The Alliance

Chapter 8

Days turn into weeks as life in Shallow Valley begins to change. Many of those from Eligius have begun to die off. Nearly half of McCreary's crew are gone or will be soon, including several of Diyoza's. But with the help of Raven's engineering skills and Clarke and Jackson's' medical training, a cure slowly came to be. At first they could only create a temporary solution, but it was capable of saving the majority of Diyoza's men until the permanent cure could be made.

Clarke and Diyoza shared a silent agreement to handle McCreary and his men in a silent profession by allowing the criminals to die a natural, slow and painful death as nature had intended. For Diyoza, with McCreary and his men dead, they could no longer risk breaking the peace that was finally established. For Clarke her reasons were that of a different nature- Revenge. What better way for her father's murderer to suffer than die slowly as the disease takes over every cell in his body?

Clarke keeps her distance from McCreary as often as possible, but watches as his condition worsens from a distance. Rather than interfering in any sort of way, she makes sure to continue on with her days per usual and sticking to her normal schedule, all the while avoiding McCreary and his people. With each passing day however, Clarke's routine begins to change. Just after the wedding. Clarke kept most of her life and what she did separate from Bellamy. There was nothing wrong with Bellamy himself, She simply didn't know how to handle the cards that life had dealt them. They were strangers, sometimes acquaintances, and maybe friends on a good day, but still strangers when they were married to each other. Clarke knows that Bellamy isn't a bad person. He's an honorable man with good intentions, but Clark has never been the type to let anyone in easily; yet slowly and surely, day by day, Bellamy's presence breaks down the walls that she's spent her entire life building.

When Clarke isn't in the medical cabin helping Jackson with patience or Raven with the cure, she takes walks outside. Either playing with the energetic 6 year old that attaches herself to her or Bellamy, or taking time away to be around Bellamy herself. They're schedules make it difficult to take time together but as the weeks move on they make do. Sometimes they train, keeping their fighting skills from getting rusty, or other times they sit and Bellamy teaches Clarke Trig. Most often it's the latter while he teaches her Trig over dinner.

Life on the ground never warranted much leisure time but the newly married couple made it work. They couldn't change what they were forced into but they would be damned if they didn't make the most of it.

They find the time they can and make the most of what they have. Some nights after a long day of  working or training  they would lounge in their cabin or talk, at times Bellamy would give her Trig lessons while Clarke sketches in their bed. Other days when Clarke finishes working before Bellamy she would observe the training while sketching away the time- of course adding in her own commentary to tease her husband and earning retorts back her way. Only his retorts distracted him and landed him on his back more than once, making Clarke smile and tease him further. Those were the good days between them but there were difficult days as well.

Both Clarke and Bellamy suffered from nightmares from their haunting pasts. They hold one another in the dark until the demons plaguing their minds fad away. Their bodies clutching into one another state intertwined until they wake.

Most often they don't speak of those nights but one night stood out among others to Bellamy and he broke their silent understanding of never talking about those haunting nights. He expected Clarke to ignore him or leave and abandon her breakfast but she surprised him instead and opened up to him in a way he never could have seen coming.

Clarke's nightmares were always the same- her father and Wells dying over and over. Sometimes slowly and painfully while her feet are planted, leaving her no choice but to watch. No matter what she does she can't move. But that night it was different - her father and Wells came back but they blamed their deaths on her. Their anger and vicious spews of insults and curses felt like ice in her veins before the darkness dragging her down; trapping her in pain. As fate would have it she doesn't stay trapped for long, instead she wakes to the feeling of strong arms holding her as her name is murdered in her ear by a deep and familiar voice- Bellamy's. He keeps her safe and protects her from not only those that wish her harm but from the demons that plague her mind. In return she does the same for him.