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Music wafted through the crisp evening air and excitement buzzed down the narrow streets in the Grounder capital of Polis. It was a time of peace, true peace, and the feeling that spread through the capital was as intoxicating as the alcohol that was rich on the tongues of all who were eagerly partaking in the rare moment of celebration. Grounders and Arkadians, Ambassadors and guards, and everyone in between had finally come together under one, true treaty that promised a future of peace and prosperity.
It had been roughly 6 months since Clarke had returned to Polis from Arkadia where she went to help deal with the threat of Pike and his army from tearing apart what was left of the Sky People. Abby had accepted her daughter back into the camp with open arms, expectedly, but she feared others (especially the man in charge) would not be so happy to have the young leader back so soon and under what they might see as threatening circumstances. With the aid of Kane and a few others who were already working against Pike, she was able to keep her daughter invisible until the blonde had developed a thorough plan to overthrow the savage Arkadian leader once and for all.
Luckily for Bellamy's sake, and Octavia's as well, the troubled soldier was able to see a somewhat blurry version of the line Pike had been drawing over the months and stepped back over to the right side before everything finally crumbled. Not that he and Clarke had grown closer over the time she had been back in Arcadia, but they were at least civil towards each other after finally finding some common ground. Some common ground, not all common ground. It was all they needed to get them over the past though, even if at the time Bellamy didn't realize it.
It had been 8 months since Clarke and Lexa had shared their most intimate moment together, a moment that played itself over and over in both of the young leaders' heads during the 2 months that separated them. Clarke had seen more emotion in the young Commander's eyes that afternoon than she had experienced in her lifetime. She knew from the moment she saw those green eyes look up at her from the edge of the bed that there was something in the future for them together. Something real.
For the last 6 months, Lexa and the ambassadors of the Coalition had been working towards one common goal: peace. The struggle to attain this peace had pulled Clarke and Lexa in opposite directions, literally, as the two seemed to be needed in separate camps and cities to continuously ensure that their goal was being met by all involved until it would be strong enough to sustain itself.
This particular night of celebration marked exactly 6 months and 2 days since their moment together, and both women had been feeling the urgency of their desires slowly bubbling their way to the surface ever since. The crowd was gathered in the center of the city where carts stocked with goods were normally placed, offering the people of Polis everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to hunting gear, jewelry, and clothing. Tonight though the city center accommodated boisterous celebrators, musicians, and lines of tables overflowing with heady alcohol and delicious food for everyone to enjoy.
Joining in this celebration was a large group of Arkadians, most of whom were visiting the capitol city for the first time. Octavia and Lincoln, both with drinks in hand, were trading war stories with Indra and trying rather fruitlessly to entice the seasoned warrior with a cup (or two) of alcohol. Marcus mingled his way through the crowds almost all evening long, taking in just about every Grounder custom he possibly could. The man had a gift of connecting with people, and many in the city respected him above most – if not all – of the Sky People.
Abby had retreated from the thick of the celebration for moment to simply take in all of what was going on in the busy city center. She stood on a balcony of the building she was staying while in Polis and watched the crowd below. It provided one of the best views over the city center, not including the unmatched views from the Polis tower. She took in all of the sights from her vantage point and couldn't stop herself from smiling genuinely at the people caught up in celebration this night. Most of those gathered in the city center were dancing, wild and free, men and women, young and old, and all were having the time of their lives. Abby felt a pleasant sensation warming in her chest as she thought about everything her daughter had done to help these people, and her own people, get this far. She let out a contented sigh just before feeling the presence of someone standing beside her.
“The people have Clarke to thank for this,” Lexa simply stated.
“Yes, she is an amazing woman,” Abby agreed as she looked to the stoic Commander standing beside her. She was just about the most regal creature Abby had ever seen, and sometimes it made her forget that the powerful woman was probably not much older than her own daughter.
“She has helped bring peace to this land, something that I was not fully able to do myself,” Lexa offered.
Abby nodded as she took in the Commander's appearance. She was dressed in a long, heavy coat with several buckles down the front. She believed this was the same coat she had seen the girl wear before in times of war, but this night it was not covered by armor or swords. Her hair was intricately braided as it normally was, but it looked softer tonight and came together in a single braid leading across her neck and falling over her right shoulder. She couldn't help but think that this girl, so young and beautiful, so strong and powerful, looked like trouble. Maybe Abby thought that trouble followed her more than the girl was actually trouble herself, but the young Commander still made her weary especially given the events of the past.
“She is a strong leader. Someone of whom it's easy to be proud,” Lexa continued.
“I appreciate the kind words about my daughter, Commander,” Abby started. “She means a great deal to me, and I am very proud of everything she has done.”
Lexa simply nodded her acknowledgment of Abby’s words and turned her head to look out over the people dancing wildly below. A flash of blonde hair caught her attention, and Lexa trained her eye on Clarke as she danced joyfully with a few Sky People she recognized and some other Grounders she knew as being her people. A small smile tugged at the corner of the Commander's mouth as she watched the blonde move freely and without any care but still perfectly in sync to the beat of the music. Lexa didn't notice Abby glancing to her side to take in the rare sight of the Commander with her walls down, or even slightly down as it seemed, and the older woman wasn't quite sure whether she liked the way the brunette looked enthralled with her daughter dancing around the streets below.
The leader finally excused herself from Abby's presence and headed back down into the city center to take in more of the celebrations. She found herself leaning ever-so-lightly against a brick wall of a nearby building just outside the edge of where the people were dancing. The young Commander found herself scanning the crowd, knowing that she wasn't on any type of guard duty, but her people were still precious to her and she always felt the pull to watch over them. She noticed Clarke leave the dancing area and head over to pick up a tin of water rather than a cup of alcohol, much to Raven's protests. Lexa imagined Clarke was thirsty from dancing and was explaining to the shorter brunette that she needed something to quench her thirst and not cloud her mind.
Lexa herself never drank for that very reason. She wanted nothing to cloud her mind, especially when Clarke was around. There was something intoxicating about Wanheda herself that often made the usually grounded Commander feel like she was floating. Floating so high that she might get lost in the stars above. Beyond that, she wanted to remember and savor every moment she was lucky enough to share with Clarke, as their positions of power often pulled them in separate directions.
Clarke chatted with Raven for a few moments while she caught her breath before turning her head a few times in different directions, scanning the crowd of people for a familiar face. When blue eyes connected with green, Lexa's heart fluttered with anticipation as to whether the blonde was about to head over towards her. The moment Clarke started over her way, Lexa's excitement heightened tenfold as they hadn't spent much time together in these more casual scenarios but rather those of planning peace treaties among Ambassadors and Generals.
“Hi,” Clarke offered quietly as she stepped up to the brunette.
“Hello, Clarke,” the Commander softly replied. “I see you've been enjoying the celebration so far.”
“Yes,” Clarke smiled widely. “Have you been watching me, Commander?”
Small smiles tugged at both of the women's lips as they looked at each other in kind.
“Yes,” Lexa admitted.
Clarke smirked, and the two lay silent for a moment or two before Clarke spoke again.
“I've missed you,” was all the blonde said as she took another step towards Lexa so that their bodies were but a foot apart.
Lexa offered a soft smile accompanied by an overwhelming expression of sincerity in her eyes.
Abby had been watching her daughter and the Commander interact since Clarke had made her way out of the dancing crowd and towards the brick building where Lexa stood. She noted their posture, how they ever-so-slightly leaned their heads closer while they were speaking to one another, and how they seemed to be looking into each other's eyes as if there was nothing else going on around them. She watched as Clarke moved to step directly in front of Lexa, who still had her back up against the building.
Clarke moved her arms forward to touch Lexa's hands with her own. Their palms together and fingers flush, Clarke pushed until the backs of Lexa's hands were lightly resting up against the bricks of the wall behind her, down by her sides. They stood close, palms together against the wall, silently having a conversation through their expressive eye contact. When a slow, mysterious melody started playing near the dancing crowd, Clarke dared to move her body just an inch closer to Lexa's. She could feel their breath intertwine in front of them, and Clarke's eyes couldn't help their decent to the brunette's full and pouty lips.
The next thing Lexa felt was Clarke's lips brushing against the smooth skin of her jawline. She slowly and gently dragged her lips up to an earlobe, letting the soft flesh scrape along her teeth before moving just so slightly away. Lexa had turned her head to the right, towards Clarke, but the women didn't look at each other this time. The now quite relaxed Commander felt those same silky lips dip to place agonizingly slow feather-light kisses across the smooth skin of her neck and under her jawline.
The melody changed slightly, and Clarke followed the mood of it as she took a different tack. She raised her lips to be just millimeters away from the Commander's lips and flicked her gaze up to darkened green eyes before descending on the pouty lips in front of her. Lexa could feel Clarke's breath on her lips but willed herself to remain perfectly still. There was nothing more that she wanted to do than pull her in for a bruising kiss to show her how much she has missed being close to her these past months, but this intimate dance that Clarke was leading was something entirely different.
Clarke ghosted her bottom lip against Lexa's top before sneaking out the tip of her tongue to sensually tease that top lip before taking it lightly between her own. Lexa almost moaned at the intense sensations Clarke was managing to rouse with her simple touches, but she readily accepted the pleasure brought by Clarke who was now lightly trapping her bottom lip in a series of soft and gentle kisses.
Clarke slowly withdrew from her gentle assault on Lexa’s lips, and they simply looked at each other for a few moments. They both noticed the intense darkness of their lustful gaze under hooded eyelids, and both knew without saying an audible word that they were about to leave this celebration very quickly to finish in private whatever this is they started.
Abby having witnessed the entire scene between her daughter and the Commander watched as Clarke took a few steps back, letting her palms disconnect from the brunette’s. Lexa slowly pushed herself off the brick wall of the building and started walking away from the rowdy crowd gathered in the city center and towards the Polis tower where Abby knew she resided. It wasn't five seconds later that Clarke turned and followed the same path as the Commander, presumably towards the tower as well.
Abby knew exactly what was happening – or was about to happen – as she watched on in silent disbelief. Lexa was about to bed her daughter. Abby closed her eyes, reasoning with herself that Clarke was an adult and was fully capable of making her own decisions. Her brow furrowed suddenly as she realized that her own daughter seemed to be the instigator of what she had just witnessed, and it might not have even been the first time. With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes just to see Clarke disappear around a corner, and for the rest of the evening she tried to avoid thinking about what was happening in that tower.