2,199 Days Later (S5 Bellarke Fic)

Chapter Six: Gaining Trust

Kane sat up in a sweat, breathing heavy. He had another nightmare about Abby dying. She's fine, he told himself. She's with Clarke. She's going to be okay. After a few deep breathes, Kane got up from his makeshift bed he made in the grass, under the stars, for the sole purpose of not being in the bunker. It was starting to get light. A pink color was in the sky and sun rays seeped through the trees. It was still early enough for the majority of people to be sleeping but Kane knew Octavia would be awake do he made his way to the tent that was set up for her. It had been a week since Abby left to get fixed and in that time, Octavia was trying to regain trust with onekru. Who knew her skill of hiding could cause so much trouble?

Octavia was talking to Ryan, an ally she gained in the bunker, about the drop ship Clarke told them about, when a grounder guard came in.
"Heda, Kane is here to see you."
"Let him in." Octavia nodded and returned her focus to Ryan. "Go back and keep watch. Anyone sees you, come back. Report everything you see and keep me updated."
"Yes, Heda." He nodded and left. Kane walked in as Ryan walked out. Kane noticed Ryan.
"Anything new?" He asked.
"No." She shook her head. "Not really. They've seemed to have figured out the basics to survive. They found food, water, and started building shelters but no sign of aggression yet. They seem almost harmless. They have no idea where we are so as long as we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone."
"Clarke said they were dangerous."
"Clarke says a lot of things." Octavia almost laughed.
"They tried to kill her."
"Name someone who hasn't." Octavia challenged.
"You."
"Yet... Are you saying I'm not dangerous?"
"I know you're capable of a lot."
"So you're saying I am."
"I didn't come here to argue with you, I came here to see if you heard anything from Bellamy."
"They're not back yet?" Octavia furrowed her eyebrows.
"You haven't heard anything?" Kane felt his heart sink.
"No... they're supposed to be back today. I'm sure everything's fine, Kane." Octavia tried to reassure him. Kane still felt anxious. "Tell you what, if they aren't back in a couple days, I'll send riders. Until then, hang in there. Okay?" Kane nodded and left her to do what she needed. Indra approached the tent as Kane was exiting.
"Anything?" Indra asked.
"...No." Kane said quietly.
"Abby is strong. You'll see her soon." Indra said sympathetically. Kane nodded and walked away, deciding to go to the river.

***

Bellamy walked in the house, looking for Clarke and Madi. He walked back to the bedrooms to see Madi sitting outside Clarke's door in a chair, staring at a wall. Bellamy stopped and looked at her. They really are close, he thought.
"Hey." He got Madi's attention. Madi shifted from a more relaxed position to one that seemed slightly on edge. As if Bellamy intimidated her in some way. "Is she awake?" Bellamy asked softly. "Everyone's ready to go. We really need to leave before Octavia or anyone get worried." He said.
"I leave when Clarke leaves." Madi said without hesitation. Bellamy sighed.
"Can I go talk to her about it?" Madi thought about it but before answering, she decided to talk.
"You're different than what I pictured." Madi said, shocking Bellamy.
"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow. Madi nodded.
"Clarke described you as, 'someone who'd do anything for the people he loves... for his sister.' I expected you to look more... kind." She turned her head, examining him. He let out a quick breathe, almost a laugh.
"I look mean?" He grinned.
"You look like you want to be in charge... and that you'd get rid of whoever stood in your way." She said.
"Well, I'm sure that's what Clarke would have said about me when we first met." He recalls, grinning.
"Really?" Madi raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, we didn't really like each other..."
"But, you seem so close!"
"Now, we are... I'm glad we got to know each other." Bellamy suddenly had a distant gaze. Madi noticed it and smiled.
"She really cares about you, you know." Madi got his attention. Bellamy made eye contact with her and grinned wider than he already was.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. She'd call you everyday on the radio. Always talked about how important you were. How you were there for her." There was a moment of quiet. Bellamy felt memories run through his head. "You can go in." Madi said and say back in her chair.
"Thank you." Bellamy said and went inside. He walked in to see Clarke curled up on her bed, holding her Mother's necklace that had her wedding ring. She may have took it off, but it was always in her back pocket. Clarke didn't make a sound. She learned to cry silently over time. Tears fell from her eyes, to her pillow. Bellamy stood there in silence for a moment. Then, he knew he had to speak. "Uh, Clarke?" He started. No response. "Time to go." Clarke wanted to respond. She wanted to say something- anything. But words didn't form. "Clarke, I know how painful this must be. When I thought Octavia was dead, I wasn't sure how I was going to keep going. But right now, we have to get home. Octavia is waiting for me and we have no idea if or when those... prisoners are going to attack which means we need a plan." Bellamy waited for a response. After a long moment, he heard a soft,
"Then go." This shocked Bellamy.
"Clarke, we're not leaving you." He decided.
"Why not?" She asked, her voice strained. She sat up in the bed and faced away from Bellamy. Her breath was shallow and took effort.
"Because we need you to save us, again." He said as if it was obvious.
"You need me?" She chuckled. "I can't even save my mother. How can I save anyone? She was right, you know. My mom? When she found out I let Ton DC burn, she told me, 'that blood is on your hands and I'm afraid you can't wash it off this time.'" Clarke choked up. "... my mother said that to me!" She tried to keep her crying quiet. "She... she killed my dad!" Clarke continued. "Why do I miss her so much?! How can I just forgive and forget and cry when I couldn't save h-her?!" Clarke cried. Bellamy sighed and went around the bed to kneel in front of her and take her hands.
"You forgave her, because that's what family does." Bellamy started. "You forgave her, because you understand what it's like to make a fatal mistake." Clarke continued to let tears fall. "She was your mom. She was important to you. Just like how you're important to Madi." He reminds, hoping to appeal to her maternal side. "You did everything you could. I'm not asking you to save the world. I'm asking you to help me protect our people- like we've always done and always will do. I can't do this alone. Please. Come home with me." He begged. Clarke thought for a moment before nodding and standing up with him. They hugged for a minute.
"Thank you." Clarke said in his shoulder, letting a tear fall. Bellamy smiled and held her close. In the moment of hugging Bellamy, Clarke felt relaxed. For the first time in months. There was a secure feeling she had when she was with him. He was her anchor. He was home. He has been that for a long time.