Sudden knocking at his door roused Bellamy from a deep sleep. He jerked awake, immediately feeling pain in the side of his neck from his awkward sleeping position on his couch. “Fuck,” He hissed, then let out a long sigh as he lifted up from the deep indent he’d made in the cushions. Bellamy groaned, heading towards the door and prying it open while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Hey,” A familiar voice. He drew his hand away from his eye and pushed the air from his lungs in a short, low groan.  

“Wells.” He muttered, already wary of the man’s presence due to his connection to Raven.

“Can we talk?”

He was quiet for a bit, mulling over the idea. Ultimately, he nodded. “Come in,” Stepping aside, he allowed Wells to enter his apartment. His eyes scanned the walls, then the entire space before they fell on Bellamy. “What do you need?” His tone was bitter, and Bellamy immediately regretted it, but didn’t back down.

“Look, Raven’s upset. She’s not talking to anyone. Miller tried to get her to come out of her room yesterday and it’s not…nothing’s working. Monty had to almost drag her out of the house to get her to get lunch with him.” Bellamy shrugged and Wells rolled his eyes at his casual reaction to the revelation. “Did you break up with her?”

“She broke up with me.”

“What did you do?” Bellamy’s jaw set, and he looked away from Wells, heading into the kitchen without a word. “Hey, shit—listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that…I just…why did you break up?”

“That’s our business, Wells. You got anything else?”

“Why are you so angry?”

Bellamy leaned against his counter, elbow resting on his forearm that was draped across his torso. He bit down on his thumbnail in thought. “It could have been avoided,” He answered. “I guess…I guess that’s why I’m angry.” Wells took a few steps towards him, placing his palms on the island counter in the kitchen.

Wells cleared his throat. “You need to talk. Get a better resolution, y’know? She’s not herself anymore. Whatever happened…”

“Yeah, I get it.”  He lifted his head. “When?”

“Today?” Wells suggested. “It’s been a month, Bellamy. I think she’s had enough time.”

“You think this is the best thing for her? Just…forcing us together like this? It could make things worse.”

“Or it could make things better—to be honest, Bell, I don’t think it can get any worse.”

He nodded, sliding his tongue over his teeth in thought. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”

“You up for it right now?”

“Now?” Bellamy forced the breath from his lungs. “Yeah, fuck it. I can do it now.”

“Come with me, we’ll wait at the house until she gets home.”

“Okay. Gimme a second to…uh, freshen up.” Wells took a seat on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone until Bellamy returned from a hot shower, a change of clothes—and a satchel. “Alright, let’s head out.”

The ride over in the taxi was long, and spent in complete silence. Either Bellamy didn’t know what to say, or he was trying to save his voice for the conversation he was going to have with Raven. Once they were inside the apartment, he was suddenly overwhelmed with Raven’s scent. It was a candle she burned constantly in her room that clung to everything she wore, to her hair, to her skin. Bellamy took a seat on the couch in the guise of making himself comfortable, but in reality…he needed to steady himself.

“When she gets home I’ll duck out.” Wells informed him. “Just uh, text me when you’re done.” Bellamy nodded and Wells leaned against the entryway dresser. They didn’t have much time after. The front door opened, and Wells stood. “Raven,”

“Hey, I—” Her eyes fell on Bellamy, and he watched the breath leave her lungs. “Bellamy? What the fuck is he doing here, Wells?”

He placed a comforting hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Just relax, let me explain. You haven’t been yourself. I noticed it, Miller noticed it, Monty noticed it—we’re all worried.”

“So what is this, some kind of fucking intervention?” She spat back.

“No, it’s not. We just…we know it was because something this asshat did,” Wells gestured to Bellamy, who gave him a defensive look. “We just want you two to talk. That’s all. If it’s still shit after, we’ll make sure he never comes back here.”

“Wells, you don’t know a thing that happened. What if the reason why Bellamy and I broke up is because he put his hands on me, huh? Did you think about that before bringing him into my house?”

He turned to look at Bellamy. “Did you put your hands on her?” He asked, a bit of an edge to his tone.

Bellamy shook his head. “No, n—never, I’d never.”

“Just talk, Raven.” He sighed. “Text me when you want me to come home. I’m gonna go for a walk.”

After the door closed, the two were left in silence. Bellamy removed his coat and draped it over the arm of the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees. Raven took her time setting down her purse and changing into more comfortable clothes before she returned into the living room and took a seat on a chair across from Bellamy. He felt the hair rise on the back of his neck, and clasped his hands together tightly to keep them from shaking.

“You should have said no when Wells asked you to come here.” She told him, breaking the silence. “You should have been thinking clearly, and said no. Because you knew this was inappropriate. I obviously don’t want to see you.” Bellamy didn’t respond verbally, just nodded and stood up, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. “Hey! Where are you going?”

“You just said it, Rae. This is inappropriate. You don’t want to see me. So I’m leaving,”

“No, no—I’m sorry.” She huffed, running her fingers through her hair and pulling it away from her face. “Just please, sit down.” He hesitated, but ultimately followed directions and headed back to the couch. “You need to tell me everything. The entire truth, Bellamy.” He closed his eyes, and his jaw clenched as he released a sigh. “Don’t give me that look, Bell. I fucking mean it.”

“Alright, okay, just…give me a second. I have to call Lexa.”

“Why? What the hell does she have anything to do with it?”

“Everything, Raven. Just give me a second,”

Bellamy stepped outside onto the balcony and texted 911 to Lexa, who called him seconds after the text was delivered. “Bellamy?” She said into the receiver the minute the ringing stopped.

He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m gonna tell her—Raven—everything. I’m gonna tell her everything. That involves you.”

There was a long pause. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” She nodded. “Clarke and I…we’re packing to take a trip upstate to stay at her stepdad’s cabin. I’ll tell her then.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have—”

“Yes I do, Bell.” She cut him off. “We made a promise in England, remember? Together.”

“You know, you’re a huge pain in my ass, Lex…but I love you.”

“I love you too. You’re my big brother, Bellamy. I’m supposed to be a huge pain in the ass.” Happy memories surfaced, of times in their travels they were able to pass each other off as half siblings. Their relationship was a lot more believable—believable to the point that Bellamy considered her blood. How could he not? You spend five hundred years with someone you’re bound to think of them as family. Distantly, he heard Clarke calling for Lexa. “I gotta go,” She murmured. “Call me if you need me.”

A calm smile moved his features. “I will.” He hung up and slid his phone into his font pocket, taking in a deep breath to calm his heart that was racing once more. Raven was waiting expectantly on the sofa chair, arms crossed and eyebrows pulled together in a mixture of concern and anger. “Okay.” Bellamy told her. “I’m ready.”

“Let me just—let me ask something.” She interjected. “Did you kill someone?”

“Are you asking in general or if all the stuff in my apartment is because I killed someone?”

Her face softened. “…I, I don’t know.”

“Raven, what I’m about to tell you is gonna make you react bad. You’re not gonna like it. You’re gonna think I’m crazy…but I can prove it to you. Everything. I just need you to listen.”

She ran her tongue over her lips. “I’m listening.” Bellamy reached to the floor and pulled out his bag, lifting the latch and removing mountains of documents, small boxes and packets. She slid forward on the seat, staring down at the papers. “What is all this?”

“Some stuff you already saw, and some stuff I hid better.” He answered. “My name is Bellamy, but I lost my last name sometime during the late 1300s—”

“Wait, 1300s?”

He stretched out his jaw. “Raven, I’ve been alive for…I don’t even know anymore but Lexa and I figured it’s gonna be close to…twenty-six hundred years.”

Her mouth hung open for some time, before she sat back in her chair. “You’ve been alive for two thousand and six hundred years.” She repeated. He swallowed, but nodded. “…How?”

“A god.”

“God made you immortal?”

“No, no,” He shook his head. “A god. Not God.”

“What kind of god…?”

“The Dick kind,”

Raven stared at him for a while, wide whiskey-toned eyes searching every line in his face for any sign he was lying. “So magic, gods, all that is real?” She inquired, and a small feeling of surprise bubbled in his chest. She was asking questions, not telling him he was crazy.

“Trust me, I had the same reaction. I was mindin’ my fucking business, just came back from a war I somehow fucking survived only to be thrown into another one.” He sighed. “Fought a lot of those....wars, and all that.”

“H-How many?” Her lower lip trembled.

Bellamy shrugged lazily, shaking his head. “I don’t even know. I stopped counting. All I’ve learned is that for every year that goes by in peace, humanity somehow dreams up a war that last ten times longer.” He shifted his gaze to the documents. “There’s hundreds of birth certificates, um, land deeds, photos…draft papers.” Reaching forward, he pushed some of the stacks of papers apart. “You can take ‘em, have them authenticated…whatever, but I can tell you they’re real. I lived through it.”

She picked up the stack of Military Identification Cards, sliding through them like play cards. “You mentioned Lexa earlier…is she, is she like you?”

“She is.”

“Does Clarke know?”

“She will.”

“Where were you born?”

“Corinth, it’s a small city about an hour from Athens.” He cleared his throat. “In a little one room house with my mother and father. A girl named Octavia lived across the way. We grew up together but she died, got sick when she was a teenager.” Tears began filling his eyes, and he struggled to keep himself together. “I fought against the Spartans at one point, fought for them at another. I left Greece after my father died.”

“So that story about never knowing your father…?”

“I’m sorry I lied to you, Raven, I just, I feel guilty about it. I watched him die.” He said. “It was easy to pretend like I never knew him than to accept that I would have rather he could have lived that me. He was a better man than I am.”

“Nothing…” She was losing the battle against her own emotions, “Nothing about you was real. Everything about you I fell in love with wasn’t real. Were you—were you even married?” Her tone was filled with anger, a bite at the end of her words.

The question caused the tears in his eyes to spill over, dropping onto his cheeks. “Yes,”

“And she died?”

“In my arms.”

Again, she searched his face. “Why me?” She asked, voice finally breaking. “How many other girls have you done this to, Bellamy?”

“I’ve been married once, my kids are dead. I did a couple girlfriends here and there—”

“Enough!” She yelled, standing up. “Say I believe you, okay? Say I completely believe you about this—how many people have you said I love you to? How many times have you made people believe they were your world like you did with me?”

“Twice.” He shouted back, standing up. The minute Raven became intimidated and stepped back, he softened. “And both times it was you.”

“…What?”

“I lost you, Rae. Two thousand years ago. You told me when you died that we’d find each other again.” His vision clouded with tears. “You said I’ll find you….and you, you did, Rae. You found me, you found me at a farmer’s market.”

“I don’t understand.” She sniffed.

“It was you.” Bellamy choked out. “You died in my arms, Raven. A Spartan soldier shot you with an arrow right between your ribs. It must have punctured a lung or something, or maybe, maybe your stomach because your mouth filled up with blood.”

“And I choked on it.” She finished and it forced him into silence. “Since I was a teenager I’ve had a recurring dream where I died. My mouth was always filled with blood and my stomach hurt but I couldn’t make anything out. I always woke up when I died.” Raven’s eyes found his. “I’ve never told anyone about that dream.” It was like he could see her brain connecting the dots, little lights flickering behind her eyes. “The cypress tree.” She whispered.

“It was in our backyard. I tied a swing to it so you and the…the kids,” He couldn’t make it to the end of the sentence.

“Kids?” She asked, and Bellamy confirmed with a short nod. “How many?”

“Three. Two boys and a girl. One boy and a set of twins.”

“What am I?” She sobbed, collapsing onto the couch. Bellamy went towards her, taking her face in his hands as he knelt in front of her.

“You’re Raven Reyes, that’s all you’ve ever been. Alright? Nothing else can change that.”

“But I was alive before…”

“You were. Life goes on. It repeats itself. It’s not…it’s not a curse,”

“It has been for you.”

Her thumb brushed his cheek to wipe away a falling tear, and Bellamy buried his face into her palm, holding it against his face. “It’s just been a lot of waiting, Rae.” He murmured. “I used to think I was just waiting to die so I could see you again, but I was just waiting for you to find me.

“Tell me about it.”

“About what?”

“About the waiting. All of it.”

He nodded. “Where do you want me to start?”

“When we met—the first time.”

He rose off his knees and took a seat next to her, holding her hands in his. “The first time I saw you, you stole the breath out of me. I thought you were the most beautiful creature in the world.” She smiled. “You made me chase you.” He chuckled, and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’ve been chasing you for centuries since,”

NEW iMESSAGE FROM “Rae of Sunshine”

Hey Wells, Bellamy’s gonna spend the night. We have a lot to talk about.

All good. I’m at Miller’s. I’ll just stay here tonight.

Okay (:

U okay?

It was late, maybe early, he didn’t know. Raven was still asleep, snoring softly next to him with a small puddle of drool on her lavender sheets. He gave her a soft smile and kissed her shoulder, then her rib cage, noticing she had discarded her shirt sometime in the middle of the night. Wells was gone, on vacation for two weeks with his family, leaving the house to Raven to do whatever she pleased. Apparently that meant forcing Bellamy to spend every night with her because the house was ‘scary’ by herself. Not that he was complaining. He headed into the bathroom after placing his glasses on his face to wash his face with some soy-based cleanser than smelled like lemon Raven had in her cabinet.

Looking in the mirror, he ran his hands over his face, deciding not to shave for the day—then something caught his eye. He pushed his hair from his face, finding a single, stark silver hair. Bellamy plucked it from his hairline and stared at it in his palm, seeming to glow against the gold in his skin.

“Bellamy?”

He jumped at the sound of Raven’s voice behind him, and she stood in the bathroom doorway, rubbing her right eye free of sleep. “Hey, babe. What’re you doin’ out of bed?” He questioned.

“I heard you get up.” She leaned against the doorway. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Can’t sleep. I’m gonna go for a run—you want anything from the store while I’m out?”

“I think we’re good. I’ll text you if I discover we’re out of something.”

Bellamy went towards her and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

The minute he was outside, he hailed a cab and watched as people got their day started, rushing towards cabs and subway stairwells, talking on phones and scarfing down breakfast sandwiches.

“Here you are, sir.” The cab driver announced, gesturing to the Starbucks they were parked in front of.

“Thanks, man.” Bellamy tossed him a twenty and slid out, opening up the door to find that the coffee shop was only inhabited by a few patrons.

“Bellamy!” He heard from behind the counter, and Clarke beamed a bright, white smile. “How are you?”

“Hey, I’m good.” He mirrored her smile, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“What can I get for ya?”

“Venti Americano with an extra shot if you don’t mind,”

She chuckled. “One of those days, huh?” She moved over to the machine and got to work, brewing the espresso. “How’s Raven doing?”

Bellamy leaned against the counter. “A lot better. The physical therapy is going well and she’s walking well on her own. Still on the crutches though.”

Clarke let out a sigh. “Body needs time to heal. My mom was talking about her last night, was wondering how she was doing.” It was by pure coincidence that Bellamy and Raven discovered that Clarke’s mother was the responding physician after Raven’s car accident. Despite how large the city was, New York could often be a tiny bubble when it came to population interaction. “Hey, you got a minute? I’m about to go on my thirty, I’d love to catch up some more.”

“Yeah, I got time.” He nodded, sliding over a ten dollar bill. “I’ll go hang out outside at a table.”

“Great, I’ll meet you out there.”

The morning was a bit chilly, but nothing a warm drink and a light jacket couldn’t fix. Bellamy leaned back in the metal chair and propped his ankle on top of his knee, enjoying the sounds of the city until the sound of a gate shutting brought his attention to the petite blonde making her way towards him. She uncapped a venti-sized cup and inhaled the scent of her coffee with a happy smile.

“First one of the morning?” He questioned.

“Oh god no, it’s my fifth. I’ve been here since five o’clock in the morning.” Clarke laughed, letting her hair down from its bun, which revealed some fading pink tips in her golden locks. “What prompted the visit?”

“Haven’t seen you around. You and Lexa holed up somewhere having a honeymoon?”

She chuckled. “I wish, no, I’ve been so busy. School’s finishing up and I’ve been so stressed with everything…” Clarke trailed off, brushing her fingertip around the mouth of her cup. “Lexa and I have been fighting, nothing super bad but it’s enough, enough to…”

“Bother you.” He nodded. “Yeah, she mentioned you guys were hittin’ a rough patch.” Clarke frowned. “Nothing bad.” Bellamy assured her, leaning forward. “Lexa’s…as sad as this sounds, she’s not used to this. Neither of us are.”

“Used to what?”

“Being happy and okay.” Bellamy let out a sad laugh. “She’s had a crush on you for so long. You know she blew through a chunk of her savings just going to Starbucks to see you.”

A smile spread across Clarke’s pink-painted lips, the color almost matching her dyed ends. “She told me about that. She’s such a dork.” The girl let out a long sigh, picking at the cherry red polish on her thumb nail for a moment in thought. “I want to take things further…you know, introduce her to my mom and my stepdad—which she’s all for, she’d love to meet her formally but…”

“But what?”

“Whenever I bring up her family, you know, suggesting we go meet them…she shuts down.”

He nodded. “That part of Lexa’s life is complicated.” Mostly because everyone she’s ever known, loved, or had a familial connection to is dead and has been dead for centuries, his mind finished for him. “She’s…a tough one, Clarke. I’m gonna be honest with you. Your best bet is to wait for her to break down her own walls then try to do it yourself.”

A shrug lifted her shoulders, and then she let out a sigh “I mean, you know her best.” Clarke lifted her gaze to meet his. “Thanks for talking to me about this, Bell. I know it must be weird—”

“It’s not. Lexa’s my sister. We’ve been like that for years. We’re bound to talk about each other.”

“You know, Bell, they’re both lucky to have you. Raven and Lexa.”

The statement brought a smile to his face. “I’m the lucky one. I was so lost and I found Lexa…in the strangest of places, but I found her. She found me. Raven….I feel like I had been looking for her for ages and there she was.”

“Like the sun coming out from behind clouds,”

“Exactly. Very poetic of you, Clarke.”

She blushed. “What can I say? I’m a moody art student.” Taking a long sip of her coffee, she tipped her head back and finished it off. “I gotta head back, but thank you for the visit.”

“No problem.” Bellamy stood up and pulled the girl into a hug. “I’ll see you around, Griffin.”

“Right back at’cha, Blake.”

Bellamy hailed another cab, and the minute he slid into the interior, his cell phone rang with a picture of Raven at the Intrepid Air, Space and Sea Museum. “Hey, baby.” He greeted her warmly.

“Bell, I need coffee, a bacon and spinach omelet from Freddy’s and a foot rub.”

He chuckled. “Anything else I can get you, Princess Raven?”

“A kiss too, if you’d like—but! I’m leaving the apartment, I gotta stop by the shop real quick and since your place is closer, can we stay there tonight?”

“Sure,” He nodded. “I’ll see you soon, be safe.”

“See ya.”

Bellamy ran his errands, remembering half way through ordering breakfast that he needed some groceries, so he stopped by the bodega and took the long way home. He made it up to his apartment with all his bags in one trip, though, a silent victory. When he entered the apartment, he called out a greeting for Raven and she came out from his bedroom, limping until she leaned against the separation wall.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Dropping a bag on the counter, he smiled. “Bake n’ spin omelet and a large coffee. Got some groceries too. I was thinking we could stay in tonight and watch a movie, unless you got plans?”

“I don’t.” Raven said softly, but something in her voice startled him and he frowned as she turned back into the bedroom.

“Rae?” Bellamy questioned, following her into his room, and then coming to a dead stop.

Spread across his comforter was his life.

Hundreds of state IDs, Drivers Licenses, Social Security Cards, photographs, land deeds, letters were finely combed through and displayed on the dark brown comforter than covered his bed. Panic spread through him, and he had to fight against his own body to look at Raven, who was hugging herself tightly, fighting back her own tears.

“I um, I was getting the extra wraps you said you had up in your closet to wrap my ankle because it…it was swelling and, a bunch of stuff fell out of some boxes.” She explained, much too calmly for his liking.

“Raven—”

“I want to…I don’t know if I want to know, but I knew it was—I knew you were too good to be true.”

His jaw set, “Rae, if you just give me a chance—”

“What is it, Bellamy? Who the hell are you? Is Bellamy even your real name?”

“It is. I promise you it is.”

“Who are you?” She yelled, tears finally breaking over the lids of her eyes and creating shiny trails down her cheeks as they caught the light in the room. “Why do you have sixty-seven ids from almost every state in the country? Why do you have fourteen different social security cards? Why do you own land in Canada, Montana, California and Pennsylvania? And why are they all from different years ranging from fucking 1908 to two years ago?!” She was screaming by the time she finished her sentence, and Bellamy’s body went into shock.

“Raven, I don’t know how to explain this and I’m afraid if I do, you won’t believe me.”

“How am I supposed to when everything else has been a lie?” Her voice broke on every word, and it was when she went to take a seat on the bed that he noticed her hands were shaking. “I told you I loved you and you didn’t say it back. Is this why?”

He let out a shaking sigh, kneeling in front of her and brushing tears away from her eyes. “Raven, I love you. I do.”

“Are you in love with me?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Are you just saying this to save us?”

“Do we need saving?” A quiet sob broke through his chest, and his eyes blurred with hot tears.  

She reached behind her, picking up one of the identification cards. “Bellamy Alexander Franklin, born in 1940, place of residence at 54 Maple Avenue, Atherton, California.” She listed off. “Bellamy Martin Graves, born in 1956, place of residence at 2360 Crowne Point Boulevard, Suamico, Wisconsin.” He tried to cut in, and she just spoke louder. Bellamy Robert Vincent. 3004 Brick Lane, Decatur, Georgia. Born in 1975.” She looked down at him. “Give me your wallet.”

“Raven,” He whispered.

“Give me your fucking wallet, Bellamy.” He slipped the billfold out of his back pocket and handed it to her, where she furiously ripped the plastic folder than contained his driver’s license. “Bellamy Weston Blake, born –” The tears started coming more, and she rubbed at her puffy, red eyes in frustration. “Bellamy Blake. Why? Why did you do this to me?”

“I didn’t do—this wasn’t intentional.”

“What is it, huh? Are you some kind of fugitive? Do you make fake I.D.s for fun? Why does this one say you were born in 1940? 1956? I’ve been wracking my mind trying to figure out for the life of me why you would have all these.” He stayed quiet. “You can’t even say anything to me?”

“It’s not my secret to tell, Raven.”

“If you love me you’d tell me the truth.” Her words hit him in the chest like a bullet, sending shrapnel-like ripples through his system. His gut rolled with nausea and his temples pounded in pain. So, he stayed quiet.

It seemed to be the wrong choice.

Raven turned and grabbed her coat off the bed, tugging it onto her arms. Her crutches swayed and when one fell over, Bellamy reached for it and attempted to steady her on her feet. “No—STOP! Get away from me,” She screamed and delivered a hard punch to his chest. “Don’t touch me. I don’t need your help.”

“R-Raven, please. Stay. Let’s just…We can talk. Just stay, please.” He was all but on his knees, begging. “I love you, I mean it. I never stopped.”

Her brow rose in confusion. “You never stopped?”

“You don’t remember, I’ve been trying to make you remember.”

“Remember what?” She croaked, voice hoarse from yelling.

“Me,” The word barely came out, his body felt so weak. “Remember…me.” Her lower lip quivered. “Raven, remember us. The tree out back, the cypress…fresh fish, the way you put way too much salt on everything. The wooden swing I made you, the…your birthmark.”

Raven shook her head, the look on her face growing stranger. “What are you talking about?”

“Baby, please. Just…I’ll tell you everything if you just stay, don’t leave me again.”

“How do I know you’re not gonna lie to me?”

“I can’t…you have to trust me.”

Her eyes fell to the barrage of paperwork on the bed, then she closed them tightly for a moment, as if to push out any remaining tears. “That’s the thing, Bellamy. I can’t trust you.”

As she pushed passed him, he got a whiff of some kind of scent. Maybe her soap, or shampoo. Sweet, like honey. It broke him.

His front door closed, and he came to the realization that the first time he lost her, she had died in his arms.