Her Step Brother

Content

Clarke pulled off on the exit, stopping at the red light and turning the music down.

"Okay, listen. We're most likely going to run into Finn."

Bellamy rubbed the hand she was resting on her gear shift. "I'm aware of this, Princess. I promise not to allow you near any fine dish ware."

She smiled, but shook her head. "Seriously. No pissing contests or jabs or anything, okay? You guys both riled each other up that day."

He rubbed the watch he gave her. "So, just hypothetically, if he mentions that time you guys boned in the bathroom, I'm to ignore it?"

"We never boned in a bathroom."

He slid his hand to her lap, squeezing her thigh. "Oh, right. That was me and you," he chuckled, darkly.

She pushed his hand away, turning into town. "He won't mention our past, but if he does, we will ignore him. It's in the past. If I ran into the fifty girls you slept with before me, I would just ignore them."

"Fifty?!"

She shrugged. "I don't care about the real number, Bell. You're mine now."

"Oh, I am?" He leaned towards her, kissing her cheek, sweetly.

She tried not to smile, but failed. "Okay, we're almost there. Be on your best behavior."

"I'm offended. I know how to act around parents!"

She stopped at the stop sign, giving him a look. "You spent two months almost getting us caught."

He grinned. "It was hot, though. But, I promise to be good in front of your dad."

She continued on, finally turning into her father's driveway. As soon as she put the car in park, Jake ran out of the house.

Clarke ran and hugged him, laughing loudly at his always amazing happiness and excitement. "Dad!"

"Kiddo," he grinned. "How was the drive down?"

"Good," she promised.

"Bellamy," he greeted.

Bellamy had gotten their bags. "Mr. Griffin."

"Come on in," he urged. They walked into the house, Clarke smiling at the familiarity. "If you'll notice, we're only using plastic cups this week."

Clarke narrowed her eyes. "Dad."

Her father laughed loudly, filling the house and her heart. "You knew I would never let you live that down! Go put your stuff in your room, the pizza is on its way."

Clarke led Bellamy down the hallway and into her bedroom. The room was clean, nearly empty except for the furniture and sheets.

They put their things in her dresser before returning to the living room, hand in hand.

"Just in time," Jake said happily, putting the pizza boxes on the table. "Come on, come on."

Bellamy and Clarke sat down at the table, grabbing various slices and filling their plates.

"So, tell me how school is. Both of you."

Clarke shrugged. "The usual."

"It's going well," Bellamy answered. "I'm glad to be having a break next month, though. I don't see how Princess here manages to study so much without banging her head against the wall," he chuckled.

Clarke rolled her eyes with a smile. "I don't study that much! I study the appropriate amount and always make sure I pass. That's it."

"My Kiddo works hard," Jake chuckled. "How are your parents managing things?"

"Better than I expected," Clarke told him. "Mom seems to be handling it well. She encourages me to fix things, which is very surprising."

"Dad doesn't seem to care at all anymore," Bellamy added. "He asks how we are and even tells me not to hurt her," he chuckled.

"Good man," Jake laughed. "On a real note, I would like to say something."

Clarke swallowed nervously. "Yes?"

"The day of your birthday was an absolute turn around from the way I know you. And, I honestly wanted more than anything that day for the two of you to break up and Bellamy stay at college."

Clarke paled a little.

"But," he continued. "I also know that relationships are hard, no matter how old you are. And love is hard. You can love someone with all of your heart, but that doesn't mean things will last forever. Clarke, you've never loved anyone before. You didn't love Finn, even though you liked him and spent time with him. With Bellamy, well you remind me of your mother and I. When we met, we fell so hard and so fast that when we fought, it was bad. Everything was extreme for a long time until you came along. And, we loved each other. Now, I'm not saying that's how you and Bellamy will end up," he chuckled. "But, I'm glad you love each other. Even if you drive each other crazy, I'm happy that you're happy."

Clarke leaned over and grabbed his hand. "Thanks, Dad."

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled. "Enough mushy stuff, who wants to watch a movie full of blood and gore?"

"I'm in," Bellamy laughed.

All together on the couch, Clarke between her father and Bellamy, they watched the movie. Clarke closing her eyes a few times, making her father pat her foot, gently.

That night, Clarke curled up in Bellamy's arms with a content smile. She did love him. She did want things to work out between them.

They just needed to get through another encounter with Finn to see how that would work out.