They stood side by side facing the water, the waves lapping gently on the sand. In some world, some other reality, she would have liked to stay here forever. She'd watch the sun rise and set and rise and set until she could touch the edges of oblivion. Until the tension in her shoulders relaxed, her bruises healed, and her breath came normally, she would stand, immovable, facing this beach. She could see him in the corners of her vision, and she knew he'd be beside her in any reality until the end of his days. There was some comfort in that. But in the small peace she carved out in her chest, the golden rays of sunlight would darken his freckles and lighten his eyes. The idea of him sitting on the beach, his smile rising easily to his lips and his posture loped with easy grace, twisted her heart with a pang of longing. For the happy ending that he deserved, but would probably never get. In this life, their bodies were worn down with exhaustion and maltreatment. There was danger and uncertainty at every step and they met each obstacle with courageous force, only to be beaten backwards more often than not. They possessed only their sheer stubbornness and unwavering loyalty to each other as weapons against the cruel world that waged war upon them. But still, hope for peace was a powerful motivator. And they wouldn't back down, not now, probably not ever. Bellamy spoke first. “I'm going to take the rover back to arkadia.” Clarke knew him inside and out and needed only to clarify his intentions. “Octavia?” He hung his head. “It's pathetic, isn't it? She hates me and I keep coming back for more.” She glanced over at him and smiled sadly. “She's blood. One day she'll see how special you are.” He was quiet for a moment, and Clarke had to look away for fear that her eyes might betray her. That her eyes would say what her heart could not. But they were too alike, and she could hear in his voice a change in topic. One that concerned them, not Octavia. “Clarke,” he said soft as butterfly wings, “If I don't see you again-” But she couldn't bear the thought of an existence without him. “You will.” Her voice left no space for discussion. “But if I don't,” he pressed on, “I wanted to thank you.” She frowned, bewildered. “Thank me? For what?” “Everything.” He said, simply. “For saving me. For saving Octavia. For always looking out for everyone even when I couldn't.” “You've saved me more times than I can count.” She said, with no hint of sarcasm. “Thanks for being my best friend,” He continued. “And for being my partner since the beginning. If we don't make it out of this-” he began. “What happened to hope?” She asked. He smiled sadly. “I still have hope.” “Then stop saying goodbye.” She stared determinedly back at him, setting her feet and shoulders so she could look him in the eye. He almost smiled. “Fine.” Then he paused. “May we meet again.” Her heart filled with the memory of the last time those words had fallen from his lips and how she had taken his fractured heart from his trembling hands and left it in the dust at his feet. How she had kissed his cheek and left him to put himself back together after she had promised they'd make it through together. After her return, she'd spent weeks trying to convince him that she’d meant it. And they were stronger now, stronger together. But the sting of a still healing heart was not lost on the both of them as the moment settled between them. In the place of honeyed words that would mean nothing, he instead pulled her into a hug, and she breathed him in. Everything about him was familiar, and she realized with a start that if someone had asked her to describe home, she would find herself here. She wrapped her arms tighter around his chest, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Logic told her that she had to pull away before she was the one who started to say goodbye, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Bellamy kissed her tenderly on her forehead, then detangled himself from her grasp. “May we meet again.” She said, almost reverently. Damn the earth and all the fates that stood in their way. Clarke would find her way back to Bellamy no matter what it took.
