You're an Ass Hat

           When morning came, Ronnie climbed to the top level of the drop ship, settling in with the wristbands again. Not long after, Clarke, Finn, and Wells arrived to check on Jasper, while Monty joined her.

            "Any progress on using the wristbands to contact the Ark?" Clarke directed the question to Monty, still pointedly ignoring Ronnie.

            Ronnie rolled her eyes and let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. Monty glanced at her before turning back to Clarke.

            "That would be a firm no," he answered, his tone flat. The mood in the room dampened further.

            Jasper's sudden, strangled scream shattered the silence. Ronnie glanced up as Finn and Wells pinned him down while Clarke cut away the infected flesh on his chest. Monty watched in alarm, his hands clenching at his sides. Ronnie forced her eyes away from him, returning to the wristband in her hands.

            As Jasper's cries grew louder, Octavia burst into the room, eyes wild.

            "Stop it! You're killing him!"

            "Actually, she's trying to save him," Ronnie muttered without looking up. The words slipped out before she could stop them. She didn't want to defend Clarke, but facts were facts.

            Octavia turned to her, surprised by the coldness in her voice. Ronnie wasn't mad at her- she was just in a mood, thanks to Clarke.

            Ronnie reached into her toolbox for a screwdriver, coming up empty. "Where the hell is my-" Her eyes flicked to the wall. Right. It was still lodged there from her temper tantrum the other day.

            "She can't."

            The new voice made Ronnie snap her head up. Bellamy stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. Hadn't she just seen him a few hours ago? How had his mood already shifted?

            "Back off," Wells shot back, puffing out his chest in an attempt to intimidate him.

            Ronnie smirked at the effort.

            "We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die," Clarke argued, her hands steady as she worked.

            "Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy."

            Ronnie huffed and walked over to the wall, gripping the handle of her screwdriver. "I think you should leave, Bellamy. Your negative energy isn't welcome." She yanked the tool free with a sharp tug, turning just in time to catch Bellamy watching her.

            "Take a look at him, Ronnie. He's a lost cause. Hell, he's the reason you couldn't sleep last night."

            Ronnie froze.

            All eyes were suddenly on her, silently asking the same question: How the hell did Bellamy know that?

            Her jaw tightened. She flicker her gaze toward Jasper. He looked bad- really bad- but she wasn't about to give Bellamy the satisfaction of agreeing with him.

            "He looks like a fighter to me," she said evenly. "You could have some hope, Bellamy. Every life matters down here."

            Bellamy held her gaze for a long moment.

            "This isn't about hope. It's about guts," he countered. "You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days." He hesitated, then looked away. "If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

            The words hung heavy in the air. Octavia flinched. Bellamy turned to leave, gesturing for his sister to follow, but she refused.

            Silence lingered after he was gone. Finally, Monty spoke up.

            "Power-hungry, self-serving jackass. He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

            Ronnie exhaled sharply and shoved her screwdriver back into the wall. She walked to the floor hatch and knelt by it, ready to drop down.

            "Yeah, Bellamy is all that," Finn said, "But he also happens to be right."

            Ronnie stilled. Her fingers curled into fists before she turned to glare at him. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

            She shook her head and swung her legs over the hatch. "I'm going to go talk to Bellamy, because no on is killing anyone tomorrow. I don't care how bad it looks." She shot a pointed look at Clarke. "You seem to know everything, so figure something out."

            Then she dropped through the hatch.

~*~

             Outside, Bellamy was leaving with a group of hunters.

            "Bellamy!" Ronnie called, jogging to catch up.

            He glanced back but didn't stop.

            "Bellamy- Yo, Curly!"

            That did it. He halted, turning around with an irritated expression.

            "I'm going hunting," he snapped. "If you followed me here to scold me like a five-year-old, don't bother. Go work on your stupid wristbands that you think are going to save us all so that I can focus on getting us food that will actually help us stay alive."

            Ronnie raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Okay." She clicked her tongue and watched him for a second, then, without warning, swiped a small throwing knife from one of the hunters.

            "Hey!" The guy protested.

            She ignored him. In one smooth motion, she threw the knife.

            It embedded itself in the tree- just inches from Bellamy's head.

            He stopped dead, slowly turning back to face her.

            "Maybe if you stopped acting like a child, I wouldn't have to treat you like one," she said, striding toward him. She yanked the knife from the bark, twirling it between her fingers. "Now let's go. I'm going with you."

            Bellamy just stared at her, his expression unwavering. For a second, his eyes flicked to the space between them- barely an inch.

            Then, finally, he spoke. "No. You're not coming."

            She scoffed, opening her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.

             "Ronnie, you're not coming, and that's final."

            Her jaw clenched. They stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. And then, as she studied him, something clicked in her mind. He wasn't trying to shut her out. He was trying to protect her.

            Too bad for him.

            "Bellamy, I'm gonna tell you this once, and I hope it sticks," she said, stepping even closer, her voice lowering. "I'm not your little sister. I don't need your protection."

            She turned sharply and pushed past him, taking the lead. "Now let's go."

            The group started to follow, and Bellamy stood frozen for just a second. Then, scowling, he jogged to catch up.

~*~

            The group wandered for a while, the quiet broken only by the rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig. Then, up ahead, a wild pig rooted through the underbrush. Bellamy's eyes locked onto it.

            "Dibs," he whispered, adjusting his grip on his ax.

            Before he could throw, a noise cracked through the trees to their right. Bellamy spun on instinct and let his ax fly in that direction instead. The pig bolted, and the hunters gave chase, leaving Bellamy, Ronnie, and Atom behind.

            Bellamy, already reaching for his knife, took a cautious step toward where his ax hand landed. Ronnie followed, but as they approached, they saw her- a little girl, staring wide-eyed at the weapon now lodged in the tree mere feet from her head.

            Ronnie's breath caught as recognition hit her. It was the youngest of the prisoners. "Why are you not back at camp, kiddo?"

            Before Charlotte could respond, Bellamy shoved past Ronnie, taking charge.

            "Who the hell are you? I almost killed you," he demanded.

            Ronnie shot him a glare for yelling at the clearly frightened girl.

            "I'm Charlotte," the girl answered, voice small. "With that guy who was dying-"

            "He's not dying," Ronnie interrupted, her voice firm. She shot Bellamy another look when he opened his mouth to contradict her.

            Charlotte hesitated before continuing, "I just... I couldn't listen anymore."

            Ronnie sighed, rubbing her temple. "Great idea- just wander around the woods behind a bunch of people carrying weapons. Solid plan, kid."

            "I'm not a little kid," Charlotte shot back, crossing her arms.

            Bellamy smirked. "Okay then." He reached for his belt and pulled out a small knife, holding it out to her. "But you can't hunt without a weapon. Ever killed something before?"

            Charlotte hesitated, then shook her head.

            "Who knows? Maybe you're good at it," Bellamy said, handing her the knife.

            Ronnie's mouth fell open. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, grabbing Bellamy's arm to stop him. "She's a child. She's more likely to cut herself- or worse, someone else- than actually use it."

            Bellamy shrugged her off. "She'll be fine. Doubt she'll kill anything, but if we run into Grounders, at least she won't be defenseless."

            Ronnie opened her mouth to argue, but a low, eerie horn echoed through the trees. The sound sent a chill up her spine.

            "What is that?" One of the hunters asked, eyes darting around.

            Then Ronnie saw it- a thick yellow cloud rolling through the forest, devouring everything in its path.

            "RUN!" Ronnie shouted.

            The group scattered. The woods became a blur as she grabbed Charlotte's hand, hoisting the girl onto her back. Bellamy ran beside her, matching her pace.

            "Bellamy, over there!" Ronnie yelled, pointing toward a cave nestled in the hillside. They sprinted inside, just as the fog swallowed the world outside. Atom's voice called out, distant and muffled by the thick air.

            "Atom?" Bellamy shouted back, but there was no way to see him through the haze.

            Ronnie set Charlotte down and moved toward the entrance, prepared to go back out. A firm hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back.

            "It's too dangerous," Bellamy said. "They'll find cover."

            Ronnie hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. They retreated deeper into the cave.

            "May as well get some rest while we wait it out," Bellamy said, settling against the wall. Ronnie, too wired to relax, paced the small space, rubbing her wrist absently.

             "Ronnie."

            She didn't hear him. She was too busy worrying about Atom. About the others. About the camp.

            "Ronnie." Louder this time.

            Still nothing.

            Bellamy exhaled sharply and reached for her hand. "Sleeping Beauty."

            That got her attention. She turned sharply, scowling. "Don't call me that. And don't touch me."

            "You gonna tell me why you hate me so much?"

            Ronnie blinked, caught off guard. Wasn't it obvious?

           "Because you're an ass hat," she said without hesitation.

            Bellamy raised an eyebrow. "An ass hat?"

            "Yeah, an ass hat."

            Silence stretched between them. Ronnie finally sighed, sitting down across from him. "I should've stayed in the drop ship."

            "You would be if you actually listened to me," Bellamy shot back.

            "That's never going to happen."

            He scoffed. "So why'd you come, then?"

            "For some reason, I thought I could talk some sense into you. Clearly, we don't like listening to each other." She let out a small, tired laugh. For a moment, Bellamy almost smiled back.

            Then she sighed again. "And now I'm stuck in a cave with you and a child you handed a knife to."

            "What was I supposed to do? Send her back to listen to Jasper die?"

            Ronnie clenched her jaw. "He's not dying."

            Bellamy rolled his eyes. "Forget it."

            Ronnie stood up, heading for the entrance.

            "Where are you going?" Bellamy calls out from behind her.

            "To put myself out of my misery." The fog was still there, swirling, unnatural. She stared at it, reaching out a tentative hand-

            Charlotte's scream shattered the quiet.

            Ronnie spun, racing back inside to find Bellamy already at Charlotte's side, shaking her awake.

            "I'm sorry," Charlotte murmured, her face pale.

            "It's okay," Ronnie assured her, leaning against the bumpy wall.

            "Does it happen often?" Bellamy asked.

            Charlotte's small sigh was enough of an answer.

            "What are you scared of?" he asked. "You know what? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it."

            Charlotte frowned. "But I'm asleep."

            "Fears are fears. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep."

            Ronnie watched, an unexpected warmth settling in her chest. For a moment, she saw a different side of him. The way he spoke to Charlotte- it was careful, steady. Familiar. Like he'd done this before.

            Bellamy caught her staring. "What?"

            She shook her head. "Just trying to figure out how you switch from this guy to an ass hat in five seconds."

            He smirked at that. "I'm just trying to keep everyone alive."

            Ronnie chuckled. "You'd be better at keeping everyone alive if you weren't so buys making the Ark think we're dying."

            Bellamy's smirk faded. He didn't respond.

            "Can I ask what you were doing when I ran into you on the Ark?" she asked softly.

            His expression hardened. He looked away.

            "Bellamy." Ronnie reached out, placing a hand over his. He flinched but didn't pull away.

            He stood abruptly and asked toward the entrance. Ronnie watched him go, her gaze flickering between him and Charlotte's sleeping form. The cave had fallen into silence, the only sound was the distant howl of the wind outside. Ronnie pulled her knees to her chest, exhaling softly. She glanced toward the entrance. The fog still clung to the outside world like a living thing, curling against the rocks.

           Minutes passed. Maybe longer. The stillness stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. Bellamy shifted against the wall, his arms crossed, his head tilted slightly as he watched over Charlotte. It was strange, seeing him like this- quiet, thoughtful. Almost gentle.

            Then finally, Bellamy pushed himself up. He took a step toward the entrance, studded the air beyond, then nodded.

            "It's clear. Wake Charlotte up."

            Ronnie sighed, but she obeyed.

            The two girls reach Bellamy outside the cave just as he calls out, "Anybody out here? Jones?"

            "We're here!" Jones calls out from a distance. When the two groups meet, Ronnie's eyebrows raise in wonder. They are missing someone.

            "Where's Atom?"

            Then Charlotte screamed.

            The group wastes no time racing to the youngest of their group. They find her standing over Atom's burned body.

            "Oh my God," Ronnie whispered, pressing a hand to her mouth.

            Guilt twisted in her gut.

            She should've gone back for him.