Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 19: I'd Like To Phone A Friend

It's bittersweet and strange to see Raven and Finn's reunion. Raven runs into his arms, beaming at him like he hung the stars, and they kiss. They whirl around in circles, locked together. Always moving in unison, like it's a dance they've done a hundred times. Clarke feels like she should just be happy for them, but there's an echo of the last time she saw this – she can remember the hurt, the anger, the heartbreak of realising just who Raven was. Realising she'd been lied to, and made an accomplice in hurting someone else.

And part of her thinks: doesn't Raven deserve better than Finn, as well? Better than the cheater, the murderer?

She shakes off her weird mood. He hasn't cheated, he's killed no one, not here, anyway. She can't preach to Lexa about how she shouldn't judge people for what they might do and continue to judge based on that herself. This is a new world, a new day, new people.

Clarke's just gotten down from her horse – cautiously, those things are huge – when Lexa, Wells, Monty, Jasper, Anya and Indra arrive. Indra casts a surprised glance at Lincoln, who's still deep in quiet conversation with Octavia, and Wells pauses in confusion on seeing Raven and Finn's embrace. Everyone else's eyes immediately zero in on the radio, with its blinking lights.

"I see you found your message," Lexa says carefully. "Perhaps you should place that in the tent over here. The guards will ensure your discussions are not overheard."

"What is that?" Anya asks, scowling at it.

"A radio, a way to talk with people far away," Clarke explains. Judging by Lexa's brief chagrined expression, she's realising she just gave away that she knows exactly what it is by her comment about 'discussions'. Luckily, no one else seems to have noticed – perhaps they think she meant discussions about what to do with the radio, instead of discussions using it.

"And I'm here as the radio operator," Raven says cheerfully, breaking away from Finn. She grins. "All the way from the Ark, baby. Free fall."

"Awesome," Jasper says eagerly.

"We did that too," Monty points out.

"Not by choice," Jasper replies. "By choice would take serious – wait, it was by choice, right?"

"Not only by choice, but against all rules, regulations and common sense," Raven says. "Clarke's mom had me fix up an old escape pod and come down. She didn't believe it when your vital signs all flatlined."

"My fault," Monty says regretfully. "I was trying to communicate with the Ark using one of them and it shorted out them all."

"No harm done," Clarke says. "Now we have this, which will be much easier than using Morse code on wrist monitors. I already told Jaha to get Mom, Kane, Sinclair, and any other advisors who'll be helpful, and I'd talk to them as soon as we were somewhere secure. I didn't want to risk being attacked or something and losing the radio, even with so many gonas there to protect us."

"Damn straight," Raven says, apparently unable to stop grinning at Finn. He grins back, but it doesn't quite have the unrestrained happiness apparent on his girlfriend's face.

The Trikru all leave as soon as the radio is in the tent, Lexa giving Clarke a respectful nod and the ghost of a smile as she goes. Clarke puts it down to politeness more than anything else – Lexa must know that she can hear anything that's being discussed, and the guards at the tent flap will no doubt report everything to Indra anyway.

All of the Skaikru stay though. (Clarke realises, with slight surprise, that she now calls her people 'Skaikru' automatically). Even Octavia, though she looks after the departing Lincoln regretfully. Even Finn and Raven, still entwined with each other.