When We Meet Again (The 100 Season 6 Clexa fanfic)

Chapter 7: Family

It was surreal to be alive again, to breathe in the fresh air, to speak and be heard.

And, most importantly, to have Clarke back in her arms again.

Her body felt different. She couldn't pinpoint how, but she supposed it was to be expected. After all, it wasn't really her body. Maybe it would feel better with time, but for now, all Lexa could focus on was the door they stood before.

As soon as she had asked, Clarke brought Lexa to Madi's room. How she had known where to go, Lexa hadn't the faintest idea. Perhaps the woman that Clarke told her about on the walk here, Sierra, had informed her where Madi was staying.

Regardless, she was here now, and turning back was not an option.

Clarke took a breath and turned to Lexa. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Clarke knocked three times and the door swung open, but her figure obscured Lexa's view of the room.

"Clarke, you're back!" a small yet mighty voice proclaimed. Then, a lengthy pause. "Wait. If you're here, then that means..."

"Madi, there's someone I think you should meet--officially."

This was it.

With one step to the left, Clarke moved enough so that Lexa could see everything inside the room, including the young commander gazing up at her.

Madi, who had been sitting on a rug in the middle of the abstract area, stood up. With her jaw hanging wide, she narrowed her brows and took a cautious step forward.

"Leksa?" Madi's voice was unsure, even as a light began to shine in her eyes.

Nodding, Lexa answered, "It's me, Madi."

Apparently that was all the confirmation she needed, for Madi practically jumped those last few feet that separated them and swung her arms around Lexa's neck, pulling her down into a bone-crushing embrace.

Lexa pushed aside years of conditioning, years of training and scolding and Titus telling her that love is weakness, and met Madi's hug with one of equal force.

It was a strange sensation, the warmth filling Lexa's chest, the pure and unconditional feeling that made her smile, brought tears of joy to her eyes. While they had only just met physically, Lexa had been trapped in Madi's mind. She knew the girl, cared for her. Loved her.

Still locked in their embrace, Madi mumbled, "I've missed you inside my head."

"My little natblida." Lexa chuckled, drawing back to hold Madi's hands. The girl was smiling up at her, with a perfect posture and proud glint in her eyes that reaffirmed Lexa's belief that this child was a true commander. "You don't need me in your head anymore. I'm real now. And I can tell you whatever it is you want to know."

~

"It's so strange thinking you two already know each other," Clarke said.

The former commander and the present commander shared a knowing glance, with no small amount of affection. It was Lexa who said, "Strange doesn't begin to cover it. But every commander in the Flame becomes a part of the new commander. I was a part of Madi, just as the previous commanders were a part of me."

Madi tilted her head. "What's it like? Living without having the commanders in your head to guide you?"

"In some ways it's...painful. Like I'm missing something vital." Madi downcast her gaze, so Lexa continued, "But it's also liberating. I feel freer than I have in years." Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on the nightblood's knee. "I'm grateful, because now I have the chance to live my life without fearing that I'm betraying the legacy of the commanders. And, I just so happen to have a brilliant successor, who I know will lead our people towards a peaceful, prosperous future. You've already accomplished so much. I'm proud of you, Madi."