Everybody Needs Therapy

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

I switched between who should be their therapist for ages but settled on Monty because he's Monty. Also, the story is clearly not an accurate representation of therapy so please no one take this seriously. But I hope you enjoy!

The couch was about three cushions long; it could have very comfortably fit at least four people. There was no need for Clarke and Bellamy to sit so far apart, their sides digging into the separate armrests.

Monty sat across from them, settling the writing pad on his lap and clicking his pen once. Kane had not been kidding when he had said that they would be a challenge. Their body language alone made him feel uneasy.

"So, why are we here this morning?" he asked in an open and friendly tone.

"Our boss hates me and wants to kill me," Bellamy snarled and earned an eye roll from Clarke.

Monty cleared his throat and made a quick note. Griffin and Blake were the best detectives in the city of Ark. Alone; they had closed more cases than anyone and broke records in their respective precincts. They had been partners for ten months and together, they had been even better; the beginning of a legend in many peoples' opinion. The problem was that they couldn't even agree on what to get for lunch.

No other cop would assist them for too long and it was way past being a problem. So, Monty had been the last solution for Kane; the older man had practically begged.

"We are here because this hard-headed idiot put a suspect through a window last week," Clarke hissed and Bellamy turned sideways to give her an incredulous glare.

"He was trying to stab me! You would know that if you hadn't been calling for damn backup."

"It's protocol Bellamy!" Clarke shot back, "You remember protocol don't you? It means doing the right thing; following the rules."

"Oh yah, I remember. The asshole trying to stick a knife in my gut must have missed that class!"

"OK! Ok, thank you," Monty exclaimed, the pad nearly slipping off his lap as he scrambled for their attention. He smoothed out the paper again as the two detectives sat back and folded their arms. They didn't notice how they mirrored each other. But Monty did; that was his job after all.

"This, is why you are here. The yelling, the sniping is why you've been recommended to me," he said and Bellamy snorted. "That's great; I snap at the Princess and we get sent to a twelve year old for behaviour lessons."

Clarke held back a gasp and would have hit him in the leg if she hadn't been on the other side of the couch. Monty just winced but it was enough for Bellamy to immediately feel bad.

Monty Green, former soldier, had returned home from war with severe PTSD. After his own therapy sessions, he had dedicated his life to helping others and quickly rose in the ranks to be near the top of his field. He specialised in providing therapy to law enforcement. Even if he did look about twelve.

"Sorry," Bellamy said sincerely, "But I just don't appreciate someone telling me all my faults first thing Monday morning."

Monty smiled and replied, "That's fine...but I'm not going to tell you your faults. You already know them."

They frowned at him in surprise and Monty just grinned again. "Look, why don't we start simple. Tell me about your partnership."

"He never lets me drive."

"She commandeered my radio."

"He never listens to me."

"She thinks she knows everything."

"Because you know nothing."

"I've been on the job longer than you!"

"That does not make you right all the damn time!"

"RIGHT, OK!" Monty called again before the two settled back into stormy silence. He sighed and made more notes. The page was already half full. "One at a time," he said calmly, "You are going to explain to me your grievances with each other and the other cannot speak. Not even sneeze. Bellamy, would like to go first?"

The next half an hour was filled with complaints, glares and the scribbling of Monty's pen. He wasn't sure if either of them noticed how much paper he was going through since they were busy controlling tempers. "Well," he said finally, "those are certainly...detailed problems you both have."

Clarke and Bellamy still sat apart with their arms folded. "Look can we just get to the point?" Clarke asked suddenly, "I don't think either of us would appreciate you dancing around the issue. Please, tell us the truth as clearly as possible and we will deal with it."

When he saw Bellamy nod, Monty smiled widely, "See! You're agreeing on something."

They just blinked at him. It was easy to see that they were not his usual clients. Not being able to agree wasn't the problem; it was just a result of many other issues. And they would not be happy to hear about them all. Monty looked down at his note pad and circled the final two sentences.

"Alright...it is healthy to approach our problems with an open mind."

He looked at Bellamy first. "Detective Blake, you have severe anger management issues."

Clarke let out a bark of laughter and Bellamy clenched his jaw hard. Monty quickly continued. "I would recommend various coping techniques. For instance, you could try counting to ten before reacting or snapping a rubber band against your wrist. That could be a good start."

Bellamy looked ready to walk out right there and then but he caught sight of Clarke's grin. "Alright, sounds good to me. But what are the Princess' deep dark issues?"

Clarke stopped grinning.

"Ah yes, Detective Griffin...you have a problem with authority."

Bellamy laughed so loud, the neighbouring offices complained. "You have got to be kidding? The perfect, rule following Princess? She loves authority; her family is made up of authority. Literally."

"Yes, that is part of the problem," Monty said but kept his attention on Clarke's furious gaze.

"I have to argue with you on this-," she started but Monty interrupted her.

"Your father was a great detective, your mother is in charge of most of the city and your home was filled with people who were leaders and made careers of telling others what to do. And in reality, you hate that. You're a capable and talented detective and leader; you have fantastic instincts. But people have constantly told you to stand down, to be quiet. And because that's all you've ever known, you do so. Until Bellamy. He's been a cop for longer than you and has clearly established that he thinks he's in charge- an authority over you. Except that he's not; he is your equal, your partner. He is finally an authority that you can argue with."

They both stared at him with confused eyes and raised eyebrows. "Damn you really are as good as they say..." Clarke muttered.

Monty smiled and tapped his pencil off the note pad. "Here is your homework for the week. Bellamy, I want you to record every time you get irrationally angry-suspects being smartasses don't count. Clarke, I would like you to recall every time a person in authority had shut you down but you knew you were in the right. I also would like to know why you felt you had to be quiet. With that, I will see you both next week."

The two detectives stood up and marched out of the room. Monty followed them out into the hallway and they started arguing again before the elevator doors closed. He sighed heavily and walked over to the desk against the wall.

"Jasper, when you're finished, can you order a box of rubber bands? I think my client is going to need as many as possible."

Jasper, his lifelong friend, raised his head from a large book and nodded once. He was a pretty good secretary, even if he was only doing it until he got into the advanced college course. Plus, they played laser tag on their lunch break. "Can we order coffee before your next session?" Jasper asked, "You look like you need it dude."

Monty ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I think I'm going to need a lot of coffee in the future."

He went to go back into his office but then paused. "Oh, and when Detectives Blake and Griffin are scheduled for a session, can you remove all breakable items from the room?"

"Way ahead of you," Jasper quipped, "They already nearly destroyed the vase of flowers in the waiting room."

Monty quickly learned that it was better when they were fighting.

Their second session filled the room with a tension that made his skin crawl. The only sound was the ticking clock and as he adjusted his revised notes and writing pad, Monty glanced over at his clients. Bellamy was sitting straight with his side still against the arm rest. His arms were crossed and he had a controlled look of fury on his face. The rubber band on his wrist looked worn and there were red marks on his arm. At least he was using the techniques.

Clarke looked more worried than angry. She was gnawing at her bottom lip and was seated just a few more inches away from her respective side of the couch. That was progress.

"So," he began, "I am glad that you have done the lists I asked for last week...even if they are really long. But, I am guessing that something else has happened? You know, since you two are looking at everything but each other."

Bellamy remained stoic; he didn't even blink. Instead Clarke cleared her throat softy and spoke. "I yelled at his sister Octavia yesterday. Bellamy was not happy."

Monty nodded slowly and opened the file sitting on the table to his left. "Ah yes, Octavia Blake. The file here says that your sister is a talented negotiator for such a young age. Best in her year at school and was snapped up by the department immediately. You must be very proud."

Bellamy relaxed only slightly. "She's a great kid," he said gruffly, "She's done a lot with what she's been given."

"You essentially raised her didn't you?" Monty asked carefully, "Dad wasn't around, Mom died early; you were her parent for most of her childhood?"

Bellamy just shrugged. "I did what I could."

Clarke was clenching her jaw at this point so Monty quickly got to the point. "Why did you yell at her?"

Bellamy stiffened again but Clarke went with determination. "She does stupid things that she knows will piss him off and she does them with the intention of making him angry. I see him worried sick for hours and then she just waltzes back in with a grin and a superior attitude. She makes her mistakes sound like nothing and turns it round so that Bellamy feels guilty."

"That is none of your goddamn business!" Bellamy hissed and Clarke suddenly turned to him with a fire blazing in her eyes.

"It is when you put yourself and others in danger. I love Octavia like everyone else but she needs to know that she can't just do whatever she likes without concern for others!"

"So really, you were concerned for Bellamy's well being?" Monty asked quickly, and this caused the two to freeze.

"Uh...no, I mean...he's my partner," Clarke reasoned, "If he's watching my back, I want him focused. I really just think he's going too easy on his sister..."

Bellamy seemed to deflate and he ran a hand through his dark hair with a sigh. Good, he was losing the aggressive stance; it was a good time to push ahead.

"Do you think you let your sister get away with some things?"

Bellamy swallowed harshly and shrugged. "I didn't used to; when she was younger, I was so strict. Eventually she lost it at me and we had this huge fight. I had to let her go; I had to let her make her own decisions. That was the right thing to do, correct?"

To his surprise, Monty realised that Bellamy was seeking his opinion. "Yes, that was right. As a human being, she deserves to make her own choices. Yet, Clarke seems to think that you've distanced yourself too much."

"Octavia is trying to punish you in her childish way for some awful reason-."

Bellamy interrupted his partner with an exhausted tone of voice. "She's just trying to push my buttons that's all. It's harmless."

"Harmless!" Clarke snapped, "You don't sleep at night when she doesn't come home, even though she's only staying over at a friend's. She intentionally does not call you or text you. It's not ok Bellamy. She needs to know the difference between living her life and just acting out to annoy you."

Instead of arguing, Bellamy ran both his palms over his face and sighed. Now this was a breakthrough, Monty thought. We're really getting to a deep issue here and he seems open to talking about it.

"Bellamy, trying to navigate the role between parent and sibling is difficult when the roles get blurred. You've taken the first step by actually stepping away. But you are still her older brother at home and the superior officer at work. You deserve respect simply because of that. Octavia is pushing boundaries and you need to push back to a safe distance."

The clock was ticking away again through the silence and it was a few moments before Bellamy responded. "I nearly lost her before; when we fought. I can't risk losing her again. She's all I have."

"That's not true," Clarke replied softly.

Bellamy looked at her cautiously. Their stare seemed to go on for a moment too long and it was enough for Monty to make a very important note. He made sure that they didn't see his writing and then carried on.

"I think addressing your sister's actions is a good thing. You have to find a healthy balance. And, in my professional opinion, I think that Octavia might just be trying to get your attention again."

Bellamy looked puzzled and he sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "What do you mean? Like...she misses me or something?"

Monty shrugged this time. "Without speaking to her, I can't be sure but something like that. You were her entire world for so long, and then you stepped away from her. Of course, now there is another constant woman in your life that you spend hours with and it could be enough to unsettle your sister. Many people who have only one stable or older figure in their lives can feel this way."

Once again, Clarke and Bellamy glanced at each other before looking away quickly. "Well," Bellamy replied with reluctance, "O really does like Clarke. I mean, they haven't spoken since she snapped at her yesterday."

"I'll apologise," Clarke stated but Bellamy shook his head. "No, it's fine, really. I'll talk to her for you."

Monty's eyes darted between them and he resisted the urge to fist pump the air. They were making progress, they were getting along, they were-.

"Seriously though, now can we discuss how she stole my car this week?"

"I did not steal your car-it was my turn to drive!"

"It's mine so it is never anyone else's turn to drive-ever!"

Ok so there was a bit more work to do.

He was wrong; there were worse things than Bellamy and Clarke not speaking to each other. And it was Clarke not speaking to Bellamy.

On a hot day, with the sun spilling into the office windows, the room was once again silent. This time Bellamy was seated closer to Clarke but she had moved all the way back to her side of the couch. She stared directly ahead with a glassy expression in her eyes while Bellamy was messing with the rubber band on his wrist again. He kept looking over at her but she refused to respond.

"And here I thought you were getting along," Monty said softly, "Kane told me that you two actually agreed on a lunch place, peacefully."

"It's my fault," Bellamy confessed, taking Monty by surprise. Bellamy let the rubber band alone and clasped his hands together. "Her mother-Mayor Abby Griffin-she came into the office a few days ago and looked over our cases. As a former officer, it wasn't unusual for her. But she started to put down Clarke's ideas, undermined her leads-in front of everyone. So, I told her she was wrong. I-I gave out to the freaking Mayor and told her to stop going so hard on Clarke..."

He trailed off and started messing with the band again. Clarke let out a low sigh and blinked quickly as she looked out the window.

"Your partner standing up for you annoyed you? Why?" Monty asked her quietly, even though Clarke was still keeping her eyes trained at the window.

"It's not that," she admitted, with a guarded voice. "Then what is it?"

Clarke uncrossed and then crossed her legs again. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "My mom has always expected the best for me. She's always had a hand in my decisions, even when it wasn't welcome. I know she loves me, I do but...like you said a few weeks ago, I don't like authority. My mom has always been the strictest authority I know."

Monty had guessed all of this already and he made some extra notes on the writing pad. "You didn't answer my question."

Clarke shifted in her seat, obviously realising the smaller distance between her and her partner. "I've never had someone have my back like that before. Friends have always minded their own business and others have been too scared."

She licked her lips and picked at her finger nails. "It was a nice surprise and-and I'm not sure what to do about it."

"Do about what? You want to buy me a fruit basket as a thank you or something?" Bellamy asked sarcastically but he seemed just as frustrated as Clarke.

Monty inhaled sharply when he saw the conflicted look cross Clarke's face. He knew the signs of someone who was about to break and she was showing all of them.

"You just don't get it!" she hissed, throwing her hands in the air. "You're supposed to smirk when I'm put down or laugh when I fall. Since when do you back me up and stay by my side and-."

"Always Princess!" Bellamy argued back, turning around on the couch to face her. "Despite our arguments, we've always been a team and I was not about to just stand there and let her dig into you like that."

Clarke pressed a hand over her eyes and bit down hard on her lip. Bellamy waited for a response but then sat back against the couch again. Monty kept his eyes on Clarke and softly cleared his throat.

"Clarke, you know that Bellamy is telling the truth. The two of you would not be such a great team if you didn't stand up for each other. So, him giving out to your mother shouldn't upset you so much. Why are you this way? What's the real reason?"

Clarke sniffed and took her hand away. Her eyes were slightly red but she kept her expression calm. "I don't need other people," she said softly, "Not even when I was a kid. When I wanted something done, I got it done myself. When I needed to get out of something, I scrambled my way out myself. I got my job on my own merit, I solved so many cases without a partner but now..."

She closed her eyes for a moment and then, looked at Bellamy. "I need you," she croaked out, "I need you to help with cases. I need you to make my job seem less dangerous. I needed you to back me up against my mom and you did! You're always there now and I want you there. It's terrifying."

Bellamy hadn't said a word. Instead he moved closer to her and then put his hand over hers. "Trust me Princess, I've been there with the whole being alone thing and it sucks. And it's scary to let someone in and let them see all your weaknesses. But we are partners and-and friends. So if you need me then I'll be there. Plus...I need you too."

Clarke let out a low breath and turned her hand around so she could link her fingers with his. Monty tried to write as quickly as he could without them noticing. This was such progress; he did not know what to do with himself. Although, it did seem like he was making the one same observation in every session.

"He's such a douche!"

Monty just sat calmly in his office chair with one hand twirling his pen. Bellamy paced back and forth across the office. Well, he was more storming than pacing. Monty had seen great strides in Bellamy's dealings with his temper but he looked like he was about to punch a hole in the wall. Which would suck because he had just had them painted and Jasper was the only one who had the number of the guy who had done them. Monty made another reminder to hire a new secretary. Then he turned back to his client.

"Bellamy would you like to sit down?"

"No."

"Would you like a gummy bear?"

Bellamy paused mid-stride as Monty took a packet of the sweets out of his desk. He tossed one to Bellamy who finally sat down on the couch. Tearing open the packet, Bellamy just threw a few sweets into his mouth.

"He's such a douche..."

"You said that already," Monty replied as he picked at his own sweets, "Would you be referring to Detective Finn Collins? The man who Clarke went on a date with last week?"

Bellamy glared into space, as if Finn's face was floating there. "I can't believe she agreed to that one date and now she's actually considering going on another one. He cheated on his girlfriend, you know? Raven is an amazing asset to the team and he just cheated on her! The guy had no sense of teamwork either; it's his way or no way. He's worse than me!"

Monty nodded and quickly went over the notes he had jotted down about Finn. He had kept an eye on him ever since Clarke had mentioned his name in their last session. Bellamy's eye roll had been hard to miss. "Finn is quite the agent, if a very different one from you. Is that something you dwell on much? The differences between you I mean?"

Bellamy finished off the packet of sweets and shrugged. "He's always there, hanging around and telling me exactly what I'm doing wrong. Clarke's always had my back but then she goes out on a date with him! On our movie night, of all nights! She missed out too because I had just gotten the newest superhero movie that had been trying to drag me to see when it was in cinemas."

He crumpled the packet in his hand and clenched his fist. Monty tried to hide his smile as he folded his hands in front of him.

"Bellamy, you seem quite bothered that Clarke is going on a date. Do you know why?"

Bellamy hid his blush pretty well but started to babble. "No idea. Maybe it's her terrible taste in boyfriends or how he's a complete douc-."

"Bellamy," Monty interrupted with a firm tone. Bellamy looked surprised and stared back.

Monty cleared his throat and was determined to keep going. Their issues were all settled and Blake and Griffin would soon stop coming to see them. He had to get them to reveal their true problem-the source of the tension between them-before they left. They had to admit what he had seen so long ago in their very first sessions. Even if he felt like he was about to give out to own father.

"Bellamy, you know why Clarke going on a date upsets you. You know why you really dislike Finn. You know the answers to many questions and I think it's time you were honest with yourself about them...and Clarke."

Bellamy blinked at him and swallowed thickly. The waves of emotions were swirling through him and Monty could only hope that he would channel them wisely. "I think we're done for the day," Bellamy said lowly and stood up to leave. Monty sat back in his chair and watched him leave. To his surprise, Bellamy turned around at the last moment.

"Hey...thank you," he said before nodding and leaving the room. Monty let out a sigh and leaned his head against his hand. Why were people so difficult sometimes?

"I can't believe he would do this!" Clarke shrieked, "With Raven of all people!"

Monty cowered in his chair as calmly as he could when faced with an angry Clarke Griffin. She had already eaten three packs of gummy bears, tearing the heads off them with her teeth. Monty cleared his throat cautiously and balanced the note pad on his knee.

"As I understand from your...very detailed and angry account of events, Bellamy and your friend Raven slept together a number of years ago and didn't tell you about it?"

Clarke nodded with a glare and Monty gulped. "And it recently came out at a party you were all at?"

Clarke nodded again. "It completely ruined the night too," she said, "and I was wearing this really nice red dress. My make up was perfect, my hair was fabulous and Bellamy and I...well, we were getting along again. He wasn't even mad about the Finn thing anymore. But that might have been because I turned him down for a second date."

Monty nodded with encouragement and carefully asked, "Isn't red Bellamy's favourite colour?"

"So?!"

Monty shrugged quickly and stammered out, "It-it's just a coincidence, I'm sure. And then what happened?"

Clarke seemed to deflate slightly and she stared at the table. "We were in the kitchen and Bellamy and I were talking when Raven came in with a drunk Miller. She wanted to make sure he got home ok so she asked for Bellamy's keys to his and Miller's apartment."

Monty remembered Miller was another detective-the only sane one on their team from the sounds of it.

"Anyway, Bellamy was telling Raven which room was Miller's when Miller blurted out that Raven should know her way around their apartment anyway and that just spilled out the story with me standing there, looking like a complete idiot!"

She clenched her jaw and sat back against the couch. Monty gulped and carefully dragged his chair closer to her. It was like he was about to spell something really obvious out to his mother and he wasn't sure how she would react. Clarke sniffed and looked at him with a seemingly open face. He knew better.

"They had a one night stand, years ago, before you knew either one of them."

Clarke frowned but nodded in agreement.

"It meant nothing to them and they have shown no romantic interest in each other since?"

Clarke nodded again and Monty could see the conflict in her eyes start to grow. "Are you mad at them because they didn't tell you? Even though it's clearly something they've forgotten about?"

Clarke bit her lip hard and Monty drew back to smile at her. "I think it's because your friend slept with someone you care very much about. It feels like a betrayal when it shouldn't. Do you know exactly why it hurts so much?"

Clarke swallowed slightly and nodded once more. "I think..." she started, "I think I need to go make some apologies."

"I would recommend leaving Bellamy until last," Monty suggested, "I have a feeling you two have much to talk about together."

Clarke stood up and hurried towards the door. Just like Bellamy, she turned around at the last minute. "Monty, thank you," she said before walking out the door.

He sat back in his chair and stopped himself from punching the air in success. He was a professional after all...who handed out gummy bears to adults but still. He knew he had one last job to do. Wheeling his chair over to his desk, Monty picked up his phone and dialled a number from a white card. It rang for a moment before the other end was picked up.

"Ah Kane, Monty here," he greeted.

"Monty," the man said with a light tone, "How are you? I have to send you a thank you gift for working miracles with my best detectives."

Monty laughed and then flipped back to one of his first notes with Blake and Griffin. "I was just calling to tell you that I think they have been to enough sessions. I figured out their problem and how to resolve it."

"Fantastic! What was it?"

"Oh they are totally in love with each other."

"...What?"

"Yup," Monty said happily, "They are head over heels, hopelessly in love. I'm expecting a nice wedding and a team of badass children in their future. Actually, I am terrified of what kind of children those two could have but we can deal with that later on."

"I'm sorry...are you sure?"

"Oh yes, in fact I think they are about to confess everything and get together. Sadly it would be awkward for me to be standing there and setting off balloons and streamers but being proved right will have to do."

Kane groaned down the phone and Monty had to have some pity for him. "I'm going to have to spilt them up," he said, "They'll have to work with other partners and I'll lose my best team."

"Actually, that might be the wrong thing to do," Monty said, "These two, strangely, might work better together than apart. In fact, I have a suggestion to make. You see, I've heard a lot about the other members of your team..."

Monty had never been to such a fancy police station. The outer walls were glass with thick steel beams running throughout. It all sparkled in the sunlight and even the car park was cool.

Monty got out of his car and locked it before looking around for the elevator. He really hoped the Ark City police force didn't have complicated building layouts. He was making his way to the doors when a familiar car pulled into a space. Monty paused for a moment and sure enough, both Clarke and Bellamy stepped out.

They were dressed in comfortable work clothes but the smiles on their faces were certainly not belonging to people who were just partners. Monty felt even more victory when Clarke reached out to brush some unruly curl from Bellamy's face. Bellamy just grasped her hand and leaned down to kiss her soundly. Clarke smiled against his mouth and it was when Bellamy pulled her against him, that Monty quickly looked away.

"Ok, that is certainly not regulated work behaviour," he muttered but nothing could dampen his mood. He knew he had to report to the main office first, as he was still a visitor and needed a badge.

After signing a bunch of papers and ticking boxes, Monty was finally escorted the main room of the building. It was a giant space, with desks and screens and different levels that were filled with officers. It was busy and loud but someone worked like a well oiled machine. In the middle of it all stood Clarke and Bellamy, who had their backs to him. He strolled over and managed to catch the end of their conversation.

"I'm just saying Princess, we need a name. This is a brand new taskforce and people have to know we're different from the normal Ark City police..."

Clarke hummed and then replied, "I know but what can we call ourselves really. I mean, there are only 100 of us."

Monty cleared his throat and they turned sharply to see him. Smiles broke out and they chorused, "Monty!"

He grinned back and gestured around at the room. "Nice place you two have here- a taskforce all of your own."

Bellamy raised an eyebrow. "Yah, I heard we have you to thank for that."

Monty shrugged and glanced at their linked hands.

"You knew all along didn't you?" Clarke asked him and he just shrugged again.

"Some things are obvious to those of us with an outside perspective. You two are going to do great things together, I'm sure of it. And I'm going to be right here to help."

They looked confused and Monty tapped his badge. "When the paper work goes through, you are looking at this team's official therapist."

They certainly looked surprised anyway but not in a bad way. "Welcome to the team Monty," Bellamy greeted, "But you're going to have a hard time with this lot."

"He can start with me," a voice said beside him and Monty looked over to see a young woman suddenly standing beside him.

"Octavia, be nice to him," Clarke said but there was warmth in her tone. Octavia just linked her arms through Monty's and started to steer him through the room. "Don't worry, I will. You'll see Monty that my problem is that I have no sense of personal space..."

From somewhere behind him, Monty was sure he heard Bellamy yell, "Somebody get me a rubber band!"