Chapter 10
The next day started beautiful and sunny. When Clarke woke she turned to find Lexa next to her, still sleeping. She smiled. Nothing had happened. She wasn’t sure either of them was ready for … “something”, but there hadn’t even been a question where Lexa would sleep.
Clarke looked at her. When Lexa was asleep it seemed like every burden she was so obviously carrying throughout the day was gone and she was at peace. Clarke wished more moments like this for her. Awake moments.
She got up and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Her friends had stayed until two o’clock and Clarke rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It was nine a.m. now and she was in desperate need of caffeine. She loaded the coffee machine, opened the cupboard and got two mugs out. Lexa had a weird assortment of mugs. A few of them were downright corny and Clarke wondered if they had been gifts or belonged to Costia.
The coffee machine hissed and Clarke opened the fridge to get milk. She found a cold slice of pizza and took a bite from it. It was delicious.
She wandered over to the windows and looked outside. The sun was already up and rays of light broke in a tiny crystal that was hanging from the ceiling creating a small rainbow on the floor. It was beautiful. Clarke smiled. This apartment felt like home. Even after these few days it felt more like home to her than her own place. She knew why and she would have to deal with the implications sooner or later.
She went back to the coffee machine and poured the brownish liquid into the mugs. She added milk to both of them and sugar for herself, then she went back to the bedroom. Lexa was still asleep. She had turned onto her right side and a strand of her hair was in her face. Clarke carefully put the mugs down on the bedside table and sat down next to Lexa. She didn’t wake up, so Clarke just as carefully put the wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful with the sunlight now illuminating her.
A smile spread on Lexa’s face.
“Is that the smell of coffee?”
Clarke laughed.
“It might be.”
“Hm.”
Lexa turned around and opened her eyes.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” Clarke looked at her some more. Where had she been all her life?
Lexa sat up and Clarke handed her one of the mugs and took a sip from hers.
Lexa looked at her
“Did you sleep well?”
Clarke nodded.
“Like a stone. I was so tired and I am sorry that you basically had to kick Raven out at some point.”
Lexa smiled a sleepy smile.
“Your friends really are a handful.”
“They are, but they mean well.”
“I know.”
Lexa drank some coffee and waited for the caffeine to kick in. She yawned and Clarke realized that even sleepy yawning Lexa was beautiful. She smiled and Lexa raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re smiling because of nothing?”
“Exactly.” Clarke hid her grin behind her coffee mug.
“Listen, Lexa, do you think we could go out today?”
“Out where?”
“Just outside. I … I can’t stay inside forever just because of Finn. If I do it feels like he is winning, you know?”
Lexa looked at her. Of course she knew. But she also had to calculate the risk and being in the open was a risk as long as one didn’t know the true intentions of the enemy. She thought about it for a second.
“I’d have to call Anya and arrange a security detail, but I guess that going outside should be a possibility.”
Clarke looked at her grinning.
“A simple yes or no would have been enough, you know?”
Lexa smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She put the mug down and got up. “I’ll call Anya right away, okay?”
“Okay.” Clarke watched her leave the room in her oversized Yankees shirt and it made her swallow hard. She really had to gain some self-control.
--
“Hey, kid, what’s up?”
“An, I have a request.”
“Shoot.”
“Clarke would like to go outside. … Nowhere special, just outside and I need Bell and Nyko to keep us company.”
“Okay.”
“Just okay?”
“Yes. Why? What did you think I would say?”
Lexa sat down on the couch.
“I don’t know? Something like staying inside being safer and that we can’t spare the manpower.”
“Kid, I really think that you should go outside. First I want to prevent you from getting claustrophobic and then we should check if lover boy turns up somewhere which would actually be an improvement.”
Anya chuckled.
“But if you want me to tell you to stay inside so you can have Clarke all to yourself …”
Lexa practically saw Anya’s grin and she glared at the phone.
“What the hell are you suggesting?”
“I am not suggesting anything, Lex. I am stating the obvious. You have a thing for the girl.”
Lexa turned to see if Clarke was within earshot.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
It was a weak answer and she knew it. Anya did, too, and was flat out laughing at her now.
“Whatever you want to tell yourself, kid.” She tried to regain some of her composure. “But for whatever it’s worth: I approve. She is cute and from what I hear about her she’s a good pick.”
Lexa smiled. She couldn’t help it. The smile just appeared on her face and she couldn’t stop it. Just like she couldn’t stop the answer that was forming on her lips.
“Thank you.”
--
The sun was burning down on her, but Clarke loved it. They had been strolling around Central Park for about an hour now and if it hadn’t been for Bell and Nyko who were keeping there distance, but were most definitely present, it could actually have been a date. Even Lexa seemed relaxed. She smiled and talked about everyday things like how she had been in Central Park so early one day that the ducks on the lake had still been asleep. She even had a photo to prove it.
Clarke smiled at her and when they walked by an ice-cream vendor she stopped and bought two cones. One of them was currently melting in her hand while she listened to Lexa talk. And what a nice voice she had.
Lexa felt herself relax and instantly reprimanded herself for it. She wasn’t supposed to relax. She was supposed to keep Clarke safe, but she felt the presence of Bell and Nyko and she knew she could trust them to do their job so she just licked at the ice-cream and blinked at the sun. At some point she had handed her Ray-Bans to Clarke who obviously had a harder time adjusting her eyes to the sun. She also looked good with her sunglasses, but that was just a side note.
The ice-cream was delicious and Lexa laughed at Clarke’s inability to eat it like a grownup. She had fun. Lexa didn’t know when it had been the last time that she had fun like that. She had so much fun that she didn’t even notice Bellamy taking pictures of her and Clarke and sending them to Anya and his sister.
Nyko grinned at Bellamy, but kept his professional distance. His eyes scanned the area. It was crowded, but he knew what to look for. Stalkers often did not fit in with the surroundings. In this case there were happy couples, families and tourists, but no joggers. It was lunch time and way too hot for a jog, so when Nyko saw the man who was slowly jogging towards Lexa and Clarke he signaled Bellamy. He had seen him to.
Both men were fast. They reached the jogger before he arrived and stopped him with a few calculated moves. Two seconds later he was flat on his back gasping for air.
Bellamy stared at him.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“What the hell, man?!”
The jogger tried to get up, but Nyko had him pinned down.
“Leave me alone! I was only going to deliver something.”
“What?”
“It’s for the blonde girl.”
Bellamy looked at Clarke who was staring at them. Lexa was next to her, fully focused on her surroundings now. Her ice-cream cone was on the ground next to her.
“What did you want to deliver?”
Bell nodded at Nyko who let the man sit up. He held out an envelope and Bell took it. He looked inside and read the note before he held it out to Lexa.
“Clarke, why do you make it so hard for me? I will be with you shortly. I love you.”
Lexa resisted the urge to crumple the note. She looked around and then at the jogger.
“Who gave this to you?”
“A man.”
“When?”
“Two minutes ago. At the ice-cream vendor.”
Lexa ran before anyone could stop her, but not without shouting commands.
“Nyko, get Clarke home! Bell, check the surroundings!”
“Lexa!”
She heard Clarke yell her name, but she ran anyway. If there was a chance Finn was still somewhere around she would find him. She would find him and rip his head off.
--
She searched for him for about an hour, but he was already gone. Bellamy called her to make sure she was okay and tell her that Clarke was safe. Lexa sat down on a bench at the lake and stared at the water. They had to find Finn, bring the fight to him. She hated to be that one that had to react. She took her phone and called Monty.
“Lexa! I heard that you’re back!”
“Hey tech wiz! How are you?
”Busy.”
“Busy finding Finn Collins, I hope?”
“Yep. But the man is hard to find.”
“Hard or impossible?”
She heard him chuckle.
“Nothing is impossible for me, Ms. Woods. It just takes a little longer.”
“Would it help you if I told you that he has been spotted in Central Park about an hour ago?”
“Can you pinpoint his location a little more precisely than the whole of Central Park?”
Lexa smiled.
“Close to the Loeb Boathouse, probably leaving to the Upper East Side.”
“That’s better.”
“Can you do something with this information?”
“Sure can, but there are a gazillion traffic and other cameras I’ll have to check now. It’ll take some time, but when I find him he won’t be ably to hide anymore.”
“That sounds great.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have something.”
“Thanks, Monty.”
Lexa hung up and suddenly realized that she was still a little out of breath. She looked down on herself and saw blood oozing through her shirt. When she lifted it she saw that two of the stitches were torn. She cursed which made a young mother look at her angrily. Lexa tried to smile, but groaned instead. She got up slowly and made her way back home.
--
“Lexa!”
Clarke was at her side in a heartbeat and helped her to the couch. She was in doctor mode as soon as she saw what had happened. Nyko was looking at Lexa.
“Do you want me to get you to the hospital?”
“No.”
He nodded and went outside. He was sure he didn’t want to get in the middle of the argument that was about to follow.
“No?”
Clarke stared at Lexa.
“I’ve been outside enough for today.”
“Lexa, you are bleeding.”
“I am aware of that.”
“You are bleeding, because you ran away like a maniac.”
“I didn’t run away, but toward something.”
Clarke glared at her.
“I don’t care! You still have a whole in your body and you are not supposed to run.”
“I understand.”
“You clearly don’t.” She got up and took her phone.
“Mom? Listen, Lexa tore two of her stitches. Yes, I told her that we should go to the hospital, but she is stubborn and doesn’t want to. Yes, okay.”
Clarke held out the phone to Lexa.
“My mum wants to talk to you.”
Lexa sighed, but took the phone.
“Hi Doctor Griffin. Yes, I know. I am aware of that. I tore my stitches following Finn Collins. In Central Park. I can explain that later. I understand, but I would rather stay here with Clarke. That would be great. See you later.”
She hung up and put the phone on the coffee table.
“You’re mum’s coming over.”
Clarke stared at her.
“My mum is coming here?”
“Yes.”
“She is doing a house call?”
“Yes.”
“You gotta be kidding me!”
“I am not.”
Clarke stood in the middle of the room and stared at Lexa who was clearly in pain. She turned around and went to the bedroom. When she came back she held out a pill and a glass of water.
“Take this.”
Lexa looked at the pill.
“What is it?”
“Something for the pain.”
She saw the look on Lexa’s face and laughed.
“Don’t worry, I won’t drug you. It’s just something for the pain.”
Lexa nodded and swallowed the pill.
Clark went away again and came back with bandages.
“Let me look at this. There is no need for you to bleed all over the couch until my mother arrives.”
She helped Lexa out of her shirt and tried to stop the bleeding as good as possible.
“You could have died, you know.”
Lexa looked up to face her. Where did that come from?
“Your body could have gone into shock. Or Finn could have been there. He could have had a gun …”
“Clarke?”
“I am not ready to lose you, Lexa.”
“Clarke.” Lexa put two fingers under Clarke’s chin and lifted the woman’s head so she had to look at her. “I am not leaving you.”
Clarke’s eyes were full of tears and Lexa had no idea how to react to that so she did the only thing that came to her mind. She kissed her.
It was a soft kiss, a tentative kiss, a wet kiss, because Clarke’s tears mixed with it and made it taste salty. Lexa’s lips on Clarke’s felt right. It felt like coming home and also like something new entirely. She felt Clarke shake or maybe it was her who was shaking. She didn’t know. She just knew that this felt right and like something she had been missing her whole life. Something she would never let go again.