Unfinished Business

Chapter 2

Lexa snuffed out her cigarette and walked into the bar. This was the last place in the world that she had expected to be, but now that she was and it just felt weird. Good, but weird. Two years didn't seem like a long time, but after being away from everything and everyone that you've ever known, hell, it might as well had been a lifetime.

She hadn't come back, not even once. She probably could have, in fact, she was sure that she should have, but she knew that it would have been a bad idea. It would have been too much - hurt, too much. As it was, she had only been back in town for a couple of hours and a familiar ache was already settling in her chest.

"Did you have to come off like such an ass?" Anya asked from her stool.
"I wasn't being an ass," Lexa defended quickly. "I was being direct. It's true, we do run in the same circle and I have maintained contact with everyone, except for her."
"You could have just left it alone," Anya shrugged and shook her head.
"I could have done a lot of things," Lexa countered as she took a sip of her drink and her phone went off.

Raven: Stop being such an asshole!
O: Seriously, did you have to be such a dick?
Lexa: I wasn't trying to be.
Raven: Fail!

Lexa sighed. "Okay, so apparently you're not the only one who thought that I was being an asshole," she said as she looked her phone and loosened her collar a bit.
"Yeah, that's because you were," Anya said, tipping her glass.
Lexa rubbed her temple firmly. Brilliant. "I told you that you didn't have to message them," she reminded her sister. "I'm sure that I would have run into everyone eventually."
"Then I would be the asshole," Anya shook her head. "No, thank you."
Lexa gave her a slightly defeated shrug.
"I still can't even believe you're here," Anya suddenly smiled at her.
"That makes two of us," Lexa agreed with a nod.
"You look really good," Anya told her, "and yet, shitty at the same time. I'm not exactly sure how you manage it."
"Determination and hard work," Lexa mumbled, bringing her glass back up to her lips.
"Are you sure you won't stay with me?" Anya questioned. "I wouldn't mind at all."
"No. I'm fine in a hotel," Lexa shook her head. "I'll get a place eventually."

They sat in an odd silence for a moment, each just sipping their drinks and lost in their own thoughts.

"So, are you going to try to rekindle things?" Anya finally asked. "With Clarke, I mean?"
"Eh, no. Not like that," Lexa shook her head. "I think it's safe to say, that she ship has sailed."
"Then what?" Anya pushed as she rested her cheek against her fist.
"Civility?" Lexa shrugged. "Maybe even friendship, someday."
"Yeah," Anya scoffed quickly. "I think you're well on your way to fucking that one up, squirt."
Lexa chuckled in spite of herself. Maybe she was. Shit.

She hadn't meant to come off as rude. Hell, the words didn't even sound rude in her head, but all things considered - yeah okay, she could see how it probably came across. Arrogant and hurtful. Fuck.

"It feels strange, doesn't it?" Anya's voice filled her hears. "Being back here."
"Beyond," Lexa answered simply. So far beyond.
"Do you regret leaving?" Anya asked her curiously.
Lexa clenched her jaw, her eye twitching slightly. "I regretted it, the moment that I decided to do it," she replied stiffly. She absolutely regretted it.
"Can I ask why you didn't want to try to make it work with Clarke?" Anya questioned her cautiously. "She offered to move to with you, so why wouldn't you...."
Lexa sighed. "One, we weren't even together and two," she winced slightly, "because, I wasn't there."
"What do you mean you weren't there?' Anya shook her head in confusion.

Oh boy, here we go.

"In San Francisco. Well, I mean, I was, sometimes. I had a small studio apartment there," Lexa explained, waving her hand, "but, I really didn't live there. They had me traveling a lot - they have offices all over, so I've spent most of the last two years just bouncing around."
"What, where?" Anya asked, clearly shocked that she had no knowledge of this.
"Everywhere," Lexa shrugged simply. "All over the country, even out of it, a couple of times."
"You didn't think to tell anyone?" Anya questioned her again, the annoyance in her voice was more than obvious.
Lexa shook her head. Would there have been a point?