Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating. The Holidays sort of happened, and I found this chapter rather difficult to hash out. Here's hoping it doesn't dissapoint. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great December. Thankyou for all the lovely feedback. I so appreciate it, and it really makes me so happy to see people actually enjoying it.

I do not own The 100. I'm just a fangirl who likes to daydream.

...

As they approached Camp Jaha, Clarke and her team came to a sudden stop at the tree line. The sight of the Arc ship, broken and somehow having made it's way to Earth, had stunned the remaining survivors of the 100 into brief silence.

Gasps were heard, and a few of the more overwhelmed members of her team were wiping away tears from their dirty faces.

"Is this real" she heard a particularly weepy girl whisper to her left.

After nearly 2 months of fending for themselves, struggling to find food and shelter, surviving a war with the grounders, and witnessing several of their friends die on the ground, the remaining delinquents were looking forward to the comforts and the familiarity of the Arc-ship. It was safer, bigger, and warmer. There would be food, at least temporarily. And though not as good as the food on Mt. Weather, they were no longer at the mercy of their captors and their strange medical experiments.

Those of the 100 who had survived this long, were eager to find out whose family members had made it to the ground. And whose families were lost forever to the stars.

Clarke was the first to break the treeline, arms raised above her head, as she headed towards the gate. Her feet were blistered and sore, her pants still wet from crossing the river several miles back, and her shoulder ached from the strap of her parachute bag.

She stumbled momentarily on a rock, cursing under her breath as she hobbled up the rest of the path. Of course she would injure her ankle within 10 ft of the finish line. The last 21 hrs were easily the most physically demanding of her entire life. To sit by a fire, with hot tea, and a warm blanket sounded like absolute heaven right now.

Her mother could be heard shouting at the guard on duty. "Let them in! Open the damn gate! It's them!"

"Clarke!" Clarke! Is that you?" The darkness made it difficult to see, Abby had not slept a wink that night worrying over the fate of her daughter and her team. Did she do the right thing by allowing them to go?

The creek of the doors opening echoed through the surrounding forest. Several family members lined up near the entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of their son or daughter approaching.

"Oh thank God!" Her mother's rough but steady hands cupped her face as she stepped into the camp. "You did it?" Abby's eyes searched her daughter's for affirmation.

Clarke gave her a curt nod smiling, and waved at the tree line.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a rush of exhausted teenagers came stumbling out from the woods. Makeshift bags full of whatever they could carry from Mt. Weather were weighing down on them by now, but that didn't stop them from practically sprinting to the gate.

Monty and Jasper high-fived eachother as they were the first to get inside. Jasper wiped a tear from his own face as they hobbled forward towards the first fire-pit they could find. "Who's a guy gotta talk to around here to get a place to sleep?" he bellowed, expressing what every one of the teens was probably thinking already anyway. "And where's the moonshine?" Several adults in the crowd chuckled.

Just then, a familiar guard coughed. His voice could be heard from within the crowd of onlookers. "If you'll follow me, I think we can arrange something." Monty gave Jasper a shove towards the guard in charge of housing, and they were the first in line. Clarke smirked knowing that the two would be quite happy being bunk-mates.

She let herself get wrapped up by her mother as she stood by the gate. Somewhere deep inside, Clarke was glad to see her too. Despite everything that had happened and probably will happen. Abby was her mother, and today Clarke was glad to be alive. She was glad her friends were alive, and she was glad to be home.

Clarke's legs nearly gave way from under her. The hike had proven to be strenuous indeed, but she caught herself.

"Are you alright?" her mother frowned.

"Yes, yes.. I'm just tired." she lied.

Octavia and the two guards carrying Lincoln were ushered in next.

"Can you help him?" Clarke filled her mother in on all of the details as she directed the two men carrying him towards the med-bay. Octavia never left his side.

Abby noticed that fierce determination in her daughter's eyes. Apparentyly this was important to Clarke, and therefore it would become important to her. She gave her daughter a soft squeeze as a corner of her mouth quirked upward.

"Yes. I will do my best." she reassured. "If he really was drugged, then theoretically it should flush out of his system over time. We can keep him restrained and sedated until then." Abby gave Clarke one last hug before she jogged to catch up with them in the distance.

Clarke turned around and took note of the survivors. They were all exhausted, but almost all of them were smiling. Three of them even found family members amongst the Arc survivors who were standing there. Miller's father was practically weeping in his son's arms. It didn't surprise Clarke one bit to see the boy comforting his father silently. Miller was not overly emotional, but he did have a heart. No tears stained his cheeks, but his eyes were closed, and there was a sincere smile on his face.

She knew it would be at least an hour or more before team 2 arrived. She was anxious to find out how the 2nd part of their plan had turned out. She needed to know if her partner was okay. She didn't think she could handle losing him. She's lost her father, Wells, Charlotte, and Finn...

A cold chill went up her spine at that thought. 'Please be okay'

Pulling the blanket she had stolen from Mt. Weather, out of her large bag of newly acquired goodies, Clarke made herself comfortable around the fire-pit located closest to the main gate, and waited for Bellamy to return. As tired as she was, she wouldn't allow herself to rest until he was back, and safe within these walls. Or, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she wasn't capable of sleeping with that amount of worry on her mind.

As loathe as she was to admit it, that pain-in-the-ass co-leader of hers was important to her. She cared more for him than any other living person on this Godforsaken planet. If he left her, she really would be alone.

True, her mother would be there for her, and she did have friends who would help keep her company, but none of them understood her like Bellamy did. Without him, there would be no one to talk to when times got really tough. He was the only person she could ever be 100% honest with, and she needed that. Oh God, how she needed that.

'Come home Bellamy, please let everything have worked out, just this once, let everything have worked out.' Clarke sighed aheavily as she sat by the warm fireglow.

"Just once" she whispered.

...

After 2 hours and a couple hot cups of tea spiked with moonshine, Clarke heard the familiar sound of the Gate being opened.

"They're back!" shouted the guard on duty.

Clarke's heart nearly skipped a beat as she hobbled towards the gate, her ankle still sore and her blanket dragging behind her in the dirt.

The Men and women who had risked their lives to help save the remaining grounders came filing in one at a time. She thanked each and every one of them as they entered. Hugs, salutes, handshakes, she made sure they were all aware of her gratitude and that they knew just how important this mission was in forming peace between their peoples. Her heart fluttering wildly in her chest each time a new person came jogging out of the treeline, her eyes searching for a familiar mop of black curls.

Still there was no sign of him.

"Where is he?" she half muttered to herself as the last of the guardsmen trickled in. She forced herself to smile at the young man in front of her, her heart sinking in her chest.

"He'll be here" he reassured her knowingly.

Just as she was about to despair, a familiar Barritone broke through the shadows. "Clarke! Hahaaaa! Clarke! Just as soon as she heard his voice, she saw him running up the path towards her. This time it was she who was caught off guard, a single tear trickling down the side of her cheek at the sight of him.

"Bellamy!" A smile was plastered on his sweaty dirty face, and Clarke couldn't help but match it.

As soon as he was within reach of her, he dropped his weapons, (he was carrying several new rifles with him, as well as a bag of what Clarke imagined to be ammo) picking her up, and spinning her wildly in circles.

Clarke let out what could only be described as mixture of screaming and laughter, as he twirled her around.

"Put me down! Put me down!" She couldn't contain her happiness though, making her pleas sound insincere.

"As you wish princess" he chuckled as he set her down. "I'm getting a little dizzy anyways." The exhaustion of the last 24 hours was dripping down his face, but he was still smiling broadly at her.

"Can you believe that we actually did it?! We pulled that off!" he bent over and caught his breath before straightening again. "We did it!" he screamed loud enough for everyone in camp to hear.

"We did it" she smiled back up at him.

"I'm proud of you Bellamy"

A slight blush crossed his freckled cheeks and his tone became more serious. "And I'm proud of you Clarke, we couldn't have done this without you." His breath visible in the cold air.

Clarke shook her head, "No, you could have, you would have. But thanks anyway Bell"

Bellamy sighed dramatically, "Learn to take a compliment Princess" he nudged her shoulder. "Now let's go get some rest. I don't know about you, but I think I could sleep for a month at this point."

Clarke couldn't help but agree as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I plan on staying as still as possible tomorrow. I twisted my ankle just outside the gate too, so really I shouldn't even be standing on it at this point."

Bellamy's eyes drifted towards her feet, she was placing noticeably more weight on one of her feet than the other, how had he not noticed that, and it was beginning to swell.

"What the hell Clarke!?" he scowled at her. He took a moment's pause before making up his mind.

Suddenly and without warning he heaved her over his shoulder and started carrying her towards the Arc ship.

"Bellamy! Whoa! Wait! Put me down! I'm fine! I can walk!"

"Don't be an idiot Clarke, your foot looks swollen as hell, and it's not going to get any better if you keep walking on it."

"Bellamy! You put me down right now or I swear to God!"

"Swear all you like Princess, I'm all ears"

"You are so full of yourself" she snorted out a laugh. Try as she may, she couldn't fight that one off.

"Fine" she feigned still being pissed just for the hell of it, damn the smile that crept its way back on her face, giving her away.

"Welcome home you ass." they both smirked silently.

"Thanks Princess"

...