Chapter 52
Madi was placing plates on the table, while Clarke was taking the food out of the take away containers. Lexa had bene kind enough to pick up dinner on the way and Clarke was grateful for it.
She didn't see Aden rushing towards her, but suddenly felt her favorite pair of tiny arms wrapped around her legs.
"Aden…"
"I'm sorry I wasn't talking to you earlier, mommy"
Clarke's eyes were at it again. Beginning to fill with tears. But she caught Lexa's gaze from where she was now descending the staircase and mouthing the words "You got this" to her, and the tears disappeared.
Clarke kneeled down there itself in the kitchen and hugged her baby boy.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you too, baby"
He seemed to be crying into his mommy's shoulder now, over whelmed with the day he was having. Clarke carried him up in her arms and kept kissing his head, telling him it's okay, that she was here with him, and no one could do anything to him. She carried him to the couch and held him close on her lap until he had calmed down.
Lexa took over in the kitchen with Madi, allowing Clarke and Aden a moment to themselves. But she could hear them talking.
"Promise me you won't get angry with me." Aden finally said
"Aden, if you've done something wrong it is my duty to make sure you don't do it again. But I can never stay angry at you. You know that."
"Okay… Chris was calling Anaya names during lunch hour. He called her a chicken, then he said she's a wussy. He wouldn't stop and she started crying. So I went up to him and told him that it wasn't nice to call her names."
Clarke listened carefully and attentively.
To which he said he's going to continue doing it and that I was no one to stop him. And he just went on calling her names. So I put my hand out to stop him from going near her cause he was really worrying her, he pushed me away, so I hit him."
Clarke was silent.
"I'm sorry mommy, maybe I shouldn't have hit him. I should have called the teacher. But I just felt really bad for her because… because… because Anaya's my friend..."
He let out a deep exhale. And looked almost scared now of what his mommy would say.
Clarke pulled him in for a tight hug. Her little baby had stood up for Anaya, someone he was hiding as a friend. That's all he intended on doing. And it led to a fight, he was simply defending someone's honor.
"I'm very proud of your intentions, Aden. You wanted to do the right thing and that's what matters most to me. I'll talk to your teachers tomorrow and let them know what really happened okay. Chris was wrong to tease Anaya, he was wrong to push you, and you were wrong to hit him. So apologies need to go both ways."
Aden nodded in understanding.
"I want you to promise me two things honey."
"What is it?"
"No. 1, that you will tell me the whole truth about things like this, no matter who it involves, even if it's Anaya."
"I promise."
"No 2, you will continue to stand up for the right thing, but be smarter about it next time? Tell a teacher or just don't hit anyone at school?"
"I promise"
"That's my little man, right there" Clarke said and showered his face in kisses.
"You're not angry at me anymore?"
"I'm not. I wasn't angry at you at all. I just wanted you to talk to me. And it hurt me that you felt like you couldn't"
"I'm sorry mommy, I just thought that… because it was Anaya…"
"I know. And I'm sorry I've made you feel like you can't talk to me about these things. From now on I want you to know you can come to me for anything, no matter who it involves. And I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to hide your friendship with Anaya from me."
"Alright mommy" he said and kissed her nose and ran into the kitchen to see what Madi was doing.
Lexa set the last take away container down and walked up to Clarke standing in the living room wiping her hands down her face.
"Feeling any better?" she asked
"I don't know what you told him, but it worked. So thank you" Clarke said with a warm, tired smile.
"As I said, always."
Clarke took Lexa's hand in hers and said, "Come on, let's have dinner."
"Wait, who's Anaya? And why did he hesitate to tell you that she was the reason he got into that fight?"
Clarke looked down for a moment and then stood before her and quietly spoke.
"Anaya is… Anaya Blake. Bellamy and Echo's daughter. She's about a year younger than Aden.
Hearing his name was enough to make Lexa feel uneasy, but she then allowed herself to understand the situation. Clarke continued to speak.
"Aden's aware that I don't talk to the Blakes and I avoid them as much as possible, even at school events"
Lexa nodded in understanding. "He must have felt I'd get angry with him for being friends with their daughter."
"Yea. That shouldn't be a thing"
"Exactly." Clarke said. Then looked at Lexa and said "Don't over think it, we'll talk okay?"
Lexa nodded. They then held hands again without much thought to it and walked to the dinner table where Madi and Aden were already jibber jabbering about school.
After Dinner, Madi and Aden were watching TV on the couch while Clarke was washing up the dishes. Lexa came to stand beside her and started wiping them dry.
"You don't have to do this" Clarke chuckled.
"I want to" she said, bumping her hip with Clarke's.
They both laughed.
"Help me explain to Madi why you're face is near mine in a heart shaped locket that was given to her when she was a baby." said Lexa.
"I knew there were ulterior motives as to why you're helping me with the dishes. You hated doing the dishes"
"Hey, I'm a changed woman okay. I can manage dishes" Lexa defended with a smirk.
"On a serious note, after what you did for me today, consider it done. We can do it right now if you'd like."
"I'd like that" said Lexa.
"By the way, what did you tell him, upstairs?"
"Just the truth that his mommy's got the strongest heart I've ever known, and nothing breaks her. Nothing except the feeling of not being able to get through to him…"
Clarke was deep in thought
"Earth to Clarke" Lexa said with a chuckle.
"Sorry… I just…"
"What?"
"Do you still believe that? You used to tell me that so much before. That I've got a strong heart. But I had a weak moment that ruined so much for you. So do you still believe that?"
Lexa kept the dish towel down. She turned towards Clarke and said "look here."
Clarke turned to face her. Lexa reached up and put a strand of her hair behind her ear, and said
"Just because we have weak moments in our life doesn't make our hearts any weaker. You yourself said, you've loved me through it all. You've cared for me through it all. I could be delusional, but somewhere deep down, I know even in your weakest moment then, you weren't listening to that strong heart of yours. You've got a power house of love in there, and I know it has space for more people than just Aden. I'm asking you to make room for me and Madi too"
Clarke laughed "I don't deserve this, I don't…"
"Shhhh" Lexa pulled her into the crook of her neck and whispered near her ear.
"You deserve love and only love." whispered Lexa
"There has always been room in my heart for you, Aden and Madi, always" she whispered.
Lexa felt a strong emotion run through her in the moment. Her whole body felt at ease in such close proximity to Clarke. Clarke's scent filled her. Her breathing at her neck sent her body into another dimension.
Lexa grazed her fingers down Clarke's hand in an attempt to offer comfort. But something mad her want to offer more. She lightly grazed her lips against the outer shell of Clarke's ear.
Clarke shivered in her arms. She felt her whisper "Lexa" into her neck and that only encouraged her further.
"Don't move" Lexa said. "Just stay here."
Clarke stayed silent. Unmoving, her breathing erratic now. Her personal space completely taken over by Lexa.
"I've missed you so much" Lexa whispered. And Clarke swore she felt a tear fall on her skin.
"I've missed you too" Lexa shivered.
And then what started as mere grazes of skin, turned into Lexa's soft lips trailing tiny kisses along Clarke's cheek…slow and articulated… Clarke's breathing had quickened.
"Lex…" Clarke warned…
"Mommy, Clarke, I think Aden's fallen aslee… woah!"
Lexa jumped away from Clarke and Clarke turned back towards the sink.
"Madi!"
"Mommy? Were you and Clarke just…?"
"Madi, wait for me in the living room, I'll be right there." Lexa said without making direct eye contact.
Madi giggled. "Okay… I just came to tell you'll that Aden's dozed off on the couch."
Clarke wiped her hands and without looking at any of them rushed out of the kitchen saying
"I'm going to carry him to bed…"
"We'll be in the living room" Lexa called after her.
Madi stood there staring at her mom with an eyebrow raised, her hands crossed in front of her and a tapping foot.
"Come on, time to talk, smarty pants" Lexa lead her into the living room.
