"Mom!" Clarke said in surprise as she walked out from their side room to find Abby waiting patiently on her couch, "Where's Lexa?"

After their day at the waterfall they had returned to the city just as the sun had started to set and they had all agreed to go and change it to fresh clothes before eating together. Ontari and Raven had offered to cook for them to spare Lincoln, who was about to be volunteered by Octavia.

"I met her in the hall, she asked me to tell you that she's been called away but she should be back by the time dinner is ready." Abby said, before looking at Clarke as though she expected her to elaborate on what Lexa had been called away to.

Clarke laughed as she headed over to the chest on the other side of the room, rooting through in search of her belt. "If you're waiting for me to tell you what she's doing then you're going to be disappointed."

"You don't know?" Abby asked in surprise, watching with interest as a collection of weapons clattered out of the chest as Clarke yanked on the end of her belt.

Groaning, Clarke looked down at the mess she had made. "Lexa's would be so mad if she saw this." She muttered under her breath, quickly gathering everything up and dropping it back into the box before letting the lid fall. Turning away and fastening the belt round her waist she shook her head, "No I don't. Lexa's the Commander, the running of the clan's is her responsibility. I don't normally hear anything unless I'm in the meetings or until Lexa comes to bed and starts complaining about how stupid the people she has to deal with are."

Moving around the room, Clarke started tidying up, carefully gathering up the papers Lexa had left across the table by the couches before moving them to her desk, pulling out the top drawer and storing them in the exact order she had left them.

"I'd have thought you would be sharing some of those responsibilities now the two of you are married." Abby remarked as Clarke picked up Lexa's boots from where they had been discarded by the bed and moved them to where hers where beside the door.

Clarke shook her head as she finally came to sit down, "No, I help where I can, but for the most part things have to come from Lexa herself or her people just won't accept them."

"It seems like it's not that bad for her whilst there's no war on."

Abby was surprised by the strength of Clarke's reaction as she shook her head furiously, "She's constantly being called away at strange hours to deal with ridiculous problems. And for every conflict we see, she averts about twenty others. Keeping all the clan's in line is a full time job, and you saw the papers she had out, that was a small amount to what she gets some days."

Looking back at the desk where Clarke had stowed the papers, Abby's jaw literally dropped, "That was just for today, I though it was about a week's worth of work."

Smiling slightly, Clarke jumped up to grab a sheet of paper off the top of Lexa's desk before handing it over to her mother, who looked down at the sheet with a confused look on her face, "I can't read the grounder's language Clarke, I can't even understand it when it's spoken, you know that."

Clarke's grin grew as she tapped the paper lightly, "That's Gonasleng mom, it's in English."

"What?!" Abby exclaimed, straining to make out any of the words on the sheet of paper.

Taking the sheet back, Clarke returned it to it's place before retaking her seat, "Handwriting isn't a priority for warriors. They do their best and then she has to make out what they've written before she can actually do anything with the reports."

Then there was a knock at the door and Luna stuck her head through, "Clarke, Ontari asked me to get everyone, the food's nearly ready."

With a smile, Clarke nodded to her, "Mochof Luna, we'll come along in a few moments, tell Octavia she's already late ok? I promise you you've never seen anyone move as fast as she will."

Grinning, Luna disappeared.

"Are you coming?" Clarke asked Abby as she stood back up and headed for the door, Abby trailing after.

Octavia was still sulking over everyone laughing at her expense when Lexa finally walked in, "I'm sorry Clarke." She said as she hurried across the room and dropped into her seat, kissing her wife before turning to the others, "I apologize for missing the meal but there was an unavoidable meeting I had to attend."

Raven grinned and shook her head, "You think we'd eat without you? It never crossed our minds to do anything other than wait for you, we all know how busy you are, it wouldn't be fair for us to leave you out because you had to do your job."

Tapping Ontari's wrist, the two of them disappeared to go and get the food to bring it to the table.

Lexa smiled gratefully and leaned into Clarke, who wrapped her arm round Lexa's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Is anything wrong?" Kane asked interestedly, leaning forward.

"There was a an argument over borders between two clans and they very nearly went to war over it. In the end I was forced to step in and re-establish the line myself." Lexa explained quickly, as Ontari and Raven started placing plates in front of each of them.

"Cal go help your mothers." Octavia nudged him as they disappeared again.

As he stood up, Lexa looked over at Aden and motioned for him to do the same.

With the two boys helping the plates where distributed quickly and efficiently and then they were all digging into their food.

As they were eating, Lincoln smiled over at Ontari and Raven, "So which one of you did the actual cooking?"

It was Cal who answered, waving his hands excitedly, "They both did, but Raven was cooler, she used a blowtorch to cook the chicken!"

Abby and Kane looked at Raven as everyone else just accepted the method easily, "Is that safe?" Abby asked, "And you let him watch?"

Raven waved her off casually, "I made him wear goggles and nothing was damaged."

Ontari really tried, but despite her best efforts a laugh broke free, and then it was Lexa leaning across the table, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What did you do?" She asked in a low voice.

Elbowing her girlfriend in the ribs, Raven gave Lexa her best innocent look, "Nothing, I just said everything is fine."

"Aden." Lexa said, not breaking her eye contact with Raven, "You and Cal are inseparable, which means you were present. Tell me what Raven is hiding."

Caught in the middle, Aden looked like he was waiting for the ground to swallow him whole. Lexa stood up, her back straightening as her voice became silky smooth and dangerously low, "Aden kom Trikru, ron ai ridiyo op. (Speak true.)"

"Sha Heda." He caved immediately, to Clarke and Octavia's great amusement, who were watching gleefully as Raven glared at Aden for turning against her. "Raven was using the Skaikru fire machine, and she accidentally damaged the wooden desks in her workshop as well as the drapes on the wall."

"Octavia." Lexa barked, "Did I not say that there would be no more destruction from you and Raven in this tower."

"It was in my workshop." Raven mumbled, although she soon fell silent as Lexa sent another sharp look her way.

Luna intervened quickly, "Lexa I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is. Just go visit Raven tomorrow and you can shout at her then."

Reluctantly Lexa retook her seat, nodding along with what Luna had said, "Fine, hopefully it was the desk from the son of the Plains Clan's leader that you burnt. It's ugly and he irritates me."