"So, how do you feel about a bath?" Clarke asked the next day.

Lexa nodded emphatically, indicating that she would very much like a bath.

"Okay, my mom said she put soap in here somewhere. Ah, here it is," Clarke said, pulling out the soap along with some towels and washcloths.

"She also packed clean clothes if you'd like some," Clarke said, offering them to the brunette who took them gratefully.

Clarke stepped out of the cave and into the sunlight, Lexa following close behind her, as they headed down to the river. As Clarke hadn't bathed in a couple days, she could not wait to get into the refreshing water of the river and feel it wash away the grime that covered her skin. When they reached the riverbank, Clarke put her stuff down on a rock and began peeling off her clothes. She tried her hardest not to stare as Lexa did the same. Once their clothes and bandages were off, they entered the river. The water felt icy against Clarke's calves, and she stopped to get used to the water temperature, watching as Lexa just plunged right in. Lexa noticed that Clarke did not follow and turned questioning green eyes on her.

"It's cold," Clarke explained.

Lexa made her way back over to Clarke, and Clarke was not sure she liked the smirk on the other girl's face. Lexa proceeded to grab Clarke's arm and pull her farther into the river. Clarke tried to stand her ground, but Lexa was too strong, pulling Clarke out deeper into the cold water. Clarke screamed as she felt the chilly temperature of the water hit her everywhere at once like tiny needles in her skin. When Clarke felt the bottom of the river slope down beneath her, she clung desperately to Lexa, "Stop, Lexa. I can't swim!"

Lexa only gave her an amused smirk and stood up. Clarke felt her face flush with embarrassment when she noticed that the water barely came up to Lexa's chest. If Lexa could have laughed right then, she probably would have. Clarke glared at her.

"I knew that. I was just messing around," Clarke tried to defend herself.

Lexa gave her a knowing look, and Clarke flicked tiny droplets of water across the commander's face. Lexa's lips turned up in a smile as she sent a wall of water flying over Clarke's head, soaking her with the freezing liquid. Clarke tried to splash back, but Lexa was already out of range, swimming out into the deep parts of the river where she knew Clarke could not follow.

"That is so unfair! You know I can't swim," Clarke said, "You're cheating."

Lexa only shrugged back at her, and it brought a smile to Clarke's face to see this playful side of the other girl. Clarke turned back, knowing there was nothing else she could do, and went to grab her washcloth and soap, so she could start washing herself.

"Come on, Lexa," Clarke said, "Game's over."

Lexa just shook her head, refusing to come back towards the shore.

"Lexa, I swear to God, if you don't come up here and start washing yourself, I will leave you here, and then you'll have no one to take care of you," Clarke threatened, but Lexa did not seem to care, making no move to come closer.

"Lexa, I mean it. I will take my mother's medicine bag too, and then you'll have no medicine and nothing to grind up your food, and your mouth will stay wired shut forever," Clarke tried again, keeping her voice light so the brunette knew she was only teasing.

Lexa rolled her eyes and gave in, making her way to Clarke and grabbing her washcloth with a pout. Clarke could not help but smile again at this childish side of the commander that she had never seen before. She knew she wouldn't mind seeing it more often.

"Can I wash your face?" Clarke asked, and Lexa nodded, handing her the washcloth.

Clarke gathered some soap onto it and gently scrubbed Lexa's face, starting with the right side. When she put pressure on the left side though, Lexa yelped, and Clarke immediately backed away. Lexa shook her head and pointed back to her face, and Clarke realized that the brunette didn't make that sound on purpose, and she wanted Clarke to ignore any future sounds she made. Clarke rubbed the washcloth over Lexa's cheek as quickly as she could to keep Lexa's pain to a minimum. After washing the soap off of the washcloth, Clarke proceeded to wipe the soap off the good half of Lexa's face.

"Just let the river's current rinse off the other side," Clarke instructed, and Lexa obliged, dunking her face underwater until most of the soap was gone.

Clarke handed Lexa's washcloth back to her, and Clarke and Lexa began to wash themselves, sharing the soap, but turning away from each other so as to give the other a small bit of privacy. Once they were all washed up, Clarke let her hair fall from where it was tied at the back of her head and leaned back in the river, allowing the cool water to rinse out her hair. Clarke watched as Lexa unwove the intricate braids in her hair before leaning back and doing the same. Clarke had never seen Lexa's hair loose like that before, and she couldn't help but admire how beautiful it was. Once they were all finished, Clarke made her way to shore and pulled her towel around herself before holding Lexa's out for her. Lexa stepped into the soft towel, and Clarke gently wrapped it around her. Once they were dry and dressed, the two girls headed back to the cave to reapply their bandages. They applied Nyko's salve to their reachable wounds before Lexa moved to rub the salve onto the wound on Clarke's back. Clarke winced as she felt the sting of the salve against her injury. She could read the sorrow on Lexa's face as she bandaged up the wound, obviously feeling guilty that she hurt the blonde.

"Lexa, no," Clarke said, "If I'm not allowed to feel guilty about what I did to you, then you can't feel guilty about hurting me. Besides, what you did to me is nothing compared to what I did to you."

Lexa was eager to change the subject, not wanting the blonde to feel guilty again, so she pointed to the salve and gestured to the wound on her face. Clarke dipped her fingers into the salve and rubbed it into Lexa's swollen flesh, much to the brunette's discomfort. Once she was finished, Clarke used the water from the canteen to rinse the salve off her hands, and she ran it over Lexa's hands as well, so she could do the same.

"When I go down to get food, I'll have to get more water too," Clarke made a mental note.

Clarke tied her hair back the way she always did, and then Lexa pointed questioningly at her own hair.

"You want me to braid your hair?" Clarke asked, and Lexa nodded.

"I will admit to knowing the way you always wear it," Clarke said, smiling at the blush that crept onto Lexa's cheeks.

Clarke moved behind Lexa's head and began to weave her hair into braids, trying her best to match Lexa's everyday hairstyle. It didn't come out exactly like Lexa always wore it, which was to be expected, but it was pretty close, and Clarke was proud of herself. Clarke moved away from her work, coming back to sit in front of Lexa "Okay, I'm done."

Lexa ran her hand over her hair and nodded appreciatively at Clarke, clearly impressed. Clarke beamed, blushing a little at the brunette's praise. As she was starting to feel a bit hungry, Clarke went over and pulled off the blender jar to go and collect some berries. She also grabbed the water canteen and purifier and began to make her way out of the cave when Lexa got up to follow her.

"Lexa, you don't have to come with me," Clarke said, but Lexa did not move, "Fine. I guess I could use an extra pair of hands."

They went down to the river first, and Clarke collected and purified the water while Lexa held the blender jar. Then, they went out in the woods in search of berries. When they came across a blackberry bush, Lexa started grabbing some and filling the container, so Clarke crouched down to help her. As she reached for the berries, Lexa's arm brushed against hers. The commander didn't seem to notice, but it made Clarke blush. She looked over at the other girl who was calmly plucking the berries off of the bush. Even with that horrible bruise on her face, she was still the most beautiful person Clarke had ever seen. Clarke wanted nothing more than to just lean over and kiss her, but she didn't. She didn't want to start anything with Lexa right now, as she knew that when this was all over, Lexa might just leave her again. Sure, Lexa was staying now while she was hurt and afraid, but she belonged to her people, and Clarke knew that. Still, an ever growing part of Clarke just wanted to ignore her doubts and tell Lexa she still loved her.

Lexa brought her hand up to rest against Clarke's cheek, snapping her out of her thoughts. Clarke looked down to see that the glass container was filled with blackberries, and she realized she must have just been staring at Lexa.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Let's go," Clarke said, heading for the cave before Lexa could try to silently question her.

When they got settled, Clarke pulled aside a pile of berries for herself and began to eat them while she put the blender jar onto the blender again. Lexa rubbed her stomach, letting Clarke know she was hungry and to hurry. A smirk settled across Clarke's face as she turned to Lexa without starting the blender.

"What? Are you hungry, Lexa?" Clarke teased.

Lexa glared at her as she leaned over and started the blender herself, but Clarke wasn't going to give up that easily. She pulled one of her blackberries from the pile and waved it in front of Lexa's nose.

"Don't these blackberries smell good?" Clarke asked before popping it into her mouth, "Mm. Delicious."

Lexa whined pitifully, and Clarke laughed.

"Oh, calm down, Commander," Clarke said, eyes sparkling with amusement, "Yours'll be ready in a minute."

Lexa rolled her eyes and turned to stare longingly at the blender as if that would make it go any faster. When it was ready, Clarke grabbed the jar and took the lid off, putting a straw in and holding it out to Lexa. Clarke held onto the bottom of the jar and Lexa held onto the side to steady it, her other hand resting in Clarke's. She slurped ravenously on her blackberry smoothie, going way too fast, and Clarke wasn't surprised when Lexa was squeezing her hand moments later.

"Don't drink so fast," Clarke said as she rubbed her fingers up and down Lexa's throat, "I don't want you to choke."

Lexa swallowed easily with Clarke's help and nodded, taking it slower after that, swallowing on her own. Clarke could tell when she was getting tired or maybe swallowing was starting to hurt because for the last bit of the drink, Lexa squeezed Clarke's hand again. Clarke dutifully reached up to rub the brunette's throat so she could swallow.

"Do you want to stop?" Clarke asked, as there were only about two swallows left.

Lexa shook her head, and she looked a bit frustrated as she was seemingly searching for a way to tell Clarke something.

"Are you getting tired?" Clarke guessed, and Lexa shook her head again.

"Is it hurting?" Clarke tried again, and Lexa nodded, looking relieved.

"I'll help you with the last couple swallows," Clarke said, and Lexa nodded gratefully, taking another drink.

Once Lexa had slurped up the rest of the drink, Clarke patiently waited for her to swallow the last bit. Once Lexa was done, Clarke turned back to finish her blackberries, giving Lexa a little time to rest because she knew the brunette would not like what she was going to say next.

"So, how about that medicine?" Clarke said upon finishing her dinner, and Lexa shuddered.


AN: So a more lighthearted chapter this time. It's about time things started looking up for these two. Thanks for reading! Reviews are much appreciated.