Chapter 44

"Let me just change real quick and we can be on our way." Lexa said as she held the door open for her friends. They hadn't seen each other since that night at the bar which was far to long ago.

"Aren't you going to clear it with Clarke first?"

"Clarke's working tonight and she'd roll her eyes at me and tell me she doesn't care what I do." Both women with Lexa laughed. "What?"

"Just a change, love Costia, she's our girl too but she was a little sensitive in that department."

Lexa rolled her eyes as they all moved further into Lexa's condo. "We all hung out together."

"That's because Costia always decided to come with. That's how she ended up being our friend in the first place so I suppose we shouldn't be that surprised. Remember her sitting down next to us in the stacks because you had the text book she wanted to use."

They all laughed at the memory before it went quiet allowing them to hear the music coming from upstairs and what sounded like running water. Lexa raised an eyebrow. "Well I guess Clarke is home, unless Octavia took the key again."

Before Lexa could head up the stairs to change and warn whomever it was that was upstairs all the women in the room turned towards the person slightly dancing down the stairs in nothing but a towel. Wet blonde hair pulled to one side. In that moment Lexa almost wanted to tell her friends to get the hell out so that she could do exactly what she was thinking.

"Hi." Clarke smiled as she finally looked up from where she was walking. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be home so soon."

"It's okay, I thought the same of you." Lexa walked a few steps forward and kissed her girlfriends cheek. Clarke you remember the ladies, Jamie and Chrisine."

Clarke laughed slightly before extending her hand to each other of them. "Yeah, it's a little foggy thanks to the drinks but I do remember winning a great dinner that night so thank you. You staying in or heading out?"

"We're thinking drinks at this place I know of on Ninth and Adelaide." Jamie said with a smile.

Clarke nodded. "Two cats?" She asked.

"That's the one, you know it?" Jamie had to admit she was impressed.

"I do, probably to well. Anyways, I will leave you ladies to it. I'm going to go put on something that isn't a towel. Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Clarke wiggled her eyes as she walked up the stairs.

"Not leaving yet, I have to change." Lexa grinned as she watched Clarke walk up the stairs, absentmindedly singing along to the song. "Stop staring at my girlfriend's ass." Lexa joked.

"She's got a nice one, not our fault." They all started laughing at Jamie's comment. "She should come with us."

"What happened to just us going out?" Lexa questioned with the shake of her head.

Christine shrugged. "I agree with Jamie, she should come, it'd be nice to finally get to really meet her plus she totally didn't care if you went out without her."

"I told you she wouldn't care but she just finished a 72 hour shift I don't think she'll want to." Lexa let out as if neither of her friends ever listened to her.

"Go convince her to come out!" Jamie shooed her away with a laugh. "We want to hang out with the snufalufagus."

XOXO

Lexa leaned against the doorframe to her washroom where Clarke was changing. "Now that is a view I could definitely get used to." She grinned as she moved towards Clarke and ran her fingers up the woman's bare legs from behind.

"Better be careful or I'll have to keep you here all to myself." Clarke quipped as she turned around in Lexa's arms.

"You know, I think I'd be okay with that." Leaning up Clarke kissed Lexa softly, barely biting at the slightly taller woman's lower lip.

"Go get changed and stop keeping your friends waiting." Clarke winked before moving out of Lexa's embrace with a laugh.

"Actually they sent me up here to see if you'd like to come with us." Clarke smiled from next to Lexa's bed where she was about to put on a pair of sweat pants. "I know you're probably tired and don't want to but they told me to convince you to come."

"I guess I won't be getting to put these on just yet then."

"So you'll come?"

Clarke nodded. "If your sure it's what they want. I'm definitely more than happy to netflix and chill with Ben and Jerry."

"I know, but they really do want you to come."

"Okay, then I will, now get changed over there because you know what will happen if we're both half naked and in close proximity."

"You're no fun." Lexa laughed as she moved into her walk in closet.

XOXO

"All through law school we made fun of her because we didn't think you were real." Jamie laughed as she handed Clarke her drink.

"Even though I had that picture of you and Alfred as the background on my phone."

Christine shrugged. "We thought it was a random picture you found on the internet."

"We really should have figured it out when all she did was talk about you but we didn't think anyone could put up with her for that long."

Clarke couldn't help but laugh. "You're telling me, I've had to put up with her my entire life."

"So you two are officially back together?"

Christine asked and was quickly answered by the smile that took over Lexa's face. "We are."

"No chance for me then?" Jamie smiled at Clarke causing Lexa to roll her eyes.

"You're a lifetime to late." Lexa joked as her and Clarke locked eyes before Lexa started singing along to the song.

Christine was about to say something to Clarke about Lexa but she stopped herself when she realized Clarke was singing along with her. "You two are seriously meant to be."

Two hours later all four ladies were practically crying from laughter from all the stories they had been telling when a certain song started to play. Jamie's eyes lit up as she started mouthing the words before they started. "Go up there and sing it!" Christine joked.

Finishing her beer Clarke shrugged and put her hand out to Jamie. "C'mon girlie, let's do this!"

"I am not drunk enough for this." Jamie grinned as she let Clarke pull her up onto the stage.

"That makes it more fun." Clarke grabbed the microphone and held it between them.

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified, kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many times thinking how you did me wrong and I grew strong."

Lexa and Christine burst out into laughter from where they sat on their bar stools. "I think I say this for both of us but we really like her. Had we met her sooner we never would have let you be stupid enough to let her go. There's no way that woman would ever cheat on you."

Lexa raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"The way she looks at you like she'd jump in front of a bullet for you without hesitation."

"She'd do that for just about anyone." Lexa smiled as she watched Clarke start to saunter over to her, mic in hand.

Christine shook her head. "You know it's different."

Before Lexa could respond she heard loud singing in her ear. "Walk out the door, just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore. Weren't you the one that tried to break me with goodbye, you think I'd crumble. You think I'd laid down and die oh no not I. I will survive." Clarke sang with her arm around Lexa's shoulder before kissing the top of her head and walking away again.

XOXO

"My friends love you." Lexa grinned as Clarke sat down next to her on the couch. They had gotten home not to long ago and had decided on watching a movie after they changed into their pajamas.

Clarke's cheeks turned a little red. "I like them too, we definitely need to all go out more. We're getting older, we need to stop working our lives away."

Lexa shook her head with a small laugh as Clarke leaned a tired head down on her shoulder. "You love work though."

"So do you."

They laughed knowing how true it was. "I really love having you here after a long day. Whether it's my place or your place I just like knowing that we can relax after busy days."

"I love it to, it reminds me of our college days."

Lexa couldn't hide the smile as she remembered their crazy weeks in college. "I swear there were days where I only saw you because we slept in the same bed."

"Or that time you came home to find me redecorating."

"I still don't think I agreed to that."

Clarke nodded. "You did, you were just half asleep but you liked the way it turned out so you can't say anything."

"Besides the point."

"That seems like another life time ago."

Lexa agreed as she leaned back on the couch and brought Clarke with her. "It was but I'm glad it's all coming full circle."

"Mmm." Was all Clarke could get out once her head with resting comfortably on Lexa's chest.

XOXOUSC – Senior Year

It felt like Lexa hadn't really been home in days. She had been so consumed with studying for her LSATS that she had been essentially living out of the library. She took the last step up to her floor with a tired huff. All she wanted was to fall asleep in her bed for a week and wake up to her smiling girlfriend.

As she got close to their apartment door she heard the faint sound of music playing. She did a quick checklist in her head to make sure she hadn't forgotten if her best friends were visiting. Coming to the conclusion that they hadn't had anything planned she opened the door to see her apartment taped up and half painted. The sun was pouring in through the wide-open balcony door and it hit her that she hadn't seen the light of day in awhile.

She had no idea what day it was or how long she'd been truly gone for but what she did was how amazing her girlfriend was. It wasn't only her beauty but her heart. The way her hair sat messily atop her head as she bopped around to the sound of the music while she painted. It was a sight Lexa was positive she'd never get over. Clarke had always been this way, ever since Lexa could remember. In fact the first memory Lexa had of Clarke was her finger painting in her backyard with Jake. Alfred was running around and Lexa wasn't sure why she remembered it all so vividly, that is until that moment.

Clarke finally turned around and her eyes locked with the Lexa's as the sun continued you to beam through the window. It illuminated Clarke's blonde hair and her eyes looked like the clearest blue Lexa had ever seen. That was it, all those years ago it had stuck with her and she had never known why but now it was all clear. It was the way Clarke's eyes seemed to glow in the sunlight when she was in her happy place, painting and dancing around the room. It was in that moment, Lexa realized, that she had fallen for Clarke. There was no way she could have placed that emotion then but here and now, she most certainly could.

"I'm sorry who are you and why are you standing in my apartment?"

Lexa grinned as she finally set her bag down. "I think I live here but I'm not sure, it's been awhile and it doesn't look the same." Without waiting for Clarke to respond she surged forward and wrapped the woman in her arms before twirling her around.

"Do you like it?"

"I do but you should have told me, I would have helped."

"We talked about it weeks ago silly."

Lexa started to replay past conversations in her head as she continued to dance with Clarke. "Oh my god, we did. I am so sorry I forgot, I'm the worst."

"It's okay, you've been studying, plus I don't trust you with paint."

"Gee thanks! You do realize one wall is completely blank right?"

Clarke rolled her eyes as both women fell onto the couch facing the empty wall. "I'm well aware, I haven't figured out what I want to put there yet. Any ideas?"

Lexa looked at the wall, she looked at that wall for what felt like forever. She didn't look away from it until Clarke popped up and grabbed one of her many paintbrushes. Lexa was entirely puzzled but she wouldn't question her girlfriend just yet. Once Clarke had stepped away from the wall Lexa saw what she had done.

"I don't get it." Written on the wall were the lyrics to Earth, Wind and Fire's song September.

Clarke shook her head and set her paintbrush down before taking her paint stained t-shirt off and walking over to the kitchen. She knew Lexa would get it eventually but in the mean time it was fun to watch her squirm. She jumped up onto the counter and opened the fridge. By the time it took her to open the bottle of water that was now in her hand she saw Lexa's eyes start to light up.

Laughing, Lexa walked towards her girlfriend who was swinging her legs off the edge of the counter. "I could never forget the 21st day of September because my entire world changed that day and it was the start of me getting everything I could ever want. It will forever be in my heart as the best non-official first date ever but don't tell Anya and Raven."

"No matter where we end up, wherever life takes us the memory of that night will always stay with me and it will remind me to never take moment for granted."

XOXO

It had been two weeks since Lexa and Clarke had gone to the bar with Lexa's friends. It had also been two weeks since they had really seen it each other. More often than not they had found themselves falling asleep on the phone with each other from opposite sides of town. Clarke was on nights and Lexa had needed to be at the office early in the morning to deal with calls from Asia and Europe.

They had been communicating more through Octavia than they had with each other. Lexa and Octavia would had their scheduled workouts and then, hours later Octavia would meet Clarke for dinner.

"I have missed just lying around and not paying attention to what's on the t.v." Clarke laughed as she leaned her head up from Lexa's lap.

It took a minute for Lexa to look away from her phone. "Sorry, I'm just creepin'."

"Oh, on who? Anyone hot?" Clarke wiggled her eyebrows, successfully making Lexa laugh.

"I'd say so."

Without hesitating Clarke leaned up and pulled Lexa's arms forward so that she could see whom the brunette was talking about. "Me? You're creeping me?"

"I've missed a lot, but damn this picture is beautiful. Where were you?" Clarke rolled her eyes at the picture of her in a bikini on a boat. Hair a complete mess from the wind.

"The Blake's cottage in the Hamptons. I'll take you there this summer. It's where Bellamy technically lives when he's home. It's nothing fancy but it's close-ish to the beach."

"I can't wait, but seriously this picture is beautiful and the one of you in that red plaid shirt with Octavia. I am a seriously lucky woman."

Clarke smiled and kissed her girlfriend softly. "That was from a barbeque on the rooftop a couple summers ago at my place."

"Can't wait for one of those." A pause. "There will be more right?"

"Yes sweetie, of course and a lot of long nights watching the sunset."

"Now that, I can't wait for."

Clarke chuckled as she laid her head back down. "Me either. I used to have moments sometimes where I would be sitting up there with everyone and I would catch myself wondering where you were and if you were happy."

Lexa couldn't help the tears that were in her eyes. If you asked her about it now, she'd probably say it was from being exhausted but in reality it was because she knew exactly what Clarke was talking about. "I used to feel the same way. I picked up my phone so many times to text you but I was to stubborn."

"Stubborn ass." Clarke joked, sufficiently lightening the mood.

"You're one to talk." They both laughed knowing just how stubborn they were.

XOXO

"We really should have called first, she isn't expecting us for another couple days." Jeff whispered to his wife as they traveled up the elevator.

"Oh hush it Jeffrey, she's probably not even home. Why else would she give us a key?"

A minute later Elizabeth pushed Lexa's front door open and grinned. She had seen her daughter's place through face time calls and videos but it was much nicer in person. "I still don't feel right about this."

"You two are here early?" Lexa smiled from where she stood in the kitchen as she watched her parents walk through her front door. "You should have told me, I would have come and gotten you from the airport."

"No need sweetheart, we thought we'd surprise you." Elizabeth didn't waste another moment before wrapping her daughter in a tight hug before her father did the same.

"Come on, I'll give you a proper tour." Both her parents smiled before she moved in front of them and into the living room.

Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, causing Lexa to turn around when she didn't hear footsteps following her anymore. "Lexa, do you know there's a woman sleeping on your couch?"

Lexa smiled as she looked over at the blonde. "I do and please keep it down before you wake her, she doesn't get enough sleep."

"Is that the bar girl?" Her father asked, trying to figure out who was lying on his daughter's couch.

"It is."

"Would the bar girls name be Clarke?" Her mother asked, she'd know that sleeping form anywhere. Lexa blushed slightly with a nod. "Does this mean what I think it means?" Elizabeth questioned, trying desperately not to get her hopes up.

Lexa could feel how warm her cheeks had gotten and she could only imagine how red they looked to her parents. "It does, this is it for me."

"Oh Lexie, we're so happy for you guys." Her father wrapped her up in a hug and spun her around.

"We're not getting married dad, we're just back together but hopefully one day." She looked over at her mother who was wiping her face. "Mom, are you crying?"

The woman nodded slightly. "I always hoped for this, that you'd find your way back to one another. I can't wait to call and tell Abby but don't think you two are off the hook for not telling us."

"Sorry mom, I guess it slipped our mind." Came the groggy voice from the couch. It didn't take long for Clarke to get up and be engulfed in a Callaway family group hug.

"Lucky for both of you, we sort of figured it out at Christmas. You both aren't good at keeping secrets." Jeff laughed as she wrapped an arm around Clarke's shoulder.

"We didn't really know what was going on then but everyone else sure seems to have had it all figured out." Clarke shrugged as she watched Lexa nod in agreement. As Lexa looked between her parents and Clarke she knew without a doubt that everything that had happened in her life had led her to this moment and she couldn't have been happier.

TBC…