A/N: I'm super happy to be able to get this to you guys now. I'm kind of between writing big essays and writing big scary final exams, so this worked out really well.

Please, please, please let me know what you think! The last chapter only had a few reviews. And while I most definitely appreciate every favourite and follow, the lack of reviews makes me wonder what's wrong? Is my writing getting worse? The story losing focus? I need to know.

ANY opinion you have, I am more than happy to hear and discuss with you! I reply to every review I get. So don't be afraid to leave me a quick note! Anything will do.

Thanks to narelclollie, YojimboTenshi and Bee-Back for your reviews. And a big hug to everyone who followed and fav'ed! You rock!

As always Anon reviews at the bottom - that means you Bee-Back! :)

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 18

Alex woke with a start, unsure if the chills that ran through her body or the terrified scream that pierced the air had snapped her back to reality. Whatever the cause, clearly Wells had been very, very wrong. Things were clearly not going to get better.

Hairs standing on end even as her heart leapt into her throat, Alex was up and on her feet before she was fully awake, the handle of her blade clutched tightly in hand, raised defensively before her. Mind still sluggishly trying to process her surroundings, she blinked blearily at the far side of the tent, trying to figure out where the scream had come from. Thankfully not from the inside of their tent, but she knew whoever screamed couldn't be too far away.

Eyes darting to the sleeping area that Charlotte and Jemma shared, she found Jemma sitting up in bed, her eyes wide and fearful as she stared back at her, back ramrod straight. Her blanket clutched tightly in front of her as if at any moment she would duck down and pull it over her head. Alex remembers doing the same thing when she was younger, believing the thing material would provide some sort of protection. It was a naive belief to have.

Charlotte was nowhere in sight.

Dammit.

A surge of adrenaline followed quickly by a spike of worry and frustration wiped any remaining tiredness from her body and she was suddenly wide-awake, her mind racing a mile a minute.

Were they under attack? Who'd screamed?

In the wake of the ear-piercing scream, the camps early morning silence seemed to explode into chaos. People began scrambling around and hurrying by the outside of their tent, questions fired across camp as people tried to figure out what was going on. Alex realized she could hear Bellamy distantly shouting out, demanding to know what happened.

"Who...who was that?" Jemma whispered finally, hesitantly.

"I-I don't know," Alex told her, voice uncertain as her ears strained to catch any snippet of conversation that would give her some clue as to what had happened. When nothing immediately became apparent, other than the fact that everyone outside seemed to be just as confused as she was, she knew she needed to get Jemma to safety and find Charlotte before she could see what the hell was happening. The tent wouldn't offer them any protection.

She needed to find Charlotte and make sure she was okay.

Mind made up about what she was going to do, Alex turned to Jemma. "Come on," she said, crouching down and helping Jemma tug her boots on before lifting her to her feet. "I want you to go to the dropship and stay there….Just in case." She told the younger girl seriously.

Just in case of what?

Jemma nodded up at her, not asking the question that neither of them knew the answer to. Her brown eyes were wide as she reached out and grasped her hand, which Alex squeezed firmly in her own. Girl in one hand, blade held tightly in the other, Alex lead them out of the tent and out into the early morning light.

The sun had barely begun peeking over the distant mountains, it's rays casting the tips of the trees in a bright orange glow, as if they were catching fire, though little streamed through to the underbrush where the dropship resided.

A small crowd gathered in the middle of camp, chatting amongst themselves, some looking around, weapons in hand, looking for any sign of trouble. Around her, other teens poked their heads out of their tents, a few gathering at the entrance of the dropship. All of them looking confused, wary and frightened.

Alex desperately looked around for familiar faces, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't see any of her friends. Though the group in the center of camp didn't move, they turned to face one direction, and she wondered what they were looking at. Focusing her senses, she tried to see what they were staring at, but couldn't see anything. But she could hear something faint.

Someone's crying?

Feeling her throat go dry, Alex looked down at Jemma. "Go to the dropship. Stay there until someone tells you it's safe to come back out, alright?" She told her, letting go of her hand giving her a gentle push in that direction. Jemma nodded quickly up at her before dashing away, Alex watching her go. The young girl shot her one last worried glance as she hurried up the ramp and ducked through the thin material that covered the dropship entrance.

Once Jemma was in the only place that could be considered even remotely safe, Alex turned and began to make her way towards the crying, wondering who it was and what had happened. Her stomach twisted and turned, despite her attempts at calming it. Where was Wells when she needed him?

It doesn't make any sense that the grounders would attack us, she thought, Maybe Murphy? But the scream hadn't sounded like that of someone being attacked. She knew that, deep down. It was a scream of shock, the sound someone makes when they found something terrifying.

A couple of sleepy delinquents stumbled out of their tents, getting in her way as she tried to move in the direction the scream had come from. Following her lead, several of the others moving in behind her. Maybe it was an instinctual thing, knowing that they were safer in a group, instead of walking alone.

A handful of people had gathered at the ridge, only a few glancing back at her and the others as they arrived, before returning their gaze to the ground before them.

Coming up behind them, she began to hear the words interspersed in the sobs.

"I-I found him...he was just like this! He...he was already d-dead." The girl sobbed, voice quivering.

What?

Stomach sinking at the words, Alex pushed passed several people and wove her way through the crowd. What is she talking about? Who's dead?!

When a hand grasped her upper arm and pulled her to a stop, she whirled around to face the culprit, looking up to meet dark brown eyes under his well worn beanie.

"Nate - what?" She frowned up at him, beyond confused. He looked wary and shocked, the expression on his face sending her stomach plummeting down through her feet. "What's going on? What happened?" She demanded.

He hesitated, before slowly shaking his head, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to say that words. Narrowing her eyes up at him, she yanked her arm away and he let her go. He made an aborted motion, as if he was going to reach for her again.

He didn't.

She knew. She knew from his face, his expression, and his posture, that something bad - something terrible - had happened. She could still read him like a book, even after all this time.

Stepping away from him, she took a shaky breath as she turned away. She had to know. She needed to know.

Moving around the remaining people, she clenched her fists tightly at her sides to stop the sudden shaking that has overcome them. Then suddenly she was standing at the front of the group, staring at forested area in front of her.

You know...you already know…

A shaky breath left her as her eyes landed on Fox, who was sitting on her knees, heels of her palms pressed tightly against her eyes as her shoulders shook with sobs. Bellamy was knelt next to her, one hand on her shoulder as he talked to her.

She could see his lips moving but she couldn't hear any of the words he was saying, her head filled only with the sound of her shaky breathing. Her heart beat echoing in her head.

You were here just last night…you were sitting right there.

But she couldn't see. She couldn't make herself look.

She knew what - who - she would see if she did.

Bellamy seemed to sense her gaze, because he turned head her way, his eyes leaping up to meet her own. He looked startled to see her, before his expression slid to one of worry and he lurched to his feet. Moving towards her, arm stretched out between them as if to ward her away.

He came to stand in front of her, standing almost too close. Her gaze was trapped in his own and she couldn't make herself look away.

"Alex," he began, voice strained. He opened and closed his mouth a few more times looking unsure of what to say. Reaching out, he placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to nudge her away. "You...you shouldn't be here." He told her softly.

Her face crumpled and her vision blurred.

She knew. Oh, she knew.

Closing her eyes, she took a shuddering breath, trying to push back on the flood of emotions that threatened to drown her. You don't know anything yet. It might not be what you think.

Clenching her jaw she steeled herself and looked up to meet Bellamy's worried gaze.

"I need-" she choked out, her throat closing up. "I need to see," she told him. When he hesitated, looking as if he was trying to find something to say, she cut him off. "Please."

He searched her face, looking like he realized that he couldn't stop her from doing this. That he shouldn't. Giving her shoulders a squeeze, he nodded before stepping off too her side. Although he didn't go far, she could feel his warmth at her shoulder.

For a second, her feet wouldn't obey her, she couldn't make herself step forward.

You. need. To know.

She took a hesitant step. Then another. Her gaze sliding along the forest floor. Sliding past Fox, who was sitting only a few meters away, gazing up at her with red, watery eyes. Trailing over the litter and moss that covered the ground beneath her.

Dragging her gaze up, her eyes landed on the one thing she never wanted to see.

No no no!

"Wells…" She choked out, her throat cutting off as she stumbled; all the energy gone from her legs. Reaching out blindly, she caught herself on a nearby tree, fingers digging painfully into the bark. But she couldn't pull her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

Wells was lying on his side, half way down the embankment they'd been sitting on the previous night. One hand stretched out to one side, reaching for something just out of his grasp, his other clasped against the side of his neck, the blood that had slipped between his fingers a rusty red.

The entire lower half of his previously white shirt now stained a dark brown instead of the crimson shade of fresh blood, the ground below him a similar colour. The blood had time to dry.

He'd been dead for awhile.

The way his eyes stared out blankly before him, wide and full of terror, his mouth stained red where he'd probably called for help. He looked like he'd seen the culprit. He'd seen his killer.

She let out a pained moan as she slid down the tree, before the first sob escaped her. Pressing her mouth into her sleeve of her jacket, her eyes clenched shut as she fought off the next one that threatened to escape. She failed to stop it.

How is this possible?! You were here last night! You were fine….You were fine.

A warm hand settled between her shoulder blades, tracing slow, soothing circles. She didn't need to look to see who it was.

She didn't know how long she sat there, braced against a tree before she slowly regained her breath, her sobs fading into small hiccups and sniffles. Eyes closed, she kept her face pressed into her arm, not wanting to look up and face the reality that this wasn't some sort of nightmare.

"I'm sorry," Bellamy said softly to her once she'd calmed down. He was crouched next to her, his hand still on her back. "I -I know you guys were close."

He and Wells may not have gotten along, but Alex could still hear the sincerity in his voice.

Taking a shaky breath, she sat up, rubbing away the tears with the back of her hand and turned to lean her back against the tree, facing Bellamy. Away from Wells body.

Swallowing, she couldn't bring herself to meet Bellamy's gaze.

"Who?" She croaked out, "Who would do this? I mean, he-" her voice cracked, "he was fine last night."

"Grounders," he said coolly, and her gaze snapped up to see his features darkening. "They must have snuck into camp last night."

"But…." Her voice wavered.

But I was right there. He was fine when I left. He was fine. I should have stayed.

Anger flared through her. She was angry - with Wells staying out of sight of camp during watch. At the Grounders - how dare they sneak into camp and kill Wells. Wells, who was one of the only people who treated her like a friend.

But most of all, she was angry at herself.

If she'd stayed last night, if she'd ignored her selfish need to get some sleep, when Wells had probably been just as tired, if she'd been here to watch his back…. he might still be alive.

If. If. If. If means nothing here. There is nothing you can do to change this.

"Hey," Bellamy's hard voice cut through her thoughts. He leaned down to make sure he had her eye contact. "It's not your fault."

Her gaze fell away. "But I was right there." She waved a hand out towards Wells body, although she couldn't bring herself to look in that direction. "If I had stayed, Wells would be alive."

"If you had stayed, you would probably be dead," he replied bluntly and she flinched back. Seeing her reaction he sighed and tried with a more gentle tone. "Look, I know…" But as he began, another voice drifted over to them, and she felt like ice had run through her veins.

"What's going on?"

Oh no! Clarke.

Alex was back on her feet and stumbling towards the other girl before she knew what she was doing, Bellamy lurching out of her way in surprise as she moved. She couldn't let Clarke find out like this. Not like this.

Clarke paused at the sight of her, giving her a confused and concerned look, her gaze jumping all over her face, taking in her blotchy face and red eyes. Alex was fairly sure that is was obvious that she'd been crying.

"Alex?" Clarke said hesitantly as she came to a stop in front of her. "What's going on?" She asked slowly, looking away from her and peering back at the crowd behind her, looking unsure what to make of the situation.

Alex took a shaky breath and opened her mouth to tell Clarke that her childhood best friend - the person who she'd just reconciled with yesterday - was lying dead not even ten feet away from her. That someone - Grounders - had snuck up and stabbed him in the neck. That he had bled out alone in the middle of the night. That she should have been there to help him. But she couldn't find the words.

It should have been easy; there were only three words to say.

Wells is dead.

But she couldn't.

Staring at Clarke, she could hear Bellamy in the background beginning to order those standing around to get on with their day, to keep building the wall. That there was nothing to see here. For a second, a shot of gratitude went through her at his consideration. Clarke didn't need an audience when she found out. It would be tough enough to deal with without the prying eyes.

As the crowd began to disperse, and Harper stepped in to pull Fox away, she cleared her throat, trying again. "Clarke. Something happened." She began, internally wincing at how stupid that sounded.

Clarke narrowed her eyes at her and tilted her head slightly to the side, as if trying to puzzle out her words.

'Something happened'? Are you serious? She scoffed at herself. 'Something happened' is what you say when you're explaining anything else. Not how you being a conversation where you tell someone that her best friend is dead.

But they were the only words she had, so they tumbled out of her mouth before she could take them back. "Something happened to Wells."

Clarke was staring at her as if she'd grown two heads, eyes wide "What? What are you talking about? Is he okay?" Worry had begun to creep into her voice.

Alex slow shook her head, tears building once more. With a quiver of her lips, she replied. "No Clarke. Wells isn't okay." She said softly.

Clarke looked unsure of what she was saying and stumbled towards her, grasping at her shoulders. "What - what do you mean he's not okay?" Her voice rose in panic. "Alex. Where is he? Whe-" She cut off, her breath hitching as her blue eyes landed on something just over her right shoulder.

"No…" Clarke gasped out, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as she stumbled to the side. Alex lurched after her in a panic, fearing the other girl might collapse and grasped her shoulders to keep her upright. But the other girl's eyes were locked on Well's motionless form. "No no nonono," Clarke whimpered, shaking her head, her eyes filling with tears.

Alex felt herself tear up and pulled the other girl into a hug, Clarke collapsing against her like all the muscles in her body had given out. She folded her legs under her, allowing them both to drop slowly to the forest floor. Clarke choked on her first sob, and gripped Alex's jacket, burying her face in her shoulder.

Alex could only hold her tightly, as the other girl sobbed into her chest. Movement caught her eyes, and she glanced up to meet Bellamy's eyes. He glanced away almost immediately, but she hadn't missed the sorrowful shine in his eyes. Alex closed her own, pressing her cheek onto the top of Clarke's head, listening to her muffled cries.

She wanted to join in, but she knew she couldn't. Both she and Clarke couldn't be a mess at the same time. Clarke deserved this cry more than anyone else. Her best friend was suddenly gone, and Alex knew how that felt better than most.

As she listened to Clarke's sobbing, she realized the sorrow didn't seem to be restricted to just them. Several others were crying as well, just soft sniffs and hitched breaths which gave them away. There was something different about Wells death and she wasn't sure why. He wasn't exactly popular. Despite that, the mood around them filled with emotions. Sadness. Anger. Shock.

Somehow they were briefly united under by a common feeling: grief.

Maybe Wells was right. Maybe things would get better.

But if the cost of unity was the life of her friends, Alex wasn't so sure she was willing to pay.

A/N: Please review! It's the only input I get. Even a thumbs up, thumbs down will do.

I hope I did Wells death some justice, as well as give Clarke the opportunity to actually have some type of reaction to his death. I always thought it a little weird that he was her best friend but they cut off pretty much all, except for a fraction, of her emotional reaction to his passing. I understand screen time and whatnot, but it was a weird time to skip.

I haven't seen last night's episode yet, so not spoilers please. But last week?! Ahhhhhhh! I knew it was coming and it still hurt so bad. *sobs*

Bee-back: Thanks so much for your kind words about the last chapter! And I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations? It makes me really sad that Wells is now gone and I agree with you that he was a total sweetheart. I even briefly toyed with the idea of keeping him alive, but his death is the beginning of a huge chain reaction of events so... :(
Next chapter will be the fallout.
On the plus side, Bellamy and Alex are starting to interact more? Let me know what you thought!