Clarke and Lexa laid together in bed, breathing heavily after several good orgasms in a row. They did not normally engage in this activity in the mornings when people would be awake and possibly roaming the halls, but Clarke had made an exception today. Today was Family Visiting Day, and Clarke did not want Lexa's cheery mood from yesterday night's carnival to diminish because of the fact that everyone would have parents coming to visit, except for her.

The parents would be arriving in two hours, and Clarke knew that she needed to get out of bed and get ready to see her mom, but she didn't want to. Don't get her wrong, she was extremely excited to see her mother, and she almost could not wait. She was just finding it hard to pull her head away from where it was buried in the crook of Lexa's neck. Lexa was so warm, and Clarke felt like she could be lulled back to sleep at any moment by the gentle rise and fall of her girlfriend's chest. Lexa looked on the verge of falling back asleep herself, and Clarke wondered if the two of them had conditioned themselves to always expect to go to sleep after sex, as they did on most nights.

After several moments of lying still in bed, Lexa finally spoke. "I know this was just a distraction, but it was a damn good one."

Clarke wasn't surprised that Lexa had been able to see right through her distraction. After all, the blonde had caught on quickly when her roommate had tried to divert her attention last weekend. Clarke was just relieved that Lexa had not tried to protest this distraction because she had known the minute that she had woken up that the brunette needed it. Lexa's eyes had looked so sullen, and she had barely said a word. A soft press of Clarke's pink lips to hers had been enough to bring a slight smile to Lexa's face, and Clarke had deepened the kiss then, trying her best to take her girlfriend's mind off of the event that would be occurring that day.

"It started out as a distraction." She blushed slightly when she thought of the fact that she had only meant to have one round of sex with her girlfriend. "I may have taken it a lot further than I had originally intended to."

"Thank you, Clarke. It was perfect." Lexa squeezed Clarke's arm as the blonde held her tighter, wishing that she could lie here in bed until her mother showed up.

Lexa kissed the top of Clarke's head. "Why don't we go get showered up so that we can be clean when your mother arrives?"

"About that," Clarke said, "I want you to meet my mother."

She had originally meant to bring this up after they were all showered and ready, and she supposed that maybe she was stalling for time by bringing it up now. She wanted as much time as possible to continue to lie in bed against Lexa, but she also knew that she and Lexa might not get another moment away from the crowds before the parents arrived, and this was something that was too important to discuss in front of the other members of the house.

Lexa frowned in confusion. "Of course, Clarke. You've already told me that. I think it would be great to meet—"

"No, Lexa." Clarke cut the brunette off. "I guess I worded that wrong. I don't just want you to meet her and then leave. I want you to spend the day with us."

Lexa was already shaking her head, her green eyes disapproving. "I will not impose upon your time with your mother, Clarke."

"And I will not let you be here all by yourself," Clarke shot back. "I love you, Lexa, and I don't want you to feel left out because your parents are fucking stupid. Since you don't have anyone to spend time with, I'd love it for you to hang out with me and my mom. Honestly, my mom will love spending time with you, too, especially once she finds out that you're my girlfriend. I know you think that everyone sees you as burden, Lexa, but my mom isn't like that. I promise."

Lexa looked at her warily, and Clarke continued, admitting something that she hadn't even realized was true until now. "Besides, I have lived with my mom all my life, and I will see her for almost a month over Christmas break. I would rather see you now."

Clarke felt strange in saying this because she had never loved anyone more than her parents before in her life. They had always had the number one spot in her heart, but it seemed like Lexa had taken up residence there now, and Clarke wouldn't give her up for the world. The love that shone in Lexa's eyes. The quiet whispers on lazy mornings. The endless energy coursing through their veins at night. All of it was stronger than she had ever felt before, and it was a little scary to think that Lexa had somehow become the most important thing in her world.

Lexa opened her mouth to say more, and Clarke shot her a withering glare, making it clear that there was no room for argument, no way that Clarke was going to allow her to spend the day by herself.

"Fine," Lexa relented. "I'll stay with you guys today, but if you want me to leave, don't be afraid to tell me, okay? You won't hurt my feelings. All you have to do is say the word, and I'm gone."

Clarke reached out to cup Lexa's cheek with very serious blue eyes. "I will never, ever want you to leave, Lexa. I'm staying right here with you until I die, as far as I'm concerned, so you will have to be the one to tell me to leave."

"No," Lexa was quick to shake her head at Clarke's statement. "Don't leave me, remember?"

"I remember." Clarke leaned down to press their foreheads together.

For a moment, they stayed like that, both enjoying the warmth of the other, and when Clarke opened her eyes, she saw Lexa looking at her with such love that the blonde wanted nothing more than to pull her roommate in for a passionate kiss. She tried, but right before her lips could touch Lexa's, the other girl turned her head, evading Clarke's grasp. Clarke pouted at Lexa, who smirked at her, causing her pout to deepen.

Lexa reached out to pull the corners of Clarke's lips up. "You should be excited, Clarke. Your mother is coming, and you need to shower. We'll have plenty of time to do other things later."

The brunette winked at her, and Clarke nudged her girlfriend playfully. "Whatever."

Clarke got off the bed to head to the shower, pretending that it did not matter to her whether she got to kiss Lexa or not. She was secretly looking forward to that night though, thinking of all of the things that she intended to do to Lexa, and vice versa, once they had time to themselves again.

After breakfast, the parents started trickling through the door, and Clarke waited a little impatiently beside Lexa for her mother to come. The two of them were speaking with Emori and Anya's parents some, but all conversation seemed to blend with the chatter of all of the other students, due to the excitement that Clarke was feeling.

The moment that Clarke saw her mother's face arrive in the living room, she sprang up out of her seat and flung herself into Abby's arms, hugging her tightly.

"Mom!" Clarke exclaimed with a wide grin. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's great to see you as well, Clarke." Abby released her daughter with pure joy shining in her eyes. "You look so much happier than the last time I saw you."

"That's because you're here."

Abby playfully rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Clarke. When you left, you were still pretty sullen, and I don't think you truly believed that you would like this school. It's really nice to see that you are smiling again."

"You were right all along, Mom," Clarke admitted. "It's incredible here."

"Everyone does look very sweet. Which one's your roommate?"

Clarke looked back to where she had left Lexa, and she cringed, only in her mind though. Where everyone else was sitting on the couch or around the table, talking and laughing with their families, Lexa was sitting quietly at the head of the table, all alone. Emori and Anya were trying to keep her engaged in conversation with their parents, but clearly they were not doing a good enough job because Lexa seemed to be more interested in her hands, folded on the table in front of her, than anything that anyone was actually saying. Lexa's high mood from Clarke's amazing distraction this morning had clearly worn off, and the blonde's smile fell away. She could only hope that hanging out with her and her mother today would make Lexa feel better instead of worse. In all their talk that morning about not wanting the other to leave, it hadn't even crossed Clarke's mind to assure Lexa that she could excuse herself at any moment, if she felt that she needed to.

"She's the one at the head of the table over there." Clarke pointed her roommate out to her mom. "Her name is Lexa."

"Are those her parents?" Abby nodded to Anya and Emori's parents.

Clarke followed her mother's line of sight to see Lexa chatting with the adults with a bright smile on her face. The blonde was relieved that her roommate was smiling because that way, her mother would not pick up on the fact that anything was wrong, but Clarke also found the smile unsettling. Not because it looked wrong in any way, but because it looked so right. If Clarke had not seen the lonely look that Lexa had been sporting before, she would never have been able to tell that the smile that was now adorning Lexa's face was fake.

"No, her parents couldn't make it this year," Clarke informed her mother.

"Oh, what a shame."

"She understands though. She's not too upset about it."

"Why—"

Clarke knew what Abby was beginning to ask, and she didn't have an answer. If Lexa wanted Abby to know about her past, then she needed to be the one to tell her. Clarke quickly cut her mother off by yelling to Lexa, acting as if she didn't notice that Abby had started to say anything.

"Hey, Lex! Come meet my mom."

Lexa carefully stood from the table, making sure to push her chair in behind her. As Lexa made the short walk to where Clarke stood with her mother, the blonde thought that she looked rather like a dog, who was afraid to approach a human for the first time. The small twitch of Lexa's lips only confirmed Clarke's suspicions that she was nervous. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Lexa might have felt apprehension about this moment, but she supposed that it made sense because she intended to tell her mother about their relationship as soon as possible. She found it endearing that her girlfriend was so anxious to make a good first impression.

When the brunette reached Clarke's side, she politely extended her hand for Abby to shake. "I'm Lexa. It's nice to meet you."

"Abby." Clarke's mother accepted the handshake. "I hear that you have been treating my daughter quite well."

That was the moment that Clarke chose to take Lexa's hand in her own, responding for the brunette. "As it is, Lexa also happens to be my girlfriend."

Abby looked at Clarke with pure shock in her eyes, stunned into silence for a moment. Of course, she was not shocked that Clarke was dating a girl. She had known that her daughter was bisexual for quite some time now. The surprise came from the fact that Clarke was even interested in anyone at all. Clarke hadn't looked at anyone twice since her father had gotten sick, and it was clear that Abby had not expected her daughter to display any sort of romantic interest in anyone in the near future. Clarke had honestly been surprised herself because she hadn't intended to find love here or fall for Lexa so quickly. That didn't mean that she wasn't confident about her relationship though. Lexa made her feel better than she had in a long time, and she was not about to give that up due to a fear that she might be moving too fast.

Clarke could tell, through Abby's silence, that her mother was trying to work out how Clarke could possibly be looking at someone so lovingly that she had only known for two months. "This looks very serious, Clarke. How long has this been going on?"

"About a month now," Clarke replied easily, knowing that her mother would approve, "and it is very serious. We're in love."

Lexa jumped in before Abby even had a chance to respond, and it became clear to Clarke that her girlfriend had been holding herself back from doing this since the blonde had made the announcement. "Mrs. Griffin, I swear that I love your daughter so much and that I want nothing more than to see her happy. She means the world to me, and I promise you that I will treat her right and—"

Abby stopped Lexa before she could ramble on any further, and Clarke thought that the brunette looked slightly grateful. "And I can already see that you are good for her. Clarke hasn't dated anyone since before her father died, and as far as I know, she has never loved anyone either. I can see now that you're the one who helped her fully get over her father's death, and I cannot thank you enough for that. If Clarke has chosen to give her heart to you, then I know that you must be worth it, and I look forward to getting to know you today, Lexa. I get the sense that this will not be the last that I see of you."

Clarke could easily see the relief shining in Lexa's eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Griffin. I hope to impress."

"I'm sure you will, and please, call me Abby," the older woman insisted.

Clarke zoned out as her mother and Lexa talked on, realizing that what her mother had said was true. Lexa had helped Clarke to fully get over her father's death, without even trying. The brunette's presence had been enough to give Clarke's life purpose again, and she hoped that Lexa would continue to be her purpose for the rest of her days.

A few moments later, Mr. Kane entered the room and called everyone's attention to him. "Welcome, parents. I am really happy to see that so many of you were able to make it today. I want to let all of you know that lunch will be ready in around three hours, so if you wish to go anywhere before then, I suggest that you do it now. Today is about you and the students so the campus will be open all day if any of you want to tour it, and of course, there is the famous ice cream shop across the street. Please make sure to watch the time and be back here in time to eat because Indra is preparing quite the feast. I think that the main dish is sandwiches, and we will have several different meats to select from – turkey, ham, salami, you name it. I hope that you all enjoy your day, and thank you all for coming!"

Mr. Kane excused himself to go help Indra in the kitchen, and Clarke felt slightly guilty that she hadn't even thought to offer the woman some help with lunch when she knew that the house mother had so many people to prepare it for. She and Lexa could have been helping out while they were waiting for Abby, but she supposed that it was too late now.

Gentle voices drifted into her ear, and she turned back to where Abby and Lexa had resumed talking. She didn't even get a chance to figure out what they were saying though before Octavia bounded over and grabbed both of Clarke's hands in her own. "Hey, Clarke, I think everyone is going to head over to Jaha's for a little bit. Are you in?"

Clarke raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Won't that spoil our appetites for lunch?"

"Lunch isn't for another three hours," Octavia argued. "Besides, it's just ice cream. It's not like it's a full meal."

Clarke looked back at Lexa and her mother, and once she received a nod from both women, she herself nodded to Octavia. "We'd love to."

Upon entrance to Jaha's, Clarke's eyes widened in surprise when she saw how full it was. It was even fuller now that it would get after school on kickball days, and that was saying something. Everywhere Clarke looked, there were students and their parents, talking and eating ice cream, and the volume of the restaurant had risen to an all-time high. Luckily, it appeared as though Jaha had brought in more tables than usual, and their large group made quick work of pushing some of them together to make two different tables that would accommodate everyone.

When the group went up to order their ice cream, Thelonius Jaha happily began scooping the different flavors out for them, and Clarke was surprised to see that his son, Wells, was with him. She recognized the boy from her history class, and she knew that this day had to be the busiest day of the year, if he had come to help out; she had never seen him in the shop before. Both Jahas wore huge smiles on their faces as they worked, happy that this day would be so good for business.

Once everyone was seated, Abby turned towards Lexa again, clearly still trying to get to know her better, now that she had become so important to Clarke. "So, Lexa. Clarke said that your parents weren't able to make it today. Is something wrong?"

Lexa shook her head. "No. They have a very important business meeting today that they couldn't get out of, no matter how hard they tried."

The lie rolled off of Lexa's tongue so quickly and easily that Clarke was amazed. There was not even the slightest hesitation, nor did Lexa look put off in the least by the question. Her act was so good that Clarke would not even think it possible that this could be a touchy question for the other girl, if she did not know better.

"Ah, well, I suppose you'll see them over winter break, then. I'm really impressed with this school though. Why did you choose to come here, Lexa?"

Clarke cringed a little as she thought of the answer to that question. She knew that her mother was only trying to make small talk with Lexa, but she was hitting on areas of the brunette's life that Clarke knew her roommate didn't want to talk about, especially not with someone she barely even knew. The blonde wished that her mother would stop making Lexa uncomfortable with her questions, but then again, that would mean that Abby would have to stop asking about Lexa's past in general. Clarke was trying to think of something to say that would bring the conversation back to the present, but Lexa was quick with her answer, taking it in stride.

"The nice atmosphere was certainly a selling point, but the main reason I decided to go to school here was the education. Polis students test higher than any other students in the state, and the teachers here are top-notch."

Clarke was unsettled by Lexa's easy posture and her comfortable demeanor. She knew that Lexa's acting skills were on full force today because she did not want Abby to think that she was anything less than perfect for her daughter. However, it still troubled Clarke to see her roommate behaving in this manner. It was like Lexa had a twin or a robot replica or something.

Clarke let it slide though. She couldn't very well bring the topic up in front of her mother, and she knew that Abby was impressed by Lexa's answer. Clarke only hoped that they could now move on to a different topic, and she barely stopped herself from face palming when she heard the next words that came out of her mother's mouth.

"I can't wait to meet your parents, Lexa. I hope that I will get to see them when I come to pick Clarke up after this semester."

"I'm sure they'll be really excited to meet you, too." Lexa smiled brightly.

This impossible performance that Lexa was putting on was starting to scare Clarke. There was not even the slightest hint that the brunette was lying. No frown. No stutter. Not even a trace of anything other than happiness in her eyes, and Clarke wanted nothing more than to make it stop. She had to change the subject fast, or she felt as if she might cry, or worse, call Lexa out on it. She quickly gestured to Raven and Octavia, who were sitting across the table from them. "Mom, you have to meet Octavia and Raven. They live across the hall from me, and they are my best friends at Polis."

The other girls turned their attention to Clarke when they heard the sound of their names, and Abby's attention was successfully diverted from the girl beside her daughter. Raven, who was sitting directly across from Abby, held out her hand for the older woman to shake. "Hey, Mrs. G. I'm Raven."

Lexa shot Clarke a grateful look, and the blonde squeezed her hand under the table, finally feeling like she could breathe again now that the Lexa she knew was back. She knew it was silly, but she had needed this proof that her girlfriend was simply putting on an act. She had almost started to believe, for a moment, that the unrecognizable girl who had been talking to Abby was real, and she sighed in relief when Lexa confirmed that that was not the case. Octavia noticed Lexa's look as well, from her spot beside Raven, and she immediately caught on to the implication that they needed a change in conversation topic.

"Hello, Mrs. Griffin, I'm Octavia. I've heard a lot about you from Clarke this past week. You're a doctor, right?"

Abby began to talk about her job, and Clarke flashed a grateful smile at Octavia. The brunette subtly dipped her head in acknowledgement, even though her eyes remained on Abby. Clarke could tell that Octavia wasn't paying much attention to the medical jargon that was now spewing from Abby's mouth, but anything was better than the onslaught of uncomfortable questions that she had been unknowingly directing at Lexa.

"What is it that you two want to be once you finish school?" Abby asked, after she had finished talking about her job.

Raven was quick to take control of answering that question. "I want to do something in the science field. My parents are both chemists, and I am loving chemistry this year myself, so maybe I will follow in their footsteps."

"A very honorable profession. It's never a bad thing to follow in your parents' footsteps, especially when they have good jobs." Abby shot a wink at Clarke, who playfully rolled her eyes. "What about you, Octavia?"

The girl in question groaned aloud, and Clarke could tell that Octavia did not have any reserves about how she acted in front of Abby. "I have no idea. I hate school as it is, so I can't imagine another four years of it after high school."

Clarke was surprised when her mother laughed. "I'm sure you'll find something, dear. Lexa?"

"I'm not sure yet either," Lexa answered honestly. "I can assure you though that I take my schooling much more seriously than Octavia does. I'm just going to need another year to figure it out."

"Which is fine," Abby answered. "You can take even longer, if you need to."

"I'm going to need another sixty years to figure out what I want to do," Octavia said. "I'll be waiting until they make watching Netflix into a job."

"Octavia, how many times do I have to tell you that that will never happen?" The brunette's mother turned away from where she had been talking with Bellamy and her husband. She turned to Abby and held out her hand. "I'm Aurora. I'm sorry if Octavia's being a little blunt, but that's the way she is. You get used to it after so many years of parenting."

"I know the feeling." Clarke's mother chuckled, excepting Aurora's outstretched hand. "I'm Abby."

As Abby began to talk with the other parents, Clarke was glad to have a moment alone with Lexa. Or rather she would have liked to, but no sooner had she placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's cheek than Lexa's phone started ringing.

Clarke's face fell as Lexa pulled the device from her pocket, brows furrowing when she read the caller ID. "It's Mr. Kane."

Confusion settled over Clarke's face as she wondered what Mr. Kane could possibly want. She wondered if maybe it was time for lunch, but she knew that they couldn't have been out for much more than an hour. The blonde tried to read the conversation through Lexa's end, but she gave up, resolving to wait for Lexa to hang up.

After a few minutes, Lexa brought the phone down from her ear with a guarded look. "Luna's parents have decided to come anyway this year."

Clarke wanted to smile, but she could tell from the look on Lexa's face that the brunette did not think that this was such a good thing.

"This could be good," Clarke assured her. "Go talk to them. Show them how much better you've gotten since Costia's death. I'm sure they'll be happy to see it."

Lexa gave Clarke a shy smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Clarke offered up a smile of her own.

Lexa stood from the table, drawing questioning glances from those seated closest to her. "Mr. Kane called and told me that my parents were able to make it, after all. I'm going back to the house to meet them."

Octavia and Raven turned concerned faces up to Lexa at the brunette's words, and Clarke knew instantly where their minds had gone. She caught Raven's eye and mouthed "Luna," which the other girl than quickly relayed to Octavia, causing their wary looks to turn into supportive ones. Clarke nodded to them as Aurora began speaking. "You go ahead. We'll be done here soon anyway, so we'll see you again shortly."

"Sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Clarke asked when she stood up to hug Lexa goodbye.

"I'll be fine," Lexa assured. "I want to beat the crowds though so that I can tell Luna's parents to pretend to be my own. That way, I won't have to explain to everyone about my past."

The brunette slipped out of Clarke's embrace, and Clarke found that she could only watch as Lexa made her way out of Jaha's, unable to move from where she had been standing until the door closed behind her roommate. Only then did she tear her gaze away and plop back down beside her mother, swept up again in the warm atmosphere that was created by the parents. Still, Clarke couldn't help but will everyone to eat their ice cream faster so that she could be back with Lexa again. She found that she was kind of excited to meet Luna's parents as well.

The house was unusually quiet when Lexa got back, now that it was virtually empty, the only sound coming from the friendly-looking couple who were speaking with Mr. Kane in the hallway. The moment they noticed Lexa, their conversation dwindled away as they turned to her with matching smiles on their faces.

"Lexa, it's so good to see you again," the woman said cheerfully.

Dread settled into the pit of Lexa's stomach when she realized what she had played right into, and she felt like she was going to vomit. These people weren't Luna's parents at all.

They were her own.

AN: Please don't hate me too much! For the cliffhanger or for what I am doing plot-wise. I'm sorry for making you wait, but I hope that you were able to enjoy the chapter anyway, despite the cliffhanger ending. As such, I will definitely update sooner than I normally do because I wouldn't want to make you guys wait a whole week to find out what happens next. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read and support this story! I love you all! :)