Disclaimer: All characters belong to CW. I own nothing.

"Are you ready to see her? Have you thought about what you're going to do? How you're going to spend your time?" Octavia asked while pulling the strap of her bag higher up her shoulder while looking around for a place to sit but decided to stand instead. They weren't going to talk business all day and there wasn't much to do in that village. She wondered what she would be doing.

"You're asking like this is some kind of a date." Clarke glanced at her watch. Octavia was early. "We're going to have a talk. That's what we're going to do." She stuffed her blanket into her bag then wondered whether she would need a tent.

"Well it could be if you want to. If you can find time back then I don't see how you guys can't now. It would be just the two of us. I promise I won't get in the way this time."

"You're not going to let it go are you?" She heard Octavia laughed. "First things first. So romance comes second but if you have any suggestions I'd be happy to consider them."

She shrugged. "None right now but I'll think of something on our way there. I've pack my stuff for a few days stay. Somehow I know it's going to be a long one."

"Just don't mention it in front of your brother. He'll think the only reason I'm going there is to get close to Lexa. I don't want to start another fight with him." She zipped up her bag, grabbed the strap and dropped it on her shoulder. She turned around her tent then gestured for Octavia to go when she was sure she had packed all the stuff she needed. "That's the last thing I need."

They both stepped outside the tent. "Kill two birds with one stone? I'm not going to judge you for it." She turned around to see Clarke was zipping her door tent shut. "I'd totally grab the chance."

"O!"

They both turned around and saw Bellamy waved at them. Octavia groaned. "What now? He better not ruins my good mood. It's still early."

"Speak of the devil." Clarke murmured. Bellamy stayed where he was but gestured for Octavia to come to him. "I guess he's calling for you."

"Yes. Excuse me I think my brother has something to talk to me about. If I don't go he'll think I'm ignoring him. That's the last thing I need." She echoed her words then walked over to him.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked as soon as Octavia was in front of him. He had been thinking all night about what happened yesterday. The last thing he wanted was his sister disappointed in him. He didn't come down here for that. "You were right. I could've expressed myself better. I'm sorry." He added when she didn't answer.

Octavia crossed her arms and nodded. His apology seemed sincere. She wasn't planning to prolong their disagreement any longer but she waited for him to finish what he wanted to say.

"I want to make peace. What do you say?" What his sister thought of him matters. When she was born his mother had entrusted her well being on his shoulders and she was everything to him ever since. When their mother died he had made his life goals to do everything he could for her happiness. He even tried to give her a chance to see the outside world. He blamed himself when she got caught. So he had tried to find a way to free her from prison. His plan was brought to a halt when she was chosen as one of the 100. Agreeing to be on the dropship for a suicide mission was an easy decision for him, even if he had to kill the Chancellor for it.

"Silly! You must be out of your mind to think I'd be mad at you for more than a day! Come on give me a hug!" She couldn't be mad at him even if she tried. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight. "I love you. You're my favourite brother." She whispered in his ear then put her head on his shoulder. It was good to know he would always be there for her.

He laughed. "I'm the only one you have." He couldn't forget the look on her face when she told him she was disappointed with him. It hurt him. "You know I feel the same way." He said softly but loud enough for her to hear it as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. They stayed like that for a few seconds before he pulled back.

"Yeah I know." Octavia smiled. He would admit if he was wrong, that the kind of a person he was.

"You think she'll talk to me?" He asked after being kind of quiet for a while. He looked beyond her. She turned to follow his gaze towards Clarke who patiently waiting for her. Finn was standing next to her, murmuring something to which Clarke nodded.

"Well that's a good thing to see isn't it?" Finn asked as they watched the siblings talked. The news about their argument yesterday had spread across the camp. Some of them even exaggerated it. When he heard it he knew what it was about.

Clarke nodded then gave him a sideways look. "Somehow I have a feeling that you have something to do with this."

He shrugged then scratched his chin. "I might have." He had gone to find Bellamy late last night and they had a long talk. "I told him I share his concerns but he also need to understand your situation. I agreed with him and said he was right but I told him you weren't wrong either. We do need this alliance and together we'll make it work for us."

"He actually listens to you?" She asked, a little surprise at Bellamy's willingness to listen to anybody other than the voice in his head. "It must be a hell of a talk."

"I know this may sound surprising to you but he listens to you too." He glanced over to her, caught her rolling her eyes. "It may not look like it but he really does. We know where his emotional outbursts came from. I'm not trying to justify his actions but if I were him I'd probably react the same way."

"His emotional outbursts? I guess we all know where his jealousy comes from." She said, wondered what they were talking about because Bellamy kept looking at them. Finn followed her gaze.

"As long as you don't act like a jerk, yeah she'll talk to you. Go on. I'll wait." Octavia gave a slight push to encourage him. He nodded but didn't move. He ran his hand through his hair, giving him time to think what he should say to her. He then slowly walked towards her.

"Have a nice trip." Finn excused himself when he saw Bellamy was heading their way.

"I didn't mean to yell at you like I did yesterday. I was being obnoxious and I let my emotions got to me. I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely while his eyes followed Finn until he disappeared from his view then shifted his eyes to her. "I just thought it was so sudden." He meant about both the alliance and the Commander.

"I know. I get it. I was just frustrated because I thought you should at least give it a chance. We work best when we work together."

"You're right. So how long are you going to stay there?" He asked, eyeing her bag around her shoulder. It looked kind of big for one day trip.

"I'm not sure. It depends." She noticed where he was looking at. "I'll get back as soon as we're done."

"I can go with you if you like." He offered. If it wasn't because of one of his men told him he wouldn't know they were going to see the Commander today.

Clarke shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. It's too soon but thanks." Bellamy should stay away from the village for the time being. The villagers wouldn't be too happy to see him there so soon.

"I'll take care of everything here." He knew she was right and he didn't want to be around the grounders if there wasn't a good reason for it.

"I'm counting on you for that. I should go." She gave him a little nod then looked at Octavia and said, "We should go." She turned and left.

Octavia took a few steps before he stopped her. "O, watch her back." He said and she nodded. He reached for something behind his back and underneath his t-shirt. "Here take this gun. It's for your protection." He held it out to her.

Octavia reluctantly took it from his hand. "I will. Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen."

"Oh if you could put in some good words for me? Help your brother here." He smiled when he saw she rolled her eyes then nodded. "That's my sister. Take care." He patted her shoulder as she walked passed him.

"Don't go looking for us if we didn't get back by tomorrow!" She reminded him then waved her hand before broke out into a jog to catch up with Clarke who was already out of her sight.

Clarke glanced over her shoulder to see if Octavia was behind her. "Hurry up." She yelled.

"Instead of asking me to hurry why don't you slow down? She's not going anywhere Clarke." She teased. "So you guys are okay now?"

Clarke slowed down her pace. "Yes. He apologized. He didn't have to but he did. I wasn't mad at him. Like you said I knew he would understand sooner or later. Believe it or not I do need Bellamy. I can't do this alone."

"Great but he wanted me to put in some good words for him. He still have hope that somehow you'll reciprocate. He doesn't say that but I think that's what he has in mind."

Clarke sighed. That wasn't going to happen but as long as he didn't get in their way she didn't think it was a problem. He never really said anything to her about his feelings. It would be awkward for her to confront him about it so she thought it was better to let him be. "Okay. If he asks I'll tell him you did."

"That's settled then! Let's talk about happy things like-"

"Octavia stop!" Clarke held up her hand. If she had to guess she knew what Octavia was going to say. Lexa seemed to be her new favourite topic whenever they had a conversation that didn't involve her brother or the alliance.

"What? I haven't said anything yet!"

"Tell me whatever you were going to say didn't have anything to do with her."

"You read my mind!" She laughed, having too much fun teasing Clarke.

"Are we going to do this all the way to the village?"

"Yes!" Octavia exclaimed. "Today is going to be a great day!"

"It's going to be a long day." Clarke muttered as she stared at Octavia who looked extremely lively. "Did you by any chance eat those nuts Octavia?" If taken in a small quantity the effect wasn't too bad. It gave the feel of excitement but some of them ate them just to get high so it was banned from the camp.

She raised her hands in the air and shouted at the top of her voice, "I'm back bitches!" Then she laughed. Clarke couldn't help herself laughing at her antics which was what she needed. "No I didn't. I'm just simply happy to be alive. You should try. It feels great!" She saw Clarke shook her head then walked quickly, leaving her behind. "Hey! Wait up! Come on Clarke! Be a good sport!"

"No!"

It was almost noon when they finally arrived at the village. Sweat rolled down her forehead, Clarke wiped at it with her sleeve then drew a deep breath. After a few hours walking and having to endure Octavia's torture she was glad to hear something coming from the village, even if it was the sounds of metal scrapping against metal. Curious, her eyes scanned the area to find the source of the sound. They're training.

"It's pretty hot today." Octavia said as she reached for a bottle in her bag. She twisted the cap open and took a quick mouthful of the water then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She offered it to Clarke but she refused. She quickly put the cap back on and followed Clarke's gaze.

"Let's go." They walked towards the gate and their presence was immediately known. Some of the villagers followed them at a distance with spears in their hands as if they were stalking their prey. When they walked passed the gate some of them glaring at them behind their doors and through the windows. She took Octavia's hand so they walked closely together. Didn't Lexa tell her people we're coming? They stopped when one of them came to stand in front of them.

"We're here to see your Commander." Clarke spoke politely but the man didn't utter a word. He had a horrible looking mask covered the area around his mouth.

Octavia leaned over to her and whispered, "This place still gives me the chill." She looked around at the villagers who murmured something among them that so foreign in her ears. "This is a warm welcome. I thought she was expecting us."

They stood there for a while until they saw Indra and her men walked towards them. "Tell the Commander Sky People are here." She ordered. One of them turned and left. "The others go back to your own business." Upon hearing the order the villagers slowly walked away but kept looking back. The sound of doors closing could be heard. Only the ones with the mask on stayed.

"Just the two of us." Clarke stated when she saw Indra's eyes were searching, like she was expecting more of them to come.

Indra stood still and quiet with her head cocked and her hand firmly on the hilt of her sword. She never took her eyes off the leader of the Sky People where Clarke at one point held her stare. She noticed a change on her face so she turned to look.

The corners of her lips turned up into a smile when she saw Lexa walked towards them with Gustus behind her. She looks the same as I picture her in my head. Even her clothes were the one she pictured her on except there was no war paint on her face. She wore the same expression she always had when they weren't alone. She noticed the difference. She put her hands behind her back to refrain herself from waving at her.

"Look at her swagger." Octavia said as she took a step forward to stand beside Clarke.

"You notice it too huh." Her body moved with a certain grace and confidence.

"How can I not."

Lexa took her time. Her steps were getting slower until she finally stopped in front of Clarke. Indra had made way and stood on her left side while Gustus on the other side. She was hoping Clarke would show up and was glad she did. She cocked her head with her hands on her side while glancing at the girl next to Clarke. Then she looked at her and their eyes met then said, "Clarke of the Sky People has honoured us with her presence."

"I'm sorry I'm late Commander." Clarke smiled, returning Lexa's formality. She was probably waited for her yesterday. She didn't say she would be back so soon but the thought of Lexa waiting for her filled her heart with joy. "You are looking very well." The words came out awkwardly. I could've said something else.

Lexa ignored her words and just looked at her lovingly. Then she broke the silence, "Let's talk in private. This way." She turned and expected Clarke to follow her which she did. Gustus followed them while Indra stayed, thinking there would be no use for her to be there.

Oh wow. They don't waste time do they? It was clear both were smitten by each other's presence although the Commander tried to hide it. She failed miserably and God help these two. She followed them but her steps slowed when she saw where they were heading. Should I? They both walked in but Gustus made the decision for her when he stopped at the entrance blocking her way and turned around.

"This is as far as you go." He said then moved to the side when Octavia nodded.

"I guess I'm not joining in the discussion. By the way I'm Octavia Blake." She tried to engage a conversation with the big guy but he wasn't interested. "You're not much of a talker are you? So I'm just going to sit right there." She pointed to a spot then walked to it as she muttered, "If only I knew this would happen."

"I'm glad you showed up. I was going to send Indra to pick you up." Lexa said with her commanding voice as she stood in the middle of the tent with her hands behind her back. For a brief moment she was silent before she spoke. "I waited." Her words came out as a whisper. She turned her head to her side avoiding eye contact although she knew her voice gave her away.

"I'm sorry but things didn't go well with my friends." She paused then tilted her head searching for her eyes but Lexa kept her eyes elsewhere, pretending they were more interesting to her than the one standing in front of her. She hoped Lexa knew she could let her defences down and it wouldn't change who she was or changed the way she felt for her. "You would do that?"

She swallowed then smiled. "No I wouldn't. I was just joking. I knew you'd come." As quickly her emotions showed so it was when it disappeared. She never let her feelings controlled herself or let it be used against her. She knew Clarke wouldn't take advantage of her but she couldn't be seen as weak. It amazed her how Clarke was able to invoke so much feeling in her just being so close together.

Clarke raised her eyebrows. Just a second ago I saw a glimpse of her emotions like she was going to lose it and kiss me. Now she gets her walls up again and acting like she's playing hard to get. When they were together just two days ago Lexa wasn't this distant. She was more playful if she could use that word to describe her. What changed? "You're not funny at all. Remind me to add it to your list."

"What list?" Lexa asked, curious. She slowly turned and met her eyes.

"I'm not going to tell you." There wasn't a list. She just made it up but it could be about her who seemed to have two different sides; one was the Commander of the Grounders – emotionless, heartless and two was just Lexa, the girl she had fallen head over heels in love with – the opposite of the former. There were so many layers to her personality and when they weren't alone the only thing that gave her away was the way she looked at her. The longer they spent time together the more she noticed the difference.

"Fair enough. I guess we both have lists we don't want to share with each other." She stated, arching her brows.

"Wait. You have a list?" She was starting to get excited when Lexa quickly dismissed her.

"No. I lied. I wanted to see if you would tell me if I had. From your reaction I say you would. May be I should make a list. Mind telling me what kind of a list it is? Is it common for your people to do such a list?" She asked innocently. She made a mental note to learn Sky People's way. Can she just ask her?

"No it's not but from now on I'm not going to believe everything you say." Clarke pouted then crossed her arms. She turned her body slightly to the right. She waited for her to respond. She wasn't the type that would sulk but it would be interesting to see what Lexa would do.

"So you will not believe me when I tell you I've been thinking about you all day? Ever since you left?" She took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them to just a few feet. She touched her elbow and turned Clarke towards her. "Or when I tell you the sight of you leaving make my heart wrench?" Their faces were inches from each other now as they gazed into each other's eyes. "That's adorable. I couldn't do that if I tried. Should I kiss it to make you feel better?" She touched Clarke's pouted lips.

Clarke's cheeks pinked. Lexa's fingers trailed across her mouth, her lips opening slightly at the gentle touch. How was this girl able to be so distant one second and be such a tease seconds later? Or was it just in her head? "I-" She was lost for words, "I- I didn't say I won't believe you at all." She stressed at the last word, "I wouldn't say no to that." Yes you should! Lexa brought her fingers down to her chin and cupped it with her hand. Then she tilted her chin up.

"I know." She could see Clarke eagerly anticipated a kiss but was left disappointed when she kissed her chin instead. She smiled when she read the disappointment in her face. She then moved her mouth slowly up to her lips. She could feel Clarke's hand on her neck. She moved her hands down her arms then up again across her shoulders then to her waist pulling her closer while their lips never parting.

Clarke felt her breath became heavier with desire. She moved her hands to her shoulders, stayed there for a moment before moving down to her chest. She could feel Lexa's chest heaved with each breath and it was getting faster and faster. But before anything else could happen Lexa broke the kiss. Frowning, she opened her eyes to see Lexa had drawn back. She could see intent in her eyes but yet she was pulling back. Why did she stop? "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Why did you ask?" She answered with a breathy voice.

"No reason." She shrugged then bit her lips at Lexa's sudden changed. She knew there was something stopping her but couldn't for the life of her figured it out. She didn't want to do it if Lexa wasn't ready.

They both seemed to be struggling to control themselves. The room was quiet except for yells and screams coming from the outside. Clarke nodded in understanding when Lexa looked at her. After an awkward moment of silence she said, "So."

"Please make yourself comfortable." Lexa said as she went to a table where she had arranged for refreshments earlier. She closed her eyes while pressing her lips together. After a moment she opened her eyes. She took a deep breath then slowly let it out.

"I already am comfortable." Clarke looked around her, eyebrow raised with her hands on her hips. "Babe did you know there is no chair in here? Where am I supposed to sit?" There were two tables; the one in the corner was big with rolls of papers, boxes and other stuff on it while the other was smaller placed across from her where Lexa was standing.

Lexa turned then looked around. She usually held a meeting somewhere else so there wasn't a need for a chair. "Just sit on my chair over there." She gestured to her chair then turned around. She picked up a cup and poured water into it. Then she put it on the table and reached for a second cup.

Clarke stared at it as she walked over but stopped at the steps. "This is The Chair. I don't think I should sit here."

"Nobody is allowed to sit on it other than me but you can."

"Okay." She slowly climbed the steps and sat down. She imagined how Lexa would sit here in front of her people giving out orders. She felt awkward.

Lexa smiled when she saw her posture stiffened. "You do look comfortable." She handed a cup to her and a plate of some fresh fruits.

"Thanks." Clarke said as she took the cup in her right hand and the plate on her left. She watched as Lexa went back to the table for her cup then came back to sit on the middle step. Feeling uncomfortable she got up then sat next to her. "But I'd prefer to sit next to you." She scooted over to put the plate in between them.

"You said things didn't go well with your friends." Her tone was back to business. She paused to take a sip from the cup in her hand. "How bad was it?"

"Where did you get this?" Clarke asked as her attention focused on what was on the plate. It was cut into small pieces. She took one and put it into her mouth. "Fresh apples. I didn't know how much I miss this until now. On the Ark we had a limited supply of these but I've never seen apples down here."

"We grow them."

"Awesome! We can totally grow this too but I didn't see any apple trees around here." She put the next one into her mouth, chewed and took another sip from her cup.

"Not here. Somewhere else from other villages. I made a special request so they send some my way." She was trying to be a good host. She was hoping Clarke would stay for a few days. She was glad Clarke only brought one friend with her, not as many as she thought.

"The perks of being the Commander huh."

"Yes. You gain a lot but you also lose a lot." Her voice sounded distant as her mind wandered. "There are good and bad sides of everything like being in power. It's up to you how you're going to handle it especially the bad ones." She added as she stared blankly forward.

Clarke looked at her when she heard her voice, so soft like a whisper. It seemed like she was talking to herself about something from the past. As she studied her face she couldn't help to feel that there was something Lexa kept from her. She took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She smiled when Lexa looked at her. She gave it another squeeze before letting go of her hand. "Back to your question. They have doubts but they'd be surprised if I showed them these." She put another one into her mouth. "They didn't say they disagreed, just sceptical."

"Doubts? About what?" She tilted her head and leaned back when Clarke held her hand in front of her mouth. Without giving it a second thought she opened her mouth and took it between her teeth. She chewed then swallowed it.

"The whole thing. You and your people. Everything."

It was as she expected it. "They don't trust us. I can assure you that the feeling is mutual but that doesn't stop me to allow it to happen. They should know what's best for them. I cannot promise things will get better than this or will I be able to stop my people if our agreement fell apart."

That sounded like a threat but she dismissed it. She knew Lexa didn't mean it that way. "Okay. We do have trust issues. It's understandable because our people don't know each other like we do. I'm sure we can work something out like I don't know, may be a join training or something?"

"That sounds like a terrible idea." She knew her people well but it might work. "But I'll think about it."

"Great. They also want to know more about the Mountain Men. We can't help you when we don't even know who we're up against."

"I'll show you. Let's go."

"Show me what?" She asked as Lexa put the cup in her hand on the floor then got up. "What are you doing?" She asked again when she saw her disappeared behind the curtain. After a moment she came out with her sword in her hands.

"Getting ready." She began to tie the strings around her waist. She then reached for her knife on the table, slipped it into its sheath. She glanced at Clarke then asked, "Are you waiting for me to pick you up off the floor?" She grabbed her bow and arrows on her way out.

Clarke grinned then got up to her feet after putting her cup next to Lexa's. "I didn't know that was an option." She followed Lexa out.

Octavia yawned but quickly got up to her feet when she saw them. "Clarke! Hey where are you going?"

Lexa stopped when she heard the shout. She turned around and saw Octavia hurried towards them. "You stay."

"What? No way!" Octavia exclaimed. "I'm not staying! It's not fair. How come he gets to go?" She pointed at Gustus. Indra had come to stand next to him.

"I go wherever the Commander goes." He stated calmly and Lexa nodded.

"Well I'm her guard! If you go I go!" Octavia argued. Then she leaned closer to Clarke and whispered, "You can't leave me here alone! It's not safe."

"If you can't guarantee her safety she's coming with us." There was no way she would leave Octavia here alone with them. They might not try to hurt them as long as Lexa was here but who knew what they would do when she wasn't around.

"Okay. Gustus will stay and make sure nothing happens to her." Lexa looked at Clarke with a raised eyebrow as if to ask if that was enough but Clarke shook her head.

"Heda my job is to protect you, not this Sky girl. Why can't Indra babysit her?" He asked in disgust as he glanced at Indra.

Indra who had been quiet, quickly turned to look at him, a shock written across her face. "How dare you suggest such a thing! I have no time to babysit anybody! I have warriors to train! Heda!" She turned to her Commander.

"Hello, I don't need a babysitter." Octavia waved her hand at them. They both turned to look at her simultaneously.

"We wouldn't have this conversation if it wasn't because of you Sky girl! So back off!" Indra glared at her.

Octavia held up her hand while taking a step back. "Okay my opinion don't matter."

"She said she doesn't need a babysitter. We should respect her opinion." Lexa calmly told Clarke. "Let's go."

"Octavia! You're not helping!" Clarke hissed at her but rolled her eyes when Octavia looked away and shrugged. Wasn't she the one saying it wasn't safe? She turned to Lexa but quickly grabbed her arms when she began to turn. "You don't really believe that do you? You know your people better than me. She's coming with us." She insisted.

Lexa sighed. "Nobody will harm her. Gustus and Indra will make sure of that." Her firm voice told them their conversation ended there.

"Yes Heda." He and Indra nodded.

Octavia looked wide eyes at Clarke. "When I said I won't get in the way this isn't what I had in mind." She said as she glanced at Lexa who was in her full gear and her weapons. "Are you guys going hunting or something?"

"Lexa gave her word and I trust her. Oh there's fresh apples in her tent. I tasted them. They're delicious!" Clarke gave a thumb-up. "Go try them!" Without so much of a goodbye she left.

Octavia looked on as they walked steadily side by side until they were out of her sight. "Fresh apples? You were having fresh apples while I was sitting my ass out here? This is a nightmare." Octavia sighed. "What am I going to do here? I should've asked Raven to come. At least I'd have someone to gossip with."

Indra was long gone, only Gustus still there, keeping an eye on her.

"I'm going to eat those apples and don't try to stop me." Octavia warned as she stomped her way to the Commander's tent.

"You've been quiet." Clarke broke the silence. "Is there something bothering you?" They had been walking for hours and Lexa wasn't really talking. She seemed to be preoccupied ever since they left the village. "You don't trust me." Her voice sounded accusing.

"I do trust you Clarke."

"Then why are you like this? You've been different since I got here. Is it because of me?" She sighed when Lexa nodded. She doubted it was about their alliance. Her friends weren't particularly thrilled with the alliance either but she didn't think it was a big deal. "Whatever it is you can tell me."

Lexa's lips moved but before she could speak she heard something. She gestured for Clarke to be quiet. They both hid behind some thick bushes. She cocked her head forward when Clarke gave her a questioning look. Clarke followed her eyes then frowned when she saw what was in front of them. Three men were passing through with one of them had his hands tied behind his back.

"Aren't they your people?" She whispered as she followed those men with her eyes. "Why are we hiding from them?"

Lexa shook her head. "They used to be but not anymore." She waited until they were gone before continued, "They're the Reapers."

"Reapers?" It was the first time she heard about them. They looked exactly the same as the other grounders. She couldn't tell the difference. "They look exactly the same. How can you tell which is which?"

"We're close. We should be more careful from here on. There could be others." Lexa said without answering her question. "Let's go."

"What happen if they catch us?"

"They'll take you back to their place. I don't know how but you will never be the same again."

Clarke followed but still waiting for some explanation. She hadn't yet told her about the Mountain Men and now there were Reapers. "Okay but aren't you suppose to tell me about the Mountain Men? The reason why we're out here?" She said as she took a look around. "I recognise this trail. This is the way to go to Mt Weather!" She turned to Lexa.

"Yes."

"We didn't get too far back then. Monty was shot in his leg and then there's this acid fog came out of nowhere." She remembered and then smiled when her encounter with Lexa crossed her mind. "And there was you saving me."

"I was following you."

"I'm not surprise."

"It was my arrow in your friend's leg that day."

"What?"

"You looked surprised." Lexa smiled.

"Of course! You just admit to shot my friend!"

"I couldn't let you walk into enemy's territory. You're smart. I knew you wouldn't risk going there when one of your friends was injured."

"So instead of telling me you just shot my friend?" She tried to look at Lexa but she wasn't looking. Instead she kept walking.

"I couldn't tell you back then."

"Make sense. Now will you tell me why we're heading there? Remember you told me not to go?"

"You said you want to know about the Mountain Men."

"Yeah." She answered but then paused as understanding crept in. "The Mountain Men and Mt Weather. Are you saying they're connected?" When Lexa nodded she exclaimed. "Of course! How can I not see that? So they live in Mt Weather? That's why you told me not to go!"

"Yes that's what I'm going to show you. We haven't been able to get close to them. We tried but it is impossible."

"Impossible?"

Lexa nodded. "We will never get pass acid fog. We've tried before but it was futile. I've lost a lot of my army. Unless we go in a small group and try not to alert them but you can't take down enemy like that with just a few people. We don't know what's behind their doors."

They stopped when they came at a clear area. "You see that mountain?" Lexa pointed forward. Clarke narrowed her eyes to see then she nodded.

"That's Mt Weather where the Mountain Men, a group of people we have been fighting with for decades live. They've been hiding in there and have been killing my people for generations."

"For generations? Why?" She had a feeling it was worse than she had expected. What Finn said echoed in her head. Why make enemies?

Lexa paused for a moment. Their dispute had been gone on since even before she was born. By the time she was able to understand they had already been killing each other. "Survival. We have lost so many lives against them and yet they are safe inside their walls. I will do anything to end this war!"

She could see Lexa's determination to protect her people but was having trouble to comprehend the reason behind this war. "What do you mean survival?" She didn't know how big the Grounders' territories were but if they were here as long as the Grounders, didn't they deserve it as much as them? "Is this about territory? Land?"

Lexa shot a look at her. "It's not just about that. What they did to my people cannot be left alone without retribution! My people want justice! They want revenge! Blood must have blood!"

She was surprised to see so much anger on her beautiful face. Blood must have blood. "I understand but why can't both sides try to reach a common ground or something to stop all these killings? You offered us an alliance. Why not with them?"

"You don't understand Clarke. They don't want peace. If they do why haven't they sent any of their people to talk to us instead of killing us? They even turned my people into some kind of a monster!"

"You mean Reapers?"

Lexa nodded then looked around. "We've been here long enough. We should go before somebody sees us." She turned to leave. "I'll tell you more on our way back."

Clarke walked over and putting a hand on her shoulder. She could feel her shoulder was stiffened. Lexa turned at the gentle touch. She reached to take her hand in hers. "I do what I have to do Clarke." She said when she thought Clarke was going to argue with her.

"I understand. Believe me we do the same thing up there. It's all because of survival. We may not kill each other but it's no different than what you're doing down here. We do what we have to do."

Lexa nodded. "I guess we have a lot to talk about. I want to know your story too."

"It's not pretty but sure. We should learn more about each other." She let go of Lexa's hand. "One step at a time."

Walking back, they didn't hurry for it even though it was getting dark. They could even hear small birds chirping which was unusual but they ignored it.

"For the second time Lexa! You're not funny! Stop trying to tell jokes!" Clarke laughed loudly. "Where did you learn them anyway?"

"You said I'm not funny but you're laughing. You're contradicting yourself." She was relaxed and enjoying the moment.

"Your jokes are not funny. It's the way you tell them." Clarke said as she turned over her shoulder just in time to see something that made her eyes widen. "Shit! Acid fog! Lexa run!"

"What? Why haven't I noticed!" Lexa turned to look as they broke into a run. It was too close to them she didn't think they could get away from it. "It's too close!"

"We can make it to the bunker! Follow me!"

"What!?"

"Just follow me!" Clarke shouted as she sprinted in front of Lexa.

"How far is it?" Lexa asked, kept turning her head. "It's getting closer!"

"Just right ahead! Over there!" Clarke stopped running when she saw the familiar spot. She pulled the door up and urged Lexa to get down. "Hurry up!" She glanced over before climbing down and closed the door with a loud thump. She could see the fog through the glass. "That was close."

"What is this place?" Lexa asked. It was dark so she didn't move any further. Her hand reached for her knife.

"A secret bunker Finn and I found a while back." Clarke went to a drawer and opened it. She took out a candle and a lighter then lit the candle.

Lexa looked around as light filled the room. "It looks like someone's been living down here." She said when she saw there were things like tables, chair and other stuff still in a good condition. Her eyes caught a picture frame on the table. She reached for it then stared at their faces.

"I haven't been down here since that day." Clarke raised her eyebrow when she found something familiar on the table, a necklace. She picked it up then looked closely at it. I've seen this one before. Could it be Finn's? May be he left it there. She turned to see if there was anything written on the back. RR? This has to be raven's stuff. "Now I know where to find them if they're not at the camp."

"Did you say something?" Lexa thought she heard her.

"This place should've been their safety net but they didn't make it." Clarke said when she saw the picture frame in her hand. "Probably from the nuclear war. I was surprised to see some of the stuff still working. They even had food stocked up in there." She pointed at a small cabinet in the corner.

Lexa put it back on the table and stared at it. They were smiling and looked happy. "After all their preparation shame they didn't live long enough."

Clarke came to stand next to her then followed her gaze on the picture. "We can only make plans but what happens in the future is out of our hands. That's why I think we should appreaciate what we have right now." She said as she reached for Lexa's hand and squeezed it. "Who we have next to us right now."

Lexa turned to look at her. Clarke was right. She had been worrying about things that was out of her hands. She would try her best to not let the same thing happened but that shouldn't stopped her from appreciating what she shared with her. Clarke seemed to notice her hesitation before but she was patient and willing to wait. "You're right."

Clarke knew Lexa understood what she meant. "Whatever it is I'm sure we'll get through it." She just hoped Lexa would let her in instead of pushing her away. "And I'm still here." She convinced her. A beam of happiness spread over her face when Lexa nodded and smiled.

The tension between them was electric. They both remembered their kiss this morning and how closed it was. As they looked into each other's eyes, to the very depth of their souls, their desire for each other was palpable. They fell into each other's arms and began to kiss passionately.

Lexa could feel Clarke's hands wandering then she broke the kiss. "Clarke?"

She heard Lexa said her name, softly. It sounded more like a whisper to her ear. She hummed with her eyes still closed.

"Are you sure? Do you need a minute to think about this?" She wasn't so sure if she wanted to know her answer or why she even asked but she realised Clarke's hand had stopped moving. She saw her hand fell to her side. She swallowed as her eyes stared intensely at her. "Clarke?"

Clarke didn't react but stood still with her eyes shut. After a moment she opened her eyes and met with Lexa's hopeful eyes. "Minute's done. I'm sure of it."

A smile slowly forming from the corner of her mouth when she understood. "Are you sure we won't be interrupted here?"

Clarke chuckled. "One hunderd percent sure. Nobody knows about this place other than the four of us. I don't think they'd come here any time soon. So we're good."

"They?"

"Finn and Raven. That's Raven's stuff." She pointed to the necklace on the table. "That's how I knew she'd been here. Lexa can you stop asking question for now?"

"I thought you said I was so quiet and odd." Lexa mimicked her.

"Yeah but talking isn't what I have in mind right now. So I'd prefer if we just-" She came closer and put her hands on her waist. "continue what we were doing." She looked up to meet her eyes and knew Lexa wanted the same thing.

At first the kiss was slow and it lasted longer. Clarke moved her hand to her back to pull her closer. Lexa slowly moved her hand up to her back then stopped on her neck. They pulled back for a few seconds to catch air before their lips locked again. This time it was more passionate and there was urgency in their kiss. Clarke hands wandering but frustrated by the presence of clothes. She pulled back.

"Do you really have to wear all these gears?" She asked while leaned back to take a look at her clothes. "Complete with sword, knife and your bow and arrows."

"Yes. It is better to be prepared than sorry." She was still holding Clarke's arms, refused to let her go.

"I guess I have to take it off, one by one." She looked up and smiled. "Tricky."

Lexa let go of her arms while looking at her. "Then you better start now or I can just take it off myself. It is faster that way." She suggested as she eyed Clarke's clothes.

"We have time. Why don't you come a little closer Commander?"

"Train harder! We'll be ready to take our enemy down! Sky people think we need them but we don't! We are not weak! It is them who are weak!" Indra shouted at her warriors as they trained. She was aware of Octavia's stare and she wanted her to hear it. They yelled as they charged forward and swung their swords looking dangerously close to cut each other.

"Show off!" Octavia muttered under her breath as she could feel her ears redden in anger. She knew what Indra tried to do. Her word of encouragement to her people was an insult to her and her friends. Clarke hadn't told them how the Grounders took the news of their alliance but from the look of it they didn't like it at all. Against her better judgment she got up to her feet then walked to Indra. She had heard enough of it.

From the corner of her eyes she saw the girl moving to her left. "Chit yu gaf?"

Without turning to face her she responded, "I'd answer that if I knew what it meant."

"This is how we train and only warriors train here. You should stay back and watch if you like." She yelled something to them before continued, "Here is not a place for you intruder."

"Let me fight." She was surprised by the sound of her own voice as the words came out of her mouth. She sounded confident and could fool everybody but her. Only God knew how scared she was.

Indra was surprised at the request and she turned to look at her. She studied her with her eyes for a moment and then said, "This is not a game! You are no match for them. Do yourself a favour and leave."

"We're weak. That's one reason to train. What? You think I can't do this?" She asked with her head held up high. What were you thinking? This is beyond stupid but I can't let her talk about us like that.

"You are not a warrior Sky girl. It would give me so much pleasure to see they beat you up but the Commander ordered that you are not to be harmed. So step back before I change my mind."

"Your Commander will be thrilled to see me participate in the training. I'll tell her it was my idea." She insisted. It was unbelievable how she managed to look calm than what she actually felt, even her voice didn't shake.

"Penn! Give this girl what she wants!" Indra growled as a man stepped forward and stood in the centre with a devilish smile on his face. The others had stopped training and starting to gather around them. Indra took a step back while the others were already started chanting.

"Hey watch it!" She exclaimed when someone threw a sword at her, expected her to catch it. Throw an unsheathed sword and expect me to catch it? Crazy.

"Pick up that sword and fight." Indra ordered.

Octavia stared down at the sword. She wondered how Bellamy felt before his fight with the Commander. "If he can do it so can I." She muttered as she bent down to take it. She never held a sword before. The handle felt firm and warm in her grip. Although she felt odd, it gave her some feelings she couldn't quite understand. She drew a heavy breath as she looked up to meet his gaze.

He looked eager to start their fight. "This will be over soon. You won't last a minute."

"Whatever." Octavia muttered then tried to focus on his movements. She waited for him to make a move. Watch him carefully and be ready when he attacks. Suddenly he charged forward and swung his blade at her. She saw it coming but the force behind the swing was too heavy she had to use both her hands to block it. He looked to have fun as he grinned while going for a second strike. He was fast. She was able to block it but wasn't quick enough to avoid his kick. She stumbled backwards and fell on her butt.

"Get up!" He mocked her. "I'm not done yet."

She slowly raised herself to her feet and gripped her sword tightly. She came at him and swung her sword as hard as she could but he successfully evaded then punched her square in the nose. She staggered and fell down. She grabbed her face with both hands as she lied down, blinded by the pain, her sword lying forgotten on the ground.

He smirked when he saw her struggling to get up. "You still want more?"

"I thought you said I won't last a minute. I guess you were wrong." She said standing up while ignoring the pain in her nose. His face changed when he heard her sarcastic replied. She thought he just broke her nose. She saw him threw his sword to the ground and put his hand in front of him, giving the indication he wanted to fight bare hands. Am I really doing this? I must be losing my mind. She stepped forward and nodded. What chance do I have against this man? Zero but I'm not backing out now.

Eyes wide and unblinking he steadied his stance. Octavia took another step forward as he urging her to come at him. She threw a weak punch which he easily blocked then countered with a punch to the side of her face. She managed to stand her ground but he pulled her close and hit her in the stomach with his knee.

Her leg gave out and she fell down on her knees. "This is not over!" She was breathing heavily and wincing from the sharp pain in her stomach. "I'm not done yet." She scrambled to her feet and steadied herself. She threw a punch but he avoided it. He caught her arm with his right arm, lifted it while smashing his left elbow into her exposed right side. She lost count of how many times she fell down. She didn't know how much more she could take as she lied down on the ground.

"Nou mou. Branwada seintaim en taim set yu daun." Indra said as she came behind Penn just in time to stop him delivering his final blow. He turned to look at her, nodded then stepped aside. "Enough. Even a fool knows when to surrender." Indra told her exactly what she just told him. "I told you Sky girl. You are not a warrior. You don't belong here." She added.

I'd be damned if I left this fight with tails between my legs. Over my dead body! Even the pain was too much for her to endure she tried not to give them the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. Her breath was heavy as sweat rolled down her forehead. She gathered all her energy she had left. Slowly she rolled over to her side using her hands for support. She was in a crawling position for a moment as she took a couple of deep breathes before raised herself up on one knee. She held her breath and pushed down on her knee with both hands. It took a while but she laughed when she finally able to stand on her two feet. Her leg was shaking really hard she could barely stand up straight. "I'll be back for a second round. You just wait."

Indra narrowed her eyes as she watched her walked unsteadily away with her hand clutching her ribs. "Chon laik nes (who's next)?" Indra shouted to the delight of her people but her eyes still fixed at the Sky girl.

Octavia gently touched her face and shook her head when she saw blood on her fingers. She didn't need to look herself in the mirror to know she looked like hell but at least she gave it a shot. She hated the way Indra had been looking down on her. She just had to prove that they weren't weak as she thought they were but she paid a high price for that. She felt pain all over her body. She sat down slowly but winced when she felt pain in her ribs. She leaned forward and murmured, "I could do better." When she heard yells she looked up to see they had resumed training. She let out a heavy breath then bowed her head down.

"Daun nou ste foto."

Octavia slowly looked up to see a man standing in front of her. He had a smug expression written across his face. "If you're here just to mock me or laugh at me let me tell you that I don't care." She wiped the back of her hand under her nose and smeared blood across her upper lip. Great! My broken nose is still bleeding and my body is sore all over. What the hell does this guy want anyway?

"I said that's not bad." He crossed his arms then continued, "the way you fight."

She wasn't sure if he was sincere with his complement. After all that just happened the only grounder she thought wasn't hating on them was the Commander. Even that was debatable if she only cared for Clarke. "Thank you."

"At least I admire your courage to stupidly challenge a trained warrior."

He's not that sincere. "Yeah I can't just sit here and do nothing when she talked rubbish about my people. We don't fight like you but that doesn't mean we're weak." Nobody liked to be called weak. "We use guns not swords."

"Let me treat those." He unfolded his arms then leaned forward to look closely at her. The left side of her face was bruised, broken nose, black eye and some scrapes over her face. "Penn really gave you a hard time."

"Why do you want to do that?"

"It's my job. I'm a healer. Besides your injuries are not going to heal itself. Come on follow me." He didn't wait for her to answer and started leaving. He didn't even look back to see if she followed him.

Octavia glanced over at Indra who paid her no mind at all. Her eyes met Gustus who had been watching her from afar. "So much for having a babysitter. He'd probably interfere if he thought he was going to kill me right?" She sighed then got to her feet to follow him.

She looked around the room when she entered. It was the same room Clarke went it two days ago. She saw him standing in front of a table in the corner. He turned around when he heard her came in. He gestured for her to sit on the bed which she complied.

"I recognise you. You're the one who ran to the Commander's tent that day." He said as he walked over to her with a box in his hand. He open it and took out a small bottle then put the box down on the bed. "Stupid but brave."

"Is that another compliment?" She couldn't quite understand his intention. Even if he was their healer he didn't have to treat her injuries.

He shrugged then said, "You're not that bad for a Sky people. You can fight but you need more training before you can go up against those men out there."

"Yeah like who is going to train me? Indra?" She snorted but regret it when her nose hurt. "She'd probably try to end me. You guys hate us. She's not going to train me even if I beg."

"We hate you." He agreed. "But it is the Commander's order. She has drawn the line and we will not cross it. So for now we are allies and that's why I'm going to help you train."

His offer came as a surprise to her. "Really? You would do that?" She saw him nodded but she still wasn't convinced. What's in it for him? "Thank you."

"The Commander and your friend won't be thrilled to see your bruised face when they come back." He said as he poured water into a container. He went to a drawer and came back with a dry cloth in his hand.

"Well yeah but I have a feeling they won't come back so soon." She muttered. Where the hell are you Clarke?