Okay. First, I just want to say thank-you to all of you that are still reading this story. Especially Tea9369 who has been doing some continuity editing on past chapters. I know it's been forever, and I had great plans to actually finish this story this summer, but alas, the universe had different plans for me. I managed to tear the ligament in my left thumb in May, and it was on its way to mending when I wiped out and broke my right arm. Needless to say, that made it excessively difficult to type, not to mention hurting like the dickens (trying not to swear just makes me sound like I'm eighty) and delaying the healing on my left thumb because I had to use it more.
So I have finished 27 and have updated it here. hopefully, you have found it okay and don't read 28 without getting the last 2100 words of this chapter. Thanks of course to both my beta reader Sally, for taking a look at this one in record speed and again to Tea 9369 for also giving it a once-over. So here it is, I'm letting it go, God help me.
I am also in the process of doing a minor rewrite of the previous chapters. Things have happened in this story when decided to go in directions I didn't initially plan for, and now there are things that have been said or done in earlier chapters, that don't quite mesh with where the story is going. It is not necessary that you reread it, especially because I haven't re-posted any of those 'fixed' chapters yet because it is small, minor things. However, if you are a stickler for details and you get to a chapter and something happens and you think "but Raven said "insert quote here," ages ago, rest assured that I have fixed it and in fact in the new version, that was not said or implied. I have no idea if any of this makes sense. Just know that I am typing this with two fingers and it's annoying as hell and that I am not quitting on this story and it will be finished...eventually. Once again, thanks to all for sticking with this and I hope you enjoy this preview of chapter 27, and that some of the lingering questions are answered from the last chapter.
Raven and Anya walked into the quiet living room and saw Lincoln and Octavia spooning on the far couch and then Lexa sitting upright, her neck bent at what could only be an uncomfortable angle, Clarke's head in her lap on the other. Lexa's left hand was on Clarke's hip, and her right hand buried in her hair, Clarke's face hidden in the folds of Lexa's shirt, her nose pressed against Lexa's abdomen. Raven nudged Anya and smirked at the two, and then they walked towards the sleeping group.
They checked the phone first and noted that there were no new texts or missed calls, so Abby had yet to call. Anya went over and gently grasped Lexa's head with two hands and straightened her out before calling softly to her. "Lexa," she waited a moment and then lightly tapped on the side of Lexa's cheek and called again. "Lexa. Wake up; I have to go. Lex."
Lexa's eyelids fluttered, and she slightly jerked as she opened her eyes to see Anya so close in front of her. Lexa blinked a few times trying to get her bearings before focusing on Anya in confusion. "Anya?" she said, her voice husky from sleep, "what?" Then Lexa's eyes went wide as the events of the evening came crashing back in, and she quickly looked down at the blonde still asleep on her lap. She untangled her fingers from Clarke's hair and reached over to grab a pillow before gently sliding out from underneath the slumbering blonde and replacing her lap with the pillow. Lexa stood before Anya and glanced down at Clarke and then back at Anya. "You have to go," Lexa stated.
Anya nodded. "Raven will take me to the airport; you should stay here with Clarke. Please let me know the minute you hear anything. And say goodbye to Lincoln and Gustus, and everyone else for me okay?" Anya said in a hoarse whisper.
It was Lexa's turn to nod, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the airport?"
"I'm sure. Raven's got this, and you need to be here when the call comes in," Anya said reaching out and pulling Lexa to her for a fierce hug. "Take care of yourself, Lex," Anya whispered in her ear. "When things calm down, take a chance and let your foot off the brakes, okay?"
Lexa sighed, gave an imperceptible nod of her head and hugged Anya impossibly tighter as she whispered back, "You take care too. I love you."
"I love you too kid. Stay in touch okay?" Anya teased slightly.
Lexa grinned and stepped back, holding Anya by the shoulders looking her straight in the eye. "Always," she said sincerely.
Lexa then turned to Raven. "Drive safe, please," she said, and Raven nodded. "Will you come back here after?" Lexa asked.
Raven nodded again. "Count on it," she confirmed. "Let me know if you hear anything in the meantime."
"Of course," Lexa acknowledged, before turning and catching Anya up in another long hug. "Bye, Ahn. Come back anytime, okay?"
"Already planning on Spring Break, if that's okay," Anya replied.
Lexa grinned. "That would be great. I'll talk to you soon, have a safe flight. Text me when you get home."
The best friends hugged one more time and then made their way to the foyer to put on their shoes and outwear. They weren't in a huge rush, but Anya wanted to be early, and Raven just wanted to spend more time with the blonde before she left. Just as they were waving to Lexa standing just behind them, and about to step over the threshold of the doorway, they heard Clarke's phone ring, and everyone froze. It rang a second time, and Raven pulled the one foot she had out the door back in and closed it quickly as they all made their way again into the living room as the phone rang for the third time. Clarke was only just starting to stir, as were Octavia and Lincoln, so Raven darted forward to answer the call before it could go to voicemail.
Raven noticed that the incoming call was from Abby and held her breath as she accepted the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said tentatively.
"Raven?" Abby's tired voice came through.
"Yeah, sorry. Clarke's here, but I wasn't sure if she'd wake up in time to answer the phone and I didn't want it to go to voicemail and…"
Abby cut in, "Raven, sweetie; you're rambling. Please put Clarke on the phone."
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Hang on," Raven looked down at a now wide-awake Clarke, staring up at Raven with undisguised fear in her eyes. Raven handed the phone out to Clarke who looked at it like it was a poisonous viper, waiting to strike. Clarke shook her head and pushed herself back into the couch, shrinking away from the phone, eyes wide.
Lexa took two quick strides and sat down next to Clarke and reached for the phone. She accepted it from Raven and then turned to face Clarke. "It's your mom, Clarke. Whatever she has to say, we are all here for you." Lexa indicated around the room at the concerned faces, and they each voiced their support quietly as Clarke looked at them each in turn before locking eyes on Lexa. Without taking her eyes from the emerald orbs in front of her, Clarke reached out and took the phone out of Lexa's hand and pressed it to her ear.
Clarke squeezed her eyes shut and reached out blindly for Lexa's hand, which she found immediately before taking a deep breath and releasing it in a strangled, "Mom?"
"Clarke, honey, I'm so sorry," Abby began, and Clarke started to shake, tears running freely down her face.
"No, no, no, no, nooo!" Clarke wailed, rocking back and forth on the seat, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Clarke!" Abby shouted into the phone, but Clarke didn't respond.
Lexa could hear Abby trying to get Clarke's attention, so she pried Clarke's fingers off the phone and handed it back to Raven, then wrapped Clarke up in a hug.
Raven took the phone and gingerly held it to her ear, "Dr. G?" she said in a small voice.
"Raven, thank God," Abby breathed out. "You have to get Clarke to listen to me. She didn't let me finish. All I said was that I was so sorry…Oh, god. Raven, I'm sorry, I'm so tired, and I wasn't thinking about what I was saying and how it would sound. Clarke must think…never mind. You have to get her back on the phone – please."
Raven nodded and then looked at Clarke, clutching onto Lexa's shirt, still shaking her head. "Clarke," Raven said, and then louder, "Clarke!"
Clarke pulled away from the front of Lexa's chest and turned red, puffy eyes on Raven. "You need to talk to your mom, Clarke. I think there might be a misunderstanding," Raven softly said as she offered the phone to Clarke.
Clarke swallowed thickly and wiped her eyes before taking the dangling phone from Raven's outstretched hand. "Mom?" she said again, confusion and terror making her voice shake.
"Clarke, honey, I'm…Okay, wait, first things first. Your Dad is alive, Clarke," Abby said quickly.
Clarke closed her eyes and felt her shoulders slump when she heard those four words leave her mother's mouth. He's alive, she thought. Clarke straightened in her seat and wiped her eyes again as Abby started speaking again before Clarke could fully register her relief.
"Dad came out of surgery about 15 minutes ago," Abby began. "He has several broken ribs and had a collapsed lung, as well as some internal bleeding. It was a long and gruelling surgery, but the surgeon that worked on him, and saved his life, assures me that he should make a full recovery. It's going to take some time, and he's in intensive care for the next 24 hours, but then they are going to fly him to our hospital in DC."
"What happened?" Clarke asked in a small voice, still trying to process all Abby had said.
"An explosion in the lab when they were running tests on fuel mixture ratios. Computer error, they think, but they'll be investigating for a while, and I'm sure your Dad will want answers," Abby laughed tiredly.
Hearing her mother laugh, caused the rest of Clarke's anxiety to ebb away slowly. If her mom could laugh, then her father would honestly be all right. Clarke opened her eyes and looked into the concerned faces of her friends and gave them a shaky smile. The relief around the room was palpable, and Clarke was never more grateful for her friends than she was at that moment. She felt Lexa squeeze her hand and she focused once again on her mother's voice.
"Dad won't wake up before the transfer, Clarke; they have him in a medically induced coma for the next two days so his lung can heal some before he tries too move to much. So, it doesn't make much sense for you to fly out here today. We'll be back on Monday, and you can see him then. However, if you feel like you need to come, I understand," Abby finished.
Clarke looked around at her friends and shook her head. "No, it's fine, Mom. I trust you when you say he'll be okay. I'll see you both at the hospital on Monday."
"Clarke?" Abby said. "About how I started this conversation…, I wasn't thinking. I was just trying to apologize for not being able to take you with me. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, and I'm so sorry you immediately thought the worst and what that must have done to you."
"It's okay, Mom. I understand, it's been a long night and I know you tried to get a hold of me. I'm not sure I would have forgiven myself for not having my phone on me if this had turned out differently," Clarke said, mentally chastising herself.
"Oh, honey," Abby sighed. "Don't do that to yourself. You had no way of knowing, and besides, it's all going to be okay. Dad will be all right and up to his old tricks in no time."
Clarke chuckled. "He'll be the worst patient ever, and he'll drive all the nurses crazy."
Abby laughed lightly and agreed, "Get some rest, Clarke. I'll call tomorrow with an update and an arrival time at the hospital on Monday."
"You too, Mom. You must be exhausted. Thank you for the call. I love you," Clarke finished softly.
"I love you too sweetie. Give my love to the girls. Good night," Abby replied.
"Night, Mom," Clarke said before hearing the disconnect on the other end.
Clarke lowered the phone and looked at the relieved, but expectant faces surrounding her. She quickly relayed the news and her friends hugged her in relief, one by one. Once Anya and Raven had both embraced Clarke, Anya indicated that she had to go.
"I'm so glad your Dad's going to be okay, Clarke," Anya said sincerely. "I'm sorry I have to go, but I enjoyed meeting you all, and I'm looking forward to coming back for Spring Break."
"Thank you, Anya. Have a safe trip back, and I'm also looking forward to seeing you again at Spring Break," Clarke said, stepping in and giving the taller blonde another farewell hug.
Lexa stood semi-awkwardly off to the side, not sure what she should do anymore. She had been prepared to wait with Clarke, but now she thought she should see Anya off. She looked back and forth between Clarke, Anya, and Raven hoping for inspiration. Finally, she said, "I guess I can take you to the airport, Anya."
Anya looked at Raven, and then back to Lexa. "Yeah, okay, great."
Raven looked at them both before declaring, "Well, I'm still coming," before crossing her arms in front of her chest with a look daring either of them to argue.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, grease-monkey," Anya said affectionately.
"Why don't we all go?" Clarke suddenly blurted out.
"Yeah, that's an excellent idea," Lincoln piped in, quiet up to that point. He shot Clarke a quick glance as if realizing she needed to move and not focus on the tragedy so nearly missed. "We're all awake anyway; we can give you send-off and then maybe we can all go get breakfast?"
"Ohhhh, that's why I love you," Octavia said, throwing her arms around Lincoln's neck and kissing him on his cheek with a loud 'smack.'
Lincoln caught her with wide eyes and a surprised look on his face. "You love me?" he asked as Octavia pulled her lips away from his face.
Octavia's face paled and then went very red, very quickly. "I mean, I only meant it's just one of the reasons I love you…I mean," she said frantically, still hanging off Lincoln's neck. "Oh my god," the feisty brunette said, as she untangled herself from her boyfriend and facepalmed before she took a deep breath, dropped her hand from her face and looked up, into Lincoln's eyes. "Yes, I love you, you big idiot. Did I ruin everything? It's too soon, isn't it? I can't believe I said that, let's just pretend I didn't say that okay? Can we start again from where you said, 'let's all go get breakfast'?" Octavia babbled.
Lincoln just looked at her with adoration and grabbed her chin to meet his eyes. "I love you too, O," he softly said and kissed her before continuing. "Love doesn't have a time limit; it happens when it happens." Everyone but Lexa missed the covert glance he shot her way when he said this last, and she smiled shyly at him.
Octavia's friends watched the brunette with amusement as she melted into her boyfriend as he reclaimed her lips. As soon as she came up for air, Octavia looked around sheepishly at her audience. "Well, that just happened; and you two," she pointed at Raven and Clarke, "can just shut it right now."
The group laughed as the rest of them moved to put on coats and shoes before they headed to the airport to see Anya off.
Anya's goodbye was a quick affair since, by the time they had found parking and made it inside, Anya only had a few minutes before heading through security. Octavia and Clarke said quick and heartfelt goodbyes and stepped aside to let Lincoln in for his farewell.
He hugged Anya tightly. "Don't be a stranger," he said before he pulled her in for a second, longer hug, and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for not giving up on her, Anya. And for being here."
Anya swallowed thickly and blinked back the tears threatening to fall as she heard the sincerity and emotion in the young man's voice. She nodded against his cheek and whispered back, "I'd do anything for her, you know that."
Lincoln squeezed Anya tight one more time and then stepped away with an affectionate smile on his face. He turned and walked to Octavia's side and slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side, where the brunette sank into him with a sigh.
Lexa was next, and she stepped up and pulled Anya into a fierce hug, tears brimming in her eyes. "I love you, Ahn. Thank you so much, for everything."
Anya took a deep breath, knowing that Lexa was talking about more than just her visit. Again, she had to blink back tears as she said nothing, just turned and placed a chaste kiss on Lexa's cheek before pulling her in for another quick hug and then pushed back on Lexa's shoulders and looked her in the eye. A thousand conversations passed between them at that moment, and Lexa let her hands trail down Anya's arms as she backed up until she reached her hands. With one final squeeze from both of them and a quiet nod, Lexa stepped away to join the others, which left only Raven standing waiting for her turn at goodbye.
The rest of the group, uncharacteristically, turned and walked a few meters away to give the two women some privacy as Raven stepped up and wrapped Anya in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much," Raven mumbled into the side of Anya's neck.
Anya didn't respond verbally, not trusting that the tightness in her throat wouldn't betray her real state of mind. Instead, she just squeezed Raven tighter for a moment before reaching up and untangling the smaller woman's arms from around her neck and taking a step back. Anya swallowed thickly and cleared her throat as she looked off at the group of friends standing just out of hearing distance. When she looked back at Raven, she was more or less in control of her features, and she gave Raven an unsteady smile.
"I'm going to miss you too, Rae. You must know that. No expectations, okay? Let's see where this goes, one step at a time," Anya softly said.
Raven looked at her sadly and nodded her head. "No expectations," she whispered back. Raven then squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Call me, or text me when you get home, okay? So that I know you got there safe?" she asked. "I can expect that at least?" she concluded with a quirked brow and a small smirk on her lips.
Anya felt a warmth bloom in her chest as she nodded and bent to pick up her bag. She backed away from Raven a few steps, keeping her eyes locked on the brunettes before spinning on her heel to make her way to the security gate.
Raven watched Anya turn her back and stood rooted to the spot for several heartbeats before she started sprinting towards the other woman, yelling, "Anya, wait!"
Anya spun around with a look of surprise on her face and barely managed to drop her bag in time to catch a flying Raven who had launched herself at Anya as soon as she had turned. Anya caught her mid-leap and staggered back a few steps from the force of the impact, as Raven wrapped her arms around Anya's neck and pressed a desperate kiss to the blonde's mouth. It took only a fraction of a second for Anya's surprise to wear off, to release her grip from around Raven and lower her to the ground and then return the kiss. When Raven moved to change the angle of the kiss, brushing her nose lightly against Anya's, before going in again, Anya grabbed Raven more forcibly by the hips and pulled her in impossibly closer than they already were. They stood kissing in the middle of the causeway for several minutes until they heard the boarding call for Anya's flight.
"Shit!" Anya said, pulling away, trying to catch her breath. "I have to go, Rae. They just called my flight, and I still haven't gone through security."
Raven kissed her quickly on the lips one more time, before giving her a gentle push towards the security gates. She swallowed thickly and husked, with a slightly forced smirk, "Get going then, Cheekbones."
Anya darted in for one last kiss, bent down and picked up her bag for the second time, and turned and jogged through the mostly empty security lineup. She turned to wave quickly before turning the corner and then she was gone. Raven sighed deeply and swallowed a few times convulsively to dislodge the lump in her throat before moving to find her waiting friends. She spotted them several meters away and walked towards them, forcing a smile on her face.
"Didn't someone say something about breakfast?" she asked as they turned to regard her approach. "I'm starving, let's go."
Before long the group found themselves at Lincoln's Waffle Shop on 10th St. There were pictures of President Lincoln plastered on the walls and windows, with one wall almost covered in little slips of paper. Octavia couldn't stop giggling and teasing her boyfriend that they were eating at 'his' restaurant. Lincoln just smiled at her and shook his head, while Raven made fake gagging noises at the two of them.
They were all squished into one of the last remaining open tables, eating waffles of various varieties, and quietly talking amongst themselves.
Clarke was quiet, joining in only rarely to the conversation around her; lost in her thoughts and worries about her dad, and her friends let her be, knowing she needed the time to process. It didn't stop any of them from shooting her the odd worried glance every now and again though.
Once they had finished breakfast, Lincoln drove everyone home, dropping Raven off first who reached over to Clarke sitting next to her in the back seat and gave her a tight hug.
"Call me if you need anything, okay," Raven whispered in her ear.
Clarke just nodded against Raven's shoulder before tightening her grip for a moment before letting her best friend go so she could climb out of the back of Lincoln's truck.
Raven said her good-byes to the rest and jogged up the stairs to her apartment. Once she had let herself in, Lincoln pulled away and headed to Clarke's house. Once there, Clarke opened the door with soft "thank you," to Lincoln and stepped out. Octavia quickly jumped out of the truck and ran around to wrap Clarke in her arms and kissed her cheek.
"Your dad's going to be okay, Clarke," she said as she released the blonde. "He'll be home, and we'll be rescuing his burning waffles on Sunday morning in no time."."
Clarke managed a small smile and looked up to see Lincoln and Lexa standing just behind Octavia. Octavia looked over her shoulder and then stepped aside so Lincoln could step forward. He quickly wrapped Clarke up in a tight hug, Clarke's face pressed into the centre of his chest, eyes wide in surprise for a moment before she recovered and hugged him back, a small smile on her lips.
"I'm glad your dad's okay, Clarke," the young man said into the top of Clarke's hair before releasing her.
Clarke looked up at him and smiled again and squeezed his hand before turning to look at Lexa.
Lexa didn't know what to do; when Clarke was so clearly hurting, it had come naturally to Lexa to comfort her, to be there for her and to open up to her. Now Clarke, while still worried about her father, knew that he would be okay and Lexa was at a loss. She was shifting from foot to foot and didn't know what to do with her hands, and as a result, she found she was twisting them in front of her, so she quickly pushed them into the pockets of her down-filled jacket. She watched as Lincoln gave the blonde a hug and saw the slight smile that appeared briefly on Clarke's features. Lexa's brow crinkled at the sight, her heart racing; she wanted to be the one to make Clarke smile, she wanted to be the one to bring her happiness, she wanted... With a start, Lexa shot her head up, eyes wide as she realized what she had just been thinking. Her feet stilled, her hands clenched and unclenched in her pockets and her back was ramrod straight. No, no, no, she thought frantically to herself. No, I can't do this, I'm not ready. Lexa was on the verge of panic when suddenly Clarke was standing in front of her and Lexa's mind completely shut down as she stared into the cerulean blue eyes of the blonde and she was lost.
Clarke was looking at her curiously as Lexa opened and closed her mouth a few times before she swallowed thickly and gave her head a slight shake.
"Lexa?" Clarke softly asked, quirking an eyebrow at the befuddled woman in front of her.
"Uh," Lexa stammered, "Um, I'm glad your dad's okay, Clarke," she softly stated, looking away from the eyes that seemed to be trying to peer into her very soul.
Clarke didn't say anything, and Lexa glanced back up, and her heart clenched at the confusion she could read in Clarke's eyes and the slight frown that had formed on her brow.
"Thanks," Clarke whispered, still looking at Lexa with a frown.
Lexa looked away again, torn between stepping up and hugging the blonde, or just turning and walking back to Lincoln's waiting truck. Before she could decide one way or the other, her body chose for her. She stuck out her hand towards Clarke who looked at her with even more confusion, and Lexa swore she saw a flicker of hurt pass through her eyes, before Clarke's face smoothed out and settled into one of calm acceptance.
Clarke didn't say anything though, just looked at Lexa's outstretched hand for a moment before reaching out and grasping it with her own. "Okay," Clarke softly said as she squeezed Lexa's hand and looked her in the eye. The hurt was gone, and Lexa saw understanding there instead. Clarke squeezed her hand one more time and nodded her head before she inhaled deeply and breathed out another, "Okay," before she released Lexa's hand and took a step back. She sent a quick wave to Lincoln and Octavia and then turned and walked into her house without looking back.
Lexa watched her go, conflicting emotions chasing themselves across her face. Her heart wanted to call out to Clarke, to wrap her up in the safety and warmth of an embrace; her head was telling her that she had done the right thing, the safe thing by letting Clarke walk away as she did. The problem, Lexa thought bitterly, was that she wasn't so sure she wanted to be safe anymore, she just didn't know what to do about it.
When the door closed behind Clarke, Lexa turned and walked back to Lincoln's truck. She ignored the looks sent to her by both her cousin and Octavia and climbed into the back seat in silence; head bowed, fingers clenched tightly into fists. Her demeanour and body language practically screamed 'don't talk to me', so neither of the other two occupants tried and the trip to the Woods' home passed in silence.
When the truck rumbled to a stop in the driveway, Lincoln got out and held the seat forward for Lexa to climb out. He offered his hand which she grabbed hold of as she ducked out from the back seat, shooting him a quick look of gratitude before shifting her eyes away again. Lincoln just sighed as he watched Lexa walk toward the door, before turning to look down on Octavia as she stepped up beside him.
Octavia leaned into his side and wrapped her right arm around his waist and looked up at him in return. Lincoln could see how tired she was by the pinch of her brow and the lines radiating out from the corners of her eyes. He briefly wondered when he had learned to read her so well before draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her closer to his body. Octavia sank into his warmth and smiled tiredly at him.
"Do you have to work today?" she asked him.
"Hmmm," Lincoln hummed as he nodded his head in the affirmative. "Not until later this evening, though. Night shift. Lots of time for a nap," he added, shooting his girlfriend a wink.
Octavia laughed lightly and bumped against him further. "I'd love a nap," she said. "But, I really do need to sleep, so I should probably head home. You and your body are not conducive to a good sleep. At least not right away," she added with a smirk.
Lincoln grinned back at the brunette. "You're probably right. But what if I promised sleep only?" he asked with an innocent expression on his face, eyes pleading.
Octavia couldn't resist the look he was giving her, and nodded her head, trying to contain the smile that threatened to spread across her face. "Okay," she said, feigning exasperation, still battling the twitching of her lips. "Just sleeping though," she added sternly, pointing a finger and poking Lincoln in his chest.
Lincoln laughed again and pulled her into a side hug before he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you," he said into Octavia's hair. He felt his girlfriend sigh as she turned into his body, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I love you too," she mumbled into his chest, and Lincoln knew he would never get tired of hearing her say those words to him.
"What are we going to do about your dumbass of a cousin?" Octavia said, as she pulled away from Lincoln and looked up at him.
Lincoln frowned down at her. "What?"
Octavia rolled her eyes and waved in the direction of the house. "Lexa," she began as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What the hell was she doing at Clarke's house? A handshake for god's sake?" Octavia asked, an incredulous look on her face.
"Octavia," Lincoln began, a slight warning tone in his voice that his girlfriend completely ignored before she continued, waving her hands for emphasis.
"I mean, she didn't leave Clarke's side once, after we got the news. She went and found her in the cold, she held her hand and comforted her through the whole night, but shakes her hand when we drop Clarke off?" Octavia asked, honestly confused.
"Octavia," Lincoln tried again. "Let it go," he added when she looked up at him.
"What? But.." Octavia tried again.
"Let it go," Lincoln softly repeated before he took a deep breath and looked to the sky for a moment before seemingly deciding on something. He put his hands on Octavia's shoulders and looked into her eyes until he was sure he had her full attention. "Lexa stepped up when Clarke needed her, and now the feelings and emotions that she repressed for Clarke's sake are crashing down on her," Lincoln revealed. "Lexa needs to figure out how she feels and what she wants, and she doesn't need anyone, anyone," he repeated looking at her seriously, "telling her how she should act or behave."
Octavia nodded and dropped her head before raising it again and asking, "This has something to do with how she was in the hospital when Clarke got hurt, doesn't it?"
Lincoln nodded and whispered, "it does."
"Okay, can you tell me what it is?" she asked.
"It's not my place to do that, O," Lincoln stated. "It's Lexa's story, her history; hers to tell."
"I can respect that," Octavia responded, a slight frown on her face. "But Clarke really likes her, Lincoln," Octavia stated.
"I know," Lincoln said with a small smile. "And I think Clarke's good for her. Lexa has been more herself in these last few months since we met you all than she has in the last two years." He paused while he thought about what he wanted to say next. "I can tell that Clarke gets it. I'm not sure how much Lexa has shared with her, but she gets it, I can see it in her eyes, the way she treats Lexa, and the way she's letting Lexa set the pace and the depth of their interactions. So, no pushing, no teasing, respect that Clarke knows what's she's doing and follow her lead." he said, looking at Octavia in earnest. "Let Lexa work this out on her terms, okay?"
"Wow, Octavia stated with a smile. "You really have been paying attention to my and my best friends' interactions, haven't you?" she laughed. "Okay, I promise. No pressure or teasing from my end and I'll make sure I speak to Raven as well. Because the heart-eyes are real, Lincoln. Even if Lexa doesn't want to acknowledge it yet and it's really hard not to be a smart ass about it. Especially with Clarke. But I will limit it to when only Clarke is present."
Lincoln grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thanks, O."
Octavia patted her boyfriend's muscular chest and looked up into his shining eyes. "No problem. Now how about that nap?" she asked slyly.
Lincoln chuckled and bent to kiss his girlfriend before interlacing their fingers and leading her toward the house.