Chapter 8: Lexa

I pull up to Octavia's right at six and she is waiting on her front steps. She looks great. Apparently, we have the same sense of style because she also had on a black pair of jeans but instead of a t-shirt she had on a sweater and pair of tennis shoes. She has her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and jumps into the jeep.

She looked at me and said, "So, how is Ash?"

"Um, fine. Why do you ask?"

She laughs, "Because you said she was spending time with Callie. How did that go?"

"Okay, I guess. Ash is just really confused about everything and then there is the kid that Callie has told the whole time that Ash was his mommy."

"What, are you kidding me? Callie is really a piece of work."

"Yeah, I don't know about her, but I just told Ash to do what makes her happy because that's what I'm going to do. Now let's go, I'm starving."

The drive takes more like an hour thanks to all the traffic. I don't think I will ever get used to all the people and cars around here. When we finally get to the restaurant everyone else is already there at a huge table on a private deck overlooking the bay. Jess said that she had it reserved for us so we would have some privacy. I look around to see everyone from last night plus a couple of new faces.

I say hello to everyone, and O introduces me to Devon and Becca. Devon Thornton is Emmy's best friend. She is a little taller than me with pale skin, black hair, and blue eyes. Rebecca Johnson who goes by Becca is Sami's roommate. She looks to be in good shape but is noticeably short. She has walnut skin, brown hair, and dark eyes.

After the introductions, we have a seat and order drinks. Once we have placed our orders, Jess, who seems to be the spokesperson of the group, says, "Okay Lexa what's your story?"

Clarke says, "What the hell, Jess? Can't we just get to know her like normal people?"

I laugh and say, "It's fine. I'm kind of used to it. What do you all want to know? Just remember I have had an extremely different life than any of you so don't be surprised if you find that you don't look at me the same way after you hear some of the things I have done."

Jess cuts her eyes at Clarke and then says, "Why don't you just start at the beginning?"

I say, "Okay, but after I tell you about myself, I think it is only fair that each of you tell me something about yourselves. Before I start let me order a round of shots for everyone."

We take the shots and then I start my story. I tell them about my childhood in the orphanage and how I met Blake when I was a kid, and he was stationed at the army base near the orphanage where I was living. I tell them how he helped me learn English and how to read because over there being a female meant that you didn't get the same education as males did. I tell them that I loved learning new languages and picked them up easily. I enlighten them on how many languages are spoken in the middle east so there was always something new to learn. I explain how I was moved from that orphanage to a different one that was away from Blake but that he and Octavia would still write to me at least until the school was bombed and I went missing.

I go on to tell them about the bombing and the seven years I spent with Ahmed training to be a solider. I explain how I met Abby at her clinic when I was trying to get information for Ahmed on the American's by saying that I needed a vaccination and how the next time I went to the clinic Blake was there and how happy he was to see me because he thought that I was dead.

Octavia speaks up, "Yeah, can remember how hard he took it when he found out your school had been bombed and he couldn't find you. I don't think he would have ever stopped looking for you. At the time, I didn't know why he was so attached to you but then he explained to me the conditions of things over there and what you had been through and were still going through and I came to understand, especially after all the letters we exchanged. I couldn't believe how hopeful you managed to stay living in those conditions."

I say, "It is just a choice I made. I didn't want to let anger and hate take over, so I chose to hope for a better life and luckily it happened for me thanks to Blake, Abby, Ash and a few other people."

I go on to explain how Blake and I came up with broad plan with the help of his Commander to try and get me away from Ahmed while taking down his cell.

Clarke says, "So how did you meet Ashley?"

I smile and say, "Well, that's where things begin to get complicated…"

Clarke interrupts, "Why because you fell for her?"

I laugh but feel my cheeks start to burn, "No, because that is when I had to start killing people. Besides, Ash didn't trust anyone and that definitely included me. Why are you so interested in my relationship with Ash?"

She starts to stutter, "Um, well, only because you said last night you were single but from what I hear you and Ash are together."

O says, "Clarke, I thought we wanted to get to know Lexa and what she has been through, not grill her on her relationships. Besides, aren't you and Finn dating?"

Everyone laughs at this comment. I say, "Clarke to answer your question, yes Ash and I had a relationship while we were in Afghanistan, but we are no longer together. We are just friends, but she will always be a big part of my life because of what we went through together and how she helped me get to America."

Now it is Jess's turn to ask me about Ash. Jess says, "So, just to be clear, you and Ashley Fletcher are no longer together but you are living with her?"

Octavia starts to speak but I say, "Apparently, everyone is more interested in my romantic relationships so let me go ahead and address that first. Yes, Ash and I were together while we were over there, but we aren't any longer. Do I still love her? Yes, and I always will, but I'm sure each one of you have a first love that you still have feelings for also. To answer Jess's question, yes right now I am staying with Ash and Amelia, but I have my own space in their gigantic house. Ash and I are friends only so if anyone is interested, I am single. Now are there any questions related to anything other than my personal life?"

Finn speaks for the first time and asks, "So, what did happen when you met Ashley? You said you had to start killing people, what do you mean by that?"

"So, here are where things get brutal and I really don't want to go into all the details of what happened but if after I give you the short version you have questions, I will answer them truthfully."

I start by explaining how it took me forever to gain Ahmed's trust because of all the trouble I caused in the beginning and how the mission I was on when I met Ash was my first real mission. "It was supposed to be an easy mission given the info that Blake had given me. My team was supposed to go and warn Azan about a military raid and escort the convoy to a new location. When we got to Azan's hideout, Omar, Ahmed's second introduced me to Ash. Keep in mind that I was the sole female solider in Ahmed's camp and other than Abby and some of the men's wives, I hadn't seen or spoken to another female since the bombing of the school when I was eighteen. That being said, I'm sure you have all seen Ash and well…I mean come on who wouldn't think she was gorgeous. Needless to say, I couldn't take my eyes off of her and I stuttered like a schoolgirl, so much so Omar was making rude comments."

Everyone started laughing at this, except for Clarke. "Anyway, once I was over the shock of meeting her everything seemed to be going alright, until Omar informed her that I would be her partner for the convoy mission. That's when the shit hit the fan! She went ballistic about how she didn't trust anyone especially someone she had just met, blah, blah, blah. After that she turned into an ice-cold bitch and made me spend the entire night proving that I could shoot and fight since I would be covering her ass."

Jess says, "Yeah, that sounds about right for Ashley."

"The thing is, I understood where she was coming from. At the time neither of us realized that we were actually working for the same people. She had no idea that I was helping Blake and the Navy, and I had no idea that she was working deep cover for the CIA. I think the only reason I wasn't acting the exact same way was that I didn't have a choice. I had to do what I was told, so if I was told to be her partner and protect her ass…well, that's what I was determined to do. The fact that I could see a reflection of myself in her only made it easier for me to promise to keep her safe and watch her six."

Clarke asks, "What do you mean you saw a reflection of yourself in her?"

"I mean that when I looked into her eyes, I saw someone who didn't care if they lived or died. Someone who only trusted themselves and only wanted to complete the job at hand. Someone who had nothing to lose."

Clarke says, "So you're saying that you don't care if you live or die?"

"No, what I'm saying is at that point in my life, I didn't care. Now I care very much because now I can make my own choices and not have to listen to what someone else says that I have to do whether I believe in it or not. Over there, I was being forced by Ahmed to fight in a war that I didn't believe in. I never bought into the Taliban's beliefs that the Americans were horrible and trying to take over the Afghani way of life."

Finn says, "How did you end up saving Ashley's life?"

"I'm getting there. After gaining enough of Ash's trust to at least cover her ass, we set out on our mission of relocating Ahmed's stuff. We were tasked with bringing up the rear on an ATV modified for two, with machine guns etc. Remember this was supposed to be an easy mission because Blake had given me the tip and the US military wasn't going to be a problem. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem when we were going through the valley and Ash was almost shot by a sniper."

Octavia says, "Bellamy said you saved pretty much the entire convey and was shot in the process. Is that true?"

"Well, um, yeah. I jumped in front of the bullet meant for Ash."

Clarke asks, "Is that how you ended up needing the surgery performed by mom?"

"Um, no. I needed the surgery to remove my spleen after being injured by the shrapnel from the land mine and punched repeatedly in the spleen area, which ruptured it."

Jess says, "Okay, I feel like you left out a lot of details about the valley. Why don't you tell us what really happened?"

"Fine, Ash and I were bringing up the rear of the convoy on an ATV that had been modified for two people and combat. Ash was driving and I was the gunner. The lead vehicle in the convoy hit a land mine and then the shit went crazy. I took out a guy with a rocket launcher before he could take out the van with all the guys on it but in doing that, I gave the sniper time to lock in on Ash. Instead of letting her get shot in the head I took the bullet in the shoulder. After that Ash and I took out the rest of the snipers. Then dumbass Azan stepped on a land mine near me and I was hit by shrapnel in the side. We had to abandon the mission and hide at a safe house near town, where a doctor patched me up. I didn't trust the doctor, so I wanted to go see Abby. The next day, Ash made arrangements for us to leave and go see Abby then report back to Ahmed. Omar said something inappropriate and I broke his nose, then he used me as a punching bag while two of his guys held me. That is why I needed surgery."

Jace said, "Wow, so you have been shot before? Do you have a scar?"

Clarke says, "Jace, that is not an appropriate question and it's rude."

I just shake my head and take off my jacket and pull the neck of my shirt down so they can see it and then turn around so they can see the exit wound. They all look amazed. Then Angie said, "What does the tattoo around it say?"

"It says, Ash at the Valley 08-22-20."

Jess said, "Wow that's cool. Do you have any more scars?"

I have to laugh at this because I have many more but I'm not going to sit here and undress, so instead I say, "Yes but I'm not going to show mine if you all don't have any to show me." They all look at me like I'm crazy. "I'm just kidding guys, but yes I have more but no I'm not going to show them to you."

O asks the next question, "Bellamy said that you were granted US citizenship and received medals from the Secretary of the Navy, is that true?"

"Yes, I was granted citizenship for the part that I had in taking down Ahmed and his terrorist cell. Ash and I were both awarded the purple heart for being injured in combat."

Jess says, "You left out the part where Ash was injured. What happened to her? I thought you took the bullet for her."

"I did, but we were sent on another mission by Ahmed where Omar and his guys ambushed us when we were leaving because we had proof that he was the one who tipped off the enemy about the first mission. As we were leaving the compound, our vehicle was hit by blowback from a rocket launcher and was flipped. Omar took Ash because he suspected that she was a spy, which she was. He then ordered the rest of my team and me to be executed but they were sloppy, and we escaped."

Clarke asks, "Who rescued Ash?"

"Well, um, I did but I'm not going into details about how. When I got to her, she had been tortured and beaten. I called Blake for a medivac and we took her to Abby. She had a lot of injuries, but the worst was that her brain was swollen, and she was in a coma for four months."

Finn says, "Well, I guess you think you are a hero or something since you saved lives and took down a group of terrorists. If that's the case, why are you here? Why aren't you working for the CIA or something?"

Octavia says, "What the hell, Finn? What's your problem?"

I look at him and grin before saying, "I don't think of myself as a hero, just someone who wants to help others and do the right thing. I'm sorry if I make you insecure but I'm just trying to enjoy myself for a change."

O laughs and says, "Yeah Finn, what's wrong? Do you think Lexa is going to take all the girls once they find out she is a true American war hero at the age of what 25?"

Everyone laughs and Jace says, "I wouldn't doubt it. I mean she is amazingly hot and then you add hero on top of her hotness, and she will probably have girls hanging all over her."

I know my face turns red at this, but I just smirk and say, "Whatever guys, I'm not a hero just someone who does what I think is right and I protect my friends and loved ones."

Clarke says, "Lexa, mom also said that you and Ash received the Congressional Medal of Honor from the President. Is that true?"

"Well, yes but guys really, I was just doing what was right. I don't need medals or honors for doing what I think is right. I don't want you all to think I'm a snob or stuck up just because of the medals because I'm not. I just want the chance to fit in and have a good time."

I'm saved by O saying, "Speaking of good time, let's head to the club. Drinks are on the war hero tonight. Right Lexa?"

"Sure, why not. Drinks are on me tonight so everyone drink up. Where are we going?"

Octavia looks around and says, "What do you think guys up for some country line dancing tonight?"

Everyone nods yes. I say, "Wait, what? I've never been line dancing before."

O says, "That settles it then, Sundance Saloon it is."

I say, "Hold up, the deal was I told you my story and each of you have to tell me something about yourself."

O says, "Fine, I will go first. I fight in an underground fight club."

Clarke says, "I like to draw."

Finn says, "Whatever, I like horror movies."

Devon, "I like to bake."

Emmy, "I'm allergic to sugar."

Jess, "I have a phobia of bees."

Angie, "I like reading."

Sami, "I have a sever phobia of sharks ever since I was bitten by one."

Josh, "I love to play chess."

Earnie, "I am good at working on cars."

Ahmed, "I like drone photography."

Jace, "I'm bi-sexual."

Octavia says, "Now can we go dancing?"