Someone was following her.

Raven kept her face impassive even as she felt her heart begin to race. She wasn't exactly in the best neighborhood, after all. A chill blew through, making her pull her jacket tighter around her. Footsteps came faster behind her, and she moved into a near jog as she rounded the corner. Only to slam into what must have been a wall. Letting out a small squeak, she felt herself begin to fall backwards as she lost her balance only for a gentle but strong hand to wrap around her arm, keeping her upright.

"Are you alright?"

Raven looked up, opening her mouth to respond, only for her mind to blank. This person, no, this woman, was absolutely GORGEOUS. Long blond hair, deep hazel eyes, and cheekbones that could cut diamonds. Her face was somewhat cold, but there seemed to be a hidden warmth in her eyes. Or maybe she was imagining it? The woman quirked an eyebrow as her lip twitched in amusement, making Raven realize she had yet to answer.

"I... I'm fine, thank you," she stammered, swallowing slightly. "Are you? I did kind of just crash into you, miss…?"

"Anya. I'm fine, you are very tiny. Hardly felt a thing. And you are?" Anya smirked.

"Raven. And I'm not tiny, maybe you are just freakishly tall!" Raven pouted. Sometimes she really hated her height.

Before Anya could respond, an oily voice interrupted them.

"Hey baby, where you goin'? We just wanna talk, yeah."

Raven flinched slightly, not noticing Anya's eyes hardening as she turned to face the man. Not that he was that remarkable, just a normal greasy haired sleaze ball. His friend was a little behind him, a smirk covering his face.

"Well I'm good, thanks. Nice talk, gotta go," Raven said calmly as she turned to leave.

"Hey, don't be like that, we just want to… HEY LET GO!"

Raven spun around, eyes widening at seeing Anya's hand wrapped around the guys wrist.

"You will not touch her. She has shown no interest in being around you so continuing would be… unwise for you."

Raven could only gape as the man nodded and ran off, his friend following behind.

Anya glared after them a moment before turning to face her. "My apologies if I overstepped, he was trying to grab you after you turned around."

"N…no it's, ok. Thank you. I appreciate the help," Raven stammered, a shy smile crossing her face. Why couldn't she get her confidence working? Had her brain just shorted out? Who was this woman to make her like this?

"You're shaking. May I walk you home? Or perhaps get you some tea? It wouldn't be safe to go alone this time of night," Anya offered, a frown on her face as she observed her.

"Uhh, sure, I guess. My house isn't far."

Anya nodded, motioning for Raven to move forward. As she did, the wind blew again making her shiver. Anya frowned again before shrugging out of her jacket and draping it over her, ignoring Raven's protests. The rest of the walk was in silence, Raven stealing small glances while not noticing how Anya kept her gaze on her. It really didn't take long, only about 10 minutes to reach her building. Raven felt heat rush into her cheeks as Anya looked it over, noting its worn-down state. Clearing her throat, she looked up to the taller woman.

"Well, thank you. I appreciate the help, Anya," she said before turning to enter the building.

"Maybe we could meet up again. If you would like. Perhaps for a cup of coffee?" Anya asked, fidgeting slightly.

Raven blinked at her a moment before a smirk started to form. "Hmm, I don't know. I guess that could work. I am pretty awesome to be around."

Anya smirked back as they exchanged their contact information. Grasping her hand gently, she placed a gentle kiss across Raven's knuckles, enjoying the deep blush this caused.

"Until we meet again, little bird."

Raven wasn't even able to form a response before she was gone. Shaking her head to clear it, she couldn't stop the smile forming as she turned to enter the building. It wasn't until she in her apartment that she realized she still had Anya's jacket. She let herself inhale the comforting scent, wondering why this woman had this effect on her. Pushing the thought away, she carefully hung the jacket before getting ready for bed. It had been a long day and she needed to be rested. Laying in the bed, she tossed and turned for a time as she tried to get comfortable. Nothing seemed to work, and she bit her lip as she thought of the jacket. Unable to stop herself, she quickly left and returned to her bed with the jacket in hand. Cuddling it close, she inhaled Anya's scent as she finally relaxed, slipping into sleep as deep hazel eyes filled her mind. Eyes that held a soft warmth that seemed to promise she'd be safe.

….

Anya could hardly believe her luck. She had found her. After all these years, waiting and hoping and searching, she had found her! When she had been walking aimlessly, the first whiff of her scent had made her freeze. She would never forget that smell, like the sun fresh berries that used to grow along the river of their old home. They still grew in the woods there, but that was far away. She had followed it and found her walking along the road. Oh, how beautiful she was. The same deep brown eyes, tan skin, her hair a gorgeous waterfall. The sight had made her breath fade, leaving her to bask in Raven's presence after so long. The sight of the two men trailing her girl had snapped her out of her daze. Snarling slightly, she quickly moved to intervene.

The confrontation was brief, and it had taken all of her self-control not to pull her close at that first touch. The shock that ran through her had almost undone her but she managed to keep her composure. She wasn't able to stop herself from offering her jacket, and her wolf had practically preened at the knowledge that they were caring for their mate after so long. Coating her in Anya's scent was just a bonus. She has been unable to tear her eyes away as they walked, losing herself in being close to Raven once again. When they reached her home, she had noted the run-down building, her stomach clenching at the thought of Raven being here. The building name seemed familiar, she would need to look into why later on.

Watching a moment, she noted the window where the light came on and was able to make out Raven's face as it appeared in the window before the drapes were shut. She debated on entering to figure out the exact place, but decided against it. She would need to move slowly, wooing her mate all over again. A slight huff escaped before she could stop it, but at least she had a small advantage. She knew some of the baser things would remain the same, such as Raven's independence and intelligence. Her interests may be different with this new world, but she knew how to handle her little bird. Grinning, she barely noticed her speed increasing until she was suddenly home. The lights were on and she could smell dinner cooking. Hopefully Clarke had made it, even after all this time Lexa was still able to burn water. Going in, she paused when she went to remove her jacket. Raven still had it. The idea of her still wearing it made her heart jump happily.

"Where were you? I thought you would have been here a while ago," Lexa asked, idly thumbing through a magazine.

"And what's with the weird smile? Did you kill somebody and not tell us? We can help hide the body," Clarke joked from the stove.

"I found her."

Clarke squeaked as she dropped the spoon, while Lexa jerked her head up sharply.

"You found her? Are you sure? Is it really Raven?" Clarke shot out question after question, barely able to contain herself at the thought of her sister coming back to them.

"I did. She's just the same, so beautiful. Her scent hasn't changed in all this time. I can… honestly hardly believe it," Anya laughed, feeling her eyes grow a little wet as it truly hit her that she had found Raven again.

Lexa glanced at Clarke with a smile, neither commenting on the tall blonde's tears. "How did you find her?"

Anya told them the story, ignoring the growls that erupted when she brought up the two men. "Her apartment is familiar, the name anyway. The Ark Apartments, have either of you heard of them? They are… somewhat below standard."

"We should, it's one of ours. They are supposed to be for those with a somewhat fixed income, Clarke bought it as a sort of giving back kind of thing. What do you mean below standard? All of our buildings get an upgrade every five year," Lexa asked.

"This one has been missed, more than once by the look of things. I'll look into it, but whoever is managing seems to be falling behind," Anya grumbled. The thought of her little bird being there…

Pushing the thought aside, she rose from her seat and made her way into her office. "Save me a plate, I think it may be a while before I come eat."

Sitting at her desk, it only took her a few moments of looking through her computer before she found it. The Ark Apartments, meant for fixed income residents such as disabled, retired, or students. A wide variety. Thelonious Jaha, building manager as well as overall supervisor of this section. Her frown grew bigger as she read through the reports. By what he had sent, they should have had an overall remodel two years ago, but the building itself obviously had remained untouched for years. The windows were cracked, roof had shingles missing, and she had been able to smell the must from the insulation thanks to her heightened senses. A lot of work was needed that should have been taken care of a long time ago. Gritting her teeth angrily, she made notes of what she had seen and sent a notice to the night manager that she would be doing an inspection the following day and to give the residents a written notice. Pulling the residents records, she glanced through to see how many they had. There were 24 apartments with all currently filled. Raven was in 6A, she noted with a grin, making sure to write it down so she could inspect it. She refused to leave her love in squalor. Maybe she could do a full upgrade…

Shaking her head, Anya forced herself to think clearly. Her wolf was going overboard after so long alone, overcompensating her need to cherish and protect. She doubted Raven would want to be lavished by, what was to her, a stranger who had helped her out one evening. She needed to tread carefully. Raven would regain her memories, but she needed to do so gradually to avoid any repercussions. For now, she would do small things that honestly should have been done long ago anyway. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to calm down before rising. She needed to eat and rest. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.