ANYA
She was filtering through the spam calls in the helpline they had set up for any information on the immortals when the email showed up. She could not believe it at first. But there was a high chance of it being a beacon for help. She had been those immortals. They were pretty average with this whole abduction act with her. Lexa had the potential to outwit them if she put her mind to it. And if Lexa had, this was her chance. Besides, these port towns seemed to be their comfort zone, they had kept her near one as well. But to comb through a town of that size in search of Lexa would take resources that she wasn't allowed to sanction. And that was her first problem, Titus and his entitled ass.
Titus was in Lexa's office. It irritated her to no end. She had always skirted away from boardrooms and administration because it was more of Lexa's thing but now looking back, she wished she had been there. The way Titus had jumped on the opportunity to control the reins of the Tree crew was disturbing.
She stormed in through the doors of Lexa's office startling him as rounded on his chair, his wine sloshing. She was losing her sleep and he was here sipping on his white wine at ten in the morning. Disgusting.
"Anya," He said in lieu of a greeting. His face morphing into a look of displeasure. "What-"
"I need to talk to you about something." She locked the door behind her and crossed the distance up to the table. He put down his glass and looked at her as if she was a pile of trash.
"What now?"
She opened up the email that had taken away her exhaustion from the last few days and gave her some sense of hope. "This," She handed her phone to him.
He put on his glasses and read through squinted eyes. "So?" He gave back her phone dismissively as if she had shown him an unfunny meme.
"So?" Seriously. "It could be from Lex."
"Did you trace it back?"
"Yes," She said, placing her hands on the table. "It's from one of those ten-minute mail IDs. The IP address was untraceable but -"
"Anya, do you know how many calls we are receiving on the helpline number each hour? Two thousand -" He said condescendingly.
"Of course I know. I am the one filtering through them. I am the one who listens to each one of them."
"Than you very well know how many of those are just fake. We are already stretched thin with our resources. And we don't have time for following every little trail that goes thrown around in our direction. Let the police and the FBI do their jobs. And look, I care about Lexa-"
"Do you?" She scoffed. She couldn't believe this pig of a man.
"Yes," He calmly asserted, standing up from his chair and gliding his hand over his bald head. "How can you even doubt that? I am the one keeping this company afloat. If she comes back-"
"When she comes back. And she is more than this bloody company," She said. "And I know that you're selling our shares to Mount Weather in the name of saving -"
"The board needs trust-"
"And I need you to find Lexa because god knows what kind of shady dealings you have been doing since she has been gone." He looked at her as if she had said something offensive even if it was just the truth. She didn't care about his feelings at the moment anyway. "Look, I'm just saying that give me a search and rescue team. I can arrange the whole thing. I know them, I can recognize them. We will collaborate with the town police. If they are really there, we could maybe negotiate a deal or something. I don't want to give them another reason to hurt -"
He scoffed, wiping the front of his jacket. "They are monsters. They don't need a reason to do anything."
"You and I both know who the real monster is here. So let's not go down that road." She said, standing up to her full height. "As far as reasons are concerned, don't forget that we had to spin a lie about human trafficking and what not to bring the Delinquents out of hiding. Let's just give them some credit-"
"What? You suddenly care about them." He laughed mirthlessly. "Don't forget what they did to your father."
"You are using that line on the wrong Woods, Titus," She smirked. When this will be over, she will make sure that Lexa doesn't fall prey to this line ever again. "I don't know what you fed Lexa about that day but she won't even talk to me about it. It happened years ago! In a business deal gone wrong by some unknown guy. And you prompted her to go on this massive witch hunt for god knows what reason. It is time to let it go-"
He smirked as if he knew something she didn't know. She suppressed a sudden urge to smash his head against any nearby surface. "Don't suddenly pretend to be on a high horse, Anya. You weren't so forgiving when you took Compound I with you to the harbor without her permission."
If he thought he could put her down with this, he was wrong. "Yes and that was a big fucking mistake. The whole mission was a mistake. I agreed to it only because you said that this will put an end to this whole immortal chapter and that you will let my sister live a real fucking life. I thought it would bring her at least some sort of closure. Instead, this whole damn thing has just been dragged out." She said. "Look, she doesn't know about the compound yet. But if you want to keep it that way then help me find her." She hated pleading to him but it was a price she was willing to pay. "Please, I have a feeling about it. Just, just - I won't tell her about the compound or anything else."
He still looked at her skeptically but she knew exactly what he needed for a little motivation.
"If she is really there," She said. "Then at the end of this, you will get those immortals that you are so obsessed with."
She could swear that she saw a little crinkle in the corner of his eyes as he tried to conceal his greedy smile. She had said exactly what he needed to hear. He nodded his head slowly. "Fine. But this is for one last time. After this we let the police and the authorities handle it."
She nodded back solemnly. Maybe she did belong to the boardroom, after all.
"But," He said, raising a finger to make his point. "You take Mount Weather's guards with you and they handle the transfer."
"Lexa wouldn't -"
"Lexa is not here. You get your sister and keep your mouth shut about anything related to Mount Weather. And I get the immortals. That is the deal."
"Okay." She nodded reluctantly.
LEXA
Lexa took a quick cold shower and changed into another borrowed hoodie and jeans. She couldn't understand the wildfire desire that had crawled into her brain a few minutes ago. She wanted to touch Clarke and touch Clarke and keep touching her. And kiss her and be kissed by her. But why? She had had relationships before. Serious as well as casual. But she had never felt a connection like this to anyone. It was as if they were meant to be together. Somewhere deep in her head, she could hear Anya laughing at her.
Clarke was waiting for her outside the door when she came out of the room. She was wearing a white t-shirt and torn jeans with her hair tied in a loose braid. She smiled at her softly. The morning rays of sun reflecting from her blonde hair made her look like an angel. God, she must be losing her mind. Clarke held out a hand for her. Lexa followed her through the stairs to the uppermost deck. She hadn't had the chance to walk through the boat before. But from what she had seen, it was beautiful.
"Let's go," She said.
The dining area was an open space. Everybody was already seated when they arrived.
"Fashionably late, are we?" The boy she had shot earlier in the face said from behind them. His name was John Murphy, she remembered.
"Shut up, Murphy," Clarke grumbled. "I haven't even had coffee yet."
Clarke pulled out a chair for her, then sat down beside her. John, who was still wearing an apron, sat down across from them. He must have been cooking. Beside her, the blonde who had driven them into the river was engaged in a quiet conversation with Bellamy. When she looked around the table, most of them were smiling at her, nodding in acknowledgment, or just ignoring her. It hit her then how young and genuine they all seemed. Nobody would have ever believed that they had lived for centuries.
"Alright," Octavia who was sitting across Clarke stood up. "Since Lexa is finally here with us. Let's do a little icebreaker." John snorted, pouring whisky into his coffee mug. "We will tell you our names and stuff. I will go first." She sat clasping her hands. "Octavia Blake. Roman Empire. First death by the Anotonian plague."
Lexa smiled in acknowledgment. She made a mental note to question Octavia about the Roman Empire later. Octavia nudged Bellamy with her elbow. He seemed more interested in his book but put it down for a minute. She recognized him from the interview and Mount Weather. She made a mental note to talk to HR about never rushing the scrutiny process while recruiting. He looked rather different here. Lighter, almost.
"Bellamy Blake." He said flatly after Octavia's insistent pestering. "She is my sister. So everything is the same. And I don't trust you. I am only here because Clarke trusts you. But if you try to hurt any of us like your company has been doing for years, I will not hesitate to tie you and dump you into the sea."
Of course, he doesn't. She was rather impressed, she wouldn't trust herself either. Lexa straightened her back and replied with her boardroom glare. "I don't trust you either, Mr. Blake and I can assure you that I won't hesitate to do the same to you if I find you hurting my people again." He sat back a little but his facial expression didn't ease. He ground his teeth as if he wanted to say something else. She was ready for whatever it was.
"Bell, what the fuck? She is one of us now." A brunette looked up from the laptop that was precariously balanced on her lap. She turned to Lexa in a flashing white grin, "Lex, love, no hard feelings from me. Raven Reyes. I'm the genius. Also, your company's cybersecurity is kinda shitty, you should look into that. No offense."
"None taken," Lexa smiled genuinely. "I'll look into it myself."
"Does that mean you are going back to Tree Crew, to your tree people?" Murphy asked, cutting a piece of bread with more force than necessary.
Lexa looked at Clarke. Could she go? And how? Her disappearance must have been one of the highlights in the news unless the president did something weird again. Nobody abducts some CEO in broad daylight with a city full of police. If she just went back, it would be tough to explain where she had gone, especially to Anya and Titus. She hadn't even thought about how Anya would take the news that she was an immortal now. Sure, Anya never wanted vengeance as much as she did because she hadn't been there when it happened, still, she felt a little bit scared for what might happen.
"I haven't thought about that yet," She answered honestly.
"We will be docking in Fort Lauderdale by evening tomorrow," Clarke said, taking a sip of her coffee. "We can arrange transport from there to Washington if you would like."
"Hold on," Nathan held up a hand. Lexa turned to his voice. He didn't look as friendly as the first time she had met him. " I can't believe you. After everything we did to get you out of there, you are thinking about going back to your old life like this was some fucking vacation trip? What if you turn on us after getting out of here? We know about your deal with Mount Weather. I bet you are thinking about it now -"
"Miller -" Clarke started.
"Nathan," Lexa cut her off. "Yes, I am going back to my company. I understand our ways have hurt you before. I understand I was ignorant. And I am aware of the risks. But sometimes to defeat the enemy we have to think like the enemy. There were some things happening in my own company without my knowledge or permission. I have to go back to rectify them. My company cannot go in that direction any longer. I cannot run away from my responsibilities but I will not disclose your identities, you have my word."
"Hell yeah, love," Raven held up her cup as if toasting. "We still gotta get rid of Mount Weather. We could use some old school corporate espionage for that."
"But what will you say to the police?" Eric said, putting down his cutlery, already done with eating. "Someone abducted you and then let you go just like that?"
"I will say I escaped," Lexa answered. All of them scoffed. "What?" She looked confused.
"Nothing. It sounds very unrealistic." Clarke said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Realistically you would never be able to escape."
"Don't tempt me." Lexa challenged.
"Or what?" Clarke raised an eyebrow.
"Mockery isn't the product of a strong mind, Clarke," Lexa threw a fry at Clarke's face as the others laughed.
"Don't worry," Clarke added, dodging the food being thrown at her. "They all have more embarrassing stories than you."
"Really?" Her lips quirked up. She could feel the nerd waking up inside of her.
"Yeah," Raven smirked. "Echo here killed Clarke and Bellamy consecutively a dozen times before they could get a word out. Then she went to Soviet authorities with our secret. She thought they were American spies trying to get Soviet secrets by seducing-"
Echo threw a tomato at Raven's face which she easily dodged. "Well, Jackson and Miller found out that they could not be killed only because they couldn't keep each other dead in the Napoleanic wars."
Lexa had a look of awed disbelief in her eyes. Nathan laughed. "There I was in Caucasia, thinking about what kind of sorcery this man was doing. I would kill him then see myself killing me from his eyes only wake up and watch him kill me again. It was like fucking inception, man."
Eric laughed freely. "The cycle went on until I stopped killing him and figured that we could not be killed. It was horrible at that time." Jackson was looking at her and smiling. "Give it a century and you will be laughing at your story too."
Lexa gave a warm smile in return. She was still wrapping her head around this living for centuries thing. She could sense that Clarke's gaze was fixated on her like she was the most impressive person in the room. Lexa couldn't help but feel relaxed for the first time in her life. She hadn't had friends or acquaintances like these before. These people knew each other as they knew themselves. These people who bared their soul to each other without pretenses or ulterior motives, who threw food at each other's face whenever they felt like it.
"Did you… did all of you find each other like Clarke found me?" Lexa asked.
Nathan nodded with a sly wink towards Clarke which she couldn't decipher. He seemed more at ease with her than when they had first sat down. "We see the world from each other's eyes until we find each other."
"Why?" She asked again.
"Because we were meant to be together." Eric shrugged, looking around the table with a soft smile. "It's destiny."
"No, no," Murphy interrupted. "More like… misery loves company." Bellamy huffed out a small laugh. Miller shook his head with a grin.
"What about you, Clarke?" Lexa asked, suddenly turning to look at Clarke, who turned her gaze back to her plate.
"Yeah," John placed his face over his hand, feigning deep interest. "What about you, Clarke?"
"What about me?" Clarke shrugged. Her eyes looked down at her plate, purposefully avoiding Lexa's intrigued gaze. Her phone beeped. "Sorry, I have to go up to the cockpit… Jasper is calling… I think he is hungry. I'll send him back in a minute."
"There she goes again…" Murphy trailed off as Clarke left the table.
Clarke left after that. They kept up the idle conversation until they were no more hungry. They spread out to do their respective jobs. Lexa insisted on helping Jasper to clean up the table even though he insisted that she didn't have to. She didn't want to go back to her - Clarke's room yet. She wanted to know more about them. Her eyes however were gazing at the cockpit more often than not.
She was wiping the dishes beside Jasper when he let out a small chuckle.
"What?" She asked.
"I get it." He quietly said.
"Get what?" Lexa furrowed her brows.
"The way you keep searching for her eyes. She does the same, you know."
He was talking about Clarke. She knew that. But she had not been that obvious, had she? "I don't-"
"I know infatuation when I see it," He smiled, looking at the plates. "It's hard to find your person. But when you do, they say it's like finding your other half. Like stepping into a house that instantly feels like home even though you have never been there before. You are one of the lucky ones." He winked.
Lexa understood what he was saying. She had felt that the moment she saw Clarke in her office. She had somehow known that Clarke would become an important part of her life. But it was too soon to admit. It was too soon to expect anything from Clarke. It was unfair after all the things she and her company had done to them.
"Have you?" Lexa asked, trying to divert the topic of conversation. "Found your other half?"
Jasper smiled with a faraway look in his eyes. "She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was kind and good and everything that I was not."
'She was', Lexa was intrigued. She stopped wiping and looked directly at Jasper. "What happened?"
Jasper was silent for a moment, busy washing off a smudge from the dish. "The world is not made for good people. Death likes them too much. She died of cancer."
Lexa gasped silently. She knew what it was like to lose someone to cancer, to death. While the dead were gone, the living were left to pick up the pieces. "I am sorry." She genuinely said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't be. It was a long time ago." He shrugged even though Lexa could tell he was still not over it. "And I am tired of mourning. Because of her, I understand you better."
Lexa looked at him as if he was talking in another language.
"Why you supported Mount Weather, why you hated us," Jasper continued, rinsing off the dishes. "It's unfair that miserable people like us live for centuries while good people, people who deserve to live, die of stupid fucking diseases." He shook his wet hands into the sink. "But not anymore. This is the 21st century. Some miracles are bound to happen." He smiled at her.
"I-" She cocked her head and looked at him curiously. Was he being cryptic intentionally or was that how he usually talked? She will have to ask Clarke. Clarke. The dishes were done. She neatly arranged them in a pile. Jasper had already exited with a quiet see you.
When she got out of the kitchen, the evening sun was barely a red stroke in the sky. The ocean had turned red with it. The cold wind swept through her like she was an empty shell. She went to Clarke's room to retrieve her jacket. The last time she had followed these stairs, she was ready to murder anyone who would come in her way. Now, it felt like a lifetime ago. She was one of them now, one way or another. But in her heart, she knew even if she wasn't an immortal, she would have understood where these delinquents were coming from. She would have taken the same decision then as well.
She went back to the deck and followed the stairs that would take her to the cockpit hoping that Clarke would be there. The others were sitting out on the deck. Octavia had arranged a portable bonfire pit on the deck, the others were sitting around it except for Clarke and Murphy. She quickly grabbed two beers from a nearby cooler and headed for the stairs leading to the cockpit, ignoring the knowing smirks Raven and Octavia were giving her.
In her twenty-two years of life, she did not remember taking off days from work. There was always some gala to organize, some meeting to attend, someone new to recruit, Titus had made sure of that. Her work ethics were something to be reckoned with. And personally, Lexa thought vacations and holidays were not her thing. But being abducted by a group of strangers was effectively changing her opinion. Even though she had to constantly dodge stuff being thrown across the deck like some ninja monkey game, she felt lighter, like some weight had been lifted off of her shoulder.
The cockpit was lit by dim yellow lights in the middle and LEDs of different navigation panels. Clarke was sitting with her legs propped up on a console. A captain's hat askew on her head. Her face was a reflection of the setting sun. Glowing and heavenly. Lexa slowly walked up to stand behind her. Clarke was imitating the dusk on her sketchbook, a pencil clutched between her fingers and another held between her teeth as she tried to get the shade of orange just right.
"It looks beautiful," Lexa softly said from behind her. The pencil Clarke was holding in her mouth fell on the sketchbook and the hat tipped dangerously to the falling point.
"I didn't hear you coming," Clarke said, picking up her pencil and placing it behind her ear. A slight edge to her voice as if she was spooked. Lexa found herself liking that effect. "Have a seat." Clarke pointed at a chair beside her.
Lexa sat down and held out the bottle. "Care for a drink?"
Clarke smiled. "Sure." She closed her sketchbook with her pencil between the pages. "I never get tired of the sunsets. There's always something new about them. Like this one, look there -" Clarke pointed at some spot in the sky that was visible through the glass.
Lexa followed her finger backward and looked at Clarke instead.
"That green shade, like the one in your eyes," Clarke continued looking at the sky. "I haven't seen one like that ever before." She took a quick sip from the bottle. God, Lexa wanted to touch her lips. She'd thought about kissing her. She'd wanted to kiss her, and she was pretty sure Clarke had been thinking the same thing.
Lexa cleared her throat, shaking off the traitorous feeling. "So… I was thinking about tomorrow and going back and everything."
"And?" Clarke raised a perfect eyebrow.
"I don't know how to do it," Lexa admitted. It was hard to get the words out but they had to be said. "For years, my company and I… we basically hunted you, even if you weren't directly responsible for my father's death. I drove my soldiers, my company to catch ghost soldiers without realizing the things that were happening inside my own company. For a long time, Tree Crew has been my life. And it would have continued to be so unless…"
"Unless you turned out to be who you are?"
"Yes," Lexa said. "But I understand I will have to walk away from it now. Living a public life without getting old will probably raise some eyebrows, ten or twenty year down the line. People will probably think I am a vampire."
Clarke laughed a little.
"That's why I will step down from being a CEO," She finished.
Clarke placed her bottle on the side table and placed her hand over her hand gently. "Lex, if you would ever want to join us, the doors are literally open. I promise you my team will be there for you and keep you safe even if I am not there."
The thought of Clarke being gone left an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She shook her head. "Thank you," She said, clutching Clarke's hand. "For everything. Maybe someday I will join you. But first I have to do something else."
Clarke retrieved her hand and sat back seriously. "What do you mean?"
"Clarke, I didn't choose to be - an - an - immortal but I can choose what I do with it. Clarke, my mother died of cancer. If there's even a slightest possibility that my blood could help in the research-"
"Lex, I am sorry but that is dangerous. Mount Weather-"
"They are just trying to find a cure. If I go voluntarily, on my own terms, maybe I could really help. I promise I won't disclose any of your identities. But everyone should have a choice. And my choice is this."
Clarke let out a defeated sigh. "If that is what you want, well then." She smiled weakly.
"Thank you," She stopped short of hugging Clarke. She didn't know what kind of life she will lead but saying it out loud, being acknowledged, felt good. She wasn't naive to think that every research or pharma company was good. They were also doing business after all. But she was a respected CEO as well. The business was her forte. If there was someone who could do it, it had to be her. There has to be some sort of purpose behind her being an immortal. Maybe this was it. As much as she liked Clarke, there were other things to be taken care of.
Clarke's cheeks were rosy from the cold, her mouth slightly open. Her gaze was trained on the lower deck where the rest of her team was enjoying the beautiful evening. Raven, Echo, and Octavia were sitting huddled together under a blanket. Bellamy had a book held in his hand, his eyes squinted, trying to read in the low light. Jasper was tuning an acoustic guitar as Miller started playing his harmonica.
Clarke laughed softly beside her. "If we squint our eyes and forget like 99% of our reality, it does look like we are on a vacation." Her voice was a rasp, it immediately created a riot in Lexa's blood.
She smiled. "Is that why Bellamy's squinting so hard?"
Clarke laughed, the sound of it vibrated through Lexa. She made her laugh. "Everybody has their thing to hold on to sanity. When you live for this long, people are not a very reliable source of comfort. Bellamy has his history books. He lives his past through other people's perspectives and tries to understand what went wrong in each era. He likes to think it will stop us from making the same mistakes twice."
"And the others?" Lexa couldn't help but ask. No wonder Clarke was willing to do anything for them. They were all she had for years.
Clarke picked up her beer again, taking a slow sip before continuing. "Raven attaches herself to technology and machines like they are her children. Octavia does the same with her blades. I am pretty sure she has named them. Jackson and Miller are the lucky bastards. Murphy believes in a more pleasurable approach. He takes and gives pleasure to men and women alike-"
"And you?"
Clarke chuckled at that. "I try to keep them safe and out of trouble. That's my thing."
"Stop lying," Lexa lightly slapped her shoulder, leaning in to get a glimpse of her sketchbook. "I have seen you pouring over that sketchbook of yours. What's in it?" She teased.
"Nude portraits of Rita Heyworth," Clarke deadpanned.
She laughed at first but then stopped to regard Clarke's face. "No, you are not serious-"
Clarke shrugged with a smirk and pulled the sketchbook out of her reach as she tried to get it. "Maybe someday I will let you take a peek at it."
"Fuck off," She slouched back on her chair with an awed look. "Knowing everything about everything. Is that what immortality feels like?"
Clarke's face had a somber shade. She picked at the label of her bottle and looked at Lexa with a sad smile. "No, that's not - that's not what immortality feels like. Immortality feels like everyone else dying."
"Not us. Not me."
Clarke's gaze was steady on her as if they were two paintings staring at each other. She leaned in a little. Lexa couldn't look away from that clear-water blue. She forced herself to still, inhaled, exhaled. Her lips were bare inches from Lexa's. She was totally and utterly fucked by the thought of those lips on hers. If she sat up straighter, they'd be kissing.
Survive. Survive. Survive. It was the way she'd lived her life, moment to moment, breath to breath. Since that terrible morning when she'd found her father dead, for the first time, she felt something more than mere survival. Her heart wasn't just beating, it was racing like never before. She felt like she was living.
"Clarke," Her voice was breathier than she had expected. Maybe she was a little drunk, but Clarke was beautiful and tomorrow she will be sober but Clarke will still be beautiful. "What if I kissed you now?"
A grin split her beautiful face. "Then I would kiss you back-"
Lexa leaned forward. It was barely a kiss—just a quick, surprising press of her lips. Before she could even think of moving away, Clarke had a hold of her. She was kissing her back. Slowly, deliberately. Her mouth tasted sour like the beer they were drinking. She felt the pounding of her heart—or was it Clarke's? Suddenly, the idea of immortality didn't seem so bad, if she got to kiss Clarke every day like this.
Reluctantly, inevitably, they broke apart. She internally cursed the need for oxygen. For a minute, she was lost in Clarke's ocean wide eyes. They were both gasping for air. She was somehow half on Clarke's lap, half balanced by the hand Clarke had on her hips. She didn't even remember how she had gotten there.
"Hey, captain," Raven's smug voice came in through the dashboard's radio breaking them out of their reverie. "Care to deign us with your presence if you are done screwing commander heart-eyes?"
"Shut up, Reyes." Clarke pressed a button to cut Raven mid-laugh.
Clarke's lips were still parted as if she was ready to kiss her again. "We should -" She started.
"- Get back." Lexa finished.
They both knew that there was no getting back from this point. In a way, it felt inevitable. She wanted to tell Clarke about the riot in her, about the connection she felt. Instead, she placed her hands under her shirt, because she could now, she could do everything she had thought and thought and thought about. Clarke whispered the word yeah under her breath, which made her shudder, which in turn made Clarke shudder, and then Clarke's hands traveled under her shirt and the demanding hungry feel of them on her skin burned her to the ground.
Until the radio chirped up again.
CLARKE
She woke up just after eight. It was bright outside the window, the cabin was warming up. Last night almost felt like a dream. Lexa had kissed her. Lexa had heard her, saw her, understood her, and still liked her. She had forgotten what had happened before that. There was only Lexa's soft, raw lips that she couldn't get enough of.
They had gone down to the deck after Raven had spectacularly ruined their moment. She wanted to kill Raven a few times for that. She had sat with Lexa by her side while Jasper sang a sadder rendition of knocking on heaven's door. She had not wanted the night to end. A new day meant Lexa will go back to her life, leaving her. She understood why Lexa would want to go back. But that didn't mean she liked it.
She had read the file on Lexa's father, she was telling the truth. Her father was indeed murdered after a meeting gone wrong in a shabby little town. But the Delinquents were not even in the states back then. The town's residents including children were shot down brutally. Clarke could only imagine what kind of nightmares such a sight will give to someone.
Clarke had wanted to get back to their bedroom as soon as possible in hopes to resume their earlier activities. But Bellamy had roped her in to cross-check the details about the car they had bought to take Lexa back to Washington. When she had gotten back to her room later than hoped, Lexa was already asleep. She had only lifted a lazy finger to beckon Clarke to bed. Clarke had gladly accepted and laid beside her in complete bliss.
But now that the sun was in the sky, she was dreading it. She should have known better. She knew better. But, Zeus, did it feel amazing to feel like she was alive once again.
Lexa stirred beside her. She looked glorious in the morning light that was filtering through the sunroof. Her eyes opened slightly to reveal the color Clarke had seen yesterday at sunset. "Morning," she croaked out, pulling Clarke a little bit closer. She was regarding her face with the same intensity Clarke was regarding hers.
Clarke ran her fingers through her shiny, tangly brown hair, ran them across the faint, across the dark worrying shadows beneath her eyes, across her red satiny lips. She had never seen lips like hers before. Neither had she seen a face this colorful, this vivid, this lived-in, this brimming with light, unpredictable love.
"Are you just going to stare or are you going to kiss me?" Her voice was low and silken and intimate as if telling a secret. Clarke didn't trust herself to answer her question so she just leaned in, brushing her lips over hers.
Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She groaned. Lexa laughed, showering light kisses on her forehead. "I won't be able to get up if you keep doing that." Clarke feigned annoyance but her eyes betrayed her.
She finally got up when her phone vibrated for the second time. Miller and Echo were leaving early on a smaller boat for reconnaissance work on the port. Lexa had fallen back on the bed again when Clarke exited her room.
Near the stern of the yacht, Miller was loading their bags and weapons on the boat to hit the shore early with Echo.
"Morning, boss," Miller tipped his baseball hat as Clarke approached the boat. "Had a good night?" He smirked.
Clarke threw a bag at him, particularly hard. He laughed. Echo jumped into the boat and started the motor.
"Wait!" Raven shouted from behind her. "I am coming!" She had a backpack hanging from her shoulder and her red bomber jacket held in hand. She frantically ran down the stairs making her way to the stern. "Hey, Clarke," She greeted as she got into the boat.
"I gotta buy some batteries and cables." She explained. "Also we ran out of Cheetos,"
Clarke usually would have pointed out that Raven had failed to inform her beforehand. But today, she was more than happy to let her go. She couldn't endure anymore teasing from her. She just nodded.
"Bye!" Raven shouted as the boat went farther from the yacht. "Give commander heart-eyes a kiss from me."
Clarke shook her head and held up a middle finger for Raven.
The rest of the day went like a blur. They were preparing to dock at Fort Lauderdale It was at least a fifteen-hour drive from Washington. The plan was to get a car to Lexa so that she could go back to Washington alone. It was too risky to show their faces near that town. Everyone except Clarke and Raven were to leave. They had decided to stay away from the states for a few years just to be safe while Clarke and Raven would stay on the yacht in case Lexa needed help.
Now, Lexa was perched near the bow of the yacht, her hair flowing in the wind as she looked on to the pier-66 marina. As corny as it sounded, Clarke wanted to go hug her from behind and kiss her and tell her not to leave. But she stopped herself. It was Lexa's decision, she will respect it. She will not make it harder for herself and for Lexa. So, she busied herself in the engine room. Bellamy needed a hand to go through the checklist without Raven anyway.
When they finally docked the yacht and placed their feet on solid ground, Miller and Echo were waiting with two identical SUVs to take them to a safe house. Raven was still out there somewhere with someone. They were going to wait at a safehouse until nightfall for Lexa to drive her way back to Washington after dinner.
On the port, Clarke got in the car with Miller, deliberately avoiding Lexa. It physically hurt to be away from her but she had to do it. The path they were on was a slippery one. She couldn't afford to get attached, especially when Lexa wanted to give her life away to science.
The safehouse was not actually a house. It was more of an abandoned church from the seventeenth century they had discovered during a raid. The structure was haunting and controversial. The townspeople thought it was haunted, hence they were always left alone. But they weren't afraid of the rumored ghosts because they were the ghosts.
Clarke watched as Lexa chatted away with Octavia about the history of the place. She was such a nerd, Clarke couldn't stop smiling at it. They passed an overgrown cemetery with bags of clothes and weapons in hand. She was cautious as she walked, occasionally turning to observe their surroundings. It was always better to be safe than sorry.
They entered through the backdoor into a storage room. It had a stove within an arched alcove to the left, a small set of cabinets with a cluttered counter-top to the right. There were a few lights and lamps, but the room was fairly dim. Jasper, Echo, Jasper, and Murphy sat around the table in the center, eating. Miller had brought some takeout from a nearby place. Jackson was laying down on the couch with his head on Miller's lap.
Clarke hadn't sat down to eat. She had lost her appetite. She had gone into an adjoining room to sort out everyone's tickets for later. She will sail back to the ocean with Raven while others will go to different continents with different identities. She was stacking their passports when she heard Lexa clearing her throat by the door.
"You've been avoiding me," Lexa said, casually leaning against the doorframe. She was still wearing Clarke's clothes.
"I've-" Clarke stalled. "I've just been busy with everything-"
Lexa crossed the distance between them. Clarke was pushed against the wall behind her, knocking off a painting. It clattered to the floor as Lexa pressed her lips against hers. She tasted like french fries and cheese. Clarke savored it. And even as she was kissing her and kissing her and kissing her, she wished she was kissing her, wanting more, more, more, and more like she couldn't get enough of her.
"I hate that you have to go…" Clarke whispered into the underside of her jaw. Her hands were somewhere inside Lexa's shirt. She touched her breasts and shoulders and hips. Lexa was panting. Her team was right outside of the door, there was a high chance that someone would barge in. But she didn't care. She wasn't strong enough to keep her hands off of Lexa.
"You think I am naive…" Lexa gasped as Clarke touched a particularly soft spot under her breasts. She threw her - Clarke's - jacket on a table.
"I think you are brave," Clarke was struggling with Lexa's bra. They shouldn't be doing this here. They shouldn't be doing this now. But, Zeus, it did feel like the most important thing to do.
Lexa let out a breathy laugh. "I won't be gone for long," She shrieked a little as Clarke turned them so that Lexa's back was to the wall now.
"Every second away from you feels like a lifetime," Clarke whispered as her hands finally unclasped Lexa's bra. It was cheesy as fuck but Lexa giggled, which meant she liked cheesy. Clarke was good at cheesy.
"It's for the survival of the human race." Lexa weakly argued. Her small moans were getting longer and louder.
Clarke halted her ministrations to watch how devastatingly beautiful Lexa looked with her ruffled hair and dangerously pink lips. "Maybe life should be more than just about surviving," Clarke quirked an eyebrow.
Lexa leaned in to kiss her again -
That was when they heard a helicopter. It sounded more closer than it should have been. Clarke stopped.
"What happened?" Lexa seemed startled as well.
"We have intruders," She said mostly to herself.
She had her guns drawn in less than a breath, as the others in the dining room were on their feet. She got out of the room to grab her swords. Lexa took a minute to collect herself then got out. Bellamy shouldered his rifle. Clarke edged to the wall and peeked outside through the cracked stained glass. In the shadows of the cemetery, she saw flashlights bouncing against the cold dark night, shifting shapes that had to be people—a lot of people.
"Unless the ghosts just got a lot more lively," Murphy said, "It looks like we have company."
"Yeah, no kidding." Octavia rolled back her shoulders and readied her fighting stance. Echo tossed guns to Jackson and Miller as Jasper loaded his pistol.
"There are too many of them." Clarke came back to the center of the room. Octavia turned off the lights so that now they were only illuminated by the single flashlight Bellamy was holding. "Don't shoot anyone. They could be from Tree Crew. We don't want unnecessary casualties." Lexa was on their side now, things would be okay.
"We could do it like Tokyo, 1965?" Miller suggested.
"Yeah," Clarke agreed. "Echo, alert Raven. She shouldn't come back here. And get her a gun." She gestured at Lexa who was looking out of place in a well-functioning machine. Everyone in her team knew their positions but Lexa hadn't been with them long enough.
Jasper tossed a gun to Lexa.
"Let's go-"
As if on cue, a front-facing window shattered and two black canisters soared in through it. It hit the floor with a clank.
"Get down!" Clarke shouted at Lexa and pulled her down with her to the floor. The ancient structure was filled with a thunderous boom as the grenade exploded. It lifted a half crouching Jasper off his feet and sent him clashing with the back wall. He slid and fell, his body lifeless. Clarke was suddenly lost in a storm of white smoke and dust that clogged her lungs. She felt like she had inhaled powdered glass. She blinked rapidly, trying to dislodge pieces of debris from her eyes. Others weren't fairing any better either. The darkness was almost impenetrable. For a moment, there was only the sound of them coughing and gasping.
As soon as her eyes cleared, she crawled to Lexa's coughing figure. She had promised to keep her safe. "Are you okay?" Clarke shouted due to the ringing in her ears. Lexa was gasping for air, her face was littered with shrapnel wounds. Still, she let out a scratchy yes.
Clarke heard boots hitting the pavement. Bellamy and Miller were laying lifeless. They had been the closest to the grenade. Clarke heard the boots hitting the ground. More soldiers were creeping along the outside wall of the were coming. Clarke gave a single nod to her comrades. She stood up and unsheathed her swords. If it was Tree Crew then Lexa would explain it all to them. But if it was the police or the bloody Mount Weather, they would not go down without a fight. Beside her, her friends were also up with their rifles and blades. She could see Murphy's fingers twitching over the trigger.
"Hold your fire," She ordered. "Do not shoot unnecessarily."
The door burst inward. For a moment, everything was smoke and chaos. Clarke covered her eyes with her arm, crouching down to lessen the impact of the explosion.
A group of shadowy figures entered through the gaping hole in the wall. They were holding shields in front of them. When Clarke looked at Octavia, there was a small red laser dot on her head, Octavia was looking at her like she had the same on her face, so did Echo and Jackson. They were being aimed at. But they were not being shot. Lexa.
Lexa. Lexa, who was standing beside her, was the reason they were here and not shooting. Yet.
She turned to face Lexa.
The gun Jasper had given Lexa was pointed at Clarke's heart. She froze.
Lexa's eyes were hard and cold like she was seeing a monster she needed to get rid of. Clarke felt the air leave her lungs.
"Lexa," Clarke whispered in an unfamiliar voice of heartbreak. "What did you do?"
"What you would have done." Lexa simply answered and put a bullet through Clarke's heart.