“You have got to be kidding me” Abby’s voice emerged as the door closed behind her with a thud.
Clarke gasped, throwing her arms off Lexa’s thighs, turning quickly to face her mother’s shocked eyes, eyebrows raised in a manner that transpired both disbelief and a faint sign of annoyance.
Lexa blinked-repeatedly- in silent hopes that this was just a dream, an illusion. Realising that it was, in fact, 100% real-Clarke’s own mother standing in the doorstep, she mentally slapped herself for allowing to fall under such an absurd and embarassing situation.
If the Commander was ever caught in an even remotely compromising, odd or embarassing moment, she would just put on her well known cold, stoic expression and all those present would immediately understand that the situation was not to be further discussed or remembered.
However, that was Lexa. And,even though the Commander was a side of her,the fact that she was sitting on a rather small table, with Clarke standing between her legs, grasping her thighs, her hands intertwined in the blonde’s hair was by no means favourable to a Commander’s attitude.
Clarke ran a hand through her hair, catching a breath.
“I thought you were supposed to be out tonight. At the dinner celebration with the rest of the council.” Clarke said in a somewhat questionable, maybe even the slightest irritable tone.
“I was going to come and get you. Kane was thinking you should come along, since you’ve had such an important contribution to our peace.” Abby said, then gesturing towards Lexa “ we were going to invite you too. Commander.” She said the last word with a hint of irony “it seems like there’s no need to bother into searching for you now.”
Clarke, surprisingly even to herself sometimes, did not care even the slightest about being caught. She had been through so much-had endured so many horrific things that she shouldn’t have even been supposed to, that she knew she deserved to be happy. At least as happy as one can get when they have graveyards on their hands and are haunted in their dreams. She wasn’t even going to flinch when her mother -or anyone else, for that matter- was going to find out and give her shit about it. Lexa was far too important. And Lexa was hers.
Lexa, on the other hand, had not felt that embarrassed in a long time. She knew, certainly that Abby didn’t particularly enjoy her presence. Hell! She was positive that Clarke’s mother disliked her very deeply. She was Clarke’s mother, after all. Just because Clarke had understood and forgiven her for leaving her to die at Mount Weather did not mean the woman standing in front of her had too. Therefore, that’s why this was by no means the manner she would have wanted Abby to find out about them.
“What is this, Clarke?” Abby asked, growing impatient when silence had settled in between the three.
Lexa was still sitting on the table. She got on her feet.
“I’ve been meaning to let you know. ” Clarke responded, calmly.
“When?” Abby asked, raising her voice a bit. “When we would arrive into Polis, again? When you would announce it from that tower of hers? I am your mother, for God’s sake! Didn’t you think I should know?”
She wasn’t even looking at Lexa anymore, choosing to blatantly ignore her presence.
Ckarke took a deep breath.
“No,mom, in fact, I couldn’t care less about whoever knows as long as it doesn’t endanger anyone.” she spat.
There was another moment of silence, as Lexa put her hand on Clarke’s arm gently, deciding it would be best if she let the two to settle things between them.
Before she even managed to say anything, Abby’s voice broke the silence again.
“She betrayed us. She’s a bad person. A horrible one. For you.” She spoke, clearly.
Lexa would normally not allow anyone to talk about her with such disrespect, but she knew Abby was just a mother, trying to look out for her child. That’s what she would probably do for any of the Natblida. She knew Abby reacted out of fear-fear that Lexa was a threat to Clarke. So she brushed the words off, and decided it would be best if she left.
“Clarke, I’ll leave you two to settle thi-”
“No.” Clarke cut her off, anger obvious in her tone. She didn’t take her eyes off of her mother’s. “You know,mom, so have we. You allowed Pike to murder hundreds of innocent people! It wasn’t until we came here and settled things-took care of him,shot him-that things got fine.” She decided it wasn’t enough. “ We also betrayed those who helped us in Mount Weather. We let them die.” She kept going, fed up with ignorance. She loved her mom with all her heart. But enough was enough. “You betrayed dad too!” She said harshly “do you really think he’d hate you for it?”
Yes, they’ve all done horrendous things. Both her people, and Lexa’s. But they were at peace now. Lexa had no better choice then. But now they were at peace. With the Skaikru in the coalition of the now 13 clans, they were having it well.
Clarke took a deep breath, clenching her jaw.
“I am not asking for permission. Both Lexa and I have sacrificed things for our people. I believe we can both make decisions for ourselves.”
She took Lexa’s hand and, despite having tears threatening to escape her eyes, didn’t even glance at her mother as they exited the room.
-
They both slept in Lexa’s chamber that night, that Kane had prepared for the Commander.
Arkadia was blooming. And peace had finally settled over the clans.
The main reason Lexa was there, after a couple months of intentionally avoiding Arkadia - so that people can settle down and the harsh past can be forgotten- was to ensure that everybody acknowledged her as their Heda. It was more of a formality. A few days’ visit.
Truthfully, another reason for her comeback was the fact that Clarke had missed her mother. After taking out Pike, she hadn’t wanted to stay in Arkadia for much longer.
Lexa knew it was because the claws of the deaths she had on her hands, along with now Pike’s harsh execution had curled into her chest tightly.
“The only thing we can rely on, is time, Clarke.” Lexa had told her comfortingly when they were falling asleep together.
Clarke kissed her gently, as if it would ease her from all the what ifs that enveloped her. And she thought it did.
“I love you. ” She had whispered simply, feeling Lexa’s warm breath on her lips.
“I love you too, Clarke.”
And then they fell asleep.
Abby also got used to them afterwards.