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They were fucked.
It was supposed to be an easy trip, just a couple of hours after noon to explore their surroundings. One minute they were good and the next everything went straight to hell. Bellamy saw the arrows striding to them before it hit one of the guys. Then chaos erupted.
The guy, Mason or Mike, something with an M, he didn't remember, lay in the ground with the arrow sticking out from his head. He saw Jasper a couple of trees at his right and Octavia was with him. He relaxed for a brief moment, her sister was okay. But that didn't last long, Spacewalker wasn't within easy view, neither were Reyes and Clarke. He wanted to go looking for them but he still heard feet pounding on the dirt, the rustling of leaves. Octavia tried to stand up and a new arrow flew past her head.
"Stay down!" he hissed.
"We need to find the others!" she intended to stand up again but Jasper yanked her against him when more arrows passed their tree.
"Damn O! Just wait and we'll go looking for them!"
It was a lost cause. When they heard a cry of pain in the distance, Octavia was up and running within seconds, Jasper following her closely. Bellamy swore loudly and ran, arrows and spears flying towards them. He hissed when one grazed his left cheek. A couple of minutes later, though it felt like hours, they found the others. Spacewalker had his back to them, leaning on his knees and breathing heavily. Clarke was on the ground, a large stick emerging from her leg; Raven was at her side looking grim, some blood smeared across her face.
Octavia rushed to them, her knees colliding on the ground next to the girls.
"What happened?"
"We lost sight of you when the Grounders attacked," Raven started. "We were heading to the camp when something hit us. I don't even know what the fuck it was but it was big enough that we all stumbled to the ground and-Wait, where's Mike?"
"He's dead."
"Shit."
"Yeah, and we'll keep losing people if we're this careless." Finn said, throwing a look at Bellamy.
Bellamy just ignored him, "You okay there, Princess?"
"Does it look like I am?" she hissed.
"Well I don't know, maybe you enjoy chilling in the woods." he smirked when the three girls looked at him murderously, he was going to say something more when he noticed the blonde was trembling.
"We need to take that out." he said, stating the obvious.
"No!" Clarke cried when the sudden movement of her body drove the spear in her leg deeper.
"We don't have time for this, Princess. We need to go back to the camp as soon as possible and with something this big sticking up from your leg, we can't."
"I hate to agree with him but he's right, Clarke," Finn spoke above them. "We're not safe here. We don't know if there are still Grounders waiting to strike again."
"We need to get the shit out of here." Raven agreed. She was bleeding from her forehead but she seemed okay. Maybe she hit something when they fell.
Clarke closed her eyes for a moment, she didn't know if removing the spear would cause more damage or not and she was growing weaker by the moment. What if it was poisoned too? Well then she was truly fucked because Finn barely made it last time and that was because of the Grounder they’ve held prisoner. Now? Now they didn't have any antidote if that was the case so she just hoped that it only was a stupid piece of wood. When she opened them again, everyone was looking at her expectantly. She nodded.
"I'll need steady hands. I don't want to risk the wound getting worse."
Finn stepped forward but she shook her head. His wound wasn't healed completely and that would cause his stitches to reopen. They couldn't afford that at the moment. She looked at Raven but before she could say something, Bellamy spoke.
"I'll do it."
Octavia barely moved to the side when Bellamy kneeled next to her. She looked at him, he was inspecting the wound, touching the edges. Clarke exhaled sharply, pain radiating from the leg. He looked at her, murmuring an audible "Sorry" and saw blue eyes barely holding back tears. Bellamy contemplated the best way to take it out without being too painful but it would be impossible. It was going to hurt either way. He sensed Spacewalker boring holes at his head and smirked for a fraction of a second.
"Hold her." he commanded to Reyes.
He grabbed the spear with both hands and started to remove it slowly, the girl's body spasmed under him and she grabbed his jacket. Bellamy looked at her for a second, she was gripping him strongly and the unshed tears were now falling down her cheeks. He gritted his teeth and pulled the damn stick all the way out. He saw Jasper tearing some piece of cloth from her damaged trousers and putting pressure on the leg. Clarke leaned towards him, her hand still on his jacket and her head landing on his chest.
"Hey, come on." he nudged her. She barely moved.
"We need to hurry, it'll be dark soon." Octavia stated looking at the sky.
"I'll carry her."
The words came from Spacewalker and Bellamy felt Clarke tensing up. Raven frowned at her boyfriend. Jasper and Octavia stayed silent at the display in front of them.
"You can't, you're still injured." Raven said.
"I'm good. I'll just support her. It won't be hard."
"No."
Everyone looked at her when Clarke spoke. Breathing with difficulty and with her forehead pearled with sweat, she was making her best effort to stay awake. She didn't want Finn to hold her. He had no right. Raven was here and he still was acting like they still had something. Whatever the thing they've had it was long gone. He hadn't been honest with her and she made it clear in his tent a couple of days ago.
"Guys, I don't care about your love problems. We need to go, now." Octavia said, and she and Jasper got up.
Bellamy sighed, she was right. This wasn't the time and they needed to get back to camp before the sun was gone. He looked down at Clarke and saw her blinking rapidly, trying to stay awake. She was still trembling.
"Somebody help me to put her on my back."
Finn looked straight at him, his mouth a thin line and a tick appearing in his jaw. Octavia steadied Clarke with Jasper's help and both of them tried to put her on Bellamy's back without touching her injured leg. Bellamy put her arms around his neck and carefully lifted her up, holding her leg warily.
"Let's go."
Clarke was in an out of consciousness as they walked quickly through the forest. Bellamy's back was warm against her and she burried her head on his shoulder, sighing tiredly. He felt her breath ghosting his cheek and held her closer. When he felt Clarke sagging against him he jolted her.
"Stay awake, Princess."
She grunted something but kept her eyes closed. They weren't that far from camp, the lights of torches glowing in the distance. They still needed to attend the wound before getting infected. Bellamy looked at her sister and Jasper, both of them had some cuts and scrapes but nothing too bad. Spacewalker seemed okay aside from the old wound still healing in his left side. He kept glancing back as if making sure Bellamy hadn't dropped the girl to leave her to death. He smirked at him everytime, enjoying the hell out of it. Raven was leading the way, she maybe needed some stitches because that wound on her forehead looked nasty. But right now their priority was the blonde girl.
When they arrived at camp Monty hurried towards them, some of the kids clearing at their pass.
"What happened?!" the guy demanded.
"Not now. We need to treat Clarke, she's injured."
They entered what they'd improvised as an infirmary these past weeks and put the girl carefully on the metal table. All of the supplements they've gathered were there, among other plants and things only Clarke and Monty knew. Dammit. Their best doctor was now on the table they used for the injured ones.
"Princess, we need you here," he snapped his fingers in front of her face. Still no answer. "Clarke."
She blinked slowly at him, she was paler than she was in the woods. Octavia was removing her jacket and frowned when she touched her skin.
"Bell, she's burning."
He put his hand on his forehead and realized his sister was right. Clarke was burning up, a fever probably. Raven inhaled sharply behind them.
"Finn had a fever when he was injured. Clarke said it was because of the poison."
They remained silent at the news. If the girl was poisoned they would be really fucked. They didn't have anything for that and the last time Spacewalker nearly died. Bellamy was angry, he wanted to punch someone, or something. He startled when Clarke grabbed his shirt, her knuckles grazing his collarbone. He looked down at her and she sagged against him again. Speaking softly, she said:
"It's not. Poisonous. Or I hope. If it were I'd had symptoms back in the woods."
Bellamy steadied her, turning to the others he told Reyes to take care of her injury and Octavia and Jasper to go to rest. Spacewalker hovered at the entrance, turned between following his girl or staying there. Finally he walked out. He sighed and looked back at the blonde.
"Bellamy,"
He perked up at his name, Monty was next to him, a needle in one hand and some kind of strand in the other. He nodded at the boy as he sterelized his hands and began to thread the wound. Clarke twitched, whimpering at the sudden pain. Bellamy put his hand on her back, it was big and warm, and Clarke relaxed a little. After that trip the other day, and the talk with Jaha, things between them were different. They sure were allies now, partners maybe. Ruling the camp together. Some kind of kingdom. She chuckled slightly and he looked at her with a puzzling face and amusement in his eyes. That made it more hilarious and she almost laughed if it weren't for Monty ending his work. When she groaned, Bellamy moved his hand to her neck, squeezing. She then lifted her hand and touched the scarred skin on his cheek, looking concerned.
"It's nothing." he assured her.
She lowered her hand, not looking so sure and Bellamy smiled at her. Monty put some gauze on her injury, just to make sure the wound wouldn't get infected.
"I think she'll be okay, but she needs to rest now. Some sleep will be good," Monty said.
"Thanks, Monty." She patted his check affectionately.
He smiled and turned to wash his hands and reorganize the things. Clarke was so tired, she only wanted to sleep forever. Bellamy sensed that and mandhandling her, he picked her up in his arms and began to walk to his tent. Octavia intercepted him in his way.
"Will she be okay?"
"Yeah. Just needs to rest."
"And you're bringing her to your tent because?" she quirked an eyebrow. A gesture it was so painfully familiar he ached for their lost mother.
"Because nobody will come asking for her there."
"Keep telling yourself that, bro." She smirked knowingly.
"Octavia."
"Bellamy."
He just shook his head at her and she laughed carefree, then marched towards his tent and once he was in he deposited the girl on the makeshift bed. She muttered something under her breath, those blue eyes glowing in the dark. He pushed her hair back from her face and Clarke sighed contently, turning her cheek in his palm. She never thought Bellamy would be this kind, strong hands caressing her. She wanted to burrow herself on his chest. Clarke was probably delirious, maybe poisoned, that would explain those thoughts.
"Go to sleep, Clarke."
She closed her eyes. It still was something new that Bellamy would call her by her name instead of that stupid nickname. But the way he pronounced it always sent sparks through her body. And that was something that didn't happen with Finn. Bellamy stood there a couple more minutes and when she was completely asleep, he exited his tent to take some fresh air.
He was starting to care for the Princess and that was going to be a weakness.