Tennyson sat off to the side of Marcus Kane's desk, reading through the juvenile records. Most were minor infractions, and before the bombs, they would have ended in something like community service. A teen caught with medicine for their ailing parent. A teen caught with an extra ration because their neighbor's small child was hungry. None of it consumed and returned in one piece. A simple reprimand and time spent in Medical or the kitchens would have been sufficient punishment. But that wasn't how the Ark was run. Here, on the Ark, they were imprisoned until their review at eighteen. It was a waste of potential. When or if the teens were released, they were designated as the lowest of the low. Forced to work the worst jobs on the Ark.

Ten growled low, too low for her sire to hear as he sat at his desk. She flicked her finger across the tablet to show the next record. Reading through it, Ten's hands gripped the tablet tighter. An Omega accused of assaulting an Alpha. Reading through the testimonials, it was clear to Ten that it was self-defense. The Alpha had attempted to charm the Omega into their bed. When the Omega had declined, they had tried to force them. The Omega fought back, and when the guard's arrived, only the Omega had been arrested. The council believing the Alpha's statements that the Omega attacked them for no reason.

Just one case where an Alpha had gotten away with committing a crime. There were hundreds of cases, both in the juvenile records and the adult records, where it was blatantly obvious the Alpha had been the perpetrator. The one committing the crime, but if it was a Beta or Omega, the Alpha was set free while the other paid the price. The only time an Alpha was sent to Lockup or floated was when it was against the council or another Alpha.

It was a rigged system, and one Tennyson was determined to change. And unfortunately, that was still five years off. Ten had to wait until she was twenty before she could run for the Chancellorship. Six before Clarke could run. It made her blood boil just thinking about the injustice of it all. Ten was having a hard time believing that the current laws and punishments were what their ancestors had wanted for their people. That they thought it necessary for their survival.

Feeling her anger grow, Ten ripped her focus from the tablet and placed it on Kane's desk. Though what she really wanted to do was throw it across the room in the hopes it would alleviate her feelings of frustration.

Kane looked up at the sound and focused on Ten, "Done reading through the files already, Ten?"

"No, sir," Ten replied and vehemently shook her head, "I just can't. All it's doing is pissing me off. What we're doing isn't justice. We're destroying lives. Lives that could help the Ark, but instead…Instead, if they're freed, they're forced to become our janitors. Or scraping the gunk off the machines in Factory. If they're permitted to have children, we're forcing them into that life too. And don't get me started on the blatant self-defense cases. There has to be a better way."

Kane sighed and placed his own tablet on his desk before turning his attention to his daughter, "Ten, the Exodus Charter is quite clear. The laws are clearly defined as are the punishments. We cannot ignore them."

"But we do," Ten cried in frustration. "The laws say nothing about giving Alphas free rein. Yet, if they're caught stealing, they're given the item. If they beat up a Beta or Omega, the Beta or Omega is punished for angering the Alpha. If, god forbid, they rape a Beta or Omega, the Beta or Omega are punished for enticing the Alpha. The only time an Alpha is punished is if they attack or kill an Alpha. And the reasoning behind it is ludicrous. The only reason why Alphas have no control is because they're not taught control. Dad, I spent two weeks learning to control myself. So, I know it's not impossible. But the council—"

"Careful, Tennyson," Kane warned, his eyes taking on a steely countenance. "You may be an Alpha and my daughter, but it is dangerous to speak out against the council."

Ten groaned in frustration, "Trust me, I know. But, please don't sit there and argue that I'm wrong."

Kane sighed and looked at his desk, quietly he said, "You're not wrong, Tennyson. It is why I push you and your friends to stay on the right side of the law. Only the Chancellor and council can amend and change the Exodus Charter. Once all of you are of age, I know that you and Clarke will do what's right. You are the ones that will set us back on the right path. You are the ones that will make us deserving of the ground."

Tennyson leaned back in her chair, stunned at her sire's proclamation. Marcus Kane was a man of the law. He followed it unerringly without mercy. Yet, here he was agreeing with her and voicing his hope. His hope that Clarke and Ten would make the Ark a better place. That he hoped for a better future. This one conversation showed Tennyson that Marcus Kane was not the man everyone saw. That he was a good man stuck in a world that demanded obedience against the laws of humanity.

Ten swallowed and blinked a few times to get her mind to function again.

"Why didn't you ever say something," Ten quietly asked.

He looked at her with a rueful smile, "Because you weren't ready to hear it, Ten. You needed to see for yourself and make the decision without interference. Now that you know, what are you going to do?"

Ten leaned on the arm of her chair and gazed at her sire, "That's the crux of the situation, isn't it. Until I'm old enough to challenge the Chancellor, I can do nothing. Like you and Mom, I have to play by the rules. If I openly speak out against the council, I head to Lockup and most likely get floated when I turn eighteen."

Kane nodded, glad to see this his daughter understood the situation they were living in, "I know that such a decision is hard to live with and I honestly don't envy you the next five years. What I do want you to take away from this conversation, Ten, is that your mother and I support you. You and your friends are different from the current council and the ones of the past. And I, for one, cannot wait to see the future you bring us into."

Ten blushed, "Thank you. But, um, speaking of the future. I came to a decision last night."

"Oh," he replied, leaning back in his seat and giving her his undivided attention. "And what decision is that?"

Ten steeled herself and looked him in the eye, "I can no longer commit to two apprenticeships. With school, my friends, Clarke…I'm barely able to function. I'm tired all the time. I'm falling behind in class. I'm not there for my friends anymore. But worse, I'm not there for Clarke. Clarke is our leader, and as her Second, I'm failing my duties to her. And on a personal level, I've been neglecting her."

Kane slowly nodded, "All good reasons. Valid reasons. Though, you know that next year won't be so bad."

Ten shook her head, "Not really. Yes, the school work will lessen, but the training won't. I've really thought about this. Listed the pros and cons. Looked at it from every angle. And the truth is, something has to go."

"And you feel that it's one of the apprenticeships," he asked.

Ten nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Have you decided as to which one," he asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied with a sigh. "My position here at ArcSec. Though my time here has given me a greater understanding of the laws, it is my firm belief that the Liaison Office is where I can do the most good. At least, until I can challenge the Chancellor. Working at the Liaison Office will allow me to get to know the different stations and their heads, the department heads, and how each is run. I'll gain a greater understanding of the Ark as a whole."

"I see," Kane nodded. "I'm going to miss working beside you, Tennyson."

Ten gave him a sad smile, "I'm going to miss it too, Dad. But, you know, you can always join Mom and me for dinner. Or even just come over. I know you and Mom care for one another, and I'm not opposed to us spending family time together."

"Your mother and I lead hectic lives, Ten," Kane replied, looking wistful.

Ten nodded and stood up, "I know, but if I can recognize that things in my life need to change, so can you. It just depends on how much you want to change and the will to put in the effort to make it happen. I want to change, and I'm willing to try."

Kane stood up and walked around to stand in front of Ten, "When did you become so smart?"

Ten chuckled, "I've always been smart, Dad. I just needed someone to help pull my head outta my ass to see that I was an idiot."

"Then I will take your advice under advisement, Tennyson," he teasingly replied.

Ten rolled her eyes, "Just hug me already so I can go makeup with my girlfriend."

"You're the boss," Kane chuckled and hugged his daughter.

"Not yet," she replied as she returned the hug.

"I expect your official resignation and cleaned uniform on my desk by the day after tomorrow," Kane said as he stepped back and became the Marshal.

Ten straightened to attention, though she couldn't hide the amusement in her eyes, "Yes sir, Marshal, sir."

Kane held the pose for a moment and then chuckled, "Go on, get out of here. Go save your marriage."

Walking to the door, Ten replied, "Oh my god, Dad! We're not married!"

"Yet," he called out after her. "You're not married. Yet."

Ten just shook her head as she walked out of the ArcSec office. Feeling lighter than she had in months, she sent a mindcall to Clarke, letting her know that she was on her way home. Clarke replied that she'd be over in an hour.

Tennyson changed and sat relaxing on the sofa as she waited for Clarke to arrive. She was nervous, but it was a good nervous. Ten knew that she had made the right decision. ArcSec wasn't the right fit for her. Neither was the Liaison Office if she was honest with herself, but it was closer to where she needed to be. Which was the Advisor to the Chancellor, but that office never took on apprentices, so Ten had to make do.

Clarke mindcalled that she was outside, and Ten replied to enter, standing up to greet the blonde. Clarke walked in and they stood a few feet apart, both suddenly feeling nervous and awkward.

"Will you two just kiss and make up already," Callie called out from her bedroom. "I can smell the awkwardness from here."

"Mom," Ten groaned, and Clarke chuckled. "You know a Beta's nose isn't that good."

"That may be so," Calle retorted with a smirk, poking her head out of her bedroom, "but you two are so obvious that even blind man without a nose can see."

"Oh my god," Ten cried, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "We're not that bad!"

"Just keep it clean and in the living room," Callie teased. "We can't afford to steam clean the couch."

"Argh! Just go and stay in your room, Mom," Ten exclaimed, picking up a pillow and throwing it at Callie.

"Thanks," Callie said, catching the pillow. "I needed something for my back."

"MOM!"

Callie laughed, "I'm going. I'm going. The wedding can't come soon enough."

"WE'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED," Ten yelled.

"Yet," Callie said, laughing as she closed the door behind her.

Ten hid her head in her hands as Clarke stepped closer, chuckling, "Should I be worried."

Ten dropped her hands and looked at Clarke, startled, "God, no! At least…I hope not." She bit her lip in worry, "Dad said that we're married and now Mom, with the wedding talk…it's too soon. Right? Please tell me, I'm right, Clarke."

Clarke laughed at Ten's look of fright but reached out to take her hands, "No, you're absolutely right. It is way too soon to think of marriage. But at least we know that your parents are on board. Dad is too."

"That just means we have to worry about your mother," Ten whined.

"We'll worry about her when we cross that bridge," Clarke reassured the Alpha. "But for now, we need to worry about fixing us."

"We're not broken," Ten said, stepping closer to the blonde. "We had one fight. And it's because we stopped talking. We forgot the biggest tenet of relationships; open communication."

"And that's because we got too caught up in ourselves," Clarke said, trailing a finger up Ten's arm and making her shiver. "We focused on our own problems and feelings. We ended up hurting each other."

Ten sighed, "Which is the last thing either of us wants to do. I'm sorry I didn't tell you why I was so stressed out, Clarke. I thought I could handle it like everything else, but I was wrong. I thought I just needed more time to find that balance, and everything would magically click into place. But all it did was drive me away from everyone. And as much as yesterday hurt, it was the wakeup call that I needed."

Clarke nodded and led Ten to the couch, where they sat facing each other, "Well, I'm sorry too. I didn't fully understand the way the apprenticeships worked. I mean, I still don't, but anyway. I didn't know how intense the training is or that you still had to make up for the missed subjects. Or that because you chose two apprenticeships, you were doubling up on the training. I didn't see what that was doing to you. All I saw was that you no longer had time for me, and when you did, you didn't seem like you wanted to be with me."

"That is so far from the truth, it's in the next galaxy, Clarke," Ten replied with a crooked smile. "Spending time with you has always been the highlight of my days. But, I was killing myself trying to give you that time."

"I realize that now," Clarke said.

She slowly reached up to cup Ten's face, loving how the Alpha leaned into her touch and gently ran her thumb over the circle under Ten's eye.

"I didn't see this," Clarke whispered, her heart clenching at how tired Ten was.

Clarke reached up with her other hand, her brow furrowed, and ran her fingers gently over the tension lines on Ten's face.

"Nor did I see these," Clarke spoke sadly.

Clarke ran her hands gently down Ten's face to cup them behind Ten's neck, feeling the tense muscles there. Knowing that those tight muscles probably gave Ten headaches, it only made the blonde realize just how much she missed being self-absorbed in her feelings.

"I didn't feel these," Clarke continued, gently applying pressure to relieve the tension.

Ten hissed in pain as Clarke worked on removing the knots that had formed from her continued stress. Clarke frowned at the sound but continued her ministrations. Clarke moved closer, nearly straddling Ten's lap to awkwardly work on the muscles of her neck and moving on to her shoulders.

Ten reached down and pulled Clarke more firmly on her lap, keeping her hands on the blonde's waist.

Sighing in relief when a particularly hard knot let go, Ten softly spoke, "I knew what my absence was doing to you. I could feel it, and it frustrated me to no end that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't give you what you wanted and needed. I knew it was driving us apart, but being a stubborn Alpha, I thought I could fix it on my own. I was wrong. I didn't do the one thing that we've always done. I didn't talk with you. I didn't share my burden with you."

"Neither did I," Clarke confessed, looking into Ten's dark brown eyes. "I didn't tell you how I felt. Even if you could feel my emotions, I should have voiced them. I shouldn't have let them build and turn to resentment. For that, I am well and truly sorry."

Ten nodded and reached up to caress the anchor, dropping her gaze to follow the pattern, "When I gave you this, I called myself your anchor. That it was my duty, privilege, and honor to keep you grounded. I failed to do that, and I am sorry for it. I wasn't fully present when you needed me. But, you're also my anchor. When I first realized that my feelings for you were more than that of a friend, and I realized how much I liked being around you. One of those reasons was because you keep me centered and grounded. You keep me from being too serious. You remind me that there's more to life than learning. You remind me that I am more than just your Second. That I'm more than just an Alpha. You remind me that I am worthy."

Tears had begun streaming down Clarke's face as Ten's words echoed deep within her soul. Because deep down, that was what Ten did for her. But most of all, Ten reminded Clarke that she was loved.

"I love you, Tennyson," Clarke whispered.

Ten looked into those cerulean eyes she loved so much and smiled a crooked smile, "I love you too, Clarke."

Clarke couldn't help herself, she leaned in and captured Ten's lips in her own. Ten's arm on her waist wrapped around to pull the blonde closer as her other hand traveled to cup Clarke's head. Their kiss deepened as Clarke wrapped her arms around Ten's neck. The kiss was salty from Clarke's tears, but it only made it that much sweeter. They didn't part until they were both breathless, and even then, they were so close they shared the same air. Foreheads resting against each other with their eyes closed as they soaked in the moment.

"Where do we go from here," Clarke asked when she caught her breath.

Ten nudged their noses and kissed her again before replying, "Well, even though I'd rather continue kissing you, we should probably finish our talk first."

Clarke chuckled and moved her head until she was nuzzling Ten's neck, "I suppose we should. Though, I am not opposed to tabling our discussion and continuing with the kissing."

"Tempting," Ten said with a chuckle and shifted until she was more comfortable holding Clarke in her lap. "But counterproductive."

Clarke laid a hand on Ten's chest, reveling in the Alpha's steady heartbeat, "I think we've aired out both sides of the problem. We were both stubborn asses too wrapped up in our own problems to see what we were doing to each other. I know, and promise, that I need to be more understanding and considerate of the stress that presenting has put you in. It's not your fault, and we can do nothing about the laws, except follow them."

Ten ran a hand soothingly up and down Clarke's back, "I want to say that I promise to set more time aside from you, but I'm not sure that I can. What I can do and already have is drop one of my apprenticeships."

Clarke sat up in surprise and looked incredulously at Ten, "You did what?! But I thought you said you needed both to understand the running of the Ark better."

Ten smiled and nodded, "I did, and I do. I understand the laws backward and forwards. I knew them after my first month, but I stayed mainly to spend time with my dad." Ten shrugged, "It kinda became our thing. Sitting in his office and going over reports together. Or patrolling the stations together."

"You gave up ArcSec," Clarke asked.

Ten nodded again, "I realized as I was going over the juvenile records, that I couldn't do it. I couldn't sentence people to prison or the airlock for just trying to survive. I couldn't stand by and watch Alphas get away with everything short of murder. If I stayed, I would have broken the laws to keep the people alive. I would have forced my sire, my dad, to imprisoning me or worse, pushing the button to send me to my death. Leaving you and our pack. I couldn't do it, so; I resigned from my position."

"But don't you hate working in the office," Clarke asked.

Ten nodded emphatically, "God, yes! Do I ever. My wolf hates sitting in the office for six, ten hours a day. But the Liaison Office is the closest to the Advisor's office I can get. I'm still learning the machinations of dealing with each council member, station manager, department head, and so on. I'm learning the politics of maneuvering Alphas to decide what we want. So, I will sit in that office until you and I can challenge the Chancellor and his Advisor. I will exercise the crap outta my wolf to compensate. And hopefully, hopefully, gain the time to give you what you deserve. A dutiful girlfriend that loves you."

"Well, shit," Clarke grumbled. "All I can do is promise that I will talk with you when I'm feeling neglected or ignored. And promise to be more understanding and considerate of your feelings."

Ten chuckled and squeezed Clarke close to her, "And I promise to speak with you when I'm feeling stressed or just need to vent."

"AKA, bitch and moan," Clarke replied.

"Yes, that," Ten said with a smile and then frowned. "I think it's also important to remember that we're not alone. We have our pack and that they will always have our backs. Octavia reminded me of that yesterday."

Clarke nodded in agreement, "And Wells reminded me this morning. We've neglected them as much as we neglected each other."

"True," Ten said, and Clarke noticed that there was suddenly a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Now, I think we've settled our argument and have come up with reasonable solutions. We have sworn to change our ways and have people that will remind us when we're idiots."

"Agreed," Clarke said, her heart beginning to pound in her chest with anticipation.

Ten suddenly flipped them down on the couch with Clarke on the bottom. They stared at one another for a long moment before Ten slowly eased down until their lips were barely touching.

"I think it's safe to say that we can move on to our next point on the agenda," Ten said, a smirk ghosting her lips.

"And what exactly is that," Clarke asked, breathless as she stared up at Ten.

"This," Ten whispered as she closed the distance and kissed Clarke.

Clarke let out a soft moan as Ten pressed her body into Clarke, her legs wrapping around Ten's. Both girls reveling in reacquainting themselves with one another.

"You better not be having sex on that couch, young lady," Callie yelled from her bedroom.

Ten sprang off Clarke like a rocket and yelled out, "WHAT THE HELL, MOM!"

Clarke laughed as Ten turned an embarrassing shade of red and pulled the Alpha back down. Ten burrowed her head in the crook of Clarke's neck as Clarke continued to laugh and stroked the girl's back. Their moment completely ruined by Callie.

"God, I cannot wait until we have a place of our own," Ten groaned.

This sent Clarke off again, and after a moment, Ten joined her. Both happy that things were becoming right in their world once more.