Chapter 2

"You're in Laguna." It wasn't a question, Lexa was hoping that if she said it out loud that her brain would process that Octavia was, in fact in Laguna. Octavia nodded slightly, a fire burning in her eyes that Lexa knew she didn't want to ignite any further. "What finally brought you here?"

Octavia shook her head and clenched her jaw. There were so many things she wanted to say but she knew Clarke probably wouldn't approve of more than half of them. "I got a job offer in L.A." A pause. "You know what screw it. I don't owe you anything. You told me you were going to propose, not break up with her."

XOXO

4 Years Ago

Octavia was sitting in the kitchen when she saw Lexa's name show up on her caller I.D. "Hey Lex what's up? You know Clarke's at the hospital right? I still haven't killed her."

Lexa laughed at the way Octavia answered the phone, she was always straight to the point. Lexa figured it was the New York way, and she happened to like it. "That's why I'm calling you now but it'd be much easier if you let me in and we could speak face to face."

Before Octavia could process exactly what Lexa had said she heard a knock at the door. She got up so quickly that she nearly tripped over the chair she had just pushed back. She pulled the front door open so quick she nearly put a hole in the back behind it. Sure enough she found a smiling Lexa standing in front of her.

"Well holy shit. Look what the cat dragged in." Lexa rolled her eyes.

"It's only been three months, that's not that long."

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "You deal with a mopey 'I miss my girlfriend' Clarke for a week and see how long three months really is. She didn't mention you coming in though. Where are your bags?"

Lexa rolled her eyes as she moved into the apartment. She took a deep breathe in, remembering the exact way the apartment smelled. She knew it was a little weird but it sort of felt like coming home. "That's because she doesn't know that I'm here. I came to see you."

Octavia pointed at herself. "Me? Why? What did you do?"

"I haven't done it yet because I wanted your opinion on it first."

The shorter brunette's eyes went wide. "Where is it? Let me see it right now Lexa Callaway."

"See what?"

"The ring Lexa, let me see the damn ring!"

Lexa laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "You are too smart for you own good, how did you know?"

Lexa received a pointed look as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I've known you for awhile now and you aren't as hard to read as you would like to think, so come on let me see it."

"That's actually why I'm here. I wanted your help picking it out. Well more of your opinion, I think I know exactly what she wants but your feedback would be beneficial."

"Me? What about Raven?"

Lexa smiled as Octavia's comment, knowing that Raven was Clarke's best childhood friend. "I asked Raven, she gave me her blessing and so did Abby but you're the closest to her, you see her the more and dare I say you know her almost better than I do."

"So you what… Want to go ring shopping?" Lexa nodded. "I am all for spending your money and depending on what you pick out we'll talk about you actually giving it to her. When do you want to go?"

"How does now work?"

Octavia looked down at her watch. "Lucky for you, I have some time. Let me grab my bag and then we can go. Have anywhere in mind?" She yelled from her bedroom.

"Tiffany's?"

"Seriously? Can you afford that?"

Lexa laughed. "Yes, but do you think it's a good idea?"

"Every girl dreams about getting a little blue box and seeing as though that's Clarke's favourite book I'd say that's a good place to start."

XOXO

"If it wasn't for the sake of my job, you'd be on the floor right now."

Lexa stood up a little straighter and took the harsh words as stoically as she could, she knew she deserved them. Then she felt a hand rub up and down her back and a kiss on her cheek. "I thought you'd be out by now, your parents are waiting."

Octavia shook her head with a snarky laugh. "Amazing, you aren't the person I thought you were." She brushed by the woman standing in front of her, she had had enough and it had taken all her self-control to not do something that could get her arrested.

"Octavia! Wait!" Lexa called out, ready to go after the woman she once considered a friend but a hand on her arm stopped her from moving out the door.

"Come on, we gotta get to your parents for brunch."

"Can you get the drinks Costia, I need some air. I'll meet you in the car." Without another word to walked out the door and didn't really allow herself to think under she was in the confines of her car. She let out the breath that she had been unintentionally holding. She tried so hard to not think about the past but the past has, almost literally, punched her in the gut and knocked the air out of her lungs.

XOXO

"You're home early." Octavia smiled as Clarke walked into the kitchen and threw her purse on the table.

"I worked a 12 hour shift, how is that early?" Clarke laughed as she moved into the living room and flopped down on the couch next to her friend.

"You usually work a lot more than that, so for you, early."

Clarke leaned her head back onto the couch, her eyes closed as she visibly relaxed. "What is it you aren't telling O."

Octavia rolled her eyes, her friend knew her far too well. "Remember the other day when we had that conversation about her who shall not be named?"

"What about it?" She didn't open her eyes.

"And you told me that we'd run in to her sooner rather than later and I laughed because I told you that the world is bigger than that. To which you said life hates you and is always bringing you two together somehow?"

"Stop rambling and spit it out."

Octavia took a deep breath. "I ran into her today at that café on…" Octavia paused trying to remember the name of the road.

"The Beacher, on Pine Street. It's her favourite." Her tone held no information like she was reciting words from a textbook. It was a fact and she stated it that way.

"Yep, that one."

Clarke opened an eye as she looked at her best friend. "Did you hit her?" The other woman shook her head causing Clarke to shrug. "Told you, life likes to play these jokes on. It's like I'm cosmically tied to her and believe me I really wish I wasn't."

"But you haven't run into her yet."

"Because I'm being smart about it. I go to the hospital and then I come home and I only stop for coffee once I'm in the city."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Clarke got up and went upstairs to change. She came back down ten minutes as walked out into the backyard. Only then did Octavia get up and meet her outside. The Griffin's had a large back yard that was accompanied with a large deck. Clarke was leaning over the railing of the deck, looking out at the water beyond her fenced backyard.

"You okay?"

Clarke nodded as Octavia moved to stand beside her. "I knew it was a matter time before once of us saw her. It's been almost four years I can't afford to let it get to me anymore. The past is the past so life can shove it. I'm going to go down for a walk, want to come?"

Octavia nodded as she followed Clarke back inside to get thin hoodies and slip on their sandals. Ten minutes later they were standing on the beach, it was only then that they broke their easy silence. "How did she look?" It was a genuine question.

"Shocked, I don't think she was expecting to see me today." Clarke continued to look down at the sand.

"Really though."

"She looked okay, I wasn't really looking because all I was picturing was the ways I could make her suffer."

Clarke let out a small laugh. "You're the best, you know that right."

"I told you that I would be here for you through all of this. I know you feel like you should be over it by now and that you have to deal with it alone but you don't. I'm here and so is Raven. This is your home too, and you shouldn't feel like you have to hide from it. But I did leave something out."

"She was with her." Clarke didn't need to look up to see Octavia nod her head slightly.

"You're not surprised?"

Clarke shook her head. "No." To anyone else it would have seemed like a simple answer but Octavia knew the true complexity behind it.

XOXO

4.5 Years Ago

"Costia is blowing up your phone tonight." Clarke said as she looked over at her girlfriend's phone that was sitting on the bedside table.

"She'll be waiting a while for a reply." Lexa answered without bothering to open her eyes.

The two were lying in bed after a long day. Clarke had been stuck in the hospital and Lexa's flight had been delayed. So they agreed that they were happy to stay in and curl up in Clarke's bed. It had been almost four months since the last time they had seen each other. Their schedules were only becoming more and more hectic making it increasingly harder to find the time to fly across the country.

"At first I thought she was just trying to be your friend, now I'm almost certain that home girl is in to you."

Lexa let out a laugh as her arms tightening around Clarke's waist. "Home girl? You hang out with Octavia, way too much."

"We live together."

"Exactly my point." Clarke smiled as she felt Lexa draw a heart on her back with her fingertips. Suddenly Lexa felt Clarke's weight shift and before she knew it her girlfriend was straddling her waist. Finally opening her eyes Lexa looked up only to see shimmering blue looking back at her. "I am so in love with you that I don't see anyone else so even if she was into me, which I don't think she is. I wouldn't notice because you are everything to me Clarke. I would be lost without because more than anything else you are my best friend." She reached her hand up from Clarke's waist and brushed her hair behind her ear as she leaned up on her arm.

"How do you do that?" Clarke smiled as she leaned their foreheads together.

"How do I do what?"

"How do you still manage to give me the craziest butterflies, even now?"

Lexa let out a laugh. "I told you before, I have them on speed dial. Little guys are always willing to help a girl out."

"You are the world's biggest dork."

"But I'm your dork and a sexy one at that." Her hands started to trail up Clarke's sides under her shirt.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You're alright I guess. Don't give me that cocky look, you aren't as big a bad ass as you think."

"I can definitely be bad."

"Oh yeah?" This is what made them work; they battled each other, even when it was for fun. "Prove it."

Clarke's attention was diverted when Lexa's phone started vibrating on the table. "Ugh, seriously." She heard Lexa whine. "Whoever it is, get rid of them."

Nodding the blonde reached her arm out and grabbed the phone. Without looking at who was calling she swiped her finger across the screen. "Lexa Callaway's phone."

"Hi, can I speak to Lexa please?" Clarke was having a hard time responding as Lexa leaned up and started peppering kisses up and down her neck.

"I'm sorry Lexa is…unavailable at the moment." She tried to keep her voice even before her girlfriend was making it hard. Before she could say another word, Lexa moved Clarke off her lap and stood up. "Can I take a message?" Clarke asked as Lexa shook her head, turning on Clarke's stereo. She started mouthing the words to the song as she took her shirt off. "Can I take a message?"

"Don't be afraid, cause I won't bite. I promise to give it to you just the way you like and who can love you like me?" She whispered the lyrics of the song into Clarke's ear as her hands went to Clarke's waist.

"Can you please tell her to call Costia back at her earliest convenience." Clarke couldn't help the squeal that came out as Lexa's hands trailed up her sides, gently tickling her.

"I'll make sure she gets the message Costia. Is there anything else you'd like me to pass along to her?" Clarke said her name on purpose so that Lexa would know who she was on the phone. Backing away from the bed Lexa slid her pants down before stepping out of them, clearly not caring about who was on the phone. She started to move backwards towards Clarke's bathroom and Clarke was finding it almost impossible to pay attention to her phone conversation.

"If you could tell her that it's important information about the case we're working on that would…" Before Clarke knew it Lexa took the phone out of her hand, hit the end call button and threw her phone onto the bed.

She reached her hand out and pulled Clarke up. "She was leaving you a message."

"I'm on vacation and I really could not care less, especially right now because my girlfriend is about to be very naked in the shower with me."

Clarke couldn't help but grin as she let Lexa lead her into her the bathroom after turning the stereo up.

Five minutes later Clarke couldn't remember the phone call she had just taken let alone anything else. Her arms were gently being held above her head, one leg wrapped around her girlfriend's waist bringing them closer together. Lexa's lips were on her neck, nipping and biting softly as the rest of their bodies moved together. The hot water ran over them, steaming the glass of the shower as they got reacquainted.

TBC…