Bold= Swedish.

T W E N T Y S I X | AN ADVENTURE AND A PAST

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

Carter's head shot up upon hearing the familiar tease that was Jasper. Once she met his smirk, her eyes narrowed into a playful scowl. "You don't even know what a cat looks like."

"Actually, Miss Smartass, I do," Jasper retorted, his smirk widening. Carter rolled her eyes and leaned casually against the table they were working out. Both Monty and Jasper had been given the role which consisted of breaking the shells off nuts and distributing them into their ration packs, though from just a few minutes of being there, Carter noticed they both ate more nuts than put into packs. Typical. "What I haven't seen in a while though is you."

"Yeah," Monty nodded his head in agreement, not failing to chuck a nut into his best friends mouth. "Where have you been, Sparky?"

"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but my best friend was stabbed," She began, her tone dripped with nothing but sarcasm. "And I was ordered to look after him. Besides, it was the least I could do, after all he's done for me..." She trailed off, her voice grew quieter towards the end. There was a brief moment of silence between the trio before Carter quickly remembered the reason she was over there. "But anyway, I'm not over here to talk about Finn, I'm here for the nuts."

"Is there a reason for that?" Monty quirked an eyebrow before trying to catch the nut that Jasper chucked at him, though it missed and hit beside his eye, causing him to flinch away in mild pain and Carter to smirk at the pair's antics.

"I have the pleasure of going on a hunt for some kind of bunker and I'm gonna need food." Carter muttered a reply as she chucked two packs into her backpack. She hoped that they wouldn't be gone any longer than a day. Two days tops. So their supply range shouldn't be too big.

"They do know that you suck at reading maps, right?" Jasper interjected, the ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips.

"I'm not that bad and-- wait, how do you know?" Carter frowned.

"That chick, Kara, told me. I thought it was pretty funny, actually." Jasper snickered, popping a handful of nuts into his mouth and chewed them slowly before asking, "Is it true you almost took a nose dive off a cliff?"

"In my defence, the ninety-seven if not older year old map told me there was a creek there, not a freaking cliff," A pause. "Wait, how does she know?"

"Beats me." Jasper shrugged. "So, are they sending you out there on your own?" Carter's eyebrows rose at the sudden seriousness Jasper's tone took.

"Nope," Carter shook her head once. "This is the best part of the whole thing... I have to ask Bellamy to come with me. The twist? He's still refusing to talk to me."

Monty opened his mouth, his eyebrows scrunched with a mixture of curiosity and confusion but his eyes quickly darted in the direction of the Drop ship and whatever he was going to ask was instantly dropped. "Well here's your chance, he's right over there." Monty gestured with his head over to the Drop ship, where Bellamy had just walked out from. Carter felt her smile disappear the second she saw him and a sudden feeling of nervousness washed over her. Stop being an idiot and just ask him, she scalded herself.

"Wish me luck, I think I'm gonna need it." Carter mumbled under her breath, earning herself a reassuring smile from Monty and a nut induced toothy smile off Jasper. The latter of the two made her grimace. Carefully, she left them at the table to continue with their job-- or lack of-- and made her way up to Bellamy. She ignored how he met her stare and then sent her a scowl. She also ignored how his back tensed when she approached. She didn't have the time to care. "Okay. I get you have some kind of problem with me, and I really don't care. But, you best get over this sulk or whatever this is before we leave, because I do not have the patience for you to act like a damn kid."

"Leave?" He frowned and Carter almost stumbled back from the shock of how easy he answered her. Over the period of four days that was the first time he had spoken to her. Carter's eyes widened at how deep his voice was. Had it always been that deep? When he deepened his frown, Carter realized she left him without an answer and rushed to reply.

"Yeah, you're coming with me to find this weird bunker that Clarke told me about, she said it had something to do with supplies for winter and maybe even accommodation."

"Am I?" He challenged, somewhat coldly.

"That's what I said." Carter nodded without missing a beat. "Someone has to read the map, and it sure as hell isn't gonna be me unless you want to get lost."

"And what makes you think I'm gonna want to come with you anyway?" He narrowed his eyes and Carter matched it with a level of impatience, refusing to let that comment affect her.

"Whatever petty shit you got against me can be put to the side for now because this isn't about me or you. It's about the camp, as Clarke would say. Without those supplies you can kiss your ass goodbye the second winter hits and we don't know what kind of crazy shit that could have in store for us. So you can either carry on being a stubborn asshole and be responsible for the camp freezing to death, or you can suck it up and come with me. It's your choice." Carter's tone came across a lot more harsh and firm than she wanted, but she wasn't about to apologize for it.

There was a long silence that fell between the two and Carter tried to keep a poker face despite how squirmy Bellamy's piercing gaze made her. Then, he finally looked away and sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll go pack my stuff, meet me at the gate in ten."

"Sir, yes sir." She muttered with the purpose of just her hearing it, though she gathered Bellamy heard it too as he threw another glare over his shoulder before turning away and storming off. She clenched and unclenched her fists in the hope that it would calm her seething. No one, not even Kane, had ever managed to get under her skin as much as Bellamy Blake and she did not like it. With a deep sigh, she turned on her heel and made her way over to Finn's tent, where she left her water bottle.

"You're back." Was Finn's greeting the second Carter had pulled back the tent opening.

"Good observation, Sherlock," Carter smirked sarcastically, her eyes focused on the floor as she looked for her water bottle.

"So, how did it go?" Finn asked as he shifted himself further into a sitting position, his eyebrows weaved upwards as he studied her.

"How did what go?"

"You know, talking with your dad." The second he uttered those words, Carter shuddered at the memories of her first meeting with Kane since being on the ground. She had always demanded for the truth of his reasoning behind her mother's execution, and now she finally had it, she wished she had never asked. Carter spent two years blaming her father for keeping her safe. As quick as that thought came, she batted it away. She wasn't ready to fully come to terms with the truth. In all honesty, she didn't want to come to terms with the truth. Who would just accept that their mother wanted kill them? "Bambi?" Finn's careful tone snapped Carter out of her thoughts and she quickly rushed to reply, hoping that she didn't look conspicuous.

"Oh, uh, yeah. It went okay."

"Just okay?" Finn flicked up an unconvincing eyebrow.

"This is my dad we're talking about. Nothing is more than 'okay' when it involves him." Carter rolled her eyes and sent Finn a weak smile. Desperate to change the topic, she suddenly asked, "Hey, have you seen my water bottle?"

"Carter," Finn began, noticing how stiff her posture was and how glazed over her green eyes had became. "What happened?"

When Carter opened her mouth, no words came out. She couldn't even fathom a coherent thought about what Kane had admitted, let alone say one. "I... I can't, not right now. But as soon as I'm back I'll tell you everything, I promise."

"Get back? Get back from where exactly?" Finn narrowed his eyes in confusion, staring carefully at his best friend as she maneuvered around the tent, her eyes searching every inch for said water bottle. She could have sworn she left it in here...

Before Carter had the chance to reply, the tent flap was pulled back in an impatient fashion and Bellamy stuck his head through, finding Carter's form hunched over a makeshift cot. He didn't even want to ask why. "Hey, you ready to go?"

Carter shot up at the familiarity of his voice-- despite not hearing it for four days-- and a scowl set deep in her expression. "It hasn't even been ten minutes yet."

"I don't care," Bellamy dismissed easily. "We're wasting daylight so hurry up."

"Woah, wasting daylight? Where are you going?" Finn tried again, his voice held more urgency. Even though the question was directed at the both of them, Finn kept his eyes trained on Carter.

"Ask her, she knows more than me." Bellamy somewhat grumbled.

"Got it!" Carter straightened herself up with a small, triumphant smile and water bottle in hand. How it managed to get wedged behind the makeshift cot, she didn't know. Zoning back to reality, she caught onto what Finn had asked. "Oh, and we're going on a little adventure. Don't worry yourself."

"I can't help it," Finn smirked though his tone serious. "I'm always worrying about you. You're freaking troublesome."

"Only as troublesome as you." She countered back, a smirk of her own. They shared a brief pause before Carter coughed awkwardly and her playfulness fell. "Just keep yourself rested, okay? I don't wanna come back to find out you've reopened that damn wound."

"I'll try." Finn wiggled his eyebrows before smiling back at her. "Be careful."

"I always am."

"Can we go now?" Bellamy interjected with his oh-so impatient tone. Carter swallowed back the urge to groan at him and nodded her head once, sending a smile back to Finn before she left the tent completely. Carter followed Bellamy over to the rations box, watching as he filled his pack up with more food than necessary. She frowned at his actions, but said nothing. Maybe he's planning a picnic for us, She thought with amusement. And without a word said to each other, or anyone else in camp, they left.

***

The distance between them was ridiculous.

They had been hiking for the best part of three hours and Carter had to jog several time just to catch up with Bellamy's long, calculated strides, and even when she did that, he was still a few paces ahead of her. She was beginning to think he was doing it on purpose. And to top that off? Not one word had been said between the pair. Carter thought of different ways to approach a conversation with him, but she didn't want to be the one to crack first. In the end, her stubbornness subsided and tried to initiate the first conversation. Key word: attempted.

"So, are you really going to ignore me this whole trip?" Carter broke through the tension with a sigh. Bellamy made no move reply, or even acknowledge her causing her to clench her jaw from annoyance. "Silent treatment still, huh? Real mature." More silence ensued. "You're messing with the wrong person, Bellamy. I am a pro at the whole 'Silent treatment' game, go ask my dad."

Still no reply. A low growl emitted from the back of Carter's throat as her frustration increased. If it was any other person that decided to completely ignore her existence, she wouldn't care nearly as much as she did with Bellamy. And even if it was any other day, she wouldn't care-- She managed four days, after all-- but she just didn't want to be surrounded by nothing but silence. It allowed her to delve into her thoughts, and that was definitely a place she didn't want to be. Not with what she knew. After a few minutes of being stubborn. she begrudgingly gave in to her apparent 'silent treatment on Bellamy' and tried a different, less-like-Carter approach.

"Please can you just say something, Bellamy. Anything." She pleaded, her tone vulnerable and full of defeat-- much to her own distaste. "Shout at me for going against your orders, scream at me for just being a bitch in general, be as pissed at me as you want. Just don't leave me to my own thoughts. I can't... I can't do that right now,"

Whether it was her obvious vulnerability or the fact that she pretty much admitted defeat, Bellamy halted in his tracks and turned around fully to face Carter. Her eyebrows were knitted and she couldn't meet his gaze, which was unlike Carter. "What's the point? You don't listen anyway." He muttered and Carter's head shot up, surprised that he actually spoke to her.

"It's nothing personal, I don't listen to what anyone tells me," She noticed his expression harden, but continued regardless. "I'm not sorry for going onto that roof because if I was, then I would be sorry for trying to help save Finn's life. If that was Octavia that got stabbed, tell me that you wouldn't do everything in your power-- even if that means risking your own life-- to make sure they live," She paused, waiting for an answer. His demeanor turned thoughtful for a moment before he averted her gaze. I win, Carter thought with an element of smugness. "See? You would have done the same. So why are you so pissed at me?"

"Because the difference between us is that Octavia is my responsibility, her life means a lot more than mine and you're right, I would do anything to save her," He swallowed. "Finn isn't your responsibility."

"That means jack squat," She replied bluntly. "I'd still die for him," She paused, rethinking her words. "Well, that's a little dramatic, but if that's what it came to, I'd do it without a seconds thought. So going on a roof in the middle of a storm is nothing."

"No." Bellamy shook his head firmly. "It's not nothing. You could have died up there."

"Then I would have died saving my best friend." Carter shrugged nonchalantly. "Just make sure you write that on my grave."

"Is everything a god damn joke to you?" Bellamy hissed, his temper taking a massive turn from sombre to anger. "What happened if you did die, huh? How would Spacewalker feel then? Knowing that the reason you're not there is because you were stupid enough to risk your life for him, What about Raven, Clarke, your dad? How do you think Kane would feel knowing his little girl had died and he couldn't a damn thing about it? What about whoever has to break that news to him, because it sure as hell wouldn't be me."

"I think you're missing the point here," Carter grounded out, not liking the tone he was using on her. "I'm not dead, so what's the point on dwelling on what could have happened when it didn't?"

"Because you don't understand!" Bellamy snapped, allowing his frustration to take over. "You don't understand what your life means to other people and how much it sets them on edge! Why do you think Finn worries so much about you? Because you always put yourself in danger and you don't care! You act like your life is meaningless and god, you're so unpredictable which just makes you wonder 'how long will it be until she almost dies again?' Because so far, I've counted twice in just over two weeks."

"Technically, I didn't almost die on the roof. That was Kara, who before you say anything, came willingly with me, I didn't make her. So really, I've only almost died once and that was when I impaled my foot." She corrected sassily before turning all the attention on Bellamy. "And what about you, huh? Because, I'm pretty sure you said your life is meaningless not more than five minutes ago, so maybe you should look closer to home before you start on me." She knew what he said was truth and that's what bothered her the most about that.

"Yeah, well, my life is," Bellamy sighed, his shoulders deflating. There was a moment of silence that fell between the two and Carter instantly regretted what she had said, wishing she could take her words back. When he looked back up at her, there was a look of broken determination in his dark eyes. "You said I can tell you about my mother as soon as I was ready. Well I'm ready now. I was the reason she got floated the same as I'm the reason Octavia got locked up. It was about a year ago, and the Ark was throwing one of those stupid Unity Day masquerade dances, do you remember those?" Carter nodded her head in answer, not finding her words. "Well, Octavaia had never been out of our quarters and god, she wanted to so bad but our mom strictly forbid it. She said it was too dangerous and I should have listened to her... But when I heard about the dance and that my cadet unit was working security, I thought it would be a great opportunity for Octavia to finally leave the room, no one would get to see her face and I would be able to watch out for her, it was perfect. But then... then a solar flare alert sounded and the guards started asking for ID chips. I tried so hard to get Octavia away, but it wasn't hard enough. Shumway caught her and then it all went down hill from there," His voice broke slightly, though he masked it with a cough. "They found out my mom had another child, which obviously is a capital crime and the bastards floated her, stuck Octavia in a prison cell and demoted me to a freaking janitor-"

He didn't get much further than that before Carter barrelled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him as tightly as she could. She could offer him no words to convince him that it wasn't his fault, she couldn't even tell him everything was going to be okay. She desperately wanted to, because it was the truth, but she couldn't find her voice. So instead, she gave him the closest thing to comforting words she could offer. Bellamy was taken back by the sudden hug, but once he caught on, he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her back equally as tight. They both needed it, needed to know someone was there for them, that they could offer more than just half-hearted words and a forced smile. Bellamy rested his head against Carter's shoulder and they stayed this way for a few moments before they both pulled away.

"We've all done things we regret, Bellamy." Carter began, her voice shaky. "We've all thought we were doing the right thing in the beginning when really, it wasn't. But don't you dare think what happened to your mother and Octavia was your fault. Come on, you and I both know that your mother was bound to get caught at some point. Just be thankful Octavia was caught before she turned eighteen because you would have lost both your mom and your sister. I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. If Octavia was never caught that night, what's the chances she would be down here with an actual purpose to living instead being stuck in a cell or your room? If anything, you saved Octavia. And as for your mom... I get it. It sucks losing a mom, it sucks even more when you think you're the reason they were floated, but you can't think like that. What happened has happened and there is jack squat you can do about that, all you can do is focus on keeping those you love alive and keep the past as it is. Otherwise you're gonna be moving one step forward and two steps back."

Bellamy looked unconvinced by her words, but nodded anyway offering her a small smile before looking around. "Come on, we should keep moving before it gets dark." Carter nodded and they continued walking, weaving through the trees. Although, this time, they were in pace with each other and the air between them was no longer a thick, awkward silence, but more of a clean, companionable silence.

Boom. I have finished this chapter, finally.

My family is big on Christmas so it's deemed 'socially unacceptable' to sit on your phone/ laptop/ tablet all day, pft. But it's all cool now, because I've finished le chapter and Christmas is now over in my household.

Anyway, I have finally caught up with you Americans in terms of the episodes and to be quite frank, I wish I wasn't. Talk about emotional :( I already know when it comes to writing that scene, I will more than likely cry like a little bitch. Oh my god, I'm dreading writing it. Okay, I'm gonna go grieve or something as equally dramatic. I hope this chapter was up to your standards, and thanks for reading! :)

I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to TeaganWinchester who has helped me out a lot with previous chapters. If it wasn't for her, I'm pretty sure I would be stuck on something stupid, like Chapter twenty (And even though now I have a laptop, I still don't know how to offically dedicate D: Sorry!)

^^ Don't worry I found out how :D