Work Text:
1.
“Clarke!” he called.
“Oh thank god,” Monty heard Clarke muttered as she crushed him in a hug.
He heard Jasper come up behind them.
Clarke released him and grabbed Jasper into another bone crushing hug.
She let Jasper go and said breathlessly, “Finn and Bellamy?”
Monty looked at Jasper, before Jasper said softly, “Clarke, they didn’t make it.”
And just for a moment, Monty saw the grief in her eyes before she said sternly, “We don’t know that.”
Clarke took a deep breath before she said, “What about Raven?”
Monty glanced at Jasper again, Jasper’s eyes looked sad for the first time at Mount Weather.
*
“She said, ‘Not all of us,’” Jasper whispered to him later that night, “She was practically crying.”
Monty glanced over where Clarke was drawing. He knew she was torn up about all the people they lost but this just wasn’t like her.
“You don’t think this is all because of Finn? Do you?” Monty asked quietly.
Jasper shrugged, “I don’t know, I think it’s about him and Bellamy.”
Monty looked back at Jasper. He looked good, healthy. They all did, Mount Weather had been kind to them. And Clarke couldn’t see it, she just saw enemies.
“She and Bellamy were close,” Monty said, hesitating before adding, ““Do you think something was going on between them?”
Jasper furrowed his brow, “No, there couldn’t be. She was with Finn.”
“It’s possible to love two people at the same time, Jas,” Monty pointed out.
“But we would know about her and Bellamy,” Jasper argued, “Wouldn’t we?”
Monty looked back to where Clarke was, she was frowning at the paper.
“Yeah, we would know,” he said, not really believing his own words.
2.
“Miller!” Monty heard Clarke say.
Monty watched as a small, almost sad smile grace Clarke’s face as she said, “I’m glad you’re ok.”
Monty looked back at his book. He was glad Clarke was putting aside her investigation of Mount Weather, at least for now. He didn’t look up until he heard someone clear their throat in front of him.
“Hey,” Miller said easily.
Monty raised an eyebrow, “Hey,” he said slowly.
“Glad to see you’re doing ok,” Miller said as he rocked back and forth on his feet.
“You too,” Monty replied.
“So Clarke, how’s she been doing with everything?” Miller asked.
Monty set his book down. He glanced around the room, making sure Clarke wasn’t in the room with them.
“She’s been ok,” Monty said cautiously, “She’s been keeping to herself mostly.”
Miller nodded knowingly, “It’s just, with what happened at the dropship, I thought she would, you know, bad. “
Monty raised both his eyebrows, “Clarke’s a strong person, Miller.”
Miller snorted, “I know she’s strong. She’s the strongest person I know. But, sometimes, with losing a person you love.”
Miller trailed off, his eyes looking guilty.
“Clarke will get through Finn’s death, and she’ll be stronger than ever,” Monty said reassuringly.
“I wasn’t talking about Finn,” Miller said quickly, “I was talking about, you know what? Never mind. I’ll see you at dinner Monty, I hear we are having cake tonight.”
Miller left Monty alone with his book.
Clarke couldn’t have, could she?
Oh god, but if she did.
Monty shut down those thoughts, there was no sense in trying to figure out which dead man Clarke loved.
Because at the end of the day, Bellamy and Finn, and so many others, were dead, no ifs, ands, or buts about it
3.
“Its password protected,” Miller pointed out.
“We’ll see about that,” Monty said smugly as he started to type
“And they said we wouldn’t amount to anything,” Miller said chuckling.
A few minutes after typing away, Monty was in.
He searched the computer while the others bickered over what to steal.
Monty didn’t even realize what he clicked on until it popped in front of them.
“Um, guys?” he said, “I think you might want to take look at this.”
Monty pointed at the screen where it showed multiple pictures, one of a very alive Bellamy and Clarke clutching each other in a hug.
“They’re alive,” Jasper breathed.
“They’ve been lying to us,” Miller muttered.
“Still think nothing is going on between them, Jasper?” Monty said smirking.
“Shut up, Monty, this means nothing,” Jasper argued, “Obviously, they are both happy to see each other alive.”
“Sure,” Monty said sarcastically.
“Are you two seriously arguing about this?” Miller asked, “Right now?”
“Yeah, right now,” Monty said, “But we’ll postpone the in depth conversation for a later day, maybe when we’re not in danger of having all of our blood drained from our bodies.”
“Oh thank you, Monty. Thanks for putting aside whether Bellamy and Clarke are fucking for the sake of our own lives,” Miller said sarcastically.
“You’re welcome, Nathan,” Monty said just as sarcastically, “And I never said I thought they were fucking.”
Miller rolled his eyes and shoved him off the chair, Monty landed on the floor with a thump.
Jasper’s laughing so hard, and even Miller cracks a smile. Monty starts to laugh with them, and just for a second everything is good.
4.
“How many are there?” Monty heard someone yell. He felt hand push him forward, through the gate. Faces passed by Monty in a blur, he thought he heard someone yell his name, but he couldn’t focus. Where was Jasper? Miller? This was the Ark, where was everyone? Why are there grounders here?
All he could think about was the blood, so much blood.
Harper, oh god Harper. His fault, it was his plan and Harper got killed for it.
“Monty!”
Ok, that’s definitely his name. Monty turned around just in time to see Bellamy and Clarke making their way toward him.
“Oh thank god,” Clarke muttered, pulling him into hug, reminding him of her hug at Mount Weather.
“We didn’t see you at the rescue,” Clarke said, “I thought, I thought maybe it was too late.”
“The grounders got me out, why are the grounders helping us?” Monty asked, “Clarke, what’s going on? Where is Miller and Jasper? What about Finn? And Raven? Is everyone alright?”
Clarke released him from her hug, her eyes suddenly glassy, and then Monty couldn’t breathe right.
“Is Jasper dead?” Monty chocked out, “Is Nathan?”
“They’re alive, they’re fine,” Bellamy said reassuringly, “We have a treaty with the grounders, and I’ll explain the rest later, with the others. For now, you need to go to medical and get checked out.”
Monty nodded, before he went off, he said softly, “It’s good to see you guys, I thought, for a moment, you were gone.”
Clarke looked like she was about to break down in tears. Bellamy clapped a hand on Monty’s shoulder, “It’s good to see you too, kid.”
And Monty might be going insane but he thought, maybe, Bellamy’s voice was a little thick. Monty just nodded once more before heading toward the medical area.
He glanced behind him and saw Bellamy fold his arms around Clarke, who looked like she was full on crying now. Monty saw Bellamy press his lips to Clarke’s head as her arms wrapped around Bellamy’s waist.
Monty smiled slightly at the scene.
+ 1.
Once, Monty dreamed of earth, of a better life. They all did, everyone in the Ark had a dream of the ground. The ground was the dream. Whenever Monty felt alone or upset or anything, he dreamed he was on the ground. On the ground, he thought life would be better.
He was a fool. They all were.
The ground wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.
Bellamy had gathered him, Miller, and Jasper.
“Finn’s dead, Clarke killed him,” Bellamy said.
Jasper laughed nervously, a nervous habit he had since they were kids, “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Bellamy sighed and explained everything, how they couldn’t have a truce as long as Finn was around, how they tried to protect, to save him. But in the end, Clarke went over to the grounder camp to save him from a painful death.
“How’s Raven?” Miller asked cautiously, “I mean, she can’t be, Finn was all she had.”
Bellamy looked at the ground, “Raven’s grieving, she needs time. We all do.”
Monty turned his eyes out the medical area, he wondered if Clarke knew Bellamy was telling them this.
“Just, whatever you guys do, don’t mention Finn to Clarke or Raven. And don’t you dare call Clarke ‘princess’, ok?” Bellamy said sternly, staring them all down like he used when they first landed.
They all nodded. Bellamy departed the medical tent.
Jasper sniffed loudly and rubbed his eyes.
“Makes you almost miss Mount Weather, doesn’t it?” Miller said flatly.
Monty laughed humorlessly, “Just for a moment, yeah. I do.”
Monty threw an arm around Jasper’s shoulder, “Come Jas, let’s see if we can dig up some chocolate cake.”
*
It wasn’t until later that night that Monty noticed it.
Miller had found some old moonshine and Monty had gathered Octavia, Bellamy, Clarke and a few others.
They all started drinking and drinking and drinking.
By the time the moon was high in the sky, most of them were passed out. Bellamy was pulling out blankets and covering the passed out teenagers.
Monty was on the verge of unconsciousness when he heard Bellamy say, “C’mon Clarke, give me the bottle.”
“No way, Blake,” Clarke slurred, “I’m keeping this one.”
“Clarke, you’re drunk and sad. Just give me the bottle,” Bellamy pressed as he sat down next to her on the ground.
Bellamy reached over her and took the bottle from her hands, “You need to sleep,” he said softly, in such a un-Bellamy like tone of voice.
“I can’t sleep, if I sleep I’ll dream. And if I dream, I’ll see Finn and I don’t want to see Finn,” Clarke said.
“Clarke,”
“Does it ever get easier? Do the dreams ever go away?” she asked tearfully.
Monty couldn’t see Bellamy’s face, but he knew what he looked like.
Sad, guilty, mournful, like he always did when he remembered the culling.
“No, they don’t,” Bellamy said quietly.
“How do you live, Bell? How do you sleep every night?”
“You find someone to think of, to keep all the darkness away, someone to hold onto,” Bellamy said, “Someone to protect you.”
“Is Octavia that for you?” Clarke asked.
“Yeah, O’s that for me,” Bellamy said softly.
Monty watched quietly as Bellamy wrapped an arm around Clarke.
“I’ll protect you, Clarke,” he said.
“Will you?” Clarke murmured into his shoulder.
“Always, Clarke, always,” Bellamy promised.
Monty watched as Clarke relaxed into Bellamy. And before long, both of the two leaders were asleep.
They might not know it, or maybe they did, but Monty knows something’s up.
And he knows what it is.