"Okay, Vicodin …" Sara handed Ava a glass of water along with the pill. Ava had been reluctant take it at first but the trip from infirmary, through the portal, and into the apartment was taxing enough to persuade her. She accepted both items and Sara waited to take them back, sighing at the way Ava still winced when she moved.
"Thanks," Ava said, leaning back into the couch pillow under her head.
Davey and Arlo hopped onto the couch, purposely laying out just in case Sara got the idea to even sit near their owner. Sara took the empty glass, grimacing at the felines. They had been at war ever since the first time Sara came home with Ava. Once they caught onto the fact that Ava liked her enough to have her over a lot, Davey and Arlo had started scheming to aggravate the woman in every way possible.
"Hey, leave her alone. She's bed ridden," Sara said from the kitchen.
"I am not." Arlo moved to lay on the back of the couch and Ava reached up to run her fingers through his fur. "And they're cats. They won't listen."
"No, they're your cats. They won't listen to me."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ava asked. "I listen to you, you're just almost always saying something ridiculous. Besides, if they annoy you that much you don't have to stay here. I'll be fine."
"We talked about this." Sara leaned against the counter. "As much as I don't want to leave my team, I need to be here for you. This is the most serious a relationship of mine has gotten in a really long time."
"And I appreciate that, but it doesn't mean you have to keep yourself trapped here with me for two weeks."
Sara sat down on the edge of the coffee table, eyeing Ava's arm that was glued to her torso. "But it does …mean that. We need to talk about something and it's my fault for not bringing it up after all this time."
"The last time you wanted to have a serious talk we broke up."
"No, that's not what this is. I'm here to take care of you and help you because you're my girlfriend."
"Sara-"
"I'm sorry it took so long."
"Don't apologize," Ava said. She reached out for Sara's hand and the other woman let her catch it easily. "I'm just happy you said it. And it's partially my fault. I could've brought it up."
"I kept telling myself I wanted it see if this would last but really I was just scared. Terrified, actually."
"We've been through hell and we've survived. I think now I can ask that you have a little faith in us. It's only fair since you believe me when I say I love you."
"I love you, too," Sara said, leaning forward to connect their lips. Ava, again, flinched after barely a second of enjoying it. The crash really did a number on her face as well as the rest of her. Her top lip was throbbing and red on one side and no matter how gentle Sara was, it still hurt like hell if anything touched it.
"Now, you should rest while I search how to take care of post op patients on Google." Sara took the blanket from the back of the couch, snatching a corner from under Arlo. He hissed at her and she gave him the bird right before he jumped off and walked away. She put the blanket over Ava and Davey laid down on her thigh. "I've never had a severely injured, recovering girlfriend before so …"
"Mm, I like the sound of that. Girlfriend …" Ava was already half asleep. The meds were kicking in now. Sara kissed her forehead and left her to sleep.
Davey lifted his head from his paws as he rested on the arm of the couch. That woman was back again. Oh, how he despised her. She was never apologetic about stepping on his tail and didn't seem to care whenever he leveled her with one of his glares. Arlo didn't appear to care much for the woman but if Ava liked this woman and kept bringing her around, they both came to an agreement not to get on her nerves too much.
So, he decided not to trip her up when she came back into the living room from the bedroom with her phone angled in between her shoulder and her ear. She finished buttoning her shirt and stopped just short of the kitchen. Ava was staring at the tv, completely uninterested in the movie on the screen.
"Well, okay…" Sara frowned. She brushed her thumb against Ava's bruised cheek, earning a hint of blush from the other woman. "Keep me updated."
"Who was that?" Ava questioned.
"Amaya. She said Mick was stuck in a tree at the moment, but everything was going fine. According to Zari and Wally they should have Grodd back where he needs to be in record time."
"What's record time for Legends? 3 weeks?"
"Are you hating on me Director Sharpe?" Sara asked, dropping down next to her.
"Just stating facts, Captain Lance."
"Mhm." Sara leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth before turning to the tv. "What the hell are you watching?"
"'Watching Paint Dry Featuring Ava Sharpe'."
"It's barely been two days and you're already bored?"
"Yes. You made me leave everything at the Bureau. I can't work. What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know binge a show or …be lazy. People are always complaining about always going to work and having to wake up early."
"Sara, you know I'm not one of those people. I complain about you and Gary …" She closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Oh, god. Gary is in charge of the Bureau."
"Ava-"
"No, that man is the most jumpy, nervous person in the entire world. We're doomed. Time is doomed."
"Don't you think you're overexaggerating a little bit. Gary's been your shadow for…like forever. I think he knows the ropes enough to be in charge for a little while. The point of leave is recovery and the point of recovery is to relax."
"I can't just sit here for a couple of weeks doing nothing."
"Aves, I'm here to take care of you and be your entertainment," Sara said taking the remote and flipping to Netflix.
"What are you offering? A lap dance?"
"Only if you want one. Otherwise, I bet you haven't discovered the Santa Clarita Diet yet." Ava raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "What will it be? Netflix or lap dance? Forewarning, I didn't bring any matching underwear."
"Like that ever stops anything."
"Well, Director Sharpe …" Sara examined the look of interest on Ava's face. She looked tempted enough and Sara was gentle enough. They could make it work. She carefully straddled Ava's lap and brought her hands up to the sides of her face. "Maybe a strip tease?"
"Don't start something you can't finish, Miss Lance."
"Oh, I can finish."
"This is a bad idea," Ava said, putting her hands on Sara's waist.
"They all turn out good in the end."
Ava didn't protest the idea. In fact, Sara was moving much too slow for her, and she was the first to initiate an ill-advised kiss. Both were known for finishing everything they started. They kissed until there was no air in their lungs and it took everything for Sara to resist escalating anything. But since when do adults only make out?
Down to the last button on her shirt and ready to get out of it, all while resisting it at the same time, they were interrupted. Like they always were. Ava's phone started ringing on the coffee table. They both groaned in frustration. If it wasn't Gideon or the team …it was Gary.
Sara moved off of Ava's lap and snatched the phone from the table. She answered even though Ava held her hand out for it.
"What is it Gary?"
"Oh, great," He muttered on the other end.
"Excuse me?" Sara narrowed her eyes knowing Gary could feel her gaze a mile away.
"Nothing. I need to speak to Ava …please?"
"What do you need?"
"Is that really Gary?" Ava asked, slowly leaning forward from the couch. She reached for the device only to have the other woman pull it away from her. "Sara, give me the phone."
She held up a finger and said to Gary, "Ava isn't available right now. What can I help you with Gary?" Ava made a move for the phone again but she aimed her hand at her good arm to keep her from aggravating her several broken ribs.
"Well, I need the codes to archive room."
"They're in the bottom left drawer of her desk," Sara said.
Ava frowned, "Why does he need my access codes?"
Sara swatted her hand away again. "Anything else?"
"Uh, well, not really-"
"Great. Goodbye Gary."
She hung up before he could reply and tossed the phone back onto the table.
"Why did you do that?" Ava asked.
"Because I'm really serious about this recovery thing," Sara said. Knowing that their make out session had fizzled out completely, she started to redo her shirt again. "Gary killed the hot and heavy so I'm going to find something fun, yeah?"
"Fun?"
"Yes. Fun."
"What does that entail exactly?"
"I don't know yet but it's going to be the best normal date of your life."
"I thought we agreed not to be normal," Ava called after her.
"Incoming call from Captain Lance," Gideon announced.
Nate and Amaya turned to the screen as Sara appeared.
"Hey, Captain," Nate greeted, "How's Mrs. Captain?"
"Ava is fine. Well, actually she's bored out of her mind."
"That's probably one of the things you both have in common. You work so much that you're restless when you're not working," Amaya said. Nate nodded his agreement.
"I'm going to ignore that because I know how to not be working," Sara said. The defensiveness in her tone didn't go unnoticed, Amaya and Nate were just trying not to look amused by it. "Anyway, Grodd?"
"I think you'll happy with the results," Ray said coming in with a glass jar in his hands. "I present Gorilla Grodd. Fun sized."
Sara's nose scrunched up and she leaned forward with her eyes slightly squinted. They might have made a hell of a mess but there didn't seem to be in damage to the time during the mission …that she could remember. A shrunken Grodd? Ava would actually be impressed.
The trio shared a proud look when Sara pulled out her phone to snap a picture of Grodd sulking in the glass jar.
"How. In the Hell." She snapped another photo. "Did you do this?"
"It was actually Wally's idea …after we got our asses kicked the first time," Ray said.
"Yeah, we started on the mission with the idea that we'd just capture Grodd and get him back to Gorilla City but obviously he was too big and too smart for that so we shrunk him," Nate said.
"And as it turns out Gorilla City doesn't actually want him back." Ray tapped the glass lightly and Grodd punched the jar. "He's mean."
"Understatement of the year," Sara said, shaking her head, "So Gorilla City doesn't want him back …"
"Any ideas?"
"Not really but the last thing I want is him being on the Waverider. It would be our kind of luck that he ended up big again."
"Sounds like us," Nate said.
"Talk to the Bureau. If they say anything I wouldn't like, talk to Rip."
"And if Rip says something you wouldn't like?"
"Try to reach Barry. Cisco might have an idea."
"I think you can handle that, right?" Amaya asked looking to Nate. He looked surprised for a moment but then nodded vigorously before exiting the room on Amaya instruction. Sara knew it wasn't because Amaya was in charge either. She shook her head at the level of whipped he was.
Ray decided to make his exit as well but stopped short and turned back around.
"If everyone has not so great ideas, maybe I can keep him?" He asked. "I think he might appreciate my attitude enough not hate people as much."
"I doubt that is even possible, Ray," Amaya said.
"Instincts are telling me no on that but …we'll get there when we get there." Sara was reluctant to say yes to something like that. Especially, with what he did to Ava and her team, Grodd was lucky murder was off the table. Ray accepted that answer for the moment and left Amaya in her office.
"What did you really call about?" She asked.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Sara, I know you a little better than you give me credit for. You didn't really call about Grodd."
Sara sighed and shook her head, "Ava is bored out of her mind. I told her I'd take her out on a date."
"Okay … And?"
"Obviously, it's not my forte."
"Dinner and a movie. Nothing too formal. Just dinner somewhere homey like a diner or a café and …well, a movie."
"Why couldn't I come up with that?" Sara muttered.
"Because you're a love-sick idiot sometimes …Captain."
"I'll let that slide this once."
"Sure, you will."
"What's on the agenda for today?"
"The Liberty Bell went missing July 7, 1776. One day before it was supposed to be rung celebrating the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence."
"Sounds really important."
Amaya nodded her agreement, "It's a level 6."
"I'm not sure who needs luck more, you guys or me?"
"Definitely you, Sara.
"Very true. But it still would be great if we can keep America from turning into Panem." She received a confused frown in return and she shook her head. "Nevermind."
"Movie I haven't seen or book I haven't read?"
"Both. Keep me posted."
"Of course," Amaya gave her a short salute to her as the connection closed. She turned around to face the bridge. "Gideon, 1776 please."