Oh god, I'm so sorry for taking so long with this chapter.

Also, probably needed another spellcheck...

Hope you enjoy!

~ Sometimes, home has a heartbeat. ~

"Where are you so eager to go? Your mother will be here shortly."
"Maybe I don't want to be here when she arrives." Roan had been banging on the doors and bribing guards from the second he got locked in the room. He was no guest, far from it. After hours of waiting and promising riches from Azgeda to the young man posted at his door, he finally agreed to send word to the Commander. He had to get back to Vivian before his Queen came and took control of every aspect of his life. When the Commander finally showed her face the next day, he was a bit surprised; he expected to be ignored for quite a while, just to taunt him. "I just need a horse. I'll be back tomorrow to deal with mother." The word still stung, even if his banishment was almost over. The Commander sighed and gestured for her guards to leave the room.

"Look Roan, I want us to work together. I know you have your people's best interest at heart, but I can't just let you go if you don't tell me where you're going and what you're planning. And even then you wouldn't leave on your own." His eyes sharpened as he followed her moves. He understood she was in a fragile position herself, but she was a leader, The fucking Commander. Should he tell her his motives? Could he trust her after everything? He wanted to, he needed to believe he could have her as an ally in the war he was about to start with his mother whe she'd find out about Vivian. But something inside him told him to keep the details to himself. She was a ruler after all, she wold use any information she had to get what she wanted. The last thing Roan wished was for his sweet sky girl to be stuck in this game for power.

"I left someone behind." The Commander was clearly taken aback. It took her a few moments to sort his words out, her brows furrowing. She didn't seem to quite believe him.

"It can wait. We're on the brink of war. With your people. You need to focus on that." She turned to leave. His hand reached and took hold of her wrist before he could think of the consequences. But he couldn't let her leave, not yet. Angry eyes turned to him, daring him to do more. But he had nothing to say to convince her, nothing to bargain, to give in exchange. She already knew he believed in the unity of the tribes, already knew he was not too fond of his mother. His eyes darted to the floor between them, his tongue passing over his lover lip before he spoke.

"I need to get her back."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have left her in the first place!" It was a slap across the face, her eyes boring into him like daggers. and he wold have retaliated, weren't it true.

"Please!" It was not begging, Te heir of Azgeda did not stoop so low. It was a request, from leader to leader. At least that's what he told himself. He was met with only silence. He wished he would have looked her in the eyes, try to convey the desperation he was pushing back, the guilt of leaving, the madness brought by the uncertainty of her whereabouts. Would Vivian even still be there? He had to know, had to try to get a second chance. When he finally lifted his eyes to The Commander he saw the different responses forming on her lips. She could make fun of him, laugh at the once heartless prince. She could deny him out of pure spite, or hold his plea as leverage. She could send riders to ask around, find out who had he been spending his time with. Roan cursed in his head for leaving the old crone alive; she could give Vivian away. There was a knock on the door and Lexa pulled her arm free, her expression hardening. He felt his heart drop, but he didn't lose hope. He'd get out of there with or without her blessing.

"We'll talk about this after the meeting. You should come too, Azgeda needs its prince." His first instinct was to fight against going to the stupid meeting. Whatever her plan was, whatever she wanted him to agree on behalf of Azgeda would be undone by the Queen the next day. It was pointless and he was wasting time. But he had already wasted 6 days, what were a few hours more?

"Fine. But I have to leave today. It's already been too long..." She nodded and left, instructing him to join his delegation in the throne room. As the doors shut behind her, he let himself fall on the bed, elbows resting on his knees. He had no idea what he was doing. He was prince once more, after three long years of being nothing but a rouge, a wanderer. And after about half a year of watching over the sky girl, of teasing and playing house. Of falling in love harder than he thought possible. But he had to figure things out. Fast. He needed a plan for his mother, else he'd only get Vivian back to have her killed at the Queen's hands. He couldn't have that. He mustered the strength to endure a tedious meeting, brushing his hand through his tangled hair and tried the door. As it opened he was greeted by two of his own soldiers who bowed and flanked him as the strode the hall.

There were a number of things going through his head right before the throne room's door's were opened for him, ranging from ways to gain back the trust of his people, to hopes that perhaps his mother would not stand between him and his love. But most of all he was plotting on how to escape Polis. His eyes scoured left and right, taking note to the increased number of guards, his chances dwindling with each soldier studying him as he passed. He gritted his teeth as realization struck him - he was not going to make it ten levels down. He entered the throne room as his name was announced, eyes fixed on Lexa, burning with anger that so much depended on her word.

He could have caught a glimpse of her if he wasn't analysing all the weak points in the guard placement with such ardour. Her voice might have made his head turn, weren't he so distraught by the increased security in the tower. They passed each other, a few feet and a corner apart, Roan heading towards the heavy doors of the throne room and Vivian turning towards the stairs to her room.

"Prince Roan of Azgeda!"

The entrance of the reinstalled heir to the Ice Nation was announced loudly enough and Vivian would have heard his name weren't she so focused on task at hand - stringing grounder words together in coherent sentences.

"Very good, you're getting better with each day."

"Thanks, O. But it still doesn't come natural, I have to strain my brain to remember each word..."

"You only get that with practice, I guess."

She was thankful to Octavia and the little Sky People group that traveled to Polis - they kept her busy, gave her something else to do besides despair over Roan's whereabouts. Between practicing her grounder speech with O. and exploring the rich culture the capital had to offer, it had been the best day Vivian had since...since he never came back. She got along with everyone rather well, but the most surprising was the ex council member Kane. It was as if he were a different man altogether. There was a softness in his eyes, an innocence in the way he regarded the world around him, and Vivian wondered shortly if it hadn't been there all along, buried beneath the responsibility of his position, the pressure of the human race depending on the decision of a few. But humankind had managed without the Ark and all the madness in space and in some way it even thrived.

The girls circled back to the throne room after exploring the city some more and trying some food. It was quite remarkable how the grounders adapted after the radiation and Vivian wondered shortly if the edible foods had been discovered by trial and error or if there was some other trick to it. Cause some of them looked god dammed poisonous, yet were rather delicious. As they rounded the corner they were met with their little delegation, all with sour faces.

"What's wrong? Did the other clans not agree?"

"No, Trikru is now the thirteenth clan." Abby answered after it was clear Kane wasn't going to. The group kept walking "I'm actually surprised that went so well."

"There are still skeptics, and after Bellamy's group burst into the throne room guns blazing we aren't held in high regard, that's for sure."

"Bell is here? But why did he come?"

"They were betrayed by the Ice Nation girl, Echo. Fooled into coming here and leave Mount Weather defenseless..." Abby had to finish his thoughts, a hand planed on his arm.

"They blew up Mount Weather and everyone inside. Only Raven and Sinclair managed to get out." She turned toward Octavia with a worried look. "You should go find him." With a nod the girl left to search for her brother. Vivian remembered talk of Bellamy's girlfriend and if she remembered correctly, she had been there as well. Her heart went out to him, loosing someone you love was something she wished to no one. She prayed to whatever god there was to listen that Roan was alright wherever he might be. But something else clicked in her mind.

"How did the grounders blow up Mount Weather though? I'm guessing it's not that easy..." Kane and Abby shared a look before he answered her.

"Apparently they had the code for the self destruct. And before you ask, yes it is highly improbable that they figured it out or just stumbled upon in it."

"They had help..."

"Yes. We have to figure out from who now."

"Is the Commander going to help? Since we are one of her clans and all."

"She will do what she can, but we are not out of the woods there either. The true challenge will be tomorrow when the Ice Nation queen arrives. The prince didn't seem to have a problem with us, but power is with the queen. Lexa thinks she will challenge her and the decision for the thirteenth clan in some way. We'll have to wait and see how tomorrow unfolds."

He sighed and left with Abby to figure out what to about Mount Weather. Vivian looked for Octavia and Bellamy for a while, but didn't manage to find them or anyone she knew, so she headed to her room. It was getting late and the next day promised to bring all sorts of complications. Might as well be rested. She was both scared and intrigued to finally see the Ice Nation Queen. Scared because she knew from Roan that she was cold and ruthless. And at the same time she was a piece of his past that he talked about. He mentioned other names and some friends that had died, but she had been a constant. She was curious to see her, if only to feel closer to her lost grounder.

While Vivian was placing he head on the pillow, some six levels above her room Roan was fuming. His attempts to flee had been futile, Lexa placing him under heavy surveillance. That wretched woman figured out he was going to try and leave. His fists connected violently with the wooden table, sending a bowl flying, fruits rolling everywhere on the floor.

All was lost.

He was never going to see her again.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

He rolled in his bed all night, unable to quiet his mind. He kept seeing her face, lovely and smiling only for him and his heart broke a little more. It killed him not knowing if she was well, if she missed him at least half of how much he missed her. Day broke and he was still staring at the canopy of the bed, plotting on how to get out of the capital. Maybe once his mother was there, Lexa's focus will shift to her. He got out of bed determined to escape with the first chance he got.

It wasn't long before the haunting sound on horns announced the arrival of his queen and mother. He had half a mind not to go greet her, but decided to play along until an opening presented itself. The descent of the elevator was slow, letting Roan ponder on how was his mother going to react upon seeing him. He was convinced she already knew he was there. Descending the last steps out of the tower he wondered if it was too late to turn back. Queen Nia saw him and made her way towards him, a guarded smile on her face.

"My son." She stopped right in front of him, offered no embrace to the son she hadn't seen in years, not that Roan was expecting any.

"Mother." And with that the heartfelt reunion ended, the queen acting as if her only child had been away for no more than a few days.

"Made your way back just in time. We have many things to do around here." She lifted her icy blue eyes to the tower behind him, plans already brewing in her scheming mind. She turned her head after a moment and gestured for someone to join them. "But first, you do remember Siggy, don't you? She had been extremely eager to see you again." He remembered the woman coming near them well, though he had no desire to deal with her at that moment. She was beautiful, he could not deny that, but beneath those blue eyes and skillfully applied scars was a mind as cunning as his mother's. For a second, as both women stood before him, he felt as if he was falling into some kind of trap, despite not doing much to warrant it.

"Of course I remember her, I haven't been away that long." The queen looked back at her young protegee, nodding once, then strode past them with, followed by servants and guards.

"Come see me in my room once I've settled. We have much to discuss." He went to protest, but Siggy caught his arm.

"Prince Roan, it's good to have you back." She closed the space between then, hooking her hands around his neck. "I missed you so much."

His blood boiled in his veins; he longed to hear those words, but from another's lips. Before the last inch between them disappeared, he pushed the woman off him, a little too forcefully and glared at her. He was not going to marry her and he was about to make that clear, to both Siggy and his mother. His words died on his lips though as something caught his attention. Someone.

There she was, as mesmerizing as he remembered, staring back at him. Alive and withing his reach. The world stopped in that moment, his anger melting into sheer relief. He moved towards her, the action so natural as if the world had suddenly tipped. He could hear Siggy saying something, but all that mattered was the sky girl before him. His sky girl. His Vivian.

The slap was more painful than he could have imagined her delicate hand could deliver.

Vivian covered her mouth, her eyes wide. She couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing; it was as if the whole thing was not happening to her, she was just a guest, an observer. It was a scene from a trashy romance novel and Vivian herself was only the reader. It wasn't her that was being betrayed, but some other poor little sky girl. And then their eyes met. She saw the emotions washing over his face. Oh, how she missed that face! He pushed the woman aside and strode towards Vivian, smiling. The bastard had the nerve to smile at her!

She slapped him. Hard. With all the pent up anger an frustration she collected over the past days. She saw Ice nation guard coming near them, but Roan lifted his hand towards them, signaling them to stop. Her body shook, she felt like she was going to explode and she be damned if she didn't take him down with her!

"Vivian, please let-"

"What is the meaning of this? Who does this girl think she is?"

"This is my problem, you'll stay out of it."

"We have no problems. Consider me out of your hair, Prince Roan. But please, do forgive me for looking for you all over the forest for the past five days or so. I guess the joke is on me."

"Vi, can we talk somewhere else?" She looked him in those sky blue eyes of his and for a moment his pain seemed so real she could feel it. For a brief second she wanted to hear him out. Then she caught a glimpse of the woman who was all over him, arms crossed and glaring daggers, and her anger returned tenfold. Her gaze fell back on him before speaking, her voice calm and even, a perfect mask for the storm raging on inside her.

"Stay away from me."

Ok...

I'm ending it here tho I had some more planned... I'll just add that in the next chapter.

So, this chapter is a little all over the place. I initially wrote her slapping him during the meeting. Then him slinging her over his shoulder :)) But the sky nation delegation would have freaked out...

Then I wrote her having a little breakdown... but meh, it's gonna be in the next chapter...

Then she slapped him in front of his mother... and Queen Nia would have murdered the insolent sky girl... Then I just kinda forced the queen out and it happened like that...

Hope I didn't disappoint you guys too much :(

I have a lot going on irl with work and uni and some other fanfics stuck in my head, so I haven't been 100% invested in this.

Also the show's ending sucked... that didn't help one bit.

Anyways, let me know what you think of how things turned out with their reunion ^^ *hugs*