The Ones On The Ground (sequel to The One Who's Fallen)

Chapter 93

Clarke's POV

Lexa and I take the kids and pets to the throne room, much to the bewilderment of the guards we pass. Lexa finds their shock more amusing than anything. I guess they didn't expect us to return from our trip with three times as many kids, even if one of them isn't ours (but they don't know that yet).

Destiny lets go of Madi's hand when we reach the throne room and wanders around, looking at everything. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, knowing that I can trust Madi to make sure she doesn't touch anything pointy or dangerous. Madi trails a few steps behind Destiny as she explores.

Meanwhile, I watch Lucas. He walks up to the thrones and traces his fingers over the wood. His head lifts slightly so that he's looking out of one of the many windows in the room and steps towards it. Beowulf and Lilly both follow him and I think it's adorable how attached they are to him already.

He just peacefully looks out the window, so I make a mental note to keep an eye on him out of the corner of my eye as I look over to where Madi is trying to tell Destiny not to climb up on the war table, as she's climbing into the war table. Lexa's favorite map is on that table, and I swiftly scoop Destiny up before she can crawl onto it.

Destiny gives me a sad look that makes my heart crack but I don't let up. She squirms a little but seems to accept this and squirms more so that she can rest her head on my chest. I gently rock her and her little hand clutches at my shirt.

"See that paper, Des?" I ask softly. She nods against my chest. "That's one of Lexa's maps. We need it for our meetings, and you were about to crawl on it. It's alright, you didn't know." I hurriedly say. "Just be careful please. We haven't Destiny-proofed this place yet."

Destiny giggles at that and wiggles in my arms. "Down pwease."

"Thank you for asking so nicely," I say.

I gently set her down and she waddles over to Madi, raising her hand. After a moment of confusion, Madi high fives her.

"Cuddles!" Destiny says as an explanation.

I give Lexa an amused look. "I guess you're not the only one who likes cuddling with me anymore."

***

Raven's POV

When Luna, Anya, and I are done with our alone time, we rest on the bed for a moment, sweaty but cuddling regardless.

I press a gentle kiss to Luna's bare shoulder. "We should probably go get Lucas and the dogs." Anya hums in response, her eyes closing as she yawns. I nudge her with my elbow, lightly hitting her side. She makes a disgruntled noise. "Ahn. You're on top. That means you have to get up first."

Anya grunts in acknowledgement and stretches out her limbs again, yawning as she sits up. The sheets pool around her waist and I stare unabashedly as she gets out of bed. I bite my lower lip as she begins pulling her clothes on. She turns to look at us, smirking when she catches us staring. She runs a hand through her mussed up hair.

"Are you coming?" She asks, her voice raspier than normal.

"I wish," I mutter under my breath, earning a soft snort from Luna.

Luna gets up from on top of me, standing and stretching out her arms. I watch her back muscles ripple and wish we had more time in bed. Maybe another night. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and frown when I see that my brace has fallen on the floor from where it was leaning against the bed. I guess our activities moved it around too much for it to stay upright.

Luna notices and silently picks it up and hands it to me as she picks up her undergarments. I thank her and set it aside so I can put it on over my pants, which I purposefully tossed onto our bedside table. I grab them but I don't see my underwear until Anya tosses it at me. It lands next to me and I stick my tongue out at her before going through familiar awkward maneuvers to get the underwear on. It's not easy getting dressed with a bum leg, but I've learned the least painful way to do it.

I pull on my pants and strap on my brace. I get down from the bed and grab my shirt, deciding that putting on my bra isn't worth it. I toss it at the dresser, pumping my fist when one of the cups lands perfectly on the corner. Anya and Luna look less enthusiastic at my skills, but that's because they prefer a less messy room. I'll put it away. You know, later.

I pull on my shirt and jacket. Anya and Luna are ready, so I hold the door for them. We use the elevator and I can hear laughter coming from the throne room as soon as the elevator doors open.

We walk in, and I'm not sure what I exoected, but it certainly wasn't this. Destiny is on Clarke's shoulders as she jogs around the throne room, and Madi is on Lexa's shoulders as she chases Clarke and Destiny. Lucas is sitting on one of the thrones, laughing and watching the girls run around.

"Fastew!" Destiny urges Clarke.

Clarke just lets out a breathless laugh in response, making a sharp turn to try to get Lexa to be further behind her.

I look over at Anya and Luna, grinning. "Hey. You know what we should do?"

"Raven, no." Anya says when she realizes what I'm getting at.

"Raven, yes!"

Not a minute later, I'm getting a piggyback ride from Anya and we're chasing the others. Luna sits on the other throne next to Lucas and he smiles warmly at her before turning his attention back to the madness that's happening around him.

Someone requested that we see Lucas' first night in Polis, so we're going to do that! And Destiny's too! Then the wedding ;) Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!