Hey ya'all. Terribly sorry for the delay. Writers block, real life, learning a new language, work... you know how it is. Thank you for those that are sticking with me and reading this. I will admit, just isn't what it used to be for me, so I have been more active over on AO3. (archive of our own) You can find me there under AbsorbingMisery aka Nickolefox. Take care!

TonDC – Connections

Lexa's body feels heavy. It has for days now but she has gotten used to a certain amount of exhaustion. It's different this time. Rid bluma. Anya gave it to her after long battles when she had trouble sleeping. Clarke. She tries to break out of the fog of sleep, to break the surface. She can't.

She feels Phobos moving beside her. She can feel the touch of cold fingers on her cheek. It feels like death. Lexa jerks up, now wide awake. She scans her surroundings but knows no one is here.

Phobos looks at her, his eyes knowing. Clarke.

While stumbling out of bed, she grabs her armor and weapons. "Phobos, teik ai der." The wolf hunches down and bursts out of the tent as soon as she is on his back.

Rukh, Sixteen years ago – (4 days journey south of Polis)

"Masta ai op!" The little girl is squealing, her slender legs and arms flying around as she runs down the grass-covered hill. The wolf follows her faithfully, it's brownish pelt shimmering in the sun with a light glimpse of red. The little girl leaps into the lake at the bottom of the waterfall, enjoying the cold water on this hot summer day. She is a good swimmer – the best in her village. She has to be. Someday she is going to be Heda.

She spends the better part of two hours in the water, swimming and diving her rounds, like every day, before she returns to the shore and lays down into the grass. She closes her eyes, a smile on her lips. She enjoys the sun and the warmth. She cherishes life and nature. She is happy. She hears a whimper. "Ai ste hir, Trojan." The massive wolf trots over to her side and plops himself to the ground beside the little girl. She wraps her arms around the animal and buries her smiling face into his neck. Her wild, red mane matches his pelt. "Meizen sintaim." A beautiful day the girl whispers against him. She falls asleep in peace, covered in sunlight.

The girl she was will never wake up again.

It is on this day the girl is found by her people floating face down in the lake. They pull her out, but she is already gone. Her wolf is sitting beside her, wet, with his head bowed down. The look in his eyes, his expression, has changed; it's resigned.

The wolf turns away and the little girl's body starts to cramp.

The wolf takes step after step into the forest; with each one the girl's heart starts to beat again.

The girl's eyes shoot open and as she violently gasps for air, the wolf falls to the ground at the border of the forest.

Rukh's base camp

Her bloody fingers stroke the pelt that is covering her throne. The brownish pelt is still beautiful despite its age. She remembers well how she stood beside the wolf's dead body, surrounded by her people in the light of a setting sun. It was almost dark when she demanded a knife and a pyre.

"Heda-" One of her warriors enters her tent, breaking her out of her memories. He stops in his movement and looks at the beaten body lying on the ground in its own blood.

"What?" Rukh is annoyed.

"Heda, why are we sending the children" - Rukh shoots up and leaps at her warrior. Her arm presses against his neck, one of her daggers resting at his temple.

"Are you questioning me?" she hisses through her gritted teeth. The warrior shakes his head. Rukh lets go of him. "Clean that up." She wrinkles her nose. "It smells." She points at the lifeless body she had, only moments ago, beaten to death with her bare hands.

She makes her way the few steps to a table grabbing a flask of water. She does not consume the wine or brew that her men seem to enjoy. To Rukh, it merely dulls her sensation of life, which is something she does not want. Not since…she shakes her head and drinks, sneering when it is empty.

The warrior returns with another to remove the body. His second she can tell has just recently become of age and is training with the older guard. He of course is curious about her, as are many, and upon seeing her with an empty flask, offers to bring her a fine wine to enjoy. She waves him off with a bored expression. "I never drink filth. I want to experience this existence in all its agonizing glory."

A girl of about 15 comes in after they leave and uses a cloth and a bowl of water to wipe up what she can of the blood. Rukh inhales, a slight smile tugging at her lips. She watches the girl in silence as she clears the blood, still holding her empty flask. The girl looks up, head tilted as she sees Rukh watching her but then quickly diverts her eyes and climbs to her feet. "Anything more Heda?" She asks with her eyes still cast down.

Rukh considers her and walks closer. She gently removes her dark hair from her shoulder and lets it fall between her fingers. Her scent is stronger now, much to Rukh's delight. "Fetch me more water?" It's posed as a question, rather than an order.

"Of course, Heda." The girl nods and reaches for the flask. Just before she turns to go, Rukh's hand on her wrist stops her. She raises her eyes this time, although she is unsure why. She was always told she had no right to look into the eyes of her Heda.

Rukh raises an eyebrow at this, something pulling at her thoughts. "Your scent…" she pauses, as if she asked a question the girl is meant to answer.

"I'm sorry Heda, I will wash and never use it again if it is unpleasant to you." Her eyes drop again, but Rukh's fingers under her chin raise her head once more. The girl swallows and looks into the swirling eyes that can't seem to decide on a color.

"No, it's most enjoyable. Bring me what it is you use when you bring the water." She lowers her hand and the girl nods, leaving her tent. She turns back to her throne and sits, resting her elbows on her knees. She raises her hand to her nose and breathes in the scent that is light upon her fingers. "Like wild sunshine." The words are soft, like her thoughts of Clarke.

TonDC

The sun is just rising over the line of trees when Clarke reaches the final stretch home. She's had Deimos at a slower pace the last little while, her thoughts racing in many directions. She feels a tug, stronger than the one she had been feeling this entire night and instinct causes her to watch the tree line. Within seconds, Lexa and Phobos appear, racing towards her.

"Klark!" Lexa calls out and Deimos takes off at a run to meet up with his brother. Lexa is off Phobos and rushing towards her before the wolves have even come to a stop. Her hands are cupping Clarke's neck, her thumbs stroking her cheeks. "Love, are you alright?" Her eyes are glancing all over Clarke, looking for any sign of an injury.

Clarke shakes her head and leans into Lexa. She doesn't even know where to begin, or how to. She just feels cold, wrong somehow. She just wants to melt into Lexa's heat and hide there until it all goes away. As if sensing her need, Lexa wraps her arms tightly around her and pulls her face into her neck, placing soft kisses on the side of her head and begins stroking her back. She's trying to ease Clarke's shivering frame, yet somehow Lexa knows it isn't really the cold that's causing Clarke to tremble. "I've got you, you're safe."

Clarke can only nod her head and cling to Lexa's back. She lets the heat from Lexa surround her, warming her inside. She breathes in Lexa's scent, loving and safe, and tries to calm her mind. She feels Lexa tense slightly and from the movement of her head, Clarke knows she is checking their surroundings. "Is someone there?" It's the first words Clarke has mumbled and they sound foreign to her own ears.

"Do you sense danger?" Lexa answers her question with a question, and upon Clarke's puzzled look as she pulls back to see Lexa's face, her eyes widen. "Klark?"

"It still works." Clarke whispers, and glances down to Phobos and Deimos who are lying in the grass at their feet, not a care in the world. She looks back to Lexa, who looks confused and more than concerned. "My shield I mean."

"Your shield wasn't working?" Lexa is trying to follow Clarke's thoughts as she glances around them, the warm glow of Clarke's shield surrounding the four of them until blue eyes close. Lexa watches as Clarke takes a deep breath, and the shield lowers until it disappears near the blonde's chest. Barely a second later and it's back up. Lexa can only watch as Clarke shakes her head, and the shield is gone once more. "Beja Klark."

Clarke nods and leans in to kiss Lexa softly. "Take me home."

Lexa knew Clarke would open up to her within the protection of their room, safe in her arms.

Rukh's base camp

Rukh is sitting on her throne, sipping at the bottle and taking in the scent of the soap the girl brought her along with the water. The soap is resting on the armrest, and every now and then she lets her fingers glide over it. She enjoys the scent very much. She takes another sip, before addressing the girl sitting on the floor in front of her. "So, girl…you made this soap?" The girl nods, barely visible. Rukh narrows her eyebrows. "Tell me where I acquired you. I can't recall."

The girl moves nervously, before answering. "Your warriors raided my village half a year ago. They kept me and killed everyone else." Rukh narrows her eyes. The girl doesn't sound vengeful. "What village?" Rukh asks, genuinely unaware of what village she is talking about. She raided too many and never cared.

The girl looks up and into her eyes for a brief second. "One of the outer villages at the shore east." Rukh thinks about it, for a second, before deciding she doesn't really care to remember. "Are you glad to be alive, girl?"

The girl tenses. She knows that Rukh sees, however she does, when someone is lying. "No. I wish I was dead like my people and my family."

Rukh's breathing changes. It becomes more even, slower. Her voice drops to a dangerous level. "Well, it seems like you have to suffer for a while longer. Sadly, I like your soap and I will keep you around to continue making it for me."

Rukh calls for her guards to lock the girl up. She gives very detailed orders on the diet and care the girl has to receive. "Take her away now." Rukh turns and longs for the filthy humans to leave her presence, when one of the guards speaks up. "One more thing, Heda." Rukh stops in her way back to her throne and practically growls without facing him. "What?"

She hears the guard taking a step back and smirks. "The children are ready. We await your orders, Heda." The guards leave with the girl, faster than necessary.

Rukh smiles. She takes the soap into her hand and tastes its scent once more, before leaving the tent. "Come on, Misha. Let's send a present to our Kwin."

TonDC

Lexa relaxes her body, adjusting to Clarke's weight upon her chest. She's holding her closely, her breast Clarke's pillow. Her right arm is holding onto Clarke's hip possessively while her left softly strokes over her blond hair. She can't stop herself from lowering her nose and breathing in Clarke's scent. It's warm and bright.

She's been holding Clarke for nearly an hour. They spoke some before the blonde's evident exhaustion took hold and Lexa's warmth was a welcoming reprieve. Sleep came quickly for Clarke, but not for Lexa. No, Lexa was busy playing over in her mind the major details she was afforded from the woman in her arms.

This woman, this Rukh…the one that has been doing all these things, somehow thinks Clarke belongs to her. Lexa grits her teeth. Clarke felt no fear of her and Deimos didn't perceive her as a threat. Lexa's brow furrows. But Clarke said she felt…no. Clarke couldn't really get a feeling off of Rukh. At least nothing like she had ever felt before from another person. There was something unrestrained and yet…as if there was a greater purpose. Rukh has a purpose. Lexa sighs and rubs over Clarke's back. She hears Clarke's mutterings to her before she fell into sleep and it was so scattered Lexa had trouble to follow. That makes her uneasy. It's one thing for an opponent to be unpredictable in battle, but you always know their end game. But the way Clarke makes it sound, it's as if Rukh seems to be playing games. Despite thinking she is the rightful Heda and that Clarke is hers, nothing she has done to this point makes any sense. Not really.

An unstable element is a dangerous one.

"Heda." Lexa turns her head at the softly spoken whisper and sees Octavia's head peeking in through the flap of her tent. She narrows her eyes at the girl in warning, her eyes flickering down to Clarke and then gives a short nod.

Octavia seems to understand, and with stealth Lexa didn't know she yet possessed, crosses the room and kneels down beside Lexa. She stretches out her hand and lays Clarke's father's leather journal on the bed beside Lexa's shoulder. Her voice is very soft and low as she speaks. "When you arrived back, Clarke asked me for this. She had left it with me to keep it safe." Lexa's eyes harden on her. "I didn't know what she was up to, she didn't tell me. But Eko also left her journal with Raven." Lexa nods. Echo is another matter. Rukh has her, and she can only hope that her words to Clarke will remain true. Echo is valuable with her knowledge. Rukh would be foolish to lose that and therefore Echo's life should be safe.

"Thank you Okteivia." Lexa returns softly but tilts her head in question. "There's more." Octavia nods her head. "Well?" The younger Blake shifts nervously. "Heda, I… I-" Lexa narrows her eyes. "Speak freely, Okteivia." The warrior lowers her head and takes a deep breath. "Heda, I learned to trust my instincts. Usually – even if I mostly handle it wrong – I am right about listening to my instinct. I have a feeling… I mean I can't prove anything but – I mean- "

A slight smile tucks at Lexa's lip. "Okteivia. Despite what happened I do trust you, as does Klark." The young warrior looks at her, her eyes gaining focus. She nods and continues, more sure in her words. "I do not trust Makina. I do not trust any of them. Something reeks."

Lexa tenses, only slightly. She is lost in thought for a few seconds, her eyes staring into nothing, before she levels her eyes back on Octavia. "I want you to keep an eye on them. Take Deimos and report back to me whatever you see, but do not interfere. Understood?"

The young warrior nods. "Sha, Heda." She rises and moves, without a sound, back to the flap of the tent, before she stops in her movement. "Heda?" Lexa's smile is invisible. "I know, Okteivia. Me too." The young warrior nods and leaves, determined to prove that she is right, and thereby able to help protect her family.

Half an hour east of TonDC

Octavia is sitting on a tree, more comfortable than she ever thought she would be in a pine while being poked by needles and half covered with sap. She enjoys the scent, the peace and the silence. Deimos is a good distance away laying behind a rock and covered by the leaves of a very strange bush. It looks like he is sleeping, but she knows better. He is wide awake and aware, he does what she is trying to do too – he is calming his body down, reducing his breathing to the minimum, slowing his heartbeat.

It is a while after midnight when there is some movement over to the fire pit Octavia that found a couple days ago. She is half an hour away from TonDC, and she couldn't make any sense out of the stomped out, tiny fire pit she found; no one would camp or meet out here, without guards, in times of war. Octavia curls into a tiny ball, making herself even more invisible, and trains her eyes west into the direction of the movement.

One by one they gather around the now lit fire. She half expected herself to gasp when Makina arrives. She doesn't.

"This is a mess, Makina." The woman rolls her eyes before she answers in a low voice. "Do tell. I know that." She joins the other in their circle around the fire. Octavia can see four of their faces, and they all are sparks.

"We did not wipe out a whole clan to end up losing control anyway." A man talks, Octavia is fairly sure it is the one missing a hand. "How is it even possible that she is still alive? We poisoned the wolf, we poisoned the girl and she was dead."

Makina sighs. "It doesn't matter. She is still alive and maybe this will help us."

The man laughs a short, hard laugh. "How would her being alive be of any help to us? She is a monster! We wanted to evolve democracy, not raise a new slaver! She is absolutely uncontrollable. We have nothing she wants, we have no leverage and further, nothing to control her with."

Octavia is able to see the slight smile on Makina's lips. "And that's where you are wrong. She want's Clarke. And we all know that Lexa will not let that happen. All we have to do is change the plan."

"Change the plan how?" The one hand man asks.

"We failed in suppressing Lexa's powers thanks to that skinny Sky girl. So, let's work with that. We help Lexa to get stronger, let her kill Rukh for Clarke and then finish her off when she least expects it. They will let their guard down once they believe the threat of Rukh is gone. Lexa is the last one. There will be no other."

The man nods. "So, after all, we may not have killed her for nothing."

Octavia sits still; she observes and waits, just like Lexa wanted her too. She will sit here in absolute silence until they are gone. She will sit here until the sun rises, unseen. If anything happens to her now, Lexa and Clarke are doomed.