Title: Fake It 'Til You Make It

Author: mikipau

Rating: T

Fandom: The 100

Pairing: Abby/Raven (Doctor Mechanic)

Disclaimer: I do not own the 100.

Summary: Abby needs a fake date.

A/N: Doctor Mechanic Week. Day 4: Fake Dating AU. Slightly contrived and out of character. I'm sorry, but here we go!

Abby hated herself for what she'd done. She'd been so fed up with her co-workers' quips and offhanded comments that she just couldn't stop herself from blurting out what was in all regards a complete lie. Blinded by her annoyance she'd stupidly said something she couldn't take back, not without losing face.

She'd worked for Ark Alpha Pharmaceuticals since Clarke was four. Before that she'd been a trauma surgeon, but the hours didn't work for single-mothers. Her split with Jake had been amiable and he soon remarried and had two sons. Abby was still single.

She'd dated when Clarke was in her early teens, but the whole experience had felt wrong and stagey. Putting her faith in the belief that what was meant to be would be Abby had stopped actively trying to find a partner and had instead focused all her time and energy into her daughter and her research.

Clarke was at university now and though she'd chosen to still live at home they had quite separate lives. Abby tried to give her daughter as much freedom as possible, yet making sure to always be there when needed. That was one of the reasons why she'd attended the Summer Feast alone for the last couple of years. Clarke simply wasn't interested anymore and would much rather hang out with her own friends than with her mother's colleagues. Understandable, if asked Abby would prefer the same.

The annual Ark Alpha Summer Feast was an event where the company's employees and their families came together to spend a day outdoors eating good food and playing games. It had been fun when Clarke was little, but this year Abby's plan had been to show up, enjoy the BBQ, make smalltalk with a few colleagues and leave early. Her garden was looking rather uncared-for and she'd hoped to mow the lawn and get some weeding done.

Now that wouldn't be happening.

It had started the second or third summer Abby showed up alone at the Summer Feast. Her co-workers had quite innocently commented on her lack of date and inquired as to why she wasn't seeing someone, especially now that Clarke was older. Over the years the comments had taken on the form of teasing and at times their words were ill thought through and downright hurtful.

She was tired of the insinuations of her being eternally single, that she couldn't catch anyone's fancy or that she was turning into one of those old women living alone with way too many cats. This afternoon Abby had reached her limit. She'd lied. She'd said she'd bring her partner to the feast, that they'd been together for quite a while now, that their relationship was serious and that she hadn't mentioned it because her love-life was her business and her business alone. The sharp tone to her words had made the others squirm uncomfortably, none of them meeting her eyes, evidently feeling bad about how nosey and impertinent they had acted.

It didn't take her long to realize the trouble she'd gotten herself into. Her first instinct had been to feign illness and not attend at all, but she knew that would only spark more speculations. Eventually the others would see through the charade, guessing her date to be an imaginary one. This would not stop the teasing, in fact Abby feared it would only increase it.

As she saw it she had two choices; lose face or find a date. Abby didn't mind owning up to her mistakes, everyone made them and they usually resulted in useful lessons learned. This was different though. She wanted an end to the comments and the best way would be by showing up at the Summer Feast with someone exceptional. She wanted her co-workers' jaws to hit the floor as they took in who she was dating. She wanted them to think that they'd been wrong about her. She knew it was silly and immature of her to think this way, but remembering the taunts she'd endured she felt strangely entitled to the lie and possible deceivement.

The problem with her lie was that she'd implied that the relationship had been going on for a while and that meant she needed to bring someone who knew her, or who could pretend to know her. She'd run through a list of her friends; Marcus and Sinclair both worked for Ark Alpha and though Callie didn't, she was married to Marcus, everyone knew who she was and she'd obviously join her husband at the feast. Thelonious wasn't an option as he'd made his interest in her known and she didn't want to encourage him.

In her desperation she'd expanded her list to everyone she knew, quickly realizing that her social circle outside of work basically consisted of Clarke's friends who came to the house to study and hopefully get a home cooked meal. She'd dismissed most of them as too young and came to a complete halt at the thought of appearing to date them. If this was to be convincing, if they were to really appear to be dating, there would have to be touching and kisses, albeit innocent ones on the cheek.

She couldn't do it.

Abby had almost completely formed a speech explaining why she'd lied, hoping to make her colleagues feel guilty for their behaviour so they'd forgive her, when big brown eyes and a confident smile came to mind. Raven!

Raven Reyes was a car mechanic. She was young, but older than Clarke and she and Abby had a somewhat peculiar relationship based on quid-pro-quo. Raven helped with Abby's car, lawn mower and the washing machine that insisted on acting up. In return Abby had helped Raven set a broken leg, stitched a few lacerations and been a reference for when Raven was getting an apartment.

They understood each other and whenever they spent time together Abby came away smiling. Raven loved a good practical joke and could keep her mouth shut, she'd enjoy fooling everyone into thinking they were dating. Abby was sure they could pull this off. It didn't hurt that Raven was physically breathtaking as well as one of the most fit women Abby had ever met.

Getting Raven to be her partner in crime had been surprisingly easy. After Abby had explained her situation and why she felt the need to trick everyone into believing she was in a relationship Raven had cocked her head to the side, eyes shining as she'd smiled widely.

"Of course you'd want me to be your date! Who wouldn't?"

"So you'll do it?"

"I will, but I think we need to sit down and get our stories straight. There will be questions and we'll need to have answers that match."

They'd decided to stick to as much truth as possible. They'd met when Abby's car had broken down. The only thing they altered was that Raven had asked Abby out the first time she'd been at her house, replacing the lawn mower blade. Their dinners, where Abby cooked as a thank you for Raven's help, turned into dates and they fabricated a first kiss around Christmas when Raven had helped shovel snow from Abby's driveway.

They'd set up rules regarding intimacy. Hand-holding, hugs, touches on arms and backs were definitely needed, kisses on the cheek would be convincing and something they already did when greeting each other. More intimate kisses were deemed unnecessary as the feast was a family affair and the lack of such intimacy could easily be construed as Abby or Raven being uncomfortable with public shows of affection.

The day of the Summer Feast arrived and Abby sat on the porch waiting for Raven to pick her up. They'd decided to take Raven's carefully restored Volvo Amazon, mostly to make an entrance. Conspiring had gotten them excited and they might have gone slightly overboard creating the image of the perfect couple. Raven had asked Abby to not braid her hair and to wear a dress, claiming this softer look would add to the impression they wanted to project.

At the time it had seemed like a great idea, but now two days later Abby felt self-conscious. The dress she'd chosen was a simple cut, perfect for the warm day, combined with her hair falling around her shoulders in thick curls it made Abby feel strangely dolled-up, pretty even. She scoffed at herself, pretty wasn't a word that described a 46-year old woman.

The car came up the driveway and Raven jumped out. She was dressed in a preppy outfit Abby would have betted money on her not owning. The customary tight jeans and raglan sleeved sweater were replaced with chino shorts that showed off her sun kissed legs and a sleeveless buttondown emphasizing her muscled arms. She'd braided her hair back and gathered it into a ponytail. A belt and a wristband added a classy femininity to her appearance.

"Your chariot awaits." Raven did a little curtsey before the steps leading up to the porch.

Abby shook her head, amused. "I didn't know mechanics cleaned up this well."

Raven laughed, white teeth showing. "We do with the prospect of making half a dozen idiots jealous."

"With a smile like that they will all want to be the one by your side."

"That's not what I meant, exactly." Her eyes travelled over Abby, taking in her appearance with an approving smile. "You look lovely."

"Thank you."

Abby gathered her purse and made sure the door was locked before they left for the park. She felt herself grow nervous, fidgeting in her seat, suddenly doubtful and afraid that they wouldn't be able to pull this off. Her restlessness must have shown as Raven reached over, placing a warm hand on her thigh. "Abby, it's going to be okay. I'll be the perfect girlfriend. I promise."

The hand on her thigh squeezed slightly, a comforting gesture that relaxed the tense muscles in Abby's back and shoulders. "Thank you again for doing this Raven."

"You know I'd do anything for you Abs." The statement held more weight than the casual words might have if coming from anyone else. Abby glanced up at Raven, taking in her profile as she focused on driving through the busy streets. A fleeting thought of being her real partner crossed her mind, but she pushed it away as they turned onto the parking lot and came to a stop.

The park was already teeming with people. There were tables and chairs set up in the shade of the trees and the air smelled of barbeque. Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself to get out of the car. The car door opened and a hand reached inside.

"Abby? You ready?"

Abby nodded and took Raven's hand. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The car and it's driver had caught the attention of a few of the younger men from her department and as Abby exited the car and came into view they all looked surprised.

"Wow Abby, that car is in great shape."

"Yes it is. Raven is good with her hands." She heard a small choking sound from beside her and meeting Raven's eyes she smiled.

Raven shook her head, a smile touched her face before she placed her hand in the small of Abby's back, turning her gaze to the men who had gathered around them and the car.

Introductions were made and it didn't take long for Raven to realize that these guys were part of the people who'd teased Abby. They seemed perfectly fine, if nosey, but two of them creeped Raven out. Their looks lingered a little too long on both her and Abby and one of them seemed to have a problem with personal space, he was standing way too close for Raven's comfort.

Raven answered their questions about her car and Abby grew restless again, shifting slightly from foot to foot. Raven leaned in closer, catching her attention. "Should we get something to drink?" Abby had barely time to nod before Raven led her away towards the tables, holding her hand, fingers entwined. "Jesus, those guys know nothing about cars."

Abby chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder how much they know about pharmaceuticals, and that's their job."

Raven rolled her eyes at her comment. "Figures."

They got a glas each and mingled while sipping. Abby introduced Raven as her girlfriend, feeling the title was quite silly, preferring the word partner, but it made their relationship clear. Raven kept touching her as they talked and it felt good to stand next to someone and belong. Well, pretend to belong.

When it came time to eat Raven was quick to offer to fetch them each a plate as Abby found them a place at one of the tables. She sat looking at the people forming a line towards the food, Raven standing next to one of the men who had asked about her car. They were talking and even from a distance Abby could tell that Raven wasn't liking whatever was being said.

A few minutes later Raven placed two plates laden with food on the table and leaned in to whisper in Abby's ear.

"I think we should amp the intimacy up a bit. That guy over there just asked me out. I told him he was incredibly disrespectful to do so when I'm clearly here with you and then I went on to tell him that he didn't stand a chance against you. I want to rub it in." Raven tilted her head, indicating the man who stood looking at them. She turned back and leaned in, placing her lips on Abby's.

The kiss was soft, tentative, but it caused a hunger to wake in Abby and instead of tampering it down she let her tongue caress Raven's bottom lip before carefully sucking it into her mouth. She reached out, hands on Raven's hips, tugging her closer. She felt a moan grow in the back of her throat and remembering that this was only for show she regretfully pulled back. They were both panting, with flushed cheeks they smiled at each other before tucking into their food, the man who stood staring at them already forgotten.

The day was enjoyable. They talked to people, ate food and sat in the sunshine. Most of all they spent time together, talking and laughing. They touched constantly and at some point they found themselves next to one of the men who had greeted them in the parking lot, the one who had trouble keeping his distance.

"So you're dating?" The intrusion of his question annoyed Abby who wanted to be left alone to listen to Raven talk about her plans for the garage. "I'm impressed Abby managed to catch someone like you."

Abby stiffened and her eyes moved from the man talking to Raven who smiled a sickly sweet smile. She was about to ask Raven to get her another drink to try to defuse the situation, but before she had a chance to Raven took a step forward and when she spoke her voice was icy cold.

"I'm sure you don't mean to offend, but are you even listening to yourself?" The man looked startled as Raven went on. "That's one of the most offensive things I've ever heard. Not only is it degrading to be seen as a 'catch', but you're also belittling one of the most beautiful and intelligent women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

Seeing the sweat break out on the man's forehead Raven took yet another step forward. "Abby could have anyone she wanted and just because her standards are high doesn't mean you get the right to offend her."

She turned away from the man, bringing Abby with her, hand on her back. When they got out of earshot Abby stopped to look at Raven.

"You didn't have to do that."

Raven huffed. "Of course I did, his comment was distasteful. He was being an asshole, someone had to put him in his place."

Abby took Raven's hand in her own, searching out her eyes with her own. "Did you mean it? What you said about me?"

"Yes, you're an amazing woman and the one you fall for will be so very lucky to have you."

"I think I'm the one who's lucky." Abby smiled.

Raven looked confused. "Abby, if you're dating someone why did you ask me to pretend to be your date?"

"I wasn't dating."

"You weren't? But now you are?"

"Maybe." Abby took a deep breath before continuing. "Raven, would you want to go on a date with me?"

Raven's mouth fell open. Her eyes wide, she closed her mouth only to open it again. A small tug at the corner of her lips told Abby that she was close to grinning. "Yes, yes I would. When?"

"How about right now?" She moved her hand from Raven's, up towards her face. Cupping her cheek she looked into her friend's beautiful eyes.

"Right now sounds perfect."