A/N: I'm back to writing! YAY! Although this will be my first Clexa and I am really excited about it. Hope you all enjoy. Not sure how beta'd this story will be so hopefully I don't miss to many mistakes.

Title comes from the song Symphony by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson

Chapter 1

Clarke's back hit the door as lips fused with her own. Neither of them could deny the want that flowed between them. Their kiss was pure heaven to her, even as she was conscious of the doorknob digging into her back. Her body pushed closer to her girlfriend letting her feel the passion between them.

She finally managed to pull away and take a deep breath. "Lexa, we need to get into the apartment before we give the neighbors a show," she finally managed to spit out before the other girl tried to start on her again. Lexa just gave her that smirk that made Clarke a puddled mess.

Pulling herself together for the moment, she turned and put her key in the lock and pushed the door open. They'd barely made it into the dark room with the door closed again before Lexa was claiming her once again. Without breaking their kiss, they both managed to drop their jackets to the floor and kick off their shoes.

A strong hand held Lexa's shirt in its fist as Clarke pulled her down the hallway towards the bedroom. She'd contemplated just taking it as far as the couch, but the things she wanted to do to Lexa she needed more room.

Lexa's knees hit the back of the bed and Clarke gave her the smallest of shoves so that she was forced to sit on the bed. Her girlfriend looked up at her with such awe that it made Clarke's heart skip a beat. In those beautiful eyes she could see her future.

As she climbed onto Lexa's lap, she started up another passionate kiss. She hoped that Lexa could feel everything in her touch, because right there was where she wanted to be and she never wanted it to end. In moments, their passion consumed them both.

~CL~

Later after their lust had subsided, Clarke laid on her side watching Lexa sleep. There was such an innocence during sleep on an otherwise serious face. She loved looking at that beautiful face. As she ran her hand softly through the brunette locks, she couldn't believe they had been together for over five months now.

She remembered the first time she laid eyes on Officer Lexa Woods like it was yesterday. The young cop was tasked with keeping an eye on a suspect in the ER. Clarke was the intern assigned to the patient during her rotation in the ER. He had dislocated his shoulder trying to evade police and Clarke got to see it put back into place.

Afterwards, as they waited for him to be released, Clarke and Lexa spent some time talking about anything and everything. When she finally had to leave, Clarke wondered if she'd ever see her again, and kicked herself for not getting the other woman's number.

She spent the next couple weeks of her ER rotation just hoping to see Officer Woods again, and she wasn't disappointed when two weeks later the other woman appeared in the waiting room. Unfortunately, Lexa was the patient this time. She'd been injured during a domestic disturbance call and needed stitches in her arm.

As Clarke stitched and bandaged her up the two girls chatted endlessly. Never once was there a lull in the conversation. There was always something to say. But again, Clarke had to kick herself when she failed to get the other woman's number.

It was ten days before Clarke saw her again. This time when Lexa showed up in the waiting room she had a bouquet of flowers in hand and an offer for a date on her lips. She barely managed to ask before Clarke was shouting "yes." This brought a smile to Lexa's lips, the same smile that Clarke knew she'd fall hard for. They'd rarely spent a day apart since that first date, finding any excuse to be together.

"What are you doing?" Lexa mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

Pulled from her memories, Clarke smiled down at her lover. "Watching you sleep," she admitted honestly. There wasn't really any reason to lie since she'd been caught.

Lexa 'hmmed' and snuggled further into the covers. She reached out and pulled Clarke to her so that her girlfriend was cuddled into her side with her head on Lexa's shoulder. "As fascinating as that sounds," she murmured teasingly, "I'd rather have you cuddled up with me."

Clarke rubbed her head on Lexa's shoulder and wrapped her arm around the other girl's waist. "I was remembering the day we met," she told her.

"That was one of the best days of my life," Lexa responded. She ran a hand over Clarke's shoulder in a loving caress. "And every day since has only gotten better."

Clarke sat back up just enough to look into Lexa's eyes. She knew her girlfriend was completely serious and she had never felt more loved. "I love you," she whispered, half afraid that Lexa had heard her and half afraid that she hadn't since they hadn't used that word yet.

Lexa studied her for a minute and the smile on her face told Clarke all she needed to know. "I love you, too," finally passed her lips.

Clarke knew the grin on her face was the biggest it had ever been, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't believe that Lexa loved her too. Of course, it was probably pretty obvious since they couldn't stand to be away from each other any longer than necessary, but it was something else entirely to hear the words.

Climbing up so she was laying entirely on Lexa's body, she placed a firm kiss on waiting lips. This time as they made love she would be holding nothing back. She wanted Lexa to know exactly how she felt with every touch and every kiss.

~CL~

By nature, Clarke was a fairly light sleeper. Working at the hospital has only made that even more so. So, she couldn't say what woke her this time, but whatever it was, wasn't a good feeling. She felt like something bad was coming her way.

A part of her feared it was because Lexa had admitted to loving her. It was only now that she again remembered there was something she hadn't told her girlfriend. She wasn't entirely sure how it would go over when she finally did come clean about the one secret she'd been keeping.

She hadn't done it intentionally. At first, she didn't know how their serious their relationship would get and so if they split after only a few weeks it wouldn't matter. The more serious they became, the more Clarke tried to find the courage to spill the beans. But then the worry would fill her mind and she'd chicken out. She wasn't sure how Lexa would react to her not telling her soon.

The longer she kept it quiet, the easier it was to pretend that it wasn't even an issue. She couldn't pretend any more. Lexa needed to know the truth. She just hoped the other girl would be understanding. And she really hoped that the bad feeling in her gut wasn't an indication that Lexa would leave her.

She continued to stew for another half hour before Lexa again began to stir. It was far too early to be awake, but she could feel the emotions coming off Clarke and forced herself to wake up. "What's with the serious face?" she asked. She laid a hand on a soft cheek in a comforting gesture and Clarke surrendered to the touch.

The younger woman took a long sigh. "There's something that I need to tell you. I'm sorry that I haven't mentioned it before. It just one of those things I never knew when the right time was to bring up," she tried and again hoped that Lexa would understand.

"What is it?" Lexa asked. She hoped she was conveying to Clarke that she could tell her anything and it wouldn't change things. She had no idea what Clarke was holding on to, but she knew it was big, but she honestly believed that whatever it was, they could work through it.

"I… uh…" Clarke started, trying to gather her thoughts and find the right way to say what she needed to. "I have…" her sentence was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She wasn't on-call so she couldn't imagine who was calling at three-thirty in the morning. When she saw the California area code she was filled with dread once again, but this time for a whole different reason.

"Sorry I need to take this," she explained to Lexa. The other girl could only give her the go ahead, because she also knew this probably wasn't anything good.

"Hello, yes this is her," Clarke spoke to the caller.

Lexa watched carefully as the color slowly drained from Clarke's face and tears began to pool in the eyes she loved so much. Clarke gasped and dropped the phone as both hands came up to cover her face.

When she could hear the caller still speaking from the phone on the bed, Lexa picked it up and identified herself. Whatever it was, Clarke was in no condition to finish the conversation. She listened in quiet horror as she found out the news her girlfriend had just received. "We'll be out there just as soon as we can," she told the officer. She hung up the phone and dropped it back onto the bed.

No sooner had she opened her arms than Clarke was falling into her, hot tears wetting Lexa's shoulder. Neither seemed to take notice of the fact that they were both still naked as Clarke cried quietly. Lexa didn't know what to do or say so she just held Clarke and let her get it all out.

It took a while, but Lexa finally felt her sobs quiet but still she just sat there and let Clarke take the lead. "My mom, she's in critical condition," Clarke finally spoke in a sob. "And my dad… my dad… he's… gone," she spoke in almost a whisper and the tears started again.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," Lexa pulled her in tighter. When the tears seemed to slow a second time, she pulled away just enough to look into her girlfriend's eyes. "Why don't you put some clothes on and then pack up some clothes. I'll see about getting us some plane tickets," she suggested.

Clarke nodded her head and then got up to do what she was told. It was almost in a daze as she did what Lexa had suggested, grateful to have something else to focus on for the moment.

Lexa threw on some clothes before going in search of her own phone. She kept an eye on the distraught girl as she looked through airlines trying to find the earliest flight to California. Once she had those booked, she found a car service to pick them up. She didn't know how long they'd be gone and didn't want to leave one of their vehicles at that airport.

It wasn't even a question in her mind that she was going with Clarke. And not just because Clarke was too upset to even think straight, much less get herself across the country by herself. She couldn't bear to be away from her when she knew Clarke would need her more than ever.

As she went to find a spare suitcase, she was glad that she practically lived in this apartment now. She had enough clothing and things that they wouldn't even need to stop at her own place. She decided to err on the side of caution and pack for more than a week. They may be gone longer, but at least it would be awhile before she needed to do laundry.

Clarke for her part had managed to throw clothes into her own case, but now she just stood in front of her closet, in only a bra and underwear, unsure of what to do next. Her mind was totally blank and she couldn't process a single thought.

"Clarke, why don't you put on something comfortable for the plane ride," Lexa tried, but got no response. Taking a more aggressive approach, she found a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and helped Clarke into them. She was half hoping that if she was comfortable enough, Clarke would sleep on the plane. She knew the other girl had to be exhausted since they hadn't slept a whole lot and it wasn't even five in the morning yet. And with the change in time zones it would be a long day.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what the other girl was going through. She wasn't close to her parents, barely knew them, actually. That, however, wasn't the case for Clarke. She spoke with her parents at least once a week and sometimes more. Although Clarke didn't talk about them much with Lexa, she couldn't help but wonder why. She figured that maybe it was just out of consideration for her own situation. She wasn't sure. Either way she had a feeling this was going to change.

She finally managed to get them both ready and down to the car just as it arrived. She knew they would be spending a little bit of time at the airport, but she wanted to make sure they had enough time to get through check-in and find their terminal.

It was like Clarke was a zombie as she guided them both through the airport. She had planned ahead and put both their ID's in her wallet so she wouldn't have to make Clarke find it when the time came. Not that she'd be capable of that in her current state.

They weren't in the air long when Clarke's exhaustion took hold and she fell asleep on Lexa's shoulder. The other woman just held her as she slumbered and hoped that she'd sleep the whole way. Maybe by the time they landed Clarke would be able to function just a little bit better. It hurt her own heart to see her girlfriend's eyes so devoid of life. Eyes that were normally so expressive.

Lexa was glad she'd found a non-stop flight because it allowed Clarke to sleep the entire way. Lexa had joined her in slumber for a little while, but her worry kept brain to active to get any true rest.

Clarke woke just as they were coming into LAX and her eyes watched out the window of city she'd grown up in. Although they'd lived outside of LA, her family had spent a good deal of time in the city. It had been too long since she'd been home.

Although she was more alert now, she continued to let Lexa take the lead and guide them through the airport to gather their luggage. They found a cab easily enough and the cab driver knew the hospital Clarke's mother was at. It was relief since Lexa didn't know the address.

They were well on their way when a thought popped into Clarke's mind. "Avery!" she screamed, speaking for the first time in hours. "Who's with Avery?" she asked in a panic. She knew they were close to the hospital but that wasn't where they needed to be, at least not until she knew who had Avery.

"Sweetie, who is Avery?" Lexa asked curiously. She couldn't ever remember hearing that name before. She wracked her brain for any mention of an Avery, but came up blank. Did Clarke have a younger sibling she didn't know about?

Clarke didn't bother answering Lexa's question, to lost in asking herself what should take priority. Going to the hospital to see her comatose mother, and identifying her father's body, or checking on Avery? In the end, she rambled off her old home address to the cab driver. There wasn't much she could do for her parents but she needed to make sure Avery was okay.

Lexa realized it was probably better in the long run to stop at Clarke's parent's house anyway. That way they would have to drag their luggage through the hospital. She just hoped she found out who Avery was soon.

Once they pulled into the driveway, Clarke tried to gather herself together. As much as she was falling apart inside, she needed to keep it together for Avery. She'd made a lot of mistakes in her life, but how she chose to handle this would not be one of those mistakes. She would do everything to protect Avery.

Lexa couldn't believe the change that had come over Clarke as they pulled the suitcases out of the back of the cab and made their way to the door. Gone was the complete distraught look and in its place was a determined mask.

Clarke tried the door, happy to find it unlocked because she had no idea where her keys were or if they were even here. She was pleasantly surprised to find Mrs. Kane, the next-door neighbor, in the kitchen making some pancakes. At least someone she trusted was here with Avery.

As soon as the older woman saw Clarke, she turned the stove off and moved to wrap her in a hug. Clarke wrapped her arms around the other woman and tried not to let the tears flow again. She couldn't risk it right now.

"I'm so sorry, little one," the neighbor told her.

"How's Avery? What does she know?" Clarke asked quickly.

"She's fine, just upstairs getting dressed. She doesn't know anything. I didn't think it was my place, especially when Officer Miller called and told me you were coming home."

Clarke nodded her head in gratitude. "It should come from me," she agreed.

The older woman turned her head to look at Lexa curiously. "And who is this?" She'd known Clarke since she was an itty-bitty thing and the young woman had never brought anyone home to meet her parents, but if this girl was by Clarke's side during this tragedy, then she must be special.

"This is my girlfriend, Lexa," Clarke introduced. "Lexa, Mrs. Kane is the next-door neighbor and good friend of the family. She used to baby-sit me while my parents were at work," she added so that Lexa understood how important this woman was to her family.

"Pleasure to meet you, even under less than ideal circumstances," Mrs. Kane greeted, shaking Lexa's hand."

"You, too."

"Well I'll get out of your hair for now. There's plenty of food for breakfast. I'm sure you girls haven't eaten. I'll be back tonight to fix you all some dinner."

"You don't have to do that," Clarke tried to argue, but the old woman just waved her hand and wandered out the backdoor. Their yards were connected so it was the easiest way back to her own home.

There wasn't enough time to even gather a thought when they both heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Lexa saw a blonde girl who couldn't be more than ten enter the room.

It took Avery a second to adjust to not seeing the woman she was expecting to see in the kitchen and someone else was in her place. When it finally registered with her, she squealed and ran up to Clarke, wrapping her arms around her in a giant hug.

"I didn't know you were coming, Mom," Avery squealed again. "Was it a surprise? How come grandma and grandpa didn't tell me? And do you know where they are? Cause I thought they'd both be home this morning but Mrs. Kane was here instead," she fired in rapid succession, making it hard for Clarke to even get a word in. "And who is that?" she asked and pointed at Lexa.

Lexa for her part could only stare on at the pair before her. The word 'mom' kept going around in her head.

"That is my girlfriend, Lexa," Clarke told Avery. She turned the other girl around with her hands on the girl's shoulders so they were both facing Lexa. "Lex, this is my daughter, Avery."