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IT WAS MANY hours later, or what seemed like hours when both of their paces slowed down quite a bit. Their feet were hurting and their eyes were beginning to droop. They needed to sleep or else they might not make it any longer.
Hope's eyes widened slightly when she saw a place where the trees practically laid over each other, making cover. She turned towards it and began approaching it, hoping it would hide them away from any monsters that might want to attack them,
Apparently, Clarke didn't seem to have the idea seeing as he stopped almost immediately as he saw where she was heading. His dark eyes widened and he shook his head, his dark curls swishing side to side.
Hope glanced back at him as she stopped walking, and her hand twitched as she wanted to reach out and brush his hair out of his eyes. "It's almost night, and I'm not making camp out here where we'd be sitting ducks." She sighed and crossed her arms. "It gives us some shelter, and right now, it's our best bet." He just stared at her, jaw clenched and posture rigid. "Look," she sighed. "I don't like you, and you certainly don't like me, but there's safety in numbers."
"Why ask at all?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Can't you just force me like you did by forcing me in here with you?!" Hatred was clear in his tone and she flinched slightly.
She bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. "I'm sorry about that," she told him.
"How considerate of you," he said, skepticism clouding his features.
This was ridiculous, he was just being stubborn, and she so didn't have time for this. "Come on," she said, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder to guide him forward. She felt the same burning heat in her palm and throughout her body whenever they touched. But, there was something else there and emotions slammed into her like a train. She dropped her hand and took a hasty step back.
Agent Clarke's eyes had gone wide, looking from his shoulder to her and back again. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly as he fully turned to her.
"I didn't do anything!" She protested, her eyes also wild. She didn't know what was happening between them. "You felt that, too?" she asked, flushing slightly. "I mean, other than the heat, there was something..."
His eyes seemed to stare into her blue eyes with a lot of intensity that it made her take in a shaky breath, her heart pounding against her chest. She was pretty sure he could hear it. "Should we...try that again?" he asked, reaching out a tentative hand. His heart was also pounding against his chest, and his adam's apple bobbed up and down.
"No!" she answered, more forcefully than she intended. Truthfully, all she wanted to do was reach out again. "I — I don't—" She furrowed her eyebrows and looked away from him, gulping. She really wanted to launch herself into his arms for some reason and never leave. Something was happening to her and she didn't completely hate it. "Just come with me, please?" She begged lightly and looked him back in the eyes.
His breath caught in his throat as her eyes met his again, and he found himself wanting to reach forward and brush his finger against her cheek. He shook his head and cleared his throat, taking a few large strides away from her. "Okay..." His facade was back up before she could even blink.
"Thank you." She lightly smiled and Clarke found his eyes following her lips as they pulled into a smile. Her lips looked soft and — he stopped himself short before he could fully imagine anything that could deal with Hope's lips.
She spun on her heel, taking a steadying breath. This is just some weird side effect of this dimension. She ducked under a low hanging branch as she made her way into the woods— Clarke followed closely behind; she could feel his eyes on her, but thankfully he remained quiet.
The canopy above made their surroundings even darker as they made their way deeper into the shelter of the trees she had found.
"We shouldn't go further," Clarke's voice sounded and she froze and turned to him quickly. He took in a breath and gestured around them. "Here is probably better so we don't go too far into the darkness."
She slowly nodded. "Okay."
Clarke sat at the base of the tree, leaning against its trunk, and she followed his example and sat against the tree across from him. They sat that way for a moment, just starring at one another.
"I'll take the first shift," he said. "Go ahead and get some sleep, I'll keep watch."
"Nice try," she automatically said. "I know the second I let you out of my sight you'll be gone."
Clarke studies her for a second and spoke softly, "Trust me, I don't want to be alone in this place just as much as you. Probably even more, actually."
Hope found herself frowning at his words. She really didn't want to be left alone. But she keeps forgetting that she has been here before, he has suffered this before all alone. "You have me now," she couldn't help the words as they left her mouth. "As long as you don't leave my side. I won't leave yours." She couldn't believe herself. She should hate him. But she couldn't help herself. She had her mothers mercy and sympathy in her. But, that doesn't mean she also doesn't have her father's cruelty and paranoia.
"Goodnight, Hope," he said after a second, a small smile appearing on face, something she hasn't seen before. Sure, when they first met, he did smile, but it had obviously been a fake one. It was good to see some semblance of a real smile on his face — his handsome face.
"Goodnight, Clarke," she whispered before laying down on her side, using her arm as a pillow. Before she could even help herself, she had fallen asleep.
