Chapter Two
As she woke up she checked her phone, it was just gone 9am, way too early for Clarke to be awake when she wasn't at school. Usually she wouldn't be awake until 10:30 or later, even then they were going out to the lake. Instead of turning over and trying to go back to sleep she decided to get up, checking the weather outside she smiled a little, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This was going to be a good day.
Leaving the bathroom she heard her phone ding, letting her know she had a text message. As she picked her phone up from her bedside table she sat down on the side of her bed.
Octavia (09:15) crisis time Princess.
Smiling to herself she typed out the reply to send to Octavia.
'What's up O?' she typed before hitting send. It didn't take Octavia long to reply.
Octavia (09:15) I don't know what to wear. I mean if it was just us guys I'd know what to wear but…
Clarke couldn't contain the laugh that escaped her chest, Octavia was nervous. Octavia Blake was never nervous. The girl was stunning, and she knew it. 'Wear whatever you want to wear, I don't think Lincoln is going to mind' she replied, putting her phone on her bed as she remembered that she needed to decide what she was going to wear. When she didn't get a reply from Octavia she figured that the younger girl realised that she was right, Lincoln wasn't going to care what she was wearing. A thought did cross her mind though, Raven might mind. She had no idea what was going on with Raven and Octavia, from what Bellamy had told her the girls had been spending pretty much every waking, and most sleeping, moments together over the break. Clarke knew that to be true as when they met up the two girls were always together. Raven had a tough upbringing, her mother had pretty much abandoned her at a young age, choosing drink and drugs over her daughter, so Raven had been looking out for herself for a long time. Octavia was the family she never had, but Clarke couldn't help but think that it was a little more than that for her. She made a mental note to talk to Raven out at the lake, just to see if she could figure this all out before her best friends destroyed what they had. But all that seemed to vanish from her mind as the smell of fresh coffee drifted under her door. Smiling to herself she grabbed her phone and went downstairs.
Clarke was a little surprised to see both her parents in the kitchen, it was Saturday, her mother usually worked. Her mother worked most days, and those days that she didn't she was always on call. It was like she was a doctor first and a mother second, and as much as it hurt Clarke it was something that the blonde girl had grown used to.
"You're up early." Her father said as he looked at her with a smile.
"Couldn't sleep," Clarke replied, moving to pour herself a coffee, but her mom beat her to it, "thanks…"
Abby smiled in reply as Clarke took the mug of coffee.
"Anything planned for today?" Abby asked as Clarke sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
"We're hanging out at the lake." Clarke replied.
"Will you all be drinking?" Abby asked, her usual concern evident in her voice.
"Maybe," Clarke replied with a shrug, "I don't know. I think Jasper will be bringing his usual toxic sh… stuff with him."
"Make sure that…" Abby started to say.
"I eat something and that I'm very clear about who my designated driver is." Clarke interrupted, completing the sentence that she had heard from her mom so many times in the past, "I know."
"Is Bellamy going to be there?" her mom asked.
"Yes," Clarke replied, "he's the one who is doing the barbequing again, as no one got food poisoning last time."
Jake laughed a little as he looked up from his laptop screen. He knew that his wife wasn't too keen on the older Blake boy, thinking he was too old for their daughter. But he knew that Clarke was sensible and wouldn't get involved in any kind of relationship with anyone she didn't want to.
"Did you kids go to that new café yesterday?" he asked, remembering that Clarke had mentioned something about it a few days before.
"Dad, you should see that place," Clarke said, her face lighting up a little, "it's amazing. It has an art space upstairs which is like being in the middle of a forest or something, and the family that run it are really great people. Lexa is starting Mount Weather in the fall."
"Lexa?" Abby asked.
"Her mom owns Ark Station, the café…" Clarke replied.
"And she's going to be in your classes?" Abby asked in reply.
"I don't know," Clarke said with a shrug, "maybe."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The rest of the morning had passed pretty quickly and it wasn't long before Raven had stopped by to pick her up. Clarke had been bugging her parents to get her a car of her own, she knew her dad was close to caving, she just had to work on her mom. As they arrived out by the lake Octavia, Bellamy, Finn and Harper were already there, setting everything up. Raven parked her car next to Bellamy's and the two of them walked over to the group.
"I was thinking," Finn said as he handed Raven a drink, "does Lincoln know where he's going? I mean this is a pretty big place."
"Yeah," Octavia said as she grabbed a beer, "I text him directions this morning."
Clarke noticed the look on Raven's face as Octavia mentioned texting Lincoln.
"You okay there Reyes?" she asked, nudging her friend a little.
"Yeah," Raven said with a forced smile, "top of the world… remind me again why I always have to be the driver…"
"Because it's your car and you won't let anyone else drive it?" Finn asked with a smile.
Raven had spent the previous summer working on her car, it was her pride and joy and Finn was right when he said she wouldn't let anyone else drive it. It wasn't long before they heard more cars approaching. Clarke's attention was drawn to the black Mustang that pulled up next to Raven's car, she knew Raven would be looking at it as well, the other girl loved muscle cars. The blonde nearly dropped her drink when she saw who stepped out of the driver's side.
"Nice wheels Lexa…" Raven said as she stood up and walked over to the car.
"It was my 18th present." Lexa said with a small smile.
"Your mom got you a car for your 18th?" Octavia asked.
"No," Lexa replied with a laugh, "Lincoln did."
"Bellamy, do you want to get me a car for my 18th?" Octavia asked her brother, only partly joking.
"You can't even drive O." Bellamy said with a laugh.
"Another reason for you to get me a car," Octavia said with a grin, "then Raven can teach me to drive."
"I am not teaching you to drive," Raven replied, laughing, "me and you in a stressful situation like that, I see something going boom, and it'd probably be my head."
Clarke was stuck between looking at Lexa and looking at her car. The brunette was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a loose t-shirt which hung down on one shoulder.
"You catching flies there Princess?" Octavia asked as she leaned closer to Clarke.
"Huh?" Clarke asked looking at her.
Octavia just laughed as she grabbed a couple of beers and walked over to Lincoln and Lexa, offering them both a can.
"I er…" Lexa said, looking at the drink, "I'm driving."
"Good point," Octavia replied, "more for me."
Lexa laughed a little as she walked closer to where the group was sitting, making her way over to where Clarke was. The blonde girl shifted over a little, making room on the mat she had taken with her so Lexa could sit.
"I'll get you a soft drink." Clarke said with a little smile as she stood up.
"Thanks…" Lexa replied with a smile of her own.
Neither girl noticed that both Bellamy and Finn were looking at them, as if they both seemed very interested by the interaction. After she had got Lexa a drink Clarke went and sat back down, laughing a little as the other girl got her book out of her bag.
"What?" Lexa asked as she looked at the blonde.
"Do you carry that thing everywhere with you?" she asked.
"It's her security blanket." Lincoln said with a laugh as he sat down near the pair.
"I like to read." Lexa said with a sigh, "will it make you both happy if I put it in the car?"
They both nodded and Lexa shook her head a little as she stood up and took the book to the car, putting it on the passenger seat before she re-joined the group.
"Better?" she asked, looking at Clarke.
"Much." The blonde replied.
"So, Lexa," Finn said, as he dropped down next to Clarke, resting his arm on the log behind her, "any idea what classes you're going to be in yet?"
"Er, no." she replied, Finn's actions not lost on her, "not yet. I don't think I'm going to find out until I get there."
He nodded a little.
"Well Clarke here is the only one of us who takes art, which I think is the way she likes it," he said, his hand dropping down onto Clarke's shoulder, "Raven takes mechanics…"
"Ever need your car fixed, I'm your go-to girl." Raven replied with a little smile, noticing how uncomfortable Finn was making both Clarke and Lexa, "Finn, can you help me with the sound-system please."
"You don't need any…" he started to say, stopping himself when he realised that it hadn't been a request, "sure."
He stood up and walked with Raven over to her car. As he walked away Clarke let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"He certainly seems interested." Lexa says quietly as she watches Bellamy make a start on the barbeque.
"He can be a total dick sometimes…" Clarke replied.
"If he were a dog, and you were a tree, he would have totally just peed up your leg…" Lexa said.
Clarke can't stop the laugh as it bubbles up in her chest.
"Shame I'm not his territory to mark huh." Clarke replies continuing to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Octavia asked as she sat down.
Clarke noticed that Octavia had chosen to sit next to Lexa, something that the other girl was a little surprised by.
"Finn…" Lexa said.
"Ah," Octavia laughed, "he can't get the hint huh. I remember the conversation where Clarke told him she wasn't interested, you remember Princess?"
"Yep," the blonde replied, "it ended with Raven's fist connecting with his face."
"How are they still friends?" Lexa asked.
"You're not friends with any of your ex's?" Octavia asked, obviously having no idea about Lexa's past.
"Er… no." Lexa replied, as she looked down at her hands, Clarke could see her jaw clench a little.
"Did I just totally stick my foot in my mouth?" the younger girl asked, looking between Clarke and Lexa.
Clarke didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. Lexa's story wasn't hers to tell, the story of Costia was one she had been privileged to hear, but it was up to Lexa if she shared that with Octavia.
"I have like one ex…" Lexa said, "and she isn't an ex by choice… she… passed away 8 months ago."
"Shit…" Octavia replied, mentally kicking herself, "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"
"It's okay," Lexa said swallowing hard, "it's… excuse me."
Clarke watched as the green eyes which she so enjoyed getting lost in started to cloud over as Lexa stood up.
"Lexa…" she said.
"I just need a minute…" Lexa replied as she walked to her car.
Clarke and Octavia sat in silence for a few moments, neither one knowing what to say.
"She told you?" Octavia asked, looking over at Clarke.
"Yeah," Clarke replied with a nod, "last night… drunk driver smashed into her girlfriend's parent's car…"
"That's some seriously heavy shit…" Octavia said quietly.
"What's the matter with Lexa?" Lincoln asked, Clarke could tell he was in big brother mode.
"Costia…" Clarke said as she looked at him.
She saw as he looked at Lexa's car, torn between giving his sister the space she had obviously asked for, and going to be her superhero. He moved to walk towards the car, Clarke stood up and grabbed his wrist softly.
"Give her a little time Lincoln," she said, "she'll be okay…"
He nodded a little as Clarke dropped his wrist, neither of them had noticed Lexa watching them from her car. Nobody had managed to stop him going after her before, he had been her rock when Costia died, all she had to do was turn around and he was there. She shook her head a little as she considered the fact that maybe these people wouldn't be so bad, she would actually be able to let them in, she would actually be able to let her in.
"Yo," Jasper shouted over to Clarke and Octavia, "soccer time, you girls in?"
"I'll pass." Clarke said with a laugh as she saw Octavia stand up.
"I'm in." Octavia replied, "How many do we have per-side?"
She looked around, noticing they could have a 5 a-side game if they had two more players.
"Lincoln?" she asked.
"Sure." He replied with a little nod.
"Now we need one more." She said as she noticed Lexa get out of her car again.
"She hasn't played in 8 months…" Lincoln said quietly to Octavia, "she's good though…"
"Lexa," Octavia said as the other girl made her way back over to them, "we're playing 5 a-side, you in?"
Clarke could see her thinking about it as she sat back down again, watching as Lexa looked at Lincoln.
"As long as I'm not on his team," Lexa replied, a smirk on her lips, "he really can't play, and I don't like to lose."
Clarke laughed as she watched her friends start to play. She felt the need to do something she hadn't done in a while around her friends, she took out her sketch pad. She carried it everywhere with her, just in case inspiration hit and she needed to sketch out an idea. So as her friends were laughing and joking around she started to draw. The only thing that she could draw was what was in her mind at that moment. Concentrating as the eyes came into focus on the page in front of her. She looked up as she heard Bellamy start yelling about a goal, apparently Lincoln hadn't been joking when he said Lexa was good. By the time the game was finished, Octavia's team winning 10-2, Clarke had finished the drawing.
"Did the Princess actually draw in front of us?" Murphy asked as he grabbed hold of Clarke's sketch book before she realised what was going on, "you are seriously whipped Griffin."
Clarke felt her anger start to boil up inside her, she hated people looking at her work at the best of times, but she hated it even more when she hadn't given them permission to do so.
"Give that back." She said, standing up.
Murphy passed the book to Raven, who looked between the drawing and Lexa, noticing how her friend had got every single feature on Lexa's face perfect.
"Clarke this is…" she started to say, before Octavia took it off her.
"Shit damn…" she said.
"Yeah, yeah," Clarke replied, "laugh it up…"
She turned and walked into the trees as quickly as she could.
"Clarke!" she heard Lexa call after her.
"Leave her," Murphy said, "or you could always follow her, I mean maybe that's what she wants, it was you that she was drawing after all."
Lexa looked at him as Bellamy handed her Clarke's sketch book. Looking back up at her was a picture of herself, laughing, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.
"I'll go and get her." Raven said, looking at Murphy, "you're a dick."
"Wait…" Lexa said to Raven, closing the book, "I'll go…"
"You might not want to be dealing with her right now Lexa," Raven replied, "she's angry, when she's angry she's seriously not a nice person to be around."
"I'll go." Lexa said again as she started to walk in the direction that Clarke had gone.
It didn't take her long to find the blonde girl, she was sitting on a log in a clearing and Lexa could tell just by the way that she was sitting that she didn't want to be around anyone. Lexa knew that she put out the same vibes herself when she was pissed off. Slowly she walked over to where Clarke was sitting, knowing that the other girl would know she was there, but Clarke didn't look at her. Lexa took that as a sign that she wasn't about to get her head bitten off and she sat down on the log next to Clarke.
"Have you come to poke fun too…?" Clarke said quietly.
"I came to return this…" Lexa replied, holding out the book.
Clarke nodded a little as she took the book from Lexa.
"I didn't…" Clarke started to say, "I just draw what comes into my head…"
"I came into your head?" Lexa asked, as she looked at the girl next to her.
"I'm an artist…" Clarke said with a shrug, "your eyes are…"
"You're really talented Clarke," Lexa said, standing up as she realised her being there was probably making Clarke even more uncomfortable than she had been, "it's a gift, you shouldn't hide it away…"
She started to walk back to where the others were.
"Lexa…" Clarke said.
"Yeah." Lexa replied, turning back to face the other girl.
"Thank you…" Clarke said, "For bringing the book back… and not… freaking out."
"Why would I freak out Clarke?" she asked, walking back towards the blonde.
"Cause it's weird," Clarke replied, shrugging a little as she looked down at the sketch book in her hands, "I mean you've known me for a day, and I just drew a picture of you…"
"You've seen Ark Station right," Lexa said with a laugh, "I'm used to being around creative people Clarke… and, like I said, you're really talented…"
"So are you," Clarke said, looking up at her, "on the soccer field, where was that talent hiding."
Lexa rubbed the back of her neck as she sat back down next to Clarke.
"I used to play," Lexa said, "back in Vegas… I played for the school, captain of the team, leading goal scorer…"
"So what happened?" Clarke asked.
"Costia…" Lexa replied with a small laugh, "She used to come to all my games… all the practices… everything. When she… I just didn't feel like playing anymore. I had scouts from colleges wanting to come and watch me play, but I just didn't feel like it anymore. It stopped being fun. It just became another memory I didn't want… another reminder that she wasn't there anymore…"
"When you went back to your car earlier," Clarke said, "Lincoln went into big brother mode."
"He does that a lot," Lexa replied, "if it wasn't for him, and Anya and mom, I don't think I would've got through it… she was everything to me. We would see each other every day, most nights I would either be at her house, or she'd be at mine… everything that we did was always connected in some way with the other person…"
"That must be nice…" Clarke said quietly, so quietly that Lexa almost missed it.
"It was," she replied, "but she's gone…"
Clarke didn't say anything as Lexa let out a long deep breath.
"I have to start living for me again…" she concluded.
"We have a school soccer team you know," Clarke said with a small smile, "Octavia plays… you know she's going to be bugging you to try out."
"One step at a time, Princess." Lexa replied, with a smile of her own.
Clarke laughed at her use of the nickname.
"What is with that nickname?" Lexa asked, "not that I don't think it suits you or anything, it's just…"
"When I was in junior high," Clarke said, ignoring the implications of what Lexa had just said, in the hopes of stopping the redness that was currently building on Lexa's face, "my dad dropped me off one day, Raven and Octavia heard him call me Princess… it kind of stuck."
"I take it you and your father are close?" Lexa asked.
"Yeah," Clarke replied, "my mom is at work a lot, and even when she's not it's like she is… she's head of ER so she's always on call. My dad is always there when I need him, no matter how busy he is…"
Clarke heard branches break in the trees behind them.
"We're not alone…" she said quietly to Lexa.
"Oh I know," Lexa said with a laugh, "it's Raven, Octavia, Bellamy and Lincoln…"
Clarke looked behind her and she saw that Lexa was exactly right.
"How did you know it was them?" Clarke asked as she looked at Lexa.
"I don't know," Lexa replied with a laugh, "they've been there for the last few minutes though…"
The four of them walked over to where Clarke and Lexa were sitting, they all sat on the ground near the log.
"I hear you drew a picture of my sister…" Lincoln said with a small smile as he looked at Clarke, "can I see it?"
Lexa noticed Clarke tense up again, she just hoped she wasn't going to run off.
"Come on Princess," Octavia said, "everyone else has already seen it."
Clarke could feel Lexa looking at her, she turned her head and saw the small smile that was on Lexa's lips. With a sigh and a shake of her head Clarke handed the book to Lincoln who very carefully opened it and looked at the picture. His face dropped.
"It's just a… top of my head thing… I…" Clarke started to say, thinking that he didn't like it, when her thoughts couldn't be further from the truth.
As he looked at the picture he remembered all those times when Lexa was growing up that she would just laugh, sometimes for no reason at all. She used to be so free, then after the accident, after Costia died, she closed off, to everyone around her. If he didn't know any better, Lincoln would think he was looking at a grayscale photograph of his sister, not something that Clarke had drawn in a little over an hour.
"This is amazing Clarke," he said as he looked at her before looking down at the drawing again, "I can think of someone who would love this…"
He looked at Lexa with a smile.
"Mom." They both said together.
"How much do you want for it?" Lincoln asked as he looked at Clarke again.
"Nothing," Clarke replied shaking her head, still not looking at him, "you can have it, if you want it…"
"How about free drinks at Ark Station tonight?" Raven asked with a smirk, "for everyone, all night."
"Sounds fair to me." Lexa replied with a nod, "Clarke?"
"Sure…" the blonde girl said as she looked at Lexa.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
They had all agreed to meet up at Ark Station later that night, Lexa had mentioned that it was Open Mic night so the vibe would be a little different to how it had been the previous night, meaning there would be no climbing on the table from Jasper.
Clarke had spent the hour and a half between getting home and leaving for the Ark, stressing about what she was going to wear. She had text Octavia to ask her and the younger girl replied with 'white tank, ripped blue jeans, black leather jacket, oh and leave your hair down Princess'. She was pretty sure that Octavia knew the contents of her closet better than she did. Bellamy had picked her up, apparently Raven was going to be running a little late. As soon as she had got in the car she saw the smile on Octavia's face along with the younger girl telling her she looked hot.
When they arrived at Ark Station, Clarke noticed that a lot of their friends were already there, sitting around in what she was sure would be their usual spot, though a few of them were actually sitting at the tables. Lincoln had told them that he would bring the drinks over once they were sitting down, obviously planning to stick to the arrangement that he and Lexa had made with Raven earlier that day. Clarke was a little disappointed that she didn't see Lexa around when they got there, if Lincoln had noticed her looking around he didn't say anything this time, maybe his sister wouldn't be there at all. As the evening wore on, still with no sign of Lexa, Clarke found herself really enjoying Open Mic night. Some of the music was a bit rubbish, but some of it was amazing, and it showed her yet another reason why she loved New York. She had said on many occasion that some of the buskers who played throughout the city were better than the music that was in the charts, and this night just proved that. She was laughing at something that Octavia was saying when she felt someone walk up behind her, a now familiar scent reached her. Lexa. She kept her eyes on the stage as she felt Lexa place a hand on her shoulder before she leant in.
"Can I steal you for a second?" Lexa asked.
Clarke looked at Octavia and Bellamy. The younger girl was too busy talking to Lincoln, but Bellamy motioned for her to go, indicating that he'd save her seat for her. As Clarke stood up, Octavia looked up and noticed as Lexa's eyes travelled the length of Clarke's body, the younger girl mentally high fived herself for her outfit choice. Something else that didn't go unnoticed by Octavia was the slight redness that reached Lexa's cheeks when she knew that she'd been caught. As Clarke walked away with Lexa, Octavia laughed a little.
"What?" Bellamy asked.
"Are you telling me you didn't see that?" Octavia asked in reply.
"See what?" the older boy asked again.
"Lexa looking like she wouldn't mind eating Clarke for breakfast," Raven said as she finished the remainder of her drink, "I saw it."
"Are you two still going on about that…?" Bellamy said with a sigh.
"Hate to break it to you big brother," Octavia replied, reaching over and patting her brother on the arm playfully, "but I think that ship has sailed for you."
"As long as she's happy I don't care." He said.
"You really mean that don't you?" Raven asked as she looked at him.
"Yeah," he said with a shrug, "she's a great girl, and she deserves to be happy."
"You are full of surprises Bellamy Blake." Raven said with a little smile.
"Oh god no…" Octavia said, looking like she was about to gag, "Raven, he's my brother."
Raven didn't say anything, she just shrugged her shoulders.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"What's the matter?" Clarke asked Lexa as they walked down the corridor behind the counter.
"Why would anything be the matter?" Lexa asked, a small smile playing on her lips.
"I didn't see you here earlier, and…" Clarke started to say, realising how stupid she probably sounded she stopped herself, "never mind…"
"I had a few things I needed to take care of at home." Lexa replied, her heart racing a little at the idea that Clarke had missed her, "did you miss me?"
Instead of answering the question, Clarke just laughed a little, feeling her face start to burn. She felt Lexa's hand on her lower back.
"You're cute when you blush…" the brunette said quietly, causing Clarke to swallow as her mouth suddenly went dry, "this is it."
They stopped in front of a door and Lexa knocked.
"Why do I feel like I've been called to the Principles office?" Clarke asked as they waited, which just caused Lexa to laugh.
"Yes." Came the call from inside, and Lexa opened the door, indicating for Clarke to walk in ahead of her.
Lexa closed the door behind them, and Clarke found herself looking around. Figuring out pretty quickly that this must have been the office. She saw pictures hanging on the wall, framed family photos of Lincoln, Anya and Lexa.
"Mom, this is Clarke." Lexa said to the woman sitting behind the desk, a woman that she had seen the night before, "Clarke this is my mom."
"It's nice to meet you, officially…" Clarke said, as she saw Anya sitting on the leather sofa that ran along the side wall, "Hi Anya."
The other girl just nodded a little in reply.
"Earlier this evening my kids gave me a gift," Indra said, standing up from the desk, "one of the most beautiful drawings I've ever seen, and I believe that you're the artist."
"Er… yeah." Clarke replied, not really understanding what was happening.
"I understand that you wouldn't accept payment…" Indra continued.
"Well, I think we're kinda killing your profits for tonight," Clarke said with a little shrug, "Free bar tab…"
She heard Lexa laugh a little from where she was standing, leaning against the wall next to the door.
"Have you ever thought about turning your art into your profession?" the older woman asked, looking at Clarke.
"Yeah, one day, maybe," the blonde replied, "I'm thinking about trying to get into an art school when I graduate…"
"An art school will destroy the natural gifts you have, Clarke," Indra said shaking her head a little, "they will strip it all back and start again, turning them into the artist they want you to be, rather than the artist you already are. A good friend of mine owns a prominent gallery downtown, I'm going to ask him to come and look at your work, if that's okay with you."
Clarke's head started swimming with thoughts, she enjoyed her art, but she hadn't really considered anyone else liking it. Obviously she had dreams of having her own gallery one day, but she didn't think that would be for a very long time, after all, as her mother had said, it's very rare for anyone to actually make a living selling their art. She felt Lexa move up behind her again, as once again the girl placed her hand on the small of the blonde's back.
"Breathe Clarke…" Lexa said, "I don't think she wants an answer right now."
Indra looked at Anya, wondering if her daughter was seeing what she was. It had been a long time since they had seen Lexa being this way with anyone, the last person was Costia. Anya smiled a little, letting her mom know she saw it. She'd already noticed a change in Lexa, in the 24 hours since Clarke Griffin came into her life, she knew that Lincoln had seen it as well.
"Can I…" Clarke started to say as she swallowed again, "can I get back to you?"
"Of course." Indra replied with a smile.
"Thanks." Clarke said with a nod.
She heard Lexa open the door again. She turned to leave, not noticing the look that Anya gave Lexa, nor the look that Lexa shot back which had made both Indra and Anya laugh a little. Lexa just closed the door shaking her head.
"You'll have to excuse my family." Lexa said as she and Clarke walked back towards the main area of the Ark, "they're asses sometimes."
"Is your mom for real?" Clarke asked as she stopped and looked at the girl next to her.
"Yes," Lexa replied with a smile and a nod, "she actually cried when we gave her the drawing. Like I told you, Princess, you're very talented…"
Clarke watched as Lexa started to walk again.
"Everyone else can see it," Lexa continued, "Why can't you?"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
When Clarke went back to the table she noticed it was just Bellamy sitting there.
"Where's everyone gone?" she asked as she sat back down.
"Helping Lincoln get the next round of drinks in," he replied, "what did Lexa want?"
"Her mom wanted to talk to me…" Clarke said, deciding not to tell him what the conversation had been about, she wanted to make the decision herself without all her friends telling her what they thought she should do.
"About the drawing?" he asked.
"Yeah," Clarke replied with a nod, "she really liked it."
"Not surprised," he said with a smile, "where did Lexa get to?"
"Helping the new girl at the bar area," Clarke replied, glancing over to where the brunette was serving some drinks, "apparently it's a little busier in here than they expected."
"She seems like a nice girl…" he said.
"Yeah." Clarke said with a small smile, "she is…"
At that moment he realised that Raven and Octavia were right, there was something building between Clarke and the new girl.
"You like her…" he said, stopping Clarke before she said anything, "as in like her, like her."
He noticed Clarke looking down at the table as she started to blush.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Not here…" she replied, "maybe if we get some air…"
He nodded a little and motioned over to Jasper, letting him know that he and Clarke were going outside. As soon as Clarke and Bellamy stood up, Jasper and Monty sat down, saving the table for when they got back. Clarke looked over at the bar area as they were leaving and she noticed a small smile on Lexa's lips as she looked at her. The blonde girl shook her head a little as she laughed.
As soon as they were outside Clarke started pacing back and forth a little.
"I have no idea what's going on Bellamy…" she said, "I mean, I've never really thought about girls like that…"
"Maybe you're just curious," he said, "from what O told me, most girls get curious at some point."
"Boys too," Clarke said with a laugh, "but most of you don't admit it…"
He laughed, knowing that Clarke was right, but still not admitting it.
"What if I'm not just curious," Clarke said with a sigh, "I mean, I've kissed girls when I've been wasted, and they say that alcohol doesn't make you do something you weren't already thinking about…"
"It just makes you a little braver," Bellamy replied with a nod, "have you talked to her about it?"
"What am I supposed to say?" she asked, "hey, I know you only lost your girlfriend 8 months ago, but I really like you and I don't know if I'm just curious or if I actually like you like that? Don't think that would go down too well…"
"She lost her girlfriend?" he asked.
"Me and my big mouth…" Clarke said, mentally kicking herself, "her girlfriend died in a car accident 8 months ago in Vegas…"
"Wow…" he replied, "had they been together long?"
"They met when they were 7, from what she said last night they got together when they were 13," she said, "so yeah, they had…"
"That sucks…" Bellamy said, "No wonder Lincoln is super protective of her."
"You're super protective of Octavia," Clarke said with a laugh, "I think it's a big brother thing."
At that moment Finn arrived, he looked a little worse for wear.
"Clarke," he said slurring his words slightly, "can I talk to you?"
"Sure…" Clarke replied, looking at Bellamy.
"I'll see you inside Princess," Bellamy said with a little smile, "you'll figure it out."
With the Bellamy walked back inside, leaving Clarke outside with Finn.
"How drunk are you?" Clarke asked him as he leaned against the wall near the door.
"A little," he said with a laugh, "I was hanging out with Murphy and a few others, then I realised I needed to talk to you, and if I didn't do it now I never would."
"I'm listening." Clarke replied, though she was pretty sure she already knew what was coming.
"What's going on with you and Lexa?" he asked.
"Nothing," Clarke replied honestly, "nothing is going on, why?"
"I've seen the way she looks at you and…" he said, "I don't like it. I don't like other people looking at you like that. I don't like her looking at you like that."
"Finn, we talked about this…" Clarke said with a sigh.
"I know, I know, Raven is my ex, she's one of your best friends," he said, remembering what Clarke has said to him a few months ago, "so nothing can happen between us… but what if I want it to?"
He moved away from the wall, and there was a look in his eye that set Clarke on edge.
"It can't happen, Finn…" Clarke replied, as she slowly took a step backwards.
A guy that was on his way into the Ark stopped and looked at Clarke.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied with a nod, "I'm okay."
He eyes were asking her if she was really okay, and she nodded a little and smiled, he just looked at Finn before walking inside, the door staying open when he did.
"So let me get this straight," Finn said as he stepped in front of Clarke a little, "it can't happen with us, but it can happen with her? You've known her a day, Clarke."
"Finn, you're drunk," she said, "go home."
"I don't want to go home," he said, taking a step closer to her, "I want to be with you."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lexa had seen Bellamy walk back in without Clarke, a sudden feeling of dread hit her when she thought that the other girl had gone home without saying goodnight. Mentally kicking herself she carried on serving the drinks, telling herself again that there was no way Clarke was interested in her, she wasn't even sure if Clarke was interested in girls in that way. As another person walked in, the door stuck open, something that her mother had said she was going to get fixed. Lexa heard raised voices outside, keeping an ear on what was going on she served the person in front of her.
"Where's Clarke?" she heard Raven ask Bellamy as the older boy stopped at the bar.
"Talking to Finn," Bellamy replied, "he just turned up and he's a little drunk… he'll probably leave again soon."
Lexa considered the idea that maybe it was Finn and Clarke arguing outside that she could hear, she knew from the lake earlier that day that the boy definitely had feelings for Clarke.
"I said no, Finn!" Lexa heard coming from outside.
She saw Bellamy and Raven look at each other before they turned and headed for the door, Lincoln not far behind them, but she got there first. She saw Clarke trapped between the boy and the wall and her blood just started to boil. Grabbing the back of his jacket she pulled him away from Clarke and threw him to the floor, stepping in front of the blonde.
"Oh look who has come to interfere." He slurred from his current position on the floor.
"She said she isn't interested." Lexa said calmly, wanting nothing more than to hurt the guy who may have been about to hurt Clarke.
"What do you know," he asked, as he stood up, "you've been here a day, and you think you can you take her from me…"
"From what I understand she was never yours to take." Lexa replied, her hands balling up into fists, "if I were you I'd leave."
"Or what?" Finn asked, stepping closer to Lexa, "you'll make me?"
"If I have to." She replied.
"Lexa…" Lincoln said as he stepped next to his sister, "calm down…"
"I'm perfectly calm." Lexa replied, sounding like she was in fact perfectly calm.
"It might be time for you to leave, Finn." Bellamy said, "Go home and sleep it off."
"Let me get the straight," he said looking at Bellamy and Raven, "you both know how I feel about Clarke, yet you'd rather see her with this…"
"You do not want to finish that sentence." Lexa said, a warning tone in her voice.
Clarke could see what was about to happen, and she stepped forward a little, just in case Finn thought it would be a good idea to finish what he was about to say.
"You'd rather see her with this dyke…" he said.
Clarke saw that Lexa was ready to fly at Finn, she grabbed the other girl, wrapping both arms around her waist before she could move.
"You really need to leave," Lincoln said to him as he stepped forward, "before I make you."
Finn looked at Lincoln, obviously weighing up his chances, he was drunk not suicidal.
"Whatever," he said as he turned to leave, before looking back, "I hope you're very happy together."
As they all watched Finn walk away, Clarke felt some of the tension leaving Lexa's body, so she let her go. The other girl turned to face her.
"Are you okay?" she asked, the concern evident in both her voice and her eyes.
"Yeah…" Clarke replied with a little smile, "Yeah… thank you…"
"What the hell is wrong with that idiot," Raven said, "I mean you told him already you weren't interested and he seemed okay with that, why now?"
Raven turned around to see if Clarke was going to answer her, but she all she saw was the blonde looking at Lexa. She smiled a little and motioned to the two boys to go back inside.
"You two might not want to do this outside," Raven said as she started to follow Lincoln and Bellamy back inside, "in this area you might get an audience."
Clarke laughed a little as Raven walked inside.
"I think we need to talk…" Lexa said to her, and Clarke nodded in reply, unable to form any actual words in her head.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Seriously O, you should've seen Lexa," Raven said as they sat by the bar, "I thought she was going to kill him."
"She may have done if Clarke hadn't stopped her." Bellamy said with a laugh.
"Guess that's what you meant yesterday when you said she fights the boys off herself huh?" Raven asked Lincoln with a smile.
"She can get very… protective, when someone she cares about is threatened." Lincoln replied, with a little laugh, "As you both just saw."
Octavia watched as Lexa and Clarke walked upstairs, she noticed the blonde taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down a little.
"I think they're gonna have the talk…" Octavia said, nudging Raven and motioning to the stairs.
"None of our business, O." Bellamy said to his sister with a laugh.
"She's our Clarke," Octavia replied, "of course it's our business."
"When she wants you to know, she'll tell you." Lincoln said, placing a soft kiss on Octavia's head, out of instinct more than anything else.
Raven noticed a small smile form on Octavia's lips, at that moment she knew that Lincoln was what she wanted, and she knew she would have to be okay with that.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"So…" Lexa said as she watched Clarke stand with her back against the wall.
"I am so confused right now…" Clarke said, closing her eyes and shaking her head a little, "I mean, yesterday when I saw you sitting there reading that book you seem to love so much…"
"It's called Don't Forget Me Here," Lexa said, "it's about a guy whose wife gets killed, and how he deals with that... how he meets someone else, and feels really guilty about moving on with his life…"
Clarke nodded a little, remembering that it wasn't that long ago that Lexa lost the girl she loved. She realised she had two choices, she could be completely honest with her, about her feelings and how messed up her head was, or she could lie and come up with some bullshit story that she hoped Lexa would believe.
"I just…" she said with a sigh, it was time to bite the bullet, "I thought you were the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen…"
She noticed Lexa look away from her, her face starting to turn a slight shade of red.
"And I kinda freaked out…" Clarke continued, "I've never… well I have, but…"
She noticed Lexa fighting to keep a smile off her face.
"You think this is funny?" Clarke asked.
"No," Lexa said, shaking her head a little as the smile finally broke on her lips, "I think it's really cute, actually, please, continue."
"You're not helping Lexa…" Clarke replied, sighing a little.
Lexa slowly stepped in front of her, not wanting to freak her out even more, considering what had just happened outside with Finn.
"I'm guessing this is the first time you've been attracted to someone of the same sex…" Lexa said, her face suddenly very serious, letting Clarke know that she was in no way amused by what was going on.
"Yes," Clarke replied honestly, "well no, but it's the first time I've actually wanted to do something about it…"
"And you're freaking out." Lexa said, making it more a statement of fact rather than a question, because Clarke's eyes were giving her all the answers that she needed.
"Little bit." The blonde said with a laugh.
"I should probably be honest with you now," Lexa said, as she started to feel like she was drowning in Clarke's eyes, "I really like you Clarke, and that scares me. Because I have these walls, that I've spent the last 8 months building, and there's just something about you that makes me want to let you in… and the last time I felt like that…"
"Lexa…" Clarke said quietly.
"Let me finish," Lexa replied as she softly took hold of Clarke's hands, "please…"
Clarke nodded a little, letting her know that she wouldn't interrupt again.
"The last time I let someone in, I got hurt in ways that I never thought possible," Lexa continued, "and after that I thought I'd never feel that way again… but I do, and… I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm not ready to run into something headlong, only for you to figure out that it's just curiosity… so how about we make a deal… we take this slow, see where it leads, and figure out just what this is together, can we do that?"
Clarke nodded a little as she looked up into the emerald eyes that were looking back at her, those eyes telling her all that she needed to know.