"Helloo," Sara called, as soon as she and Ava had slipped into the pocket dimension. Their hands still intertwined, they walked over to the kitchen, which was just as empty as the rest of the mansion seemed to be – if the almost eerie silence was any indication. Sara couldn't help but shake her head, as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"We are the first ones here again, huh?" Ava asked, almost sounding surprised, as she placed the bottle of sparkling cider on the sink.
"Only because a certain someone always insists that we have to show up early," Sara teased and used the hand that was still interlaced with Ava's to pull her wife closer. Ava just rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, when the ex-assassin's hands traveled up to cup her face and her thumb began caressing the soft skin, effectively shutting her up. "I love you for it, babe," she admitted then and watched as the slight annoyance in her wife's eyes melted away, before she connected their lips for a soft kiss.
"I love you so much. Both of you," Ava breathed against her lips and let one of her hands dip lower until it was resting against the swell of Sara's midsection. The smaller blonde was almost 4 and a half months pregnant by now and so far, their baby seemed to be developing at a normal, human rate, which meant that she was about halfway through the pregnancy. And even though they had had enough time ever since finding out to get used to the idea that they had conceived a child together that was biologically just theirs (which had always seemed impossible), from time to time it still knocked them off their feet.
"You do?" Sara asked softly, even though there wasn't a single doubt in her mind that Ava meant it, as she tried to blink the tears away (damn those hormones), "You know that's good, because your child is really hungry and if their mom doesn't get something to eat soon, she might not be able to guarantee her good mood any longer,"
"See that's why I am always insisting for us to be on time!" Ava replied, underlining her last two words and scrunching up her nose, "You and I both know that most of the Legends have a tendency to be late, so if we don't get started on the cooking, it will only take that much longer."
"So you only insist on us being early out of love for your pregnant wife?"
"Exactly," she exclaimed, causing Sara to chuckle, before she sealed their lips for another innocent kiss, which quickly developed into a more passionate one.
"Oh my god, are you guys ever not all over each other? You guys literally just spend two weeks honeymooning in Hawai'i!" Zari's voice caused the pair to break apart and when they turned their heads to face their friend, both of them were sporting stupid grins. On the other end of the kitchen counter stood Zari 2.0 with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face – although it didn't quite cover up the delightful glint in her eyes.
"Z!" Sara exclaimed then, as she pulled her friend into a hug, "We missed you too."
Zari rolled her eyes in an effort to play it cool just how much she had actually missed the co-captains. Because this place had definitely felt a little less homey and definitely a lot more chaotic without them here.
"Soo tell me, how was the honeymoon? And how is my favorite little godchild doing today?" she asked then and turned all of her attention towards Sara's midsection.
A few weeks before, shortly after they had all gotten back from their 'trip' to World War 1, Zari had more or less declared herself godmother. Sara and Ava made it clear on more than one occasion that they hadn't decided yet who they were gonna pick for that role, but Zari just waved them off; she was going to spoil that kid rotten, whether she was officially their godmother or not. And so far that had included showering them with gifts (their baby now had more plush toys from their Auntie Z than from their parents), planning a baby shower and documenting every little development. As annoying as the filming could be from time to time, the couple was already looking back in awe at footage from the earlier days of Sara's pregnancy.
One by one the other Legends arrived; all of them eager to see their captains again and to hear about their honeymoon. It was still a little weird for them to only see each other about once a week, considering that they had spent almost every day together in the last 6 years.
But after they had somehow managed to save Alun (the real one this time) and the Waverider had been stolen, their only option was to repair Gwyn's time capsule. Luckily, it only took Astra a few days to fix it with the help of her magic and so they could all get back to the lives they had been trying so hard to establish before they went back in time. And even though they were all itching to get back out there and find their Waverider, they had – albeit reluctantly – agreed that for now, it would be best to stay put in the presence and simply keep an eye out for any new aberrations. It was probably only a matter of time anyway, considering that a former fixer had stolen their timeship and could now wreck havoc in the timeline as he pleased.
One of their last missions however had been to track down any and all former Legends and hand them a key to the pocket dimension too. Once a Legend, always a Legend, right?
"Ray!"
Nate's excited voice had all of them turn their heads towards the big entry door, where none other than Ray Palmer and his wife Nora had just entered the mansion. The two best friends (and former time bros, as they used to refer to each other) clashed together in a fierce hug, as if they hadn't talked on the phone just a few hours ago.
"It's like I am invisible," Nora shook her head and chuckled, before greeting her friends with a hug, starting with Ava. Aside from Nate, the group hadn't seen Ray in person since he and Nora had left the ship to start a more or less normal life and settle down.
"Ray, it's good to see you again," Sara admitted, before pulling the man into a hug after he too had greeted almost everyone else, "And Nora, you too, of course."
"It's good to see you too, captain," he replied, easily falling back into old habits. Because even though they texted and face-timed on occasion, it really wasn't the same as actually being in a room together again. "It's good to see all of you, actually. And we are really sorry that we are so late, but Joe just didn't want to go to sleep tonight,"
"Oh, you need to show me pictures!" Ava almost squealed in excitement at the mention of Ray and Nora's eight months old son. She and Nora had already made plans for their babies to hang out and do all sorts of fun stuff together, even though Ava and Sara's baby wasn't even born yet.
Sara chuckled and once again found herself wondering how Ava could believe (even just for a second) that she wouldn't be a good mom, even with her past or rather her lack thereof. Tucking her arm into Ava's, Sara pulled her closer.
"No worries, but honestly, if I don't get to eat something soon, I don't think I will be any fun this evening." Sara chimed in with a small smile and at Ava's adamant nodding, the group stalked over to the living room to take their seats at the table. The first few weeks of her pregnancy had been rather easy on Sara and her wife, but then the morning sickness had set in, followed by the weirdest cravings and some emotional outbursts that were rather uncharacteristic for the smaller blonde.
The food was good, as Sara told everyone more than just once, and conversation was flowing easily too. The team gushed over photos of their baby from their latest ultrasound appointment (which had been earlier that same day) and the excitement about the prospect of having a new tiny Legend in their midst was evident.
Ray and Nora proudly shared stories and pictures of their son, Nate actually seemed to be making progress with his book and Ava recounted stories from their honeymoon with the biggest grin on her face. Zari was trying to figure out in which way she could positively influence the world – in a more lasting and satisfying way audible lipstick did. Behrad was following his passion and continued writing songs, while Astra and Spooner were still figuring out who they were and what exactly they wanted from this life. Gary and Gideon were now able to navigate through the world and discover all things human together. Sure, most of them were still struggling to find their footing in the real world again, but their weekly meetings certainly helped in easing some frustrations and worries.
Just the week before they went on honeymoon, they had caught up with Mick (or Mickey, as Ava so lovingly called him), who was now living with Kayla and busing trying to fulfill his roles as both a dad and a granddad. But Sara and the team had never seen him so happy before. Jax's daughter was already going to school by now and Jax was the proud owner of Firestorm; his very own auto mechanic shop. He had also shown the team photos of Ronnie, Lily and Clarissa, with whom he still frequently hung out. Charlie too had found their home in 1977 London with their band.
"Hey babe, is everything alright?" Ava's voice pulled Sara out of her reverie. The next thing she felt was Ava's warm hand on her leg and those blue-greyish eyes of hers that Sara had found a home in, scanning her up and down in worry.
The smaller blonde released a slow breath and wiped away the single tear that had rolled down her cheek with the back of her hand. "Yes. I am just really really happy."
"I am too," Ava assured her with the sweetest smile, before pulling Sara's hand up to her lips and pressing a soft kiss against it. Her smile then turned into a grin. "And I think you will be even happier, when you see which pie I made."
"No, you didn't!" Sara exclaimed, because of course she knew what Ava meant, "God, I love you so much," Ava giggled and before she knew what was happening, her wife had pulled her into a fierce kiss.
"Oh my god guys, get a room!" Astra called from across the table and had the two women break apart, as the others joined in teasing their co-captains. "Although I guess you already did that," She held up the ultrasound photo as proof, nearly causing Nate to spit out the food he was currently chewing.
"Hey!" Sara retorted and threw one of her fries in Astra's direction, as the teasing continued.
The rest of the evening was spent catching up and laughing as they reminisced about some of their highlights as Legends. When Sara and Ava returned to their townhouse later that evening, they were both exhausted, but happy and very ready to head to bed. It had been a long and eventful day after all. Ava decided to hop under the shower real quick, only to find the adjacent bedroom empty when she returned to slip into some fresh clothes. After having done just that, she headed for the porch, already knowing that her wife was most likely to be found there right now – she was the one who had insisted on the porch after all (and Ava had been very happy to fulfill that wish).
The tall blonde passed by the freshly painted nursery with a small smile: they had painted it just yesterday in a neutral, light green. A few flowers were decorating the bottom part of the walls; Ava had even managed to paint a somewhat decent looking bird. The nursery wasn't the biggest room of the house, but certainly one of the most beautiful ones, even though it was still mostly empty. From the cosy windowsill one could overlook the small garden and even catch a few sunsets – and that was definitely one of the reasons why they had chosen this particular townhouse after all. In the following weeks they would add a wooden crib, a small bookshelf, a changing table, some of the toys and plushies Auntie Z had bought and a rocking chair for them to sit on and just hold their baby. Of course, Ava had a detailed binder for everything. Who was she to accept anything less than the very best for her child?
Ava finally reached the doorway to their porch and momentarily leaned against it, deciding to quietly soak in the moment for a little bit. It was a warm evening in late May, but the light breeze still had her shivering just a little.
Sara was sitting on one of the two rocking chairs with her hands on her belly, as she was humming a sweet tune. Just like she did almost every night. A part of her was still a little bit scared to celebrate this development and actually let herself be happy about it. With her past, she had always been scared to actually plan anything beyond tomorrow and even though that changed a little since she had met Ava, their lives hadn't exactly been the epitome of stable and secure in the last few years. But with every day that their baby grew inside of her, she allowed herself to be a little bit happier than she had been the day before.
"Hey babe," Ava said softly, in an effort not to startle her, before making her way over to her wife, "I saved the last two pieces of the cherry pie for you. We can re-heat them tomorrow, if you want."
Throughout all her cravings and changes in appetite, Sara's love for cherries stayed the same; maybe it even intensified. And aside from a good cherry milkshake, Ava's handmade cherry pie was definitely Sara's (and apparently the baby's) favorite dish in the universe.
"You are too good to me." Sara replied with a small smile, "Thanks, babe."
Ava knelt down in front of her wife, placing her hands on top of Sara's, before leaning down to leave a trail of smooches on her belly. It had easily become one of her favorite things to do in this world.
"Hey baby, here is your mama," she whispered in the sweetest voice she usually reserved just for Sara. But in this case, Sara didn't mind sharing one bit. Something seemed to dawn on Ava then, and a smile grew on her face, before she looked up to meet her wife's eye, a sheepish look glistering in them. "We really need to pick a name for her, huh?"
"Yeah, calling her baby is getting kind of old," Sara agreed and let out a big yawn. Ava chuckled.
"How about we think of names tomorrow? You wanna come to bed?"
"Sounds good. I will join you in a minute."
"Okay,"
Ava placed another kiss on Sara's belly, whispering a soft good night against it, before squeezing her wife's hand and getting back up on her feet to head back inside. And a good 10 minutes after Ava had settled into their bed, Sara entered their bedroom, switched off the lights and finally joined her wife in bed.
The gentle kiss Ava pressed against Sara's neck and the following hand squeeze on Sara's part were silent admissions of their love for each other and the life that they had created together. There was so much they still needed to figure out, starting with them getting actual jobs again, the missing Waverider situation and the question how and if time travel could work in a future that now included their baby. But, as they laid there, in the darkness of their bedroom, with Sara's body flushed against Ava's and her arms wrapped around Sara and their baby, it felt like it would all work out somehow.
