What He Left Behind

Chapter 18

BELLAMY POV

3 October 2155

"Don't go!" Aurora cries. As soon as Clarke and I told her we were leaving for the day to go get her grandma and Aunt Octavia, she launched into full meltdown mode.

"Hey, little princess, look at me," I coo gently to her, raising her chin so she's looking me in the eyes. "Mommy and I are only going to be gone for a few hours, okay? We'll be home in time to tuck you into bed. Don't you want to meet Grandma Abby and Aunt Octavia?"

She sniffles a bit and nods her head slowly. I use the thumb of my hand that's already on her face to wipe away her tears. I give her a hug and kiss her on the forehead before saying, "Be good for your aunts and uncles, okay? I love you."

I'm halfway out the door when I hear her little voice call, "Daddy?" I turn around to face her. "You promise you'll come back?"

"Yes, strikon, I promise." (Little one.) She seems to accept the answer and she settle back into bed, so I take my leave, shutting the door softly behind me.

"You ready to go Bell?" Clarke asks, walking up behind me. I manage a nod, but my conversation with Aurora has left me feeling guilty and Clarke sees right through me. "What's wrong?"

"I just feel bad that we can't bring them along. I've only been back for two days; I think she's scared of me leaving again. She made me promise to come back. What kind of a father am I if my kids are afraid I'm going to just up and leave them?"

"Hey, you know that's not fair. You had no control over what happened after Praimfaya. You had no idea that I was pregnant. Yes, you've only been back for two days, but you're already an incredible father. It's easy to see how much they love you. You also have to remember that they've only known me and each other their whole lives. Of course they're scared, Bell, they're four and their mom is leaving them for the first time ever. But they're going to be fine, we'll be home tonight with their grandma and Aunt Octavia and they'll forget we were ever gone. Our family is finally going to be whole. Now let's get going, the sooner we leave the sooner we'll reach Octavia, and the sooner we'll be back home with our babies."

"Okay, princess," I sigh, before taking her by the hand and leading her to the rover.

I open the passenger side door for her before getting in the driver's seat. The ride to Polis is relatively quiet. Clarke sits, watching me with a small smile on her face. She knows how much I missed this car, but what she doesn't realize is that I missed her so much more. What makes the drive even better is that I'm sitting hand in hand with the woman I love.

The drive seems endless, but we finally reach the bunker. Without Clarke to lead the way, I might not have recognized it. The tower that once loomed over Polis now lays in pieces on the ground, covering the entrance to the bunker.

"I tried digging them out for a while," Clarke says solemnly. "I never got very far before more rubble caved in on me. Then I found Madi and found out about the twins and I couldn't keep digging after that."

"Oh, Clarke," I whisper. "I'm so sorry you had to do this by yourself."

"We talked about this, Bellamy, you don't have anything to apologize for. Stop beating yourself up about what happened while we were apart. It's in the past, we can't change it. You're here now, and I want to focus on moving forward with you by my side. Okay?"

I manage a nod, knowing full well that if I try to speak, I won't be able to push past the lump in my throat. Raven, who has just finished placing the bomb in the spot that we'll detonate it from, walks back over to us and asks, "Are you guys ready for this?"