Clarke lingered at the doorway. Anya was sleeping peacefully, her hands tucked at her sides. Her face was still bruised, and there was a row of butterfly stitches on her temple, but she was immeasurably healthier by the rosy pallor of her skin alone. Clarke had run into Raven on the way over. She had flagged her down in the hallway when she saw the familiar brown ponytail and slender shoulders exit the room. She was on her way to HQ; the engineer had developed a few fancy toys that were to be used when storming Azgeda and was due back to load it up and give the field agents some quick instructions. But Clarke could tell that she was bereft to leave Anya's side, though she made a show of being preoccupied and focused on the mission. The other woman had offered to come back another time, but Raven had rolled her eyes at her and shoved her gently in the direction of the room, and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Now as she inspected the injured agent from the threshold, Clarke decided that Anya looked too peaceful. It would be a crime to wake her, not when she had been without a good night's rest in months. She was just about to leave when Anya stopped her. "You coming in, blondie?"

Clarke hid her smile behind her hand as she leaned against the doorway. "Are you ever going to stop calling me blondie?"

Anya's eyes were still closed, but there was a shit-eating grin on her face. "Nope." Clarke rolled her eyes, but walked in and plopped down on the empty chair at the other woman's bedside. "Nice to see nothing has changed." Clarke commented, her fingers drumming on the armrest. "Not that that's the first time I've been so underwhelmed." She added under her breath, and Anya opened one eye to squint at her.

"Okay, what did my idiot best friend do this time?" She asked, and Clarke gave her a look. "That bad, eh?"

"I came to see you."

"Liar."

Clarke sighed loudly. Anya wasn't going to drop it, so instead she stretched her legs up to rest on the bed next to Anya's feet. The woman was too tired to protest the presence of Clarke's dirty shoes on her sheets, and she instead gave the woman her full attention. "My bull-headed, stubborn mule of a wife, has once more placed herself in a potentially disastrous mission."

Anya leaned back against the pillows from where she was propped up, and she laughed. "Tell me all about it." Clarke shook her head, and with a groan she recounted the plan for the op. When she finished, Anya scratched her forehead, seemingly unaffected.

"Well I have to say, this isn't the worst mission she's ever done." She announced, and Clarke narrowed her eyes at her.

"That doesn't mean anything to me." Clarke snapped impatiently. "Lexa might have had the prowess of fucking Jason Bourne back in her twenties, but she's not that young anymore."

"You doubt her abilities because we've aged?" Anya gave her a quizzical look. "That's discriminatory."

"You know what I mean." Clarke groaned, and she covered her face with one hand. "Why do I even bother talking to you about this?" She asked, rubbing between her eyebrows. "You're just going to side with her anyway."

"Wrong." Anya contradicted her calmly. "I'm not siding with her. I'm just saying that it could be worse."

"Wow, that was really comforting." Clarke's sarcasm was dripping with every word, and Anya started chuckling, before she started coughing. One hand covered her chest, and Clarke sat up with concern. Her hands hovered, and Anya waved her away. "I'm fine, leave me alone." Anya wheezed. "Actually, no, hand me that glass of water." Clarke did as she requested, and Anya took her time sipping with the straw, trying to get some moisture in her throat.

When she had finally finished drinking, Clarke took the glass and returned it to Anya's food tray. "Look at you." Clarke said, eyes flickering over the injured woman. "Don't you think you're getting too old for this shit?"

"Are you channeling your inner Murtaugh?" Anya smirked. "And I'm not that old. 53 is the new 43."

"Tell that to your wrinkles." Clarke shot, and Anya flipped her off congenially, smug smile on her face.

"I missed this, blondie." And Clarke rolled her eyes. Anya's gaze was nostalgic, and her voice was wistful. "You and Lexa should have visited more often."

"I know." Clarke sighed. "It just didn't feel right to intrude on Costia's life."

"Ah." Anya was quiet . "She's a great agent, Clarke." She was aware of how contentious the topic was, but Anya didn't work her ass off not to brag about her former student. "Everything she did as a recruit was based on instinct. It was like she was made for this life." Clarke bit her lip, and the forlorn expression on her face made Anya feel bad. But not that bad. "You should be proud."

"I am." Clarke agreed softly, and her eyes were thankful instead of furious. Anya was surprised. "Thank you for watching out for her."

"You don't have to thank me." Anya was quick to object. "Any kid of yours is family to me." She grinned at the blonde. "Do you thank family for looking out for each other?"

"I guess not." Anya gave her a winning smirk, and she leaned her head back, eyes closed. "By the way, shouldn't you be at headquarters, with the rest of the team?" Clarke had been trying to avoid that question, but she answered eventually.

"I don't know if I want to see Lexa lose. Even if it's all for show."

"People often make sacrifices for the ones they love." Anya intoned wisely, and then she refused to say a single word after that. She let those words sink in, and for all of Clarke's iron resolve, even the thought of leaving Lexa to her fate made her heart clench painfully. She had hoped that Anya would have distracted her, that she would stick to her stubborn decision not to accompany the team. But she wasn't going to let Anya know she was right.

"Is this your subtle way of telling me to get out?" Clarke sassed Anya, not expecting a response.

"It's me telling you to go support your wife and daughter. Dumbass." Anya mumbled sleepily, and Clarke stood, flicking the other woman on the forehead.

"Jerk."

"Worrier."

"I'll come back later." Clarke was rushing out the door, hoping to catch Lexa before it was too late, when she heard Anya's voice.

"Bring the jackass with you next time!"


"I'm only going to say this once, but I have a bad feeling about this." Roan stacked the padded box of explosives into the back of the van, and Lexa punched him in the shoulder as she walked past him to pile another box into vehicle.

"I don't think the FBI pays you to be pussy." Lexa sneered, and Roan rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying, Lexa." Roan closed the van doors with a thud and leaned against it, frowning. "My mother is cunning person. Whatever you're thinking, she's three steps ahead."

"We'll see." Lexa's words were final, and she strode over to Roan's 1967 Mustang where two agents Luna had assigned them – Sterling and Brown – were waiting for instructions. "Drive the van to Azgeda, get down to the parkade, and when Special Agent Woods-Griffin gives you the signal, follow the plan and rain down hell." The two men squared their shoulders and stood straighter, puffing their chests. Sterling bowed his head to Lexa, and she thought he looked familiar by the strength in his jaw and the shape of his head. "Heda." He said reverently, and then Lexa connected the pieces of her memory.

"You're Gustus's son." When he nodded, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you." Sterling simply bowed his head to her once more before he went to assume his position in the team. At the corner of her eye, Lexa saw Raven approach. Her limp was slightly more pronounced today. No doubt because of her past few days sleeping at Anya's bedside.

"Hey Woods." Raven stopped by. "You ready?" Lexa nodded, and the other woman gave her a quick pat on the head. "Good. Because Clarke won't accept it if you don't return."

"It would be illogical to assume that I would not be planning on coming back in one piece." Lexa stated, and Raven waved her away.

"Yeah, yeah Spock." The woman marched off determinedly, and Lexa smiled at the familiarity of it all. Octavia and Lincoln were prepping at their own designated vehicle, doing a double-check on the arsenal of weapons they had stocked up. Costia and Avery were chatting animatedly nearby, both young women dressed in tactical gear and ear pieces. And as she took in the sight, Lexa felt such pride for her daughter; Costia was in her element, and the ease at which the girls moved was reminiscent of how Clarke and Raven had worked as a team before Lexa had come into the picture.

"Mom?" Costia had walked up to Lexa, and the older woman shook the memory from her head.

"Yes, Cos?" Lexa blinked at her daughter.

"Is Mom coming with us?" Costia asked hopefully, and Lexa sighed.

"I don't think so." Lexa said, and Costia looked crestfallen at the announcement. "It's okay." Lexa brushed Costia's cheek gently. "She'll come around eventually." Costia sighed, and she opened her mouth to say something when Luna strode over, Lorin at her shoulder.

"All right, you all ready to hit the road?" Luna asked enthusiastically. Lexa frowned at her, but that just made Luna grin at her. "By the way, you should probably have someone beat you up a little." Lexa gave her a look, and Luna chuckled. "All right, I get it, you know the drill." Lexa wiggled one eyebrow, and turned away to confer with Roan once more. Costia took Lexa's lead, returning to where Avery was adjusting the scope on her assault rifle.

While signaling for Roan to ready the car, Lexa watched as Lorin marched over to the two younger agents, an air of purpose in her step.

Lorin cleared her throat, and both agents turned around to face their Director. "Agent Blake, Woods-Griffin," she lifted her chin coldly, "good luck." Avery followed it up with a brief tilt of her head. She glanced at Costia, who met her gaze. After a few moments of silent discussion, Avery marched off to her parents' car to wait for her.

Costia shuffled closer to Lorin, who kept her hands firmly at her sides. "Be careful." Lorin said quietly, and Costia gave her a fleeting smile. "I will, Director Dayne." Lorin seemed to find what she assurance she needed from her, and she dismissed her with a slight twitch of her finger.

Lexa bit her lip in thought as she observed their interaction, and once her daughter had strode off, Lexa marched up to Lorin. "A word, Director?" Lorin hid her surprise behind a mask of indifference, and she followed Lexa over to a quieter spot in the parkade. Lexa didn't waste time in small talk, and went straight to business. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"What?" Lorin hid her panic as best as she could, but Lexa was determined.

"Don't waste my time playing dumb." She growled. "And let's talk like adults." She proposed, and after a heartbeat, Lorin spoke. "I love her." She confessed. Lexa scrutinized her for a hard minute before she even acknowledged that she had heard her.

"You're her Director." Lexa said. "There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea." She said, and Lorin avoided her gaze.

"We've been careful." Lorin answered cautiously, and Lexa scoffed loudly.

"You'll get caught eventually." She retorted. "One way or another, the truth always has a way of coming out." And Lexa poked Lorin in the shoulder. "You're smart. Figure out a way for you two to be together without the potential of a scandal." Lexa half-ordered, half-advised before she turned away, conversation finished. She had said what she needed to say, it was up to Lorin and Costia to figure out how to navigate the storms of their relationship. She just hoped she would be alive to see it.

"You ready?" Roan was standing in a boxing stance, and Lexa nodded.

"Make it look good." She brace herself, and the fist was coming fast. She closed her eyes, but it never came. Instead, she saw her wife gripping Roan's wrist to stop him.

"What the hell, Lexa?" Clarke snapped, and Lexa released a bark of laughter.

"Clarke, I need to look a little battered." She said, and her eyes were affectionate as Clarke fumed at her. "And you think Roan deserves to be the one to do that?" Clarke hissed. "He'll be doing that later already."

"Well what alternative do you have then?" Lexa bit back, amusement glinting from her eyes, and Clarke huffed loudly at her. She stared Lexa down, and before anyone could anticipate, Clarke delivered a swift punch right at Lexa's nose.

Lexa's head jerked back with the blow, and the cracking noise had drawn the attention of every other agent in the room. "Mom!" Costia said, clearly disapproving by the indignant look on her face as she rushed over to Lexa. The woman was pinching her nose, attempting to stem some of the bleeding. There was the hint of a bruise already appearing, and Roan was the first to break the silence.

"That was awesome." He chuckled. "Go Clarke." He raised his hand to high-five her, and Clarke just shoved him away.

"Are you fine?" Clarke asked her wife nonchalantly, and Lexa gave her a look between watering eyes.

"Just peachy, thanks." She replied.

"Your mother is fine, go get ready." Clarke said to Costia. Her daughter looked at the two of them, unsure, but when Lexa blinked at her in reassurance, she trudged away. Clarke turned to her wife, and she reached out to bat Lexa's hands away from her own face. Her fingers felt along the bone of her nose, and satisfied that she had not broken it, Clarke stepped back.

"Just in case it wasn't clear, that was for yesterday's argument." Clarke informed her almost gleefully, and Lexa raised one hand in surrender.

"Fair enough." She agreed. Blue met green, and Lexa smiled at her warmly. "I'm glad you came." She remarked, and Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Of course I did, you idiot." She took Lexa's hand in hers, squeezing tightly. "Now let's go finish this."


When Lexa stood facing Nia, hands bound in front of her, she did not have to hide the snarl of pure hatred. The Ice Queen glared back, and at Lexa's position – bound and pushed down to her knees, Roan pointing the butt of his gun at her head – her lips formed a smug expression as she sat observing her, legs crossed as she basked in her already assumed victory. Surrounding them on either side were her lieutenants and most trusted blue coats of Ice Nation, and she sat regally, framed by an elaborate fireplace.

"I'm surprised she isn't as battered as I expected." Nia sneered, and she strolled down from her seat at the head of her 'throne' room to inspect the fabled Heda.

Lexa had to endure the jeering of Azgeda lieutenants as Nia circled her like a predator, every instinct in her body screaming at her to move. She could kill her, right now with their proximity.

But she had to follow the plan. And Roan seemed to be thinking the same thing when he kicked her roughly. She felt flat on the ground with an exaggerated groan of pain, to the mocking of the audience around them.

"Broken nose, ribs, collarbone, punctured lung." Roan listed off her fictional injuries. "She didn't come easy."

"I would expect not." Nia agreed, and she stood in front of Lexa, who had pushed into her kneeling position again. She wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin right off her face.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Alain, who had occupied a seat next to Nia's, called out impatiently. "Kill her and be done with it."

"Now now Alain, that would be much too easy." Nia said, and she reached down and grabbed Lexa's chin, turning her head from side- to-side like she was inspecting a prized Thoroughbred. She released her, and Lexa's jaw snapped, missing her hand by inches. Nia retaliated with a stinging slap that sounded across the room, to the cheers of her men. "No," Nia continued, wiping her hand on Lexa's shirt, "I would like to be entertained first."

Lexa spat out a glob of blood, glaring up at Nia, her face burning with pain. But she was playing right into their trap, and she didn't need to see Roan's face to know he was just as silently hopeful that Nia would allow them to play it their way. "Do you need her to beg?" Alain protested angrily, "Just kill her!" He waved his hand at Roan. "Shoot her already!" He shouted, and Nia swung her head at him.

"Be quiet, Hunter!" She snarled. "You may have the title of leadership, but I am the Queen." She hissed, and the man instantly closed his mouth, his expression petulant and furious.

"Mother," Roan addressed her, and when she redirected her attention to him, he straightened his spine. "Allow me to fight this piece of filth in hand-to-hand combat." He suggested. "You can watch as I beat her to death with my bare hands, and I can finally kill the one person who has never given me the respect I deserve." He growled.

Lexa remained silent, breathing heavily as she watched Nia ponder her son's suggestion. She held her breath, yet outwardly wore a visage of pain and hatred.

Nia glared back at her, and then she looked around at her lieutenants. "What do you say?" She asked, and the men jeered and shouted in agreement. "Then let it be so." She ordered, turning with a swish of her dress to perch at the throne that she had made herself.

Immediately, the crowd began to give Roan and Lexa a wide berth, forming a ragged circle around them. As Roan stepped in front of her to cut the zip ties around her wrist, he made a show of shoving her to the ground, to the cheers of the audience. Lexa felt a cold pinching slide down her boot, and she maintained her cold façade, slowly getting to her feet to face Roan.

He stood with his hands protecting his face in a traditional boxer's stance, mirroring his pose earlier. Lexa made a point to appear more sluggish and weak, one arm pinned to her side to fake a punctured lung. They circled each other like starving wolves, and then Lexa lunged first. She used her 'good arm' to throw a hard jab at Roan's face, which he avoided by ducking in the last second.

He retaliated almost instantly, a swift uppercut only missing her jaw by a hair's breadth. She pivoted away, sending a roundhouse kick at his head that he blocked with his forearm. Careful not to appear too fresh, Lexa released a loud groan of pain as if the motion had aggravated her pre-existing wounds, and the blue coats shouted abuse and insult at her.

They broke away, circling again. While she moved on the pads of her feet, she noticed Alain watching with a vested interest. There was a gleam of excitement and great hunger, his hands twitching like he wanted to fight her himself.

Then a fist came singing at her. She could have avoided it, but she intentionally allowed the hit, and Roan sent it hard into her stomach. Lexa groaned, only partially pretending at this stage. She covered her face with one arm, and used the other to land an uppercut at his jaw.

Roan's neck snapped back, and she took advantage of the momentary lapse to crouch down and sweep his legs under him. He landed hard on his back, and Lexa stayed where she was. She wouldn't press further, not when she was meant to lose. To his credit however, Roan recovered fast, leaping to his feet and countering with a snarl and a kick that sent Lexa hurling to the ground.

She felt the back of her head hit the hardwood, and Lexa's vision blurred. Blinking to clear her vision, Lexa attempted to fight through the dizziness that had set in, but then hands grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her up. She was still stunned when Roan lifted her above his head, and it seemed all too real when he threw her across the room.

She landed with a loud crack, skidded several feet. A few of the lieutenants standing closest to her kicked her, and she rolled back into the center of the circle. Roan stalked over to her, and she struggled to her feet with a hushed groan. A quick assessment of her body told her that she certainly had broken ribs now, and she released a low, inhuman growl as she readied herself.

Roan's eyes were chips of flint, and he lunged at her. In the last second, she jumped away and kicked out his knee. As he let out a cry of pain, she punched him hard in the mid back, and he sprawled forward. He rolled over onto his back, looking up at her with a hidden question that she shook away with a quick blink of her eyes. She wanted to get him riled up, and she kicked at his head. He jerked away, and his hands caught her leg. Lexa let an involuntary moan of pain as he yanked her legs out from under her, and she fell hard onto her side.

Roan loomed over her. Lexa tried in vain to get up, but he pressed a boot down hard on her chest. She felt her ribs crack, and she let out a loud bark of pain amidst the roar of the crowd. Roan was standing victorious. Lexa did not dare move, lying flat on her back with a defeated expression. He stared down at her, his jaw clenched.

"Finish it!" Nia shouted, leaping from her seat. "Kill her, you fool!" Roan's eyes blazed, and he pulled his 10mm from the waistband of his pants. He cocked the weapon, aiming at her head. Looking up into the barrel of the weapon, Lexa felt her heart quicken.

She chanced a quick glance at Nia. She looked ecstatic, her eyes wide with excitement. Next to the Ice Queen, Alain was gripping the armrest tightly, his knuckles white as he watched with particular attentiveness. Lexa returned her gaze to Roan, and then it was just the two of them amidst the yelling and shouting. He looked at her, clearly waiting. She met his eyes, and with a firm nod, he was stirred into action.

Beyond them, Nia shouted curses at Roan. "Fool, what are you doing?" She shouted. At that moment, Roan whipped his firearm toward her, and before she could even register what was happening, he fired.

The fireplace behind her burst into a giant ball of flame, and instantaneously the support columns erupted around the throne room in a fiery mess of rock and mortar.

Lexa leapt to her feet the second they had put their plan into motion, and she sprinted up to where Nia was attempting to recover from the explosion that had knocked her off her feet. Alain was nowhere in sight, and the blue coats were shouting in the chaos. She had vaguely caught sight of Roan shooting out the windows, and she saw familiar shapes rappelling down from the floor above.

But she was focused on one person, and one person alone. Lexa jumped up the last few steps, and when Nia noticed her arrival, it was too late. Lexa kicked her in the face, and she watched as Nia collapsed to the ground. The older woman crawled slowly, leaning against a fallen piece of stone. Lexa glared imperiously down at her. "You're done, Nia. For good." She spat, and she kicked the woman in the side, and she fell once more. Suddenly, Nia threw a fistful of broken mortar and rubble at her face, and while she was disoriented, Nia leapt at her. With a snarl of rage, Lexa dropped and rolled away from her. She wiped furiously at her eyes, and just as her vision cleared she saw Nia brandish a stiletto, the silver glint of the blade gleaming as it rushed at her. Lexa swerved out of the way, and Nia swung and slashed at her. Lexa backed away with each empty slash in the air, until she saw an opening. With great precision, Lexa caught her by the wrist and tightened until her heard the bones crack. Nia screamed in pain, and Lexa snatched the stiletto in midair as the Ice Queen dropped it.

Lexa pointed the stiletto at Nia's throat, and without second thought, she plunged it deep into her neck. Nia let a gurgle of outrage, and Lexa shoved the weapon deep into her flesh. Then, as Nia glared at her in pure fury and shock, Lexa ripped the blade from her skin. Blood spurted like a waterfall, and Nia fell to the ground, her screams of wrath became bubbling nonsense until she finally fell silent, her blood pooling the ground. She watched as the light went out behind Nia's eyes, and then Lexa dropped the stiletto, the noise hardly comparing to the chaos they had instigated, and immediately Lexa was made aware of the situation surrounding her.

Lexa searched the throne room, and she instantly found Costia. The young agent was grappling with five blue coats, and Lexa leapt over, reenergized by the need to defend her daughter. She knocked out one of the assailants with a swift punch to the back of the head, kicking out the legs of another. Costia took out the other three, and she was about to deliver a punch at Lexa, eyes dark with battle rage.

"Cos!" Lexa shouted, and that jolted recognition into Costia's eyes. The battle lust faded from her eyes, and she when she realized that it was her foolhardy, brave mother standing before her, Costia lunged forward and gripped her tight in a ferocious hug. Lexa clasped her arms around her, letting out a loud laugh. "Are you okay?" Costia asked when she broke away, and her hands went to check her mother's sides. Lexa brushed her concern away gently. "I'm fine, but we're not finished yet." She said bracingly, and with a nod, mother and daughter returned to the fray.

Roan had successfully fought off the survivors with Avery's help, and on the other side of the room Octavia and Lincoln were in the middle of battling a group of blue coats. Costia raced over to where Sterling was currently being crushed by Ontari, and finally noticing the dangerous hiss of bullets whizzing past their heads, Lexa swooped down to retrieve a now ownerless M16 rifle and provided cover fire until Costia had made it safely. Then Lexa saw a flash of blonde hair, and she rushed over to where the source of color had originated from. Clarke was cornered between two fallen columns, bullets flying haphazardly at her head, and Lexa vaulted over one of the columns, landing right next to her wife. Clarke spun around, prepared for a fight. Her eyes filled with happiness when she saw her, and Clarke gave her a wild grin. "You're alive." She shouted over the fire fight.

"I made a promise, remember?" Lexa shouted back, and Clarke laughed. The latter lifted her rifle over the column and fired a spray of bullets at the Azgeda agents before she ducked down again to take in the sight of her wife. Her pig-headed, brilliant wife who she was going to kill when they got home, but then kiss until her lips were bleeding and chapped. She drove her crazy, and she needed to know that.

"I love you!" Clarke yelled, and Lexa's grin split across her entire face. Lexa pulled Clarke into her arms, and they met in a passionate, heated kiss. They broke apart when they heard more explosions. Raven's signal.

Clarke pulled Lexa to her feet, and with Lexa firing over the column, Clarke threw a grenade at the cluster of blue coats waiting for them. The explosive was enough to disorient them, and Clarke gestured empathetically to Lexa. "Let's go!" She shouted, and Lexa didn't need to be told twice.

Lorin shouted them down. "Over here!" The woman was at the broken glass window, a helicopter waiting for them. Lexa pushed Clarke forward. "Go first, I'll get the others!"

"Like hell you will!" Clarke retorted. "We're getting them together!" Lexa bit back a retort, and nodded assent instead. There was no time. The entire floor was going to collapse in on itself. Even as they rushed to find their people, Lexa heard the crumbling, and saw beams fall to the ground.

In desperation, Lexa scoured the room. Costia had just put down a blue coat when she saw Lexa's urgent gaze. "Get to Lorin!" Lexa shouted, and Costia nodded and raced off, grabbing Sterling by the arm as she did so.

Octavia and Lincoln were helping Brown, and Clarke was rushing over to intervene as well. That left Avery unaccounted for. Lexa searched earnestly, running the circumference of the flaming room. She heard a groan of pain behind her, and when she spun around she saw Avery under a fallen support beam. "Hey, wake up!" She shouted, and the young Blake had blinked open her eyes, realization dawning in them. Lexa shoved her hands under the beam, pushing with as much strength as she could. It only budged a little, and she gritted her teeth as she pushed with her legs. All around them, wood and plaster was falling. "Leave me!" Avery implored her, but Lexa was not going to do that. She closed her eyes and doubled her efforts, pushing with the last reserves of her strength. Finally, it was high enough that the agent could slip through. "Go!" Lexa shouted, and Avery moved as fast as she could. Once she was out from under the beam, Lexa dropped it and shoved the younger woman harshly. "Move!" She ordered, and Avery obeyed instantly.

Lincoln saw Avery limping, and he rushed over to sweep her up in his arms. The father loped off to the helicopter, and Lexa quickly took one more look around the room. Costia and Clarke were ahead of her, and she took a step forward to sprint after them when suddenly she felt the cold kiss of a knife enter her lower back. With an almost eerie detachment, Lexa watched as the blade came through her abdomen. Before she could react, the blade was wrenched out of her, and she fell. Costia had chosen that moment to look over her shoulder for her mother, and that's when she saw Lexa collapse to her knees.

"Mom!" Costia screamed. Alain stood over her mother's fallen figure, knife in hand, and then she saw red. She raced over and punched at him. He ducked, and countered with a jab that left her right ear singing. "Mother?" He repeated, and his manic brown eyes gleamed. "I should have known, of course they would have a child together." He elbowed her in the stomach, and she fell to the ground. "Of course she would barely give a second thought about finding her first child." Alain lifted his boot, about to crush her face. Before he could, she jerked away and leapt to her feet. "What the hell are you talking about?" She snarled at him, and he smiled wickedly at the realization that she was in the dark.

"You don't know?" He taunted, and then he moved so fast she barely saw the fist until it was inches from her face. She lifted both forearms up, blocking the punch.

"Know what?" She hissed.

She jumped back as he traded blow for blow. He has faster, and much stronger and vicious. She retreated, covering her face with her forearms before she kicked him directly in the nose. Alain let out a wild cry of rage, and then he punched her hard in the chest.

As she fell to the ground, Alain towered over her, and a wicked grin amassed over his features. "You want to know your mother's darkest secret?" He hissed as he dragged her up by the scruff of her neck until he held her above his head. He shook her violently, and then he revealed his knowledge. "I am Clarke's son."

Costia went pale with shock and astonishment, and his hands went around her neck. He was squeezing the life right out of her lungs. Her legs kicked desperately, but she was growing weaker by the second.

"Put her down!" Clarke shouted, and she was standing in front of them, Lexa's Walther trained on Alain. He turned to her, and he did not acknowledge her order. "Hello, mother." He said with wicked glee. Clarke's face immediately drained of all her color. "You're…you can't be my son." She stumbled over the word, and he dropped Costia to the ground. She wheezed for air, and then immediately searched for Lexa.

In the time that they had been fighting, Lorin had raced over, and was hauling Lexa's unconscious body over her shoulders. She caught Costia's gaze, and she shouted at her to come with her. But she was rooted to the spot, here with Clarke.

"What are you going to do now?" Alain said quietly. "Will you shoot the son that you had forgotten? The son that you gave away, so that you could have her?" He jerked his head at Costia, and Clarke was frozen, looking at him in such despair that Costia's heart clenched with fear.

Without a second word, Alain reached over and slapped the Walther away from Clarke's hand. He grabbed her by the neck, and the positions were immediately reversed as he worked to choke the life out of a catatonic Clarke. But while Clarke was unwilling to shoot him, Costia certainly was not.

Costia dived for the Walther, and from her position on the ground she shot Alain in the shoulder. He instantly dropped Clarke, and as he howled in pain Costia rushed over. "Come on!" She shouted at her mother, and she dragged her by the arm towards the helicopter. The floor was crumbling, and the immediate danger and her daughter's urgent tone seemed to wake Clarke from her living nightmare. She jolted, and she wrapped her arm around Costia's waist as the two of them sprinted towards the window. The collapse had forced Raven to hover the helicopter a meter away from the open window, and Clarke looked at Costia. They would have to jump.

On the helicopter, Lorin reached out towards them, and taking Clarke's hand, Costia nodded. They jumped together, and when her feet touched the metal floor, Costia fell into Lorin's arms.

Clarke recovered instantly and got to her feet. Her eyes swiveled wildly, and found Lexa. Her wife was lying on one of the cabin benches, lower back and abdomen bandaged crudely. She was losing a lot of blood, and Octavia was pressing hard against Lexa's side in a vain attempt to stop the flow. Clarke looked at her in complete despair, and then she jerked awake. She would not lose her wife.

"Give me a tube, she needs a transfusion." Her voice was unnaturally calm, as she swung over to Lexa's side. Lincoln immediately passed the needles and the plastic tubing, and Clarke rolled up her own sleeve.

"Wait!" Lincoln moved to stop her, but she shook away his concern.

"She's a universal recipient!" She shouted in response. Satisfied with her answer, Lincoln stabbed Lexa with one needle, and Clarke poked the other into her own arm. She watched as her blood flowed through the tube and into Lexa's arm, and she sighed. Lexa's breathing started to even out, and Clarke let out a breath she was not aware she had been holding. "Stay with me, you're going to be all right." Clarke murmured the words into Lexa's skin, kissing her forehead as Raven flew them up and away from the wreckage.

Lexa was stable, for now.