AN: Hello my beautiful people. I wanted to apologize yet again for the delay. Life has recently become all about work since we decided to go with a new scheduling system. I get home tired and only have the energy for walking my pup and making dinner. It's so chaotic, but I can't complain too much, and I won't. Anyway, I have a birthday coming up, and I decided that as a present to me, I would gift you guys with a chapter because it makes me happy to see you guys reading and sticking around. So, please enjoy and drop a line if you feel inclined to do so. Sorry for any mistakes.


Lexa's expression must have asked a million silent questions because Clarke nodded and clarified what she intended to say. "I love you. I'm in love with you. Same thing, right?"

The brunette swallowed her initial surprise and shook her head slowly. "Not really. It can mean different things."

Clarke rolled her eyes. "It was rhetorical, genius." That was her Lexa, ever the writer giving meaning to the various ways one word can be strung with others.

"I know." Lexa grinned before pulling Clarke's face towards her to initiate another bruising kiss.

They kissed just outside the closed door, oblivious of their surroundings and what their next move was. Because there was only that exact second in time, wrapped around each other.

A sudden clearing of a throat had the girls pulling apart, semi-embarrassed, as they both looked back to the same couple Lexa had spotted earlier.

All four people smiled awkwardly in the hallway before the brunette slid the keycard in the lock and pushed the door open in a hurry.

She made quick work of the chain before pulling Clarke back into her. A small shriek escaped the blonde's mouth as her body collided with her girlfriend's. Lexa dove right in, not allowing another second to pass with her mouth idle and deprived of Clarke's.

A million feelings lit up inside Lexa, but one in particular, utter reciprocation of love made her pull away. She smiled when the girl in her arms groaned with dissatisfaction. "I'm in love with you too, by the way." She flashed her sincere smile, the one that only Clarke was privy to and completely head over heels for.

They moved back in, eager to allow their mouths and bodies to bring to a full circle what their admissions of love had started.

"We waited way too long to say that." Clarke uttered in between kisses as she began to lead them towards the bed.

Lexa nodded, too busy for any more words as her mouth devoured lips and exposed skin on their journey.

They wasted no time once they fell into bed together.

Clothes was peeled off by efficient hands and discarded, but when Clarke was going to move down her girlfriend's body, Lexa pushed her away softly.

Clarke knitted her brows as she wondered what might be going through the brunette's head, but she smiled once the girl stood and moved them towards a closed door.

Only Lexa didn't think she could wait the few steps it would take to get into the shower stall, and her desperate kisses and tugs attested to that.

So, she walked them towards the generously sized granite top sink instead. With a sudden rush of impatience, Lexa lifted Clarke onto it. "Better late than never, right?" She finally shared her opinion on Clarke's words from before.

With her bottom lip between her teeth, the blonde nodded in agreement, overwhelmed by the cold beneath her rear, Lexa's hungry stare, and the rush of desire that flooded her own body.

Her hands instantly pulled the other girl in, and she kissed her impatiently as her legs wrapped around her waist to hold her captive against her.

It didn't take long for Lexa to find herself unable to resist the heat that radiated from her girlfriend's center as it repeatedly brushed against her bare skin. So, she willed herself to break away from the girl's mouth to make the descent.

Her mouth latched on to Clarke's clit as soon as her knee hit the floor.

Clarke moaned with pleasure and let her head fall back against the mirror, not minding that she bumped it rather hard. One hand gripped tightly onto the rounded edge of the counter while the other threaded through Lexa's brunette strands. Their shared sounds and motions making her stomach quiver with raw desire.

She sighed out loud when the brunette used her tongue to sooth a light nip before moving further down towards her entrance.

Lexa withheld the smile that threatened to part her lips from Clarke's skin when she heard the sounds of approval. She used her excitement instead to reach deeper with her tongue while her dexterous fingers circled the bundle of nerves over and over.

Still, the unwavering feeling that she would never get close enough had her sinking her fingers desperately into the previously unblemished skin of Clarke's thigh. And if Clarke's ardent pull on her shoulders with her legs was anything to go by, she was feeling equally as eager to lose sense of where one ended and the other began.

Clarke began thrusting and swaying, countering the rhythm set by Lexa's fingers and mouth, feeling heat rise in her cheeks as she spotted the angry red marks on her legs. She struggled to breathe, and her lack of strength forced her hand to abandon the brunette locks for more support on the counter. With one final moan and exhale, she came undone.

Their urgent inhales and exhales mingled and echoed in the space as Lexa stood. She smiled as she managed to capture the way the blonde's eyelids struggled to stay open before she finally looked back at her.

"Come here." Clarke mumbled, her entire body still trapped in a thick post-orgasmic haze. Her limbs felt heavy, but she succeeded in pulling her girlfriend towards her for a languid kiss.

They took pleasure in the cool air that hit their damp skin until it erected goosebumps across both of their bodies.

When that happened, Clarke unwrapped herself from Lexa's body and led them towards the shower where they both sighed at the warm water that hit them. They had shared many showers together, but this particular time felt different.

Better.

If in fact that was possible.

Lexa begged the blonde for consent to enter her mouth with her needy tongue, and when she was allowed in, she became so obsessed with the texture of the girl's mouth that she was caught by surprise when she was backed into the cold tiles.

Clarke was eager to have her way with Lexa. She knew there was no time for foreplay this time, and she promised silently that she would allow herself the pleasure of going down on her later.

So, she pushed Lexa's hip against the wall with one hand, and quickly pushed two fingers into her.

The brunette gasped into their kiss, enjoying the way her brain attempted to catch up with Clarke's actions. She moaned against her lips, their parted mouths serving as lifelines for their lungs while she felt the familiar stretch each time Clarke pumped into her.

Clarke moved her hand with reckless abandon, alternating between curling her fingers against the spot that made Lexa shudder, and circling her fingertips over the furthermost barrier.

Leaning away from the blonde's hungry lips, Lexa released a strangled moan of pleasure. She didn't know whether she wanted to stand or sit, but she was extremely aware of the sensitive nature of her body as she tried to push Clarke's wandering hand away.

The action elicited a small laugh from her girlfriend as she bit down gently over her collarbone, her hand slowly moving away from Lexa's slick warmth.

Lexa inhaled deeply, both frustrated and grateful for the steam that had begun to circle them in the stall. "Wow." She breathed with her head against the cool tiles and her eyes looking down at Clarke.

"I know." Clarke smiled arrogantly before kissing the brunette's neck. She missed the girl's playful eyeroll.

"I love you." Lexa recovered enough to bring the girls face to hers.

"I love you, too." Clarke replied before bringing their foreheads together, giving them a moment to regain their composure for the next batch of kisses and caresses that followed.

If it hadn't been for the fact that they both felt guilty about the wasted water, they would have gone for rounds four and five to commemorate the occasion.


The girls laughed softly as they fought over the last onion ring in the paper bag. It was an unspoken agreement that when they got back to Los Angeles, they would head over to their diner to grab a bag.

They took turns digging into it while they rode to work, but now it was a battle to see who would take the last, and most oily one.

"Fine. Keep it." Lexa conceded before holding the door open for Clarke with a pouty expression.

It was hard to fight the smirk of victory that the blonde sported as she looked back at her girlfriend one last time.

They smiled at each other before Clarke nearly tripped over someone's feet.

"Surprise!" Both girls jumped, not expecting the crowd of gathered people to flock to them with wide smiles and loud cheers.

Raven and the gang all held small cocktail napkins in their hands with words to congratulate them.

"Wow, we should go away more often." Lexa teased a few paces behind her girlfriend.

Clarke smiled tearfully as she looked at the group that had quickly become her family. She spared a glance at her brunette before moving to envelop Raven in huge embrace. "Thank you, guys."

Lexa stayed behind, a rush of emotions washing over her as each of her friends grinned back at her. Her smile, though, was an unmistakable sign of her sincere appreciation.

"Why don't you come over here and give us all the proper hugs we deserve, Lex." Lincoln voiced playfully from the back of the crowd.

Everyone stared at her in challenge, and she was left with no other option but to abandon her unwavering façade so she could get crushed in one congratulatory hug after another.

"You two owe us big time." Octavia sounded off. "Do you know how hard it's been without you two?" She pointed at them accusingly.

Lexa shook her head with a grin. "O, you weren't short a dancer." The girl smiled innocently.

"Well, no, but Indra…you know how she gets…and…you know what, shut up." It was her only argument, and it wasn't a very convincing one so the group laughed along with the bartender slash writer.

Indra shook her head at the brunette. There was never a dull moment with Octavia around. "Ladies, welcome back." She walked towards Clarke and Lexa. "We did miss you, and we sure are glad to have you back, but we are so proud of both of you." She nodded at the pair before having her turn with them.

A few more minutes were dedicated to small talk about their trips, and though the discussion didn't go into much detail except for the customary weather talk and 'it went well', the group all nodded proudly at their friends.

Everyone eventually split up to start their night while Clarke apologized to the owner of the establishment for having missed an extra day. She used the usual sick line when Indra glanced at her knowingly. The woman knew better, and the blonde was left to blush on her own behind the bar.

"Funny, I didn't notice the new color on your cheeks earlier." Lexa teased as she leaned casually on the counter to look at the girl.

"Shut up." Clarke blushed harder and looked down at the bar top. "Don't you have glasses to polish or something?" She teased before dropping a hurried kiss on the brunette's lips.

"Didn't you hear?" She yelled at the girl as she walked away with an emphasized sway of her hips. "I'm a writer now, and you're a big shot artist." She allowed herself a moment to appreciate Clarke's behind before she continued. "We can stand around and lollygag." She smiled widely because she was kidding of course. Lexa was never one to simply waste time, and this new development was not a reason to start doing so.

It was a good feeling for Lexa, seeing her work on stage still selling seats for their small family, and she worked the entire night with a smile on her face, suddenly really content with the path she was on.

Her usual customers welcomed her back and caught her up on what she missed during her time away. She nodded and listened to each one, encouraging them to have one more drink, which they gladly agreed to each time.

Bruce chatted excitedly with her, this time making her feel like his number one (not that she cared or could even argue about Clarke being his favorite).

"Grab yourself a shot, Lexa." The man mumbled. "I want to toast with you." He smiled and the brunette complied hesitantly, because while she did like to drink, she tried not to do it while she served. An elusive scene from a movie she watched when she was younger flashed in her mind. Coyote Ugly, was it? Regardless, she couldn't recall it clearly enough so she shrugged.

They raised their shot glasses up and brought them together for a soft clink that only they heard. "Thanks, Bruce." She took back the liquid with him and smiled. "Did you find yourself a good-looking lady, Bruce?"

His inebriated smile widened. "Are you saying a guy can't congratulate his most trusted listener on her accolades?"

Lexa's knitted brows accompanied her smirk. "Now I know something's off. Accolades?" She laughed.

They shared knowing looks of challenge before the man shook his head with a resigned laugh. "She's a great woman, Lexa. I'll bring her 'round some time, but I'm not ready to let her in on my favorite past time."

"You mean you don't wake up drunk?" She joked.

"Yeah, yeah." Bruce paused to slide the empty shot glass towards her. "So, does this mean you're going to be leaving us now?"

The girl tilted her head before she shook it slowly. She hadn't given much thought to what her recent agreement to publish would mean for her job at Tassels. "No, Bruce." She smiled. "My life would be a boring mess without you in it." She answered without hesitation despite the sudden discomfort in her stomach.

"You're only saying that because you feel sorry for me, but please spare me the sympathy." He pouted while he asked for another drink.

Lexa shook her head with a smile as she handed him his poison. "There's no way I'm lying about you making my life interesting, Bruce. No way."

The rest of the night moved quickly, including the few minutes Clarke and Lexa spared for a rendezvous outside. This time, no one had caught them making out like Lincoln had some time ago.


Clarke walked into The Ark with her materials in hand as she headed for the familiar classroom.

She was pleased to see her seat and easel were open, and nobody had decided to claim them since she had been gone.

A couple of weeks had passed since they returned from San Francisco, and she had finally found the time to make an appearance for a refresher on charcoal work.

Quietly she tiptoed in, set her things in their rightful place, and caught up with the notes on the board before she began to drag the charcoal tip down the empty canvas.

Her eyes moved ahead of her hand as she drew the invisible path for her tool to follow. She was meticulous with her resources and she was rewarded with an internal sense of gratification.

"Good to see you, Clarke." The woman's voice came through just as the blonde finished smiling at the progress on her easel. She turned her head slightly to nod at Frankie. "Either your trip bombed or you really love us that much to come back."

Clarke couldn't help the soft laugh that she stifled. "I missed you, Frankie." She responded before setting her charcoal down. Her eyes studied the woman beside her. Her salt and pepper hair hung loose in untamed waves- wild and free much like their owner. "Hey Frankie, can I ask you a question?" Frankie nodded with a smile. "Why aren't you making millions of dollars off of your art?" She wondered.

Frankie smiled and sighed before clasping her hands at her front, pondering the familiar question she had often asked herself in her younger years. "I tried it." She nodded. "But it wasn't for me." She shrugged.

"Because?" Clarke knitted her brows.

The woman looked meditatively at the younger girl, clearly hesitating in giving her an honest response. Not because she didn't care to share it with her, but because she expected people to make their own choices- ones based on personal trials and tribulations not biased words spoken by others (who may or may not be bitter- which she wasn't. But still.). "I didn't appreciate galleries and curators deciding who and what was worthy of anyone's attention or money." Frankie finally provided, making the younger woman recoil and straighten her posture. "But this is just how I feel on a personal level…" she added to reel the girl back in from the murky waters she had just thrusted her into, "Others…most artists…are able to accept the criticism and the reward that comes from that."

Expelling a slow sigh, Clarke nodded. "It helps if you look at it as any other job or career. You have a boss. If your boss likes your work, you get a paycheck." She explained, not really looking at Frankie as she attempted to disseminate her thoughts in an understandable manner. Perhaps to reassure herself that she belonged to that group of artists Frankie had just referred to.

"Yeah, well, I've never held a job for too long." Frankie shrugged nonchalantly. "Which explains why I opened my own art school- I don't have a boss."

They laughed softly, taking the rest of the class into consideration, and after they quietly stared at each other for a few moments, Frankie continued. "Please do not let my words dissuade you in any way, Clarke. You are talented, more than that, you are driven. Strive for whatever your goal may be, regardless of what critics will ever have to say."

Clarke nodded, taking to heart the woman's plea, hoping she would forever remember the words.

Frankie nodded back and walked away, leaving the girl to get back to her canvas as her thoughts ran wild.

When she got back to the apartment, she shared the story with Lexa. The brunette mulled over the words in her own mind.

"I guess it just depends on whether you want to do what you like as a means to survive more than the utter and unconditional approval of others." Lexa voiced as she took back a drink of her beer with Clarke nestled beside her on the sofa. "No one ever pleases everyone, Clarke. No one."

Clarke sighed, her eyes fixed on the flashing pictures on the flat screen. "I guess she just made me think. Do you know which group you are?" She turned her head to look at the brunette.

It was a tougher question to answer than she anticipated, but eventually Lexa responded. "Neither." She looked seriously at her girlfriend, whom she could tell was grappling with the issue. "I can take criticism, but like anybody, I have a limit." She slid away from the blonde to turn and look at her squarely in the eye, setting her beer down on the center table. "Don't over think this. I know what that can do to a person. You know I do." Lexa took her hands in hers. "You can handle criticism, but if you decide you can't or you won't, then you'll make a choice…one that I will support."

They looked at each other for a few moments before Clarke nodded at her girlfriend. "I love you."

Lexa smiled. It was their first time saying it since they returned from their trip, and it felt as amazing as it had then. "I love you."


Lexa pushed a drink towards her friend with a smile. "The usual…disgusting." She said with a visible shudder and playful gag. Elona accepted it with a smile before she tossed it back in one gulp, she winced as well. "There are better things to drink, you know." Lexa continued.

"It's not quality, it's quantity." Elona replied with a pensive look. "Or is it the other way around?"

"It doesn't matter, you're still drinking gasoline." Lexa teased before walking away to assist another customer, but not before handing her another shot.

When she returned to her friend she noticed the girl looking deep in thought. She debated whether to bring her out of it, but after a few more seconds of staring at her with a raised eyebrow, she didn't have to choose. "Hey congrats on the book deal." Elona finally looked up at the brunette behind the bar.

Lexa nodded slowly. "Thanks." She paused. "It really isn't much of a deal, but it'll get my name and the story out there."

"So when can I expect it? I want to be first in line at Barnes for it."

"I'm glad you said Barnes and not some shopping app. I miss the days when people actually bought books from a bookstore." She laughed with the girl. "Um, the book hits the shelves in two weeks."

Elona nodded with an impressed smile. "Good going, Lex. Hey so are you going to do endorsing and what not? I picture you traveling with a life-size cutout like Richard Castle did."

The brunette stopped cleaning wet rings on the countertop to look incredulously at the girl. "Well, first off, I'm not a murder mystery writer. And second, he was a character on TV. You can't really compare real life with that, Elona." She shook her head at her and pouted. "But thanks for reminding me that I'll probably never be as good or as rich as he is."

"You have your Beckett, though, right. That's something to be grateful for." The girl winked before smiling widely.

Elona was right. Clarke had become her muse a long time ago. The girl was her very own Kate Beckett. "Sometimes you make complete sense, Elona." Lexa nodded as she resumed her duties.

"I try." She asked for one more shot. "Hey I've been meaning to mention something to you about school."

"Not again, E." Lexa shook her head and handed her the drink.

"No, I'm not here to recruit you back." The girl began to state her case while she toyed with the glass, careful not to spill its contents.

She didn't get to say much before another customer took Lexa away from her with an empty tumbler in the air. In fact, she didn't get to bring it up at all after that. So, she closed her tab and waved at her friend before walking out of the building.

When the night ended, Lexa pulled out her phone and frowned at the screen as the group walked out and headed towards their cars. The blonde that walked beside her caught the expression and waved at their friends as she suggested they head to Polis without them. "Everything ok?" She asked. Her worried tone well concealed.

The girl kept swiping at the screen with furrowed brows. "Hmmm?" She mumbled unintelligibly.

Clarke pulled gently at her elbow to stop her from walking into the trunk of the car. "Babe?"

The brunette looked up from her phone, her green eyes devoid of any obvious emotion, but Clarke could see the concern behind them. "Yeah?"

"Is everything ok? What do you have there?" She pointed to the screen.

"Oh." Lexa looked down at her phone and put it to sleep before stuffing it back in her pocket. "MPC emailed me." She paused to feign a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "They want to push back the release date. I sent them a message earlier while I was on break about promoting the book, and they took the liberty to promote it themselves with online flyers on their website, but they also want to push back the release."

Clarke took a second to breathe and collect her thoughts before she responded. She didn't like what she was hearing, and the publishing company had caused her girl enough headaches, so she was struggling with keeping calm. "Did they say why they want to push it back? Do you want to do more promoting?"

Lexa swallowed the lump of anxiety before shrugging and moving around to enter the car. She looked at Clarke over the roof of the car, silently begging her to follow.

They sat in silence as the brunette rested her eyes with her head leaning back on the seat. "The early numbers are in from presales." She spoke with eyes closed. "They weren't as good as they expected, and they want to see if an additional week will get visitors on the website to get curious enough to click on the flyers and ads.

Clarke nodded. "Ok. So, do you feel comfortable with their plan?"

The brunette sighed out loud. "I have no other option. They've only sold a couple hundred copies in the two weeks since they put up the ads."

"That's grounds for suggesting alternatives for endorsing it." Clarke replied in a hurry. "What if we tell them we're going to promote it here at Tassels? Would they allow that?"

The girl thought about it because it sounded like a great idea. "I'm not sure, Clarke. I'll have to talk to them to find out."

"Then find out, babe." Clarke reached across to squeeze her knee. "Everything's going to be ok."

TBC…

Did we doubt AT ALL that Lexa was going to feel the same about Clarke? Nope! She's a sucker for Clarke, too! Those two are made for each other, and I'd fight anyone who said otherwise (with like water balloons filled with pudding or something painless like that). I might be obsessed with sexy shower scenes, in case you guys hadn't caught that. *shrugs unapologetically*. So, what do you guys think is in store for the girls and their careers? I have a feeling something is still brewing for both of them. Anybody want to venture a guess as to what Elona wants to talk about? All I know is, MPC is going to suffer some consequences if they keep messing with Lexa's emotions. Who's with me? Alrighty lovelies, I hope to see you guys real soon!