Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and favs! You guys are the best! This chapter has little surprise at the end… Enjoy! J
Chapter 15
The Mountain Men plowed through the 1-A regionals, coming through undefeated. Their 11-0 winning streak put a lot of pressure on their coach, leaving Bellamy fighting to stay ahead of the hectic game schedule.
He spent many a night watching game reels into the wee morning hours. He scribbled plays in notebooks throughout the day, worrying his bottom lip as he poured over playbooks new and old.
The big quarterfinals were only two weeks away, on December 17th, and Bellamy was feeling the pressure. As the new coach, he had to live up to Kane's legacy while trying to make one of his own.
It didn't help that they would be facing the Norton Nuggets, coached by none other than Paul Gustus. The man was ruthless, and he wasn't above playing dirty if it came down to it.
Gustus' lack of sportsmanship worried Bellamy because he didn't want any of his guys to get hurt, especially Lincoln. Scouts from every college in Texas would be there looking for talent, and he really wanted his young quarterback to shine.
However, the Mountain Men still had to make it through the State semi finals that weekend. All of the stress was beginning to culminate, until the young couch was massaging his temples to stave off a monumental headache.
Bellamy was pulled from his thoughts when a pair of hands came to rest on his shoulders, tapered fingers kneading the tired muscles with practiced ease.
"You're doing it again," Clarke whispered close to his ear.
"I know," Bellamy replied, "But this is a big game, and it means a lot to the guys and to my job."
"Babe, Cage isn't going to fire you if you lose this game! You've had an amazing season," the blonde said, leaning down to look into his tired eyes.
"Ok, maybe you've got a point," he said, placing a hand over one of hers, "But I want to end this season on a good note and we're so close!"
Clarke smiled, coming to sit on his lap. They were in the living room of the Blake house, the kids were out with Raven and Wick so they could have a quiet evening at just the two of them.
She'd come over right after school, cooked them supper, and then sat with him while he went through his nightly routine of stressing over the semi finals taking place in two days time.
Clarke had left him staring at the television, his playbook open on his lap. When she'd returned, she found him with his head in his hands and his shoulders hunched.
She hated how much tension he carried these days, constantly trying to stay one step ahead. She knew all of the reasons he wanted to win, and she also knew that one of those reasons was currently eating a hamburger at the town's one and only diner.
"Bell, Lincoln still has two years left. There'll be plenty of opportunities for him to be discovered," Clarke said, carding her fingers through his dark curls- smiling when his eyes closed and he all but purred with contentment.
"I know," he said finally, "I just wanted him to get a good start."
"Well promise me not to stress," the blonde demanded, "I don't want you to stroke out on me."
Bellamy smiled, wrapping his arms about her waist and hugging her tight. They sat like that for a while, simply enjoying the silence. Life had gotten hectic after Thanksgiving, and besides their date, this was the only time they'd gotten to just be alone together.
"I'm so thankful for Raven," Bellamy muttered, his face buried in Clarke's neck.
"Me too," Clarke grinned, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Are you coming down tomorrow," Bellamy asked.
It had been decided that since Bellamy and the team were heading to Wakefield on Thursday morning, that Clarke would follow with O and AJ that afternoon after school had let out.
"Yeah, we're sticking with the plan," Clarke replied.
"Good," Bellamy said with a grin, "I was thinking that maybe you and I could have dinner while we're there. Granted we'd be surrounded by forty teenage boys…"
"I'd love to have dinner with you, Mr. Blake," Clarke winked.
Clarke soon found herself lost in a soul-searing kiss, Bellamy's hands cupping her face and his thumbs brushing back and forth over her cheekbones. They were each growing breathless when the front door banged open and Octavia and both boys came marching in.
The trio came to a sudden stop, mouths hanging open and eyes round.
"Give us some warning why don't you," Octavia said with a grimace.
"Yeah, Mom. Warn us," Lincoln said, one hand covering his eyes.
"Are you done sucking face, Mom, cuz I'm ready to go home," AJ said with his little brows raised in question.
"First of all we do not use that expression young man," Clarke said to AJ, glaring at Bellamy when a chuckle escaped in the form of a very unconvincing cough. Then she turned to the two teens, "And secondly, knock next time."
AJ was unfazed as always, but O and Lincoln both looked down in shame.
"Well now that everyone's been properly chastened, I think we should call it a night. We've got an early morning tomorrow," Bellamy said, his gaze falling on Lincoln.
"Yes sir," the boy said, grabbing his younger brother's hand and making a speedy escape for the truck parked outside.
"Night," O called, rushing to her bedroom and closing the door.
"That was impressive," Bellamy said with a smirk when the kids had scattered.
"There is nothing wrong with me kissing you, and I will not allow the kids to insinuate that there is," the blonde said with a huff.
"I can agree with that," Bellamy said, tickling her side.
"Stop, Bell," Clarke said between giggles, "The boys are already out in the truck."
Bellamy stole one last kiss at the door as he walked her out, telling her goodnight and promising to see her tomorrow night. He watched her drive away, a smile still curving his lips as he made his way to bed.
100100100100100100100
The next morning Clarke woke early to get Lincoln up and fed. She made him go through his packing checklist with her to make sure he had everything, then she helped him carry his bags down stairs where they sat beside the front door.
Now she stood with a cup of coffee watching her son inhale his breakfast as she fought to stay awake. She knew her hair was all over the place, but at the moment she really didn't care.
Then a knock sounded on the front door, and suddenly she wasn't as tired anymore. Now she was wishing she'd taken time to shower and change instead of leaving on her fluffy purple pj's and letting her hair do its own thing.
Clarke watched as Lincoln ran to open the door, Bellamy entering the kitchen moments later. He looked her up and down, his lips twitching as he came to stand before her.
"You look great, Princess," he said before leaning in to kiss her good morning.
"You don't look so bad yourself," Clarke replied, pecking him on the lips and then handing him a large travel mug of coffee.
"You're a lifesaver, sweetheart," Bellamy groaned, kissing her cheek before going to help Lincoln load his stuff in the truck.
They piled in, Bellamy hanging his head out the window to wave at Clarke.
"I'll see you tonight," she called, "Be good Linc!"
"Will do! Bye Mom," her son yelled back as the truck pulled away, and then quickly turned back around.
Clarke laughed as a sleepy Octavia crawled out of the backseat, her bag in hand, and staggered to the front porch. She waved as Bellamy once again pulled away from the house and disappeared down the drive.
"Morning O," Clarke greeted the droopy eyed teenager.
"Morning," Octavia croaked, dropping her bag in the entry way and heading for the stairs, "Is your bed made?"
"No, are you gonna try to get another hour's sleep," Clarke asked with a smile.
O simply nodded, making her way to Clarke's room before collapsing beneath the down comforter and falling back to sleep.
Two hours later Clarke had both kids dressed, fed, and dropped off at their respective locations at school. The place was quiet without the football team and the people that'd left early for the game.
The hours dragged by, and Clarke thought the day would never end. She was surprised when Wallace got on the intercom and said that school was going to be let out an hour early so that everyone that wanted could go to Wakefield and get there before late that night.
She quickly packed up her things and found Octavia before going to retrieve AJ from the elementary. Thankfully she'd put all of their stuff in the truck that morning so they were ready to go. She called Raven, telling her about the change in plans, and her friend told her they would meet them in Wakefield that night.
Clarke found the long car ride enjoyable, O and AJ singing every song they knew and then playing all kinds of games to pass the time. It was dark when they finally pulled in to the large town of Wakefield, stopping at one of the nicer hotels at the center of town.
She got their room key, telling Octavia to call Bellamy and tell him they'd made it. He met them in the lobby, giving Clarke a quick peck on the lips before greeting the kids.
"How was the drive down," he asked as he took Clarke's suitcase from her.
"It was great," AJ piped up, "I beat O three times at I Spy!"
"Cheater," O grumbled, causing Bellamy and Clarke to both crack a smile and fight to suppress their laughter.
"Did y'all have a good trip," Clarke asked as they neared their rooms.
"Yeah, it was uneventful and no one got car sick which is always a plus," Bellamy informed her with a sigh of relief.
"Do you wanna get up early with me and have breakfast since we didn't get that dinner," Clarke asked after she unlocked the room and both kids ran inside to fight over the bathroom.
"I would love that," Bellamy said, kissing her softly before telling her goodnight and hollering a quick, "later squirts", to the two kids.
Clarke got her little crew settled in for the night, she and AJ sharing the bed next to the window while O took the one closest to the bathroom. She answered a text from Raven before turning out the lights, telling her friend she'd see her in the morning before joining the kids in sleep.
100100100100100100100
The next morning Clarke shared a nice breakfast with Bellamy before he had to get the team fed and to the field for practice. She sat with Raven, Wick, and the kids while the four of them had breakfast- AJ entertaining them with his pre-game predictions.
They spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel, the two kids taking advantage of the indoor pool while the adults enjoyed doing nothing at all.
Finally game time rolled around and Clarke was on pins and needles as they found their seats in the bleachers and watched as the Mountain Men ran out onto the field.
She watched as Bellamy made his way out, a solemn expression coloring his features and his playbook slung under his arm. He looked like he was wound tight, like the smallest thing would send him into orbit.
Thankfully there'd been nothing to worry about. The Mountain Men fell behind briefly in the second quarter, but pulled ahead after halftime and maintained their lead for the rest of the game.
After the game, Clarke met Bellamy by the bus to congratulate him. Wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"Congrats, Coach," she said with a grin, "You were really great out there."
"Thanks, babe," Bellamy replied, rolling his eyes when the boys all started to throw wolf whistles their way.
"I'd better let you get these hooligans back to Mount Weather. I'll meet you at the house and we can switch kids," Clarke said with a wave as she watched Bellamy board the big yellow bus.
The drive home was a lot quieter than the drive down had been. Octavia and AJ were out after the first thirty minutes, which left Clarke with plenty of time to think.
She thought back to the time after she'd left Finn, how she'd thought her life would never be normal again. Now, looking back, she was thankful for that terrible time because without it she never would have met Bellamy and O.
Clarke smiled as she glanced in the rearview mirror at the sleeping kids in the backseat, their heads leaned back and mouths agape as they both snored softly. She loved her life, and she was finally excited for her future.
Two hours later, she pulled into the driveway of her home. She woke both kids, sending them inside with their bags. She followed closely behind, stopping when she found an envelope on the front porch.
Clarke bent to pick it up, taking in her name written in boxy script across the front. She gave shrugged, tucking it in her back pocket before entering the house. Both kids had gone to their respective rooms and fallen into bed, so she guessed she'd just keep O and she could go back home after church the next day.
She was just about to go sit in the living room to wait for Bellamy, when the front door swung open and her boyfriend and son came staggering into the house.
"Hey you two," Clarke said as she came to greet them, "I thought you'd be back late."
"I didn't have many ride back with me, most of them rode home with their parents so I only had like five to drop off," Bellamy replied, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Night Mom," Lincoln said, kissing her cheek, "Night Coach."
"Night, baby," Clarke said as she watched him slowly make his way upstairs.
"Did O already crash," Bellamy asked.
"Yeah, she came in and then went straight to the spare bedroom," Clarke said with a grin, "She can just go back home with you after church tomorrow."
"That'll be fine. I don't want to deal with another grumpy teen right now," Bellamy sighed, heading for the front door.
"Good night, Bell," Clarke said, kissing him softly and then watching as he drove away.
After she locked up for the night, she meandered up the stairs and into her bedroom. She quickly changed into her pjs, her gaze falling on the envelope on her floor where it'd fallen out of her pocket.
Clarke tore it open, her eyes widening as she took in the same boxy script- the words sending a chill down her spine.
"I found you," was all it said, but the implication was clear.
Finn had finally found her…
Thanks for reading! Are y'all ready for some excitement? Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! :)
Guest: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! :)
ATTN: My collaboration story- Kingdom of Shadows will be updating tomorrow! If y'all haven't read it yet, I humbly ask that you do so! If you do meander over that way then please leave review! Both TheLateNightWriter93 and I would both really appreciate it! :)