Thank you to those who reviewed. I've obviously decided to continue. Yay! I was so happy with last nights episode. It will follow the show's current story line somewhat but not exactly. Warning there is language and fighting in this chapter. I'm considering raising the rating in the future. Please let me know what you think.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

I don't own anything.

-KJ

Clarke

Clarke woke up the next day sore but surprisingly refreshed. She wanted to stay lying in bed or her pallet rather, but she knew she had to get up and start preparing for their trip. They were going back to Mt. Weather. She had to figure out a way to get out of camp because she knew her mother was not going to willingly let her out of her sight again. Clarke didn't want to hurt her mother but she wasn't ready to deal with the past quite yet, when the present demanded so much and the future was so hazy. She had to get the rest of her people, her family. She had to save those who had no idea what danger they were in, those who the hundred were the only family they had left. She was her father's daughter. It wasn't even a question of why or if, she just had to and she was going to do it with Bellamy. The day before she had been overwhelmed and worried about everything but Bellamy did a very non-Bellamy thing and comforted her. He just held her in a hug and rubbed her back as she just released all her stress in to him. That gesture left her feeling like a feather. She appreciated that Bellamy let her lean on him and vent her worries but she knew she had to be strong from here on out. And that's exactly what she was going to do.

Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, and Raven gathered supplies but just enough not to be suspicious. She didn't want to lie to her mother but she wasn't going to ask for permission either. They all had been through too much to be treated like children at this point. Raven and Wick shut down the electric fence so the three could slip out. First they would find Finn and Murphy at the village where they first thought everyone was being kept with the map and Octavia's help. Clarke thought about all the fighting and disagreements before they were all split up. Bellamy had truly become a leader. Clarke knew he cared for others before himself even though Bellamy wouldn't admit it. Murphy had tried to kill Bellamy and Finn didn't trust him, it would be hard for some to understand going out of your way to find them. Bellamy was a good man. Once they found Finn and Murphy they would need more people to infiltrate Mt. Weather. Without the guards it would be difficult but they didn't have time to wait for Kane's group to return. They were too concerned with themselves and the grounders, who Clarke knew they would need as well. Clarke had given Raven a note to give to her mother letting her know the plan. She told her she loved her. She couldn't get herself to write 'I forgive you' but she felt like if she didn't make it back at least her mom knew she loved her.

It was a warm day although it was getting closer to winter. The three walked in silence for which Clarke was grateful. She had a lot on her mind. She knew they had to find Finn and Murphy, although she honestly had trouble caring what happened to Murphy now that he had killed two more of their people and trying to kill Bellamy. But Finn. She didn't know what to think or feel for that matter. Yes they had had something. Clarke didn't even know what to call it. It was a couple days of flirting and one vulnerable night but that was it. She cared for him and couldn't deny that he had become someone she relied on but to lie about his relationship with Raven was unacceptable. She shared personal things with him and thought she had developed trust but she knew now that only went one way. He could have been honest with Raven. Granted that would have been hard seeing that she built a freaking rocket ship to get to him. Clarke had to admit that was pretty impressive and although being honest isn't always easy, she wasn't going to settle for someone didn't fight for her. It may be tough times, not knowing how long they had on Earth with all the danger around them but even then she was in no way going to be some guy's safety net. He tried to play both sides of the fence for too long and Clarke had finally pushed him off her side for good. Plus on top of it all she remembered that she was attracted to the long haired care free attitude of Finn when they arrived, now he had that stupid haircut Raven gave him. Wrapped up in her thoughts Clarke missed a large root that caught her foot. She was falling forward toward the earth before she knew what was happening. She closed her eyes but never hit the ground but rather felt warm hands holding her hips. Bellamy pulled Clarke back up to her feet.

"Easy there Princess." Bellamy's warm brown eyes always made Clarke's internal temperature rise. She smiled a small smile to say thank you, still so wrapped up in her head that her mouth was slow to work.

That was another thing she was trying to work out. Bellamy. She remembered how much they didn't get along in the beginning but he had changed so much, they both have. She had trouble deciphering her feelings for him because frankly she had never felt this way before. Sure she had whatever it was with Finn and crushes on the Ark before that but how could she understand that with one look from Bellamy she felt like her entire body was on fire, in good way of course. He could infuriate her one second and make her turn into a puddle the next. She was convinced that Bellamy Blake had super powers with women, not to mention the stories she had heard around camp from his many conquests. She couldn't judge him though, not that her one night was comparable because it was safe to say that it had been lacking. But that she hated to admit that she honestly didn't know if she could have said no if propositioned by the tall, tan, and muscular rebel leader. Oh so toned she thought as she stole a look at him as he shrugged off his jacket showing off his back through the just tight enough black shirt. They had stopped briefly for water and some map checking. Clarke smiled a reassuring smile towards Bellamy and Octavia letting them know she was fine just enjoying being in her thoughts.

"Okay we are doing good but we won't make it to the village before night fall. I say we walk another hour and find a place to camp." Bellamy announced. They gathered their things and continued their hike. They fell back into their comfortable rhythm.

Clarke couldn't help but respect Bellamy. He was a natural born leader, a very attractive quality. Although his reasons in the beginning were selfish, Bellamy did what it took to protect Octavia. Clarke recognized his leadership skills right away. He knew how to inspire others, give them confidence when facing impossible odds. She definitely got swept up in his passion when he spoke. She loved how they fell into a partnership at the camp. She felt like they complimented each other well. They both weren't afraid to call out one another when they disagreed and Clarke wondered if it was wrong that she got excited when they had heated discussions. She automatically felt her face get red thinking about it, especially when she couldn't stop her mind from moving to how he had touched her the day before. The memory of the tight grip of his strong arms on her waist, his hand in hair then on her face, then later the soft comforting touches caused Clarke to suck air in hard. The night before Bellamy didn't even remove his arm until they had walked all the way to the makeshift beds her mom had prepared for them. She had to get her breathing under control as she was beginning to get lightheaded. She convinced herself that part was purely physical, how could she not resist him? The man was sexy she admitted, but not out loud that would give him the ego boost. He didn't need it. They were just partners that have come to rely on each other in the twisted world they found themselves in. But deep down inside Clarke knew she was lying to herself. Her feelings for Bellamy were deep and wide and would need a much longer walk to sort through. She was determined to stay focused on the task at hand. She physically shook her head as to shake away the thoughts from her mind.

Something tugged on Clarke's mind that made her become ultra-aware of their surroundings. The cool air caused shivers down her spine. Clarke surveyed the area looking all around. She noticed something odd ahead on the ground. It seemed rough and uneven. She followed it a few feet when she realized what it was. A net trap. Before she heard the snap of the trap she tried get out Bellamy's name.

"Bellamy stop!" But Bellamy's long stride had already triggered the net pulling him up into the air in one fell swoop. Bellamy cursed a long line of expletives as his long body was awkwardly hanging in the net.

"Dammit Bellamy!" Clarke almost growled. She wasn't mad at him but she was pissed that he was hanging defenseless like bait. She was trying to figure out the best and quickest way to cut him down but Bellamy was struggling too much making it worse.

As Clarke approached Bellamy stopped struggling and his eyes widened as he looked past her.

"CLARKE LOOK OUT!"

Clarke spun around just in time to see two grounders emerge from the bushes weapons in hand. Octavia pulled out her sword and backed up to Clarke as there was another grounder appearing from behind a tree, circling the two girls and the hanging Bellamy. Clarke held her gun up praying she wouldn't have to use it. She hated hurting others but she had found that to stay alive she was forced to defend herself. Plus the past few weeks gave her plenty of ammunition of anger to help her fight. She could hear Bellamy behind them struggling and cursing even more. First she wanted to at least try to talk to them.

"We don't want to fight you. I knew Anya. We were on our way to peace." Hoping these grounders were from the same clan.

They laughed manically and trudged forward. The three men were large rough looking men.

"We got this." Clarke said quietly but loud enough for Octavia to hear her. She said it for Octavia but more for herself because she knew Octavia wasn't afraid of much, especially not after Lincoln had shown her fighting skills.

"C'mon fuckers. Let's play." Octavia teased, which fired Clarke up. She moved her finger to the trigger telling herself she'd aim for their legs. One made a quick lunge and she pulled. Click. Nothing. Clarke pulled again. Click. Nothing.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Clarke yelled in frustration. What was the point in having guns if they never worked?

The grounder paused to laugh. Clarke quickly threw the gun down and removed her knife from her belt and held it the way Wells had taught her, blade down and better for slicing. The grounder on her right had a club of some sort and swung it towards Clarke's stomach. She jumped back bumping into the hanging Bellamy, she prayed that she hadn't just stuck her ass in his face not knowing what part of his body made contact. Such a silly thought as she faced the grounders. She could hear Octavia's sword clanking against a grounders ax. Clarke pushed off Bellamy going on the offensive while the grounder was off balance from the swing. She closed the space in between them getting close enough the club would be rendered useless. She swiped her knife back and forth with alternating punches with her other hand hitting any possible body part of the grounder. The grounder regained his footing and started swinging, delivering a hard blow to Clarke's ribs. She stumbled back but quickly ducked as he tried to close his arms around her and took a shot kicking the grounders knee hoping to cause some damage. Her kick forced the grounder to one knee and Clarke didn't dare hesitate she took her knife and plunged it in to the curve of the grounders neck. She purposely aimed lower than when she took Atom's life but knew it would still be a gruesome wound. As the grounder gasped and slowly fell backwards Clarke frantically looked for a good sized rock. Her hand finally found one and she quickly jumped on top to deliver a couple blows to the head. This grounder was out cold. Clarke removed her knife and looked around to see Octavia maintaining the high ground on her grounder. She danced back and forth making the grounder chase her, tiring him out. Smart. The third grounder had cut Bellamy down but had tied him up in the net with was now being used as a bag. Bellamy was growling and thrashing to try to wiggle out of the trap. He tried to get his ax out of his belt but it looked like he was having trouble. The grounder took a couple swift kicks to Bellamy's side. Something snapped in Clarke. She was shaking in fury.

"Get away from him!" she screamed. The grounder shifted his attention to Clarke and smiled. It made Clarke's stomach churn. With the grounder's attention on Clarke, Bellamy was able to kick at the grounder's feet making him fall forward. Clarke dropped her knife and grabbed the other grounder's club. Using all her strength she raised it above her head and with one slam to the back of its head the grounder was out. Clarke looked over to see the grounder with Octavia on the ground in pain. Octavia had caught the grounder's backside and sliced the back of his legs pretty good. She kept her sword pointed at him near his face forcing him to surrender. Clarke found her knife and helped Bellamy out of the net. He was impatient and when he finally got to his feet he looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. The fight was over. Clarke and Octavia had successfully defended against the attack. Bellamy then moved towards the only conscious grounder and using some of the rope from the net to tie him up. Clarke checked the pulses of the two other grounders. The first one was bleeding badly if he didn't get help soon he would die and other's pulse was fine. Clarke felt sad for the senseless violence but a new feeling overcame her. She was proud. She had taken care of herself. Escaping Mt. Weather with Anya made her feel like a warrior. Maybe she could be one after all, strong for her people. She did what she had to she reasoned. She just hoped she didn't have to do it often.

Bellamy

Before he could start to interrogate the grounder, Bellamy stood in awe of the two women in front of him. He felt weird calling his baby sister a woman but she had grown up quickly, partly due to the grounder Lincoln. Bellamy refused to think what all that included but he was sure glad Octavia had picked up some fighting skills. And Clarke, he had never seen her move so quick and accurate. He was impressed. Clarke was a bad-ass, no way around it. He was furious with himself. He hadn't been paying attention when he had walked into the trap and had his gun hanging on his back. He had to watch on helplessly as the two women in his life defended him. He mentally promised himself he would never let this happen again. They were his responsibility and he would never forgive himself if something happened to either of them. Looking at Clarke's flushed cheeks as she breathed heavily trying to catch her breath, Bellamy couldn't help but find her extremely sexy.

He forced a laugh and finally said, "Well I was going to ask if you two are alright but you guys kicked ass. You didn't even need me." Trying to joke to cover his embarrassment and anger.

"Yeah nice time for you to just hang around." Clarke quipped, laughing at her own joke but stopped quickly wincing and grabbing her side. Bellamy lightly touched Clarke's shoulder looking at her with concern. She shook him off pointing to the other grounder.

Octavia was grinning. Bellamy was proud of his sister. He remembered when she would get scared at night and refuse to get in the floor so he would let her sleep with him and putting her away before their mom woke up. He saw that little girl in her eyes but she was a far cry from a scared little girl anymore.

"You have to call me Xena warrior princess from now on." Octavia joked as she swung her sword about referring to an extremely old television show that Bellamy had told her about when they were younger.

"Ha Ha. Don't get cocky you're liable to stab yourself." Bellamy responded trying to keep Octavia's ego in check. She was a Blake after all. "Plus it would be too confusing having two princesses around." Bellamy smirked at Clarke, to which Clarke dramatically rolled her eyes. She slowly lowered herself against the tree trunk leaning back to take some deep breaths. Bellamy was worried she had broken ribs but she wouldn't let him look so he shifted his focus to the grounder.

"Answer my questions and I won't hurt you." Bellamy said in a deep growl.

The grounder's face was completely emotionless.

Octavia spoke before Bellamy could. "Do you know Lincoln? His clan is to the East."

The grounder's face remained blank.

"How many of you are there?" Bellamy asked.

The grounder continued his silence. He knew he wasn't going to get much out of him remembering his experience with Lincoln. He dismissed the guilt that tried to creep in his mind. He did what he had to, but he wasn't going to torture this man. The dragged the other two bodies to the tree trunk Clarke vacated. Tied them and removed all their weapons. Clarke being the caring one she is dressed the stab wound on the grounder that attacked her. Bellamy couldn't understand her level of compassion sometimes. He could tell she was already feeling guilty for what she had done. Bellamy placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"You had no choice. Plus you bandaged him up good. He'll probably make it." Bellamy was trying to reassure her.

"I know, still doesn't make me feel better." Clarke said quietly.

"Let's get closer to the village and then we can check for Finn and Murphy in the morning." Bellamy wanted to put some distance between them and this spot in case these grounders had more friends.

They quickly made it to within a couple miles outside of the village on pure adrenaline. Finding the best spot they could they set up camp. Bellamy gathered wood and started a fire. Octavia collected water from a nearby stream, while Clarke set up their blankets and mats. Octavia took over the food which they had gotten from the Ark.

Clarke reached up and grabbed Bellamy's hand gently tugging him down. Bellamy felt warm all over by the simple gesture.

"How are the ribs feeling?" Bellamy asked as he sat on the ground next to her, careful not to bump her.

"Not great. How about yours?" Clarke looked at him expectantly.

He had been so worried about her he had forgotten he had even been kicked. He was sore but no major pain.

"I'm fine. Didn't feel a thing." Bellamy gave her a cheesy smile.

"Good." Clarke smiled back. "Because you're going to have to be doctor tonight. I need you to check to see if any of them are broken."

Bellamy helped her out of her jacket first then grabbed a flashlight from his pack and passed to Clarke to hold. She shined it on her left side where she had been hit. Bellamy looked at her with questioning eyes to lift up her shirt. Clarke nodded. Bellamy carefully took the hem of the fabric and began slowly lifting. An audible gasp slipped from his lips when he could see her whole side. It was already a deep purple with red and blue spots. The contrast between the bruises and her natural pale creamy skin was harsh. The bruises expanded up behind her bra. Any other time Bellamy would've loved having an excuse to see Clarke's body but he couldn't imagine how badly she hurt. They eventually pulled her shirt high enough to remove her arm and keep the shirt up on her shoulder. Bellamy wasn't going to like this part. She guided him through feeling for each rib. Clarke put some of her shirt in her mouth and bit down bracing for the pain. Bellamy really wasn't going to like this part. He slowly felt his way down her side, landing on a particularly tender spot. Clarke groaned and a couple tears slipped out of her tightly shut eyes. Bellamy moved his hand to her back that was exposed and rubbed gently up and down, trying to soothe her pain away. He helped her get her shirt back on.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that last one is cracked or broken." Bellamy looked for confirmation from Clarke.

"Unfortunately I think you're right. Bruised ribs are expected to be painful and limit mobility but I'm in pain just breathing." Clarke then groaned and held a hand over her eyes.

"What's wrong? More pain?" Bellamy asked leaning towards her.

"No it's just that we don't have time. We have to get to Mt. Weather as soon as possible." Clarke was almost pleading Bellamy.

He grabbed her hand and held it between his. "Listen you're not a super hero. Right now you need to rest and heal. We will figure out the best plan, but I promised you that we would get everyone back and we will. Together." He gave her hand a squeeze. In that moment Bellamy didn't hear or see anything else. It was just him and Clarke.

"Thank you Bellamy." Clarke answered quietly and gave him a squeezed back.

Bellamy gently pulled Clarke to his side and he kissed the top of her head. He felt her stiffen momentarily and then relax into him. Bellamy let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Well he showed her affection and she didn't run away. This was a good start Bellamy thought. He looked up across the fire to find Octavia smirking at him but thankfully she didn't say anything out loud. He hoped she understood that his actions towards Clarke were different than any other girl before. Octavia had been the reason for Bellamy to get to the ground, but the girl in his arms was the reason to make the ground their future.