Clarke made her way into the cafe, ignoring the TV crew, and sat with Octavia and Raven. She couldn't believe she was back filming for Polis again; it felt like they'd only said goodbye to the cameras minutes ago but they were already back for the next season. The reality TV show had both been a blessing and curse in the last two years. It was flattering the amount of attention she got, and truth be told she couldn't stay off Twitter, but it was also an absurd life and she sometimes wondered whether she made the right choice by signing up to the show.

She knew she shouldn't complain; she basically got to spend all of her time with her best friends and got fame and money out of it, but they were encouraged to have constant drama and the filming schedule was relentless. They had three seasons each year: spring, summer and winter. They filmed from Tuesday to Friday and that was all broadcast the following Monday. Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to keep up sometimes. There was no other show that was turned over so quickly.

At first, Clarke had thought the show would be brilliant because her favourite moments were being recorded for her but the first season had quickly destroyed that naivety. Her romantic relationship with Finn played out for over half a season and she was swept up in the rush of affection from fans that they held towards 'Flarke' too. It was a strange dream that she was part of her own romance on TV, but then mid-season Raven entered the show and revealed that she was Finn's girlfriend. Clarke had been rocked to the core and Raven quickly attracted the attention of fans when she threw a martini in Finn's face. It had not been a great introduction to the show for Clarke.

Clarke was now completely over Finn, even if filming scenes with him were still awkward. Raven had even become one of her best friends but she hadn't quite gotten over the shame of feeling she'd been humiliated on TV. Since then, she had stepped back from the show. She still did as many scenes as ever but she consciously chose not to let her romantic life play out on the screen. It wasn't an issue for producers and within their friendship group there was no one she was attracted to, no matter how much the fans seemed to support the idea of 'Bellarke'. At least it was amusing at how much Octavia hated the idea of Clarke with her brother, although less so when the girl threatened vengeance if she ever broke the girl code and dated her brother.

'So are you looking forward to tonight?' Raven asked Clarke.

None of their interactions were scripted but every scene was carefully constructed. They'd have to be in contact with the producers permanently if they fancied going anywhere or inform them of what issues they were meeting to discuss so the crew could prepare ahead. Often they were just given locations and told to turn up and make their own drama.

'A bit.' Clarke shrugged, thinking to her art exhibition. 'It's not the first one I've done and it gets easier every time.'

'Is it okay if Lincoln brings a few people?' Octavia asked.

'Especially if they buy something.' Clarke smirked.

'Who is he bringing?' Raven asked.

'Some people from Trikru.' Octavia replied.

Octavia had just started dating Lincoln in the last series where they had spent the summer in New York. Lincoln part owned a company that specialised in running expeditions across the world, particularly in forests and in mountainous regions . The company worked well with local people and tried to support their communities and it had exploded in popularity in the last two years, although when Raven first heard the name she had assumed Lincoln was in a band.

'How is it going with you two?' Clarke asked.

'Really good.' Octavia replied, taking a sip of her coffee. 'Bellamy and Lincoln still hate each other though.'

'Bellamy is always going to do the protective older brother routine.' Clarke reasoned.

'When have I ever needed it?' Octavia huffed. 'And he's one to talk with the thing he dates.'

Raven snorted.

'Echo isn't that bad.'

'The friends who come with her are.' Octavia sighed. 'I hate Ontari and Costia.'

'They're going to be there tonight.' Clarke told her and Octavia groaned loudly.

Since the very first season there had been a split between the girls and Octavia had unoriginally named Ontari's friends as the 'ice bitches'.

'Why are they coming?' Octavia hissed.

They were the last people Clarke wanted there but she knew she'd never be allowed to leave them out of a major scene of the first episode they were back.

'Extending an olive branch.' Clarke shrugged.

'That is going to get whipped right back in your face, Clarke.' Raven warned.

ClarkeGriffin

Love OmygodBlake and RayRey for always supporting me :) Art exhibition here we go! x

Clarke quickly closed Twitter, knowing that would have created enough buzz ahead of the premiere on Monday night and sure enough within seconds her phone was flashing but she kept it on silent and didn't bother to check any of her notifications.

She walked around the art gallery, slightly nervous. The camera crews were scattered around, trying not to crash into guests as they caught all the interactions between the cast. It was always quite a comical sight and Clarke wondered how life had become this absurd but she wouldn't ever speak badly against the show, even if it felt ridiculous at times.

Bellamy and Jasper had already swept her into a congratulatory hug. The last year had been amazing for her and her art was selling well. The show had given her the best platform to promote her work but she also felt like she was cheating other artists. They didn't get their own TV shows to advertise their work.

'Hey Clarke.' Finn said, holding out a glass of champagne but Raven appeared and rudely knocked him out of the way.

'Beat it, Finn.' She warned and he pulled an annoyed look before returning to Murphy and Bellamy across the other side of the hall.

'Thanks.' Clarke smiled.

'Shit. I should have took the champagne off him.'

Clarke waved a dismissive hand.

'The last thing I want when everyone is watching me is to get drunk.'

'Spoil sport.' Raven teased. 'Oh, there's O.'

Clarke's gaze flicked to the entrance where Octavia and Lincoln were, followed closely by Anya and then Lexa. Clarke's heart froze momentarily. Of course, Lexa would be here with Lincoln.

The producer had said they were bringing new cast members and Anya and Lexa made the most sense; Lexa and Anya co owned Trikru with Lincoln and Lexa was Lincoln's step sister. Clarke desperately wished that she did take that glass of champagne from Finn.

She hadn't seen Lexa since New York. They had shared a room for a week when they visited the beach house at the end of the summer season. It had been a perfect arrangement because Lexa wasn't part of the cast. She'd simply come to be with her family but that meant that their room and living area was never filmed in which had suited Clarke fine. Plus, Clarke had been fawning after Lexa all summer. She struggled not to groan at the memory of how humiliating it had all been. She tried to remind herself that they hadn't even kissed- but they had done a lot worse. Clarke felt stung when Lexa hadn't once called or sent her a text after they arrived back in Polis and she absolutely did not want what happened bringing up while they were filming. She hadn't even told her best friends about anything that had happened.

Lexa, annoyingly, looked as beautiful as ever. She walked with such graceful composure that everyone else positively wilted next to her. Lexa had an inner confidence that everyone else just seemed to lack which had always taken Clarke by surprise when Lexa had been so reluctant to explore her own sexuality. Clarke had begun to realise that Lexa was a complete contradiction: she would never shy from any fight in life and would charge head first to meet any challenge, believing she would always win and yet she never felt she deserved anything for herself. It was endearing and frustrating, and Clarke had felt completely unable to work out how Lexa felt about her.

'I'm going to go do the rounds.' Clarke said apologetically to Raven, before running off as far away from Lexa as she could get.

Lexa was seriously starting to have second thoughts about agreeing to join Polis. The cameras weren't bothering her too much but she didn't know what she had been thinking joining the same show as Clarke. It was going to be the most awkward moment she had likely ever experienced and everyone would see it. Clarke seemed to be trying her best to avoid her though, so perhaps she didn't want to mention it either and Lexa felt inexplicably upset by that.

She moved slowly from painting to painting, wanting to memorise each work. Clarke's art was absolutely stunning. Most were portraits of people that Lexa had never met. Clarke seemed to capture something special in all of them and Lexa wondered what Clarke would see if she ever painted her.

'Hey,' Costia said, pulling Lexa out of her thoughts and she stepped back from Clarke's painting, 'you're Lincoln's step sister, right?'

'Lexa.' She nodded. 'You're Costia? Octavia mentioned you when we were in New York.'

Costia's questioning gaze turned to realisation.

'Oh. I dread to think what she said.'

Lexa took a sip from her glass and hoped that would successfully allude that they should change the subject and clearly Costia got the message.

'Do you like art?'

'Not usually, but Clarke's is-'

'Yeah, Clarke is the gifted one of the group.' Costia admitted. 'She's the only one that keeps her friends in line to.'

Lexa had to laugh at that; she'd met most of Clarke's friends last summer and they had thrown themselves into celebrating the holiday, to say the least. Clarke was somewhat more controlled in comparison.

'So maybe some time we could hang out?' Costia asked.

Lexa looked away nervously. She'd never been asked out by a woman before and though she now accepted that this was what she wanted, she had never imagined it to be with someone other than Clarke. It had only been a few months and she felt completely ridiculous. Costia sounded fairly relaxed and she didn't see that it would hurt. It didn't have to lead anywhere. Anya had been insisting for weeks that she try to meet more people.

'Sure.' She smiled. 'That sounds nice.'

Clarke rubbed her temple, tired. She'd not had much sleep the night before due to nerves and now she couldn't wait to get out of the gallery. At least she had finally managed to get hold of a glass of champagne. Three of her pieces had sold and so far the usual arguments had been avoided although she was sure that wouldn't last for the rest of the season when Bellamy had already made a few pointed comments in the direction of Trikru. His anger at Octavia's relationship seemed to be seeping into the group and he had now decided he didn't like Anya or Lexa either. Clarke thought he could at least give them a break when they had only just joined the circus that was Polis.

'Hello, Clarke.'

Clarke started when she heard that voice and she was lucky she didn't throw her champagne everywhere. She turned to see Lexa who wore the trace of a smile and for a second she had forgotten how to talk. She hadn't seen her at all since New York. She didn't think Lexa would be the one to try to talk to her first.

'Your art is beautiful.'

Clarke burst into a nervous giggle. She couldn't help it, and the more she tried to stop it the worse it got. To her immense relief, Lexa was smirking too and even though the situation was every bit as absurd as she expected, it made it far less awkward.

'Thank you.' Clarke replied when she got regain at least some control and she shyly looked away at one of her paintings; she didn't think she'd be able to maintain any kind of sense if she stared into those green eyes.

'How have you been?' Lexa asked sincerely, and instantly the mood changed and the pain returned in Clarke's chest.

'I've been...good.' Clarke said in a slightly strained voice. 'You?'

Lexa just smiled and Clarke wondered desperately what that meant. Had she found someone else? Maybe she was finally out and happy now. Clarke hoped she was at least happier than she had been in New York.

'You didn't get in touch after New York.' Clarke said quietly and she could have cursed herself; this was exactly what she didn't want filming.

'I'm sorry.' Lexa said seriously. 'But I'm really glad I'm here now.'

Clarke looked away once more and she hated that she was smiling again.

'So are you going to be around more?' Clarke asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible and Lexa nodded, her green eyes never leaving Clarke.

'I'm working back in Polis now for good. It'll be nice to get to know Octavia a bit better and spend time with everyone.'

'Good.' Clarke replied, in spite of herself.

The production team then called the end to filming as they had enough for the episode. They always ended early so any of the heavier parties usually weren't filmed, which Jasper and Monty were often the most grateful for.

'Are you coming out with us?' Lexa asked and Clarke shook her head regretfully.

'I've got to sort out things here and I'm dead on my feet after today.'

Lexa nodded understandingly.

'It was a really great event.'

'Thanks for coming.' Clarke said. 'Oh and don't worry, you'll get used to it.'

Lexa smiled softly at her as Clarke turned away and went to speak with the owner of the gallery.

On Monday night, Clarke was sat in her apartment in front of the TV waiting for the premiere to start. She had Twitter turned on ready and waiting for any responses for the show to come in. A lot of the cast tended to watch the episodes together but Clarke had watched them alone since the whole debacle with Finn. It was bad enough that the public watched her humiliation without her friends sitting inches away from her too.

OmygodBlake

We are finally back...you guys are in for a real treat! Get to see the fab ClarkeGriffin 's art in tonight's show!

RayRey

OmygodBlake I love ClarkeGriffin but no way is her art hotter than me.

ClarkeGriffin

RayRey thanks as ever for the support ;) OmygodBlake

Clarke smiled down at her phone. No matter what she felt about Polis, at least her best friends were always by her side on the show.

ClarkeGriffin

Guys, we've got some brand new cool cast mates joining us tonight! Say hi to LexaTrikru and AnyaTrikru !

The episode started as Clarke sent her final tweet. The first scene already had Costia and Ontari complaining about them and how they had wished that Clarke, Raven and Octavia had moved to New York permanently. Clarke sighed. This was all part of the show; their rivalry was actively encouraged but she just knew how badly Octavia was going to react to that. It had been bad enough in the spring when Ontari had tried to fight Octavia for Lincoln's affections and things had only soured since.

Fans were largely split between the two groups. Bellamy had a huge fan base and although he had annoyed some of them with his relationship with Echo, quite a few had changed their allegiance to Echo and her friends. Echo, Ontari and Costia were particularly close having set up the fashion line, Azgeda, together but Echo largely kept the comments to a minimum-although fans loved the tension between them all. Clarke didn't particularly care but it was incredibly personal to Octavia. She had very few issues with Echo, but the main source of tensions was that Echo's relationship with Bellamy put Ontari in closer proximity. Octavia had said many times that she would not have objected to this had Bellamy let her fight Ontari.

Clarke absentmindedly scrolled through Twitter until Lexa's voice met her and she finally turned to the TV. She watched as Costia leaned into Lexa and asked her out at the gallery and she felt a pang of jealousy when Lexa said yes. Clarke scolded herself and tried to push the hurt aside. It wasn't as though she owned Lexa. Lexa could see who she wanted but Clarke immediately wanted to toss her phone at the TV. She wondered whether this would be Lexa's first date with a woman. This season was going to be torture.

Clarke wanted to hide behind her cushion when the scene between her and Lexa finally came on. It was a disaster. Clarke watched as she could barely string two words together or even look at Lexa. Her face burned and she could just imagine Octavia and Raven's reactions. Once again she found herself desperately needing a drink of alcohol and having none at hand. The scene, mercifully, was at least quick and the episode finally came to an end.

Clarke would have rather hid in her apartment for the rest of her life than look back on Twitter but she had to promote the show when it was getting interest and it had just been a big night for Lexa...and Anya. Anya was new too, she had to remind herself. Anya, who had also spent a lot of the episode chatting with Raven...

Clarke smirked at the fact that maybe she might not be the only one dying of shame right now before she turned back to her phone to read through the messages from fans.

BechoFan

Anyone else pick up on the vibes between ClarkeGriffin and LexaTrikru ?

PolisAlways93

The thirst between ClarkeGriffin and LexaTrikru was unreal

PolisClarkefan

ClarkeGriffin being so shy was the sweetest but wish she could have seen the look LexaTrikru was giving her!

RockingtheWorld

THE LEXA LOOK THOUGH ClarkeGriffin

AnywherebutAzgeda

So what exactly went down in New York then? Or who? ClarkeGriffin LexaTrikru

Clarke chortled as she read through the messages. As embarrassing as it always was, there was a certain hilarity to having people comment on her love life. It was worse than when she first got with Finn. She wondered if Lexa was okay; it could be a lot to process. Lexa had never once sent her any message or called her and Clarke wasn't sure that she wanted to hear from her at all. She'd probably put New York completely behind her, particularly if she was moving on with Costia.

Against her better judgement Clarke quickly typed out a tweet. If Lexa wanted to reciprocate then she could, but at least Lexa would know she would be on her side and making light of it. The last thing she wanted was Lexa to feel overwhelmed, even if she was clearly out now.

ClarkeGriffin

So happy LexaTrikru debuted for the show at my art expedition. Can't wait for the rest of the season :)

Clarke threw her phone on the table with a dull thud and lay back on the sofa. She was going to be so screwed this season.

Author's Note: so I was challenged months ago to do an AU but I was too focused on getting Grasping Water complete. So this is to my friend who has not stopped badgering me. I apologise now as I am much more used to the world of battles, gory deaths and utter tragedy and ruin. I don't think I'll be able to get away with blowing anything up in this fic. :/