Continuum

by Animegrl123

We all know the silly rhyme: First comes love (check), then comes marriage (check), then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Clarke and Lexa have the love: they've had it since sixteen. After waiting for a decade they got the marriage. Now they want to expand their family, and luckily for them there happen to be three kids who are going to steal their hearts. Sequel to "The Note."

10. Chapter 10 - Unexpected Encounters

Three Years Later

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Lexa couldn't help but smile at the look on her youngest daughter's face. Skylar was looking out the window, watching all the houses and traffic go by as she chewed on her bottom lip. Even without looking for more than a second, the mother knew she was nervous.

"Are you still excited?" she asked, speaking over the music quietly playing from the radio. Skylar jumped a little as she looked forward, smiling slightly as she nodded. "Yeah," she answered, voice quiet, and Lexa rose her eyebrows as she looked back in the mirror. "It's okay to be nervous, you know. I know you're gonna have a lot of fun, but it can be kind of scary going to a new place and meeting new people. Remember how nervous you were when you started preschool? And now you have made a lot of friends and love being there."

"Yeah," the little girl repeated, her smile a little more genuine. "I love school. It's lots a fun. And I getta see Jennie too. She's my best friend!" Lexa smiled back at her daughter, even as she turned into an unfamiliar driveway, quickly putting the car into park and turning off the ignition.

Preschool had started a little over a month ago, and while Skylar had been nervous about it at first, it hadn't taken long for her to grow to love it, especially once she met Jennie. That first afternoon once she came home all she could talk about was her new friend and since then they'd only grown closer. Most days rather than just picking one girl up from preschool Lexa was picking up two, Jennie going over to their house for the afternoon while her single father worked. She was over so often that at times it felt more like they had four kids rather than just three, but Skylar was so happy to have a best friend that none of her family seemed to mind. Loud and outspoken and always full of energy, Jennie seemed to have taken Skylar under her wing and was slowly pulling her out of her shell, the perfect yin to Skylar's quiet yang.

Which is how Lexa found herself here, stepping out of the car before turning to help Skylar out behind her. Everyone had been surprised a few nights ago when Skylar had suddenly asked if she could join Jennie's dance class, telling them that her friend had asked her to and told her it would be a lot of fun. Clarke and Lexa had questioned her about it, getting as much information out of the little girl as they could and then done some of their own research before agreeing, and the next day Clarke had called and signed her up at Tapping Toes Dance Studio. Now Lexa grabbed a tiny pair of ballet flats from the seat next to Skylar and took her hand, helping her out of the car and trying not to laugh as her youngest daughter immediately picked at the wedgie her new leotard had given her. Together they made their way through the parking lot crowded with cars towards the front door, a colorful sign hanging above it which read, "Tapping Toes Dance Studio."

Opening the door, Lexa took a quick look around the crowded studio. Seven little girls were inside getting ready to start their class, a couple already sitting on the floor attempting to do their stretching while the others sat next to parents helping them get their dance shoes on. Music was already playing, fairly quietly at the moment and almost hidden beneath the sounds of voices and running feet. Along the far wall a ballet bar had been set up with mirrors behind it so that everyone could see what they were doing, and when Lexa saw her own reflection staring back at her she felt her adrenaline start pumping. In the flash of a second she felt like she was seventeen again and walking into her own dance class, the music even similar to what she had played for her own three, four and five year olds. Nostalgia hit her all at once, and she could almost feel her muscles waking up as though from a long sleep. A pressure wrapped tightly around her hand and she nearly shook her head, trying to push the feeling away. Skylar pressed lightly against her leg, suddenly shy with all the new people and noises around her, and Lexa squeezed her hand.

"Come on," she said, flashing an encouraging smile down at her daughter, "Why don't we get your shoes on?" Skylar just nodded, still pressing herself close, and the brunette led her over to an open space at one of the benches lining one wall of the room. She had Skylar sit down and then began removing her sneakers, but just before she could slip the first ballet flat on her foot she heard over her shoulder, "Skylar!" The little girl's face immediately brightened and she jumped up, running over to her friend and giving Jennie a hug barefooted.

"Sky, your shoes," Lexa called, turning around to find the two together. Her daughter gave her a sheepish grin and then held out one hand, telling her proudly, "I can do it!" Holding back a smile, Lexa nodded, lightly tossing both flats over to her, and then sat on the open spot on the bench, watching as Skylar sat down, Jennie talking excitedly beside her already dressed for the class.

Sitting back, Lexa slipped her phone out of her pocket, unlocking the screen. She'd felt it vibrate while driving, and checked now to find a text message from Ryder. Typing out a quick reply that yes, they would still be coming to the VA that afternoon, she didn't really pay much attention as the kids around her still getting their dance gear on rushed out onto the dance floor. She glanced up only to find Skylar and Jennie still talking, the corners of her lips turning up, before she looked back at her phone, deciding it was as good a time as any to check her email. Deleting the twenty percent off message she'd received from the local clothing store – why Clarke always had to use her email to sign up for things, she would never understand – she paid little attention when the door opened again and the children all quickly lined up, Skylar following right behind Jennie as her friend grabbed her hand.

"Alright class, let's get started," a voice called out lightly, and Lexa frowned, her forehead furrowing. Something about the voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She locked her phone again, letting it rest in her lap as she looked up. With her back to her, Lexa had to look into the mirror to see the woman's face, and the moment she did she froze, eyes widening. After almost twenty years she may not have recognized the voice right away, but she immediately knew the face.

"Everybody, we have a new student joining our class," Costia, the ex-girlfriend who at one point in Lexa's life had crushed her in a way she thought she'd never get over, told them all, looking at Skylar. The young girl shrunk back a little, trying to hide behind her friend. "Can you tell the class your name, honey?"

"Skylar Griffin-Woods," Sky mumbled, glancing over to the bench to make sure her mom was still there. Briefly managing to hide her shock, Lexa forced herself to give her a shaky smile, even as Costia simply continued to smile at the little red-head. "Welcome to Tapping Toes Skylar, we hope you have fun with us. I'm Ms. Greene." Sky nodded stiffly, still obviously feeling nervous, but then smiled when Jennie squeezed her hand. "We always start with some stretches so we don't hurt ourselves while we're dancing. We just gotta make sure our bodies are ready to move like we're gonna ask them to. Everybody hold on to the ballet bar."

The kids all moved to do as they were told, and as they did Costia pulled her attention away from them just long enough to look into the mirror, and as though she knew she was there, Lexa watched as her eyes almost immediately were drawn to her. She saw a flash of confusion pull at the other woman's brow before a spark of recognition appeared in her dark brown eyes, and Lexa knew she'd just recognized her too. Costia's jaw dropped open for the briefest of seconds before snapping shut, eyes glancing to Skylar and then back again, putting two and two together. Eight little faces turned up to her, patiently waiting for her to tell them what to do, but for a short moment she couldn't speak.

"O-Okay," she finally got out, forcing herself to look away from the woman behind her. "Get ready to tap your toes girls. One two three four five six seven eight..."

Countless times during the hour long class, Lexa found herself somehow making awkward eye contact with the dance teacher. At first she tried to look anywhere but at the other woman, to the point where she found herself staring at one of the walls for a solid five minutes, but doing so meant not being able to watch her daughter either. Trying to watch the dancers meant seeing the teacher was simply inevitable, Costia constantly moving from one girl to the other and correcting a stance, straightening a wrist, or giving a reminder that ballerinas don't pick their nose while they dance. Lexa almost grinned at that last one, remembering the number of times she'd had to say the same thing when she taught her own class, and in that moment Costia just happened to look up, meeting the brunette's eyes. Her lips curled up into a small, almost secretive smile, clearly knowing what Lexa was thinking, and without realizing it she felt herself returning the look. The next moment one girl stepped on another's foot and the teacher's attention returned back to the class, leaving Lexa wondering exactly how she'd ended up here. She hadn't thought of her ex-girlfriend in more than a dozen years and now she was her daughter's dance teacher.

The hour ended, and Costia stopped the music. "Okay girls, great class today! I'll see you all next week." She smiled at them all as they grinned back at her, and then a stampede of little girls all rushed over to where their parents still sat on the benches.

"Did you see me?" Skylar asked, eyes shining as she ran to her mother. Her hands fell to Lexa's lap, briefly squeezing her knees in her excitement. "I was dancing!"

Lexa let out a small laugh before leaning forward, wrapping her arms around her daughter's shoulders. "You were," she agreed with a nod. "You did very well. Did you have fun?" Sky nodded, so quickly the motion was little more than a blur. "Ahuh! Can I do it again next week?" The mother looked past her daughter, seeing Costia busy talking with one of the other parents, no indication at all that her ex-girlfriend sat in the room or that there was anything awkward going on. "I... If you wish to keep dancing, then I don't see why not." Skylar's smile grew even more, her little cheeks turning pink in her excitement.

"Sky!" they heard, and both turned to see Jennie beside them. The girl's eyes flickered to Lexa, expression not changing at all. "Hi Mrs. Griffin! Thanks for letting Sky do dance with me!" Lexa returned her smile, telling her, "You are very welcome, Jennie." With nothing more than another flash of upturned lips, the little girl grabbed Skylar's hand, pulling her away from the mother and over to where her own bag of street clothes laid beneath the bench, already chatting away. Watching the two friends move away, Lexa gave a little shake of her head, amused. Focus shifting away from them, her eyes happened to catch Costia's as she naturally scanned the room, and that amusement transformed into awkward nerves. She could tell the other woman was finishing her conversation, her eyes darting to her every few seconds, and Lexa allowed her mask to fall over her face, hiding away all of the uncertainty she felt. Pushing herself up, she stood and took a few steps away from the benches where everyone seemed to be gathering, unsure exactly what might be said in this conversation but knowing she didn't care to have it in front of others.

When Costia finally turned away from the other mother, she made her way over slowly, her own uncertainty flashing in her eyes. She seemed to study Lexa as she closed the space between them, hesitating as her gaze swept over the other woman. Lexa studied her right back, and while she certainly wasn't sixteen anymore, she couldn't say that age had done anything to lessen her beauty. At one point in her life the brunette hadn't thought she'd ever met anyone as beautiful as this woman, and time had only seemed to add to her looks, sophisticated grace settling in where youthful arrogance had once been.

"Lexa," she said, the awkwardness of the moment obvious in her tone. "Hi. I uh, I didn't realize you were Skylar's mother."

"I wasn't aware you were going to be her dance teacher," Lexa replied, feeling equally as awkward. "My wife signed her up, so you wouldn't have known I would be here."

"Your..." Costia trailed off, glancing down to the brunette's left hand, for the first time noticing the band she almost never took off her finger. Lexa felt herself stand a little taller almost subconsciously, the memories of exactly how the two had ended things so long ago flashing quickly through her mind. She remembered the girl's laughter, painful in its lightness, as though everything about what they'd been was no more than a joke, and the cut of her tongue and painful sting of her words as Costia had told her what she truly thought about the girl she'd spent her time toying with. Now she looked up, eyes a little wide, but the same cruel judgment that had been in them when they were younger was nowhere to be found.

"Congratulations," she just said, once she'd found her voice again. "Yes, that would explain it. It's, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again as well," Lexa lied, still not entirely sure how she felt about this unexpected reunion. She thought Costia might be lying as well, but couldn't tell for sure as one corner of the woman's lips turned up into a small smile.

"So what-" she began, but before she could continue whatever she was going to ask their attention was pulled to the other side of the room.

"Mama, can Jennie come over tomorrow?" Skylar asked even as she crossed the room towards them. Lexa looked over her head to the other little girl, finding her father there and helping her put on her coat, grinning as he met her eyes and gave a little shrug. The mother returned his grin with a small one of her own and then turned back to her daughter. "Maybe," she answered, making Skylar pout and her own grin grow a little more. "I will talk about it with your mother when she gets home and we will let you know. Okay?"

"O-kaaay," Skylar mumbled, deciding to wait until later when she could beg her mothers together. She turned around and waved at her friend when she heard her call her good-byes, once again smiling from ear to ear, and watched her until she'd left the studio. Almost as soon as Jennie disappeared out the door she looked back up at her mom. "Time ta go?"

Lexa nodded, even as she gestured to the woman standing beside her. "What do you say to Ms. Greene?" she asked, and the little red-head gave the teacher a sheepish look, suddenly shy again. "Thank you Ms. Greene," she told her, stepping close to her mother, and she nearly looked away when her new teacher smiled at her brightly.

"You're very welcome Skylar, and welcome again to our dance class. We're really happy to have you," Ms. Greene replied, and even as she returned the teacher's smile with one of her own she pressed up against her mother's leg. She felt a comforting hand fall gently to her shoulder, holding her close, and turned her face into her mother's thigh.

"We should be going," Lexa said to Skylar, watching her daughter's shyness take back over now that her friend had left. She felt a little head nod against her leg and soothingly ran her hand over her back, doing her best in the moment to make sure Skylar felt comfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Costia's mouth open as though to say something before she glanced down at the little girl, catching herself before whatever it was got out.

"Would you... Could we maybe get coffee sometime?" she finally asked quietly, looking away from Skylar and meeting green eyes as Lexa turned back to her. "I just... I'd kind of like to catch up. If you'd be willing to, that is." The other woman studied her for a second, thinking over her answer, before she nodded once, and immediately she saw relief flash across Costia's face. "Thank you," she said, "You have my number so I'll just, I'll wait for your call." Again Lexa nodded, not entirely sure she should be agreeing to this, but it was too late. Skylar's grip around her leg tightened and without another word she let her daughter lead her back over to the benches where they quickly traded her ballet flats for sneakers.

"Can I show Ryder and everyone what I learned?" Skylar asked excitedly as they made their way back to the car, her shyness almost immediately melting away as they left the studio full of strangers. Lexa flashed her a smile as she shrugged. "I bet they would all love to see you dance," she agreed, unsurprised when the little girl's face split into a big smile. She got her daughter strapped back in her seat, Skylar humming the song they'd been listening to throughout the class to herself, and then they were off to the VA Center.

The entire way there while Skylar hummed in the backseat Lexa's mind whirled, wondering how the last person from her past she'd ever expected to see again was now suddenly a part of her life once more.

/

"Skylar seems to love her new dance class," Clarke stated, grinning as she settled down next to her wife on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand. All their youngest daughter had been able to talk about all night was the class and how much fun it was, to the point where Tris had decided it was better to walk around with her ears plugged than listen to one more word of it. Even as they'd tucked the girls into bed all she could ask was when they'd be going back to the studio, and Clarke had just laughed when Tris threw her covers over her head and begged her to turn off the light so Sky would finally stop talking.

"Mm," Lexa agreed, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Though I'm not yet sure whether it is the dancing she loves or simply the fact she gets to spend more time with her friend." Clarke raised her eyebrows, nodding in agreement, before taking a sip of her wine and letting out a sigh, glad to finally be able to relax after a long day. She closed her eyes, basking in the peace of the moment. Lexa leaned lightly against her wife, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't yet had an opportunity to tell Clarke about who Skylar's teacher was, not wanting to talk about it with any of their children there, and for some reason felt anxious because of it. She had no idea how she would take the news, but was pretty sure it wouldn't go well.

"I admit, I was shocked when I met her teacher," she began, hoping to ease into it. Clarke's eyebrows rose again, her eyes still not opening as her head tilted over, resting against the other woman's shoulder.

"Why?" she just asked, her body turning slightly into Lexa's. "Ms. Greene wasn't what you were expecting? Was she actually Monty's cousin or something?" She felt herself smile at her own joke. When she'd first heard the woman's name she'd laughed, joking about how ironic it would be if the woman were related to Monty considering he was one of the least coordinated dancers she knew.

"No, she is definitely not Monty's cousin," Lexa answered. Fingers rubbing nervously against her palms, she added lightly, "I do know her, though."

Clarke's brow scrunched up, her eyes finally opening. Pulling back just enough so she could look at her wife she asked her, "What do you mean you know her?"

"I mean I know her," Lexa repeated, and then frowned. "Well, I knew her. I suppose I don't know her anymore." Clarke's eyes narrowed, seeing the hesitancy in the other woman's eyes. "You, what, were in the same dance class or something?" The brunette nodded slowly, saying, "There was a time we were in the same dance class, yes."

"Lexa..." the blonde warned, pulling even further back, scanning her wife's face and trying to read whatever it was she wasn't saying. Warning bells were going off in her head, and already she felt her pulse picking up, something stirring in her gut she couldn't yet put a name to. Lexa's eyes met her own, holding steady but a little uncertain. "Costia," she finally answered, "Costia is Skylar's dance teacher."

For a second Clarke didn't move, couldn't seem to do anything but sit there and stare at her, dumbstruck. The next instant she was up, her glass of wine placed a little too roughly on the small table by the couch, and she disappeared into their office without a word. "Clarke?" Lexa called after her, shifting on the couch, uncertain what she was doing or whether she should join her. She sat there, stuck in a state of not knowing whether to get up or stay where she was, until the blonde marched back into the room, her laptop balanced on one arm while she furiously typed at the keyboard.

"No," she growled, tone dangerously low, glaring at her screen. "No." Lexa waited, not sure what she was looking for, until Clarke's expression darkened. "She never used her first name!" she almost shouted. Moving over to the brunette and thrusting the laptop at her, she repeated, "She never used her first name!" Lexa's eyes quickly scanned the web page she'd been looking at, finding Tapping Toes Dance Studio scrawled along the top, "Run by Ms. Greene," written below it. The site talked about the different styles of dance she taught and the various ages, but Clarke was right, Costia's first name was never mentioned.

"Is that strange?" Lexa asked as she glanced up at her wife, unsure whether they should have expected to find it there.

"I don't know!" Clarke exclaimed, closing the laptop a little more forcefully than Lexa thought was entirely good for it, before she tossed it onto the couch. "But if she had we would have known better!" Clarke's hands flew up in the air before falling down to her sides and clenching into fists. "If she'd used her actual damn name Skylar never would have been allowed to join her class and you wouldn't have had to see her again!" She began pacing, eyes shooting daggers as she stared in front of her.

"Clarke," Lexa tried to get her attention, but the blonde was beyond listening at the moment. "She's not going back," she declared. "Skylar's not taking classes with her." Lexa's brow rose, watching her wife pace.

"Sky loved her class," she reminded her, eyes following her movement while her body remained safely on the couch. She had learned long ago about Wanheda's fury and knew it was better to sit back and stay out of the direct line of fire when it flared up. "We can't tell her she can't go back."

"Yes we can," Clarke insisted, voice harsh. "If she still wants to dance we can find her another teacher. Hell, you could teach her. You know just as much as that woman does."

"We don't know that," Lexa replied simply, deciding she needed to remain calm in order to help the blonde calm down as well. "Costia may have gone to school for dance; it's entirely likely if she's a dance teacher, so it is very possible she knows more than I do. Plus I haven't danced in years. Besides, we both know the main reason Sky wants to dance is because Jennie's in the class. Telling her she can dance but we need to find her a new teacher is silly, unless you plan to try to convince Jennie's father to pull her out of this class as well."

Clarke rounded on her, eyes narrowing. "How can you be so okay with this?" she demanded. "After what Costia did to you, how can you seriously even be considering letting our daughter take classes with her?" Lexa didn't let her look intimidate her, instead simply shrugged.

"What happened between Costia and I was a long time ago," she answered easily. "I haven't thought about her or what she did to me for years. Many years, in fact. Yes she hurt me, both with her words and with what she did, but that was high school. Early high school even. We were young and she was cruel, but I got over it." She reached out then, grabbing her wife's hand and pulling her closer. "I met you and learned what I had believed was love for Costia was nothing more than mere infatuation. A bad crush. It wasn't until you and I were together that I realized what it felt like to truly love someone." She could feel Clarke's tense grip loosen slightly, her words clearly getting to her. "In fact," she added, smiling a little as an eyebrow quirked up. "Really I should thank Costia. If she hadn't dumped me, I may have still been dating her that first summer at camp and you and I may never have gotten together."

"We would have," Clarke argued, her tone steely in its certainty. She closed the distance between them, climbing on the couch and straddling Lexa's lap, her free hand cupping the brunette's cheek, grip firm but still gentle. Her eyes once again scanned her face, but this time along with the anger Lexa saw entirely different emotions swirling in them. "I don't care what might have happened with her, there's nothing in the universe that could have stopped me from falling in love with you." Lexa's smile grew, even as she let out a small laugh.

"Clarke, we had been going to school together for years," she reminded her. "We had to leave our home and spend time away together at camp to even truly speak to each other. What makes you so sure we would have ended up together on this couch if our histories had not gone exactly as they did?"

"Doesn't matter," the blonde answered, giving a small shake of her head. "It doesn't matter that we only really started talking at camp; I was always going to end up with you, Lexa. If there is one thing I was born to do it's love you, and nothing was ever going to stand in the way of that." Lexa felt her heart swell in her chest, emotions burning and swirling inside her, so many she thought perhaps she may finally burst apart with her love for the blonde sitting in her lap, but somehow she managed to hold herself together, that love only made obvious by the light in her eyes and the tightening of her hold around the other woman's waist.

"I believe I was born to love you as well, Clarke," she admitted softly, watching as the lips she spent more of her time thinking about than she cared to admit out loud curled up into a soft smile. She nearly leaned forward to press her own against them before she remembered the entire point she had been trying to make. "But since we are both very aware how much we care for each other, why is it a problem if Skylar continues to go to Costia's dance class? I haven't had any feelings for her since before we graduated high school."

Clarke let out a single, humorless laugh. "Lexa, I'm not worried about you loving her or anything like that. I just don't want you to have to see this person who hurt you so much. And honestly, I'd rather keep her hate away from our daughter. Skylar doesn't need to be around anyone who once called her mother a dyke." Lexa thought about that moment in her life, how much it had hurt when the person she had cared about so much had hurled the word at her all while some guy had his hands all over her. That image worked against the woman she'd seen today, all awkward looks and small smiles.

"I don't think she is the same person who did that," she replied slowly, the two images a contrast in her mind's eye. "When we talked after, she didn't seem unhappy to see me, just surprised. She even asked me to get coffee with her at sometime."

That made Clarke's eyebrows shoot up, the corners of her mouth turning down just a hair. "And what did you say to that?" she wanted to know, and Lexa gave her a shrug. "I agreed," she answered, meeting blue eyes as the blonde's jaw clenched slightly. "I saw no reason to refuse. Perhaps it will be good for us to talk."

"Or maybe she's looking for another chance to show the world how homophobic she is," Clarke muttered darkly, rolling her eyes when Lexa gave her a look. "I don't like her, Lexa. I don't like her, and I really hate that she's suddenly in our lives. In your life."

"Do you really want to take Skylar out of the class?" Lexa asked, frowning. If Clarke truly wasn't comfortable with this she would agree, but she knew their daughter wouldn't understand why they were doing it. The blonde let out a defeated sigh, as though she'd just heard an argument she couldn't refute, and released her wife's hand, letting her arms drop to the other woman's shoulders and leaning into her.

"No," she grumbled, voice sullen. "That would just upset Sky, and that's not fair to her." Lexa reached up, fingers gently gripping her chin, and tilted her head to force her to meet her eyes. "This is not a big deal, Clarke," she insisted, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yes Costia hurt me in my past, but I'm too happy in my present to even think about it. Her presence back in my life will not change anything." The blonde gave a stiff nod, willing to let this argument go but clearly not happy about it.

"When are you getting coffee?" she asked, glancing down at her wife, and she felt her left arm raise as the brunette shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "I will call her tomorrow to plan something. Probably later this week." Again Clarke nodded, but this time Lexa watched as something new flashed across her face. Without any warning she swooped down, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss, stealing all the air from Lexa's lungs. Both of her hands moved to cup her face, her grip a little more forceful than usual, and the brunette's arms wrapped around her waist, almost as though she needed something to hold on to. Clarke didn't pull away for a long moment, the kiss only seeming to grow more heated the longer they remained connected, and when she finally did she left no more than a few centimeters of space between them.

"Mine," she claimed, her grip on Lexa tightening slightly, nowhere near painful but certainly territorial. Her forehead pressed roughly down, meeting the brunette's, and Lexa nearly gulped when she saw the fire burning in blue eyes. "Just mine."

"I-I thought you weren't worried about any romantic feelings I might still have for her?" she stammered, unable to quite catch her breath after that kiss. Clarke shook her head, never pulling further away. "I'm not," she insisted, voice a little lower than normal. "I know how much you love me. Doesn't change the fact that you're mine." Lexa's lips parted to reply, but whatever she was going to say died as Clarke pressed forward again, capturing her wife's mouth in a kiss no less powerful than the first. She could practically feel the other woman melting beneath her, and only kissed her harder.

"Your wine," Lexa tried when Clarke finally allowed them air again. She wanted to gesture over to it where the glass still waited on the end table, but couldn't bring herself to shift even the slightest bit away from her wife. "You said all you wanted to do this evening was relax with a nice glass of wine." The blonde's lips curled up in a mischievous smile, letting her weight begin to pull her to one side, Lexa's grip behind her never loosening and in turn moving with her.

"The wine can wait," she said, continuing down until her back hit the cushion, Lexa's arms trapped beneath her as she now knelt over her wife. Leaning up as though to start another kiss, she pulled away just as Lexa moved towards them, a teasing glimmer now in her eyes. "First I want to remind you why you're mine."

"I am yours for many reasons, Clarke," Lexa managed to get out even as she felt every nerve in her body begin tingling as one of the blonde's hands started to slip slowly down between them. "And that is all I will ever want to be." Blue eyes met her own, now less teasing and more sincere, bright with the affect her words had on her love, and Clarke let the space between their lips disappear, their bodies easily falling together in the rhythm they'd spent nearly twenty years learning.

/

"Thanks for agreeing to this," Costia began, breaking up the awkward silence that had settled between them almost as soon as they both sat down. Lexa gave her a little nod, barely a tilt of her head. "Of course." The silence stretched out once again.

"You look good," the dance teacher tried, gesturing at the brunette with the hand not holding tight to her coffee. Again Lexa nodded, this time giving a little more as she replied, "Thank you, you do too. Have you been dancing all this time?" Costia's eyes lit up, happy to see the conversation might finally be really going somewhere, and nodded.

"Yeah," she answered, "After high school I decided to study it in college. I figured it was the only thing I really enjoyed doing, so I might as well make a life out of it. What about you? Do you still dance?"

"No," Lexa replied, giving a small shake of her head as she turned her cup of tea around in her hands, the only fidgeting she allowed herself. "Not outside of weddings and other special occasions, at least."

"That's too bad," Costia said, elbow resting on the table and chin resting in her open palm. She watched the other woman, smiling a little as she added, "You were a great dancer, definitely one of the best ones in our class. It's a shame to forget talent like that." Lexa shrugged. "I still enjoy it, but it isn't what I wanted to do with my life."

"So what did you do with it?" she asked, leaning forward a little in her curiosity. Lexa met her look, telling her, "I went to school and joined the military. I was a lieutenant in the US Marine Corp for about six years." Costia's eyes widened, not expecting that answer at all, and Lexa watched as she sat back a little, as though trying to take in more of the woman sitting across from her.

"Wow," she breathed, "Yeah, that's definitely something." Her head cocked to the side before she asked, "Why'd you leave? If you don't mind me asking, I mean."

"I got hurt and had to come home," she answered simply, seeing no reason to provide anymore reason than that. Again Costia's eyes widened, scanning over her quickly as though looking for the injuries, but before she could ask anything else she continued, "It worked out well that way. I came home and soon after Clarke and I got married. Not long after that I became a police officer."

Lexa wasn't sure if the other woman's eyes could get any wider or be anymore surprised, and she just took a small sip of her tea, waiting for her to process this new knowledge. "Well that's... That's definitely a busy life," she finally said, giving a little shake of her head. "First a lieutenant and now a cop."

"I was a detective, actually, but I quit about three years ago," Lexa corrected her, and then in response to the questioning look she received explained, "When we adopted Skylar and her sister, we realized they needed more than what we could give them with our work schedules. My wife is a surgeon, so I decided to quit my job."

"Quitting detective work to be a stay at home mom, huh?" Costia asked, and then tilted her head, studying her. "I don't know, it's hard to see you choosing that." Without so much as a beat Lexa met her look, telling her honestly, "It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I enjoyed my work, but my family comes first. Being a mother to our three children is the greatest thing I've ever done."

Afraid she might have overstepped, Costia quickly backpedaled. "Oh yeah, sure, I get it, the kids absolutely come first. It's just, I don't know, I guess it's just hard to imagine someone working so hard and doing what you did just to let it all go."

"My kids needed me more than I needed that job," Lexa replied simply, and the other woman gave a quick nod. Lifting her cup back to her lips with one hand as the other rested against the table, she asked behind it, "Do you have any children?"

"God no," Costia let out in a light groan. When the brunette's eyebrow ticked up, she quickly explained, "Not that I don't love them, don't get me wrong. I'd love to be a mom, it just, it hasn't happened for me." She glanced down at her coffee cup, gripping it tighter before adding, "I just recently got out of a messy divorce. I do love kids, really, but I'm glad I didn't have any to drag through that." Lexa nodded in sympathy, a small frown tugging at her lips.

"I'm sorry," she said, and Costia shook her head. "No, don't be," she replied, feeling the ball of nerves that had been growing in her gut shift up to her chest. "It just... It was never really right. We tried to make it work for a while but we... I... I was never really... in it, the way he was. I just didn't... feel the way he did."

Understanding flashed across Lexa's face, realizing what she wasn't quite saying. "I see," she replied quietly. "Well I hope you are happy now, at least." Costia gave her a half smile, one corner of her mouth tugging up a little. "I am," she said. "Or happier, at least. I've never felt more like, I don't know, myself I guess, than I have lately. It's... nice." Lexa's smile was soft, understanding as she agreed, telling her, "Life is easier, once you accept yourself. Even in the moments when it becomes harder." That ball of nerves buzzing in her chest shifted into something else, and the next thing Costia knew she was fighting back tears even as she gave the other woman a watery smile.

"Yes," she agreed. "It is." The next moment her smile fell away, the guilt she'd felt for so long wracking through her and now obvious in her expression. "Lexa, I'm," she began, and then blew out a long breath, eyes falling closed. When they opened again, she met a green stare, the other woman patiently waiting, and she licked her lips. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, voice nearly breaking. "What I did... It was horrible. I never should have treated you the way I did, or said what I said. I think I was caught between liking you and hating you for it, so I decided the best thing to do was to hurt you. I was awful, and I entirely understand if you hate me for it. I hate me for it."

Lexa studied the other woman for a second, her guilt easy enough to make out in dark eyes that almost flinched away when she met them. Nothing seemed to guard her expression, her emotions written across her face, and from each the brunette could tell she meant what she said.

"I don't hate you," she told her, her voice almost quiet, almost soft but not quite there. She watched Costia's eyes scan her face in surprise, and continued, "I haven't hated you for a long time. What you did hurt, yes, and I can't say it didn't affect me, but I got past it. I moved on."

Costia nodded slowly and then let out a little sigh. "Sometimes I," she began, pausing for a moment and then continuing. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been afraid back then. If I had accepted everything and we had stayed together." As she finished, one hand reached out, gently laying over the hand still on the table, and she flashed the brunette a soft smile.

Glancing down at the hand suddenly on top of hers, Lexa frowned. Fingers grasped lightly at her hand, the pressure light but not the touch she was used to. Looking back up she could see something else in the woman's eyes now that her guilt seemed to have subsided slightly, and she slowly pulled her hand away.

"Costia, I'm sorry if you think the two of us meeting is something it isn't, but I'm happily married," she said, fingers skimming lightly over the band around her left ring finger. "You may wonder what would have happened if things had been different between us when we were younger, but I do not. Clarke was always the one I was meant to be with; I could never do anything to jeopardize that."

As soon as Lexa began pulling her hand away, a light blush appeared along Costia's cheeks, becoming more powerful as the other woman spoke. The dance teacher's hand fell from the table, shifting nervously in her lap, as she looked down, barely able to look anywhere but at her coffee.

"Of course," she replied quickly, speaking almost before Lexa had even finished. "I didn't mean... I shouldn't have..." She cleared her throat, eyes finally flickering up and meeting Lexa's. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You're happily married, I shouldn't have implied anything. Clearly you love your wife very much." Lexa's expression softened a little, looking down at the ring on her hand, and Costia felt a spike of jealousy hit her, something she knew she had no right to feel.

"I do," the brunette replied easily, the corners of her lips pulling up as she studied her wedding band. "I still have days where I can't believe I got so lucky." The spike of jealousy flared up a second time even as Costia tried to stamp it out, making herself smile as the other woman looked back up at her. "Which is how I know I would be a fool if I did anything that might hurt my wife."

"You would be," Costia agreed while thinking about how big a fool she'd been almost twenty years ago. "You're lucky you found her." Lexa nodded, fully agreeing, and another awkward silence descended on their little table.

"I hope that our past and... this... won't effect Skylar joining the dance class," Costia finally said, glancing at the woman across from her. "She seems like a sweetheart, and I think she really enjoyed her first class."

"She did," Lexa confirmed, and then added, "And it won't, don't worry. Everything that happened between us is in the past; there is no reason to let it affect the present." Costia nodded, a pang of regret spiking through her, but kept it hidden away, not letting it show as she gave her ex-girlfriend a smile. "Good," she agreed, "I'm really happy to hear that." The smile becoming more authentic, she leaned forward again, asking, "Does it make you miss it, though? Dancing, I mean?" She couldn't help but notice the way the other woman's lips curled up into a small smile, even before she gave a reluctant nod.

"It does," she admitted, thinking about how her body had felt as she stepped inside the dance studio. "I don't regret anything, but I do miss dancing. It meant a lot to me, growing up."

"You're welcome to come use my studio every now and then, if you'd like," Costia offered, before taking a sip of her drink. She gave a little laugh then, grinning as she told her, "Actually, I teach an adult class; you might like to come to that sometime and help me teach it. It may have been a while, but I have no doubt you'd still be able to blow them all away."

Lexa's smile grew even as she shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I would be able to find the time. My schedule is a little full with school and play dates and hockey practice." Her brow furrowed then, before she took her phone out to look at the time. "Speaking of, I actually have to run and pick Skylar up from pre-school." She stood, her chair sliding back behind her, and looked at the table and woman still watching her, and felt herself smile again. "But this was nice. I'm glad you suggested it."

"Me too," Costia agreed, mirroring her movement while she ignored another little pang of regret in her gut. "And the offer's there, if you ever find time. My studio could always use another dancer." Lexa nodded, mostly just to be polite, and then stuck out her hand between them.

"Thank you, Costia," she simply said, her other hand still holding tightly to her coffee. "I'll see you next week for Skylar's class." Costia reached out and clasped the brunette's, her palm itching where their skin touched. "You're welcome, Lexa," she replied, making sure to keep her voice even and expression clear as she spoke. "See you then. And, and thank you. For, you know, forgiving me." Lexa nodded again and then withdrew her hand, turning around and leaving the little cafe to go pick her youngest daughter up from school.

Costia watched her walk away, wondering not for the first time how she could have been so dumb as a teenager and push her away. She wasn't sure she'd ever entirely stop regretting it.

/

Clarke pulled into the parking lot carefully, finding people already leaving the dance studio and getting into their cars to head home. She knew the class must have just ended, and quickly killed the engine before getting out of the car and making her way into the studio, flashing a smile to the few people she passed on her way. Today was Skylar's third dance class at Tapping Toes but this was Clarke's first time at the studio, having readily agreed to pick up their youngest as soon as she got out of work so that Lexa could go to the VA alone today. She knew her wife loved taking Skylar and Skylar loved going, but Clarke also knew there were some things Lexa refused to talk about with their daughter there, and sometimes she needed to get them out. She was happy to step in whenever she could, and this time even more so.

Stepping inside the studio, Clarke took a look around. It looked like she imagined most dance studios would: mirrors along one wall with a ballet bar, benches lining another wall, and a sound system in the corner for the music that still played lightly in the background while the families still there put their street clothes on over their dance clothes or even simply changed their shoes. Parents knelt, helping their kids, and Clarke's gaze scanned over them until she found the three familiar faces she'd been looking for.

"Mummy!" Skylar exclaimed, leaving Jennie and her father to run to her. Clarke's mouth turned up into a big smile, leaning down and meeting her daughter as she ran towards her. Skylar's arms wrapped around her neck and hers wrapped around her daughter, and she hauled her up, holding on tight as she stood back up. "Hey baby!" she replied, pressing a quick kiss to her daughter's cheek. "How was class?"

"Great!" the little girl said, face bright. "I got ta spin, and I didn't step on anyone's feet!" Clarke let out a laugh, deciding that was enough to make anyone happy. "That's awesome," she told her, squeezing her a little tighter as she continued forward, making her way towards the two watching them and grinning. Letting her focus pull away from her daughter, she looked at them and nodded, her smile not leaving. "Hi Jennie," she said, grinning down at the other little girl. "Did you have a good class too?"

"Yeah!" Jennie stated excitedly, nodding her head. "We jumped, and run and had lotsa fun!"

"You ran," her father corrected her, giving his daughter an amused look. "You jumped and you ran and had a lot of fun."

"That's what I said," Jennie argued, and Skylar laughed before beginning to squirm around, and Clarke bent down and let her go, getting the hint. While the two girls started talking excitedly, Clarke flashed a grin at the man beside her as she stood up.

"Thanks again for bringing Skylar today, Atom," she told him, and he shook his head. "Not a problem, Clarke," he replied, waving the thanks away.

Out of the corner of her eye, Clarke saw a woman standing on the far side of the room, giving her little looks every now and then. Considering she wore leggings and a long shirt and didn't have any child with her, Clarke could guess who it was.

"Excuse me for a second," she said to Atom, still giving him a smile, and he nodded, returning it, before their daughters pulled his attention back to them. Seeing Skylar conveniently distracted for the moment, the doctor took the opportunity to slip away, turning and making her way to the other side of the room. As she did, she let her smile fall, trying to keep the scowl she felt tugging at her expression from forming. The other woman didn't pretend not to notice, and instead turned and watched her approach.

"You must be Clarke," the teacher stated, clearly trying to sound welcoming but the slight strain in her tone threw it off. "Skylar's other mother."

"And Lexa's wife, yeah," Clarke agreed, barely even trying to keep her tone even. The other woman shifted, more of her weight moving to one side, as though she felt uncomfortable, and the doctor just stood a little straighter. "And you're Costia."

"Yes," Costia said, and then awkwardly held out her hand. Clarke didn't even glance at it, and a second later the hand retreated.

"I'm not here to exchange pleasantries," the blonde informed her, needing to consciously keep her fingers from curling into fists. "I'm just here to introduce myself and to tell you not to invite my wife on anymore coffee dates."

Costia's eyes widened minutely, something in her expression shifting. Her arms crossed over her chest, trying to appear aloof. "Is that so?" she asked, her eyebrows lifting up in fake calm. "And do you make all the decisions for your wife?"

"No," Clarke answered, and then said, "But sometimes I disagree with her decisions. For example, Lexa decided a long time ago to forgive you for what you did to her. I haven't, and I don't." For a brief moment she lost her own battle, hands clenching tightly down at her sides as she thought about what this woman had put Lexa through those many years ago. She hadn't even been around to see the full extent of her love's pain, but even just imagining it made Clarke's blood boil in her veins. Almost immediately she regained control of herself, hands relaxing slightly, and told the other woman calmly, "You put Lexa through enough pain, you don't get to take up anymore of her time." Costia's lips parted in surprise and Clarke felt a certain amount of satisfaction when she saw guilt flash quickly across the other woman's face.

"I didn't-" she began to say, but Clarke shook her head.

"No," she said, cutting her off, "You don't get to explain yourself to me. You hurt her, that's all I care about." She heard her daughter call to her from the other side of the room, excitement still in her voice, and held Costia's gaze for a moment longer. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." She turned around, leaving a still stunned Costia behind her, and made herself smile as she walked back to her daughter.

"So what do you think, you ready to go?" she asked, reaching her hand out, and Skylar quickly took it, completely missing any residual effects still lingering from her discussion with the dance teacher. "Yep," she agreed, giving a quick nod before placing her free hand on her belly and looking down at it. "I'm hungry," she decided, glancing back up at her mother. "Can I have a snack?" Clarke grinned, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"I think there'll be enough time when we get home for a little snack before supper," she agreed, and Skylar let out a little cheer, following her mother out of the studio.

Behind them, Costia watched them go, unable to quite process the conversation she'd just had, trying to pair up the intimidating blonde with the smiling mother.

She had to admit, she could understand what Lexa saw in her.

/

"I don't wanna," Skylar cried, little tears starting to run down her face. Her fingers curled up into fists, wiping blearily at her face but the movement only smeared the tear tracks along her cheeks as more continued to fall. "I can't, I can't, I don't wanna!"

"Skylar, honey, it's okay," Ms. Greene told her, kneeling down beside her and trying to help the little girl calm down while the rest of the class stood around awkwardly behind her. "It's going to be fine; you've done the dance so many times, it's going to be just like that!"

"N-no it's not," she said, still trying to wipe away the tears before they could fall and failing. "There's so m-many people."

"Skylar!" everyone heard, and Skylar threw herself around, running towards her family before she even saw them. Tris was the first in the room, darting directly to her, and Skylar threw her arms around her big sister's neck, burying her face against her shoulder.

Clarke, Lexa and Calvin all followed, Jennie bringing up the rear, the little girl having gone out to get them the moment her friend started to panic. She stepped back then, deciding it would be best to stay out of the way, even as she looked worriedly at her best friend.

"Hey," Clarke murmured, kneeling next to her daughters, ignoring everyone else in the room. She reached out, gently tucking a strand of red hair behind her youngest daughter's ear. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"I don't wanna," she said, the words muffled against her sister's shoulder. Lexa stood right behind her wife, also reaching forward and resting a hand against the little girl's shoulder. "Don't wanna what, Sky?" she asked softly. She glanced over at the other girls in their costumes and Costia watching them, and then looked back down. "You don't want to dance?"

"S-so many p-people," Skylar managed to get out, lifting her head and looking at her mothers, the tears still running down her cheeks. "I can't." The last two words came out as nothing more than a whisper, her fear all too obvious in them.

"It's okay, Sky, you don't have to," Tris assured her, holding onto her sister tighter, and then she looked up to their mothers. "Right?" she asked, hoping they would agree. The next second she knew she shouldn't have worried, both of them immediately nodding.

"Of course not," Lexa agreed, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Dancing in front of an audience can be scary; you don't have to do it if you don't want to." Skylar's eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. "Really?" she asked, and Clarke just smiled at her. "Really," she told her, reaching out, and Skylar transferred her hold from her sister to her Mumma, already feeling better with her family around her.

Calvin glanced at them and then around the room, before turning back towards the door. "I'll go tell everyone else we're leaving," he said, and then shot his youngest sister a little grin. "I bet Nana and Bampa will take us all out to get ice cream, Sky." His words had the desired effect, immediately seeming to cheer her up as she gave him a watery smile. His Ma shook her head, unable to stop the corners of her lips from curling up as she gave him a look.

"Thank you Cal, tell everyone we will meet them out in the parking lot," she told him, and then lifted an eyebrow at him. "And please don't beg your grandparents for ice cream." He gave her a cheeky smile and then left the room, and somehow she just knew they would be getting ice cream before going home.

"Come on," Clarke murmured, her hold on Skylar only getting tighter as she stood up, the little girl still clinging to her. "Let's go meet your brother and everyone else." Skylar nodded against her and then picked her head up, looking guiltily over at Ms. Greene and the others. "Sorry," she whispered, tightly gripping her mother's shirt, and her dance teacher gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay Skylar," she just said. "We all get a little stage-fright sometimes." Skylar didn't know what that was but she nodded anyway, and then looked down at her best friend. Her tummy hurt, feeling really bad for leaving like this, but Jennie just shot her a big grin. "See you Monday, Skylar!" she exclaimed with a hasty wave, and the little girl felt her tummy settle a little, glad her best friend wasn't mad at her.

Lexa looked over at the dance teacher, meeting her eyes and giving her a nod, before focusing back on her family. An arm curled lightly around Clarke's waist, while the other fell lightly over Tris's shoulders. "Come on," she said to them, smiling at her daughters before smirking at her wife. "Let's go see if your brother has roped your grandparents into taking us out for ice cream yet." Tris and Skylar nodded, clearly both hoping he had, and Clarke let out a light laugh, shaking her head and leaning against her wife. They left the room together, leaving the rest of Costia's dance class to finish getting ready for their recital.

/

The moment they got home, Skylar performed her dance for her family, her moms and siblings all having seen it before but clapping just as loudly as her aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. She beamed up at them, and later admitted to her mothers that she liked the dancing, but not the big audience of strangers watching her. In bed that night Clarke and Lexa decided they would refurnish the basement, turning a corner of it into a little dance studio for their daughter so she could keep doing something she loved without having to worry about dancing in front of a crowd comprised of anything but family. Lexa would be her teacher, and thinking about it, she couldn't quite hide her excitement, pleased with the idea of getting back into the first thing she ever truly loved.

Clarke was pleased too, though not quite for the same reason. This all meant that dance lessons at Tapping Toes were over, and the idea of none of them ever having to see Costia again made her happier than she cared to admit. Lexa saw right through her, giving her a look when she tried to subtly mention she would call and cancel the lessons tomorrow, and accused her of being entirely too pleased with how it had all turned out. Clarke didn't deny it, and then showed Lexa just how happy she was.

Two Years Later

"Here you go Dr. Woods."

Clarke shot a smile at the young woman holding the patient file out for her. "Thanks Charlotte," she replied, taking the file and flipping it open, giving a quick scan of its contents. The file contained all the information she needed for the consult she needed to be at in just over five minutes, all information she'd gone over before but wanted to take one last look at before the meeting. Making sure the patient stats in her head matched those on paper, she gave a quick nod before shooting the receptionist another smile. "Have fun, Dr. Woods," Charlotte told her, flashing her a smile that Clarke returned before turning to head down the busy hallway.

Before making it more than three steps, the doctor froze, her mouth dropping open and eyes widening in surprise. Nurses, patients and doctors walked the hall, as hectic as any hospital would be, but suddenly her attention pulled to a single person walking in her direction, listening intently at the woman beside him. He nodded as she spoke, brow furrowed in concentration, but when he looked forward and caught sight of the blonde, all of that concentration flew away, his own eyes widening, though Clarke noted he appeared to get over the shock a lot faster than she did. After all, after only a quick second he managed to pull himself back together while she continued to stand there staring like an idiot.

"J-Jaime?" she called out, the name getting stuck in her throat. Her ex-boyfriend gave her a nervous smile as he shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, stopping a few feet in front of her. "Hi Clarke," he returned, one hand raising up to rub nervously at his neck, a gesture that threw her back into her past, flashes of countless memories where she'd seen him do the same thing suddenly speeding through her mind.

Dr. Tsing, the woman he'd been walking with before stopping, lifted an eyebrow, looking back and forth between the two of them. "You two know each other?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Jaime nodded, his smile softening and becoming more genuine as he continued to look at the blonde. "Yeah, we go way back," he replied, finally looking away from the still stunned Clarke. Grinning at Dr. Tsing, he gestured to the younger woman, saying, "Clarke and I went to med school together." The older woman looked down at the blonde, expression pulling tight as though she'd just tasted something sour, and Clarke gave her a look, not quite in enough shock to miss it. "Well then I'm sure you'd love to catch up, but right now we really should get you to your interview Dr. Cooper." She glanced at the younger woman, voice getting noticeably colder. "Dr. Woods."

"Interview?" Clarke asked, completely ignoring the other woman as she looked back at Jaime, and he gave her another uncertain grin. "Yeah," he said, "My second. I'm trying for the-"

"Opening in oncology," Clarke finished, her brain finally starting to work again and put all of the pieces together. Of course. "Well I... Good luck; I hope it goes well."

"Thanks Clarke," he told her, his dark eyes shining in a way that felt far too familiar to her considering how much time had gone by since they'd last seen each other. He glanced over at Dr. Tsing, the woman now waiting obviously impatiently, and then looked back at her. "Maybe after we could talk? It's been a while."

"Oh," she began, surprised all over again. "Yeah that would, that would be great. I've got..." She stared down at the file still clutched tightly in her hand, her brain whirling to try to get past this block she suddenly felt. "A consult," she finally remembered, looking up again. "I have to go give a consult right now, but I think I have a few minutes later. We could grab a cup of coffee? In the doctor's lounge, on this floor?" She smiled then, feeling a little bit of her awkwardness fall away. "If you're going to be working here, you might as well learn which lounges have the best coffee."

"I don't have the job yet," he reminded her, but couldn't hide a slight grin, and she returned it. "You're a great oncologist, they'd be crazy not to hire you." Her words made him duck his head a little, once again rubbing at his neck. "Thanks Clarke," he told her, "That really means a lot."

"If you're done, we really should go," Dr. Tsing interrupted, her arms crossed in front of her and looking as though she were about ready to start tapping her foot. Jaime nodded to her, before glancing one last time at the blonde. "I'm glad we ran into each other, Clarke. I'll see you in a little while."

"Yeah, me too," she replied, part of her still feeling as though she were in a fog. "See you soon, and good luck." He flashed her one more smile and then let Dr. Tsing lead him down the hall, the clack of her heels only barely audible over the commotion of the others moving around them.

"Well that was awkward," Charlotte stated, her gaze following the two doctors as they walked away. As they turned around the nearest corner, her eyebrows rose, looking back at the blonde. "Not sure I believe he's just a friend from your med-school days. Who is he?"

"My ex," Clarke muttered, stepping back and leaning against her desk, the hand not still clenching the file rubbing at her forehead. "He's my ex. An ex I haven't seen in... God, I don't know how many years." Except she did know. Since she could practically pinpoint to the day how long it had been since Octavia and Lincoln's wedding, all she had to do was add about four months to that, and that's how much time had gone by since she'd last seen Jaime.

"Huh," Charlotte let out, looking back to the spot he'd disappeared from. "You've got good taste. He's certainly not bad to look at. But then, I've always been a sucker for dark hair and dimples." Clarke gave her a look, and the other woman only grinned. "One thing's for sure though, thing's just got more exciting around here." The doctor just shot her a quick glare and the receptionist smirked before tapping on her wrist and lifting an eyebrow. Getting the message, Clarke swore, realizing what time it was and took off, now late for her consult.

Just over an hour later, Clarke found herself sitting at a small table, a lukewarm cup of bad hospital coffee in front of her and her ex-boyfriend across from her. They sat there for what felt like had to be at least a couple of minutes, awkward silence between them, before she finally decided to try to break it.

"How'd the interview go?" she asked, leaning forward and bracing her elbows against the table. She grabbed the cup more because she needed something to do with her hands than because she needed the bad coffee, and watched as he thought his answer over.

"Well, I think," he replied, "I think it went really well." He lifted his cup and took a sip, face scrunching up the moment the coffee touched his tongue. "This is supposed to be one of the lounges with the best coffee?" She grinned, unable to hide her small amount of amusement, and shook her head. "I just said you should learn which ones had the best coffee, not that this one was one of them," she joked, taking a sip of her own coffee with a straight face. He gave her a look, trying not to grin, and shook his head. "It must be some universal law that all hospitals have bad coffee," he decided, setting the cup back on the table and shooting it a withered look. "The last place I was at had coffee that was just as bad." His head tilted then, apparently curious, and then quickly took another gulp of the coffee. The way his lips turned down, Clarke thought he immediately regretted the decision, and couldn't help but grin a little. "No, I was wrong, this is actually worse than the stuff was there, which I really didn't think was possible."

"Where were you, before this?" she asked, curious as to what he had been doing since she last saw him in med-school. "Shallow Valley," he answered, now ignoring his coffee to focus on her. She frowned, the name sounding a little familiar but not any place she knew off the top of her head, and he shrugged. "It's a little hospital, nothing huge. They had to close because they were so small, so I needed to find another job. I started looking online and saw that Mount Memorial was looking for an oncologist so I figured I would give it a try." He paused then, looking away awkwardly before his eyes flickered back to hers. "I uh, I remembered that your mom worked here but I wasn't sure if you did. I was hoping to find out before awkwardly running into either of you, but the only times I've been here are for the interviews and I don't think it really leaves a great impression if you spend that time trying to find information out about your ex-girlfriend and her mother. Sorry."

"No, it's fine," Clarke replied, waving off the apology and trying to give him a smile. "You're right, that's probably not something that would get you hired." He nodded, looking off to the side again nervously before rubbing his neck.

"Look Clarke, if this is too weird, I'll withdraw my resume," he told her, meeting her eyes once again. He gestured between them, saying, "This is awkward, I know, and I don't have any right to barge back into your life. If you're uncomfortable with me being here, I totally get it, and I'll get out of your hair."

Clarke felt her expression soften and reached out, resting her hand gently over one of his, lips curling up into a soft smile. "Jaime, I don't think you've ever barged into anything in your life," she informed him, a light teasing in her tone. "If you have, it was after we broke up, because you definitely never did with me." Her hand squeezed his once and she watched as he let out a little laugh, the sound light and momentarily pulling at her heart. She had loved this man at one time in her life, and with him sitting across from her, it was easy to remember why. As he smiled at her, she returned it, before continuing on. "And yeah, this is a little weird, I think we both know that, but that doesn't mean you should withdraw your resume. This is a great hospital, a great place to work, and I know you're a great oncologist: you deserve to be here just as much as me."

His hand turned over beneath hers, returning the pressure with a brief squeeze. "How do you know I'm a great oncologist?" he wanted to know, lifting an eyebrow. "You've never seen me work outside of a classroom before." She shook her head, giving him a look before telling him, "I remember you in that classroom, and I remember knowing then that you were going to make a great oncologist, and my opinion hasn't changed just because it's been a few years."

"More than a few," he remarked, and she shrugged in admission, even as she pulled her hand away to lift her cup again. His forehead furrowed as he watched her take a long sip, asking her, "How do you drink that stuff?"

"You get used to it," she replied, lightly placing the cup back on the table, feeling more at ease than she had believed she would. He shook his head, the corners of his lips twitching. "Still addicted to coffee, I see."

"I'm not addicted," she argued, so easily falling back into this light banter they used to have nearly every day. "I could quit any time if I wanted."

"You just don't want to," he finished for her, clearly remembering it as easily as she did. "Exactly," she agreed with a quick nod, flashing him a smile, and then leaned forward, letting her chin rest against her palm. "So how are you, Jaime? I mean really, how are you?"

"I'm good," he replied, letting the teasing melt away into this more serious but still surprisingly comfortable conversation. "Really good. You?"

"Also good," she answered, thinking about just how great her life was. "What about your family? How's your mom and all your hundreds of siblings?" He rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly before informing her, "Not hundreds, just four, and they're all good. I'm an uncle many times over since the last time we saw each other, and Mom's a very happy Grandma. How're Abby and Jake?"

A shadow passed across the blonde's face, her mood suddenly dampening for just a moment. "Dad died about five years ago," she replied quietly, and he immediately reached forward, this time covering her hand with his own. "Clarke, I'm so sorry," he murmured, remembering how close she'd been with her father, but she just gave a little shake of her head, forcing herself to smile again. "It happened a long time ago," she said, trying to shake off the sadness she felt any time she thought of her father. Enough time had gone by that she no longer ached when reminded of him, but she knew she'd never completely stop missing him. Not wanting to bring the mood down, she continued, "My mom's doing pretty well though. Work keeps her busy, and when she's free she has three grandchildren happy to take its place for her attention."

His eyes widened, looking like he was almost more surprised to hear that than he had been with seeing her again. "Three?" he asked, the surprise in his voice, and she nodded, grinning. "Wow. That's... Wow. That's wonderful Clarke! I'm so happy for you." He looked at her then, studying her, before asking, "So it worked out then? With you and your Marine? What was her name?"

"Lexa," she answered, any trace of sadness still lingering from the mention of her father melting away with the talk of her love. "Yeah, it worked out. It worked out really well."

"That's wonderful, Clarke," he repeated, and then grinned as he corrected himself, "I mean Dr. Woods. Dr. Clarke Woods." He said the name slowly, as though testing it, and she let out a little laugh.

"Technically it's Dr. Clarke Griffin-Woods," she informed him. "We hyphenated our names, but since my mom's Dr. Griffin, dropping it while I'm here and just being Dr. Woods is a lot easier for everyone. And I like it." She liked it a lot, even years after their wedding, getting to hear Lexa's name associated with her and her name associated with Lexa. Looking back over at him, she felt an eyebrow quirk up, giving him a look as she asked, "What about you, Dr. Cooper? Did it all work out for you?"

"Yeah," he answered with a little nod, "It's worked out pretty well. I'm not married, but I've got a girlfriend who I've been dating for about three and half years. She's amazing; every time I go to Mom's she always gets on me about why I haven't proposed yet." He told his story with a roll of his eyes, and Clarke laughed, very easily remembering what his mother was like. She remembered times of visiting while they'd been dating and his mother dropping the same kind of hints. Whenever she had Clarke had always smiled and shook her head, feeling guilty as a voice in her subconscious always reminded her Jaime was never the one she wanted to marry. Seeing him across from her now, clearly happy with how his life was, she couldn't help but smile, glad that it had all turned out alright.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," she replied, still grinning. "Your mom definitely was never one to be shy about that."

"Never," he agreed, voice strained in fake exhaustion before he took another swallow of his coffee, glaring down at the cup as soon as he did. "Okay, that's it, I can't do it anymore," he gave in, getting up from the table to walk over to the trashcan nearby. Dropping the bad coffee inside, he looked over at her, head shaking as she just took another sip of her own, grinning. "I don't know how you do it, Clarke, I really don't. I think being able to drink bad coffee must be one of your superpowers."

"I'll have to tell my son that," she said with a laugh. Noticing how his brow rose in curiosity as he sat back down, she told him, "He's an artist, and a couple of years ago he started working on a comic book because of a class assignment. He was supposed to write about some of his heroes, and he got the idea to create this story about two superheroes he modeled after me and Lexa. I think he'd laugh about the coffee superpower, and probably agree with you."

"That's awesome," Jaime replied with a wide grin, arms crossing on the table in front of him. "Did you teach him? The art, I mean?"

"Yeah," she replied. "At first, at least. He's also taken all the art classes possible in school, and teaches himself stuff on the side." She shrugged, thinking about her son and his art, and couldn't help smiling softly. "It's what he loves."

Jaime couldn't miss her smile if he'd wanted to, and felt himself smile as well. Seeing Clarke so obviously happy made him happy, even if he did feel the smallest pang of jealousy in his gut. He'd loved her, there was no denying it, probably would still love her if they'd lasted, but seeing her talk about her family only further proved to him she'd never loved him quite the same way. It didn't matter, not really, both more than content with how their lives had turned out, but the truth was there nevertheless.

"What about the other two?" he asked. "Are they artists too?" Clarke let out a single laugh, shaking her head. "God no," she answered, thinking about her daughters. "Tris wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to get any kind of art out. She's always moving. No, she plays hockey, that's her big love. And Skylar..." she trailed off, thinking about her youngest, and just lifted a shoulder. "Skylar's six: she's still figuring out what she loves. Right now it's books."

"A very good thing to love," he mused, grinning, and she nodded, completely agreeing. He looked like he was about to ask another question when the blonde's expression smoothed out, a hint of annoyance dancing across her face as she took another drink from her coffee. Frowning, he gave her a curious look, until a voice behind him pulled his attention away.

"Well Dr. Cooper," he heard, and turned to see Dr. Tsing walking towards them. She didn't even glance at the younger woman, and Jaime's gaze flickered between them momentarily before he returned the second woman's smile. "Your interview went well, I take it?"

"It did," he replied, nodding, choosing to ignore the way Clarke stared at her cup rather than look at her. "Thank you again for the tour beforehand." Dr. Tsing brushed his thanks away with a simple gesture. "Of course," she replied, "It was my pleasure. I hope I'll be seeing you again very soon. Good luck." She finally glanced at the blonde, her smile more forced and not reaching anywhere near her eyes. "Dr. Woods."

"Dr. Tsing," Clarke replied, returning the almost cold tone before the older woman continued by them, moving over to the cabinets along the wall so that she could make herself a cup of tea.

"Well you two don't like each other," Jaime murmured after she'd gone by, voice only loud enough for Clarke to hear. As the blonde shrugged, not denying it, he cocked an eyebrow at her. "What's the story there?"

"Nothing exciting," she told him, also keeping her voice down a little. "She thinks I got my position here just because of my mom. She's made it clear exactly what she thinks of my skills." She shrugged again, putting down her coffee. "Besides, we just have different philosophies: she believes more in the science behind medicine, thinks of patients more as numbers than anything else, I think of them as people and the reason I care about my work. She's more into the research anyway, so we don't have to interact very often."

"Got it," he said, glancing over at the woman still working on getting her cup of tea. She'd been nice enough while giving the tour, but he'd be interested to see what might change if he actually got the position.

As Jaime looked over at the other doctor, studying her for a minute, Clarke ignored the other woman. She studied him instead, still finding it hard to believe he was sitting in front of her, but not at all uncomfortable by it. Her eyes skimmed across his face, trying to decide what was different and what hadn't changed, until another bit of movement in the doorway pulled her focus from him. Without meaning to, she felt herself begin to grin again, watching as her mother walked towards them, glancing up from the file in her hand only long enough to find her daughter.

"Clarke, I was wondering about this weekend," she began as she walked over to her daughter's table, her attention only half on the blonde while the other half remained on the patient file she was still skimming through. "Do you know what time I should expect everyone? It's the usual crew, right? I was thinking of making the rolls you and Lexa always used to fight over to go with dinner." She finally glanced up, expecting to get a reply, but before she could her eyes widened, finally looking at the person across from her daughter and recognizing him immediately. "Jaime?"

"Hi Abby," he said with a grin, jumping up from his chair, and then paused, brow furrowing as he looked back at Clarke and then her again. "Uh, I mean Dr. Griffin. It's nice to see you again."

"I...It's nice to see you again too," she replied, taking his hand when he reached out and giving it a little shake. She glanced over at her daughter, raising her eyebrows, lost, and watched as Clarke grinned at her.

"Jaime just had an interview for the oncology position," she informed her mother, helping her fill in the blanks. "We ran into each other and decided to get some coffee and catch up."

"Oh," the elder Dr. Griffin said, and then gave Jaime an encouraging smile. "Well I wish you luck, Jaime; we'd be lucky to have you."

"Thanks Dr. Griffin," he replied, shooting her another smile, and she shook her head. "Abby," she insisted, lips turning up a little further as she looked once again down to her daughter and then back to him. "Just because you and Clarke aren't dating anymore doesn't mean you and I need to be formal."

"Abby," he agreed, grinning, and then glanced down at his watch as he pulled his arm away. The moment he did his lips turned down into a small frown, before he looked back at them, telling them apologetically, "I'd love to stay and catch up more, but I actually have to head out. I really hope I get to see you both again soon though." Abby nodded in agreement as Clarke stood up, stepping towards him. She reached out and then hesitated, catching herself automatically going to hug him, and he just grinned before stepping forward to close the space. Giving her a quick hug, he felt his heart tug at the familiarity of it all, and then mentally shook his head. Stepping back and giving them both a simple nod, he shot one final smile at the blonde, telling her, "Thanks again for the coffee Clarke, even if it was terrible. It was really nice being able to catch up. I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks Jaime," Clarke returned, smile softening slightly. "I'm really glad we ran into each other, and am glad you're happy too." Their eyes met one last time, sharing a smile, and then he turned away, quickly leaving the doctors' lounge and heading down the hall to where he was pretty sure the exit was.

The mother and daughter watched him go, neither one entirely past their shock even though Clarke had had a lot more time to process hers, and then Abby was turning to her, an eyebrow lifting.

"Well that was unexpected," she decided, and then scanned her daughter's face. "Are you okay?" Clarke nodded, looking back at her before telling her, "Yeah Mom, I'm okay. Still a little surprised, but fine." Abby gave her a look, not entirely sure she believed her. "Are you sure? It isn't every day you run into an ex, and certainly not every day you find out you soon might be working with them."

"It's fine," her daughter replied. Finding her mother still giving her a disbelieving look, she rolled her eyes. "Really Mom, it isn't a big deal. We're adults, this doesn't have to be weird."

"Mm," Abby agreed, though the tone behind the noise didn't quite sound convincing. Glancing back at the doorway, she asked, "What do you think Lexa will think about this?"

"Lexa won't have a problem with it," Clarke told her, feeling relatively sure about her answer but maybe not quite as sure as she sounded. She remembered her own reaction when Lexa's ex had popped back into her life, and suddenly felt even less sure. Still, she tried not to show that uncertainty, just meeting her mother's eyes as she gave her a look. She felt Abby study her for a minute and knew she probably could see at least some of her uncertainty, but her mother seemed to decide not to bring it up.

"Okay," she simply said, and then, just to change the subject, she asked, "So, what time do you think will work for everyone this weekend, and do the rolls sound good?"

"Rolls sound great, Mom," Clarke answered, and then let her mother drag her into a conversation about their weekend plans, knowing she was trying to get Jaime off her mind. It didn't work, and even as they talked all Clarke could really think about was the conversation she'd have to have once she was home that night. She had absolutely no idea how it would go.

/

"Mum, watch it!" Tris exclaimed, her hip bumping Clarke out of the way as she stole the spatula from her hand. "You're gonna burn the vegetables!" Looking down at the mixture of squash, zucchini and onion in the pan in front of her, she quickly turned down the heat of the burner, giving them a small stir as she did.

"Good," Skylar muttered from her spot at the table, not looking up from her drawing in front of her. "I hate vegetables." Her sister rolled her eyes, tossing her a look over her shoulder. "That's cause you don't know good food. If you just tried this, you'd probably like it." Skylar just shook her head stubbornly, still not looking up, and again Tris rolled her eyes before dropping it to send another look at her blonde mother. "What's with you? You're almost as bad as Mama tonight."

"I resent that," Lexa informed her, looking up from the paperwork in front of her where she sat at the kitchen island. Tris raised her eyebrows, as if daring the mother to get into this argument once again, but Lexa decided not to take the bait, knowing it was a fight she'd never win. Instead she turned to her wife on the other side of the island where she now leaned against the counter, shaking her head and grinning as Tris took over her job. "You do seem a little distracted this evening though, Clarke. Is everything alright?"

Clarke looked over to her wife, finding her already looking at her, and her mind immediately jumped to the piece of news she hadn't yet been able to share. She'd only gotten home from work a little over an hour ago, and had yet to find a moment she could pull Lexa aside and tell her about her new potential co-worker. The hour had been filled with helping Skylar and Tris with their homework while Lexa took Cal to a friend's house and then beginning to get dinner ready, and it was only now that she and Lexa were even in the same room together for more than just a of couple minutes in passing.

"Everything's fine," she assured her, pushing off of the counter so that she could instead lean forward, arms resting against the island between them. She noticed Lexa's head tilt slightly to the side, obviously seeing something in her expression that told her more than just what her words had. Glancing back at Tris she found her still stirring the vegetables while taking a quick peek at the chicken in the oven, and then looked over to the table to see Skylar still focused on her drawing. Hoping they were both effectively distracted, she met Lexa's eyes again, the other woman still clearly curious. "I uh, I saw someone at work today. Someone I haven't seen in a while."

"Oh?" Lexa asked, voice light, trying to read the micro-expressions flashing across her wife's face. "Who did you see?"

"Jaime," Clarke told her, her voice lowering a little, and watched as Lexa's brow furrowed in confusion, trying to place the name. She gave her a second, and then practically saw it when the name finally placed itself and the other woman's eyes widened slightly. "Jaime? You mean your...?"

"Yes, that Jaime," the blonde answered as Lexa's voice trailed off. "There's an opening in the oncology department, and I guess he's applying for it."

"Oh," Lexa simply repeated, entirely thrown by the turn in conversation. She didn't know what she'd expected Clarke to tell her, but this certainly hadn't been it. "That's... good?"

"Yeah, I guess," Clarke said, giving a little shrug. "I mean, he's a good oncologist, or at least he always seemed like he'd be a good one, it's just kind of... weird." Lexa nodded, still processing, and Clarke gave her a look, scanning her face. "Are you okay with that?" she asked, even more quietly. "I mean that he... and I... might be working together soon?"

"I'm... surprised," the brunette told her, meeting the blues eyes looking at her a little worriedly. She smiled then, just a small turn of the lips, and added, "But I see no reason not to be okay with it." Clarke visibly relaxed, returning her small smile as she reached across the counter, taking one of Lexa's hands and giving it a light squeeze. "Good," she murmured, "Then I'm okay with it too, as long as you are."

"Who's Jaime?" Tris asked, voice breaking through the moment even as she continued to pay attention to the food in front of her. Clarke winced slightly, having been really hoping neither of their children had been listening, and Lexa had to lightly bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from grinning. Raising an eyebrow at her wife, she pulled her hand away, gesturing towards their oldest daughter as though to say, "Well he's your ex, you tell her." Clarke shot her a look, almost sticking her tongue out at her wife, and noticed Lexa's nose crinkle in amusement.

"Jaime is a friend I went to college and med-school with," she finally informed her oldest daughter, turning around so she could easily see her. "We even dated during some of that time."

All at once Tris's stirring stopped, and she whirled around, the meal entirely forgotten as her jaw dropped open. Even Skylar looked up from her picture, the crayon in her hand stopping mid-way to the paper, her brow scrunched up in confusion.

"What?" Tris demanded, eyes flashing, even as her sister asked, "How come you dated someone if you and Mama were together?" Hazel eyes flickered back and forth between the mothers, trying to figure out how that made sense. Clarke and Lexa shared a look, a silent conversation flying between them, before Lexa turned around on her stool, holding out her hand. Skylar scooted herself off her chair and moved over to her, Lexa lifting her up onto her lap.

"Well, at the time we weren't together," she answered, wrapping her arms lightly around her daughter's middle. "During some of the time we weren't together, Jaime was Mumma's boyfriend." Skylar's brow only furrowed more, still glancing between them. "How come you weren't together?"

Clarke shot a look over at Lexa, the corners of her mouth tugging up into a tiny smile.

"Because somebody thought it was a good idea to break up with me after high school graduation," she teased, earning a little glare from her wife. What had meant to be a joke quickly backfired as Skylar gasped, jaw dropping as she stared up at the mother whose lap she sat on.

"You broke up with Mumma?" she gasped, pushing herself far enough away from her mother's torso so that she could glare up at her. "Why?!" Lexa's eyes widened at her daughter's glare, surprised by the amount of hurt she found there, and answered carefully, "I did it because I was going far away for college so I could get ready for the Marines. It wasn't fair to either of us to try to stay together when we would never be able to see each other."

"That's not a good enough reason!" Tris exclaimed, glaring at them while her heart started to beat faster and faster in her chest. She knew that people dated, understood that most were in a few relationships before they actually settled down with someone, but had never once stopped to think about either of her mothers with anyone else. Now the idea had been forced into her head though, and it was all she could picture. Glaring harder at her Mama, she growled, "You can't just leave someone like that. You don't leave someone you love!"

The words hit the two mothers, reading into the history behind them even if Tris herself didn't entirely understand what she'd said, and felt their chests tighten. Lexa looked at her, trying to think of a way to explain their past in a way that would make sense to them both, while Clarke reached towards her, saying softly, "Tris..." The girl just stepped away from the hand, jaw setting stubbornly as she continued to glare.

Before either mother could think of something to say to their oldest daughter, Skylar looked up curiously at Lexa from her lap, the corners of her lips pulled down and little lines appearing on her forehead. "Did you break Mumma's heart?" she asked, her voice quiet, and Lexa looked down at her, opening her mouth to answer and then immediately closing it. Skylar's jaw dropped slightly, her lips parting in shocked horror. "You broke Mumma's heart?" Before Lexa could think of something to say she squirmed off her lap, running around the island and wrapping her arms around Clarke's waist. She stood just tall enough for Lexa to see the little glare she shot at her above the island.

"I... It's okay Sky," Clarke told her, rubbing a soothing hand along the little girl's back even as she and Lexa shared a look, each clearly reading the other's surprise in how this conversation was quickly unraveling. "Mama didn't mean to hurt me, she only did it because she loved me."

"That doesn't make sense," Tris argued, her hands moving to her hips, no longer remembering she still held the spatula. "You don't break up with someone cause you love them." Her eyes widened and then narrowed, a new thought clearing flashing through her mind, as she looked at the blonde mother. "Did you love him? This Jaime guy, did you love him?"

Clarke nodded once, not wanting to lie to them. "Yes," she replied lightly, "I loved him. Just not in the same way I've always loved your mother." Tris's jaw clenched, thinking about all of her friends whose parents had divorced and feeling her pulse pick up even further. She couldn't even imagine that happening to their family, but now she felt that fear beginning to tingle at the back of her neck. What if this guy broke up her parents?

"You can't work with someone you loved!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, fingers curling even more tightly around the spatula. Before Clarke could say anything, she rounded on Lexa. "And you can't be okay with them working together! What if he still loves her?"

"Tris," Lexa began, wanting to help her calm down and tell her none of them had anything to worry about, but before she could get more than just the name out Skylar spoke up, still looking at her from over the island.

"Did you date anyone other than Mumma?" she wanted to know, and from the way her shoulder moved Lexa could tell she'd put one hand on her hip while the other still curled around Clarke's leg. "I did not date anyone after your mother, no," she responded slowly, knowing that six and eleven were too young to try to explain the purely physical relationship she'd had for a couple of months that one year in college. Glancing up and meeting her wife's eyes, she saw Clarke give her a shrug, having an idea what she was going to say next. "But I did have a girlfriend before your mother, yes."

"Who?" Tris demanded, almost rolling her eyes in annoyance as she growled, "You don't work with her too do you?"

"Tris it's okay to be angry but it's not okay to be rude to your mother," Clarke warned her, expression pulling almost into a scowl. Lexa shot her a small smile before looking back at her daughter, expression evening out. "No I do not work with her, but you have met her before," she answered, deciding it would be better to just get it all out now. "For part of my first year of high school I dated Costia. Ms. Greene."

At that, both Tris and Skylar's jaws dropped, and then Skylar pushed herself away from Clarke and walked towards her sister, able to see her mother a little better at the new angle.

"You dated my dance teacher?" she demanded, entirely appalled by the idea. Even after a couple of years she still remembered her old dance teacher pretty well, and the idea of her Mama ever being in a relationship with her grossed her out. Suddenly another thought crashed through the rest, and her eyes widened even further. "Did you kiss her?!"

Slowly Lexa nodded. "While I was dating her, yes, we kissed," she replied, and watched as Skylar's eyebrows shot up in horror.

"That's gross! You can't kiss my dance teacher!" she nearly yelled, and Lexa might have laughed if the little girl wasn't quite so obviously horrified and she herself wasn't confused and reeling from this conversation. "I didn't kiss her when she was your dance teacher," she reiterated, hoping that would help in someway, but it did nothing to wipe the disgust from either of her daughters' faces.

"Hey, come on, let's all calm down," Clarke tried, wanting to bring this little scene to an end and get everyone to calm down. "You two are worrying yourselves about nothing: anybody that your mother or I dated are in the past and have nothing to do with our life right now."

"No," Tris shouted, "That's not true! Your ex-boyfriend who you loved is gonna be working with you and you don't care and it's your fault," she rounded on Lexa, "Because you broke up with her for a stupid reason! It's all stupid and it does too have something to do with right now cause he's back!" Not thinking in her fury, she threw the spatula down, the wooden spoon clanking as it smacked against the hard floor.

"Hey," Lexa warned, tone immediately dropping as she stood from her stool, giving her daughter a look. "We don't throw things in this house when we're angry. Your mother's right that you're allowed to be upset but you know this isn't the appropriate way to show it." Tris bit the inside of her cheek, just stopping herself from saying something she knew would get her into the kind of trouble she wouldn't then be able to get out of, and grabbed her little sister's hand.

"Come on Sky," she grumbled, flashing a glare between her parents. "Let's go." Skylar followed her, gripping her sister's hand tightly as she gave them her own angry look. Together they left the kitchen, and a few moments later the mothers could hear them stomping up the stairs and then the loud slam of their bedroom door shutting.

For a second, Clarke and Lexa stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. The only sound in the room came from the sizzling of the vegetables on the stove, and when she looked down on them Clarke found nothing more than black and brown char, completely forgotten in the fight.

"Well that was... not really what I was expecting," she said offhandedly, still trying to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened. She turned the burner off as Lexa rounded the island, bending over to grab the spatula off the floor.

"It wasn't what I was expecting either," she agreed, dropping the spatula in the sink. "Though since that was a spur of the moment conversation, I suppose we shouldn't have been expecting anything."

"Mm," Clarke muttered, shaking her head to try to clear it out. Part of her felt like she'd just experienced whiplash and the rest of her was only now beginning to feel it. Forcing a partial smile, she looked over at Lexa and joked, "I know that we've always said that it's best to stick with honesty, but I'm thinking maybe my answer should have just been Jaime's an old friend and left it at that." Her wife returned the smile as one hand wiped at her face, as though she were trying to wipe the entire argument away. "Normally honesty is best, but in this case I think you may be right." Glancing down at the pan on the stove, the corners of her mouth turned up a little further. "At least Skylar will be happy that she won't need to eat any vegetables tonight." Clarke let out a little laugh, the motion helping to ease a little of the tension from her back. She moved over to Lexa then, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist and feeling the other woman's arms wrap around her.

"What just happened?" she muttered, staring ahead as her chin balanced heavily on Lexa's shoulder. Her mind reeled, having a hard time trying to process their daughters' reactions to finding out about these little pieces of their pasts, unsure where all that anger had come from. "I don't know," she heard Lexa murmur just as quietly, and could tell she was just as lost. "I guess neither of them have ever imagined us with anyone else before." Clarke felt her shift a little and pulled back so she could look at the other woman's face, finding her frowning. "Is it really that surprising, that we weren't always together?" she asked, and the blonde felt the corners of her mouth pull up.

"For them, I guess so," she replied, giving a little shrug. "It's all they've ever known, and we've never really talked a whole lot about our past with them." Lexa gave her a reluctant nod, a small crease still pulling at her brow, and even with the tension Clarke still felt she couldn't help but think her wife looked cute when worried like this. She leaned forward, brushing a light kiss to Lexa's jaw, and immediately that crease disappeared, a tiny smile replacing it as her eyes shifted to the blonde's. Her body naturally moved closer to Clarke's, always finding the most comfort when close to her love, and they both gave themselves a moment to process.

"Now what?" she asked after a minute, glancing at the blonde still pressed close to her. Clarke let out a heavy sigh, one Lexa felt as much as heard, before she shrugged. "I don't know," she replied, stepping back just enough so that she could meet Lexa's eyes. "We should talk to them, but I'm not sure if now's really the best time. They might need a little space." Lexa glanced up at the ceiling, just imaging the two young girls at the moment and how they'd looked when they marched out of the room, and nodded.

"I think a little space is probably for the best," she agreed. Clarke gave her a little smile and nod, before her brow shot up, suddenly remembering the chicken in the oven and nearly swearing. She let go of Lexa and turned quickly, hoping that unlike the vegetables, the chicken at least would be salvageable. She grabbed a potholder and leaned over to open the oven, before glancing over at the brunette. "I'm sorry," she said, even as she pulled the chicken out, "If I'd known it would have led to that, I definitely wouldn't have mentioned Jaime in front of them."

"It isn't your fault, Clarke," Lexa informed her, turning around to lean against the island while she watched her wife work. "You had no way of knowing either of them would react like that." Her arms crossed in front of her as she leaned back, thinking something over before giving a little shrug. "Besides, it's probably good that they now know we've both been in other relationships before; Tris will likely be dating before too long and Skylar only a few years later, so they should both know that their first relationship isn't likely to be the one that lasts forever."

Clarke shot her a little look over her shoulder, eyebrows furrowing into a playful glare. "Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Tris still has a while to go before she's dating and Skylar has years. I'm already nervous enough for the day Cal comes home talking about a girlfriend, I don't need to start worrying about them too." Lexa grinned, reaching out and grasping lightly at Clarke's shirt as soon as she put the chicken down, pulling her over to her.

"It'll happen someday Clarke, and when it does you will just have to accept it," she informed her, and raised an eyebrow as her wife scoffed. "Oh please," the blonde replied, tightly gripping Lexa's waist as she shot her a grin. "Twenty bucks says that you're the one that's gonna freak out the most when we have to deal with the first relationship. You talk a good game Lexa, but I know you, and when it happens you are not going to be happy."

"Deal," Lexa replied with a swift nod, more than willing to take on that bet. "And when I win, perhaps I'll put your twenty dollars towards taking you out on a nice date." Clarke gave her a cocky grin before leaning forwards, lips getting dangerously close to the other woman's. Her grin only grew as she watched Lexa's eyes fall to her lips, smile falling a little as she became all but entranced by the blonde. "I think I'll use your twenty bucks to pay Raven or Octavia to watch the kids for the night so I can take you somewhere and have you all to myself," she murmured, pressing a little closer to her wife, and almost laughed when she caught Lexa swallowing thickly. Smirking, she dropped a quick peck to the brunette's lips before pulling away, Lexa shooting her a little scowl as she did so. "Come on," she said innocently, acting as though she hadn't just been teasing her wife. "Help me find something to go with this chicken. Maybe the girls will be less upset after eating something and we can try to figure this out."

"You are cruel, Clarke," Lexa informed her, following the blonde as she moved to one of the cupboards. Her lips still tingled, having expected much more than a simple peck with the way she'd been looking at her, and continued to scowl at her wife. The scowl did nothing to fight away the blonde's grin as she looked over her shoulder, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I told you Lexa, I know you," she just said by way of explanation. "Now come help me."

Grumbling, Lexa did as she was told, but when Clarke stepped back against her and her arms wrapped around the blonde's waist as they rummaged through the cupboard for something simple to go with the chicken, her scowl melted away, just as Clarke knew it would.

/

Dinner did not help either Tris or Skylar get over what they'd learned that fateful evening, and neither did anything else either mother tried for the next two days. Calvin came home later that night to Tris giving their moms the silent treatment and Skylar giving the same to Lexa, and had absolutely no idea what had happened while he'd been away. He quickly learned over the next couple of days, and while he thought it was weird and kind of gross, picturing his moms with anyone else, he didn't exactly get why his sisters were so upset, but decided it was best just to stay out of it.

Clarke and Lexa were both beginning to feel a little desperate by the time the weekend rolled around. As they pulled into Abby's driveway, the last to arrive for family dinner, they looked a little longingly at the house, hoping that being around their family might help Skylar and Tris get past their anger.

It definitely didn't look hopeful as they ran into the living room, ahead of their mothers.

"Did you two break up and go to different colleges?" Tris demanded, planting herself in front of Octavia and Lincoln where they sat on the couch, eyes widening at the sudden attack. At the same time Skylar ran up to Raven, sitting on Octavia's other side, and asked loudly, "Did you know my Mama kissed my dance teacher?" Tris crossed her arms and Skylar's hands went to her hips as they scowled at their aunts and uncle, the rest of the room suddenly going quiet at their abrupt entrance.

"Skylar, again, I didn't kiss her when she was your dance teacher," Lexa groaned, following them into the room. "We kissed when we were dating, before your mother and I were together." Skylar didn't look back at her, still staring at Raven, whose eyes had gone wider than Clarke thought she'd ever seen them before, but the blonde didn't miss the way her lips had begun to curl up in pure delight. Seeing it, she felt like groaning herself; suddenly she knew she wouldn't be finding the reprieve they'd been hoping for tonight, and instead would only have to listen as Raven at least added fuel to the fire. She wouldn't put it past Octavia to help her.

On the far side of the room Abby stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in, laying a hand on Gustus's shoulder.

"I think I'm going to go work on dinner," she decided, glancing back over her shoulder at the scene unfolding in the middle of her living room. "Would you like to help me?" The big man immediately nodded, happy to take the excuse to get out of the room fast. "I would love to," he replied, jumping up out of his chair and happily following her into the other room. He had absolutely no desire to listen to talk about who his daughter may or may not have kissed and when.

"Well?" Tris asked, still not looking away from Octavia and Lincoln and ignoring everything else around her. The couple looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes and then Octavia turned back to her.

"We did go to different colleges, yes, but we didn't break up," she answered slowly, entirely clueless as to what was going on. Apparently she'd given the wrong answer, because the next moment Clarke's fingers pressed against her forehead even before her daughter whirled around, hands moving to mirror Skylar's stance.

"See?" she exclaimed, gesturing to the couple behind her. "They didn't have to break up and they went to different colleges!"

"Tris, honey, it's different," Clarke told her, trying to explain for possibly the hundredth time. "Their colleges were only an hour away from each other; the college Mama went to was across the country." The response did nothing to change the set of the girl's expression, jaw still just as stubbornly clenched as it had been before.

"Man, you were right," Emma muttered from where she sat in one of the big chairs as Cal moved over to her, "They really are pissed."

"Emma," Octavia scolded, surprised by her daughter's word choice, and the girl just shook her head. "Sorry Mom, but look at them; they're not angry, they're pissed." Cal muttered his agreement, flopping down in the chair nearly on top of her, making her grin as she squished over and made room for him. Jonas, in the other chair, nodded, looking back and forth between Tris and Skylar, and the twins laughed at their sister's choice of word, finding it absolutely hilarious as seven year olds so often do.

"So what's up?" Raven asked, glancing between the rightly-labeled daughters and their mothers. Grin growing, she continued, "Trouble in Griffin-Woods paradise?"

"Mum's ex might start working at the hospital with her," Tris grumbled, once again crossing her arms over her chest. Raven's grin dropped, head cocking to the side.

"Which ex?" she asked, trying to think who Clarke had been with who could work at a hospital, and then looked sheepishly at the blonde as Tris all but shouted, "Which ex? How many are there?!"

"Really not helpful, Raven," Clarke muttered between clenched teeth. "Really not helpful." She frowned then, actually thinking her friend's question over, and shot her a look like she'd gone crazy. "And what do you mean, 'which ex?' Other than Jaime, who did I date that could work in a hospital?"

"Ohh," she said, drawing the sound out. "Right, him. I forgot about him." Again Clarke shot her a look, saying, "I dated him for over three years! How could you have forgotten about him?" Raven just gave her a shrug, leaning back against the couch and folding her hands behind her head. "Eh, I never liked him, you knew that." Clarke looked like she was about to say something, and then just shook her head, changing her mind.

"You know what, I'm gonna go see if Mom needs help with dinner," she decided, having absolutely no desire to talk about this anymore. Giving Raven a quick glare as she passed by, she added, "Please refrain from saying anything else that's going to make any of my children even angrier with me, or I'll get you back. Remember I have about thirty years of dirt on you, and no problem getting creative." Raven wiggled her eyebrows at her, as though to say, "Challenge accepted," and she just managed to refrain from letting out a frustrated sigh as she made her way into the kitchen.

Lexa watched her wife exit the room, part of her wanting to follow to get away from anymore talk on this subject and the other part afraid to leave their kids alone with Raven. The decision was made for her as Tris frowned at Raven, asking, "How come you didn't like this Jaime guy?" A little curious herself, Lexa moved over to the couch, sitting on the arm next to Lincoln. As she sat he looked at her, lifting an eyebrow to check on her, and she gave him a reassuring nod, silently telling him she was fine.

"Eh, it's not that I didn't like him I guess," Raven answered her daughter, still leaning back and now looking up at the ceiling as she thought about her answer. "I just knew he was never gonna last. We all knew it, except him, poor guy."

"What'd ya mean?" Skylar asked, cocking her head to the side, and this time Octavia stepped in. "Jaime was a really nice guy, but we all knew he wasn't the person your mum wanted to be with." Flashing Lexa a cheeky grin, she added, "She loved your ma too much to last with anyone else."

"If she didn't like him, why even date him?" Calvin wanted to know, for the first time really getting involved in this conversation. Everyone turned to him and he shrugged. "Shouldn't you just date someone you like?"

"Oh she loved him," Raven informed him, hands dropping back to her lap as she leaned forward, glancing around the room to look at each of the three Griffin-Woods children. "Jaime was the first person she fell for after she and Lexa broke up, but it was different."

"How?" Emma asked, her own curiosity pulling her into the conversation. Her eyes flickered to Lexa, still sitting on the arm of the couch and just listening, and asked her, "How was it different?"

"I don't know what Clarke's relationship with Jaime was like," she answered honestly, meeting the girl's curious look. "I have never met Jaime. Clarke and I didn't see each other while they were dating, and we only talked once a year when we were in college, on Christmas. When we did talk, it was just to check that the other was alright and happy." She remembered those Christmas phone calls, the singular moment she'd always dreaded and wished for throughout the entire year. They were seldom more than an awkward attempt at communication, the last thread of keeping each in the other's life.

Raven leaned dramatically against Octavia, elbowing her side lightly as she smirked. "Really you guys should be thanking your Aunt Octavia and I; we're the ones that really got your moms back together." Octavia returned the smirk with a grin, an arm going around Raven's shoulders. "Oh yeah," she agreed, pulling them both back to lean against the couch, "It was definitely our genius planning that did it."

"Clexa's biggest fans, right here," Raven agreed, gesturing between them while Lexa rolled her eyes and the Birch kids and Calvin all laughed. Skylar smiled, for the first time in days, and even Tris seemed to lighten up a little, her shoulders loosening.

"While you certainly butted into our love life more than most, you aren't the reason Clarke and I got back together," Lexa argued, knowing they'd had this conversation before. Like before, both of the women gave her a look, smirking as they each lifted an eyebrow at her, and Lexa thought it was actually a little concerning that they somehow managed to give her the look at the exact same moment.

"Oh yeah?" Octavia countered, "Whose wedding brought you two back together for the first time in years?"

"And whose brilliant idea was it to put you two in a room together at the hotel so you could-" Raven began, and then glanced around the room at the many children listening intently, and changed what she'd been about to say at the last second. "-Spend some quality time together and catch up?"

"You helped, certainly," Lexa agreed, even as she nearly rolled her eyes, "And yes the wedding was the catalyst that brought us back into each other's lives, but Clarke and I did have some say in our relationship." Octavia reached over her husband, and gave her leg a light pat.

"You just keep thinking that, Lexa," she told her, causing the other woman to give her a little scowl. Raven grinned and then stood up, linking her fingers in front of her and pushing her hands forward, as though she were about to take on some great challenge. "Alright, you know what this calls for?" she said, ignoring Lexa's scowl and instead looking around the room at everyone but her. "Time to tell the tale of Clexa! Our own little version of Romeo and Juliet, but with a much happier ending!"

Lincoln frowned. "When did their families hate each other?" he asked, not sure how one story really related to the other. "And when was their love forbidden?" She waved her hand at him, dismissing the questions even as she admitted, "Okay, so bad comparison, but it's still story time! Adults to the kitchen to get snackage while the kids rearrange the furniture for prime storytelling! Who wants popcorn?"

"Me!" Skylar and Tris both called while the twins echoed, "Popcorn!," all clearly excited by the snacks and the expected story. Lexa looked over at Raven, telling her, "Raven, you do remember we're here for dinner, yes? Which I imagine we will be eating shortly; now might not be the right time for snacks." Raven met her look, arm sweeping out to encompass the kids in the room. "The masses have spoken," she announced, ignoring the mother's argument. "Let them eat popcorn!" The children all cheered, easily feeding on her energy, and the parents there all just shrugged, none of them wanting to fight that battle. "Alright," Raven told the kids while Octavia and Lexa both stood, "You guys get the room set up, we'll be back shortly." Octavia glanced down at her husband, still relaxing on the couch, and asked, "You coming?"

"I'll stay here and oversee the rearranging," he replied, flashing her a smile. "Try to keep Abby's living room in one piece." Even as he spoke, their twins ran right to the coffee table in front of one of the chairs, grabbing it and trying to move it without clearing it off first. He darted off the couch and caught the vase on top just before it could topple over and break. Watching her husband move, Octavia grinned. "Good call," she agreed, and then told the twins, "Guys, careful with Nana's furniture, you don't want to break anything." They just shot her big smiles as they continued to move the coffee table, only slowing down a little. Leaving Lincoln to oversee the living room, she turned and followed Raven and Lexa into the kitchen.

Clarke, Abby and Gustus all looked up from where they'd been sitting at the table as the other three moved into the kitchen, and neither Clarke or Abby missed the mischievous grin on Raven's face.

"What's going on?" the blonde asked suspiciously, barely even taking a moment to glance at her wife walking towards her in order to keep an eye on the mechanic instead. Nevertheless she leaned into it when Lexa's arms wrapped around her shoulders, nudging her arm lightly with the side of her head.

"We're getting snacks!" Raven declared, moving right to the cupboards and opening one, grabbing a couple of bags of popcorn and taking them out. "We're having story time, and you can't tell a story without proper snacks."

"Raven, may I remind you we'll be having dinner soon?" Abby pointed out, tone mild, but Clarke could hear the amusement in it. The younger woman shot her a grin even as she ripped the plastic off the first bag. "I know Abby, that's why I'm only making a couple of bags; everyone'll still be plenty hungry for your amazing cooking." She paused then, looking down at the already partially opened bag. "Uh, you don't mind, right?" she asked, holding it out and looking at the woman who'd always been more of a mother to her than her actual one. Abby's lips curled up into an easy smile, head shaking as she replied, "No Raven, I don't mind; you know you're always welcome to anything in this kitchen." The mechanic grinned, giving her a salute, and then turned to pop the first bag in the microwave.

Clarke tilted her head up, giving her wife a look.

"Popcorn Lexa?" she asked. "Really? Right before dinner?" The brunette met her look with an entirely straight face, telling her, "We do what we must, Clarke. You only have one of our daughters unhappy with you at the moment. They're both upset with me; I need to start getting points back somewhere. I decided not to fight it." She grinned then, glancing over at the tray of rolls she saw on the counter, and leaned down, her head resting on Clarke's shoulder. "Besides, if they fill up on popcorn that means more rolls for us. I'm still quite certain I can eat more than you." The blonde returned the grin, leaning back against her wife. "Oh, it's on," she said, readily accepting the challenge.

"So I take it you told them about Jaime," Abby inferred, glancing over at her daughter and daughter-in-law. She'd chosen not to say anything when Clarke came in earlier, clearly reading her daughter's expression, but couldn't keep quiet anymore. As they both looked over to her, grins falling away, she added, "They weren't particularly happy about it, I see."

"No," Lexa agreed, letting out a small sigh. "No, they were not happy at all. I've been getting the silent treatment from both of my daughters for two days now." Her father let out a little laugh, leaning back in his chair, and she looked over to see him grinning.

"I'm willing to bet they learned that from you," he mused, arms folding in front of him as he lightly stroked his beard. His eyes twinkled as she frowned, looking at him curiously, and continued, "I remember one time when you were probably eight, you gave me the silent treatment for an entire week." Her eyes widened, lips parting in surprise, and he let out another laugh. "I think it was because I told you you couldn't go to Anya's one night."

"I... don't remember that," she told him, and he shook his head, not at all surprised. "Of course you don't," he replied, "But I do. Parents always remember these kinds of things longer than their kids do."

"Tell that to Tris and Skylar," Clarke muttered, head falling back against her wife. "Those two just can't let this go."

"I would prefer it if Skylar would stop going around and making it sound like I kiss dance teachers everywhere," Lexa agreed, ignoring what sounded an awful lot like suppressed laughter from Raven and Octavia over by the microwave. When Abby began to frown and then caught herself, trying not to look curious, her daughter saw it and informed her, "Lexa's first girlfriend was a dancer too, who then happened to be Skylar's dance teacher two years ago. She found that out during all of this too and now is mad at Lexa for kissing her, even though it was years ago."

"And they're both mad at me for breaking up with you, and Tris is mad that neither of us are upset that Clarke's ex may end up working at the hospital," Lexa continued, filling them all in with the basic details. She frowned then, and added, "I believe Skylar is upset about that as well, but she's very focused on the kissing thing."

Abby leaned forward, her hand resting on Clarke's as she flashed an encouraging smile at both of them. "It can be hard for children to think of their parents with anyone else," she told them, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze. "When you're little, parents aren't people, they're just your parents. It isn't until you get to be older that you start seeing they're just as much human as you are. I don't think anyone's more protective of their parents' relationship than their kids. Think how you would have felt if you'd ever thought I was working with any of my exes." Clarke frowned, never having really thought about her mother before she met her father, and then gave her a look.

"You don't work with any of your exes, right?" she asked, and then had another thought and clarified, "I don't work with any of your exes, right?" Working with her own ex was one thing, but working with her mother's ex without knowing about it would be something entirely different. Her mother's smile grew and Clarke's eyes widened until she started shaking her head.

"No, but you have met one of them before," she replied, and watched as her daughter's frown deepened. She looked at all four of the other women in the room, telling them, "In fact, you've all met him before."

"We have?" Raven asked, momentarily distracted from the beeping microwave, and Octavia asked, "Who?" Lexa simply continued to look at her, only the smallest crease between her eyebrows giving away her curiosity.

"Marcus," she answered simply, folding her arms on the table in front of her, smiling slightly as she waited for their reaction. "Marcus?" Clarke repeated, the name meaning nothing to her even as she wracked her brain, trying to place it. Raven and Lexa looked equally as lost, not sure who they knew with that name, and then after a few seconds she watched as Octavia's face lit up in surprise and a little bit of thrill.

"Marcus?" she said, and then, "You mean Marcus Kane?" The man still taught at their old high school, now colleagues with Lincoln, and since she worked in the middle school it meant she saw him often enough to quickly recognize the name. Seeing the way Abby's smile grew, eyebrows lifting, she knew she was right. "Holy shit. Holy shit!" she exclaimed, pushing away from the counter she'd been leaning against near Raven and practically running over to the table. "You dated Marcus Kane?!"

"You dated my economics teacher?" Clarke demanded, jaw dropping, never in a million years expecting that answer. Her mother turned to her and nodded to the woman still standing behind her. "I'll tell you the same thing your wife has been saying: I dated him before getting together with your father. Marcus and I were high school sweethearts. We broke up before high school ended and then I met Jake in college."

"I can't," Clarke began, and then shook her head. "I need a second to process this." Ignoring the stunned blonde, Octavia slid into one of the free chairs at the table, smirking at the woman across from her. "You know Abby, Kane's still single," she informed her lightly. "He looks pretty good, too. I'd bet he'd be happy to see you again." That was enough to pull Clarke out of her stupor, and the glare she shot at Octavia would have terrified anyone other than one of her best friends.

"I can kill you," she warned, the words spoken in what could easily have been either a promise or a threat. "With just a scalpel, I can kill you, and no one would know it was murder."

"And some people can never see their parents as regular people, just their parents," Raven teased, tone so light she was almost singing. Popping the last bag into the microwave and punching the time in, she called over her shoulder, "But I say do it Abby. You totally deserve to have a little fun. Maybe there's a reason he's still single." As though she could see her expression, Octavia wiggled her eyebrows, still unshaken beneath Clarke's withering glare.

Abby tried not to grin, but knew she was failing. "Thank you both, but I'm fine right now," she told them, also not breaking beneath her daughter's look. Returning to the subject at hand, she turned back to the blonde, telling her, "But you can understand why your daughters are upset, sweetie. They'll move past it, but they need time to process the idea that their mothers weren't always together."

"And we're going to help!" Raven declared, whirling around and looking towards the table. "It's about time your kids knew your story."

"Our story?" Clarke questioned, raising an eyebrow, and Lexa told her in a monotone voice, "Raven has decided they need to the story of how we got together. Apparently we are Romeo and Juliet." Her wife frowned. "When did our families hate each other? And why exactly would we want to be Romeo and Juliet? That's a terrible love story."

"Okay, I get it, bad comparison," Raven admitted, pulling the last bag of popcorn out of the microwave and tossing it to the counter quickly, fingers running together as though she may have slightly burned herself. She opened another cupboard and began grabbing bowls, even as she said, "But come on, Clexa is a pretty great story, you gotta admit. It's got a little bit of everything: humor, heartbreak, a happy ending, sex-"

"Sex?" Clarke interrupted, giving her friend a look. "You are going to be telling the PG version of the story, right Raven?" The mechanic smirked, dumping the bags of popcorn in the bowls and then carrying them over to the table. "Sure!" she agreed, lightly pushing Lexa out of the way so that she could sling an arm over the blonde's shoulder. "We'll tell the PG version to the kids now, and can have the more fun version later when they're all distracted." Shooting a smug look over at Lexa, she quickly turned towards Abby and Gustus, telling them, "By the way, did you guys know one of Lexa's talents is climbing trees?" The two parents looked at each other and then her uncertainly, Abby shaking her head and Gustus nodding, while she felt Lexa glare at her, taking a step towards her. Before the other brunette could do or say anything, she continued, "Yeah, maybe after dinner she'd be willing to show us. Oh, but we'd have to make sure the window to Clarke's old bedroom is open first!"

"Raven!" Clarke exclaimed, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up. The look Lexa gave the mechanic would have made even the toughest Marine wet their pants. "I can kill you," she told her, her voice as sharp as a knife's edge. "With my bare hands. No one would ever know it was murder."

"Aww, look at that," Octavia cooed, pushing herself up from the table. "Those kids have nothing to worry about: the couple that threatens murder together, stays together." She reached forward, grabbing a piece of popcorn and tossed it into the air, catching it in her mouth. Winking at Raven, she left the room, heading back to see if the kids had finished rearranging the living room. Flashing another prize-winning grin at the family around the table, Raven turned on her heel and followed her.

An awkward silence hung around the table for a second, and then Abby stood up, turning to Gustus. "What do you say we go hear a story?" she asked, markedly avoiding the subject hanging over them and giving her old friend a smile. "Yes," he agreed, his chair squeaking against the floor as he stood as well. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea." The two moved around the table, giving their daughters nothing but polite smiles as they passed, but before they left the room Clarke and Lexa both heard Gustus inform Abby quietly, "Her mother is the one that taught her to climb trees; I was always afraid she'd fall and break something."

"One of these days I'm actually going to kill them," Clarke promised, her cheeks still hot. Her wife stepped up to her, offering her her hand, and when she took it she looked up, meeting the completely straight face Lexa gave her. "When you decide to do it, please let me know," she told her, helping the blonde up. "I'll help you. Together I believe we could get rid of the bodies in a way no one would ever find them, much less be able to ID them."

"It's a date," Clarke agreed, grinning, and then looked towards the living room. Letting out a sigh, she gave Lexa a look, an eyebrow quirking up. "What do you think? Ready to go hear our story, as told by our idiot friends?" Lexa gave her a small smile and then gestured forward, telling her, "Lead the way." Together, they exited the kitchen, finding the kids all sitting on the floor in the living room and looking forward at Raven and Octavia, one standing at each side of the couch. Abby, Gustus and Lincoln all sat to the side in chairs, watching the scene unfold before them, trying not to let their amusement show too much.

"There you are!" Raven exclaimed, rolling her eyes at them. She gestured to the couch, a spot open between the two of them, and told the couple, "Let's go, we can't start our story without its stars!"

"You are way too excited about this," Clarke grumbled, but did as she was told, leading Lexa to the couch and the two sat so that Raven and Octavia stood on either side of them. Raven ignored them, and the moment they were sitting turned back to her audience.

"Okay," she told them, hands out in front of her and gesturing as she spoke. "Now kiddos, our story starts in high school. I know it'll be hard, but I want you to try to picture these two as gawky teenagers. It was a long time ago, I know, but try."

"You are not helping your case, Raven," Lexa informed her, even as Clarke said, "Hey, you're older than I am, Raven! And I was never gawky, thank you very much." One of the mechanic's hands shot back, nearly bludgeoning Lexa in the face but just far enough away to miss.

"Quiet from the stars!" she scolded, not even looking back at them. "This isn't your story to tell; Auntie Raven's talking."

"This is literally our story to tell," Clarke argued, and this time it was Octavia that reached out, silencing her with just the gesture. "Shh!" she said, "You can add to the story as we go, but right now we're talking." Clarke let out a little grumble, whatever she said too quiet to make out, and then leaned back heavily against the couch, holding up her hands in surrender and giving the power to her crazy friends. Lexa couldn't help but smile slightly, and then leaned back with her, one hand moving to slip into Clarke's.

"Okay, like I was saying," Raven began again, refocusing on the audience of children in front of her. "It's high school, we're all about sixteen, and we're just starting our Junior year. We've all been going to school together for pretty much ever, but we've never really spoken much with Lexa. Clarke over here has been a little moody since the summer ended, but now suddenly she's all sunshine and rainbows again, and O and I know something's up."

"She's been sneaking away from us whenever she can, and we know it's to meet some mystery person," Octavia continues, easily picking up the story from Raven. "Naturally we're trying to figure out who it is." She pointed to the mechanic. "She thinks it's my brother, but that grosses me out too much to even think about."

"Hey, it was a totally valid guess at the time!" Raven argued, turning to Octavia. "You know Bellamy would totally have been up for it!"

"Mum and Uncle Bellamy?" Tris asked, scrunching up her nose, many of the others doing the same thing. "Ewww," Skylar said, drawing the sound out, and both Clarke and Lexa grinned. "Agreed," they said at the same time, and nearly started laughing.

"Okay, whatever, I was wrong, let's move along," Raven insisted, trying to get the story back on track. "So anyway, we're trying to figure out who the mystery person is, and then we kind of accidentally crash their date, but hey, it all worked out for the best."

With many more interruptions, Raven and Octavia told the PG version of Clarke and Lexa's story – the other adults in the room only having to loudly clear their throats a couple of times to make sure Raven in fact did stick to the PG version – and as the story continued the two mothers watched as their daughters' expressions changed. Surprise replaced anger and then shock replaced surprise, and soon just about every spectrum of emotions had danced across their faces. By the time Abby declared dinner must be ready, Skylar had moved to sit on both of her mothers' laps, still listening to her aunts tell the story in quiet fascination. Raven didn't stop, just kept telling about how Clarke and Lexa finally started writing back and forth after Octavia's wedding as the entire group moved into the kitchen, and the story continued as they ate. Tris didn't think anything of it when her Nana set her between her mothers and Skylar refused to leave Lexa's lap, and Clarke and Lexa gave each other a little smile as the story continued on.

Silently, they agreed; they could let Raven and Octavia live a little longer.

---

I'm sorry for the long time between updates; this chapter did not want to come together at all. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. If you haven't read "The Note: Twelve Years of Christmas," there are a couple of small moments in this chapter that might not have made a lot of sense, so I'd recommend giving it a read to pull it all together. Thanks for your patience, and I will see you again soon, my lovely readers!