Earth Binding

Chapter 45

"Clarke." Bellamy says swinging the flap of her tent open. She's turned away from him with her head buried into a map. "Clarke." He stays a distance from her as anger flows throughout his body. "What you're not gonna talk to me now?"

"Go away, Bellamy." Clarke spits but still doesn't face him.

"No, we have to talk about this Clarke. I've been away for months and the first time I see you, you use me." Bellamy shakes his head, "And that kiss out there, for a second I thought it was real."

"Stop."

"You can go out there and use me to symbolize peace between our clans but you know it's not true. Clarke, you forgave me. And now you won't even look at me. You got shot okay? I thought that I would never seen you again, touch you, hear your voice, but you're alive and I still had those thoughts while I was out there banished." Bellamy gulps, "You don't banish those you love Clarke." He walks closer to her, "Do you still love me?"

"Please stop." She begs clenching her fists and pushing them against the table.

"Right." Bellamy says, "When would you like to speak to me Heda?" He laughs, "This isn't the Clarke I know. The Clarke I knew, the one I met when I was little was kind, patient, she helped others when they were in need, cared about others feelings."

"Enough." She whispers looking up at the roof of the tent.

"But the commander can't show true feelings, can she?" Bellamy asks, "Except that isn't a problem anymore because people have accepted our marriage and your link to skaikru." He steps even closer, " Yet you still treat me like I'm nothing. So you must have no feelings at all." With this Clarke turns to meet him as tears pour down her face. She thought she could contain them but every sentence was like a knife in her back.

"You done?" She wipes away the tears. He shakes his head.

"Clarke I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did." Clarke says, "Just please leave me alone, Bell." It hurts him to hear her say Bell like that in such a sad way when she used to say it so happily. She sits down on her throne and stares at the ground. He slowly backs away from her and turns away from her.

"No." He says, "I'm not leaving, not again." He walls over to her and kneels down, "Clarke we have to get through this. We're meant to be together. Fate put us together."

"Titus put us together and you're people killed him." Clarke says.

"Clarke what do you want me to do?" He asks, "I can't go back and take it all back or I would've."

"So we fight." Clarke says standing up. He follows behind her and soon they are in the sparring area they used to spar in when they were kids. With the bushes and trees as their cover, Octavia, Lincoln, Murphy, Raven, Miller, Monty, Jasper, and Harper watch. She picks up her old stick that Bellamy had carved her name into. Clarke throws him one and he catches it.

"Clarke I'm not gonna fight you." Bellamy says.

"Then you'll lose." Clarke says, "Either way this ends today." They circle each other just like they had when they were young. "You're still just as weak as you used to be."

"You still have feelings like you used to." He taunts. With that she swings at him but he blocks it. She slashes as his ankles and his leg buckled but he stumbles back up. "Come Clarke, talk to me."

"You want me to talk?" Clarke asks. "I'll start with this." She swings at him. "You tried to hide my mother, best friend, and teachers deaths from me." He blocks the blow even though it was stronger than usual. She swings again. "You called me wanheda after I saved your people including your mother and sister." Octavia looks away momentarily feeling guilty. This swing hits him in the stomach and he grunts. "You tried to sacrifice yourself in Azgeda even though you knew I couldn't survive without you." She hits him again in the chest and he momentarily loses his breath. "You listened to a spy over me." She hits him again and finally falls. She begins to walk away when he stands up.

"You done?" He asks. She spins around and sees him on his feet ready to go. "Now I'll go." He swings at her. "You locked me up." She blocks the hit, but isn't concentrated like she usually is. "You made me think you killed all of my people, including my mother and sister." He hits her leg and she falters. "You didn't speak to me for months, didn't even know I was taken prisoner." He hits her other leg knocking her down for the first time ever. Not because of his ability which was still lacking but because the emotions were taking ahold of her. "You banished me and now you plan to use me to look good for your people even though you know there is restlessness with skaikru." She falls back on her own and looks up at the sky. He lays next to her like they used to.

"I'm sorry." Bellamy says. "But Clarke we were both wrong." He squeezes her hand.

"Yes, But Bellamy the only reason I locked you up and didn't tell you my plan was because you hid my moms, teachers and best friends death from me. I couldn't trust you." She says, " And I knew you would try to stop me which would have inevitably resulted in your own death." He nods. "And I told you when we were in Azgeda territory that if you sacrificed yourself I wouldn't forgive you."

"And then you told me you loved me." Bellamy says, "And I'm here and you're here so we need to stop wasting the time we have left on this Earth being mad at one another."

"I know, but I'm not like you Bellamy. Forgiveness isn't easy."

"It's not easy for me either, you know that." Bellamy says, "But I know you're not the cold commander you pretend to be."

"Maybe I am now." She stands He copies her and cups her face in his hand.

"Then look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me anymore." He says with hope in his eyes. A tear streams down Clarke's face.

"I can't." She says. Bellamy smiles.

"Good because I love you." Bellamy says, "I'm in love with you. Always have been always will be."

"I love-" She stops herself. "I-"

"It's okay if you can't say it." Bellamy says, "I know." He pulls her closer to him and kisses her gently. At first she doesn't kiss back but then she melts in his arms. Their friends jump out and cheer.

"Woo!" Jasper cheers.

"I knew it!" Octavia yells. Clarke screams in fear and Bellamy holds her with one arm.

"Why is it whenever we have a moment you guys literally come crawling out of the forest?" He asks. They move closer and all embrace in a group hug. After a few minutes Jasper snorts.

"I'm hungry." They all laugh and follow behind him to get food. Clarke and Bellamy stay behind a little bit. He holds her as they walk together.

"I'm glad we're together." Clarke says, "I've felt alone for so long."

"Me too." He says, "But what we have...not bad for a binding contract huh?"

"Not at all." She says and kisses his cheek, "Race you back to the tower." She runs ahead of him and he watches her. Finally happy to see everything falling into place.

The End