Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Alexandria it's time to get up!" Indra called out from the kitchen

"She just graduated. Let her get some sleep," Gustus said shaking his head while opening the daily newspaper

"There's things that need to be done around the house. She can take a nap later," Indra said

Lexa grumbled out of bed as she went to the bathroom. Her curls were a mess and she was in no mood to sort them out. She threw her hair up and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs. She quickly snatched a scone from the plate on the table and plopped down in a chair. She smelt the chocolate chip and banana pancakes that her mother was making and licked her lips in anticipation.

"Will Clarke be joining us for breakfast?" Indra asked

"No. She had some yearbook meeting this morning. I'm going to her house for dinner tonight," Lexa said

Indra nodded thoughtfully as she continued to make breakfast. Lexa grabbed the television remote and turned on the living room tv. They had an open concept kitchen, so they could see the tv from the dining table.

"If you're just now joining us, what you are seeing is the aftermath of a terrorist attack on U.S soil for the first time sixty years-" The news anchor read

Lexa dropped her scone on the table as she watched with wide eyes. Gustus set his newspaper down and Indra turned off the stove and moved the pan to a cold burner. They all listening intently.

"About thirty minutes ago a plane collided with Polis tower. First responders worked tirelessly to pull people from the building. However, ten minutes ago another plane crashed causing the structure of the tower to crumble. It is unclear at this time the number of casualties," The new reporter said

"Have we heard from Ahn or Luna?" Lexa asked

"They're somewhere in Iraq last I heard." Indra said

Lexa grabbed her cellphone and started to look up what she could find on the terrorist attack.

"A terrorist group in Afghanistan took credit for it according to another news channel," Lexa said

"Great, another war. Just what we need," Gustus said

Lexa felt herself getting angry as she continued watching the news. All those lives lost in an instant. She got dressed and set off in her jeep down to a place she never thought she'd end up at. Outside the towns recruiters office was a massive line wrapped down the block. It seems she wasn't the only one with the idea. She parked her car and got in line. She spent most of the day in that line.

She approached the desk to see two men in uniform opposite of her.

"What can we do for you ma'am?" One of them asked

"I want to enlist," Lexa said

The both looked at each other and then back at the small figured girl in front of them. He handed her a clipboard and asked her to go fill out the information. Lexa meticulously filled each line and handed it back. The man did a double take when he saw the last name.

"Woods?" He asked looking back at her

"That's me," Lexa said

"Any relation to Anya and Luna Woods?" The other asked

Lexa nodded "They're my sisters," She said

The man looked taken back by that. He sat back in his chair. "A legacy... well you become even a fourth of the soldier they are, it'll be an honor to have met you." He says

"Thanks?" Lexa said with furrowed brows

The man proceeded to give her information about written and physical test she would have to pass to become enlisted. He gave her the structure of the physical test. Lexa overlooked it and saw no issues. She played sports all her life, she did half of these on a daily basis for her workouts.

"I've already taken the written test. They made everyone at our highschool take it regardless of career path," Lexa said

"Do you remember your score?" The man asked

"A 97," Lexa said

The man's eyes bugged out of his head. The scores ranged from 0 to 99.

"Due to the circumstances of our nation, we are allowed to do the physical tests much quicker than normal. We have an opening for this friday at 8," The man says

Lexa nodded "I'll be there," She said

She took the paperwork with her and left. She tossed it into the passenger seat and set off towards a local restaurant. She was going to bring Clarke lunch and break the news of her new career path. It was a bit of a shock to both the blonde and Lexa's family. Maybe because of the speed at which her mind was made up about it. As they sat under the school bleachers on a blanket, Lexa could see the internal struggle in the blonde.

"I... I don't understand. I thought you were going to Harvard for law school in fall?" Clarke asked

"I can still go to college. The army will pay for it," Lexa said

Clarke could see there was no changing the brunettes mind. Lexa was stubborn and once her mind was made up about something, it was hard to change. Lexa took her girlfriends hands in her own.

Lexa swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking again

Clarke looked up into green eyes

"I'd understand if this isn't what you signed up for. Long distance relationships are hard and military ones even more so..." Lexa said trailing off as she averted her gaze

Clarke cupped the brunettes face and rubbed her cheeks with her thumbs "We're in this Woods. If this is what you really want to do, i'll support you. I'm not going anywhere," she promised

~eight months later~

Clarke rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she let out a yawn. She was utterly exhausted lately. She jumped in the shower and set about her morning school routine. Her mother knocked on the shower door.

"You're going to be late," Abby called out

"I'm going," Clarke called back

The truth was she was exhausted because she stayed up late into the night to be able to talk to her girlfriend. Lexa had went from bootcamp straight into training. She was learning to become a pilot like her oldest sister Luna. Clarke was so proud of her. She knew it wasn't easy trying to escape her sister's shadows. They had a big reputation in the military. Their unit was legendary and Lexa was the new kid on the block.

She worried for her deeply though as the news continued to show the progression of the war. Her stomach dropped everytime she got a phone call. She was scared it would be the one that says she is going into the war zone.

Clarke quickly dried off and got dressed trying to calm her nerves. She came down the stairs to see her father drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper. On the island sat a small white envelope. She eyed it carefully.

"Go on," Jake chuckled

Clarke ran her hand over the rugged letter before carefully opening it.

Dear Clarke,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wish more than anything to be with your right now. The days are long and the nights are cold here. I can't wait to see you again. To hold you in my arms. Flight school has been... an experience. I have a new battle buddy. His name is Lincoln. You'd like him a lot. I'll have to introduce you two at some point. Luna is the epitome of a dictator. She thinks we are incapable of doing the simplest of things. She says that we are not prepared for what's to come but I feel like we are doing well considering. Keep your head in the books babe. I know high school sucks but you're almost through it and then you can head off to medical school and become some big shot doctor. T- minus 6 months until I see you again but who's counting?

Until then my love,

Private Alexandria Woods

Clarke felt tears prick her eyes

"What's wrong?" Jake asked

"I miss her so much. She's missing everything," Clarke said

Jake gave her a sympathetic look "I know it's hard kiddo," He said

Lexa left home about 8 months ago. They had gone up for her graduation with Lexa's parents a few months back. Clarke still remembers when she saw Lexa standing at attention with her graduating class. She remembers the feeling of jumping into her soldiers arms. She remembers the lustful kiss she received a moment later. She especially remembers how they spent that night in their hotel room alone together. It was times like this that reminded Clarke how much older her girlfriend was. While she was stuck in high school still, Lexa was off starting her career. She reministed on graduation day with a smile.

~Flash back to Boot camp graduation day~

Smoke was deployed throughout the field. Music started playing and figures emerged from the smoke.

Five large groups came into view. Each led by their superiors carrying the flag.

"Here they come!" Jake said clasping his hands together

Clarke bit her lip nervously as she looked through the rows of people. She looked over to see Anya and Luna standing to the side in uniform. They had managed to get approval to be here. Last she heard from Lexa, they were stationed in Germany awaiting orders to join the war.

Gustus nudged Clarke's shoulder and pointed. Her eyes locked onto a familiar shape. As the soldiers continued to march in line, her figure became clearer. The soldiers came to a halt as the ceremony started. Clarke's eyes watered as she looked at her love.

There the brunette was, standing fiercely with her graduating class. Abby and Indra were busy taking dozens of photos. There was some long introduction and a few words said before they finally got to the part she had been dreaming of for weeks.

"Alright, now the moment you've all been waiting for. The last day has arrived. Please locate your soldier in a safe manner and enjoy the rest of the day," The announcer said

People took off out of the stadium and onto the field. Luna and Anya already had Lexa engulfed in a hug when they arrived. Anya pulled back with a smile and spun Lexa around to face the blonde.

"Clark-" Lexa went to say before she was cut off by the force of impact of the blonde colliding into her arms.

Clarke breathed in the smell she had come to love. Lexa smiled and rubbed the blonde's back as she pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

She pulled back and cupped Lexa's cheeks.

"What happened to your face baby?" She murmured as she grazed over the purple bruises on her face

Lexa put her hands over Clarke's "I'm okay, you should see the other guy," She said

Clarke didn't look convinced. Lexa moved forward and captured Clarke's lips. Jake clapped Lexa on the back.

"Alright, get a room you two," He said

Lexa pulled back and chuckled. Jake pulled her in for a hug and lifted her off the ground.

"Jake be careful, your back isn't what it used to be," Abby warned

"You hear that? she's calling me old. I'm younger than you dear," He teased as she set Lexa down on the ground

The brunette hugged her parents. Indra made her three daughters take numerous photos together. Lexa pulled Clarke into her side for a few of them. They went out to dinner at a nearby italian restaurant. Lexa loved italian food. She was engulfing her pasta while everyone else talked amongst themselves. Clarke put a hand on Lexa's thigh. The brunette turned and gave her a soft smile. Clarke snorted and grabbed a napkin to wipe the sauce off the girl's face.

"You're such a messy eater today," She said

"I'm use to not having a lot of time to eat," Lexa said defensively

"Wait until you have to eat in a dirt hole while in a hostile area," Anya retorted

"Yeah yeah," Lexa said as she tossed a breadstick at her sister

"I feel bad for whoever gets stuck with you," Luna chuckled as she tossed the breadstick back at her youngest sister

"Children, enough. I just want one meal where food isn't thrown around," Indra said with a sigh

Gustus grabbed some lettuce and tossed it at his wife earning a glare from Indra and laughs around the table.

By time night came, the two girls were locked in a heavy make out session as the elevator went up towards their room. They broke only to power walk down the hall to their door. Clarke fumbled with the key card while Lexa unbuttoned the blone's jeans and kissed along the side of her neck.

"Lexa," Clarke gasped

Lexa pressed Clarke against the front door and nibbled on the girl's ear lobe before speaking lowly in her ear.

"The things i'm going to do to you tonight," She said

Clarke shoved the door open and yanked Lexa inside before kicking the door shut. She backed her soldier towards the bed as she started to unbutton her uniform coat. She gently tossed the coat onto the chair nearby the bed and shoved Lexa onto the mattress.

She dropped to her knees and began to unlace her girlfriends shoes. Lexa unbuttoned her army dress shirt and tossed it onto the chair. Clarke set the shoes aside and reached for her girlfriends belt. Clothes were practically ripped off both of them. Clarkes hand felt along the older girl's abs and groaned.

They spent the night mapping each other's bodies and sharing hushed words of adoration." Morning came far too soon for either girl. Lexa had her face buried into Clarke's back with a hand hazardously thrown around the girl's waist.

Their slumber was interrupted by beating fists at the door.

"Get dressed, we're having breakfast," Luna called out

Lexa groaned and nuzzled her face into the blondes neck. Saying goodbye to Lexa the following day was hard. The brunette was in her camo uniform with her large green duffle bag over one shoulder.

"Give me that," Jake said as he grabbed the bag from her

Lexa relinquished it and chuckled as Jake underestimated its weight

"Jeez, you bring everything you own?" Jake asked

The bus arrived and Lexa gave a sad look to the woman she loved. Clarke took in a deep breath and put on a brave face.

"I'll see you soon," Lexa murmured as she wrapped her arms around the blonde and buried her face into the girl's neck

Clarke kissed the side of her face "I love you," She said

Lexa's eyes went wide and she pulled back to look at the blonde. They hadn't said those three little words to each other yet. Lexa pulled Clarke in for a passionate kiss. When they broke, she cupped the blondes face.

"I love you too Klark," She said with a soft smile

Saying goodbye was always hard. Lexa loaded onto the bus and managed to get a window seat. She blew Clarke a kiss as the bus started to take off.

~Present time~

The blonde knew they had a long road ahead of them. She wasn't sure just how long Lexa would stay in the military. She knew the brunette was going to enroll in college while she served her signed term. But she wasn't sure what would happen after that. Clarke was planning to go to medical school after she graduated. The thought of being apart for years to come was a hard pill to swallow. She went off to class and acted like she cared about the mundane topics. Her notebook slowly filled with sketches of familiar eyes and a sharp jawline.

While the blonde was distracted at school, her girlfriend was ready for her first day behind the pilot seat. Most of her training thus far had been learning the controls and commands as well as what to do and not do. There hadn't been any real hands on experience yet.

"Go easy on her," Anya said inclining towards their baby sister who was nervously doing the pre flight check with Lincoln and Ryder.

"If I go easy on her, she won't be prepared. If she's not prepared, people die Ahn. This isn't a commercial plane. This is a blackhawk, it's meant for combat. She needs to learn especially with the war progressing," Luna said

Anya nodded thoughtfully. She knew Luna was right but she didn't want Lexa to get discouraged. Few passed Luna and Ryder's rigorous training approach. But those that did became damn good pilots. Some of the best in the branch in fact. They just didn't have a lot of time unfortunately. They got their orders earlier this morning. They were being shipped off overseas in a few weeks. They were giving them just enough time to train Lexa and Lincoln to fly. She worried for the things her sister would see over there. The things that would soon haunt her. Afghanistan wasn't for the lighthearted. They were going to tell the team tonight their ship date so they can get their affairs in order. Once Lexa completely flight school, she would get a few days leave before they ship off.

Anya walked towards the pacing brunette and put her hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"Breathe. Nobody expects you to get it the first time around. Now is the best time to make any mistakes. You'll do fine sis," Anya said

This was the first time they would be actually flying the planes. They had been doing simulations and sitting in the co pilot seat but they haven't taken the controls of the real deal yet.

Lexa swallowed the lump in her throat and gave a nod before shaking her anxiety lose.

"Alright, how are we looking Ry?" Luna asked

"Locked and loaded Sarg," Ryder said

"Alright, wheels up in five. Decide who is going first," Luna said looking between her sister and Lincoln

Lincoln gave Lexa a cheeky smile and held out his fist towards her. A smile broke across her lips and she gave into the game of rock paper scissors. Lincoln won causing the younger girl to scowl. Lincoln laughed and clapped her on the back.

"You'll be up before you know it. I'm glad i'm going first to I don't have to follow after a show off," He said teasingly

Lexa snorted and climbed into the back with Ryder. They buckled in. Any watched the helicopter blades whirl to life and after a few moments, they touched off the ground and headed towards the training space. It was held in the winding mountains that gave a good simulation of various twists and turns to avoid.

"Alright, quit standing around. Let's head to the gun range so you can work on your aim." Anya said

"My aims the best of the best," Quint said crossing his arms

"What I saw out in Germany begs to differ," Anya retorted with a raised brow

Quint grumbled and swung his gun around as he headed off to the gun range. Anya chuckled and shook her head. She loved her unit. She had been through a lot with them. She was surprised when they found out Lexa was being assigned to them. They figured they wouldn't let another Woods run together in a pack. According to her former superior, Lexa showed great promise in boot camp. Anya had heard the tale.

It was the white phase of basic training, which was the light at the end of the tunnel for Lexa. She was nearing the end of bootcamp. She'd get to see her family and girlfriend for graduation before being sent off to flight school. During the white phase, they have the daunting warrior tower obstacle, where you repel down a giant wall. Following that was where Lexa gained street cred with her superiors.

She was in an almost all male class. Which meant every time she did anything against someone, she was severely at a disadvantage. Not to say that women can't do what men do but the difference in body weight and height can make things challenging sometimes.

Her body had never been more sore. After accomplishing the wall, they set off into the field for some combat training. They would be using pugils, which are heavily padded foam sticks that are used as a weapon. They make you put on a heavy vest to protect your chest and a helmet to try and protect your head. She was paired up with the biggest man in their class, Reid.

He was 250 pounds of muscle and towered over her at 6'3. She had wide eyes when they called her name to join him. They clashed the back of their helmet protected heads together and took six steps forward away from each other. From there it was a fight of the fittest. Lexa tried to strike but the sheer force of the man threw her back like a rag dog.

Reid chuckled and the crowd cheered. Lexa grunted and got onto her feet. Reid looked to the drill sergeant to call it. They use a point system but usually being knocked to the ground was a win.

"Did you hear a whistle private?" The drill sergeant shouted

"No sir," Reid yelled back

"Then do something private!" The drill sergeant snapped

Lexa was thrown down again and again. It was cruel really she thought as her shoulder collided into the ground for the fifteenth time. Rain started to pour down and Lexa stumbled onto her feet just in time to take the end of the pugil to the face shield on her helmet. She hit the mud roughly and groaned.

The drill sergeant blew the whistle. Lexa spat out blood and got onto her feet.

"Send her home already, she doesn't belong here Sarg. I don't care if she's a Woods or not," Reid said

Lexa's blood boiled at that comment. She had been proving herself again and again throughout these grueling weeks. Despite being picked on and ridiculed by her class along every moment.

"Permission to continue sir," Lexa asked through labored breaths

The drill sergeants brows furrowed "The whistle was blown private or did you get knocked on your head so hard you lost your hearing?" He shouted earning laughs from the group

"No sir, my hearing is fine. I'm asking for another chance sir," Lexa said

"What will make it any different than the last 20 attempts Private?" He asked

Lexa's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to form an answer

The drill sergeant rolled his eyes "Give the girl what she wants private Reid," He said

Reid glared at her. He was ready to get out of the rain.

"Go on. Get it over with so we can go eat," The drill sergeant yelled out

Reid swung and Lexa ducked under the stick. The crowd gasped in surprise. Reid struck again with anger and Lexa avoided and circled him. The drill sergeant suddenly became interested in the match. Reid let out a yell and tried to strike again. Lexa stuck her foot out causing him to lose his balance and she struck him as hard as she could, sending him onto his back into the mud. Lexa put her muddy boot on top of his chest.

"You were saying I didn't belong here?" She asked with a raised brow

The crowd hollered and cheered. Reid's face was red with embarrassment. Lexa took her boot off of him and walked towards the drill sergeant. She took off the helmet and handed it to him. He looked at her bloody nose and gave her a single nod.

"Well done Woods," He said

Lexa went to walk off but he caught her arm. He told the rest of the class they were dismissed for meal time. He waited until everyone left and he let go of her arm.

"That's the fire i've been waiting for. Your sisters had the same grit in the final weeks of bootcamp. Take a walk with me," He said

They walked through the rain towards the meal hall

"You are graduating at the top of your class. You had excellent marksmanship in the range and you didn't allow yourself to fall behind. Determination and perseverance is everything in the military. You have a bright future ahead of you Alexandria but you need to understand everything you do will be an uphill battle. You are a woman and you are a legacy. The Woods name carries weight and you will have high expectations. However...I have no doubt you will exceed them when the time comes," He says clasping his hands behind his back

Lexa looked at him stunned. He had never addressed her by her name. "Thank you sir," She said

"Best of luck to you private. Hooah," He says

Lexa gave a nod and headed off to the meal hall. She was starving. She grabbed her meal and went to sit down. She had an unopened letter in her breast pocket from Clarke. It would be the last letter from her until they see each other at graduation. She opened the letter and ate her granola bar with a smile

~Present time~

"I have the controls," Lincoln says

"You have the controls," Luna says

The helicopter took off and Luna guided him towards the training air space they will be using.

"The ridges of the mountain are important to learn. You need to be able to anticipate anything out. You have to be able to think quick and overcome. It takes a second for things to go south. When you both become pilots, you will be responsible for not only your own life but the others you carry with you. You may begin whenever you are ready," Luna said

Lincoln gulped and pushed forward. It was rocky but he managed to navigate it with minimal help from Luna. They landed and everyone switched seats. Ryder climbed in with Lexa into the front. Lexa turned on the helicopter and they took off. She cleared the winding course with ease. Luna had a sense of pride watching her sister learn to fly. Anya never cared for it. She said it was boring and she wanted to be the boots on the ground.

"Not bad. Tomorrow we will be going through a simulations course. You will be given an objective to transport our "team" from one location to another. There will be obstacles that require you to think quickly. Do the post flight checklist with Ryder and then meet me at the gun range," Luna said

Lexa and Lincoln nodded. Luna had a few different scenarios lined up that they would be working through over the next few days.

Chapter Text

"Enemy fire 2'o clock," Luna said

Lexa felt a drop of sweat drip down her forehead. This had been an intense training course thus far. She felt on edge the entire twenty minutes she had been navigating the winding course. Every time you thought the worst was over, another obstacle presented itself.

"Returning fire," Lexa said

"Copy," Luna said

Lexa took out the wooden targets one by one with the firing system equipped on the Blackhawk.

"Well done," Luna said

"Show off," Lincoln huffed

Lexa smirked. Lincoln had missed the targets entirely on his run along the course. It took him a few times to get comfortable with flying and firing. It was a tricky balance.

"Alright, get us to the drop off zone. You will hover while the team throws out ropes and repels down." Luna said

"10-4," Lexa said as she pulled up and began to direct them to the drop off spot

They had been doing drills all week long. From tactical drills with the unit to flying drills with Lincoln, Luna, and Ryder. Anya and Luna ran had them doing drills until they could react correctly to every possible scenario. Anya wanted to make sure Lexa and Lincoln could fall in line with the team. Her team had been running together for over six years now. They were so in sync that they didn't always need to voice obvious things. Lexa and Lincoln were still learning. Though they were pretty quick on their feet to react, they still needed to be told basic things. Anya knew they wouldn't have a problem if they had more time but they don't. They were shipping off in a week. Today was the last day of flight school. Lexa was getting three days leave along with Lincoln before they ship off overseas.

Lexa had been counting down the days until she could go home. She had zero time between basic and flight school. She had been worked into the ground and was definitely looking forward to seeing her family and friends for a few days. She knew it was bittersweet though. She still had to break the news to Clarke she was heading to Afghanistan to aide in the war. She had been sitting on that information for a few weeks. She knew Clarke was worried this day would come eventually.

Lexa, Lincoln, and the rest of the training class stood proudly at attention. Luna and Ryder eyed the group carefully.

"When I call your name, you will head to building 24..." Luna said

She ran through a list of names on the clipboard. One by one they left. Reid being one of them. He had a cocky grin on his face as he walked off. Lexa really hated him.

"For those of you still standing, it is my honor to announce that you have successfully completed flight school. Those who have left weren't so lucky. This is not an easy achievement. You should feel proud of yourself and proud of your brother and sisters who stand next to you. Times are uncertain right now around the world. Many of us are shipping out within the week to aide in the ongoing war. With that being said, food will be served for you in the dining hall. The rest of the night is yours to enjoy. Take the time you need to collect your things if you are heading out on leave. Be prepared for what's to come. Godspeed soldiers, " Luna said

"Hooah!" The new pilots yelled in unison

Luna gave a nod and everyone was dismissed. Lexa knocked shoulders with Lincoln and gave him a goofy grin.

"Last one to chow hall has to give up their dessert," Lexa said with a challenging brow raised

"You're on Woods," Lincoln said

They both took off running in a fit of laughter. Luna chuckled and shook her head. She wished she had more time to train Lexa. War was unpredictable and she feared for what's to come. They couldn't afford mistakes. Mistakes get people killed. Lexa did graduate at the top of their class though which was impressive to their superiors. Few scored as high as she did on the final test.

After eating and talking with the other graduates, Lexa headed back to the barracks to pack her things. She was on a red eye flight back home. Luna and Anya were laying on her bed when she came in.

"I know you do not have your dirty boots on my bed," Lexa said

"It's not your bed anymore kiddo," Anya said as she continued to eat her MRE

Lexa huffed. She grabbed her green duffle bag and began to meticulously pack her things.

"You excited to head home?" Anya asked

Lexa smiled and nodded

"Have you told her yet?" Luna asked

Lexa shook her head

"Well you only have a few days. She has a right to know," Anya said

"I know... I just didn't want to upset her," Lexa said sadly as she fiddled with the t shirts in hand

"This is your life now. There will be times we are called to serve in very hostile places. Sometimes we leave at a moments notice." Luna said

"I know, you guys were always gone," Lexa said thinking back to how lonely the past few years had been since her sisters enlisted

Anya threw a pair of rolled up socks at her sister "Don't get all sappy on us now," She said

Lexa rolled her eyes and threw the socks into her bag.

~four hours later~

After what felt like an eternity, she was finally loading up into the plane to head home. It was a long flight, one that she slept through in its entirety. Once the plane landed in the states, Lexa was let off and as she exited the ramp, people all stood with their hand over their hearts. Lexa awkwardly moved away from the group of onlookers.

They acted as if she was some kind of hero. She hadn't even done anything worth a standing ovation. All she had accomplished was making it through basic and flight school. She looked around the rather large crowd until she spotted two familiar figures. Lexa adjusted her bag on her shoulder and moved forward with a sense of purpose.

"There she is!" Jake said with a laugh

Lexa smiled as Jake pulled her in for a bear hug

"Don't suffocate her," Abby said as she shook her head with a chuckle

Lexa's parents had been out of town when she called them about her leave. They were on their way back home to catch her while she was home but they wouldn't make it here until nightfall. So Lexa decided to call the only other person she knew to see if she could hitch a ride. She explicitly told them not to tell Clarke. She wanted to surprise her. Jake let Lexa go and took the duffle bag off her shoulder.

"This thing gets heavier and heavier each time," He said with a huff as he slung it around his shoulder

"Are you hungry Alexandria? Jake's been talking about food the entire time here," Abby said

"I could always eat Mrs.G," Lexa said

Jake grinned and they all set off towards the car. They ate at one of Jake's favorite places. It was a little pizza place up the road from the Griffin household. Lexa felt a little weird being out in public in her uniform with everyone staring and pointing at her.

"What time will Clarke be home?" Lexa asked

"She should be home a little later tonight. She has some group project with this boy uh what's his name?" Jake asked looking to Abby while snapping his fingers

"Ethan," Abby said in an annoyed tone as she rolled her eyes

"I take it we do not like Ethan?" Lexa asked

"He has the IQ of a squirrel," Abby said

Lexa almost choked on the milkshake she was sipping on. Abby rubbed the girl's back as Lexa regained her bearings. After eating, they headed towards the Griffin's home.

"Would you like us to stop by your parents so you can pick up your car?" Abby asked

"I think it would give it away that i'm here. Clarke and I can swing by there tonight when my parents are home," Lexa says

"Not too late tonight, it's a school night and she has a big test-" Abby went to say

"tomorrow, I know," Lexa said with a smile

Abby's mouth twitched into a smile. Though the girl's relationship with her daughter caught them by surprise, Alexandria seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She knew the girl loved Clarke. She could see it in the way she looked at her. But she could also see how sad Clarke has been with the brunette gone.

"So... how long do you plan on staying in the military?" Abby asked

Lexa shrugged her shoulders "I'm not sure. I figured i'd see how the first contract goes and we can reevaluate from there. I'm going to enroll in college still," She says

Abby nodded thoughtfully. They arrived at the house.

"Is it okay if I shower and take a nap?" Lexa asked

"Sure honey. I'll make some cookies while we wait for Clarke to get home," she said

Jake carried her bag upstairs to Clarke's room and set it down. Lexa followed closely behind him

"The rooms still apply. Door stays open when you're both in her room," Jake says sternly

"Yes sir," Lexa said

Jake gave her a wink and went back downstairs. Lexa unlaced her boots. She grabbed one of Clarke's oversized t shirts and a pair of her underwear that the brunette must have left here at some point or another and headed to the bathroom. She stripped off her uniform and hopped into a much needed shower. She had spent most of the day in a plane. After washing her hair and body thoroughly in water that was much hotter than she was used to, she got out and threw on the underwear and shirt. She put her clothes in a pile next to her boots and then climbed into Clarke's bed and let sleep consume her.

Clarke came home a few hours later undetected by her parents who were arguing in the garage.

"You weren't supposed to be eating those. Those were for the girls," Abby chassied

"I only had one," Jake said through a mouthful of cookie

Abby put a hand on her hip and gave him the look

He swallowed his food "Fine, I may have had a few," He said holding his hands up in defense

"Let's go upstairs," Clarke said to Ethan as they passed by her parents bickering

She just wanted to get through this project as fast as possible so she could sit by her phone and wait for Lexa to call her. That had become her nightly routine. Coming home from school and taking a shower and then just waiting. She didn't mind though. She looked forward to those short phone calls. She opened the door the sat on the bed. She didn't notice the small figure curled up into a ball under the comforter. Lexa moved and let out a small huff of air as she buried her head further into a pillow.

Clarke shot up off the bed in alarm, causing Ethan to take a few steps back. He tripped over Lexa's duffle bag and fell backward. Clarke saw the familiar army issued duffle bag and then a set of boots and clothes next to it. She turned her eyes back to the bed.

"Lexa?" Clarke asked as she pulled back the comforter

Lexa's brows furrowed together "Five more minutes," she mumbled trying to pull the comforter back over her

Clarke sat on the edge of the bed and cupped Lexa's face. She ran her thumbs along her rosy cheeks.

"Baby," Clarke said sweetly

Green eyes fluttered opened. Clarke watched as her face went from being scrunched up in annoyance to softening when seeing the blonde.

"You're home," Lexa rasped before letting out a tiny yawn

"I could say the same about you," Clarke whispered

Lexa smiled and leaned forward to connect their lips. Clarke sighed contently into the kiss.

Ethan awkwardly cleared his throat. Lexa pulled back and sat up straight in the bed.

"Who is this?" She asked

"Lexa, this is Ethan. My science partner. Ethan this is Lexa," Clarke said

"Her girlfriend," Lexa quickly added

Ethan rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he got up off the ground

"Why don't I just send you the project. You can just put your name on it," Clarke said

Ethan went to open his mouth but Lexa spoke up

"That's an excellent idea Clarke. It was nice meeting you Ethan. Better get going now, it's getting late," Lexa said

Clarke stifled a laugh at her girlfriend's jealousy. Ethan practically ran out the door.

"What was that about?" Clarke asked

"I was once your science partner Clarke and look at where that lead," Lexa said

Clarke shook her head and laughed as she straddles her girlfriends lap "You're the only partner I want," she whispered between kisses along the brunettes neck

Lexa threaded her hand into Clarke's hair and tilted her head to allow better access. Right as the blondes hands made their way under Lexa's shirt to find no bra, Jake yelled from the doorway causing both of them to jump in fright.

"Keep your hands to yourselves girls. Cookies are downstairs," He says before turning around to head downstairs

Clarke gave a quick squeeze to Lexa's breasts before removing her hands

"I can't believe he just walked in on you feeling me up," Lexa groaned as she buried her face in Clarke's neck

"I'm sure it won't be the worst thing he'll walk in on at some point." Clarke said

"Clarke," Lexa whined

"Girl's come downstairs before Jake eats all the cookies!" Abby called out

"Last one downstairs does dishes," Clarke says before shoving Lexa back onto the mattress and taking off down the stairs in a fit of laughter as she knocked into her father on the way down

Lexa chuckled and got out of the bed. She searched Clarke's drawers until she found a pair of sweatpants. She pulled them on and headed downstairs. She pulled a stool out at the kitchen island for the blonde. She pushed her in and then took a seat herself. Abby sat the warm plate of cookies in front of them.

"How was your nap?" Abby asked

Lexa swallowed the mouthful of cookie before speaking "Good. Thank you for allowing me to wait here until she got home," She said

"I can't believe you told them you were coming home but not me," Clarke said

"That would defeat the purpose of a surprise," Lexa said

The brunettes phone went off in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a text from her mother.

"They just landed," Lexa said

"Should we head over there?" Clarke asked

Lexa nodded and they got up off the stools but not before eating another cookie. Jake tossed Lexa his car keys. Clarke didn't have her drivers license yet. With intertwining hands, the young couple headed for the driveway. Abby and Jake followed shortly behind. Lexa opened the door for Clarke and then got into the driver's seat. The brunette refused to start the car until Clarke was buckled in.

"You're worse than my mother sometimes I swear," Clarke said

"Forgive me for taking your safety seriously," Lexa said as she started the car up and reversed out of the driveway

"I don't think i've ever been back here," Abby said looking around the back seat

"Me either," Jake said

"You could have driven mom," Clarke said

"Please, like he'd let me drive his baby. I'm surprised he let's Alexandria," Abby snorted

"That's because he loves Lexa. She's like the son he always wanted," Clarke said rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her chest

"That's not true princess," Jake said

"Are you jealous Clarke?" Lexa asked with the most beautiful laugh escaping her lips

"Only mildly," Clarke said as she stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend

"It's not his fault you can't tell a phillips from a flat head," Lexa deadpanned

Jake couldn't stifle his laugh fast enough earning an elbow from his wife

"Whatever," Clarke said

"If it makes you feel better, i'm pretty sure my mother loves you more than me," Lexa says

Clarke smirked at that. Indra adored her. When they first started dating, Indra always made comments about how Lexa never brought her around and was always instigating on where the blonde was. They were very close now. Indra checked in a lot when Lexa was gone.

After a short drive, they arrived in the driveway. The girl's got out of the car and Jake climbed into the driver's seat.

"We'll see you back at the house. Tell your parents we said hi," Jake said

"We will," Lexa called out

They watched Jake drive off and then they darted into the home. They knew the airport was an hour away so they had some time. Lexa threw Clarke over her shoulder and carried her up the stairs to her old bedroom. She kicked the door open and tossed Clarke onto the bed. She shut the door and locked it.

"Clothes off now," Lexa said as she lifted her shirt over her head

Clarke took in the brunettes bare breasts and licked her lips

"You first," the blonde husked out

Lexa raised a brow but nodded and fully stripped. Clarke held out her hand and Lexa took it. Her girlfriend pulled her onto the bed and gently laid her down onto the pillows.

"You are absolutely divine," Clarke murmured as she traced prominent collar bones

Lexa gave a shy smile "I've missed you," She says

"You've missed me or you've missed having sex?" Clarke chuckled as she cupped her girlfriends exquisite breasts

They were the perfect handful. Darker nipples pebbled into her palms.

"Both," Lexa replied in a whispered moan

"Tell me what you want," Clarke said as she leaned down and kissed along the long delicate neck

"You.... naked..." Lexa stuttered out as her eyes fluttered shut

Clarke stripped and laid herself onto of the brunette. Lexa was quick to flip their positions though, starling the blonde. Lexa looked unsure of her next move. Clarke took pity on her inexperienced love and went to put a hand between them but Lexa caught her wrist and put it above her head. The blonde looked up to see blown pupils.

Lexa wasn't dominant in bed, at least as far as they had experienced together which wasn't a lot. Their first time together was Lexa's first time ever with anyone. She left for boot camp shortly after, meaning they've only had a handful of sexual experiences together.

Lexa was usually her soft bottom. She was still learning what she liked and didn't like. Seeing this little bit of dominance turned Clarke on like never before.

Lexa's mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her voice "I want to try something... something new... well new to me," she said quietly with unease

Clarke nodded rapidly not caring what is was they were about to do. Lexa looked at Clarke apprehensively before moving them into the position she wanted. One of Clarke's legs was against Lexa's body. The brunette brought her dripping core down against the blondes and let out a shaky breaths as she gave an experimental hip role rubbing both their cores together.

"Oh," Lexa moaned in surprise at the amazing feeling she got from this position

Clarke gripped the sheets tightly not wanting to aide Lexa in her new discovery. She liked for her to figure things out for herself.

"Yes," Clarke said as she threw her head back

Lexa put her hands on Clarke's gifted chest and gave another roll of her hips. It took a few awkwardly uncoordinated rolls before she found her rhythm. Once she did, they both reached their climax embarrassingly fast.

Lexa's body stilled as she began to tremble. Her eyes shut tightly as her mouth dropped open unable to form words until a broken gasp left her mouth.

"You're okay baby," Clarke said coming down from her own high

Lexa flopped down on the bed next to her to regain herself. Clarke turned them both onto their sides and spooned Lexa. The brunettes eyelids grew heavy and she let sleep consume her.

They woke to the sound of the door slamming shut. Lexa shot out of the bed and quickly shook the blonde awake. They cleaned themselves up in Lexa's bathroom and grabbed their clothes. Lexa gave Clarke a clean pair of underwear to change into. Lexa threw on her old soccer team sweatshirt and a pair of cotton shorts. Clarke put her original outfit on and they headed downstairs.

Indra pulled Clarke in for a hug while Gustus put Lexa in a headlock.

"There you are kiddo," Gustus said ruffling her mess of curls

Lexa quickly got out of the hold surprising her father and gave him a cocky grin

"No wrestling in the house you two," Indra said shaking her head as she let Clarke go

"What would you girl's like for dinner?" Indra asked

"Can we just order something in?" Lexa asked

She was very tired still and she knew Clarke had to work on her science project.

"What would you like?" Indra asked as she pulled Lexa in for a hug and kissed the side of her head

Lexa relaxed into her mother's embrace. She wasn't sure what awaited her when she went overseas for the first time. She was worried that Luna was right. That they weren't prepared enough.

"Chinese?" Lexa asked

"Clarke?" Indra asked making sure the blonde was okay with the choice

"I'm fine with that as long as she doesn't hog all the egg rolls this time," Clarke said

Lexa chuckled "Deal," She said

After eating with her parents, Lexa and Clarke said their goodbyes for the night. Lexa grabbed the keys to her jeep and they jumped into the vehicle. Lexa cupped Clarke's cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss.

"What was that for?" Clarke murmured

"Do I need a reason to want to kiss you?" Lexa asked with a raised brow

Clarke smiled and leaned in for another kiss "I guess not," she said before locking lips with her love

They eventually made their way back to the Griffins house. Lexa and Clarke stayed up working on the science project. It took a lot longer to complete than either girl anticipated.

"I'm surprised they teach organic chemistry now at school," Lexa said looking at the book

"Yeah and we thought chemistry was bad huh?" Clarke asked

"It wasn't all that bad. I got you out of it," Lexa said as she nudged shoulders against her girlfriend

"Who would have thought," Clarke said

Lexa sighed and got up off the bed. She felt like she was being dishonest with her girlfriend knowing that she was going into a war and not telling her.

"What's wrong? did I say something?" Clarke asked in a small voice

Lexa sat down on the bed and took Clarke's hands in her own "You've done nothing wrong Clarke. I haven't been honest with you," She said

"About... what?" Clarke asked fearfully

Her mind jumped to a million conclusions. All of which made her heart clench.

"We received orders this last week of flight school. Our unit is going overseas when I return from here," Lexa said

"To where?" Clarke said no louder than a whisper as a lump formed in her throat

"Afghanistan," Lexa said confirming Clarke's worst fears

"When?" Clarke asked

She had been so afraid to ask Lexa how long she was even here for since seeing her in her bed. She knew it wasn't forever but the answer her girlfriend gave her was even shorter than she imagined.

"I have two more days after today," Lexa said

"That's it?" Clarke croaked out

Lexa gave her a sad look and pulled the blonde into her arms as a sob escaped her girlfriends throat.

"Shhh I know Clarke," Lexa said as tears pricked her eyes

She hated that she was the one to cause Clarke pain.

"But you just got here," Clarke cried out as she fisted Lexa's oversized shirt

"And i'll be back before you know it," Lexa said reassuringly

The brunette continued to hold her girlfriend until her cries turned into light sniffles. Lexa pulled back and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind the girls ear before kissing her forehead.

"Let's finish this so we can get some sleep," Lexa said

Clarke nodded and wiped her eyes. After finishing the project, both girls changed into pajamas and climbed into bed. Clarke laid her head on Lexa's chest and let herself be lulled to sleep by the constant beat of the brunettes heart. Jake and Abby stopped by the doorway on their way to bed. Both girls were fast asleep and tangled up in one another. They shut off the hall light and went to their room.

~The following morning~

Lexa grunted as she sprinted the last stretch of her morning run. She had been awake since 6am and decided to continue her workouts while on leave. She started with lifting weights in the backyard. Jake had the basics back there. Lexa had always used them more than anyone else in the house. Sometimes she would entertain a workout with Jake.

After doing weights, she did her six mile run, and now she was going to finish off with a light ab workout. She came back into the house and took off her dirty shoes and set them by the door. She padded her way into the kitchen and peeled off the drenched shirt and put it over one shoulder.

She turned on the coffee maker and made a fresh cup of coffee. Abby was long gone by this time. She did early morning surgeries and Jake was probably up and tinkering with things in his workshop.

"Good morning to you," Clarke husked looking intently at the glistening muscles on her girlfriend

Lexa smiled and sat the cup of coffee in front of the blonde "Good morning," She said back

Clarke took a sip of her coffee and her eyes followed the brunettes movements around the kitchen. Lexa kissed Clarke's forehead before murmuring that she needed a shower.

She licked her lips as she watched Lexa's tight ass move in her spandex shorts up the stairs. She heard the shower start a moment later and she decided she needed to cool off. She made her way up the stairs abandoning her coffee and striped her clothes off. She carefully padded across the hall to the bathroom and slipped in unnoticed. She walked into the shower and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"God you're so sexy," Clarke said

Lexa yelped and dropped the bottle of body wash being frightened from the person who just invaded her shower

"Jeez you're going to give me a heart attack Clarke!" Lexa whisper yelled

"Well let me help you relax then," Clarke husked out as she took over soaping up Lexa's body

"You're going to get us in trouble," Lexa said worriedly

"I like trouble remember?" Clarke asked as she began to kiss along Lexa's neck

Lexa let out a soft moan and threaded her hand through the blondes hair

There was a loud knock on the door "Clarke?" Jake asked

Clarke covered Lexa's mouth with one hand and then ran her other hand down Lexa's abs and along the small patch of curls before reaching her destination. She inserted two fingers into the already wet core. Lexa's head dropped onto the blondes shoulder and she bit down into pale flesh to muffle her whimpers.

"Yeah?" Clarke called out

"Do you know where Lexa is? I wanted to show her something," Jake said

"Uh she went on a run I think," Clarke replied she used her free hand to grab Lexa's ass cheek and pull her impossibly close

Lexa's body shook as she rapidly approached her orgasm

"Alright, well hurry up in there. I'm sure Lexa wants to spend time with her family after she drops you off," Jake said

"Okay dad," Clarke called back

They heard the footsteps walking away and Lexa shuddered against the blonde as she finally came. Clarke supported the brunettes body weight against her and helped bring her down from her high as she circled the girl's clit.

"I need a few minutes," Lexa said through deep breaths

"I'm okay baby. This morning was all about you," Clarke said as she pressed a kiss to Lexa's forehead

"But you didn't..." Lexa said trailing off

"We don't have time. You can repay me tonight," Clarke said as she pulled back and started to wash herself quickly

Lexa pouted adorably earning a chuckle from the blonde

"Why don't we go somewhere when i'm off school and you can have your way with me?" Clarke asked

Lexa nodded in agreeance

They quickly got out of the shower and dressed before heading downstairs. Lexa grabbed her cup of coffee and car keys before heading for the door. Lexa dropped Clarke off at the highschool before heading back to her home to spend the day with Indra. Little did Lexa know she'd end up doing hard labor all day with her father. It seems the months she's been gone, the household to do list had added up.

Clarke was out of school before either of them knew it. Lexa drove them down to the beach. They walked hand in hand down the pier as the sun started to set. Clarke sat on top of the railing. Lexa pulled out their polaroid camera and snapped a photo. She waved the film back and forth until the image appeared. Lexa smiled at it.

"Simply beautiful," Lexa said

Clarke grabbed the marker from the polaroid carrying case and wrote the date on the back of it along with a sweet note. She handed it over to Lexa.

"I want you to take this with you. A reminder of what you have waiting for you at home," Clarke said

"I think i'd remember better if there was less clothing involved," Lexa said cheekily

Clarke shoved the brunette and gave a fake scowl. Lexa laughed and wrapped her arms around the blonde.

"I don't think i'd ever forget someone like you baby," Lexa said as she peppered the side of Clarke's face with kisses

They stayed long after the sun went down before making their way back to the car.

Chapter Text

A month has passed. 31 days, 730.001 hours, 43800 minutes, and 2,628,288 seconds to be exact. To Clarke it felt so much longer than that. It felt as if time had slowly gone by at the pace of the paint drying on her canvas. You see life carried on each day without Lexa by her side. Whether she wanted it to or not. Some days Clarke just wanted to tell the world to go fuck itself. Getting out of bed became a struggle. She lived solely for those rare phone calls and early morning emails from Afghanistan.

It wasn't all bad though. Her girlfriend's parents had been by her side so far. They came over once a week for dinner and while she appreciated the thought, it just made reality sink in further looking over at the empty chair next to her. Sometimes she could picture that soft smile that was solely reserved for her. She could see the brunette fluster under the intense gaze she'd give. She found herself smiling at the thought before the clinking of wine glasses snapped her out of her haze, her smile dropping in the process and the heavy weight sinking in once again. Indra and Gustus gave her a sympathetic look.

"Excuse me," Clarke choked out before getting up and heading up the stairs

Jake sighed and Abby went to get up before Indra placed a hand on her forearm

"I'm more experienced in this department. Let me talk to her," she said

Abby nodded and Indra quietly made her way up the stairs. She knocked on the door and heard the soft sniffles on the other side of the door. Indra opened the door to find Clarke staring at the frame photo of the blonde and her daughter. It was taken at Lexa's high-school graduation. Indra took a seat on the edge of the bed and put a soft hand on Clarke's knee.

"It's always hard the first couple of times," Indra says

"Does it ever get easier?" Clarke asked

"No... but you learn to not feel as empty as time goes on. She'll come and go just as Anya and Luna did. The times she's home, it'll almost make you forget about how your heart ached everyday she was gone. But you'll see how happy she is serving her country and making a difference and you won't feel resentment towards her time away. It takes time but it won't feel as it does now child," Indra replies

Clarke huffed "She emails me... who still uses email?" She asked

Indra laughed "You might not believe me but you'll be using email for the rest of your life once you're out of school," she says

Clarke thought it was rather outdated. No more outdated though than the handwritten letters she sometimes gets. Although, she can't help but reread those on some of her harder days. Lexa's beautiful cursive flowing so eloquently on each page telling her about her day... well as much as she can tell her. Unfortunately, Clarke had no real clue as to where Lexa even was. She just knew she was somewhere in Afghanistan and for now it had to be enough.

~Lexa's Pov~

Thousands of miles away the brunette was on the top of the Humvee car hood popping sunflower seeds into her mouth with one hand and reading her book with the other as her feet dangled back and forth. Clarke had taken her to the bookstore before she flew out. She was like a kid in a candy store but Clarke said she could only take one with her for now but that she'd try and send her new ones as she finished them. Lexa had already re read this one five times but she didn't want her girlfriend to spend money on her.

Lincoln nudged her foot "Time to roll out," he said

Lexa marked her place in her book and quickly got off the Humvee and straightened up as her unit came over. Anya snatched the bag of sunflower seeds and gave her a wink before climbing in the passenger seat. Lexa grumbled and got in the back between Quint and Lincoln. Ryder was on the torrent gun and Luna climbed in the driver's seat because apparently the boys are banned from driving after their last deployment. Nobody would tell her what happened but she assumed nothing good.

"We're going to patrol sector 8," Luna informed

"There's been reports of IEDs so be on the lookout for anything suspicious like wires in the road, people possibly relaying our location. Things can turn hostile in a moment's notice so please do not be caught with your pants down..." Anya added

"Hope you peed already kid," Quint said

Lexa rolled her eyes "All squared away, thanks for your concern," she said

"Switch to channel 4 on the radios," Luna said

Everyone changed them over and tested out their connection. The Humvee left clouds of dirt in its wake along the long stretch of dirt roads. Lexa tucked her book safely under her seat and she pulled out the photo of Clarke that she kept in her breast pocket of her Cami's. Quint snatched it and Lexa gasped.

"Give it back!" She said as she reached for it

Quint pressed her face away from him and whistled "Well they sure don't make em like that anymore," he said

"She's underaged you creep!" Lexa snapped

"Give her back the photo and behave Quint or you'll have cleaning duty for the week," Luna said snapped out leaving no room for argument

Quint grumbled and handed it over. He didn't like how they protected her all the time. She was a newbie and newbies got hazed. He didn't however know that Lexa's girlfriend was that young. Clarke had looked at least eighteen to him but that was beside the point. He was just trying to pick on her.

Anya handed Lexa her a lighter and the young brunette looked at her completely at a loss.

"That photo tells the enemy you have a weakness to exploit and can make her a target if they have enough resources to plan an attack. You should never take personal items off base. If someone captures you or gets ahold of it, it can be problematic. Burn it," she said

"I'll hide it. I'm not burning it, it's all I have of her," Lexa said

Anya went to speak but Luna cut her off "Enough. Lexa will handle it. We'll be there soon enough and I want eyes peeled," Luna said

Lexa pulled out her pocket knife and took off her helmet. She put a small unnoticeable hole along the seam. She carefully worked the photo into the helmet and looked it over to ensure it was disguised enough. She gave a worried look to Lincoln but he gave her a reassuring smile. Lexa put her helmet back on and pocketed the knife. They approached sector 8 after a quiet 40-minute ride. It was through the ruins of what looked like a town. A town that had seen years of warfare. Luna parked the Humvee and got out, swinging the door and pointing her gun to look through the scope. She scanned her side and then looked over to Anya who had done the same and gave her a nod.

"Ryder stay on the torrent, Quint provide cover. Lexa with me, Anya with Lincoln."

"East or West?" Lexa asked

Luna held out a fist and Anya held her out with a small smirk. They rock paper scissored for it. Luna won and inclined her head to the east.

"Come on squirt," Luna said Striding forward

Lexa jogged quickly to catch up

"Gun up at all times," Luna said

"Right," Lexa said clearing her throat as she put her gun up

"I'm not judging you. This isn't a test but this is life and death every-time we are out here. Trust your instincts and communicate with me," Luna said

Lexa nodded. They approached the first building and began to clear it. They continued to clear building by building until they found what they were looking for. Luna carefully moved the debris out of the way and exposed a set of bombs.

"Turn your radio off now," Luna said quickly as she shut hers off

Lexa shut hers off and took a few steps backward

"Let's get out of the blast radius and call it in so they can get the bomb tech out here," Luna said

As they were walking out, Quint spotted a man in the distance. He looked through his sniper scope.

"I have a male to the north at 3 o'clock. Appears to be pulling out something," Quint said over the comms

"Come on kid," Luna said walking forward quickly

"I'm going," Lexa said trying to match her sisters' steps

"What do you want me to do Woods?" Quint asked over the comms

"Sis?" Anya said over the radio

"He had a cell phone-" Quint went to say before a loud explosion went off

Gun fire erupted in the distance

"Contact!" Ryder called out as he returned fire

"Dammit," Anya hissed as she tried to exit the house before bullets rang out and she pulled her and Lincoln down behind a sofa

Lexa was gasping for air as she rested her back against the concrete wall. This was gunfire... real gunfire. This wasn't some drill. That building they were just in was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Luna flipped on her radio and reached over to turn on Lexa's.

"Talk to me," Luna called out

"So nice of you to join us," Ryder replied

"Fire coming from the north and east. Unclear on numbers," Anya said

"We're going to find some high ground and radio for backup," Luna said

"10-4," Anya said

"Let's move. That building over there has a roof. We need to radio base and get air support. They'll want coordinates and numbers. Stay close to me and cover my back, I'll have the front. I move, you move," Luna said

Lexa gulped and fixed the gun in her sweaty hands. Luna didn't have time to coddle her today.

"Let's move," Luna said

They carefully made their way into an alleyway. Gunfire erupted and Luna pulled Lexa forward with her and threw them to the ground inside the building.

"Son of a bitch," Luna hissed as she pressed a hand to her vest

"You're shot," Lexa said with wide eyes

"It hit the vest, it just knocks the wind out of you for a minute," Luna grunted out as she got up and peered around the doorway to kill two men in the distance

Lexa got up with her gun

"Let's move. They'll be more," Luna said as she headed for the stairs with her gun aimed up

She met the end of the first set of stairs and nodded for Lexa to move in front of her so she would cover her. Lexa pointed the trembling gun upward and slowly climbed the next set of stairs. Luna glanced down and back up as she followed closely behind her sister. After four flights of stairs, they kicked the door open to the roof. They could see the fire fight across the ways. Luna pulled out her scope and estimated the enemy numbers.

"Unit 314 to base. Unit 314 to base, do you copy?" Luna asked

"Copy 314." The dispatcher replied

"314 requesting CAS (close air support) in sector 8. We estimate 40 Taliban rebels. Area is hot. Approach with caution," Luna said before relaying coordinates

"Copy 314. ETA 20 minutes." The dispatcher informed

"Lima Charlie (loud and clear)," Luna replied

"Now what?" Lexa asked

"We take out the enemy from above. I hope you've been taking your range time seriously," Luna said as she laid on the roof and looked through the scope before firing off a shot.

Lexa was baffled. That target was further than anything she had ever tried to shoot in training.

"I don't think I can shoot a target that far," Lexa admitted quietly

"Well now's a good as any to get some practice in." Luna said

Lexa took in a deep breath and got down opposite of Luna and squinted through her scope. She could see the men firing at her unit. She pulled the trigger and watched the bullet hit in the distance of her intended target. The man looked at the ground where the bullet hit and then pointed his gun towards her direction. She fired off another four shots, missing each time. The man had returned fire and hit the door behind her. She looked wide eyed behind her.

"Focus. Deep breath in, open your jaw slightly and fire. Account for the distance a little." Luna said

Lexa put all her concentration into her next shot and she watched the man drop. She just killed a man... She didn't have much time to process that though because the fire just kept coming.

"How we doing?" Luna asked

"Just peachy," Quint called back

"7 for 7 sis, what do you have?" Anya asked

Luna quickly fired off six shots in succession and watched them drop like flies "10," she said

"Show off," Quint called back

"Lex?" Anya asked

"O... one," Lexa stuttered out

"First kill. That's always a hard one." Anya said

Lincoln hadn't even fired a shot yet. He froze. Soon they heard the helicopter blades in the distance.

"Cavalry's here," Luna said

"Let it rain boys!" Quint called out with a laugh

"Returning fire 314, standby," The pilot called out over the comms

"We're too close," Lexa said worriedly to Luna as she looked up and saw the helicopter hovering over them

"We're fine. Come on," Luna said as she got up and pulled Lexa into the doorway by the stairs

"Cover your ears kid," she said as she pulled out a cigarette and a lighter

She lit it and took a deep inhale of it as the gunfire rained down from the helicopter. Lexa plugged her ears and coughed as smoke filled the air. The shells rained down on the roof and ground as it continued to fire. After getting the all clear from the pilot, they did a ground search to confirm the threat was neutralized while the helicopter hovered above and scanned the area.

"All clear. Pack it up," Luna said

"Captain Mccollins radioed from base. He said 314 is RTB," The pilot relayed

"Copy. Thanks for saving our asses. I have a warm beer waiting for you back on base," Luna said

They loaded up in the Humvee and headed back. Lincoln was quiet the whole way home. Luna Anya spoke quietly in trig. Lexa grabbed her book and tucked it into her cargo pant pocket. She was surprised Quint didn't try to mess with her on the way back. They debriefed and then were dismissed for the night. Lexa grabbed her food from the mess hall and engulfed it before making her way to the computer room. She waited patiently in line. Eventually it was her turn. She quickly typed in Clarke's skype and waited for her to pick up. It went unanswered unfortunately. Clarke's phone had died and she didn't realize it at the time. Lexa sighed and quickly logged into her email.

Dear Clarke,

I hope you are well my love. I'm sure you are beating yourself up about missing my call as you're reading this. I just wanted to hear your voice... I'm not sure what I imagined when I was told I was deploying out here. I wonder if what we are doing makes a difference or if we are just causing unnecessary casualties. If we are provoking them to fight back by just existing here. I love my country but I wonder what we consider as acceptable retribution for the attacks on our land. How do we know when our job is done?

Lexa took a deep breath and deleted everything she just typed. She started again.

Dear Clarke,

It's Friday which means it's family dinner night where you are. I wish nothing more than to be there with you but I am glad you are in good company regardless. I knew the call would be a long shot and I don't want you to beat yourself up about missing it. There will be more for us. Things are stable here. Send mom and dad my love,

- Private Alexandria Woods

She hit send and logged out to give someone else a chance to contact home. Though things were technically stable in terms of being in the middle of a war, it didn't mean Lexa wasn't concerned. Patrols were becoming more hostile by the reports they've been hearing all over base.

The next few weeks were rather uneventful until Lexa finally got behind the pilot's seat. They were transporting a team back to base from a mission to give Lexa and Lincoln more practice in the air when they got an incoming call for air support. There was an attack on sector 10.

"Alright, hang a right and bring us back that way," Luna instructed

"I have the controls," Lexa said

Luna took her hand off the joystick "You have control," she said

Lexa took a deep breath and guided them towards the location of the dispatch call they had received. Lincoln and Ryder were in a bigger aircraft next to them that held the bulk of the unit they picked up earlier. It took them about thirty minutes to reach the area of conflict.

"I want boots on the ground to bring in their wounded. Drop us off somewhere close if you can," The captain called out to Luna

"Copy," Luna replied

She relayed to Ryder to start laying down cover while she hovered off in the distance a bit to deploy ropes and let the soldiers propel down.

"Hold her steady sis," Luna warned

Lexa bit her lip and concentrated on trying to keep the helicopter from swaying. They got the all clear from the captain and Luna instructed Lexa to pull up and head west before redirecting the front towards the oncoming fire.

"Our biggest concern is our wings and engine. We do not want to be shot out of the sky." Luna said

Lexa ghosted her thumb over the trigger and awaited command

"Light em up," Luna said

Lexa rained down cover fire to allow the soldiers below to retrieve their own. Ryder and Lincoln launched RPGS and cover fire to take out the bulk of the enemy.

"Keep us moving so they can't lock on," Luna said

"I'm trying," Lexa said

"RPG RPG!" A soldier called out

"I have controls," Luna said before hitting a button and switching off Lexa's controls

"Deploy the mortars when I say," Luna said as she pulled up on the joystick

Lexa waited until she heard the command and hit the button. The RPG made contact and blew up dangerously close to them.

"My turn," Luna said with a determined grin of her face as she pushed down and sent them forward

"Fuck Woods!" Quint hissed as he fell forward into the back of her chair

She evaded and fired back expertly to the ground attack

"It's a good thing you are wearing your harness huh?" Luna asked

She had yelled at him to put one on and attach himself to the helicopter thirty minutes ago. It was a packed chopper and while everyone else had actual seats, Quint did not.

"Yeah yeah," Quint grumbled

"Alright Lex, I want you to take out the north side there," Luna said

"I have the controls?" Lexa said as more of a question

"Show them what happens when they mess with our brothers and sisters in arms," Luna said

Lexa launched the mortars towards the large group and scanned the remaining area for other threats. The fire fight ceased after two hours. They had suffered two casualties and three injuries. They headed back to base and debriefed before being set free for the night. Lexa immediately got her food from chow hall before they stopped serving for the night and she headed to her room. She ate quickly before showering and throwing on a clean uniform. She slipped on her boots and grabbed her gun before heading to the computer room. She logged in and saw Clarke had sent an email.

Hey beautiful,

We must stop playing this game of phone tag... or email tag? How I'd give anything to hear your voice right now. You'll be happy to know my mom sent you some of her famous chocolate chip cookies and my dad may have thrown in a thing or two to keep you entertained. I hope you're being safe baby. I miss you so much and I'm already looking forward to your leave once this tour is up. Call me sometime stranger <3

-Clarke

Lexa exited her email and pulled up skype. She looked at her watch before hitting the dial button. Clarke came on the screen moments later with a smile on her face. She looked utterly exhausted and it concerned the brunette.

"Hey," Lexa said

"Hey baby," Clarke replied

"Did I wake you?" Lexa asked

Clarke shoot her head "I've been up. I was studying for my exam," she said

"Science or?" Lexa asked

"History," Clarke said

"Well lucky for you I'm a bit of a history buff," Lexa said

Clarke snorted "That's an understatement."

Lexa was fascinated by history when they were in high school. She suckered Clarke into many documentaries over different subjects and time periods.

"I miss hearing you laugh," Lexa said

Clarke gave her a soft smile "I know. I miss you too," She replied

Lexa quizzed her on her exam material before they sat and caught up on life. Lexa knew she would get cut off soon but she made the most of it until she was told it was time.

"Lexa!" Clarke chastised

"What? Just one," Lexa said

"I am not flashing you," Clarke whisper hissed

Lexa pouted and Clarke shook her head and laughed

"Just one," Clarke said

Lexa nodded rapidly and Clarke chuckled as she gave in to the request

"Ugh I can't wait to come home," Lexa groaned as she licked her lips

Clarke quickly covered up "Well you better hurry up and finish your deployment then private Woods," she said cheekily

Lexa sighed before blowing her girlfriend a kiss "Six more months baby," she said

"Six months," Clarke repeated

Lexa signed off the computer with the hope to get some sleep tonight. Or at least as much rest as she could. Mortars were being shot more often at the base during the middle of the night. The enemy was constantly tormenting them and trying to send a message to them. That they did not belong there. Lexa exited the tent with her gun slung around her back. She looked at the area surrounding the base. She headed to her barrack to get some sleep before the latest attack woke her. She hoped she'd at least get a full eight hours tonight.

She changed into her cotton pt. shorts and a black tank top before grabbing her book out of her discarded pants and set it on the nightstand next to her. She folded up her uniform neatly and placed her boots by her gun next to her bed. She carefully retrieved the photo of Clarke from her helmet and ran her finger over the photo before pressing a kiss to it and tucking it inside her book before letting sleep consume her.

She awoke to the alarms on base blaring and the sounds of people scrambling to get their boots on. Lexa fell out of the bed after her foot tangled in the scratchy military blanket.

"Fuck," Lexa hissed as she got to her feet and quickly got her boots on and grabbed her helmet

Luna thrusted the younger sister's gun into her chest "Follow me, stay close," She instructed

Lexa immediately collided into a figure once heading out of the barracks.

"They're back at it again I see," Lincoln said as he brushed the young girl off him

"What time is it?" Lexa asked

"4 am." Lincoln said

Lexa groaned

"Take position by the armory 314," Mccollins called out as he ran by

"Yes sir," Luna said before whistling and gathering her unit

They quickly made their way over there whilst dodging the blasts going off around them from the mortars hitting inside camp

"Is the base under attack for real this time?" Lexa asked

The enemy had been bold enough to launch mortars into their camp but not bold enough to launch an actual attack yet. They all knew it was a matter of time. They had been watching them take surveillance from a distance for weeks. Always tucked away in the mountain ridge that surrounded them but they were there. Watching and learning their ways. Learning how they react, shift changes, etc. They had resorted to changing up their shift rotations and patrols for that very reason.

"I don't know yet but we need to be prepared if it is," Luna said

They had been stationed in one of the most rural camps in Afghanistan. Outpost Keating was the name of it. The tricky part about their camp is that they were located at the bottom of a set of mountains in almost a bowl like shape. The surrounding area included two small rivers, highly populated Afghan villages and insurgents. Everyone had a bird's eye view of the base located at the bottom. They were extremely vulnerable here. They would get these random attacks either early in the morning or late into the night. It would cease after twenty minutes or so but it left everyone on edge always.

"Why do they keep doing this?" Lexa asked as she took position

Lincoln and Ryder launched counter mortar attacks on Luna's command

"They're testing us," Luna said

"For what?" Quint snorted

"To see how we react," Lexa said as her brows knitted together

"Well, we've been at it since we've arrived," Quint grumbled

As always, it ceased after about thirty minutes. The enemy gone like the wind and all that remained was the trail of smoke in the air. They awaited the all clear before heading back to the barracks. Anya climbed into her bed with her gun and Lexa crawled under the covers of her own bed and tried to fall back asleep. Sleep did not come easy though in a warzone.

They all woke four hours later and got dressed before reporting for duty. They had a mission to go complete. They were to bring water to a local school for the children. Part of their reason for being this far of an outpost was to try and end the hostility towards Americans. To improve the Afghans way of life and hopefully create a point in time where they fight back against an uprising from insurgents. For them to take back their own land and rights.

They drove in the Humvee to the nearest base to them to gain access to their aircrafts. Their outpost didn't hold aircrafts because of its vulnerable location. The helicopters were far too expensive to leave out in the open in a 360 view like that in the mountain dome.

Lexa started up the helicopter and they were on their way. She got to gain some experience flying through a stretch of jagged mountain along the ways before doing a difficult landing for her level of experience. She did get her ass chewed out for flying too close and not spotting a hidden ridge of the mountain. Luna immediately took over and chastised her. As they approached the drop off point, Luna let Lexa take over to practice her landing skills. It was a tight spot and as the helicopter jostled when it touched down, Lexa bit the inside of her cheek.

"A little rough on the landing kid," Quint commented rubbing the side of his head from where it hit the inside of the cabin upon touchdown

"She did fine," Luna said

"Alright, let's get in and out people. Keep the coms open," Anya said before hopping out

Her boots hit the dirt and she scanned the area before nodding for the rest to exit. Lexa went to unbuckle her seat belt but Luna stopped her.

"We drive the bus; they go in the field. That's what being a pilot is 90% of the time. We cannot leave the aircraft unattended," Luna said

Lexa took in a deep breath and buckled her seatbelt. She had this feeling like she was missing all the action sitting in the seat waiting. They flew to a more concealed area and shut off the chopper. Luna let out a yawn and rested her head back and told Lexa to listen for any communication from their unit over the coms.

Luna had served long enough to where she could fall asleep anywhere at any time. It was a gift really. There were days you'd go without sleep or food when in battle. Your body learns to adapt overtime but it meant that when she could catch a quick nap, she did. Although she didn't quite mean to fall asleep during their mission. She just had been so on edge with the teasing base attacks that she had been on high alert while her sisters slept soundly. The comms crackled and came to life and she could hear gunfire in the background

"We are under heavy fire on the east. Heavy fire on the east. There's a sniper in the distance. Too far to get a shot." Anya called out over the comms

"Son of a bitch. Come on!" Quint yelled out as he looked down his scope to try and find the enemy

They were cornered in a bad part of town. They came here to just bring water to school children but insurgents didn't like American soldiers on their land. They decided to make them leave once and for all.

"Requesting air support," Lincoln called out

"Luna," Lexa said as she turned on the helicopter

Her sister didn't budge from her slumber

"Ryders has been hit!" Quint called out

"Sis, where is the air support? do you copy? we're pinned down in an alleyway. I have two injured and Quint can't get a shot on this sniper." Anya yelled out

"Luna!" Lexa yelled out

She had no idea how she was asleep right now. Lexa cursed under her breath.

"Does anybody copy?" Anya called out

"Yes. We copy. Air support is on the way." Lexa said as she pulled up on the joystick

She had never flown solo before but she supposed there was a first time for everything. As she approached the area, she immediately came under fire.

"Chopper is taking heavy fire," Lexa called out as she tried to maneuver the helicopter to get closer

"We're doing the best we can to cover you," Anya said back

"Any Day now Woods before Ryder dies of blood loss," Quint says

Lexa muttered under her breath about how ungrateful they are. She got the chopper in a hover and started to return fire to the enemy. It wasn't an easy task keeping her height and gauging oncoming threats.

"Returning fire," Lexa called back a little delayed from the internal panic she was experiencing

"Get that sniper out Quint. Two fall back, the rest with me. We need to clear a spot for her to land." Anya called out

"Lexa, we're going to try and make a spot for you to land. You're doing great," Lincoln called out over the coms

The alarms started blaring in the helicopter. The panic began to set in with all the loud noises, the gunfire, and her team yelling in her ear. The helicopter began to nose dive forward as Lexa was losing control. Luna chose that exact moment to wake up.

"What's happening?" Luna called out as she grabbed the control in front of her

"So nice of you to join us," Lexa grunted out as she pulled up on her control with all her strength

"Pull!" Luna called out as she pushed up as hard as she could

"I'm trying!" Lexa cried out

They got the chopper to a decent altitude to observe the ground below. Luna quickly assessed the situation before speaking.

"We won't make it if we keep taking on fire. Can you hold us steady?" Luna asked

"I... I don't know." Lexa said shaking her head

"Well, I'd rather not fall out of thing so do your best," Luna said as she unbuckled herself and made her way to the torrent

"Luna!" Lexa called out

"I trust you. You can do this. Take us down a few feet, so they can climb, then line me up towards the enemy fire. I'll provide cover." Luna said as she threw down the ropes out of the chopper to their team below

Lexa swallowed and nodded "Ropes deployed. I'm going to hold our position here. Luna will provide cover. Get your asses up here." She spoke

"Lima Charlie Woods," Lincoln said

"Ha! I got that son of a bitch!" Quint said with a wicked grin pulling back from his scope

"Great now go climb the rope and when you're up, you'll pull Ryder up next," Anya said

Quint groaned. He hated the ropes. Anya smirked as she rounded the corner to help provide cover. Luna and Lexa worked like a well-oiled machine relaying and calling out commands to get the rest of their team to safety.

"Let freedom ring sis. Deploy the mortars but avoid the school building." Luna said

"Copy," Lexa said as she took aim and fired off. They watched the explosions from above and Lexa scanned the area and shook her head to Luna, signaling their fight was over for now

Luna held out her hand "Give me my headset," she said

Lexa handed it over with her free hand and Luna threw it over her ears.

"314 to base. 314 to base, do you copy? over." She spoke

"Copy 314, over," The dispatcher said

"I have two injured, one gsw on board. Seeking permission to go to nearest base, over." Luna said

There were a few moments of silence

"314 you are clear to land at nearest outpost, over." The dispatcher replied

Luna climbed into the pilot's seat and strapped in "I have the controls," she said

"You have the controls," Lexa said while letting out a deep breath and finally relaxing her racing heart

Luna flicked the switch on the controls to put the two of them on a private channel

"You did well today, Lex," she said sincerely

"Thank you," Lexa replied

"You can't tell anyone I fell asleep-" Luna went to say before Lexa cut her off

"I won't," Lexa said

Luna gave her a soft smile before returning her head forward "You're going to be one hell of a pilot one-day kid. You're doing better than I did when I started out but don't let that go to your head," she said

Lexa chuckled "Lima Charlie sis," she replied

Ryder was able to be treated on base and have the bullet removed. They stitched him up and then airlifted him to the military hospital they had at another location further away. The rest of them returned to base. Ryder was cleared for duty two weeks later. Normally a bullet was a trip home in most cases but Ryder had no interest in leaving his unit hanging. Lexa didn't know it at the time but this group would become her family. Each willing to lay their life down for the person beside them without a second thought.

Lexa was sitting playing card with her sisters when Quint came over and held out a beer to her. Lexa hesitated to take it.

"Nobody cares about age out here kid. If you're old enough to fight, you've earned the right to drink a warm shitty beer after a long day," Quint said

It was a peace offering. Lexa took it and gave him a nod.

"Do you want to be dealt in next?" Lexa asked

Quint took a seat next to her "Only if you want to lose kid," he said before elbowing her playfully

They laughed all night long over beers and Quint losing to the youngest in their unit. Lexa had quite the experience in card games from when her sisters returned home from deployments when she was in high school.

Chapter Text

~Months later~

Another day another bomb... or something like that Lexa thought. They were finding homemade IEDs and bombs more frequently on their patrols. It put them in a state of unease. Lexa let out a deep breath before carefully backing away from the wired mess in the dirt. She walked back towards the humvee and out of the potential blast radius before turning on her radio.

"Spotted one in the north quadrant." Lexa said over the crackling radio

"Copy. I'll radio it in. Sit tight and stay alert," Luna said

"10-4." Lexa said before opening one of the humvee doors and taking position to face the north

"Another one?" Lincoln questioned as he opened the back door and faced the opposite way of Lexa

Lexa hummed

"Think we'll get back in time for movie night?" Lincoln asked

Lexa's chapped lips quirked into a small smile and she rolled her eyes "You would be thinking of that," she said

"The girls are hot in the film tonight. I'm surprised you aren't more excited for it. You're a terrible Lesbian," Lincoln teased

Lexa's unit was aware of her sexuality but not anyone else on base. She didn't need to give people reasons to hate her more than they already do. She was a legacy and a woman on top of that. People wanted her to fail. Waited for her to make mistakes. Reid especially. He unfortunately arrived onto base recently. Seems he gave up on the idea of flight school after flunking out and now is on infantry. Boasted about how it's far more action and she was just a glorified bus driver.

Lexa knew that wasn't true though. She had helped numerous people over the past few months. They had taken point on a few missions with special ops. They didn't quite go off without a hitch. One in particular lingered on her mind as her hand itched to reached out to touch her lower abdomen.

~Special Ops mission flashback~

Luna and Lexa were in the pilot seats. They were transporting another unit and a special ops unit for a midnight mission. They hovered the chopper just above the ground and the men jumped out. Lexa watched intently as their leader barked out orders and his men followed without a peep of backtalk. She wondered what it took to get that level of respect.

"Package delivered. Going dark." Luna said to base before switching off the comms with base and turning to the channel they discussed prior to be on with special ops

They had two men in the back of their chopper to keep an eye on the surrounding area. There wasn't too many options to land the plane in this area so unfortunately they had to hope the mission didn't encounter any issues. They were there to pick up an asset supposedly. Lexa knew it was classified and she couldn't ask questions. She was just a private afterall.

They heard gunfire over the comms and yelling. Luna quickly put a hand on her gun holster and listened intently.

"It's a trap! move back move back!" A man yelled as more gunfire erupted

They were sitting ducks awaiting orders. Lexa didn't like the feeling.

"Talk to me Charlie," Luna said

"We've taken casualties... we were ambushed." He said through labored breaths

"How many Dawson?" The man behind them asked

"Too many. We're pulling out," Charlie said

"No. We can come to you and finish the mission. He will get away if we don't get him now," The man said

"Mccreary and I can come provide backup. Sawyer can stay with Lexa." Luna said

"I'm not babysitting," Sawyer scoffed crossing his arms

"Please, she'd be babysitting you." Luna retorted as she unbuckled her seatbelt

Sawyer had been asked to stay behind earlier because he was new on the squad and had the least experience. Luna outranked him easily and had quite a few big accomplishments under her belt. Her and Charlie went way back to their days in basic. Though they took different routes career wise, their paths always seemed to cross each other here and there. Truth be told Charlie requested Luna specifically for this mission. He didn't trust anyone more with a bird in the sky than her. They had served two wars together in the time Lexa was still in highschool.

"Alright enough. Woods and Mccreary meet us at checkpoint B. Sawyer you sit your ass and keep that plane safe. I hear a word of you messing with that girl and i'll let your ass walk back to base. Do you understand?" Charlie said

"Sir yes sir," Sawyer grumbled

Luna took off the pilot helmet and set it down. She quickly looked to Lexa.

"You'll be fine. Stay here and keep an eye out. Anything out of the ordinary you report it," Luna said

Lexa swallowed and nodded. Luna searched her eyes for a moment before quickly kissing her cheek

"May we meet again sis," Luna said before kicking open the helicopter door and shutting it behind her

She grabbed a gun from the back and moved quickly with Mccreary. It was silent for a while. Lexa caught a glimmer of something in the distance. She squinted her eyes and tried to look for it but couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"I think I saw something in-" she went to say before being cut off

"I doubt it. Just sit there and look pretty doll and we'll-" he went to say before a bullet rang out and broke through the front windshield and connecting with Lexa. She hissed and ducked as another bullet rangout

"Are you hit?" Sawyer yelled out as he maneuvered to peer out the side of the helicopter and fired back

"Vest... it hit the vest," Lexa choked out as she tried to catch her breath while pressing a shaky hand to her bleeding lower abdomen

"We have company," Sawyer said seeing vehicles approaching in the distance

"We need to call it in," Lexa said

"No. We need to handle it. They have their own mission to complete. This is national security kid. You do not want to be the reason we have to tell the president bad news tomorrow. So suck it up and pick up a gun. We're in for a hell of a firefight," He said

"What if I take us up? can you hold fire while I get us in the air?" Lexa asked

He quickly tethered himself to the railing in the chopper and gave her a nod before looking through his scope and firing back

Lexa flicked the switches on and the blades whirled to life

"C'mon c'mon," He muttered as he tried to hold off the fire from hitting anything important on the plane

Lexa spotted a man with an RPG in the distance and she quickly pulled her pistol and closed one eye. It was a far shot but what choice did she have? she took a deep breath and fired it through the hole that was already in the glass and watched the man in the distance collapse. She quickly tossed the gun in Luna's seat and pulled up on the lever to bring the wheels off the ground.

"You ever seen Wizard of Oz Sawyer?" Lexa asked

"What the hell you going on about Woods?" Sawyer asked over the sound of shells flying from the gun torrent he was using

Lexa maneuvered the chopper in a complicated spin that Luna referred to as a tornado. Which Lexa joked about it being like their old favorite movie. It was harder to accomplish in the bigger helicopter. She was flying in a CH47-F which was about three times the size of the blackhawks and apaches she trained on but she still made it work. She expertly dodged fire and put Sawyer in a good position to return his own.

"Firing deterrents in 3..2...1," Lexa said before hitting a button and letting flares go off to give the RPG coming at them something to lock onto other than their chopper. She pulled up and avoided the blast

"Take the line of the north east and line me up on the other side," Sawyer said

"Roger," Lexa said before moving into position

She aimed the gun controls and fired back. They worked in unison while down below inside the concrete structure, Luna and Mccreary were engaged in their own battle.

"Grenade Grenade!" Luna shouted before pulling him by the vest and throwing them into a doorway as it went off

Their ears rang and debris started to settle around them. Luna coughed as smoke filled her lungs.

"You good?" She asked

Mccreary grunted and nodded

"That's not good," Luna said looking at his leg

It had shratenal all embedded in it. She cursed and quickly pulled off her belt and wrapped it tightly above the wound. She pulled him up and threw one of his arms over her.

"Can you shoot still?" She asked

"Yeah," He hissed out

"Alright, let's move," Luna said

They took out the entire hall and met with Charlie at the end. They had the asset secured with his hands bound behind his back and a black bag over his head.

"Let's move," Charlie called out

Two of his men took Mccreary from Luna and they started evacuating the building. They were met with the sight of gunfire and explosions going off from above and below.

"What the hell are they doing up there?" Charlie asked

Luna watched with a sense of pride as the helicopter maneuvered the sky with practiced precision.

"I'm going to bring this thing down and you better get the hell on it or you're getting left behind," Lexa shouted over the comms

"Roger that sis," Luna chuckled

Charlie barked out orders for men to take position and provide cover fire so Lexa could get the plane down safely. They quickly loaded up and Luna climbed into the back.

"Go! go! go!" Charlie yelled out

Lexa pulled them up off the ground and got them out of reach from the gunfire below

"God damn that was some good flying Woods!" Sawyer praised before clapping the back of her shoulder

Charlie had gotten their dead aboard the chopper as well as the rest of the unit and the secret asset. The mission was a success by textbook but he didn't feel great about having to send some of his men home in a box to their families.

"Alright, settle down. Have some respect for the fallen," Charlie said

"Luna you need to get up here," Lexa said after a moment of silence

"You're doing fine, you don't need me," Luna said

"What's wrong kid?" Sawyer asked straightening up

"It didn't... it didn't hit the vest. I lied." Lexa said

Sawyer's eyes looked at her in disbelief

"What is she talking about?" Luna asked

"I've been hit," Lexa said

Luna quickly climbed over the seat and strapped in. She took over the controls while Sawyer pulled Lexa out of her seat and into the back of the chopper. Her vest was taken off and he opened her uniform jacket to assess the damage.

"Talk to me," Luna said

He pressed his hands to the wound "She's going to be fine. Just get us to the nearest base," he said

"Get him something to pack the wound," Charlie called out

He wasn't losing another person

"I'm sorry," Lexa gasped out

"I shouldn't have left you," Luna said before flipping on the communications and radioing in

They landed on a base nearby and Lexa was immediately taken to medical. They said she was lucky that it didn't hit anything major but nothing about being shot felt lucky. She was in the worst pain of her life and the base they landed on didn't even have numbing medicine or sedatives so she had to feel almost every stitch go in. Lexa passed out long before they finished poking and prodding her. Luna sat by her bedside in the medical tent.

While they were hours away, Anya fell in charge of the unit back at their home base. She got word of her baby sister from Luna and unfortunately had to be the one to call back home. They had been away from home far longer than planned. Lexa's deployment was supposed to be over months ago but due to the increasing warfare, it was postponed. It has been almost a year to date since she arrived overseas. Lexa's eyes opened after a day of being unconscious.

"Good Morning sunshine," Luna said

Lexa groaned in pain

"We're being moved back to our base late into tonight when it's safest to fly." Luna said

"How long am I going to be out?" Lexa asked

"Takes as long as it takes. You'll be monitored back at base and if they decide you need further medical assistance or you aren't deemed to return to active duty, they'll evac you home. As of now, the guys here said you should recover nicely." Luna said

Overall it wasn't too bad. She did get out of doing pretty much anything for a solid week. She got to call home more than she ever had. Luna managed to work out a system with the others on base to give Lexa a set time each day to call home. Anya had swung by earlier that morning to drop off a hot breakfast and coffee before they headed out for their patrols. The phone rang for a few moments before the line picked up.

"Hey," Lexa said as she adjusted herself on her pillows

"Hey soldier," Clarke replied

"How was school?" Lexa asked

"Thankfully almost done. We hit summer break next week. I can't believe a whole year has gone by," Clarke mused

Lexa hummed in agreeance

"How's your wound?" Clarke asked

She was not too thrilled to learn of Lexa's condition. She was even more upset when Lexa couldn't tell her what happened. It was all highly classified and her commanding sergeant said nothing can be talked about outside of the debriefing room they were put into prior to leaving that base and heading back to their home station.

"The doc said i'll be good as new in a few days," Lexa said

"Good as new to go running back off into gunfire you mean," Clarke muttered

Lexa sighed and Clarke shook her head before checking her emotions. She knew this time on the phone with Lexa was a gift and she shouldn't spend it arguing.

"I'm sorry... I just worry about you and you know how much I miss you," Clarke says

"I know baby." Lexa replied

Clarke was going to be entering junior year of highschool. It was time to start thinking about colleges and planning her future. Something that felt slightly empty not having her girlfriend with her for these things.

"I'm thinking of applying to Yale like you said," Clarke spoke after a few moments

"Yale huh?" Lexa perked up hearing

"Yeah this really beautiful brunette recommended it to me and I think I might take her up on it if she's there to help me move into my tiny dorm," Clarke said

"I can't make any promises Clarke... but I will if I can be there," Lexa said

"When do you get to come home?" Clarke asked

"I'm not sure," Lexa replied

She hadn't heard word on it but she knew it couldn't be that much longer considering they had already extended her six months from when she was supposed to go home. Jake knocked on the door and asked to speak with Lexa. He raved about a soccer game she had missed and Clarke rolled her eyes at the thought of Lexa thinking of soccer when she was laying in bed with a hole in her abdomen.

Lexa grew tired after a while and unfortunately told Clarke she was fighting off sleep. They dragged out saying their goodbyes before Lexa ultimately had to hang up the phone. She fell asleep clutching it against her chest. When she woke, Lincoln and Quint were wrestling in the barracks while Luna set down lunch for her and freshwater.

"They sure have a lot of energy today," Lexa rasped

"It was quite today. Nothing exciting. See, you aren't missing a thing," Luna said

"Other than a shower. You stink," Anya said pinching her nose

Lexa scoffed and crossed her arms

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," Luna said

While Luna was helping Lexa shower, Anya was going through the box that arrived for Lexa earlier in the week.

"How the hell... fucking engineers," Anya grumbled as she overlooked the instructions again

Lincoln snorted and easily set up the projector and screen. It was a gift from Jake so they could have their own movie nights in the barracks. The base held special showings but their unit couldn't always make it if they got caught with late night patrols. Anya rolled her eyes at Lincoln while Ryder unboxed a few new books. Quint made a makeshift shelf to store the ever growing collection of books. He wouldn't admit it but the little squirt had really grown on him over the past year.

Lexa was thrilled when she came back to see a movie up and playing. Clarke had even put some of her favorite candies in the care package. She grabbed the bag of m&m's while the boys fought over the chocolate covered pretzels and popcorn. Lexa patted the space on her bed and Lincoln took a seat.

"Move over you bed hog," Luna scoffed

"Get your own bed," Anya hissed back as she kicked her off the corner of the bed

"This is my bed!" Luna snapped back

"Ladies ladies. There's plenty of space over here," Quint said as he wiggled his eyebrows and shot them a wink

"I'd rather sleep in a hole but thanks," Luna said as she dusted herself off

"Tough crowd," Quint said with a low whistle

Luna sat next to Ryder and they watched and laughed along to the movie playing. Sleep came easy that night. A week later and Lexa was cleared for duty. Her and Lincoln were getting their first solo mission together. They were going to transport their team to a nearby base and from there go by humvee's to a small village to build a relationship with the village elders. Other units had built schools, brought water, played with local kids in other neighboring villages all in an attempt to show the civilians that they weren't the bad guys here and that they wanted to help them.

Their unit had been assigned to this specific village. Lexa flipped on the switches and gave a nod to Lincoln who brought them up in the air. Luna was taking a nap in the back while Anya kept vigilante eyes on everything.

"5 clicks out," Lexa called out

Anya elbowed Luna and she grunted as she woke "What?" she asked

"We're almost there," she said

After landing on that base, they drove out by humvee to the village with three humvee's following. They went in pairs of three or more to these areas due to the hostility that came. It was fairly quiet when they arrived. Luna greeted the elder women and nodded to Ryder who went with the elder men with Lincoln and Quint. In their culture, men were in charge here and they would not speak with women. Lexa didn't agree with it but it wasn't her place to argue.

Instead, she found herself kicking a soccer ball around with a small boy. For a moment she forgot she was in a war zone. She forgot how cruel life can be. The boys filed out of the small hut they had been in and gave a nod to Luna. They started to head back to the Humvees. The little boy chased after Lexa as some of the men shouted at him in their foreign language. Lexa crouched down and he hugged her tightly. He was no older than four and he did not deserve the harsh life bestowed upon him. His father quickly came and got him and carried him back to his hut, no doubt giving him an earful about the foreign soldiers.

"What's that?" Quint asked pointing to the treeline

Eyes all went to the treelines. Luna and Ryder immediately drew their weapons.

"Tell him to get the fuck down right now!" Luna yelled

Ryder quickly translated and the man looked to the elders.

"On your knees," Luna said

Quint moved forward with Anya and they took him down and disarmed him of the device on him. It was a camera. Ryder grabbed it and held it out to Luna.

"Look through it," Luna said to Lexa as she kept her gun aimed at the disarmed man while simultaneously scanning the men of the village with her eyes

The last thing she wanted was a firefight out here. Lexa quickly clicked through them.

"They're all of us... of other units too... they have pictures of bases," Lexa said

If looks could kill, Luna would have killed that man.

"Ask him who he reports to," Luna growled

Ryder translated but the man refused to speak. Luna pressed the barrel of her gun to his head and shouted at Ryder to ask him again.

"Luna!" Lexa gasped in shock

They didn't go executing people like this right?

Luna ignored her sister and clicked the safety off her gun and showed zero hesitation in her eyes. The man caved and said who he was reporting to. A leader known as Nia.

"Where are they located?" Luna asked

Ryder translated but shook his head after hearing what the man had to say "He doesn't know. She sends men to collect the footage." he said

"Search him." Luna said

Anya and Quint searched him and found a flip phone

"Confiscate it and tell him that he does not want to be an enemy of ours." Luna said

Quint shoved him away and the man scrambled to his feet before taking off running. Luna held up a hand to keep her team from engaging further.

"Tell the elders that we will not tolerate supporting terrorists. They are either with us in our pursuit to bring peace here or they are an enemy of war," Luna said before turning on her heels

Lexa trotted after her "You weren't really going to... you know?" she asked

Luna stopped and roughly pulled Lexa aside and out of sight "This is war Lexa. People like him are how we get killed. Those photos aren't to send postcards to his penpals. They're meant to cause harm to our brothers and sisters. You have a duty to your country above all else out here. You do what is necessary to protect it. You cannot show weakness. Not here." she said harshly

Lexa's eyes pricked with tears but she refused to let them fall. She cleared her throat and nodded before walking away. The way back to base was quiet. By time they reached the front gates, it was nightfall. Luna and Ryder went to go debrief on their findings while Lexa went to grab her things to take a shower.

"She's only hard on you because she doesn't want to see you get hurt again. The things we have to do out here sometimes... it changes you." Anya said as she sat on the edge of her sisters bed

"I won't turn into that type of person." Lexa said

"You will if you want to live. Your enemy comes in many forms Lex. Ones you never suspect and if you misjudge it, people die. It's not always black and white out here," Anya said

Lexa threw her towel over her shoulder and grabbed her shower caddy before leaving. Anya pulled a packet of m&m's that she had saved from her lunch MRE and set it on Lexa's bed as a peace offering for the night. She couldn't have her sisters at odds ends when everyday was crucial to their survival.

Things were oddly uneventful the following weeks in the villages and on patrols. Little did they know the reasoning behind it. Their base hadn't even suffered a mortar attack in a bit which was unusual. Their location was the worst of all the outposts. It was located at the bottom of the mountains. The ridgelines surrounded them like dome shape. It was the worst position you'd want to be in when dealing with hostiles. Normally, you always wanted the high ground. They were severely exposed and always on edge anytime they got those random flurries of gunfire drawn on them. It was never anything that lasted more than 30 minutes or so. They were testing them. Seeing how they all react on base. Their base was also very remote. The closest neighboring bases were an hour or more away.

The attack happened unexpectedly. Lexa was on a skype call with Clarke in her army sweatshirt and cotton shorts when gunfire and the explosions went off. It was six in the morning and they were being attacked.

"Woods! get your ass out here private!" One yelled from outside the tent flap before he was shot dead in his tracks. Lexa's breath hitched as she quickly grabbed her gun and made her way out of the tent.

Another explosion went off and she was thrown onto her back

"Lexa!" Clarke sobbed watching it all happen from the webcam

Lexa grunted and crawled over to the dead body and grabbed the radio off him. She stood up and Clarke could see blood and debris on her face as she tried to catch her breath.

"This is Private Woods from outpost Keating. Our base is under attack. Sergeant Caspier is dead. We are requesting immediate support." Lexa says

"Copy that Private Woods. Air support is forty minutes out." Titus said

"We'll all be dead before they get here!" Quint yelled coming into the tent and reloading

Another explosion went off the computer's connection dropped. Lexa stared at the black screen for a moment.

"Sir, we don't have the numbers or ammo to hold this attack off that long..." Lexa said as grenades went off around her.

"The other closest base to offer support would take twice as long. One of you needs to step up and lock that base down Private!" Titus snapped

"Son of a Bitch!" Lexa yelled throwing the radio

"Woods, how far out are they?" Ryder yelled as he came bursting through the tent

"Too far," Lexa replied

Anya ran into the tent clutching her bleeding arm

"We are dropping like flies. I saw this man's head being blown off in front of me. What is the plan?" She asked

"Hold down the fort," Lexa says before she pulled Caspier inside and took off his bulletproof vest.

She quickly put it on along with her helmet and she laced up her boots properly. Anya quickly tied off the circulation above her wound and they all looked among each other before Anya grabbed the radio.

"This is Woods does anybody come in?" Anya asked

"Carter here with Reid and Shoe, we copy ma'am. We are pinned down in LRAS 2." He said

LRAS 1 and 2 were two humvees fortified near the gate on opposite sides. They were strategically placed there when they did a risk assessment in case there ever were an attack on base.

"We're out of ammo for the 50 cal. Gallegio has been shot... we can see him but we can't get to him. Rodgers is KIA (Killed in action)." Carter said

"We can get them ammo." Lexa suggested

"That's a hell of a run from the armory to LRAS2 Lex." Anya said shaking her head

"I'm a fast runner. I can do it." Lexa said

"Has anyone seen Luna or Ryder?" Anya asked

"I'm here sis. I'm posted in command trying to get us some damn air support. Neighboring bases don't have Apache's. They're all out on patrols or missions. Titus was misinformed. It's going to be longer than forty minutes. I'm trying to get Command Sergeant Major Lucian on the phone to see what our options are. I need numbers of the enemy and a headcount of who is still alive. What are we looking at people?" Luna asked

"At least fifty on the north ridge ma'am. All of 216 is accounted for," A man called over the radio

"I have about 40 on the east ridge, 310 is accounted for," Another called out

"Twenty to the west, 417 is missing two. Aukey and Johnson," Another called out

The numbers kept ringing in. The good news was they were only missing about fifteen from their headcount of soldiers on base. The bad news was they had confirmed at least four people were KIA, three of which being their superiors in charge. That left a good handful of men and women equally ranked and no real direction of what to do to. In everyone's minds, this was it. This is how they were going to die. They had fifty three soldiers stationed on this base and by the counts so far, the enemy was around a hundred and fifty with advanced guns and explosives.

"Make your way to command, i'll bring LRAS2 ammo," Lexa said

"I'll go with you," Lincoln said coming into the tent and catching the tail end of the conversation

"You'll just slow me down," Lexa said

"Don't worry about me Woods. I can hold my own," Lincoln said

"I don't like this... you better run as fast as you can. Do not stop. We'll get you to the armory, the rest is up to you to." Anya said

Lexa nodded. Anya nodded and they exited the tent in formation. Explosions went off around them and bullets came inches from their feet as they quickly moved. Anya pulled Lexa back right as an RPG went off where she was standing moments ago.

"Go go go!" Anya yelled before taking point and moving them forward

They returned fire when they could and eventually made their way to where they stored their weapons.

"We're at the armory. We need to hold this down if we're going to have a chance at making it through this. We'll stay and hold position here," Anya said over the radio

"Copy. Who is the closest to 314?" Luna asked over the radio

"216 is ma'am. We'll provide backup. Heading to you now," He replied

Luna and Ryder were on hold with every person they could think of in charge of anything relevant.

"Enemy in the wire!" Lexa called out as shot a man just inside the gate

Enemy in the wire was never something you wanted to hear. It meant that the Taliban were already inside their camp.

"Shit!" Quint hissed before firing off on the few that started to trickle in

Lexa quickly grabbed the heavy boxes of ammo and took off running towards LRAS2. Lincoln grabbed boxes as well and went off after her.

"We have enemy in the wire. I repeat, enemy in the wire," Anya called out over the radio

"We're going to need to add about 150 at least to that enemy count Woods. They brought friends," Carter called out over the radio after seeing the amount of figures along the mountain

"Jesus that's at least 300 taliban... we are severely outnumbered here," Luna said looking to Ryder

What they didn't know at the time was that it was actually over 400 Taliban. Luna finally got in contact with Lucian and relay the numbers. He told her he was requesting immediate air support from all U.S. military bases in vicinity. She knew they had army and air force bases but they weren't exactly close.

"I need an ETA sir." Luna said

"I'm working on it Woods but you'll just have to hold out." Lucian replied

"Roger." Luna said before hanging up the phone

"We're fucked aren't we?" Ryder asked

"Well it's not good." Luna said looking around the room of the soldiers that had made it to her

Some were injured and others were scared having never seen anything like this before.

"We have LRAS2 pinned down and we have injured men and women out there. I need volunteers to retrieve our wounded." Luna said

It was quiet for a moment before a young private stepped forward "I'll go retrieve wounded." he said

One by one people stepped forward. Luna sent them on their way with their missions. She and Ryder along with four others were here to hold down the communications room come hell or high water.

Lexa ducked behind one of the wooden buildings and caught her breath for a moment. Lincoln caught up to her but was limping slightly.

"You're hit?" she asked

"Yeah. Looks like i'm not as fast as I thought," Lincoln chuckled before hissing in pain

"Give me your ammo, you go back to medical," Lexa said

Lincoln shook his head and gunfire came from the side of them. Lexa got down behind some barrels and Lincoln took two to the side. She returned fire and then set Lincoln down against the wall.

"We don't have time to argue. Sit tight. I'll be right back," Lexa said as she took the ammo out of the box and slung the heavy strands over her shoulders and wrapped it around her like a scarf. She picked back up the two metal canisters that were in her hands prior and took off sprinting again.

Lincoln gasped as blood came out of his mouth. Lexa made it to LRAS2 and was pulled inside the humvee quickly by Carter.

"They took out the 50 cal." He said

Lexa's head fell back onto his chest out of frustration and exhaustion. She set aside the ammo and got out of his lap and into the back of the humvee between the other two guys.

"What now?" Reid asked

"Gallegio is over there," Carter said looking at the figure trying to crawl away from the raining bullets

"We need to go get him," Lexa said moving forward

"You go out there, you're dead," Carter retorted pushing her back

"He'll be dead if we don't help him!" Lexa shouted

"One man's life is not worth the price of-" Carter went to say before Lexa all but growled back at him

"Your life is not worth more than any other on this base. You can stay here and hide like a little bitch or you can help me retrieve him but I will not leave anyone behind. I am getting Gallegio and then I am going back for Lincoln." Lexa said sternly

Lexa was merely a grunt. A private, yet here she was standing her ground against a sergeant.

"What's the plan Woods," Shoe said as he checked his magazine for ammo before reloading his gun

"Run like hell and try not to get shot," Lexa said

"Reid and I will provide cover fire. You two haul ass." Carter said

Lexa nodded and they quickly exited the humvee and took off running while returning fire against the enemy. Carter and Reid provided cover fire as best they could before retreating back inside the Humvee. Lexa slide forward behind the metal crate and pulled Gallegio back with her. Shoe helped her sit him up against the crate.

"Help me get him back towards the armory. We'll get Lincoln and then head to medical." Lexa said

Shoe picked Gellegio up and Lexa trained her gun ahead. They dodged bullets and blasts around them as they rushed towards Lincoln's last known location. Lincoln was firing off rounds to the Taliban he saw strolling through their camp. Lexa picked off a few as she approached him.

"Nice of you to not die on us," Lexa said

"I'm stubborn like that," Lincoln joked

Lexa helped him up and supported his body weight and they continued their pursuit to medical. After a long distance, they reached inside the tent to see utter chaos. Men and Women were injured badly and the medics were doing as best as they could. Lexa set Lincoln down and they handed over Gallegio for priority since he was in the worst shape.

"Give me a sitrep," Luna called out over the radio

Each unit relayed their current state and headcount. More and more were becoming unaccounted for or KIA. Ryder wrote on the whiteboard the confirmed KIA's while Luna drew out current positionings on the board of the units.

"We need to take back the front gate. I'm requesting volunteers to aide me," Lexa said

"You'll be right in the kill zone if you do that sis..." Luna said

"If we want to stand a chance, we need the front gates in our control," Lexa replied

"310 is with you in your pursuit private Woods, tell us where to go," A man called out

"216 volunteers as well ma'am. Let's take these sons of bitches out," A woman called out

"310 come with me to the west. 216 take the east, heading towards there now," Lexa replied

Lexa's back was drenched with sweat and her body was covered in debris. An explosion went off and sent her flying into a crate. She groaned and her ears rang as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her arm had a sharp pain and she looked down to see a deep gash and blood pouring out. She started going through the pockets of the vest and found gauze. She quickly unpacked it with her teeth and then wrapped it around the wound as best she could before fixing her helmet and getting back on her feet.

She approached 310 and directed them on where to take position.

"Woods, I have a sniper on my back at LRAS1. I need it taken out," A man called out

"Copy. Heading to LRAS1." Lexa replied

She directed everyone else to stay put while she went. Anya and Quint were busy holding down the armory and firing back mortars with another team of men and women. Lexa was running all over the place as different people called out requesting support or aide. Despite all the gunfire and explosions hitting the ground around her, she continued pushing forward. Her body pleaded for her to stop as each new wound was received but she couldn't.

She picked up one of the Taliban snipers on the ground and exposed herself enough to catch a shot on the enemy sniper. She missed the first two shots due to being unfamiliar with the gun but she landed the third.

After what felt like hours, they heard the sweet sound of helicopters flying over them. She relayed positions to air support as she continued to engage with the enemy and provide cover support to the wounded on the ground.

"Light em up boys!" the pilot said before fire came raining down on the enemy

Slowly but surely, the sky above them filled with apache's from the army and F-15's from the airforce. Over 16 tons of bombs were dropped onto the enemy until they eventually started to retreat. The battle on the base lasted twelve long hours, from morning to nightfall. They ultimately suffered eight losses and had twenty wounded.

"We have fallen soldiers out there. Let's find them," Lexa said

"Can't someone else do that?" Reid asked as he wiped the sweat off his brow

"Those are our men and women. They fought alongside us and they deserve to be retrieved by us. Show some damn respect," Lexa snapped

Everyone was utterly spent and beaten to hell. Medevacs were being made for those in need such as Lincoln. Gallegio unfortunately didn't make it.

"You heard her. Let's locate them and get a final headcount on everyone." Luna said

It was silent as bodies were retrieved and loaded aboard the next aircraft going out. It was important to Lexa that everyone was accounted for. Accounted for doesn't always mean alive, it just means that they have their men and women. Once getting everyone squared away, Luna was given orders that the base was being evacuated by two days time. Equipment had been transported to other bases and what was left of barracks were packed up during that time.

Lexa was finally heading home. News broke back home and all over about the attack on an american base. Clarke had never known where Lexa was located but she knew without a doubt that Lexa was on that base after their skype call. She was an emotional mess for 72 hours until she finally heard from Lexa.

"Lexa?" Clarke asked as she pressed the phone tightly to her ear

"I'm here baby," Lexa replied

A sob broke from Clarke's lips

"I'm okay. I'm coming home. I'm boarding a plane in a few hours. I need you to do me a favor though," Lexa said

She requested that Abby speak with the military hospital Lincoln was transported to. She wanted to know his condition and Abby knew the chief at that hospital. Lexa spoke with Clarke for a few minutes before she needed to call her parents with her sisters.

"I'll see you by tomorrow Clarke," Lexa said

"I'll be there waiting," Clarke said

Lexa regretfully hung up before calling her distraught parents. They were incredibly blessed that all three of their children were alive and for the most part okay. Anya and Lexa sustained minor injuries while Luna was for the most part unscathed. They said their goodbyes to the other units who fought so valiantly beside them. Their own unit had heartfelt partings. Quint hugged Lexa for the first time and some may even say he shed some tears. Though the old block wouldn't admit it.

The long flight home was erie. Lexa rested her head on her older sisters shoulder and for the first time in nearly three days, she allowed herself to sleep. The base ended up being destroyed by the army the following day. The soldiers received a large welcome home. The airport was lined with people holding small flags.

Lexa's eyes found familiar blue ones and she couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face as she engulfed the girl in a tight hug. She felt like she could breath for the first time in days. Jake came over and took her duffle bag off her shoulder. Indra and Gustus fretted over Anya and Luna before turning their attention to their youngest. Lexa hugged her father tightly. She was happy to be here with her loved ones.

They drove home and had a big dinner together. Lexa wanted to stay with her sisters for the night. They had all suffered through something unexplainable and she just needed the familiarity of them. So, they crammed together in Lexa's bed and put on a movie before sleep consumed them. Indra silently shut the television off and pulled the comforter over them before shutting the door behind her.

Clarke came over bright and early for breakfast. She could tell something was different in her girlfriend. She was hardened by the decisions she made that day. She didn't pry but she worried for her. She helped Indra make stuffed french toast and chocolate chip banana pancakes. Everyone had their own breakfast favorite and Indra intended on giving her girls whatever they wanted. Lexa woke first and came down the stairs in her oversized t shirt and black boyshorts. Clarke leaned forward and stole a kiss before setting a plate in front of her.

"Thank you," Lexa said

"Your father and I have work. I trust you three won't destroy my house and eat me out of food and home while we're gone," Indra said

"No promises," Lexa said through a mouthful of food

Indra rolled her eyes "It's a miracle you have a girlfriend with the way you talk with your mouth full." she said

Lexa took offense to it but Clarke kissed her cheek and sat down beside her. Luna and Anya made themselves scarce in the home. Clarke cleaned up Lexa's bedroom before sitting her down on the book nook by the window. She changed the bandage on Lexa's arm and then the one on her leg. She frowned at the one on her leg. It wasn't a clean cut like her arm, it was fragmented across her outer thigh.

"Shrattenal from an RPG." Lexa spoke quietly while still looking out her bedroom window

Clarke swallowed the knot in her throat and looked up at her with softened eyes. The truth was, Lexa had taken quite the beating from the close proximity blasts. She surprised the units she had led with the amount of times she continued standing up for more. Running into the spraying bullets while others would have quaked in their boots before going into direct the line of fire of over 300 Taliban.

Clarke caressed her bruised cheek before gently kissing her cracked lips "I don't want to imagine my life without you," she said

Lexa kissed her passionately in an attempt to forget all that happened the past couple of days. Their make out session quickly moved to the bed and clothes were discarded slowly. Clarke's fingertips traced over the bruises and the healed bullet wound on her lower abdomen before she placed her hand between Lexa's breasts and pushed her down against the pillows.

Luna and Anya turned up the television downstairs to try and drown out the sounds of the girl's pleasure. They were in an intense match of call of duty with Quint and Ryder online along with some other soldiers they had served with in the past.

"Oui! the bloody camper shot me," Quint grumbled

"He's been there the whole match, yet you keep acting surprised when he kills you again?" Luna questioned

"I've had enough outta you Woods," Quint retorted

"Yeah yeah. Yet you keep coming back for more baby," Luna laughed

"Lexa!" Clarke gasped as her back arched

Lexa kissed along her neck softly as they both came down from their high. They blissfully laid in her bed with tangled limbs without a word being said between them. Lexa eventually pulled the blanket over them and turned on the television after a moment.

"When do you have to go home?" Lexa asked

"In an hour or two. I have that paper due tomorrow," Clarke said through a yawn

"Sleep. I'll wake you," Lexa said softly

Clarke laid herself carefully on Lexa's chest. The brunettes hand moved in soft circles along the blonde's back. Lexa's phone vibrated and she quickly opened the text message. Lincoln sent her a picture of him smiling at her with a thumbs up from the hospital bed.

"Looks like you're stuck with me Woods," The caption read

"Lucky me," Lexa replied with a rolling eye emoji

They went back and forth for an hour before Lexa woke Clarke.

"Why don't you take my jeep so you dad doesn't have to come get you," Lexa suggested

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked

Lexa nodded and kissed her forehead "It's not like i'll be using it," she said

"Where are the keys?" Clarke asked

"Should be on the keyring in the hall." She replied

"I'll bring you back dinner when i'm done. Just text me what you want," Clarke said

"Thai," Lexa replied

Clarke chuckled "I guess I should've known that huh?" she asked

"Forgetting about me already hmm?" Lexa teased

"Never," Clarke replied before stealing a kiss and finding her discarded clothes

She quietly padded down the stairs and grabbed the set of keys

"Leaving so soon?" Anya questioned teasingly

"I'm sure she'll be back for more," Luna grinned

Clarke's face went red with embarrassment

"Leave her alone you dicks!" Lexa called out as she threw on her clothes and trudged down the stairs

"What does she know about dicks?" Quint questioned over the mic

Lexa glared at her laughing siblings before walking Clarke to the detached garage where her jeep sat.

"Sorry about that," Lexa said

"It's alright," Clarke chuckled before hopping into the seat and starting the engine

Lexa waved her off as she left down the street. She fell back into a normal routine with her life home. She and her merry band of sisters enjoyed six beautiful months home after that long deployment before they were called to report for duty again. Lexa and Clarke got to spend a month out of her summer break traveling around various states and making new memories. Their polaroid camera captured so many firsts for the young couple.

They camped in national parks and spent far too much time on the beaches (Clarke's poor skin). They returned home just in time for school shopping for the new junior in highschool. Lexa and Abby took her clothes shopping early that day and they returned home just in time for dinner. Clarke and her mother made one of Lexa's favorite meals while she and Jake watched a soccer game.

"Dinners almost done baby," Clarke said as she set a glass of iced tea next to her girlfriend

"Thank you," Lexa replied

"No tea for your old man?" Jake asked

"You have two legs," Clarke replied

Lexa choked on her drink and Jake's jaw dropped while Clarke broke out laughing

"You should see your face dad. I'll go get you a drink," she said

Abby shook her head playfully at her daughter "You're going to give him a heart attack one day," she said

Clarke rolled her eyes "It's a good thing you're a doctor huh?" she asked

"When does she leave?" Abby asked quietly

"Next week. They're going back overseas." Clarke said

Abby expected that. The ongoing war seemed to only be getting worse by the reports on the news the last few months. Clarke was worried about her heading back off into a war zone after all she went through already. It took weeks to get Lexa to sleep through the night without waking up in a cold sweat of what happened during that long twelve hour battle.

"When is the award ceremony?" Abby asked

"Thursday. We were going to take the train over," Clarke replied

Letters had come pouring in of the extraordinary efforts made by few from that battle at keating. Letters from sergeants and privates alike with one name standing out more from others. Lexa was recommended for the medal of honor. The highest achievement you can receive in the military. Statements depicted the events of that horrid day and outlined how Lexa went above and beyond the call of duty and not only provided support all over the base by foot but also led two units in a direct fire fight to hold the front gates of camp. Luna and Anya had both written letters themselves for another reason. They were recommending her for promotion to their boss. Ripley had taken their statements and wrote a letter personally to the president requesting her to be recognized for her heroic efforts that day. He also had a promotion in the works for the young private. Something that would be announced when she landed back overseas. He wanted to see to it personally.

Due to the overwhelming news on the battle and the numerous letters that flooded his desk about a young private Alexandria Woods, he sent a formal letter to her house stating that he was awarding her the medal of honor and asked she be present to accept it. It was a very big deal. At that time, no living person had ever received a medal of honor. They usually went to people who died doing the unthinkable in battles and wars. Lexa would not only become the first person alive to receive one but she would also be the first woman to.

That thursday, they dressed in their army greens and boarded a train to the white house. Clarke held her hand tightly as they were escorted inside the gates and up the pathway to the doors. The president was there to greet them. They shook hands and were invited into the oval office to sit down and talk. The president was surprised to see all three children not only in service but in the same unit. Anya and Luna's jackets features a number of ribbons, bars, and metals. Lexa's was fairly bare besides what had been issued and her new deployment patch.

They were walked into the conference room where Lexa was surprised to see not only her unit but other soldiers she recognized from base as well. Soldiers from the units she led in the battle specifically stood out to her. Lexa immediately walked up to Lincoln and hugged him tightly.

"You're here," she whispered

"Wouldn't miss it for the world Woods," he said

Chapter Text

"Don't keep the president waiting. I'll still be here after," Lincoln said

Lexa took a final look at him and nodded slowly before turning to see all the familiar faces of the men and women who fought alongside her for those awful hours at outpost Keating. Her unit was front and center of the vast crowd of military members in uniform, that were present just right of the stage.

The president walked Lexa onto the stage. Clarke could spot the unease in Lexa with the bright lights illuminating the stage. The president calmed the crowd and asked everyone to take a seat if they were not already sitting. He waited for the cue from the reporters before looking towards the camera to speak. The entire event was being televised. It wasn't often at all that such awards were given out. It had been decades in fact since the last one was received.

"Where did we find such men and women?...

We find them where we've always found them, in our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms." He started saying before taking a glance at the crowd

"Few will summon a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us. We may not always hear of their success but they are there in the thick of the fight and in the dark of the night achieving their mission."

More than 40 million have answered the call to serve this great country. Of those, fewer than 3,600 have been awarded the military's highest honor for valor.... The medal of honor. It recognizes gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's life above and beyond the call of duty. A soldier will tell you that they are family forged in battle, in loss, and in love. That reins true for the brave men and women before us in this very room. To the right of the stage, you may have noticed the large crowd of distinguished members of our military representing across all branches today. In the front of the pack, are the very units that fought in unison with Private Woods during those grueling hours." He said before visibly gulping

"What happened on that base was...inevitable. The location was not ideal by any means and this was something we were well aware of. It was far from supporting forces and was located in the worst tactical position possible. Now you may be asking, "Mr. President, why would you send our men and women out there then knowing this?" Because it was deemed essential to have the upper hand in this war.

"The units that occupied that base day in and out were not there by chance. They were hand selected. Each unit was comprised of the most decorated members our military has to offer in active duty. Thirty-seven Army commendation medals, 27 purple hearts, 18 bronze stars for valor, and nine silver stars for their gallantry have been earned among the soldiers prior to arriving on base. With that said, will the soldiers of comp Keating please stand," he says

One by one the soldiers stood from their chairs and a round of applause came from the large crowd in the room. They took their seats as the applause died down.

"While we honor those who have done tremendous things in the name of freedom, i'd like to also honor those who are not with us today. Those who spent their final moments trying to keep that freedom. We honor their loved ones who mourn them and we will support them long after this war ends." He promises before taking a moment to recognize the parents and spouses of the fallen

"Private Woods is joined today by her parents Gustus and Indra Woods and her sisters, both of whom served alongside her," He said

Private Woods was surrounded by veteran members who have seen battle after battle and continued to sign up for more all in the name of freedom. I want to make it clear that this soldier was not taking control of an inexperienced team by any means. In fact, she happened to be one of the lowest ranking members there by a longshot. Someone who was still finding her footing in her newly earned career exiting boot camp and as a recent graduate of flight school.

"40... that was the exact number of letters that flooded their way to my desk to describe in detail how some young private who hadn't even earned a ribbon on her uniform yet, made a decision that shocked us all. To stand tall in the face of what was presumed to be a devastating loss given the severe odds that were stacked against them."

"Now, Alexandria had told me during our time in my office earlier, that this award is not hers alone. She told me in that very moment on the ground, there were no longer individual units acting under their assigned superiors but instead they were individuals with the capabilities and skills far beyond anything she had seen and that she believed if they could work as a single unit, they could take back the base together and live to fight another day. I am standing here to tell you, she was right. I would like to welcome the representative from the United States Army to step forward."

A man Lexa had never seen stepped forward. His uniform jacket seemingly out of space with the vast display of medals and ribbons on his jacket. He was clearly someone extremely important. The man stood at attention and his hand shot out to his brow. Lexa quickly returned the salute.

"At ease Private," The man said

Lexa relaxed and watched the man give a short bow of his head to her before turning on his heels and extending the black velvet case in his free hand to the president. The case was opened by another official and the medal was handed over to the president. The Army representative took his place on the podium and adjusted the mic before speaking.

"The president of the United States of America authorized by act of congress, awards Private Alexandria Woods of the United States Army the medal of honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of her life above and beyond the call of duty. Private Alexandria was serving as a new pilot out of training in squadron unit 314 during her time on base." The army representative said before explaining at length the events that occurred that day and what they were able to piece together in the aftermath as far as a timeline

Clarke's lip trembled and she covered her mouth hearing the harrowing details of what Lexa not only faced but the actions she took with little regard of her own safety. The president stepped behind Lexa with the medal and placed it around her neck. Green eyes found teary blue ones before she turned around to shake the president's hand as people began to clap.

After the emotional award ceremony concluded, Lexa took time to speak with the family members of the fallen. Clarke watched as loved ones cried while Lexa spoke quietly to them. The soldier than was greeted by the large group of military members in attendance. Some congratulated her, others shared their wisdom from over the years. Some wanted to hear the events from the source of the action so to speak. Luna eventually pulled her away so they could go eat. The president was hosting a dinner for the service members and their family. They ushered into the large dining room. Lincoln pulled out a chair for Lexa and she rolled her eyes before sitting in it. Lincoln chuckled and pushed her in before doing the same for Clarke. Luna sat down next to her sister and bumped shoulders with her.

"They're giving you two more awards you know," she said matter of factly

"For what?" Lexa asked

"Remember that mission we went on with Carter remember?" she asked

"Yeah? what about it?" Lexa asked confused

"You were injured by enemy forces and still engaged in a fire fight with them. You will get a purple heart for that. You and Sawyer however, are both getting silver stars for your actions in that chopper that allowed us to complete our mission." Luna explained

"What about you? you went and aided them in that building after they were ambushed?" Lexa asked

"I'll either be adding another bronze or silver to my collection. It hasn't been decided yet," Luna said with a shrug

"How do you know all of this?" Lexa asked

"Ripley. He has a surprise for you when we get back," she said

"Oh so you'll tell me about awards but not something else?" Lexa asked with a raised brow

"Where's the fun in that? i'd rather see you sweat it out," Luna said with wink

Lexa shook her head and went to grab at the dinner roles before Indra swatted her hand away and gave her a stern look.

"Alexandria Woods I know you are not sticking your hand in food without being told to eat yet, it the white house of all places!" she quietly hissed

Lexa grumbled and took her hand back into her lap. Clarke leaned her head on Lexa's shoulder for a moment before looking up to softened green eyes.

"I love you," Clarke said quietly

Lexa kissed the blondes forehead "I love you more than you know," she replied

"You never did say if you got my care package," Jake butted in

"I did. It was very appreciated Mr.Griffin," Lexa said

"It's Jake. We've been over this Lexa," Jake teased

Lexa smiled politely at him

"It unfortunately didn't survive but it was appreciated nonetheless," Anya said before downing a glass of champagne

Lexa went to grab the glass in front of her before Gustus took it away

"You aren't old enough yet kiddo," he said

"I'm old enough to get shot but not to have a drink? really?" Lexa huffed

"I think we can let it slide this one time," Indra said surprising them all

"Told you she was the favorite," Luna chuckled before elbowing Anya

"It's just because she's the baby," Anya retorted rolling her eyes

Lexa stuck her tongue out at her sisters before taking the glass from her father and taking a sip

It was rather unpleasant. She scowled and set it down. Abby and Indra laughed.

"See, don't be in a rush to grow up so soon," Indra said

Clarke threaded her hand with Lexa's in her lap. The brunette gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand. It was nice to be around familiar faces again and not be in the imminent threat of danger. Many people who hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Lexa, made rounds to the table to share stories of their time overseas. Lincoln nudged Lexa's chair and she looked up to see a goofy grin on his face.

"C'mon Woods, I have something to show you," he said

Lexa quirked an eyebrow at him but he wouldn't say another word. She excused herself from the table and followed him out into the hall where a member of secret service was.

"What is this?" Lexa asked

"I'm taking you to see a view that only few ever get to see," Lincoln said

"The area i'm taking you to is of the highest security clearance. I need your mobile devices before we proceed," The secret service member says

Lexa and Lincoln dug out their phones and handed them over. The batteries and sim cards were taken out and stored in a drawer in one of the security offices before they made their way up the secret tunnel staircases. The man brought them to a halt at the top and said a few code words in his earpiece before they proceeded.

"We have guns trained up here at all times. I told them to stand down," He explained

Another set of men opened the door and they were led onto the roof. The president swung his golf club and watched the ball land somewhere on the front lawn. Lexa and Lincoln eyed one another.

"I see you found me," The president teased

"Sorry sir, I didn't realize you were up here," The security member said

"It's quite alright. and... you are?" The president asked looking at the tall man

"Lincoln sir," Lincoln responded

"Do you play golf?" he asked ignoring him and turning to Lexa

"Not particularly," she replied

"I'd be careful allowing this one to try anything. She has a competitive streak and she's quite hard to beat once she sets her mind to it," Lincoln chuckled

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're just terrible at everything?" Lexa challenged

"Will you fetch me two clubs for our guests Gerald?" The president asked

"Right away sir," Gerald replied

Two clubs were brought up and the president stepped aside. Lexa felt the weight of the club in her hand. The president instructed her on how to hold the club and taught her the correct posture for a good swing. She pulled back and swung, sending the ball flying forward. The president whistled

"Now that's a shot," he said

"Always a show off Woods" Lincoln said

"Try not to embarrass yourself Moss," Lexa retorted as she stepped aside for him

Lincoln was given instruction as well before taking a swing. He missed the ball entirely and Lexa busted out in a fit of laughter. Lincoln's cheeks turned bright red. The president clapped him on the back and chuckled before telling him to give it another go. They spent the next thirty minutes hitting balls off the top of the roof. The first lady eventually came up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I knew i'd find you up here dear," She said

"We've been busted kids," The president said

"We have guests downstairs." She reminded

"Of course. We'll be right down," He replied

She nodded and turned on her heels

"To have a healthy marriage, the key is to remember your woman is always right and I mean always," The president said pointing his club at them

"Yes sir," Lexa and Lincoln responded

"How long have you been seeing the girl downstairs miss Woods?" The president asked curiously

"Over a year. We went to highschool together," Lexa replied

The president hummed as he put up the golf clubs

"She has a good head on her shoulders. You hold onto that one," He responded

"Yes sir," Lexa said nodding her head in agreeance

"And you... work on that swing boy," He said shaking his head at Lincoln

"Yes sir," Lincoln said over Lexa's laughter

"C'mon now. Let's not keep our guests waiting." The president said before leading them back downstairs

They retrieved their phones and put them back together before entering the dining area. Clarke was looking around no doubt to see where her girlfriend had run off to. She seemed relieved when she spotted the woman in question.

"There you are," Clarke said

"Miss me already?" Lexa murmured before pecking her lips

"I miss you everyday you're gone," Clarke replied stroking tan cheeks

"I know," Lexa said

The conversation always ended there. Clarke hated how lonely she felt when Lexa was gone but she knew there was no changing the brunettes mind about her career path. She hoped it wouldn't always be like this though. That maybe one day they'd settle down. She'd be done with med school and Lexa would finish law school and leave the battlefield behind. The train ride home was quiet. Lexa starred out the window at the falling rain as Clarke took in the sad features of her girlfriend. She was leaving... again. Two days to be exact. The war was in every news paper, featured on every news station. Another military base was attacked out there. Luckily it didn't end with any casualties on their side of things but it left a pit in the blondes stomach at the thought of the girl she loved being thrown back into that mess.

They made the most of the next two days. Stolen kisses and hushed I love you's in the middle of the night while Clarke's parents slept across the hall. Lexa did not find sleep that night. Her dog tags felt heavy on her chest as she stared at the ceiling unable to forget the events of that day. Flashes of memories evaded her mind. She quietly got up from the bed and threw on her discarded pajamas before heading down the stairs. She went to turn the corner and collided with Abby. Lexa's hand shot out to her side for a gun that was not there. Abby flickered on the hallway light to see Lexa's current state.

"It's just me," Abby said through quickened breaths from the shock of not hearing anyone else downstairs with her

Lexa immediately took a step back and her hand dropped to her side "I didn't...," she said before shaking her head as tears filled her eyes

"It's okay. We both weren't expecting each other. The only difference is, I lack the ability to defend myself," Abby chuckled as she rubbed Lexa's defeated shoulders

"What are you doing up?" Lexa asked

"I have an early surgery. I was starting the coffee pot," Abby said before turning on the downstairs light

Lexa nodded before looking a bit out of place

"Sit. I'll make you something," Abby said

Lexa took a seat on the barstool at the kitchen island. Abby began working on a cup of hot chocolate. Lexa loved her homemade hot chocolate.

"How are the nightmares?" Abby asked

Lexa's brows furrowed

"Clarke told me. She worries about you," Abby said

"They're better," Lexa said

Abby hummed thoughtfully as she stirred the liquid in the cup "It's not uncommon considering what you've seen. Have you spoken to your sisters about it?" she asked

Lexa shook her head

"I think you should when you're ready. This wasn't the first time they've seen something like that but this is your first and i'm sure they remember how they felt following the events. It's good to have someone to talk to that truly understands. I love Jake but he is not the person I talk to about my crazy days in the ER. My words go in one ear and straight out the other. It doesn't mean I don't love him any less. He just can't relate. You get what i'm saying yes?" Abby said as she set the cup in front of the young girl

"I do." Lexa responded

Abby was right. While Clarke is a good ear and tried her best to be there over the last few weeks, she doesn't understand. She didn't live through those long hours knowing that you were likely to die. She didn't run football fields of distance carrying ammo to a pinned down humvee. She didn't watch people be blown up and shot around her. She loved Clarke but her girlfriend would never be able to understand the choices she made that day. The things she saw and the things she wish she didn't see.

"Things won't always be bad. You're in a war now but wars eventually end. There will be slow days and there will be good days. Appreciate those moments." Abby said

"Thank you," Lexa responded sincerely

"You can thank me by staying safe and coming home in one piece." Abby said

"I'll try my best ma'am." Lexa replied

"It would be a shame to lose you. Jake was really starting to warm up to you," Abby said teasingly

Jake loved Lexa from the start. Abby was the one who took a little warming up. Lexa chuckled before taking a sip of the hot chocolate. Lexa heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Clarke froze seeing her mother in the kitchen.

Lexa looked over and her eyes widened before she choked on her hot chocolate. There Clarke was in all her naked glory. Abby went to look over and both girl's shouted "No!" at the same time

Clarke hid behind the hallway wall

"What is going on?" Abby asked as she began to walk past Lexa

Clarke grabbed the blanket off the couch and wrapped herself in it before turning around to be met with her mothers stare.

"I thought you were asleep," Clarke said

"Put some clothes on before your father wakes up," Abby sighed before walking back to the kitchen

Lexa tried to clean up the mess from her drink. They eventually went back to bed, both mortified.

"Do you have to go?" Clarke asked

Lexa pulled Clarke against her chest "Not right now I don't. Let's just enjoy this time together," she said

Clarke nodded and slowly but surely they both fell into a deep slumber. The following morning went by at the blink of an eye. Lexa was dropped off at the airport and Clarke was heading back home alone. Well not totally alone.

"Cheer up kiddo, she'll be back soon. You have the Griffin charm," he said before winking at her through the rearview mirror

Clarke rolled her eyes

They traveled most of the day. Two plane changes, an argument over airline snacks, and a few much needed power naps and the gang was back together on one of the bases ready for their flight to their new home away from home.

"Nice of you to show up," Quint said

"We are on time, you're simply early," Luna said before shoving past him to grab her bag

Anya tossed the duffle bag at Lexa before grabbing her own

"Let's go. You all need a shower... especially you," Luna said to Ryder

"Yeah yeah," Ryder said waving her off

Lexa was very much over the flying for the day. She had never been so happy to see the dessert ground when they finally landed. They made their way to their new barracks. Lexa tossed her bag on the bottom bunk but Anya plopped down on it before she could sit.

"You can have the top," Anya said

Lexa groaned and ripped the duffle off the bed and tossed it up "I'm going to take a shower. Keep your dirty boots off my bed," she said

Anya waved her goodbye before closing her eyes

"Let her have the bottom bunk," Luna said

Anya groaned

"She's earned it sis." Luna said before tossing her bag up the other bunk bed

She inclined her head to the bottom bunk below her. A silent offering. Anya smirked and tossed her bag across the room, hitting her sister.

"Hey!" Luna said as she rubbed her hip

"Ops," Anya said

Luna tripped her and Anya gasped

"Ops," Luna mimicked in a teasing tone

The boys snorted amongst themselves before both Woods women snapped their heads in their direction and glared.

"Woah woah. Calm your tits." Quint said

"They're quite calm, would you like to check," Luna said

"Alright, let's get ready for the night yeah," Ryder said

"Whatever," Luna said before grabbing her shower tote and heading off

Anya grabbed hers and went after her

"Sheesh. What are they on their periods or something?" Quint said

Lincoln and Ryder hit Quint up the side of his head

"Oui! what was that for!" Quint hissed

Lexa combed through her wet curls before changing into her sleepwear. She walked back to the barracks trying to keep her head down.

A low whistle sounded and Lexa looked over to see a few men smoking cigarettes

"Where you going sweet thing? the nights still young," The guys said with a grin

Lexa folded her arms over her chest feeling rather indecent in her army pt clothes

One of the guys elbowed him and laughed "Leave the poor thing alone." he said

"What? we're just being friendly," He said as she approached her

Lexa gripped her shower bag tighter "Enjoy your evening boys," she said

"Oh come on, we're just messing around. We don't mean any trouble. Do you smoke?" He asked as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes

Lexa shook her head. The guy seemed to be checking her out and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other feeling uncomfortable.

"We don't bite." He said as took another step towards her, she found herself backed against the outside of one of the barracks

Her breath hitched. He grinned at her. Strong hands ripped him backward away from the brunette and onto the hard ground. He gasped for air and a boot pressed against his chest.

"You so much as look at her again and i'll gouge your eyes out with a plastic spoon Tavanov," Luna growled

"Easy there Woods," He said holding his hands up in defense

"Don't make me kill you," Anya said

"What's the big deal. We were just inviting her for a smoke," Another guy shouted

"She's not interested," Anya replied coldly

"Ladies, let's just take a breather," Tavanov choked out as Luna's boot pressed harder into his chest

"Is there a problem here?" Ripley asked approaching the scene

Luna removed her boot and everyone stood at attention.

"No sir, just welcoming the new girl," Tavanov said as he got up and patted the dirt off him

Ripley eyed the Woods sisters before looking over to the young brunette

"Specialist Woods does not need a welcoming party private, she outranks you, is that clear private?" Ripley bellowed

Lexa looked confused. She wasn't a specialist. She was a private. Not even a private first class yet. Just private.

Luna raised a challenging brow to the boy who looked unable to form a sentence at the information.

"Sir, yes, sir. Apologies Specialist Woods. Ma'am." Tavanov said

Ripley took a step towards him coming face to face "Pull something like that again with anyone and i'll see to it personally that your time here is spent being as productive as possible. Understand?" he hissed

"Sir, yes sir," Tavanov said

"Get out of my face. Back to your barracks boys. You've lost the privilege of being out tonight." Ripley said

The boys quickly put out their cigarettes and headed back to their barracks. Luna crossed her arms and scowled at the man.

"I had it handled," She said

"You would have faced disciplinary action for laying hands on another soldier had any other high ranking official seen you tonight. You are not above the rules Woods. As much as you like to think you are, Is that understood?" Ripley asked

He was quite familiar with Luna. Their paths had crossed over the years and he wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for her rescue on a mission gone south from his unit.

"Understood Sir," Luna said

"Dismissed. I'll have his unit leader set him on the right path to make better decisions," Ripley said

Luna nodded. Ripley asked for the girls to give him a moment with Lexa alone. They headed off to the showers.

"Sir," Lexa said

"It's not the way I intended to tell you. There was going to be a meeting and fresh breakfast." Ripley said

"I don't understand. I haven't even been enlisted long enough to qualify," Lexa said shaking her head

"You've more than earned this promotion Woods. Something tells me it won't be the last either," He said

Lexa seemed lost in her own thoughts

"I looked at your file. High praise from bootcamp, even higher praise from flight school. I believe your sister said you were one of the most capable pilots she has seen in her years of service. Charlie seemed to agree. I read his briefing from that mission," He said

That was new information to her. She didn't feel like she was that great of a pilot.

"There are leaders and there are followers Woods. You decided once on that battle field which one you wanted to be. Let's see if that stays true in your time here. I'll be keeping an eye on you soldier. Get some rest. I'll still have them make some breakfast for everyone in the morning. We'll do an official announcement." He said

"Thank you sir," Lexa replied

"Just don't make me regret it soldier," Ripley said before turning around to ensure those boys found their way to bed

Lexa walked back to the barracks and Lincoln sat up in bed

"Did you use up all the hot water or something?" He asked teasingly

"What are you waiting up for me now?" Lexa laughed

"Oui! love birds, keep it down," Quint grunted

"We have a busy day tomorrow, I suggest you both get some rest," Ryder said

Lexa let out a yawn and nodded before climbing into bed. Luna and Anya got back much faster than she anticipated. Anya climbed into her bed across from her younger sister. Luna sat on the edge of Lexa's bed and pushed her curls out of her sleeping face.

"Goodnight kid," Luna said before kissing her forehead

Lexa grumbled and rolled onto her side

"You baby her too much," Anya said

Luna rolled her eyes as she tucked Anya in tightly "You're both my baby sisters. It's my job to keep you safe," she said

"Night sis," Anya said as she turned off the lamp

"You wake me with your snoring and i'll suffocate you with a pair of socks Quint," Luna warned

A few chuckles were heard before the barracks fell into a peaceful state of silence

Chapter Text

Howdy folks! This story has moved over to wattpad and all my fics will continue solely on there for those who did not get the memo. A disgruntled fan reported my other works on here because they were butt hurt I changed platforms to wattpad. As a consequence of their actions, i’ve pulled those works entirely from this platform. I will not tolerate that behavior. I am free to do what I want with my writing and I will absolutely take it elsewhere. If you don’t like it then you are free to go read someone else’s work. I will also be pulling the rest of my work from this site. Everything will fully be moved over to wattpad moving forward.