Hey babes! Back with another chapter! I momentarily considered waiting until Halloween to post this, but then I decided that would be too mean, so here it is.

Enjoy!

*October 31, 2020*

"Can you guys hurry up? You're moving too slow!"

Bellamy chuckles at his sister's exclamation, trailing behind her down the sidewalk of their neighborhood with Clarke at his side like she always is. They've been taking Octavia trick-or-treating together every year (those first few with his mom in attendance) and he's dreading the day when she wants to go with only her friends and not him. He knows it's coming eventually since she's much more of a social butterfly than he ever was at her age, he'd just rather not think about it if he can.

"You go on ahead and hit the next few houses, O, we'll catch up. Just stop at the corner and wait for us, please."

"Okay," Octavia calls back, skipping down the sidewalk with her pillowcase full of candy swinging at her side.

Slowing down some, knowing that Octavia will be fine for the most part, he casts a glance at Clarke walking next to him, her eyes downcast. She'd probably be running into numerous people and objects if he didn't have an arm around her shoulders to guide her. "Hey, you all good in there?" he asks carefully, not wanting to startle her.

She looks up at him with slightly furrowed brows. "Hm?"

"I asked if you're good. Something on your mind?"

She bites her bottom lip between her teeth and wrings her hands together. "Um...I think...I think I've made a decision. About...you know…" she trails off, gesturing vaguely to her stomach.

Bellamy nods. "Oh. Right. What did you decide to do?"

She takes a deep breath. "I know it's only been a few days, but I know what I want to do. I'm going to keep it."

"You are?"

She nods. "Yes. And I'm going to raise it. Because this is my baby. Despite the circumstances surrounding its conception, this is my baby, and as much as I hate Finn right now...I can't hate this baby." She slowly places her hands over her still-flat stomach, her gaze traveling down. "They're a part of me and I...I love him or her already." She looks up at him with tears in her eyes. "I want to keep this baby, Bellamy."

He smiles softly down at her, rubbing his hand against her arm to offer support and comfort. "Okay. So then you keep the baby. And I'll help you however I can."

"Bellamy…"

He shakes his head. "No, Clarke. I already told you that I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna be the best uncle that baby knows," he tells her with a smile. "And I'm sure my mom would love to help out however she can too, give you all sorts of tips and whatnot. She might even still have some of mine and Octavia's baby clothes that I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you."

"Do you think she'll be disappointed in me? I know I should probably be more worried about what my own mother thinks of me getting pregnant at this age, but I honestly think I'm more scared of what your mom will say."

Bellamy shrugs. "That's understandable. But I don't think she'll be too upset with you. She never really liked Finn either, if I'm being completely honest. We may or may not have had a few discussions about that over the last few months."

Clarke laughs quietly. "Of course you did." She breathes deeply. "Do you really think I can do this? Be a mom?"

He stops walking and turns both their bodies so they're facing each other. He rests his hands on her upper arms, ducking his head just enough to look her in the eyes. "Absolutely. You're going to be a great mom, Clarke. And you won't be alone. You've got me. And Mom. And all our friends. And I'm sure O would love to help out once in a while too. She'll probably beg you to let her babysit at some point."

Clarke smiles. "Yeah, probably." She's quiet for a moment, shifting a little on her feet. "Murphy knows. He figured it out at school the other day when Finn was there. He thinks I'll be a good mom too."

He smiles. "Well, if Murphy's saying it then you know it's gotta be true."

She laughs. "Yeah, I suppose so." Her brows furrow tightly together. "I'm just worried now about all the finer details, you know? Like how am I going to finish my last two years of high school while taking care of a baby, not to mention getting through the rest of this year while being pregnant? And then there's all the stuff I'm gonna have to deal with once the baby is born, like who's gonna watch them while I'm at school all day and what I'm gonna do to support myself and them because I don't want to burden my mom and Marcus financially with this, and I'm probably due toward the end of the school year, so it's good that I'll have the summer to bond with the baby and take care of them without worrying about classes, but after that I'll have to figure everything out and I—"

"Whoa, hey," he says, gently cutting her off. "Breathe. Remember when I said you're not alone?"

She nods. "Yeah."

"Okay. So you don't have to figure all of this out on your own. That's what you've got me for. We'll just take it one step at a time, alright? Have you made a doctor's appointment yet? You know, to get a due date and make sure the baby's growing okay?"

She shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to fall. "No. See? I'm already doing a horrible job with all of this."

"No, you're not," he tries to assure her the best he can, pulling her into a tight hug and rubbing a hand up and down her back to soothe her. "You're a first-time parent, Clarke, you're still figuring things out. No one's going to expect you to have everything figured out right now. Especially being so young."

She sniffles, burying her face a little deeper in his shirt. "You're sure?" comes her muffled reply.

"I'm sure."

"Okay." She pulls back and wipes at her eyes, taking slow breaths.

Bellamy shifts a little on his feet and removes his arms from around Clarke. "So, I know you're scared about all of this, but are you at least a little excited too?"

She shrugs, giving him a small smile. "Kind of, yeah. I've always thought about being a mom one day, the timetable just got moved up by a lot. There is a part of me that's excited about this, but I think right now the stress and worry is taking up most of my brain."

"And that's perfectly okay. We've got time to figure all this stuff out, okay?"

"We?"

He nods. "Yeah. I told you I'm going to help you out however I can. And if that means helping you destress and figure out all the finer details of this, then I'll do it."

She smiles up at him through her tears. "Thank you. That…" she trails off and takes a deep breath. "That means a lot." She grabs his hands and squeezes, holding tight. "I honestly have no idea what I'd do without you, Bellamy."

He smiles brightly, giving her hands a small squeeze back. "Well, it's a good thing we'll never have to find out. Now come on, I think O might be getting impatient."

She chuckles, leaning into him as he tosses his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into a hug. "Knowing Octavia, she's beyond impatient now."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that."

.

.

.

"Well it's about time you two got here."

Bellamy chuckles, clapping his friend on the back. "Good to see you too, Jas. Everybody having fun already?"

"Of course we are," Murphy says as he approaches them. "You think we can't have fun unless you're around?"

Bellamy smiles and holds his hands up. "Relax, it was an innocent question."

Murphy shrugs. "Yeah, well." He takes a deep breath. "You know the drill of where everything is. We're starting the first movie soon, so get what you want and sit your asses down somewhere. Not in the good chair, though. Dad's gone for the weekend so that one's mine tonight," he says with a grin. He casts a glance around the space and then lowers his voice just a bit, "Clarke, there are some saltine crackers in the cupboard if you need them at any point tonight. I know they can help when you're feeling queasy from the nausea."

Clarke's brows furrow. "How do you know that? I didn't take you for the type to read up on this kind of stuff."

He shrugs. "I'm not. But my mom was pregnant before she left. She had a miscarriage, but I remember her eating those crackers a lot because she was always feeling nauseous."

Bellamy shares a look with Clarke, both of them frowning, and he can see the tears already forming in Clarke's eyes. He's not entirely surprised, but he also suspects the pregnancy hormones are behind kickstarting how quickly the tears came on.

Looking back at his friend, Bellamy opens his mouth to speak but Murphy just holds up a hand to cut him off.

"I'm not looking for pity or sympathy. Just telling you what happened. After Mom lost the baby she got depressed and left. I never told anyone because I didn't think it was anyone's business. And we were kids." He narrows his eyes at them. "Bring it up again and watch what happens."

"Can I at least give you a hug?" Clarke asks, fighting to keep her tears at bay.

Murphy hesitates a moment and then sighs heavily. "Fine. One hug. But if you cry on me, Clarke, we're no longer friends."

She nods silently and then steps forward to pull Murphy into a tight hug.

Bellamy smiles at the sight. It's not often that Murphy will allow people to hug him, though Clarke is one exception to the rule. He's not entirely sure why that is, just that that's how it's always been. Murphy doesn't do too well when people touch any part of him with any amount of affection. But somehow, Clarke's able to, on occasion. It's honestly incredible.

"Okay," Bellamy says when Clarke finally breaks the hug, "should we go get some food and find a place to sit?"

Clarke nods, wiping gently under her eyes. "Yes, please. I'm starving."

"Starting early on the eating for two, huh?" Murphy teases, back to his usual self.

Clarke rolls her eyes. "Shut up. It's not that. I just wasn't feeling too good earlier so I haven't eaten since this morning when I had a late breakfast. I mean, I had some of Octavia's candy, but that hardly counts as food."

Murphy frowns. "Yeah, no. You need real food. And there's plenty. Now go." He waves her over toward the dining room table that's piled high with various snacks and treats. As well as a few different main dishes.

Bellamy watches as Clarke walks away toward the table and then looks at Murphy. He crosses his arms over his chest, shifting on his feet. "It's nice to see you so concerned about someone else's wellbeing for a change."

Murphy deadpans. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bellamy rolls his eyes. "Dude, I saw you just now."

Murphy shrugs. "Get your eyes checked. Now go get some food and come sit down so we can start the movie." He turns and walks toward the living room where everyone else is gathered. "Oh!" he calls out as he sits down in the recliner chair. "Are you and Clarke staying over?"

"That's the plan. They don't need me as early tomorrow, so I should be fine sleeping in for a few hours."

"Cool. Well, go get your food. I'm not sure how much longer Jasper's going to wait before we start the movie."

"It's Hocus Pocus," Jasper interjects from his spot on the couch. "I've been waiting all day to watch it."

Bellamy smiles. "Alright, calm down, Jasper. Just give us a minute." He moves across the room to the table where Clarke is still trying to decide what she wants to eat. "Want me to try and find those saltines for you?" he asks, sidling up next to her and grabbing a paper plate.

She looks up at him and shakes her head. "No, thanks. I think I'll be able to eat real food, I'm just trying to decide what I actually want to eat. It all smells and looks really good."

"Well," he says, beginning to load his plate up with food, "why don't you fill your plate with whatever I'm not getting, and you can just eat off both plates. That way you don't have to try and decide. You know you'd just eat off my plate anyway."

She tilts her head. "True."

Bellamy chuckles to himself and finishes loading his plate with the various foods and snacks that are available. Once both he and Clarke have full plates, they head over to the living room to join the rest of their friends in front of the TV.

He and Clarke settle next to each other on the couch, comfortably leaning against one another as they begin picking things off the plates. The movie is loaded up and ready to go, and Bellamy can't help but revel in the feeling of Clarke leaning so heavily against him. He hopes she always does for the rest of their lives, both literally and figuratively.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!