Chapter 1
Of course it had to be dark. What was she expecting? Staying up late to save an innocent cat because some idiots thought it was correct to let a cat in labor all alone on the street. Luckily for her, a good Samaritan picked her up and brought her to them. Clarke never understood how people could be so cruel. She was so distracted in her own thoughts she never got the chance to see the dog on the road. Bam… "Fuck, I just hit a dog!" She couldn't help wondering what she had done today to deserve such luck. "Stupid horoscope." What was she thinking? They never tell the truth and it's never real. Clarke wanted to be real for once. All day she had a glimpse of hope but nothing happened. "In today's horoscope you'll meet someone special. You'll feel drawn to them by their simplicity and their calm." Yeah, right. Whatever.
"Hey Clarke, ready for the day?" she heard from behind. When she turned around, she saw it was only Octavia grinning.
"Hey O! How can you be so happy on a Friday morning at 8 am, I wonder?"
"Lincoln finally asked me out!" she almost screamed of joy. Oh yes, Lincoln. Octavia had been talking about him for months.
"Oh my God O, that's amazing! I know how long you've been waiting. Lincoln is a great guy. I'm really happy for you. You deserve the world and if he hurts you, I'm sending Raven at him," Clarke said with a threatening look.
"Yes mom, but I have a great feeling about him. He's not like the other guys I dated. I know he'll treat me right," Octavia responded with a dreamy smile.
Clarke had never seen O so happy about a guy, and she wished she had the same luck. Since Finn two years ago, she hadn't been in a real relationship, although he had a few hook ups with Niylah in the past year. Sure, she was nice and beautiful but she didn't feel the connexion between them. She wanted more, she wanted a relation to be more than just physical. Seeing Octavia so happy today made her think about what her horoscope said. Her 'special someone', she scorned mentally.
"Well, I heard today is going to be a busy day O. Keep your good energy, and don't let those furry balls fool you. They may be cute but you know how they get when it's bath time."
"Oh God, you didn't have to remind me. Way to go and crash my mood Clarky," Octavia pouted.
"For God's sake, we are veterinarians not some technicians...Why do we have to do this again, Clarke?"
"You know why O…We lost a bet against Raven," Clarke said with a bittersweet smile. She should have known better. Raven was a fucking genius.
"Yeah yeah, fucking Reyes. Next time, I'm the one winning and she'll be the one cleaning those cages and giving a bath of those adorable kitties and puppies," she said with a mischievous look.
Clarke knew that look – it meant it never ended well. She was about to say something when Raven appeared out of nowhere with donuts and coffees.
"Oh my god Raven! You're a lifesaver. I don't know if I would survive with no coffee all morning."
"What can I say, I thought I'll bring you coffee before you go clean all morning. I know how much you're happy about the bet," Raven said with a wink
"Asshole! You'll regret that, Reyes. Next time it's going to be worse than that. It's a promise," Clarke responded with an angry but playful tone in her voice.
"I'm with Griffin on this one, Raven. We won't go easy on you. You know how much we hate that."
"Exactly Blake, you hate that as much as I hate working with the rodents. So next time think of something else"
"Okay calm down children, we have work to do. Octavia, you come with me and Raven, you stay away until noon," Clarke said, almost patronizing them. She knew if she didn't intervene, they would still be arguing.
"Yes mom," they both say with an annoying voice.
"Finally we can take a break. My arms are hurting so much. It's the last time I do that" said Clarke to Octavia. O couldn't agree more.
"Reyes the lunch better be ready for us. I'm hungry and tired!" shouted Octavia
"Yeah yeah don't need to scream. I bought Taco Bell and all your favorites," she said.
"I remember why I love you Reyes."
"Ouch, you wound me Griffin. I thought I was your favorite," Raven said, putting her hand to her heart in an exaggerating way.
"Don't be a baby, you know how much I love Taco Bell, Raven. You just can't compete," Clarke said.
"Give me food Reyes!" Clarke heard from behind. Octavia was running at Raven at full speed. She barely had time to get out of the way, Octavia was already with the bag of food running away.
Clarke was stoned, she couldn't move. What just happened? It took her a second to process until she realized.
"OCTAVIA, come back here! My food is in the bag too. I know how much you like to eat but I'm hungry too!" she screamed.
She started to run, but she didn't even make five steps until she ran into someone. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going," she said.
"Clearly you were not," responded a calm and yet cold voice.
She looked up and then saw the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. Trying to be professional but secretly dying on the inside, Clarke tried to use the most composed voice she could master. "I'm sorry again, how can I help you?"
The green eyes looked sceptically, but the woman finally answered, "I found this cat on the road and she seems to be in labor. I don't know anything about giving birth to a cat so I came to a veterinarian. Can you help her?"
Clarke was so lost in her eyes she didn't understand one word from the stranger. She was still daydreaming when suddenly someone woke her up with a small wave in my face.
"Oooh sorry what did you say?"
"I said can you help her or not?" The stranger was starting to get annoyed.
"Oh yes, of course I can help you. My name is Clarke Griffin, you can follow me this way," she said while she was walking to a room. The stranger followed her.
"I'm sorry to cut this conversation short but I really need to go back to work," the girl with green eyes said.
"Ooh no, I understand, I completely understand. Have a nice day!" Clarke watched the stranger leave the place. The cat still in Clarke's hands.
"Octavia, Raven! I need your help. Someone just dropped a pregnant cat. She doesn't seem too far in her contraction but I need you to examine her." The cat had a beautiful dark and white fur.
"Yeah we're taking care of it," Octavia said with her mouth still full of food.
"O, you're disgusting, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't speak with your mouth full!"
Raven was following behind Octavia with a strange look.
Clarke really suspiciously asks, "What's going on Raven?"
"I don't know… maybe your reaction when the customer came in. You should have seen your stupid face. Haha priceless! I understand why she left so fast; you were almost drooling on her."
"I was not Raven, I was just disoriented after I ran into her."
"Keep dreaming, Princess. In my book you made a fool of yourself."
"Agree," responded Octavia.
"I hate you both. We better have some food left; I'm starving to death. I'll come back after to see how the mama's going. "
"What a day, it's almost closure time. How are the mama and the babies? I think someone will have to stay with her during the night," Clarke said.
"I'm sorry Princess but I can't stay; my date with Lincoln is tonight and I need to get ready. You can still ask Bellamy, Jasper or Monty. I'm sure they won't mind," Octavia responded already leaving the place.
"Yeah I'll do that. Thanks O, have a great date with Lincoln and I want all the details tomorrow!"
"Sure Griffin."
Clarke went to see the others in the dinner room. "Hey Bell! Can you stay with me tonight? I need to keep an eye on the mama and her babies."
"Of course, I have nothing better to do. Have you seen Octavia? We were supposed to get home together."
"O already left, Bell. She has a date with Lincoln tonight."
"Wait, what? She has a date? Why didn't she tell me? And is Lincoln a bit too old for her?"
"That's exactly why she didn't tell you; she knew you would overact and wouldn't agree with her. Don't worry, Lincoln is a very nice guy and he wouldn't hurt your sister."
"Yeah, you're right but my sister is my responsibility."
"I know Bell, that's why you are such a wonderful brother."
"Bell, it's two in the morning, I think the cats are doing okay, you won't mind if I go home? I'm really tired and I need some sleep."
"Sure Griffin, get home safely, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Thanks Bellamy, you're the best!"
On her way home, Clarke couldn't shake the image of the stranger. She was so beautiful and her eyes were so green. During their conversation, she just stood there with the cat in her arms with her calm aura. The mama was very lucky someone like her picked her up. Clarke never understood why people could be so cruel with animals. The woman had the greenest eyes she has never seen before. They were so captivating. She felt stupid for not asking her name. She was pretty sure she wouldn't ever see her again. But it was not like she would want to see me again, I totally made a fool of myself. Stupid Clarke, she thought.
Clarke was so distracted with her own thoughts she never got the chance to see the dog on the road. Bam… "Fuck, I just hit a dog!" She couldn't help wondering what she had done today to deserve such luck. "Stupid horoscope!" What was she thinking? They never tell the truth and it's never real. Clarke wanted to be real for once. All day she had a glimpse of hope but nothing happened so far. "In today's horoscope you'll meet someone special. You'll feel drawn to them by their simplicity and their calm." Yeah, right, what a bunch of bullshit.
"Oooh fuck no, what did I do?"
She stopped the car and ran to the dog. The dog was laying on the road, h is beautiful dark fur was surrounded with his own blood. The dog was middle size and she could see whoever the owner was, they took really great care of him. The dog was in good shape with muscular legs.
She didn't know what to do. She called Bellamy to help her get the dog inside her car. She needed to bring the dog at the veterinary as soon as possible. She didn't have her stuff with her.
"Bellamy, I need your help, I just ran into a dog and he is badly hurt. He is too big for me to get him myself in my car. Can you come?"
"Are you alright Clarke? Is the dog still breathing? Calm down Clarke, everything will be alright, I'm coming, don't move him."
"I'm fine Bell. Yes the dog is still breathing. I'm calm now I'm calm now. Thank you Bell, you're the best."
Clarke hung up the phone, her heart was beating fast. She couldn't believe she just hit a dog. What was he doing alone on the road at 2 in the morning anyway? Was he lost? Did he belong to someone?
When Bellamy's car finally appeared, she felt relief. The dog would soon be treated. Hopefully he would make it.
Bell picked him up in his arm as if the animal was a feather, and the dog whined.
"Easy boy, easy boy. Everything will be alright. Don't worry," Clarke heard Bellamy says.
At the veterinary, Bell placed the dog gently on the table. The dog was losing way too much blood. They had to do something fast or the dog would indeed never make it. Clarke saw the collar of the dog with Gustus and a number written on it.
The phone rang for what it felt like the tenth time, and she was about to give up when someone finally picked up the phone.
"It better to be for a good reason. It's 3 in the morning for God's sake," an icy voice responded.
"I'm so sorry to call you at 3 in the morning but could you come to Arkadia veterinary hospital as soon as possible? I just ran into your dog with my car, and he is in critical condition. He needs surgery," Clarke explained rapidly.
"What?! I'm coming over!" Clarke heard, and just like that, the line cut.
She waited patiently with the dog while Bellamy prepared the operation table on the other room. After a while Clarke heard a frenetic knock at the door. She opened the door and the stranger ran to see her dog. Oh, she couldn't believe it – it was the same girl who came during the day with the pregnant cat! Definitely, her luck was with her.
"You are the one who hit my dog?" the stranger said.
She felt cornered with those piercing green eyes.
"Yes, and I'm so sorry, it was an accident. Your dog is in good hands with Bellamy; you have nothing to worry about, miss…?
"Lexa Woods."
"Like I say Miss Woods, your dog is in good hands."
"He better be," Lexa said in a composed and yet threatening voice. Clarke felt like this woman was the 'I-never-raise-my-voice' type. Definitely scary. And sexy, she had to admit.
They both waited in the waiting room for hours, drinking coffee in an awkward silence. Bellamy still hadn't come out yet, and Clarke could see Lexa in the corner of her eye getting impatient. Although she was still keeping her calm, her eyes gave her anxiousness away. They were darker now, not the same green when she first met her. They were actually almost black. Clarke couldn't understand how she could keep her cool like that. Had it been her dog, she would have already freaked out.
Bellamy finally came out of the room with an exhausted look.
"Miss, I'm happy to tell you your dog is safe. We are going to keep him for a few days to see is progress and make sure there is no complications. He is still sleeping but you can go see him if you want."
The girl smiled for the first time and thanked Bellamy before going into the room.
"How are you feeling Bell?" Clarke asked.
"I'm exhausted but I'm glad the dog is saved. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and sleep."
"Of course. Go get some sleep, you deserve it. Thank you for coming and saving his life."
He smiled, then waved to her before leaving the place.
Lexa was still with her dog when she came in the room. She was talking smoothly to her dog, her eyes now glistening of love for her fury friend. Clarke was hypnotized by that sight, and to be honest she didn't want to intrude the moment. But she had to speak with her.
"I'm sorry but I need to speak to you. You can let your dog sleep; I promise he'll spend the rest of the night in one of our best beds," she said in a soft voice.
"Very well. Is there anything else?" Lexa asked with her cold voice back in place.
Damn, she was so intimidated by her. "Um…I wanted to say sorry again, you don't have to worry about the cost, I'll take care of it."
"No." was the answer.
"What do you mean, no?" She didn't understand. It was her fault if the dog was hurt.
"No is no, I take it you know the definition of the word, Clarke?"
Clarke was surprised, she wasn't expecting that. "Yes of course I know it, what I don't get is why you won't let me pay for the operation."
"Gustus is my dog and my responsibility. And I have enough money to pay you. How is the pregnant cat I brought here today?"
She knew Lexa was trying to change the subject. She didn't push, she didn't want to bother the dog's owner any further. "The last time I saw her, the mama were all doing fine. She gave birth to five beautiful kitties. Would you like to see them?
"I would love to."
The mama and her kitties were all sleeping in a basket, all cuddling together. They were all adorable. One of the five kitties was smaller than the others; he looked like a replica of the mother.
They spent a few more minutes just looking at them until Lexa yawned beside her. She looked really tired and her eyes were now half-closed.
"You really should go to sleep. I promise you, nothing will happen to Gustus until you come back tomorrow."
Lexa looked like she wanted to fight it but another yawn stopped her from talking. "Yes, I guess you're right. I'll be back tomorrow in the afternoon; I have work to do before that."
"I know you don't want me to pay for your dog but at least, let me repay you by inviting you to dinner or else I'm paying for him." Clarke couldn't believe her ballsy move. She didn't just ask out the girl, did she? Of course not, it was just a way to apologize to her, that was all. Not that she would mind dating her because like Lexa was amazing and attractive and beautiful and…but no, she didn't ask her out. Nope. Not a chance, she kept telling herself.
"Did you just ask me out?" Lexa said, smirking.
"… Of course not…I mean not that I would mind…No I did not…I just want to apologize for your dog. Yeah that's right…for your dog…" She was so embarrassed with herself, oh God twice in a day, with Lexa 'I-don't-smile-very-often-and-my-voice-is-as-cold-as-ice' Woods no less!
Lexa chuckled.
"Sure, for my dog. I accept the invitation, Clarke. Just text me the details," she winked at her.
Lexa blinked, astonished, and then gave Clarke her number on a piece of paper.
Clarke couldn't speak, she was really confused. Was it a date or just an apologising dinner? She wasn't sure anymore. The beautiful green eyes had already left the place, leaving her all by herself in an internal battle. She would have a long talk with Raven and Octavia tomorrow first thing in the morning.
After all, maybe her horoscope was right. She did meet someone special who she fell drawn to by their simplicity and their calm. Well, maybe not by their simplicity because she felt like Lexa was really stubborn but apart from that, they were totally right. That night, before going to sleep, she texted Lexa for arranging the dinner with all the details. Once done, she wished her a good night, not expecting an answer immediately.
Her phone biped. It was only a brief message, but one that warmed up Clarks' insides:
"I wouldn't have mind if it was a date." – Lexa
Clarke couldn't help but blush and scream. Life really was great.