A/N: Apparently I'm really good at writing instead of working on my essays for school, who knew? As a result this chapter was finished much sooner than expected! AND chapter 18 is probably half way done! Yay! The down side is that the essay's still need to be written...grr.

Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows and favourites! Anon answers are at the bottom, as always!

Anyways, here you go! Enjoy! And please review - I love hearing what you guys think! :)

Chapter 17

The walk back to camp was quiet and somber, none of them interested in talking when the thought of Atom hung heavily around them. An ever present chill permeated the air, causing Alex to shiver as she walked, arms folded across her chest, hands tucked under them for warm.

Maybe the chill accompanied the thought that they'd lost one of their own.

She always knew there was a chance that things could go wrong, that they could all die, that they most likely would never even make it to Earth; the heat and stress of re-entering the atmosphere would be too much for the dropship. But they had survived, they had made it. And although they'dlost the two boys at the time, their death had been nobody's fault but their own. There had been no way to stop them.

They'd know that Earth would be dangerous, survival would be a struggle and there was a chance that none of them would even survive. Cold, hunger, disease. So many things that none of them had ever been exposed to.

That's why the Ark had sent them down in the first place. They were testing the surface. Had enough time gone by to make earth livable again?

Besides, it was the easiest way to get rid of one hundred delinquents, whether they lived or died. One hundred less people who would consume food, water and air.

But with Atom's death, the dangers of being on Earth were suddenly much more real. There were things on Earth, phenomena like the fog that no one on the Ark had ever seen before, let alone heard about, that they didn't know how to deal with. Something deadly that they had no way to fight off, no way to protect themselves from. Something they knew nothing about.

They were fighting for survival against things they didn't even know existed.

So not only are humans still alive when we least expected it, but we're surrounded by an environment that is constantly trying to kill us...

Trailing behind Clarke, she could hear the heavy footsteps and grunts of Bellamy, Finn and Wells, as they took turns carrying Atom's body, each struggling under the dead weight and trying to keep their balance on the slippery moss covered roots beneath them. The two boys had shown up shortly after Clarke had arrived, following her trail. Both to late to help with Atom. Both stunned at the sight.

"Octavia needs to know," Bellamy had said, his voice hollow as he stared down at Atom's body, before hauling him up and over his shoulders. Although not usually one's to follow Bellamy's lead, both Finn and Wells stepped up to help, offering him a hand when he started to falter on the way back.

The sun had long gone down by the time they made it to camp. As they passed through the newly installed gate, they blinked numbly around the clearing before the dropship, the relit fires casting the space in an eerie orange glow, breaking up the dim evening light. Those sitting closest to the gate were the first to rise, and a wave of murmurs spread out as people caught sight of them.

Alex had a painful lump in her throat as she watched Wells and Finn slowly lower Atom to the ground, his face carefully covered by his jacket. When they stepped back, exhaustion lined their every feature as their stared down at the fallen boy. The gathering crowd began to chatter amongst themselves at the sight, several people calling out and asking what had happened.

Clarke was quick to turn to the rest of them, "I need to go to Jasper. I'll need boiled water to make the medicine."

Bellamy nodded firmly. "Of course. Whatever you need." Clarke looked surprised by his quick acknowledgement, but decided not to comment on it.

Despite her exhaustion, Alex knew she needed to do something, to do whatever she could to help Jasper get better. They couldn't lose another person today. "I can do that. I can get some boiled water," she stated, stepping up. Clarke shot her an appreciative look, before her and Finn turned and hurried through the crowd towards the dropship.

Bellamy met her eyes, taking in her expression, before giving her a nod and turning to look at a brown haired girl standing on his other side. "Roma," Bellamy began, and the girl brightened under his attention, "give Alex a hand. Get her anything she needs." As he continued, her pleased expression slowly fell, turning into disbelief. At Alex's name, she shot her a sneer of disgust, which Bellamy responded with a cool glare of his own. "Now."

Alex rolled her eyes turning away, intending to find the metal tin they'd need using to boil water so far, with or without the other girl's help. But as she turned she met Wells eyes. He gave her a tired look, but still managed to give her a grim smile. "Guess I've got another grave to dig."

She nodded. "I'll come find you when I'm done," she told him, reaching out and giving his arm a gentle squeeze. He nodded and they parted ways.

She headed in the direction of the fire that had been used to boil water since they'd landed, hearing Roma giving an exaggerated sigh and following her. As she walked she passed an annoyed looking Octavia who was heading in the opposite direction and when she met her eyes, Octavia's expression faltered before Alex could look away and keep walking.

"Octavia, stay there," Bellamy began, his voice taking on a pleading edge as they moved away from the area.

Oh boy, that's not going to be easy. Alex thought, pity flowing through her at the thought of the other girl discovering what happened. She knew the two of them had been growing close since they'd landed; Atom's death was going to be tough for her to deal with.

"So," Roma drawled from behind her and Alex had to grit her teeth - she could hear the smirk on the other girl's face. "You and Jaha seem pretty cozy. Anything going on there that the rest of us should know about?"

"No?" Alex frowned, unsure why Roma had decided that today of all days she'd try to pick a fight. Sure, she wasn't exactly popular or well likely by most of the group, but she'd done her best to keep to herself and generally out of trouble. And she'd never talked to the other girl, only knowing her in passing. Eyes darting from fire to fire, she kept searching for the tin.

"Are you sure?" Roma simpered, speeding up and easily catching up to her, her longer legs easily covering the distance, "What about Miller? Hmm - I hear you guys used to be really close." She leaned towards her, whispering almost like she was going to share a secret with her, "He's pretty cute. So, tell me, was he a good fuck?"

Something inside Alex snapped. Maybe the stress finally caught up to her; maybe she didn't appreciate her talking about Nate in such a way. All she knew was that she's had enough. But as she whirled around and stepped in front of Roma, the other girl stumbling to avoid crashing into her, the fiery feeling inside her seeped away, a cool deadly anger taking its place. Roma was either looking for trouble or attention. And who know, maybe it was her way of dealing with the stressful day.

"Listen, you uncaring bitch," Alex snarled up at her, "maybe the only thing you care about is getting into every guy's pants, fine. I don't care. But show some fucking respect. In case you hadn't noticed, someone died today." Roma's expression fell slightly at the reminder, although she glared back, unwilling to back down. Alex turned around and scooped the closest empty bottle before turning and shoving it into the other girl's chest. "There is someone else who needs our help. So, shut up and go get some water."

The taller girl glared at her, her face turning red even in the orange glow of the fire. Maybe she wasn't used to being stared down? Maybe she was used to getting her way. But unfortunately for her, Alex wasn't going to budge an inch, glaring back at her with her shoulders squared, chin tilted up, letting the taller girl know that she expected her to do as told. Finally, Roma turned away with a huff, snatching the bottle from her hand and storming towards the water container the group had set up to do what she'd asked.

Instead of watching her go, Alex let her eyes slide shut, taking a deep breath before trying to expel the rest of the anger that still festered in her chest. Calm down. Getting angry isn't going to help Jasper. Opening her eyes, she looked back towards the fire, feeling relieved when her eyes landed on the metal tin she was looking for.

Reaching out, she scooped it up, gripping the cool metal between her fingers, before kneeling down and setting it up at the closest fire. Fortunately, those who'd been sitting around it earlier had been drawn away, curious about their arrival.

Like vultures.

When Roma finally returned with the water, the two girls didn't exchange a single word, Roma simply handing over the water and helping her set up the fire. It didn't take long for the water to boil, and the moment it was done, the taller girl was gone heading back the way they'd come.

Alex sighed as she carefully handled the boiled water, using her jacket to carry the hot tin as she made her way to the dropship. An anxious Monty was waiting for her on the ramp, and impatiently motioned for her to hand it over, using his own jacket to grasp is, before hurrying back inside.

Rubbing her hands tiredly over her face, she took a minute to pull herself together. She'd done her part for helping Jasper, now all she could do is wait to see if Clarke's medication would work. The day's events finally hit her and her shoulders drooped from the weight of her exhaustion. She had to sleep. She briefly entertained the thought of finding somewhere to hide so no one disturbed her. But what if someone needs me? Charlotte and Jemma came to mind. Squaring her shoulders, she pushed her exhaustion back. She had to check up on them before settling in for the night. Then she could finally sleep.

The two younger girls had been surprisingly easy to find, both of them huddled quietly around the fire closest to their tent. As she approached, they both looked up, Jemma's face breaking into a small relieved smile, while Charlotte only glanced up at her, expression distant before quickly returning her gaze to the fire.

Alex mentally shrugged off the weird behaviour. Their day had been long and stressful, she couldn't fault her for that.

Probably just as tired as I am.

"Hey," Alex said, sink down beside them, revelling in the feeling of finally being off of her feet. Jemma took the opportunity to launch herself at her, wrapping her arms around Alex's chest tightly. The collision forced the air out of her lungs and Alex had to brace herself with one hand, the other wrapping around the young girl's shoulders to keep her balance. "Hey!" Alex yelped in shock, but when the dark haired girl buried her face in her shoulder, her shoulders shaking, Alex realized something was wrong. Worry shot through her, why was she crying? "Jemma? What's wrong - you alright?"

Jemma nodded, her face still buried in her shoulder, before pulling back from her and rubbing her face with her sleeve, her face blotchy from crying.

Alex waited for the girl to catch her breath, brushing some stray hair's out of her face. Once she'd calmed down enough, she tried again. "What's wrong?" She asked her softly.

Jemma took a shaky breath. "You left and Charlotte left and then the yellow stuff came and I couldn't find anybody!" She rushed, "I couldn't breath and my eyes burnt…" She trailed off, glancing away, all of a sudden looking embarrassed. "I was worried that something had happened to you."

"Hey," Alex said pulling her close. "We're both here - and we're not going anywhere. Right, Charlotte?" She asked, glancing up at the girl in question, but when Charlotte mulishly turned her head away, only giving a slight nod in response. Alex frowned at her, slightly annoyed at her uncaring attitude. But that was something she could ask her about later. Softening her expression, she smiled gently down at Jemma, although the expression felt like it took more effort than usual. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Jemma smiled up at her.

Charlotte abruptly pushed herself up to her feet, both Alex and Jemma looking up at the movement. "I'm going to bed," she stated, before staring down at Jemma expectantly, her expression hard. "You coming?"

Jemma looked confused at the sudden question, but glanced back at Alex as if asking if she was coming with them. Alex shook her head in response, suddenly remembering that she'd told Wells she would meet up with him, and he was probably waiting for her.

"Go on," she nodded, "I think we're all exhausted. You guys head in and I'll be in there in a bit." She said, helping Jemma to her feet. "I'm just going to check on Wells quickly."

Jemma glanced back at her with a nod and a smile. "Okay. G'night Alex," she said, before making her way around to Charlotte.

Alex frowned when Charlotte pointedly turned away, clearly not intending to say anything to her at all. Did I say something that bothered her? Getting annoyed with the girl's attitude, she called out pointedly, "Good night, Charlotte."

Charlotte paused just outside their tent but didn't turn back to look at her, simply muttering a quick "G'night," before ducking into underneath the flap, Jemma sending Alex a questioning look before doing the same.

Standing alone, Alex felt her shoulders sag in exhaustion, feeling puzzled at Charlotte behaviour.

You can ask her about it tomorrow, she thought, she's probably just tired from today...and upset about Atom. She did find him after all. Alex rolled her shoulders, twisting her neck one way then the other, feeling the satisfying 'pop' that came with the motion. One more thing to do, then you can sleep.

Heading off in the direction she thought Wells would be, she passed by several fires, some still surrounded by chatting teenagers and others settling down for the night. Those who talked were quiet, the camp having taken on a sombre atmosphere as people realized that Atom was dead. He'd been well liked by many.

Finally making her way across the clearing to the other side, she found Wells exactly where she thought he would be - sitting on the same log where they'd chatter after first burying the two other boys.

When Alex finally planted her butt on the ground next to him, she promptly threw herself backwards onto the mossy embankment behind them. With a sigh she stretched, hands high above her before she sagged to the ground, her body easily moulding with the contours of the ground.

A dry snort of amusement came from beside her, "Rough day?"

"You have nooo idea." Alex replied with a yawn, "All I want to do is sleep for the next four years."

"Four years?" Wells asked, voice light. "That seems...oddly specific."

"No," she disagreed. "Four years seems like that right amount of time to recuperate from all this shit.," she gave a bitter laugh, "one year for the time spent in the Box, another for our shitty landing, one to forget about the fact that my best friend hates my guts and the last, but definitely not least, to forget the fact that we are slowly dying of. One. By. One. " Her words came out harsher than she'd intended and they both fell into an almost uncomfortable silent, Wells seeming unsure what to say to her admission. Get your shit together. She told herself, taking a deep breath before sitting up and rubbing her face. "So. Tell me something about your day. It can't have possibly been any worse than mine?" She questioned, turning to look at him expectantly.

A hesitant but happy smile crossed his face. "Well, Clarke finally came to talk to me today."

Alex felt her eyebrows raise in surprise, "Oh?" She didn't think they were going to be on talking terms anytime soon. She wondered what had changed.

Wells nodded, his smile growing, eyes crinkling. "Yeah! I think… I think things are finally going to get better between us."

She reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a brief hug. "I'm happy for you, Wells. I know how much it's been bothering you. Now, you guys won't have to dance around each other all the time." She smirked at him.

He huffed a laugh at her. "I sure hope so," he sighed looking content as he stared out into the dark forest ahead of them, his expression taking on a sad but pensive look. "Al, I know today was a shitty day, for… Well, for everyone really. But... I honestly feel like that was the worst of it. That things are going to get better from here on out. They only can get better from here on out."

Alex smiled at his optimism, although she couldn't quite bring herself to believe his words. "I sure hope so," she said, echoing his earlier response, before narrowing her eyes at him in a mocking glare, and raising a threatening finger towards his face, "Oi, no one gets to call me Al."

"Sure, sure." He waved her off with a roll of his eyes, but couldn't hide the twitch of his lips.

She would have smiled in response, but another yawn overtook her. "Alright, I think I'm done for the night. I'm going to head to bed," she told him, pushing herself to her feet. Turning, she peered down at him, noticing he hadn't moved, "You heading in soon?" She asked with a furrow of her brow.

He shook his head. "Nah, I volunteered for night watch."

She blinked down at him dumbly, "Seriously?" She shook her head in amusement, "How do you have any energy after today? I'm dead on my feet."

He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I just feel wired. Lots happened today. I guess I'm just looking forward to being able to think some things through. The peace and quiet will definitely help."

She gave him a dry look before cracking a smile, "Well, don't let me interrupt your 'peace and quiet'," she said, doing air quotes with her fingers.

He grinned up at her. "Yeah, get out of here. Can't hear myself talk with all your babbling."

"I try my best," she bowed mockingly. Straightening, she moved to step passed him, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't stay up too late... or you'll be no help tomorrow. I'm sure Bellamy is going to be pushing to get the wall done as soon as possible. And I'm not doing all the work."

"Bellamy, huh?" He asked, giving her a sly look before wiggling his eyebrows up at her. She was momentarily confused, until she realized she'd called Bellamy by his first name. "Something change between you two? Just this morning you were spitting his last name like a curse."

She rolled her eyes, although she was glad for the darkness that hid the unintended blush that spread across her cheeks. She quickly shook her head, "Don't know what you're talking about." She brushed him off casually.

He shot her a dry look, "Uh-huh." He shrugged, "You'll tell me eventually. You know that camp gossip is my thing."

"Nothing happened," she told him firmly before deciding to elaborate a little bit, "We just had to spend a lot of time together in a confined space." When Wells' wiggled his eyebrows up at her again, she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Not like that, you goof. Charlotte was with us the entire time."

"Alright, alright." He said, pretending to rub his arm, wincing, "No need to get violent."

"Pretty sure violent is my middle name," she muttered, rubbing her chin, "Alright," she echoed firmly in response, before softening her expression. "I'm heading in. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yup." He said, reaching up and squeezing her hand. "Sleep well, Al."

Rolling her eyes, she ignored the nickname, squeezing his hand gently in response, "Night night, Welly." She said before heading up the hill, and back towards the dropship, ignoring the indignant shout behind her with a shake of her head.

Watching her steps, she rounded a large tree at the edge of the clearing.

And promptly slammed into someone.

She nearly lost her balance, when two strong hands latched onto her upper arms, keeping her in place. Startled she glanced up, and found Bellamy looking down at her looking perplexed.

Her exhaustion instantly flared to anger. "Watch where you're going, Blake," she snapped up at him with a glare.

The reaction was instantaneous. His expression cooled, and he dropped her arms, taking a step back away from her, putting some distance between them. Guilt washed through her as her temper fizzled away. Way to go Evans, all he did was help you.

"Next time, I'll let you fall on your face, shall I?" He asked her pointedly, making to walk past her and not give her a second glance.

Before she'd even thought about it, her fingers had reached out and closed around his wrist as he walked passed by. "Wait," she said.

Pausing, Bellamy shot a cool glare at where she was holding him, before meeting her eyes. Alex dropped his wrist like it had burned her.

"I'm sorry," she began, her gaze falling to the side as she spoke, "I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just...it's been a long day - with...everything that happened," she rubbed her face, not able to find the words she wanted to say. Being tired wasn't exactly an excuse when he had been through the same thing as her. "I'm sorry." She repeated meekly, unable to meet his gaze.

When warm fingers brushed across the back of her hand, she glanced up at him in surprise. He hadn't moved, still staring down at her, but as he met her eyes his expression softened and he dropped his hand back to his side.

"It was an eventful day." Bellamy summarized for her, giving her an understanding look.

Alex huffed a laugh at his understatement, a quirk of a smile tugging at her lips. "That it was." She agreed with a nod. They stood quietly for a moment, silence settling between them, and she realized that it wasn't as strained or uncomfortable as it used to be. Before today's chaos, things had always been tense between them.

Wells was right, something had changed between them.

"I should go," she said after a moment, and he nodded, but she hesitated to leave, "Hey...Bellamy?" She called out tentatively before he could leave. He turned to face her once more, looking patient. "Thanks - for today." She told him, her gaze sincere as she met his dark eyes.

He didn't ask her what she was thanking him for, merely studying her, eyes darting between her own before his lips quirked up into a small smirk. "Get some rest, Evans." He told her gently, before turning away from her and making his way to the dropship.

By the time Alex ducked into her tent and collapsed onto the parachute covered pile of leaves she called a bed, she was beyond exhausted. Unable to bring herself to kick off her boots, she decided she may as well just sleep with them on. She would only have to put them on tomorrow anyways.

When Jemma snorted in her sleep, Alex felt an amused smile tug at her lips, before she leaned up to look over at the corner that her and Charlotte shared. But as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized Jemma was the only other person in the tent. Charlotte was gone.

Leaning up onto her elbows, Alex stared into the darkness in disbelief, wanting to groan in frustration. Why couldn't the girl just stay where she was supposed to be?

For a second, Alex debated getting up and looking for her, but quickly pushed the thought to the side, too exhausted to move.

She probably decided to sleep in Harper's tent for the night.

Besides, Charlotte had been acting weird from the moments they'd arrived back in camp.

It's been a stressful day. She probably just needs some space to sort everything out. When she's ready to talk she'll come let you know. She told herself.

With that final thought of reassurance, Alex nodded to herself, letting herself drop back onto her 'blanket'.

Maybe Wells is right - maybe tomorrow things will start getting better.

A/N: So how was that? The calm before the storm, wouldn't you say?

Please review and let me know what you thought? How was Alex's interactions with everyone? Did I keep them in character? I hope so!

ANON Answers:

Bee-back: Heya! Thanks as always for your review! What did you think of this one? Not as fast paced as the last couple, but these things needed to be said and set up, so hopefully it didn't come across too slowly. There was even some Bellamy and Alex in there! :)
I'm glad you found Atom's death to be...satisfying? The one thing I found in the TV shows is that when people die they kinda just vanish from the show, the other characters hardly mention them anymore, like their time together hardly had any impact on them. So I'm aiming to change that and I hope to expand on that aspect of the story.
Did you see 308? Lots of Bellamy in that one, and I'm hoping that he has finally come around, it certainly felt like he did in that last scene. So fingers crossed. I already have SO many ideas for season 3 if this story ever gets to that point. So excited! Anyways, long note! But you were my only anon this time around, so...Thanks again! :)