Sacrifice and Survival

The Reconciliation

He felt every rock, pebble, stick and piece of rumble under his knees and hands as they crawled along the narrow tunnel. He never has liked small spaces, and since Mount Weather, well between cages and flamed filled tunnels it's worse. He glances back over his shoulder to see how Clarke is doing. He can hear her breathing and moving and she's keeping up, but judging by her face she is moving on autopilot. They hadn't heard the reapers in a while or Murphy's screams either and they both feared the worst. He watched up ahead the light growing brighter and brighter as they crawled closer to the exit.

Bellamy slowed down as he reached the exit and looked out into another larger tunnel, not seeing any reapers or grounders he tumbled head first he fell out onto the ground. Getting up he quickly turned to help Clarke as she as she reached the entrance, she climbed out and Bellamy could see the blank look in her eyes, she looked back into the tunnel, shining her flashlight, looking but knowing that Murphy probably wouldn't be there.

"He didn't have to do that!" she asked looking at Bellamy "He could have followed us. Why'd he do that?" Her was voice cracking with emotion as she spoke.

"He was protecting you; he did what had to be done." He looked at her and he noticed a small trickle of blood slowly creeping down her temple, from a cut on her forehead "You're hurt?"

"I'm fine" she said trying to pull herself together as she turned away from his arms and began looking around "I'm not sure which way we need to go but maybe..." She never finished, Bellamy grabbed her pack and pulled it off of her as she spun around "....Hey...what?" she stopped, her eyes widened in surprise as he held up her pack.

Two arrows had plunged into the center of her pack.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bellamy yelled as he spun her around so he could look at her back.

"I didn't know!...I didn't realize." She stammered "I'm ok though" She tried to turn back but Bellamy continued to make sure. Almost frantic, he ran his hands along her arms, he pushed her hair out of the way and he lifted her shirt.

"Bellamy I'm fine" Clarke said over her shoulder and when Bellamy was sure that the arrows had done no damage he let out a sigh of relief and let his forehead fall against the back of her head and his hands held on tight to her arms.

Clarke held her breath for a moment feeling his heartbeat against her back.

"I'm Ok, I promise" She said softly as she turned slowly in his arms. Her eyes met his "It's Ok."

Bellamy reached up and pushed a stray hair away from her face. All he wanted to do was to hold her tight and tell her that he couldn't lose her again. He wanted to tell her about his nightmares, his losses and about his pain and struggles after Mount Weather, but he couldn't. He wanted to tell her.... so many things, but right now he didn't know if she would be around tomorrow or next week. He just couldn't trust her. He missed their mutual trust, their relationship was built on it, even when there was nothing else between them; they had trusted each other, completely. And now that was gone. And he didn't know how to get that back.

Clarke lowered her hand and took a step back. She could see it in his face; she could see what his mind was telling him. "I'm sorry Bellamy, I really am." She said as she bent down and pulled the arrows out of her pack and slung it over her shoulder "Not all my decisions were the right ones, and I hurt ... everyone, but you most of all and I don't know how to fix that." She smirked a little "Kind of funny don't you think, that the Princess can't fix everything. And no matter how hard I try, it doesn't matter. Not everyone can be saved.... rescued. And if I do try to save one, someone else is probably going to die. I made the decision to help you get to Polis but it was Murphy that paid for that decision." She paused "We need to go" she looked around, pointed to her right "Let's try that way. We need to get above ground so I can get my bearings, look for any kind of way up and out."