Chapter V
CHAPTER V
Ever since her father started his political career, Clarke Griffin was present in every single public event he was invited to. She was used to the flash of cameras She was used to the rapid and non-stop questions coming from every direction. She was used to the men and women that had been assigned to follow her around 24/7 of every day. She was used to the routine. She was used to being deduced only as "the president's daughter".
She was used to all of these; and she's tired of the it.
Tired of the cameras. Tired of the press. Tired of her security detail. Tired of the routines. Tired of having people to only see her as the president's daughter.
All she wanted was privacy; no cameras, no press, no security detail. All she wanted was to be free; no routines to follow. All she wanted was to break free from the Griffin family name, and make a name for herself; to be known not because of her father, but because of who she is.
Clarke Griffin just wanted to be someone who can freely be whoever and whatever she wishes to be without any restraints. Clarke can appear in those public events and breeze through them like a pro. She did them because that's what is expected of her, and that she cared about her father's image. But each appearance took a toll on her and it irked her in so many ways; that's why when her father became president, she stayed behind in New York. Her father had insisted that if she isn't going to stay at the white house with them, she should stay at their house. But Clarke had refused and told them that it was time for her to find her own place.
It was irritating enough to live with her father who seems to have a horde of reporters following him around; just imagine what it's like, now that her father is seated at the Oval Office.
For quite a long time, Clarke Griffin has been trying to meet every mediocre expectations that has been placed on her: no matter how stupid and unreasonable they are.
And for some strange reason, as she painfully watched Luna's unyielding efforts in flirting with Lexa, she thought that maybe, the reason why she was letting all of this to happen is that she was scared. She's scared of what the others would think, what the others would say. She's scared that what if, what if they were right? That she can be nothing more than the president's precious daughter? But all those fears seem to be chased away by a certain brunette and made her realize that maybe, all she needed was a little bit of courage and motivation to break through the mediocre expectations they had been set for her and just be her own self. That maybe, to get the things (or person) she desires, all she needed to do was to have hope and fight for it.
Clarkewasused to the flash of cameras She was used to the rapid and non-stop questions coming from every direction. She was used to the men and women that had been assigned to follow her around 24/7 of every day. She was used to the routine. She was used to being deduced only as "the president's daughter".
She was used to all of these; and she was tired of them.
She was tired of them because these people absolutely had no right to invade her privacy. They have no right to make her business their business. They have no right to poke around and squeeze out whatever information they can about her.
She was tired of it all.
Until Lexa.
The event tonight was a huge success. She had sold all her work. And a part of her was extremely grateful for Lexa and her team for keeping their word that the press would be kept out of the place and only invited journalists and certain members of the press were allowed inside. All through the night, Clarke was vaguely aware of the agent's presence until she caught sight of her with Luna. The blonde suddenly wanted to throw the piece of sculpture that was in front of her at their direction and tell Luna to back off. She was about to do that (maybe) when the two began to walk further down the venue. She followed then but was stopped by a woman who wanted to talk to her. When she looked back up, Lexa and Luna were nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Lexa?" She asked when she saw that it was only Agent Lawrence who was in sight.
"I believe she went with Ms. Handcroft to di—"
"Do you need anything, Ms. Griffin?
Clarke whirled around and found Lexa standing beside her. How in God's name did she not notice her? "I...I was just looking for you to inform you that I'm done for the night. Luna can handle and take care of the closing."
Lexa nodded and whispered orders on her earpiece.
"The car is waiting for us outside"
"Thank you, Lexa."
Clarke gave a small smile and let the agent escort her out.
Lexa sat beside Clarke as they were headed home. Both women were silent, but the silence between them wasn't heavy or awkward. Clarke was humming along to whatever song that was playing on the radio and was tapping her fingers on the leather seat. When the car rolled to a stop in front of the apartment building, Clarke spoke up.
"Follow me upstairs, Agent Woods. I wish to discuss something with you."
Lexa almost tripped on her way out of the car when she heard Clarke. She quickly masked her surprise at the request, "All right." Out of habit, Lexa looked from left to right, inspecting the area. She then reached out her hand for Clarke to take as she was about to exit the car. The agent wasn't even aware of her actions until she felt soft, delicate hands grip her own.
"Thanks." Clarke whispered.
Lexa nodded her head in acknowledgement and was about to pull her hand free but stopped when Clarke's grip became a little tighter. She looked up and saw the blonde smirking at her. Rolling her eyes, Lexa lead Clarke inside the building, their hands still clasped together and went in to the elevator, followed by Agent Hosh and Agent Green who took the second elevator to the command centre. As the doors opened, Lexa stepped off first and her eyes were immediately drawn to Clarke's front door that was ajar and two boxes were placed outside. She stopped dead on her feet, causing Clarke to slam into her.
"Oommff. Lexa, what the he—"
Lexa's eyes went wide when she heard something beep and a clicking sound and before the agent could push Clarke back into the elevator, one of the boxes exploded and red smoke was coming out of it.
"Fuck! GET BACK INSIDE THE ELEVATOR!" Lexa yelled as she drew her gun out just in time before she saw someone running towards them with a gun pointed at Clarke. She quickly fired two shots and the assailant dropped to the floor. She then turned around and grabbed Clarke, forcefully pushing her back inside the elevator.
"Whatever happens, just stay behind me. Do you understand?" Lexa said as she kept pushing the button for the lobby.
Clarke's eyes were wide and was beaming with tears as she urgently nodded her head.
"Commander!" Her earpiece cracked to life and she heard Lincoln on the other end. "What happened? We heard an explosion and some gunshots."
"We've been compromised. We have to evacuate Wanheda to the safe house. I need the car ready right now."
"Lexa … You're bleeding. Oh my god."
Lexa held up a hand to silence Clarke as she continued to speak to her second in command. "Call Marcus and tell him we need another team to be sent to the safe house when we get there and ask him not to inform the White House, at least not yet. And clear the building and gather all the tenants for questioning."
The elevator doors opened and Agent Miller and Agent Lawrence were already waiting for them. Lexa lead the way in front of Clarke and the two other agents were behind her. They quickly moved through the lobby and just as Lexa took a step outside, a bullet almost hit her foot.
"Cover Wanheda! Move! Move! Move!" Lexa yelled as she placed herself in front of the blonde. The three agents formed a barrier around their subject and were rushing towards the car as guns were firing at them.
"It's coming from the rooftop right in front of us!" Agent Miller yelled.
Lexa quickly aimed her gun at the direction and fired. "I can't see a goddamn thing! Get inside the car, Clarke!" Lexa ripped the car door open and pushed the blonde inside. "Lawrence! Miller! Get her to the safe house, and god forbid, don't stop for anyone."
The two agents quickly nodded and got inside the car with Agent Lawrence behind the wheel. "Let us know when you arrived and have secured Wanheda. I'll follow as soon as I can."
Lexa was about to close the door when Clarke pushed it open and gripped her wrist. "Lexa, what the hell!? Come inside the car! You're bleeding! Let your team find the shooter."
Lexa made the wrong move when she looked straight in those blue eyes that were swimming in unshed tears. Blue. Blue. Blue. They were a mix of fear and worry. The last time she saw those emotions in someone else's eyes, they ended up dead. She can't let the same thing happen to Clarke. She can't lose someone so important to her. Not again. Not when her job was to protect the person she's starting to develop these intense feelings for. The agent shook her head to get rid of the thoughts that clouded her mind and pulled her hand away. "Clarke, please. Just go. I'll meet you at the safe house. I need you to be somewhere safe. Please." Lexa's voice was soft and filled with all the emotions she couldn't voice out.
"I'm not going anywhere without you." Tears were now freely falling from the blonde's eyes and she didn't even care that it was leaving marks and messing up her make-up. All she cared about was Lexa; her Lexa who she was slowly having feelings for, her Lexa who was bleeding from a gunshot wound on her bicep.
Despite her inner turmoil and the consistent shot of bullets being fired at their direction, Lexa leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Clarke's forehead. "I'll meet you at the safe house. I promise." Lexa whispered softly.
The agent then stepped back and shut the car door close despite the blonde's protest. "Go! Drive!" Lexa ordered as she fired another round at the direction of the shooter. A bullet zip past her, missing her head just a few inches to the left. "Fucking Christ." The agent quickly went inside the building and in to the staircase, taking them two at a time until she reached the 8th floor. Bursting inside the command centre, she saw Agent Hosh shouting at the phone he was holding and Agent Green was frantically typing away.
"Green! I need eyes on the rooftop of the building in front of us. And I need it now."
"Commander!" Lincoln was instantly on her side, "You got shot!"
"I don't care about me." Lexa growled out, "I care about Clarke and I want to put a bullet through the fucker's head who was shooting at us. Green, I need that feed right now!"
"On it, Commander."
With a few clicks, a monitor came to life and the three agents had visual on the shooter. The shooter's face was covered but from the build of the body, they could tell it was a woman. "Damn it, she's packing up her rifle! She'll be gone in less than 3 minutes! Let's go!"
The three of them were on their feet in an instant, running as fast as they can in the hopes of catching the person who dared to kill the woman they swore to protect.
The safe house turned out to be a massive suite in one of the most exclusive hotels in New York. As soon as they set foot inside, Clarke whirled around and fired endless questions to the two agents who were with her.
"What the hell is going on? What just happened? Who tried to kill me? Where is Commander Woods? Is she okay? Someone answer me!"
"Ma'am," Agent Lawrence said in a casual tone, "There's no need to panic now. You're perfectly safe here. And as for the Commander, she's on her way together with Hosh and Green."
The blonde spent the next 20 minutes pacing in silence in the living room. Her heart was beating wildly crazy inside her chest and she can't shake off the sickening feeling in her gut that something had happened to the agent.
Clarkewasused to the flash of cameras. She was used to the rapid and non-stop questions coming from every direction. She was used to the men and women that had been assigned to follow her around 24/7 of every day. She was used to the routine. She was used to being deduced only as "the president's daughter".
She was used to all of these.
But she had never experience something like this. Never had she been in a situation where she had thought she'd be worried sick about someone that isn't family. Clarke had never taken the potential threat in her life seriously since her father became president simply because there was never a reason for her to believe it.
Until now.
Her head snapped open when she heard the door click open and Lexa stepped inside. The blonde didn't even care that there people around them and threw herself right at the agent, wrapping her arms around the brunette and pulling her as close as she can. "Thank God, you're okay." Clarke choked out.
"Clarke," Lexa breathed out, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" The agent slightly pulled back and examined the blonde, looking for any cuts or bruises.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Clarke insisted, "It's you that I should be asking that." Blue eyes shifted and focused on the white bandage that has been hazardously wrapped around her bicep.
"It's just grazed me, that's all."
"I was so scared." The confession made Lexa's hear clench. Clarke looked so fragile, so vulnerable. She brought her good arm up and pulled Clarke closer, hugging her once more; the sweet smell of jasmine enveloping her sense of smell. "I'm here now. I promised, didn't I?" The agent softly whispered against the blonde's ear.
Lost in the warmth and the feeling of being in each other's embrace, both women didn't notice the snicker of smiles Agent Miller and Agent Lawrence had on their faces. The agents had noticed the small smiles and random interactions between the two women. It was clear to them that there was something brewing between them, but it was also clear to them that their Commander was struggling to fight whatever connection she has with their subject.
"I need to go back and search your apartment." Lexa began, "We need to sweep your place and check every inch of it to make sure nothing else was planted and left behind by the attackers. Once we figure out they slipped past our surveillance cameras and got inside your apartment, I can give you an idea when you can go back. But for now, this is where you're staying."
"My paintings … my drawings … All of them are in my apartment." Clarke said; the tremor in her voice evident. Lexa remembered the portion of Clarke's apartment filled with her art. She knew they were irreplaceable and priceless. What she heard in the blonde's voice made it clear that her concerns weren't about losing something material, it was losing something she had created, something that she had poured her heart and soul to.
"I'll make sure they're kept somewhere safe." Lexa assured her. "Is there anything else you need."
"Yes." Clarke swallowed the sudden lump that lodged itself in her throat. "I need you. Stay."
The agent searched the blonde's face and saw how sincere and open those blue eyes were. She can feel a pull inside of her and it just felt so right to say yes. It's so easy to stay and wrapped her in her arms, to have her eyes on Clarke and make sure she's safe.
"I can't," Lexa finally said. "I need to be –"
"Commander," Agent Miller interrupted, "Agent Lawrence and I can go back and sweep the apartment ourselves."
"We are?" Agent Lawrence voice out, confession evident on her face.
Nathan Miller elbowed her and nodded at Lexa. "We can take care of it. You need to rest and have that wound looked at."
"But I—" Her voice of protest was once again cut off when Clarke pulled her down on the couch.
"Don't be stubborn, Lexa. Your agents say they'll take care of it. And they will. Now sit down and let me have a look at that wound." Clarke said. She raised an eyebrow at Lexa, urging her to say something.
"Fine." The agent surrendered. "But you better have pizza and beer for me and Ms. Griffin when you two get back."
The two agents stared at their commander in disbelief. They expected a lot more of resisting and yelling from her but with only one a few sentences from the blonde and a stern look, their commander was submitting. They can't help the smirks that painted across their faces.
Agent Lawrence let out a soft laugh as they made their way out, "If pizzas and beers is the best you can do when you're with someone like Ms. Griffin, you must be a very boring date, Commander."
The sounds of laughter coming from the two agents and Clarke made Lexa snapped her eyes at them and gave them a very pointed glared, effectively shutting up her two agents who scampered away.
"You're cute." Clarke said as she observed the agent seated at the couch.
"I'm cute when I get shoot at?" Lexa said, but she can't help the smile that fought its way on her lips.
It took hours before the team finished checking Clarke's apartment. Aside from the box that exploded and the second box that remained untouched, there's was nothing else the team had found. The dogs the search team had sent in to investigate were completely uninterested and found nothing as well. They almost tore the place upside-down and found nothing. Not a single clue or evidence of tampering. True to her word, Lexa had called Lincoln and gave specific instructions about how to handle the works of Clarke. No one but Lexa's team has been allowed inside the apartment until all of the art works had been carefully wrapped and was sent to the safe house.
A sharp knock on the door had Lexa on her feet and her hand immediately upholstered her gun and aimed it the door. Slowly, she crossed the room. "Who is it?"
"It's Agent Hosh. I got the stuff you asked for."
Lexa relaxed as Lincoln announced his presence. She holstered her gun and unlocked the door. She helped her dragged the large crate inside and almost immediately, Clarke was on their side.
"Oh my god! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Lincoln then handed over a bulky duffel bag that was obviously filled with clothes. "And also, this one is for you, Wanheda."
Clarke looked at the bag with a confused expression.
"It was Agent Lawrence who packed the bag. We thought since she was the only woman it would be—" Lincoln became flushed when he realized that Clarke was probably wondering who had packed it.
"Thank you, Agent Hosh." Lexa said, "You said you got something for me as well?"
"Oh! Yes." Lincoln pulled out a shoe-boxed sized box and handed it over to Lexa. "The bomb squad and the evidence geeks were done testing it and they said it's nothing but papers inside." Both agents walked over to the living room and sat down, "They also said it's a different box compared to the one that exploded and emitted that red smoke. I figured you may want to have a look at it."
"You mean to say, that this box came from a different person? That there wasn't' only one, but possibly two people who got pass our security measures and got to Clarke's apartment?"
Lincoln blinked once, "It's a possibility, yes.'
"Damn it." Lexa sighed as she turned the box over and examined the exterior of it. Other than Clarke's name written in black marker, nothing else was on the box. "Has this been dusted for prints?"
"Yes. They found nothing. No fingerprints. No DNA."
Lexa carefully peeled off the tape and slowly opened the flaps of the box. Inside was a single sheet of paper and what appeared to be a manila envelope. She lifted the piece of paper and silently read it. Her face gave nothing away as she placed the paper down on the table for Lincoln to read.
"Cla—Ms. Griffin. You may want to see this." Lexa said quietly.
Lincoln looked at her with a hint of surprise and Lexa met his gaze steadily but said nothing.
"What is it? Clarke asked as she stopped checking the crate filled with her art supplies. Clarke took a seat beside Lexa and studied the two agent. "What is it?" Clarke asked again.
"It's for you. I think. Your name was on the box." Lexa then handed Clarke the paper.
-I see you, Clarke. I see everything that you do and it hurts me to know that you waste your time with these one night stands who only can give you so much. Have you forgotten about us so quickly? Have our time spent together meant nothing to you? I haven't forgotten about you, princess. I still love you. I'm watching you. And I'll always be watching-
"Oh my god." Clarke gasped as she read what was written.
Lexa then reached inside one more and grabbed the manila envelope and opened it. She pulled out what was inside and what she saw made her heart drop to her stomach and a sickening feeling started to make her stomach turn. They were pictures of Clarke; Clarke walking out of her apartment building, Clarke having dinner in a restaurant, Clarke waiting to cross the street, Clarke buying a newspaper, Clarke walking with Octavia, Clarke in a bar.
Clarke. Clarke. Clarke. Clarke. Clarke.
"Is this …" Clarke said but she was in shock to finish the sentence.
"A stalker." Lexa finished for her. Aside from the assassination attempt on Clarke, having a stalker was one of the worst things that could happen. Stalkers are difficult to identify, they're unpredictable, you wouldn't know when they'll make a move or whether they were standing a few feet away from you. Most stalkers don't even have a record. With this news, Lexa's job had just gotten a hundred times harder. Everywhere Clarke went, every public or private event Clarke goes to, she could be in potential danger.
"Not only did someone try to kill me tonight, but now I also have a stalker?" Clarke said incredulously.
"I'm afraid so." Lexa calmly replied as she stuffed the photos back inside the envelope.
"Should I get the Chief of Staff on the line and inform the White House?" Lincoln asked.
Lexa pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. A headache is starting to build up at the back of her head. "I want to go over the tapes from the surveillance cameras first. Then we can call the White House. You got the tapes?"
Clarke jumped off her seat and paced in front of them, "Please don't. Don't tell my dad what happened."
Lexa sighed, "You know I can't do that."
"Then can you at least not inform them until we know what really happened? If you call my dad right now, the White House will be on a buzz and all of this will be on the morning news tomorrow morning."
Lexa looked at the blonde; there was something close to pleading and helplessness in her eyes. She turned over to look at Lincoln.
"Could you leave us alone for a moment?"
Lincoln looked as if he wanted to voice out his protest but thought better about it. He stood up and stepped out into the hallway.
"Lexa, please … All I'm asking is that you keep quiet about this until we know what's really going on." Clarke was practically begging now.
"Do you know what you're asking of me?" Lexa asked as she stood up and walk to the window overlooking Central Park. The decisions should have been simple. Even though they aren't working for the government, they are working for the President and protocol states that at the first sign of any threat, she has to double the security measures and inform the White House. Violating protocol would surely put her current position in peril. She shouldn't even have to think twice about informing her superior and the white house. "This is something serious, Clarke. You could've gotten hurt. I can't keep something like this from my boss."
"What if I promise to be much more cooperative? To follow your orders and not a pain in the ass? Would that sway you to not tell my dad at least for a few days?" Clarke tried to bargain.
Lexa thought about it. The past few weeks, Clarke had been more cooperative than she was before during the first few weeks. Lexa knew she needed that cooperation if she has any hopes of containing this situation. It made sense, really. And Lexa and her team could handle the manpower. Behind her, Clarke remained silent as she waited for an answer but Lexa could feel the gaze on her back. She knew what she would see if she turn around. She had seen the fear and vulnerability in those blue eyes and when Lexa made her decision, she had to convince herself that those intense blue eyes had nothing to do with it.
"Fine." Lexa finally said and turned around, looking directly at Clarke. "Assuming that we are in the clear, I won't say anything. But the next time something comes up, I'm calling the White House."
Clarke relaxed, "Thank you."
Lexa leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. She continued to watch Clarke intently. They both had been up all night. And good god, was she exhausted.
"You should get some rest. The rest of the team will be here early tomorrow morning and we'll go over the tapes. You can join us if you want."
Clarke yawned and nodded. "Sure."
Lexa watched as Clarke crossed the room and opened the door to the master bedroom. She was about to close the door when she abruptly turned around. "You should get some sleep, too. You look like crap." Clarke said.
The agent chuckled, "Thanks. I always liked it when people point out how crappy I look." Lexa's usually unwrinkled linen shirt was now rumpled and dark circles were visible under her eyes. Clarke suddenly had the urge to brush the strand of hair that managed to escape from the simple bun Lexa used to tie her hair. She had an even more vivid image and desire to slip off the suit jacket from Lexa's shoulder and guide her on the couch. The next that popped into her head was her fingers slowly unbuttoning Lexa's shirt.
Clarke abruptly cleared her throat, "Yeah, uh, so, you should sleep. Good night, Commander."
"Good night, Ms. Griffin.
Later that night, both women lay wide awake, thinking about the other and thinking that what if they had met in a different way, in a different situation, in another life, would they stop fighting their growing feelings for each other and let it consume them? Or would something happen that would prevent them from getting the one thing they desire the most?