…

Clarke was still hurt from when Dax hit her, so Bellamy picked her up and carried her back into the depot just as the acid fog was falling on them. Clarke felt her eyes and lungs begin to burn, and then Bellamy closed the door to the outside. They were both coughing.

"There is water farther down there, we have to wash this off." He said, and made to pick her up again to carry her.

"It's okay, I can walk." She said with some pain in her voice.

She was relieved that the water was still clear. They both stood under it, the water washing away the residue of the acid fog.

"That was close." She said, as she looked at Bellamy. His hair was wet and he slicked it back, reminding her of what he looked like on their first day on the ground. The water was washing the blood and tears from his face, though the cuts remained and she suspected there would soon be bruises. She raised her arms to better rinse out her hair, and grunted in pain.

"Are you okay?" Bellamy sounded concerned.

"Dax got me pretty hard, but I think so."

"Let me see."

Clarke lifted her shirt, suddenly shy in front of him.

"May I?" He asked. She nodded.

Bellamy was very gentle as he touched her, and despite the coldness of the water his hand felt warm.

"Doesn't look like anything is broken." He sounded relieved. Then, wordlessly he started rinsing out her hair for her.

"Thanks." She said, he didn't respond.

Soon they were clean, but their clothes were wet and cold.

"I'm guessing you're not mad about the blankets anymore." Clarke teased Bellamy, who had turned around as she was stripping off her wet clothes and hanging them up to dry. He did the same, though Clarke was not so polite and watched him as he undressed. It was not the first time she noticed how well-built he was, but after everything that they just went through she found herself feeling somehow differently about it, about him.

"I guess we should sleep," Bellamy said as he lay down, "hopefully by the time we wake up it will be daylight and the fog will be gone." He closed his eyes, not waiting for a response from her. Clarke was so cold, suddenly she remembered the warmth of his hand as he touched her and wished she could be close to him.

"Hey, Bellamy?"

"Yes?"

"Nevermind." She didn't feel comfortable asking him, remembering how he pushed her away when she made to kiss him earlier.

"You're really going to be shy after everything we've just been through?" He asked.

"Maybe." She said, dwelling on his rejection of her and not wanting to experience it again.

He groaned and muttered something to himself.

Clarke tried to wrap herself more snugly in the blankets and sleep.

…

As he watched her try to sleep, Bellamy wished so much that he could take her in his arms, but he didn't think that she would want him to, and if she did it wouldn't be the way he wanted her to want him. Still, she's shivering…

"Clarke?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"You seem cold, do you want me to make a fire for you?" Bellamy asked.

"Huh? Is that even safe? What would we burn down here, and where would the smoke go?"

"I suppose you're right." He said, and she seemed to sigh with irritation and glare at him.

"Did I do something wrong?" He was confused.

"No, you didn't do anything." She said, her tone somewhat acid.

What is going on? He got up and sat beside her.

"Come on Clarke, don't do this. If I did something just tell me so that I can fix it."

"No, but you can keep me warm if you like." She said. This is weird, Bellamy thought, but he really wanted to hold her, to keep her warm. He hesitated, remembering how Clarke said that she didn't want something purely physical. It was suddenly really important to him that their physical interaction was not just physical, and that she came to see him as someone who was interested in and capable of more. Still, she was shivering, and Bellamy felt he couldn't risk her getting sick.

"Nevermind." She sighed, turning away from him.

…

It was so hard for her to work up the courage to ask him to hold her, and when she did, he did nothing. Why does this bother me so much, it's just Bellamy. He probably just got bored with me, it's not like one woman has been able to hold his interest for long down here. She thought, hurting all the more. Then she felt him lie down behind her. He lifted her blankets carefully so that his body was positioned against hers, she felt so relieved yet also somewhat disappointed when he deliberately placed a generous amount of material around his hips. He felt so warm against her as he wrapped his arm carefully around her and placed his hand on her stomach, spreading out his fingers so as to cover more area. She relaxed against him, grateful for his warmth, and soon they were both asleep.

Bellamy was still asleep when she woke up, his breathing was slow and steady and Clarke could feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck, finding that she rather enjoyed the feeling. His hand was still on her stomach, and she found herself placing her hand over his, intertwining her fingers with his own. I feel so safe with him like this. She realized it was not a feeling she really experienced with Finn. And why should I, Finn is just a boy, he wasted all that oxygen because he wanted to go on a spacewalk, and I don't remember him feeling any guilt about it. She remembered how torn up Bellamy was the night before, how he thought he was a monster and how he begged to be killed when he was hallucinating. She tenderly ran her fingers over his. Bellamy might not be perfect, she thought, but he was a man. He was willing to kill the Chancellor to protect his sister, he did so much to build their camp and to organize the others, he even tortured the grounder to save Finn's life. And he wanted to spare me the sight of it. She found herself admiring him, but also feeling sad that he was not really interested in relationships. Still, even in this he might be better than Finn, who slept with me so soon after we landed even though he had to know it was possible that Raven would eventually make it to the ground. I'm such an idiot, why was I even upset over Finn? He is not worth it.

…

Bellamy woke up to Clarke caressing his fingers, it was such a nice feeling, but the fact that she was doing that left him confused. He found himself wanting her so badly. She was so close. He almost kissed her neck, it was all he could do to control himself. He realized that if this went on for much longer he would lose his self control. He felt he had to prove to her that he wanted more than just sex, so he made himself get up.

"Morning Princess, I'll go check if the fog is gone." He said, disentangling his hand from hers and getting up to get dressed.

…

Clarke did not bother to watch him. He sure got bored with me fast. She thought with sadness, recalling how only yesterday he seemed interested. The memory of his body against hers excited her, but she pushed that memory down, knowing that dwelling on it would only bring her pain.

"All clear." He said as he returned. "Go ahead and get dressed and I'll go get some of the guns to bring back to camp with us." He didn't wait for a response.

…