Ava sunk back into the pillow, refusing to open her eyes despite being able to feel the warmth of the morning sun on her face. It had been a while since she had last slept in. The past few months she'd had to grow accustomed to being woken early by an over-excited toddler, so it made a change to have the option to go back to sleep. She let out a contented sigh, burying herself deep in the duvet with every intention of returning to sleep.

"Comfortable?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she suddenly became aware of the figure pressed against her back, the arm draped lazily over her body that wasn't her own. For a brief moment a feeling of calm overtook her as her mind caught up, reminding her where she was, before her panic began to build.

"Shit!"

"Ava?"

She moved to jump out of bed, shoving the duvet off of her, only for the arm to prevent her exit.

"Seriously, Connor, they're going to be freaking out."

"Breathe."

She scowled at the instruction. "I didn't call them last night." She looked to him. "Did I? I just remember plugging the phone in and crashing..." She hesitated, her eyes narrowing. "Crashing on the couch."

He let out a laugh. "You got changed first."

She briefly looked toward her clothes, surprised to see she was wearing an old shirt of Connor's and recognising some old pyjama pants she barely remembered leaving at his. "You kept these?"

"Them, and some other stuff you left here." He shrugged. "None of it was mine to throw out."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I didn't call them, did I?"

Connor shook his head. "Nope, but I called Atwater, had his number for a few months, since..." He cut off. "They know where you are, they know you're okay."

Another nod. "How did I get in here?"

"I wasn't going to leave you on the couch."

She sat up, and was somewhat relieved when he released his grip on her. It was a little too close to how things used to be for her liking. "It wouldn't have mattered."

"Yes it would."

She gazed at him for a moment before moving off the bed. "Is Kevin coming to pick me up?"

"No." Connor couldn't help but frown at her use of the detective's first name. "They're swamped with the epidemic case. He let the FBI know."

"Oh."

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah." She gave a small nod, moving towards the bedroom door. "The lecture was going to come sooner or later, might as well get it over with."

She moved into the bathroom, locking the door behind her, and splashed her face with water as she heard him asking her if she'd like coffee. She responded, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. She frowned, noting the mess her hair was in, and searched her memory for any indication that she had remembered to bring her backpack with her when she had left the hospital – she was sure she had a brush inside it. She ran her fingers through her hair, finishing up before stepping out of the bathroom and heading down the hallway to where she could hear him in the kitchen.

Pausing in the doorway, she watched him for a moment, spying the familiar mugs on the counter, the toaster already in use. It was just like old times. Except it wasn't.

Stepping into the room, she spied her backpack sitting on the couch, and moved over to it, pulling the brush out of it and running it through her hair, watching him carefully as she did. He hadn't looked up from his task, but the change in his body language told her that he knew she was there.

She inched towards her phone, unsure whether or not she wanted to check it, but knowing that she had to, and grasped it before she could change her mind, frowning at the sheer amount of missed calls from her sister. There weren't many, she noticed, from anyone else. Everyone else seemed to stop trying late the previous night, so at least she knew Connor was telling the truth – PD and the FBI would be far more concerned if he hadn't called. She glanced back at him, watching as he continued with his task.

"You know how I told you I don't like peanuts?"

She moved towards him as he looked up, approaching the counter and settling onto one of the stools by it.

"Yeah."

"I don't actually know if I like them." She admitted. It was small, but it was something. "I've never had them. Ella's allergic, so we were never allowed."

"You never tried them after..."

"No." Ava admitted, shrugging slightly. "It felt kind of disloyal. I know it makes no sense, but I've always felt that if she can't, I won't."

"Old habits die hard."

"I guess." She frowned, "But I don't really like looking at them, not since..."

"Since?" Connor prompted, his gaze curious, but somehow giving away his willingness to be patient.

She took a deep breathe. "When I was seven, some peanuts ended up in Ella's food. I guess I just associate them with that fear."

"How'd they get in her food?" He queried. "Restaurant?"

She looked away, glancing to her hands, resting on the table. "We were at home."

"A mistake?"

Ava looked up. "He said he was forcing the weakness out of her."

She watched as he froze, pausing for a moment before focusing on her. "And you?"

"Me?"

"What did he do to you?"

Her eyes darkened briefly, her stare becoming vacant, before she seemed to shake it off and her gaze fixed on him. "We're not there yet, Connor."

He nodded, turning back to the coffee, and for a moment she was disappointed, almost as if she had been hoping he would press the issue. It wasn't something she'd ever talked about all that often. She couldn't really recall letting anyone in to that part of her life since her first therapist - that had been almost two decades ago, and even then it had taken almost two years of weekly appointments just for her to allow the subject to come up.

When he turned back to her he was smiling, and he placed a mug down in front of her, gently, as if anything more would startle her. She didn't like it. She'd never really considered how differently she may be viewed if people knew about her past, not until Madison, the past, began merging with Ava, the present. The idea of being seen as weak horrified her in ways she couldn't explain, and in ways she doubted it would have had she never had to become someone else in the first place.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm about to break."

"That's a look?"

"Yes, it's a look." She looked down, focusing on her hands grazing the mug in front of her.

He seemed to sense her discomfort. "So, how long do you think it'll take me to win Chloe round?"

"Chloe?" She looked up at him, her gaze suddenly curious.

"Yeah." He smiled, reaching forward and placing his hand next to hers, inches from touching. "I know she hates me, how long until I change her mind on that? I'm going to say a couple of weeks."

She let out a laugh, a bright smile settling on her face. "That ego of yours really is something."

"You love it."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"I already am sure."

She smirked. "I guess you're not as smart as you like to think you are."

His smile fell, his expression turning serious. "I think I've made that clear this past year."

She frowned, dropping her gaze to the mug again and falling silent. She hated how easy it was to forget the past months when she was around him, and how much it hurt when she was reminded.

"Ava?"

She bit her lip, taking a moment before looking back up at him. "Might be a lifetime."

"What?"

"How long it'll take you to win Chloe round." She gave a brief smile, hoping he would play along instead of trying to force a conversation she was somewhat scared of having. "A lifetime."

"You have to give me some credit!" His exclamation was the confirmation that she needed that he was willing to play along, even if it was just for now. "Five years?"

She decided to ignore the implication that they would still be in each other's lives in five years time. "Chloe's not exactly the most forgiving of people."

"I'd never have guessed." He quipped. "She's a ray of sunshine."

"She's tough." Ava rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Tougher than I remember, actually." She paused, letting out a sigh. "She's not so easy to get through to."

"Like her sister."

"Trauma fucks you up, and Chlo's had more than her fair share."

Connor nodded, opting not to give a verbal response to the statement, she assumed to avoid saying the wrong thing.

"What about Upton?"

"Hailey?" Ava's expression turned curious, her eyes narrowed as she took him in. "What about her?"

"You're close."

"Yeah."

"I kind of find it hard to imagine that."

"Why?"

"I just can't picture the two of you having much in common."

"People like Hailey and I," Ava let out a sigh, biting her lip briefly before continuing. "We find each other."

"People like..."

"People with a painful history."

He nodded, and she was relieved he seemed to have decided not to pry. Hailey's past wasn't hers to go into.

A momentary silence fell over them as he pondered his next words.

"All the time I've known you, I never once thought you even knew her."

"It never seemed relevant." She gave a half-hearted shrug. "We never really talked about that."

"I should have asked."

"I probably wouldn't have told you anyway."

"Why is that?"

She was surprised that the admittance didn't seem to have annoyed him. "Eventually you'd have wanted to know more. You'd have asked how I met her, and I would have had to lie. It was easier not to say anything at all."

He let out a laugh and she almost scowled at the sound, but instead remained silent, waiting for him to let her in on the joke.

"It's ironic." He commented after a moment. "I didn't trust you because it felt like you were keeping things from me, and in reality you were just trying not to lie to me."

She frowned. She hadn't thought of it like that, and as true as it was, it wasn't something she found funny. It was just sad.

Her lack of response didn't seem to bother him as he moved across the kitchen, towards the opposite counter. "You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Humour me."

"Connor..."

He turned to her, the look in his eyes something she wasn't used to seeing from him. "Please. For me."

She let out a sigh, nodding reluctantly, and some ten minutes later found herself taking small bites out of a slice of toast, his eyes watching her every move. As she finished she pushed the plate away, eyeing him carefully. "Is there any particular reason you needed to see me eat?"

"To make sure you did." He tried to shrug it off, so she narrowed her eyes, using her expression to make it clear she wasn't buying the excuse. He sighed. "Okay, it's not just that."

"Then what is it?"

"I was trying to get you to raise your arm a little."

"Why?"

"I just wanted to check."

"Check what?"

"Your mobility."

"Why?" She was curious, and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as she gazed at him. "Worried about the competition when I'm cleared for surgery again?"

"No." He paused, as if he was trying to figure out whether or not to say what he wanted to. "I'm worried about what happens if you don't get cleared."

"Why would I not get cleared?"

"If it doesn't heal properly."

"It already is. Dr. Evanson's just being cautious."

"You're sure?"

"Why does it bother you so much?"

He ignored the question, moving around the counter towards her. "Do you mind if I check it?"

"Why?" She queried, confused as to his sudden interest in her injuries. "Dr. Evanson's been great."

"I'm sure." He agreed, his gaze dropping to her shoulder briefly before he met her eyes once again. "Just... for piece of mind."

She frowned for a second before shrugging, reaching up and pushing down the sleeve of the shirt she had on, exposing the scarring that was all that remained of the bullet she had taken months before. He approached, and almost instantly his hand was moving over the skin, gently brushing her shoulder before momentarily applying pressure. She shuddered, and his eyes filled with concern that she quickly brushed aside with a look, deciding not to tell him that it wasn't pain that had caused the involuntary action.

"It looks like it's healing well." He moved his hand, taking a step back, and she quickly moved the sleeve back into place. "And there's no pain?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"Not really?"

"I can't extend my arm properly and without pain, yet." She elaborated. "Well, I couldn't at my last appointment. I haven't tried since then."

He nodded, leaning against the counter in front of her. "You said in hospital you'd been shot before?"

Letting out a laugh, she nudged him out of the way and placed her right foot on the stool next to her, pulling the pant leg up to her knee and gesturing to a scar that seemed to travel from the front of the limb to the side. "Bullet embedded in the muscle."

"Ouch."

"Pretty long recovery, too." She elaborated. "Spent about seven months on a military base with my aunt before being officially put into the program."

"You didn't go when your family did?"

"Nope." Ava sighed. "They wanted the treatment sorted first, so it was still covered by insurance. I was there to say goodbye when they left, and wasn't allowed to tell them I wasn't going to be in the same position right away. They still don't know."

"Why haven't you told them?"

"The last thing Uncle John needs to hear right now is that there were more lies." She moved her leg down, covering up the scar. "Not yet anyway."

Another silence, and this time she took the opportunity to stand, planning to call her brother – she knew she had to contact one of them, and Matty would definitely be the easiest to deal with, but instead she missed her footing, stumbling forward, and was only just saved from hitting the floor when Connor grasped her arms.

"I'm beginning to think you like getting hurt."

She let out a laugh, righting herself, his hands still steady on her arms. She looked to him, intending to thank him for catching her and likely preventing yet another injury, but the words caught in her throat when the action made her realise how close they were.

"Um... thanks."

"You're welcome."

Neither of them moved, his gentle grip on her arms remaining, their gazes locked on each other, the look in his eyes all too familiar to her. She was frozen, knowing she should move but unable to bring herself to. His gaze shifted to her lips briefly before returning to her eyes, as if seeking permission. Her own eyes closed, she wasn't sure if it had been an attempt to take in the moment, but it was all it took for her to come to her senses.

She stepped back, pulling away as his arms dropped by his sides. "I should... um..." She gestured towards her bag across the room. "Get dressed. I should get dressed."

She moved quickly, collecting the item before turning to head to the bathroom once more.

"Ava."

She didn't look at him, moving past him quickly. It wasn't until she had locked the bathroom door behind her that she dropped the bag on the floor, leaned back against the door and groaned into her hands.

"You idiot."

-Ghosts-

"You idiot."

Connor knew scolding himself wasn't going to help matters, but there wasn't much else he could do in the circumstances.

He'd surprised himself. He knew those feelings were still there, he'd shown himself that tenfold over the past months, but he had long convinced himself not to act on them, especially as they began forming some kind of tentative friendship. He'd played the starring role when it came to shattering their relationship, he had to take whatever she was willing to offer.

He should have just stepped away, released her when she was steady. He didn't know why he hadn't, and he guessed he could excuse that, after all, it wasn't that that had caused her to flee to the bathroom. It had been, he assumed, the look on his face. She'd always been pretty good at reading him, even if she didn't think so. She'd known what he'd been thinking, and she'd panicked.

He decided against following her. She needed space, the least he could do was give it to her, so instead he sat down, opting to flick through channels on the TV until she reappeared, knowing that any attempt he made to concentrate on anything would fail.

It was fifteen minutes later that she slowly moved back into the room, and he was surprised she hadn't found reasons to stay locked away longer. He'd expected her to try and avoid him until she was picked up. Instead, she settled in the armchair, her legs curled under her. He tried to remain focused on the TV, not wanting to put her off.

"Are you not working today?"

He looked up at her in surprise. "Um, no. Why?"

"It's nearly ten."

He looked to the clock, noting the time for the first time since getting up, before turning back to her. "Day off. Unless they call me back in."

She moved forward, picking up the phone on the table in front of her, and within seconds was scrolling. "Looks like the epidemic's under control."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Sounded like they had identified the guy when I spoke to Atwater."

"They're not saying much about that on the news." She continued to scroll through the phone for a couple of minutes before placing it back on the coffee table. "Probably won't for a while."

"Ongoing investigation."

She nodded. "It'll all come out in the end. Everything does."

He didn't respond immediately, watching her for a time before deciding to address the elephant in the room. "So we're not going to talk about what happened just now?"

"Nope."

"Can I ask why?"

"Nothing happened."

"It almost did."

"But it didn't."

"Don't you think we need to talk about why?"

"No."

"Ava"

"Connor."

He backed off as he saw the warning in her expression, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, but eventually we'll have to talk about it."

She rolled her eyes, scoffing as she stood, making her way across the space and grasping her phone. "I should check in. See when someone will be here."

"Why are you in such a rush to leave?"

She hesitated, turning back to him. "I'm not."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Seems like it.

"I'm just..." She cut off, anxiously shifting her phone from one hand to the other. "This is weird."

"How is it?"

"I haven't been here since..."

"That doesn't make it weird."

"It does." She sighed, moving to sit back where she had previously been. "Things are different now."

"I know." He agreed, watching her as she continued to fidget, her eyes trained on her hands. "That doesn't mean it has to be weird, though."

"I guess it's normal for you." She reasoned, suddenly looking up at him. "I haven't had real friends for years, except for Hailey, anyway. Even before that, I never had many, and the few I did have I'd had to leave behind. I don't really have any experience with navigating friendships after so much hurt. It doesn't make sense to me."

"It's not easy." He shrugged. "It's not impossible, though."

"Isn't it?"

"Not when it's worth it."

She nodded, falling silent again, and he decided to give her a moment. She was deep in thought, and he knew better than to interrupt that. She had a lot to figure out.

He looked back to the TV, aware of her repeated glances towards him, so focused on trying to not look towards her that when she finally did speak, he hadn't been expecting it.

"Agent Stevens is almost here." She stood up, glancing around the room as if looking for anything she may have discarded and forgotten about the night before. "The stuff you said I left here, can we sort it another time? I really should be ready when she shows up."

He nodded, somewhat stunned by the pace at which she had began gathering what she had brought with her the previous night. By the time he'd fully registered that she really was about to head out, there was a knock on the door, and as he opened it he knew better than to question the familiar woman on the other side of it. He'd known when he'd briefly met her in the hospital months before, and it was even more evident now.

"You should have called me when you were asked to go to the hospital."

Ava shrugged. "You'd have been against it."

"Do you know how dangerous it was for you to be there alone?"

"Hailey was there."

"Detective Upton was in quarantine." The woman responded, finally looking to Connor. "Thank you for letting us know she was safe. I did not need this headache."

Ava rolled her eyes, looking behind the agent to the two amused colleagues standing behind her. "I apologise if I caused any trouble."

Connor stifled a laugh at her tone, watching as she swiftly moved past the agent, stepping outside of the apartment.

"I'll see you soon, I guess."

He smiled. "Yeah."

It was five minutes after she left, as he was trying to once again focus on the TV, that he heard his phone buzz on the coffee table, alerting him of a new message. He picked it up, frowning as he noted the name of the sender - "Morgan"

He opened the message, smiling as he read it -

That thing you asked Matty. Yes.

Also change your phone password.

He laughed. It hadn't even registered to him that it was his phone she had been playing with earlier, and now he was glad that he hadn't noticed. If he'd have questioned it, she may have changed her mind.

-Ghosts-