A/N: OMG... 31 hours, door-to-door. Don't ever do that, you guys. It's terrible. Anyway, enjoy!

.

Bellamy

When he and Lia returned from their hunt with two rabbits and a boar, nothing could have prepared him for what he found in their camp.

Octavia and Clarke were standing in the centre of the clearing, backlit by the fire, each holding big sticks that had been foraged from the surrounding woods. Octavia had her hands on Clarke's hips, trying to get her to move her body a certain way. But then, abruptly, she circled around and started swinging the stick toward her, with Clarke seeming desperate to fend off the attack.

Bellamy dropped the boar and hurried over, calling out his sister's name angrily.

But when he reached the two of them he saw that they were both smiling. There was a healthy glow to their cheeks, and both their chests were heaving just a little. It seemed like they'd been at this for quite some time.

"Don't worry, Bell, I'm not going to murder her," Octavia said wryly, and Bellamy saw Clarke try to swallow an ironic smile of her own.

Looking between the two of them, he slowly nodded. His eyes stayed on Clarke as he asked, "So… you're good?"

"She's my second now," Octavia said, and he caught the pride in her voice. "I'm training her to be a warrior, like Indra did for me. I figured it was high time she learned how to fight."

It was definitely a surprising revelation. He couldn't help but think of the time he'd tried to teach Clarke to shoot, and the similarities between the two situations struck him as cute. He raised his eyebrows at both of them for a moment, not sure exactly what to say, but he was just happy to see them getting along, and not at each other's throats. Or, specifically, he was happy to see that Octavia wasn't at Clarke's throat.

"Okay then," he said finally, smiling at them both. "Don't let me interrupt. We've got dinner but it has to be cooked, so carry on."

Lia had already ripped the pelts off the rabbits and was slicing up their meat. "I left the boar for you," she told him.

"Thanks," he said dryly, reaching down and plucking a dart from the animal's side. He spun the dart around in between his fingers for a moment, examining it apprehensively, thinking about how many might have been slid between Clarke's fingers before he found her. "At least these are good for something."

"They are good for many things," she said with a frown.

"No, I meant…" He set the dart down and just shook his head. "Nevermind."

Lia watched as Octavia and Clarke began sparring again, and Bellamy couldn't help his eyes being drawn to the two of them as well. He noticed that Octavia had braided Clarke's hair loosely at the sides- to keep it off her face, he guessed- and it reminded him of how she'd looked when he'd first seen her in Polis.

His sigh must have been loud, because Lia arched an eyebrow at him and asked, "You do not approve? Learning to fight will make her strong."

Bellamy slit the boar's stomach and yanked on its intestines, severing them and putting them aside. Finally he said, "She's already strong." He was surprised by the pang he felt for Lincoln- the loss of that friendship, and the loss for Octavia. Would she get through this? Really? What would happen when they finally stopped? In two days they would arrive in Camp Jaha, and his sister would be back in a place that she hated. But this time she would be alone, and while he was going through detox, even he wouldn't be able to be there for her.

He looked up again and watched as Octavia pinned Clarke to the ground, then offered her a hand up and told her, "You're doing well. It's okay to fall- just get back up again. That last move you did where you stepped left, that was smart. I didn't see it coming."

With a small smile, he went back to working in the boar. Maybe she wouldn't be so alone after all. He liked the idea of Clarke and Octavia mending their bridges. He knew his sister's bridge was particularly rickety, and there was very little water under it. She and Clarke had always had a tumultuous relationship, with only a few moments here and there where they hadn't been butting heads- much like himself and Clarke, early on, he suddenly realised. But he wanted them to be friends. It would be beyond awkward, trying to date someone who his sister hated. He couldn't quite imagine how he could make that work. Maybe, with any luck, he would never have to try.

When all the animals were cleaned and sectioned into small pieces, Lia laid out leaves and they wrapped the morsels up. He watched her sprinkle some kind of seasoning- strong-smelling spices- onto the meat before packing them up in the leaves and placing the bundles around the edges of the fire, letting the hot coals go to work on making them juicy.

Octavia wrapped up her lesson with Clarke and they both came over to the fire, looking happy and vibrant. Bellamy met Clarke's eyes and gave her a soft smile as he watched her continue on to the horses, no doubt to prepare his next injection of Red.

He took the opportunity to beckon Octavia over, and when she sat next to him he asked quietly, "O… are you just doing this to be mean? Or are you actually trying to help?"

She didn't look offended or even surprised that he'd asked. "I'm being selfish," she answered with a small shrug, her voice quiet too. "I've missed this- fighting, running around, being active. The moment I sit still, all I can think about…" She trailed off, but he knew what she meant without her having to say the words. She went on, "Besides, this thing with you, with the Red… it's making me crazy. I hate that I can't do anything for you."

"Hey," he said gently. "In two days we'll be back in Camp Jaha. Clarke will fix me up." Octavia looked at him, and he could see the fear there in her gaze- underneath the anger, underneath the stubbornness. Firmly he said, "I'll be fine."

"Well, in the meantime, I can't think about it." She shrugged. "And this helps."

He could understand that. Even in Camp Jaha, she was always ducking the fence and running off, always restless. But he couldn't help asking, "And Clarke?"

Octavia let out a long breath and frowned into the fire for a moment before finally she said, "When she walked away… that was her giving up. It was all too much and she just had to avoid, right? But now that we've got her back, she's still… well, just look at her, and you can see- she's tormented. Guilty. Still weighed down by everything." She shook her head. "But she's stronger than that, Bell. She's better than that. We both know she is- but I think she's forgotten. Or she's too scared to feel it anymore."

Sighing again, Octavia continued, "When I felt like I had no place in the world, nowhere to belong… that's when Indra came and offered me the chance to be her second. And it was great- knowing how to defend myself, to fight, to learn more on top of what Lincoln had already taught me… I loved it. But even more than learning the skills, it gave me a purpose. A way to find myself again, to figure out who I am." She shrugged. "Maybe that's what Clarke needs now."

Before he could answer, Clarke returned to them and both Blakes looked up at her. Octavia stood and said, "Again? First thing tomorrow?"

"Sure," Clarke answered, nodding her head. When Octavia moved off, disappearing into the woods, Clarke looked to Bellamy and said, "She kicked my ass… but she didn't yell at me once. We actually had some fun."

"After you've been stuck in a room for sixteen years, I think even a little restlessness will make you crazy," he said with a wry smile. "She's always in a better mood after she burns off some steam."

"I guess you were right about one thing," Clarke said. "She really doesn't hate me. I was so sure she did."

"Yeah, well, you don't know her like I do," he said gently. Reaching for Clarke's hand, he intertwined their fingers gently, and then looked into her eyes. Clarke gave him a soft smile, gently squeezing his hand. He was aware of Lia's presence at the periphery of their moment; she was being absolutely silent, but her company was still intrusive. All Bellamy wanted to do was pull Clarke close, kiss her, but it felt strange to even consider doing that in front of the shadow child.

"I have your next dose," Clarke told him, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Hey," he said, curling his fingers under her chin and raising her eyes to him. "Soon this will be over. We'll be back in Camp Jaha… no more Red."

"I can't wait," she said, and then she hesitated. They lost eye contact as she asked quietly, "How do you think people will react when we get back there?"

He reached up, stroking her cheek with his thumb, wanting to smooth away the heartache and apprehension he saw in her expression. Gently he said, "They love you, Clarke. They'll be glad to see you."

"Even after… everything?"

"Everything was a long time ago," he said with a small sigh. "I think most people understand why you left, even if it hurt. And hey, if I can forgive you… if O can forgive you… you have nothing got worry about," he teased lightly.

Clarke laughed, but then grew serious again almost immediately as she shook her head. "I'm just scared of that moment I walk through the gates- seeing everyone again, seeing their faces."

"But when you do, we're going to be walking through those gates together," he promised her, squeezing her hand. "Besides, it's not like they haven't had time to prepare. We left weeks and weeks ago to come find you. Hell, some of them probably figure we're dead. They'll be so relieved just to see us that they won't even remember they were ever mad at you."

He was trying to lighten the mood, make her feel better, but what he said was also true. It had been so long since they had actually been in Camp Jaha, and there had been nothing but support and well wishes when they'd left to bring Clarke home. He knew she was worried about it, but he was certain she'd be welcomed with open arms.

Clarke tapped the injector and said, "We should get this done."

Bellamy nodded, his eyes flickering to Lia for a moment, whose silent but somehow very obvious existence was putting him on edge. "Can we go somewhere private?" he asked Clarke. "I don't like everyone crowded around me when I have it."

Her smile was sympathetic, tender, as she nodded. "Of course," she said, standing up with him. He let her lead him into the forest, to a spot not too far from camp, where they could still see the flickering of the fire through the trees, but far enough away that he felt less exposed.

Clarke primed the injector, but before she could raise it, he reached his hand out and covered hers with it. She seemed startled and he realised she thought he was going to try to take it, so hurriedly he explained, "Sorry. I was just thinking, let's wait a minute. I hate how I get- all stupid and out of it."

"You're not stupid, Bellamy," she said gently, but she tucked the injector away. "It's a powerful drug. You can't help your reaction."

He'd never been happier that she was a doctor- or close enough. That she got it- his addiction, how horrible it was, how out of his control. He didn't know what he would have done if she blamed him, or judged him, or made him feel even more ashamed than he already was. Not Clarke.

Taking her forearms gently in his hands, he pulled her close to him and looked into her eyes again. He watched as she rolled her eyes playfully. "I thought we agreed this was a bad idea?" she asked him. "Your heart-"

"My heart can handle more than you give it credit," he interrupted her gently. "I'm still alive, right?" When she started to frown in response, he sighed and decided to tease her, attempting to lighten the mood. "Come on, Clarke, you're not going to make me beg you to make out with me, are you? Because that would be a first for me."

Her frown began to deepen, but as he stroked his fingertips against the sensitive skin at the inside of her arms, her forehead smoothed out again and her lips curled into the softest of smiles. He saw her tip her chin up just a little, as though not even consciously meaning to, and he knew she wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her, despite her protests about his heart. He couldn't help a sly grin as he realised he had, again, learned how to read her every nuanced expression.

He hadn't enjoyed feeling slightly out of touch, as though in her absence she'd morphed into someone else, an enigma that he couldn't know. But now he was sure- under all that pain, that fear and heartache, she was still Clarke, and he still knew her. Now he could see plainly what she wanted, and he was glad she was thinking of exactly the same thing that he was.

Bringing up a hand against the side of her face, he gently stroked his thumb across her cheek and then leaned in, closing his eyes, kissing her tenderly.

Clarke took a half-step closer to him, pressing her chest against his, and he wrapped his arms around her to keep her close, feeling her hands wind around his neck as she opened her lips to him. Again, he felt an electric jolt pass between them as the kiss deepened, and he felt Clarke jump suddenly, almost in time with him, and he knew that she, too, had felt it. It was all he could do to just kiss her and not grin into her lips like an idiot.

Apparently he didn't totally succeed in hiding his reaction, because she broke away from him, smiling wryly. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he assured her, sliding his fingers into her hair and pulling her close again, not ready to let go of that feeling of their lips moving against each other, their tongues twining together. The only reason to stop that seemed legitimate was the need for oxygen, and even that felt like a chore. He leaned his forehead against hers, sliding his fingertips under her shirt and resting them on the softness of her lower back, just enjoying being so close to her- finally alone.

"When we get back to Camp Jaha…" she trailed off, her voice soft, as she seemed to enjoy their closeness as much as he did.

"Yeah?" he asked gently.

There was something romantic about her warm breath tickling his cheek as she spoke, drawing attention to their proximity. She only had to use the faintest of whispers as she said, "When we get back there, this- us- what's it going to be?"

He let out a soft laugh that made a few tendrils of her hair tremble with the force of his breath. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Whatever you want it to be."

Clarke smiled, and she wrapped her hands around his and squeezed. "This," she said. "I want this."

"Me too," he answered honestly, feeling his heart beating just a little bit faster. He knew he was probably starting to feel the effects of how long it had been since his last dose of Red, but in that moment, his heart was beating only for Clarke.

"We should get this done," she said again softly, as though reading his mind.

Reluctantly, they pulled apart, and she retrieved the injector, sliding the needle into his neck. He tried to focus on the pads of her fingers against his neck as she felt his pulse, tried to notice the softness of her skin, the firm pressure she applied, for as long as possible before finally the drug overwhelmed him and he sank to the ground, feeling blissful and disgusted at the same time.

Clarke stayed with him, stroking her fingers through his curls, making sure he wasn't alone, until he was fully back to normal, and then she helped him back to his feet. He met her gaze reluctantly, but saw no judgment there, and the gratitude he felt for that almost overwhelmed him.

When she started immediately to turn back towards the campsite, he found himself reaching out, grabbing her and pulling her close. He wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest, and the slight tension in her body told him she was torn between relaxing into his embrace and keeping her distance when he was feeling the full force of the Red. The drug seemed only to intensify the sensations of her body, as well as the intoxicating smell of her hair, and Bellamy had to pull away when he realised that- very soon- he might not be able to let go. Quickly he said, "Let's go back," and he thought she looked relieved as she nodded her head.

Octavia was already back by the time they returned to camp, and she tracked their movements with her eyes as they sat down and picked up portions of the meat that Lia had cooked up, which smelled absolutely delicious. Clarke opted for rabbit, and Bellamy for the boar.

From across the fire Bellamy met his sister's gaze, and he raised his brows at her just a little, checking in with her.

She flicked her eyes to the sky and shrugged subtly, telling him that she knew exactly what he and Clarke were up to, and she didn't like it one bit, thank you very much.

Tilting his head slightly to the side, he gave her an 'oh come on' look. A tiny smile curled the edges of Octavia's lips- just for a moment, and then it was gone.

"Eat your damn food already," she said with mock grumpiness, making both Clarke and Lia shoot her perplexed looks.

Bellamy laughed softly to himself, shaking his head, and then he dug into his food. The meat was so soft it practically melted in his mouth, and he couldn't help but pick up a small morsel, offering it to Clarke. "It's good," he said, holding it close to her lips.

She seemed surprised, then flushed a little with embarrassment, but there was a smile on her lips as she parted them and allowed him to pop the small piece of meat into her mouth. "Oh my God," she remarked. "That's amazing."

"There is much to go around," Lia remarked. "And I preserved half the kill in salt for us to eat tomorrow."

"Yummy," Octavia remarked, causing both Bellamy and Clarke to laugh in unison, and then turn to each other, both of them smiling.

Octavia made a face, but Bellamy could see the smile underneath it as she said, "You guys are disgusting."

That night, lying on his furs between his sister and Clarke, he gazed up at the stars and thought about everything that was now behind them- the things they'd seen, done… the things that had been done to them. He thought about how Clarke had said she wanted something good to come out of all this, and he'd assured her that something good had. He'd been talking about this thing that was growing between them, this thing that he had started to rely on, to look forward to.

Any fleeting feelings or moments of attraction that they'd shared before now had been just that- fleeting. It wasn't until they were challenged and pushed that they were forced to realise just how much they meant to one another, or could mean to each other. Bellamy wasn't at all happy about all the suffering they'd had to endure, but he was glad that- if suffering had to happen- this had come out of it.

So, when Clarke woke him later that night by rolling into him and laying her head on his chest with a contented sigh, he was more than happy to fold her into his arms.