THANK YOU ALL for the amazing reviews, follows and favorites. Your feedback helps me tremendously. This has been so much fun for me and I hope it continues. I really hope you like this next chapter. I've added a snippet of Octavia's view. This chapter includes the fire scene from 2x05. So far I am keeping with cannon and also adding my own ideas. This is definitely a slow burn bellarke story.

Thank you for reading!

-KJ

Octavia

Octavia looked over at her brother and had to smile. Bellamy had just checked Clarke's bruised ribs and then kissed her on the head. He was finally letting someone see the amazing guy that Octavia has always seen. She had always thought Bellamy and Clarke's arguing was an attempt to cover up the sexual tension between the two, but she was nothing like the rotation of girls in and out of his tent he had for a brief time before. Clarke was just as bull-nosed as her brother and she could match him tit for tat. Octavia saw how the two had reacted when they saw each other. It was definitely something she never thought she'd see. Bellamy had only let his walls down for her, his baby sister, but now Clarke was chipping away at the hard exterior Bellamy seemed dead set on keeping. Clarke would be great for him, now if they would both just admit it. She just wanted Bellamy to be happy. He had raised her and protected her all her life and for that she was grateful but she wanted him to have his own life. Even though they were in middle of the woods on earth dealing with things like death and war, it was nice to see Bellamy relax for few moments.

After they ate Octavia offered to take first watch. She wanted to give them more time together without being the awkward third wheel. Bellamy smiled in appreciation.

Octavia couldn't help herself and had to mouth "You owe me," as she headed to some higher ground nearby to have a good look of the area.

Clarke

Clarke didn't have much of an appetite but tried to eat the portion Octavia had given her. Every single movement she made hurt. Bellamy glanced at her every so often checking on her. She knew he was just making sure she was okay but Clarke was injured not broken. Clarke understood Octavia's annoyance at her overprotective big brother. She was taken aback at the attention and affection Bellamy had given her when he checked her ribs. He even kissed her head. Clarke tried to tell herself that it was just because they had thought each other was dead and it was a nonchalant act. As much as she wanted to be strong and not need anyone, she couldn't help but hope that there was more to that kiss. Her stubborn side was losing the argument in her mind. She had to admit it felt nice for someone to take care of her for once. Taking care of the entire camp for every little and big injury, sickness, you name it and making life and death decisions had taken its toll on her.

Octavia had offered to take the first watch. Clarke sat against a log shoulder to shoulder with Bellamy. Even through her jacket her skin tingled at the contact. She leaned back and looked up at the stars. Although she had lived the majority of her life among the stars, she preferred this view.

Clarke broke the silence.

"In spite of everything, I like it better down here."

"Why's that?" Bellamy asked as he laid his head back like hers.

"The Ark was so lifeless. No color. No beauty. Just a life of looking down and wondering what if. Granted earth hasn't been a piece of cake either but I can't get over how beautiful everything is. The trees. The sky. The stars are better down here. Hell even the dirt is amazing. The pictures in the library couldn't hold a candle to what we've seen down here." Clarke had the biggest urge to capture it all in a drawing. She took a haggard breath and continued. "The leader at Mt. Weather gave me art supplies. I have no idea how they knew I like to draw but I have to admit they were nice. I hope someday I can find something like them to draw everything I've seen." It felt good to share with Bellamy even though he may not understand her love for drawing and art.

"I love the air." Bellamy said and took a deep breath.

Clarke took a glance and watched how the worry lines in his forehead eased and he looked peaceful. She felt like she was intruding on his moment so she returned her gaze to the sky.

"I think my lungs are addicted to it. I can't imagine going back to a box with recycled air." Then Bellamy took her closest hand into his, intertwining their fingers. Clarke closed her eyes and felt her entire body get warm. It was crazy how such a small thing could affect her so much. Clarke wanted to know more about Bellamy.

"What is your favorite color?" Clarke was worried he wouldn't want to share silly details.

"Blue. You?" Clarke smiled happy when he just went with it.

"There are so many but I would have to say green. Being surrounded by so many shades of green is amazing."

"What was your favorite subject in studies?" Bellamy asked this time.

"Obviously I loved art but training for medicine didn't leave much time for it. Honestly, I hated school." Clarke heard Bellamy laugh. She loved his deep voice.

"Princess you are full of surprises." Bellamy gave her hand a small squeeze.

"Yeah I know. Wells was the only one that knew how much I loathed studying, but with the pressure from my mom to do well and become a doctor like her I didn't have much of a choice. Here I've had to apply my knowledge and be organized so I guess it wasn't all for not. How about you? Do you have a favorite?"

"History."

"Really? I wouldn't have pegged you for a history buff."

"Yeah I used to love reading anything I could get my hands on. History is full of amazing stories of extra-ordinary people. I used to tell Octavia stories at bedtime, leaving out the blood and guts of course."

"I bet that's why you're such a good leader."

"So you think I'm good leader?" She could hear his smirk. She playfully nudged him with her shoulder. Wishing she hadn't when pain shot through her side.

"Yeah but you tell anyone I'll deny it till the day I die." She felt him tense up for a moment. She mentally kicked herself for the bad joke. They had just found each other after thinking the other were dead.

"Well that's not going happen." Bellamy said very sternly but he rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand and she knew he wasn't mad.

"At least not right now." Clarke said quietly trying to let herself to be hopeful but the realistic side of her gnawed at her gut. She knew they could be here on second and gone the next. She thought of Wells, Atom, Charlotte, and the others they had lost. Before she knew it she was thinking out loud.

"Even though I know it was difficult for you to do what you had to do to get on the dropship, I'm glad you're here. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you, but you already knew that." Clarke made a pathetic laughing noise that sounded more like she was choking. She had trouble breathing. She meant every word of it but she was nervous talking about her feelings and had no idea how Bellamy would react. Maybe he would just take it as one partner to another but she meant so much more by it. She felt her hand get sweaty and a wave of embarrassment washed over her.

"I never wanted to shoot him." Bellamy sounded sad.

"I know."

Bellamy paused. "I'm glad you're here Clarke. On the Ark we would have never crossed paths. Unless I was cleaning on your station or something." Bellamy laughed darkly. "But I would have never had the opportunity to get to know you and see how amazing you are." Bellamy was now looking at her.

Clarke looked at him. Her face suddenly felt hot and her mouth felt dry. She looked in to his dark warm eyes. She could get lost in his eyes for days she determined. In the firelight he had never looked so handsome to Clarke. She forced herself to speak seeing Bellamy shift awkwardly.

"Although I don't want to inflate your already large ego, you are not some janitor Bellamy. You are our leader." 'And I would follow you anywhere' Clarke finished in her head. She took a deep breath and knew she had to be honest about her feelings. "Bellamy, you're a good person. You should give yourself more credit. Plus you're like in my top 10 favorite people on earth." Clarke cursed herself mentally. She was such a dork. Why couldn't she just say she cared for him, that she was starting to like him more and more?

"Top 10? Really?" Bellamy raised his eyebrow at her.

Since Clarke had committed to the lame way she was discussing this.

"Maybe even top 5." Clarke said quieter, she hoped he understood.

Instead of laughing at her, Bellamy kissed the back of her hand he was holding.

"I like that. You know I'm going for the number one spot." He looked at her intently. Clarke couldn't help but smile so big it hurt her cheeks. He understood her completely.

Right then she had the sudden urge to kiss him, but she knew once she did that there would be no holding back. She was thankful that Bellamy was being sweet with his touches. There was no pressure for anything more. She had gotten burned before and she was going to take her time this time round. Clarke leaned back on the log, she could stay like this forever with her hand in his. It was the peace she needed.

"I want to learn how to swim." Clarke said falling back into their previous conversation.

"Even after Octavia was attacked by a giant lizard-snake thing?" Bellamy asked.

"Well obviously I'd like to swim in non-creature infested waters."

"I'd like that too. Someday we'll have all the time we want to do these things."

Clarke enjoyed his optimism, whether it was real or just for the moment. She appreciated it. It was nice to talk about normal stuff rather than the serious and depressing topics that usually dominate their conversations. He could help her get her mind of the problems but at the same time when dealing with problems she didn't want anyone else at her side. She enjoyed his large warm hand around her smaller one. She wanted to talk to him all night but exhaustion was creeping over her. Her ribs throbbed as she focused on her own heartbeat. The rhythm rocked her to sleep.

Bellamy

Bellamy had just closed his eyes starting to drift to sleep when a twig snapping shook him wide awake. He popped up looking for the source of the sound. Octavia appeared out from behind a tree. She was tired he could tell. He went to get up and realized he was still holding Clarke's hand. He didn't want to move but Octavia needed rest. Bellamy slowly got up letting go of Clarke's hand. She was still leaning against the log with her head facing the sky. Knowing that her neck would hurt in the morning if he left her there he gently laid Clarke on her uninjured side covering her up with both of their blankets.

"Get some sleep O. You look like hell." He teased.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Octavia said but paused before she laid down. "Giving in isn't a bad thing Bell."

He raised an eyebrow at his sister.

"I know you worry that caring for other people will make you vulnerable and yes I'm hurting and going out of my mind not knowing whether Lincoln is dead or alive but….it's worth it."

Bellamy had been so caught up in Clarke that he hadn't thought about what it looked like to Octavia but he was glad she didn't seem to mind. She had really grown up on him.

"Thanks O."

Bellamy kept the fire going through the night for the two girls, his two girls. He chuckled to himself because he knew Clarke would have something to say something about that. She was strong and independent. He knew she could take care of herself but that doesn't mean she should have to all the time. Bellamy looked over at Octavia noticing how much younger she looked sleeping. Her face was peaceful with no worries. He wishes he could take her pain away. Like when she was a little girl with a boo boo and nothing helped unless Bellamy gave it a gave it a kiss or two. He had trusted Lincoln to take his sister during the grounder attack. If that wasn't some form of approval he didn't know what was. He could hear Octavia's heart breaking in her voice when she told him that Lincoln had been taken by reapers. He didn't like the idea of any man with his sister but one that was willing to die for his sister couldn't be all that bad. He hoped for his sister's sake that Lincoln was alive and that by some miracle they would cross paths again.

Bellamy's gaze shifted to the girl who challenged him at every opportunity, frustrated him beyond belief, but at the same time had been his rock through everything making him a better man. As the fire light danced across her face Bellamy thought of their journey to where they were now. In the beginning he had made assumptions about the privileged princess and he was sure she had done the same with him.

They clashed from day one. First it was the wristbands. She wanted order, to help the people of the Ark to return to earth, while Bellamy was trying to save himself and protect Octavia convincing the mass of teens to remove them with a 'whatever hell you want' philosophy. He remembers catching her in the animal trap, looking down at her he knew then that he would never deliberately hurt her.

Then he had wrongly blamed her for the situation with Murphy. They had both made mistakes in handling that problem and unfortunately they lost a young life in the process. His heart still ached for Charlotte and Wells who got caught up in the sad mess. Bellamy never thought his words to Charlotte would lead to the death of someone.

During the torture of Lincoln he had wanted to protect her from the ugliness of it all. She didn't need that on her conscious but she had stayed. He knew it was for Finn but he hoped another reason was for their partnership. Afterwards he could tell she already placed the guilt on her shoulders. He tried to tell her that who they are and who they need to be survive are very different things. He had tried to convince himself of that as well.

Bellamy knew that his feelings started to change when Clarke had been there for him although he was going to abandon the camp. She saw him raw and broken, and didn't run. She risked her life when Dax was going to kill him. Just when he'd given up, he saw Clarke in danger and a fire lit inside of him, a fire that slowly built over time for the blond haired girl. She had brought him back in more ways than one that night. Back to the camp and back from the self-pity wallowing he had been in. Clarke didn't stop there she got Chancellor Jaha to pardon him for his crime. He didn't even know how to act after that because no one had ever done anything like that for him before.

When the sickness hit the camp Clarke had been one of the first affected. He was ready to kill Murphy then and there for getting Clarke sick. He felt helpless. He couldn't do anything for her. Then he had gotten sick and Clarke was there by his side. He knew he didn't deserve her kindness.

When she went missing there was an assumption that she was with Finn he had comforted Raven like any other naked girl in his tent. After learning they were taken by grounders Bellamy felt instantly sick to his stomach. He was a piece of shit. Clarke would have gone after him immediately doing what it took to protect the camp and she was convinced that the camp needed Bellamy. He hadn't done the same. When Murphy was trying to kill him, his mind flashed to those he would miss. Octavia. His dead mother. And Clarke.

The last argument had been over whether to leave or stay and fight. There was no right answer. She won first but it was too late. They had to fight. She had come up with the brilliant idea to use the rocket fuel to fry the grounders. He remembers hearing her scream his name as he was taking a beating. He knew it was too late for him and he was proud that she had done the right thing. She saved lives. He examined the cuts on Clarke's delicate face. She'd been through hell and she fought her way out. Bellamy doubted he would've been able to do the same.

The hours slipped away, Clarke began to stir and Bellamy couldn't take his eyes off her. His brown eyes meet her striking blue ones. He feels like she can see his soul. Clarke gives him a small sleepy smile. He looks away, mildly embarrassed to be caught staring. Bellamy didn't get embarrassed easily but Clarke had proven time and time again she affected him differently than anyone else. He felt as though she could tell he had been staring and thinking about her the whole night, so he begins to talk.

"The last time I saw you, you were closing the drop ship door."

Clarke immediately held her head down guilt and sadness radiating off of her.

"It had to be done." He reassured her, making eye contact in effort to show her he meant it.

Clarke slowly lifted herself up to a sitting position facing Bellamy.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"It's okay. I'll sleep when we find Finn." He worried about what they would find when they did. "You haven't seen him, Clarke. Losing you, the others, the war, it changed him. He executed the grounder that drew us the map. Pulled the trigger without even blinking and walked away." He hated being the one to tell her this. He knew she cared for Finn and it would hurt her to see him now.

"That doesn't sound like Finn." She said quietly.

"No, it doesn't. I saw what he was capable of, and still I let him go with Murphy and two automatic rifles." Bellamy was angry with himself. He made the wrong decision he knew it. He was responsible.

"I'm sure that had to be done, too." Clarke was comforting him. Of course she was, she had the biggest heart of anyone he knew.

"When we got back to the dropship and no one was there, we assumed it was the grounders." He tried to explain how they got to this point.

"Of course you did. You couldn't have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have."

Bellamy's mind drifted to the others now in danger at Mt. Weather.

"How long until chocolate cake turns into being hung upside down and drained for their blood?" Bellamy's stomach twisted in knots.

"I don't know, but we don't have much time." Clarke's features show uncertainty and fear but it smoothed out with determination. Bellamy admired her.

"Okay. First we find Finn, then our people in Mt. Weather." Bellamy felt more confident with Clarke. She did something to him. She probably didn't even realize how much she influenced him, for the better.

"And Lincoln." Octavia spoke up, obviously listening to their conversation. "I think we've slept long enough." Bellamy shook his head at his headstrong little sister. He knew he couldn't say no to her. He would do to protect them both and fight to get their people back, even Lincoln.