Setting: During S2, Ep14 (Bodyguard of Lies) and S2, Ep15 (Blood Must Have Blood [Part 1])

"Because what's worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?" ― James Patterson, The Angel Experiment

Lexa leaned forward and pressed her lips against Clarke's, pulling her mouth even closer with a gentle hand on the back of Clarke's neck. Clarke's eyes widened in surprise, shock even, as Lexa had caught her completely off guard. Lexa's gaze was so intense, deep, that Clarke couldn't help but to feel the passion driving into her soul. Clarke felt warmth rising from her below her stomach into her chest. Clarke relented, leaned into the kiss, moving her gloved hands upwards to touch Lexa's face with her bare fingertips.

Both warriors, Lexa, Commander of the Grounders, and Clarke, Leader of the Sky People, were fierce and powerful, letting their desire bleed into their kiss. Lexa took control, touching her tongue against Clarke's lips, exploring, wanting, asking. Clarke obliged and parted her mouth, meeting Lexa's tongue with her own, gently yet powerfully. Each young woman tasted the yearning within the other's essence, and this urged them forward.

Lexa grasped the lapels of Clarke's jacket and pushed her back against the center pole of the leader's tent. Pressing her knee against the pole, she supported Clarke's weight as Clarke's knees weakened from the kiss. Lexa's hands slipped inside Clarke's jacket to feel her, touch her. Lexa moved her mouth to Clarke's neck, caressing her through the sweat and the grime, not tasting the saltiness or dirt. Lexa ground her knee upward into the heat between Clarke's legs. Clarke moved her thumbs up Lexa's face, to her war paint, pulling down and symmetrically altering the design. With her head tossed back Clarke grasped Lexa's head, pulling it away from her neck. Clarke steadied her feet on the ground. She pulled Lexa back up to her face. "Lexa." Clarke's voice trembled as her breath hitched. "First we free our people. Then we shall take our reward." Leaning forward, Clarke sealed her words with another kiss against Lexa's lips.

Lexa looked solemnly into Clarke's eyes, holding the stare. Her warrior's face did not falter as she replied. "First our people. Then our reward. Clarke of the Sky People." Lexa turned and strode to her chair, settling down as if she had not just shared her first kiss with Clarke. Her face molded into the fierce mask of a warrior, leaving no traces of the smoldering passion of earlier.

Swallowing hard, Clarke turned to walk out of the tent. She nearly ran chest first into Indra who burst into the tent. Clarke couldn't help but wonder what Indra's reaction would have been if she had entered a few moments earlier, mid-kiss. Surely the grounders knew of Lexa's previous lovers, yet she was still revered among her people.

Clarke exited the tent. As she made her way back to the Ark, she placed her fingers on her lips, smiling at the memory of the forceful yet tender kiss. The twinge of guilt she felt for Finn faded a little more as Lexa's face flooded her thoughts. We are going to get our people out of Mount Weather.

"Attack now!" But the grounders pulled up short as they saw barely clothed prisoners being led out the door.

"What's this?" Clarke looked around with a bewildered look on her face.

"They're coming out!" A man shouted.

"They're surrendering?" Clarke's incredulity was overpowering.

"Not quite." Lexa made her way down the rocky mountainside where she had lead the grounders to stop the shooting.

Clarke looked at Lexa with disbelief. "What did you do?"

Lexa looked at Clarke with dead eyes. "What you would have done. Saved my people."

Clarke's disbelief turned to hurt. "What about my people?"

Lexa avoided Clarke's eyes as she spoke. "The duty to protect my people comes first. I made this decision with my head, not with my heart." Lexa turned to the two warriors to her right. Sound the retreat." With one final look at Clarke, Lexa turned to lead her warriors and freed prisoners back to Tondc.

Clarke was astonished. She could feel her heart breaking once more as she watched Lexa March away. "Lexa!" she shouted. "What about the reward? Our reward. Us?" Clarke was desperate.

Lexa paused and turned. Looking at Clarke she stated, "This," motioning her arm over her freed clan members, "This, Clarke, is my reward." Lexa then disappeared into the throngs of marching warriors.

Clarke hung her head, tears marking tracks in the perspiration and filth on her face. Few of the Ark soldiers were left, certainly not enough to attack the fortified mountain. Shouldering her rifle, she joined her remaining soldiers and made her way back to camp.

Later that night, Clarke relived the attack many times. She could not erase the pain and disappointment from her chest. Previous words floated through her head.

Lexa: And you're willing to risk everything on that? On your feelings?

Clarke: Yes. You say having feelings makes me weak. But you're weak for hiding from them. I might be a hypocrite, Lexa, but you're a liar.

Lexa, you're a liar. Lexa, you're a liar. Clarke repeated these words as a mantra in her mind.

Had she cost her people their lives because of her feelings? What if she had spurned Lexa's advance? Would have that changes the outcome? Both sides had worked so dilegently and made such meticulous plans to release everyone trapped in Mount Weather. Then...betrayal, the ultimate betrayal. Was this how Finn felt as she slid Raven's shank into his gut?

Clarke's mind was spinning as her thoughts overtook her every ounce of being. The last thing that passed through Clarke's mind as she drifted to sleep... Vengeance will be mine.

A/N: This is my first fic for The 100. I only discovered the series a month or two ago. (Thanks NetFlix) I'm super excited I was able to finish S2 prior to S3 on Friday. So I decided to write a one-shot in honor of the occasion. Note: I have watched no previews of S3. I prefer to live my life spoiler-free.