Finals Are Finally Over! (Part 1)
Despite their immense desire to help the struggling blonde, none of them were really able to discuss anything until after finals were over. Anya told them that she would talk to Indra before going back to the base. The blonde soldier was duly nervous, considering how much time she had spent with Indra and yet she had never given the darker woman any indication that she knew where Clarke was. Indra and Clarke had had a special relationship many years ago, and Indra was always especially protective of the young blonde. There was sure to be some big blowout when Anya finally explained everything to her.
The conversation with Lincoln was painful enough - the young man had always been freely open with his emotions and didn't bother trying to hold anything back. He had let his emotions come out full force. Indra was more reserved than he was, but damn if she didn't know how to make you feel like shit.
Raven and Octavia were sucked into finals preparation and no one really saw or heard from them over the next few weeks. Lexa had been presented with new opportunities at the firm and was working personally with one of the head lawyers, Gustus. She and Costia were working together a lot and it was all sufficiently exhausting. Lincoln and Bellamy had both been hella busy at the police station – the end of the school term always brought a rise in petty crime – but even they didn’t talk much. Lincoln was still beyond pissed at the way Bellamy had treated Clarke. Bellamy and Octavia hadn’t spoken more than a few cordial words, either, since he showed up at their apartment. Learning so much more about Clarke’s situation just added to the fire that Octavia felt regarding how her brother treated the younger girl. Raven, Lexa, and Lincoln had all tried to convince the younger brunette to try and at least talk to her brother, but her fury was a force to be reckoned with.
Raven was beyond stressed about her finals. This was her final semester of school and if she did well enough on these exams she would be graduating in the winter. She poured everything she had in her into prepping, and her whole family was rooting for her in the month leading up to the exams.
Lexa woke up early the day of the two students’ last exams. She made them their favourite breakfasts – chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate chip waffles, and chocolate chip bagels (the girls just really like chocolate) – and told them that they would all be going out and doing something fun that evening. The two had been balls of nerves for a month and she knew they were ready to collapse and crumble. She wanted them to be able to enjoy themselves and relax that night.
Both brunettes met up at their usual spot after their exams that day, huge smiles splitting their faces. Octavia had reached the spot first and ran towards Raven as soon as she saw her. The younger brunette jumped into her best friend’s arms and Raven swung her back and forth as best as she could with her brace. Octavia got off and jumped up and down a few times, holding her hands, and Raven laughed at her best friend’s antics.
Chuckling, the mechanic said, “You know I love your childish excitement, babe, but we really gotta get back to the apartment before Lexa bites our heads off for being late tonight. Again.”
Octavia pouted slightly, but the smile was quickly back on her face when Raven placed a quick kiss on her cheek and started leading her to their car. They had driven themselves to school that day since Lexa had needed her car. Raven (literally) hopped into the passenger seat and Octavia had them off to the apartment in no time.
The three girls got out of the apartment by 6:30, looking hot as hell. They were excited for a night out, especially after such a stressful month. Lexa led them to their favourite club, The Ark, and they got into a booth towards the back. None of them were interested in interacting with other people, but they still wanted to have fun.
Octavia squealed when she saw her boyfriend walk up to their table. She jumped up immediately, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. The other two avoided looking at the two of them, knowing how affectionate they would be since it had been a month since they had really spent time together.
Anya and Indra made special appearances, wanting to surprise the two girls. Jasper and Monty came as well and everyone could tell that Octavia was nervous that Bellamy would show up. The two of them hadn’t had any sort of significant conversation in the last two months, ever since his blowup, and she knew either things would be hella tense and hostile, or they’d be hella tense and awkward. Lexa told her at one point that she had invited the older man, but he had neglected to inform her as to whether or not he would be showing up.
The best surprise of the evening, without a doubt, was a certain blonde walking through the door and towards their table an hour and a half into the evening. Clarke was wearing a crisp, blue oxford shirt tucked into dark jeans with a black blazer draped over one arm. The shirt accentuated the muscles in her arms, shoulders, and back. Her sleeves were folded up to the middle of her forearm and showing off the muscles there, and she was wearing a purple and blue paisley tie and a pristine belt. The silver buckle set just off center was incredibly sexy and everyone's eyes were stuck on her. The clothes she was wearing happened to show off just how in-shape the medical intern was, and none of them (especially Lexa) could really avoid thoughts flashing through their heads, wondering briefly what she would look like under the clothes.
Clarke made her way over to the table, aware of everyone’s eyes on her. She saw that they were all ready for a fun party night out and she looked like she was going to a business meeting. Arriving at the table, she stood there awkwardly for a second, rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand, twisting her fingers into the roots of her long, wavy blonde locks. The shy girl was definitely caught off guard when, all of a sudden, there was a person in her arms.
Raven couldn’t help it – she had missed the other girl. Clarke had become very important to her without either of them realizing when it happened, and seeing the younger blonde that day made her giddy with excitement. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Clarke’s neck, holding her tight. She pulled back eventually with a sheepish smile on her face. Seeing a responding grin and light shining in blue eyes, her own grin spread to a full blown smile.
Octavia saw her best friend throw herself into the newest arrival’s arms. She felt a small smile spread across her face as Lincoln squeezed her hand and indicated for her to go greet the other girl as well. Octavia hopped off the end of the booth and found herself pulling the younger girl into a hug as Raven let go of her. She could tell that Clarke wasn’t much of a hugger and decided to keep it short. The last thing she wanted was for the girl to be uncomfortable around them.
Clarke definitely wasn’t used to this kind of physical interaction. She felt herself be pulled into another hug from Octavia as soon as Raven let go of her, but she couldn’t necessarily say she minded. As much as she tried to relax for the two girls she remained stiff and tight, not really knowing how to respond to the gestures.
Octavia pulled back from her quickly with a splitting grin on her face and Clarke couldn’t help but return it.
The two brunette students moved to behind the newcomer, allowing her to greet the others. She gave quick, small handshakes to both Monty and Jasper, apologizing to them for not being able to introduce herself properly when they came over to the apartment that night two months ago.
Anya, Indra, Lincoln, and Lexa had all stood up together, facing the younger blonde in a straight line. Clarke approached Anya first, sticking her hand out. Anya grasped her forearm and they exchanged a curt nod. Indra was next and they repeated the same motion, but Indra pulled her into a short hug. Clarke could feel the emotions pouring off of Indra's body, hitting her like a wave. She felt a distinct stab of guilt run through her, but it was pushed aside as the lieutenant pulled back and gave her a small smile. They were both women of few words and had always been able to communicate without needing too many words. The medical intern resolved to meet up with the darker woman one day soon.
Clarke walked away from her and turned to Lincoln, exchanging the same handshake with him. He pulled her up into a much bigger hug, and she seemed to disappear into his arms. He eventually put her back on the ground, unable to keep the sheen of tears from building in his eyes or the big grin off his face.
Lexa was the last one still standing as the other seven had already taken their seats. They looked at each slightly awkwardly, neither of them knowing what would be appropriate. Clarke eventually stuck her hand out to grasp Lexa’s forearm and the law intern responded with a small smile and their arms entwining. A jolt ran up both of their arms at the contact, both of them realizing the significance of this moment. It had been years since they had partaken in this gesture - this gesture that was a symbol of their family. Their eyes locked for a moment, losing sight of everything around them. Clarke eventually broke her gaze.
Blue eyes trailed up and down Lexa's form, taking in the tight, dark blue jeans tucked into boots that raised to mid calf under a white shear top. Green eyes met her own with mischief in their depths when her head shot back up, realizing how inappropriate it was to be ogling her ex like that.
Lexa spoke up first, soft enough that only Clarke would hear her words, "Are you going to be okay with us all drinking alcohol?"
Clarke searched green eyes in front of her, hating the way her heart skipped a beat. She wasn't used to people caring about her and here Lexa was, remembering this trigger that she had had over half a decade ago. Thinking about that time made her remember the circumstances around the last time they had seen each other and the blonde was brought back to the moment very quickly. "Yes, I'll be fine. I promise."
Lexa kept her eyes locked with Clarke's for a second longer, wanting to ensure that the younger girl was being honest. Finding nothing but solid walls completely blocking her out, she had no idea how to actually judge the statement. The fact that those walls were up at all with her sent another stab of guilt through her heart. She used to be able to read blue eyes like a story in the sky telling her a beautiful story, and now she was so far outside that she couldn't even see that same shade of blue anymore and she had no one to blame but herself.
Clarke couldn't handle the connection for that much longer. “Thanks for the invite,” she said softly, trying desperately to move forward with the night.
Lexa wasn’t entirely sure she had actually heard the words, but smiled softly all the same. “We’ve only been trying to hang out with you for two months,” she teased. “We’re all very glad that you were able to make it.”
Octavia called out from the table, interrupting their moment, “Yea! It’s about damn time the great doctor took some time to have some fun!”
Clarke chuckled slightly before sliding into the booth behind her ex-girlfriend. She registered how everyone else was dressed once again and started feeling slightly out of place. Her left hand reached up to massage the back of her neck again as she said, “Sorry about the attire, all. I just got off at the hospital and didn’t have time to change before coming here.”
Raven jumped in immediately as she slid into the booth behind the blonde, “Oh, babe, please don’t even worry about it! You look hot as fuck right now.” A smug smirk made its way onto the mechanic’s face, obviously starting to feel the effects of the drinks she had had before the medical intern showed up.
The blush that burned up Clarke’s face caused the whole table to break down in laughter, resulting in the girl blushing even harder. She looked down, toying with the glass of water on the table in front of her.
Raven and Octavia quickly sent Jasper and Monty to go get the next round of drinks. They were about to argue that their rule had always been that the last person to the table to buy two rounds for everyone, but the glares the two brunettes sent their way quickly shut them up. Monty ended up having to double back to ask what Clarke wanted since they didn’t really know what the girl’s style was.
Clarke was about to ask for water just as Anya, Indra, Lincoln, and Lexa all called out a Shirley Temple with low ice. Everyone looked at the girl then, and she quickly nodded and looked back at the table, hoping to get the attention off of her.
Lexa could see how uncomfortable the medical intern was and she wished she could do something to help. When things like this happened before, the law intern was able to pull the blonde into her lap and distract her by playing with their hands and talking softly into her ear, distracting the nervous girl and letting her get lost in the idea that they were in a world with just the two of them. She couldn't do that anymore.
“So, Clarke, what’s with the kiddy drink? We’ve already got dear Lexa to be our designated Mommy tonight so you’re free to drink as much as you’d like!” Octavia looked very excited about her offer and Clarke almost felt bad to have to shut her down.
“Sorry, ma’am, but I actually don’t drink. I prefer to be able to keep my wits about me in case any pretty girls need saving again,” the smirk she threw at Octavia and Raven caught everyone else off guard, distracting them enough to brush over what she was really saying.
“Seriously? We've been over this: I’m younger than you, there’s literally no need to call me ‘ma’am’.” Octavia huffed.
Raven jumped in at that point, “Yea, kid, I thought we talked about this. We use names here, not titles.” Looking at everyone else at the table, she giggled, “Like how Indra is technically Lieutenant and Anya is a big bad Captain right now but they’re still Indi-poo and Ya-Ya!”
The rest of the table burst out into laughter as Anya and Indra both blushed bright red. Jasper and Monty returned with the drinks at that exact moment, sparing them from any more embarrassment.
They spent a few hours out that night, all just hanging out and getting to know what had been going on in everyone’s lives. Clarke didn’t say much beyond a simple: “Work has been very busy” and no one pushed her. They didn’t want her to feel like she would be attacked every time she hung out with them.
Around 9:30, after everyone else was sufficiently drunk and enjoying themselves on the dance floor, Raven, Clarke, and Lexa were sitting at the table talking. Raven was talking about her exam that day and Clarke was soaking up every word. She loved seeing the passion in brown eyes and it warmed her heart that Raven truly loved what she was doing.
Their attention was caught when a tall shadow loomed over their table. All of their heads turned as Raven’s story was cut off mid-sentence. Bellamy was standing there with his hands in his pockets, shuffling from foot to foot, barely able to maintain eye contact with anyone. His eyes flitted over to the stranger-girl sitting at the end of the table, so close to him. He eyed her, giving her a once over, and the tension in his face only built up.
Lexa and Raven exchanged looks, seeing the way Bellamy was looking at Clarke. They hadn’t been able to protect her from his comments last time, but they’d be damned if they didn’t jump to her defense tonight.
Clarke surprised them all, though, when she jumped up and said, “Good evening, Detective Blake. I’m afraid we weren’t able to meet officially last time. My name is Clarke Griffin. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Bellamy eyed the hand extended towards him. Looking at the other two ladies at the table, he saw their expectant gazes and grasped her hand in his own. She made a motion for Bellamy to take a seat and he decided to pull up a chair instead of joining them in the booth. Clarke waved down a server as they walked by and Bellamy ordered his drink.
They sat there in an uncomfortable silence. Clarke tried asking him some questions to break through the tension but received nothing but one-word answers. Eventually she ran out of questions to bullshit and they went back to a heavy silence.
The blonde could hear her blood pounding in her ears. She had been terrified of running into Octavia's brother again, knowing that things would go downhill quickly if anyone found out about their last conversation. She had intended on not showing up tonight, knowing Bellamy was going to come for the sole reason to make sure she didn't, but she wasn't able to turn Lexa down more than two times. Feeling the throbbing in her skull, Clarke reached into the pocket on the inside of her coat and gripped her inhaler tight.
About fifteen minutes after Bellamy arrived the DJ took a break. Everyone on the dance floor made their ways back to the table. Octavia and Lincoln led the way back and as they got closer the giant smiles fell off their faces and they stopped short of the table. Anya was dragging a huffing Indra behind her, who obviously had not wanted to go dancing, and their faces hardened as well. Jasper and Monty stood at the back awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
Bellamy stood up out of his seat as he saw his sister stop and look at him. The anger in her eyes was like a dagger through his heart and he hoped he would be able to fix things or make her see things clearly. Shuffling closer, he offered her a small smile and said, “Hey, O. Congrats on finishing your exams.” Getting a small nod and a grunt in response he pushed on, “Could I, maybe, steal you for a little bit to talk?”
Octavia looked quickly at Raven before locking eyes with Clarke. She knew that the younger blonde would never tell her to stay away from her brother but she still wanted to make sure she was okay. Receiving a soft smile in response to her unspoken question, Octavia looked to her brother and nodded for him to follow her as she walked away.
The group of friends watched the brother-sister duo walk away, concern written across all of their faces. They knew that Bellamy was protective of his baby sister, but they also knew that Octavia was more independent than Bellamy liked. As protective as Bellamy was of Octavia, she was at least that protective of her friends, if not moreso.
The two Blakes walked to the bar and asked the bartender, Ryan, if there was a room they could talk in. The group had been there often enough that the staff knew them so Ryan led them to a storage room in the back. He left the two quickly, feeling the tension and not wanting to get caught in that explosion.
Bellamy stood there, waiting for Octavia to say something. When he realized that she wasn’t going to start the conversation he sighed, “O, I’m so so sorry for what happened.” Still not getting a response, he pushed on, “I didn’t mean to offend you and I didn’t mean to imply anything about you or Raven. You know I love you both and your history means nothing about who you are. I just – I just want to protect you like I failed to do when you were younger.”
Octavia scoffed, “See that’s the thing. You’re so stuck on thinking of me as the 11-year-old little sister who needs protecting. Bellamy, I’ve grown up. I’m older now and I’m able to take care of myself. I don’t need you policing my every interaction with people.” She paused, “And, by the way, you’re completely wrong. My history made me who I am. I am strong, independent, and I can stand up for myself in any situation because I had to through practically all of my teen years. You cannot possibly imagine what I went through and how that’s shaped me. If you think that nobody has a story speaking for who they have become, you’re gonna fuck up a lot more than you already have.”
“Sure, O, but do you know anything about this girl’s story? Have you bothered to look into who she used to be or what she used to do? Or did you just hear everything she said and roll with it?”
“As a matter of fact, asshole, she didn’t tell us anything. She hasn’t told us anything about who she is or what she’s done. We’ve been talking to Anya, her fucking foster sister, and Lexa, her ex-girlfriend, to hear who she used to be. Clarke doesn’t like talking about herself, and seeing judgmental douchecocks like you I can see why.”
Bellamy decided to ignore that comment and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. He held it up for Octavia to see, explaining when she ignored it and stared at him, “I have her police records. This is a list of some of the things I’ve seen on it. The actual folder could fill a 2” binder.” He read off the list, gaining momentum as he went, “Petty theft, 6 cases of assault, running from the police, damaging property, resisting arrest, and Octavia she was fucking caught working as an ‘escort’.” He crumpled the list in his hand and stalked closer to his sister, “You have no fucking clue who this girl is or how dangerous she can be. She assaulted two guys twice her size when she was 16 and she fucked them up enough to land them in the hospital. You said you met her because she took down those three football players. You’d best hope you don’t piss her off if that’s how she reacts because you wouldn’t stand a chance.” He put his hands on her biceps, leaning down so he could look his sister in the eyes, “O – Octavia – I love you. You know that. You’re my baby sister and all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy. This girl has too much in her past to make her safe for any of you. People like her are capable of anything and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”
“If you wanted me to not be hurt you should have kept your goddamn mouth shut,” Octavia sneered. “You looked at a file, read the words on a paper with one side of a story, and decided that was all you needed to know. You completely disregarded everything I’ve been through and everything you know about the shit that happens in the foster system. Do you even know who her foster fathers were? Do you know why she might have damaged property or who she put in the hospital? You don’t know jack shit about this girl and you’re so goddamn ready to damn her to hell without getting to know her.” She stepped closer into her brother’s space, glaring into his face, “You have no right to say anything about what kind of person she is. You have no right to condemn her actions without getting to know anything about her. You have no right to come into my life and tell me who I can and cannot spend time with. Son of a bitch, this is exactly why I moved in with Lexa and Raven. You think you know everything about protecting me, but all you want to do is control my life. You may think you’re my savior but, news flash big brother, you’re not.”
“Octavia I know you think you know what you’re doing but you really don’t! You don’t know people like her! You can’t take everything you’ve heard about her at face value.”
“Oh really? I’m the one taking things at face value?” She laughed incredulously before spitting out, “You’ve read a piece of paper and you think you know every last thing about her. You’ve heard a few things about this girl and attacked her from the second you met her – which, by the way, it was incredible the way she handled herself. If you ever spoke like that to me I would’ve punched you in the fucking throat.” She took a menacing step towards him and lowered her voice, “Don’t ever presume that you have the right to tell me what I need. Don’t ever think that you know what it’s like to live a life the way Clarke, Raven, and I have. You can read as much as you want, but you don’t know jack-all until you go through it yourself. Stay the fuck away from me and the fuck away from my family.”
Bellamy reached out as she turned to walk away, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to face him, “Octavia, I have more than enough information to have her arrested. I know she's a part of an illegal escort service in the area, I know she knows about an underground fight club, I know she’s living in her car, all of which are illegal. Keep the fuck away from her or I can make her stay away from you.”
Octavia tore her hand out of his grasp and punched him in the face, following up with a kick to the sternum, beyond thankful her anatomy classes and combat skills lessons taught her all of the vulnerable spots people don’t expect to be hit. “If you really think that’s the way to make me listen to you don’t know the first thing about me. If you think I’m going to sit back and let you threaten my friends and not do anything about it, you’re stupid as fuck.” She took a step towards him again, meeting his eyes as the blood dripped out of the split on his cheek, “If you ever try to tell me how to live my life again, I will destroy you. If you ever try to control me like this again, use my family as leverage against me, or you don’t change this stupid-ass mindset of yours, then you’re dead to me.”
Octavia left her brother on the floor in the storage room, blood running down his face quickly followed by tears, and walked back into the club. She stopped by the bar quickly to ask Ryan for a bag of ice for her hand before going back to the table. She plastered a big smile on her face as she saw everyone watching her. Sliding into the booth next to Raven she called out, “I’m back, bitches, what’d I miss?” She ignored the way everyone was looking at her expectantly and took the shot from in front of Raven and downed it.
Raven watched her best friend down her shot and studied her face. She could see the way her jaw was tensed, the tendons and veins on the side of her neck popping out. She looked down to see the ice on her right hand and sighed. Gently, she reached over and grabbed her unhurt hand and wrapped their fingers together. Octavia’s head shot over to look at her and Raven saw the pain and sadness hidden in blue eyes. Giving the girl a sad smile she squeezed her hand before turning back to the table, allowing Octavia to get back to a façade of calm and normalcy.
Everyone quickly went back to joking and messing around, definitely heading towards drunk at this point. None of them were able to really think about the fact that Bellamy hadn’t come back or that Octavia was quieter than she had been before she left, but Clarke definitely noticed. Sitting next to Raven, she saw the ice on her hand and she felt terrible. The last thing she had ever wanted was to create problems in their family.
Clarke could feel the guilt making its way back to the front of her mind. Bellamy had told her to stay away and she had agreed. She shouldn't have shown up tonight. She went back on her word and now Octavia's relationship with her brother was getting even worse. Clarke could feel her heart rate increase as she felt the weight of her actions start to get heavier and heavier. The medical intern could only hope that she was able to get the hell out of there before things got too bad and she ruined the night again.