A/N: Read and Review! :)
Clarke kicked her apartment door close and tossed her keys in the bowl placed on a small table next to it. She flipped a switch and momentarily became blind for a few seconds as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She switched the lights back off and navigated through the darkness and into her bedroom as she drank her water.
Kicking her shoes off and stripping down her sweatpants, Clarke got in the bed laid down on her back. The tears suddenly came out of nowhere and Clarke covered her face with her hands as she made no attempt in trying to stop her tears or choke back her sobs. Her shoulders shook as she let go of all the frustrations and anger she kept bottled back on her drive back home from the hotel. She thought she was over her. She thought she had overcome the pain and everything that Lexa Woods made her feel when she left. Instead she got a slap of reality making her see that she hadn't gotten as far as she thought. Suddenly she was back in that car in the moment she knew that Lexa was gone; the pain and anger she felt when she saw Lexa was just as real and raw as it was during that day.
When she got herself under control, she heaved a sigh and got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She turned the faucet on, splashing cold water on her face. She looked up and stared at her reflection in the mirror; the red rings around her eyes were proof of how much she was crying. She had shed so many tears over Lexa and suddenly it just stopped. She wasn't crying because she missed her, or because she still loves her. No. They were tears of all the anger and frustrations she had kept inside her. She had moved on, or so she thought she did. But now she knew nothing ever really changed on how she feels about Lexa.
The sound of the apartment door opening made her look over her shoulder. She heard a set of keys being dropped in the bowl and footsteps nearing her bedroom.
"Princess? Are you home?" She heard Raven call.
Clarke glanced back at her reflection and saw the red marks were slowly fading. She splashed some more water on her face and grabbed a towel and wiped her face dry. Clarke entered the bedroom and found Raven changing her clothes.
"Hey." Raven slipped a shirt on and walked over to the blonde.
Raven gently pulled her in her strong arms and Clarke nuzzled on the brunette's chest. She felt Raven stroke her hair and soft lips planting a kiss on her temple.
"How'd it go?"
Clarke pulled back from the embrace and made her way to the bed, dragging Raven with her.
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now I just want to rest."
Raven knew that Clarke was avoiding but she nodded anyway. She got in the bed with Clarke and pulled the blonde in her arms once more and both women drifted off to sleep.
Lexa and Anya walked in the Homicide bullpen the next morning at exactly 8:10. Lexa was dressed in a black suit with a light blue button down; she tied her hair up in a pony when she became frustrated by her unruly curls this morning. Though that wasn't the only thing that made the agent frustrated; her lack of sleep last night made her grumpy and even having coffee didn't make things any better.
Lexa barely slept a wink last and she swore she saw the hands of the clock move hour after hour until sunlight penetrated the window in her hotel room. There was only one reason why she couldn't sleep last night; it was because of a certain blonde with piercing blue eyes.
Clarke.
Her eyes scanned the bullpen and she felt her heart beat faster when she saw the woman that plagued her thoughts last night. Clarke was leaning over Raven's desk and pointing at something in the file they were both reading. She was dressed in a cream button down tucked in a pair of black slacks and she was wearing 4-inch heels. Lexa couldn't help but stare at Clarke's back and the curve of her hips and she felt her cheeks redden.
As if she felt Lexa's eyes on her, Clarke stood straight and turned around, looking at her. Their eyes locked and both women struggled to keep the emotionless façade of their faces.
"Lexa." Clarke greeted, her voice void of any emotion.
Raven looked up from the report she was reading and looked at Clarke then at Lexa. Clarke had told her what happened last night but the blonde left out the part where Lexa had asked if she loved Raven. Clark didn't mean to lie, and she didn't. Her answer wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Yes, she does love Raven. But the real question is; is she in love with her?
The tension between the three was so thick that it could be cut by a goddamn chainsaw.
"Good morning, Dr. Griffin. Detective Reyes." Lexa greeted distantly.
It hurt Lexa to act this distant. It hurt to see Clarke with Raven. It hurt to be rejected but Clarke's reaction last night and the things she said had told Lexa everything she needed to know. She hurt Clarke in a way that she herself never imagined she'd do and that there was nothing she could do to change that. She would have to just deal with whatever happens here in New York and in a couple of days hopefully they could close this case and she'll be back in Washington and just forget all of this. She can go back to her life away from New York and pretend that all of it never happened.
Before either Raven or Clarke could speak, the doors to the bullpen bursts open and Octavia came in with Lincoln behind her carrying a stack of boxes. Lincoln dropped the boxes on the floor beside Raven's desk and wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead. Octavia handed him a tissue and pointed out the dust that was on his suit jacket.
"What are all of these?" Raven asked as she rolled her chair towards the boxes and took off the cover of the first box.
"Octavia dragged me down to evidence to make me carry those. They have rats in there." Lincoln said
Octavia chuckled, "I thought you like animals?"
"Not the rodent type!"
Lexa rolled her eyes at the two, "Like Detective Reyes said, what are those? Lexa peeked inside the box. She grabbed a folder and opened it, her eyes widening when she recognized the evidence sheets. "You got the evidence from the original case?"
"Hosh thought it would help if we compare the evidence we found so far to what they found back then." Octavia offered as an answer and looked at Raven. Raven raised an eyebrow and Octavia not so subtly glared at her.
Anya, having a hint of what they were silently communicating about, spoke up. "Detective Reyes, would you like to help me work through this evidence and compile a comparison?" Lexa's eyes snapped into Anya's direction and silently willed Anya to hear her screaming in her head demanding why she was asking Raven and not her. After all, she was the one who closed the original case.
"There could be something we missed or overlooked at the previous investigations."
Anya nodded and looked back at Raven, "Shall we get to work, Detective?"
It wasn't until Raven looked at Clarke and then at her when she realized that Anya had purposely done it so Lexa and Clarke could be alone and talk, thinking that they could still work something out. After last night, Lexa wasn't so sure.
"Agent Callaway, I don't thi—" Raven was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She slid it out of its holster that's attached to her belt and answered the call. "Reyes."
Lexa saw Raven's face fell. Lexa knew what that face meant and whatever was just said to the detective, it wasn't good news. When she hung up, Raven looked at the people gathered around her desk.
"They found another body."
Lexa sighed and let a curse slip out of her mouth, "Fucking shit."
Just then, Indra came out of her office and addressed the group. "I assume you're all been notified about the murder." They all nodded. "Reyes and Agent Callaway, you're both going to the crime scene. You too, Agent Woods. You know this case more than anyone. Blake, you and Agent Belmont stay behind and dig through those boxes. See what you can find that will help us catch this killer." Indra looked at Clarke. She has her head down and was fumbling with her fingers, as if she suddenly became nervous. She looked up when Indra called her name, "Doctor Griffin, ask the other Doctor Griffin if you can tag along on the scene. I know you start Monday but an early start won't hurt anyone." Indra looked at them one last time before dismissing them and entered back in her office.
"Clarke, you can ride with us if Abby says yes." Raven offered.
"No." Clarke said too quickly. She glanced at Lexa and back to Raven, "I'll ride with mom. I'm sure she'll agree to let me come. You have no idea how buzzed she is about this whole internship. I'll text you when we're on our way."
If Raven noticed the shared looks between Lexa and Clarke, she didn't show it. She only nodded to acknowledge what Clarke said.
"See you in a bit." Clarke leaned down and kissed Raven's cheek. Raven smiled at her and watched as the blonde walked away.
When the detective looked up at the two agents, she saw Lexa also looking at Clarke with a longing expression in her eyes. Raven clenched her hands into a fist and locked her jaw. She took a deep breath to control herself and got off her chair. She walked past Lexa and Anya and headed for the elevators. Anya tugged on Lexa's arm and they followed Raven.
Once the trio had left, Octavia and Lincoln started to organize the files they had bought in. They sorted them in chronological order and they made a time table based on how long apart did Cage Wallace hunt and kill his victims. They pulled out files that they think would help them further on and also some evidence sealed in a bag. Lincoln held a particular bag in his hands and recognized Lexa's handwriting.
"Are these … "
Lincoln held up the bag and showed them to Octavia. The detective nodded with a grim expression.
"Those were the nails found in Bartholomew's palms and feet. Lexa pulled them out herself. I'd never know how she kept it together; I almost got sick just looking at them."
The muscular agent looked down at the evidence bag in his hand and felt nausea well up in his stomach just imaging the horrifying things Cage Wallace did to these poor innocent boys. He would rape them and later on crucify them. He'd pound these nails on the palms and feet of his victims and watch them cry out in pain and agony. Blood would come trickling down their arms and he'd watch them struggled to break free with no success, only causing the nails to rip skins and muscles. He probably smiled and laughed at them as they begged and cried, watched as their breathing got labored and ragged until eventually they took their finally breathe and their heads fall limp, lifeless.
"Good god." Lincoln whispered as the dropped the bag back in the box. He turned to look at the detective who was now flicking through pages of a particularly thick file.
"Can I ask a something?" Lincoln asked as he leaned back on the desk. Octavia hummed in response. "What happened between Lexa and Doctor Griffin?"
Octavia looked up at the agent and held his gaze. Once again, Lincoln was struck by how attractive the petite detective was; with her fair skin and blue eyes and brunette hair. When they first meet, he was blown away but how strong and independent and strong-willed the detective was. She may be small but she'll have no trouble kicking your ass when you get on her bad side.
Octavia eyes lingered for a bit longer on Lincoln before going back to the file in front of her, "I think it's safe to say things between those two are a little complicated."
"A little?" Lincoln asked. "They were ready to rip each other's hair from the sounds of their voices last night and if you saw the—"
The brunette woman snapped her head up and stared at the agent with wide eyes, "Last night?" Octavia asked "What happened last night?"
"Well … Uh," Feeling himself getting scrutinized by Octavia, Lincoln scratched the back of his head.
"Lincoln!" Octavia hit him on the shoulder, "Spill!"
Lincoln huffed in annoyance and rubbed his shoulder. "My hotel room was next to Lexa's and I was on my way back from the hotel bar when I saw Doctor Griffin outside Lexa's room. I thought she was going to leave but then Lexa answered the door and Clarke went in."
"And?" Octavia asked urgently.
"And then I went in my room."
"What?!" The brunette exclaimed, "Did you see their faces? Did you hear what they said before they entered the room?" Octavia asked urgently.
Lincoln shrugged, "I think Clarke said something about needing to know why she left? I'm not sure. But I'm pretty sure they had a very heated conversation considering how loud they were yelling at each other that I could faintly hear their voices in my room." Lincoln then furrowed his eyebrows, as if he just thought of something. "Wait … Are Lexa and Doctor Griffin…" Lincoln's eyes went wide, "Are they ex-lovers?"
"Okay, first of all, just call her Clarke. It's weird when you call her Doctor Griffin, the imagine that pops in my head is her mother." Octavia said, "And second, Lexa and Clarke?" Octavia chuckled to herself and shook her head. "No." She sighed. "Not quite."
Lincoln frowned at her answered, "What?"
"They are—were—best friends. And Lexa, well, Lexa was in love with Clarke. But they never really got the chance to be together as a couple." Octavia's tone changed from being casual to serious. "But don't you dare tell Lexa I told you that. That woman likes people to think she's incapable of feeling anything."
Lincoln nodded and returned to his work arranging the evidence.
"Why the sudden questions about them?" Octavia asked; a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"It's just that, Lexa can be very secretive a lot of things. I've known her for almost two years now but I feel like there's still a whole other side of her. You know? She's my friend and I worry about her." Lincoln said softly. "When she was briefing us about the case, I saw through her façade, we all did. This case took her off guard. I've never seen Lexa so nervous until we were boarding the plane to New York, and I've never seen anything distract her from work until Clarke walked in."
"I understand." Octavia slowly nodded, "You're worried if Lexa will be too preoccupied by her past and forget why she's hear?"
Lincoln nodded. "I know this sounds awful but the bureau wants us to catch this guy and fast."
"If there's one thing I know about Lexa, is that she never let her emotions get the best of her."
The car pulled up at the parking lot of Saint Thomas of Aquinas School for Boys. Lexa looked up from the window and took in the scene. The place was crawling with cops; yellow crime scene tapes marked the crime scene and the officers in blue kept curious bystanders outside the tape. Lexa got out of the car and she can feel her stomach tighten as she took steps towards the officer standing post just outside the tape.
She wasn't surprised to see Abby Griffin already examining the body with Clarke standing beside her mom, writing something Abby had said to her down on the clipboard she was holding. Lexa grabbed the pair of rubber gloves Raven handed her and she slipped her hands in them. The agent was just about to duck under the yellow tape when a hand grabbed her arm. She looked up to see Raven beside her.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Raven asked, "You don't have to go in, I can do it."
Lexa held Raven's gaze and she saw the concern in her old friend's eyes. She gently pulled her arm from Raven's grip and shook her head. "Thanks. But I got this. I need to do this."
Raven nodded and lifted up the tape so they could step onto the crime scene. The trio walked side by side until they reached the medical examiner and was a few feet away from the victim. Lexa felt her stomach turn and bile unexpected rose up from her throat. It was as if she got sucked back in time. She covered her nose with the back of her hand and stepped closer to get a better look.
"What do we know about the victim?"
"Thomas Alexander Paxton, age 8. His class went to a trip this Thursday, but Thomas didn't make it home. The teacher with them said the boy was still with them on their trip back home."
"He must've been taken not long after they arrived back from their trip. Anya, talk to the teacher who was with them and find out every single adult who was with them"
Anya nodded and left, doing what Lexa asked her too.
"Everything seems identical." Lexa said as she circled the wooden crucifix that the boy was nailed to. The boy couldn't be older than 7 or maybe 8. He was bare of anything clothing aside from a strip of white cloth covering his private part. Lexa could feel anger rise inside her and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. The things this copy cat killer did do this poor boy was beyond sick. It was inhumane.
"Rigor mortis is complete." Clarke unexpectedly said. Her voice broke the silence and captured Lexa's attention. She watched Lexa take in the crime scene and she could see the agent's eyes cloud over; her face was a mask of sheer pain and torture.
"Meaning he's been dead for over twelve hours." Raven said.
Clarke and Abby nodded.
Lexa's eyes snapped up and she looked at Clarke, "Add that to the time it took for the killer to capture his victim, torture him, and kill him …" Lexa voice faded. She can't say the words.
"He took him not long after you guys got here." Raven filled in, putting the pieces together.
"I'll know more when I perform the autopsy." Abby said, "but so far your observation seems consistent with the time table."
"Four bodies in a span of one week?" Lexa looked at Raven. "He's spiraling. He's slipping. Whoever this killer is, he knows the FBI is now involved and he got off guard. Sooner or later he's going to make a mistake and that's when we'll get to him."
Raven grinned at Lexa, "You sure you're an FBI agent and not one of those, what do you call them? Profilers?"
"That's because I happen to know one."
Lexa fished her phone out of her pocket and took a few steps away from the group. When she was far away enough that nobody would hear her, she scrolled through her contact lists and hit the name of the person she was looking for. A familiar voice answered on the other line.
"Hey. I was worried about you. You didn't call back last night. Are you okay?"
Lexa nodded, as if Costia could see her. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that. Something came up." She turned to look at the group, her eyes unexpectedly met Clarke's and she turned away. "Listen. Cos, I need your help. How fast can you come to New York?"
"For you? I'd walk to get there if I have to."
Lexa chuckled, "Let me know what time and I'll pick you up at the airport." She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at the thought of seeing Costia sooner. "I'll see you soon. Bye."
She ended the call and walked back to the group. She saw Anya talking to a man, Lexa assumed he was the teacher-in-charge. Lexa walked at their direction but before she could reach them, Clarke suddenly appeared in her line of vision and a few feet away from her. Lexa stopped walking when the blonde didn't show any intentions of moving.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I reacted last night and this morning." Clarke said as she gripped the bag she has holder tighter, "You know it's not like me to act like that. I'm sorry. I was out of line."
Lexa looked at Clarke in surprise, her eyes widening when she heard what Clarke said. "I think it's fair to say that neither of us handled it very well last night and we're both at fault on how things ended." Not knowing what to do with her hands, she stuffed them in her pockets. "I'm sorry too, Clarke."
Clarke almost appeared shy when she spoke again, "I just thought that maybe, since you're going to be here for a while and it looks like I'm going to help mom a bit in this case, I thought it'd be best if we both tried to get along?" Lexa could see the faint flush on Clarke's cheeks. "Are you going with Raven to watch the autopsy?"
Will she?
This morning when she saw Clarke and Raven together, she almost turned around. And seeing the way they interact with each other, Lexa didn't know if that was something she wanted to see again.
"I'll try." Lexa said she feigned a smile. "I'll see if we're not too busy upstairs, I'll drop by the morgue."
With that, Lexa walked past her and made her way over to Anya.
"I'll see you later, Lexa." She heard Clarke said behind her.
She looked over her shoulder and she felt her heart jump at the genuine smile Clarke was sending her way.
"Yeah" She whispered softly as she tried to fight the smile that was forcing its way on her lips, "See you later."
