Summary: A date where we sort of recap everything important to Lexark in the Flatlined Heart Universe.
Beginning Note: Many thanks to incognito_lesbian (on ao3)/incognito-lezbean (on tumblr), my new beta reader.
The sun has set when Elyza comes back with an uncharacteristically shy smile on her face. Perhaps it is the heat and sweat, but in the glow of lamps Elyza looks radiant as she tugs Alicia to her feet and blindfolds her. Crickets are an orchestra serenading them with the crunch of the sparse grass under their boots as a percussion section. Alicia ponders whether she should've tried to clean up a little better (not that it would've helped much in an apocalyptic desert),
"Careful, it's a ladder. I'll go first", Elyza murmurs in her ear as she guides Alicia's hands to the metal rungs to make sure she knows where they are. She keeps her hands on Alicia's hips as she descends. Eventually her feet hit cement. A warm hand takes hers and guides her to a soft seat. The blindfold falls away, and the first thing Alicia sees are blue eyes that she can get lost in as if they were the clearest sea.
Elyza's lips are pulled back in a bright smile, and Alicia briefly wonders how her girlfriend keeps her teeth so white that it practically glows in the dim space. The space itself is lit romantically with just candles instead of the lamps Alicia has been used to since they left their house at the beginning of the apocalypse.
A picnic basket rests on the table nestled in the middle of the bunker. It is ringed with couches and chairs similar to the one they were on. The space is ruggedly romantic, displaying Elyza's dedication to a perfect evening. This was completely off brand for Elyza. Alicia raises a brow at Elyza, "Where'd you steal all of this?"
"Hey! Why are you assuming that I stole it? I can't have properly traded for candles and made us a whole meal?" Elyza answers indignantly, assuming a false offended expression.
"There's no way you were able to trade so many candles within a day, and you can't cook, that doesn't change no matter what universe and timeline we are in", Alicia answers, crossing her arms as if daring Elyza to refute that.
It was true, Strand had banned Elyza from going anywhere near the kitchen on his boat after she had tried to help with the creation of a meal once. Clarke Griffin hadn't had much more luck out in the woods as she attempted to survive. What she had made as she survived in the wilderness became edible enough for her to survive after Madi came around, but never much more than that. "Fine, I had some help, but I decorated all of this myself", Elyza admits in a murmur.
Alicia smirks, leaning forward and tucking a strand of Elyza's choppily cut hair behind her ear before resting her forehead against the blondes. They close their eyes, both smiling at the peace and quiet, simply soaking in each other's presence. Both of them could've easily stayed there for an eternity. Many crave excitement in life, but to the two women who have had too much of it, simplicity is a blessing.
It is Elyza who pulls away, her shorter hair swaying as she does, causing Alicia's eyes to fly open at the sudden movement. She watches as Elyza stands up in confusion.
Elegant hands reach into the pocket of Elyza's newest leather jacket to pull out a precious, tiny ipod and headphones. "I noticed that you lost your iPod after we left Strand's ship, so I had Lindsay fix one up",she says, shaking it like a prize or a brand new toy.
Alicia gasps and squeals in excitement, reaching forward but Elyza playfully pulls it out of her reach. She ends up overreaching and crashing into Elyza, who catches her easily so that they're flush against each other. Without looking away from Alicia's eyes (Alicia herself seems captivated by Elyza's gaze), she deftly unravels the headphones, pushing one earbud into each of their respective ears before pressing play and putting the ipod back into her pocket.
Soft music slowly flows into their ears and Elyza slides her hands into Alicia's, who blushes and starts to look shy as they sway to the soft guitar. "Everybody needs an inspiration", the vocals start as they sway, a slow and unhurried affair.
Lexa was Clarke's inspiration. Despite the anger Clarke had held in those winter months, she had often found herself using the scraps of charcoal that she could trade from Niylah on cave walls. Her art had always wound up revolving around Lexa. So when she got a chance to sit down and really admire the Commander, it was no surprise that her hand started moving across the paper fluidly until a picture was drawn. It wasn't anything special, but it was Lexa in her purest form, when her guard and mask was down.
Elyza slowly leads them away from the table into an emptier space as the music picks up, singing along with a smile. "Cause there is no guarantee, that this life is easy."
Indeed, this life hadn't been any easier than the last for either of them. They had struggled against fate, carved their ways through the rotten flesh of walkers that were once live humans. There had been tears, blood, and clutching at each other. Finding each other hadn't been easy.
"Yeah when my world is falling apart."
The world falls apart around them. Cities have been overrun by walkers, bombed with missiles by the armies in desperate attempts to contain the contagion.
TonDC is hit with a missile from Mount Weather and Clarke's vision goes white, her world shaking as her ears ring. She doesn't register the Commander calling for her name as she's desperate to get back to all those who she left in the Grounder village.
The house of Strand's boyfriend goes up in flames, consuming everyone within without a single hint of remorse. That's the thing with fires, you see. Just like the greed of humans for love, it just takes and takes until there is no more to suck at. Everything crumbles in the face of it.
Polis crumbles in Praimfaya, entire rows of buildings flattened, the rubble falling. In the middle of it all, once grand, once a home to the fiercest person Clarke Griffin ever knew, the commander's tower in Polis collapses. It buckles and the floors come down upon each other. Those walls that looked upon their love, their greatest hour, their only hour, the unspoken love that they had given each other, is now no more.
"When there's no lights to break up the dark."
She remembers struggling to fight off the darkness, looking into Clarke's blue eyes and rasping out, "You were right, Clarke… Life is about more than just surviving." She had to tell Clarke that, because she didn't want the person who gave her hope to lose all semblance of hope like she did. Costia had given her passion. Nia had taken that away and given her a solid mask. Clarke had given her a direction in life, like a guiding ray to achieving the justice Lexa imagined despite being so inexperienced.
"When the waves are flooding the shore, and I can't find my way home anymore."
Elyza Lex dove into the crashing waves, and Alicia had leapt forward to catch her as walkers came tumbling off the pier after her. She couldn't lose her again, and that was all she had known. Forget about who she was and her inner conflict between her two sets of memories. All she knew was that she loved this blond woman, and it wasn't just because she resembled the one named Clarke in her memories. So she had held on to the woman and murmured in her ear as the motorboat sped back towards the hotel, perhaps letting more of Lexa take over than she ever has in this lifetime. It didn't matter at that moment because after the very near chance of losing her to walkers, all Alicia cares about is that the person she loves is in her arms.
"That's when I look at you."
Emerald green eyes meet sky blue as the song ends, tears blurring both of their sights as memories flood their minds. It is like the colors on a peacock. Alone they aren't quite so impressive, but it is when they fan out and are presented together that it becomes a beautiful mirage.
-0-
Gretchen is grinning at them as Elyza and Alicia walk up to the table side by side with trays for food. "Looks like the bunker was great. You know we hold bible study down there. You should join next time!"
Alicia plasters on a kind smile. "We're jewish", she blatantly lies. She's hungry and just wants to eat with Elyza and her friends. Perhaps a chance of finishing as quickly as possible creating a possible window of time for cuddling stokes her eagerness as well.
"Oh, cool! We'll do old testament then",Gretchen answers, her cheerfulness not toning down in the slightest.
The badass blond next to Alicia snorts at her failed attempt to evade, smirking at the overbearing cheerfulness that is obviously grating on Alicia's nerves. "Yeah you should go. It might be good for you."
Gretchen cheers up, taking that as a yes when Elyza suggests it. "Great! We'll see you tonight then!"
Alicia elbows Elyza in the stomach and glares at her. She practically cackles with glee in reply. "Oh, that was priceless. Jewish, Alicia? The only goddess I worship is you",she teases and then smoothly slides into a flirt.
"It was the best thing I could think of on the spot." Alicia blushes and pretends to not hear the second part. She was very well aware of exactly how much Elyza worshipped her. Elyza had made it very clear last night in the bunker when a sensual song came on after "When I Look At You".
As they settle down at the table with their friends, Nick stops by their table, a book clutched in his hand. "Hey have you guys seen Charlie?" For once he seems happy as if not weighed down. He smiles as if the world has hope, which in a zombie apocalypse, makes him even more of a madman.
Luciana visibly rolls her eyes. The others look up at him in confusion. They're certainly an odd group of outcasts. Luciana is outcast for her race, while the rest of them are being glared at not so subtly for "putting the ranch in danger". At least that's what the Otto's had egged people into believing.
"Who's Charlie?" Alicia asks with a frown, leaning against Elyza as she eats so that her legs are taking up the rest of the bench. She can't possibly have missed that much right?
Meanwhile Magna is scowling as she watches Yumiko discussing some sort of plan with Troy, Jeremiah, Jake, and Madison off to the side of the cluster of picnic tables that serve as a dining area. She had spent the past few days watching Lindsay work on her technology (including the ipod), and not once had Yumiko come to find her. In fact, she had eventually fallen asleep while watching Lindsay and would wake up in the mornings to find the woman still working. The only hint that Lindsay ever looked up and noticed Magna fell asleep at all was that each and every time, a blanket would be draped over her shoulders to ward off the night winds.
"The poor girl that is being raised by Troy", Luciana answers, adding a few choice curse words in spanish that Lindsay snorts in acknowledgement of. Lindsay has been uncharacteristically quiet since she got back from tinkering with the newest piece of technology, but snickers nonetheless.
"Aw c'mon Luci don't be like that. You know I give you all my time when I'm not finding her books. A girl that age deserves something like that", Nick tries to reason, thankfully not oblivious to Luciana's annoyance, despite not being fluent enough to know the curse words.
Luci rolls her eyes and nods towards the table before returning to her food, now angrily stabbing at the meager portions.
End Note: Technically, the song "When I Look At You" was released in February of 2010. "Fear the Walking Dead" season 1 is set in July of 2010. Therefore, the song was probably still popular as the apocalypse happened in this universe.