I don't really like this chapter. I wrote and rewrote it and this was the best I could come up with . Sorry for the the wait and for the quality

They didn't speak for a month after that night. Lexa had pulled up Clarke's name multiple times and began typing out an apology, she always ended up deleting it, thought, because Octavia was right, Clarke wasn't going to leave with her, she obviously didn't feel as strongly as Lexa did so she had to let it go.

That didn't mean she wasn't pissed when Atom began talking shit about Clarke.

They were at some kind of gathering, at this point Lexa would just show up, she didn't really listen to what each of them was for, and she was sitting in a lounge type area with Octavia, Atom, Jasper, Bellamy and Monroe when Atom decided he wanted to try and show off by running is mouth about the wife of one of the most powerful men at the party.

"She's a tramp, she will fuck anything that walks, and things that won't of her husband is anything to go by." Atom said, grinning at the group while Lexa tried her best to calm herself down. "She is practically a hooker, right? Fucking that old guy for his money. Whore."

Lexa honestly can't remember standing up or hitting Atom all she knows is that Atom was on the floor clutching his nose, her hand was aching, and all eyes in the room were on them.

There are people watching them, people with cameras, but Lexa wasn't about to back down when Atom got in her face.

"If you have broken my nose I'm going to sue your ass." He warned.

"Of course you are, your entire family is fucking broke anyway, need every little bit of money you can get, don't you?"

Atom surged toward Lexa, gripping onto the collar of her shirt but before he could do anything Jasper and Octavia had shoved him off and Raven and Clarke, who had appeared out of nowhere, grabbed onto his shoulders to keep him in place. "Are you all fucking serious? She attacked me!"

"You were being an asshole." Monroe commented disinterestedly.

"How was I being an asshole? It's true, she is a gold digging tramp."

Lexa went for Atom again but this time Octavia was quick enough at catch her. "Ok, let's get you out of here, Rambo."

"If that's the way you talk about women no wonder your mom left." It was a low blow, judging by the stunned silence that surrounded them, and Lexa almost regretted saying it.

Almost.

She and Atom just stared at each other, each daring the other to make a move, but before either one of them could a hand clasped tightly onto Lexa's shoulder and she paled, her blood seemingly running cold in her veins. "Let's get you home to have a look at that hand." Her dad said, loud enough for the group to hear and Lexa swallowed, nodding her head obediently.

Lexa hazard a glance at Clarke to see the woman looking at her with a look of despair mixed with something that looked like fear.

Lexa was glad her siblings weren't home because she knows how horrible it is to listen to the begging for it to stop, the sound of overly expensive leather on skin, the particularly pained cries when the belt bucket would hit one of their ribs. She hates having to sit there when it's Anya or Lincoln, knowing there's nothing she can do to help.

She was also glad that this time she didn't have a bruise to cover up on her face, but she would have to wear high collar shirts since the belt bucket had made contact with her collarbone, leaving a nasty bump and bruise there. She counted herself lucky that it missed her jaw.

She slept for hours that night, on her front with her shirt off and her balcony doors open, trying to cool the red hot pain across her back.

She probably would have slept longer if something touching her face didn't startled her awake. "Please," she whimpered before she could stop herself. She didn't think she could deal with much more.

"Sh, it's ok."

Lexa peered through the darkness to see Clarke crouched beside her bed.

"Clarke?" Lexa frowned, her voice rough and cracking. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to check up on you,"

"We?"

"Yeah, Octavia and Raven are here, too." Clarke explained. "Turn the light on."

Lexa was about to object, make up something about her being naked but Octavia bet her to it, she would've known the state Lexa was in, she had dealt with it multiple times. "That's probably not a good idea,"

Clarke frowned, fishing her phone from her jacket pocket and turning on the flashlight.

"Fucking hell," Raven murmured when the light hit Lexa's back and Lexa heard Octavia squeak.

"Lexa," Clarke breathed, and Lexa is pretty sure there was a heaviness in her voice that usually came when someone was fighting the urge to cry.

"It's fine, they'll heel."

"No, Lexa, you don't get it." Octavia said. "It's really bad this time."

"This time?" Raven snapped but no one answered her.

"I'll go get wet towels." Octavia left quickly to find the towels and Clarke ran her hand through Lexa's hair.

"They told me why you hit Atom." Clarke whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"S'not your fault, he deserved it."

"He might've deserved it but you must've known this would happen."

"I actually thought I was going to come off worse," she said with a crooked little smile.

"This isn't ok, Lexa. Some of these are going to scar."

"I embarrassed him in front of everyone." Lexa said, her eyelids fluttering when Clarke ran her finger calmingly down the side of her face. "I don't regret hitting Atom but I regret where I did it."

Octavia came in then with two dripping wet towels.

"What are those going to do?" Clarke asked, stepping back when Octavia moved closer to Lexa's bed.

"Her back will be on fire, this will calm it down, it's all we can really do."

Lexa hissing in pain when Octavia carefully laid the towels over her back but when the initial pain wore off and the cold water began cooling the burning wounds she sighed. "God, that feels good."

"Do you want painkillers?" Octavia asked, smoothing down Lexa's hair.

"Can't, they fuck with my meds."

"Who cares right now, Woody, this must hurt."

"It's fine, they aren't any worse than usual." Lexa assured, tucking the arm that wasn't sore under her head. "I just need to sleep a little more, when I wake up I will be good. Where are my parents?"

Octavia looked like she wanted to argue but she knew it was useless, Lexa didn't accept help even when she needed it.

"They're in Sacramento," Clarke answered when no one else did.

"Ok, why don't you guys go chill out in the den, I will come down after I've gotten some sleep."

"Lexa," Octavia tried to argue but Lexa cut her off.

"Please don't make a big deal about it, I will be fine."

Octavia sighed but didn't argue, standing up straight and leaving.

Lexa thought everyone had left with her so when she felt the bed dip beside her she startled again.

"I hate that you're so jumpy." Clarke whispered, lying down beside Lexa, tentatively and carefully kissing Lexa when she turned to look at her. "I didn't know it was this bad."

"I think he chipped my collarbone."

"Do you want me to have a look?"

Lexa shook her head, threading her fingers through Clarke's. "I'm going to get Anya to do it when she's back tomorrow." Lexa sighed. "I'm sorry for how I acted last week, I was being a brat, I'm not used to being told I can't have something but I understand why you can't go."

Clarke smiled, leaning over to kiss the bridge of Lexa's nose.

"I'll come with you." Clarke whispered, one hand clutching onto Lexa's as the other calmingly ran up and down her forearm. "To Canada, I want to come with you."

Lexa looked surprised at first but her mouth morphed into a grin, her nose and eyes crinkling. "Really?"

"You're the one that I want to be with, not him." Clarke said, bringing Lexa's knuckles up to her lips. "And I know I said I couldn't drop everything but you're right, there's nothing here for me. Raven is never here, my mom hates me anyway and Jeff is a fucking asshole. I don't care if we end up living in a tent in the wilderness, as long as you're there I don't care where we end up."

"I won't let that happen," Lexa swore, her thumb tracing over Clarke's bottom lip. "I can't promise much but I do promise to keep a roof over your head, to keep food on the table and keep you warm."

Clarke smiled softly and Lexa is sure she heard her sniff as she leant over, kissing the corner of Lexa's mouth. "I'm so glad you decided to go get a Coke when you did."

Lexa was confused at first but it dawned on her a few seconds later that Clarke was talking about the first night they met, when Lexa was ordering a Coke at the bar. Lexa huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I am too."

"Can I get you anything?"

"I'm not dying, I can get up if I wanted to."

"I know, and that's fine, but if I can't look after you when you're hurt or sick what kind of girlfriend would I be?"

Lexa felt a warmth spread across her chest at those words, a bashful little smile appearing on her lips as she buried her face against her arm. "Girlfriend?" She asked, her voice muffled by her skin.

"Well, yeah. Aren't we?"

"No, I guess, I just- I dunno, it's the first time we've acknowledged that this is more than just an affair."

"It is definitely more than that."

"Good," Lexa hummed sleepily.

"Go to sleep, your body is probably exhausted from what happened and from trying to heal itself."

Lexa hummed at that, trying to get herself more comfortable, only to hiss when a sharp pain in her shoulder.

"Lex, let me have a look, please?"

Lexa was about to say no, tell Clarke that it was fine and that Anya would have a look when she got home but Clarke was looking at her worriedly.

"I can't lie on my back, Clarke."

"Can you lie on your side?" Clarke asked softly, helping Lexa turn on her side when she agreed. Usually, having Lexa topless on a bed was amazing but right now, with the girls back covered in wet towels and little bruises painted along her sides and collarbone where her fathers belt buckle had connected with the skin, it was the furthest thing from amazing.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." Clarke said, gently pressing her fingers against the brushed, swollen flesh of Lexa's collarbone.

Lexa sucked in a breath through her teeth, biting her teeth together.

"Can you move your fingers?"

Lexa bobbed her head, wiggling her fingers.

"Good," Clarke hummed.

"You're really hot when you're in doctor mode,"

A little smile appeared on Clarke's lips as she held onto Lexa's elbow and her hand, slowly rotation her arm, stopping as soon as Lexa hissed in pain again. "How does your arm feel? Numb or tingly?"

"Yeah, both."

"Lexa, I honestly think it is broken." Clarke stressed. "You really have to go to the hospital."

"I can't."

"Lexa,"

"No, Clarke, you don't get it. They will know what happened but he won't go down for this, he is untouchable. And I will get a beating worse than this for telling someone." Lexa explained, her hand gripping tightly onto Clarke's. "You can't, you promised you with never tell anyone."

Clarke looked like she was arguing with herself, weighing up the pros and cons of staying quiet but eventually nodded. "At least let me call your sister, she can help."

Lexa nodded, motioning toward her phone that was on the bedside table before slowly lowering herself to lie down.

Clarke unlocked her phone, having been told Lexa's password weeks ago, going to A on Lexa's contacts, frowning when she didn't see 'Anya'.

"Do you have her number saved?"

"It's 'the oldest tree'." Lexa said, offering Clarke a crooked little grin. "Get it? Woods, tree?"

"That is terrible." Clarke laughed, rolling her eyes when Lexa mumbled 'you love it'.

"Lexa, now really isn't the time." Anya sounded rushed, like she was busy and she probably was, Clarke knew how high up Anya was in that hospital. "I'm just preparing for a surgery."

"Anya, it's Clarke."

Anya was quiet for a few seconds, "Why do you have Lexa's phone?"

"She's hurt, I think her collarbone is broken." Clarke explained, staring solemnly over at Lexa who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. "Do you want me to bring her in?"

"No, put something cold on the break site and wrap it in a sling, you know how to do that?"

"Yeah,"

"Good. Use a towel right now, I will bring a proper one home tonight."

"Ok," Clarke agreed. "Thank you."

"Clarke," Anya said just before Clarke hung up. "Was it him?"

"Yeah," Clarke sighed.

"Is it bad?"

"Octavia said it was really bad."

"I don't finish until tomorrow," Anya said. "Look after her, Clarke. Make sure she is ok."

"I will," Clarke agreed and Anya muttered a quick 'bye' before she hung up.

Clarke placed Lexa's phone back on the table and little out a breath, running her hand through her hair as she started down at her.

"What'd she say?" Lexa asked, her voice breaking in the cute way it always did when she was tired.

"I've to put something cold on it and sling it."

"There are gel ice packs in the cupboard under the sink."

"Towels?"

"In my wardrobe, just as you walk in."

Clarke went to the bathroom first, grabbing the gel ice pack and popping the little silver disk to activate it.

"I'm glad you are going to come with me," Lexa whispered when Clarke walked over to the bed, the gel pack wrapped in a towel and another towel in her hand. "I know I can't give you everything he can but..."

"Lex, don't." Clarke interrupted, smoothing Lexa's hair out of her face and kissing her. "It is you I want to be with."

"It was just something Octavia said, about you knowing what being poor feels like and not wanting to go back to that."

"I don't care. I don't have any reason for his money, I don't have anyone to look after. My mom doesn't even speak to me anymore. So long as you are there and you're happy then I'm happy." Clarke assured. "Sit up for me."

Lexa obliged, albeit sluggishly, pushing herself up onto her knees, allowing Clarke to bend her arm at the elbow and us the towel as a makeshift sling. "The last time I was half naked in a bed with you was much better."

"Definitely," Lexa agreed, her legs quivering in the way they always did when her body was completely drained and that's when she realised just how exhausted she was. "But only because you were completely naked."

Clarke laughed, tying the knot behind Lexa's neck then tapping the girl on the nose. "That can be arranged for next time."

Lexa smirked at that, about to lean over and kiss Clarke when her phone began to buzz.

Clarke picked up the phone and handed it off to Lexa.

"Hey, An."

"Can Clarke drive you to the hospital? I want to x-Ray your shoulder to see if it is broken." Anya asked. "I've gotten someone else to cover my surgery."

"Um, yeah. I'm sure she can bring me in," Lexa agreed. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"We are short staffed, I'm the only one working in this part of the hospital right now."

"Ok, I will have Clarke or Octavia drive me in." Lexa agreed, hanging up the phone.

"What's up?"

"She wants me to go in for an x-Ray." Lexa whispered. "I don't think I can put a shirt on, Clarke, it will hurt to much."

Clarke rolled her bottom lip between her teeth thoughtfully. "How about we get smaller wet towers and we can use gauze to to keep them in place before you put your shirt on?"

"That could work," Lexa agreed, picking up on of the towels that had previously been on her back. "This one would be fine. Put it on longways and wrap it up."

Clarke nodded, bouncing off the bed and heading back over to Lexa's bathroom, digging the gauze out from the cupboard under the sink.

She eyed the wounds of Lexa's back before she placed the towel on her back. Some of them were covering in dry blood, some had raised up into welts and some were weeping. "Some of these will scar, Lex." She breathed, gently touching one of the older wounds, wounds that had scared, on Lexa's ribs.

"A couple more won't make a difference."

Clarke sighed solemnly, gently placing the towel on Lexa's back and carefully wrapping the gauze around the girls body. "Is that ok?"

Lexa nodded, a little smile appearing on her lips when Clarke kissed her uninjured shoulder before pressing her nose to the skin there.

"Button up?" She whispered against the skin there.

"I suppose that would be easier to get on and off."

Clarke nodded, disappearing into Lexa's walk in closet for a few seconds, reemerging with a black and white shirt in her hand, one of Lexa's baggier shirts. She helped Lexa slide her uninjured arm into the sleeve and then buttoned it up over the slung up arm.

"Do you want me to drive you? Or Octavia?"

"You. We can drive in the back way so there just so happens to be any paps there they won't see us."

Clarke nodded, telling Lexa to go to her car while she went to the den to tell Raven and Octavia they were heading to the hospital.

Both Octavia and Raven insisted on coming until Clarke reasoned that all of them being there together would draw to much attention.

"I have to tell you something," Lexa whispered once they were settled in Clarke's car.

"You slept with Octavia." Clarke's eyes didn't leave the road as she drove.

"You knew?"

"Raven told me," Clarke hummed, briefly glancing over at Lexa. "I don't like it and we will talk about it. I can't be worrying that every time we have a fight you're going to go off and sleep with someone."

"It wasn't like that," Lexa argued, her voice voice breaking with exhaustion. "I- I really like you and the idea of you not liking me back hurt. I thought we were done, I wasn't going to stay here and you said you wouldn't come with me."

"And you and Octavia?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about Octavia?"

"She's my best friend, that's all it has ever been. It was never romantic with us."

"Good, because her and Raven are pretty serious now and it would suck if someone got in the way of that."

"Yeah, they seem happy together." Lexa murmured. "Like we were."

"Are. Like we are." Clarke corrected, her hand sliding over Lexa's thigh. "What happened was just a blip, Lex. We're going to be ok."

Lexa nodded her head sluggishly, threading her hand with Clarke's.

Anya was waiting for them at the back doors of the hospital when they arrived, guiding Lexa and Clarke through the halls to the radiography ward.

"How are you feeling?" Clarke asked, rubbing Lexa's thigh as she sat perched up on the bed, waiting for Anya to set everything up.

"Tired."

"That's understandable." Clarke planted a kiss on Lexa's cheek.

"Ok, Clarke you need to go outside and wait." Anya said in a clipped tone, obviously in doctor mode and worried about her sister.

Anya helped Lexa lie down before readying her for her x-ray.

Once the x-Ray was done and Anya had had a look at it she came back into the room with what looked like a splint.

"We will need to it a splint on you shoulder to prevent it from moving." Anya said, helping Lexa sit up again.

"You can't, if dad knows I've gone to the hospital-"

"He won't, I will tell him I brought this back and put it on you as a safety precaution." Anya assured, smoothing her hands over her little sisters hair before moving them down to her cheeks. "Don't worry about it, Lele, it's going to be fine." Lexa nodded because, for once, she actually believed Anya, her eyes sliding closed when the older Woods kissed her forehead.

Anya strapped the splint over her shoulder, Lexa hissing in pain at the tiny amount of pressure it put on the break, before strapping her bent arm over her stomach and clipping the clips around her mid section, just bellow where her bra would sit.

"I'll get you some painkillers too,"

"You know I can't take them." Lexa sighed, exasperated.

"Well, you're going to have to take something, Lex, because this pain must be torture."

"I'm fine," Lexa mumbled, sliding off of the bed, allowing Anya to help her back into her shirt.

"You and Clarke..."

"Please don't. I don't have it in me to listen to whatever you have to say right now."

"All I was going to say is that you should be careful. I hate seeing you in this state." Anya sighed solemnly.

"We will be," Lexa promised, giving Anya's hand a little squeeze. "I'll see you later."

"Make sure Clarke looks after you."

Lexa rolled her eyes at her sister, pushing herself away from the bed and heading for the door.

Clarke's head shot up when the door opened, her eyes scanning Lexa's form worriedly. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. I have a splint on it, it should heal in a couple of weeks."

Clarke nodded, looking a little unsure as she reached out to tentatively touch Lexa's uninjured arm. "We're leaving soon, right?" She asked on a hushed voice.

"Hopefully. I still need to sort some stuff out."

Clarke's jaw tensed, "I don't like that you're going back to that house."

"It'll be fine. I've been dealing with it for this long, a couple more months won't hurt."

"Yeah, clearly." Clarke sighed, letting her head fall against Lexa's with a soft thump.

"We should go before someone sees," Lexa whispered, pulling back slightly and Clarke nodded lightly.

"Raven and Octavia have left." Clarke informed her as they walked the way they came.

"I'm kind of glad, I just want to relax on my own, I don't need Octavia pussyfooting around me." Lexa said. "Don't get me wrong, I love that she cares but I just don't have it in me tonight to let her."

Clarke drove Lexa home and helped her up to her room, waiting until she was comfortable on her front, making sure she had a bottle of water beside her, before pulling on her jacket.

"Stay," Lexa whispered sleepily.

"I thought you wanted to be alone?"

"I never don't want you around."

Clarke grinned at that, lying on the bed beside Lexa. "Your parents will be back from Sacramento on Monday, I will stay until then."

Lexa looked a little surprised at that, her hand sliding up Clarke's arm until her fingers slide through the space in between Clarke's fingers. "What about him?"

"I don't care anymore, he goes away for days on end without telling me so why shouldn't I do the same. And I want to be here with you, I-" Whatever Clarke was about to say died on the tip of her tongue and she swallowed thickly, bringing their joined hands up to her lips. "I want to be here with you."

Lexa gave her hand a little tug, "Come here."

Clarke obliged without any hesitation, her nose bumping clumsily against Lexa's (which was fine, it put a smile Lexa's lips) before she kissed her slowly.

"I missed you," Lexa whispered against Clarke's lips. "And I'm sorry for acting like a brat."

"You were always a brat, I knew what I was letting myself in for." Clarke breathed with a little smirk. "And I missed you, too. I'm just sad we had to reconnect under these circumstances."

"Mm," Lexa hummed sleepily.

"Go to sleep, I will be here once you wake up."

Lexa didn't argue, tucking her hand that was linked with Clarke's under her cheek. She was just about to give into sleep completely when she felt Clarke press a kiss to her forehead.

Lexa fell asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in a month.