Clexa Fic

As Titus whirled around the room firing wildly, Lexa stepped through the door. Clarke gasped as she saw blood well up where Titus had hit Lexa with the bullet. She ran to her side, as Lexa fell to her knees.

"Dammit!" Lexa cried out. "What is the meaning of this Fleimkepa?" She grasped her upper arm tightly where the bullet had lodged itself. Clarke let out the breath she had been holding.

"Heda... I..." Titus trailed off. He hung his head. "Forgive me, Heda. She will be the death of you. I was only trying to protect you." Lexa looked at him coldly.

"Gonas!" Lexa roared. Two warriors armed with spears came immediately to Lexa's side. "Teik em in." she said, gesturing to Titus. "This is treason, Titus. Acting against an ambassador under my protection in Polis; there is nothing I can do to spare you now." She looked to the guards. "Lok em daun. I will deal with him later." Although her words were steady and cold, Clarke could sense the bubbling rage simmering just below the surface. Coupled with Lexa's speech shifting in and out of English, Clarke wasn't quite sure what to expect from the emotions of her new lover.

"Lexa," she said timidly. "Let me take a look at your arm." Lexa waved her off.

"Are you hurt?" she asked Clarke. "Did he hit you?" she reached her uninjured arm to touch Clarke's cheek briefly.

"I'm fine. But you aren't. Sit down," Clarke commanded. She led Lexa over to the bed, and tugged up her sleeve to look at the wound.

"Still tied up over here," Murphy called over to them. Lexa glanced over at him briefly.

"Why is that boy tied up in your chambers?" The commander asked with a smirk.

"You'd have to ask your Fleimkepa, Heda. As you may recall, I was otherwise engaged until just now," Clarke blushed.

Despite the circumstances and the previously tense atmosphere in the room, Lexa laughed. "Oh, I'm unlikely to ever forget it, Wanheda."

Shaking her head, Clarke called out to the guard she could see in the doorway. "I need bandages, please. Have a Fisa come up to assist me. Thank you." The guard nodded respectfully, leaving the room. Clarke stood from where she was kneeling next to the bed and moved to Murphy still tied to the chair. She loosened his bindings and he stood, wincing slightly.

"Murphy, go get Octavia. She's waiting for me by the east entrance. Tell her it's important."

Finally, it was just the two of them. Clarke returned to Lexa's side and put pressure on the wound.

"When I heard those gun shots, I feared the worst," Lexa admitted, wrapping her hand around Clarke's wrist.

"Probably you felt the same as I did when I realized you'd been shot," Clarke shot back. Lexa smiled sadly.

Clarke looked back to Lexa. "Got your knife handy?" Lexa nodded, pulling it from the scabbard on her hip. The other woman took it and crossed the room to the tray of liquor an attendant had left in her quarters the night before. The alcohol was too potent for Clarke to actually want to drink, but it was perfect for the purpose she had in mind. She dipped the blade into the pitcher. "It's as sterile as I'm going to get it," she said mostly to herself.

Clarke hesitated for a moment when she crossed the room to rejoin Lexa. She rested the blade lightly on Lexa's arm.

"This is going to hurt a bit," Clarke warned Lexa.

"That will be a pleasant change from how it already feels," Lexa sighed grumpily. "Just do it."

Clarke nodded, and pushed against the blade on her skin, cutting lightly to widen the wound. Thankfully, the bullet seemed to have missed bones and major arteries. "I think its safe to take out," she said happily. As she set to work extracting the metal, a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter," Lexa called, her voice even despite the pain from her wound. Octavia and Murphy strode in, followed by a grounder Clarke had never met with an armful of rags. The Healer, she presumed. With his help, Clarke worked efficiently to extract the bullet from Lexa's arm. Clarke knew it had to hurt, but the girl never once showed any outward sign of discomfort while they cleaned and sewed up the wound.

Octavia stood impatiently off the side, arms crossed. Clarke finally turned and addressed her. "Sorry, I got held up, but I didn't want you to think I stood you up." Octavia nodded once, tersely. Clarke turned to the healer, finishing up bandaging Lexa.

"Keep this wound clean and dry and watch it for infection until I get back. I may be gone a few days," she advised.

"Sha, Wanheda," The healer acquiesced.

"Thank you," Clarke said. She looked back to Lexa as the healer left the room.

"I hate to leave you injured, but if Octavia and I don't leave now, we won' t make it before the blockade."

"I have another idea, if you trust me, Clarke," Lexa said. Clarke nodded.

"With my life," she said seriously. Lexa brought their foreheads together, running her thumb over Clarke's cheek slowly. Octavia coughed uncomfortably from behind Clarke. Lexa pulled back slightly to glare at the Skaikru warrior.

"Something bothering you, Oktavia kon Skaikru?" she asked, irritated.

"Clarke is right, we are running out of time, Heda."

Lexa sighed, rising to stand next to Clarke.

"I will be following you. Ride fast, and convince your people to turn on the one you call Pike. I will take care of the rest."

"No," Clarke said forcefully. "You need to heal."

"This wound is minor. I have a clan that needs to be brought back into my coalition. I will not rest until it is done. We don't have time to debate this."

"As your healer, I would feel more comfortable if you were not running off into battle with a gun shot wound."

"And as your Heda, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my people above my own," Lexa said finally. "However, as your lover, I promise to be careful. I hope you will do the same. I fear your task may be much more dangerous than mine, Clarke." She finished her speech with a kiss to Clarke's forehead.

"I'll be fine, Lexa." Clarke promised. She hesitated for only a second before kissing Lexa, hoping to convey everything she was feeling at their imminent separation. When they parted, tears were welling up in her eyes. "Goodbye," she whispered. She had to force herself to turn around and walk out the chamber door before she lost the will to leave at all. Octavia moved to follow her out, but Lexa stopped her.

"Octavia, take care of her, please." Lexa asked quietly.

"Sha Heda," Octavia replied. She reached out her arm, and Lexa grasped it firmly with her uninjured arm. Lexa nodded, and Octavia followed after Clarke.

Clarke and Octavia reached Arkadia quickly, riding the fastest horses Polis could provide. Once they reached the outskirts, Octavia snuck them in the same way she had gotten out. Abby and Marcus waited for them on the other side. Clarke hugged her mother fiercely.

"I'm glad to see you, but we haven't got much time," Clarke said quickly. "I've got to talk to Bellamy." Kane nodded.

"I can get you to him, but Clarke, he's with Pike."

"I know, and we need him to be with us. We've got a short window to work with. The Commander is coming, and she's ordered a blockade around Arkadia. Any Skaikru seen outside will be killed. We've got to get Pike to surrender. And we need Bellamy to make it happen."

Octavia grabbed Clarke's arm. "Let's go." Abby hugged Clarke once more before Kane led the way out. They hurried through the corridors until Kane stopped them outside the bustling garage. Kane quietly pointed out Bellamy, standing near the corridor. She took a deep breath and walked over to him quickly, trying not to attract any unwanted attention.

"Bellamy, can I speak with you?" Clarke asked him quietly.

"When did you get back?" Bellamy asked her, clearly confused.

"That doesn't matter," Clarke dismissed. "What matters is what we do next." She led him off to the side of the corridor, away from the group in the garage. "We both know we don't have enough guns or manpower to fight the grounders."

Bellamy scoffed. "What else are we going to do Clarke? We have to fight for our lives or they'll kill us."

Clarke shook her head. "They won't. They've agreed to give us space to grow, and safety from the clans. Not to mention the knowledge that we need to survive on the ground."

"We can't trust them," Bellamy argued. "They've killed so many of us. They'll slaughter us completely if we let our guard down. They've proven that. With Pike's people, at Mount Weather."

"And we killed so many of them at the drop ship. And killed the forces they sent to protect us from Azgeda. I'm not saying no mistakes have been made. We didn't understand each other before. But we can now. We can make a fresh start. We've been accepted as the 13th clan. It's a promise of safety and security that all clans must honor."

Bellamy shook his head. "And when they break it?"

"They won't," Clarke argued. "We have the Commander's word. That's law as far as they are concerned. To try would be treason."

"We've seen them go against their laws before, Clarke."

"And anyone who has is dead. It's a pretty good deterrent, don't you think Bellamy?"

"That is what you want to align yourself with Clarke? They are no better than animals!" His voice shook with anger.

"Were we any better?" Clarke asked him seriously. Bellamy looked at her, clearly confused. "On the Ark. Were we any better? My father was floated. So was your mother. Were their crimes really worth death?" Bellamy was silent, looking away. "We deserve happiness. Peace, security. We deserve to build a life here. A life that doesn't include needless violence and death. It won't be easy. But nothing worth having ever is," Clarke finished, her hand resting on Bellamy's shoulder.

"I don't think I can trust them, Clarke."

"You don't have to. Just trust me. Believe that I can make this happen."

Bellamy stared at her, his eyes uncertain. Finally he nodded. "What do we do?"

Clarke smiled. "Convince everyone else. And get the guards to stop firing at the grounder blockade. We have to get word through to the Commander that we are no longer a threat to her people. That we ARE her people. And if we don't do it soon, we may lose the chance completely."

"Who do we have?" Bellamy asked seriously.

"Us. You, me, Octavia, and Raven. My mother, Kane, and Monty. Hopefully everyone else will follow. Can you get the guard? Can you convince them not to fire on the blockade?"

"I'll get it done. Give me a couple hours. Where do I meet you?" Bellamy asked.

"Raven and the others are holed up in the aft section. Meet us there." She turned to leave, but Bellamy stopped her with a firm hand on her upper arm.

"Sorry Clarke," he said, sounding anything but. Her eyes widened as Pike came around the corner with two armed guards. Clarke spun around to glare at the boy she thought she could trust. In his hand, tucked next to his leg, he held a radio.

"Bellamy," she growled. "How could you?" She snarled at him, but was held back by the guards.

"Because he's loyal," Pike said. "Unlike you. Take her to the brig and collect the rest of them. We'll deal with them later. Right now, we have to get a message to the grounder Commander. Let them know we agree to surrender. Tomorrow at noon. But only to her, and only in person." Clarke's heart thundered.

"No, you can't!" she cried.

Pike laughed. "Pretty sure I can. And I'll have a surprise waiting for her when she comes." he turned and strolled away, leaving the others behind.

"Bellamy, don't let him do this, please!" she pleaded, tears threatening to fall.

"No Clarke. You did this to them. By picking them over us. Once we end the threat, you'll see I was right. I'll keep us safe."

Clarke didn't stop crying as the guards dragged her away.

When they tossed Clarke into the makeshift prison they had erected, she was surprised to see Lincoln and a group of Trikru already locked in.

"Lincoln, what's going on?"

"We have wounded. They pulled them out of medical and threw them in here. Clarke, can you help them?" Lincoln asked, clearly worried.

Clarke busied herself with the wounded as Lincoln caught her up on the events that led to Pike's reign.

It didn't long before the door was swinging open, and Octavia and Raven were thrown in roughly. Raven hit the ground and cried out in pain when her already injured leg gave out beneath her. Clarke stormed over to the guard that brought them in.

"Hey! She's not fighting you, there's no need to get rough!"

Pike's guard strode back in, and swung the butt of his rifle up, catching Clarke across her right eye. She landed sprawled out on the hard floor.

"Rough enough for you?" he spat out. Clarke's vision swam, and the room went dark.

When she came to, her head was resting on someone's thigh. She could feel the hard muscle beneath her, and willed it to be Lexa's toned body cradling hers. When a small hand ran through her hair, she opened one hopeful eye, and saw Octavia's worried face hovering over her.

'Not Lexa,' she thought glumly. "How long?" she croaked out, trying to sit up. She was stopped by Lincoln's gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't try to move too much," he commanded. "That was a hard hit you took."

"How long was I out?" Clark asked again.

"A day," Raven supplied. Clarke turned toward her voice and saw her sitting against the wall to her left. "You missed a great lecture on Ark loyalty from the Chancellor. He stopped by to let us know that the Commander accepted our invitation for 'surrender'."

Clarke's breath caught in her throat. "What did he say to her?"

Octavia huffed. "He didn't tell us that, only that Heda would be here at noon and is expecting the thirteenth clan to have fallen in line." Clarke groaned in frustration.

"How long do we have? Do we have anyone who can get a message out? We can't let her come in here to get slaughtered by Pike!" Clarke pushed Lincoln away and sat up slowly.

"I'm sorry Clarke, but there's nothing we can do," Octavia said sadly. "But Heda is smart. She won't just come without some assurance that the surrender is legitimate."

Clarke was worried. "She might if she thinks we managed to overtake Pike. Octavia, that's what she sent us back here to do. And she trusts us." She wanted to scream in frustration, but instead clenched her fists together. "Ok, we've got to think of something... How long?"

Lincoln looked toward the window. "Not long now."

And he was right, because as soon as he spoke, Clarke could hear hard footsteps approaching down the hall. A large group of guards clustered around the door. Before they could muster up any type of defense or strategy, a guard had each one of them pinned down with hands bound. Lincoln struggled to get his hands free and was zapped for his trouble. They were pulled to their feet, and dragged out. When the reached the main corridor, Clarke's last hope was shattered. Kane and Abby were bound and gagged, joining the rest of them as they came to the main door.

"Bring out the prisoners!" Pike called. Clarke was pulled roughly into the sunlight. The line of her bound friends followed closely behind. She blinked in the sudden brightness. She was shoved roughly down to her knees.

"Open the gates to welcome the Commander and her people. Let's show them the same hospitality they've been showing us since we landed!" A cheer went up among the armed men and women assembled. Clarke's heart sank as the gates raised.

"No!" she screamed. Pike's gaze landed on her. She could see his sneer from her position on the ground. He made his way slowly over to her.

"Still siding with the murderers outside those gates, Clarke? Then you all can die with them," he said with finality. "Starting with him." He sliced the bonds holding Lincoln and led him out to the middle of the field. With a uncaring hand, he shoved Lincoln to the ground. His gun immediately trained on Lincoln's prone form.

Lincoln turned his head to meet Octavia's eyes solemnly. Clarke could see him mouth 'Ai Hodnes' and it broke her heart. Octavia screamed. A wild, guttural noise. She pushed through the guards holding her down and fought her way to Lincoln before Pike swung the butt of his gun to her head and dropped her next to Lincoln.

Bellamy came over to Pike's side and pleaded. "Don't do this! That's my sister. And Lincoln isn't our enemy. These are our people. Taking out the ones that killed us is one thing, but not them."

"This is a grounder. And the only good grounder is a dead grounder. Octavia isn't one of us anymore, Bellamy. She's one of them now." He punctuated his speech with a swift kick to her side. Octavia groaned. A ripple went through the crowd assembled. It was clear that they were uneasy with the current situation. Killing grounders they could live with, but this wasn't what they had signed on for.

Clarke seized the opportunity. "Don't you see? This is just more pointless killing. Despite the fact that we've killed some of her people in cold blood, the Commander still offers to protect us. To forgive what has been done. We can't survive on the ground without help. They are willing to teach us their ways. It means we can live in peace. Our children can grow and not fear. We need to put aside the problems of the past and move on. We need the grounders." Pike shook his head in disgust.

"We need no one but ourselves. We never have."

Clarke rose shakily to her feet. She addressed Pike directly. "Wrong. We've always needed help. The Ark wouldn't have survived as long as it had if we didn't work together. The original Arkers had to trust each other and sacrifice to live. We honor that every Unity Day. Nothing should be different down here on the ground."

The crowd's attention was focused solely on Clarke and Pike's standoff. No one had noticed Lexa and her delegation at the gates where they stood witnessing the entire exchange.

Pike shook his head at Clarke's passionate words. "There's no trust with these grounders. We need to take them out!"

"We can go around and around with this conversation. There's only one question left: who are we going to be? The people who trust and learn from their mistakes? Or the ones who kill the people who try to help us?"

Pike lifted his gun and pointed it at Clarke. But he was stopped by Bellamy's hand on his arm.

"We aren't killing anyone," he said. "Put your gun away."

Clarke gave him a grateful nod. "This isn't a decision one person can make. We need to be united now more than ever. We all need to make a choice. I'm choosing to protect what we have by being a part of the community we now live in," she looked around seriously. Her eyes widened as she realized Lexa was standing at the open gate with a small smile on her face. Clarke forced herself to look away. "Put your guns down if you are ready to live without fear."

The guards looked to one another. There was silence for a long moment. Then a man near the gate tossed his gun in front of him. One by one, the other assembled guards followed suit.

"Welcome back to the coalition, Skaikru," Lexa said loudly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Thank you Heda. For your generosity," Clarke responded. She knelt to the ground, crossing her arm over her chest. Her still tied arms made the move somewhat awkward. "As Skaikru ambassador, I pledge my fealty to you." Rising from their position on the ground, Lincoln and Octavia follow suit. Soon the courtyard was completely silent as all assembled moved to kneel down to Lexa.

Clarke looked to Pike, who still stood with a menacing look on his face.

"I will never bow to one of you," he growled. His arm shot up, the gun leveled at Lexa. Bellamy sprang up, grabbing Pike's arm and wrestling him down to the ground. Lincoln immediately assisted, kicking the gun away and twisting his arm behind his back.

"You can kneel to our Heda willingly," Lincoln hissed. "Or I'll make it impossible for you to stand again." He grabbed the back of Pike's neck and forced him to his knees. Lexa motioned to her gonas to relieve Bellamy and Lincoln of their captive.

"Taik em," She commanded. Pike was roughly removed, still screaming, through the gates. Then, to the Arkers still on their knees. "Rise. We celebrate Skaikru's renewed commitment to the clans tonight, and our commitment to you." She strode over to where Clarke knelt and held out a hand to help her to her feet. Her knife was out instantly cutting through Clarke's binding. The girl rubbed her wrists with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Lexa." They moved to the rest of the prisoners to cut them loose.

"Kane," Lexa greeted, removing his bindings. "I trust you are well?"

"Better now. Thank you Commander."

"I think the thanks falls to Clarke." They both looked over to where the girl was embracing her now freed mother and Raven.

"Agreed. This could have gone very badly for all of us. You especially," he admitted.

"If it was my time, my spirit would have chosen the next Commander wisely. As it happens, I trusted that Clarke could get it done. And she delivered," Lexa said with satisfaction.

"Well let me be the first to welcome you to Arkadia," Kane said with a smile. "Let us accommodate you and your warriors?"

"I appreciate the offer, Chancellor, but we set up camp already outside the gates. We will feast tonight to celebrate our peaceful resolution to this situation. Tomorrow, however, there will be much work to be done to repair the damage that branwada caused. But let's not worry ourselves about it now."

"As you wish, Commander," Kane responded, bowing lightly. "Shall we?" he gestured to Abby and Clarke. Lexa nodded, and they joined the pair.

"Marcus," Abby said, hugging him tightly. He responded with a kiss to her forehead. Clarke flashed back to just a few days prior in Lexa's chambers. She glanced over to see if Lexa was having similar thoughts, and from the shy smile she received in return, Clarke guessed she was. Lexa's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes roamed over Clarke's face.

"I'm fine," Clarke responded softly, guessing Lexa was questioning her bruised face. "It will heal." Lexa hesitated, then nodded once.

"Mom," Clarke interrupted Abby and Kane's quiet conversation. "We need to get the injured Trikru back to medical. And Kane, you need to reestablish order. They may have agreed with me in the moment, but Pike's people are not going to just fall into line."

As if reading her mind, Bellamy was suddenly at her side. "There's some grumbling about what will happen to Pike now; where has he been taken?"

"We will keep him for now," Lexa commanded. "Until appropriate punishment for the slaying of 300 warriors can be decided." Bellamy's jaw tightened, and for one wild moment Clarke thought he would argue, but he seemed resigned and nodded and turned to walk away. Kane joined him, and the pair conversed as they left. Abby called over to the guards who seemed at a loss for what to do.

"Get the injured back to medical." She looked at Clarke quickly. "I could use your help." Clarke nodded.

"I'll meet you there." Abby left with a smile. Clarke gave Lexa an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, I wish I could stay with you but..." She trailed off.

"Once again, our people come first," Lexa finished, smiling at her. "That is why you are you."

"That is the second time you have said that, and it's the second time I think you wanted to say something different," Clarke whispered to her. Lexa blushed. Clarke's face lit up and she laughed.

"I'll let it go for now, but I will come find you later after everything is settled. And then I want you to say what you REALLY mean." her hand touched Lexa's face briefly.

"You already know," Lexa confessed. "But come find me in my tent before tonight's feast, and perhaps you'll get your wish." Clarke smirked at her.

"I'll see you then." She hesitated, wanting nothing more than to kiss Lexa, but she knew that it wasn't proper for Lexa's people to see this. She settled for a more discrete squeeze of Lexa's hand, and got a rare smile out of the normally stoic girl.

"Until then, Skai Prisa," Lexa called, walking backwards away from Clarke.

Clarke rolled her eyes at the old nickname. She gave one last fleeting look to Lexa before she turned to head into the Ark once more.