So reading over the future chapters I have ready for this story, its a little unclear just how pregnant Clarke is. So with that in mind, chapter titles will now say how far gone Clarke is in her pregnancy. Also I'm pleading Nightblood as an excuse for the slight premature feel to the baby's growth rate, just so I can get more into the timeline. Enjoy!
"I wish you'd let me check the sex" Abby sighed for the billionth time. She smiled eying her daughter sitting up on the bed biting her lip. She knew clarke was tempted to know. Who wouldn't be? Abby was dying to find out. She bet secretly Clarke was too.
"C'mon.." she tried reaching for the sonogram equipment she'd left out with hope on her desk. She stood with the gel ready in her hands and moved to pull clarke's shirt up to begin. Her hope was crushed the moment Clarke turned her head to face her fiercely.
Clarke gave her a serious look and pushed her mother's hand away from her stomach, covering it with her own to protect it from Abby's mission to ruin the surprise.
"No, mom"
Abby's crestfallen expression might have lured Clarke's agreement if Clarke wasn't so determined in her decision. She and Lexa had agreed to wait. Because that was how the grounders did things. Clarke was curious, sure. But she wanted to find out with Lexa the traditional way, with her baby wrapped up in her arms and her lover at her side with her. Reading it all on a computer made it less natural to her.
Abby on the other hand disagreed. She thought Clarke was putting off using their medical advantage over the grounders because she knew Lexa wouldn't allow it. To her Clarke was being denied her right to know.
Clarke had to push her mom's hand away again, smiling a little to herself at her tenacity and excitement. Abby looked like a kid before their birthday right now.
"We don't have to tell Lexa!" Abby tried. She started grinning amused when her daughter simply rolled her eyes in return.
"We don't have to tell Lexa, what?"
The two women turned their heads hearing Lexa's voice cut sharply and suspiciously into the room. She was stood frozen in her walk through the door with a hand holding the door handle tightly. Her eyes locked on Abby and the container she held up in her hand, and Clarke's fingers wrapped around her mother's wrist, holding it away.
Abby lowered her hand seeing Lexa's eyes darken. Clarke ignored them both and beamed watching Lexa leave the door to walk into the room. She'd hoped Lexa would be able to skip her meetings to be a part of this.
Lexa returned Clarke's smile and approached her partner laying on the bed surrounded by various instruments she didn't trust near her niron or baby. She bent down to kiss the blonde's head before she turned to look at Clarke's mother. Abby merely sighed in defeat and dropped her strange tools back onto her desk. The doctor returned to the bedside after and splayed her palms to Clarke's belly.
"What are you two hiding from me this time?" Lexa asked in a suspicious voice.
She was watching intently with narrowed eyes as Abby probed their bump with her fingers. She didn't trust these Skaikru ways of birthing.
"Mom was trying to get me to agree to a sonogram" Clarke explained reaching for Lexa's hand. Lexa frowned back at her.
"Sonogram?" She repeated quietly. The word was foreign to her. She didn't like not knowing what it was and whether it was dangerous or not.
"It's a scan of the baby. So we can see it. Make sure it's healthy" Clarke rubbed circles into Lexa's palm while she explained it to her, "But mom wants to use it to find out whether we're having a girl or a boy"
"I'm just curious!" Abby grinned pulling her stethoscope to her ears before Clarke could argue back.
The blonde rolled her eyes at her mother and looked back to the commander sat beside her. Lexa was watching Abby with eagle eyes. It was clear in the way her lips twisted that she didn't trust what Abby was doing to Clarke. Clarke ran her hand up Lexa's back.
"She's just listening to the baby's heartbeat" she reassured her. Lexa nodded, "How did your meeting with Kane go?"
Lexa caught Abby's side glance before she answered the blonde.
"Everything is fine" she smiled to her sky princess easily enough despite the lie. Abby sent her a short scowl for her deceit.
Clarke frowned, clearly confused, "So the scout reports-"
"Just a mistake. Nothing to worry over" Lexa brushed a kiss to Clarke's hand and looked to Abby, "Everything okay here?" She asked hoping Abby would see her order to remain silent about the scouts.
Abby looked away, seeming to be concentrating on probing a part of Clarke's stomach. But Lexa could see the older woman thinking on whether to deliver her daughter the truth. She fought the urge to order Abby out and smiled down at her blonde chewing her lip nervously. Abby glanced up sensing both their eyes on her and smiled warmly at the couple looking at her worried.
"It seems good" she reported happily.
Abby moved to Clarke's side the second Clarke released a big breath of relief. She wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders and cuddled her.
"I still can't believe my baby's having a baby!" she gushed giddily. It made Clarke smile while Lexa rolled her eyes.
"The baby is well?" The commander asked her wanting a proper confirmation. She felt herself finally relax when Abby nodded back at her.
"Baby is healthy and in the right position for how far along you've gotten. Heartbeat is strong too" she rubs her hand over Clarke's bump fondly, "Whatever you're doing, kid, keep doing it"
Clarke grinned and looked back to Lexa, "Hear that? Looks like you'll be finding more of those ice apples for me"
Lexa smiled softly, "As if that is such a chore, Clarke" she leant forward and brushed a kiss to Clarke's temple, "I would scour the earth for its last apples if that was what you desired, ai hodnes"
Clarke beamed back at her lover when she leant away again. She feels so lucky to have Lexa of all people as her partner. Beside her, her mother secretly thinks the same. Abby squeezed Clarke's shoulder and quietly whispered in her ear.
"Don't let go of this one" She leant back to smile between the two women before she checked her daughter's watch and sighed, "Unfortunately, that's time, Honey. I've got other patients to check up on" she explained sadly when Clarke pouted miserably. She felt the same. Like they had barely any time together. She brushed the back of her hand down Clarke's cheek.
"Can't you just come with us?" Clarke pouted, smiling when she caught Lexa shake her head beside her. She poked the commander with her elbow and grinned at her mother, "A daughter needs her mom there when she's giving birth"
Abby smiled lovingly at her but shook her head, "Don't worry, Clarke. I'll be there. I promise" She pressed a kiss to Clarke's head and sighed moving away, "You're leaving soon?"
She was looking at Clarke but her question was obviously directed at Lexa.
The two blondes look to the commander, Clarke pleadingly, Abby challengingly. Lexa can't fight either of them.
"Tomorrow" she submits a little reluctantly. She wanted Clarke back in Polis where it was safe. But Clarke looked too happy to be back among her people. Lexa could hardly tear her away from them so soon. Clarke needed to be around her other family too.
The blonde squeaked in delight and wrapped Lexa into a tight hug. The commander chuckled and allowed herself to revel a little in Clarke's kisses peppering her neck before Abby's watching made her uneasy. The healer crossed her arms when their eyes locked and gave a stern look behind Clarke's back. It reminded Lexa of 'the talk' she'd been given years ago when Abby had worked out just how close the two girls were becoming. She didn't look forward to a repeat. But Lexa could tell that was what was coming the moment Abby is able to get her alone.
"I can't wait to tell Raven!" Clarke grins and carefully sits up and slides off the bed.
Lexa is up after her in seconds, holding Clarke's arm to offer support while she walks. Clarke patted her hand.
"I love that you're so supportive. But my mom has been giving you emthe look/em since you got here. You two gotta talk"
With that Clarke kissed Lexa's cheek and walked out of the room, smiling amused to herself imagining what awkward horror her mother was about to lay into her lover. Lexa won't appreciate being thrown to the wolf like that. But Clarke knew she would be forgiven later. She always is.
Lexa watched Clarke disappear and she sighed tiredly as she turned to face Abby. The older woman is cleaning her tools, carefully and slowly. Lexa can't help but relate it to a warrior sharpening their blade.
"She doesn't know" Abby stated calmly. To Lexa she might as well have shouted the words.
The commander stilled the need to walk off her sudden agitation. Abby wanted answers from her. She wanted - no- silently demanded, to know why Lexa was keeping Clarke in the dark about the clans. She can tell Abby is confused and maybe astounded that Clarke doesn't already know. How can she not hear about it living in the capital and having the commander for her lover? She knows to Abby it doesn't make sense and maybe thats why she's so worried
Lexa stalled answering Abby straight away. She wanted to avoid answering all together when Abby was talking to her like that. But she could hardly ignore the question or strike the healer down for asking. She was Clarke's mother, and their baby's grandmother. Annoyingly that made her family now.
Lexa forced herself to hold Abby's stern gaze when she finally moved it away from her tools and back to her face.
"I don't want her worrying" Lexa said strongly, hoping Abby could take a hint. When Abby's brow dipped confused, Lexa mumbled the reason why
The healer's eyes softened at the sudden shy girl before her explaining her strong need to protect Clarke and their unborn child. She'd seen Lexa do everything to insure her people's safety and happiness. She was glad, proud even, that she was doing the same for Clarke.
"Well.." Abby didn't know what to say. Lexa was right to keep Clarke from stressing for the baby's sake. But it was still wrong too. She should know.
"Abby" Lexa's stern voice caught hold of the healer, "I don't want Clarke to know until it is a definite and serious situation. Right now all we have are reports of restlessness. Rumours"
Clarke's mother stared back at her. She'd heard the reports herself. Villages were being razed. People were being murdered. Luna had reported an influx of refugees coming to her for sanctuary. Lexa believed this was all just rumour?
"So you're going to wait until it's full out war?" Abby shook her head disapproving, "Clearly you don't know my daughter very well"
Lexa glared taking what Abby had said seriously and very personally.
"I know her better than anyone. Including her mother"
The two women glared at each other before Abby sighed at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. She touched her hands flat to the table in front of her and shook her head again.
"She'll find out eventually. My Clarke doesn't miss a thing"
Lexa actually smiled, "I'm to believe she inherited such a trait from yourself"
Abby softly laughed and shook her head, "No. Not me. She gets that from Jake.."
Abby's eyes misted a little with her first husband's name and her hand went to grasp the ring on her necklace. It'd been years but remembering him still hurt sometimes. Lexa looked down on the Skaifisa sympathetically. She understood first hand the pain of losing a first love.
"Abby, please" she said softly, rousing Abby from her nostalgic thoughts.
The healer looked at her in surprise for the sudden begging. Heda didn't beg, and she knew Lexa sure as hell didn't. She felt immediately wary.
"Don't tell her" Lexa pleaded with her, "Clarke will try to fix it herself and you know the sorts of dangers she has put herself in before doing that"
Abby looked like she was finally understanding. Maybe even agreeing now. She may not know Clarke as Lexa did. But she knew her daughter had protective instincts. She would do anything to keep her people safe, even if it meant dying herself.
But not this time, Abby's thoughts growled. There was no way on earth she would let her daughter endanger her own child in that way. Abby would sooner throw herself from Lexa's tower than let it happen.
"Okay" she agreed nodding at the commander, "Clarke stays out of the loop. But only until it gets serious" she pointed a finger at Lexa and gave her a serious look.
Lexa had no doubt the healer would have no trouble turning her tools of healing into tools of death should she mess this up. Lexa nodded understanding.
Abby dropped her serious glare then and smiled warmly at Lexa.
"You should go find our little fixer" she said, in a gentler voice than before, "Before she gets into Raven's new toys"
Lexa's slow smile back at Abby dropped immediately. She'd heard of Raven's penchant for explosives and getting creative with making them. Clarke often entertained her and the baby with stories of Raven's explosive achievements against their enemies. The way Lexa understood it, the bigger the boom, the happier the bomb expert.
Lexa immediately left Abby's office, leaving behind the chuckling doctor.