The Primes have been defeated, Sanctum is finally free and even though there are many things that still need to be done and the fight is far from over, the group enjoys some well deserved rest. Clarke finally seems to be relaxed, thanks to Raven figuring out a way to bring Lexa back with the help of the mysterious anomaly and the Flame. No one completely understands how it works, and neither does Raven yet, to be quite honest, but somehow her amazing mind has managed to do the impossible. Clarke can never repay her for that.
She’s only been back a few days, and despite being without her for more than a hundred years, Clarke feels as if no time has passed. And Lexa has been holding up fairly well too, apart from the nightmares that inevitably come when you’ve been dead for a century. She has no memory of the City of Light and what happened to her and the other Commanders after it was destroyed, and hearing about the second Praimfaya, leaving Earth, cryosleep and everything in between probably shook her up more than she cares to show. She’s always been the strongest person Clarke has ever known. But luckily, things have been better and smoother than expected. With the Flame being taken out of her head, Madi is no longer the Commander either, which means she can finally just be a child. Another thing that lets Clarke breathe easier. The Grounders worship Lexa as their Commander now more than ever. Coming back from the dead will make people respect you, that’s for sure, so she was welcomed back with open arms by everyone.
As the rest of the group relaxes on the grass with much needed drinks in their hands, finally being able to just chat and joke around - something they haven't been able to do for a long time - Clarke, Lexa, Madi and Gaia decide to get up and see the farmhouse they’ll be staying in from now on. The family and the Fleimkepa will be staying together, of course, as the rest of their people find shelter across Sanctum.
They’re walking towards the farmhouse in comfortable silence, Madi and Gaia chatting just a few feet behind them, when Clarke feels Lexa’s hand hit her stomach so suddenly, she can’t comprehend what’s going on. Lexa pushes her a step back and draws her sword, her jaw clenched with worry and her eyes locked onto a yellow ball of fur sprinting towards them.
“Stay back,” she orders, everyone staring at her, confused. Clarke quickly realizes what Lexa is protecting them from and intervenes before her child loses a pet to her sword.
“Lexa, stop! That’s Picasso!” The monstrous yellow beast Lexa is trying to protect them from is of course, the Primes’ golden retriever, Picasso, that Madi adopted after the Primes were defeated. Even though Clarke tried to enforce the strict mother act at first, she let Madi keep her and grew to love the furry companion herself. Lexa hasn’t been back for long, so she hasn’t been properly introduced to dogs yet, much like Clarke when they first landed on Sanctum. The memory of living so long without Lexa makes Clarke’s heart drop for a moment, but she recovers quickly at the sight of Lexa defensively jumping back and forth as Picasso tries to smell her and Madi kneeling next to her, scratching behind her ear with a giant smile on her face, and the sadness in Clarke’s heart is quickly replaced by a warm feeling of joy.
“The Commander of the 13 clans, our mighty, undefeated Heda, afraid of a puppy,” Clarke teases, barely holding her laughter in. Gaia is standing still, her lips struggling to remain a thin line because as Fleimkepa, she would never mock her Commander.
“I am not afraid of this beast you call puppy, Clarke,” Lexa replies defensively, still untrusting of the animal in front of her. “I have seen many warriors get torn apart by wild wolves. I was simply trying to protect you and the child.”
“Okay, that’s — “ Clarke approaches and kneels next to them, giving Picasso another scratch on the head. She’s clearly enjoying all this attention, judging by her wagging tail. “She’s not a wolf. Or a beast. She’s a dog. People used to keep them as pets before the first Praimfaya. They’re... companions.”
“She’s my best friend,” Madi agrees and gives Picasso a hug. “What a good girl you are!”
Lexa’s jaw slowly softens as she realizes she may have overestimated the amount of danger they're in. She puts her sword away and comes closer, though still hesitant. This once again spikes Picasso’s curiosity which results in her happily jumping around Lexa, smelling her and then sitting in front of her, staring with her head tilted to the side as if she's waiting for something. She barks once, making Lexa reach for her dagger instinctively. Her grip softens when she sees no one else feels threatened by the animal, though.
“I think she wants you to pet her, Commander.” Gaia joins, secretly amused by the show. Lexa lifts her eyebrow and shifts her eyes between all three of them.
“Pet?”
“Yeah, like that.” Madi gently bops Picasso’s head. “Though she likes belly scratches the most.”
“Go on, just let her smell you first and then gently pet her,” Clarke reassures and Lexa does as she’s told. She slowly kneels beside Picasso and reaches out so she can smell her hand. The retriever does so and gives her a lick before flopping on her back with all four paws in the air. Lexa smiles at the goofy animal in front of her and looks at Madi for confirmation before she scratches her belly. She nods and Lexa pets her.
“You are a very tamed beast. Thank you for not biting my arm off.”
A moment of silence as Madi, Clarke and Gaia exchange glances before bursting into laughter as she says it. Lexa pretends to be offended, and though the corners of her lips are stretching into a smile, she tries to remain serious.
“If you tell anyone about this, you will all be punished.” Not buying the strict Commander act, this just makes everyone laugh even harder, and Picasso, enjoying the interactions, runs off before quickly coming back with a red ball in her mouth and dropping it at Lexa’s feet. She looks to Clarke for guidance again, visibly confused.
“Throw it!” Madi yells excitedly, and Lexa follows the instructions. Picasso runs wildly after the ball, Madi is playfully chasing her, and Lexa is now relaxed, smiling ear to ear, playing with them, though still grumpily questioning the concept of the dog chasing this ball repeatedly. Gaia places her hand on Clarke’s shoulder, still looking at her beloved Commander and the child she adores so much playing on the field.
“We’ve all lost so much, but this... this makes it seem like all the fighting... it was worth it.” Clarke squeezes her hand and nods, her eyes filling up with tears remembering those they’ve lost on the way, but also because her heart is overwhelmed with joy at the sight of the love of her life and her child laughing and playing as if they don’t have a care in the world.
“Maybe now we can finally live in peace.” They both stand in comfortable silence for a bit, simply enjoying the moment before Gaia speaks again.
“I’m glad Madi can grow up without the weight of being the Commander. I’m glad Heda’s back. It's good for everyone. Especially you."
"Yeah," Clarke's lips stretch into a smile, her mind wandering off to a cherished memory she shared with Lexa many years ago, before she lost her so suddenly. "We finally got our someday."
Gaia frowns with confusion, not knowing what she means by it, but the sentence comes out of Clarke’s mouth like a secret known only between the lovers, not to be shared, so she chooses not to ask. She walks away to give the family some time alone and joins the rest of the group. Clarke watches as Lexa falls on her back in the grass, both Madi and Picasso jumping her, and with the sound of Lexa’s playful cries for help and her daughter’s laughter echoing through the field, for the first time after a while, Clarke’s heart isn’t heavy with grief or worry or loss, no.
The only thing she feels looking at her family, is peace.