Here's another update, hope you like. Decided to make this a fluff chapter. Again, I rushed through this to get it posted so please let me know if there are any mistakes in editing or substance. Anyway... enjoy!
Ch. 9 – When You've Opened Me
St. Joseph's – A Few Weeks Later
Though she was still technically working, Lexa couldn't suppress the excited anticipation she got as her unmarked squad car reached it's destination of the hospital, just in time to see the ambulance carrying their witness pull up the emergency bay and unload in a hurry to get him treatment. She and Bellamy were sent to keep an eye on him and be his first point of contact, questioning him about any people he could identify and provide any details or even convince him to testify. Honestly, she couldn't care less what the reason, if it gave her excuse to be at the hospital at the same time as a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed doctor, she'd be there in a heartbeat. As a kid, Lexa detested hospitals. They made her anxious. Now, even the thought of stepping through the doors of St. Joseph's General Hospital made her heart flutter in the best way possible.
She had to admit that today had been a nice change of pace from the last few months. Instead of spending her work hours killing time at some surveillance location or stuck behind her desk typing up daily activity reports or warrant requests, they got a call about shots being fired at a location that had been flagged in their files as the residence belonging to a person of interest for their case. They took down the gunman easily enough, but their original suspect had been injured. Lexa and Bellamy were assigned protection detail and primary contacts until they were relieved by Officers Jordan & Monroe to look after him for the night.
As the EMTs unloaded the occupied stretcher and wheeled it into through the entrance to the ambulance bay, the two detectives were a few feet behind them, trying to keep a respective distance, but still be close enough to hear everything going on. The minute they stepped into the halls, Bellamy couldn't help but notice his partner seemed somewhat distracted, her eyes bouncing all over the place looking at every face that passed them by. He knew exactly who she was looking for. If he was being honest with himself, a part of him was seeking her out as well.
"If you want to go find your girl, go ahead. I'm can handle this." He told her.
Lexa snapped herself out of her search, realizing how unprofessional she was being. "No, It's okay. I'm good." They followed the doctors and nurses to the treatment room they were assigned to and took their post outside of the doors, on guard in case anybody was sent to finish him off. After a few minutes, their witness stabilized, but it would still be a while before they were able to talk to him. Just then, something caught Lexa's attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned just in time to see Clarke approaching the two of them with a wide smile.
"Hey guy's." She greeted the both of them, though her eyes were locked on green, occasionally letting them roam the full length of the body they belonged to.
"Hey." Lexa breathed out.
"Hey Clarke." Came Bellamy.
It was then that Clarke diverted her gaze and acknowledged the taller detective. "Do you mind if I borrow your partner for a minute? I need to talk to her about something." She asked as innocently as she could trying to sound serious.
Bellamy just shook his head. "No. Go for it."
Before Lexa had the chance to ask what she needed to talk about, Clarke had taken hold of her hand and was leading her down the hallway. "I'll be right back." She called back to Bellamy just as they rounded the corner. Bellamy gave her a nod watching after them. Clarke pulled Lexa around the corner and down the hall to one of the on-call rooms, closing & locking the door behind them.
"Umm…" Lexa began nervously, feeling as though she just got dragged into the principal's office. "Am I in trouble or someth-?" She didn't get the chance to finish her question due to the fact that, in one swift motion, her back was being shoved against the door and Clarke had practically jumped her, bombarding her with kisses and attacking her lips with her own. It took her slightly off guard. Not so much the assault, but how strong Clarke seemed to be. "Okay. Not that I'm not enjoying this immensely…but what exactly brought this on?"
Clarke reluctantly pulled back, making sure to stay close. "It's not often I get to see you in your tactical gear. You're wearing your vest and leg holster and… You just look so, damn badass and sexy right now. I couldn't help myself."
"Say no more." Was all Lexa could bring herself to reply. As soon as the words were uttered, her hands shot to the blonde's waist and took charge, turning them around so Clarke was now backed into the door, her lips attached to the detective's neck. Lexa had her pinned, with very little space between them. Every so often, Clarke would let out an involuntary moan that sent shivers up Lexa's spine. Having officially and effectively been driven crazy, Lexa found her hands wandering down the side of Clarke's thighs and, in the same way she's done many times before, lifted the blonde up. Clarke's legs instinctually wrapped around her waist as she felt herself being carried over to one of the single beds in the corner.
Things had gotten pretty hot & heavy in that on-call room between the two, but before they got the chance to really get going, a series of pounding erupted on the door breaking their concentration on one another. After Clarke made a joke about Lexa shooting whoever it was on the other side of the door, they agreed that they each needed to get back to reality and finish what they started, at a later time.
Walking back to the treatment room she was supposed to be guarding, Lexa and Clarke were smiling childishly at one another, giggling at nothing in particular. The faded sound of a police radio broke her out of her euphoria. Looking up, she found Bellamy standing at his post with Officer Monroe, both watching in amusement as Jasper stood at the nurses station obviously flirting with Maya.
"When the hell did that happen?" Lexa asked aloud in confusion.
Clarke follows her gaze and smiled at what she considered her handiwork. "I introduced the two of them at the barbecue a few weeks ago. I had a feeling they would hit it off. I guess I was right."
"Aren't you a little matchmaker?"
"I got you didn't I?" The blonde joked.
"That you did." Lexa assented. She looked down into those blues and felt her heart flutter in her chest. "My place tonight?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh yeah. We can pick up where we left off… If you're not too tired."
"I can guarantee you right now that I will not be too tired."
Lexa's Apartment – That Night
By the time Clarke went home, showered, changed, packed an overnight bag, and made the drive to Lexa's apartment, the brunette herself was pulling up fresh from work. They greeted each other affectionately before making their way upstairs. Once inside, Lexa went to take a shower to wash off the grime of the day and asked Clarke to keep an ear out for her phone in case Gina or someone from her team called.
Clarke was occupying herself in the kitchen making Lexa something light to eat when she heard the phone go off. She was quick to answer it assuming it was Gina, so she didn't check the caller ID. "Lexa Carey's phone." She spoke into the receiver.
At first, she was met with silence before the caller finally spoke up. "Uh, Hello?... Gina? Is that you?" Came the voice from the other end.
Clarke stopped in her tracks. She didn't recognize the voice and hoped she didn't answer to somebody official. "Sorry no. This is Clarke. Who is this?" She asked trying her best to sound as professional and appropriate as possible.
"Clarke." The voice said. "The girlfriend." Clarke could hear the glee in her voice through the device. "This is Anya." She stated after a second or two of silence.
"The sister." Clarke uttered.
"The one and only."
"Hi. I was wondering when I'd finally get to meet you. Although, I was hoping it would be face to face."
"I was too. I'm not sure if Lexa's told you, but my firm has me traveling to all of our offices to assist with some corporate restructuring. That's actually why I was calling, to let Lexa know that I just landed in London."
"Wow. London? Sounds like I'm in the wrong line of work."
"Please. Every country I've been to, I never see anything other than the airport or the inside of a conference room. Not exactly the type of law I wanted to get into. Besides, you're the one who saves lives everyday."
"I do what I can, but it is rewarding."
"You're modest too. Baby sis chose well. Is she around?" Anya asked.
As if on cue, Lexa emerged from her bedroom clad in black sweats and a grey tank top, toweling her hair dry. Her eyes found Clarke and her interest piqued seeing that she was on the phone. "Yeah," Clarke spoke brightly, making her way towards the brunette. "She's right here. It's your sister." She said to her, handing the phone over.
Lexa reached for the phone running the towel over her ear a couple more times to ensure that it was completely dry before bringing the device up to it. "Hey Ahn."
"Hey bean." Lexa rolled her eyes at the ridiculous childhood nickname. "I just had a nice chat with your girl. She seems sweet."
The detective looked up to find Clarke back in the kitchen, moving about so comfortably without a care in the world and smiled at the sight. "She really is." Watching her perform even the most simplest task as throwing a small meal together sent that rush of warmth through her, only causing her smile to grow larger. She shook her head and returned her attention to her conversation. "So, what's going on? Where are you?" She asked.
"Well, I have just touched down in London. If everything goes okay here, then I'll be headed to Sydney later this week." The older girl explained.
"Damn. You must be exhausted." Lexa knew very well how hard her sister worked. She had witnessed it first-hand growing up and a lot of times had joked that it's where she had gotten her intense work ethic from. "But at least you're getting to travel the world. That was always on both of our bucket-lists."
"When we were making that list, this is definitely not what I meant." Anya joked. "Anyway… How is everything with you?"
"Things here are really good." She replied jovially. "This new case we've got has us working ridiculous hours and the days are starting to blur together, but thankfully Clarke's schedule is just as crazy so it all works out."
"Speaking of that," Anya let out a contented sigh through the phone. "You have no idea how happy I am for you. Seriously, Lex. I know getting back out there wasn't an easy thing for you to do, but the fact that you did is incredibly amazing. And Clarke seems really great. She's gorgeous too."
At that, Lexa looked around the room suspiciously, glancing out of windows looking for any signs that her home was suddenly under surveillance. "How do you know that?" She queried feeling somewhat paranoid.
"I have eyes and ears all over the place keeping me in the loop about you, bean." Anya chuckled in her ear.
Lexa shook her head. There were a select few people who fit that bill and she knew just who it was in this case. "Lincoln."
"He sent me a few pictures of the two of you being all cute and whatnot at some picnic or something. Honestly you two looked nauseatingly happy." Lexa could practically hear the fake eyeroll.
"First," Lexa began. "We were at a barbecue at her parent's house, and second; What the hell does that even mean?"
"Doesn't matter," she quickly dismissed. "My point was that I've heard a lot of good things from not just Lincoln, plus everything you've told me… I think you've got a good thing with this one. Of course, I still need to meet her in person before I can issue my official approval."
"Of course." Lexa indulged. She took another glance at the blonde who was now making her way back out into the living room with two plates in hand. "And you are definitely right about that." Clarke set the food down on the coffee table then disappeared to grab them some drinks.
"I'm always right." Came Anya, smug as ever. "Well, I gotta get checked in and deal with the bullshit that I call 'my job'. You go have a good night with your girlfriend and I'll talk to you when I can."
"Alright." Said Lexa. "I'll talk to you later. Don't work too hard."
"Never. Bye, bean."
"Bye, Ahn."
Clarke's peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted by the piercing ache of her bladder. She tried to ignore it, not wanting to leave her spot snuggled into Lexa's side with her head resting on her chest, arm thrown loosely over her stomach, but it became too much. Quietly and gently, she pulled herself up and out of the embrace, finding that she missed it immediately, and quickly shuffled to the bathroom.
Once she finished up, Clarke made her way back out to the bedroom but paused in the doorway. Her eyes fell on the still sleeping brunette, laying on her back with the covers pulled up to her waist, exposing the top half of her body wearing only a bra. Clarke took in the beautiful sight wracking her brain trying to figure out how she had gotten this lucky. She didn't realize just how long she had been staring, but was brought out of it when Lexa began to stir, then turned over on her side, back to her. That's when the small smile that had formed on her face gradually dropped.
Lexa had a troubled past. Clarke knew as much, but what she didn't know was that there were physical reminders forever etched into her skin. It sent an uneasy feeling throughout every inch of her, and pained her greatly to know that Lexa had to endure everything she had.
Softly, Clarke walked back into the room and carefully climbed into the bed. Instead of snuggling back up to Lexa and letting her mind drift back to sleep like she had originally planned to do, she found herself observing her girlfriend's backside. Her eyes landed on every mark she could see, all of them varying in shape & size. Though Lexa tried to draw attention away from them with a tattoo that extended from the base of her neck to the small of her back, Clarke couldn't help but let her eyes wander to them, wanting to commit them all to memory and struggling with the urge to reach out and touch them.
The blonde was slightly startled when she heard the angelic voice of the woman she assumed was asleep. "You know you there's nothing you can't ask me. I don't keep anything from you." Lexa said not having moved an inch. Clarke shouldn't have been surprised. When Lexa didn't hear her respond, she turned over once again to lay on her back and look back at her girlfriend. "Whatever you want to know, I want to tell you."
Clarke still couldn't bring herself to speak just yet. Truthfully, she didn't know what to say. She placed a hand on Lexa's stomach, her fingers tracing a soft random pattern over the well-defined abdominal muscles. Wanting to feel more, she dragged her hand down to her waist and over her hip, stopping when she felt another scar. It was one she had seen before and had always been curious about but didn't know whether she should ask.
"This one…" Clarke spoke hesitantly. "…looks like it was painful. Occupational hazard?" She asked.
Lexa, still waking up, rubbed at her eyes before following Clarke's hand, to see the scar. The shape of which acts as a trigger for her mind to produce the memory & subtly reconstruct the pain she felt when it had been given to her. "Oh…No. I got that from one of the group homes I was in. Foster kids can be some of the cruelest." She said laughing it off.
"I thought your sister became your guardian." Clarke stated curiously. "After…everything."
"She did, but before she could legally take me in, I had to go into the system. There was a lot of red tape she had to go through, it was a long process, so I was placed in a group home for the time being. Then I got sent to another one."
"How many places did you get moved around to?"
"7 homes in the eighteen months I was in the system." Lexa hoped that if she said it with enough nonchalance in her tone, the blonde wouldn't react the way she thought she would. She was wrong.
Clarke shot up in the bed and turned to face her. "7!?" She practically shouted. "Oh my god! I can't believe you went through all that."
"I survived." Lexa said shrugging it off. "It all worked out."
"Were they all bad?" The blonde asked more calmly.
Lexa didn't respond right away. She took a moment to recollect and think back as every memory flashed passed through her mind. A few moments went by before she looked back to Clarke and shook her head. "Not all of them. Some were decent enough. Some were worse than others. I think I went through about… 3 social workers. The first one didn't give two shits about me. The second was overworked and stressed so she dropped the ball a lot. But the third… she was a godsend." Lexa smiled just thinking about her. "Cece Cartwig. When she took me on she read through my file and my sisters' case and did everything she could to help. She checked in with me constantly to make sure I was alright, got me out of some pretty bad situations. Then finally… she placed me in a home the greatest people I had ever met. Gustus and Maggie Richards."
"Richards?" Clarke asked quietly, recognizing the name.
"Lincoln's parents. It's how he & I met. His parents took me in and he became the brother I never had."
Clarke nodded knowingly, putting the pieces together. "That's why you two are so close."
"Yeah. They were the sweetest family." Lexa let out a breathy laugh and turned her body slightly more towards Clarke. "They even let Anya visit me whenever she wanted, they would invite her over to dinner or out to the movies with us."
"How long were you with them?"
"Four months. Longest I was placed anywhere. And in that time, Cece helped Anya get appointed as my legal guardian by the judge and I went to go live with her. But even after that, they all still had a pretty big presence in our lives. They were always there for us no matter what. It felt like I was a part of this makeshift family."
Lexa went on to tell her all about what it was like living with Lincoln and his parents. She shared every memory that came to her mind, getting lost in the stories. Clarke watched her girlfriend in pure adoration as she vivaciously recounted tales of a time in her life when she finally able to be a carefree kid and had people who loved and wanted her.
When her sister was awarded custody, Lexa was able to move in with her and, luckily, they still lived in the same district so that she was able to continue attending the same school as Lincoln. Anya, at that point, was working two jobs while finishing her last semester at Northwestern, so she was burning herself out. Constantly on the move, it was obvious she would need help and Gustus & Maggie were more than happy to assist. On weekdays, Lincoln would walk Lexa back to his house where Maggie would be waiting to help them with their homework and keep an eye on Lexa until Anya was home, even keeping her for dinner on nights when the older girl had to work late or her study group sessions ran long.
Weekends consisted of Gustus taking Lincoln and Lexa to various sporting events and parks while Anya studied every waking hour to pass her final exams. Occasionally, when she had time, Maggie would come over and teach her different meals to cook, so she and Lexa weren't having the same thing for dinner week after week. It was a long learning process, but with much appreciated help from the Richards family, Anya was able to grow more and more confident in her new responsibilities as the caregiver to her younger sister.
Never in her life had Lexa ever spoken about herself in such great length. It hadn't really dawned on her until she was finished just how long she had been talking, only when she looked over to Clarke and met the blonde's tender gaze. She was leering at her, finding her so enthralling.
"What?" Lexa asked feeling a sudden blush flash across her cheeks. Clarke's only response was to lean over and plant a soft, chaste kiss on her lips, to which the two smiled and laughed into, losing themselves in the feel of one another.
Breaking away a few moments later, they continued their lazy day in bed. As the subject of scars carried on, leading to Clarke sharing a few stories of past clumsiness and bad timing to lighten the mood, more tales of Lexa's childhood came to the surface. She found it surprisingly easy to confide in her without the fear of being subjected to pitiful looks and judgement.
Clarke let her hands roam the expanse of Lexa's body, familiarizing herself in an entirely new way, stopping every so often, when she came across a mark she never took the time to notice until now. With every question she had, Lexa gave a complete and honest answer.
"How have I not noticed this one before?" Clarke wondered aloud as her fingertips ghosted over a scar on the brunette's left shoulder. Feeling Lexa suddenly tense up, she leaned in and looked at it more closely. "Is that…IS THAT A BULLET WOUND?!" She screamed shooting up to sit up to face her.
Lexa cringed having completely forgotten about that specific scar and the fact that she would have to explain to the blonde how she had acquired it. "Yyyyeaaaahhh."
"You've been shot?"
Lexa propped herself up on her elbows. "Clarke, I'm a cop, it shouldn't be that surprising." She said in a lighthearted tone, hoping to soften the discussion.
"I know but…still." Clarke shook her head. It was true, she knew cops got shot, but it was a whole other thing to know someone she was so close and intimate with had been one of them. "Please tell me that the asshole that shot you is rotting in prison or the ground."
"Um…not exactly." Lexa answered apprehensively.
"Did he get away?"
"Nnnnnoooooo."
Now Clarke was concerned at her reluctance. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Lexa sat up slightly and turns to face Clarke, feeling suddenly nervous. "Okay, in the spirit of being honest and always up front with you, I'm going to tell you…but I need you to not freak out."
"Why would I freak out? Lexa who shot you?"
The brunette took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact with the blues that were boring into her. "…It was Lincoln."
"WHAT?!"
"I can explain it." Lexa offered quickly.
"Lincoln shot you? You're friend Lincoln? Octavia's Lincoln?"
"Yes, that Lincoln."
Clarke could feel the burning anger in her chest rising. Lexa had literally just finished telling her how she grew up with him, how he was the closest thing she had to a brother. Clarke knew Lincoln pretty well too. At least, she thought she did. "Why?"
"It was a hostage standoff kind of situation," Lexa began. "Just like what happened with you. Some rookie officer didn't clear the room properly, and a suspect who was hiding in the closest got the drop on me and held me a gunpoint. Lincoln drew his weapon, but the guy was holding me too tight and he couldn't get a clean shot…so I gave him permission to take the 'not so clean shot'."
"You told him to shoot you?" She must have heard wrong.
"I did."
"What the hell Lexa?!"
"It was a through 'n through to my shoulder. I was fine and we got the guy. Lincoln is a great shot; I knew he could nail it so I wasn't worried. I trusted him."
Without warning, Clarke toppled Lexa, straddling her as she lay on her back. She placed her hands on either of the brunette's shoulders, pinning her down, slowly running them up until she cupped her face in her hands. With the utmost tenderness, she leaned down, ghosting her lips over Lexa's teasing her so her next words would sink in.
"Don't you ever tell anyone to shoot you again." Clarke ordered huskily.
Lexa was barely paying attention, so awestruck "I promise."
"Good." Clarke leaned down and kissed her, rolling her hips into it. She let a quiet moan escape her throat before breaking away for a moment, not venturing too far. "I'm so gonna kill Lincoln by the way. Just FYI." She said matter-of-factly.
Lexa shook her head, not caring about anything at this point but getting back the feeling of their lips being joined and the heat that had been coursing through her. "Go ahead." She said before leaning up to resume kissing her.
Wanted to offer a quick thanks to all those who have been reading, following, subscribing, commenting, etc. It really means a lot to me and I hope you're all enjoying this fic. I'm expecting about six more chapters (maybe a bit more) so just letting you all know what to expect. Thanks again and let me know what you guys think!
