Abigail Griffin stood before a giant touchscreen, nimble fingers flitting through checklists and patient information on a busy Tuesday afternoon. She had just finished a surgery a few hours ago, and her eyes wearily glanced up at the screen. She heard solid, confidant steps behind her, and she did not care to turn her head to acknowledge the newcomer.
"Dr. Griffin." The woman smiled to herself at the formality of it all, the clipped and polite dialogue, the clicking of those boots that she had often heard, decades ago when it used to pervade the comforts of her own home.
"I've told you, you can call me Abby." The doctor finally gave Lexa her full attention, turning to face her. "What can I do for you Captain?" Lexa smiled politely, her cap tucked under her right arm.
"I am here because I respect you, and because you are Clarke's mother," the brunette began, the set of her shoulders indicating her nervousness, "And also because I wish to take the next step in my relationship with Clarke, but only with your blessing."
Abby chuckled, crossing her arms casually. "Does she know you're doing this?" She asked, and the younger woman shook her head slightly.
"No." She confirmed, and she blinked. "But it is only right, my mother raised me to be courteous, especially when the intent is to marry someone's daughter."
"And so here you are." Abby observed. The woman leaned her shoulder against the wall of the hospital wing, and she fixed Lexa with a searching gaze. "I lost my husband because he was in Starfleet."
"I am aware." Lexa nodded briefly.
"Then you should also be aware that since then Clarke's been the only thing that matters in my life." Abby frowned slightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "From the beginning, I have always said that joining Starfleet was a curse. We've had our differences, our fights, as a mother and daughter would, but that does not diminish the love I bear for her."
"I know." Lexa assured her. "You told me the first day we met."
"Do you remember me also saying that I don't like you?" Lexa nodded a second time.
"I do." The brunette smirked slightly, and she inclined her head towards Abby. "And it's because I'm a Starfleet officer."
"That's correct." Abby said, and then she pushed off the wall to walk right up to Lexa, standing a foot away from her. "I warned Clarke from the beginning, that she was just waiting to get her heart broken."
"I won't break her heart." Lexa said, her voice firm, strong. "She is the love of my life, I would risk everything for her. She is in every respect, my equal, and she is just as able to hold her own against me if needs be." The brunette paused, then added: "You raised her well, and protected her heart for her entire life. Allow me that honor now."
Abby held Lexa's gaze for a few heartbeats. "You do not have a child yet, so you cannot comprehend the trust you are asking me to extend to you."
"I understand." Lexa said. "And I'm sure you are quite unwilling to trust me, given the little time we've had together." She offered an olive branch. "Give me the chance to earn your trust now, as we will become more than just acquaintances."
"Good answer." Abby reached out a hand, and Lexa gripped it firmly. "Don't ever tell her you did this." She warned the younger woman. "She won't like that you came to me first." At her words, Lexa's mouth quirked. She could already picture the look of disapproval on the blonde's face, a face much like the one that Abby was making at her right now.
"I know."
The voice of Gladys Knight accompanied by the Pips rang clear in the background, bouncing off the walls of the apartment after a quiet evening spent at home. Lexa, sleeves rolled up from her now finished task washing the dishes, turned the volume up as she passed the stereo. Across the room, Clarke flopped onto the white leather sofa, her damp hair flying wildly as she landed with a soft thump.
"I honestly can't get over the fact that Octavia's actually thinking about jumping ship." Clarke's voice was filled with frustration as Lexa padded over on light feet to join her. The blonde leaned her head back on the furniture, her hands covering her face in exhaustion. "And to request a transfer to the Washington, your ship, that's complete and utter betrayal."
"Maybe she just wants to be with Lincoln." Lexa suggested as she sat down next to her. "The majority of our missions typically last more than ten months now, it's only normal to want to be working in the same ship as your spouse." Lexa draped the fleece blanket over Clarke's lap routinely, as was their practice.
"Or your engineering officer poached my first officer." Clarke mumbled alternatively. She removed her hands from her face to give Lexa an accusatory glare. Lexa met her gaze levelly, unflinching even as the blonde glared daggers at her.
"Lieutenant Blake's decisions are her own." She stated calmly, and Clarke huffed. The blonde lifted her feet up from the floor and plopped them onto Lexa's lap as she shifted into a more comfortable position leaning against the armrest.
"You know, there was supposed to be a benefit to being in a relationship and living with a fellow captain." She complained, and Lexa chortled under Clarke's stern façade.
"And what benefit would that be?" The brunette's fingers massaged Clarke's scalp, gentling the wild animal under her fingertips.
"Being able to tell me if someone that you've known since childhood was actually about to abandon you for her husband." Lexa threw back her head as she laughed, and Clarke punched her on the bicep.
That only seemed to spur the brunette on in her laughter, though a conciliatory hand reached out and rubbed Clarke's shins. "I'm sorry, these lips are sealed," Lexa winked at her, "breach of confidentiality, ethical issues and all that."
"Then I guess those lips aren't available for other stuff." Clarke challenged, a blonde eyebrow raised expectantly. Lexa shrugged nonchalantly in response.
"Depends on the stuff."
"I hate you." Clarke grunted, but she pressed closer to Lexa regardless.
"Love you too." Lexa alit from her seat then, leaving Clarke huffing in protest, but returning shortly with two beers and to Clarke's waiting arms.
The rest of their evening was spent lazily, with Clarke resting her entire weight on Lexa, and the other woman leaning against the armrest of the couch respectively. The brunette was dozing off in the warmth of the hearth they shared, vaguely aware of Clarke's touch gently manipulating her fingers, her arm, and then moving to gently caress her torso.
"I love this." Clarke whispered, her voice quiet so as to not disturb Lexa. The woman hummed patiently in response, and she nuzzled into Clarke's blonde hair, making her ticklish.
"Hmm, I love you." Lexa responded, her voice muffled and tired, but holding a steadfast conviction nonetheless as it was whispered, like a secret, against Clarke's neck. Then, a playful smile on her face, Lexa followed along with the current song, repeating the lyrics into the blonde's ear. "I'd rather live in his world, than be without him in mine." She hummed, and Clarke laughed.
"Him?" Clarke swiveled her head slightly to give Lexa a confused glance in the corner of her eye. "Who is this man?"
"I was too lazy to change the pronoun okay?" The brunette sighed, resigned, the beginnings of a laugh brewing in her chest.
"You are so smooth, Lexa Woods." Clarke chuckled, and then in retaliation, Lexa's fingers were tickling her sides, making her squirm.
"That's me, 'smooth' is my middle name." Lexa agreed as she nudged her nose into Clarke's shoulder playfully. Clarke struggled away from Lexa's deadly fingers turning to face her, stopping the battle in the only way she knew how. Lexa's lips were soft and reassuring, and Clarke nipped her bottom lip gently. She rested her forehead on the brunette's, giving her a peck on the nose. Before Lexa could even comprehend what had just occurred, Clarke resumed her previous position, leaning back against her.
Lexa shook her head, but nonetheless recovered quickly, her arms tightening around Clarke's waist reverently as she held this unpredictable, complicated thing to her breast. She sighed, pleased with the blonde's presence, one leg entangling with hers in a possessive manner.
As a smile toyed at the edges of her mouth, Clarke burrowed deeper into the mold of Lexa's sturdy and dependable frame, her strong arms ensconcing her in a fashion that no one else ever could. The blonde sighed, content as she rested in the embrace of a woman who had aroused such heat, adoration, and passion that she had never known existed within the deep recesses of her being.
"So, have you asked her yet?" Anya asked Lexa two weeks later. The two women were currently occupying the newly promoted Admiral Luna's office. Lexa's promotion was on the cusp of becoming official, with the board still deliberating on it. Luna herself was currently absent, speaking with a colleague right outside, leaving Lexa and Anya to their own devices.
"I haven't found the right moment." Lexa answered unconcernedly, and she crossed her right ankle over her left knee as she sat. She used a hand to rub at her eyes, the sting accompanying reading her tablet still present.
"It's been two months Lex, there must have been at least one moment." Anya argued, pushing off the wall that she was leaning against.
"Shut it." Lexa hissed, the subject a sore spot for the tired captain. "You know as well as I do that the missions have been kicking our asses. We haven't even had any time together, save for one or two nights in transit."
"Well, true, but you could just pull her away for a few minutes and just ask her already." Anya grinned. "Just get down on one knee and pop open that box."
"We're not discussing that right now." Lexa grunted, a clear sign that the conversation was over. Anya made a small hum, but she still had a twinkle in her eye, to Lexa's annoyance.
To be truthful, Lexa was dragging her feet for an entirely different reason than the one she had given her officer. She fiddled with her uniform cap, her fingers kneading the woolen material methodically as she ruminated. It was in fact the trepidation of finding the right words to say to Clarke that nagged her. At night in her captain's barracks, or in the empty apartment where she endured a particular Clarke-less existence, Lexa stared up into the ceiling, vainly attempting to formulate the correct speech, the best way to convey her proposal.
The days and nights spent toiling over the complex issue became for naught though, when one night, lying with Clarke at the beach where they had kissed for the first time, Lexa found the proper course of action materialize into her mind and the necessary discourse hot at the tip of her tongue.
"Clarke," She breathed gently to the woman lying next to her. Clarke turned her head to divulge her full attention.
"Lexa." Clarke responded, a finger drawing circles on the exposed flesh of Lexa's hip. Gently, Lexa pried herself from Clarke's hold, and she stood. She offered a hand to Clarke, and without much resistance, her companion was standing with her on the empty beach, the soft sand curling around their toes.
Wordlessly, Lexa led Clarke on a stately stroll along the shore, their arms entangled in each other as they walked. The water shimmered with a silvery glow as the moon glared unblinking from above the inky night sky.
Enjoying her company, Lexa was content to walk in silence, her arm looped over Clarke's shoulders as the blonde matched her stride for stride. It was along their walk that Lexa devised the perfect plan, and halfway along the beach, Lexa halted, untangling herself and leaving Clarke to take a few more steps before stopping to search for her girlfriend.
"Lex?" Clarke turned, surprised at the sudden lack of her companion. Lexa met her gaze, her heart racing. With a deep breath to calm herself, Lexa moved to pull Clarke close by the waist.
"I love you," She said quietly, and Clarke knew in this moment not to interrupt, she knew by the set of Lexa's jaw, by the glint in her eyes. And so she simply listened, silent and encouraging. "I love you more than I ever thought possible, and in our years together I feel as if a newborn babe, with my life starting the second I had set eyes on you."
Clarke smiled at Lexa's words, and a hand went up to brush along the brunette's cheek softly even as the brunette continued.
"By loving me, I've woken from a deep slumber where life has been meaningless and without much to care for, and I want to live my life to its greatest extent with you at my side, as my equal and as my partner in everything we might face, together." Lexa paused, and she took a second to draw the courage she would need.
The night sky was wrought with a heavy anticipation, hanging over the air as Lexa then bent her legs, kneeling before Clarke, hands drifting down to rest at the blonde's hips and around. She drew a deep breath, and, with the blonde's eyes fixed on her, Lexa reached into her pocket with her right hand, and withdrew a small velvet box.
Instantaneously, Clarke seemed to stiffen with astonishment, and Lexa looked up into shining blue eyes. "Clarke, I want to love you for the rest of my days, if you are willing to allow me the honor. Space is the final frontier, and there is much left to discover and many paths to take, but I would trade every single opportunity to do so and be with you and forge our own path and have our own adventures." Lexa opened the box with her free hand, revealing the promise it held within. "Clarke, will you marry me?"
Clarke, eyes glistening with tears yet to fall, nodded. "Yes, of course I will." She said just as softly, and with trembling hands, Lexa slid the ring onto Clarke's finger. Once the jewelry was placed, Clarke kissed Lexa, expressing all her love and affection for this woman, her hands on either side of her face as she held her there and kissed her senseless. Lexa rose to her knees then, and with an elated laugh lifted Clarke with arms around her torso and swung them both in a circle, round and round until her legs gave out and they both fell on the sand, giggling like children in their excitement and giddiness.
With Clarke's lips on hers, Lexa's heart swelled up with a fullness that she had never experienced, and as the blonde lay above her, Lexa held her tight, swearing to never let go.