and regret instead. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything Clarke."

"Why are you sorry? It was my fault that I got shot, not yours or anyone else's," Clarke said confused, honestly didn't understand what was going on with him. He was not to blame for anything that has happened, neither the shooting nor what happened in the past in Mt. Weather. All the blame could go to one person and that was herself. Maybe also the bad guys who were responsible and is currently trying to kill her and everyone she loves that is. "So what is it that you are sorry about and actually think that you're the one responsible for?"

"You lost everything three years ago, your baby, your friends, your fiancé and your reputation in town and officially became an outcast," Monty explained, his grip around her tightened. "And you took all of it, without fighting or defending yourself, and you did it for our sake."

Clarke's eyes widened in shock and were honestly speechless about his admission. How could he possibly know that I kept it a secret for their sake? Bellamy and the others still haven't found the evidence and information I hid about Mt. Weather, so how can he think that was part of my reason for keeping it a secret and ending up being responsible for this town's greatest massacre?

"Why do you think that?" Clarke asked, once she finally regained the ability to speak. Monty pulled back and stared her right in the eyes, which both made her feel awkward and uncomfortable at the same time, but she stared back without hesitation and waited for him to continue his rant of thoughts. He sighed, "It was obvious. You are the kind of person who will do the right thing, no matter what the consequences are, so for you to do withhold information about Mt. Weather you must have a good reason for doing it. And I can only think of two things, either to protect someone you care about or you were threatened by someone, in this case I think it's a mix of both, right? And besides, anyone who know and loves you would not the truth from the lies when it comes to you."

Monty Green, you definitely appear to be smarter than I ever gave you credit for. She nodded her head, smiling timidly at him, but remained stubborn and unrelenting to share anything more on that topic with him. Bellamy and the others would soon know the truth and she didn't want to be the one to share it directly with them, especially when Octavia and Jasper were the two who would be most unwilling and distrusting to believe her and her story. Not that she blames them, considering the fact that she made her choice and had to pay for that choice by, as Monty just stated, losing everything she cared about.

"Let's talk about something else," Clarke changed the subject, hoping that Monty took the hint and wouldn't dare trying to sneak in anymore questions or apologize for something that he had to blame in. Luckily, he did take the hint and took a sudden turn that she had not anticipated until he asked. "Soo…are you going to talk to your mom?"
That's a whole other can of worms I do not want to get into. Clarke sighed heavily, feeling more tired and defeated than she should feel at the moment. "Let's talk about anything that does not include my relationship with my mother."

"She has been here, visiting and checking up on you," Monty continued, obviously determined in not letting this one go. Bellamy must have talked to him about it, knowing that she would definitely close up if he brought it up, even before this happened and their current relationship status was lingering in limbo. Stupid Bellamy. Why can't you let things be?

Eventually she would have to face her mother, like she and Bellamy had spoken about many times before during their relationship, but she wasn't ready to deal with her yet. "I know. I'll deal with her later, okay? Just drop it, please?"

Monty held up his hands in defeat, smoothly changing the subject that was connected to Mt. Weather mystery and also connected her current hospital stay. "So you were lucky that bullet managed to miss your heart, cause otherwise you would be dead right now."

"Yeah," Clarke turned her gaze downwards to her hands, avoiding looking at him directly. "But the chances are that I wouldn't stay alive much longer."

Monty cocked his head, confused and probably worried. "Why?"

"The shooter missed his target, meaning me, so I'm guessing that it's only a matter of time before he will try again. And this time, he wouldn't miss his target and he wouldn't leave any witnesses alive either."

Looking at the painting alone didn't magically give them the clues or the answers that Clarke had spoken off before she went under, but she had made a specific point in this particular painting and Lincoln had helped and obviously pointed them in the right direction. That much Bellamy was sure of. Still that wasn't enough to figure out the meaning behind her message as well as the importance of the painting itself, which Octavia for one wasn't slow in commenting in a rather rude and snarky way.

"What's the big deal about this painting anyways? Besides the fact that Clarke obviously has you on the brain when she painted it…"

Not helping and more importantly not relevant, O. Bellamy thought, rolling his eyes before his gaze settled again upon the painting. I hate to admit it, but she did have a point. Other than having me on the brain when she painted this, what exactly was this painting supposed to tell them?

"The answers lie behind Ares's frame…behind the frame…" Bellamy muttered out loud, moving his eyes away from the painting itself and instead focused on the frame around the painting. Then the answer to Clarke's message hit him like a punching bag. He approached the painting and took it off the wall, ignoring everyone asking what he was doing or telling him not to do whatever he was planning on doing. Then turned the painting around so that he got a clear view of the framework and how it was assembled. The framework was in perfect condition with the only exception that the staples that held the whole thing together had been removed and replaced with a new set. He grinned proudly. Smart, hiding the information in plain sight yet hidden from the naked eye. She probably figured that in case anyone, especially the police, managed to get a hold of searching around her stuff they wouldn't be able to find it, since they didn't know where or the meaning behind the message unless they used their heads or she actually told them the answer, which she wouldn't do knowing her.

Bellamy moved his gaze away from the painting and then on the confused people surrounding him. Then he ordered them to get tools that could help remove the staples, and with Lincoln's assistance to do it without damaging the painting or frame itself. They all scattered and went to search for tools, leaving him alone with the suspense of what they were expecting to find inside.

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Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorite and followings, and I'm glad so many of you got interested in my story. So I hope you guys like the this chapter, especially since it arrived a date later than usual.

Also I like to add that there are and will be grammar errors in this story, I had forgotten to mention before, and not a perfect writer and I don't have a Beta to fix it for me (which I have no intention on getting anyways), so if people have issues with that then you just have to live with it, okay? I write and release this mainly to entertain you guys as well release some of my creativity.

I used several references and quotes from movies, books and tv shows. So obviously I don't own them, but I will frequently use them since they fit the story somehow.

Okay, another reviewer asked me some time ago how much longer this story is and I'm happy to tell you that I have recently finished writing the entire thing, which is 33 chapters in total. So I'm going to be releasing the last few chapter more rapidly, about two-three times a week. And as for other news I'm starting on another Bellarke story, so once this one is officially completed I'm hoping to be working on more chapters on it before I release for you guys to read it. Nonetheless stay tuned for more.

So please review, favorite and/or follow.

xXrebelgirl07Xx