A/N: Sorry this one is a little short and quickly thrown together. I didn't want to keep you all waiting to much longer. Life has been crazy and for anyone who doesn't know I work at Walmart and finally got a department manager job (in Candy no less and this time of year is the worst to step into it). So my days off have changed and I don't know yet how that will affect when I have time to write, maybe it'll be better. Next update probably won't be until after the new year though, so I hope you all stick with me. And I thank you!

Chapter 32

Clarke pulled off the freeway and made her way through several quiet streets before finding the hotel she'd reserved for the night. Their third day on the road was coming to an end and Clarke was looking forward to getting some sleep.

After checking them in and getting their keycard she led Avery with a hand on her shoulder to their room. As soon as the door shut behind them, Avery dropped her suitcase and flopped on the bed with an exaggerated huff.

Clarke smiled and flopped down beside her. "Hey, I'm the one that's been driving. I deserved the first flop."

"But that road was so boring."

Clarke couldn't say she disagreed. They'd hit a part of their journey where there really wasn't a whole lot to see. They'd had to entertain themselves but seeing who could find the most cars in the color they had chosen. Avery had already decided that her mother had cheated by choosing white.

"This hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub. Why don't you go put your suit on and we'll go check it out," Clarke suggested. Personally, she was looking forward to soaking in the hot tub herself. She was getting stiff from all of the driving.

While Avery went through her suitcase and headed for the bathroom, Clarke pulled out her phone and dialed Lexa.

"Hey, sweetheart," was the greeting she received. "How's the journey today?"

"Drive was kind of long today. We didn't really stop anywhere except for breaks. We drove through some farm country. It was really pretty, but not a whole lot to see."

"Where are you now?"

"We're somewhere in Oklahoma now. We did pick up one of those scratch off maps at a tourist shops though so Avery could mark off where we've been. She's really excited about it."

Lexa laughed. She could just picture Avery wanting to start scratching her way through the various states. The little girl had already been to more states in 3 days then Lexa had been in her whole life. Not that, that was saying much.

"Here, talk to Lexa," Clarke handed the phone to Avery when she left the bathroom so she could take her turn to change and use the toilet.

"Hi, Lexa."

"Hey, sweet girl. How's the trip?"

"Today was blah, but I've never seen that many cows before."

Lexa laughed. "Where there any chocolate ones?"

"I'm not five, I know that's not how we get chocolate milk," Avery drawled.

"I thought that was where it came from," Lexa tried to keep to the ruse, but she could tell Avery wasn't buying it. "Okay, fine. You're to smart for that. Did you see anything else interesting?"

"There were some pretty trees. I saw some funny t-shirts at the gas station too."

"Sounds exciting."

"What did you do today?" Avery asked.

Lexa couldn't tell her the truth. Work hadn't been great. She'd ended up at a robbery where multiple people had been killed. "I went to work for a while, and then I came home and started reading that book you left for me."

"It's so good isn't it?"

Well that was one bullet she'd missed. She should have known Avery would catch on to the book and not ask more about work. "I'm not that far into it, but yeah it's pretty good so far."

Avery sees her mom exit the bathroom ready to go. "Mom's back, we're heading to the pool."

"Ooh that sounds like fun."

"Yeah, our last hotel didn't have one. We just stayed in the room and watched a movie last night."

Lexa already knew that because she'd texted with Clarke before Avery woke up, but she didn't mind hearing about their day from the girl's perspective as well. "I bet it was a good movie though."

"It was really good. It was pretty old though, but I'd never seen it before. I was really happy the dogs and cat found their way back to their family."

Lexa was pretty sure she remembered watching that movie when she was younger, but she couldn't remember the title. "Happy endings are the best."

"Yes, they are." There was a pause. "Mom wants the phone back. Bye Lexa."

"Bye, kiddo. Have fun."

There was some rustling before Clarke was on the phone again. "She talk your ear off?"

"No more than usual. Besides I love hearing whatever she wants to tell me." It was the truth. She was starting to understand what it was like for Clarke to be so far away from her daughter. She was feeling it to now. Any chance she had to talk to the little girl, she treasured.

Clarke waved a hand at Avery to open the door and the duo followed signs for the pool as she finished her conversation with her girlfriend.

"What's your plan for tomorrow?"

"I think we'll sleep in, I'm exhausted. I was hoping to make it to Albuquerque though. I underestimated how tiring this journey would be."

"Well don't rush. Be safe."

"Always," Clarke promised. She smiled at the girl in front of her. She had a good reason to take her time, even if she was ready for the trip to be over. "I better go though. Don't want my phone to accidentally take a swim."

There was a chuckle on the other end. "We definitely wouldn't want that. You have a good night. And get some sleep."

"I will. I love you."

"Love you, too."

Clarke hung up the phone and found a chair to place it and her towel on that was close to the pool and the hot tub. Clarke told Avery to be careful and let her jump in. "I'll just be over there," she told her, pointing to the tub. She climbed in but made sure she could easily see Avery. Her daughter was an excellent swimmer, but she always worried.

She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips as she sat back and enjoyed the jets at her back. She could stand for hours on end in an operating room, but siting was a whole different story.

As much as she wanted to stay there in the hot water all night, she knew it wasn't good to be in there too long and joined Avery for a swim. The colder water was a shock to her system, but she quickly got over it and started a race.

When they both had their fill, they headed to the room and got ready for bed. Clarke turned the light down low as they settled in for the night. She thought Avery would want to sleep in her own bed, but her daughter crawled in beside her and gave her that look like she was about to ask for something.

"What's up, baby?" she asked as she ran a hand through the girl's hair.

"Can you tell me a story?"

"Story about what?"

"The day you met my dad."

Clarke threw her head back, startled by the question. She'd told Avery a lot of stories, but thinking back, she couldn't remember ever telling her that one. They were so young then, she remembered some of that day, but a lot of it was fuzzy.

"Let's see what I can remember. We were in kindergarten. His mother, your grandma, had died a few weeks before and he had moved in with his first foster family. It was the middle of the school year so when they introduced him to the class, he looked so sad."

That was one thing Clarke could remember clearly. He looked like he could cry at any moment. She couldn't help but want to find a way to cheer him up.

"We went to recess later, and he just sat down by the wall and put his head on his knees. I couldn't tell if he was crying or not, but I didn't want him to be sad, so I went and sat down next to him. He looked up at me and then buried his head again, so I told him a joke my told me the night before."

"Did he laugh?" Avery asked curiously.

"He smiled, but I didn't get a laugh yet, so told him another and another one until I finally got him to laugh. For the next week I asked my dad to tell me every joke he knew so I could make my new friend laugh. He had a great laugh."

Clarke continued talking about their earlier years, even if Avery had already heard it before. For the next year the two of them were inseparable at school. His foster parents didn't let him do much outside of school, so they made the best of seeing each other in school. He changed homes the following school year, but he was able to stay in the same school zone and they let him come over to Clarke's to play sometimes.

They did get separated when he went to his third home and fourth home, neither of which lasted long. He didn't really make friends either because he wasn't there long enough. When Trish finally got custody of him, she made sure they lived near the school where his friends went. She had two jobs just to pay the rent, but she always told Clarke that knowing his had good friends made it all worth it.

"Your aunt Trish put her life on hold to make sure her little brother had the best childhood he could have." Clarke looked down to see Avery had fallen asleep. She slid down in the covers and cuddled in close as she slowly fell asleep.

~CL~

They managed to make it home late on the fifth day of their journey. Clarke was never so glad to be home. She could honestly sleep for a week.

They didn't even unpack the car, they just trudged inside and crashed on the couch where Abby was watching TV.

"You girls have a good trip?"

Clarke let Avery do most of the talking, she was just so tired. She expanded on some of the things Avery mentioned and added in a few of her favorite parts of the trip.

"I'm sure Lexa was happy to have you there, at least for a little while."

"Yeah, she showed me where she worked, and I got to meet some of her cop friends. They were mostly nice, except one guy who was an ass to her."

"Avery!" Abby scolded.

Avery just shrugged her shoulders. "Well he was."

"She must be talking about Quint and I agree, that guy is an ass."

"Clarke!"

Clarke waved a hand at her mother. "I'm to tired to find a more diplomatic word." She roller her head towards her daughter and mouthed, 'no swearing in front of,' and pointed at Abby. Avery didn't really curse, but Clarke wasn't going to reprimand her if she did when it was just them, especially if it was the truth. Besides they were only words. If they weren't so tired, she was sure Avery wouldn't be using them either.

"Why don't you two go up to bed. You can tell me more in the morning."

Both girls just nodded their heads and slowly made their way up the stairs. Tomorrow they could sleep all they wanted and Clarke planned to take advantage of that fact.