This has to be a dream or a nightmare

by yuricrazywolf

"Lexa could hear people telling her to move out of the way but she ignored them as the golden wolf turned its head up looking straight at her. Lexa bit her lip stopping herself from gasping as she stared into pale ice blue eyes, the golden wolf's snarls stopped immediately as it stared right back at her." What will happen next? You'll have to join this adventure to find out ;)

10. Chapter 10

Hello darlings! Gosh I know it has been such a long time since there has been an update, I wont bore you as to why it's taken so long but if you wish to know please check out the short explanation that is in my one-shot Seductive Temptresses

Obviously you can guess that I went with the December hold chose, now I know I said I could post each week but that is not going to be possible (-_-) my lack of sleep and peace of mind was completely out of whack and I was making promises that I just can't keep. I wasn't able to write about the fanfic at all during my free time from work and school hours, because I had the normal everyday life events going on during these free hours.

So, no I can't post every week and I don't have a timely update like I used to have before because I don't have the next chapters written out. Yes, I do know where I am going with the story, it is just a matter of having the time to write the chapters that I am having an issue with. But still all the same the story will be finished! I just can't promise a timely update for right now until I can write up more chapters.

Anyways please enjoy the treat!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 10

Short Clarke POV

What is it with humans that made them want to use their vehicles to travel everywhere? This humans sat in their large metal boxes looking so content as they used the mechanical beast to run; some humans looked at peace while they sang along to the radio, some looked stressed as their human pups bark and whine (more likely the young souls were bored and tired of being restricted to their seats), others looked angry turning red as they yelled out insults when other metal boxes got in their way. Clarke couldn't get why humans would rather use a lifeless piece of junk vs using one's own legs. If humans were to travel by foot, they would get to the places they want far quicker; there wouldn't be so many black rivers disrupting the forest and animals would not have to worry about being crushed by the roaring monsters. Even Clarke's own humans used their cars frequently, she wasn't a fan of them, which is why she has such an itch to free herself from the metal contraption that she currently is riding in, Anya is at the wheel driving them down the black river towards their old home. Clarke turns in her seat checking on Lexa, who is curled up on the back seat of the truck, chest rising and falling with each breath that she takes. Lexa is sleeping peacefully, lips tugging in the corner as she lets out a small giggle, she must be dreaming something wonderful, the sight fills Clarke with bliss.

Xxx

These last few nights before the weekend, her mate to be has been dreaming something awful, her love has woken from her dreams screaming. Lexa has startled Clarke many times with her hasty wake ups, the first time that it happened she fell off the bed by accident and instantly began to search for any type of danger but there never was one. Lexa would sit up in bed looking completely out of it, searching around as if she couldn't reminder how she got there and it wasn't until she saw Clarke that she calmed down. Clarke has needed to hold onto Lexa, laying against her chest purring softly until she was able to sleep once more. She didn't mind comforting Lexa after her nightmares, in fact she takes pride in being able to calm her but she found it very odd that her female has a strong reaction to the dreams. In the past, Lexa hasn't done these patterns of night frights in all the times Clarke has laid besides her. Clarke worries greatly over what these dreams are doing to Lexa, because the times she has stayed up to watch over her, Lexa has muttered strange words in her sleep.

"Laksens, pakstoka, sis, nomon Neva" (Hurts, wolf, help, mother Neva) her mate to be has muttered these words every so often throughout the night. Clarke would listen to her mate to be as she mutters the terms, repeating these exact words every night without fail like they were important. Lexa has twitched in her sleep, hands clenching and balling up as if she was trying to grab onto something but whatever she searched for in that world behind her eyelids, she's never been able to find it. Clarke has tried to be that object that she seeks but Lexa would push her away while she still slumbers; it wasn't until she changed into her wolf form that Lexa would latch onto her, she'd curl up into her belly and be at peace.

Lexa would hold on to Clarke's fur, fisting at her coat muttering nomon (mother) over and over again and sometimes her love would let out a sound close to a purr but then whimper and clutch at her head. Clarke would wake her quickly as Lexa's whimpers sounded like she was actually in physical pain. Once her mate to be had fully woken Clarke has tried to ask Lexa what her nightmare was about but Lexa

would brush it off telling Clarke it was nothing but a dream, that it will pass and she will sleep well again. Clarke guesses that maybe Lexa didn't remember the dreams that have been causing her such distress or she didn't want to talk about them, Clarke wasn't sure. True to her word though, Lexa was right, after a few more nights the dreams have stopped and Lexa slept peacefully just as she is right now.

xxx

Clarke sighs facing forward watching everything pass by as Anya drove down the high way, stores and cars rushing by like a blur. Her mind still spins on those nights that Lexa muttered in her sleep, those words held no meaning expect one, pakstoka (wolf). She remembers hearing it from that mouthy beta back at her old home, the way that beta said the word held importance, as if Clarke should know what it is or who it is. She hasn't asked anyone of her humans if they knew the meaning to the word because she worried that it may lead to wanting to know where she heard it from. It would mean admitting that she lied to Lexa about not finding any wolves like her; as well as maybe having to explain what happened while she spoke to that pack, minus involving the heated omegas (there was no need to mention that part, at least not too Clarke's knowledge). She should go back to that small pack and ask them questions, see what exactly has been going on in the wolf domain, because obviously she has no clue what's been going on in her own damn world.

"What is going on in that head of yours? You haven't said a thing in 30mins," Anya said spooking Clarke, out of habit she snapped her teeth for being startled the human only grins and simply waits for an answer. She considers saying the truth of her thoughts but then again, she be repeating the things Lexa has spoken and, in a way, it was a violation of her love's privacy. Clarke does recall something else that she has been curious of and has not asked Lexa about,

"When we ate at the restaurant a few days ago, what did you mean when you said you were an IUI baby?" She chooses to ask instead which cashes Anya completely by surprise, her smile tightens by a smidge something that would gone unnoticed if one didn't spend so much time with Anya. The older female looks away keeping her focus on the road,

"Didn't Lexa tell you? Or we're you two too busy screwing around and she forgot to explain it?" Anya laughs reaching over to turn on the radio the music wasn't loud for the sack of allowing Lexa to sleep but she clearly didn't want to talk about this. Clarke reached over mimicking Anya movements but this time turned the radio down,

"I don't know what you mean by screwing around, since I don't use human tools, but I wanted to ask you instead. It doesn't feel right to ask Lexa, this seems personal and I'd rather be asking you," Clarke clarifies keeping her hand over the knob so Anya could take her seriously, she waited as the older female gathered her thoughts, hands gripping at the stirring wheel, teeth grinding, and that small smile turned into a frown,

"You're such a weird we-wolf Clarke, fine I'll answer your question but in return I get to ask something personal," Anya smiles no real joy behind the emotion merely a show of acceptance, Clarke considers the deal as she seats back. She considers what Anya may want to ask; it could very well be wanting to know something about her past since Clarke hasn't open up about that subject with the older female. Clarke only trusts Lexa with that information, it is meant to stay between them and she wouldn't tell anyone else if she didn't want to. Yet it may be alright for Anya to ask a single question, Clarke has a lack of knowledge in many areas so a chance to build her knowledge is worth the small sacrifice,

"Deal, only one question, I won't answer more than that," Clarke said firmly, she heard Lexa shift on the back seats, checking on her for moment her mate to be had only moved on to her side, still sound asleep.

"Fair enough, to put things simple my dad went to the healers in our tribe and told them how he wanted a baby but didn't want a wife. See my dad never found an interest in being with a woman or a man, his always enjoyed being alone, which suits him fine and his happy with that life style. Only thing that my dad ever wanted was a baby and our healers helped him. They performed an IUI were they take sperm from a male and put it inside a woman's vagina to form a baby, it's medical proses done by a healer and not through sex. A woman in our tribe volunteered to carrier me, my dad did everything and anything to make sure I came out health and that the woman who carried me had her every needs meet," Anya paused biting her lip then glanced at Clarke before facing forward, she could hear the older woman's teeth grin, sighing Anya tried to force the next words out. Clarke felt her chest tighten to see the female so distributed by a past she had no control of. She wonders if it be best to ask her to stop, that she had no reason to make herself answer something she didn't want to. After all the humans have done that for Clarke multiple times when a asked a question that was far too painful to answer. Yet Anya pushes past her restrain making herself answer, in a way a small weight seems to have lifted off her shoulders as the female sit up taller,

Xxxxxx small description of pain loss xxxxxxx

"When it came time for the due date the birth was successful obviously, but... she didn't make it after the labor," Anya paused again her grip on the stirring wheel loosened as she shook her head not bothering to glance at Clarke while she controlled her emotions towards the memory. "Something went wrong after or during the labor; the healers knew that and they quickly turned to modern medicine to help the woman. Yet it was too late because she gotten an infection and bleed out, my dad felt such pain for that woman when she died. Did you know he actually named me after her? Her name used to be Anastasia," Anya shook her head as though she herself could not believe her own words.

"I never had an actually mother, I grown up with only my father raising me and for me that was normal. I was raised the traditional way which was within the forest and my father taught me many things. I grew up with a lot of other kids it wasn't like I was alone at any point in my life, I was happy. But after a day would come to an end and all the kids went home, I'd stay behind a little and watch as mothers embraced their kids and showered them in affection. I felt a longing in my heart like I was missing something, not as though my dad was cruel, he is very affectionate and comforting. I thank Gaia that I grew up within a tribe, I got the chance to be held by everyone so that I wasn't deprived of a motherly affection. But still I wonder what it would have been like to have had a mom growing up, would I not be so tough? Not be so closed off...I felt like part of me never matured into a full woman," Anya's eyes watered, a few tears escape and Clarke felt her heart clench, she moved the seat belt a little until she is able to lean over towards Anya. The older female looked at her surprised as Clarke cleaned her tears away, remembering how raven would often lick her face to both sooth and clean her off whenever she'd cry,

"I'm so sorry for your loss, no one should lose their birth parent this way, it brings such pain to one's soul. I bet she would have been proud of how you grown up, how you live every day like you want to, do what you like without hesitation," Clarke leaned back in her seat after cleaning off a few more tears, Anya only spared a few glances since her focus still needed to be on the road. Clarke fiddles with her hands, debating if she should be honest about her history, Anya shared more then she needed to, the older female proved that she trusted her, wouldn't it be fair if she shared just a little of her own past?

"I...I was only raised by my parents until I was six years old," Clarke muttered out her chest tightened and her pulse quickened she feared that Anya will think less of her but then the female reached across and gripped her hand. Normally Clarke could yank away from the sudden touch but this time it felt right. Clarke held onto Anya's free hand and the older female kept silent allowing Clarke to speak up when she felt ready, "I was taken away from my home and lost many wolves in the process... I was then raised by two horrible godless humans. I didn't have anyone to give me affection and I became a horrible wolf," Clarke squeezed Anya's hand taking a deep breath before letting out slowly, "I guess I'm only sharing this to say that, I know your pain and I want us to be closer friends... I care for you Anya as I do Lincoln. I consider you both to be my pack members even though your both weak humans," Clarke laughed sniffling a bit she whipped the few tears that escaped, Anya chuckles softly squeezing her hand again gently,

Xxxxxx end of small description of pain loss xxxxxxx

"Thank you for trusting me Clarke, those people who hurt you, like Nia, they will get what they deserve and I can personal promise that I will fucking make Nia suffer for everything she's done to you. That soulless demon is going to have hell to pay when I'm through with her," Anya's tone sounded so sure, like she'd be able to put Nia in her place. Clarke cracked a smile; her humans were so feisty as if they could control the world. Clarke nods as she squeezes Anya's hand one more time before letting go, "just so you know, I think of you as my little sister, even though you're a clumsy, clueless, and stubborn ass wolf," Anya laughs when Clarke growls but she does it in good humor, she reaches over turning the radio on low to fill the silence,

"I'd like to say that your mom gifted you her life in order for you to live, my daddy always says, omegas like him, will jump up and catch the moon if it will make their pups happy," Clarke smiles as Anya came to a stop at the red light and the older female's eyes glass over from unshed tears, but this one's were not from pain.

"I like that saying, sounds like something my grandma would say," the older female chuckles then quickly lean over kissing the side of Clarke's temple before she could react the light had turned green and the car began to move again. Clarke reached up touching the spot Anya had pressed her lips against, the sensation was not sexual in any way, in fact it felt familiar. For a moment it brought her back to the past of when Octavia would lick her face purely to show how much she cared for her, the memory brought a smile. "I can see why that dork fell in love with you, she's a lucky woman," Anya looked into the small mirror that hung between them and Clarke turned back to her love seeing that she will be waking up soon,

"No, I am the lucky one, Lexa is my goddess and I will treat her like one for as long as I live," Clarke sighs smiling as she watches Lexa slowly wake up her mate to be is rubbing at her eyes, yawning while she glances outside,

"If you tell Indra and Gustus aka Lexa's parents, that's how much you care about Lexa you'll definitely be on their good side," Anya slowed down as she pulled to the side of road and they waited for Lexa to full wake up still a bit dazed from her heavy nap. "Now it's my turn to ask something," Clarke had the intension of leaning back to be affectionate with Lexa to help wake her fully but she rested and sat back,

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Clarke asked hesitantly eyeing Anya suspiciously as the older female stared at her thinking of a question. While Anya thought of one Clarke decided to act on her earlier intention by lowering her seat then gets on all fours before leaning back to kiss Lexa. Clarke simply couldn't get enough of the sensation of squishing her lips with Lexa's, the soft feeling of skin gliding against one another is more pleasant than just sexual. It is a feeling she craved and starved to have each and every day, the small tingle in her chest grows while she peaks Lexa's lips a few times, her mate to be returns the affection a bit lazily but then gives Clarke a really kiss and laughs,

"You should wake me up like this more often," Lexa laughs as she cups Clarke's chin and peppers her face with small kisses, Clarke can't help but yelp happily. She grows so excited that she loses temporary control of her form and her tail spurts out like one of those Jack in the box, she wags her tail freely even though she knew she shouldn't. She felt Anya's hand push down on her lower back making her lay down on her belly to avoid being seen. Clarke spared the older female a cheeky smile to apologize for her reaction,

"If that's what you want I may be more than willing to do so," Clarke giggles as Lexa placed a final kiss on her cheek, wagging her tail as she purrs she takes complete advantage of Lexa's attention, she pushes into Lexa's hands getting the female to reach up and tangle her fingers into her hair. Clarke can't control how much faster her tail moves once Lexa starts lightly scratching her head, she purrs louder and she barely makes out Anya's words,

"Whenever your tail comes out, I've notice that sometimes it puffs up occasionally like the fur stands up straight, why does that happen?" Anya questioned, she felt the older female touching her tail, fingers running through her fur smoothly and Clarke did her best not to growl or snatch her tail away. Clarke has been working on allowing other humans besides Lexa to touch her coat, it was a slow process but she'd been doing fair so far. Well at least she thinks so, she's only bitten Anya once or twice for suddenly grabbing her plus she's even healed the wounds she's caused.

"My tail doesn't puff up, I'm just fluffy," Clarke grumbled fixing the end of her tail where Anya had ruffled the fur, it's poor attempt of a lie but it could work. She could see Lexa glancing between them trying to figure out what was going on. Clarke did not want to admit to why her tail reacts the way it does, she honestly didn't even get why it happens. Of course, odds had to play against her as her tail began to slowly puff up since Anya was staring at it,

"See, it's doing it again! Look I know from textbooks and Lexa can back me up on this, that wolves tail don't fluff up, only the fur on the back of their necks will rise but that's usually it," Anya rolls her eyes like her question was so simple to answer, sure it be easy to answer that kind of question if you weren't on the receiving end of it. Clarke felt her cheeks redden and her tail is a tarot as it fluffs up even more and she tries to hide the reaction behind her back.

"Actually, I been curious about that to, why does that happen?" Lexa moves forward in the seat leaning her head against the head rest as she looks to Clarke. Now both humans were staring at her and she really wished she could take back her agreement; but that would be cowardly and Clarke Griffin is no coward. Clarke sighs lifting her tail up she drapes it across her lap and begins to brush her fur down.

"I don't know why it happens; all I know is that it's done this all my life. When I get embarrassed...or flustered...it just puffs up. It's the same like when you humans blush out of embarrassment. I remember the first time that it happened when I was a pup, I had been trying to show off to my friends that I could leap really far. While as you know it my friends told me to prove it, so I got ready to jump between this two big rocks but I slipped on the stone and fill face first into a mud puddle; the only part of me you could see was my tail which puffed up like a cotton ball. I was called bunny for a whole week, even the adults called me that stupid name," Clarke ranted on as she manages to claim her puffy tail but not enough to be able to put it away, the humans haven't said anything and the only sound that can be heard is from the radio. The female's silence grew on and they stare at her, she lets her hair fall forward hiding behind the fur like a curtain. She couldn't even bring the courage to spare Lexa a glance as she grows hotter and her tail grows four times in size. Clarke tries to tame her fur smoothing it down but each stroke seems to make it fluffier, at this point that feline could live inside of her tail.

"That is too freaking cute, Clarke it should be illegal how adorable you can be," Anya laughs her smile big enough to expose all of her teeth and Lexa's reaction is the same. Clarke's face feels hotter than that heating stick Luna once used on her fur; she brings her tail up deciding to hide behind it as her humans laugh.

"It explains all those times from the sanctuary! Your tail puffed up so many times but more so when I had touch your bu-"

"Lexa no! I don't want to relive that humiliation," Clarke growled out deciding to unbuckle her seat belt and hops into the back seat, she takes Lexa by surprise as she pounced onto her. Clarke forced Lexa to have to lay back against the seats as she hides her blushing face into Lexa's belly. Lexa gasps as Clarke burrows into her stomach trying to ignore the humiliation and ignoring how her tail still swayed rapidly. Clarke felt Lexa's hands stroking her back chuckling as she allowed her to curl into her belly.

"You know I still love you, from your fluffy tail to the top of your head," Lexa pats her head before running her fingers through her hair, "you need to take your nap hodnes, I don't want you to be cranky before meeting my parents," Clarke only pays half attention because since she had purposely humiliated herself she felt she deserved a type of reward for being honest. Clarke moves back to lift Lexa's shirt then lays her cheek against the soft skin allowing her lips to linger against the end of her lover's old scar.

"Fine, I'm kind of sleepy anyways," Clarke pushes away their earlier conversation in order to focus on putting her tail away. She nuzzles Lexa's scar and use it as a way to distract herself, she wasn't sure why she is so fixated on this mark of Lexa's, her love has explained that she gotten it from surgery yet for whatever reason Clarke felt something to this old wound.

Clarke sighs rubbing against Lexa's belly, she felt her human twitch and Lexa lightly pokes her rib cage because Clarke had tickled her, she smiles enjoying the reaction. Any chances that Clarke has gotten she always kisses the scar that marks Lexa's skin, she suspects that Lexa hated this scar and didn't like to acknowledge it. There have been a few times when Clarke would watch Lexa change her clothes in the early morning for work, the female would star into the mirror and just trace the mark repeatedly. Lexa would shake her head sighing before she'd quickly yank a shirt over and went about her normal routine. Whatever it is that bothers Lexa about this scar Clarke hopes to show her to appreciate her scar as she prides over her own.

The females exchanged a conversation on who would drive next and Lexa suggested that they pull off into the next town to switch and maybe grab some food to eat. Clarke looked forward to getting some food, she is rather hungry for she had only caught two rabbit this morning to eat. She has been having a hard time hunting now that Fall has come, with all the leaves that have fallen they cover the grounds everywhere and every step one took was loud enough to alert pray. Clarke isn't happy with the weather change since she's been losing her hunts numerous times, she's had to rely more on Lexa feeding her. Lexa doesn't mind of course; she is always happy to give Clarke food but she feels like such a pathetic wolf for not being able to hunt down more pray all because of dried up plants. She growls softly at the reminder of the leaves, she wonders how her fellow wolves dealt with the plants getting in the way of their hunts, instead of giving herself a headache she decides to close her eyes and take a nap.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lexa POV

Lexa grippers the string wheel tighter, her joints cracked as she held onto the wheel of her truck like it was a life preserver. She does wants Clarke to know where she grew up, what school she went to, where she hung out with Lincoln and Anya, and generally the highlights of the town. But honestly, Lexa is feeling rather selfish, she didn't want the towns people to know her girlfriend. As they got closer to the town her heart was telling her to turn around and return to the safe haven of their home, where she and her friends could do whatever they liked without being judged. Yet Lexa had promised her parents that she would bring Clarke and even Anya (Lincoln choose to stay home in order to take care of their pets) so that they may come to the festival and her parents may meet the woman she plans to marry. She's going to keep that promise but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

Lexa knows these people better then she knew the anatomy of a dog, they were like starved rats, they latched onto anything new or different, they cling to that object as if it was the air they breathed, holding it close, inspecting it, and then they tore it apart. That is what these people have done to Lexa, they cuddle and adore the new person in their lives before they grew bored and began to cripple her with psychological issues. Lexa doesn't want that to happen to Clarke, well technically she already has issues but Lexa won't allow these people to make it worse. She doesn't want anyone from this town to come close to Clarke, only the people in her tribe can be trusted. Lexa took a deep breath as they drove into town and immediately all eyes were on her truck in a snap. Lexa grinds her teeth as those people gave their fake smiles and waved,

"Fucking fakers, I hate this small town," Anya bluntly ignored the people that waved by turning her head away to keep her attention on the phone. Lexa scuffed as an agreement while she continued to drive the aggravating speed limit of 25 vs the 85 she been doing not too long ago. Lexa may have had the slightest urge to step on the gas paddle and zoom right out of town... maybe taking out a few of the people she liked least.

"We'll only be here for the weekend, it shouldn't be so bad if we stick to tribe instead of the town," Lexa added glancing in the review mirror to check on her wolf-girlfriend who she had managed to convince to take a nap. Clarke is curled up on the back seat in her human form letting out small sounds and twitched now and then. Seeing Clarke laying there sleeping so peaceful helps calm Lexa's growing irritation, there is an important reason why she is doing all of this, why she brought her girl here, Clarke needs to meet her parents so they may take the next step into their relationship. A small honk sounds off behind Lexa making Clarke jolt and let out a growl, her lips pulling back exposing some of those wicked fangs. Her silly banter makes Lexa smile and shake her head as she continuities to drive.

"True, I've let your dad and mine, know that we just made it into town and we'll see them in a bit," Anya puts her phone away as she sighs glancing around to see some people waving at her, she only offers a half ass wave before focusing on radio.

"I think we'll hit the ice cream shop first, I'm not ready yet for my parents to meet Clarke," Lexa hit the signal light to head left not really asking for permission not as though Anya would fight her on it. Anya shrugged having no problem with it, her phone went off and she fished it out to answer the message that been sent to her. From a distance it looked like the ice cream shop wasn't busy since only one other car was parked to the side, maybe luck will be in her favor today and the shop will remain low key,

"Want me to wake up Clarke?" Anya asks not having looked up from her phone, she has a smile on her lips which probably meant her dad had answered her right away. Lexa shook her head parking the truck a little further down the street to be closer to the park and to be able to simply walk to the shop but also be able to have a quick exit, just in case,

"No, I'll do it, she tends to bite if you wake her up roughly, which you'd no doubt do," Lexa jokes before turning off the truck, Anya lightly shoves her shoulder as she hops out right away wanting to stretch her limbs. Lexa hesitates though, she really didn't want to get out of the truck, that feeling in the back of her mind was telling her it wasn't a good idea that she should just keep driving and head to her childhood home. The feeling was like a nagging impulse to get away as fast as possible, but that is ridiculously, nothing happened in little old Ton DC, it is safe here, for the most part. Lexa takes a deep breath then opens her door then heads around to the back seat to open the door. Clarke is still asleep, surprisingly she is whimpering, she has to be having another one of her nightmares since a few tears ran down her face. Lexa frowns, her heart pinching wondering what caused her she-wolf to cry.

"Hodnes," Lexa whisperers crouching down until she is right next to her lover, reaching out she gently strokes Clarke's cheek whipping away the tears that fallen. She traces Clarke's cheekbone slowly, "wake up my beautiful alpha," Lexa leans down kissing her forehead, the she-wolf eventually stirs growling out and fluttering her eyes open. Clarke focuses on her immediately ice blue flashes for a moment before returning to those stormy blue eyes and she grins at Lexa. She perches on her hands to push up and steal a kiss from Lexa's lips.

"Hello to you my gorgeous human," Clarke purrs out pecking her lips with a few more kisses before crawling over the back seats to hook her arms around Lexa's neck. Lexa chuckles as she held her girlfriend's waist firmly then pulls her out of truck and setting her feet on the ground. Clarke lets out a happy bark giggling as she nips the side of Lexa's neck, making her gasp and the wicked wolf decides to bite again but harder.

"Behave Clarke," Lexa squeezes her waist in warning the she-wolf giggles before pulling back to look up to meet her gaze. Clarke's smile is teasing and she could see that glint in her eyes that she wanted to be playful. Lexa shacks her head using the distraction to ignore the numerous eyes already landing on them. But the distraction is not enough, the towns people's stars felt like spears, their eyes zeroing in on the new comer, some random beautiful blue-eyed woman in the arms of a woman they used to call a fag, dyke, and a savage.

Lexa's breathing comes out short, her chest rising and falling quickly, version losing focus as she heard the passing whispers of the people around them. Clarke's smile vanishes and is replaced with worry that paints across her features, her lips moved as she voiced her concerns but those words fill on deaf ears as Lexa couldn't hear anything else. Her body was shutting down as it remembered the years of being bullied, the name calling, the rumors, the lies spread to shame her very name like it is a taboo. Lexa's head began to throb a pressure at the back of her head was pushing out like a small force trying to crack her skull.

Suddenly the pain vanished and instead Lexa felt a sweet warmth against her cheek and all around the back of her neck. Lexa could feel little vibrations tickling her skin, a soothing pattern touched her nape and her stress was decreasing. She came back to into focus expecting to see Anya since she was the only one that knew how to calm her down from her mental crisis but instead, she realized that it was Clarke who held her. The she-wolf had yanked her down in an awkward kind of hug where the side of Lexa's face was pushed into her breast and the blonde was resting the front of her neck right on Lexa's nap. She is making a new sound Lexa hasn't heard from her before, it was like the chirping from a tiger. Lexa has noticed that the more time they spent together she has been able to differentia the sounds Clarke can make so she is positive that this one is new. She wonders why but then she realized she need to reassure Clarke that she is better, as her wolf still held her tightly occasionally pressing her lips against Lexa's ear.

"If you two could be any sweeter you'd combine to be worse than a lollipop cavity," Anya's teasing voice makes her laugh, Lexa pulls back so she may stand up straight. Clarke didn't hesitate to let her go but she held on to the end of Lexa's shirt looking up at her clearly still bothered.

"Shof op Anya, it's ok Clarke, I'm fine. I just got a little lost in my head," Lexa soothed her wolf stroking up and down her arms until that worried crease at her brow thinned out and she smiles hesitantly,

"You scared me, you didn't look like yourself," Clarke pushes up on her toes to kiss her, Lexa returns the affection pushing back Clarke's hair that had fallen forward. The she-wolf moved back searching Lexa's features carefully, "I am here with you, don't you listen to those weak-minded humans. They are the ones who have no value, they are the filth that stains Gaia's beautiful world, and they are beneath you my mate to be," Clarke cradled Lexa's face stroking her cheekbones slowly, pressing kisses a kiss to her forehead. Lexa's earlier distress felt like a thing of the past as Clarke comforts her, she sighs leaning into Clarke's touch and soaking up this moment,

What had she done to deserve this wolf/woman? Lexa isn't perfect that she knows, she has her flaws, has been through her fair share of pain, has fought every challenge to be able to be herself, and has had few people that she may rely on. Anya and Lincoln have helped her through many troubles and reminded her that she is a strong woman but sometimes it wasn't enough. But now that she had Clarke in her life, it helps further prove that Lexa is a strong woman; because someone as simple as Lexa is able to help a magnificent werewolf continue to live her life. If that wasn't strength what else could it be? Lexa felt her eyes water taking a deep breath she hooked arms tightly around the she-wolf pressing her lips to Clarke's neck she whispers,

"Marry m-"

"If you two are done yet I'd really like to stuff my mouth with a lemon ice cream," Anya interrupts, which honestly Lexa is grateful for, her face heats up feeling absurd that she was about to purpose to Clarke without even having a ring. When she asks for Clarke's hand, she'll do it in a far more romantic way then on the street corner of Lexa's old town. Clarke growlers threateningly angry for the intrusion she steps away from Lexa quicker than she can react and is in Anya's face in seconds.

"You got some nerv-"

"I'll buy you a plush dolphin at the best shop in the world here in town if we go get ice cream instead of you chewing me out," Anya cuts off again, Lexa grins seeing her girlfriend's eyes light up at the word dolphin. She has to muffle a laugh watching Clarke narrow her eyes at her older friend as she fought with her own pride over a stuffed toy. Clarke held Anya's gaze the whole time never breaking eye contact until Anya turned her head down to be respectful. Lexa looked around seeing people staring at the two of them oddly, she didn't get to put too much thought into it as Clarke returns to her side and grabs her hand.

"I want her to be fluffy and easy to carry in both of my forms, like my mini Lexa," Clarke demands letting Lexa lead her across the street while Anya walked besides them not caring that she has to walk behind them,

"Fluffy and tiny you got it Prisa (princess); we'll pick it out after we finish with our ice cream," Anya's phone went off with a call coming in more likely from her dad, she fell further back as she answers. Lexa continues down the street doing her best to ignore the people staring at her girlfriend. These people never stopped, did they? They hungered for new things to happen, for anything to break the cycle of their boring lives. So of course, seeing Clarke with someone they knew from the past was like Lexa flashing new jewel.

"What are you going to name your dolphin?" Lexa asks pulling Clarke closer when a larger group of people passed by, some waved at her trying to be friendly but she doesn't acknowledge them merely keeping her attention on Clarke. Lexa can hear their disapproval of her lack of attention already muttering their lies that will soon spread like wild fire,

"Once it has your scent, I'll name it strawberry. I'll keep it with me closer than before so I won't lose it this time," Clarke said determined she held her chin higher like she is so proud to own a plush toy that smelled like her. Lexa chuckles pulling the door open to the ice cream shop and letting Anya go in first before they stepped in.

Lexa stiffened a little seeing a group of form poplar high school girls just sitting off to the side on one long bench. Those girls who once held such a high value for always wanting to have their perfect figures and being in the latest fashion looked like they have had bricks thrown at their faces. None of them were anywhere close to looking the same as they did in high school, that was something positive to focus on Lexa thought. The group of women glance her way thanks to the damn bell that alerted their entrance and they actually recognized her. Many of them gap like fishes as they stare, Lexa did her best to ignore them,

"Why strawberry? Why not mini Lexa 2?" Lexa laughs when Clarke crinkles her nose not liking the name one bit, there is no one at the counter, the person mending the store must be in the back and will surely be there to help them soon. Lexa began to get anxious, she wanted to leave the shop she could her the group of women whispering quietly, it didn't take a genius to know they were talking about them. She took a few deep breaths distracting herself by watching Clarke, who is gingerly sniffing at the air scenting all the new smells that surrounds them,

"That's what you smell like, strawberries and honey suckles, it will be the perfect name for my dolphin," Clarke rubs at her nose the scents must be getting to her, Lexa will admit that the ice cream shop did smell good but a tad too sweet, but for Clarke someone might as well shove sugar up her nose. Lexa considers asking if she'd rather wait outside to get away from the smells or something to cover up her nose but then the group of girls became vocal and Lexa froze up,

Xxxxxxx homophobic bullying! Xxxxxxx

"My god look what the cat dragged in, a group of faggots," a high shrill voice laughs, Lexa grinds her teeth hearing the bones scrape loudly and her skin heats up with hearing that fucking word. Anya obviously heard it too because she turns around giving the group of girls a bored expression. Clarke only reacts to how Lexa is, mostly surprised from her sudden closed off behavior rather than reacting to the word, Lexa's girlfriend doesn't understand the offensive phrase. Lexa squeezes her hand, feeling sad that Clarke is soon going to learn how insulting the word is for them.

"Linda is that you? My god seems like Lucifer couldn't even handle your ugly, fat, wrinkled self, is that why you're here cooling yourself down after getting tossed out of hell?" Anya simply turns away not even offering an acknowledgement when the women gasped and began muttering again. Normally Lexa would defend herself in an instance, but when facing a larger group of women that made her life hell, she's become tongue tied. Lexa would have thought that now they were older that childish behavior could be put behind them but apparently not. Some people just have the overwhelming desire to put others down no matter how much it will defiles one's soul. Lexa's grip tightens on Clarke's hand as she glanced back at them hoping that they were leaving and things wouldn't advance, but life wasn't that kind.

"Fuck you dyke! It's you that's going to burn in hell along with your mute dog faced girlfriends!" Linda spat out, face turning red both from anger and embarrassment, her friends nod and laugh approving of her actions. Anya didn't say anything else, simply flipping them off and continued to look over the menu. Lexa didn't want to add any more fuel to the fire so she kept quite deciding to follow Anya's example, but Clarke...well she is never one to hold her tongue. Before Lexa knew it, her girlfriend pulls away from her and storms right up to Linda, Lexa's eyes widen as Clarke got in the woman's face and her friends jolted back,

Xxxx end of homophobic bullies xxxX

"What did you just call us?" Clarke snarls out baring her teeth, Linda lost the color on her face looking ghost white as she leans far away from her livid girlfriend. Lexa ought to stop her, pull her away, and help calm her down but seeing these group of women who made her life miserable practically shit themselves was too good to pass up. None of the other women with Linda moved to help their friend, they were all frozen on their bench looking at Clarke like she is demonic, but that didn't stop Linda from opening her mouth,

"Y-ou heard me bitch, I called your girlfriends filthy, dirty, dogs," Linda grins reaching up and tries (emphasis on tries) to shove Clarke away, she didn't budge an inch. Clarke bared her fangs again in a flash she moves back and snatches up Linda's ice cream and shoves it right at her nose. Clarke doesn't give her the chance to process before she swings her leg back then brakes off one of the bench's legs. Lexa felt like she was watching a slowly motion picture as all the women were suspended in the air for a second before they all crashed down. Each woman shirked as they got coated in a sticky mess from their own frozen treats, the sweet mess covered them from head to toe. They were about to whine and complain of the mess they sat in but all Clarke had to keep them quiet was to take one step towards them and then the shop went dead silent.

"To even use the word dog as an insult is disgusting, dogs are beautiful and golden hearted creatures," Clarke crouches down snagging Linda by the front of her shirt and drags her up close, "but all of you? You're worse than a rotting, maggot filled, corpus," Clarke hissed out then shoved Linda back on the ground none of her friends tried to break her fall as they got off the floor and scrambled for the door leaving Linda behind. Linda still sat on the floor staring up at Clarke like she been roped down.

"If you ever so much as glance or talk to any of us again, I'll tear out your tongue and shove it down your throat so you can choke on your toxic words," Clarke growled out, showing way more pointed teeth that could pass as human, Linda is so terrified she could only nod, but still she stayed in place as if she couldn't move, yet it was obvious that she wanted to run. "Now leave," it's as if Clarke severed the ties that had been keeping Linda in place because she got off the floor and shot for the door like she was escaping death,

Usually Lexa would lecture Clarke on this type of behavior but that woman basically threw herself under the bus, plus she didn't exactly want to defend those assholes anyways. Anya clears her throat, Lexa looked away from Clarke and her best friend gestures to the counter and there stood a petrified worker. The teen boy is standing stock still who is doing his best to smile and seem comfortable, but he looked like he wanted to run just as badly as those bullies.

"Sorry about the mess, we can help you clean it up if you want?" Anya offered but he quickly shakes his head, saying that the women were being bothersome and that they had done him a favor. Clarke hasn't noticed the new arrival still focused on the door from where the women ran, her whole body is tense looking ready to take off. Lexa's she-wolf wants to chase down those women and reap them apart, her whole-body language screams of a predator on the hunt. Clarke's hands twitched at her side and Lexa worries that she is signaling but instead her girlfriend's claws began to grow out,

"Hey baby you want to try some chocolate raspberry ice cream?" Lexa offers, hoping to heaven that her love will control her growing rage. If she did not calm down Lexa will have to try a more drastic measure, but thankfully her girlfriend instantly turned around her eyes losing their hard edge at the promise of sweets.

"Chocolate? And raspberries? In one treat!" Clarke bounced right back to Lexa side wrapping her arms tightly around her waist giving the cuties puppy eyes, "Yes please," the she-wolf leans up kissing Lexa on the lips as if she has to convince her to buy one, Lexa's spirit lifts faster than when Clarke made those girls fall flat on their asses. Clarke quick mood switch is something she and her best friends have gotten used; they barely notice it honestly. When Lexa steps up to the counter after Anya, it takes her a second to figure out why the employee was looking at her girlfriend like she grown a second head.

"Is there a problem?" Lexa asks not enjoying how the guy stared at her girlfriend, who is too busy looking into the glass window and checking out all the flavors to notice. Lexa can even hear the wolf sniffing out which flavor she'd like most, but she knows her girlfriend's taste preference because Clarke is already staring at the chocolate raspberry clearly excited and even licking her lips. The guy looks up shaking his head still eyeing Clarke oddly while he began to grab the utensils and gloves,

"No problem ma'am, what can I get you?" Lexa places her order along with Clarke's, while the she-wolf became occupied with watching the employee work Lexa dug out her phone to snap a few pictures of Clarke's excitement. Lexa may be enjoying this far more then she should be but could anyone blame her? This moment right here was something Lexa has always dreamed about; her old bullies having been served their karma was simply the sweetest treat compared to ice cream. Lexa happily paid for their treats and added a little more money to replace the bench that Clarke broke and vacated the shop, feeling like she could skip on air,

"If you had been around in our teenage years I bet you'd be able to get us into about any club," Lexa laughs handing off Clarke's ice cream to her, the she-wolf grabbed it hesitantly then brought the treat close to her nose and took a sniff at it curiously. Clarke held the treat up to eye level, studying each side of the cone and all the way up to the cherry that been placed on top, the silly wolf even watched as the ice cream dripped down the cone and onto her fingers. Clarke didn't even try to stop it simply content in watch the cream drip off her hand and onto the ground.

"Maybe even get some liquor too," Anya mutters through her own treat, Lexa spotted an open bench not too far away and leads their group towards the open space. Lexa held onto Clarke's free hand as they crossed the street not wanting her girlfriend to space out in the middle of the road. Clarke allows her to pull her along as she isn't really listening them, she brought the treat to lips and took a small lick, Lexa grinned watching as her girlfriend's eyes widened,

"It's so sweet and cold!" Clarke showed her fangs in a wide smile before she decided to bite the top of the ice cream. Lexa's own teeth aches from watching the she-wolf chew on the frozen dessert as if it was an apple, but she didn't seem the slightest bit fazed. Clarke licks at her fangs repeatedly being sure to thoroughly taken in all of the taste before nipping at the treat again.

"Did you know, that it can also be called a frozen dessert too? It's made out of iced milk but with tons of sugar and artificial flavors to make it taste about any kind of food," Anya took a seat first followed by Lexa who moved over to give Clarke enough room to sit as well. Clarke eyes the spot before looking to Lexa, she shakes her head before moving closer to Lexa and pushes her arms aside so that she may sit on Lexa's lap. Lexa blushed right away not necessary bothered by the act but the fact that people around them gawked at the action. Lexa fixed those people with a quick glare to get them to mind their own business, thankfully the towns people continue on their walk but that didn't stop them from glancing back. Lexa scoots further down the bench so Clarke can sit side ways to face them, she doesn't fuse over the movement as the she-wolf is rather content to stay in place.

"Can I try yours?" Clarke asks Anya without hesitation, her best friend paused for a moment casting a quick glance at Lexa for permission. Lexa chuckles nodding before enjoying her own sweet, this isn't the first time Clarke has asked for food; she had no shame in asking. Lexa has to guess that it is in her girlfriend's nature to eat off another pack mate's meal, it is a sign of good spirit or friendliness.

She has no problem with it, Clarke well often pick at Lexa's bowls of fruit taking small pieces and if she didn't like it, she'd offer it back to Lexa. She has grown used to the act and not too long after Clarke has done the same thing with Anya and Lincoln, but with them she asks for permission. Clarke has in turn offered her own kills from the forest, Lexa couldn't be more grateful to be a vegetarian, as Lincoln has made himself take nibbles of some rabbit or Anya has made herself take a bite out of a squirrel (at least they were able to cook it without offending Clarke). Anya was able to stomach the cooked squirrel considering she's eaten it before with her papa, but Lincoln...well poor fellow simply couldn't keep it down.

Anya held out her ice cream to the blonde who happily leaned in taking a bite, but this time she seemed to have regret it as her nose scrunched up. Clarke moved away from the treat quickly shaking her head as if she wanted to shake out the taste, "Why is it sour?" Clarke flicked her tongue against her front teeth trying to sooth her tongue. She nipped her own ice cream as another way to cover up the assaulting flavor. Lexa hid her laughter the best she could by hiding behind her cone and playfully ignoring Clarke when she cast her a glare,

"Because it's lemon flavored, it's meant to be this way," Anya didn't hide her surprise when Clarke then offered her own ice cream,

"I'm not a fan, I like mine better," Clarke waits for Anya to take a taste not seeming to be bothered by how the dessert has been continually dripping down to her own hands. Anya carefully leans in to avoid being dripped on and took a lick knowing better then to turn down the offer. The last time Anya didn't take Clarke's offer the wolf gotten so upset she bit Anya's ear and the she-wolf had to be lectured about not biting people...again, and from there on Anya takes whatever Clarke offers,

"Not bad, but it be better with more raspberries," Anya admitted smiling when Clarke grins at her, the she-wolf settled back on Lexa's lap leaning against her as the she-wolf lets out soft purrs more than likely not meaning to. Lexa held up her own ice cream since she knew Clarke will want to try, the blonde smiles immediately and leans down to take a lick. Unlike before Clarke smacks her lips happily enjoying Lexa's vanilla caramel. Lexa can hear the passing mumbles of people that walked by clearly upset over the public affection, she did her best to tune them out. "You have a long tongue Clarke, aren't you lucky Lexa,"

"Anya!" Lexa yelled her face going red, her sudden shout startles Clarke and she looks down between Anya and herself clearly confused. She doesn't understand why Lexa got mad out of nowhere, Lexa had to stroke her thigh to convince her that everything was alright,

"What? Where'd your mind go gutter head? I was talking about French kissing," Anya's smile is too wide giving away exactly what she meant, Anya even has the nerve to bring a hand to her mouth and create a lewd gesture. Anya jumps off the bench before Lexa can punch her, laughing all the while and attracting some people's attention. Clarke doesn't have a clue as to what they were talking about, maybe that was for the better, still she titles her head in that cute puppy way expecting some kind of answer. Lexa vigorously shakes her head shoving her ice cream into her mouth as an excuse to not say anything, this wasn't the place to be explaining an Australian kiss.

"When are we going to see your parents Lexa?" Clarke asks while she finishes off the treat, she licks at her fingers from where the dessert had trickled onto them. Lexa decides to sink her front teeth into the frozen dessert even though it stung her gums, she has to distract herself from watching her girlfriend's pink slippery tongue twirl around those fingers. She can feel Anya's judgmental stare from where she stood, the heat of her teasing eyes is all it takes for Lexa's face to turn red as a sunburn,

"After we are done with our ice cream and Anya gets you the dolphin," she mutters shivering at the chill that scratched at the back of her brain from nipping into the frozen treat. Clarke jumps up from her lap at the mention of the promised plush toy, her excitement making her blind to the way Lexa was being a little off, not that she minds concerning the circumstance,

"Can we go now Anya? You are done, aren't you?" Clarke asks eagerly, Lexa could picture that golden tail wagging fast enough to hover over the ground. Anya chuckles nodding her head she gestures towards Mara street corner,

"Sure, fluff ball let's get your reward," Anya heads off first Lexa rushes to finish off her treat having bitten into the treat earlier made her slower to finish. Yet Clarke waits for her patiently and once Lexa finished off the ice cream, she then held out a hand to grab,

"Why do you like dolphins so much?" Lexa takes the offer beginning to lead Clarke down the street not needing any directions because she already knew which shop Anya is wanting to take Clarke.

"They're amazing! I've never seen a fish like them before, the sounds they make are nothing I've heard in my whole," Clarke grins showing off her fangs successfully spooking a group of moms and their kids. The small group hurried along casting weary glance at Clarke as though she would eat them, "did you know that despite them having more fangs then I do they don't use their teeth to chew? They only use them to catch other small fishes!" Her adorable excitement makes her miss the fact that she caused a few children to whimper and move close to their mothers. Lexa may need to condemn more lessons in how to hide Clarke's true nature, sometimes it seems like Clarke believes that by just looking like a person one can pass off as being human,

"Really? I didn't know that, you've been watching those documentaries a ton, I bet you know a lot more," Lexa encourages her to continue as they walk, Clarke then began to go into details about all the different facts she has learned on the large sea mammal. The passion she had for these creatures is so adorable, she got this spark in her eyes when she talks about them. Lexa thinks back to when Clarke asked to see some dolphins, it has been a few months now and she has more than enough money saved up to be able to go on vacation. She'll have to put in a request at work for some time off so that she and Clarke may travel out of the country,

"I do know a lot more! Did you know bottlenose dolphins have the longest memory? They can recognize the whistle of their mate after being separated for more than 20 years!" Clarke yelps happily not giving Lexa the chance to reply before moving on to another fact about dolphins. Lexa choose to listen to Clarke rant about the animal instead of interrupting her, she notices that Anya is way ahead of them and in fact she was already turning down the street corner and entering the shop

Plushie Fluffy is owned by an elderly man who makes unique stuffed animals, he didn't stick to the boring routine of teddy bears, instead he had all sorts of wildlife animals and even domestic ones. He is a rather sweet man, very shy and soft spoken, he is very popular with the children at her old elementary school. Lexa sees that Anya has taken up chatting with the owner of the place seeing how he is doing and what he has been up to. She also realized that Clarke had stopped talking, checking on her, the blonde is staring off to side towards a large old building. Lexa remembers it as the hang out spot for the rebel teenagers who did a bunch of stupid stuff that would get them in trouble. Her girlfriend was acting off though, she was staring at the building intensely and she was letting out a weird sound.

"Clarke? Hey what's wrong?" The blonde doesn't respond just kept focusing on the building her nostrils flaring from taking a deep breath. But just as quickly as the she-wolf froze up she shook her head then turned her attention back to Lexa.

"I thought I smelled another wolf, but the scent is ol-" Clarke didn't get to finish as something light blue and fluffy was shoved at her face taking both Lexa and the she-wolf by surprise. It takes Lexa a moment to realize it had been the shop keeper and that had come up to them, not Anya. She had been so ready to snap at her friend for interrupting yet again but the older man was simply trying to sell his product.

"Best plushie I have, m-made him with the softest material," the man spoke softly as Clarke stared the shop keeper down clearly not happy with being suddenly approached, the man can see he had messed up. "I-I-mean y-y-your puppy will love it, i-i-i-it even squeaks," the poor man became more intimidated by Clarke's silent reply, but then he squeezed the plushie and out came the small squeak which melted away the she-wolf's irritation. Clarke beams right away then grabs the toy from the man's hands and holds it to her chest making the thing sound off again causing herself to giggle.

"Anya, I want this one! It sounds like a mouse's last sound before you kill it," Clarke snickers not all caring of the analogy she used for she is far to entranced by her new plushie. Lexa shakes her head; she needs to talk to Clarke about being careful with her choice of words. The shop keepers eyed Clarke oddly but still smiles happy to see how much joy the toy had brought to the blonde,

"How does it sound like a mouse?" The man asked curiously, which was so not a good thing because Clarke answers truthfully like a kid would,

"They make the sound just as you bi-" Lexa wraps an arm around Clarke's waist and pulls her close to grab her attention as subtly as she could manage, she shakes her head. "I mean they make the noise when you umm accidentally squeeze them?" Clarke tried to recover her mess up which really wasn't any better, because now the shop keeper looked very concerned,

"How about you ring us up for the plushie Mr. Neman, We actually need to hurry up and head home," Lexa intervenes sparing Clarke from embarrassment and saving the poor shop keepers his sanity. Mr. Neman hesitates eyeing Clarke weirdly since it was obvious that she wanted to have the plush dolphin and it was never going to be given to a puppy. Internally Lexa thought how funny and cute it will be to see Clarke in her wolf form carrying the dolphin around but Mr. Neman may not think the same way. All the same though he nods then heads over to the counter where Anya was already planning to pay. "Babe, you have to be careful with what you say or at least how you say it, that really didn't come out very human," she whispers leaning down to kiss her cheek,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I just got happy with the sound but I'll be careful next time, I promise," Clarke leans up to nuzzle Lexa's collarbone before she turned her attention back to the dolphin. She brings the toy up to her face and sniffs at it, she lets out an annoyed huff before she suddenly pushes the dolphin into Lexa's chest. Clarke used a little too much strength almost making Lexa tip over but still she holds onto dolphin momentarily thrown off. "I need you to hold on to that for a while, it smells too clean like fake flowers. I'll be right back I want to thank Anya for the new gift," Clarke scampered off before Lexa can try to hold on to her leaving her confused and wondering if she should be offended. Lexa didn't know if her girlfriend just called her dirty and for some reason wanted the dolphin to smell bad as her or her love meant something else.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment babe," Lexa called out knowing well enough she'll actually be able to hear her because she can see those pouty lips turning up at the corner. Just as Anya tucks away her debt card Clarke tackles Anya with a hug, even from here Lexa can see how tightly Clarke held her. Lexa's phone buzzes and she didn't need to pick it up to know it was her parents likely calling to see where she is. She knows that they are excited to see her again but feeling the phone buzz against her leg felt like lead weight piling on. Lexa couldn't say it out loud but she was worried about them not liking Clarke. She senses that something will happen when Clarke meets her parents and it wasn't in a good way. Lexa squeezes the dolphin in her arms to trying to comfort her racing thoughts, maybe she is just nervous.

Xxxxxxxx

Lexa barely opens the front gate before the front door busters open and her parents stood at the door way. The first thing that she takes notice is that her mama's ankle is in a brace, Lexa felt a pang of guilt for not remembering that she had broken her ankle. Yet at the same time when she had returned to the sanctuary after seeing her mama, Lexa had gotten injured by Molly. Lexa well have to make sure not to wear any of her shorts in front of them because they will surely notice the scar. Indra is restricted to being stuck on the porch and thankfully saving Lexa from being embarrassed by her cuddling at least for the moment. But that didn't exactly stop her papa from jumping down the stairs and running up to her to snag her up like she was eight years old.

"My little forest ranger! Isn't it good to see my little girl again!" Her papa's voice booms like a grizzle's roar as he spun her around then pulls her in for a tight embrace. Lexa's face went red, her papa has a way of making her feel as if she hasn't aged at all, she is a woman in her mid-20's, has a successful career that she loves, owns her own house, and soon will be marrying the woman of her dreams, who she hopes is keeping a clam attitude right now. She asked Clarke to wait in the car while she greeted her parents first and Anya was still with her too, likely getting a peep talk on how to deal with her parents. She tries to pull away from her papa's affection but that only encourages him to hold onto her longer, this is both humiliating yet comforting,

"Hi papa, I've missed you too," Lexa strains to say as her papa held her like it would be the last time. Lexa hugs Gustus just as hard, she can hear him sigh in relief like she wouldn't have returned his affection. She always wonders why her papa has this reaction like he somehow expected her to vanish one day or that she'd somehow stop loving him.

"Bring her here Gustus! I'm not stepping outside with the boar meat in the oven," Indra calls out, Lexa felt like she could make the color red jealous from how bright she gotten as her papa literally carried her over to her mama. Once Gustus places her on the ground Indra yanks Lexa forward to hug her just as tightly even kissing her forehead and cheek a few times.

"Please dear Go-Gaia stop, my girlfriend is in the truck watching us," Lexa mutters though all the same she hugs her mama with equal strength and affection. She can hear the car doors opening making her own heart race nervously, she can hear Anya telling Clarke to help her get out the luggage before running off. Clarke may be getting impatient but she must have listened to Anya since the front gate did not squeak open,

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot about her, who could remember some stranger compared to their own baby?" Indra pulls back adding another kiss to Lexa's nose, she lightly shoves her mama jokingly before whipping off the kiss trying to gain back some of her dignity,

"I haven't forgotten, who can forget about some girl trying to snatch away my little girl?" Gustus huffs he made to pick her up again but Lexa quickly stepped back hopping off the front steps easily without needing to look. The look her papa gives her has her needing to suppress a smirk for feeling a little smudge that she managed to get away from him,

"Ha ha very funny, but seriously don't drive her away," Lexa said earnestly even holding her head up higher and folding her arms behind her back taking the stance of challenge that is no game and she will not be treated as a joke. Gustus was taken by surprise but Indra steps closer to the porch staring her down like she would when she was a child, "I meant, mama, papa, this woman isn't a fling, I see myself marrying this woman with or without your blessing," Lexa kept her stance firm even when her mama lifts a brow the most shock she'll allow to show in front of someone she didn't know yet. The front gate has been pushed open at this point and the girls were dragging the luggage across the sidewalk, but they don't come closer. Lexa guesses that Anya may be holding Clarke back because she can hear an irritated huff coming out of the she-wolf,

"She must be some woman to have you ready to go against the people that raised and carried for you," Gustus nods the first to accept that this was no joke but Indra hasn't accepted yet, only staring Lexa down waiting for her to look away. Indra wants Lexa to break the stare so that she may reject Clarke if she believed she wasn't good enough for her daughter. Lexa stayed strong though keeping her gaze locked with her mama even when it slowly made her nervous.

"She is, she's like no one you'll ever meet ever and if you can't accept her, you don't accept me," Lexa felt strained, she wants to look away, her hands shake behind her back as she challenges her own mama; part of her felt like it is wrong and the other is like a silent whisper encouraging her to be strong. But that voice was being drowned out by remembering that she needs to respect her parents' wishes. Gustus may be huge and stock, seeming like he could snap you in half with one grip but it is Indra that one had to be more worried about. Lexa couldn't hold on much longer and Indra can see that as she held her head higher waiting for Lexa to bend. She was about to give in and allow her mama to win but then someone with a head full of wavy blonde hair stepped in front of her and successfully broke off the stare down between them.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. and Ms. Woods, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you both and it's honor to meet the people responsible for shaping the most important person in my life," Clarke's voice doesn't shake or even stumbled as she addresses her parents, Lexa nearly felt like throwing up as Clarke stepped up to Indra and extends her hand. This may be the first time she'd ever seen her mama be dumb folded at this bold woman that actually had the nervous to step into family affairs, Lexa wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream. Clarke stood firm not flustered that Indra narrowed her eyes looking at her rather suspiciously,

"You must be Clarke, the woman that somehow caught my daughter's attention," Indra reaches out taking Clarke by the forearm which was rather unusual since that was only meant for Trikru members. Lexa steps closer to stand beside her girlfriend placing a hand on her waist for both her own comfort and Clarke's. Clarke titles her head curiously before moving her arm back to grip Indra's hand instead; Indra obviously didn't expect that because surprise crossed her face again before settling on a neutral expression.

"I suppose I can see why she favors you, you are rather beautiful," Gustus adds stepping up to greet her girlfriend, Clarke releases Indra's hand then grips his hand shaking it firmly, Lexa has to bite her lip to keep from laughing, she sees her papa's face pinch up she has to guess the she-wolf decided to use a little more strength to greet him. Lexa glanced at her mama to gage her reaction, she is thrown off by the look her mama is giving Clarke, she looked furious, like Indra wants to throw Clarke off the porch and out of their lives. Lexa grins her teeth, she hopes silently that Indra will keep herself in check and at least try to behave in front of company. She understands that Clarke did step into the middle of their earlier star down but that was no excuses for her mama to look so hostile,

"Thank you, I think your boar meat is ready Ms. Woods," Clarke steps away from her parents to lean into Lexa's side and it is only then that she felt her girlfriend shacking a little. So, she is actually nervous after all, she's done a rather good job of hiding it because even Lexa didn't notice. The expression Indra had before vanished and she gives a tight smile, Lexa isn't sure why her mama is acting so off, she may need to pull her aside and talk to her about at least trying to be friendly. Before her mama can question how Clarke would know such a thing, the timer on the oven went off and reluctantly Indra turns away from them to go take out the meat that will be meant for the festival,

"Anya! Come help me pull the meat out of the oven," Indra calls back already heading inside because she know that Anya will listen to her, Anya drops the luggage by the last step of the porch as she moves past them and she wishes Lexa good luck, as the pair disappear around the corner that leads to the kitchen. Now it is only her, Clarke, and papa, Lexa glances at Gustus, seeing him look over Clarke carefully as if he is trying to figure some complicated problem. What is up with her parents? Lexa has brought other girls before but they didn't study them this intensely, this may mean that Lexa is going to have to fight to keep her relationship with Clarke. Gustus is staring at Clarke's eyes, Lexa worries that he notices the yellow in her eye but it isn't very noticeable and it hasn't grown at all, yet her papa suddenly smiles brightly looking sweeter,

"Well come inside then, Indra will be after us if we don't hurry along. I'm assuming that Lexa has told you about our tribe?" Gustus asks as he gestures for Clarke to enter first, she hesitates for a moment before stepping inside, Lexa was going to go next but her papa steps in the middle cutting off the chance for her to be besides Clarke. Gustus over his shoulder and there is a small smirk on his lips hinting he'd done it on purpose,

"Yes, she has, she and Anya have taught me of your tribes' history and the modern cultures you follow today," Lexa can hear the stress building in her voice as her papa herds the she-wolf like cattle up the stairs towards her old room. She has half a mind to try to shove her papa in a room so she may walk besides Clarke to comfort her. Lexa may have spoken too soon about her papa being the sweet one,

"Oh, that's just the tip of an antler. Wait until tonight, you'll be learning a whole lot more about our culture and even more history. You best have packed a notebook to write everything down, I may test you later on,"

"I umm don't know what a not-"

"You need to speak up girl, can barely hear you up here,"

"I-I umm sai-d th-hat,"

"I still can't hear you and now I can't understand you,"

"Papa! Leave her alone! She hasn't been here for ten minutes and you're already harassing her!" Lexa squeezes past her papa hearing Clarke starting to stumble over her words was a clue that she beginning to get annoyed. Most would take it that she was embarrassed but Lexa knew better, if she didn't interfere Clarke may take a bite out of Gustus. Thankful he focuses his attention on her instead grinning wide not at all ashamed at thinking he'd flabbergasted her girlfriend.

"What? I literally didn't understand what she was saying, she was mumbling," her papa argues missing how Clarke growled softly, "you had such a strong voice early what happened Clare?" Lexa shakes her head this man may just lose a finger or two and she isn't sure if she'd want to exactly get in the way of that; obviously Lexa would because she loves her papa but he can be somewhat hard to handle when he got over protective,

"It's Clarke, not Clare," the she-wolf growls out Lexa felt Clarke snag onto the end of her shirt and yanked her back with little effort, Lexa loses her footing and she falls back into Clarke's arms who hugs her close. "My strength comes from having your daughter close besides me, she is my everything and source of happiness. You truly raised a wonderful female Mr. Woods," Clarke snuggles up to Lexa, she doubted the blonde's cheeks were as red as hers right now, with this amount of blushing she may catch a fever. Her she-wolf has always been publicly affectionate, she has no issues with showing how much she loved Lexa, normally that's not a big deal. But to do this in front of Gustus is not respectful, it is considered rude and inappropriate, but for Clarke, she believed to show affection was to prove that truly cared for Lexa.

"Thank you, Clarke," Gustus answer with a smile too tight and eye twitching in the corner proving he was not a fan of Clarke embracing her. Apparently wanting to add an even lower blow Clarke leans up and kisses her cheek; Lexa thought of pulling away to help ease the tension but that would upset Clarke and make her feel like she is doing is something wrong and she technically isn't. "Your parents must be just as proud to have such a delightful daughter," he practically spat out intending to remind the woman of basic manners in front of company but that only served to make her lover to whimper.

"Hey papa, I think we're going to freshen up before dinner; might take a shower and change into some proper clothes for the hike up to the tribe later," Lexa laughs doing her best to seems at ease even though her papa's eyes widened and his brow furrows,

"I'm hoping you meant showers Lexa, you are under our home and you'll be respecting the old rules Forest Ranger," Gustus speaks firmly as he drops off the luggage into Lexa's old room, she gently pulls away from Clarke's hug making sure to grab her hand to guide her inside the room. She hopes that Clarke may get distracted with looking around her old room since it did have a lot of her old things and it works because the she-wolf limitedly wonders inside, Lexa rolls her eyes she pokes her papa's chest,

"Obviously papa, geez relax we are both women it's not like we can't get each other pregnant," Lexa joked happy to see that small smile on his lips to show he held no ill temper, she notices Clarke froze in place for a second before she moved along to look at Lexa's pictures. She has numerus pictures and posters pinned to the wall of different wild animals and of course family photos. Lexa's old room is nothing too fancy it is pretty basic with a queen size bed and a few bean bugs laying around. The room isn't very big so she only has a bed and one dresser against the wall, at the time Lexa was happy with the small space because it meant less cleaning.

"I wouldn't be so sure, modern technology has a way of making the impossible happen," He casts a glare at Clarke whom is too occupied looking around the room to notice. Lexa wants to question what he means because it made no sense but then he turns around and heads back down stairs probably to help Indra and likely to send Anya upstairs to keep them from doing any funny business. Lexa chuckles as she pushes the door closed and drops the other pack on top of the bed.

"Can you believe my dad is actually worried about us getting pregnant," Lexa laughs, she sees that Indra or Gustus have recently washed her blankets, she'll need to thank them for that, but why did they have to the most girly blanket she owns? The offending bright bubble gum pink washed out the colors in Lexa's old room and if the hue isn't enough there are patterns of baby turtles everywhere, really drives the message that she is at her parent's house. When Clarke didn't reply, she looked over at her noticing Clarke is picking at the end of her shirt licking at her teeth,

"Yeah... you know...I wouldn't exactly blame your dad about being...worried about umm suddenly getting pregnant," Clarke flicked her tongue over her fangs looking more nervous as her face slowly began turning red and she toyed with the small things on Lexa's old dresser, she even avoids meeting her eyes. Lexa felt lost, why is her girlfriend getting so embarrassed?

"What do you mean? Obviously, I don't have the umm equipment to do that, so why would my papa need to be concerned?" Lexa asked, she was thrown off when Clarke unexpectedly lost control of her form and a furry tail and ears popped out, Clarke rarely loses control of her form, she has been so good at keeping her wolf hidden (minus the time when they had been in the truck earlier). Lexa almost began to panic that everything that just happened with her parents was in fact too much and for a split moment Lexa feared that Clarke may want to run away. Yet her worries are somewhat put to rest as Lexa can see that the golden tail has fluffed up like cotton candy, thanks to Anya she now knows what it actually means but what in world could have her feeling so embarrassed?

"I d-do, well not right now clearly b-but in about a week, I'll definitely well have the umm-m-m," Clarke stutters out her tail is curling up a little and is twitching side to side showing how she is anxious. Lexa wants to tell her to calm down but at this rate she didn't think that Clarke could hear her as began to whine, her ears flickering back and forth, and her tail slowly curls inwards. Whatever she is trying to say it must be important but Lexa felt that if it is causing her this much stress it can wait,

"Babe, if you aren't ready to say whatever it is you want to say, you don't have to. I rather wait to hear what you want to say when you are actually ready to tell me," Lexa slowly approaches Clarke, "is it about my parents? Were they being too much? We don't have to go downstairs right away if you feel like you aren't prepared," Lexa is about to reach Clarke but then the she-wolf suddenly barks angerly switching into a enter different mood clearly very irritated with herself,

"No, it's nothing like that, it's what your dad said about pregnancy! Plus, I don't have any more time to keep pushing this information away because it's going to be really freaking evident what the damn problem is! Ah! I can't say it in this form!" Clarke growls out, her hands flay out like she could somehow shove away the stress she put on herself. Before Lexa can even convince her to take a deep breath to cool her head there came the loud crackle and Lexa has to jump back. She shot to the door instantly locking the bolts and shoving a chair underneath the door knob. Lexa turns around expecting to face the golden wolf but instead Clarke is scampering off towards her bed and yanking off the blanket from the bed and hides beneath it. The luggage Lexa placed there earlier goes flying in the air before landing on the hard wood floor, Lexa is sure that it will catch her parents' attention, she prays that Anya is able to distract them long enough for Lexa to figure out how to solve the sudden mess.

"Clarke, baby you want to explain why you suddenly changed?" Lexa kept her voice at ease despite hearing her mama calling from down stairs to know if everything was alright. She has to be a little craftier to be able to get on her bed, because like before this room does not accommodate overly large golden wolves. Clarke is still hiding underneath her blanket but the fabric is from when she was younger and it does little to cover the wolf up, the only thing Clarke manages to cover is her head and shoulders. The golden wolf's tail has puffed up to the size of an adult angora rabbit. Lexa reaches out pulling the blanket off but the golden wolf has hidden her face under her paws; Clarke even turns on her side to curl up and add her puffy tail onto of her head. Lexa has to bite her lip to keep from laughing, Clarke looks absolutely adorable and she wished ever so badly that hadn't left her phone in the pack that was still by the door.

"You're only making this worse for yourself here babe. You are making me think this must be a really bad news, to have you hiding like Jelly when it's time for her check up at the vet," Lexa coxes reaching over she tugs on Clarke's fluffy tail to get her to come out of the make shift hiding space, didn't work, but she at least felt the familiar tingle on her forehead,

"That depends on how you feel about it. I've never had to tell anyone and it's extremely embarrassing. It isn't anything bad, it's just something I'm able to do...I go through it every four months," The golden wolf gurgles out a growl as she finally moves her paws off her muzzle and pokes her snout out from under the tail though still seemed determined to keep "hiding"

"You mean your heat, but that's not for a while?" Lexa tries grasping for any type of answer the she-wolf is trying to say but it isn't the right response because the golden wolf shacks her head, her massive form makes the wooden floor creak and Lexa hopes the noise doesn't reach her parents,

"No! Alphas don't go through heats! Only omegas do...alphas and betas they go through...ruts," Clarke moved her tail away from her face so at least Lexa could see her eyes and the expression she shows tells Lexa that whatever she is needing to say has been on her mind for a while and it has been stressing her immensely.

"I'm guessing that is only something your kind can do? I haven't heard that term before," Lexa does her best to keep a neutral face so as not to discourage Clarke from speaking her mind but inside Lexa is freaked out that maybe she hasn't been creating an air of openness to give Clarke the freedom to share her troubles. Lexa likes to think that Clarke has been making great improvements to show her emotions instead of bottling them up but of course there are times Clarke lets her own pride get in the way too often and has led to them arguing. What if Lexa has been to closed off lately because of the arguments and has led Clarke to feel she cannot confide in her? What if that leads to them breaking up? The mere idea of them parting ways makes Lexa feel sick to her stomach. Or maybe Lexa could be jumping to conclusion, she ought to hear Clarke out before thinking of the worst possible situation.

"Fuck it!" Lexa jumps a little when Clarke shots to her paws and is in her face in a snap, the golden wolf's muzzle jabs her chest as she stares into Lexa's eyes, "Lexa, ruts are a time when alphas and betas can reproduce with an omega, it doesn't matter their born gender, and it's the same for omegas when they go into their heats. When an omega is in heat, their privates change to accommodate their mates, so two males can have a biological pup because the male omega has the...equipment's to be able to carry and feed the pups," the golden wolf paused growing shy again she looks away focusing instead on the headboard.

"To put things simply, in a few weeks I will develop a pe-nis and have the ability to impregnate another female. My ruts aren't usually an issue because I use that...desire to breed to run and exhaust myself until I pass out. That's worked for me for a really long time only because I was a virgin, but now that I've lost my female virginity I don't know what to expect for my male genetics," Clarke lets out a heavy sigh with some struggle she turns around and begins to change back into her human form. Lexa meanwhile is trying to take in the new information without being blindside but this subject was so not in her line of worries. Once the blonde changes back into her human form she looks back curiously her face is completely red and she still chooses to avoided meeting Lexa's eyes.

"I don't regret giving you my virginity, not one bit, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what will happen afterwards. My ruts have been minor up until this point, it's why running works to burn off that excess energy; but now without my female virginity my rut is going to hit full force and I don't know how to keep that tamed knowing I actually have a mate to be to breed with," Clarke sighed deeply she slowly curled up into herself like she wants to hide, yet she turned around to face Lexa and something must of hit her as her eyes widen and she pushes off the floor and was in her face in a split second, Clarke grabs Lexa's hands then holds them to her chest,

"I'd never force myself on you! Please know that Lexa, no respectable alpha would ever do something so disgraceful. If you don't want to be part of that just say so, like if you aren't ready or you're just not into that part of me that's ok," Clarke smiles but Lexa can see the pain that it brings her to say it, Clarke keeps talking not bothering to wait for Lexa to catch up to her speed. "I'll just have to spend some time away from you, like really far away until my rut has passed. I promise I'll be back though, I'll always come back to you," her girlfriend looks away now deciding to sit on the edge of the bed and Lexa moves back to give her enough room to sit comfortably, Clarke keeps a hold of one of her hands, "I'm sorry for dumbing all of this on you, I probably should have waited until we were back home. But this has been eating away at me for a while and the time of my rut approaching just added more pressure that I had to tell you. I'm sorry I haven't been able to tell you sooner, I meant to do it a long time ago but… the timing never seemed right," Clarke hung her head allowing her hair to fall around her face so that she may hide behind it but she did keep a hold of Lexa's hand and she held on to tightly. Lexa felt like she could feel the she-wolf's heart rate pounding against the palm of her hand,

Lexa is still processing the amount of information her girlfriend just unloaded on her, twisting up her world of reality even more so. She wants to be positive; no, she will have a positive attitude, she wasn't afraid, she was just shocked, Lexa never imaged that such a thing could be possible, it was literally something out of a fairy tale. All around the world there are gay couples that have dreamed about being able to have a biological child of their very own; for two people of the same sex to be able to combine their genes and create their own life just like straight couples can. Sure, gay couples can adopt a child but that process took years and even then it was risky because people changed their mind on handing over their baby to another family. Or there was artificial insemination that cost far too much fucking money and the chances of actually getting pregnant from that was slim. Yet here Clarke says she can actually impregnate her just like that, there are a lot of people that would do anything in the world to actually have that ability. Lexa's brain is on overload with trying to put everything together right now, so she says the first things that comes to mind,

"I never considered being pregnant, I always imagined it would be my partner that'd carry our baby. But to be able to have your pups...that's actually really exciting," Lexa isn't sure why she just said that, the mere idea that they, two women could actually have their own babies without any hassle is absolutely incredible. Yet at the same time it scared her, what would happen if their genetics got mixed together to create new life? Her being a human and Clarke being a werewolf. Would that make their pups hybrids or would they mostly have Clarke's genes because of her stronger genetics?

"You're n-ot weirded out by that?" Clarke peaks through her curtain of hair practically melting Lexa's heart to see the she-wolf looking so hesitant yet hopeful, laughing softly she reaches out pushing Clarke's hair over her shoulder so she may look at her beautiful face. Lexa gently grabs the blonde's chin and guides the blonde to lean down so that she may press her lips against Clarke's forehead,

Xxxxx small NSFW nothing too descriptive xxxxxx

"My sweet wolf, I'm not weirded out by this at all, is it different? Yes. Do I see myself being with when your rut hits? Definitely," Lexa pulls Clarke to lay down on her chest so she may sooth her for Clarke still looks worried that Lexa would somehow reject her, "I've never had sex with a guy, it doesn't interest me at all, but knowing that it would be you with just...a little extra it actually kind of hot," Lexa blushes thinking of having sex with Clarke it would be like using a strap on except they would both be able to enjoy themselves. She's a little embraced to realize that she is actually getting a little wet at the potential of it all, the mere idea that Clarke could put a part of herself inside of Lexa makes her quiver and she can actually get pregnant if they wanted to. Clarke pulls back a bit placing a hand on either side of Lexa's face,

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, I promise I'll be gentle and I won't knot you until we actually plan on having pups," Clarke grins so wide all of her fangs show and Lexa can't stop the shiver that slowly crawls down her spin before trailing back up and settling on the curve of her neck. Lexa doesn't understand why she so badly wants Clarke to sink those fangs into the curve of her neck, it was like this raw animal desire that Lexa craves to be marked or for her to mark Clarke. She needs to ask Clarke if she understood why she is wanting such a thing, maybe later though because she was getting distracted by Clarke's bare body towering over her,

"Yeah, no pups yet, we can wait on that. For now, though to help you work through your ruts we are going to need to get you some condoms," Lexa forces herself to keep meeting Clarke's gaze instead of those marvelous plump breasts dangling right where she could squeeze them. Clarke looks at her curiously titling her head as she leans back to sit on Lexa's hips,

Xxxxx end of small NSFW xxxxxx

"What's a condom?" before Lexa gets the chance to answer a loud knock came at her door and the knob jingled as someone tried to open it. Lexa moves like a ninja; she hurriedly slips out for under Clarke then grabs the blanket that fallen on the floor and tosses it over the blonde before the wolf even knows what to do.

"I'm hoping the doors locked because you two are changing or finishing up. Either way you need to let me in Lexa," Anya's voice came through the locked door claiming Lexa's sudden racing heart like she been caught doing something wrong. Which technically she is going against her parents old house hold rules; Lexa is not supposed to lock her door if she has a girl in her room. She found it odd how long it took Anya to come up stairs when Gustus surly would have been pushing her best friend to come up here to prevent any funny business from happening between her and Clarke,

"Fuck, you scared us! Hold on," Lexa sighs as she moves over to push the chair out of the way and lets Anya in before locking the door again,

"So, you were up to something then, because you two were being very loud. You have any idea how hard it was to keep your parents from storming up here?" Anya laughs punching Lexa on her shoulder before moving over to the pack that fallen on the floor.

"That was my fault, I got a little... emotional and lost control of my form," Clarke piped in being sure to at least keep her body covered as she peaked out from under the blanket, she kind of looked like a nun, expect decorated in fluffy pink and baby turtles. Anya looks at her worried at first but the smile Clarke gave her is reassuring,

"No worries, I managed to distract them for a little while by saying how much you love baked rolls," Anya motioned for Clarke to move back and once she did she tossed her pack on the bed, "so now Gustus is wiping up some, he loves making bread, he'll uses any excuses to make some since Indra doesn't like it too much," Anya rampaged through her pack for a bit, while Lexa went over to grab the other pack to search for new clothes for Clarke to wear since the one she had been wearing was now shredded all over the room. "What got your tail in a twist to make you change forms?"

"That stays between me and Clarke, it's a private conversation," Lexa cuts in before Clarke can answer, she glances at her wolf to be sure that was ok and she mouthed a thank you, her cheeks had gone red with Anya's question. While they searched for clothes to wear for dinner later on and for the evening to come Clarke sat patiently on the bed. Lexa found her girlfriend some comfortable clothing to travel for a few miles and handed them over. Clarke being the beautiful yet dense wolf that she is decides to throw the blanket off herself to begin changing into the new clothes.

"Hey Anya, I have a question for you," Clarke addresses her best friend who had turned her back in order to dress and to give Clarke some privacy, who is studying the clothes that Lexa given her, the blonde looks back at the pack and switches out the shirt and pants for a sundress. Clarke has taken a real liking to dresses, she says the fabric feel freer,

"Alright, what is it?" Anya glances back at her lifting a brow curiously and Lexa wonders why she didn't just ask her. She yanks off her own shirt to exchange it for the one that Clarke had tossed back and searches for some comfortable pants to go along with the shirt. Clarke has already put on her undergarments and dress and now leans against the bed; she can feel the she-wolf studying her. Lexa cracks a smile since Clarke really only had eyes for her, it made her feel special. Out of nowhere the blonde suddenly leans down and presses a quick kiss to Lexa's old scar, while she had been in the middle of pulling on a shirt, it makes her giggle from the sudden touch. Clarke only offers a cheeky smile as Lexa glares at her for tickling her, she not sure why the she-wolf made a habit of touching the old scar,

"What's a condom?" Clarke asks in the sweetest way that her question seems innocent. Only silence fills the room like the first snow fall in the beginning of winter; Lexa froze up entirely mortified at the sudden question; her room is so quite that she can literally hear her parents shuffling around down stairs as they began to set up in the dining room. Lexa's whole face went ruby as Anya busted out laughing, Lexa groaned knowing she should have answered Clarke quicker before or at least asked her to wait for an answer. She sank back against her headboard as Lexa buried her face in her hand's, cheeks flaring bright as Anya's laughter continues,

"Why in Gaia's name would you need a condom or even need to know what that is?" Anya is laughing so hard she is holding onto her sides thinking this had to be some kind of joke, she has no idea that Clarke actually wants to know what a condom is,

"Well because Lexa says I n—"

"Don't answer her! Anya shut the hell up!" Lexa yells as her best friend who continues to laugh like some loony hyena, she didn't know what the heck to even say anymore because she was filling so embarrassed and they haven't even started dinner with her parents yet... "Goddess help me," Lexa has to tune out her friends laughter as she tells Clarke that she will later explain what a condom is and that for now they should put the subject to rest until they got home. Lexa needs to prepare for dinner with her parents and she does not need to be thinking about this new sexual experience that she well have with Clarke; as if Lexa needs to have those idea flowing around her head while she is around her parents.

Xxxxxxxxx

Lexa's hands are sweating so badly that she isn't even able to hold onto Clarke's hand; she feels like she's been tossed under a heating lamp and it's been set to the hottest temp; her throat so tight that it feels like she swallowed a lump of coal; and her heart is beating faster than a woodpecker beating at wood, she is nervous and embarrassingly to say she is scared. Lexa can barely force herself to take a few deep breaths before she begins to have a panic attack, she can't seem to sum up the willpower to move forward and turn around the corner where her parents sat chatting with one another. Clarke stood beside her not rushing her at all, merely leaning against her side and offering her warmth as comforts, her own girlfriend isn't anywhere near as freaked out as Lexa. She glances down at Clarke to gage her behavior, she has a sweet smile at her lips as she leans up and kisses Lexa's bare shoulder,

"Your heart is beating as fast as a rabbits my mate to be," Clarke whispers, Lexa laughs softly nodding as she reaches out fixing a fly away of golden hair, Clarke looks so beautiful as she always does, she had helped brush out her hair and added a few products to it so that her waves were more defined, she done a little bit of make up too, though she was no expert like Luna. Clarke chosen outfit looks so simple, a pink sun dress with a black long sleeve cardigan yet still she looks gorgeous (though the top had been more of Lexa's idea). She has learned to be comfortable with Clarke's numerous scars but Lexa didn't know how her parents will react to them. When Clarke first introduced herself, she had been wearing one of Lexa's baggie hoodies and none of the marks were within view, but with the dress on one can see the marks that decorated her collarbone and most of all the one around her throat.

"I know, everything is going to work out but I just don't want my parents to scare you away," Lexa sighs she leans forward a little to look around the corner she sees that her parents were still occupied with talking and the conversation is ideal chatter about what needed to be done once they reached the tribe. Anya had left not too long ago to be with her papa since the man demanded to see his daughter sooner rather than later. Lexa kind of wished that Anya had stayed, as much of a pain in the ass her best friend could be, she did help Lexa be a little more confident, Lexa felt Clarke wrap her arms around and pulled her close,

"They won't scare me away, doesn't matter what they say or what they try. We are in this together," Clarke whispers, she places a soft kiss at her shoulder before stepping away and taking Lexa's hand she tugs on her as they enter the dining room; she holds her head high never once showing any signs of weakness, Lexa truly admires her girlfriend's courage.

Lexa has to bite her tongue before she can lecture Indra and Gustus, because as soon as they had come into view her parents act like fruit bats zeroing in on Clarke's exposed skin like she was a fresh piece of fruit. As for Clarke, bliss her heart, she doesn't notice the wide eye stars because she is looking at the back wall were there hung a recent family painting. Indra and Gustus glance at Lexa both silently asking where the scars came from but Lexa shakes her head firmly and zips her mouth shut, thankfully they understand the motion and nod.

"Lexa you know better than to take so long, come now, we must hurry up and eat. Your grandparents are excited to see you," Indra smiles to show that she is not actually mad simply wanting to exchange some friendly banter, her mama motions for them to take a seat. Lexa places a hand at the small of Clarke's back and guides her to take a seat across from her mama but makes sure to place herself before her papa. Clarke is still observing the painting of Lexa's family, she takes a second to look at it, it is a rather recent art work done by Greta the tribes most talented artist, she is an older woman that enjoys doing all sorts of arts and crafts. Greta had done this art work for Gustus in exchange for the skin of a doe,

"Yes, they are looking forward to meeting your girlfriend as well," her papa is being friendly, his smiles are genuine but her mama's smile seems a little more forced then normal, she really didn't get why her parents were being so weird about Clarke. Lexa sighs, she wants to roll her eyes but she knows better than that, plus it would earn her a nice good whack at the back of the head,

"You know how long it takes for the water to warm up in my old bathroom. I wasn't about to shower in ice cold water," Lexa laughs glancing around the table she notices that at all the food are vegetarian dishes, fresh cooked eggplants sliced thin and soaked in a marinera sauce, some baked butter rolls that smelled absolutely heavenly, and as for the main course it is one of her favorites, green chili cheese enchiladas. Normally Lexa has no issues with having only vegetarian meals set out, her parents enjoy the occasional vegetarian meals but Clarke didn't eat a lot of veggies, barely at all actually.

"Oh, I forgot about that, it does take a while. Anyways here let me serve everyone, Clarke, what looks best to you? I'll serve you a good helping," Gustus pushes to his feet already beginning to grab her plate and loading it with food, Lexa glances at Clarke and she does will to hide her distaste for what's being given to her, yet Clarke forces a smile,

"Everything looks and smells delicious, I'll have to try a little of everything, thank you," Clarke takes the plate from her papa after he held it out to her, Lexa was going to say that Clarke did in fact eat meat but she doesn't want to embarrass Clarke after she has already accepted the food. Plus, her parents had gone through the trouble of already making all of this food, Lexa should have mentioned something sooner about Clarke's "normal" diet. Lexa can hear the small whines as Clarke subtly sniffs at the meal, Lexa's heart went out to her, poor baby, she is going to be so hungry later on. Lexa reaches out under the table to grip her free hand so she may stroke her knuckles to sooth her.

"Clarke, tells us where you are from?" Indra begins the interrogation first as she toys with her utensils, her attention focused on Clarke rather than the plate in front of her and Gustus lets his wife take the lead in questioning as he shoves food into his own mouth,

"I'm from this here, never really adventured anywhere else," Clarke answers before she cuts off a piece of eggplant then brings it up to her lips and gingerly takes a bite, she doesn't do a good job at hiding her disinterest. If her parents notice the look, they do not say anything and merely continue to eat their own foods. Lexa does her best to enjoy her own food but she is so focused on Clarke's reactions that she barely registers the flavors bursting on her tongue,

"Oh? What part were you born and raised?" Gustus asks next while Clarke forces herself to swallow, Lexa felt like she was putting Clarke through torture, she was feeling very guilty that her werewolf girlfriend is force feeding herself vegetables. Lexa is not sure why this memory comes up but she remembers a time when she had been younger and barely began becoming a vegetarian, the first few months were rather hard and she lost a lot of weight during the process. Her body even at one point had begun to reject the lifestyle change and she been dangerously malnourished, but she had been stubborn to keep up the diet change to do her part in saving animals from slaughter. Indra had to do some very extensive research in how to keep Lexa's meals healthy and as well as respecting her diet change, it been a difficult time but Lexa got through it. She couldn't admit it out loud but she still slightly craved the occasional meat products now and again, but she stays firm to her own beliefs. There was no way Clarke could take on that lifestyle, her body is not built for it,

"In Arkadia, it's a small place really far away from here. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know it," Clarke chuckles giving a smile, her parents nod and everyone eats their respected food in silence for a bit. Lexa knows better than to accept the peaceful silence, it only meant that her parents were thinking up more personal and informative questions, she keeps her fingers crossed that they do not be too pushy,

"What do you do for a living?" Gustus asks glancing over to Lexa's plate first before looking to Clarke's, he seems to catch on as to how Clarke was barely eating her food because Lexa nearly cleaned off her own plate, oops. Lexa should try to eat slower so it isn't so obvious that her girlfriend hasn't really touching her food,

"I work at the sanctuary like Lexa, though I do mostly maintenance work nothing like working with the animals first hand," Clarke answers, Lexa is so happy that she, Anya, and Lincoln have talked with Clarke about what types of questions could come up while they were around her parents. Indra and Gustus are respectful people, so Lexa doesn't need to worry about any questions that can trigger Clarke to be aggressive, at least Lexa hopes so,

"Ah a noble work indeed, to help the animals that have been left behind by cruel hands, your parents must be proud of you like we are of Lexa," Indra's smile shows that she genially meant it as good thing, but the use of the word parent makes Clarke tense up, the she-wolf can only nod as a response. "Though I'll admit when I first heard of Lexa's chose of career it had me worried about what type of creatures shed be interacting with. I bet your mother or father must have had the same concerns," Indra taps at her plate, Clarke doesn't meet her eyes and simply nodes, of course the lack of response has caught her parent's attention,

"What do your mother and father do for a living? Do they work with animals as well?" Gustus asks seeming to keep a closer eye on Clarke's reaction, Lexa felt Clarke grab her hand under the table and she taps once at her wrist, her girlfriend is getting uncomfortable with those types of questions. Back at home she and Clarke had practiced on these types of questions being asked, they came up with a few lies together but it seems that Clarke can't bring herself to talk about her parents,

"Mama, Papa, please don't ask those kind of questions, Clarke's parents passed away a long time ago," Lexa wasn't going to share how exactly they passed on and she hopes Clarke won't mind her answering on her behalf, the way the she-wolf moves closer and squeezes her hand is a positive sign. Both her parents jolt at the new information and they immediately look guilty,

"We apologize Clarke, to lose one parents can be so painful and if we had known of their passing we wouldn't have asked about them," Indra exchanges a look with Gustus, they had that look on their face that spoke of how badly they felt to have caused someone emotional harm. Her parents understood the pain that one went through after losing their birth parents, they gone down that path with Lexa. Her parents may look rather ruthless and intimidating, but causing someone phycological harm is not something they would do on purpose. Lexa knew that they actually meant what they said and it seems Clarke accepted their apology,

"It's alright, you didn't know," Clarke distracted herself by toying with the vegetables by pushing them around her plate. Lexa's heart pained for her girlfriend, she knew for a fact how hungry she is, Lexa wasn't sure if she had even hunted this morning. The only food Lexa knows she has eaten has been from fast food places and honestly that may as well had been a nibble for the she-wolf. Clarke is going to need to hunt down a large pray and stuff herself silly, when the time comes to hunt with the rest of the tribe they will need to go further out,

"Are you a hunter Clarke? Hunt any bucks, boars, or buffalo?" Gustus asks trying to be more upbeat and lighten the mood, Lexa can hear Clarke's stomach growl from where she sat, she wonders if her parents heard it too,

"I am huge meat eater; so I do hunt often, I've only ever hunted down rabbits or squirrels though, I would love the chance to take down a buffalo, I've heard they taste incredible," Clarke practically drools licking at her lips as she imagines the hunt, Lexa can picture Clarke in her wolf form chasing after the large mammal before pouncing on it and taking it down. That buffalo would literally have no clue that this small woman would be able to kill it easily,

"I knew you had to be a meat eater and here we are feeding you veggies! You sit tight, I'll go cut off some roasted boar for you, it is for the festival feast but a little chunk won't be missed," Gustus drops his utensils and pushes his chair back, then rushes over to the kitchen like Clarke would change her mind but with the way her girlfriend sat up straighter and started to lick at her lips at the offer; Lexa would say that her papa couldn't be fast enough,

"We assumed you were a vegetarian like Lexa, I should have asked instead of assuming," Indra laughs, she has finished off her plate and has not gotten a second helping but she does motion to Lexa to get more. They both knew that at the festival there will hardly be anything for Lexa to be able to eat so she had to make sure she has a full belly. Lexa loves her papa's cooking so she doesn't protest at having to serve herself more; but before she can serve herself, Clarke switches their plates so that she had an empty one and Lexa may finish what Clarke hasn't eaten. Lexa has no issues with the exchange since the food is still warm plus she'd hates to waste any amount of food.

"I'd think the same thing if I was in your shoes," Clarke smiles at Indra, Lexa looks to her mama and is surprised to see her mama looking mildly annoyed, she tries to think of what could have upset her but not a single thing comes to mind. Lexa shrugs it off though, she wasn't about to fuel her mama's sudden mood change since neither Lexa nor Clarke have done anything wrong,

"I find that interesting, you being a meat eater and Lexa a vegetarian, you two are like polar opposites," Indra's tone is edgy, Lexa lifts a curious brow, her mama is being unusually hostile, "it's funny really, because when Lexa used to live here she couldn't stand to see us eating meat so often; so we would switch off meal plans to balance things out. I remember in her rebellious days she'd toss the meats her papa brought home outside for the crows to eat," Lexa blushes forgetting about that completely, her mouth is full at the moment so she couldn't exactly defend her actions,

"Ooh I remember that all too well! Wasted some very good meat, she'd threatened to run off if we didn't reduce our meat intake and wouldn't make friends with those unwilling to cut back on their meat consumption," Gustus came in laughing, he has in his hands a plate with a piece of boar cut thick as 2 inches, "Lexa even gotten Anya and Lincoln to cut back to, if you're a big meat eater how does that affect your guy's relationship?" Papa asks curiously as he set the plate in front of Clarke, she looks rather thrilled at the food now placed before her not at all like before, her hunger may have gotten the best of her because she doesn't really react to the question she been asked. Lexa on the other hand is not distracted and frankly she is kind of pissed off that her parents are choosing to challenge their relationship based off the different ways they ate. If Lexa didn't know any better, she'd think they were working together to put a strain in their relationship,

"Clarke has a protein deficiency; she has to eat meat daily and sometimes more often than others. Yes, it was difficult to get used to at first but I'm not going to hold it against my girlfriend for having a health issue," Lexa answers as calmly as possible even though she wanted to yell at them; Clarke only nods along to prove a point as she is already stuffing her mouth, thankful using her knife and fork instead of using her hands. Lexa silent thanks Lincoln for having taught Clarke basic table manners. Her she-wolf may be too much in bliss to really take in the lie Lexa spoke but she knew Clarke wasn't going to argue,

"I see, well as long as you're both happy I don't see any problems with that," Indra serves herself more eggplant while Gustus takes his seat again, he glances at Clarke occasionally, Lexa knew he must of have seen her larger than average canines. Her parent at least pick up on Lexa's tone that she doesn't approve of how they picked at the subject and they do back off and the rest of the meal goes peaceful.

Her parents ask questions now again of the typical sort, things like what school Clarke went to or what her major is and they do avoid asking anything that comes close to asking about Clarke's parents. The she-wolf is able to handle the onset of questions even though for most of them she has to lie, Lexa can tell that it bothers Clarke a little that she has to lie. Clarke is an honest wolf; she always speaks true to her mind and the lies she has to rely is taking a toll on her; Lexa makes sure to intervene when it begins to be too much for the alpha and she knows Clarke appreciates it. The numerus lies that Lexa and Clarke have come up with is even nipping at Lexa's own gut, she doesn't like lying either but she knows that it is necessary.

Lexa thinks of how disappointed her mama and papa would be if they ever found out she was lying, what would they say? Would they resent her? Would they hate her? Would they reject her and Clarke? What if Clarke's secrets came out? Would they hurt Clarke? What would they do when Lexa gets pregnant down the road and the baby would actually look like them? The more Lexa thought of it, the guiltier she felt, she ought to ask Clarke once they are alone if it be ok to at least tell her parents about her abilities, she feels like Indra and Gustus would be able to keep it secret. But then again Clarke has made it abundantly clear that people were not supposed to know of Clarke's existent, that it could lead to more pain and suffering. Lexa sighs, pushing those thoughts aside, she and Clarke have all the time in the world to talk about this later on, for now she needs to keep her head in the present rather than unforetold future,

"Well then, let us clean up and head out to the tribe. The moon is raising steadily and we must be there before it reaches its highest point," Gustus gets up grabbing several half-filled dishes then heads into the kitchen and Indra tries to grab the empty plates but Clarke has gotten up faster and she gathers everyone's plate before heading towards the kitchen; to Lexa's parents this is odd but for her it was ordinary. Back at home, Clarke is always doing the house chores, she does the small basic things like sweeping, dusting, and obviously washing the dishes. Lexa stands up quickly, she wants to follow after so that Clarke is not alone with her papa, she barely takes a step around the table before her mama speaks up,

"Lexa wait, you silly girl, come back and help me. The girl will be fine on her own for a little," Indra's tone holds a level of command that Lexa cannot go against, she looks towards the kitchen then back to her mama, she really didn't want to leave Clarke alone. Clarke didn't control her temper very well and if her papa tried to be intimidating, he was going to end up the same way Lincoln had. But to go against her mama's wishes will only cause a ruckus, reluctantly she turns back to the dining table, Lexa really hopes her parents have the squeezable bottle of dish soap, she really really hopes they do,

"Yes mama, so what do you think of Clarke?" Lexa asks while she gathers the other empty dishes as her mama whips off the table,

"She seems like a good woman," Indra pauses, it feels like she wants to add something else but she seems to go against what she wants to say and instead asks, "does she make you happy?" Lexa can see how her mama keeps her eyes on the table not meeting her gaze as she whips off invisible crumbs. She knows that means that Indra is unsure of Clarke, that she is somehow bad news and Indra does not fully approve of her,

"More than words can describe, she's helped me in ways I didn't know I needed. Clarke is my everything mama. I want this woman to be my wife," Lexa admits tensing a little when her mama lets out a small huff, her expression becomes hard as Indra controls her emotions making it hard for Lexa to know what she thought of her choose of words,

"I think that should wait for a while; you have been together for what 2 months? You have not lived with her; you don't know what she's like being together all the time; or if she lying about herself because she has refused to answer anything about her past; and she's not at all like the girls you've brought here before. This one feels like she can say a handful of words to convince you to never come back home," Indra rants on snatching up the place mates like they offended her, Lexa then realizes why her mama is being resentful of Clarke, Indra is afraid… not of Lexa falling in love but that Clarke is going to take her away from her mama. Lexa places the remaining dishes down so that she may give Indra her full attention,

"Mama, I've been with Clarke for 4 months, she actually moved in with me a while ago due to personal reasons but each and every day has been a new experience and we grow closer. I feel like her soul and mine were meant to find each other, like we have a bond that can never be broken," Lexa eases closer to her mama than gently lays a hand on her shoulder to get the woman to face her, Indra refuse to look though still staring at the table but she is listening,

"I won't lie but I won't tell you the whole truth either, Clarke's up bringing wasn't standard, she has suffered many years and she's shared every single pain with me," Lexa tugs her mama's shoulder bring the older woman in for a hug, "I've done the same for her, I've told her what I been through, how I was treated at school; how I lost my birth parents but gained an entire family; she knows me as well as I know her," Lexa held her mama tightly kissing the side of her temple, a memory comes to her and speaks it,

"Do you remember when you were in the hospital and you told me that one day, I was going to meet a nice young lady that would make me wonder how I ever lived without her?"

"Yes, I also remember you saying that you weren't interested in getting married and didn't want any children," Indra adds with an undertone of frustration but still her mama hugs her back and holds her tightly, Lexa laughs she'd figured that her mama would remember that part also,

"Yeah, I did say that, but I was wrong. I didn't know what it felt like to have this type of love but Clarke has shown me that tenderness that has made a softy out of me," Lexa's eye tear up as she thinks of that moment and her heart feels like it is blossoming all over again as she relives that moment she'd fallen for Clarke, the day that she had first seen the golden wolf in her human form. "When I am with Clarke, I want to do all things that I have never had the courage to do, I want to travel to Florida to see dolphins, I want to experience new adventures, I want to show the world that nothing can tie me down, and most of all I want to marry her and start my own family."

"I want you and papa to be there when me or her plan to have a baby so that both of you can be there every step of the way. That is how serious I am about wanting to keep Clarke in my life," Lexa is crying at this point not out of sadness but out of pure joy at all the things she and Clarke will experience, Indra holds her closer and Lexa can feel the few tears that she has allowed to escape her, "Just because you accept Clarke, doesn't mean I'm not your baby anymore, I'll always be your little girl, mama," Lexa's voices cracks a little as she rocks her mama side to side as she soothes her, a few minutes passes by as Lexa continues to hold her mama as she thinks over what Lexa has said. She feels like she could leap in the air and fly when Indra finally nods, because she knows that means that her mama is going to give Clarke the chance to join their family. Lexa is so focused on her mama she didn't hear the sharp cry that came from the kitchen,

Xxxxxxxx

Clarke POV

"Where is your dish soap? I can't find it by the sink," Clarke wonders glancing around the counter searching for the plastic bottle while Gustus is putting the remaining food away in some containers. This kitchen is very different than the one she and her humans have back at home, it is kind of odd, Clarke had figured that all kitchens were the same. Being inside of the kitchen she remembers the photo on Lexa's dresser, the one where she and her parents are making sweets and celebrating the day, they had official became a family. Clarke imagines what that may have felt like to have had a family growing up: to be surrounded by love: kindness: and support: to be able to turn to a mom and dad and be enveloped in their arms: to have parents that would do everything in their power to protect you from harm … it stings, Clarke dares say that she is a little jealous, how could she not be?

Xxxxxxxxxxxx small mental pain! Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lexa grew up with everything that Clarke has wished for so desperately when she had been locked away. Where Lexa had been held and given kisses after having a nightmare; Clarke had been curled up in the corner of her cage trembling: Lexa had the chance to learn in school and be taught by her parents of their history; while she had been called stupid and was forced with torture to do tricks: Lexa had someone to care for her wounds whenever she got hurt, while Clarke's wounds had been left to fester and bleed. Clarke can feel the rage building inside and her wolf is howling out that she takes away Lexa's parents like hers had been stolen. Her wolf filing her mind with gruesome images of how easy it would be to kill Indra and Gustus, to get rid of the reminders of what Clarke will never be able to have again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx end of small mental pain! Xxxxxxxxx

No, Clarke snarls lowly, she will not be that monster, she will not follow the instincts that her wolf mind advises, she will not put her mate to be through such heart ache. She swallows her pain for the time being and controls her feral thoughts, Clarke will have to talk to Lexa about the pain she is going through like they had agreed. She had not thought being around a family would actually hurt Clarke; she had only been focused on meeting the humans instead of what they symbolized.

It was not until Clarke had seen the large photo in the dining room that it dawns on her that she was meeting not only Lexa's parents, but their family relationship. The way they act with one another is so carefree, they understood each other, Lexa's dad had served everyone their food, portioning out exactly which foods his wife and daughter liked most. When he had given Clarke her portion, for a split moment she felt like her dad was actually handing over the plate; she barely managed to keep her face neutral as she accepted the offer. Clarke wasn't happy with what was handed to her but she couldn't be rude about turning it away though she had been happy to see how excited Lexa had been while eating her own food. Clarke ponders on the taste of the food itself, it was so odd, they looked like vegetables but the taste of the greens was completely off. When she had been eating the purple plant she thought for a moment that she was eating meat because of the undertone tastes or maybe she was so hungry that she had been imaging the flavor,

"Should be under the sink, Indra likes to keep the kitchen counter free of cluster, I guess Lexa fell out of that habit," the large male laughs, his strong voice reminds Clarke that she is not alone and she feels a little embarrassed that she had allowed herself to retreat into her mind. She hopes it is not obvious that she been lost in her thoughts, the male comes closer to Clarke and gestures for her to move aside,

"Lexa does like to keep the counters clear, I'm the one who keeps living the bottle by the sink, Lexa gets annoyed when I do," Clarke waits for the soap bottle excitedly, using the distraction to stay away from her thoughts, she really likes to squeeze the bottle to be able to make lots of little bubbles, Lexa had shown her that trick and ever since Clarke has been making little bubbles every time she gets a hold of the plastic thing. But then Clarke became confused when the male brought out a container with white powder, he passes the thing to her before digging around underneath the sink again. As subtly as Clarke can manage, she sniffs at the white powder and she catches the scent of soap, she moves the thing away from her nose feeling very lost and to make matters harder to understand the male then hands off a piece of rag,

"Are you over at her home often?" The male asks as he then went to find lids to the containers, he doesn't bother to explain the weird crap that he just handed off to her. Clarke huffs with a bit of irritation as she tries to figure out why she hadn't been given the normal plastic bottle filled with yellow soap and a sponge,

"I live with Lexa and the others, I had some personal issues that made it difficult for me to live on my own," Clarke recited the lie that Anya had taught her, she can't say she was much of a fan of the many lies she's had to tell in order to please the humans. Obviously Clarke wasn't going to tell them her secret, but she could have come up with a half lie, like she is in love with Lexa and they are meant to live together or that she and Lexa are soul mates and they were bound to live together some day so why not sooner?

"Oh, I wasn't aware of that, how long you been there with her and her friends?"

"About 4 months if I remember right," Clarke turns the water on high heat so that she may rinses off the muck of food that clung to bottom of the plates and casserole dishes, she can feel the older male studying her. The open staring makes Clarke want to bare her fangs and tell him to stop, she doesn't like to gawked at like she is some exhibit. She controls her urges though, she has been needing to do that a lot since they got here, she couldn't afford to show any of her wolf, normally when she is at home Clarke is free to express her instincts. But here Clarke feels like she must be perfect in order to please Lexa's parents, which is rather difficult to do, she didn't think pretending to be human could be so exhausting. Clarke felt like Lexa's parents have been rather guarded ever since she first introduced herself, as if they took one look at her and they were against her right away. Or maybe it is Clarke's imagination, she could simply be too nervous and she may be thinking that Lexa's parents already hate her,

"But you have been together for 4months?" Gustus asks sounding confused yet the undertone she can pick up the resentment, Clarke spared him a glance raising her lips a little not enjoying the defensive of tone,

"Yes? What is your point?" Clarke held back her growl which she is proud of, though the male didn't seem impressed as he grunts then moves towards the fridge to deposit the containers of food, he yanks on the handle of the fridge making it rattle,

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm merely being protective of my only daughter, it seems odd to move in together right as you started dating," Gustus' tone sounds like Lexa's when she was starting to get mad at her, which was rare, but Clarke has made sure to remember the tone so she may correct her errors. Clarke has somehow offended him, she isn't sure how she managed to do that since she has said nothing out of the ordinary, Clarke figures she isn't allowed to bite Lexa's dad for being an ass.

"Certain circumstances called for my moving in and for the record I'd rather die a gruesome death than to ever put my Lexa in danger," Clarke bites out, she won't allow the male to think badly of her, she'll be damned to allow this human to accuse her of being a horrible wolf. She has changed her ways, she no longer relies on her wolf mind to keep her safe, she thinks before she acts. Clarke is a good wolf and it is not her fault this male is too hot headed to see it. Clarke dips the rag in the water before grabbing a little of the white powder to sprinkle on the dishes, she is surprised to see little foam bubbles being to form,

"Let's cut the crap, what are you really doing with my daughter Alpha? You know the laws against such relationships. Do you not have enough omegas to breed with? Why are you chasing after Lexa?" Gustus spoke in an odd langue and whatever he has said he is most defiantly angry. Clarke turns to him confused and she nearly snarls when finds that the male has come closer and is now towering over her,

"Excuse me?" Clarke pulls her lips back over her fangs while she takes a step back before she decides to smack the male off his feet. The man glares at Clarke not the slightest bit fazed that she has exposed her sharp teeth, Gustus puts some distance between them at least but then he suddenly yanks up his sleeve and shoves his forearm out to reveal a tattoo like Lexa's but this one had a flower wrapped around the Trikru symbol. Clarke stares at the tattoo, something about the flower calls to Clarke, it is so beautiful, the petals were long and thin, it almost looked like a star burst, and the inside a bright yellow like a full moon's glow. Clarke studies the flower longer, it felt extremely familiar, like she seen it somewhere before but Clarke is certain that this is the first time she has seen one, before she could stop herself, she reaches out and traces the flower tattoo,

"You know that it is wrong for you to be with Lexa; the elder wolves will be outraged to find out! Why are you creating trouble for yourself? Do you have any idea the pain you will cause Lexa if she remembers everything!?" The older male hisses out pulling his arm away from Clarke's touch but she is too busy digging through her memory that she does not hear Gustus's words. He still speaks in that odd language; she has heard it before from Anya and Lexa whenever they talk sometimes. Lexa has been teaching Clarke her mother tongue, but she hasn't exactly studied enough to be able translate the mess or words that Gustus spits out,

"I don't know what you are saying, I don't understand you," Clarke answers absent mindedly, why does the flower look so familiar? A sudden pain hits the side of her temples, piercing at her brain and making her cry out, Clarke reaches up squeezing at the sides of her head. Images are flashing in her mind passing though her thoughts like a hurricane, she snarls out as some of the memories come into focus and she is seeing something from her pup years.

Clarke sees a little girl pale as her mom's coat, she's covered in blood and there is a gap in her chest, the little girl is crying. Her dad is standing over the little girl keeping her safe from something dangers, in his muzzle he holds that flower she has just seen. Clarke doesn't see her mom anywhere but there is so much growling and screaming all around her; there are several voices talking all at once and one of them sounds like her mom but she isn't sure. Clarkes shakes her head roughly trying to shake away the memory but then she feels an invisible pain at her nap like someone is digging their claws into her flesh. "Who says I have to give her to you? How about you just name your price, you freak of nature," Clarke hears a voice of a young girl whispering in her ear and she swears that she knows this voice. Clarke tries to think of how she knows the voice but then something flashes black and white before her eyes and the memory pauses,

"Stop trying to remember, the past is gone, and you are here now, your memories will continue to stay locked up," the male speaking is talking too fast, Clarke can only pick up on a few words but she is desperate to listen, another flash hits her eyes and the male repeats himself, Clarke listens to voice willingly as the pain at her nap lessen and the memory begins to fade. Clarke wants the memory to go away, she doesn't want to remember how those images got into her brain in the first place, she has experienced enough pain and suffering, she doesn't need any more. Clarke realizes that the voice that is speaking to her is Lexa's dad, she doesn't put much thought into how he is helping her right now but she doesn't push him away, "When I snap my fingers, you will not remember this conversation nor will you remember what the lunar flower means to you,"

Xxxxxxx

"Want to see the trick again Clarke?" Gustus asks smiling brightly at a her, Clarke feels a little dazed like she just woke from a deep dream but she nods, she has to shake her head to clear away the haze that fogs her mind and it works for the most part and Clarke has to rub at her eyes as they felt irritated. Clarke looks back at the older male surprised to see him standing so close, when did he finish putting away the food? Gustus reaches over besides the sink and grabs some of the white powder soap in one hand and then he wets his other hand before he then begins to rubs his hands together quickly and little white foam spills out of his closed hands.

"I can't believe I forgot about your magic trick, Clarke is going to love it," She would have turned at the mention of her name and being that it is Lexa that has spoken but she gets distracted as the male did something amazing. Lexa's dad cups his hands over his mouth and leaves a small space in the front and then a bubble began to form. Clarke watches in awe as the male created an actual bubble out of thin air, the bubble then comes off his hands and floats in the air before it pops,

"Do it again!" Clarke yelps excitedly wanting to see the magic trick once more, she wants to see how it is done and be able to try it later on her own. Gustus looks surprised to see her excitement like he hadn't expected it, he pauses for a moment staring into her eyes deeply and he seems to focus most on her left eye for some reason. Whatever he sees brings him relief then he smiles and rubs his hands together again. "Lexa your dad is like the wizard on the tv, his like Henry Pottery!" Clarke nips at her bottom lip reminding herself to keep her human features even though she felt wagging her tail so badly, she could hear Lexa chuckles as she leans down to kiss her temple,

"Harry Potter sweetie, you'll make a lot of fans cry if you say the name wrong," Lexa lightly knocks her head for making the mistake, Clarke only shoves her in return far to entranced to watch the older male create several more bubbles,

"Would you like to help Clarke finish up the dishes? We must be on our way and I need your fathers help with loading the boar in the cart," Indra's use of tone made it seem like there wasn't an option, Gustus blows one more bubble before rising off his hands and heading over to his wife. Clarke pouts not happy to have her sudden fun taken away but then Lexa steps in front of her smiling brightly.

"I'll teach how to do that trick later, but we really do need to hurry along before the festivities begin, there's so many things I want you to try babe," Lexa's smile is so wide it reminds Clarke of the first time she'd linked with the female, what had gotten her so excited?

"You seem happier than normal, is just because of the festival?" Clarke steps up to the sink and grabs the rag to begin scrubbing up the plates while Lexa took up the space besides her to be able to rinse off the soapy once. Clarke notices a small wooden box besides the sink, she tilts her head curiously at the small thing then grabs the box to move it aside, she doesn't know what it is for but Clarke doesn't want the thing to get wet.

"You'd be happy to if you found out that my mama is giving you the chance to join our family and my mama is going to talk to papa about maybe giving us their blissing so that we can get married," Lexa tries to play coy but the huge smile on her lips gave away how enthusiastic she truly is. Clarke smiles back doing her best to reflect her love's excitement but the whole piece of paper ordeal was difficult for her to understand.

"That's amazing! I didn't think she'd like me that quickly," Clarke chuckles finishing off the last dish then handing it off to Lexa, the female takes the plate and rinses it off quickly while Clarke whipped off her hands of the remaining soap that clung to her,

"Well they don't hate you which is really good thing and I'd like to say they do like you because you make me happy. My mama thinks you can be a little blunt but you have a rather fighting spirit and she can see that," Lexa dries her hands after setting the other plate aside, Clarke titles her head curiously, Lexa is being more talkative then normal not that Clarke minded but it is rather interesting. "Once we have my parents blissing, our tribes Heda well also have to approve of our relationship which shouldn't be a problem since you have a genuine desire to be with me," Clarke pokes at Lexa's side laughing when she jolts and her cheeks turn red, "I'm talking to fast huh?"

"Yes, but I think it's adorable, who is your Heda now? What do we need to do to get their approval?" Clarke holds out her hand as Lexa reaches over, her mate to be is so thrilled she nearly forgets to turn off the water but Clarke get it before Lexa pulls

on her and guides her out of the kitchen,

"Her name is Echo, she's older than me by a little but she is very wise and kind for her age, but she can be ruthless when need be," Lexa tugs her along leading Clarke towards the front door, she barely feels like her feet are touching the ground as she rushes them on ward. Clarke laughs though, enjoying this childish behavior of Lexa's, she always feels like it is only her that gets wild and crazy for the littlest things. As they get closer to the front door, Clarke can hear the creak of wood and Indra's complaining of how she doesn't need to ride in the cart but Gustus is not allowing her to step off and then Indra says something in that langue Clarke has heard a few times from Anya and Lexa. She wonders what they are talking about since their tone seems more serious,

"I'm positive she'll simply accept you, there's no need to go out of your way hodnes, you just need to be you," Lexa steals a kiss from her lips before pushing open the door. Clarke rolls her eyes at the idea, there is no way she could be herself; these humans held such high standers just to be normal. But still she nodes and hopes she'll be able to impress her mate to be tribe, this meant a lot to Lexa even if she was not admitting it out loud. Clarke sighs, praying for all of this to be over soon so that she, Lexa, and Anya can return home and live out the rest of their days peacefully, they can come back to this town whenever holidays came around just like humans do on the TV.

Clarke thinks of what Lexa said earlier, that her mom is actually giving Clarke the chance to join their family, it makes her insides feel warm like a napping under the sun on a windy day. Her misshapen pack is growing and it makes Clarke want to howl; sure, Clarke's pack will only be made up of humans and she'll be the only wolf but at least she will gain something positive after everything works out. Clarke squeezes Lexa's hand, thanks to her love she is going to be able to fill another gap in her heart, the part that she had lost to the hunters. Clarke will be able to ease that pain once she has earned the affection of the humans that matter most to Lexa.

She has a little more skip to her steps as let's go of Lexa's hand so she may hurry along to help Gustus pull the cart that is now loaded with the boar meat and a pouting Indra. Clarke dunk underneath the cart's frame taking a spot besides Gustus, both of Lexa's parents looked surprised to see Clarke wanting to help with this type of labor but she gives her brightest smile and Gustus returns the smile. Clarke can see that Gustus wishes to protest maybe thinking that she ought to be in the cart alongside Indra, maybe it is due to her small frame that they think she is not cable but she stays firm and declines his offer. Clarke wants to prove that she is worthy of their daughters love that she is not some lazy wolf that will try to take advantage of Lexa. Gustus and Clarke wait for Lexa to join her mom inside the cart before the pair of them begin to pull the cart along and she makes sure not to add too much effort because honestly Clarke knew she could pull this thing by herself.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride in the cart? It's a lot of fun Clarke," she can hear the true meaning to Lexa's words, she knows her mate to be is saying that this is not a human like behavior. Clarke shakes her head, continuing to push the cart alongside Gustus, who on occasion looks down at her as if checking to see if she is alright.

"I think this is more fun, to be able to pamper such beautiful women is a great honor," Clarke grins looking back she gives the females a wink, Lexa's face goes red and she hides her face in her palms and Clarke catches a little blush rising to Indra's cheeks as well. Gustus laughs and adds a little more teasing towards his wife making woman blush more and turn away from him, she barks an order to keep his attention on the road. Clarke grins feeling thrilled that she is able to openly tease with Lexa's parents, it gives her more confidence that just maybe…she'll be able to gain more pack members.

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I hope the chapter was worth the wait darlings! I know it may not have been what you were expecting but the next chapter…well let's just say it is not something you well want to miss!

Which was your favorite part? Which part had you laughing out loud? (mine was writing about Clarke's curiosity on condoms, I was writing that part up during my break at work and I laughed out of nowhere. I had several employs looking at me like I had finally lost it, Lol)

PS. If there is anyone out who may like to beta for me please comment or shot me a PM, I'd greatly appreciate the help! I know there are some words and grammar mistakes that I make and just freaking miss all the time -_-' even though I edit this darn thing like three times! Lol, anyways, if you have the time to beta for me please reach out to me, I promise I am a kind and this fluffy wolf won't bite!

Moahaha, I did read your comment and I'd gladly take up your offer about being a beta for me after April of 2020! Also thank you so much for joining the journey on another adventure with this silly wolf! I am always happy to have returning readers (plus, extra-long comments are my absolute favorite, this wolf's tail wags fast enough to take flight) I defiantly agree with you about keeping the story on hold or otherwise the story's quality will be ruined. I'll admit in saying that I began to stress over needing to write up a new chapter and began to hate my own fanfic, which shouldn't happen! But keeping it on hold was the right move as I am so excited to continue writing.

Love ya lots and pretty please won't you be sweet enough to leave me a treat?

-YuriWolf

Again, my dears, I can't promise a timely update, my best suggestion would be to subscribe to my story for when an update comes in. I know it isn't ideal but it better than the story getting cancelled, after all I am doing this on my scares free time and doing it for free, once I have more chapters written out, I can go back to the 2 week update method I had before but for now please be patient with me.