It was with some exasperation that Lincoln pulled Octavia away from the stove for the third time, retrieving the wooden spoon she was holding whilst guiding her back to the table in the centre of the kitchen.

Hopping up to sit on the edge, Octavia folded her arms as she watched him work, carefully dicing up herbs to add to the stew that was halfway done, "All I'm saying is that you could teach me, I'm really not that hopeless."

Smiling patiently, Lincoln leaned across to rub her shoulder supportively, "Of course not, and I'm sure a food poisoned Heda would agree with that if I were to allow you to cook."

Grumbling she nodded towards the vegetables sitting at the side, "You could at least let me help chop things."

Stepping over to her, Lincoln gently took hold of her hands and raised them to eye level, running the pad of his thumb across several small scars, "You and I both know I have a good reason for doing so. Our child needs their mother to have all her fingers."

Rolling her eyes, Octavia sighed, even as a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth, "Fine, but we're going to the market for more honey cakes tomorrow."

"If that will make you happy, then of course we will." Lincoln told her, pressing his lips to the back of her hands before going back to the stew on the stove.

"You know, we need a bigger dining table." Raven muttered under her breath to Ontari as they walked through the door, Aden and Cal frantically running round as they dragged chairs into the room.

Ontari chuckled, running the pad off her thumb over Raven's knuckles as they headed for their usual seats. "I little below your skills isn't it? Building furniture."

"I never said that I wanted to make it." Raven told her, "Just that we need one. We're getting more and more visitors these days."

Glancing around the assembled seats, Abby and Kane already having taken theirs, Ontari nodded, as they sat down, "I see what you mean, we could go and see the carpenter tomorrow?"

"Will Lexa approve of us redoing her furniture?"

Shrugging, Ontari smiled across at Kane who was looking at them quizzically as she answered Raven, "Better to ask forgiveness than permission."

"And if I wasn't on thin ice with her already regarding furniture, I may have taken that as a comfort." Raven grumbled.

"Everything ok?" Abby asked them curiously.

Ontari grinned across at her, "Yes, we're just contemplating ordering a new dining table. Our guest list has grown considerably in the last year. And should the entire extended family visit? We would be hard pressed to seat them all."

Kane laughed along with her, "I see the dilemar, and you think Lexa would be opposed to this?"

"What's my wife opposed to?" Clarke asked breathlessly as she hurried into the room, trailed by Echo, who was clutching the handle of the dagger at her hip as though it were keeping her grounded.

Raven exchanged a long look with Ontari, before taking a breath and giving a small but not unkind smile in Echo's direction. "Me and Ontari buying a new dining table."

Clarke stopped immediately, "Why? What have you done to this one?"

"See!" Raven cried out, waving her hand at Ontari, "No trust!"

"Nothing at all Clarke." Ontari answered for her, suppressing a laugh, "We're just aware that if we had any more people over there would be nowhere to put them all."

"Right." Clarke nodded thoughtfully, before shrugging her shoulders, "Go for it, I'll let Lexa know that it's nothing to do with property damage."

Giving a small cough as she set a pile of plates down, Octavia nodded to Echo who was like a shadow in the doorway, "Another guest for dinner Clarke?"

With an outright sigh of exhasperation, Clarke waved her hand in Echo's direction irritably, "Yes, and for the record, she is the worst patient I have ever had. And I'm including you in that Octavia. Lexa left her behind today because she nearly got her arm bitten off yesterday. And so she has been following me around all day insisting that she do something to make herself useful."

"Azgeda pride." Raven nodded, as though that explained everything. Which is didn't to anyone in the room except from Ontari, who frowned at her in hurt.

Chuckling, Octavia stepped towards Echo, who took a small involuntary step back. "Anyone who irritates Clarke that much is someone I'm perfectly happy to have dinner with, but you're going to have to actually come into the room and stop lurking."

Giving a tense nod, Echo edged forwards, before stopping again.

Rolling her eyes, Octavia reached forwards and took hold of her hand, before roughly dragging her over to the table and sitting her down. "Now just stay there before Clarke has an fit. You look terrible."

"Thanks." Echo muttered, an edge of sarcasm just audible.

Grinning, Octavia clapped her on the uninjured shoulder, "Everyone here's done bad things at some point or other, you'll be fine."

"What have I done?!" Raven shouted after her as she headed back towards the kitchen to collect the cutlery.

"Burned Lexa's throne room, she's still mad about it!" Octavia shouted back gleefully.

Grumbling under her breath, Raven glared daggers at Clarke who was openly laughing at her. "She's not funny and neither are you."

"Don't turn on me Raven, or I'll tell Lexa about last weeks mishap." Clarke shook her head, moving round the table to take her usual place.

"Last weeks mishap?" Abby questioned, as Raven bit her tongue and huffed at Clarke.

"Yes, I'd quite like to hear this as well." Lexa added, as she strided into the room, drawing herself up to her full height as she stood on the opposide side to where Raven was sitting.

"How do you do that?!" Raven half shouted at her in surprise, "It's like saying your name summons you!"

"Ontari." Lexa spoke softly, fixing her gaze on the other nightblood who was attempting to shrink back into her chair away from Lexa's view.

Clearing her throat, Ontari shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know Heda. I think Clarke was just trying to mess with Raven."

Octavia's jaw dropped as she walked back into the room, dropping a handful of cutlery onto the table with a clatter before standing at Lexa's shoulder. "She did not just try to lie to you! I mean, that's true love right there."

Unconsciously reciprocating the welcoming hug from Octavia as she leaned into Lexa's side, the Commander just raised an eyebrow, keeping her gaze fixed on the squirming Ontari.

Looking anywhere but at Lexa's face, Ontari entwined her fingers with Raven's who was also staring at her with a measure of shock.

The silence was tense as everyone waited to see whether Ontari would crack.

After a few moments, she made a pained noise in the back of her throat and looked at Raven helplessly.

"I figured you'd just tell her." Raven hissed back, "Lying was a terrible idea. She's going to kill you!"

Face flushing red, Ontari stared down at the floor, mumbling under her breath, "There was an old world device in the stores that Raven couldn't work out, so she brought it back to her workshop. And it exploded, so there's not really a doorway anymore."

With a long suffering sigh, Lexa broke off her stare to shake her head disapprovingly at Raven, "Again?"

"Octavia gets injured, I damage things. Our flaws are why you love us." Raven laughed lightly.

"I haven't been injured in days." Octavia piped up, one arm still resting around Lexa's waist.

All heads turned to look at her.

"Days?" Clarke asked after a few moments, ""What do you mean days?"

"She twisted her ankle trying to put on a pair of trousers." Lincoln answered for her with a tired smile, carrying in a large pot of delicious smelling stew. "Her embarassment kept her from telling you, so she stayed in bed all day so she didn't have to walk on it."

"Well that explains why Tuesday was such a quiet day." Clarke muttered, whilst shooting Octavia a dissaproving look, who was now joining Ontari in avoiding Lexa's eyeline.

"Idiots." Lexa sighed, untangling herself from Octavia to go and kiss her wife, before sinking into her chair, "You're all idiots and it's a wonder this tower is still standing."

Looking around the table, she fixed Octavia with a hard look, "I don't care how idiotic your clumsiness is, you see Clarke every time you get so much as a paper cut. Raven, no more explosions in my home. And Ontari?"

Ontari slowly looked up, swallowing nervously, "Lying to me was brave, incredibly stupid, but brave. Raven, I hope you understand just how lucky you are. That being said...you will be swimming ten laps of the lake tomorrow."

Ontari's head hit the table with a loud thud, accompanied by a loud groan, "Please Heda, anything else."

"Your reaction is precisely why that's your punishment. Don't worry, I'll have someone nearby to fish you out if you start drowning. Now," Lexa smiled, turning to Lincoln, "The food smells amazing as usual, which means Octavia had nothing to do with the preparation of it. Once again, you have both fed us and saved our lives at the same time."

Laughing, Lincoln slid into his chair, completing the circle of people that made up their family, as he lifted the lid to begin serving them all.