#clexaweek2020 day 6

[femininenachos]

The Pursuit

~7k words, rated M.

Renowned across the frontier as one of the fastest, deadliest guns in the West, there's been no lack of adventure in the life of bounty hunter Lexa Woods. But she gets far more than she bargained for when she stops by the local saloon before taking on her next job.

Because that's when Lexa sees her.

Read on AO3

[aphrodites-law]

ClexaWeek, Day 6.

“She can’t be killed while she’s cursed, but she can be made vulnerable enough to let her guard down.”

Clarke felt uneasy. “How would one do such a thing?”

“Love. The curse has made her heart hard. Embittered. You can make it soft again.”

“So that I may run a knife through it afterward,” Clarke predicted.

Finn’s eyes gleamed at her quick thinking. “The manner in which you kill her is your choice.”

Mr. Collins had never been to a brothel before, that much was obvious to Clarke. He stood by the door of the room holding his hat in front of his groin, as if it would protect him from Clarke’s wickedness. His eyes looked everywhere in the room, from the made bed to the small window. The floorboards creaked in protest beneath his polished shoes and the heavy perfume in the air made his nose twitch. Clarke had guessed this wouldn’t be business as usual. She’d had timid patrons before, but Mr. Collins was a different breed.

She sat on the chair by the open window and observed him, glad they couldn’t hear the ruckus from the tavern downstairs.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Collins?” she asked. He’d introduced himself before asking for privacy, which she had granted after noticing the fine make of his clothes. He had money.

He loosened his tight grip on his satchel and placed it on the bed. “Have you ever traveled by the Forest of Polis?” he asked.

Clarke chuckled dryly. It wasn’t the strangest question she’d been asked, but nonetheless unexpected. The tall, dark forest was their city’s natural border in the north and east, but to most people it was considered a wall. Even foreigners knew to stay on the beaten paths.

“I don’t see much of the world outside of this street. If I did, my destination of choice wouldn’t be a deadly forest.”

“Cursed is the word I would use,” Finn said, then cleared his throat. “Have you heard of the keeper?”

Clarke picked up a hairbrush on the dressing table next to her. If he was going to bore her with stories, she might as well keep her hands busy. “I’ve heard of the tale told to frighten children, yes. The ruthless keeper lives in every tree and can see through the eyes of every animal. Adventuring too deep inside is a sure death sentence at her hand.”

“That isn’t quite the truth. She has great power over the forest, but she isn’t cruel. I could tell.”

Clarke paused her brushing, surprised by the revelation. “You’ve met her?”

Finn nodded. “A year ago. I had pigeons delivering a message at key points in the known parts of the forest. When one of the birds went missing for weeks, I thought it had died. To my astonishment, it came back with a reply and a rendezvous point. We met in a clearing by a river. I… had an enlightening conversation with her.”

“How—” Clarke shook her head, baffled. “So she truly exists? A woman living alone in that forest?”

“She does. And despite her power, she struck me as deeply human. I don’t think I was particularly interesting to her, but she asked many questions about Polis.”

“What was your business with her?”

Finn sat on the bed, leaving his hat on his lap. “You might have heard that the ancient city of Arkadia was built in the forest, with countless riches and fertile soil around it.”

“Another folktale to entertain children with.”

Finn seemed irked by her lack of wonder. “They are stories based in reality. Now imagine what we could do with these resources if we had access to them. How better our lives might be if we had the gold to better our businesses and the crops to feed our children. Our neighbors would finally respect us. Polis could become a great city again, as it was decades ago.”

“And you think a single woman stands in your way?”

“I know it for a fact. Six years ago, my father found the maps that proved Arkadia’s existence. We brought them to the Commander, but none of the soldiers sent to find it survived the forest. Our leaders may have given up on finding Arkadia, but I owe it to my father to realize his dream.”

Clarke sighed. She had heard this kind of talk before. “I don’t have much time for dreams, Mr. Collins.”

“Few people do,” Finn acknowledged, “but I believe in a better future for us all. That is why I sought out a diplomatic resolution with the keeper.”

“I take it she wasn’t interested in diplomacy?”

“She… became enraged. She said that Arkadia deserved its ruin and ordered me to leave. It was the end of our conversation.”

Clarke appreciated his honesty, but it still didn’t explain his presence. “And now you’re here.”

Finn fiddled with his hat, still not sure what to do with his body in tight quarters with another woman. If Clarke had to guess, he’d taken a vow of purity. “Since the keeper cannot be reasoned with, there is no other choice but to stop her.”

Clarke immediately felt that the conversation had shifted into something more sinister.

“It’s simple, really,” Finn said with the ghost of a smile: “She is lonely.”

“Surely she comes to the city once in a while.”

“No, she cannot leave the forest grounds. I believe her isolation has finally worn on her. She wouldn’t have met with me otherwise.”

“And you wish to send someone to her. Someone who would work for you.” Clarke knew she was right before he even nodded. “If what you say is true, the keeper has power and land—reasons enough for many to enjoy her company. But you came to a brothel, which means you’re looking for a woman desperate enough to say yes. Why?”

Finn grimaced. “The truth is, she’s not easy on the eyes. She was cursed with a mask of sorts.”

“A mask?”

“One that cannot be removed, as if melded to the top of her face. It’s white and textured like bone, but unbreakable. I thought to bring something similar.”

Finn opened the satchel and showed Clarke what seemed like the front part of a human skull. He brought it over his face, where it covered his visage from his forehead to his nose. His face suddenly looked beastly, like he might turn feral and rip her throat. Clarke’s blood ran cold the longer she stared. She could understand how no one would be willing to wake up to such a frightening sight every morning.

“I see.”

Finn hid the mask back in the satchel, staring at it for a beat, as if both entranced and disgusted. “She can’t be killed while she’s cursed, but she can be made vulnerable enough to let her guard down.”

Clarke felt uneasy. “How would one do such a thing?”

“Love. The curse has made her heart hard. Embittered. You can make it soft again.”

“So that I may run a knife through it afterward,” Clarke predicted.

Finn’s eyes gleamed at her quick thinking. “The manner in which you kill her is your choice.”

It was not the first time Clarke had been asked to kill. Spurned lovers or hateful spouses sometimes bribed her to get rid of their partners if they came back to her. She had never agreed to it, but she knew others had. Finn’s request was different. Clarke didn’t fully understand it yet, but she needed the full story before she made up her mind.

“Are you sure she would be seduced by a woman?”

“Yes, according to a witch’s knowledge of her curse... ” he revealed, but did not share any more. 

“You said she isn’t cruel, yet people are harmed by the forest she controls.”

"I wouldn’t say she controls it. There’s a reason we call her a keeper rather than a witch. But they are intricately connected, that much is certain. When my father sought to find Arkadia on his own, he recounted that the deeper he went, the more aggressive the plant life became. Even stranger? It was like the roots and thorns came to life, but neither blades nor fire affected them. He was one of the lucky ones to survive.”

There was a sadness to Finn’s tone that suggested his father had since died.

“Magic?” Clarke asked.

“The woman’s curse. My belief is that, should it be broken, we would be able to clear a path just like the Arkadians did. We would finally have access to our rich heritage.”

“You are relying heavily on your beliefs.”

“I have no other choice. Polis can’t go on like this anymore. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hm.” Clarke had no feelings about it either way. Her own survival mattered much more than that of a crumbling city. “Are you confident love would do the trick?”

“I have researched her curse and others for the past year. I have traveled to witches’ dwellings from south to west and risked my life for these answers. Love is the most human of powers—I’m certain it’s her antidote.”

Clarke considered the task for a moment. “Why kill her?” she asked.

Finn seemed surprised. “Pardon?”

“Why kill her when she becomes powerless? You said her powers are tied to her curse.”

Finn looked away, the telltale signs he hadn’t revealed everything. Clarke knew that expression too well.

“You’re lying to me, Mr. Collins.”

“I’m not!” he panicked.

“I won’t take on a fool’s quest without knowing all the risks. Spit it out or leave.”

Finn hesitated before yielding to her request. “When I say the curse will be broken, I mean that lulled would be a more appropriate word. Love would make her human side come forth again, but if she were to lose this love…”

“She would relinquish her humanity for good,” Clarke guessed.

“I fear then that she would become unstoppable. That we would never find Arkadia.”

“And no sane person would agree to a lifetime in a dark forest, pretending to love a masked woman.”

Clarke was glad she had gotten to the bottom of it. Still, something made her hesitant to throw herself in the fire:  “True love cannot be one sided.”

“I believe that it can. I’ve seen it happen. My father was madly in love with my mother. Devoted to her. She fulfilled her duties, but she had no love for him—at best, tepid affection. Yet it didn’t make his love for her any less true.”

“What makes you believe the keeper could love me?”

“Isn’t love your business?”

“Fucking is my business.”

Finn blushed, unused to such bluntness. “I saw you downstairs, in the tavern. You had patrons eating out of the palm of your hand. You’re a beautiful woman, but you’re also sharp. Witty. And you exude something that…” he struggled to hold her stare, but did his best to appear confident. “The witches I’ve met have all told me the same thing: She will be yearning for someone like her. An outcast. A woman who understands loneliness. At the same time, you would be her opposite. Someone constantly surrounded by people. You could travel the world and blend into the fabric of each city. I think she would like that. I think she might easily love you.”

“You spin quite the tale,” Clarke replied, then shrugged. “I’ve heard your proposal, but what’s in it for me?”

Finn dug into his satchel and took out a velvet pouch. He approached her and opened it, revealing gold and precious stones. Clarke nearly lost her breath. That was more than she’d ever seen and enough to last her years, even a lifetime if she was smart.

“It would also come with the title deed to a house and an orchard.“ Finn closed the pouch. "Land and money… Surely that is enough incentive?”

As he spoke, Clarke stood up to look out the window. She had expected him to come prepared, but the offer still shocked her.

“What do you have to lose?” he asked with thinly-veiled contempt. Clarke could hear that he had shaken off his awkwardness and was now anxious for an answer.

“Would you really miss this life? The filth and the noise? I’m offering you freedom. A home.”

Clarke studied the street, needing to ignore his gaze. It was an appealing proposition, despite the risky nature of it. The keeper was yearning for companionship but saddled with a frightening face—she would likely be receptive to someone’s affection. It was no different than the act she had put on to retain a faithful clientele here. To survive this world. She suspected Finn knew more about her than he let on. He had used the only word that might sway her completely: Home.

A home to call hers. A home where she would eat her own meals and clean her own mess. Walls, doors and windows that would keep her safe, not trapped. An orchard that would sustain her. It was the only dream she ever did allow herself to have, now attainable. 

“Are you interested or not?” Finn asked.

She turned to him and nodded. “I’ll need an advance—two months worth of living expenses. Then you’ll show me the house. Should I find the plot suitable, I’ll sign the title deed before my departure.”

Finn seemed taken aback by her demand. “Before?”

“I’m putting my life in mortal danger. I need a guarantee it won’t be in vain regardless of the plan’s outcome.”

He mulled it over, likely wondering if she would take her deed and close the door in his face. But without money, she would not be able to do much with the house. It needed upkeep, as did the orchard. 

“You think two months will be enough?”

“To have her fall in love? Perhaps not. But I will know whether or not it is a possibility.”

Finn looked elated, his chest puffing up and his boyish grin betraying his youth. His plan was finally being set in motion. “Very well, I’ll come by in the morning! I’ll have everything—anything you want.”

Clarke thought quickly about every step before it was too late. She would not get duped into a trap. “Where will I find a weapon if she has none?”

Finn took out a folded map from his satchel and opened it on the bed. He had truly come prepared. For his sake, Clarke hoped he hadn’t come alone. A naive looking man with such a heavy bag wouldn’t go unnoticed on this street.  

“Here are the known areas of the forest,“ he explained, showing her the shaded points on the map. He pointed to a twisted looking line. “When you feel the moment is right, you’ll find both a knife and poison beneath the thickest root of a weeper tree. I don’t know where the keeper stays, but you’ll only need to follow the river stream toward Polis to find the tree. Its branches are warped into such unique shapes that you’ll immediately recognize it.”

Clarke stared at the map but found herself drifting when he spoke about the rumored location of Arkadia. Could she truly kill a woman, cursed or not? Could she be so callous as to make love a fatal weakness? Clarke had looked for ways out of Polis’ streets for years and this was it. How could she refuse such an offer? Morals had to be flexible when it came to survival.

“How shall I find her without getting myself killed?” she asked.

Finn pointed to another winding line on the map, excited to divulge more of his plan. “There is a bridge…” he started.

[clexaweekofficial]

https://tesseractingrey.tumblr.com/post/644435350497968128/whats-the-problem-i-dont-know-well-maybe-im :)

[thessclexa]

Hart’s Divide: a WWII AU

Lexa’s plane is shot down in enemy territory when she wakes up in the care of Dr. Clarke Griffin.

Read here

[clarketomylexa]

clexa week day 6: historical/period drama: emma au

Clarke Griffin, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings in existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to vex her.

Based on Jane Austen’s Emma; think a wealthy, sheltered Clarke, over-indulged by her widowed father, who likes to meddle in the romantic affairs of others perhaps a little too much for someone who has no plans of marrying, and Lexa, her neighbour and childhood companion come adversary who, by some quirk of her late father’s will has become the sole heir to her family’s estate. 

Lexa, who disapproves of Clarke’s matchmaking but not for the reasons Clarke believes. 

Clarke taking on Octavia, a boarder from a nearby school with limited means and questionable parentage, and advising her against marrying her sweetheart—a tenant farmer on Lexa’s estate—in favour of making a more socially acceptable match; a move which blows up in her face when the vicar whom she tries to set Octavia up with professes his love for Clarke instead. 

Lexa in love with Clarke from afar, biting her tongue when Clarke pursues Finn Collins, the shallow son of a wealthy landowner, only to find out that he is already engaged to Raven after she has a flirtation with them. 

Clarke realising she is in love with Lexa—and that Lexa, in turn, is in love with her—slowly; remembering the flowers they picked for one another when they were children and how they would weave the stems through their hair as they sat in the gardens on hot, summer afternoons. Realising that Lexa’s disapproval of Finn Collins came from envy that he had Clarke’s affections and that their constant bickering and snark remarks at each other are only masking their mutual feelings. 

Lingering glances over candlelit ballrooms and brief touches in the midst of dancing, quiet words traded over tabletops and in the empty corners of Lexa’s home and finally declarations of love on abandoned hilltops, bonnet strings caught in summer breezes and lace gloves pressed to flushed cheeks, trading I love you’s where no one but them can hear. 

[kloxbian]

Old Romance, Retold, Exactly in the Ancient Way

Synopsis:

“So,” Clarke said, leaning back against Lexa’s shoulder. “Enjoy yourself?”

“Threatening people at swordpoint? How could I not?”

“Hmm. That reminds me.” Clarke reached a hand to curl around Lexa’s head, scratching her scalp before drawing her sword from its sheath. “No weapons while drunk.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not even drunk yet."

-

Or the pirate AU where they raid a ship and then get drunk and have sex

WARNING: Contains mature content (i.e sex). Very heavy on dom/sub

Notes:  Inspired by the famous female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who sailed alongside Calico Jack on the ship William, who were even believed by some to have been romantically involved. I thought it was fitting.

And because this is smut, I technically can’t post it here, so

Read it on Ao3

[lon3lynation]

Promise To Never Let Go (Day 6: Titanic Clexa AU)

Can also be read on AO3.

“Where to, Miss?”

“To the stars.”

Dull blue eyes gazed helplessly above at the bright and magnificent night sky that was accompanied by twinkling stars. They could be seen reflecting off the water. It was beautiful, but it only felt like a cruel tease the more she stared and tuned out her surroundings. More than anything, Clarke yearned for Lexa to take them to the stars. Instead, her body was frozen stiff on top of a door while floating in the Atlantic ocean. Tears begged to be wept, but her tear ducts have long since frozen any that attempted to fall.

“When this ship docks, I’m getting off with you.”

“This is crazy.”

“I know. It doesn’t make any sense. That’s why I trust it.”

Clarke squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again in fear that they would freeze in position. Slowly, she rolled her cold and numb body to the side, shuddering at the feel of her icy skin peeling from the wood. It was unnerving how gradually the calm and silent overtook the night. Panicked screams, uncontrollable prayers, and desperate calling of names had filled the air while the Titanic continued to sink deeper into the ocean. She had also found herself screaming, shouting with all her might, and love for Lexa earlier.

People all around her were splashing frantically, knowing that death would soon claim them all, but one had tried to introduce her to end sooner by nearly drowning her when she first surfaced. A stranger tried to use her body outfitted with a lifejacket to stay afloat, but she struggled and fought desperately to break his hold. She hit him with a swift jab that knocked him loose and quickly took the chance to escape. Lexa would have been proud to have seen it. It was then she realized that Lexa wasn’t anywhere to be found. She yelled and swam searching for Lexa while shoving past passengers until eventually noticing the bodies going silent and still. Her body and mind screamed at her that she would perish too if she continued searching.

“I love you. Lexa.”

“No, don’t say your good-byes, Clarke. Don’t you give up. Don’t do it.”

“We’re going down!”

“Clarke, listen to me. Listen. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you. And I’m thankful, Clarke. I’m thankful. You must do me this honor... promise me you will survive... that you will never give up... no matter what happens... no matter how hopeless... promise me now, and never let go of that promise.”

“I promise.”

“Never let go.”

“I promise. I will never let go, Lexa. I’ll never let go.”

“Okay, good. Now take a deep breath and hold it right before we go into the water. The ship will suck us down. Kick for the surface and keep kicking. Don’t let go of my hand. We’re gonna make it, Clarke. Trust me.”

“I trust you. I jump, you jump, remember?”

Clarke wanted to hold onto her promise to Lexa, but she was supposed to be able to hold onto Lexa too. She had her, she was hers with a future together on the horizon, and they were going to make it. Unfortunately, that hope dwindled as soon as they hit the water, she had held tightly onto Lexa’s hand until something had yanked her beloved from her grip and forced her to the surface alone. All she could do was scream and search for her until even that was taken from her. Her voice turned hoarse and weak, her body slowed and grew numb from the 28 degrees ocean. Reluctantly her search changed to searching for something to keep her out of the open water. Luckily, she had found the door that was presently keeping her afloat.

However, Clarke couldn’t find it in herself to feel lucky. She had somehow lost Lexa in the depths of the ocean, not knowing if she was clinging to life like Clarke was or if her body was among the floating corpses somewhere around her unseen. She wanted to hold out hope, but the quiet was eating away at her, and her body was so, so, so cold. The longer she was left on top of the door without rescue, her aching heart would surely come to an unending halt. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open and hold out, but Clarke was no longer even sure if she had reason to keep trying. She felt so weak, so close to embracing her icy death, and hopeful she’ll somehow see Lexa again.

Clarke was so grateful that she had taken her chance to tell Lexa that she loves her. At least Lexa had known her love, that her heart would forever be cherished in life, and even in death. It was simply unfair they didn't have more time together. What they had was so new and so beautiful. She would have never believed that she could genuinely fall in love with someone, another woman at that, in just a few days. Lexa turned what seemed like an impossibility into a possibility and swept Clarke off her feet.

“Lexa,” she weakly whispered to the stars above, her frozen lips cracking when they parted.

All hope, will, and spirit were leaving her stranded, just like how the lifeboats in the distance had neglected to come to their rescue when they called out to them. She doesn’t know how long it has been since she and Lexa entered the water but it felt like an eternity when it was perhaps closer to 40 minutes. It appeared that no one was coming to their rescue, and if they were, it would be too late by then to find any survivors. With the dead silence surrounding her, it left her wondering if she was the only one left clinging to life. It was foolish of her to still be hanging on when everyone’s spirits have already departed them. Embracing death, no matter if she wanted it or not, felt like her last and only option.

She just needed to let go.

Taking one last look at the night sky, Clarke let her eyes flutter closed.

A moment later, a light flared across the water, silhouetting the bobbing corpses in between the boat and Clarke. It traveled past her motionless form before moving on. The boat is 50 feet away, and moving past her to continue their search.

Clarke’s eyes snapped open.

Voices.

She heard distorted and hollow voices. Blearily vision sought the sound out and tracked a lifeboat that was stretching the distance between them. At first, she couldn't believe her eyes and simply watched the boat move further away. Clarke had accepted that she wasn’t going to get rescued in time, and the boat passed her by. She wanted to close her eyes again and wait for death to claim her. The will to let go was right there, and all she had to do was let it happen.

But...

Lexa made her promise to never let go.

If she let go now, wouldn’t that be breaking her promise to her?

She couldn’t let herself break it. She couldn’t disappoint Lexa.

Lexa would want her to keep fighting. Seeing that she was still breathing and there was a real chance of a rescue, she couldn’t just turn away from it. Clarke promised that no matter what happens or how hopeless that she would live on.

She needed to live. For Lexa.

“Hel--” her voice faltered. “Help!” Clarke struggled to move because her voice was failing her. The boat had rowed dreadfully out of her view. “Over here!” Knowing there was no other choice, Clarke plunged herself into the icy water, her hair tugging painfully from where it had frozen to the door. She swam to where a Chief Officer with a whistle was nearby and clutch onto his body. Taking the whistle from his frozen mouth, she gathered all the strength that was left in her body and blew the whistle. The sound struck across the still water.

Clarke keeps blowing and doesn’t stop until the whistle is taken from her stiff lips when her rescuers reached down and hauled her into the boat. Finally rescued and safe, Clarke fell unconscious with dreams of Lexa and that the unsinkable Titanic never actually sunk.

_________________________

When Clarke woke up, she found herself and about 700 other survivors aboard the RMS Carpathia. The crew gave her dry clothes and had her evaluated by 1 of their 3 doctors. She was told that she had reached Stage 3 of Hypothermia and that she likely would have died if the rescue had arrived any later than they had. It didn’t surprise her and knew she should consider it a miracle that she was alive. They swaddled her in a blanket, fed her, and offered her hot tea.

She slowly roamed around the steamliner, her eyes taking in the pale faces of survivors around her, hoping to see familiar, knowledgeable green eyes.

She didn’t.  

Eventually, Clarke settled on the deck with her hot beverage to watch the rising morning sun and the last of the rescued lifeboats being hoisted up. They all just survived something horrible together, and yet Clarke felt utterly alone. Falling into a trance with an emotionless face, Clarke silently mourned.

“Is that you, Clarke?” a different familiar voice shook her out of it.

Finn.

Clarke clenched her jaw at the sight of Finn looking her over. She looked like a refuge with matted hair hanging over her eyes.

“Yes, I lived. How awkward, huh?”

“Clarke, your mother and I have been looking for you.”

Holding a hand up, Clarke put a stop to whatever Finn had in mind to say next. She didn’t want to hear it. He was the reason why Lexa was prevented from getting on a lifeboat with her. They could have been both saved if he had just put aside his hurt ego and let Lexa join her.

“Please don’t. Shut up and just listen. From this moment, you do not exist for me, nor I for you. You shall not see me again. And you will not attempt to find me. Is this in any way unclear to you?”

Clarke ignored the way Finn looked at her with big sad eyes. He received a lethal glare in return.

“What do I tell your mother?”

Clarke hesitated before replying with a weary sigh.

“Tell her I died with the Titanic.”

Turning around to face the rail again, Clarke dismissed Finn.

“Goodbye, Finn.”

Finn reluctantly left, leaving her to replay her the past few days in her head again.

“Sorry to bother you, ma’am. I need your name.”

Clarke looked back to see an Officer holding a list of all the names of the survivors.

“Um, Clarke Griffin. Actually, make that Woods. Clarke Woods.”

The man looked her over curiously before nodding and writing the name down.

“I think I just noted down your sister’s name a bit ago. Have you seen to her?”

“Sister? I don’t have a sister.”

“I know you said Woods, but Griffin? Lexa Griffin? Figured there was a relation there, my apologies, Miss.”

Clarke froze on the spot. It was wishful thinking. It had to be. Lexa had been lost to the sea. Right? But what were the chances that there was a survivor named Lexa Griffin?

“Lexa Griffin? Where did you leave her? Tell me!”

“Oh, I last saw her resting in one of the Officer’s cabins that were converted.”

Clarke dropped her nearly empty cup of tea to rush to where the cabins were situated below deck. It takes a few long, tense minutes to push past the crowd filled with crew and survivors to get to the correct level. Her heart was beating like crazy, and her body was protesting her rapid movements. She was still weak and needed to take it easy while she recovered. There was a possibility that Lexa had survived though, and she desperately needed to see if her sudden hope was senseless or not. She slammed into an Officer’s room, scanning the bleak faces of a few passengers and not finding the features she wanted to see. Quietly apologizing, she backed out the room and rushed into the next converted room.

Not her.

Not her.

Not… wait.

Clarke’s eyes settled on a slim figure sitting on the edge of a bed, hunched over with blankets wrapped around their whole body. Clarke shook as she slowly inched forward, both hopeful and scared to look upon the hooded person’s face. Swallowing deeply, Clarke stood before the clearly defeated form of a woman and let herself say her beloved’s name out loud.

“Lexa?”

The huddled form flinched at her voice before slowly raising a trembling hand to push back the blanket and finally revealing those beautiful familiar eyes Clarke has wished to witness again.

“Oh my god, Lexa!”

Lexa’s face slackened in shock at the sight of Clarke.

“Clarke?” she rasped, her devastation quickly turned into euphoria as she jumped up to embrace Clarke tightly.

“It's you! It’s really you.” Clarke cried heartily before tucking her face into the curve of Lexa’s neck. “I thought I lost you.”

“Clarke, Clarke, Clarke,” Lexa repeated, nearly crushing Clarke as she attempted to pull her deeper into her. “You’re here.”

“I’m here, Lexa. We’re both here. We made it.”

“I-I believed you were gone, Clarke. I was so lost without you.”

“Me too. God, I thought I wasn’t going to make it and hoped I’d get to see you again in the afterlife.” Clarke sighed, pecking the cool skin beneath her lips before leaning back to gaze at Lexa’s face. “I remembered my promise to you, though. I didn’t let go.”

Clarke’s eyes fluttered shut when Lexa moved her hands to hold her face, her fingers slightly trembling against her cheeks. She couldn’t believe that she was feeling Lexa’s touch again. It was real. She didn’t have to go on without Lexa.

“Thank you for keeping your promise. I’m so proud of you for surviving. I didn’t know if you were alive or not but I didn’t think it was fair of me if I didn’t silently promise the same to you. I didn’t want to be without you, but I fought to live for you, Clarke.” Lexa gulped as tears filled her eyes, threatening to fall. “I love you. Oh, do I love you so.”

Clarke felt something crack within her and found herself weeping into Lexa’s chest.

“I love you, I love you,” she cried softly before feeling Lexa maneuver them to sit on the mattress.

Lexa adjusted the blankets around them until they were sharing them and their body heat as she pressed firmly against Clarke. She leaned down and press soothing kisses to Clarke’s head, rubbing her hand along the slant of her back. Lexa let her own tears fall as they both processed and expressed every feeling that overtook their tired bodies. It was hard to accept how close they came to losing each other and that for hours, they truly believed that death had separated them. It was taxing to instantly go from feeling such loss, grief to relief, and elation. It would take a little time to fully process everything to let the pain that they were still feeling fade.

Minutes later, when the tears slowly came to a stop, Clarke tilted her head and lovingly captured Lexa’s lips into a kiss. Simply forgetting and uncaring that there were others in the room, Lexa melted into Clarke and exchanged soft kisses to refamiliarize themselves with each other again. Clarke moved to thread her fingers into Lexa’s unruly curls that still felt a bit damp and was careful to not accidentally tug on any knots. They breathed each other in, letting their newfound love be felt with each press of their lips. Lexa eventually swiped her tongue along Clarke’s upper lip, shifting to deepen the kiss. Clarke eagerly parted her lips for Lexa’s tongue, passionately letting their tongues reunite. Lexa panted while Clarke moaned quietly, their hands tightening their hold on each other.

Someone obnoxiously cleared their throat.

They're reluctant to break apart, but they do to take each other in again with their eyes. Clarke licked her lips, twirling a strand of dark hair between her fingers before choosing to ask what has been on her mind.

“Lexa, what had happened? When we were underwater, I held on, but then it felt like some force just yanked you away.”

Lexa turned her head away, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. Clarke lifted a hand to tilt her face back toward her. She didn’t want those green eyes hidden away from her.

“Those suspenders you adore so much, they nearly killed me.”

Clarke paused her twirling.

“What do you mean?”

“Somehow they got caught on the stern or the railing. I was being dragged down with the Titanic. That’s what pulled me from you. I panicked for a moment thinking that was really how I was going to go out before remembering I could unclip them from my pants. I didn’t think I was going to get to the surface in time. It was close. By the time I regained my breath, you were nowhere in sight.” Lexa sighed, feeling a bit guilty. “I yelled for you, Clarke. I tried to find you. I’m sorry I failed you.”

“Lexa, no, don’t think that.” Clarke moved to clasped Lexa’s face between her hands, her eyes staring intensely into Lexa’s. “You didn’t fail me. You fought to stay alive and you did. If you hadn’t --” her voice cracked with emotion. “You didn’t fail, and it wasn’t your fault. I’m glad that you’re so stubborn and that you basically told death to go fuck themselves.”

Lexa gasped, pretending to be scandalized, but her amusement shined through.

“What a dirty mouth for a first class lady,” Lexa teasingly smirked. “I think I'm fond of it.”

“You better be. It’s your bad influence that did it, after all.” Clarke joked, leaning in to peck Lexa on the lips. “So, what happened afterward? I had to punch a guy in the face for trying to use me as his personal lifejacket. I ended up finding a door to lay on after I had to quit searching for you.”

“You socked a guy, and I missed it? Damn.” Lexa shook her head, silently fuming that someone tried to drown Clarke. “I had to tell a few people to piss off, especially after I found a broken piece of a staircase to climb onto.” Her eyes turned distant, remembering the people she denied and how she noticed their corpses drifting a small distance away from her location. “They didn’t survive.”

Clarke frowned, her hands moving to grip onto Lexa’s tightly. She knew the horror they had gone through. It would take both of them time to cope with the trauma and the consequences of the sinking.

“You did what you had to do to survive. There is no shame in that.” Clarke soothingly rubbed Lexa’s knuckles. “You’re here with me because of that survival instinct. I know that doesn’t make it feel any better, but you’re not alone. We’re together and we’re going to deal with this together too.”

Lexa inhaled deeply and let it out slowly before giving a short nod.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“I want you to.” Clarke smiled. “There’s a future waiting for us. I want it. I want it all with you.”

“They’d said that it may take us 3 days to reach New York.” Lexa moved to stroke Clarke’s chin. “You’re really coming with me.” She murmured to herself, not knowing how she had gotten so lucky to have a girl wanting to share a life filled with adventures with her. “We’ll travel and go to that pier we talked about. Drink cheap beer, go on the rollercoasters, ride horses on the beach, right into the surf.”

“Ride like a man!”

“Yes, do it like men.” Lexa chuckled. “Every morning, we’ll wake up wrapped up in each other, never knowing what the day will offer us, but we’ll find out together.”

“Together. It sounds like a dream.”

“It is until it’s not. We’re going to make it our truth and live to the fullest.” Lexa grinned, alight with enthusiasm for their new lives together. She couldn’t wait to show Clarke everything the world had to offer and more. “I’ll take you the stars and back, Clarke. Everything in between, I’ll give you the entirety of all that I am and offer you all that I can give to you. I love you.”

“You’ve already given me the most precious jewel in the world, your heart. That and your presence is all I’ll ever truly need from you, Lexa. “Clarke gave a tearful smile. “I jump, you jump, right? I love you too.”

They embraced once more, excitement igniting as they eagerly awaited to start their new life together. There were so many things to do and many sights to see. They were also looking forward to learning what their relationship would end up teaching them about each other. It had been only a short number of days since they met, and they wanted to learn everything about each other. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

They would go on to get to know each other completely. They would go on to explore all in between New York and California. They would visit the pier, go on rollercoasters till they got sick, and ride on horses as men do along the beach. It was everything they had promised to each other, and they lived joyously. All the old and new promises they had made were never broken.

They held on forever.

And they never let go.

[cameloop]

Chapters: 1/9 Fandom: The 100 (TV), Downton Abbey Rating: Mature Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln - Relationship Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Original Characters, Raven Reyes, Octavia Blake, Lincoln (The 100), Indra (The 100), Gustus (The 100), Anya (The 100), Madi (The 100) Additional Tags: Clexaweek2020, Clexaweek2020 Day 6, Day 6 Historical/Period drama, Historical/Period drama, Clexa Centric, Downton Abbey AU, Angst, Period Typical Attitudes, Rape/Non-con Elements, If you have any questions about this last tag do not hesitate to ask me in the comments, be safe, Attempted Rape, It gets more angsty when we progress into the fic, but it's not all angst, Humour, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

Lady Alexandria Woods is the oldest daughter of the Lord of Downton Abbey, and is as such set to marry the heir to the estate and preside over the people of the county as her ancestors before her.

In comes Clarke Griffin, a farmer's daughter, who has been hired to be her lady's maid and whose presence might just change everything...

[cherrypersephone]

Day 5 - AU

⇄⇄⇄

From the Ashes (We Will Rise) - Clexa Hunger Games AU

Every year 24 children aged 12-18, most of them unwilling are sent to the Capitol to compete in a televised fight to the death until a lone victor remains. There’s no room for error, or hesitation, or feelings. There is only survival. But, life should be about more than just surviving.

[nerdishpursuits]

After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Lexa finds herself deep in the heart of Trikru Forest. All she really wants to do is provide for her family and stay out of trouble, but when the Sheriff of Arkadia levies the largest tax in the history of the 12 counties, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. Relying on the help of her merry band of misfits (Anya Scarlett, Little Gus and Lincoln-a-Dale) and Arkadia’s intriguing—and off-limits—baroness, Clarke, Lexa must find a way to pull off the biggest heist the counties have ever seen.

With both heart and freedom at stake, just how much will she risk to ensure the safety of the ones she loves? Clexaweek2020 Day 6- Friday, March 6th: Historical/Period Drama

insp. by Nottingham by Anna Burke (which I love to pieces and cannot recommend enough)

[clexaao3feed]

Pas de coeur

by MissCamomille

Lady Alexandria Woods is the oldest daughter of the Lord of Downton Abbey, and is as such set to marry the heir to the estate and preside over the people of the county as her ancestors before her.

In comes Clarke Griffin, a farmer's daughter, who has been hired to be her lady's maid and whose presence might just change everything...

Words: 3069, Chapters: 1/9, Language: English

Fandoms: The 100 (TV), Downton Abbey

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F

Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Original Characters, Raven Reyes, Octavia Blake, Lincoln (The 100), Indra (The 100), Gustus (The 100), Anya (The 100), Madi (The 100)

Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln - Relationship

Additional Tags: Clexaweek2020, Clexaweek2020 Day 6, Day 6 Historical/Period drama, Historical/Period drama, Clexa Centric, Downton Abbey AU, Angst, Period Typical Attitudes, Rape/Non-con Elements, If you have any questions about this last tag do not hesitate to ask me in the comments, be safe, Attempted Rape, It gets more angsty when we progress into the fic, but it's not all angst, Humour, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Read Here: https://ift.tt/2Ir5xME via IFTTT

[ao3feed-the100]

War

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2vJmqiQ

by BigG1999

Clexa Week 2020 Day 6

Words: 904, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of ClexaWeek2020

Fandoms: The 100 (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Anya (The 100), Raven Reyes, Indra (The 100)

Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Clarke Griffin & Lexa

Additional Tags: Clexa Week 2020, War, One Shot

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2vJmqiQ

[clexaweekofficial]

Clexaweek2020

(this amazing gif was created by @perxonal! Link here )

Clexaweek2020 will take place from March 1st to March 7th. Here are links to posts that provide more information on each theme.

Day 1- Sunday, March 1st: Forbidden Love

Day 2- Monday, March 2nd: Survival

Day 3- Tuesday, March 3rd: Time Travel

Day 4- Wednesday, March 4th: Roomates

Day 5- Thursday, March 5th: AU

Day 6- Friday, March 6th: Historical/Period Drama

Day 7- Saturday, March 7th: Free Day

Rules for tagging: makes sure to tag #Clexaweek2020 and the day and prompt first before any other tags to make it easier for me to compile the master list. 

So for example the first day, your tags should be #Clexaweek2020  #Clexaweek2020 Day 1 #Day 1 forbidden love #forbidden love (and then the others for the other days, ofc)

If you post your fic on ao3, you should also add it to the collection Clexaweek2020 as it makes it easier to find and to form the master list.

Submit a link to your post or directly to your work, whatever you would prefer, so that I can share/reblog it. Here is the link for that.

[thessclexa]

Titanic: the untold story

Read here

Interesting how I LOVE historical AUs... but growing up, my least favorite subject was history...

Also, for anyone who cares and actually reads posts. I’ll be dropping a new WWII AU fic later today. :)

[cameloop]

Chapters: 3/9 Fandom: The 100 (TV), Downton Abbey Rating: Mature Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln - Relationship Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Original Characters, Raven Reyes, Octavia Blake, Lincoln (The 100), Indra (The 100), Gustus (The 100), Anya (The 100), Madi (The 100) Additional Tags: Clexaweek2020, Clexaweek2020 Day 6, Day 6 Historical/Period drama, Historical/Period drama, Clexa Centric, Downton Abbey AU, Angst, Period Typical Attitudes, Rape/Non-con Elements, If you have any questions about this last tag do not hesitate to ask me in the comments, be safe, Attempted Rape, It gets more angsty when we progress into the fic, but it's not all angst, Humour, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, No need to know anything about Downton Abbey to read it, It's mostly the historical setting, Rated M because of the attempted rape scene

Summary:

Lady Alexandria Woods is the oldest daughter of a Lord, and is as such set to marry the heir to the family's estate and preside over the people of the county as her ancestors before her.

In comes Clarke Griffin, a farmer's daughter, who has been hired to be her lady's maid and whose presence might just change everything...

[cherrypersephone]

Day 6 - Historical/Period Drama

📀 Clexa in the 1970s 📀

“You may say I’m a dreamer,

but I’m not the only one.”