At last

Chapter Thirty Five

Clarke's point of view

Bellamy walked in a heated silence, my body held tightly against his. I didn't have the nerve to tell him that I could walk on my own, not now.
I didn't know how to approach this situation. I remembered what Echo had told me about their... friendship, and I didn't know exactly how much she meant to him. I didn't know what to say to get him to calm down, not like I used to.
So, I stayed silent and avoided his gaze, which I noticed was fixed in the direction of camp. It was better than saying the wrong thing, especially when he was on edge like this.
I heard the sounds of footsteps behind us, the sound of Monty's hushed voice. Probably fussing over Harper, no doubt. Raven and Monty would fill Harper and Emori in on Echo's stabbing me.
I had seen the shocked looks on the others' faces when Bellamy was repeatedly striking Echo. They must not have been used to seeing his rage, especially not directed towards Echo to the extent that it was minutes earlier.
Glancing ahead of us, I could see the first glimpses of camp amidst the brush.
I couldn't talk to Bellamy about what just happened, but, right now, I could certainly distract him with what today would bring.
"We need to gather all of our things and pack it into the rover. We won't be needing this camp anymore," I gave him a small smile when he started at the sound of my voice.
His intense gaze softened a bit when he looked into mine. He cleared his throat, "Right."
He threw a glance over his shoulder before looking ahead again. "Echo's not coming with us," There was an edge in his tone, as if he was waiting for me to challenge his statement.
I wasn't about to object. "I don't think she would want to."
I could tell that his anger was beginning to rise again as he responded, snappish, "Damn right. She'll stay the hell away from here if she knows what's good for her."
I sighed, "Bellamy, you need to calm down. You don't want to have your reunion with Octavia while you're in a bad mood."
He swallowed, so I leaned closer in an attempt to get through to him, "She's gone, Bellamy. She's not coming back. It's over."
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Bellamy's point of view

I nodded, still looking forward.
"Hey," she smiled, poking my cheek. "I'm here for you... if you need to talk about it-"
"There is nothing to talk about Clarke," I snap back, cutting her off.
She looks up in my eyes and uses her hand that's closest to my face to brush away my messy hair that hangs just over my eyebrows.
I look down, giving her a small smile.
"Thank you," she smiles.
"For what?"
"For keeping me alive... even after these long six years, you still do everything to keep me safe... thank you."
I look down at her beautiful blue eyes. I stare into them as a smile creeps its way onto my face.
"No problem, princess."
§ § §
After packing all our gear into the river, we all jump in ourselves and drive over to polis.
"Are you excited?"
I glance over to Clarke in the passenger seat, but quickly look back onto the road to avoid having an accident like I had last time Clarke and I were in the front of this rover.
"Yeah." I smile back. "Are you excited to see your mom?"
"Yes," she says quickly.
Too quickly.
"What's wrong?"
"What?"
"Clarke... what is wrong?"
"I'm just... worried. What if my mom is hurt? What if she didn't make it through the six years?" She rants.
"Look, Clarke. Your mom is fine. You're about to go see her," I smile, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks," she sighs, giving a weak smile.