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“Bellamy I can step over a rock by myself,” Clarke says, pushing away her husband’s hand.
He sighs and shakes his head, “Why did I let you convince me to take you out here...”
“Because I am not letting you keep me locked up in that camp for another day, I’ve had it with you.”
“I didn’t lock you up.”
She stops walking and raises her eyebrows, which Nelson thinks it just the funniest thing because he starts giggling in his father’s arms. “Bel, I haven’t left the camp in months. I’m pregnant, not dying.”
“I don’t need to remind you that you are eight months pregnant, Princess. It’s not safe for any of us out here, let alone you. I know you’re stubborn, but we have two other lives to think about.”
“We’re just going on a walk, Bellamy,” she says, taking his hand in her own and offering him a small smile. “Look, we can even see the camp from here.”
Bellamy looks down at her with a look that says he is not having her bullshit today. Everyone now lives near the Ark since their old camp was nowhere near big enough to house everyone that came down with the Ark. And the Ark is huge, sticking out of the ground and reaching high into the sky like it didn’t want to leave it’s home. So of course they can see it where they are. You can practically see the Ark from miles away.
Clarke just giggles and keeps walking. “We’ll head back in a few minutes when it’s time for someone’s nap,” she tells him.
“I most certainly do not need a nap,” Bellamy says, turning to Nelson. “Nelson do I need a nap?”
“No mommy,” he says.
“Mommy does need a nap,” Clarke agrees.
They walk for a few more minutes before Nelson starts to squirm and demands to be put down. He walks between his parents, his little arms reaching up above his head as he holds their hands and tugs them along.
It's nice to be out of the camp. Clarke wasn’t exaggerating when she said she hasn’t left the camp in months. She knows that Bellamy is trying to do what is best for their baby, but she misses being out of the camp. She misses feeling the grass brush against her legs since the ground in camp is mostly dirt. She misses the shade of the trees and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. She has been helping a lot in the med tent back at camp, but it’s nice to take a break and just be a mom and a wife right now.
Although she sees where Bellamy is coming from, she just needs a break. With Nelson, they were at war and there wasn’t much else she could do. She had to help out even though she was pregnant. Earth and war wait for no woman. But now the camp is thriving, there is peace with the grounders and no need for her to be as active as she was during her first pregnancy. Clarke just hates not being able to do what she wants to do. And she figures one half an hour walk won’t hurt the baby.
When Nelson starts rubbing at his eyes, they know it’s time to head back to camp.
By the time they reach the gates, Nelson is half asleep with his head resting on Bellamy’s chest. Bellamy goes to their cabin to put Nelson in his bed and because Clarke knows her husband, he’s not going to put Nelson in his bed. Bellamy is going to lay down with him in their bed and take a nap too.
So Clarke heads over to Octavia’s cabin to talk with her.
“I don’t know how you deal with my brother all day,” Octavia says when she gets there, stepping aside to let Clarke in.
She walks over to the big chair in the corner of the room and plops down, “I don’t know either. But he looks pretty cute holding our son so I think I’ll keep him around.”
Octavia laughs and drags another chair across the room to sit with Clarke. “How are you feeling?” she asks.
“Big,” Clarke answers. That’s what she says whenever someone asks now, because she doesn’t feel like saying she’s tired as hell most of the time or that her feet ache after she stands for more than ten seconds.
“Lincoln says this one is a girl, you know...” Octavia tells her with a mischievous smile. She is still hoping for a niece.
“How would he know that?”
“He says you’re carrying low, whatever that means,” she replies with a shrug. “Are you guys still arguing over names?”
Clarke groans, “Yes, and now he’s taken to suggesting random nouns when he doesn’t like my suggestions. The other day he said we should name the baby Ocean.”
“We have never even been to the ocean...”
“That’s what I said! He just told me that Ocean is better than Elliot.”
“Well it’s a girl so either way that wouldn’t have worked,” Octavia says.
“You could name a girl Elliot, call her Ellie.”
“Okay that is actually adorable,” Octavia smiles. “Ellie Blake... I love it. And now we are two against one so we can overrule my brother.”
“We can get Nelson on our side too. Bel can’t say no to all three of us.”
Octavia stands to give Clarke a high five just as Lincoln walks into the cabin.
“Oh we can get Lincoln too,” Octavia says when she sees him.
“What am I being volunteered for?” he asks.
“We’re teaming up against my husband to win the war of the baby name,” Clarke explains.
“Well what is this name we’re fighting for?”
“Elliot,” Octavia chirps.
Lincoln considers for a moment, “I like it.”
Clarke stays in the cabin for a while longer, not realizing that hours have passed until Bellamy and Nelson stumble inside.
Bellamy takes one look at his sister and narrows his eyes at her, “What did you do, O?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she smirks.
Nelson runs over to his aunt and climbs onto her lap, telling her all about every little thing he saw on his walk today. Bellamy crosses the room to sit on the floor beside Clarke’s chair.
“Why does she look so smug?” he asks.
“Because we are so gonna win,” Clarke tells him.
“Win what? I had no idea there was even something to win...”
“This child is going to be named Elliot and there is nothing you can do about it.”
Bellamy narrows his eyes, “This means war, Princess.”
“Bring it on.”
---
Bellamy is on guard duty and Clarke is at the med tent, so Nelson stays with his aunt for the day. By the time Bellamy stops by for lunch, Octavia has taught Nelson to say ‘Elliott’ and now he's screaming the name as he runs around the cabin.
“Nelson,” Bellamy says when his son finally settled down in his lap to eat. “Can you say ‘ocean’?”
“No,” he replies, shoving a slice of apple into his mouth. Octavia fails to hide her laughter after that.
---
It's a particularly hot day in the middle of summer that has everyone in the camp in a fowl mood. Nelson wouldn't settle down for his nap and is cranky for the rest of the afternoon and Clarke is already hot and sweaty enough without it being at least 90 degrees outside.
“You know the one thing I miss about the Ark?” she asks. She and Bellamy are sitting in their cabin after dinner. Thankfully it's a bit cooler now that the sun is starting to set, but not much cooler. Clarke has a wet rag wrapped around her neck and it's not doing much to cool her down. Around lunchtime, Bellamy had to tie her hair up to keep it from sticking to her neck because of all the sweat.
“What's that?”
“Climate control,” she tells him.
“I bet it's cooler in the ocean.”
“I will murder you,” she deadpans.
---
They're not fighting a war this time, but it's been raining for hours with no sign of letting up anytime soon.
A drizzle would be no problem, even a welcome relief from all the heat. But this rain is of biblical proportions.
Raven is hiding out with Clarke in the cabin, completely oblivious to the way Clarke keeps checking her watch as she rants about all the problems they're facing with the generators.
But then she has a particularly bad contraction and is unable to hide her pained gasp. Raven is on her instantaneously, eyes wide as she asks Clarke if she's okay.
“Oh I'm fine. Just in labor. No big deal,” Clarke tells her.
“I'll go get Bellamy,” Raven says, already at the door. “And your mom.”
By the time the three of them race into the cabin- dripping water everywhere- Clarke is pacing in the bedroom. Bellamy rushes over to her and grabs her hand.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Walking,” she says. “It helps.”
“Well you should have waited until I got here. You're gonna fall over.”
“I am not,” she says, leaning on him for support as another contraction comes.
“Oh yeah what was I thinking,” Bellamy says sarcastically.
“Where's Nelson?”
“He's still with Jasper and Monty. They were all playing in the greenhouse last time I checked,” he replies.
---
It's the middle of the night now and the rain is still going strong. So is Clarke's labor.
“Shouldn't the second one come easier?” Clarke whines.
“Am I supposed to have an answer to that?” Abby asks.
“Glad you can still joke around, mom,” Clarke says, rolling her eyes.
“It been hours,” Bellamy says. “Are we sure everything is okay?”
“Everything is fine. This baby is just taking its sweet time,” Abby reassures him.
“Yeah and I'm about to cut her out of there if she doesn't get a sense of urgency,” Clarke snaps.
“That's a little dramatic, Princess,” Bellamy says.
“Get out!” Clarke says to him through her teeth.
Bellamy looks to Abby who seems to be biting back a smile.
“Now Bellamy!” Clarke shouts. He slowly walks out of the bedroom. “Send in Octavia,” Clarke adds. “This isn't funny, mom.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“Yeah well Octavia has done this before so I don't need you in here,” Clarke tells her, dropping her head back onto her pillow as more waves of pain wash over her.
“Yes you do,” Abby says gently.
“I don't know what you did to my brother, but this is funny as hell,” Octavia says as she enters the room.
It's another hour before Abby is telling Clarke to push. Bellamy was allowed back into the room about twenty minutes ago and Clarke glared at him as he walked back in before reaching for his hand. Clarke sags into the bed once she hears a tiny wail above the rain still pounding on the roof.
Abby places the baby on Clarke's chest, wrapped in a soft blanket that Octavia made.
“I think she looks like an Elliot,” Bellamy says, placing a kiss to Clarke's temple.
“You bet your ass she does,” Clarke replies. Bellamy has no room to argue with her anymore, not after the work it took to get this little girl here. “Elliot Ocean.”
“She's beautiful,” Octavia says.
Raven comes in, well really Nelson drags her into the room once he sees his parents. He stops short when he sees the baby, walking the rest of the way to the bed very slowly. Bellamy lifts him up to sit beside Clarke and he stares at his new sister with a mixture of confusion and awe.
“Nelson, this is Elliot. She's your baby sister,” Bellamy tells him.
“She's small,” Nelson announces.
“She was in mommy's tummy,” Clarke says, laughing when he looks at her like she's crazy. “Can you tell her hello?”
“Hi Elliot,” he says, placing a kiss to her forehead. Elliot grunts and shifts in her mother's arms. “I love her,” Nelson decides.
“That's good, little man. She loves you too,” Clarke says.
“Mommy and Elliot have to rest, Nelson. Your going to go get some breakfast with Auntie Raven, okay?” Bellamy says, lifting Nelson off the bed and setting him down on the floor.
At the mention of food, Nelson is out the door in no time and his parents laugh as Raven chases after him.
Bellamy sits on the bed beside Clarke, smiling down at Elliot. “We're on our way to that herd of kids, Princess.”
Clarke can't help but smile too, “Yeah, we are.”