Clarke had barely said two words to Bellamy or Roan since they arrived at the campsite. At first Bellamy had decided to just give her the space she needed, but as the sky began to grow dark and the air became cooler, Bellamy tried to talk things out with Clarke. He pulled her aside from everyone else just behind the tree line.
"Are you going to ignore me for the entire trip?" Bellamy asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"I have nothing to say to you right now." Clarke said coldly.
"I've said I'm sorry, what else do you want from me?" Bellamy sighed.
"I wanted you to listen to me at the diner. I wanted you to believe me when I said I handled it!" Clarke said loudly.
Bellamy's eyes flicked towards their camp to make sure no one was listening to them. He was beginning to get frustrated with Clarke. He'd done what he did, to protect her.
"I'm sorry for trying to protect you!" Bellamy scoffed.
"How were you protecting me?! He'd already done it and I'd already handled it when you and Roan went in there and nearly killed the poor kid!" Clarke exclaimed.
"I did it for you! To defend you! If I knew there were men like that in there I wouldn't have let you go in alone!" Bellamy argued.
"You threw him across the room Bellamy!" Clarke yelled.
"Because he assaulted you!" Bellamy yelled back.
"You need to stop being so overprotective and... and.." Clarke searched for the right word.
"Caring? Concerned?" Bellamy suggested harshly.
"Suffocating!" Clarke snapped. "I don't need you to treat me like a child every time something happens!"
"Sorry. I won't bother next time." Bellamy growled before storming off to into the trees.
"Where are you going?!" Clarke called after him.
"You don't need me remember?" Bellamy spat over his shoulder as he walked away.
Clarke let out a frustrated groan and stomped back towards their campsite. Octavia noticed her come back first.
"Where's Bell?" She asked, looking behind Clarke.
"Gone for a walk." Clarke replied bluntly.
She sat down on a log beside Harper and stared into the fire. She was angry at Bellamy but she was also worried about him. Bellamy had a tendency to let his anger get the better of him and didn't always think with a level head. Clarke just hoped he came back soon.
Meanwhile, Bellamy trekked through the trees, muttering under his breath about how ungrateful Clarke was. Bellamy knew that Clarke could take care of herself. She was the strongest woman he knew, that's one of the reasons he loved her so much. She could handle herself and didn't need anyone to come and rescue her. But she was too important to Bellamy for him to take that risk. Bellamy would always protect Clarke, even when she didn't think she needed it.
It was fully dark by the time Bellamy stopped walking. A quick glance at his phone told him that he'd been walking around for almost two hours. It also told him he had five missed calls from Octavia, three from Roan and seven from Jasper. Deciding he'd had enough of sulking in the woods, he turned back and headed towards the camp.
The fresh air was comforting for Bellamy. He loved being outside. He felt free. Being surrounded by nature had always brought a sense of calmness over Bellamy. He couldn't explain it, but he felt more relaxed than he had a few hours ago. He'd had enough time to cool off and now he wanted to make things right with Clarke. He just hoped that Clarke would forgive him.
Some time into the journey, Bellamy caught the brief smell of smoke. He figured he must be closer to camp than he realised. If there was still a camp fire lit, that meant someone was still awake. Bellamy hoped it was Clarke. He knew how much she loved the peace of a camp fire out in the open.
His peace quickly turned to panic as he drew closer to camp. The smoke became thicker and Bellamy could see the glow of orange. But the glow was bigger than it should be. Something was wrong.
Bellamy took off in a sprint towards the camp. He jumped over fallen trees, ducked under low hanging branches and dodged the tree roots that protruded out the ground. The forest edge was blackened by smoke. Placing his arm across his nose and mouth, Bellamy ran into camp. He found Octavia, Lincoln and Roan running around the burning camp.
"O! What happened? Where is everyone?" Bellamy yelled.
"The wind blew towards the tents, one of the branches must have blown out or something. The others got to safety." Octavia sobbed. Her skin was darkened by the smoke.
"It's okay O. Everyone's safe!" Bellamy pulled her into tight hug.
"Bell.." Octavia looked at Bellamy helplessly. "We can't find Clarke. The fire hit her tent first. Roan tried to check and he thinks she got out but we can't tell for sure."
Bellamy felt his heart drop to his stomach. There was a chance that Clarke got out and was already at the car waiting. But there was also a chance that she didn't. Clarke would never leave her friends like this unless she had no choice. Bellamy's lungs closed in on him. Breathing became too hard for him. He wasn't sure if it was from the smoke or the fact that his girlfriend could be lying dead in a tent that was engulfed in flames. Either way, Bellamy's head was spinning.
"No." A simple whisper left Bellamy's mouth. He shook his head. Clarke couldn't die. He hadn't told her how sorry he was or how much he loved her. The last thing he'd said to her was out of anger and frustration.
"We're trying to find her Bell. Monty and Murphy are calling the fire brigade now. There's too much smoke." Octavia cried.
"Octavia get out of here. It's too dangerous!" Lincoln called from the other side of camp.
"I'm not leaving without her!" Octavia yelled back.
"Lincoln and Octavia, both of you get out! Bellamy, try calling Clarke again!" Roan ordered.
Bellamy pulled out his phone as Lincoln dragged Octavia away. Bellamy groaned in frustration as it went straight to voicemail. Either her phone was switched off or it had died. He had no way to contact Clarke.
"CLARKE!" Bellamy yelled as loud as he could. He spun around slowly, looking into the trees as far as he could see in the smoke.
"Bellamy it's no good. We can't do anything until the fire is out!" Roan yelled.
"You are not suggesting we give up?!" Bellamy said, outraged that Roan would even think he would leave.
"There's too much smoke and the fire is spreading! Clarke's probably already out! She could be looking for you!" Roan argued.
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm leaving here without her!" Bellamy yelled.
"And you're out of your mind if you think I'm gonna leave you here to die!" Roan growled as he pulled Bellamy away.
Bellamy fought Roan off as much as he could but it was no use. The hours of walking had tired him out. Eventually, Bellamy stopped struggling and with a guilty conscience, let Roan pull him away.
As they walked away, Bellamy heard a faint shout in the distance.
"Bellamy!"
Bellamy's head spun around to find the source of the noise.
"Clarke?" Bellamy yelled out to the forest.
"Bellamy!" This time the voice was louder.
"Clarke?! Where are you?" Bellamy called out. The smoke was thinning out now and Bellamy could see further than before.
"Bellamy!" Clarke's voice became clearer.
Bellamy turned again to see a figure dashing towards him. He only just had time to see the fear and relief in her eyes as she dived into him. Bellamy caught her instantly, lifting her off the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Oh thank god." Bellamy sighed. His grip was like iron around her waist. She smelt of smoke and burnt wood, but she was alive.
"I thought I lost you." Clarke sobbed into the crook of his neck.
"I'm here. I got you." Bellamy whispered.
He set her on the ground and placed each of his hands on either side of her face. He let his eyes scan her face, inspecting for any injuries. Once he was satisfied she was unharmed, he crashed his lips to hers.
"I'm so sorry Clarke." Bellamy said desperately, his hands still on her face.
"Sshhh. Stop it. I don't care about that anymore. I'm just glad your safe." Clarke smiled through her tears.
"Don't scare me like that again." Bellamy breathed out, pulling her close again.
Bellamy held on to her as tight as he was physically able. He was pretty sure he was crushing the air out of her lungs from holding her so tightly. But she was here, she was safe, she was with him, where she belonged.