27The next morning when Lexa woke up, the bed beside her was cold, sighing she swung her legs over the edge and pulled a jumper over her pajama shirt before going out into the main room of their small apartment to find Clarke was missing entirely.
She disappeared back into the bedroom, quickly dressing in the first clothes she laid hands on before pulling on a pair of boots from by the door and grabbing her keys from the bowl on the kitchen counter.
Then Lexa headed out to where she knew Clarke would have gone, where she always went when she was stressed or upset.
When she finally got down to the canal bank that ran alongside the block their apartment building was on, she soon spotted Clarke sat on a bench overlooking the water, with Jasper sitting at her feet with his head rested on her knee as her hand twisted into his fur.
Without a word, Lexa took a seat next to her and waited patiently until Clarke finally looked up at her, "I'm sorry for disappearing."
Lexa smiled slightly as she joined Clarke gently petting Jasper's head, "It's hardly disappearing if I always know where you are."
Clarke let out a small chuckle before drawing her legs up onto the bench and laying her head on Lexa's lap, "I hate this, I just wish she'd leave me alone."
"You don't have to go today." Lexa said quietly, giving Clarke the alternate option even as she knew that Clarke would never take it.
"She's still my mom Lex, and I love her, I do. But everything about this just stresses me out."
"I know Clarke, I know." She whispered soothingly, running her hands through Clarke's hair, "Come on, we have just under two hours before we have to meet your mother and you should shower and get dressed."
Clarke nodded and allowed Lexa to take her by the hand and lead her back up to their home where she promptly shoved Clarke in the shower and set out clean clothes for her on the bed before feeding the dog and getting dressed herself.
By the time Clarke was ready, Lexa had thrown together a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast which Clarke picked at before declaring that she didn't feel like eating. Which made Jasper incredibly happy when he got all of the leftovers before the two girls left the apartment.
Arriving at the hospital where Abby worked was odd for Lexa, as this was the first time she had ever been to the place where her girlfriends mother worked. Clarke was greeted by many of the staff members as she walked through and she even greeted some of them in turn, who she had considered friends before she came out to Abby and left the hospital.
Abby kept them waiting outside her office for nearly half an hour, all her assistant would say was that it was down to a medical emergency but Lexa suspected it was more down to Abby trying to make a point.
When Abby finally walked round the corner, she froze and practically growled when she saw Lexa sat next to Clarke, "Clarke what is she doing here?" Abby snapped.
Lexa just rolled her eyes and layed a hand on her girlfriends arm to stop her attacking Abby before they even began the discussion of whatever she wanted to talk about.
Clarke clenched her jaw, but eventually relaxed enough to stand, pulling Lexa up with her and wrapping her arm around her girlfriends waist.
"Lexa's here because unlike some people she actually gives a shit about my feelings." Clarke spat out.
Lexa sighed, the animosity between the two women palpable, moving in between them she turned her back to Abby and pulled Clarke's head up to look in her eyes. "Calm down Clarke, how would Jasper feel if you went to prison for attacking your mother?"
The joke got through to her, nodding reluctantly Clarke just pulled on her arm to lead the way into Abby's office and taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of her desk, closely followed by Lexa as Abby herself went to the chair behind the desk.
"What do you want Abby?" Clarke said immediately, not willing to beat around the bush all morning when they could just get this over and done with as quickly as possible.
