A/N: Hi guys! So, I recently watched a bunch of Christmas movies, and I was inspired to write a festive Bellarke fic. I'm not too sure how long this is going to be, but know that it covers Christmas and the days after. I'm super psyched about it so I hope you guys like it! I'm hoping to have it finished by Christmas, so fingers crossed!

Please leave a review and let me know if you liked it – I love feedback x

ONE

Really, Clarke was dreading the upcoming week. Christmas with her parents, obviously, and the Jaha's too; Thelonious and his son Wells spent it with the Griffins every year – since his wife passed away – and every year, every goddamn year, Clarke's mother seemed intent on marrying her off to Wells.

It was surprising, really. Clarke loved her mother – and her father, of course – and she wanted to make them happy, but the idea of Clarke and Wells fitting together like a perfect couple didn't sit well with her. In truth, Wells was one of her best friends. They'd been through school together, and were in separate colleges, but they stayed in touch where they could and made the effort to see each other. But Clarke had never felt any kind of pull towards him.

He'd taken her to prom and, sure, they'd shared a kiss. But it was agreed upon pretty much right away that Clarke and Wells were much more like brother and sister than anything else. She wanted him in her life, just not like that.

Her parents, and Thelonious for that matter, didn't much care for that.

'They're convinced we're going to wind up together,' Clarke said, huffing as she fell backwards on to her roommate's bed. She folded her hands over her stomach and peered over to where Raven was tinkering with her computer at the desk.

'Maybe you will,' said Raven absently. She'd pulled off the hard case of her laptop and was fiddling with what looked like a credit card, all green and covered in tiny golden specs. Clarke thought Raven called it a hard board, or a memory drive or something like that.

'We won't,' Clarke muttered defiantly. 'Doesn't make a difference either way; I'm still going to be spending the holidays keeping them and their silly remarks at bay. And the looks they give us – ugh!'

Clarke grabbed a pillow and attempted to smother herself. She stopped upon feeling someone pat her stomach. A weight dropped next to her on the bed, and she cast the pillow aside to reveal Octavia, their third roommate, who she hadn't heard come in. She laid down next to Clarke at the foot of Raven's double bed, kicking off her shoes.

'You're so glad your day wasn't my day,' she said, taking the pillow Clarke had put down and setting it under her head. Clarke moved up to rest her own on it, too.

'What happened?' Raven asked, still not looking up from her project. Her tone was dry; she and Octavia got on well enough, but now and then they had very little patience for each other. Raven didn't like it when Octavia complained – she claimed she did it too much – and Octavia would always call Raven out on acting high and mighty.

'You've got a hell of a brain, Reyes. Why not try using it for something other than being a bitch?'

Clarke recalled the first time she'd introduced the two of them and winced. Thankfully, Jasper and Monty had been around to intervene. They were friends, even if sometimes they were loathed to admit it, and Clarke knew that one without the other wouldn't last all that long. A smile touched her lips, just briefly, before she was brought back to the present by a cushion being flung across the room and landing in her lap.

'Hey!' she called to Raven, who had set her computer aside and was smirking at her.

'Sorry, I was aiming for numskull over there.'

'Shut up,' Octavia said, and she rolled her eyes. 'Anyway, like I was saying. I got in a fight with Bellamy again. He's been so touchy lately.'

'Maybe someone pushed the stick even further up his ass,' Clarke grumbled, and Raven snorted. 'What?' Clarke asked when Octavia turned to stare at her with that look. 'Sorry, you know he gets to me.'

'Oh, we know,' said Raven, trudging over and taking up the last bit of space on the bed, the other side of Clarke. 'We were all here for the housewarming party.'

'The plate just slipped out of my hand,' Clarke said innocently, shrugging.

'Yeah,' said Octavia, rolling onto her side. She propped herself up with her elbow and grinned. 'And Bellamy said he didn't realize his glass was still full.'

'He still owes me for the damn carpet. Who drinks red wine at a party?' Clarke folded her arms even tighter.

'Um,' Raven smirked. 'You do, princess.' She and Octavia laughed, and Clarke reached for the pillow to smother herself again.

'Sometimes I just invite him over to see the two of you go at it.'

'On the rare occasion he isn't a complete ass, he's actually interesting to talk to.'

Octavia nodded.

'What were you fighting with him about?' Raven asked, sounding mildly interested as she examined her nails.

'Christmas,' Octavia sighed loudly, flopping onto her back once again. 'Lincoln's family invited me there, and they said Bellamy could come too but he's being stubborn. He still doesn't like Lincoln.'

'Does he like anyone?' Clarke asked.

'Octavia,' Raven volunteered, '…and I think that's it.'

Octavia opened her mouth to protest, looked at Raven and Clarke, and then decided better of it and put her head back down. 'You're probably right. He doesn't hate anyone, he's just…moody.'

'Well,' said Clarke, bracing herself on Raven and Octavia's knees to push herself up. 'My Christmas will be worse than yours, don't you worry.'

'They're still getting on at you about Wells? Pretty sure that ship has sailed,' said Octavia, following Clarke into the kitchen.

They lived in a nice apartment, just fifteen minutes from campus. With Clarke studying medicine and Octavia going into social work, they had pretty hectic schedules and when Raven found them the three bedroom place in just the right location, they jumped at the lease. They each had a room, with Raven's being slightly bigger; she always wound up bringing home bits and pieces from the garage, and when they had started to take over Clarke's previous, tiny apartment, Raven offered to figure out a new living situation. Thankfully, things had worked out for the best.

'It never even left port,' said Clarke, and Octavia giggled. 'So, how are things with Lincoln?'

Octavia's face lit up like the Christmas tree they had beside the TV, and she brushed her hair behind her ears like a schoolgirl with her first crush. 'I'm crazy about him.' They looked up upon hearing Raven's cell ringing in her room, but let her be when she closed the door.

'Where's his family from?' Clarke asked, attempting to change the subject. They both knew perfectly well who was on the other end of the call.

'Washington. We're flying down after lunch tomorrow. When do you leave?'

'Tomorrow afternoon. Raven's checking my car later to make sure it'll last the journey.'

'Probably a good idea. What is it, thirteen hours? I still don't understand your whole flying thing.'

'Me either. I just hate it,' Clarke said.

'At least you have the best mechanic working on it,' said Octavia passively. Clarke smirked at her. One of her favourite things about Octavia was how easily she cared about people, and how little she minded showing it.

'Yeah, well, you know how Raven worries.'

Clarke rolled her eyes, but deep down she knew that there were few people in her life she appreciated as much as she did Raven. Octavia and her parents and Wells of course, but Raven was her best friend. They'd been through a lot together, and there are certain things you can't share without ending up loving one another.

'I love Christmas,' said Octavia dreamily, seating herself at the kitchen counter. 'Are you excited?'

Clarke was about to answer when Raven emerged. She took the seat next to Octavia and smiled guiltily at Clarke. Octavia looked between them and, after realizing the great need for it, headed over to the storage closet behind the kitchen.

'I'll get the wine,' she said, excusing herself.

Clarke looked back at Raven and leaned on the counter opposite her. 'Was that Finn?'

Raven nodded. 'He's home for Christmas, so he wanted to know if I was going over.'

'Are you?' Clarke said, trying not to sound too blatant. Raven shook her head.

'No, my Mom said she was cooking this year, so…'

Raven trailed off. Her mother had never been reliable, between the drugs, the alcohol and the countless men she tramped through the house while Raven was growing up. But Raven didn't want to give up, and it seemed that this year things were finally going to turn around.

'I said we could hang out. I miss him sometimes…' she looked Clarke in the eye and shrugged. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be; you grew up together. That won't go away because of everything that happened.'

Clarke would be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous. She'd been crazy about Finn, and he about her, but when it came out that he already had a girlfriend and she and Raven came face to face, it was all too much. Finn had vowed to do better, to be better, but Clarke couldn't bring herself to believe him.

Raven had been devastated, but she asked Clarke to meet her and lo and behold, they put everything behind them and moved forward together. But Finn would always be there, in the back of their minds, as the one thing they had shared and never would again.

'Anyway,' said Raven, sitting straighter. 'What's your plan for avoiding the inevitable?'

Octavia re-emerged then, carrying a bottle of red and switching off her phone. 'Sorry that took so long, that was Bellamy asking where I left the can opener.'

'No apology?' Raven asked.

Octavia scoffed. 'Don't be ridiculous. Alright, who wants a glass?'

Clarke pulled three from the cupboard and they settled into the living area, flicking through channels on the television. Reruns of Friends and a few other hit and miss comedies were about the only thing on TV, other than Christmas movies. They settled on one and, a couple of hours later, were safely merry.

'It'd be much easier if I had a boyfriend I could take home with me,' Clarke mused, swirling the last of her wine. 'Can I borrow Lincoln?'

Octavia chuckled. 'Nice try, but I'm pretty sure his family would know something was up when I showed up to his house without him.'

'You could hire somebody to do it, like in Pretty Woman. Except you're Richard Gere and, hopefully, you don't have any prostitutes on call,' said Raven helpfully.

Laughing, Octavia gestured at a picture of her and her brother on the coffee table. 'You could take Bellamy. God knows he won't be coming with me, and I don't want him to be alone.'

'Clarke's mom's plates are too expensive for that,' Raven laughed. Clarke slapped her on the arm.

'I didn't throw it at him, it just… it slipped out of my hand, in his general direction. He happened to be standing right next to where it hit the wall.'

'I've never known anyone to get you as riled up as her brother.'

'Gotta agree with Raven,' said Octavia, tipping the empty bottle of wine upside down. 'All gone.'

'Probably a sign it's time for bed,' said Raven.

She stood up and offered her hands to the other two, and together the three of them wobbled over to their separate rooms. Raven said goodnight with a promise to check Clarke's car out in the morning, and Octavia said she'd be sure to say goodbye before she left. Clarke closed the door on them with a wave goodnight and collapsed onto her bed. Staring at the ceiling, she contemplated how little she was probably going to enjoy the following week. It was December 19th, and she was supposed to stay with her parents through until the 27th, at least. She threw her head back on her pillow and groaned.

She liked that she was independent, and she didn't particularly want a boyfriend after the last guy she let into her life turned out so terribly. But she knew it'd be much easier if she did have someone to take home; at the very least her parents would leave her alone about Wells, and more than that, she'd have someone to share a bed with. It had been… a while, she thought, and at least if she did hire a prostitute she'd have a good time…

Alright, that was the wine talking.

She set about getting ready for bed, being sure to set her alarm so she wouldn't miss Octavia leaving. By the time she was wrapped up under her sheets, her mind had wandered once again to the fake boyfriend idea, and she found herself rationally trying to figure out where she could get one at such short notice. Jasper and Monty were a no go – they were already home for the holidays. Miller too, for that matter. Damn, she thought. He would have been a good one. They had the flirty banter down, and she'd heard about his… talents from Monroe.

Her phone buzzed with a text message from Octavia.

206-454-8673

Lincoln's home phone in case you need to reach me. I might forget tomorrow. Night pumpkin x

Clarke grinned at the nickname, years old now from the first Halloween they spent together, and suddenly a thought struck her. Perhaps she would be able to find a boyfriend at short notice after all. She didn't like the guy, but like she'd told Raven and Octavia earlier, he owed her.

Need Bellamy's no. please! x

Octavia buzzed back right away.

Took you long enough ;)

The number came through a moment later, and after giving it another – heavily influenced by wine – thought, Clarke settled that, by the end of tomorrow, she would have a fake boyfriend to take home for Christmas. Even if it was Bellamy Blake.