Pretzels and Strawberry Ice Cream
The next two weeks are important for Clarke and Lexa. Lexa stops sleeping around. It’s not easy but it’s easier with Clarke around. Everyday after practice, Lexa gives her a ride home. It’s become their little tradition. Lexa cherishes the time they have together, even if it’s short lived.
Sometimes Lexa stays for dinner. She gets to know Jake better and she realizes that some people actually do have nice parents..it’s not just made up in Disney movies. She starts to love spending dinners and nights at the Griffin's’ house. Clarke brightens her day and even if it’s just as friends right now, it’s enough.
It’s a Saturday afternoon and Clarke, Octavia, Lincoln, and Bellamy who had no shift at the station were all hanging out in the Woods’ house. They were watching cheesy 80’s romcoms at Clarke and Octavia pestering. Lexa is usually the first one to say no to romantic movies but Clarke mentioned how she loves cuddling up and watching these movies and Lexa couldn’t say no. Midway through the first movie, Clarke inches closer to Lexa. Lexa’s palms get all sweaty.
Clarke leans her head on Lexa’s shoulder and Lexa’s heart starts beating really fast. Clarke wraps her arms around Lexa’s waist and the basketball player sucks in a breath. Octavia hits Laurel in the ribs particularly hard and the older Woods’ shoots her a confused look until she follows Octavia’s eyes over to the other couch. She smiles wide. It seems she doesn’t have to intervene at all. Clarke and Lexa are slowly but surely on their way to confessing their feelings for one another. First things first, it seems some cute cuddling is in order. Lexa relaxes into the embrace and puts on of her hand’s in Clarke’s hair and massages lightly. Clarke sighs out and Lexa smiles bright. Inside, she’s giving herself a nerdy fistbump for doing something right.
“This is my favorite part.” Clarke mumbles about the movie and Lexa is still in a daze thanks to a certain blonde cuddlemonster currently attached to her hip.
“I love it too.” Lexa so is not talking about the movie.
///
When the end credits for the second movie are rolling, Laurel gets a phone call. Lexa eyes her and Laurel excuses herself to go talk in the other room. Lexa knows that it’s their mother. Lexa has yet to receive a phone call from either of her parents on any of their travels. They call Laurel and that’s it. Laurel refused to answer for awhile but they said if she didn’t pick up, they would fly back. Honestly, it’s kind of worse when they are here.
Lexa hears a loud crash and a sob in the kitchen and the whole gang is startled. Lexa gets up and rushes to her sister to check if she’s alright, a great sense of dread suddenly coming over her. The rest of the group follows to find Laurel on the floor, crying. Lexa immediately pulls her into an embrace.
“Dad died last night...It was a heart attack.” Laurel cries into Lexa’s shoulder and Lexa hugs her tight. It hits her right in the chest. Just because her parents were negligent doesn’t mean that her father’s death wouldn’t affect her. Her mother is just plain cruel to her. But she had some decent times with her Dad when her Mom wasn’t around.
10 Years Ago
Laurel is at her ballet class and their mother Beatrice is away at some spa retreat for the weekend so it’s just Lexa and her dad Charles. Charles is working in her study and Lexa is upstairs playing with her toys. Lexa’s stomach grumbles and she goes downstairs to ask her Daddy for dinner. She lightly knocks on his door and she hears a gruff ‘Come in.’
Little Lexa with her hair in braids peaks her head in the room. Her daddy never lets her come in his study when her mommy is around. She’s kind of scared of her mommy. She doesn’t really like her and it makes her sad when she thinks about how mean she is to her.
“What is it pumpkin?” Charles says softly as he types away on his computer. Lexa has started to notice that Charles is nice to her when her mommy isn’t around. When Beatrice is around, he just ignores Lexa’s presence. It’s not right, but it’s not as bad as Beatrice.
“My tummy is hungry.” Lexa asks, her smile missing a front tooth.
“Oh yeah? How about we grab a snack? When you’re sister is finished with ballet, I’ll order us a pizza.” Charles smiles and Lexa’s smiles gets wider. Her mom never lets her get pizza. Beatrice says that pizza is below them. But Lexa thinks that’s silly. Who is below pizza?
Charles takes his little girl’s hand and takes her to the kitchen.
“What do you want?” Charles puts Lexa on the counter, her little feet kicking and barely hanging off the counter.
“Salty.” Lexa says but then frowns after Charles puts pretzels in front of her. “No, sweet.” Charles chuckles and shakes his head in amusement at his daughter's indecisiveness. He puts down strawberry ice cream in front of her. Lexa looks deep in thought.
“Can’t choose huh?” He asks his daughter, whose brow is deeply furrowed as if her snack today will affect the rest of her life. “How about both?”
“Both?..I - I can have both?” Lexa asks in awe. Laurel can always have whatever she wants. If Laurel changes her mind, her mom will give her whatever snack she wants. But Lexa is only allowed one small snack. Charles looks sad for a second as he stares off into the distance.
He sits down at one of the kitchen counter stool so that he’s eye level with Lexa. Lexa’s still in awe at the small gesture. Charles feels shame wash over him for how he lets Beatrice treat his daughter. He just stands idly by and that makes him just as bad as Beatrice in his book. He wishes he had more patience.
“Listen Lexa, I am going to tell you something and it will be the most important thing I'll ever tell you. Understand?” Charles says and Lexa nods seriously.
“You can have whatever you want in this life. And don’t let anyone, including your mother and even me, tell you otherwise.” Lexa nods, thinking he’s talking about snacks. It’s only years later on the eve of his death that Charles’ daughter finally remembers this memory and it's in that moment that she understands he wasn’t just talking about snacks.
Lexa and Charles munch on pretzels and strawberry ice cream and it starts a tradition for Lexa. She’s not sure if that’s her favorite snack because of the good taste or because of the good memories she shared with her daddy the day he showed it to her.
///
Her father was a flawed man. He was far from perfect, but he was her father. And now he’s gone. Lexa holds her tears in though. Her head is pounding and her heart is beating rapidly against her chest. But she doesn’t let it show. This time it’s her turn to hold Laurel while she screams out and cries.
Laurel eventually stops crying. Her friends offer to stay and comfort them but she says it’s okay and she just wants to spend time with Lexa. They all give their condolences to the Woods’ sisters. Clarke lingers for a second while Laurel is talking to Lincoln. She pulls Lexa aside and hugs her tight. It takes Lexa by surprise but she falls into the affection she desperately craves and really needs right now.
“I know you want to hold it together now. But whenever you need to fall apart, I’m here. I’m always going to be here.” Clarke whispers to Lexa and she softly kisses her cheek. Lexa watches Clarke walk off and sits there stunned. Lexa just wants to be back in Clarke’s arms and cry. But not yet. She needs to get past this funeral and repass first.
///
Beatrice comes home the next afternoon. The funeral is set for the next day. It’s all done rather quickly. Beatrice has ties in this community and gets everything settled as soon as her Jimmy Choos hit the airport runway.
“Laurel, dear.” Beatrice kisses her daughter dramatically on both cheeks. She gives her a light hug, but it’s not motherly. Beatrice wasn’t overly motherly and warm to Laurel either, but it was better than she was with Lexa. With Laurel, she at somewhat of an effort...or at least pretended to. But with Lexa, it was as if she hated her from the second she was born and she had no problem telling that to her daughter's face.
Lexa is standing next to her sniffling sister. Beatrice looks her up and down and scoffs.
“Alexandria.” She at least acknowledges her presence this time.
“Beatrice.” Lexa stopped calling her mother ‘Mom’ a long time ago.
“Can we please pretend to get along for Dad’s service?” Laurel mumbles, it’s mainly directed at her mother. Her Dad was a good father to her. She knows it’s hard for Lexa because their Dad ignored her a lot. But Laurel can’t help but be overcome with emotions. Her daddy is gone.
“Of course sweets.” Beatrice kisses her cheeks again. “I need my beauty rest. I can never sleep on those pesky planes. Your father’s service is tomorrow at 8. Be up and ready my darling Laurel." Her voice suddenly turns from soft to cold. Lexa immediately knows she's talking to her. "Oh and Lexa, don’t you dare disgrace your father by being late. And you better wear a black dress. No suits. No pants.” Beatrice spats out and Lexa bites her tongue, not wanting to fight with her mother just when her father died. “I love you Laurel.” She sweetly calls out and Laurel mumbles out a ‘goodnight.’
Laurel busies herself cleaning and reading. She repeatedly asks Lexa if she’s okay and Lexa says she’s okay as she can be right now. Lexa hasn’t cried. She wants to. She really does. She just hasn’t found it in her to cry. She’s sitting in her room when she gets a text from Clarke. Her spirits are instantly picked up slightly and all because of the blonde with blue eyes.
From Clarke - Hi Lex. Just checking in. I know you probably want space but I hope you know we are here for you..I’m here for you. We will all be at the funeral tomorrow to support you and Laurel. I’m here if you need a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold.
Lexa softly smiles at Clarke’s kindness. She’s sure Clarke sent a similar text to Laurel, and while she did, it wasn’t the same. Lexa replies to Clarke saying thank you before going to bed. Truthfully, she doesn’t think she will be able to get through the day without Clarke and Laurel by her side.
///
“Charles Gerald Woods was a man of many talents. CEO of the family business since the age 21, Charles grew up to be a loving husband and attentive father…” Lexa tuned out after the ‘attentive father’ spiel. Clarke has been holding her hand since the funeral. Now they are burying him in the ground at the Woods plots in the cemetery. Clarke is also holding Laurel’s hand, but Lexa isn’t jealous. She knows Laurel’s needs support too. Clarke squeezes her hand and Lexa squeezes back.
Lexa has a flash of all the good memories with her Dad. There aren’t too many memories but there’s enough to leave a tiny hole in Lexa’s heart. Lexa feels a tear fall down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away, praying nobody saw. But Clarke did.
Eventually their father is in the ground and it stabs at both sisters straight in their hearts. Lexa looks over at her mother and she barely looks grief stricken. She was even checking her fake pointy red nails to see if she needed a touch up. Lexa wanted to slap her for being disrespectful. Beatrice even refused to throw dirt on the grave as per tradition because it would ‘get her hands dirty.’ Almost everyone there looked at her with wide eyes and jaws on the floor.
A repass is held where Laurel and Lexa sit with their cousins and uncles talking about Charles when he was a kid before he was burdened with the family business when his parents died in a plane crash. It changed him apparently. Lexa realizes she didn’t really know anything about her father...and now she might never have the chance to learn. She looks over at her friends who are sitting at a table in the corner, showing their support. Lexa’s heart warms up. That’s her real family. Not strangers that she’s never met before and certainly not Beatrice. The only blood family she has left now is Laurel. Nobody else in her biological family mattered to her.
She goes over to her friends and talks for a bit, her eyes somehow always finding Clarke’s. Clarke has been so amazing these past two days. Her whole world has turned upside down. This all went much too quickly. They have barely had anytime to grieve. They didn’t even have a wake. Beatrice said Charles wouldn’t have wanted to be seen ‘all stuffy and in a box.’ But truthfully, Lexa thinks she just wants to hear the will. Beatrice has the lawyer coming after hours once the repass is over just so she can hear what is legally hers.
The repass at the restaurant is over and everyone says their goodbyes. Lexa hugs Clarke goodbye last. “Can I..maybe um come over later? To talk? I kind of really need to talk.” Lexa mumbles and Clarke looks at her with such affection and understanding in her eyes..but not pity. Never pity. And for that, Lexa is eternally grateful. “
“Of course. My door is always open.” Clarke reassures her and Lexa nods gratefully.
///
“Mrs. Woods, you receive the summer home in Croatia and the chateau in France. You also get the mansion in Pasadena and the townhouse in Chicago.” The lawyer says in a monotone professional voice. When he stops, Beatrice’s smile is wiped completely off her face.
“And?” She hastily asks, gritting her teeth. The lawyer looks at her incredulously and continues.
“Laurel and Lexa Woods, you receive the deed to the mansion and all the unused plots in Polis. You both will split the shares down the middle of Woods & Company. You both will receive half the Woods fortune when you turn 30. Laurel, you are getting the villa in Greece. Your father says Greece has deep culture that a history buff like you would love. Lexa, your father is giving you the penthouse in Manhattan where you ‘will find the answers Beatrice and I could never give you.’ I have letters for both of you.”
The lawyer gives all three of them separate folders with all our information and what not. He shakes each of their hands and tells them to contact him if anything else is needed. He can tell the mother is barely holding it together, just as Charles warned him she would be when she found out the contents of the will. Charles’ real fortune was in the shares of Woods & Company and the heritages he gave Lexa and Laurel. Their nicest house is also the Polis Mansion, which is rather large and gorgeous.
Once the door closes, Beatrice implodes.
“How could he give you the shares and properties that were rightfully MINE?!” Beatrice points at Lexa and says the words with such hatred. Lexa just shakes her head and chuckles bitterly.
“Maybe father finally realized what a gold digging bitch you are!” Lexa snaps. Her mother never loved her. Her mother was downright cruel to Lexa her whole life. And Lexa is done with it.
“You ungrateful whore.” Beatrice slaps Lexa hard across the face, so hard she leaves a big red hand mark. Lexa’s folder even falls out of her hand. Laurel jumps in front of them.
“Mother! Don’t you dare lay another finger on her!” Laurel screams louder than Lexa has ever heard her soft spoken sister yell before. “You’re hurting right now, but Daddy wouldn’t want you to take this out on your daughters.”
Beatrice chuckles darkly and shakes her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not taking this out on my daughter. I’m talking to Alexandria. Alexandria Woods, certainly not my blood. Would you look at her? No. She's the product of your father and a no good whore." Laurel looks at Lexa and then Beatrice, clearly shocked. And so is Lexa, deep down she might have always known this bomb dropping truth : Beatrice is not her biological mother.