Scars to Your Beautiful (the 100 fanfic)

Chapter 41

The sound of water gently passing over rocks nudged Clarke's sleepy mind towards wakefulness. As her mind caught up to her ears, the realization came that the sound of water over rocks was in fact voices speaking softly in the Grounder language. The voices belonged to two women and she could also hear what sounded like skin sliding against skin. She felt her temperature rise as her mind imagined an intimate moment which was compounded by the distinct sound of kissing.

Clarke wholeheartedly wished that she was still asleep. Instead, she found herself an unwitting silent observer to whatever was happening beyond her closed eyes. The sounds didn't last long and soon she heard clothing against skin. Thinking that she was about to hear a lot more than she was comfortable with, she was fully prepared to say something when the thump of boots echoed up through the floor. She paused, trying to keep her heart and breathing slow, and heard more words exchanged. The voices held tones of teasing before the boots began walking closer.

Clarke felt a presence loom next to her and she held fast. A slightly familiar touch ran over her face, moving hair before a thumb stroked her cheek softly. Instinctively, she leaned into the touch and felt the presence near closer. If she wasn't so hellbent on pretending to be asleep, her eyes would have flown open in surprise when she felt the lightest touch of warm lips press against her forehead. A whine escaped unbiddenly when the hand left and the presence stepped away. A soft chuckle sounded before the voice said something. The other voice responded and then the boots were walking away. The sound of the door opened and closed before light footsteps could be heard moving about the room.

Clarke took a deep breath as unobtrusively as she could, inhaling the myriad of smells that permeated the air of the hut. The prevailing scents were of plants and she found herself able to distinguish them individually where before they had coalesced into a singular scent. There was also a powerful scent of a forest. Evergreens with sharp, bitter bark. Wet stone and grass. The inevitable smell of decaying plant life. It smelled like a forest after a good rain. Since coming to the ground, it had become one of her favorite smells and here it was surrounding her. It was also entwined with a sweet musk that sat heavy on the back of throat and caused her mouth to salivate.

There was a second powerful scent. It reminded her of the way the air smelled before rain fell. A crisp, clean smell of charged ozone mixed with something earthy. It reminded her of when she would watch storm clouds roll in, heavy and dark with moisture. The way the wind would whip through the forest and scattering leaves across the ground. This scent seemed to have a spicy musk entwined with it. Again reminding her of a new favorite past time.

The two scents wove together in harmony and left Clarke feeling comforted. As if they were a blanket sheltering her from the world. They made her feel safe and secure. A feeling that had evaded her since her father was ruthlessly taken from her. It settled the turmoil in her mind and she felt at peace.

A soft rumbling built in her chest as she let the warmth of the scents envelop her. It didn't occur to Clarke to question it. She was too wrapped up in her new security blanket. That was until a soft melodic laugh reached her mind.

Her eyes snapped open in shock, having forgotten that another person was in the room with her. From her position on the cot, Clarke scanned the room to find the Commander looking at her with an amused and pleased smile gracing her lips.

In shocked surprise, Clarke blurted or more liked croaked, "Holy Shit, you can smile."

That caused Lexa's smile to falter and Clarke winced at the assumption.

Clearing her throat, Clarke apologized, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Of course, you can smile. Everyone can smile. Did you know that it takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown? Only seventeen. You've got a pretty smile. Makes your green eyes brighter. You've got such gorgeous eyes—"

Lexa smiled even more hearing the blonde rambling and would have let her continue, but she had yet to breathe.

Interrupting her, Lexa said, "Klark, breathe. I promise that I have not taken offense to your earlier pronouncement."

Clarke felt her face heat up as she blushed, "I was rambling, wasn't I?"

Lexa let out a soft chuckle, "Sha, you were. Not that I minded, but you were forgetting to take in breaths. I thought it best to stop you before you passed out from the lack."

Clarke groaned in embarrassment, "Thank you for stopping me."

"You are welcome, Klark," Lexa said as she sat down in a chair to face the blonde. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she admitted. "In some pain. Not as bad as it was the last time I woke up. It still feels like I had a mountain on top of me though."

"No mountain, just a giant wolf according to Rook," Lexa replied with a smile.

"Ah, yes. The giant wolf with fur the color of your hair and eyes of an evergreen forest. I remember. Kinda hard to forget a fight like that," Clarke mused. "Or such a large animal."

"In all my travels, I have never seen wolves that size," Lexa agreed. "Makes me wonder if there are more to the frozen north."

"There aren't," Clarke quickly replied. "They were the last of their kind. The rest were slaughtered as pups. Our pups."

"Our pups," Lexa asked, surprise coating her voice.

Clarke looked at her wide-eyed in shock, "Why did I say that? How would I know that?"

Lexa stood up quickly and sat next to Clarke, seeing the panic begin to rise in her blue eyes. Unthinking, she reached out and began stroking Clarke's face gently as she took a hand in hers, "Breathe, Klark. Just breathe."

Ignoring the warmth that was spreading from their joined hands, Clarke was beginning to spiral as her mind tried to wrap around what she had just said. Seeing that what she was doing wasn't enough, Lexa made a decision. Helping Clarke sit up, she slid behind the blonde and angled Clarke until her ear was pressed against Lexa's chest. She wrapped an arm around Clarke's middle and began stroking her hair.

"Focus on the sound of my heart, Klark," Lexa spoke gently but firmly. "Feel my chest move as I breathe. You are safe. You have not lost your mind. Just focus on what you can hear and feel."

Clarke took a stuttering breath and listened to Lexa's words vibrate through her chest and around her steady heartbeat. She felt herself move up and down as Lexa breathed slow, taking deep breaths before letting it out slowly. Clarke reached down and laid her unbandaged right arm lay across Lexa's left.

Slowly, the panic eased and her breathing and heart returned to normal. As it eased, she felt something else fill it. A warmth like fire spreading from every place Lexa's bare skin touched her own. As it spread, so too did the feeling of safety and security. It fell like a blanket, the scent of a forest after a rain flooding her senses. Clarke closed her eyes, relishing in it all as she snuggled deeper into Lexa.

Lexa smiled as she felt the bond grow between them and felt the tension ease from her body as she relaxed into it. She now knew what it felt like to be whole. The last ache of emptiness filled as warmth spread. She could feel Clarke accepting the bond and the comfort that came with it. Lexa could also feel Rook's joy as the bond registered to her from wherever she was in the village. She smiled widely and feeling bold, dipped her head and planted a gentle kiss on Clarke's blonde tresses.

Clarke let out a contented sigh as both young women just sat there in each other's embrace. The air of the hut took on the heady scent of peace and neither one wanted to break it.