Chapter 21:

Clarke was smiling as she left the room because she knew what she wanted. She'd also remembered while staring at Lexa across that table that she was always good at figuring out what Lexa wanted too despite sometimes what Lexa said out loud. Lexa was the Commander after all and it made sense to have a public ceremony. She was also just a girl and she could be a shy one at that. There were many sides to Lexa. Clarke had come to understand all of them throughout the years, but it wouldn't surprise her if another side came out someday in the future that she'd get to know as well.

It didn't take too long to do what she wanted to do. The supplies were already in the building. The only thing she really needed was the people. Luckily, communication at Polis was easier these days as certain people had landline telephones put together by Skaikru engineering. The goal was to eventually get a phone to every home, but parts were limited so leaders got them first within the past year and some others received radios. Clarke was able to reach out to a few people by phone and some others by radio and within a couple of hours, she was ready to return to her room.

She stood behind the door for a moment, taking a deep breath. She looked down at the floor and smiled as she shook her head. She knew this was the right thing to do. She knew it in her gut, in her soul, in her bones. Lexa was her one. She recalled her earlier conversation with Raven about what might have happened with Finn and she laughed lightly recalling that she thought that was love back then. Maybe that's what Raven had with Finn, but Clarke now knew the difference.

She opened the door and saw Lexa sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked to the balcony and saw their dinner was still setup and the candles in the room had now been lit.

"You didn't eat dinner?" Clarke asked her instead of saying what she'd planned to say.

"You weren't here." Lexa stated. Her hands were clasped in her lap. She stood slowly and clasped them behind her back instead. Clarke smirked.

"No, no standing like that." Clarke ordered and walked toward her. She wrapped her arms around Lexa's waist forcing Lexa's arms to move from behind her back and move instead behind Clarke's neck. "Everything is fine. Will you just trust me?"

"You left."

"I needed to move quickly."

"Clarke, please talk to me." Lexa's eyes expressed her concern.

"You look beautiful." Clarke pointed out. Lexa was wearing one of her two dresses. Clarke had noticed it before, but failed to remark on it with the surprise that awaited her on the balcony. "Your hair is getting longer." She pulled herself back a little and ran her fingers through the ends of Lexa's hair that was flowing down past her shoulders. "I like it like this." She returned her glance to Lexa's eyes. "Can you give me 5 minutes? I'll meet you right outside in the hall."

Lexa looked down and pulled her arms back.

"I'm not good at this, Clarke. Please tell me what's wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Clarke asked her. "Good at what?"

"Reading your mind." Lexa's eyes got big for a moment. "Please…"

Clarke leaned in and gently touched her lips to Lexa's. Lexa didn't respond so Clarke pulled them back realizing that Lexa wasn't exactly raised to enjoy surprises. Surprises to a Commander, in battle, with ambassadors were rarely, if ever, a good thing.

"Five minutes. I promise nothing is wrong. Everything is right."

Lexa reluctantly nodded and walked toward the door in her long, flowing gray and blue dress.

When the door was closed behind her, Clarke went to work. It took a few minutes longer than the five she promised, but she'd guessed Lexa wouldn't care once she knew what they were doing.

When she emerged, Lexa was pacing up and down the hallway. There were no guards outside their room these days. They did walk the halls in shifts, but they were no longer required to stand in place guarding against potential threats. When she turned back around to see Clarke standing there, she stopped in her tracks and took her in.

"That's…" She looked her up and down for another moment. "I thought you were going to wear that tomorrow." Lexa pointed out the dress that Clarke had changed into. They'd discussed what they'd wear that morning briefly before tending to other plans for the wedding.

"I said I would wear it to our wedding." Clarke reiterated. "And I am." She took a few steps toward Lexa. "Come with me please."

Lexa was speechless as Clarke took her hand and walked her toward the elevator. Skaikru had managed to hook the elevator up to the grid so it no longer required men to operate it. They stood together silently as it crept slowly down several levels until it opened with a creak.

"Clarke, wait!" Lexa pulled her back the moment after they'd left the elevator. Clarke turned back toward her. "Is this what I think this is?" Lexa finally asked.

Clarke took both of Lexa's hands in her own.

"Tomorrow is for them." She referenced the people of Polaris. "Tonight is for us." She let go of one of Lexa's hands and turned to continue walking. Lexa smiled shyly and walked beside her.

They entered the room that had long been the room the ambassadors met in, but tonight it would hold a different kind of ceremony; one it had never held before.

Two men opened the large doors as Clarke and Lexa stood behind them. The room was filled with more candles than had possibly ever been in the entire building. They flickered against the backdrop of gray walls that now held a few paintings from Lexa's collection as well. There were also a few of Clarke's mixed in as well. Lexa had commissioned images of each of the clans and Clarke had worked with the clan leaders to make them all happen. Lincoln stood at the front of the room. Lexa's eyes darted from person to person. Everyone they cared about was in this room. Abby, Kane, Jaha, Raven, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, and a few more from the original Skaikru stood mixed with a few of the ambassadors Clarke knew Lexa actually liked on a personal level beyond the political. Indra was there as were a few of the people Clarke knew Lexa liked and trusted. Nearly everyone in the room had a smile on their face. Octavia's was more reserved. Abby's was wide. Indra's appeared and then quickly disappeared. Lincoln was trying to remain professional at the front of the room as the two women walked toward him hand in hand. There was no music; no pretense. It was just the two of them with the people they loved and that was exactly what Clarke wanted and as they arrived at their destination and she turned to face Lexa, she could tell it was exactly what she wanted as well.

"We don't have many weddings in Polaris." Lincoln began. "This is definitely the first one in this room and the first between a Commander and a Flamekeeper." A few people lightly laughed. Clarke and Lexa were all smiles. "Clarke asked me to keep this brief since we're doing this again tomorrow night in front of everyone. Trikru didn't have weddings like this so I had to ask some people from Skaikru what I should do." He paused and looked at their connected hands as they stood facing one another. Clarke was sure everyone could hear her heart racing, but if they couldn't, Lexa definitely could. She knew she could feel Lexa's hands shaking in her own and she rubbed her thumbs calmingly over them. "Clarke?" He motioned to her with his hand.

"Last night when I asked you to marry me, I had this speech planned and then I saw you and I couldn't remember any of it." She shook her head at herself and looked toward the floor; not able to meet Lexa's eyes in this moment. "I wanted to have this with you tonight, but I didn't plan what I would say when I got up here. I don't know what I could say though because I don't think there are words that describe what we are to each other." She took a deep breath and finally looked up to see tears welling up in Lexa's expressive eyes. "I wanted this with you, Lexa. I think I've always wanted this with you. I just didn't realize it at first. It took us a while to get here because we had to put other things first, but we're here now." Clarke continued. "And I love you so much. You are smart and wise and you are kind and selfless. You're beautiful and you never seem to notice it." She watched Lexa laugh. "Your laugh… it took me forever to actually hear it and I've been hearing it more and more now. Your smile is perfect. You're even funny sometimes." Lexa rolled her eyes. "Like right now for example." That caused a few people to laugh. "I love all of you." She finished.

"Commander?" Lincoln waited.

"Lexa." She replied and looked at him.

"Lexa." He repeated and understood his mistake.

Her eyes quickly darted around the room and then returned to Clarke.

"I don't…" She tried, but gulped instead. She leaned in and whispered, "I'm not… I had a speech prepared for tomorrow, Clarke. I didn't…"

"I don't need a speech." Clarke whispered back.

Lexa side-eyed the small group and took a deep breath.

"I was chosen to be Commander and to be Commander means to be alone. That's what I believed for most of my life." She paused. "I accepted that this was my role and understood that I was chosen to put the needs of my people over my own. Then, I met you." She couldn't believe she was saying this in front of other people. "You questioned me, you made me think differently about the things I had been taught; the things I'd been told. You made me want to live. There were times I thought I'd lost you; that you'd never return my affection. Each of those times hurt worse than the one before." Again, there were tears welling up in her eyes and as she looked into Clarke's she could see they looked glassy as well. "You are the one person in this world that makes me believe that anything is possible, Clarke. I am yours forever." She took another breath and looked down at the floor as if to gather herself.

Clarke didn't hear anything Lincoln said after that and the way Lexa was looking at her after she'd lifted her eyes from the floor led her to believe that Lexa wasn't listening either. They shared small smiles as their hands remained locked together; the shaking finally subsiding.

"Clarke and Lexa, you are now joined; bonded together for all your lives."

"Kiss each other already!" It was Raven's voice.

Everyone laughed as Clarke and Lexa smiled at each other. It was a nice way to release their nervous energy. Clarke moved first and disconnected their hands. She placed her hands on Lexa's hips before Lexa moved her hands to Clarke's cheek and around the back of her neck. She gently pulled her toward her and their lips connected before Clarke had to pull back because Lexa was smiling so big, it made it difficult to actually kiss her.

There was applause, but neither girl could hear them. They embraced one another for a long moment before people started approaching them and pulled them apart for hugs. The former Sky People did most of the hugging while the former grounders mainly engaged in the handshake they'd used for a century.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." Abby shared as Clarke pulled away from their hug. Kane hugged her as well and then stood off to the side. "Should I assume there's no party tonight?" Abby checked.

Clarke nodded.

"We'll save that for tomorrow." She looked over at Lexa who was shaking hands with Octavia. "Tonight was just about us. Tomorrow, we'll do it all over again with a whole ceremony and the party."

"I understand."

"Clarke, have you two thought about taking a honeymoon?" Kane asked.

"I doubt anyone has taken a honeymoon in 100 years." Jaha added.

Clarke knew about honeymoons from the TV shows they'd watched on the ark and the books they'd read, but Jaha was right. No one on the ark ever took a honeymoon and she was sure no one on earth had taken one since the bombs.

"She's the Commander. Not exactly easy to get away."

"Something tells me you'll figure it out." Abby expressed. "No one ever thought a Commander would get married and yet here we are."

"You tamed the beast." Raven shared jokingly.

"Did you just call my girlfriend a beast?" Clarke smiled at her. She caught herself, but before she could correct it, someone else did.

"No, she just called your wife a beast." It was Lexa who had walked up behind her during the conversation. "But I believe Raven meant it as a joke."

Raven laughed and nodded.

"Wife? That's going to take some getting used too." Octavia pointed out.

"Tell me about it." Abby agreed.

"Okay…" Clarke took Lexa's hand. "Thank you all for coming, but-"
"We 'll leave you two alone." Kane spoke for the group and put his hand on the small of his wife's back. "Are you ready?"

"We'll see you tomorrow." She reached to give Clarke a one-armed hug since Clarke was still tightly grasping Lexa's hand. "Congratulations, you two."

Others shared their congratulations before they left the room until Clarke and Lexa remained alone.

"You are a constant surprise, Clarke kom Skaikru." Lexa offered the silence.

"Come on, let's go." Clarke deflected and pulled her back toward the elevator. "We still have to plan the wedding that the rest of Polaris will actually see. I told everyone here to keep this one a secret and-"

"Clarke?"

They made it to the elevator and opened it to climb in.

"What?"

"Shof op!" Lexa commanded as the elevator ascended.

"Did you just tell me to be quiet?" Clarke questioned with a laugh.

Lexa pressed her against the back wall of the elevator.

"Yes." She leaned in and captured her lips for a real kiss this time. Clarke's hands wrapped themselves around Lexa's back and began greedily traveling up and down while Lexa's went around her neck and got lost in Clarke's long hair. Lexa's lips moved to Clarke's neck and when they heard the elevator stop and the door open, Clarke began pushing forward forcing Lexa to walk backwards while her lips were still attached to her neck.

"Let's just get down the hall." Clarke got out between pants.

"Mm." Lexa replied while still walking backwards. Her hands now running up and down Clarke's sides and then front.

They made it to their room and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Lexa was undoing the back of Clarke's dress. It wasn't the first time she'd worn it and it wasn't the first time Lexa had removed it for her. It was now Clarke moving backwards as Lexa began walking her toward the bed. Clarke's hands were occupied as well trying to get at the back of Lexa's dress, but Lexa had her on the bed before she got a chance. Instead Clarke slid herself back against the head of the bed watching as Lexa undid her own dress and joined her; lying on top of her as she again connected their lips.

"I take it you liked my idea." Clarke suggested when Lexa's lips moved down to her collarbone.

Lexa stopped and looked up at Clarke.

"How did you know?"

"Well, this reaction is an indication." Clarke replied with a smirk.

Lexa smiled back thoughtfully.

"How did you know that I wished for something more private for the two of us?"

Clarke ran her hand through Lexa's hair.

"I didn't, honestly. I thought you wanted the public ceremony tomorrow until I was sitting at dinner with you and I realized that I wanted something for just us. I looked at you and thought about who you really were." She paused and played with the tips of Lexa's dark hair. "You'll do the ceremony tomorrow because it's what's good for everyone, but when it's just you and I, it's special. I wanted special with you tonight and I thought you would too."

"I finally married you." Lexa let out almost as a sigh.

"Shh…" Clarke pressed her finger to Lexa's lips. "It's a secret."

Lexa lowered her lips to meet Clarke's and they celebrated the fact that at least tonight, they would be just two people in love who'd gotten married. Tomorrow, they could be the Commander and the Flamekeeper.