The small ice cream parlor was a Star City hidden gem and long-time safe haven for Sara. Weekday afternoons were spent tucked away in the corner booth as she went out of her way to avoid the mounting pile of homework that Laurel always seemed to breeze through with ease. With both their parents at work until the late evening most days, the parlor became a second home and the owners a second set of parents. Mama B - short for Bethany-Ann - was a southern lass through and through and still to this day at the ripe age of 85 still held her thick Texan accent. Her late husband Jimmy was a quiet man, who'd rather spend his day traveling to the hundreds of worlds that lived on his bookshelf. Sara always thought that were an odd match for each other, Mama B was loud and full of crazy, wacky ideas, she was always behind the counter and lived to make her customers laugh, whereas Jimmy preferred the isolation of the small kitchen, he'd build every sundae perfectly, taking total pride in each dish that he sent out. They were a couple that no one could see being together – even they had wondered how they made it work – but they loved each other more than anything, and that kind of love was something that Sara had held onto when she was away, and even now as she walked up the run-down side street with Ava hating her guts and unable to look in her general direction, Sara wasn't about to let up on her just yet.
Ava didn't like the look of this place. It was the kind of street that would be used as a backdrop in an artsy film about a kid from the 'wrong side of the tracks' who turned his life around. As judgemental as Ava knew that comparison was, she just couldn't trust anything that was recommended by Sara at this point. Her heart was still racing from their conversation at the playground, in fact, it had gotten faster the more she stole glances at the blonde, who was happily chatting with Poppy a few steps ahead of her. But she wasn't ready to even consider letting Sara back into her life again, not while she was still trying to pick up the pieces that the blonde had tossed everywhere with her exit.
"Just around here, Ava," Sara called over her shoulder as the young child got even more excited and her quick steps turned into gleeful skips. Ava didn't respond, just like all the other times Sara had offered up directions.
The shop wasn't the most appealing from the outside, but as the trio entered, a sense of homeliness washed over them. The place was spotless, not a sticky countertop in sight. The decor was dated, but it somehow made the place more appealing, like Ava was stepping back into her childhood and bringing her niece along for the ride. Not that she would ever admit, but she was impressed by Sara's choice of venue.
"Well as I live and breathe, my little miss Sara Lance is home again!" Ava jumped as a loud southern accent filled the small parlor. She watched carefully as Sara's cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink. "Get over here and give me some sugar!" An older woman bellowed as she waddled from the door to the kitchen to meet Sara at the side of the counter. The two women embraced lovingly as Ava and Poppy looked on in curiosity.
"It's good to see you too Mama B!" 'Mama?' Ava felt her entire body tense up, she couldn't be meeting Sara's Mother. They weren't at that stage, they weren't at any stage.
"Oh, how I've missed my little ray of sunshine! Time has been good to you. Hell, it feels like yesterday that you were skipping in here, all pigtails and smiles." The woman - who Ava now knew as Mama B - twirled her finger, prompting Sara to begrudgingly do a small spin. Ava couldn't help but let a small smile breakthrough, while Poppy took great pleasure in mimicking Sara's movements.
Springing back to reality, Sara remembered the two Sharpe's who were watching contently. With a wave of her hand, Poppy sprinted over to Sara's side with Ava following close behind.
"Pigtails?" Ava whispered to the blonde captain with a forced smile on her lips, the agent still unsure if she was about to be awkwardly introduced to Sara's Mother.
"Shut it." Sara playfully whispered back with that god awful smirk that Ava loathed, yet loved at the same time. Suddenly it was as if they had been transported back to the night of the awards ceremony, back before all the heartache and drama. When they were holding each other on the dance floor and they were the only two that mattered in the world. Ava had found herself revisiting that night an alarming number of times as of late, but then something would tear her away from her memories and all the hurt would come flooding back.
"Didn't your Mama not raise you better than this?" Mama B gently slapped the former assassin's arm before smiling down at the small brunette attached to Sara's hand.
"Sorry. Mama, this is Ava and Poppy."
"It's mighty fine to meet you two." The older woman smiled softly as she gently pinched Poppy's cheek.
"You have a lovely shop." Ava smiled back. Mama B gushed, her bony cheeks reddening ever so slightly as she joined hands with Ava and pulled the unexpecting blonde woman in for a short – yet everlasting – hug. As they broke apart and Mama B shot Sara a proud look of approval, the kind that screams 'marry this woman already!' "Come on now sunshine, I'm sure you didn't come here to chatter all day." Mama B held her hand out for Poppy, who happily skipped with the older woman to the booth in the far corner, leaving Sara and Ava momentarily alone.
"Sunshine, I'm learning so much today," Ava commented playfully, her newly enquired intel on the Legends Captain making her increasingly more enjoyable.
"Well I guess it's only fair, your Mother did sneak a few photo albums out at Poppy's party." Sara winked before heading towards her usual booth, with Ava hot on her tail.
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?" The shorter blonde dramatically turned to face Ava once she reached the booth, where Mama B and Poppy we're making silly faces at each other. With a wiggle her eyebrows, Sara shot Ava a smirk that said 'to be continued Sharpe' "Move up Kid!"
With the trio comfortably seated in the booth, Mama B pulled out a battered order pad and pen. "Alrighty then, I know what this one wants." She quickly scribbled down Sara's order as Ava and Poppy studied the small menu. "So, what can I get for you two beauties?"
"Chocolate surprise, please." Poppy gave a toothy grin as she drew out the word 'please'
"I'll just have a small vanilla." Ava nodded at the menu, before collecting the two and tucking them back into the holder that was on the table.
"I'm afraid that's not gonna cut it, honey pie." The older woman shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll bring ya something special." She quickly scribbled down what seemed to be a rather extensive order. "And I could use a little helper if there's one going." Poppy quickly raised her hand and was almost immediately lifted by Sara out of her seat. In a flash, the pair headed out the back, and the parlor fell silent.
"Should I be worried?" Ava mumbled after a few minutes of agonizing silence.
"Nah, Mama likes you." Sara shrugged as her eyes studied the shop. Every inch of this place held a handful of memories for Sara. She didn't know why she'd brought Ava there, it wasn't a place she liked to share. But there was some kind of force pulling her towards Mama's place, and if she's learned one thing over the years was that she couldn't fight forces like that.
"What's with the Mama thing?" The blonde questioned curiously, drawing Sara's attention away from the empty parlor.
"I used to come here so much that she kinda became like a second Mom." The Captain explained with ease, something she was still trying to get used to doing. Smiling softly she scooted over to Poppy's side of the booth and moved the menu holder slightly to reveal a fading gold plaque. "When I went away for a while, she had this booth installed."
"My little ray of sunshine…" Ava's finger traced the inscription before her eyes locked onto Sara's. There it was again. That nagging feeling that had been keeping Ava up at night. Why did Sara Lance have this kind of control over her? Why couldn't they just go back to before all this mess happened? Back when she was the uptight workaholic and Sara was the reckless womanizing wanna be Time Captain. But life didn't work like, not even when both parties had access to Time-ships.
"I try to call in every now and again. It's been a while though, with everything going on." Sara relaxed back into the cushioned seat, oblivious to Ava's internal war happening across the table.
"I like it, it's a nice place."
Sara snorted, her body buzzing with pride. "She built it up from nothing, just her and Papa J. Everything is locally sourced, organic and delicious."
"You sound like a walking advertisement."
"I've had the practice. I worked here every summer when I was in high school." The smaller blonde begrudgingly admitted the memories of fighting with Laurel over who would have to wear the ice cream cone costume that day.
"Sara Lance, scooping master." Ava found herself leaning forward, their hands resting inches away from each other.
"I am a woman of many talents," Sara smirked, as she closed the distance between their hands ever so slightly so that their fingertips were touching. She knew that this was a risk and that it could send her and Ava back to where they had begun at the start of the day.
A small smile fell on Ava's lips. She hated how easy this felt, and how much her body was telling her that she needed this contact. "So I keep discovering." She whispered back, before curling her fingers to hook onto Sara's. "Sara, we need-" Ava was cut off as Poppy and Mama B exited the kitchen with a tray full of ice cream sundaes.
"To be continued?" Sara smiled hopefully, before pulling away and standing to help. All Ava could do in response was nod and retract her hand and gently rest it on her lap. She wasn't ready to forgive Sara just yet, but the idea of starting fresh wasn't too far stretched.