Thank you to everyone has reviewed, followed, and faved this story! You guys are amazing, and your kind words keep me going when writing isn't easy! So thanks again for your support and encouragement! I hope you enjoy Chapter 11, and I can't wait to hear what y'all think! :)
Chapter 11
The next morning Clarke got up with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. She took a quick shower, moosing her damp curls before making her way downstairs.
She and Octavia were going shopping, and she couldn't wait! It had been so long since she'd actually looked forward to a day of combing the clothing racks for deals, and she wanted to get an early start.
Clarke opened the refrigerator, her eyes scanning the bright shelves for the pan of French toast she'd left to soak over night. She found it quickly, then stuck it in the oven- the smell of the hot chocolate soaked bread filling the kitchen.
She put some coffee grounds in the coffee maker, inhaling the enticing aroma of the dark substance before adding water to the machine and flipping the switch.
As the coffee maker bubbled happily, Clarke finished up some of the dishes from supper the night before. They'd had pizza on paper plates so really all she had to do was wash a few glasses and some silverware.
She hummed as she worked, rinsing and setting each bit of tableware aside before reaching for another. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't hear the soft footsteps of her observer.
Bellamy woke from a good night's sleep, stretching gingerly before rising from the bed. His throat was dry, and he was in dire need of coffee, so he decided to make his way to the kitchen to get some going and surprise Clarke.
He shuffled through the living room, soft morning light filtering through the curtains. He'd just stopped to rest against the entry of the kitchen, his ribs burning slightly, when he heard the soft melodic humming.
Bellamy looked up to find Clarke, her back to him, and her arms covered in sudsy water. The long blonde curls were tamed, but he could tell they were still damp from her obvious shower- leaving dark splotches on her grey sweatshirt.
Her sleeves were rolled up, but the hem hung just above the bottom of her hot pink shorts. Her feet tapped along to her cheerful humming encased in soft, fuzzy slippers.
The scene was so domestic it made Bellamy smile, crossing his arms over his bare chest as he just watched the woman before him. His mind wandered, imagining what it would be like to witness this every morning.
He watched as she finished her washing, spinning around to find him gawking. Her cheeks turned a fetching pink, and a soft smile curved her lips.
"Good morning," Clarke said, her smile widening, as Bellamy's own cheeks began to flush.
"Morning," he said huskily, coming to sit on one of the barstools.
"Did you sleep well," Clarke asked, reaching for a mug and pouring him a cup of coffee.
"I did. Slept like a rock," Bellamy replied, taking the mug and wrapping his fingers around the warmth.
"Good, you need the sleep. It helps the body heal," the blonde said, taking a sip from her own mug.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before AJ came skidding into the kitchen.
"Morning Mom, morning Coach," the little boy said as he hopped up on the stool beside Bellamy.
"Morning little man," Bellamy said as he ruffled AJ's hair.
"Hit me, Mom," the ten year old said with a smirk.
Clarke shook her head, moving to the fridge and pulling out the carton of chocolate milk. She poured a tall glass, setting it before her son with a smile.
"Thanks," the boy said, gulping down half of the chocolaty liquid and sporting a brown mustache.
Lincoln came down next, giving his mother a warm hug before grinning at his little brother.
"You got a little something on your mouth, Sport," Lincoln said, chuckling as AJ wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve.
"Morning, Coach," Lincoln said as he made his way to the fridge.
"Bottom shelf," Clarke said with a smile as she watched her eldest immediately grab for the glass bottle of orange juice.
"Thanks Ma," Lincoln said with a grin as he took a gulp straight from the container.
"Lincoln Isaiah Griffin," Clarke scolded, "How many times have I told you to pour that in a glass?"
Lincoln turned with a guilty expression, watching as his mother tapped her foot with her hands on her hips. His gaze flitted to Bellamy, and he almost wanted to laugh at the look of terror on the older man's face. That was a big almost though because he knew that laughing at his mother was not a good idea.
"Sorry," he said, taking down a glass and pouring the orange juice.
"Thank you," Clarke said with a huff before turning back to her coffee.
Octavia came downstairs last, her hair sticking up and her eyes half open. She hugged Clarke, reveling in the attention only a mother figure could give before taking the last stool.
The timer dinged just then, and Clarke took the French toast from the oven. She served her little troop, setting out the whipped cream before plopping two pieces of toast in the toaster.
"You're not joining us," Bellamy asked in confusion.
"Mom doesn't eat sweet stuff for breakfast," Lincoln said with a sad shake of his head, "Says AJ ruined that for her."
"Hey," the little boy said, socking his older brother in the arm.
"No one ruined it," Clarke said, giving both her boys the 'you stop it before I do' look, "I just lost a taste for it that's all."
"That's understandable," Bellamy said, returning to his breakfast.
Hearing Clarke speak of her pregnancy made him wonder what'd it been like. His mother had been sicker than a dog with Octavia, couldn't keep anything down for the first three or four months.
It pained him to think of Clarke that way, going through the different stages of pregnancy scared, and with a man who was cheating on her the whole time. His hand tightened around his fork, the metal digging into his palm.
Clarke must have noticed because she gave him a soft smile.
"AJ wasn't that bad. I was rarely even sick, so he was a breeze to carry," she said with a grin before ruffling her little boy's hair.
Bellamy smiled; surprised she could read him so well. He looked at the people around him, people he was coming to care for very much. Life before Clarke and the boys seemed distant and foreign. He thought it strange how they'd changed his and O's life so quickly.
"You ready to shop 'til we drop," Clarke asked Octavia, successfully bringing Bellamy out of his reflections.
"Yes I am! Bell doesn't really like to shop, so I can't wait," the girl said with a smile.
Bellamy couldn't help the grin that curved his lips at the excitement that shown in his sister's eyes. What really surprised him was the eagerness that glimmered in Clarke's eyes as well. Thinking on it, she probably hadn't had many opportunities to enjoy a shopping spree- a lot like his sister.
"Well you two girls have fun. We men will just bach it 'til you get back," Bellamy said with a wink.
Clarke chuckled, "You sure you boys don't want to come with us?"
A collective groan rose up from the male population in the room, their noses wrinkled in disgust and their heads shaking vehemently.
"No thank you," AJ said.
"Yeah, Mom, we'll just stay here and take care of Coach," Lincoln chimed in.
"Hey, I'm the babysitter here," Bellamy said indignantly.
"We'll leave you three to figure out who's babysitting whom," Clarke said with a grin, "We have things to do."
The three guys watched as their womenfolk mounted the stairs.
"Are they gone," AJ whispered.
"Yep, the coast is clear boys! To the couch," Bellamy said, leading the way to the living room.
Forty minutes later, Clarke and Octavia made their way downstairs- stopping at the silence that greeted them.
"Where are they," O asked, craning her neck into the empty kitchen.
Just then a chorus of no's erupted in the living room. Clarke grinned, waving her hand in a grand sweeping gesture.
"There you have it, O. The male in his natural habitat," Clarke said in a mock whisper.
Octavia giggled as she took in the scene before her. Bellamy was sprawled at the end of the couch; AJ snuggled against his side as they watched the game footage of a rival team. Lincoln was perched at the other end, his gaze intent on the screen and his mouth slightly ajar.
"Are they always like this," Octavia asked.
"I'd like to say no, sweetie, but this is their favorite pastime. They'll be well occupied while we're gone," Clarke said with a chuckle.
Octavia simply shrugged, grabbing her coat and calling a cheery goodbye, which received a few grunts and a quick wave from her brother. The teen shook her head, walking out into the cold and climbing in the passenger seat of Clarke's old truck.
"Bye boys, be good," Clarke called before exiting the house.
She had to admit that it was nice having Bellamy around full time. He and the boys really got along well and AJ benefited from having a steady male influence. She could already see the subtle ways her youngest was patterning himself after his new idol.
Clarke sat behind the wheel, starting up the old truck and grinning when it purred like an old cat. She drove the forty-five minutes it took to get to Arkdale, a larger town that sported a good sized mall.
She parked as close to the entrance as they were going to get, stepping out and slinging her purse over her shoulder. She made sure the truck was locked, not that anyone would want to steal the old thing, and then led the way to the shiny glass double doors.
Clarke looked over at Octavia, smiling at the look of wonder that painted the girl's features. The center of the mall was huge, shops lining both sides of the long building. The ceiling was made of frosted glass, allowing in natural light to aid the soft fluorescents.
The scent of salted pretzels and gooey cookies filled the air, mingled with the scent of perfumes and lotions. They both inhaled deeply, their mouths watering as they passed the various small eating establishments.
"We'll stop for lunch, I promise," Clarke said with a wink, "So, where should we start?"
They went into one of the trendier shops first, Clarke trailing behind Octavia until she got a sense of what the teen liked. She readily looked over anything the girl wanted to try on, trying to think of what Bellamy would or would not approve of.
After Octavia had found several outfits they moved on to the next shop. This one had clothes for all ages, so Clarke sent her young charge to the junior's section while she went to shop for Bellamy.
She'd gotten his sizes that morning and a little of what he liked. So now she was sifting through the racks, a pair of khaki dress pants over one arm as she held up a black polo for inspection.
Clarke finally decided on four pairs of dress pants, jeans, five shirts in various colors, a package of boxers, some socks, three sets of pj bottoms, a few white and grey t-shirts, a pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of dress shoes.
After she'd finished, she met Octavia at the front. The girl eyed the basket full of clothes, her eyes wide with surprise.
"How much did Bellamy tell you," O asked.
"Not much. Why, will he not like what I picked," Clarke asked in a near panic.
"Oh no! He'll like what you picked. It looks exactly like what he would choose if he were here," Octavia replied with a smirk.
Clarke stared at the teen, and then her gaze shifted to the cart filled with clothing. She tried to ignore the warm feeling spreading through her at the thought that she was already an expert at shopping for the man and they'd barely even been friends for two months.
"Good, now let's get this stuff paid for and then get some lunch. I'm starved," Clarke said with a smile.
Clarke set the bags down at their table, leaving Octavia to guard their belongings while she ordered their food from the tiny Chinese restaurant at the heart of the mall.
After their food appeared in the window, Clarke carried it back to the table. She and Octavia ate in silence for a while, until they began to discuss their finds.
"Did you see that pink blouse I found," O said excitedly.
"I did! That was really pretty! I can't wait to see how it looks," Clarke replied with equal fervor.
"Did you get Bell a coat," Octavia asked, slurping up a noodle.
"No, I'm glad you reminded me though," Clarke said, "I should have made a list of all the things he would need, but I forgot."
"I think a coat is it. From what I saw, you got everything else."
Clarke nodded, already planning on where she'd get him one. "I think there's a camping store near the entrance. We'll stop in there and get both of you a coat."
They finished their meal, taking large gulps of their drinks before tossing them in the trashcan. The camping supply store turned out to be a success. Clarke found Bellamy a warm, professional looking, black coat while Octavia found a pretty sky blue one.
The two walked back to the truck, their arms loaded down with their purchases. Clarke stowed the bags in the back seat, smiling as Octavia pulled on her new coat.
"That looks really nice, O," the blonde praised.
"Thanks," the girl said with a smile as she huddled down into the fur that trimmed the collar and hood.
The drive back was filled with laughter and silly songs, and spirits were high as they pulled into the driveway. Clarke was having so much fun with the teen that she didn't notice the jet black Mercedes that sat parked beneath the old Oak tree.
It wasn't until she'd made it to the front porch, laughing at something Octavia had said, that she noticed the woman coming across the yard. The laughter died on her lips, a dark scowl replacing the sunny smile.
"What are you doing here, Mother?"
Thanks for reading! Please review! I love hearing from y'all! :)
Wright: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the Bellarke progression! I didn't want them to be together right off the bat, so I'm slow burning myself to death lol It's so hard not to write those fluffy scenes I love so much, but I'm trying to persevere! ;)
Guest: Thanks you so much for the review and that lovely compliment! I'm really glad you like the Finn plot, and we can expect to see him in person around chapter 16 so not much longer! It makes so happy to hear you're enjoying the story, and I hope you enjoyed the latest update! :)
To all my other Guest Reviewers: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I'm super psyched that you're enjoying the story! :)