Thanks for being so patient guys! This has been a crazy week, and this writing class I'm taking at school is kind of giving me fits lol I hate that professors always make it into this mystic emotional crap! They suck all the fun out of it! On a better note, I got a raise at work this week so I'm super excited about that! Alright, enough about me! Enjoy the latest chapter guys, and I'm sorry it's so late! :)

Chapter 18

Bellamy pulled the collar of his coat, trying to keep the icy wind from blowing down his neck. His hands were bare, his fingernails an alarming shade of blue as he swept the beam of his flashlight over the ground ahead of him.

He scanned the carpet of decaying leaves for any sign of disturbance, a broken twig, or a slight indent in the mud that would indicate which way Collins had headed. There was also one other thing they were looking for, a blood trail.

Bellamy had seen the photos from the scene of the accident, his mind filling with images of the dark red stains smeared on the withered brown grass. It had nearly made him sick, his breath becoming jagged and his chest aching with the thought that she might not survive.

He shook his head, he couldn't think like that. Clarke was alive, and she needed him. The more time they wasted the more blood she lost, and he couldn't bear that thought.

"Slow down Blake," Officer Rowan called, his shorter strides struggling to keep pace with Bellamy's much longer ones.

"We don't have time to dillydally," Bellamy hissed, "I'm not going to stop until I find her."

Rowan stared at him cautiously, almost as though he feared Bellamy would explode at any moment.

"I'd give it a rest, Rowan," Wick said, stopping to lean against a tree, "Where Clarke is concerned, he's more stubborn than an old mule. The sooner we find her, the sooner he'll stop dragging us through the woods."

Bellamy nodded his thanks to Wick, knowing the other man understood his fear. He'd seen Wick's eyes darken when Finn was mentioned, and he knew the engineer didn't like what Collins had done to Raven.

"Well let's get moving then," Rowan said tiredly.

Bellamy felt kind of sorry for the man. There was no telling how long his shift at the station had been before he was forced to tromp around with them in the forest in search of Clarke.

"Thanks for doing this, Rowan," Bellamy said genuinely, "We really appreciate your help."

"Well the way I see it, the two of you would've come out here anyhow. This just keeps me from looking for three missing persons," Rowan said dryly, his lips quirking in a smile.

So, they set off again, Bellamy leading the hunt with his jaw clenched and his mouth set in a thin line. He thought he was going to lose it before they finally began seeing little specks of blood coating a leave here, or smudged on tree bark there.

They followed the trail until their noses began to burn with the smell of wood smoke, the orange glow of a fire illuminated in the distance. Rowan signaled for them to stop, pulling his pistol from its holster before inching forward once more.

They stayed in the shadows, concealed by the wide trunks of tall oaks that bordered the small clearing. Bellamy gasped when he saw Clarke, but a hand quickly reached out to pull him back when he tried to go to her.

Bellamy glared at Rowan, opening his mouth to speak.

"No," Rowan mouthed with a shake of his head, "Collins could be close by."

Bellamy was ready to tell him he didn't care when-

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Clarke lay shivering, her eyes refusing to stay open. Finn should have been back by now, but there was no sign of his reappearance. Maybe he'd left her to die alone, choosing to leave the scene and escape.

Growing up in a hospital tagging along with her mother, she knew that things weren't good. Her breathing was becoming shallow, and she had to fight to stay awake. She really wanted to give in and close her eyes, but images of her loved ones filtered through her mind.

AJ and Lincoln still needed her. If she died in these woods then she would miss out on so much of their lives. That alone had her willing her eyes to remain open, staring at the black velvet sky above that was peppered with blinking diamonds.

Then her thoughts turned to Raven, and the guilt her friend would feel at not knowing that Finn was back. She wished she could tell her best friend that there was no way she could have known this would happen, but to do that she'd have to make it out of this forsaken clump of bare trees and Clarke didn't foresee that happening any time soon.

Her head was becoming fuzzy, and reality was blurring with the terrible dreams that drifted through her mind when it finally became too much to keep her eyes open.

She'd tried to keep herself alert, but the blood loss was beginning to wear on her. She thought if she just slept for a little while then perhaps she would feel better, so she'd allowed herself to drift off unprepared for the horrors that awaited her in sleep.

As soon as her lashes fluttered closed, Bellamy's face appeared. It brought her comfort for only a moment before she saw Finn. He had a gun, aiming it at Bellamy's chest.

Clarke watched in horror as Finn pulled the trigger, and Bellamy collapsed- deep red blooming on his shirt. She ran to his side, begging him to open his eyes, but it was too late he was already gone.

The sorrow she felt was like nothing she'd ever felt before as she held his lifeless body, sobbing as she rocked back and forth.

She woke to her own screams, her voice hoarse as she screamed Bellamy's name over and over. She opened her eyes, his face hovering above her as though her frantic cries had truly conjured the man himself.

"Bellamy," Clarke whimpered, wishing she could touch him.

His eyes stared down at her in concern, his worry written clearly in every line that marred his features. Looking at him she almost believed he was real… almost.

Clarke closed her eyes, exhaustion settling over her like a heavy blanket. She wanted nothing more than to give in and give up, but she knew she couldn't do that. She had AJ and Lincoln to think about. She had Bellamy…

"Bellamy," she murmured again, this time her voice slurred and raspy.

"I'm here, Princess," came a reply causing her eyes to flutter open.

His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb moving back and forth as the warmth from his skin seeped into hers. She was so tired, and her side was beginning to ache unbearably.

"You're not real," she whispered, more to herself than the vision of the man she loved that hovered above her.

"No, I'm here Clarke. I'm going to get you out of here," he said, such surety in his voice that it made her smile.

Suddenly his arms were around, bringing her close to his chest. She gasped at the movement, pain shooting through her and bringing her back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Bellamy said, his voice filled with sorrow at causing her pain.

"It's alright," Clarke breathed, "At least now I know this isn't a dream."

Bellamy's chuckle rumbled in his chest as she huddled against him. He smelled fresh with a hint of pine that intoxicated her, as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. She knew that she must smell terrible, covered in blood and sweat.

Clarke looked to find Wick and a strange man walking out of the woods towards them, both men looking mildly exasperated.

"Blake, I thought I told you to wait," Rowan said as he holstered his weapon.

"I think we can unanimously say that order fell on deaf ears," Wick muttered, shoving his hands down in his pockets with a huff.

"Because you would be cool as a cucumber if it were Raven out there," Bellamy growled hugging Clarke a bit tighter.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Wick said with a nod before turning his attention to Clarke, "How are you?"

"Dog tired and ready to get out of here," Clarke said, her words beginning to slur together again.

"Where's Collins," Rowan asked.

"Don't know, he just left me there," Clarke replied, Bellamy's warmth making it harder and harder to stay awake.

"I think that's enough questions for now. We need to get her out of here," Bellamy said as he began to walk back the way they'd come.

On the trek back, Bellamy kept up a steady stream of conversation- anything to keep Clarke from falling asleep. She tried her best to keep talking, but every minute just came harder and harder.

Finally she was silent, her head lolled against Bellamy's neck and her breath coming in soft, shallow puffs.

"Clarke," Bellamy said frantically, jostling her a bit to try and get her to acknowledge him.

"You know I love you, right," Clarke said finally, each word a struggle.

"I know, and I love you too. That's why you have to stay awake," Bellamy urged, the fear evident in his voice.

"I can't, Bell. I'm too tired," Clarke whispered.

Bellamy was about to go crazy with worry when the red and blue lights of an ambulance finally came into view.

"I radioed ahead to have one waiting for us," Rowan explained, "The guys will keep searching for Collins. They've called in the hounds from the prison a few miles west of here. Those things can find a possum in a rain storm, so I figure they'll pick up Collins soon enough."

"Thanks for everything Rowan," Bellamy said.

"You're welcome, now get your girl to the hospital," Rowan said clapping him on the back before joining the other policeman by the parked cruisers.

Bellamy quickly carried Clarke to the ambulance, Wick right on his heels. As he watched them hook Clarke up to an IV and get her stabilized, he began to wonder why Finn just let him find her. Surely this wasn't the man's grand plan of revenge.

This wasn't over he could just feel it. Finn wouldn't stop until he'd gotten his revenge on Clarke, and Bellamy wouldn't stop until she was safe. He refused to let go of her hand, only moving when the paramedics asked him to.

He just watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, allowing a calm to wash over him. She was safe with him now; Collins could wait until tomorrow. He felt Wick place a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"She'll be alright," Wick said, "The boys will be so happy to see her."

Bellamy sat in silence for a moment, "I almost lost her Kyle. How would I have survived if anything had happened to her?"

"Nothing happened," Wick said softly, "She's a little worse for wear, but she'll pull through. She's strong."

"I can't live without her. I can't let him take her from me," Bellamy said angrily, the calm from seconds ago flying out the window.

"Then don't! Keep her with you, keep her safe…"

Bellamy let those words sink in. He stared down at Clarke, the oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth clouding with each breath she took. Her hand was warm in his, and in that moment he never wanted to let her go.

Looking at her he knew what he had to do, and soon.

"Thanks Wick," Bellamy said, leaning over to rest his head beside Clarke's, "I know just what I need to do."

Thanks for reading! Please review! :)

Sey77: Thanks for the review! I'm going to try not to drag out too many things… I decided to rescue Clarke because she and Bellamy are too cute to keep apart for very long! :)

Alice: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! :)

Hailey Marie: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the excitement! Hopefully there's more to come! ;)

Wright: Thanks for the review! Finn is crazy! However, he's got a plan… I decided to wait on the big confrontation because I'm not quite ready to wrap everything up in a neat little bow lol But when that does go down, Bell's definitely going to show his Rebel side! ;)

Heather Manuel: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! Writing is one of my passions, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without it! :)

To all my other Guest Reviewers: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I always enjoy reading your thoughts on the story, and it really keeps me inspired! Y'all are the best! :)