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Bellamy proposed on a dark, freezing night at the beginning of December. The pair huddled under several sherpa blankets watching an array of holiday films. In between It's a Wonderful Life and The Santa Clause , he brought up how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Honestly, she didn't think he planned to propose that night - seeing as the ring was hidden away in their room and not on his person - but their conversation progressed to what their life would be like and how she wanted that as well.
Four days later, they stood before a Justice of the Peace. Neither cared for a grand wedding. Throughout her childhood Clarke attending several overly expensive weddings of family members and Bell spent his childhood counting every penny.
And neither meant to keep their marital status a secret. Sure, they wanted a few days to enjoy wedded bliss by themselves before telling their families but honestly, it was kind of funny waiting until someone picked up on it. Bellamy hung up the portrait taken from the small garden outside the courthouse. Clarke standing in a white maxi dress and faux fur coat, Bellamy in a dark blue shirt and a black peacoat. A bouquet of gardenias purchased from the supermarket in her hands. Neither hid the gold bands on their fourth finger. And they both started signing their names as Blake-Griffin.
So far only John Murphy happened to put the pieces together. He'd sent them a text message the night they said 'I do' telling them they didn't need a certificate to prove they were old and married. It's been two weeks now and she still has no idea how he figured it out.
This was why when Bellamy came home with two stockings with Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Blake embroidered into the fabric, they both decided to run with their families' obliviousness.
Exiting Bellamy’s Jeep, Clarke inhaled the scent of pine in the air. The chill winter air bit at her exposed skin. She pulled her worn red scarf tighter around her neck.
A wooden archway separated the dirt parking lot from the Christmas tree lot. A sign overhead hung limply to one side, the paint reading Cooper Christmas Trees starting to chip. A few men in quilted-flannel jackets stood near the front of the lot huddled around the bright red and green balers. One of the men left the group to greet them.
“Do you two need any help?” The man asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.
“Seven-foot-tall fir?” Bellamy responded.
Preferably with branches sturdy enough to carry the few ornaments they’ve acquired in the past two weeks.
"Is that going to fit in the apartment?" Clarke asked, looping her arm through his.
"I measured while you were still asleep and factored in the base we bought." He woke up everyday at six am, she was not about being out of bed before 8. And that's solely if she truly needed to be up.
The man, Riley as his nametag read, led them through the lot. Past a sign that read spruces, a second sign that read cedars, and a family that appeared to be very indecisive on what type of tree they wanted. The poor employee shivering away while they debated the integrity of each breed. Riley pulled one of the firs from its small hole and stomped the trunk onto the ground, the branches fanning out. Clarke looked up at her husband, watching as he seized up the fir. To be honest, she didn’t really care which tree they brought home. Her parents always had a ten-foot-tall fir ("They had high ceilings, Bell! Everyone in the neighborhood had large Christmas trees.") delivered directly from some Christmas tree farm upstate at the beginning of the holiday season. A few workers setting up the tree in the center of their living room.
So Clarke never really did the whole picking out a Christmas tree thing. At least not until she started dating Bellamy three years before. His sister dragging them along to pick out a tree for an ailing Aurora. Bellamy brought along mostly because Octavia hadn't yet owned a car and his ability to haggle. Clarke joined for the hell of it.
(That first time, Bellamy had one of the employees cleanly cut off part of the tree's base. In elementary school, Aurora would give them crayons and ask them to draw a holiday or winter scene for her. The drawing proudly displayed on their mantle for the remainder of winter.)
The Blakes on the other hand went out Christmas tree shopping, typically the weekend before Christmas. All three of them running up and down the aisles to find the best tree still available on the lot. Patchy areas without branches and trees that veered slightly a staple in the Blake household for years. A tradition her husband intended to continue embracing. Two more trees were removed from their holes before Bellamy found the perfect tree: seven-feet, stout, and canting to the left. A large section of pine needles missing from the middle of the tree.
It did not take long for Riley and Bellamy to tie the tree to the roof of the Jeep. Once secured, he bounced around from radio station to radio station, searching for one playing Christmas music. Clarke spent the whole drive back to the apartment gripping under her seat and staring through the exterior mirror, terrified the tree would end up on Route 102. Or even worse, through the windshield of the Mazda riding Bellamy’s bumper. Dude seriously do you not see the tree? No need to drive that close unless you were actively trying to have a fir fly through your windshield.
Arriving in their apartment building's parking structure, Clarke left carrying the tree into the apartment to him. Mainly because she was not a person who could carry a tree but also because she wanted to see her husband effortlessly balance one on his shoulder. He was hot, sue her.
Earlier that morning, the pair rearranged their living room set to allow for a spot to place the tree in the corner. Clarke’s job was to hold the tree as straight as possible while he fastened the two metal screws of the base into the trunk of the tree. As he went to turn the first screw, Clarke began shaking the tree. A few pine needles catching in his hair. Looking up at her from the floor, Bellamy quirked an eyebrow.
"Sorry, my hands just started acting on their own."
Again he went to turn the screw. And again she shook the three. Bellamy shot up, his arms wrapping around the middle of her waist. Using his weight, he knocked them both onto the loveseat nearby.
"Bellamy!" Her laughter drowning out the sound of her admonishment. "What was that for?" She asked innocently.
"It appears our apartment is on a fault line." With a smirk, he leaned down to kiss her. Propping herself up onto her elbows, Clarke canted her neck to meet him halfway. Right as her lips brushed against his, he pulled away.
"No you don't," she warned, fingers tugging at the collar of his sweater.
Chuckling quietly, Bellamy leaned back down. His lips melting against hers. He raised his left hand to cup her cheek, the coolness of the gold ring pressed into her skin. Reminding her that she'd wake up everyday next to this man. She snaked one of her legs around his waist. Pulling him even closer to her.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on hers, "You know, you're making decorating a longer affair than it has to be."
Her fingers swept down his chest, "You know, you have no problem with that."
After redressing, she dredged through the shopping bags filled with holiday decor. Most of the items had been purchased within their two weeks of wedded bliss. Either from the clearance rack at some department store or from the arts and crafts market that happened every Thursday morning in the park a few blocks away.
Growing up, her parents and grandparents purchased a few small holiday decorations to help start Clarke's collection for when she had her own home. And by a few, she meant a full plastic tub's worth. She'd also been allowed to take whatever ornaments she pleased from the multitude of Christmas boxes shoved into the attic. But aside from a few nutcrackers and the good fairy lights, the rest of the embellishments remained untouched in their plastic tubs, wrapped carefully with tissue paper and bubble wrap. Bellamy's mother did something similar for her kids when she’d gotten sick. Dividing everything in half, even going as far as to give Bellamy two golden baubles from one set and the remaining two to Octavia. But like Clarke, Bellamy kept very few adornments for himself. Everything he didn't take, he gave to Octavia. Including those two golden balls.
“Babe, can you hold it like this?” Bellamy asked, hands gripping the trunk to steady the tree into place. "And actually hold the tree in place this time?" He chided.
Quickly depositing the shopping bags onto their coffee table, she walked over and placed her hands where his previously were. He bent underneath the lower branches to adjust the base, “Just gonna screw these in and hopefully we’ll have a tree that won’t fall over.”
According to Octavia, the Blakes pet-sat their neighbor's cat on Christmas, who knocked the tree down. Twice.
Once secured, he rolled out from underneath the lowest branches. "Movies or music while we work?"
"Music." They watched Elf last night and Christmas Vacation the night before that. Christmas music would be a good reprieve from all the holiday films. Unlocking her phone, Clarke opened her Spotify and selected shuffle on the Christmas pop playlist she curated throughout the month. George Michael's voice filtering through the snowman speakers once the Bluetooth connected.
Bellamy walked over to the couch, arm reaching out randomly for one of the many bags. "The Target bags have the ornaments sets, the red bag has the lights for the tree, and the paper bags have everything from the market."
Gently, Bellamy removed each box of the tree ornaments from the bags and placed them onto the coffee table. "Mind getting a towel? I want to spread these out and not end up with sparkles and glitter covering every inch of the table."
Once the towel was down, they began unpacking the ornaments. Two sets of four glass snowmen; a variety pack of 130 some odd pieces in reds, greens, golds, and silvers in various holiday themes shapes; a set of Peanuts characters; and a few Rankin/Bass Christmas special characters.
Oh. And of course the two she hid in her bedside table drawer.
"I call Bumble." Bellamy said, grabbing the Abominable Snowmonster from the mix.
"Don't you want to put the lights on first?"
"I feel like you're only asking that so you can steal Bumble from me." She wasn't! (She was.)
Regardless, Bellamy still opened up the red bag and started unraveling the three strands of tree lights they owned. He crossed the room towards one of the available outlets to test that none of the fuses popped. Her husband carried Bumble with him to the other side of the room. "Have fun with Yukon Cornelius, love you!"
With Bellamy busy with the lights, Clarke began working her way through the paper bags. They found several items while perusing the stalls of the arts and craft market that could aid in their game. For example a cute salt and pepper shaker where salt was Mr. Claus and pepper was Mrs. Claus. When not in use they would be kissing each other under the mistletoe.
Clarke rolled out a white strip of felt onto their electric fireplace to resemble snow. A round candle holder placed in the center. She surrounded small knick-knacks around the holder: a shivering snowman, a Christmas themed train, and a Santa Claus reviewing The List. Clarke settled two brass reindeer stocking hangers on the edge of the fireplace - one male and one female - and attached their Mr. and Mrs. stockings onto the hook. She gently traced her pointer finger along the male reindeer's antlers down to the fur gathered around its neck, feeling every minute detail etched into the material. The woman manning the stall also sold baby reindeer hangers with or without the small nubs for antlers. Clarke purchased one of each when Bellamy went off to answer a phone call from his sister. The two wrapped pieces safely tucked away in the hall closet until they may be needed.
"Want the apartment to smell like snickerdoodles or gingerbread?" She asked, searching for the two glass jars hidden under an excessive amount of tissue paper. Pulling out the gingerbread option, Clarke shook her head and swapped it for the other. He'd want snickerdoodles.
"Snickerdoodles." Whoop, there it is. "Once you're done, ready to do the lights?"
As a child, her parents had a Christmas tree base that allowed to rotate the tree all the way around. Made decorating the entirety of a ten foot tall tree much easier. No need to constantly move the ladder. Unlike that base, theirs did not spin. Thus Clarke had to slip into the small space between the wall and the Christmas tree. Bellamy looped the lights around the front and handed off the strand to her to continue around the back. Elbows constantly bumping against the wall.
"Who do you think figures it out first?" Clarke asked, "And who do you think leaves without realizing?"
Bellamy paused in his movements, "I want to say either Raven or Monty will put everything together first, but Murphy knew right off the bat." They still have no idea how Murphy found out about the wedding, "So really it could be anyone."
Raven and Monty did seem like the logical ones to put everything together, "I wanna say Jasper will."
"Why Jasper?"
Clarke weaved her way out from behind the tree. She gently took the third string of fairy lights from his hands. Her pinky slowly trailing along the side of his wrist. Slipping the lights around his shoulders, she carefully tugged on the wire, pulling Bellamy closer to her. His hands came up to rest on her waist, thumb brushing the small exposed strip of skin between her hoodie and her leggings. Both of her hands pressed featherlight against his neck.
"Aside from the two of us, he seemed the most excited we'd started dating. He'd probably notice the stockings and a few of the Mr. and Mrs. Claus things littered around, then jump to the ultimately correct conclusion."
"To be honest, there's not a whole lot of stuff. I feel like if anyone were to put it together it would be because of the stockings." Bellamy muttered, looking at the few decorations she'd laid out. A stuffed Mr. Claus holding hands with a stuffed Mrs. Claus would go under the tree once they finished. A throw pillow with Mr. and Mrs. Claus ice skating rested on the middle cushion of the couch.
Placing her pointer finger to his lips, she asked for him to hold that thought. She disappeared down the hall to their bedroom. Two parcels wrapped in brown paper tucked inside the drawer of her bedside table. One had a white string tied around the package and one had black. When she returned to their living room, Bellamy remained in the same spot and still draped in lights. As she stepped into his space, Bellamy lifted part of the lights over her shoulders as well to wrap them together.
"Here," Clarke ended the package with the black string, "I saw these the other day and decided to fiddle with them."
On the count of three, they both unwrapped their parcels. In her hand sat a bride cake topper. The matching groom in his. A small metal screw eye sticking out of the tops of their heads. The hanger hooks already attached.
"I figured we hide them somewhere on the tree," Clarke started, playing with the hook. "Nowhere too obvious but nowhere impossible to see when viewing the tree."
"I like that idea." Bellamy said, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers once more.
"It was hard trying to find wedding ornaments that weren't just a picture of us with the wedding date."
"So you made your own?" He asked smugly.
"So I made my own." Reaching up, she grabbed his chin and brought his lips to hers. "Merry Christmas, oh husband of mine."
Clarke wagered $10 that Jasper would be the first to notice while Bellamy bet on his sister.
("Gotta give her some credit. She's known me her whole life, Clarke.")
They planned on staggered start times, seeing as not everyone would arrive at once. The clock would start the moment the guest walked through their front door and would stop once the guest figured it out.
The buzz of the doorbell echoed throughout the apartment. Let the games begin.
Not gonna lie, it kind of hurt that her mother and step-father arrived first and still had yet to notice their daughter was now a married woman. Her mother even walked down the same hall to get to the bathroom where their wedding portrait hung. Easily slipping back into conversation with Marcus once she returned. At least Octavia appeared to be just as oblivious. The woman had her elbow balanced on the electric fireplace, where the stocking hung with care, for the first half hour of being in their home. Bellamy calmly took each of their coats and helped his sister carry the mountain of presents she'd purchased from the trunk of her car Her husband played the perfect host. He laid out the cocktail shrimp and the cheese platter on the coffee table. He made sure each guest had something to drink. Meanwhile Clarke stood off to the side. Her eyes darting from her mother's face, to her step-father's face, to her now sister-in-law's face. Anxiously hoping one of their family members would surmise Bellamy and Clarke were now Mr. and Mrs. Blake-Griffin.
The Greens arrived next. Little Jordan dressed in a reindeer onesie balanced on Harper's hip. Followed by Murphy and Emori - both of whom shot her complacent smirks as she mechanically took their coats from them. Raven, Miller, and the Jahas all arrived within ten minutes of each other and none said anything.
She had no clue why their silly, little game turned her into fidgety mess. Every time someone so much as looked near Clarke or Bellamy, the hair on her arms stood up. Her fingers itching to scratch at the skin of her neck.
Clarke excused herself from whatever tale Thelonious told to find her husband. He leaned against the far wall, his head shifting back and forth as Raven and Octavia argued about some tv show they'd both been watching. Slipping her hand through his arm, she pulled him into the kitchen.
She held one of her hands out in front of her, watching as it shook violently. "I don't get why I'm so anxious."
Bellamy walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His chin fitting over her shoulder, "Oh no, is everyone not giving the princess attention?"
She leaned further into him, her back resting against his chest. "It's not that."
"It's okay to be nervous," He mumbled. A gentle kiss was placed to her jawline. "I'm a little worried about how our family will react to finding out they weren't invited to our wedding, too."
"You aren't showing it."
Her body moved along with his as he shrugged his shoulders. "Cause at the end of the day, I'm still married to you."
"I married the biggest sap in the world."
Bellamy lifted his left hand up, "Foreverrrrrrr."
Her nerves calmed substantially once leaving the kitchen. Whatever fears that may have developed melted away. There was a possiblility that her parents, his sister and their friends were bothered at not being involved in their wedding. However, like Bellamy said, either way they were still husband and wife.
She turned to look at Murphy and Emori. The couple subtly jabbing their elbows into the other's ribcage. Seeing which would fall off the ottoman first. He and Bellamy had always been close. Yet, the former showed no inclination he'd been hurt over their eloping.
To be fair, Murphy and Emori would probably elope too if they decided on marrying.
Once all of their friends and family were packed in the living room, Bellamy made his way to the tree. Aurora Blake allowed her children to open one present before dinner. If they finished their meal, they could open the rest of their presents. A tradition Octavia planned to continue. The woman stalked across the room, directing her brother towards a specific present.
"That one's for you and Clarke."
"Aww, a couple present," Murphy teased.
Bellamy handed her the wrapped present - a large rectangle decorated in blue paper with small snowflakes. She grabbed one corner and he grabbed the other. Both ripping the paper from the present to reveal a framed image of the night sky. Bellamy played with a piece of torn wrapping paper. His eyes widening as he read the tag.
What did his sister write?
Jasper shot up from his cushion on the floor, "It's the night sky on your wedding." His whole body shook with excitement. Almost like a puppy. "Oh my god, you don't understand how long I've been wanting to say that! You guys got married!"
Wait what?
Bellamy folded the piece of wrapping paper over, exposing the Santa shaped tag. All of their friends signed their names as tiny as they possibly could. The words To Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Blake written above. They'd all known this entire time?
Octavia looked up sheepishly, "I may have been at the traffic court across the street dealing with a possible red light ticket when I saw you guys taking photos outside."
"O, you got another ticket?" Bellamy chastised.
"You knew this whole time?" She scanned the faces off their friends, settling on Murphy's smug look, "Is that how you knew, she told you?"
He opened his mouth to speak but Emori leaned over to whisper something in his ear. "Oh right," Murphy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white business card. Jonathan N. Murphy, Esq written in Comic Sans on the front. "I decided to become a lawyer and passed the bar. I was representing my first client in traffic court."
"You just woke up and decided to become a lawyer?" Harper asked incredulously, "At least Elle Woods had to go to law school."
"What does the N stand for?" Miller asked.
Murphy simply shrugged.
"I was so excited for you guys to see the stockings," Clarke gesticulated towards the fireplace, "or the bride and groom ornaments," she then gestured towards the tree, "and get that wide-eyed look."
Jasper raced over to the tree, hands hovering just above the pine needles. "Dude, they really do have bride and groom ornaments. I love it here."