A/N: I'm choosing to stick with the universe the show created for us at the end of season 3, meaning that the whole "end of the world/nuclear power plants" problem needs to be dealt with. BUT...I'm not a scientist, an engineer, a chemist, or anything even remotely close. So, for those of you that DID progress beyond the Bill Nye videos stage of scientific knowledge, please go easy on me. I'm just tryin' to tell a good old-fashioned 'Bellarke save the world and fall in love' story over here. Muah.

They all headed into camp a few hours later. They were tired, they were weary, and some of them were injured…but they were home.

Clarke looked up just as Monty came barreling toward her. She caught him, grinning as he hugged her tightly.

Looking over, she saw Raven had Bellamy in a similar embrace. After a moment, they switched.

After more a more subdued greeting from Harper, who immediately took off to find Miller and Bryan, Clarke frowned as she realized that Jasper wasn't there.

She looked at Raven questioningly. "Jasper?"

Raven pointed to where he was standing, looking timid and embarrassed near the doorway of the Ark.

Clarke walked over to him.

His gaze refused to meet hers.

"Jasper…"

A tear trailed its way down his cheek.

"Hey," she said softly, gathering him in her arms, "it's okay."

Surprised, it took him a moment to hug her back. "I'm sorry," he said brokenly.

"It's okay," she repeated.

"I just…I didn't want to feel anymore."

Clarke frowned against his shoulder. "I know."

"I didn't mean to hurt you guys…I never wanted that. I just…"

Clarke pulled back, determined and a little shaken by just how much she understood what he was going through right now. "I know, Jasper. Trust me…I know."

Jasper straightened his lanky frame, wiping the remaining tears off his face. "I'm good now, okay? No more reckless shit, no more turning my back on you guys…I'm back. I promise."

Clarke nodded. When she saw Jasper give a nod to someone over her shoulder, she turned to find Bellamy standing a few feet behind her, watching the two of them with some sort of understanding on his face. He returned Jasper's short nod.

They all watched as the rest of their group moved up to join them.

Jasper, Monty, Harper, and Raven all glanced around apprehensively when they realized something wasn't right.

Raven sighed. "What now?"

Bellamy's mouth quirked. "Let's go inside. We have something to tell you."

Raven rolled her eyes, limping past him and into the Ark. "Of course you do."

The entire room was silent.

Jasper, Monty, Raven, and Wick were all still processing, while Clarke, Bellamy, Abby, and Kane stayed silent, waiting for their friends to catch up.

"Seriously?" Raven sighed, running her hands over her head, smoothing back her ponytail, which didn't need smoothed.

"Yup." Bellamy answered, emotionless.

Raven turned, looking at the tall blonde man beside her, who seemed surprised she was even giving him the time of day, probably because she'd broken up with him and then he'd taken the key and turned into a mindless ALIE zombie.

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'll kick your ass later, idiot. What do we do about this?"

Wick ran his hand over his forehead before standing up and starting to pace. He immediately went into science mode. "We need to run some kind of simulation…see if this is really happening. We need maps of the locations of the nuclear power plants. We need…" He stopped, looking stricken. "We need someone else. This isn't my field…" He trailed off helplessly.

Raven hopped awkwardly off her stool, going to place a hand on his arm. "You're the best we've got." She moved closer, looking up at him calmly. "You have me, Monty, Jasper..." She glanced over at the rest of them. "There have to be other scientists out there, or some more engineers…"

Wick suddenly started nodding. "I know I saw some guys that went through the science program with me. I'm not sure what field they ended up in, but anyone with any knowledge can help."

Bellamy frowned, thinking. "I know my old science teacher is around here somewhere. I punched him yesterday."

Clarke snorted.

Raven nodded, looking at Clarke and Bellamy. "You guys need to go tell the others. And tell anyone with any Science, Engineering, or Earth Studies experience to come in here." She quickly huddled up with Wick and Monty, the three of them talking softly amongst themselves and throwing around words like 'simulation, nuclear core, radiation, and uranium.'

Jasper was standing a foot or so away from the huddle, partially included but partially not.

Monty glanced over his shoulder and noticed him standing there. With a slight step backward, he subtly made room for his friend.

Bellamy, Clarke, Kane and Abby all looked at each other.

"I think we've been dismissed." Bellamy said, only half joking.

The others nodded and headed out into the hallway.

Kane stepped forward. "I'll go inform the others and round up anyone who can help."

Bellamy fell into step beside him. "I'll go find Miller. We need to make sure everyone stays calm when they hear the news."

Kane nodded and the two of them headed out after a last glance at the girls.

Once they were alone, Abby pulled Clarke in with one arm.

Clarke leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.

"We need to get the injured into beds in the med bay. Patch up anyone whose stitches opened up on the way back from Polis," Abby said softly.

Clarke nodded.

They just stood there for a moment, leaning against each other.

"We'll get through this," Abby said.

Clarke nodded again. "Mom…when we're done in the med bay…can you help me with something?"

"Sure." Abby looked at her questioningly. "What?"

Clarke broke a small smile for the first time in hours. "Later."

Bellamy hadn't talked to Clarke in hours. He'd seen her a few times, when he'd been helping carry the injured into the med bay earlier, but then he'd taken over getting the camp cleaned up and back to normal, while he knew she was busy stitching people up inside.

But now darkness had fallen and he had a strange, although not uncommon, at this point, urge to go find her and make sure she was okay.

Hell, maybe he just wanted to make sure she was still there.

He grabbed a handful of nuts from a bowl on one of the dinner tables, then walked quickly toward the med bay.

Before he could go inside, Clarke stepped outside.

Bellamy stopped in his tracks, his hand raised partially to his mouth to eat another peanut.

Clarke looked around uncertainly, as if she were nervous or…searching for something. Her gaze landed on him.

With a timid smile, she made her way slowly toward him.

Clearing his throat, he shut his mouth and dropped his hand back to his side.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey."

They stood quietly for a moment, her fidgeting nervously and him scanning her from head to toe repeatedly.

"You…" He gestured to her body.

Gone was any semblance of the "Grounder shit," as he'd so eloquently called it earlier. The terrifying Woolly Mammoth/robot coat was replaced by a short leather one, there wasn't a medieval corset in sight, and her hair was different…obviously freshly washed, it had also been cut shorter and all the braids had been removed. It now hung around her shoulders in soft waves.

If Bellamy didn't know any better, he'd have thought he was looking at the Clarke he'd known long ago.

Clark spoke up. "I'm back."

He just raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think I can ever be the person I was before…not really…but I realized…I can't have one foot in and one foot out."

Bellamy's gaze met hers, thinking of the conversation he'd overheard part of. "Jasper?"

Her eyes widened at his astute guess. She nodded. "I…I get it, you know? He was hurt. He couldn't live with it. So he ran…literally and figuratively. He didn't want to hurt everyone he cares about…but he did anyway." Her voice quieted. "And I did the same thing."

Bellamy took a step toward her, a frown on his face. "Clarke…we all did. We all ran, in one way or another. We need to stop that shit. We're better together."

Clarke took a deep breath. "I know. I realized the clothes were just another part of it. I was pretending to be someone I wasn't, and I don't want to pretend anymore. So…I'm back. All the way." She looked up at him. "I'm home. I mean…we're probably going to end up traipsing all over the place, trying to stop nuclear power plants from blowing up…but…I'm back."

Bellamy grinned, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her to him. "Welcome home, Princess."

She let out a long sigh, hugging tightly to his waist as her head pressed against his chest.

They stood there for a few minutes, just taking comfort in each other's arms.

Finally, he pulled back, trademark grin in place. "Come on, you looking like a Sky Princess again deserves a drink. We found another batch of Monty's moonshine."

Clarke smiled, then hesitated. "What about…" She gestured inside, to where a dozen or so people had been holed up for most of the day, trying to figure out how to stop the end of the world.

Bellamy shrugged. "They're figuring it out. There's nothing we can do until they need us."

Clarke nodded, following him to the campfire where the rest of their friends sat, holding cups of Monty's moonshine.

"Clarke! You're back!" Miller surprised her by giving her a quick hug, immediately looking embarrassed after he released her.

The rest of the group voiced their approval, and even Octavia managed to smile from where she was sitting, her head leaning on Harper's shoulder.

Clarke sat down beside Octavia, accepting a cup from her outstretched hand. She looked across the fire to where Bellamy sat beside Miller.

Something passed between them, something that made them both release a breath, made them both release a little of the tension in their bodies.

Yes, she was home.