Years Later
"Auntie Lexie!" Lexa couldn't help but grin as she let herself in to her best friends house as her niece and nephew ran towards her.
"No Aden you're wrong it's Aunt sexy Lexie." Tris grinned at her brother, tongue sticking out as she high fived her aunt before running upstairs. "Mom Aunt sexy Lexie is here finally!"
Anya walked down the stairs shaking her head as she laughed at Aden who was still attached to Lexa's leg. "I see they've been spending time with Octavia."
"I told the chief not to make us partners but does anyone ever listen to me?"
Aden shook her his head. "Nope." All it took was one look from Anya to make him hide behind Lexa.
"This is why you're my favourite nephew."
"I'm your only nephew." Lexa waited for the rest of his response but it never came.
"What I'm not your favourite aunt? Who's one upping me?" She questioned as she turned and picked him up.
He zipped his lips closed with an imaginary zipper as he giggled the whole way to the kitchen. "Auntie Clarke, he totally has a crush on her." Tris said as she pranced back into the kitchen with a smug look on her face.
Lexa raised an eyebrow. "How is she your favourite and I'm not?"
"Have you even met her? She's awesome, she cuts people open for a living." Tris rolled her eyes as she opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"Sorry Auntie Lex, am I still your favourite nephew?"
"She gives you cake doesn't she?" He nodded joyfully before running off only coming back a minute later to show Lexa what looked to be an old shoe box. "Whatcha got in the box buddy? Any girlfriends for your second favourite Aunt? I am at least your second favourite aren't I?"
"Of course you are, Aunt Tavia spends too much time trying to train Tris on how to be a warrior and Aunt Raven always messes up my hair." Shaking his head with a huff he climbed up onto the chair in the kitchen next to his second favourite aunt and opened the box. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was in it. Lexa couldn't help but smile at all the 'Clarke Griffin original' paintings that were created from across the globe. Some were sketches, some were full blown paintings but all of them had been signed by someone she hadn't seen in years.
"So where was she last?" She asked with a sad smile that only Anya picked up on, leaving Aden completely clueless.
"Egypt. She sent me this painting," he pulled the paper out of the box with the pyramids perfectly drawn on it. For the next hour Aden described the different places Clarke had been since he had last seen Lexa.
XOXO
"Auntie Lexie can you tell us another story about your princess." Aden asked from where he sat cuddled up with her on the couch. His eyelids were half closed but it had become tradition for Lexa to tell both her niece and nephew a story about her princess.
"Are you sure you want to hear more that still? You haven't outgrown it yet?"
A quiet, "not yet" was heard from Tris who was wrapped up in a blanket on the love seat.
"I suppose if you haven't out grown it then I can tell you another story from the sky chronicles. "Do you remember where we left off last time?" She asked before quickly being answered by both kids.
XOXODuke University
"You and Lexa have been getting mighty cozy again." Octavia wiggled her eyebrows from where she stood in the doorway to Clarke's apartment.
"Jesus Christ Octavia do you ever knock?"
Her best friend shook her head 'no'. "Why would I knock when I just saw Lexa leave, and be both know Lexa isn't the hit it and quit it type, at least not with you so it's not like you'd be naked. It's also not like I haven't seen you buck naked before either."
"You're insufferable sometimes. What is it that you want? Or are you just going to stand there with my door wide open?" Clarke huffed as she put her glasses back on and flopped down onto the couch.
"Mostly to tease you about Lexa but then also to ask what the hell is going on between you? You do know that girl went to Jake's every day for almost two weeks straight looking for you right?"
Clarke raised an eyebrow as she picked her textbook back up. "She was probably studying, not looking for me and I told you my mom kind of knocked some sense into me, though I hate admitting that."
"Go Abby! Also she totally was looking for her, Lincoln can confirm that. Lexa reads at the speed of light and one day I watched her reread the same page for an hour."
"Maybe she was confused by something." Clarke answered nonchalantly.
Octavia let out a loud huff. "Griffin the girl is crazy about you whether you want to be friends or more than that is up to you but she's a keeper. She even offered to help me with my criminology classes until she realized I was just being an ass to her."
"I'm not really sure what I want us to be so for right now it's just friends, but ask me tomorrow and it may be different. Especially since we have this loaded past, Mrs. Callaway is right we're back in each other's lives for a reason. I kind of feel like it's my dad pulling some strings from up there." She pointed up to the ceiling as if Octavia needed a visual representation of what she meant.
"Let's just skip to the part where you tell me you realize you really do still like her like her."
This time it was Clarke's turn to huff. "I think I really do. We were just sitting here studying, barely talking and I looked over at her with her hair all in a messy bun, glasses on the brim of her nose and all I could think about is what it would be like to lean over and kiss her. At the same time though I'm just not sure I'm ready to go down that road yet."
Octavia nodded in understanding, something Clarke loved about her friend. As much as they poked fun at each other when it came down to it Octavia always understood where she was coming from, even if she didn't always agree. "You don't need to rush anything so long as when the time is right you just let it happen without fighting it."
XOXO
"Are you ever going to tell them that this princess of yours is actually their Auntie Clarke?" Anya asked once Lexa walked back downstairs into the kitchen. She pushed a freshly poured glass of wine across the table towards her best friend.
"That would take the fun out of it but maybe one day when they're older." Lexa shrugged, not really she'd ever tell them.
"I take it there's no new princess in your life or you wouldn't still be telling them tales from the chronicle of you and Griffin. Whatever happened to that woman you met in Greece?"
Lexa gulped before taking a long sip of her wine. "Nothing, it was a one night thing."
"And the woman from Paris?" Anya watched as she Lexa shrugged. "I need you to hurry up and find someone. I also need you to hurry up and move back to North Carolina."
This time Lexa rolled her eyes. "I'm the CEO of a fortune 500 company I can't just move my offices wherever I so please because my best friend wants me to settle down so we can go on double dates, which might I add she doesn't even like."
"I liked them when you were dating Clarke, sorry, I mean the princess. I can give you her number you know and you could send her a text message."
"I'm good thanks, or need I remind you what happened two years ago. You know when my dad had a heart attack and she didn't so much as call. Can we just change the subject please?" Lexa asked annoyed as she finished the rest of the wine in her glass.
XOXODuke University
"Oh hey Lex, what's up?" Raven grinned as she walked out of her apartment on her way to class.
"Taking a break from studying, I'm banking on Clarke having cookies, unless Octavia ate them all again."
Raven laughed. "She didn't but I left you a couple…I think." It was at that moment they heard the sound of bass coming from Clarke's apartment. "Octavia is in class, that's all your girl, we don't call her party Griffin for nothing, her and Anya were not fun neighbors!"
"As if you didn't love every minute of it, you're the one that set her system up."
"Your damn right I did and that shit sounds damn good if you ask me."
"I didn't." Lexa winked as Raven flipped her off before passing her.
"Don't bother knocking, she won't hear you oh and you better be coming out with us tonight! We all need the break now that our exams are done."
Lexa shook her head with a laugh. "You still have one left! I swear you are the calmest person I've ever met before an exams."
"Perks of being a genius. Later Lex." She waved as she walked onto the elevator and out of sight.
Another second later Lexa was knocking on Clarke's door. She had learnt enough about Octavia and Raven to know that if they said to do something it was advisable to do the opposite. No answer. She waited another minute before opening the door. Taking a step inside and closing the door behind herself she took her shoes off and made her way further into the apartment when she didn't see Clarke sitting on her couch.
"Colt 45 and two zig zags baby that's all weed, we can go to the park after dark smoke that tumble weed, as the marijuana burns we can take our turn singing dirty rap songs." Lexa watched as Clarke danced around the kitchen rapping every word of the song. She stayed quiet as the song changed and watched as the blonde continued to move around the apartment cleaning, clueless of her presence. "She's got class and style, street knowledge by the pound, baby never wild very low key on the profile, catching feelings is a no. Let me tell you how it goes, curve's the words, spins the verbs, lovers it curves so freak what you heard." She sang before finally noticing Lexa leaning against her couch.
"How much of that have you been standing there for?" She yelled over the music as Lexa continued to smile at her while she ate a cookie not hearing a word before she turned the volume down and tried again.
"Not enough. I knocked but no answer and god knows you don't need to lock the door because your dancing is scary enough."
"I seem to remember you liking my dancing, but we really need to stop meeting like this, all my street cred is going out the window."
Lexa raised her eyebrows with a knowing look. "Griffster, you've never had street cred, you also forget I've known since you were in diapers. Believe me you've always danced like a fool."
"True, but I seem to remember you dance like a fool with me but lets get one thing right, I rap far better than you do." Clarke grinned before turning the music back up, knowing that Lexa was not going to agree with her at all.
After a half hour of dancing around the apartment they finally collapsed onto the couch. "So did you just come here to steal my cookies?" The brunette could stop the flirty smile from taking over her features. "Ugh that sounded so bad, not that cookie ya perv. Stop hanging out with Anya."
Lexa let out a hardy laugh with a shrug. "You said it, not me and no I came to see how your last exam went."
"Who knows, at this rate I feel like I'll never be a doctor and I have to start applying to different programs still. I'll never understand why they make you apply to places before you even know if you'll get that far. How was yours? Glad to finally be done with that dreaded little torts class?"
"You have no idea, I can not wait to consume as much alcohol as my body will allow tonight in hopes I'll forget the memory of ever having to take that class."
"I feel like we all haven't been out in forever, you're still coming over before hand to get ready right? You better not leave with alone with dumb and dumber across the hall."
"I promise I'll be here to get ready, you're as bad as Anya."
Clarke grinned, "but I'm cuter, like way cuter."
"True but don't tell her I said that or I may not be around to agree with you anymore."
"Secret is safe with me." Clarke winked before letting out a laugh herself.
xoxo
"Stop drooling like a dog." Octavia said as she smacked Clarke's arm harder than Clarke would have liked.
"I'm not drooling like a dog, I'm just admiring from afar." The blonde watched as her friend rolled her eyes.
"Now that we're sufficiently full of shots thanks to me, let's get this show on the road so we don't lose our buzz and end up falling asleep on the couch like last time." Raven let out as she started to hand everyone their coats. "Thanks to Lex Luthor there's already an uber waiting for us downstairs. So chop chop lets not spend anymore of the heiress' money than we have to." Her comment caused both Lexa and Clarke to roll their eyes while Octavia smacked her arm. "Ow! Could you maybe not do that?"
"See I told you it hurts." Clarke let out as she closed the door once everyone was out of her apartment.
"Whatever you wimps, lets go dance our shoes off and maybe clothes if these two are lucky." Once again both Lexa and Clarke rolled their eyes acting as if neither of them had already contemplated the idea of getting the other naked.
xoxo
"Seriously where the hell do you guys find these places? Or do I even want to know?" Lexa questioned as they walked into a club she'd been told was called Rebel.
"We like the ones off the beaten path, the ones only the real locals know about. Consider yourself lucky." Clarke couldn't help but grin as she took a hold of Lexa's arm and leaned into her as they dropped their coats off at coat check.
Once Clarke's coat was off and her dress was back in sight Lexa felt the butterflies start to fly around in her stomach again. "Did I mention how amazing you look in that dress?" She whispered in Clarke's ear, and even though Clarke could barely hear it over the music it set her skin a blaze in the best possible way.
"I should be saying that about you, I better be careful or someone's going to steal my cuddle buddy for the night."
"If said cuddle buddy is smart and I have a feeling she is, she'd much rather cuddle with you than hook up with some random person at a club."
xoxo
"See I told you no one would want to steal your cuddle buddy." Lexa grinned as she moved around Clarke's apartment as if it was her own, knowing exactly where everything was. Clarke didn't have a chance to reply because Lexa stepped out of the main bathroom with her bright orange toothbrush in hand. "You kept my toothbrush even though you were royally pissed at me?"
Clarke could feel her cheeks start to turn crimson as she stepped out of her room in her pajama shorts and usual favourite Duke sweatshirt. "I guess I did, don't let it go to your head though I barely use that bathroom."
Lexa stuck her tongue out as a response before walking back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. As she looked at herself in the mirror she tried to shake the goofy grin that had been on her face all night but she just couldn't seem to. It turned out that Clarke and Lexa would win the battle of apartments per say as they had to practically carry Octavia and Raven in and put them to put next door. To which Raven declared that Lexa had officially taken Anya's place in apartment wars even though Lexa argued that she didn't live with Clarke.
After brushing her teeth she walked into the spare bedroom and smiled even bigger as Clarke left a set of clothes for her on the bed. She took a deep breath to steady herself before changing. When she walked out of the room she expected to see Clarke in the kitchen making mac and cheese like she usually did after they spent a night out drinking. Instead she found her in her room looking out her bedroom window. The only light in the room came from the city lights below and the full moon that was on full display. It was in the moment that Lexa knew, as the breath left her lungs leaving her completely and utterly breathless in awe of the woman in front of her, that her life was a million times better because Clarke Griffin was in it.
"You just gonna stare or are you gonna come and cuddle, that is the point of being cuddle buddies you know?" Clarke smiled as she turned around only to see Lexa stick her tongue out at her.
"What is it you're always telling me? Better put that back where it came from or I'll make you do it?"
Lexa crossed her arms with a smirk on her face as she continued to lean against the doorframe. "Come make me then."
Clarke took the few steps forward that were separating them and leaned in as close as she could without her lips touching Lexa's before she finally spoke again. "Don't start somethin' you can't finish Callaway." It was rare for Clarke's southern accent to be dominantly on display but in that moment her drawl had Lexa hanging on by a thread.
"Who says I can't finish it," she challenged back, not changing her stance, even though she was desperately trying to control her breathing before Clarke caught on.
"Definitely the empty shot glasses that are sitting on a bar somewhere."
Lexa shook her head without thinking. "I'm not drunk, definitely buzzed but that could just be because I find you to be intoxicating in the most amazing way." Yeah, she was definitely buzzed from the alcohol but maybe it was just the right amount of liquid courage that she needed.
Without wasting another moment Clarke reached her hand up and cupped Lexa's cheek before leaning up ever so slightly and kissing her gently at first. It didn't take Lexa long to register what was happening before she started to kiss the slightly shorter woman back. Unfolding her arms she left one hand gingerly rest on Clarke's hip, pulling her just a tiny bit closer. Another moment later Lexa felt Clarke's tongue softly caress her bottom lip. As their kiss deepened both women were finding it increasingly difficult to pull back and stop. They shared a look for no more than half a second before Clarke was pulling Lexa back towards her bed. A heartbeat later and both their sweatshirts were being dropped in a heap on the floor.
xoxo
Hours later when Clarke finally opened her eyes to the small streaks of sunlight that were peaking in from her behind her blinds she couldn't but want to picture this moment forever. Brown hair as laying gently on her shoulder and a warm hand was resting peacefully on her hip. Turning her head to placed the softest of kisses on Lexa's forward.
"Mmm, good morning." Clarke couldn't stop herself from smiling as Lexa's groggy voice filled the silence of the room.
"Good morning beautiful." Lexa's eyes still hadn't opened but there was definitely a smile on her face.
"Do we have to get up?"
Sleepy Lexa was by the far the cutest Lexa and there was no way Clarke was getting up anytime soon. "No, we don't have to get up. We can stay like his all day."
"Mmm, good." Lexa pulled her in a little closer.
An hour and a nap later it was Lexa's turn to wake up first and gently place a kiss on Clarke's cheek. Her body still felt like it was on fire in every placed that Clarke had touched it and she had to admit she had never felt anything like it before. It took her breath away and breathed life back into her all at once. She reached up and tucked a stray strand of blonde hair out of Clarke's face. Her only thought was how incredibly beautiful and amazing the girl lying in her arms was. She knew that she'd never forget this feeling no matter what the rest of their lives had planned for them.
"I can't believe that's what I've been missing out on," Clarke mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.
"I can remind you again if you want?" Lexa wiggled her eyebrows as she rolled on top of Clarke who moved her arms around Lexa's neck.
"Won't hear me complaining about that." She managed to get out before Lexa's lips were caressing her neck.
xoxo
"You'll be back for soon right?" Anya questioned as she gave her best friend a hug.
"Of course. Hopefully in the summer, then we can spend some time at the cottage."
"See you in six months." Anya said a little sadder than she had intended.
Lexa shook her head. "I'll see you when I land and face time you. Motherhood has made you such a sap." They hugged one more time before Lexa grabbed her luggage and made her way to the town car that was waiting outside Anya's house for her.
XOXO
Anya made her way towards her front door at the sound of her doorbell before being stopped by her daughter. "I got it mom."
"This has to be the best day ever!" She heard her son yell after the front door closed.
"Aden what are you yelling about this is a house not a playground." Once she rounded the corner and saw what her kids were yelling about she nearly lost it herself. "Holy shit this is the best day ever!" She let out as she picked her friend up in a hug.
"I thought that was the day we got married?" Gus questioned as he walked in from the backyard before seeing whom his wife was holding. He blinked his eyes a few times before making his way towards the front door. "Well god damn this is the best day ever!" He roared with a laugh as he picked the woman up and spun her around.
"I take it I've been missed a little bit?" She questioned once she was back on solid ground.
"I thought you were in Costa Rica?" Anya let out.
"I thought you were in Thailand?" Gus chuckled afterwards, he was never able to keep up.
"Wrong and wrong, I'm right here and I might be for awhile."
Aden and Tris' eyes lit up at the statement. "What?" They questioned in unison.
"Yeah what they said, elaborate blondie." Clarke could only smile as they moved into the living room.
"I'm moving home, with Octavia's wedding slowly creeping up on us it's only right I'm state side to fulfill all my maid of honor duties. Apparently my mother is tired of having me traveling across the world too. Still the best day ever?"
"Yep, this is going to be super hard to top!" Aden grinned from ear to ear as he hugged Clarke once again. "I got to see my two favourite aunts in the same day and one of them is finally moving home." Clarke raised her eyebrow slightly and looked at Anya.
"Missed her by about an hour."
"I can't wait for you guys to finally meet each other, Auntie Lexa is like the coolest ever and she tells the best stories."
Clarke smiled and ruffled Aden's hair. "So I've heard, what story did she tell you this time?" Aden and Tris spent the next hour telling Clarke one of the stories Lexa had told them during her short stay.
XOXO"Why do you look so upset pretty girl? I'm sure you'll get in everywhere you applied. You're one of the most talented, hard working people I've ever met."
Clarke smiled at her girlfriend's admission. The sincerity in it nearly broke her heart more than the opened letter she held in her hand. "It's not that I didn't get in, it's that I got in somewhere I didn't think I would." She handed the letter over to the woman sitting on the couch next to her.
"Cedars Sinai would like to welcome you to our surgical program." Lexa read off before tackling Clarke in a hug so big the blonde wanted to cry. "I am so proud of you."
Clarke took a deep breath. "Cedars-Sinai is in Los Angeles."
"I know, but this is your dream."
"What about us?" Clarke asked quietly, barely able to look at the love of her life. They had spent the last year and a half together and Clarke would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought that Lexa was the one for her.
"We'll figure it out, we have six months before then and we'll figure it out."
"You hate long distance relationships." It was what they were both thinking but Clarke was never one to hold it in. The sadness in her voice nearly broke them both as they continued to sit in a tight embrace on Clarke's couch.
xoxo
Six Months Later
"Lexa what the fuck are you still doing here. Get your ass up and get your ass to the airport and tell that girl you'll make it work no matter the distance between you."
"I don't even know how we'd make it work. Her there, me here. It's all too familiar, the pain is all too familiar."
"How many fucking times do I have to tell you that Clarke is not Costia. She loves you more than that stuck up bitch ever could. She almost gave up her dream because she loves you so much, the fact that she contemplated you and her career should tell you everything. So smarten the fuck up, get the fuck and get the fuck moving." Anya yelled as she stood in the doorway of Lexa's apartment with her arms crossed looking like she was ready to lunge at her best friend at any given moment.
"I need to tell her we'll make it work. What the fuck am I doing sitting here when the woman I love is about to get on a plane."
xoxo
"Where is she?" Lexa questioned out of breath and she finally found Octavia and Raven. They both had sad looks on their face, neither able to answer her question. "No, no I can't be too late. Tell me I'm not too late?" The tears were starting to fall down her cheeks as she looked out the window and saw the plane starting to roll away. "What have I done? She needs to know how much I love her and that we'll make it work." She started to sob as Anya finally caught up to her.
No one else was able to speak as they watched the plane take off. Though no one said it they knew this was about to change everything.
TBC…