Clarke tensed as she felt Naveen begin to gain speed.

"Relax." Lexa murmured. "Move with me."

The arm around her middle tightened its hold, bringing her focus to the warm body at her back. She noticed how Lexa was moving, rising and lowering to the horses gait, and concentrated on moving with her. It took a few attempts, but soon she was able to match pace with her. No longer at the mercy of the horses gait, she began to enjoy the ride. Moving as one with both Naveen and Lexa, she let everything go, throwing out her arms with a loud 'whoop!' She tilted her head back and let out a joyous laugh, the ride making her feel more free than she had ever felt before.

She felt Lexa chuckle, and tilted her head to grin back at her. "This is amazing!"

Lexa smiled back. "I told you you'd like it."

"I love it!" Clarke kissed her cheek spontaneously, then turned back to enjoy the ride. The tree line was fast approaching, so she lowered her arms to rest over Lexa's arm, trusting her and Naveen not to run them into a tree.

Luminescent butterflies filled the air as they entered the forrest, startled into flight by their passing. Clarke gasped, delighted by their beauty. Trees blurred by, the mushrooms on their trunks glowing like the eyes of predators in the dark. She blinked as a butterfly landed upon a crimson mushroom and was promptly eaten, the mushroom curling around it, trapping it in its folds.

She felt Lexa nuzzle at her ear and tilted her head so as to hear her better. "I want to show you something, a place where only I go. However, it is very dangerous. More dangerous than the labyrinth. I cannot guarantee your safety, but I promise that it will be worth it." Hot air ghosted along her neck, her skin tingling pleasantly at the sensation. "Do you trust me?"

Clarke sighed, leaning into the woman, head resting just below her chin. She wanted to say yes, but she suspected that Lexa wanted her to take some time to consider it. She remembered Lexa the Slave, the true hatred that had been in her eyes when they had first spoken. It hadn't bothered her then, but it was something that she couldn't forget now.

She remembered the vague hint of something, an emotion different from the hate, that had been there when she had given her the bandage. She couldn't quite place a name to it, though Wells had often had a similar look when he was debating over starting a jigsaw puzzle. As though he was weighing its worth, trying to determine if it was even worth starting or would just be another wasted project. Is that what Lexa was thinking when she looked at me?

Clarke thought of after that, the true concern and compassion she had witnessed in the tent. The tender moments that had happened after. The calm patience she had shown while she had taught her some of the basics of horse care. She remembered their conversation in the mines, how she had asked without demanding, showing nothing more than understanding. There had been no judgement, no rejection, no accusations or worse, sympathy. Just that calm understanding, and acceptance.

Her cheeks burned as she remembered her first riding lesson, and her futile attempt at vengeance. I can't believe I actually tried to tickle her, the Commander of all people! Then she remembered the kiss and stopped just short of groaning in despaired humiliation. I can't believe I did that either. But then Lexa had kissed her back, and she had been the one to initiate the second kiss. Clarke remembered her eyes in vivid detail, the warm acceptance and true contentment sparking a fire within her that she never wanted to be sated.

That was the woman asking for her trust now.

She tilted her head back. "Yes."

She felt more than saw Lexa's face break into a grin.

Naveen loped through the trees, following a path Clarke couldn't see. Gradually the sound of her racing hooves changed, going from the soft thuds of hitting earth to the louder clops of hoof on stone. Overgrown hedges lined the stone path. A tap at her side drew her attention and she looked down to see Lexa pointing at the ground behind them.

"Wow..." Clarke breathed, seeing a trail of hoof prints, glowing a subtle blue, on the stone.

She turned, looking forward again as the row of hedges ended. They entered a courtyard. A domed pavilion, white in the moonlight, stood in the centre, surrounded by a circle of night blooming flowers. Butterflies fluttered around the flowers, landing briefly on one only to fly to the next a mere second later. Clarke puzzled over this for a moment, until one stayed for a moment too long and was eaten, the flower closing around it much like the mushroom had before.

Lexa directed Naveen to the pavilion and signalled her to stop. She dismounted, then held out her arms in a wordless offer to help Clarke do the same. Blushing, Clarke accepted it, sliding down into her arms. A moment later she was glad she had. She clung to Lexa, her shaking legs refusing to support her. "Woah! What...?"

"Easy... Your body is not used to riding. You'll adjust in a minute." Lexa assured.

And she did. The shaking eased and soon stopped. She took an experimental step forward, releasing Lexa when she was moderately certain that she wasn't going to fall flat on her face. She looked around the courtyard in open wonder. "Wow..."

Lexa smiled, clearly pleased by her enjoyment. "The elderly ones say that this place used to be a home for the wealthy. The mansion is in ruins now, but the gardens still remain."

Clarke walked around the pavilion, worries and doubts left behind by the child like wonder she felt now. She reached out to trail her fingers over the structure, her smile growing wider as blue trails followed her fingers over the stone. She turned to Lexa. "What's causing this?"

"I don't know." She said, walking over to stand beside her, blue footprints following in her wake. "But it's pretty."

Clarke nodded, glancing at Lexa. "True."

Lexa reached out, trailing her finger across the stone. "I found this place with... A friend, a long time ago. It was our secret place. We used to sneak away together for hours at a time and no one was able to find us. We liked training here because there were no eyes to learn our weaknesses, and at night the lights helped us to master our foot work." She moved her finger, drawing an image on the stone.

Clarke smiled when she was done. "Naveen?" She guessed.

Lexa nodded, lowering her hand. A rearing horse glowed softly on the pillar, the scars on her flank standing out like badges of honour. She smirked, raising her hand again to draw something else on the pillar.

"Oh haha, really funny." Clarke said, playfully shoving Lexa's shoulder when she saw what the new drawing was. A girl, laying flat on her back behind and slightly to the side of the horse.

She raised her hand, pausing to glance at Lexa. "Do you mind?"

Lexa shook her head, and Clarke went to work.

She brushed her thumb across the pillar above the horse, creating the sky. A thumbprint became the moon, the barest tap of her finger tips creating stars. She made changes to Naveen, adding wings to her back and broken chains to her legs. A dash and a tap of her smallest finger made a shooting star. Then, with a small smirk she hid from Lexa, she added a figure laying over the one on the ground, their hands interlocked, lips joined. She lowered her hand, the picture now complete.

Lexa looked at the drawing. "Wings?"

Clarke smiled. "They represent freedom. Breaking the shackles of the past and flying to a new future."

Lexa smiled at the explanation. She turned to Clarke. "Are you ready to see more?"

"One second." Clarke said, turning away from the pavilion. She walked over to a space free of foot and hoof prints and laid down on her back, looking up at the stars. Grinning, she began moving, sending her arms and legs away from her body and back again.

"What are you doing?" Lexa asked, bemused.

"Join me!" Clarke called, raising an arm briefly to point at a blank spot beside her.

"I think not."

"Come on..." She said enticingly.

"No."

"I'll give you a massage if you do."

"No. Are you even good at it?"

Clarke stopped her movements to sit up and look at Lexa. "Put it this way... Trees didn't exist in space, so I'm sure that you can imagine how much of a rarity wood was for us, right?"

At Lexa's nod, she continued. "My massages earned me three sets of watercolour pencils, five packs of charcoal pencils, one set of wooden paint brushes, three notebooks, and one unopened pack of paper." She smiled sweetly as Lexa's jaw dropped. "So do we have a deal?"

"Deal. Though I fail to see the point of this... Activity."

Clarke grinned broadly. "Awesome."

IlIlIlIlIlIlIlI

Lexa laid on the ground beside Clarke, turning to watch as she laid back down beside her. She looked up at the sky. "Which one was yours?"

Clarke looked up, searching, but then shook her head. "I can't see it. Whatever light it had is gone now that the stations have left. Camp Jaha is my home."

"What was it like, to live with the stars?" Lexa had been wanting to ask a sky person that for ages. Her natural thirst for knowledge and curiosity of the unknown had long been suppressed, a necessity of being the commander. It felt good to have an outlet now.

"Well..." Clarke said, looking up at the stars as she collected her thoughts. "The cooling units were constantly in need of repairs, so it was often either very hot, or very cold, particularly in the poor districts. I was privileged with being born in the rich district though, so for us it was probably better. My mother was the Cheif of Medical, and my father was the Chief Enginieer, which placed them both on the Council. They were both very busy, but they taught me a lot."

She paused to moisten her lips. "The walls were all metal hulls. Flags from The Earth That Was gave them some colour, here and there, but for the most part it was just corridor after corridor of the same metallic grey. Except for the observation deck." She smiled in rememberance. "Access to it was restricted due to the high risk of a hull breach, but I can't think of anyone who hadn't snuck in there at least once. It was my favourite place. The walls were polished to a reflective shine, and the one wall was completely made of glass. It was the closest any of us could get to the stars without spacewalk authorization."

She looked at Lexa. "It was better for me than the others. I know that. I had a privileged life. Because of my parents position I had access to a regular supply of the best fruits and vegetables Hydrophonics could offer, and because I was being trained for Medical I had access to more water than most. Hot water."

She smiled softly. "The others used to resent me for it, even going so far as to give me the moniker Princess. But they never saw behind the scenes. We had access to the good food, but we ate very little of it so mom could give it to her patients instead. We mostly ate the same as everyone else."

"What was the food like?" Lexa asked, fascinated by even the most menial details. She felt a small measure of pride for Clarke's parents, approving of how they had shaped the girl. Even from a young age she was taught to put her people first, learning the best way possible, from the example of her parents. It's no wonder she became their leader. She's a natural.

Clarke wrinkled her nose. "Bland, metallic. The burned animal we ate our first day here was literally the best thing I had ever tasted in my life."

Lexa's eyes widened slightly. "That bad?"

Clarke sighed. "Yeah. That bad. The air always smelled of metal, machine oil, and cleaning agents, and it always effected how the food tasted." She grimaced. "And don't even think about asking about the water. Trust me, you don't want to know."

Lexa tried to picture the world Clarke was describing. A world with no sky, no soil, no rain, no wind, no life, and shuddered. Hell. She was literally raised in hell. Yet she grew up learning how to make the best of it, finding blessings in the smallest of things. That is what planted the seed of strength I see in her.

She looked at Clarke, seeing the sky girl in a new way as she began to truly understand how much of a miracle the Ground was to her. She saw the sadness that lay hidden in her heart at the memories of her old home and mentally kicked herself, damning her curiousity. She's homesick. Of course she is. It may have been hell but it was still her home. A home that has died, taking far too many of her people with it. Sympathy filled her, though she didn't show it, knowing all too well that Clarke would not welcome it if she did. Instead she chose to change the subject.

"So tell me, why exactly are we laying on the ground again?"

Clarke smiled, the saddness fading from her eyes. "WE are making glow angels."

"Glow... Angels..." Lexa said slowly. Clarke, the Leader of the Sky People, is a strong and capable woman. Clarke the Person on the other hand, has clearly taken leave of her senses.

Clarke grinned. "You know, like snow angels, only without the snow and glowing in the dark. Hence the term, glow angels."

Lexa blinked once, very slowly. "Right..."

Clarke pouted a little. "Please?"

Lexa's heart fluttered at the look. Stop that! She scolded herself. I am Lexa, Commander of twelve armies. I am feared and respected by thousands. Women and men desire me, children wish to become me. I am not going to fall for a simple pouty face. She told herself firmly. I will not! She strengthened her resolve. "Commanders do not flail around on the ground like a temperamental child."

Clarke smiled at her. "But you're not the Commander, not with me, not tonight. You said so yourself. Tonight, you are just Lexa, and I am just Clarke. And Clarke has dreamed of the earth since she was very small. Of weather that changes and the fun to be had in every season. And snow... I've dreamed of what it must be like. I've always wanted to see it, to touch it, to go sledding, build snowmen, make angels, and have snowball fights. But with the way things are going... Well, this may be the closest I ever get. So please? Just this once?"

Lexa groaned, closing her eyes too late to dodge Clarke's emploring look. Her resolve crumbled, surrendering to the pout. She resigned herself to her fate, opening her eyes to the blonde. "...fine."

"Great!" Clarke cheered, sporting a Cheshire Cat grin.

Lexa blinked, realizing that she, commander of twelve armies, the admired one of thousands, had just been masterfully played. Oh, she's good.

Clarke moved first, raising her arms and spreading her legs. She gave Lexa a playful look, laced with a hint of challenge.

Lexa sighed. May as well get this humiliation over with. Feeling a moments gratitude that none of her people were here to witness this, she began moving her limbs with the blonde.

"That's the spirit!" Clarke teased.

"I can not believe I am doing this." Lexa muttered, feeling foolish.

"It's fun!"

"It is childish."

This time Clarke was the one to sigh. "That's the point." She said, almost too quietly to hear.

Lexa paused. "This really is a dream for you, isn't it?"

Clarke nodded.

And here I am being a royal ass about it. She thought guiltily. Naveen nickered and Lexa glanced over at her. The picture she and Clarke had made glowed softly behind her, giving Lexa an idea. "Angels live in the heavens, right?"

Clarke nodded again, a curious gleam in her eyes.

Lexa stood, offering her hands to Clarke and pulling her to her feet. "Then let's give ours a place to call home."

She pulled Clarke closer to her, supporting her as she led her in circles around their angels. She murmured instructions, telling her when to trail a toe along the ground, to jump to the side, or to rely on Lexa's strength as she spun them around. They danced. The wind in the leaves their music, the drone of the insects their band, their own beating hearts thier drums.

She ended the dance at the pavilion. She led Clarke up the stone steps, and turned her so she could see their work. She smiled at Clarke's gasp, pleased with their work and the effect it was having on her.

Though they had not touched, their angels were holding hands, dancing much like they had been. Their footsteps glowed like the stars, the places where they had trailed their feet, galaxies. Constellations glowed where they had jumped, shooting stars clustered where they had twirled. She smiled, wrapping an arm around Clarke's waist. "Do you like it?"

Clarke smiled warmly at her. "I love it."

She watched the girl as her eyes looked over their creation, taking every detail and committing them to memory. And Lexa was glad, proud for being the cause of it.

"How long will it last?" Clarke asked.

"Only the night. They'll be gone come morning." Lexa turned, cupping Clarke's face gently. She looked in Clarke's eyes, trying to be kind even as she delivered what she feared would be a blow in her softest voice. "Just like this. You know this... Whatever this is between us, you know it can't last, right?"

Clarke flinched, a shuddered gasp passing her lips. She closed her eyes, shutting Lexa out as she tried to back away. Lexa held fast. "Clarke, look at me, please."

Clarke bit her lip, slowly looking up at Lexa. A single tear fell and Lexa tenderly brushed it away. "I said that it can't last, I didn't say that I dont want it to. But the way things are, it can't."

"Because we're still enemies right? Even here?" Lexa's heart ached at the broken edge she heard in that voice. She pulled the girl to her, kissing her with the passion she had only hinted at before. She felt Clarke stiffen against her, resisting her. She wrapped her arms around her in response, holding her with all the desperate caring of a warrior going to the fight. Gradually, she felt the girl relax, her heart singing as the lips began to respond, the fire Lexa knew she was capable of burning bright in her again. She broke the kiss, bringing their foreheads together.

"No Clarke. Never here, and certainly not now. But until you have something to offer, an alliance between our people will not be possible. Too much has happened between us for that. And without an alliance, this can never be."

Clarke's eyes closed. When they opened, she nodded, and the understanding Lexa saw in those orbs told her that it was safe to relax, the girl wasn't going to run away.

"We still have the rest of tonight?" Clarke asked tentatively.

Lexa nodded. "If you still wish to spend it with me."

Clarke smiled. "So what's next?"

Lexa grinned, smirking just a little bit. "Go Fish."

The look on Clarke's face was priceless.