The first one-shot by me that won't turn into anything more has yet to be written. Anyway, hope you guys like this second part...

CLARKE

This can't be real. This can't be possible. There's no way she can be here.

But she is.

Hardly two feet away from me, kneeling down to the ground, and gently caressing my face. She looks different; not so much in her features, but in her manners. Less warrior, and not just because of the lack of warpaint. I recognize the affection in her eyes though. The affection as well as the pain.

She looks different and yet exactly the same. So all I can do is gaze at her. Watch how the corner of her mouth gradually quirks up.

"I told you I'll always be with you," she smiles.

Speechless, I swallow and slowly nod. She did tell me - again and again actually, since her very last words to me have echoed in my head from the moment they were out. Hearing them again reassures me, tells me it really must be her, but my tensed body doesn't get the chance to relax. Before I can even blink she raises her other hand. The hand with the gun.

Oh God, I was wrong. It's not real. It's a trap!

The deafening bang makes me flinch and I instinctively protect my head with my arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cries out, cautiously scooching closer again. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I would never- I could never hurt you. But he was about to!"

When I slowly lower my arms and look up she nods to something behind me. I turn my head to look over my shoulder and watch the man who captured me lying on the ground, now only three feet away from me.

He's dead.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she apologizes once more.

I turn to face her again. She's not smiling anymore. She just stares at me - worried. I can't help but stare back at her. My mouth feels dry and my heart is pounding out of my chest. It's not all fear though.

With our eyes still locked she carefully removes the gag from my mouth. Once freed from the dirty rag I gasp for air.

"Lexa?" I breathe, finally able to form words again. Or well, one word. The only word that matters.

She gives me a half grin and nods.

I reach out and lightly touch her cheek with the tip of my fingers. When I realize my hand isn't disappearing in some hologram - or worse: a wormhole - I add a little pressure and follow the contour of her jawline. My eyes never leave hers.

"B- But how...?"

Lexa shrugs, shaking her head. "I don't know. I really don't." She sits up straight and glances over her shoulder. "I know we can't stay here, though. The noise of the gun will draw more of them. Probably a herd too."

"A herd?" I frown as she gets up.

"Walkers," she clarifies, like that tells me anything. "Come here, let me untie you."

But I can't move. I'm completely overwhelmed. The arriving at this new, insane planet. The frightening abduction that followed. This unexpected, mindblowing reunion. For the first time in my life I feel like I lost all control. So I just sit here, on this dirty ground, as Lexa kneels down again to release me from the ropes around my wrists.

When she stands to her feet she extends her hand. The soft smile returns to her face. "You trust me?"

I swallow again, force my body to wake up, and accept her hand. "With my life," I whisper.

"Good," she grins as she pulls me up, "Then come with me."

Without letting go of me she turns around and leads me outside. It's getting dark already. We quickly cross the open space in front of the shed to find shelter in the woods. Once between the trees Lexa starts walking towards what I believe is east.

"Wait! I think we came from the other side," I stop her. Pointing at the twilight sky I continue, "The sun was right behind me when I got here. See that glow over there? It must have set just a few minutes ago. And there's Orion, so we only have to st-"

I abruptly shut my mouth when I see Lexa's lips twist into an amused grin. "Klark kom Skaikru," she laughs, "The Girl From The Sky. It's really you, isn't it?"

"Am I wrong?" I frown.

She shakes her head. "No, you're right. But we can't go there now. It was quite the run up to here, it will be pitch black before we get all the way back - let alone find it. It's far too dangerous."

"But I need to get back!" I tell her. I can hear the desperation in my own voice. "My people, they'll be worried!"

Lexa takes a step forward and lightly rests her hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry," she says with a soft voice, and I believe her. "My camp is close-by, we can reach it if we hurry. I promise I'll bring you to your ship first thing in the morning, if... if you want me to."

I nod. I don't know if I want to - I don't really know anything right now - but I know I need to.

She nods as well, then averts her eyes. As she fumbles with the shoulder strap of my coat I notice her smile is gone. I want to say something - anything - to make her smile again, but I'm lost for words. Besides the moment passes quickly.

She clears her throat and turns around again. "Come on!" she calls over her shoulder.

I follow her. She was right, it's not that far from her camp and we make it there right before the darkness covers us.

There's an armored truck. It reminds me of the rover, only way bigger. Around it, in a half moon shape, are a few tents. Between the truck and the tents are a bunch of people sitting around a fire. I hesitate.

Lexa, noticing I'm suddenly staying behind, turns towards me. "It's okay," she smiles reassuring, "They are my people."

I narrow my eyes. "Trikru?" I question, drawing another laugh from her.

"There's no Trikru here," she giggles. "There are no clans. Or maybe in a way there are, but..." She stops talking and shakes her head. "But these folks, they are just... just people. Good people!" she quickly adds.

For the second time today she offers me her hand. Together we make our way to her people - her apparently good people.

They jump to their feet as soon as they spot her.

"Alicia!" they all cry out in one voice.

Lexa quickly glances at me. "That's me," she explains beneath her breath, "Just go with in!"

Before I can respond we're surrounded by men and women asking questions. I can tell they're relieved to see her again and it warms my heart to know that she's found people who care about her. I notice she doesn't really answer them though. Instead she shushes them, though with a warm smile.

"Guys, I'm alright. Nothing to worry about!" she reassures them, before pulling me a little closer before I can stop her. "This is Clarke. My- My friend."

Not giving the small crowd the chance to question me she faces me, raising her eyebrows. "You're hungry?"

"Not really," I answer. "Actually, I'm... I'm kind of tired."

She nods understandingly, then moves her eyes to the young girl standing a few feet away from her. "Charlie, you sleep in the van tonight," she dictates her. It's one of those moments that a hint of the Commander shines through. A hint of Heda.

"Who's on watch?" Lexa - or Alicia?! - continues in the meantime.

A man steps forward. "Al and I are on first, Morgan and Sarah on second. You can rest tonight."

She thanks him with a grateful smile, then turns to me again. "This way," she bobs her head in the direction of one of the tents. She picks up a burning oil lamp and leads the way, and just like before I follow her without further questions.

The tent is small, yet big enough to stand up straight. It's almost empty, except for two mattresses, one on each site, and some junk. I guess they travel light.

"No thrown?" I can't help but joke.

Lexa shows me a weak smile. "I'm sorry I can't offer you much more," she shrugs apologetically. "You can take whichever bed you want."

"Thank you," I mirror her smile, but for some reason I don't move. I feel like something has shifted in the air. Even though being around her again feels incredibly familiar I'm also highly aware that it's been a very, very long time. I hate it, but I'm afraid we're not the same people anymore. We can't just pretend like all those years in between didn't happen.

As I'm standing there, lingering and uncomfortably scuffing my foot through the dirt, Lexa seems to share my quandary. Looking somewhat shy herself all of a sudden she coughs and turns around, giving me my privacy - I think.

I'm not going to strip down though. Not because of her, but because this seems to be a place that needs you to be ready at any given moment. So instead I only kick off my shoes and drop my heavy coat to the floor, followed by my henley. Keeping my pants and tank top on, I randomly pick a mattress and crawl under the stiff blanket. The smell on the pillow tells me it's Lexa's.

The sound of the shifting bedding makes her turn around again. Seemingly without giving it a second thought she drops herself down on the other bed. She lays down on top of the blanket, fully clothed as if she doesn't intent to actually sleep, but stretches her arm to turn off the lamp anyway. Maybe I was wrong, maybe this is how she sleeps? Maybe the night gown days are over?

With the small fire burning outside as the only source of light it's hard to really see anything - to really see her. Lying in the dark like this, we stay quiet for a while.

"So, who's Alicia?" I eventually break the silence that's driving me crazy.

l can hear her move on the bed a little. Did I make her uncomfortable? "I am," she answers. "I mean, it's not just another name. It's another life I lived - live," she corrects herself. "I don't understand it myself, but I know I'm as much Alicia as I'm Lexa."

I think I'm starting to see it. I mean, I don't get it - the 'how' of this all, but I think I'm getting the picture. She started over - somehow. This isn't her first day. She's born and raised here, she has a history, besides her history with... well, me, among others. And she's right not to ignore that.

I roll to my side and watch her, even though I can't see much more than the shape of her body. It's enough to make me smile. "Well, I can't wait to get to know her!" I calmly tell her, and I swear I can hear her exhale in relief.

For a moment we stay quiet again, until I remember something else. "Those Walkers you were speaking of... What are they?"

"They are... They are kind of like Reapers," Lexa starts to explain, "Humans turned into primal monsters without a mind of their own. Only in contrast to the Reapers you can't bring them back. 'Cause they're dead."

I swallow. "That sounds horrible. Are they your biggest enemy?"

"I really wish I could say yes to that," she sighs.

I have so many more questions, especially since I still have no idea where I actually am, but I feel like I shouldn't ask them. At least not right now.

"So you remember the Reapers?" I quietly ask instead.

Lexa turns to her side as well, facing me. "I do. I remember everything. But-"

"But what?"

She takes a deep breath. "But I didn't till today. It wasn't until I saw you that it all came back to me. I'm really sorry, Clarke," she continues in a small voice, "I'm afraid I forgot about you."

She feels bad. I can tell. I don't want her to feel bad.

"I bet you didn't," I tell her, my own voice surprisingly steady. "You just didn't know yet how to connect the dots. It's a lot. Heck, I still don't understand half of it. But I'm sure the dots were always there."

"Hm," Lexa just hums.

Of course I have no clue what I'm talking about. Maybe it's my own wishful thinking, the need to believe that our past wasn't completely erased for so many years. Her silence makes me nervous, but just when I'm about to apologize - like, what the hell do I know about her situation? - she speaks up again.

"Now that she's back in the atmosphere, with drops of Jupiter in her hair..." she mumbles.

I frown. "I'm sorry?"

"It's the first line of my favorite song. Like my ultimate favorite. I never really got what made this song this great to me, why I loved the space metaphor that much," she explains, quietly adding, "Perhaps it was a dot?"

I can't suppress another smile. I'll definitely take it.

Naturally she doesn't notice, since it's so damn dark in here. Instead of waiting for my reply she starts to sing - softly and in that specific way when one seems to be elsewhere for a moment, without anyone listening to them.

"Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star, one without a permanent scar, and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?"

My smile fades away.

"Every day," I whisper.

"What?" she asks, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Fighting with a sudden lump in my throat, I repeat myself. "I missed you every day."

Lexa rolls onto her back again. "I hate that. I hate to know you were in pain, that I wasn't there for you-"

"Hey, you're here now," I interrupt her.

She grumbles. "How's that helping anything?"

"Oh, it's helping!" I set her straight. Unable to bear it any longer I kick the blanket off me and cross the three feet to the other side of the tent. "It's helping a lot," I sigh as I lay down next to her.

She turns her head to look at me. Her breath caresses my cheek. "How- How long has it been?" she asks with some hesitance.

The sound of her voice makes me wonder if she really wants to know. I swallow again.

"Over a hundred years. Hundred and thirty, to be more precise."

Her muteness reflects my own overpowering feelings.

"I used to count the days," I quietly go on. "One hundred. One thousand. Two thousand... Until I couldn't anymore. I tried, I really did, but it was like counting the stars on a bright night: impossible."

She doesn't say anything. Instead she moves her hand that's lying close next to mine and laces our fingers - cautiously, like I might withdraw at any moment. But I don't. Of course I don't. There's nothing like the feeling of her skin against mine again. Nonetheless a sudden giggle escapes me.

"Also I was asleep most of the time," I chuckle.

"There's so much you need to tell me," she sighs. "But not right now. You should get some sleep."

Instinctively I roll to my side to rest my head on her chest, right when she lifts her arm to welcome me as if she was waiting for it. "You stay with me?" I mumble as I find warmth and safety in her embrace.

She rakes her fingers through my hair, tenderly. "Of course," she whispers, "I'm not going anywhere."

... ...