The next two and a half weeks were both the fastest and the slowest Clarke could ever remember experiencing. They flew by because, even though the group was recovering from the shooting, they still had finals to prepare for. The Delinquents and the Woods siblings could often be found sprawled throughout Lexa's apartment or at the booth in Tondisi. On the other hand, the weeks passed by at a snail pace because Clarke and Lexa were more than ready to take the next step in their relationship but couldn't. Clarke's only real comfort was that Raven and Anya shared in their pain.
The Delinquents hadn't been back to the apartment since the ambush. Clarke stayed with Lexa while Raven stayed with Anya and Lincoln, which was also where Octavia was often found. Clarke would stare at the ceiling at night before drifting off to sleep, missing her bed that was just on the other side of plaster and wood but dreading the day she'd have to go back.
The night before her first final Clarke found herself standing on her front porch.
"Clarke?" Lexa spoke just behind her. The blonde had left their last study session to go get more supplies, like coffee and chocolate, and hadn't returned.
"Lexa?"
"You've been gone for an hour."
"Sorry." Clarke sighed. "Your coffee is probably cold now."
Approaching slowly Lexa wrapped her arms around her waist. She pressed a kiss where jaw met ear, smiling at the hum escaping Clarke's mouth. "I don't care about the coffee. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"I don't think you are." Lexa replied carefully. Clarke squirmed in her arms. "You haven't slept in your own bed since that night."
"Getting tired of sharing your bed with me?"
"Of course not. I love seeing you first thing in the morning. I can't even explain how it makes me feel to see you in my clothes while we lounge around. And I adore being able to fall asleep with you in my arms. I love it all."
"But?"
"Maybe avoiding isn't helping."
Sighing, Clarke turned in her arms. "I know."
"So how do we fix it?"
"Can we maybe sleep here tonight?" She asked, her voice small. "If you want I mean. You can stay home. I can sleep here by myself."
"I've fallen asleep with you in my arms every night for the last month. You really think I'd be capable of falling asleep without you anymore?"
Clarke cupped her face with hands. Her face roamed Lexa's face, taking in her green eyes, those wonderful orbs she constantly found herself thinking about, then her plump lips, her straight and narrow nose, the arch of her brows. She took it all in before she leaned in and pressed her lips to Lexa's, silently thanking her for understanding. She only pulled back when their smiles grew too big to allow them to continue the kiss.
"Let's go finish this study session." Lexa said before pressing another peck to Clarke's lips.
At 10:30 Clarke announced she was going home to go to bed. Lexa followed her lead, standing and heading to her room to throw a change of clothes into a bag for the next day. Much to Clarke's surprise, Raven and Anya agreed to stay with them too.
"We'll heal better together," Raven shrugged when Clarke questioned her.
"I'll be home in a bit too." Octavia added. "Linc in staying the night too."
"I can crash on your couch." Tris said. When the others looked at her, she shrugged, "I don't want to be alone."
"How about I stay here with you?" Bellamy asked. "I'd feel better being close."
"Really?" Tris perked up.
"You can stay in my room Bellamy." Lexa offered.
"And Jasper and I will take the couch." Monty added.
His best friend nodded, "Plenty of room for all of us."
"You guys don't have to –" Clarke tried to argue.
"Don't even try." Bellamy cut her off.
Jasper nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, "We want to be here."
Lexa grinned at her friends. The group had merged much more seamlessly than she and Clarke could have ever hoped for. She and Tris, who was fully recovered, grabbed all the spare pillows and blankets they could find.
"Okay. So Rae, Lex, Monty, and I have exams at 9." Clarke said from her spot near the front door. "Let's meet on the porch at 7:30 for breakfast."
Even though there were grumbles about being up early everyone agreed.
"It's going to be okay, Clarke." Lexa's grip tightened on her hand.
"I hate feeling like this." She replied.
"At least we know he's locked up," Raven spoke from just behind the couple.
"So let's do this." Octavia moved to open the door. "We can't let him win."
Octavia and Lincoln led the way into the apartment, heading straight to O's room. Raven and Anya hesitated for just a moment or two before following. It took Clarke a few deep breathes before she glanced at Lexa and nodded. Together they stepped inside.
Clarke wasn't sure what to expect. She thought maybe she'd have a flashback or she'd feel off being there again. Instead she still felt like she was home. She glanced around.
"It's clean." She whispered.
"Linc and Tris helped Octavia and Monty while we were all at the hospital." Lexa explained.
After studying the room the blonde shifted her gaze to her girlfriend. Clarke tried to find hesitation in green eyes. Or fear. Anything that might suggest Lexa was uncomfortable being back. She didn't find any.
"Are you okay?" Clarke asked quietly.
"I'm fine Meizen." Lexa pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Bed time then?"
Nodding, Lexa allowed herself to be pulled through the apartment. She too thought she'd hate being there. Instead she found the whole place still felt like Clarke. It felt like home.
They each went through their nightly routines. Clarke went to the kitchen to fill a glass with water for her nightstand; Lexa's cute little snores dried her throat out so Clarke always made sure to keep water nearby. Before heading back to her room she took a minute to study the living room and kitchen. She stared at the cabinets she'd pressed her back against while hiding from Finn, expecting fear to rush back. Nothing came.
When she turned around she found Raven and Octavia watching her.
"You okay?" Octavia asked.
"I'm surprisingly fine." Clarke answered. She sounded just as confused as her friends looked.
"Actually fine or 'I'm totally gonna have a nightmare tonight' fine?" Raven responded.
"I think I'm actually fine. I remember everything about that night, in great detail, but what I remember most is being happy knowing you and Lexa were going to be okay." Clarke explained. She waved her hand through the air, gesturing toward the cabinets. "I thought after hiding here and having to listen to Finn, knowing he'd shot you, I just… I thought I'd hate it here. But I don't."
Raven nodded, understanding completely. "I think I love this place too much to hate it for that night."
"We built it together. It's us." Clarke nodded.
Octavia teared up, "stupid hormones."
"Being 15 weeks pregnant does that to you O." Clarke teased.
"I'm just really happy you're both okay." Octavia's voice cracked. "Lexa too of course. I don't know what I'd do if that jackass had taken you guys from me."
"Good thing you don't have to find out then." Raven wrapped her in a hug.
After setting the glass down on the counter Clarke joined them.
"Can I get in on this?" Lexa asked as she entered the living room.
"Of course." Clarke winked at her girlfriend.
So Lexa moved until she was behind Clarke and wrapped her arms as far around the three crying girls as she could. Soon, and without any teasing, Anya joined them. Lincoln was the last added group hug. He had come out of Octavia's room asking where his phone charger was and froze when he saw the girls huddled together. With a smile he tossed his phone on the bed behind him and moved to the living room. He wrapped his arms around the girls, almost entirely because he was huge and the girls were all tiny, and squeezed.
"I like being home." Clarke turned her head to meet Lexa's eyes.
She understood what she meant. The apartment was where they lived sure, but it wasn't home. Their friends were their family. And Lexa suspected she was Clarke's home just as much as Clarke was hers.
Anyone would agree that any one of the Delinquents or the Woods siblings bombing their finals would be completely understandable. Some would say it was to be expecting. A former friend had taken Clarke and Raven hostage, two of the core members of the Delinquents. Lexa and Anya had walked in on a man holding a gun to their girlfriends. The stress on those four was unimaginable. The stress it had caused the others was no less serious.
It was because of that sort of reasoning that Clarke was beyond proud to find Lexa had earned A's on all her tests. She and Lexa had just finished packing Lexa's Jeep up for their weekend away when the others had announced the arrival of their results.
"96, 98, 95, 96, 98." Clarke read off the scores for the tenth time.
Lexa blushed, "Yours are just as good."
"Lexa that's a 97 percent average."
"If you round up." She replied.
"A 96 percent average is nothing to sneeze at Meizen." Lexa held up her girlfriend's results. "96, 97, 99, 94, 95."
"You rounded down." Clarke protested.
"Because that's how math works." Lexa gave her a quick peck on the tip of her nose.
Clarke grinned and wrapped her around Lexa's neck, pulling her close. "Tomorrow is our two month anniversary."
"I know. And we'll be tucked away in a cabin all by ourselves." Lexa smirked as her hands came to rest on her hips. "Whatever shall we do?"
"Oh, I have faith in our abilities to find a way to have fun." Clarke winked.
Unable to hold back, knowing she was close to being able to give herself fully to Clarke, Lexa turned them until the blonde's back was pressed against the passenger door of the Jeep. She pressed forward until they were flush against each other. She leaned forward slowly, kissing the cleft in Clarke's chin, then up her jawline before nipping at her earlobe gently. She smiled against her neck when she heard Clarke's shuddering breath. She kissed her way down her neck stopping briefly to suck at her pulse point only stopping with a gentle bite when Clarke's hand moved to tangle in her hair. She pulled back slightly, wanting to take in the look on her face. When Clarke's eyes finally opened she was glaring.
"Don't look so smug." She rolled her eyes.
"Not smug. Happy." Lexa pecked at her lips again.
"You're smirking." Clarke said between kisses. "That's smug."
Lexa shook her head and buried her head in Clarke's neck. "I'm not smug. I'm happy that we're done with school. And that I get to spend as much time as I want with you for the next five weeks. I'm just happy."
"Don't even try Lexa Woods. You're looking smug because you know I'd let you take me right now in the backseat of you Jeep." Clarke embraced her again, holding her as tightly as she could.
A throat was cleared behind Lexa, startling both women. Their heads swiveled until they found Costia standing on the side near the steps to the townhouse.
"I wouldn't recommend that Lexa. I'd have to write you all kinds of tickets for that." She grinned at the blushes spreading on both women's faces. "There might even be handcuffs involved. And not in the fun way."
"Hey Cos." Lexa gave her a short wave.
"Hello Lexa. Hello Clarke." Costia winked at the two of them.
Clarke wiggled out from behind Lexa, offering Costia a small smile and a weak wave. "Hey."
"Everything okay?" Lexa asked.
"Oh. Everything is great. Amazing." Costia's smile grew. "I have some news for the two of you."
"Something good?" Clarke questioned.
Costia nodded then paused. She shook her head. "I guess that depends on who you're talking to about it."
"So what's the news?" Lexa asked after Costia didn't offer anything more.
"Finn Collins is in the hospital again." Costia said.
"The same hospital he walked out of a couple of months ago?" Clarke inquired calmly. She couldn't believe this was happening. She and Lexa were supposed to be on their way to a romantic weekend away. Of course Finn would find some way to weasel in on that.
"Yes. But he's got two officers on him at all times. And he can't sign himself out this time." Costia replied. "Not to mention he's handcuffed to the bed. Again, not in the fun way."
Lexa rested a hand on the small of Clarke's back, hoping to calm her a bit. "What happened Costia?"
"He got jumped." Costia replied.
"By who?" Lexa asked.
"A few of the inmates heard about what he did. One in particular seemed particularly agitated when he heard who Finn had attacked." Costia said, her smile was back in full force. "Some kids named Fio and Ryder got all kinds of riled up when they heard Heda and Anya's girlfriends were attacked. Know anything about that?"
Lexa bit her lips to keep from smiling. "No idea what you're talking about."
"No? So the fact that your cousin Artigas was on duty just an hour or so before he was attacked was just a coincidence?" Costia arched a brow.
"I had no idea when Artigas is at the jail. I don't ask him about his schedule." Lexa shrugged.
"And it's also just a coincidence that Ryder and Fio are Trikru?" Costia crossed her arms over her chest her foot starting to tap.
"What's she talking about?" Clarke asked Lexa.
"She thinks I ordered some friends to beat up Finn." The brunette explained.
Clarke's brows shot up, "Did you?"
"Nope." Lexa grinned at her.
"Lex," Clarke sighed.
"You're lucky no one else knows about Artigas, Fio, or Ryder and their connection to you." Costia shook her head.
Lexa shrugged and pulled Clarke closer to her side. "I haven't done anything Cos. But I can't say I'm not happy Finn got a little bit of jail yard justice."
"I wanted to make sure you knew what was going on." Costia said after a brief pause. "So you guys were up-to-date on the situation. And because I wanted to see Lexa's face when she was told. Totally worth it."
"And you did. Glad I could entertain you for a moment or two. Thank you." Lexa smiled brilliantly. "Now if you'll excuse us. We have a cabin to get to."