Two Commanders

After Clarke had woken up and eaten at Lexa's insistence, she led them back down to the cell block and had the guards retrieve Emerson so they could begin again. She drilled him with questions and punished any silences or misdirections. She'd get him to talk one way or another. He didn't crack that day, or the next, or even the one after that. As Clarke and Lexa were quickly learning, Carl Emerson was a tough cookie to crack. After the first week they alternated the days they cracked at him in no defer able pattern, so he'd never be able to prepaired for the next strike.

On one of the decided 'off days', Lexa woke up to find Clarke gone. The first place she rushed to was the cell block. She was both surprised and relieved to find Emerson resting in his cell, but that just made her more concerned. After a brief sweep of the compound, Lexa determined that Clarke was missing.

"Gustus!" Lexa called, running toward the large man.

"Lexa? What's wrong?" He asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

"Clarke's gone! Have you seen her? I've been looking all over..." Lexa began, panicking.

"Clarke's fine. She asked to borrow some of my men and a few vehicles earlier. She said she had to get something that she knew would help crack her prisoner. She just radioed, they're on their way back with cargo." Gustus explained. Lexa paused, processing the information and sighed frustrated. Gustus led them to the garage where Clarke and her convoy arrived barely ten minutes later.

"Move Emerson to the dungeon and then set our guests up in the cells farthest from his. We have work to do." Clarke ordered, hopping out of one of the vans. The men nodded and hurried to do as she'd said. Lexa raised her eye brows at the six prone forms some of the men carried between them.

"Clarke? What is this?" Lexa demanded as Clarke moved closer to where she and Gustus waited.

"I had some business to take care of. Let's go get changed and I'll explain it." Clarke told her, taking Lexa's hand and pulling the commander along behind her.

"Who were those people Clarke?" Lexa asked finally when they arrived at their room.

"Three of them are Emerson's wife and kids. The other three are decoy prisoners that are dressed up to look like Emerson's wife and kids. Indra said they were to executed anyway so I figured this will be two birds one stone." Clarke shrugged pulling on her Wanheda leathers.

"So what do you intend to do?" Lexa wondered confused.

"Emerson won't crack. Not the way we've been doing things. But that's ok. Because now I have the people he loves, and he's going to think I'm hurting them instead. So he'll crack, or he'll watch them die right in front of him." Clarke told her, finished off her clothes.

"Ready?" Clarke asked, giving herself a once over in the mirror. Lexa nodded, still not entirely sold on Clarke's plan. Clarke brought them to the dungeon where Emerson waited, bound to the wall.

"You know Carl Emerson, you certainly are one tough asshole. I'll give you that. But you know, I'm pretty bad myself you see." Clarke mused, watching him. Emerson rolled his eyes and waited.

"Now I heard something interesting the other day. You aren't as alone as I'd thought. You have a wife and two sons if my Intel is correct." Clarke continued, grinning as the color began to drain from his face.

"Y-You wouldn't. That's not who you are!" Emerson growled, pulling at his binds.

"You just don't know me at all do you?" Clarke sighed, nodding to the guards. The men disappeared for a few minutes before returning with Emerson's wife and two sons, all bound firmly and gaged, with hoods over their heads.

"That could be anyone, you act as if I haven't tried this shit myself." Emerson spit.

"You're right. Lift the hoods." Clarke agreed. The men did as she'd asked and Emerson's face paled. The family called out through the gags at the sight of Emerson.

"Put them back in their cells for now." Clarke ordered after a minute or so and the three were taken away.

"Now I wonder if your boys are as battle hardened as you? Or your wife? They look pretty soft Carl." Clarke wondered, watching the man.

"Don't you fucking touch them! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all where you stand!" Emerson roared, pulling harder at his restraints that refused to budge.

"You tell me what I want to know, or I start on them." Clarke growled, getting up in his face. To her surprise, Emerson was silent, glaring at her with nothing short of pure hatred.

"Fine then. Bring me one of the boys. We'll start small." Clarke shrugged.

"No! Wait!" Emerson yelled.

"You had your chance. Now it's time to realize that your actions have consequences." Clarke hissed, sticking her knife into his shoulder. The guards returned with a short hooded figure between them. They secured him to the wall adjacent to Emerson and moved away.

"Should I take the hood off so he can see the father that's going to allow this to happen? Or should I make it more interesting?" Clarke hummed to herself, watching her captive.

"Take one of his fingers." She ordered the guards. One of the men nodded and the person screamed as the guard cut his pinky clear off.

"NO!" Emerson cried out.

"Tell me what I want to know Carl, and this can all be over." Clarke reminded softly.

"Ha! They'll kill me as soon as it gets out! I'll be dead within the hour!" Emerson spat.

"Another finger then. The other hand." Clarke shrugged. Another scream rang out and the hooded figure shook with muffled sobs and pain. At each resistance, Clarke ordered another finger to be taken and when they were out of those, she ordered toes next.

"F-Fuck you!" Emerson sobbed.

"How about a foot then? Take the left one." Clarke asked him, ordering the guard.

"No no no fuck!" Emerson growled, fighting his binds again.

"You know how to make this stop. You know what I want." Clarke reminded again. When he was silent again, Clarke sighed.

"I've had enough for today, haven't you? We'll continue tomorrow. But first," She unsheathed her her blade and slit the throat of the figure on the wall. Emerson yelled and cried out as the person choked on their own blood and soon fell still. Clarke cut them down, leaving the body a crumpled heap on the floor.

"The guards will bring you back to your cell soon." Clarke told him over her shoulder. As soon as the door closed behind her she turned to the captain the stood waiting outside the room.

"Have you made the adjustments I asked for in the max security?" She asked him.

"Yes ma'am. We moved our guests as well. They won't be harmed." He nodded.

"Make sure they're as comfortable as we can allow and that they are well taken care of. They eat when we eat and they eat just as well am I clear Captain?" Clarke ordered. The man nodded again and moved away to bark orders to his men, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone with the remaining two guards outside.

"Return him to his cell and keep our other two prisoners gagged and hooded. We don't want them showing our hand. Not just yet." Clarke told them. After getting nods in return, she started the walk back to their quarters. Lexa followed silently behind her.

"Clarke?" Lexa asked softly. Clarke sat on the bed with her head in her hands. She didn't respond to Lexa's call of her name.

"Clarke? Look at me." Lexa tried again, kneeling in front of her. Clarke shook her head. Lexa was silent for a minute. This situation was exactly what she was trying to avoid with Clarke. But somehow Clarke's mind had jumped to this course of action, and Emerson was right. This wasn't Clarke at all.

"Clarke... Beja." Lexa pleaded, gently rubbing patterns into the outsides of Clarke's thighs with her hands. Teary blue eyes peeked out at Lexa after a few seconds.

"What are you thinking hmm?" Lexa asked softly.

"Th-This is harder than I thought... Even if I'm not a-actually hurting his family... I did-didn't think..." Clarke sobbed softly, stumbling over her words through the tears.

"It should never be easy to take a life Clarke... You'll lay off tomorrow. We're staying in this room. Let's get you cleaned up and I'll have Gustus send someone up here with dinner." Lexa soothed. Clarke nodded and hid her face back in her hands again, shaking with tears. Lexa moved up to sit next to her on the bed and held her until the tears had stopped. When Clarke had been quiet for more than five minutes, Lexa stood up and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with small bowl of warm water and a rag. Slowly, she wiped Clarke's face clean before moving down her neck to her shoulders. Lexa took her time to move down Clarke's arms to her hands, making sure she got every part of them before setting the rag and bowl away.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked gently. Clarke nodded and reached for her.

"Let me call for dinner and we can cuddle until it gets here ok?" Lexa suggested. Clarke pulled her arms back and crossed them over her chest with a nod. Lexa gave her a small smile and disappeared out the door for a minute before coming back and closing it behind her. She laid on the bed and watched Clarke. Clarke moved to lay down and the two cuddled up on top of the blankets in silence.