Ring! Ring!
Clarke jumps awake to her phone ringing harshly. She sits up, wincing as her sore body stretches awkwardly since one of her wrists is still cuffed to the radiator. She notices her leg is throbbing. She looks down to see blood seeping through the bandages. She sighs, more in frustration than pain.
Ring! Ring!
Digging into her pocket, Clarke sees that Octavia is calling her.
'Oh, shit!' Clarke closes her eyes as she answers the phone, anticipating Octavia's anger.
"Where the fuck are you, Griffin?" Octavia yells through the speaker. "Your shift started an hour ago, and I can't keep giving your mom excuses."
"I know, Octavia, I know. I'm sorry." Clarke sighs. "I'm kind of… tied up at the moment." She hears Octavia laugh.
"Tied up? That's a sad excuse to be late for work. Just because your mom is our supervisor, doesn't mean you can show up whenever you like. I've taken your patients as well as mine, and now I don't have a break to bang Lincoln in the janitors closet!"
Clarke gags. "I get it. God, you didn't need to tell me that. Just tell my mom that it's an emergency, and I'll explain everything later."
"You owe me big time, Griffin." Octavia growls and hangs up before Clarke can respond.
"Damn it!" Clarke pulls on the handcuffs. She yells in frustration.
Twenty minutes later Clarke hears voices outside the door.
"Just let me talk to her. She can be stubborn, but she'll listen to me." Clarke recognizes Raven's voice. Then she hears Anya respond.
"She'll do anything when she has a gun to her face. I know from experience." Clarke clenches her jaw. She can imagine Anya waving her gun smugly. She doesn't hear Raven's response, but the door unlocks and in comes Raven. Clarke sees Anya outside the apartment, but she doesn't come in. Raven comes over, fumbling with the key as she frees Clarke.
"Thanks." Clarke mumbles, rubbing her wrist. "I was beginning to go a little crazy."
"It's too late for that." Raven smiles, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Clarke smiles too, appreciating Raven's attempt at humor.
"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Clarke asks, walking over to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. Raven's eyes widen.
"You, uh… you heard us out there?" Clarke nods.
"Well, all except what you actually want to tell me." Clarke pulls out two cups of coffee yogurt, tossing one to Raven, who sits down.
"Right, about that. So… you know a lot." Raven begins, not making eye contact with Clarke. "And Lexa wanted to kill you, but I convinced her otherwise."
"Thank you. I mean, yeah, thanks. I would do the same thing in your shoes." Clarke frowns when she sees Raven's face. "There's more, isn't there?" Raven nods.
"Lexa said you can live if you make yourself useful." Clarke begins to breathe quickly.
"I'm going to be a drug mule. I'm going to be a fucking drug mule!" Clarke runs her hand through her hair.
"Clarke, please. Don't think about it like that." Raven sighs guiltily.
"You're right. No, you're right. I shouldn't freak out. It could be worse. I could be addicted to heroin." Clarke rolls her eyes.
Raven stands up, no longer feeling guilty. "Say that again." She says quietly.
"I said, at least I'm not addicted to heroin." A part of Clarke knows that she shouldn't blame Raven for any of this, but she is scared and angry.
"I can't believe you. I just saved your life!" Raven shakes her head.
Clarke scoffs. "Yeah, after getting me into this mess in the first place!" Raven doesn't answer, but instead walks to her bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Clarke asks.
"To call Lexa and tell her that she can kill you!" Raven yells back, slamming the door. Clarke sighs. She knows Raven is bluffing, but it'll take her a while to cool down. She decides to negotiate with the Commander herself. Before she can change her mind, Clarke goes to the front door and opens it to find Anya right outside.
"Clarke! How is my favorite little mule doing today?" Anya smiles at Clarke's reaction. "Raven did tell you, right?" Clarke nods.
"I want to talk to Lexa." Clarke says, crossing her arms.
"Wow, look at you! You get promoted and all of a sudden you are referring to the Commander by her first name." Anya laughs.
Clarke rolls her eyes. "Just take me to her."
"Whatever." Anya holds up her hands. "Follow me." Clarke looks behind her before following Anya.
"Um, so…" Clarke has to jog to catch up with Anya. "Raven doesn't know that I'm doing this so maybe you could not tell her?" Anya smirks.
"You don't want her to know that you're risking your life after she worked so hard to save it?" Clarke sighs.
"Let's talk about something else." Clarke says quickly as they step in the elevator.
"How's your knee?" Anya asks, glancing down at Clarke's leg.
"Seriously?" Clarke rolls her eyes. "You shoot me and then ask if I'm okay?"
"Hey, you wanted to talk about something else." Anya shrugs. "Besides, I didn't shoot you. Indra did."
"No, the Commander did. She did all of this." Clarke follows Anya outside and into a black car. Anya doesn't respond as she starts the car and drives out of the city. Clarke fidgets nervously, trying very hard not to think about how stupid she is being by willingly going to meet with Lexa. About half an hour later Anya pulls the car over to the side of the road.
"Are we already here?" Clarke asks, looking around.
"Don't be stupid." Anya scoffs. She throws a black piece of cloth at Clarke's face. "Put that on."
"Seriously?" Clarke holds up the blindfold. "Is this really necessary?"
"You wouldn't last a minute in an interrogation." Anya smirks. "This is so the Commander won't have to kill you for knowing too much."
"I thought that was already the plan." Clarke mumbles as she puts on the blindfold.
"Jesus, Clarke." Anya rolls her eyes. "Will you stop complaining? I'm getting a headache." Clarke sighs and crosses her arms. Anya starts the car again. It doesn't stop until an hour later. Clarke hears Anya get out of the car. She opens her door and starts to pull off the blindfold. Before she can pull it off, Anya smacks her hand away.
"Not yet." Anya snaps, grabbing Clarke's arm tightly and yanking her away from the car.
"Hey, watch it!" Clarke pulls away. "I'm going willingly, remember?" Anya pushes Clarke into a brick wall.
"Watch yourself, little girl." Anya whispers into Clarke's ear. Clarke groans in pain. "You're in foreign territory." Even though she can't see, Clarke can tell that she is led inside. She is pushed into a chair as her blindfold is pulled off of her eyes. She blinks a few times until her eyes adjust to the light. She looks up to see Lexa looming over her.
"Shit, that was fast." Clarke mutters. Lexa smiles.
"I heard you wanted to talk." Lexa pulls a chair up across from Clarke. She runs her hand along Clarke's leg, moving it towards her upper thigh. Clarke flinches, but doesn't move away. Instead she clears her throat.
"Yes, okay. I heard about your, um… plan for me. I'll do it. On one condition." Lexa laughs loudly, causing Clarke to flinch again. It's a laugh that makes her stomach tingle, but she pushes down the feeling.
'This is not the time.' Clarke tells herself. Lexa snaps her out of her thoughts.
"You are in no position to negotiate with me, Clarke." Lexa squeezes Clarke's thigh. Clarke squirms uncomfortably. "But I'll humor you." She adds, leaning back in her chair. Clarke sighs.
"I'll do whatever you want, okay? Just please, stop supplying Raven. Don't do this to her." Clarke looks at Lexa pleadingly. Lexa laughs again.
"She'll be in more pain without it than she is with it." Clarke shakes her head.
"I'm trained to help addicts. I can save her, but not if you keep doing this to her." Lexa nods, thinking.
"And if we don't do what you're asking?" Anya asks from the corner of the room. Lexa holds up her hand, and Anya shuts her mouth.
"Fine." Lexa says. "I'll let you save Raven, or whatever you want to call it. But you start now."
"Yes, fine. Whatever." Clarke sighs.
"Good girl." Lexa smiles. She gestures to Anya, who brings forward a messenger bag. She then hands Clarke a slip of paper. "Take this bag to the address I have just given to you." Clarke begins to open the bag, but Lexa stops her.
"You don't need to worry about what's inside." Anya says, coming over and pulls Clarke up from the chair.
"Good luck." Lexa says. Clarke sees her wink before she is pushed out of the room towards her future.