Soulmate

4. From The Barrel

Clarke

She was examining one of the guns, checking the bullets as Bellamy had told her to, when he came back down the hall.

"And?" She asked hopefully, fed up with the dark room.

"And, the wind is still howling like a child having a tantrum!" Bellamy told her, smiling bitterly and she sighed.

"Great!" She said, putting the gun down.

"Ah come on, are you willing to tell me you arent starting to enjoy my comapany?" Bellamy asked with a grin, nudging her shoulder as he walked by.

"You wish!" She said sharply, unable to keep the smile from her lips. Luckily he had his back to her, she made sure her expression was stern when he turned back. "These bullets are good. These are not." She stated, pointing to her piles.

"Good work princess, you can do something!"

She ignored him and went to stand. He was suddenly at her side, holding her arm.

She looked up at him in shock and his eyes widened. It was in that moment she saw a chaotic mix of emotions and thoughts in those deep brown eyes of his, too many to sort through Clarke realised but she had a stiring feeling in her stomach, stiring with something like recognition. They were the same, she and him. They were the leaders of the camp. He had been ready to leave, but she wasnt ready to let him.

"What?" She snapped, pulling her face into a glare.

"Your foot. You need to sit." he said coldly and Clarke wanted to spit in his face. They weren't the same! He was a selfish dick-

"Im going to look for more guns." She said, cutting her own thoughts off and yanking her arm free of his grasp. She stumbled to her feet, wobbling slightly before hobbling out of the room.

She sighed as she turned on the torch, she could hear the storm screaming above her head.

"Why of all the people did he have to be the person down here? Stupid storm..." she was checking barrels and chests and she stopped muttering to herself when a sharp pang of worry set in. She was worried about the people back at camp, about rations, hoping they were keeping warm and safe.

She shook the thoughts off and kept looking but came up with nothing.

"Hold on."

Nothing except...she opened the keg like barrel and saw it was filled with liquid.

Clarke leaned down, smelled and frowned. She dipped a finger in and tasted rather cautiously.

"Hey Bellamy! Guess what i found!" She said, making her way back down the hall.

He looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows as she lugged the huge barrel into the room, her ankle burning like hell.

She set it down, thankful for the wheels and wiped her forehead with her hand.

Bellamy glanced once at her before approaching the barrel.

"Is that rum?" He exclaimed, tasting it just as she had.

"Yup! A whole barrel of it." She nodded, watching his face light up.

"You lift, i drink?" He chuckled and she rolled her eyes.

"How about, you drink from a cup. Like a civilised human." Clarke said, handing him a rather large metal cup.

He took it and plunged it into the barrel.

"Cheers!" he grinned, holding his drink up. Clarke folded her arms and raised her brows at him. "C'mon, you wont leave a man to drink alone now will you?" He said, those big brown eyes pleading, begging.

"Alright!" She laughed, smiling as she dipped her own cup into the barrel. He pressed his cup to hers and they drank in unison.

Several drinks later

"Do you think we'll die down here?" Bellamy asked, his words slurring a little.

Clarke giggled, unable to help herself and Bellamy looked at her in disbelief, laughing too.

"You look good when you laugh." He said lazily, leaning his head back and Clarke's face flushed red. "You dont laugh much." He added and Clarke stuck her tongue out at him.

"There's not much to laugh about down here." She sighed, slightly more sober than him, slightly.

"I'll drink to that!" He said, tipping his cup up. "I'm out." He grumbled, dropping the empty cup to the floor. Clarke watched it roll, oddly mesmerized for a moment.

"So your mum. She'll be coming down with the Ark too wont she." Bellamy mumbled, staring at the floor and Clarke went stiff but she was too dazed to get angry.

"Yeah." She said bluntly.

"You're running too Clarke, maybe not in the way i am but you are." Bellamy said.

"So you're still planning on ditching camp?" Clarke asked and he shrugged, for some reason that settled her a little. It wasnt no but it wasnt a yes either.

"Are you planning on ignoring your mother forever?" He retorted and she scoffed.

"My dad is dead because of her!" Clarke said, saying it aloud for the first time. She suddenly didnt feel so dazed anymore and the reality of it hit her in full force.

"You know, i blamed O for my mothers death. Said my life ended the day she was born. Worst mistake of my life..." bellamy said quietly and Clarke looked up at him then to see he was watching her.

"Is that why you want to leave?" Clarke asked, her voice tentative. He was drunk and she didnt want to take advantage of it and allow him to spill things to her he would never tell sober.

"Im not that drunk Princess, if that's what you are worried about." He said with a slight grin, sitting up and pulling a hand through his head of messy brown hair. He suddenly didnt look so drunk and Clarke realised he was probably more sober than she was. She felt utterly embarrassed.

"Why are you telling me any of this then?" She asked, finishing the contents of her cup in one mouthful.

He shrugged and Clarke sighed.

"She'll forgive you, for what you said. You can't leave camp...we...I need you." Clarke said, looking back up.

His dark brown eyes stared back and she felt her stomach twist into knotts. "Im a monster." He whispered, so quiet that Clarke wasnt sure he had even spoken.

"Bellamy..."

"My mother...if she could see what i have done..."

Clarke knew he was thinking of the radio, of the culling and she shuffled accross the room to his side. "You didnt mean for that to happen." She said softly.

"She raised me to be better, to be good..."

"You are! Everything you have done, you have done for your sister. You cant leave her, hell the whole camp needs us. We are the leaders now, im afraid we are stuck with that job." She said with a light laugh and Bellamy nodded.

"You're right..." he inhaled sharply and retrieved his cup from the floor, examining the empty contents with a grunt, "I need another drink."