A/N: Wahoo another chapter. I kept distracting myself while writing so hopefully it's okay.

I get to meet Ricky Whittle at FanX here in Salt Lake next week! He'll be the first from The 100 for me. I wish we got more people to our little (not so little anymore Con) Mostly I'm going for Lana Parrilla though! I might just faint though. Also I have no one in my 'real' life that understands the fandom life so that's why I'm telling all of you.

Chapter 30

Clarke wasn't sure what woke her, but she felt unsettled and couldn't go back to sleep. Instead she found herself leaning in the doorway to her daughter's room. She couldn't take her eyes away from the image of her little girl sleeping. She'd found herself doing this more and more as time went on.

She'd missed so much of her daughter's life. She was maybe now overcompensating but trying to soak up every minute of it. If she had to do it all over again, she's not sure she would have it in her to make the same choice. She'd never told anyone how hard that first year of college had been. She'd almost quit so many times and gone home. Not because the workload had been hard, she was used to that, but because she missed Avery so much.

She felt arms wrap around her waist and leaned back into Lexa. The unsettling feeling in her stomach began to diminish with a simple touch. Lexa always had a calming effect on her. Lexa nuzzled her face into Clarke's neck and placed a soft kiss to her collar bone.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked quietly so as not to disturb Avery.

"Sometimes I look at her and can't believe that I made her. She's just so perfect."

Lexa gave a small chuckle. "You're not biased or anything."

"Nope, not at all." Clarke turned around in Lexa's arms and hugged her tight. When they hug ended, she took Lexa by the hand and led her back to their room. "I was scared shitless the day she was born. I had no idea what I was doing. But then this amazing thing happened, they laid her on my chest.

"I thought I had known what love was, but I had no idea. Her eyes were barely open, but I swear she looked at me like she knew who I was and that I would protect her. And in that moment, I believed that. I would do anything for her, even if it killed me to do it."

"She still looks at you like that," Lexa told her. She'd seen that look in Avery's eyes several times. Like Clarke was her hero.

"I know we kinda of talked about kids in the eventual future, but I want to be honest here." Lexa nodded her head for Clarke to continue. "I know I'm years away from 30, and maybe it's because I have a daughter that's already ten years old, but my biological clock is ticking. I know we aren't even close to that point yet, but I want more kids and I want them with you. Sooner rather than later if possible. Avery will still be so much older than her siblings."

Lexa let out a small sigh and nodded. She had a feeling this was where Clarke was going. She wasn't completely opposed to the idea either. But they were still living in different states. There were some obstacles to overcome first. "I want that too. I've thought about it a lot since being back in D.C. But we need to at least be living in the same state. And maybe a wedding would be nice," Lexa smiled a little at the thought.

"Is that a proposal?"

"You wouldn't be asking that question if it was," Lexa smirked. She'd at least have a ring ready if it happened.

"I know, you're right and I agree. Living in the same house is a definite box we need to check off first. And a wedding would be nice I agree, but not a requirement for me. I guess what I'm saying is I'm ready as soon as you are. Just say the word."

Lexa understood what she was saying. Not that they didn't need to get married someday, just that she wasn't picky about which order they did things in. She wanted to do things the right way, however. She hadn't had a traditional upbringing, she wanted that for any kids she might have. Still she promised Clarke that she was tell her as soon as she was ready.

Now that Clarke was able to get that off her chest, she felt a lot better. With their conversation at an end, she could finally go back to sleep.

~CL~

The next morning the three girls were running around the apartment trying to get things ready to go. One thing Clarke had wanted to do when Avery got to come to D.C. was take her to the National Mall to see all the monuments. Avery loved history, and Clarke knew she'd love to see some of the history that resided in this city.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" she called to her daughter.

"Yep."

Clarke walked over to her and studied her closely, looking for that oily glow. "On your arms? Neck? Ears? Nose?"

"Yes, I did."

Avery rolled her eyes, annoying her mother. She wasn't enjoying this preteen stage her kid was entering. She hoped she never put her parents through that. She probably had though. "Alright, put it in your backpack. We'll probably need it again later."

Before they could leave, Lexa and Avery threw there hair up in a hat. Clarke smiled to see the two had obviously made a little pit stop before catching up with her the day before. They were both sporting matching 'I [heart] D.C.' ball caps.

"We didn't forget about you," Avery told her. She went over to the coat closet and pulled a plastic sack out. From there she presented a third matching cap. Clarke laughed and took it from her daughter. Putting the hat on, she pushed her hair back under it and behind her ears. "You don't want it in a ponytail?"

"Not my style."

The three made their way out of the apartment and walked towards the nearest metro station. It was a bit of a walk, but not so horrible. And take the metro around would be the easiest way to explore.

The look on Avery's face as they walked up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial made it worth the trip. She of course had to read any informational signs she could find. Clarke took a picture of her in front of the memorial and then Lexa took one of the both of them.

"Would you like one of all three of you together?" a kind old lady standing next to Lexa asked.

"Yes!" Avery screamed. She waved for Lexa to come over next to her.

"She's a demanding one isn't she?" the other woman asked.

"When she gets an idea in her head, you betcha." Lexa handed over her phone and took her place next to Avery. The three posed for the camera for a couple a shots before Lexa took her phone back. "Thank you for doing that."

"It's not a problem. You enjoy your day."

As they left, they made their way towards the Vietnam Memorial. As they walked along the wall of names there was a resounding silence. It felt to Clarke almost as if this was a sacred place. Maybe to some it was. She couldn't pretend to understand how it felt to lose someone in a war. Still it made her think of her father and the courageous way he died. So maybe she could at least a little bit understand. When her eyes spotted the name Jacob there on the wall, a tear did fall, for this soldier and for her father.

When Lexa felt Clarke mood change, she tracked what the other girl was looking at and could see what might have caused her sudden distress. She wrapped her arms around Clarke's shoulders and the other woman quickly leaned into the hug. "Shh. I got you. It's okay. Let it out." She hoped they hadn't made a bad choice coming here.

Avery looked at her helpless, not sure what was going on with her mother. Lexa signaled her closer and pulled her into the embrace. "Take your time, she whispered to Clarke. She continued holding onto both girls until Clarke had calmed down again.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Clarke tried to gather herself. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. As soon as she was clear headed again, she saw the look of worry on Avery's face. Bending down on one knee she pulled her daughter to her. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Seeing all the people these families lost made me think of your grandfather."

"I miss him," Avery admitted.

"Me too."

They continued their journey around the area. They made their through the gardens and then towards the Washington Monument. Clarke was kind of intentionally taking a long way because she wanted to save her favorite part for later. They took the stereotypical distance pictures that made them look as tall as the monument itself before making their way closer.

When they finally made it to the World War II memorial, Clarke marveled at it's beauty once again. The fountain especially is what drew her to this place. She loved not only the view it presented but the symbolism of it all. She took a seat near the water and her companions followed suit. The all sat in relative silence for a while as they took in their surroundings. Eventually Clarke pulled them all together for a selfie with the water in the background.

They stayed there for a little while longer, just resting their feet and people watching. Once Avery declared she was hungry, however, they decided it was time to head out. They'd do some more exploring later but food first.

Lexa led the way this time around. There was a diner she knew about that was a little ways away, but close enough they could walk.

As soon as they where seated, Avery popped her shoes off under the table. She wasn't used to that much walking. She had loved seeing everything, but it hurt her feet.

"What do you want to eat?" Clarke asked her over the top of her menu.

Avery shrugged her shoulders and picked up her own menu. She looked at the kids menu, and then at the adults menu but she wasn't sure what she should pick from. There was a lot of choices that sounded good.

"Welcome, my name is Amy," the waitress appeared at their side. "Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"Just water for me," Clarke told her.

"Same," Lexa agreed. They all needed to rehydrate a little bit after spending the day in the heat.

"Can I have a chocolate shake?" Avery asked her mother.

"Sure," Clarke told her, but then turned to the waitress, "But bring her a water as well, please."

"No problem. You guys ready to order or do you need more time?"

"We need some more time," Clarke answered for them. She had a good idea what she wanted but she knew her daughter would need more time. That girl could be so undecided when it came to food.

After the waitress was gone, Lexa leaned over the table, "the chicken tenders here are really good. Especially if you dip them in the house barbeque sauce."

"I'm sold," Avery declared. If Lexa said they were good, then they must be.

"Good, cause that's what I was getting."

Clarke smiled from behind her menu. It was amazing how many things Avery was picking up from Lexa. She was tempted to get the same, but they had a club sandwich that also sounded really good.

"So, did you enjoy seeing all those sights?" Lexa asked a while later as the dug into their food.

Avery nodded as she swallowed a bite. "Yeah, it was really interesting. I'm going to have to find some books on each of them so I can learn more about them."

Lexa chuckled. That was such an Avery response. It wasn't enough just to see them, she needed to know all about them too. "What did you like the most?"

"Seeing all the pillars for the states were pretty cool. I liked taking my picture under California."

While Lexa and Avery continued to talk about the day, Clarke started flipping through the pictures she'd taken that day. She put the selfie in front of the fountain as her knew wallpaper and also uploaded a few of the images to her various social media pages. She had them set to private so only her friends and family could see them though. She was now a little more open about Avery, but there was still a part of her that kept that part of her life to only those she trusted.

Still as she looked at Lexa and her daughter laughing and teasing each other another piece of that wall she hid behind started to crack. Maybe she could begin to let more people into her life.

A notification popped up on her phone and she pulled it up to see a message from Trish on her picture. "Such a cute little family," it said. Clarke say she didn't disagree.