AN: Thank you guys so much for all the comments! Y'all are seriously amazing!

Summary: Scout and Justice finally meet. Sara and Ava go hiking. They talk. This chapter gets a bit dark, but it ends on a good note.

Chapter 12

"Imagine meeting someone who understood even the dustiest corners of your mixed up soul." -Unknown

"Three times in one day blondie, you trying to set a records," Mick asked as he and Ava approached Sara and Leonard on a traffic stop.

Sara rolled her eyes. "First of all I didn't call you on the accident, it's not my fault people don't know how to drive in perfect weather. Second, you requested PD on that combative diabetic, I was trying to get lunch. Which by the way I still haven't had. Third, I didn't call you on this one." She directed the last fact towards Ava.

It had been a week since their lunch and while she and Ava had stayed in contact by phone, they had not had any calls together. A part of her still worried that Ava would push her away if at any point she felt she was being reckless. She did not want to go back to the way things used to be.

"Relax Officer Lance, I mean, Sara. I mean." Ava groaned. This was the first time she'd seen Sara in uniform since their friendship had started and it was all very confusing for her. She'd gotten so used to referring to her by her title while in uniform she had a hard time calling her by her first name now. "Sorry." She blushed tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Sara laughed. "Meh, I mean, you're not wrong, I am in uniform." She pointed out, hoping Ava would also relax. "The deal was when I was out of uniform." She reminded her.

"Good point."

Mick looked between the pair in amazement. He couldn't believe these were the same two people that couldn't stand to be in the other's presence a few months back. "When you two are done, I'll be over there. Checking on the patient." He laughed at their shared embarrassment.

Both women rolled their eyes letting out a 'shut up Mick.'

"I think I liked it better when you didn't get along." Despite what he said, deep down he was really happy they were getting along. He liked not having to be the buffer keeping the two from killing strangling each other. He'd have to call his wife later in the day and update her.

"Anyway." Sara pushed him as he walked passed her. "He was fine until Leonard told him he had a fail to appear warrant on a shoplifting charge. All of a sudden he can't breath."

"Ah, incarceritus." The medics were all too familiar with criminals trying to avoid a jail cell by feigning an ailment. Mick walked ahead of them to check on their not so ill patient.

"Remind me to give you something before we clear." Ava had hoped they'd have another call together after their combative diabetic. Having three calls with the same officer in a single day was almost unheard of, so she was glad to see Sara again.

"Another peace offering," Sara asked. "You know you don't need to, I think we've moved passed that." She'd lost count the number of times Ava had apologized for her actions early on in their relationship.

Ava laughed. "No, not exactly. More of a thank you. For last week. It really helped, to talk."

"I enjoyed myself too." Sara smiled. Despite all the heavy things they'd talked about, she'd had a lot of fun hanging out with Ava. They'd ended up watching several episodes of The Office and a few of Brooklyn Nine Nine. She'd caught Ava looking at her several times during the latter show. She could tell Ava was nervous she was hating it. "So what did you get me," Sara asked, she had all but forgotten about their patient. "You know what, tell me after." She motioned towards Mick, who was already checking on the driver.

"Don't worry about it. He's fine." Mick was doing his best not to tease them. "I'll be seeing you Len." He said goodbye to his friend and started walking towards the ambulance. "Stay safe blondie." He winked as he walked by not wanting to interrupt whatever moment they were having more than he already had.

"I already requested the tow Sara." Had there been a second person there to take the car, they would've preferred releasing it to their care. That way the owner didn't have to pay all the tow fees and the officers didn't have to deal with the paperwork that came with an impound. Leonard loaded the arrestee in the back of his cruiser. Sara would stay and handle the vehicle impound for him while he processed the prisoner.

"Thanks Len." She leaned against her cruiser. "So what do you have for me," she asked excitedly. It wasn't often she got presents. Especially not during work.

Ava reached into her side pocket and pulled out a baggie of treats. "They're frosted animal cracker muddy buddies." She explained as she gave her the bag. "I made some during lunch. The guys request them often."

"How does anyone stay in shape with you around." Sara accepted the baggie and set it on the hood of her cruiser. She pulled out a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from her vest pocket and poured a small amount into her palm. The amounts of germs she came in contact with in a day was far to great and she didn't want to risk getting sick. She rubbed her hands together before taking a piece out of the bag and testing it out. "Oh my god," she moaned. "This is amazing." She was excited to have something to snack on while she waited for the tow truck to arrive.

"Next time I'll make you your own batch." Ava was pleased with Sara's reaction. She'd been nervous at how Sara would take the gesture but she was glad she'd decided to bring her the snack.

"You'll have no complaints from me." Sara took another piece of muddy buddy out of the bag and put it in her mouth.

"I'm glad you like them." Ava looked back to her waiting partner. "I should go." She didn't want to but they both had a job to do and hanging around and talking was not it.

"Wanna go hiking next time the weather is good and we're both off," Sara asked. Ava seemed to be doing a lot better but she found being out in nature always helped to clear her mind.

"That would be great." She smiled. "Stay safe Sara." This time she had no trouble using her first name.

"You too Aves."

Sara settled in her cruiser and started working on the impound sheet while waiting on the tow truck. She finished the paperwork before allowing herself to enjoy the treats Ava had given her. She set the empty baggie on the passenger seat and snapped a picture of it. She sent it to Ava with the caption, 'All gone.'.

"Did you even chew?" Ava responded quickly.

Sara smiled. It's a good thing she'd done her paperwork first or Ava would of really thought she'd inhaled the deliciously sweet snack. "I chewed, thank you very much! It was just so good! I couldn't stop once I started. I think I'm addicted." It was a good thing she didn't have a bowl of her own. She'd have eaten the whole thing in one sitting.

"I'll make more for when we go hiking." Ava promised.

***...***

Trying to find a day off together with the overtime Sara had previously signed up for, Ava's schedule and good weather had been more difficult than expected. The duo continued to bond over text messages and the occasional call together in the weeks that passed. It was always too dark for a hike after Sara got off work and so they kept postponing. Finally having a shared day off, the pair planned on introducing the dogs to each other and going hiking. While Sara's weekend was just beginning, Ava's was coming to an end. Sara worried that it would be too much since Ava had to work the following two days. "You sure you want to go hiking today? I don't want you to be sore for work tomorrow." She was okay just hanging out and relaxing.

Ava grinned at the message. "I'll be just fine, if you're worried you can't keep up…" She challenged. She knew Sara was fit, in the days they'd started talking she'd also learned that she got great joy in messing with her. Everything had become a bit of a competition, though they both claimed it to be a healthy one.

"Oh don't you worry about me, you just try and keep up."

Ava rolled her eyes and sent a gif of Stanley Hudson rolling his eyes.

"See you soon." Sara responded with a smiley face.

Ava took the top off to her Jeep, it was the perfect weather to drive around without it, despite it being early March. She set the treats she'd promised Sara in the passenger seat and loaded Scout into the backseat. She put her camelbak along with a few extra water bottles for the dogs in the back of her jeep. Once at Sara's she took out the container of sweets and led Scout out of the car. She and Sara had agreed that they needed to introduce the dogs to each other before they loaded them into the small backseat of her wrangler.

"Hey Ava." Sara smiled. "Justice is out back." She knelt down to pet Scout. "Hi buddy," she greeted the lab.

"As promised." Ava handed her the container.

"Yes." Sara pumped her first in the air. "It's a good thing I'm getting my workout in." She led the pair towards the kitchen where she placed Ava's gift on the counter and then to the yard.

Being that both dogs were trained and extremely friendly it didn't take but a few minutes for them to begin playing and chasing after one another in the yard. Once they were sure the dogs were good to go they loaded them into the vehicle.

Sara went to put her bag in the back and stopped. "Uh Ava, why do you have weights in your car." She lifted the two ten pound weight plates and looked underneath them, adding up the weights. "Seriously Ava, you have 140 pounds in here. Why on earth do you have so many weights."

Ava moved to stand beside her. She'd forgotten they were there, she was so used to seeing them it hadn't registered that Sara might find them odd. "I like to challenge myself." She would sometimes put them in a holster and carry them on her back during her hikes.

"Show off." She shoulder bumped Ava, though with the height difference Sara's shoulder only reached Ava's upper arm. "You sure you want to go hiking with me," she asked. "I mean, I wouldn't want to 'weigh' you down." She started laughing at her own joke. "Get it, cause of the weights." She pointed at the weights and started to laugh even harder.

"Dear god, that was just terrible." Ava couldn't help but laugh at Sara's awful pun. It wasn't the joke that had her laughing, it was Sara's reaction to it. "Come on before you hurt yourself." She nudged her towards the passenger seat. She reached for the door opening it for Sara not thinking too much about the action. She blushed when she realized what she'd done. "Sorry, habit."

Sara was still laughing as she climbed into the jeep. "Thank you." Sara accepted the chivalrous gesture. She was the one that normally opened doors for people, though she wasn't opposed when they did it for her.

Ava shook her head before going to her side.

After calming down Sara reached across the center console and pushed Ava's door open from the inside. "What," she asked when Ava gave her a look. "You think you're the only one that's used to opening doors."

"You're impossible." Ava shook her head. "Thank you." She smiled at her before climbing inside.

***...***

"How many times have you done this particular trail," Sara asked a few minutes into their hike. Ava seemed very familiar with the trail.

Ava thought about it, it had been a while since she'd done this particular one. "Um, maybe ten or fifteen times. It's one of my favorites. The trees and the river that runs along most of it are very soothing." When it was particularly warm out she'd hang out by the stream and allow Scout to cool down in it.

"It's beautiful."

They walked in silence for a while with their dogs a few feet ahead of them. "While in the Academy, I didn't really have time to think, I was usually exhausted by the time my head hit the pillow and I slept through the night without a problem." She took a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding them. "It wasn't until a few months after the academy that the nightmares started back up again. I was more relaxed at work and everything wasn't as draining as it had been in the beginning. So I started working out twice a day and added hiking to the mix. When that wasn't enough I started using the weights."

"Did they help," Sara asked referring to the workouts and the weights.

"At first." Ava sighed. "I used to workout to the point of dropping, it started taking its toll though. It started affecting my everyday life. That's when I decided to see the therapist."

Sara didn't say anything else, Ava was clearly in her head, and she didn't want to interrupt her train of thought.

"The therapy felt useless, it didn't help and I think the reason it didn't help was because I was never completely honest with her. I always felt so helpless and exposed when sharing what was going through my head. I was a soldier. I've had to make hard decisions in a moments notice. I've overcome obstacles that were damn near impossible, but I couldn't control my thoughts and my dreams." She went silent again. She'd hated going to the therapist, those first few sessions had been brutal. She'd held back a lot and she was sure her therapist had known that. The therapist had tried to push her to talk but that had only further shut her down.

"Do you feel that way right now," Sara asked. "Helpless and exposed I mean." She clarified, she continued to look forward, not wanting to put too much attention on Ava.

Ava thought her words over before shaking her head. "No, it feels natural when I talk to you about it, like we've done it a million times before." Just like it had felt in the break room and then again when they'd sat on her couch talking after lunch. She didn't understand why it was so easy with Sara.

Sara didn't want to react too much but Ava's words made her heart rate pick up. She was glad Ava felt comfortable enough with her to share and not to feel vulnerable, especially since their friendship was so new. "I'm glad." She smiled. "When is the last time you saw her, the therapist," she asked.

Ava cringed knowing the answer was not one Sara would approve of. "Four or five months ago, maybe longer. I thought things were getting better, having Scout around helped."

"Maybe you should try again." Sara recommended. "Really try this time." She remembered her own sessions. They hadn't helped until she'd decided she'd wanted to get better.

"What if I'd rather talk to you," Ava asked with a pout, this was so much easier for her than talking to a shrink. She didn't feel shame or embarrassment when talking to Sara.

"You can always talk to me, no matter the day or the time, but there are things a therapist can do for you that I can't." Sara was just glad that Ava was finally getting things off her chest. She couldn't believe she'd gone this long dealing with things on her own.

"I'll think about it," Ava promised.

Sara gave her the side eye not believing her, she'd made the same statement to her family all those years ago. Ava was going to need a push. "After I was rescued, my family tried to help me but I pushed them away. None of them understood what I was going through, especially not my therapist, so I refused to go. I survived Damien Darhk alone, I was determined to get better alone." Looking back now she realized how much that had set her back. "I locked myself in my room, away from my family, away from the world and away from anything that could hurt me. I didn't realize until later that I was hurting myself more than anyone else could. My father, blaming himself for what I'd been through, started drinking. My parent's marriage almost fell apart. My sister started dating an abusive guy that led her down a dark path. My parents had been so focused on me that they hadn't realized she was struggling too. That was the push I needed. My family was breaking apart because of what I was going through. I had been ready to take my life, to end the constant pain and fear I felt. I didn't want to live any more. I overheard my parents fighting one night and it hit me. If my family was falling apart while I was living, I couldn't imagine what would happen to them if I wasn't around anymore."

The dogs that had been walking ahead of them the entire time returned to their sides. Each pressed up against their respective owners.

Sara scratches Justice's head as she continued. "It wasn't easy at first. Some days the depression, the flashbacks, the nightmares and the panic attacks were even more frequent after sessions. A big party of me wanted to quit, but one look at my family and I was reminded why I was fighting. It took years of therapy, both by myself and with the family. I had several setbacks, but the important part was that I kept trying. I never wanted my family to suffer because of me. Not if I could help it. I still see a therapist twice a month, sometimes more, when I need it." She hadn't shared the beginning parts of her recovery with anyone, her therapist was the only one who knew what had finally pushed her to start the road to recovery.

Ava thought about what Sara had said, it couldn't have been easy for Sara to accept help but she'd done it. She had no excuse for not seeking help, not when it was so readily available. What Sara had been through was worse than anything she could fathom. If Sara was able to seek help and be where she was today then she was going to try. Really try. "I'll call her tomorrow." She promised.

"Good. Now come on." Sara pushed her. "I was promised a challenge." She wanted to lighten the mood. It was never a good idea for her to stay in the past too long.

Ava laughed appreciating the change in subject. "You know I can do this hike with you on my back right," Ava asked.

"No way," Sara exclaimed in response. "I'm a lot heavier than I look." She picked up the pace.

Ava looked her up and down while matching her pace and shrugged. "If you say so."

Third of the way through the hike, Sara surprised Ava by jumping on her back and wrapping her legs around her waist.

Ava stumbled for a brief second before catching herself. She laughed and hooked her arms around Sara's legs holding them in place. "Light as a feather." She continued the hike not bothered by the extra weight.

"Okay, you made your point," Sara said after a few minutes. "You can put me down now." Ava had not slowed down in the minutes she'd carried her.

"You sure, cause I can do this all day." Ava was feeling smug, she'd definitely won this one.

"Yes, I'm sure." She laughed, Ava was definitely in shape. She shook her legs out once Ava set her down. "For the record, I could carry you too."

"I have no doubt in that, though it wouldn't help that my legs would be dragging on the ground." She laughed at the look Sara gave her.

"I'm only three inches shorter," Sara exclaimed standing up as tall as she could.

Ava looked down at her to emphasize the height difference. "If you say so. Race you to the end." With that, she took off.

"Oh you're on." Sara chased after her, catching up and passing her. The dogs wanting to join in on the race ran ahead of the duo in excitement.

"Impressive," Ava commented catching her breath. "For someone with such short legs," she teased. "You are really fast."

Sara rolled her eyes, she was used to the short jokes. After all, she worked in a field of mostly men. "I have to be faster than the criminals." Sara pushed her. She'd been determined to beat Ava on their race even if her chest and lungs were on fire. "Wanna grab dinner, and hang out," she asked once they'd loaded the dogs up. "Beating you makes me hungry."

Ava was sure she'd never hear the end of it, but she regretted nothing. She enjoyed Sara's competitive side. It wasn't often that she had someone that could keep up with her. "That would be great, I'm starving."

Sara moved to the driver side door. "My turn." She opened the door for Ava.

Ava didn't argue, instead she got in and did as Sara had done before, she reached across the center console and opened Sara's door.