Chapter Text
Clarke felt almost giddy with excitement as she held the lion teddy bear waiting for Arkadia's gates to open. The guards had been instructed to open the gates as soon as they were in sight and she could hear them and smell them getting closer each second. Lexa was beside her as thrilled as she was to be seeing them again but doing a much better job of hiding it.
When she saw Luna carrying the yapping wolf pup in her arms, clearly having thought it best the pack arrive in human form, Clarke and Lexa didn't wait but started running and Luna let a very excited Madi down to let her run into their arms.
Madi yapped and licked her parents incessantly as they bundled her up in their arms and hugged her.
"We missed you," Clarke said in a high voice. "So much."
She began to sing and Madi tranformed allowing her mother to hold and carry her and Lexa pressed a kiss to her forehead a large smile on her face. Luna ran over and hugged Lexa and then Clarke and the whole pack followed, giddy at seeing their pack members safe again. Octavia ran over to Bellamy and threw her arms around him much to his surprise and kissed him on the cheek.
"You look well," he said awkwardly.
"I am," she said. "I finally found somewhere I belong. You need to meet the pack but not yet. Let them all catch up first."
"Where's Raven and Anya?" Clarke asked suddenly.
Luna grinned.
"They're running a little behind. They were ah- busy bonding when you called and needed more time."
"Really?" Lexa asked with surprise. "Anya?"
Luna nodded and turned her head as Anya raced in with Raven by her side and headed straight for Clarke and Lexa.
Clarke saw the smile on Raven's face and knew right away.
"You turned... and you mated too. I'm so happy for you Rae."
Raven hugged her but taking care not to bump Madi. Clarke bundled her up in blankets and waved the lion teddy at Madi. The little girl grabbed it and immediately tried to bite it and shake it in her mouth with a snarl.
"Laik noumon laik goufa," Clarke said glancing at Lexa.
Lexa smiled proudly her hand under Clarke's elbow to support it as she held Madi and began to hum to her.
"I should feed her," Clarke said. "She'll have been on wolf food for too long. She needs milk."
Lexa nodded and gave Anya a look to let her know that she was in charge. They returned to their room with Madi and Clarke rocked her at her breast as she fed her, humming softly. Lexa resting her head on Clarke's neck as she did.
"Ow, Madi, no wolf teeth!"
Lexa had her eyes half-closed and did not move.They were together again and she was happy. This was everything. There was a gentle knock at the door and some of Clarke's friends opened it, curious to see her child. Clarke covered herself just enough to allow Madi to continue to feed while preserving her modesty.
It was Monty, Harper, Wells, Jasper and Maya who all smiling.
"We're not disturbing you are we?" Monty asked.
Clarke beamed with joy.
"No. Come in. Come and meet her."
They all moved towards her keeping a respectful distance.
"She's incredible," Harper told her. "She looks like both of you."
"I still can't believe that part," Monty said. "It shouldn't be possible scientifically but your mom confirmed it."
Lexa had lifted her head from Clarke's neck but kept one arm around her waist. She could tell that she made the delinquents nervous but she wasn't moving from Madi's side just yet.
They all fussed around her, making jokes, some of which prompted a warning glare from Lexa. Clarke didn't seem to mind and Madi seemed unaffected by their presence falling asleep in Clarke's arms as Lexa played with her wild brown hair.
"Anya says she appears about 7 weeks old in her puppy form but as a human she's 1 year and a month old so she can eat solids as a wolf but not when she's like this. She has teeth already though, sharp teeth."
Lexa let her explain everything to her friends content just to listen.
"She usually sleeps during the day. Most wolves do. We really should put her down for a rest."
Lexa took that as a cue and moved to let Clarke put her into the small bassinet that her mom had put in her room. She glanced at Lexa.
"Are we going to nap too and get back to our usual schedule," Clarke said with a yawn.
"We are," Lexa said. "Anya will keep watch over the pack. Most of them have had rooms prepared near ours. When we get to Polis we will arrange something more suitable to our needs."
"Mmm..." Clarke replied stretching. "Sounds good to me Commander."
Lexa turned her head in a shot. Clarke was smirking.
"We'll leave you two alone," Monty said with a smile.
Clarke nodded and told them she'd 'see them later'.
"We leave for Polis at dusk," Lexa said. "I've explained that we will need no escort. We can go as a pack, hunt on our way."
"It will technically be Madi's first hunt though I'll let her watch from a safe distance."
"You are right."
Lexa picked up the lion teddy and placed it into the bassinet beside Madi.
"You will be a fine hunter," she said softly bending down to kiss her sleeping daughter's forehead.
They both stripped to their underwear and returned to their beds despite having slept the night before placing the bassinet close to the bed. Somewhere in the middle of their nap Lexa heard Madi whine and looked down to see the small black wolf begging to join them on the bed. Clarke was flat out unconscious beside her and so she picked up Madi and placed her on her abdomen allowing her to curl and settle there. Lexa moved to settle putting one hand on her back with a smile. She felt Madi relax and sigh as she went back to sleep and Lexa closed her eyes feeling her daughter's steady heartbeat and listening to Clarke's breathing thinking that there was nowhere else she would rather be at that moment.
Costia pushed open the door and glanced in before she was to leave. She had seen how happy they had been to see their daughter again. Lexa and Clarke now lay fast asleep side by side, Clarke turned into Lexa, Lexa lying on her back and a small black wolf cub curled up on Lexa's stomach with both the women's hands resting over Madi protectively.
Costia smiled at how sweet it was and silently bade them well before closing the door and joining hands with Ontari.
"I'm ready," Costia told her with a smile. "Let's go and start a new life."
Ontari pushed the bag she was carrying back up on her shoulder and nodded, a small hopeful smile on her lips.
They left Arkadia hand in hand while the new heda slept with her wife and child.