To Anya!
Chapter 1:
This was going to be interesting. Clarke couldn't be sure what would happen her first time back in Arkadia, in who knows how long. A lot had changed. This pub had changed with its silly new name and nautical theme. But the town was still home. It was still her Arkadia.
Clarke came into the pub and booked it for the first familiar face she found. The familiar brunette stood at a high top table staring intently at her phone. She looked up with a broad smile when her old friend approached.
"Well, well, the prodigal princess has returned, " bellowed Raven, "and it only took a tragedy."
Clarke winced a bit, but it seemed Raven was still Raven regardless of place or circumstance. She quickly grabbed the brunette into a quick hug.
"How are you doing Rae?"
"Eh, same as everyone. I guess I just had a little more time to swallow the news, " she muttered looking away.
"Well, for what it's worth if you want to talk about it," Clarke began before Raven interrupted.
"I'll be sure to run it by someone a little more qualified." Raven deadpanned. "But now oddly enough is not the time to be morose. Instead, let's be inappropriate together, like old times. You know before all the others stroll in and ruin our fun"
"Ummm, Rae, I hardly recall us being inappropriate together. I am pretty sure that was all you."
"Well then, like new times. It's been a while either way. Come on now, I spotted Bellamy." She points across the room.
As the duo walked towards their old friend, the pub door swings open and in strolls Lexa with Octavia by her side. Clarke saw Bellamy look up with a giant grin. She wasn't really surprised by his excitement. He and Octavia always had a close relationship. She was however taken aback when Lexa, not Octavia, ran straight into Bellamy's arms, wrapping him in a bear hug. Bellamy wore his lop-sided grin picking her up off the ground and twirled in a circle. Twirled! Lexa! Bellamy! Really?
"Wait! What is going on here?"
Raven looked at Clarke with a questioning smirk, "What? You mean Lexa and Bellamy?"
"Don't act like I'm the crazy one, Raven. Since when is there even a Lexa and Bellamy?" Clarke asked incredulously.
"It isn't like that, C," Raven said with a low chuckle while shaking her head, "Wow, you are out of the loop!"
"Well, loop me in then, Raven."
"But what would be the fun in that. You'll figure it out, Clarkey."
"Ugh! You are an ass! At least that hasn't changed." Clarke grunted in faux exasperation.
"Well come on now, lets start your investigation." Raven said as she grabbed Clarke's hand and guided her across the room to join Bellamy, Octavia, and Lexa.
"This should be fun." Clarke grimaced.
"Ahhh, come on now C it's a wake, it isn't supposed to be fun."
In that moment the circumstance set in and Clarke felt a twinge.
Raven seeing how her statement set in dialed back, "I mean, no, it is a celebration of life. I mean." She tried to recover awkwardly, Thankfully, Octavia interrupted by whistling across the room at the two girls, "Well hello ladies!"
Bellamy looked up from Lexa, over to Clarke and Raven, "Raven, hi! How are you doing? You going to introduce your friend?"
Raven quickly added, "Well yes of course, this is Clarke Griffin. You actually might remember her, she went to high school with us."
"Hmmm. Doesn't ring a bell?" Bellamy quipped, before stepping towards Clarke and engulfing her in a hug.
"Ha ha, Bellamy. Nice to see you too." Clarke said hugging him back.
Stepping back Bellamy motioned towards Octavia and Lexa, "Well let me reintroduce you to my sister Octavia and my darlin' Lexa."
Lexa smacked Bellamy's shoulder while the rest of the group chuckled, leaving Clarke a little confused until Octavia rescued her by giving her a hug even stronger than Bell's. "Welcome back! Wish it could be under better circumstances."
"Me too. It is nice to see everyone though," Clarke shrugged lightly out of the hug.
And now she had no choice but to look at Lexa. The other didn't seem bothered by her presence and shrugged off Bellamy's arm settling over her shoulder to step up to Clarke. Saying, "Hi Clarke, thanks for coming," before stepping into a feather light hug. After her perfunctory hug, she took a step backwards by Bellamy, who hung is arm lightly around her again, giving her a slight kiss on the head.
Clarke caught herself staring at Lexa and Bellamy. Lexa and Bellamy! The way Lexa was perfectly comfortable with Bellamy's PDAs, as if this was normal. Apparently, Clarke wasn't the only one who noticed her own gawking as Raven elbowed her in the side, "What?!" Clarke squealed a little too loudly causing everyone to look up at her. Raven just chuckled at Clarke.
Suddenly, Murphy's voice cut through the air, "You look confused, Princess." Murphy stood directly behind Bellamy with a sly smile.
"Murphy! Where did you come from?" Clarke squealed as she jumped at him. Never one to hug, he scrambled away from her, which did not keep Clarke from pursuing her old friend. Finally capturing him in an awkward back hug.
"And I look confused, because I am confused." Clarke stated deciding it was best just to bite the bullet and ask what was going on with Lexa and Bellamy.
Murphy chuckled, motioning over his shoulder at the pair in question, "What these two?"
"Us two what?" Bellamy asked good-naturedly.
"I mean you two hated each other, last time I checked." Clarke stated.
Before Bellamy got a chance to reply, Lexa jumped in, "You haven't checked in quite a while," staring straight at Clarke she went on, "Things change, Clarke."
While Clarke's eyes set on Lexa, the rest of the group's eyes roamed the room, shifting uncomfortably.
"Well, I guess not everything changes, Lex, you're still as . ." Clarke began to retort, before Octavia jumped in grabbing Clarke's arm.
"Let's get a drink, yeah?" Octavia queried trying to budge Clarke from her spot.
Clarke stood solid staring back at Lexa, who was still glaring with her jaw set.
"You were saying, Clarke." Lexa drawled out her name.
"Nothing Lex, nothing." As she remembered where they were and let Octavia guide her towards the bar. This was about Anya. Not her. Not Lexa. They were here to celebrate Anya, their mutual friend Anya. She wasn't about to turn this into something else. To keep herself in check she followed Octavia to the bar.
"What will you have, Princess?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Looking up, she saw Finn Collins.
"Well shit! Finn!" She yelled excitedly! I didn't know you worked here."
"Really? You didn't know that I owned the Finn? I mean I know you haven't been around, but damn, you really are out of the loop."
"You are telling me! I probably should have figured that one out though," she muttered amusingly.
"Well, let's get you a drink and then we can get you back into the loop." Finn smirked "What will it be?"
Clarke smiled a wicked smile, "I will have the Anya special."
"You think you can handle that, Princess?"
Octavia finally chimed in, "Of course she can handle it Finn. We are grown assed women now. Make it two."
"Alright then, the grounder special coming up." Finn declared as he grabbed a cocktail mixer and began pouring rum into the cup.
"It's time for the grounder special!" Anya roared, as she walked into the room carrying a tray of drinks. A collective groan sprang from the group.
Clarke looked over at Lexa confused, "What is a grounder special?"
Lexa laughed, "Who knows? But once you drink it, be happy if you make it without hitting the ground."
"What? That didn't clarify anything at all Lexa."
"Give it a go, Clarke. Would us Trikru steer you wrong?" Lexa winked, as she jumped up to grab a cup from the tray.
Anya stepped over handing Clarke a cup, "Yeah Clarke, us Trikru have never steered you wrong before, right?" Anya chuckled and walked on handing out cups around the room.
"Right." Clarke smirked.
"You sure you can handle this?" Lexa asked concerned.
"Please, I got this." As she clinked glasses with Lexa, before the two tipped the red solo cups back.
Finn plopped two glasses down on the bar, "The grounder special!"
Clarke grabbed her glass, as Octavia grabbed hers, "To Anya!"
As Octavia began to tilt her glass back, a hand shot in grabbing it from her.
Lexa holding Octavia's drink, winked at the girl, "Sorry lil' one, grab another. This is for the big girls." Octavia shrugged her shoulders walking towards the other end of the bar to catch Finn's attention. Clarke was surprised Octavia just let it go, she had never taken Lexa's teasing before, but perhaps under these circumstances she let it slide.
Lexa then rose her glass looking at Clarke, "You sure you can handle this?"
Clarke glared at her, "Please, I got this."
"Sure, Clarke, sure." Lexa chuckled.
"What? More things have changed than you think, Lexa." Clarke winked.
"Well then," Lexa began as she clinked her glass with Clarke's "To Anya!"