Thursday Night

by MsDorisDaisy

Clarke and Lexa have been best friends for years, but a recent night of drinking and dancing starts to shift the boundaries of their friendship into something else entirely. Appearances by all the best characters: Octavia, Lincoln, Raven, and Anya (among others possibly).

13. Chapter 13

** CHAPTER WARNING: The only warning I'll give you all is to say that this chapter is 15k words! I don't know what happened, but it all came pouring out of me like a torrential rain and I was powerless to stop it. So hopefully you all will enjoy this extra-long chapter and be sure to share any comments with me that you have :) **

Lexa's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight began to peek around the edges of the curtains in Clarke's bedroom. The first thing that came into focus in her field of vision was a curly lock of golden hair lying gently over her forearm, and Lexa couldn't help but smile. She had spent the perfect evening with Clarke yesterday, but waking up next to her felt even better than she could have ever imagined it could. Knowing that the blonde was likely to sleep for a while longer, Lexa quietly slipped out from under the sheets and hopped out of bed. She pulled on her panties that were lying on the floor from the night before and silently opened one of Clarke's dresser drawers. She grabbed a sweatshirt, shrugged it on, and quietly padded her way into the bathroom down the hall.

As she inspected herself in the mirror, Lexa pulled her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and swished around a healthy swig of the mouthwash that she knew Clarke kept in the cabinet under the sink before washing her hands and heading out to the kitchen. She smiled instantly when her eyes caught a glimpse of the dome covering the funny-looking blueberry cheesecake that Clarke had made for her the day before, and her heart warmed all over again as she thought about how her best friend, and now girlfriend, had gone to so much trouble to make her birthday so special. She busied herself making coffee for the next several minutes before heading back into Clarke's bedroom with two steaming mugs.

"Good morning," Lexa greeted the blonde who was surprisingly awake and sitting up in bed. The sheets were perfectly straight, and it appeared that Clarke had also primped herself in the bathroom as Lexa had done just moments ago.

"Morning," Clarke rasped as a smile slowly crawled across her lips.

Lexa climbed onto the bed and handed Clarke one of the mugs, which was accepted eagerly by the sleepy girl.

"You put clothes on," Lexa pouted while her eyes wandered over the parts of her girlfriend's body that she could see.

"So did you," Clarke pointed out just before tipping her mug to her lips and taking a small sip. She let her gaze fall to the familiar light blue Columbia University sweatshirt that Lexa had on and smiled fondly at the sight. She'd never told her best friend the story behind that sweatshirt, but it warmed Clarke's heart to see it on her and hoped to see it on her many more times in the future.

"What?" Lexa asked, effectively snapping Clarke out of her train of thoughts.

"What?" Clarke echoed, not knowing what Lexa was referring to.

"You're smiling at me," was all the brunette offered before taking a sip of her own coffee.

"You make me smile," Clarke responded and shrugged her shoulders.

A small blush swept over Lexa's cheeks as she broke eye contact with Clarke and looked down at her mug while idly running her fingertips along the tip ridge of the bumpy ceramic. She had teased Clarke before about these particular mugs, stating that she thought they were 'weird' because it looked like someone had taken a hammer to the soft clay before firing them in the kiln. The color was nice though; the entire surface was painted in a blue gradient starting with deep navy at the bottom before tapering off into what could best be described as a robin's egg color at the top.

"You used the weird mugs," Clarke pointed out before taking another sip of her hot coffee.

"They were the only ones in your cabinet," Lexa said with a shrug. "Your kitchen is practically empty now that Octavia is gone."

"It's not like I need much in there anyways when all of my friends forbid me to cook," Clarke quipped as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Lexa exclaimed after she gasped slightly. "That reminds me… how is your arm?"

"It's fine," Clarke responded as she looked down at the gauze wrapped around her forearm.

"You didn't hurt it last night... during... while we were..." Lexa stammered before she stopped talking altogether.

"While we were..." Clarke teased as she urged the flustered brunette to finish her sentence.

Lexa sighed loudly before continuing, "while we were... making love."

Clarke cupped her mug with both of her hands and raised it to her face before letting a small string of giggles push past her lips. She was highly amused that she'd gotten the brunette to finish her sentence and even more amused at her formal choice of words. Lexa's lips immediately drew into a pout, clearly embarrassed that Clarke was laughing at her, and she quickly swatted her friend's shoulder.

"Clarke!" Lexa huffed as she continued to pout.

"What?" Clarke shot back as she slapped Lexa's shoulder in response.

"You're mean," the brunette grumbled before turning her attention back to her coffee.

"You're mean," Clarke retorted immediately with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"What? How am I mean?" Lexa all but shrieked as she whipped her head to the side to look at her smirking friend.

"You have yet to kiss me since we made love," Clarke said as she exaggerated the last two words with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Well, how else am I supposed to say it?!" Lexa defended herself. Of course she knew there were other ways to say what she had said, but none of them seemed sincere enough than how she'd ultimately decided on saying it.

"I'm not saying you have to say it in a certain way, I'm just saying that the way you said it was just a very formal way to say it," Clarke quickly rattled off in one breath. Lexa's mouth was slightly agape, and she furrowed her brow as she tried to follow the blonde's ramble.

"What?" She finally asked Clarke, clearly confused by her last statement. Clarke just sighed and opened her mouth to continue.

"Nevermind," Clarke said dismissively, "just know that I'm still waiting on that kiss."

"Well then..." Lexa started as she placed her mug on the bedside table next to her. She moved herself to straddle Clarke before taking the mug out of her hands and setting it on the other bedside table before leaning in close "... prepare to be kissed."

Lexa lowered her lips over her Clarke's and kissed her lightly as she felt hands move up to grip her hips. Their mouths continued to dance slowly over one another until Clarke swiped her tongue along the length of Lexa's bottom lip and slipped her hands up and under the loose sweatshirt. She silently thanked her girlfriend for not putting on a bra as her fingers danced along the soft skin on the sides of her breasts before cupping both of them fully in the palms of her hands. Lexa moaned into their kiss as she arched her back, pushing herself harder into Clarke's touch. Their lips ripped apart when Lexa began rocking her hips into Clarke before the brunette's sweatshirt was tugged over her head and thrown to the floor.

"How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you," Clarke wondered out loud, "now that I've had them all over you."

"I don't know," Lexa breathlessly answered as Clarke continued to caress her breasts, "but it's not something you'll hear me complaining about."

Their lips crashed together once again before clothes were shed and hands wandered across heated skin until both women had completely, thoroughly, and deliciously unraveled under the other's touch. They held each other closely as they came down from their high, feeling completely content in the moment and in each other's arms. Clarke was lying on her back while Lexa was pressed up against her side, tracing light patterns above and below the gauze stretched around Clarke's right forearm.

"We should go get some cheesecake," Clarke suddenly broke the silence.

"Cheesecake for breakfast?" Lexa asked, stilling the movement of her hand against Clarke's skin.

"Why not?" Clarke said with a shrug.

The expression on Lexa's face made it appear like she was thinking hard about whether she actually did want the rich dessert first thing in the morning, but the growl her stomach made shortly thereafter put her indecision to rest. Both girls laughed at the obnoxious sound and slipped out of bed. Clarke dressed herself in a loose shirt and sleeping shorts while Lexa opted for her panties and the soft blue sweatshirt that she had been wearing earlier that morning. After picking up both of their empty mugs, Clarke headed out to the kitchen while Lexa excused herself to the bathroom. As soon as Clarke rounded the corner from the hallway, she heard a knock on her front door.

"Mom?!" Clarke asked in shock as she opened the door to reveal her mother standing there with a small smile on her face.

"Morning sweetie," the older doctor said as her smile grew.

"What are... what–what... what are you doing here?" Clarke stuttered as she tightly gripped the two mug handles that were both clasped in her right hand. Abby squinted her eyes in confusion as she listened to her daughter nervously stumble over her words before responding.

"I was on my way to the hospital," Abby started, "and I wanted to check up on you... and see how the burn on your arm was feeling."

"Oh," Clarke said before swallowing thickly. "It's fine. I mean... it feels okay."

"Any additional blistering or signs of infection?" Abby asked slowly as she continued to eye her daughter carefully.

"Nope, I don't think so," Clarke responded as nonchalantly as she could manage, but her mother noticed the strain in her voice immediately.

"Is everything alright, Clarke?" She asked suspiciously. Clarke huffed out a small sigh of frustration, hoping that she could have gotten rid of her mother by now in order to avoid a potentially awkward situation with Lexa still being in her apartment.

"Fine," Clarke replied. "Yep, it's all good."

"Okay... how did the cheesecake turn out?" Abby asked, changing the subject.

"Good... yeah..." Clarke responded while nodding her head rapidly. "I mean, we haven't tried it yet, but it looks good..."

"Weren't you with her yesterday?" Abby inquired, thoroughly confused at Clarke's previous comment. The realization of what she'd just said hit Clarke like a brick wall and her face began to flush, but just when she opened her mouth to respond, Lexa interrupted her as she walked from the hallway and into view.

"Clarke, did you take your– "

Abby's eyes snapped over Clarke's shoulder just in time to meet Lexa's gaze for a split second before the girl jumped back into the hallway in a panic. Unfortunately she wasn't quite fast enough because the older woman had been able to make out that Lexa was dressed in her daughter's Columbia sweatshirt and only a small pair of underwear, presumably walking out of her daughter's bedroom where they had probably just...

Abby shook her head at the thought and looked back over to Clarke, who was bright red and looking more embarrassed than she'd ever seen her before. She tried everything in her power not to look at her daughter with one of the more classic 'judgmental mother' expressions on her face and cleared her throat gently before speaking.

"Hi, Lexa," Abby directed to the girl still hiding in the hallway.

"Good morning, Mrs. Griffin," she heard Lexa respond politely from around the corner. Abby shot Clarke an amused smirk before responding.

"Lexa, I think it's safe to say that we're past formalities, so how about you call me Abby from now on," she said.

"Yep, okay... Abby," Lexa said nervously from behind the wall.

"So I trust you had a nice birthday?" Clarke heard her mother ask to her absolute horror. She lifted her free hand to cover her face that seemed to be getting hotter by the second as her mother stared at her and stifled the laughter threatening to spill from her lips at any second.

"Uh yes, it was very nice. Thank you," Lexa replied. "We had a picnic." The brunette mentally kicked herself for rambling on and fidgeted with the large pill bottle filled with antibiotics that Clarke was taking for her injured arm. She was plastered against the wall with her eyes closed, trying desperately not to allow herself to make this extremely awkward situation any worse than it already was.

"Mom," Clarke warned as she let her hands fall from her face and looked directly at her mother.

"I think Lexa was going to ask if you've been taking your antibiotics," Abby said to Clarke, dismissing the warning spoken to her just seconds ago. "Have you?"

"Well, apparently I'll be taking the next one in a few minutes," Clarke said in an exasperated tone as she gestured to where Lexa was hiding in the hallway and sighed loudly. "After you leave. Please."

"Fine," Abby said as she let another small smirk fall onto her lips.

"Thank you," Clarke breathed out as she motioned for her mother to leave.

"Thanks for taking care of my daughter," Abby called out before catching another look of mortification pass over her daughter's face. Her own cheeks flushed as she realized what she'd said and quickly clarified. "For taking care of her injured arm!"

"You're welcome," Lexa called out before Clarke was all but shoving Abby out the door.

"Bye, Mom," she huffed as the older woman laughed and said goodbye before the door was promptly shut in her face.

"Oh, just fucking kill me now," Abby heard Clarke say from the other side of the apartment door.

"Why didn't you tell me your mother was here? I was half-naked!" Lexa exclaimed.

"It's not my fault you decided not to put all of your clothes back on," Clarke quickly replied.

"You know it'd be nice for once, just for once, if your mother didn't walk in to see me in a compromising position with you," Lexa said with a slightly louder voice as if she was walking into the kitchen and closer to Clarke. "I'm sure she hates me now even more than before."

"I already told you that my mother doesn't hate you," Clarke reassured the brunette. "She once told me that whatever makes me happy, makes her happy."

Abby smiled hearing this, recalling several different times she'd said that exact phrase to her daughter over the years.

"And you make me happy," Clarke continued. "Really happy."

There was a small pause of silence before Clarke spoke up again.

"And more than that, she loves you. I mean you're kind of a hard person not to like," Clarke finished.

"You make me really happy too, Clarke," Abby heard Lexa say. "Happier than I ever thought I could be."

There was another longer pause of silence before Abby heard her daughter's voice again.

"What about the cheesecake?" She asked.

"The cheesecake can wait," Lexa replied.

Abby heard what sounded like a squeal from her daughter before another short pause and a soft moan, and she knew that was her cue to finally leave. She quickly pushed herself off the wall and smiled again as she walked down the hallway of Clarke's apartment feeling happy that her daughter had found someone of whom she quite fondly approved. She hoped that Clarke would someday feel about Marcus being in her mother's life as she felt about Lexa being in her daughter's life.

---

"So... I did it."

"Did what?" Raven asked as she quirked a brow at the screen of her tablet.

"I put in for a transfer."

"Are you serious?" Raven questioned as her eyes widened.

"Yep. I should be getting my approval in a few weeks."

"A few weeks? Wow... that seems really fast," Raven responded.

"Well, I actually put in for the transfer as soon as I got back here... and... sort of didn't tell you guys... because I was nervous. I mean, I didn't want you all to think I'd gotten soft or something."

"We wouldn't have thought that and you know it," Raven said with confidence. "You're the strongest person I know, Anya."

"Oh, you lie, Reyes. You are the strongest person you know."

"Wait," Raven interrupted, "have you told Lexa yet?"

Anya had known Lexa for far longer than she'd known Raven, so the thought that the soldier had told her before her own best friend was quite surprising.

"Not yet."

"Why are you telling me first then?" Raven asked curiously. She smirked as she watched the usually stoic soldier fidget in her chair and scratch at the back of her neck as she tried to find her words.

"Shit, do you think she's going to be mad at me?"

"Maybe you are going soft, Major," Raven teased through a smile. "Afraid of the big, bad Commander are we?"

"Hey, you've never seen her really pissed off. If she really wanted to, Lexa could kick my ass all the way to hell and back."

Raven just sat back and laughed at the way Anya was getting so worked up.

"But I swear if you ever tell her I said that, I will have to kick your ass."

"You just wait, soldier," Raven interjected. "Once I have two fully functioning legs, I'll be able to kick your ass."

"Oh, you think so?"

"You bet your sweet ass!" Raven exclaimed.

"So nice of you to notice, Miss Reyes."

"Oh, shut up," Raven snapped but couldn't help her cheeks from blushing just the tiniest bit. She could see Anya chuckling from her tablet screen for a while before she responded by simply rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"So Miller says you two have been talking a lot lately."

"Yeah," Raven confirmed, "it's been awesome to have someone to talk to who has gone through a lot of what I'm going through. He encourages me."

"That's great. He really is a great guy."

"For sure," Raven agreed. "Too bad his boyfriend was such an ass though. Dumping him right after he got shot? That's such a dick move. It just sucks for him to have to go through all that alone."

"You're one to talk, Reyes."

"Eh," Raven said dismissively. "I got my girls... and Lincoln. And Abby. I'm good."

"I don't believe you."

"Just get your nose out of my love life, Carter," Raven quipped.

"It's too bad though..."

"Why?" Raven heard herself ask as her curiosity got the best of her.

"Well, I'm sure there would be a few soldiers over here who would love to get in your pants. Maybe even date you."

"Fuck you, Anya," Raven playfully shot back.

"Well, if you're offering... I mean, how could I say no?"

Raven glared at her friend an threw up her middle finger at the screen just as Abby walked into her hospital room. The older woman chuckled at Raven's action before rounding the bed and looking down at her tablet to see Anya smirking at the feisty brunette.

"Don't get on this one's bad side," Abby warned as she pointed over to Raven.

"Oh, I'm not planning on it Dr. Griffin."

"Yeah, because you know I could kick your ass!" Raven exclaimed with comically wide eyes.

Abby laughed and busied herself looking through Raven's charts as the two girls said goodbye to each other and ended their FaceTime call.

"So you two have been talking a lot lately," Abby pointed out, not looking up from Raven's chart.

"She's just desperate since Lexa is practically fused to Clarke now," Raven replied. This time, Abby looked up from her papers and made eye contact with the brunette who had carefully quirked her brow before speaking again. "You do know that they're dating, right?"

"Mhmm," Abby responded with a nod.

"But you don't approve?" Raven asked.

"No, I love Lexa," the older woman quickly replied. "I think she's perfect for Clarke."

"So why the weirdness, Doc?"

"W–what? There's no weirdness..." Abby weakly said as a faint blush appeared high on her cheeks. Raven narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something when she heard a knock on the partially opened door to her hospital room.

"Rae?" Clarke said quietly as she inched the door all the way open.

"Hey," Raven said with a smile as she watched her friend come fully into view. Lexa was following close behind the blonde as they walked into the room, and both girls snapped their attention over to Abby as soon as they'd seen her.

"Clarke, Lexa," Abby slowly greeted both girls as her gaze lingered on them for a moment. Raven watched as Clarke avoided eye contact with her mother while Lexa's gaze seemed to be locked onto Abby out of shock. Or fear. Or something.

"Hello, Dr..." Lexa began to respond but stopped herself and quickly swallowed, "Abby."

Raven's face scrunched in confusion, and she looked to Abby for a response. When no one said anything for a moment, Raven finally spoke up.

"Okay, seriously," she started as she wildly gestured between the three awkward women, "what is this weirdness?"

"There's no weirdness," Clarke echoed her mother's own words as she pushed her fingers through her hair and huffed out a small sigh. Lexa shrugged her shoulders, as if she was agreeing with Clarke but remained silent.

"Well, I was just leaving," Abby finally said as she put Raven's chart down.

"You just got here," Raven said to the older woman as she followed her movements with confusion in her eyes. All she got in response from the surgeon was a wave over her shoulder as she walked away and quickly out the door. Raven looked at her friends who were staring at each other and finally put the pieces together.

"She totally saw you guys making out, didn't she?" Raven asked, assured that this must have been what happened to make the situation she had just witnessed so awkward.

"Ugh, worse..." Clarke groaned as she covered her face with her hands.

"Worse?" Raven questioned.

"I had no pants on," Lexa confessed before her cheeks lit up with an intense blush.

"You what ?!" Raven slowly exclaimed as both of her eyebrows shot up. She watched as Clarke swatted at Lexa, clearly embarrassed that the brunette had shared that piece of information out loud.

"She walked in on your guys doing it?" Raven screeched as she sat up straighter in her bed. "Wait– more importantly, you guys did it? I mean, you actually did it? Together?!"

"Raven, please..." Lexa pleaded with her friend not to make a scene, already thoroughly embarrassed that she had spilled the beans.

"OH MY GOSH!" Raven screamed loudly as she clapped her hands in pure and utter delight.

"What is going on in here?" Octavia asked hesitantly as she rounded the corner, walked through the doorway, and into the hospital room.

"Lexa and Clarke had sex!" Raven shouted as she pointed towards her friends and bounced up and down with excitement.

"What?!" Octavia exclaimed as she whipped her body around and stared in shock at her two embarrassed friends.

"RAVEN!" Clarke snapped at her friend as Lexa immediately went to shut the door for some privacy.

"Apparently Lexa jumped Clarke's bones and Abby saw," Raven teased loudly.

"That's not how it happened," Lexa snapped back.

"Confirmation!" Raven cheered as her arms shot up into the air victoriously. "You are so bad at this!" She said while pointing to Lexa.

Clarke turned her head to stare at her girlfriend for a moment before slapping her shoulder again. Octavia laughed as she watched Lexa's mouth drop and her hand move up to cover her arm where she had just been hit. She jumped onto Raven's bed and clasped her hands together on her lap with an open smile on her face, eager to hear as much of this story as she possibly could.

"Guys, listen..." Clarke started as she took a few steps closer to her friends.

"So who tops?" Octavia interrupted.

"What?" Clarke asked in shock as she blinked her eyes rapidly.

"Oh, it's gotta be Lexa," Raven piped up as she nudged her best friend in the ribs.

"No way," Octavia said as she turned her head to look at Raven, "Lexa's a bottom."

"Uh," Lexa spoke up before scoffing lightly, "no I'm not..."

"Clarke, confirmation please?" Octavia directed at the visibly annoyed blonde.

"We're not talking about this," Clarke stated defiantly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please, Clarke," Raven begged. "My life will not be complete until I know."

"Mine either," Octavia replied as she looked between Clarke and Lexa.

"Well, then you two have very small lives," Clarke quipped as she jutted her head to the side with attitude.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Raven said as she waved her hand back and forth dismissively.

"C'mon, who tops?" Octavia whined. Clarke shot a glance over to Lexa who was looking at her for approval. They both sighed and turned their attention back to their friends.

"I do," they both said at the same time. Raven and Octavia continued staring at their friends as they turned back to look at each other before speaking in unison again. "I do!"

"What? How can you say that?" Clarke questioned her girlfriend.

"What do you mean?" Lexa questioned before leaning in and mumbling softly to Clarke. "What about this morning?"

"Oh, this is so good," Octavia muttered as her gaze flicked between her friends. Clarke shrugged her shoulders at Lexa, obviously disagreeing with her, and Raven snapped her fingers loudly as if some stroke of genius just came to her.

"Service top," Raven blurted out.

"Service top Lexa, power bottom Clarke," Octavia said as she nodded rapidly in agreement with Raven.

"Guys, can we just change the subject please?" Clarke once again pleaded with her friends.

"Alright, alright," Raven said with a roll of her eyes. "So how was it?"

Clarke tipped her head back and sighed loudly as Lexa closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Not the sex part," Raven clarified with a huff, "the date part."

"Yeah, how did the cheesecake turn out?" Octavia asked as she relaxed on the bed next to Raven.

"It was delicious," Lexa answered with a sigh as she stepped forward with a small white paper bag in her hand, "although now I'm wondering why I insisted on bringing you some."

Raven smiled and reached for the bag, which Lexa reluctantly handed over to her. Inside Raven found a clear container that held a rather large piece of cheesecake, a plastic fork, and a napkin. She greedily dug her hands into the bag and pulled out the container as she smiled brightly.

"Because you love me," Raven answered, and Lexa just gave her a half-smirk.

"Oh, that reminds me," Octavia excitedly said as she reached for her phone, "I need to post that picture!"

"What picture?" Lexa asked as she stepped back in-line with where Clarke was standing.

"The one of Clarke's grumpy cat face when Abby was fixing her arm," Octavia said as she tapped on her phone screen before looking over to Raven. "She almost burned it off during the practice run."

"Practice run?" Lexa quietly asked as she looked to Clarke for an explanation.

"Yeah, I... sorta... had Lincoln and Octavia show me how to make a cheesecake on Friday so that I didn't screw up the one for you," Clarke sheepishly answered. Raven grunted out a laugh as she dug into another bite of the dessert, and Lexa's expression immediately softened as she instinctively reached up to lightly trace where she knew the injury was on Clarke's forearm underneath her shirt.

"Ewww!" Octavia loudly drew out as she watched her friends gaze longingly at each other.

"Yeah, get a room!" Raven chimed in with a mouthful of blueberries.

Clarke and Lexa snapped from their haze and stared over at Raven with mischievous looks on their faces and suddenly lunged towards their friends.

"Save the cheesecake!" Raven yelled as she quickly shoved the cheesecake into Octavia's hands.

Octavia sprung to her feet and dodged Lexa a few times before running full force towards the door. Clarke had swiped Raven's pillow out from underneath her and was repeatedly hitting the brunette over the head with it as she screamed.

"Don't hit the cripple! Don't hit the cripple!" Raven loudly pleaded between blows.

Octavia wrenched open the door with Lexa hot on her tail and promptly collided with a seriously worried-looking Abby, which in turn made Lexa come crashing into Octavia from behind. They let out a collected "oompf" and Clarke immediately ceased her feathery assault on Raven. Abby surveyed each of the girls, who had all immediately fallen silent but were breathing heavily. The older woman cocked her eyebrow as Raven looked back at her, her long dark hair completely askew and covering half of her face, and noticed Clarke slowly inching a pillow behind her body as if to hide it from her mother's view. Abby squinted her eyes and took one last look at the girls before speaking slowly.

"I'm positive that everyone here knows what inside voices are," she said and focused her gaze to Octavia and Lexa who were standing quite close to her, "so I suggest you start using them."

There was a motherly clip in Abby's tone as she spoke, but the amused sparkle in her eyes gave her away and the girls immediately lost themselves in a roar of laughter as the older woman turned on her heels and walked away shaking her head and chuckling to herself.

---

Lexa straightened the front of her dress for the third time and turned herself back and forth in the reflection of her mirror, making sure that her outfit was complete. She had spent the last two hours getting ready for her firm's big banquet, and she knew that there would be dozens–hundreds of powerful political figures attending who could spot an off-the-rack dress from a hundred yards away. Looking good for clients came with the territory in Lexa's line of work, and it was something that she was naturally good at. Her lithe figure could be flattered by anything from a sharp power suit to a summery sun dress or a fancy full-length gown. She'd opted for a simple black dress that hugged her curves and landed just below her knees. The plunging back line of the dress showed off a large expanse of her flawless skin, and dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulder in loose curls. She opted to show off her most expensive collection of jewelry, a pair of shimmering diamond earrings and a long silver necklace that held a small knot of diamonds at the front.

Another small spritz of hairspray later, Lexa grabbed her purse and headed out the door. As she neared the lobby of her apartment building, thoughts of a certain blonde invaded her mind and Lexa suddenly started to feel the disappointment of not being able to see her until later that evening setting in. She knew Clarke always hated going to banquets as formal as this, which is why she hadn't asked her along to begin with. That and the fact that she had essentially planned out the entire evening before she and Clarke were officially dating. Lexa knew Clarke well enough to know that this evening wouldn't exactly be Clarke's idea of a good time, and the last thing she wanted to do was force her girlfriend into doing something she didn't want to do. Her thoughts were cut short by Lexa's phone vibrating in her hand, and she smiled when she noticed it was Clarke who was calling her.

"Hey," Lexa said through a smile as she pressed her phone to her cheek.

"What are you wearing?"

"Huh?" Lexa asked as she stepped off the curb and situated herself in the backseat of the car that had been sent to her apartment to pick her up. She smiled politely at the driver as he climbed back into his seat after holding the door open for her, and he nodded in response before pulling into traffic.

"What are you wearing to your banquet tonight?"

"Uh, hang on..." Lexa said as she pulled her phone away from her face.

She heard Clarke whine her name through the phone and chuckled to herself as she quickly sent off a picture she'd taken of herself earlier in the evening. She had planned on teasing Clarke with it later, so she made sure to put on her best sultry expression as she looked back at the camera over her shoulder for a shot that showed just how low her dress went in the back.

"I sent you a picture," Lexa said as she pulled the phone back up to her ear. There was a long pause before she finally heard Clarke's voice again.

"That's just mean."

"Why is that mean?" Lexa asked, trying to mask the amusement in her voice.

"Because it just makes me want to rip that dress off of you."

"Which is why I took it," Lexa teased.

Lexa tried to suppress the shivers shooting down her spine, but she was pretty much in a constant state of arousal since the two (incredibly mind-blowing) times they had made love the previous weekend. Six days had passed since Lexa's birthday, and both women were more than eager to spend another night of passion in each other's arms which was proving to be almost impossible with their busy schedules keeping them apart.

"Which is why that was mean."

"Sorry," Lexa apologized. "So what time is your shift over?"

"I'm going to stay and help Raven with her physical therapy session, so I'll probably be out of here by eight-thirty... nine at the latest."

"Can we just skip The Ark and hang out... alone?" Lexa asked softly, not wanting her driver to overhear.

"We're meeting Octavia and Lincoln though. They're expecting us."

"Fine," Lexa said with a huff. "But maybe afterwards... we could spend the night at my place?"

Her voice was small as she made her request, still feeling nervous about being so forward with Clarke about such intimate matters. She was hoping with every ounce of her being that Clarke would agree because quite honestly, she wasn't sure if she could make it another night without feeling that creamy white skin under her fingertips.

"You must think you're getting lucky tonight."

"Can't say I wasn't hoping..." Lexa responded with a smile.

"Good because I was hoping the same thing."

"Glad we're on the same page then," Lexa replied as she pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth.

Her mind was suddenly reeling with images of Clarke, naked and writhing beneath her, and she had to cross her legs a little harder in a vain attempt to soothe the throbbing between them. There was a long moment of silence on both ends of the line, and Lexa wondered if Clarke was thinking about the same things she was.

"I, uh... need to go scrub in for my next surgery, but I just wanted to say have fun at the banquet."

'I can't wait to see you later," Lexa responded quickly, swearing that she could hear the blonde smiling though the phone.

"Me too. Bye, Lexa."

"Bye, Clarke."

Lexa ended the call and carefully slid her phone back into her purse as she sighed heavily. She watched through the tinted windows as buildings passed on either side of the black luxury car, silently grateful that the traffic was flowing faster than it normally did at the time of the day. She pulled out a mirror to check her makeup one last time before leaning back into the soft leather seat.

"I'm Lexa by the way," the brunette offered as she raised her voice to get the attention of the driver.

"Gustus," the large man simply responded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you for taking the time out of your day to drive me to my event this afternoon," Lexa spoke formally, mentally preparing herself for the evening ahead.

Gustus let out a chuckle as he stole a glance at Lexa in his rear-view mirror.

"This is what I get paid for, Miss Woods," he said with a smirk, "but it's certainly a pleasure to drive someone as polite as you."

"I presume you were already briefed on me since you know my last name," Lexa responded as she heard the man use her last name despite ever telling him.

"I was," he answered with a single nod. "I spend more time than most drivers reading through my client notes before appointments. I don't like surprises."

"You sound like a military man," Lexa said after a brief moment of silence and she squinted her eyes slightly as she tried to read the man's expression in small sliver of mirror in front of him.

"You're right," Gustus confirmed. "What gave it away?"

"One of my closest friends is in the military, and she's the same way," Lexa answered. "She lives her life in a constant state of preparation."

"When you're in the field, it's all you can count on. That and the support of your team to back you up when things don't go according to plan," Gustus said.

"You sound just like her," Lexa said as a smile spilled across her lips.

"She must be a smart woman then," Gustus replied with a smile of his own.

"She is," Lexa replied, "but I won't be telling her that any time soon. If her head got any bigger, it would probably fall off of her body."

Gustus's broad shoulders bounced a few times as he laughed and stole another quick glance back to Lexa before speaking.

"So she's incredibly smart, always prepared, and cocky," Gustus rattled off. "Sergeant?"

"Major," Lexa clarified.

"Impressive," Gustus responded as his eyebrows slowly raised, "and I don't impress easily."

"Yes, I'm definitely getting that vibe as well," Lexa joked which earned another small chuckle from the large man.

"Is she who you were speaking to on the phone earlier?" Gustus cautiously asked, not wanting to offend his client with too personal of questions, but Lexa was different than all of his other clients. She was... friendly.

"No," Lexa answered with a small smile and a blush dusting her cheeks. Just as she was about to continue, the car came to a slow stop and Gustus jumped out to open Lexa's door. She offered him a genuine smile as she carefully climbed out of the car, which he reciprocated in kind.

"This must have been the first time you've had a driver," Gustus said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Was it that obvious?" Lexa asked as she cringed lightly.

"Yes," Gustus stated simply, "but not in a bad way."

"That's comforting, I guess," Lexa responded as she smoothed out her dress and let the anxious expression fall off her face.

"Most of my clients don't even acknowledge my presence, as if they just magically travel from one place to another while keeping their nose glued to their phones or tablets," Gustus said.

"Well, I'm happy to have been a bright spot in your day, Gustus," Lexa replied as she handed him a generous tip.

"Thank you, Miss Woods," Gustus responded as he took the money from her and tipped his head in gratitude. He took a business card out of his front pocket and handed it to the brunette. "Don't hesitate to call me when you're ready to go home. Your firm has hired me as your driver for the remainder of the evening."

"Thank you, Gustus," Lexa said, "but please do me a favor and call me Lexa."

"Have a good evening, Lexa," Gustus offered with a smile.

Lexa smiled triumphantly and turned to head towards the banquet hall.

As she walked away, Lexa couldn't help but feel like she had just spent the last twenty minutes talking to an old friend and smiled as she thought about seeing him later on that evening. She felt a flutter of excitement in her chest as soon as she walked through the large revolving door leading into the fancy hotel lobby, knowing that she was about to spend the next few hours rubbing elbows with the city's most powerful politicians. She never lacked confidence in situations like these, which always worked in her favor.

"Hi, Lexa," Aden greeted his boss with a smile as soon as she walked into the banquet hall.

"Aden," Lexa replied with a smile to match.

She had never seen him look so dapper before, dressed to the nines in a dark grey suit, a printed maroon shirt, and solid black necktie. His hair was perfectly tousled, and his cologne was present but not overpowering. She was proud to call him her assistant and grateful that he carried himself with such ease and certainty in formal situations like these.

"You look very nice," Lexa complimented him.

"As do you," he replied.

"So who's all here?" Lexa asked as she scanned the room for familiar faces.

"It's still a bit early, but the Mayor just arrived with his wife," Aden said as he turned his attention towards the man across the room, "as well as Senator Greene over there. I'm not sure who that is with him, but she's probably a fill-in."

Lexa nodded and looked around the rest of the expansive room to see if she recognized anyone else other than her fellow co-workers and partners of her firm.

"Oh, and Miss Porter is here and was asking for you," Aden said as he looked over to Lexa.

She managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes but couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips at the mention of her most difficult client's name. She looked back at her assistant to see a sympathetic smirk. It was no secret that Eva Porter was a difficult task to handle, which Aden had picked up on from the very first time he'd spoken with her over the phone.

"I can run interference for you, if you'd like," Aden offered with a slightly unsure expression on his face.

"That's alright, Aden," Lexa responded and touched his arm lightly, "but I do appreciate it."

"Okay, just give me a signal if you need me to come rescue you with some work emergency," Aden replied.

"I'll keep that in mind," Lexa said with a small chuckle, impressed at her assistant's resourcefulness.

"Lexa!"

The brunette heard her name called from behind her and knew immediately who the voice belonged to. She slowly turned around but not before plastering her best fake smile on her face that she could manage.

"Miss Porter," Lexa said through her fake smile, "so good to see you."

It was going to be a long night.

After toasts were made, dinner was served, and speeches were presented, the crowd easily transitioned themselves into the more social part of the evening where both lawyers and politicians would come together to feel each other out, impress one another, and attempt to forge new business partnerships. Lexa was good at impressing politicians and political hopefuls, in fact, she was damn good at it. Everything about speaking with these powerful figures came naturally to her, so she was able to carry herself and her conversation with ease for hours on end as if she'd done it a million times before.

"You look beautiful tonight," Eva complimented Lexa as she walked up behind her with two flutes of champagne. She offered one of them to the brunette, who reluctantly accepted it and took a small sip.

"Likewise," Lexa said, deciding it was the best response she could think of that didn't sound too personal but not personal enough.

She was determined, now more than ever, to keep her relationship with Eva strictly professional. They had explicitly spoken about it at the end of one of their meetings a few weeks ago, but it seemed like the political hopeful had completely forgotten everything Lexa had said.

"You threw a decent banquet here tonight," Eva said as she took a sip of her own champagne, "although I personally would have booked the Polis Tower. It's far more luxurious."

"And far more expensive," Lexa replied.

"Is it? I guess I hadn't noticed," Eva said dismissively. "I don't usually pay attention to those types of things. You know what they say about those of us who were born with silver spoons in our mouths..."

Lexa nodded once in response and resisted the urge to gag or roll her eyes. This woman was too much. She spoke about money as if it were the most mundane thing in the world, which to her it probably was. The fact was that Eva Porter was born into wealth and privilege, and she acted as though being a stuck up princess was her birth right.

"Well, if this event goes as planned and we gain more clients with access to those silver spoons, then it's more likely that the next banquet will be held somewhere like Polis Tower," Lexa said with a slight raise of her left eyebrow.

"I would suspect so," Eva replied with a smirk. "But enough shop talk. I was thinking we could spend a little time together this evening getting to know each other on a more... personal level."

The beautiful politician took a step closer to Lexa, who visibly tensed at their close proximity, but this only spurred the other woman as she leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"You are by far the best lawyer I've ever had, Lexa... but... is that all we have to be?" Eva purred. "Business partners? Lawyer and politician?"

The woman was practically whispering as her eyes darted between Lexa's blazing green eyes and her pink pouty lips. Lexa clenched her jaw and swallowed slowly before speaking.

"With all due respect, Miss Porter," Lexa started slowly as she took a step back, "that is all we can be."

"That's a shame," Eva said as she composed herself and took another drink from her champagne flute, "because I have a feeling that you and I will be spending quite a bit of time together in the near future. It couldn't hurt to get... acquainted... with each other a little more intimately."

"Good evening, Miss Porter," Aden suddenly interrupted as he appeared at Lexa's side and extended his hand in greeting. Eva smiled wickedly at the young man and shook his hand while her eyes darted back to Lexa's and watched her quickly swallow a rather large gulp of her champagne.

"Good evening, Aden," Eva replied.

"Did you receive the documents I had sent over earlier this afternoon?" Aden asked, trying to engage the woman in conversation.

"I did," Eva said as she brushed a loose curl away from her eyes. "Unfortunately I was at the spa for most of the day getting ready for this evening, so I didn't have much time to review them. I trust everything is in order regardless."

"Your trust is well placed," Lexa chimed in. "Aden is the most promising young professional I've ever worked with."

Aden couldn't stop himself from blushing slightly at Lexa's comments and averted his eyes from the women for a few seconds.

"Well anyone worthy of Lexa's high praise must be quite exceptional," Eva said to the young man, "so I'm happy to be working with such a competent assistant."

"Speaking of assistants," Aden directs at Eva, "how is it working with your younger brother? I'd imagine it could make for some long days being in such close proximity with one another."

Both women were staring at Aden with their mouths slightly open, surprised and confused by his knowledge of Eva's younger brother being her assistant. Lexa wasn't even aware of this information, and she made it a point of knowing more than most lawyers knew about her clients. Eva blinked a few times and put a smile on her face again before answering.

"Andrew and I rarely work together for that very reason," she explained. "He is... a bit aimless... but my family tries to keep him close knowing that one day he'll inherit part of the business."

Aden nodded his head in understanding and was just about to respond when a voice broke their conversation.

"Eva Porter, I can't believe I am seeing you with my very own eyes," the man beamed as she reached out to shake the young woman's hand.

"Senator Greene," Eva greeted the man with a seductive smile, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," he responded before lightly kissing the delicate hand still in his own.

Lexa and Aden shared a look before turning their attention back to the two politicians.

"How is your father?" Senator Greene asked. "The last time I saw him was about five years ago, and I had just handed him his own ass on the golf course that was a few blocks away from a condo building he'd just bought."

"That was the Malibu property, I assume?" Eva said with a laugh.

"It was indeed," the man said through a smile.

"We've since purchased two others in the same area," she continued, "both much larger than the one you're referring to. I actually spent about a year going from penthouse to penthouse in each building before finally buying my own in New York City."

"We'll leave you two to catch up," Lexa interjected, feeling like this was their perfect chance to excuse themselves from the snobby woman.

Assistant and boss quickly turned their backs and walked away, sharing a subtle eye roll and amused smiles as they headed towards the bar.

"How did you know about her younger brother?" Lexa asked her assistant. "I mean, that he worked for her?"

"He's best friends with my new roommate," Aden responded.

Lexa was surprised and lifted her eyebrows as she reacted to what Aden had just told her, but she said nothing other than to nod in response. They both stepped up to the bar, and Lexa traded in her champagne for a club soda which Aden also ordered for himself. He wasn't old enough to drink, and Lexa just wanted to make sure she was both alert and aware during the rest of the evening especially since she would be meeting Clarke later. The brunette's heart fluttered at the mere thought of her girlfriend, and suddenly she was hoping that the rest of the night would go quickly and find herself in Clarke's arms that much sooner.

---

"Good evening, Lexa," Gustus greeted the brunette as he held the car door open for her for the second time that day.

"Good evening, Gustus," Lexa replied with a smile before sliding into the backseat.

"How was the banquet?"

"It was successful," Lexa responded.

The truth was that she didn't have an especially riveting time, but the event did serve its purpose. Their firm gained a number of new clients and worked to bolster their image favorably among the powerful politicians who were in attendance, so it was indeed successful.

"Successful," Gustus repeated with a small smile on his face. "Sounds like you need an after party. Something with a bit less... pomp and circumstance."

"I'm meeting a few friends for drinks," Lexa said with a smile now dancing on her lips.

"Friends or friend?" Gustus inquired with a raised brow, "because the way you keep smiling back there makes me think you're meeting someone pretty special."

"Two friends and one who's more than a friend," Lexa said as she locked her gaze with her driver's for a moment. "She's my best friend actually, and we recently started dating. It's been... wonderful. She's amazing."

"Sounds like it," Gustus replied as he turned his focus back onto the road.

Lexa smiled as she lost herself in thoughts of the blonde. She was growing more and more excited each block they passed, knowing that it would only be a short time before they would be together. After she had thought about the state of her apartment, making sure it would be presentable enough if they ended their evening there, thoughts of what she should wear to the club started swirling around in her head. She knew that Clarke would be dressed to impress, it's what she always did when she went out, so she wanted to dress equally as impressive while still being comfortable. Spending hours in heels as high as she was wearing to the banquet was taking a toll on her feet, and Lexa couldn't wait to get home and stick them in the back of her closet until the next fancy event she had to attend.

"Does anyone ever call you Gus?" Lexa wondered out loud after her thoughts had drifted away from outfit-planning.

"Yes," Gustus simply answered, "but then I chop off their left arm, and they no longer call me that."

Lexa lost herself in a fit of laughter as the large man chuckled along as well. The remainder of the drive seemed to pass by almost instantaneously, and the car pulled slowly up to Lexa's apartment building. She remained in her seat until Gustus had walked around the car and opened the back door for her to exit, and and she gave him a large smile when she finally stepped onto the asphalt. She immediately reached into her purse for another tip, but a strong hand came to rest on her forearm which made her look up in surprise.

"You've been more than generous tonight," Gustus said kindly. "Go have fun with your friends."

"I will," Lexa replied as she took her hand out of her purse, "thank you."

"It was my pleasure. Be sure to keep my card and call me if you ever need anything," he said.

Lexa nodded and turned to head into her apartment building. She had managed to make a new friend over the hour they had spent in the car together, and smiled to herself as she pressed the elevator button and ascended to her apartment. It took her about thirty minutes for her to change and tidy up her place before she excitedly made her way back down to the busy streets below. There wasn't really ever a time of day that the big city was quiet from the hustle and bustle of those living in it, but Lexa actually enjoyed the vibe she got whenever she was out in the city. It was like a living, breathing thing that constantly changed with the times, the fads, the people.

The Ark was busy, for lack of a better term, and the buzz of the music seeped into the streets with every opening and closing of the club doors as people were slowly ushered past the large bouncers stationed outside. Lexa had been on the club's short list for years, her presence in the community gaining her an advantage over regular club-goers which was much to the delight of her friends who happily reaped the benefit. She greeted one of the bouncers at the side entrance and rattled off Clarke, Lincoln, and Octavia's names so that they could cut ahead in line as well once they arrived. Lexa looked over her shoulder to quickly scan for her friends before turning around and walking into the club.

"This place looks like a dump," Eva said as she looked through the tinted windows of her limousine as she saw Lexa disappearing through the side door of the club. How her friends knew about this club was beyond her, but she was determined to find a way into Lexa Woods' life and was prepared to use any means possible to get there.

"It's actually pretty nice inside," her friend offered as she dabbed on a bit more lipstick. "They throw a seriously wicked Halloween party every year."

"Hell yes, they do," another voice chimed in from the opposite side of the car. "Give it a chance, Porter."

The obnoxiously wealthy trio made their way out of the limo and towards the side door of the club, knowing that either their names or money would get them past the doors with no waiting, so it didn't surprise any of them when they were given entrance right away. Eva took in her surroundings carefully, noting the bright colors splashing the walls and floor from the moving lights above and the loud thump from the music being pumped through the entire building. She looked through the sea of people to finally catch a view of Lexa sitting at the bar and speaking to the bartender, presumably setting up a tab for the night.

She asked her friends to get her a drink and proceeded to the VIP area. Like at any club, only the richest or most influential people were able to secure the valuable territory of a private seating area, but Eva again had no worries of her abilities to attain such a prized piece of club real estate. Her name dropping, flirting, and obscene tip was enough to do the trick, and she was given the last remaining corner in the club.

"I can hardly believe a woman as beautiful as you is swinging single tonight," a handsome young waiter asked as he stepped into Eva's field of vision.

"I'm here with a couple of friends, but that certainly doesn't mean I'll be leaving with them," Eva flirted back.

"May I get you something to start the night out right then?" the man asked with a smile.

"A bottle of your most expensive champagne to go with whatever my friends bring back to me from the bar," Eva responded with her chin defiantly tipped into the air.

The waiter simply nodded and hurried away, knowing that he was probably in for one hell of a tip at the end of the night. She let her eyes wander back to where she knew Lexa was sitting and watched for a moment as she sipped on what looked like a glass of water. Interesting. It wasn't before long that who she could best describe as a bubbly blonde step up behind the brunette and gently spin her barstool away from the bar. She watched as they smiled at each other before connecting in a slow kiss which made Lexa's hands rise to lightly rest on her waist before sliding around to her back and pulling her in for a hug. They nuzzled into each other's necks for a moment before a tall black man and a petite brunette woman appeared behind them as if they all knew each other and had come to the club together.

"Your Manhattan," the lanky blonde man said as he set the drink down on the table beside Eva and situated himself on the couch next to her. He followed her intense stare across the room and peaked his eyebrows up in interest. "Are you checking out the black guy because, hot damn, he is one fine piece of ass."

"No," Eva replied, sounding distracted as she kept her gaze trained in on Lexa and the blonde.

She was obviously more than a friend if the kiss she'd just witnessed was anything to go by, and Eva shifted her focus to take in all she could from the distance she was at. The woman was was curvy but trim, with large breasts and long blonde hair that seemed to wave and curl in all the right places. She watched as the woman reached for a bottle of beer and take a sip as she continued to talk with her friends. Eva scoffed lightly to herself. She would have never pegged Lexa for dating a trophy girl, but the woman was practically every stereotype rolled into one. There was probably a brain the size of a pea underneath all that pretty blonde hair, and Eva was almost excited to confront the two of them so that she could lay her suspicions to rest.

"I see a friend at the bar," Eva said without tearing her eyes away from the bar. "I'm going to go say hello."

Her friends waved her off and lost themselves in conversation as they scoped the club for any hot singles they might be interested in.

"We must stop running into each other like this," Eva directed at Lexa in a sultry tone of voice as she stepped up behind the blonde who had been captivating Lexa's attention since she arrived.

"Miss Porter," Lexa responded as a small flash of confusion spread over her face. "I... didn't expect to see you here."

Clarke turned around and felt her heart sink as she immediately recognized the woman who was currently smirking at her girlfriend while holding steady eye contact. She chanced a look over to Lexa who shifted from one foot to another, a sign of nervousness that would be missed by most people, but not by Clarke. She eyed the other brunette and remained silent, curious as to where this little encounter was about to go. Eva broke her stare to look over at the blonde and had to stop herself from letting a look of sheer surprise take over her face. The woman was beautiful, more beautiful than she'd first thought, and her bright blue eyes felt as if they were piercing through her own as they held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

"Eva, this is Dr. Clarke Griffin," Lexa finally spoke, "Clarke this is– "

"Eva Porter," Clarke finished as she extended her hand slowly towards the woman.

Eva was momentarily stunned, first at the fact that Lexa had just introduced this beautifully curvaceous blonde woman as doctor and then at the fact that the woman had already known her name. She quickly composed herself before grasping the hand in front of her and shaking lightly.

"My reputation proceeds me?" Eva offered in a half-question, half-statement.

"We were at Columbia for a few years together," Clarke filled her in, "and your reputation proceeded you there as well."

Eva eyed the blonde carefully who was giving her a small glare and noticed Lexa biting her lip in what looked like an attempt not to smile. She pulled her hand away and cocked her head to the side before speaking to Clarke again.

"So Clarke," Eva started, "are you a doctor of medicine or a doctor of philosophy?"

"Medicine," Clarke responded. "I'm a surgeon."

"Impressive," Eva said as she tipped her chin up and pursed her lips in a tight smile. "Brains and beauty... quite like our Lexa over here."

Lexa swallowed nervously and eyed Clarke, afraid of what would come out of her girlfriend's mouth as she took a minuscule, almost unnoticeable, step towards Eva.

"My Lexa," Clarke sternly but calmly said, "your lawyer."

Lexa's eyes shifted back to Eva as they all stood in silence for a few poignant beats.

"Of course," Eva finally surrendered. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Didn't mean to offend, my ass" Clarke thought but kept her mouth shut.

"It was nice to see you again, Miss Porter," Lexa interjected in a confident tone, "but I should really be getting back to my friends."

"As should I," Eva replied with a smirk and turned around to head back to her exclusive seating area.

Clarke watched as the woman slipped past the crowd and situated herself on a plush sofa across from her two friends before taking a sip of her drink. The blonde had almost snapped the moment she laid eyes on Eva Porter, and her jealousy was fuming. Who does she think she is that she can barge into a conversation like that and shamelessly flirt with Lexa? Her Lexa. Just remembering the woman saying 'our Lexa' made the blonde's blood boil, and she quickly reached for her beer and downed a few healthy swigs.

"Who was that bitch?" Octavia asked as she turned around to face her friends. She and Lincoln had been nearby listening as best as they could to the conversation but not wanting to get in the middle of it.

"She's a client," Lexa said as she cautiously watched her flustered girlfriend take another gulp of her beer and glare into the direction Eva had walked off. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Clarke said, but Lexa knew better. In fact she was a little surprised that Clarke was trying to lie because they both knew neither one of them could lie to the other and get away with it. They knew each other far too well for that.

"Clarke," Lexa warned as she took the bottle out of her girlfriend's hand.

"Let's dance," Clarke said as she looked into concerned green eyes before grabbing Lexa's hand and tugging her towards the dance floor.

They turned to face each other, and Lexa's hands came to rest on Clarke's swaying hips. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments before Clarke's arms came up to wrap around Lexa's neck. The music pounded in their ears and beneath their feet as they moved together to the beat. When Clarke suddenly turned herself around and pressed herself hard into Lexa, the brunette carefully brushed Clarke's long curly hair behind her shoulder and spoke into her ear.

"You don't have to be jealous, Clarke," she said before placing a light kiss on her earlobe.

"Don't I?" Clarke questioned after she turned back around to look into Lexa's eyes.

"Of course not," Lexa answered honestly and hoped that the blonde could see the sincerity in her eyes, but as quickly as she had been dragged onto the dance floor, she was being lead off and into a fairly secluded hallway at the back of the club.

"She said our Lexa. Our Lexa," Clarke spat out as her eyes widened and threatened to pop right out of her head. "Like who the hell even says that? I'm not going to fucking share you!"

"I wouldn't want you to," Lexa replied with a growing smirk and a laugh about to escape her throat as she watched Clarke exaggerate her movements and get herself even more worked up.

"Lexa!" Clarke snapped when she saw the brunette smiling at her, "you're not supposed to laugh at me when I'm this pissed off!"

"You're not angry, Clarke," Lexa said as she moved in closer to the blonde, "you're jealous."

Clarke let out a dramatic huff and rolled her eyes, a sight that made Lexa want to laugh even more than she already wanted to but managed to stay silent.

"You have to trust me when I say that there is no need to be jealous," Lexa told her as she reached up to cup one of Clarke's cheeks with the palm of her hand. "You're the only person I see in this club. You're the only person I ever see."

Clarke felt her heart flip in her chest, and her eyes returned to their normal size as she flicked her gaze between Lexa's eyes a few times. She brought her hand up to cover Lexa's and sighed.

"I do trust you," she finally said. "I don't trust her. She looked like she was ready to pounce on you. What if... what if she..."

"Don't... just..." Lexa interrupted. "You're the most important thing in my life, Clarke. I lo– I need you trust me when I tell you that there's no reason to be jealous."

Clarke's heart nearly stopped as Lexa was talking, almost sure that she was about to confess something more intimate than anything the two had ever said to each other before. She took a deep breath and nodded in understanding, and Lexa leaned in to press a soft kiss on her lips. Clarke instantly melted into the touch and let her hands fall to Lexa's hips and guiding Lexa towards the wall behind her. When her back gently collided with the hard surface, Lexa broke the kiss and looked into her girlfriend's piercing blue eyes.

"So if I was still jealous, I'd probably want to pin you against this wall and show Eva just exactly what I do have that she can't have," Clarke purred into Lexa's ear. "Is that something you would consent to?"

Lexa's heart was racing and her eyes were trained on Clarke's lips as she felt herself nod. A small smile scrolled across Clarke's face before she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the swell of Lexa's bottom lip. The brunette's mouth fell open slightly as she felt hot breath spill across her skin just before Clarke leaned in again and nipped gently at the pouty lip she'd just kissed. A wave of excitement mixed with an alarmingly intense degree of arousal washed through Lexa's body and straight down to the throbbing between her legs, but all thoughts currently firing in her head were lost as she felt lips fully capture hers. They moaned into each other's mouths as both instantly deepened the kiss, craving the feel of their tongues caressing one another and teeth scraping against the other's lips. One of the hands that Clarke had placed on Lexa's hips moved down her left thigh, circled around it to the back, and finally yet ever-so-slowly slipped over the swell of Lexa's ass and squeezed meaningfully. The action made Lexa gasp as she ripped her lips away from Clarke's to look into her eyes.

"Can we get out of here?" Lexa said as she panted for breath.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Eva was sure that Clarke had purposefully been putting on a show for her when she pinned Lexa against the wall, but it was when the blonde snaked her hand around and squeezed Lexa's backside only to drag her out of the club a second later that the young politician's reserve had snapped. She was so used to getting everything and anyone she'd ever wanted, yet Lexa was turning out to be her most difficult prize yet. The more she failed at winning her over, the more motivated she became to try again and try harder until she finally got what she wanted. It was a perverted game she was playing with herself, and this night in particular was the night Eva realized that if she couldn't have Lexa Woods then nobody could.

Eva slipped her hand inside the designer handbag at her side and pulled out her phone. She dialed a familiar number, listened to it ring a few times, and lowered her voice to speak to the person on the other line.

"It's time to call in a favor."

---

They burst through the front door of Lexa's apartment in a tangle of limbs as their mouths collided in a passionate kiss. Lexa's fingers were digging into Clarke's hips as she pressed her firmly against the door, and Clarke's hands dove into long brunette locks. She squirmed as Lexa's hands grabbed at her sides and slid roughly over her breasts to squeeze them through her dress, and when a strong thigh came to press hard between her legs Clarke just about lost herself. She'd never felt Lexa's strength like this before, and it was lighting an inferno of desire deep in the pit of her stomach. She had never wanted someone so much in her life, and Lexa seemed to know exactly that.

A desperate moan escaped Clarke's lips as Lexa dropped her right hand from the substantial breast underneath it and hooked her fingers around the back of Clarke's knee to draw it up and around her waist. Clarke arched her back, pressing herself even closer to the brunette as she felt plump lips connect with the hot skin of her neck, kissing, nipping, caressing. As Lexa's hip provided the slightest bit of pressure to alleviate the throbbing between Clarke's legs, another moan was lost into the air around them just before they met in another heated kiss. Lexa slowly slid her hand up the back of Clarke's remarkably smooth thigh higher and higher until she was just about to follow along the curve of her backside when she suddenly realized that Clarke was either wearing a very small pair of panties or nothing at all. Their lips detached with a pop, and Lexa hovered just millimeters away as her breathing seemed to increase the moment her hand began to move again, gliding over her ass until her fingers bumped into a small strip of fabric at her hips.

Lace.

The two stared at each other for a few beats until something of a groan ripped itself from Lexa's chest, and her fingers curled around the top of the lacy underwear and tugged them down her thighs. The leg that Clarke had around Lexa's hip came down with a thump as her heel collided with the door behind her. Lexa took a moment to step out of her shoes, realizing that Clarke had already done so at some point after they had come crashing into her apartment. Their lips connected again, nipping and sucking as they teased each other, and Clarke felt Lexa moving both of her hands under her dress to cup her ass and tenderly knead the plump flesh beneath her fingertips. How it was that Lexa managed to make her burn from the softest of touches was beyond her, but it was certainly nothing that Clarke would be complaining about any time soon.

"Lexa," Clarke moaned into her girlfriend's ear as lips moved to her neck again and hands circled her waist before splaying against the front of her hips.

"Clarke," Lexa said against the blonde's flushed skin before greedy hands were ripping the brunette's shirt up and over her head.

Lexa's heart began to quicken as Clarke's hands wandered down her chest to ghost over her breasts and stomach before they went to work on the button and zipper of her pants, but she managed to pull herself together enough to gently push Clarke's hands away. Just as Clarke was about to protest, Lexa spoke in a deep commanding voice that sent shivers racing through the blonde's body.

"I'm about to show you just how much of a top I can be."

They stood in complete stillness for a few moments, only the sound of heavy breathing as they each anticipated what was coming next. But before Clarke had a chance to say anything, to challenge Lexa, she felt hands reach around the backs of her thighs and hoist her into the air. A surprised gasp flooded Lexa's ears as she felt strong legs instinctively wrap themselves around her waist, and a smirk grew across her lips while she took in the look of absolute shock mixed with absolute desire on her best friend's face. With her hands wedged tightly under Clarke's backside, she stepped away from the wall and effortlessly walked them down the hall and into her bedroom where she was planning to make good on her promise all night long.

---

The sound of a bird chirping just outside of Lexa's window is what finally woke her up. As her senses came back to her, she stretched languidly and smiled to herself as she thought about how clichéd this very situation was. It was like something out of a sappy romance movie, but Lexa didn't care. She was in love with a beautiful woman, who happened to be her best friend in the world, and doubted why she'd ever stopped herself from feeling this way before in the first place. The smile on her face quickly faded as her outstretched arm was met with nothing but cold sheets, and she cracked her eyes open to see an empty side of the bed. She reached over to grab a small piece of paper lying on the table opposite her and read it quickly.

Lexa,

Thought I could skip my coffee run on the way into work, so I slept in only to find that the only heated beverage you keep in your apartment is tea. I will forgive you when you finally admit to yourself and to me that you are still not, in fact, a top.

Clarke xx

Lexa chuckled as loudly as her sleepy voice would allow and rolled onto her back to read the note a few more times before slipping out of her bed and heading to the bathroom. She admired the faint red mark at the base of her neck in the mirror, remembering vividly when Clarke had bitten down onto the skin there just before she came. The sight of Clarke losing herself in pleasure was a vision in itself and one that Lexa hoped would forever remain in her memory.

After she finished taking a shower, Lexa wrapped herself in a soft white robe and headed into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Her thoughts drifted back to the note Clarke had left her this morning about only being able to find tea in her apartment, and she made a mental note to buy some coffee the next time she was at the store. If Clarke was going to be staying over more often, then it was definitely something she would need to have on hand. Settling herself on the couch, Lexa took a sip of her steaming beverage and pulled out her phone.

Lexa: I wish I could have woken up next to you.

She waited for a response for a few minutes but when nothing came through, she figured that Clarke was probably in a surgery and couldn't respond. She pushed herself up from the couch and headed back into the bathroom to dry her hair. Lexa had hoped that by the time she had finished getting ready and stopped by her girlfriend's favorite coffee shop, that Clarke would be out of her surgery and able to chat for a few minutes. But even if her timing was off, Lexa wanted to bring her coffee as she still felt bad about not having any in her apartment.

The walk to the coffee shop was pleasant, and the bright sun warming her skin was making Lexa feel even more energized than she was earlier that morning. As she neared the hospital, the smile on her face grew as she thought about seeing Clarke. There was something so appealing about seeing the curvy blonde in her dark blue scrubs and crisp white lab coat. She looked important, she looked powerful, and always dangerously beautiful. Lexa headed towards the nurse's station and smiled at the woman currently standing behind it.

"Good morning, Harper," Lexa said as she stepped up to the counter.

"Morning, Lexa," Harper responded with a wide grin.

"Is Clarke available?" Lexa asked. "I brought her coffee."

"Ah, we all know how she gets when she has to drink hospital coffee..." Harper joked as she scrunched her nose. She looked down to her tablet and scrolled through the day's scheduled surgeries and furrowed her brow. "I actually don't see Clarke down for any surgeries today."

"Really?" Lexa wondered out loud.

"Good morning, Lexa," Abby greeted politely as she walked up behind the brunette.

"Hi, good morning... Abby," Lexa said as her demeanor instantly changed to slight nervousness.

"Clarke went home sick," the older woman said as she handed a medical chart to Harper.

"Oh," Lexa said softly, her face suddenly full of concern. "She didn't tell me..."

"Me either," Abby clarified. "I just heard about it from another attending."

"Alright," Lexa repeated. "Well... maybe I'll just stop by her apartment to make sure she's okay."

"That sounds like a good idea," Abby said as she smiled softly at the brunette.

Lexa bid her goodbyes to Abby and Harper before turning around and heading out of the hospital. She wondered why Clarke hadn't at least texted her that she wasn't feeling well, but nevertheless decided to stop by the store for a few supplies before heading over to the blonde's apartment. She had taken care of Clarke before, both when she was sick and hungover, so she knew exactly what Clarke would want. Soup, crackers, bananas, and ginger ale were piled up into Lexa's shopping basket as she headed into the medicine aisle. She wasn't sure what Clarke had come down with, so she got a little bit of everything before heading towards the checkout lanes. As she passed a display of coffee, she threw a box into her basket to take back to her apartment later. She paid for her items and headed out of the store to make the short walk to Clarke's apartment as quickly as possible.

---

Lexa: I wish I could have woken up next to you.

Clarke smiled at the message that popped up on her phone and her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment as she remembered how peaceful Lexa looked this morning as she laid next to her. They had spent the better part of the night getting lost in each other's touches until sleep had finally overtaken both of them. Clarke subconsciously bit her lip and began typing a response only to be interrupted by another text message notification appearing at the top of her screen.

Raven: 911

As soon as she read the emergency text from her friend, her smile immediately faded, and a wave of panic washed over her body as Clarke shoved her phone into the pocket of her lab coat and ran for the elevator. It seemed to be climbing slower than it ever had before, and she all but exploded out of the doors when they finally opened to the floor Raven's hospital room was on. She barged into the quiet room and was immediately greeted by the sight of her friend sitting up in her bed and looking nervous.

"Raven! What's wrong?" Clarke asked as fear crept into her voice. She instinctively put her hands on Raven's left leg and stared at her for an answer.

"Clarke, I..." Raven faltered.

"What happened?" Clarke almost shouted as she lifted the sheet to inspect Raven's leg. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Clarke," Raven replied as she pulled the sheets out of the worried doctor's hands. "Stop."

"You texted me nine-one-one," Clarke said as her eyes remained wide. "What's going on?"

"It's not about me, so just calm down," Raven said as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "It's about you."

"What about me, Raven?" Clarke huffed as she began to settle herself down.

"Have you read anything this morning?" Raven asked with a hesitant voice.

"What?" Clarke questioned. "Read anything? Raven, just stop being so cryptic and tell me what's going on."

Raven swallowed and reached over towards the small table beside her bed. Clarke had never seen her normally easy-going friend looking so nervous in her life, and that in itself was starting to make her worry all over again. She looked at a magazine in Raven's hands and watched as the brunette licked her lips and thumbed through the magazine before slipping her fingertips between two pages and looking up at her.

"So this super annoying nurse, who I've been meaning to talk to you about, woke me up this morning with her loud banging around my room checking who knows what and asked if I needed anything like that would make up for the fact that she woke me up at the ass-crack of dawn or something," Raven rambled. "And since I've been stuck in here for so long, I know that all of the morning shows are crap and I seriously cannot watch another single cartoon for like at least a year..."

Clarke sighed and crossed her arms as she waited for her friend to get to the point.

"Anyways," Raven said as she noticed Clarke's impatience, "I asked her for the new mechanics magazine since I know the hospital has like a thousand magazines to choose from, but she brought me this piece of garbage instead."

Clarke's eyes flicked to the magazine in Raven's lap that she was pointing to with her free hand.

"Raven, you seriously texted me nine-one-one for this?" Clarke interrupted as her agitation got the best of her again.

"Clarke!" Raven yelled. "I'm trying to get to the point of the story!"

"Then get to it!" Clarke responded as her eyes widened again.

"You know I love you," Raven started, "and I would never do or show you anything to intentionally hurt you."

With the change in Raven's tone and the expression on her face, Clarke felt her body tense and she was suddenly dreading whatever her friend was about to tell her. She watched as Raven looked back at her in silence, waiting for a response.

"Yes... I know that..." Clarke finally replied.

"Okay," Raven said as she took a deep breath, "so just don't kill the messenger."

Clarke watched as Raven gently opened the magazine and folded it in half before presenting it with a hesitant look in her eyes. The title of the article read 'Corruption in the Big City: Work or Play?' and was followed by a few columns of text with several candid photos printed at the end of the page. Shocked blue eyes scanned each picture, which all clearly showed Lexa, her Lexa, and Eva Porter at what looked like one hell of a fancy restaurant together, sitting at a table for two, pouring wine, getting ready to leave, and finally an image showing Eva's hands squeezing Lexa's shoulders with what looked like a soothing massage. Clarke swallowed thickly and had to blink her eyes a few times to regain focus before reading the article above.

For those of us who are connected even remotely to the political scene know of 27 year old Eva Porter, daughter of business guru and self-made multi-millionaire Edward Porter, as being the newest and hottest city council hopeful running in this term's election. Who many of us may not know yet, but certainly should, is 27 year old Lexa Woods, one of the most renowned rising political attorneys in the tristate area. Her work with mayors, senators, and presidential hopefuls has earned her respect among members in the American Bar Association, but has all of this notoriety gone to her head?

Last Wednesday, Lexa Woods was seen wining and dining her newest client, Eva Porter, at one of the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in the city reportedly purchasing a $400 bottle of wine that they shared throughout the course of the evening. The two were spotted looking quite cozy at their table and were even seen touching intimately at the end of their meal. We're not sure when business meetings started to entail neck massages, but if this is how all political lawyers conduct their "business" then sign us up for president!

By the time she had finished reading the article, Clarke's mouth was hanging slightly open in astonishment. Pictures don't lie. Clarke had looked at the pictures, studied the pictures, for what seemed like hours, and no matter how hard she tried she saw nothing else but Lexa cheating on her with Eva Porter, world's biggest snob. Her heart bottomed out in her chest as she thought about the conversation she'd just had with Lexa the night before, wondering how on earth her best friend had managed to lie so perfectly and right to her face. She thought she knew Lexa better than this. She thought Lexa was better than this.

"Clarke," Raven spoke softly and snapped the blonde out of her thoughts, "I'm sorry."

"This can't be... this can't be true..." Clarke tried to rationalize as she shook her head from side to side. "She wouldn't do this... not to me..."

"I was shocked when I saw it too," Raven admitted quietly. Lexa had always been such a strong presence in the group, and it was hard for either of them to believe that this was something she'd actually do. But pictures don't lie.

"Clarke..." Raven started but was interrupted by the blonde.

"Look, Raven... I– I need to go," she stammered as she clutched the magazine in her hands and headed towards the door.

"Talk to her!" Raven called out as her friend walked through the door and into the hallway.

Each step Clarke took felt like she was walking in a sea of honey. Her feet felt heavy like they were sticking to the floor as she made her way to the employee locker rooms. She felt a wave of nausea wash through her stomach as she slumped down onto the bench near her locker. How could this be happening?

"Clarke?" Wells asked tentatively as he carefully took in the blonde's facial expressions. "Are you okay? You look pale."

"What? Oh..." Clarke stuttered. "No. I'm not okay. I actually... I think I'm getting sick... would you mind letting the chief know I'm going home?"

"Yeah, no problem," he said as he nodded. "Just... take care of yourself."

Clarke swallowed and nodded shallowly but said nothing in return. She quickly gathered her things from her locker and headed out to her truck. The drive home went by in a blur, and by the time Clarke had made it to her apartment she could barely remember how she'd gotten there. She pushed herself through her front door and turned around promptly to close and lock it. Clarke spent the next hour pacing, re-reading the article, and studying the pictures over and over again until her phone suddenly sounded with a text message notification.

Lincoln: O and I just saw the article, and it's bullshit.

Clarke rolled her eyes. Of course Raven would tell Octavia and Lincoln about the article the second she'd run out of the room. It wasn't that she didn't want her friends to know her business, but did they seriously have to know all of her business? She sighed heavily and turned her attention back to her phone as another text message came in.

Lincoln: Lexa was at the gym with me until almost 7pm that night, plus she would never do this to you. I don't know what this article is, but it's bullshit. Just remember that.

Lincoln: Octavia says we love you.

A smile threatened to appear on Clarke's lips until a soft knocking on her door startled her, making her stomach flip anxiously as she dropped her phone onto the couch.

"Clarke?"

Her heart slammed against her chest as she instantly recognized Lexa's voice. It was soft and laced with concern, evident even though the thick wooden door at the front of her apartment. From the other side, Lexa leaned her head slightly closer to the door to listen for any movement before knocking softly three more times in quick succession.

"Clarke?"

---

So... I hope that Abby didn't come off as a creep lingering in the hallway of Clarke's apartment. I just really wanted a chance for her to hear Clarke and Lexa talking freely about their relationship so that she could begin to understand how serious it had actually become over the last couple of months. Oh, and Gustus! I was so excited that I found a way to write him into the story, as I really loved his character on the show. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did :)

(Find me on Twitter MsDorisDaisy)