Clarke watched in awe as Lexa's shadow sunk to her knees, cutting into Clarke's bonds and freeing her with a small dagger.
"Lexa" The relieved blonde fell forward into the commander's arms, losing herself in the comfort of her hug. She buried her face in her shoulder. She could feel in that moment where her home truly was. It wasn't in space, on the ark, or at the drop ship. Her only home was Lexa-warm and welcoming and safe.
The walls of mount weather were dull and uneventful. They drew every single ounce of boredom and disinterest from Clarke that it was almost painful to sit in a cell for days on end with four walls staring back at her. But Lexa... the sight of her made it all worth it.
"Are you okay?" Lexa whispered into the tangles of Clarke's hair. Clarke nodded
"Yeah but they hurt Luna pretty bad. I think she may have a few broken ribs" She responded, and Lexa slowly loosened her grip on her, pulling away from the hug. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna perk up at her own name, only to wince ever so slightly and grasp her side.
"I'll take her back. Get her some place safe." Abby spoke, hands on hips, watching.
"Thanks mom" Clarke replied. She stared back at Abby in caution, unsure as whether her hands on her hips meant disappointment or if it meant pride. The small smile she displayed after Clarke spoke suggested it could be the latter.
"Let's get you out of here, Clarke." Lexa spoke in a hushed, soft tone "We need to talk"
Clarke's heart leapt. She knew for a fact that when someone said 'we need to talk' it usually resulted in something bad, like a relationship to end. Clarke knew, and understood, that all things at some point came to an end. However, she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready for them to end.
"Is everything okay?" Clarke whispered
"Yeah" Lexa brushed her hand against Clarke's, looking down and moving closer "I just want to talk to you, Clarke"
The moment of weakness of which the commander was showing revealed the true gentle nature of her. It was beautiful. Lexa was beautiful. Clarke could do nothing but be relieved. And in that moment of relief, she leant forward, resting her forehead against Lexa's while she could with the taller woman's head ducked down.
"I'm sorry" Lexa whispered quietly.
"Hey" She lifted her hand to rest on Lexa's cheek in comfort. The faint colour of green eyes revealed everything she had to know- that she felt guilty.
"I shouldn't have let you out of my sight. I knew... I knew something was suspicious, Clarke. I could have stopped them if I wasn't so caught up in fighting... I'm sorry" Lexa tried explaining herself. But Clarke saw no need for it. There was nothing to apologise for.
"It's okay, Lexa. It's nobody's fault that this happened. We're safe now" Clarke nodded "We can go back to Polis. And we can rebuild the ark after destroying mount weather. Everything is going to get better, and we..."
Lexa stared at Clarke. The word 'we' echoed through both of their heads.
"We can survive" Clarke added finally, after her loss of words left too much silence between them which had drawn too many thoughts. The corner of Lexa's mouth curved into a subtle smile.
"Maybe life should be about more than just surviving" Lexa retraced Clarke's words with a certain beauty that it made life sound... amazing... if Lexa was there too.
"Commander" the deep rumble of a voice drew a growl from Lexa's lips as she grit her teeth.
Pike clicked the bullet into the chamber of his gun, training its line of sight directly on Clarke. Behind him stood more of his men, guns fixed on the two women, a wall of weaponry. Some men were still shuffling into place, aiming over each other's shoulders.
"Shit" Clarke whispered. Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded to her mother to get Luna out of he mountain. In response, Abby slowly crept over to the brunette leader still laying on the floor, and hooped her arm around her waist. She pulled her to her feet, and helped her hobble to safety.
The room still felt full.
Hostile, violent, and full.
Lexa shifted from foot to foot beside her, eyes searching for an escape.
They were helpless.
"I knew you would come for her" Pike strolled forward, gun still in hand "The Ice Queen told me all about your weaknesses, commander. When you love, you love hard. Don't you?"
Lexa tipped her chin up to stare directly back at him, eyes blazing. Pike's words struck a match inside of Lexa. Clarke could feel it blazing beside her.
"I hear you're the greatest commander to have ever lived. Was that said before or after you murdered half of farm station?" He questioned
"I told you, that was Ice nation." Lexa spoke slowly through gritted teeth.
"And I was told they were simply following orders from the leader of their coalition: Commander Lexa Kom Trikru... is that something you never told Clarke? That you were the one giving the order? Are you keeping secrets from her like you kept secrets from... what's her name again? Costia? Didn't she die because of your secrets, Commander?"
Lexa was coiled tight. If one more word slithered from his mouth, she would dispose of him quickly. No matter how many guns were there.
"What's your point, Pike?" Clarke questioned.
"I'd say too many people have died for this... commander. We are all just pawns in her game of leadership. Disposable pawns." He stared the leader of the 12 clans up and down, his face revealing nothing but disgust "the only one she cares about is you."
He redirected his gun towards Clarke. Lexa's eyes widened and she clenched her fists.
"What are you doing?" She whispered, the danger that Clarke was suddenly in drew out her weakness.
"Weakening you" Pike spoke like it was an acceptable explanation.
It happened so slowly.
It happened so quickly.
Clarke readied herself for the pain. She readied herself to take the bullet. She was ready because at least it wasn't Lexa. Lexa, who was the only one on Earth who had the capability of doing what was right. Lexa, who was perfect in every way.
The bullet lurched from the chamber as Pike's finger squeezed the metal of the trigger.
She expected it to hurt.
She thought she would be able to look down and see the blood pooling on the floor, leaking from a hole in her chest. But she was fine.
Lexa's cry was loud. Deafening. She leapt, shielding Clarke with her own body. Clarke felt the softness of her brunette hair brushing against her cheek as she slumped against her, body no longer strong and powerful. The blonde immediately grasped onto Lexa as the commander's legs betrayed her, buckling from below her.
"No..." Clarke whispered "No"
She sank to the ground with Lexa still tightly in her arms. The sound of footsteps leaving were temporarily blocked out by Clarke.
They were alone.
Lexa heaved her breaths, gasping, hurting. Clarke's eyes snapped down to find the darkness in Lexa's shirt growing and spreading.
"Just lay still okay? You're going to be okay." Clarke stuttered. She pressed down against the bullet wound which gaped in the centre of Lexa's stomach.
Tear after tear rolled down her face as she stared down at the woman in her arms. She was never prepared for this. Never prepared to lose another person who she loved. Not Lexa.
Lexa stared up at her, green eyes calm yet panicked. She reached out and grasped Clarke's hand in hers tightly, fingers shaking.
"Don't be afraid, Clarke" she whispered. She nodded her head "My people are your people. They will take care of you."
A lump grew in Clarke's throat and she finally let out a sob "I don't want them. I want you."
Behind her, Niylah and Abby stumbled in behind them.
"We heard a gunshot. What-" Abby froze as she saw the commander laying in Clarke's arms "oh my god."
Clarke quickly pulled Lexa closer, as if the closeness would somehow heal her. She hoped for it; she prayed for it.
"Mom, help me. Help her, please." Clarke begged.
Abby dropped to her knees beside them, hands instantly fumbling at Lexa's bloodstained shirt and ripping it apart. Ink-like liquid immediately seeped across her bare skin. Clarke's mother could do nothing but stare.
"What? What is it? Mom you have to do something!"
"I can't"
"What?" Clarke exclaimed
"Clarke" Lexa whispered softly, head rested against her shoulder. Clarke's attention abandoned Abby, and flooded towards Lexa instead.
"Yeah?" She pushed a stray hair from in front of Lexa's eye to reveal the full force of the piercing green.
"There's nothing you can do now" Lexa said softly. Her voice croaked.
"No. Don't do that, Lexa. Don't give up on me." Clarke sobbed and pulled the brunette further into her lap.
"I won't" Lexa whispered before repeating it again in reassurance "I won't"
Lexa's hand crept across the floor to a notebook which had tumbled from her pocket in the midst of the violence. Her fingers locked around it, and she dragged it to Clarke's hand.
"What..." Clarke's question remained unfinished and unanswered as Lexa cut her off
"Keep it. Read it. Not now." Lexa spoke is hesitating whispers between gasps. Clarke nodded and ran her hand through the braids in Lexa's hair. She could feel the warmth of her blood seeping through the fabric of her pants, warming her legs in a sick heat.
She leaned down and pressed her lips gently to Lexa's, expressing every single feeling she could into the one kiss. The chapped lips responded against her own immediately meeting the feelings with a welcoming motion.
When Clarke pulled back, she knew the look on Lexa's face.
It was the look her mother's patients made back in space when they were near their end. It was the face they made to their loved ones. It was a goodbye.
"I couldn't stop" Lexa whispered softly
"Stop what?"
"I couldn't stop caring"
Lexa had shown her often how much she really cared. Ever since their fight with mount weather Lexa had constantly attempted to make it up to her, and show her how much she really cared. The truth was, she couldn't stop caring either.
Clarke could feel it bubbling in her stomach, rising as she looked down on her. It reached her throat and spilled from her lips.
"I love you" she whispered quietly.
The commander's head drooped against her leg once, then once more as she lost control over herself.
"I-" Lexa tried. She let out the quietest groan "I l-"
The silence which followed echoed. It bounced off of the walls of mount weather and burned itself into the remaining inhabitants. Clarke pressed her forehead to hers, squeezing her eyes closed tightly.
She cried.
She cried loudly, allowing tears to fall freely.
She cried for Lexa: the woman who died for her.
Lexa's body lay heavy in Clarke's lap, arm hung loosely, and her grip on the blonde's hand was slack.
This shouldn't have happened. They had planned so much more, further than... this. They were going to fight together. Live together. They were going to do so much more than just survive, building a better world for both themselves and their people.
There was so much more to do.
Clarke decided then and there, covered in the blood of the woman she loved, that Pike would suffer. He would pay. He would be tortured. Both emotionally and physically until he broke. No sympathy in the world would prevent Clarke from doing that.
She traced her fingers over Lexa's cheek, wiping away the stray tear that had fallen not so long ago whilst she was still breathing.
"I love you" she whispered again.
__________________________
Um. Now hold your horses. Please don't kill me for my decisions. My book, my rules, my god damn story okay? (That was really mean. I didn't mean it to be like that. However, you guys need to just wait. Not attack. Okay? Good)
So yeah. Don't... I repeat... DONT... leave. There should still be some epilogues coming up next plus a few extra things. Please don't leave because of my ending.
Vote, comment and all that stuff. Let me know what you think guys. Point out any mistakes pleaaaaase!! Even though I probably don't deserve it...
Yes I'm aware that this chapter is shorter than usual. It's kinda obvious why though...
(The song is I Found by Amber Run)
Anyway, thank you for reading this and staying with me for all this time through out this book.
DO NOT LEAVE ME YET!