I hope you're enjoying the story.

"Sara, stop, at least have to eat something before you leave,"

Sara leaned over the kitchen counter, grabbing an apple from the bowl showing it to her father before making a dash to the door.

"Hold it,"

She froze in the doorway.

"Come back here and have a proper breakfast,"

Sara sighed, turning on her heels, "Dad, the showcase is in three weeks,"

"And you and your friends are already prepared I'm sure,"

"We can always get better,"

"Not on a meagre breakfast you can't," He placed a plate of eggs and toast on the table, looking at Sara pointedly.

"Fine," She sighed, marching back to the kitchen table.

Quentin smiled, joining her at the table, "Rehearsal has been going well?"

Sara nodded, mouth too full of eggs to speak.

"What songs are you doing this time?"

Sara gave a muffled reply.

"I'm going to assume that's some song I've heard on the radio but I don't actually know the name for,"

Sara laughed, swallowing, "Isn't that 90% of the songs on the radio for you?"

"I think it's more like 95%,"

Sara covered her mouth with a hand, making sure no food came out with her laughter.

"And how's that new girl?"

Sara snorted, "She's as pretentious as ever,"

"Give her a chance to warm up to you. Your friends can be intimidating before you get to know them,"

Sara gasped, making a show of sounding affronted, "Excuse me. We are treasures. And I'm a delight to be around,"

Quentin chuckled, "Of course you are, sweetheart. Are you ever going to bring her over?"

"Why would I bring her over?"

"So I can meet her. You've brought all your friends over at some point,"

"Ava and I aren't friends,"

"Could have fooled me, the way you talk about her,"

"I talk about her because she's a pain in my ass,"

"Well, pains your ass are welcomed here too,"

"Dad,"

"I'm just saying, honey. The kids at the centre usually don't have the best pasts. Just give her chance. You don't know what she's been through,"

"I know," Sara shovelled in two more mouthfuls of eggs and pushed her eggs away, "Thanks for breakfast dad," She managed to speak around the food, grabbing her things again, "See you later,"

"Remember I'm working tonight!"

"I know!" She called over her shoulder.

"I'll leave money so you can order in,"

"Yep!"

"I love you,"

"Love you too,"

And she was gone, out the front door and on her bike. She lived a twenty-minute ride away from the centre, taking the right shortcuts, that is. She locked her bike to the fence at the back of the building, going in through the back door. This way lead past the rooms the centre used as offices and storerooms. As she passed Rip's office she spotted him inside, reading through a thick pile of papers. She waved, planning on it just being a greeting in passing but he gestured with two fingers, calling her in.

"What's up Rip?" She asked, sticking her head into the room.

"Ms. Lance, could I ask I favour of you?"

"Depends on what it is," She said with a smirk.

Rip huffed, amused. He knew she'd help once she was able to, "It's about Ms. Sharpe,"

"What about her?" she leaned against the doorframe, intrigued now. Why would Rip be asking her for a favour that concerned Ava?

"As you know, she's been working with Gideon since she got here,"

"Yeah, she uses the room next to our studio. Hates when we play our music,"

"Gideon has been encouraging her to take part in the showcase. But she's been resistant,"

"Really?" Sara's brow arched, "She struck me as the kind of person who'd love the spotlight. Is she shy?"

"We don't know,"

"It's her choice if she wants to perform or not,"

"Ordinarily, yes," Rip nodded, "But we're concerned there's a deeper reason she doesn't want to play. If it's truly just a case of stage fright we'll leave her be. But it's something more, these things shouldn't be left to fester. We just want to offer support, should she need it,"

"Have you tried to talking to her?"

Rip nodded, "She hasn't warmed up to Gideon or myself as of yet. Martin and Clarissa haven't interacted with her much either,"

"And you think I can get her to open up?" Sara snorted, "I'm pretty sure she hates me,"

"I'm sure if you give each other a chance you'll find you have a lot in common," Rip said, wrapping an arm around Sara's shoulder. He walked down the hall with her.

"Well…" Sara's mind flashed back to Ava's surprised expression when she'd executed a near perfect pirouette, "…maybe,"

"Fantastic," Rip clapped his hands on her shoulders, "Just talk to her. Find out why she doesn't want to perform,"

"If she finds out you sent me to spy on her she'll hate me more,"

"It's not spying and she doesn't hate you," Rip said, giving her an instant little shove.

Sara shook her head, "Help Ava Sharpe," She said to herself, "This should be good,"

Upstairs, in the room they used for their rehearsal, Sara found Amaya, Zari, Nate and Jax already there. Amaya, Zari and Nate were on the floor stretching, while Jax was on a laptop, hooking it up to speakers.

"Hey," Amaya greeted with a wide smile.

"You'll never guess what Rip just asked me to do," She said as she joined them on the floor with their stretches.

"Not use the old scaffolding in storage for upper body workout?" Nate said, making Zari snort.

"No. He knows he can't get me to stop. He wants me to talk to Ava Sharpe,"

"So he wants one of you to the kill the other, obviously," Zari said.

"They haven't been that bad," Amaya counter, "…recently,"

"I just don't know why he'd ask me. It seems like the kind of thing he'd ask you to do," She said, looking at Amaya.

"Maybe he's noticed you've been trying to offer an olive branch,"

"I'm not sure if an olive branch is the right term," Sara said.

"Olive branch isn't what I would call the strange mix of flirting and deliberate provoking you've been trying on Sharpe," Jax said.

"I'm not flirting with her!"

"Sara, honey you flirt with everyone," Amaya said.

"Not my fault I'm naturally magnetic,"

"You kind of have been flirting with her," Nate said.

"When have I ever flirted with Ava Sharpe?"

"Yesterday, when you invited her to hang out with us," Zari pointed out.

"She was looking at us. I was doing the considerate thing,"

Zari, Nate, Amaya and Jax all looked each other and grinned.

"Hey guys," Wally called out, entering the room just then.

"We miss anything?" Ray asked, following him in.

"Ray, Wally, weigh in here," Nate said, "Yay or Nah on Sara flirting with Ava,"

"Definitely," Wally said.

At the same moment, Ray said, "I don't think so,"

He and Wally looked at each other, confusion written across their faces.

"Definitely?" Ray asked, perplexed.

"How have you not seen it?"

"Ray wouldn't know flirting if someone explicitly said I am flirting with you," Zari pointed out.

Nate snickered, "Hasn't that basically happened already?" He said in a carrying whisper.

"What?" Ray piped up, making Nate, Amaya and Jax say, "Nothing!" all at once.

"Alright, alright, alright, let's drop the Ava thing for now. Once everyone's loose we'll go over the new section. Now that Zari and Wally have the first part down, we can practice the flips,"

"I'm still voting we axe the flips," Zari said.

"You managed it with our help," Ray said as he as he took off his jacket, rolling his shoulders.

"You'll do an assisted backflip with Ray," Sara said, "Amaya will have Nate to help her with hers,"

"And what about you and Wally?" Zari asked.

"We know I can pull it off by myself. I think Wally can pull it off with practice. Everyone ready to go?"

"You know it, Cap," Nate said jumping to his feet.

"Jax, let's take it from the top," Sara said, jumping off the floor.

Jax gave a thumbs up, starting the song. They ran through their routine, working to iron out any kinks in the performance. The studio, in spite of being the biggest room on the floor, was still a bit small for them so they had to practice in sections, breaking into small groups to run through sections of the songs. But it worked in the way they could continually keep up their rehearsal as some of their group took short breaks while three or four of them ran through the moves together.

The Legends, as they'd taken to calling themselves were the oddest dance group. Most of the people in the group wouldn't have called themselves dancers before. They all met here at the centre. A different reason had drawn them all here. Ray started off helping the Professor with tutoring younger kids. He started hanging out with Sara after classes. She'd convinced him to learn some moves. He'd loved it. Nate had a similar story, coming first as a tutor for history. After the first time he landed the moonwalk, he was hooked. He and Ray still tutored but when not doing that, they were with Legends.

Zari and Amaya had each found themselves becoming friends with Sara and her infectious love for dance had gotten to them too. Wally was the only one came in for the dance first and became friends after. Jax wasn't much of a dancer. He preferred to run the tech for the Legends.

They also had a couple of buddies who weren't around too often but were still considered Legends. Leonard sometimes danced, but there wasn't enough money in the world to convince Mick to try dancing.

Sara was arguably the best dance of the group, but Wally could give her a run for her money. She was certainly the one who'd been dancing the longest. As much as the others loved it, it was truly her passion.

After a couple hours of rehearsal, they took a proper break. Nate and Ray both had a Saturday class to help tutor so they ducked out to the showers. Zari had stepped out to pray. Jax was playing random songs, Amaya and Wally dancing messily to it in the center of the room. Sara was sitting against the wall towel around her shoulders, laughing as Wally accidentally hit Amaya when he dabbed.

Motion by the door caught her eye and she looked up in time to catch Ava looking in. She raised a hand and smiled. Ava looked away, ducking out of sight.

"Sara, what do you think?"

"What?" Jax's voice pulled her back into the room.

"When Zari gets back we're going to get food while Ray and Nate had class. You coming,"

"Uh," The soft, muffled sounds of the violin reached her ears, "Actually I think I'll stick around here,"

Jax and Wally shrugged, "Sure. What do you want us to get for you?"

"Are you going to Big Belly Burger?"

"Where else would we go?"

"A triple big boy, extra pickles,"

"You got it, Captain," Wally said, giving a two-fingered salute. He and Jax picked up their bags and headed out. Amaya was about to follow but Sara called out to her.

"I was wondering… how would you handle the Ava thing?"

"I'd just talk to her. That's what Rip wants you to do, isn't it?"

"It's a bit more than that… she doesn't want to do the showcase and he thinks there's a deeper reason than stage fright. He wants me to find out if there's something wrong,"

"If that's the case I'd start by finding if there is something wrong,"

"Yeah, but how do I do that?"

"Try asking her,"

Sara snorted, rolling her eyes, "I'm sure she'll just tell me. Just like that,"

Amaya shrugged, "You never know. I find when you're earnest, other people tend to be as well. Open up about something and maybe she will in return,"

"This is why he should have asked you,"

"You'll be fine Sara," Amaya said, walking over to give her a comforting hug, "Just… trust your gut,"

"My gut tells me she hates me,"

"Nah, that sounds more like something your liver would say," Amaya said, poking Sara's side playfully, "You're gut's the one that's been telling you to offer the olive branch. Keep listening to that part of you,"

Sara sighed but nodded. Amaya was at the door when she turned back, "And maybe tune back the flirting for this,"

"I haven't been flirting!"

Nardragon~ until the next page.