[edited 8 January 2017]

•••

eyes landing on his younger sister. Her face was blank, hands folded in her lap as she stared straight ahead. Bellamy skipped the last run of the ladder, dropping to the ground and asking, "You're still here?"

"I'm not moving until you let me up there to see him." She said simply.

Bellamy's jaw worked, and he responded, "Get comfortable." Octavia threw a glance in his direction, and he shook his head, licking his lips. "I let him live, isn't that enough?"

Octavia leaned forwards, speaking in disbelief, "He saved my life! And yours!"

"I know you see it that way–"

"That's the way it is!" Octavia cut him off.

Bellamy sighed, "He's still dangerous."

"Only because of what you did."

"Whatever twisted connection you think you have with that animal, forget it. You don't get to see him, end of conversation." Bellamy barked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading towards the door of the drop ship.

"Why do you even care if I ruined your life?" Octavia asked sarcastically, "You should want me to go up there, maybe you'll get lucky and he'll kill me. Problem solved."

Bellamy closed his eyes in annoyance, muttering, "Octavia, you know I didn't mean that."

Octavia remained silent, signalling it was the end of the conversation, and Bellamy turned back towards the door. The flap was pulled aside and Clarke stepped inside, breathing, "Bellamy."

"That answer is still no," he said firmly, "I am not talking to Jaha."

He walked outside, trotting down the ramp. Clarke followed him, calling, "Hey, relax. That's not why I'm looking for you."

"What then?" Bellamy asked rudely.

"The Ark found some records that show a supplies depo not too far from here."

Bellamy thought for a moment, an idea coming to mind. He tilted his head, murmuring, "What kind of supplies?"

"The kind that might give us the chance to live through winter." Clarke deadpanned. "I was going to go and check it out, but I don't want to leave Finn in case things go bad. I was thinking you and Raine could go."

"I haven't seen her all morning." Bellamy lied.

Clarke raised an eyebrow, turning and pointing at Raine, who was helping Monty and Jasper pack some nuts they had found. Her face was grim as she stuffed handfuls into small bags.

"I think she could use a distraction. I know she'll never admit it, but I think the whole 'speaking to the ark' thing has really shaken her up." Clarke continued.

Bellamy sighed, "Alright, fine."

Clarke grinned at him, shouting out Raine's name. The girl looked relieved as she jogged away from Jasper and Monty, standing next to Bellamy.

"Yeah?" She asked, eyeing Clarke.

Bellamy turned to her, saying sarcastically, "It's your lucky day, Mist. We're going on a day trip."

•••

Bellamy grabbed a handful of bags of nuts, stuffing them into his backpack. His eyes skirted around, checking to see if anyone was watching him. He picked up another packet, pausing for a moment before stuffing it into his back as well.

"That's a lot of rations." Bellamy jumped, turning the see Raine frowning at him. "I did hear you say day trip, didn't I?"

"A lot can happen in a day." He muttered vaguely, straightening up. Raine caught the feeling he was hiding something, but ignored it and began walking out of camp. Bellamy followed, casting one last look at the camp before following.

"Is something wrong?" Raine asked suddenly, startling Bellamy. She grabbed a nut and popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

He looked at her, "No. Why'd you think that?"

She readjusted her bag strap, saying, "I'm not an idiot, Bellamy. You haven't said anything in the past half hour and you keep looking around like you expect someone to jump out any minute."

"Am not." He defended himself childishly, placing a nut into his own mouth.

She threw a smirk over her shoulder, "Sure thing, Freckles. On a more serious note... the first ship's coming down in a month."

He watched as she stepped over a log, eating another nut. "What are you going to do about... you know?"

She shrugged, slowing down so he could match her step. "Hopefully I can just ignore her and she'll go away."

"She's still your mother, Mist."

Raine winced at the term, "She was never my mother, Bellamy. Mother's don't frame their children. What about you? You shot the Chancellor."

It was Bellamy's turn to wince now. "I was trying to protect Octavia. I only cared about protecting her."

"And now?" Raine questioned, glancing at him briefly, "Do you still only care about her?"

Bellamy was silent for a moment, before admitting, "Now, I'm not too sure. But I know that when the first ship comes down, they'll come looking for me, and they won't let me off with a slap on the wrist."

"You've done too much for us, though. They can't look past that." Raine said, not sure if she reassuring Bellamy or herself.

"I shot the man, Mist." Bellamy deadpanned, "They're not going to just forgive and forget."

"They will, because I don't know how Octavia could cope without you." She said, fiddling with her shirt.

He scoffed in response, "She hates me, Mist. She'd be better off without me."

"She's just angry. Give her time." Raine assured him.

"I don't have that much time." Bellamy muttered grimly, his thoughts drifting towards the reality that soon, the Ark would come down and he would be 'floated' for his crimes.

Raine nudged him playfully, "Stop being so negative. What crawled up your ass and died?"

Bellamy couldn't help but let out a small laugh, shaking his head at the girl. She smiled triumphantly at him, dimples appearing in her cheeks. The dimples made her appear a few years younger.

The pair climbed a small hill, revealing what looked like to be an old town. The middle of the area had been flooded, half of the buildings drowned. The few buildings that hadn't been swallowed were covered in a thick layer of grime, and a stench hung in the air.

Raine scrunched her nose up, "Clarke said it was around here?"

Bellamy nodded, pulling out a small piece of paper that Clarke had given him. He glanced at it briefly, trying to piece the shaky map together. "It should be around here somewhere. Look for a door or something. Stay in shouting distance." He instructed, placing his hand on her shoulder as he brushed past.

She nodded, watching as he trod away. Raine trotted down a steep slope, her shoes sinking into the mud and she grunted in distaste. She looked around, searching for any signs of a door or something of the like. Raine's eyes caught something, half hidden behind a bush, and she stepped forwards cautiously.

"Bellamy," she called, watching as the older boy poked his head over the hill, "I found something."

He made his way down the hill, stopping to stare at what Raine had found. Two metal handles protruded from a flat piece of metal, and when Raine brushed the bush aside, she came face to face with a door.

Raine wrapped her hands around one of the handles, attempting to tug the door open. When it wouldn't bug, she looked at Bellamy. "I think it is rusted shut."

He nodded, "Makes sense. Watch your foot."

He swung his axe down on the handle a few times, an echo spreading through the air. Both teens grabbed the handles, pulling with all their strength, and the door shifted. It groaned as they opened it, pushing the door to the side and peering downwards. A ladder descended down into the darkness.

"Ladies first?" Bellamy tried, throwing her a look.

She rolled her eyes, straightening up, "Okay, you big baby."

He smiled as he watched her descend, following in close pursuit. Raine was staring at a large sign that said 'Emergency Aid Depot #23'. She turned, pointing to the faded writing, "Twenty-three? There might be others."

"Maybe, but I don't think this place has been touched since the war." Bellamy spoke, pulling a flashlight out of his bag. He turned it on and handed it to Raine who thanked him in response.

They came to a staircase, Raine throwing an unsure glance over her shoulder. It looked like it would break if she stepped on it. Bellamy rolled his eyes, his face illuminated by the light of the torches. "Alright, I'll go first."

Bellamy brushed past her, making it down several steps before stopping. Raine peeked over his shoulder, her eyes widening as she took in the dead body. Their clothes had long since rotted, leaving only strips to cover their dirty bones. They were leaning haphazardly against the stair railing, and Bellamy muttered, "Lonely place to die."

They headed past the skeleton, coming to what looked like a large open area. Raine waved her torch around, seeing the spider webs and grime and moss. The stench was worse down here and she gagged, "So much for living down here. This place is disgusting."

"Anything left down here is rotted." Bellamy groaned in anger.

Raine looked at all of the empty containers, sighing, "They must have given most of the supplies away before the last bombs. Dammit."

Bellamy opened a nearby container, reaching in to grab a glow stick. Cracking it, he watched as it came to life and then skidded it along the floor. Raine opened another one, her eyes resting on several blankets. She grinned, "I found blankets!"

"You're excited over a couple of blankets?" Bellamy huffed.

Raine turned to frown at him, "It's something, Bellamy."

He slammed his container shut, yelling, "How about a canteen? Or a med kit? Or a decent fricking tent?"

Raine watched, confused, as he lashed out, kicking a drum over. The lid fell off, liquid spilling out, and something fell out of the drum clattering as it hit the ground. Bellamy frowned. Looking around the back of the drum, his eyes widened as he took in the rifles.

"Oh my god." He whispered, a smirk covering his face as he squatted next to them.

"What?" Raine asked, coming to stand behind Bellamy. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly at the sight.

Bellamy had a stupid grin on his face as he picked one up, holding it up to the light. "This changes everything."

•••

"No more running." Bellamy breathed, hanging a piece of red cloth with a giant X on it. Raine stood a few metres away, fiddling with the rifle. Bellamy grinned at her, popping a nut into his mouth, "No more spears and sticks and shit – ready to be a badass?"

Raine glanced at him, "You want to bring these back to camp?"

Bellamy ignored the question, continuing, "The fact that they were packed in grease means they survived. We're not sitting ducks anymore! You need to learn how to do this?"

"And you're going to teach me?" Raine asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

She was silent as she thought for a moment, looking over the gun in her hands. It was true – they were in desperate need of better weapons; half-assed blades made from drop ship metal weren't going to protect them forever. But that didn't mean she was going to welcome giving guns to everyone with open arms.

There was a reason the teens were bundled onto the drop ship. They were criminals. They had all done something terrible to get where they were today. Just like Bellamy... But he had proved to not only himself, but Raine and everyone else that actions don't necessarily define who you are as a person.

Raine gave a loud sigh, "Alright, fine. Just teach me how to shoot this damn thing."

She held it close to her, resting the butt of the rifle in the crook of her shoulder. It felt awkward and big in her hands, and she struggled to get a good grip on it. She shot a hopeful glance at Bellamy, "Do I just hold it like this?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Only if you want to do more damage to yourself than your enemy."

He stepped behind her, placing one hand on her back, just below her shoulder, and the other placed itself over her hand, gently pushing it upwards so it was in the right spot. Bellamy's skin was warm to the touch, and Raine prayed that he didn't see the goose bumps rising over her skin.

He went silent for a moment, taking in the curve of her jaw and the length of her eyelashes. He noticed how there was a tiny freckle on the edge of her jaw that he had never seen before. They stood there silently for a moment, each taking in each other, until Bellamy blinked, snapping back to reality.

"Ah, yeah." He coughed, dropping his hands, "That's good. Ah... watch and learn."

He reached for another gun, desperately needing something other than Raine to hold onto, and she lowered her gun to look at him. He raised his gun, aiming for the red cross, and pulled the trigger.

Raine was expecting a bang as the bullet flew out of the gun, but there was only a weak click, signalling that nothing had actually left the gun. Raine's mouth curved up into a smirk as she watched Bellamy send her an embarrassed glance.

He readied the gun again, squeezing the trigger, but there was only another pitiful click as the gun stalled. Raine tried to stifle her giggle but it slipped out, and she covered her hand with her mouth.

"I'm still watching." She laughed, a stupid grin on her face.

"My bullets are duds." Bellamy answered simply, lowering his gun. "Try yours."

"I wouldn't want to hurt your pride." Raine cooed mockingly, and the boy rolled his eyes.

Raine steadied her gun, swallowing the nerves that were swirling around inside of her. There was something about firing the gun that unnerved her. Maybe it was the fact that by pulling this trigger, she was finally going to have to accept that they were fighting a war. That, along the way, people were going to die and she was going to get hurt.

"Mist–"

The bang cut Bellamy off, and Raine watched as a bullet shot through the red material, leaving a hole in its path. Raine let out a deep breath she had been holding, turning to give him a crooked grin.

"You better watch out, Bellamy Blake. I know how to use a gun now." She puffed out her chest, and Bellamy struggled to fight the grin wanting to cover his face.

He shook his head in amusement, "I'm shaking in my boots. Try again."

She shook her head, "We shouldn't waste the bullets."

"You need to practice." He spoke.

"We need to figure out to keep everyone safe." She countered, and he rolled his eyes. "I know that you left Miller in charge of the grounder, which means you must try him, but I think he'll need supervision when using a gun."

He avoided her gaze, "He's fine, Mist. Tell Clarke to keep him close. The other's listen to him."

Raine frowned: there is was again. That feeling like he was keeping something from her. Bellamy continued to avoid her gaze, and she stepped in front of him, "Bellamy, what the hell is going on? You've been acting weird all day, and don't say you haven't. Why won't you look at me?"

Her voice was small at the end, hurt starting to seep through. Bellamy felt his heart chords give a tug, and he swallowed thickly. His eyes landed on the bag – only for a second – but Raine caught it. Her eyes narrowed as she figured it out, and when she did a small gasp let her lips.

"You're – you're leaving? You're going to run away and leave us to die? Bellamy!" she cried, and he finally looked at her. "You were going to load up on supplies and... disappear?"

"I don't have a choice." He managed, feeling horrible. Raine looked like a kicked puppy; her face was cast down in realisation and horror and betrayal. He knew that it was a bad idea inviting her along; she was one of the few things that made him want to stay. He had thought that if she came along he could convince himself to leave, but seeing her face made him want to throw the gun aside and promise never to leave her.

To protect her.

When he had first met her, gathering wood to build a tent, he had thought that she was stubborn and stupid. But then they were pushed together, and Bellamy learned that she wasn't what he had previously thought. She was loyal, and passionate, along with the sarcasm and cockiness. They came from such different backgrounds, yet they clicked. Like two missing puzzle pieces. He had wanted to come down, she was never meant to. He came down here willingly, and she was forced.

And now he was willing to leave and she was forced to watch him go.

Raine's hands trembled ever-so-slightly, and she blinked rapidly to fight the oncoming surge of angry tears threatening to pour out. Taking a shaky breath, she asked, "What about Octavia?"

"She hates me."

"You can still stay–"

"I shot the Chancellor!" he erupted, watching as she flinched. "They're gonna kill me, Raine."

It was one of the few times he had ever called her by her name, and it made Raine want to launch herself at him and hit him. He was using her name as a goodbye.

"What about me?" she whispered sadly.

He winced, "Keep practicing, I need some air."

A silent sob left her mouth as he dumped the gun, brushing past. She watched as he walked away, disappearing from her sight.

•••