Chapter Text
The first week was the hardest. She wasn't used to Ava being so... still and lifeless. She wanted her up, healthy and smiling. She wanted Ava to be laughing at something stupid the Legends did or more of her being fond when big sistering them.
Add in the fact that they had to try and get Ava in a better state before Gideon could try to heal her. The gaping wounds on her stomach would take several stages to heal. They all had prayed that they wouldn't get infected but that's exactly what had happened. Gideon would fabricate an antibiotic to help the process but the infection had to run it's course.
Ava had flatlined once. It ranked as one of the worst sound Sara ever had heard in her life. Ray, bless his heart, was quick to get a shock into her system and start CPR which saved her life.
But now, the healing would take even longer. Ava was in no condition for a massive influx of repairs. Someone would have to redress her woulds every two hours and sit with her while she remained on life support.
No. She didn't like this one bit. Ava could breath on her own but Gideon insisted she have an oxygen mask on just in case. If she could breath on her own, then she didn't need it. Right? Nate had said it was better to be safe than sorry but he wasn't here, sitting next to the love of his life and questioning if she'll wake up. She was.
Zari brought her food every meal time, urging her to try and eat something. Sara had to give a smile at that, Zari loved food so she was great about reminding them to eat. Her smile turned to a frown when the thought of how Zari loved to share classic dishes with Ava, who would in turn learn how to make them to surprise her.
So again, she hated this. It didn't only affect her, that she already knew, but she couldn't help but feel selfish as this was her girlfriend lying there. Sara got nauseous the longer she thought about it.
Maybe Ray was right, she could use some fresh air really quickly. Sara bolted from the medbay, breezing past the sad looks she was getting and straight out the cargo bay door. She leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath so she didn't spiral back into the sobbing she had been doing when they found Ava.
It had been utter chaos. Time pirate bodies strewn about, cold and dead. They hadn't seen her at first, worried she was taken away. So Nora had used magic, she had volunteered to help find Ava when Ray got into the Time Bureau with Mona and Gary's help. It didn't take her long to sniff out Ava's dying energy and then she had laid eyes on her. It had been a painful thing to see, one of the most since Stein.
She hadn't processed it until Ava's eyes had opened when Nora shouted. Sara had run towards her girlfriend, hoping desperately that she wasn't about to have her die in her arms. "Ava! Ava!" She screamed her name, feeling like she was taking too long to get there.
Sara had already lost her dad and her sister, she wasn't ready to lose Ava too. She doesn't think she'll ever get her going unconcious out of her brain, it had certainly spooked everyone. Even Mick who had sworn and burnt the dead bodies out of his frustration.
Those two had a strange relationship, Sara mused while sliding down the trunk of the tree she was against to sit on the forest floor. They bickered all the time and threw insults at each constantly and yet, Mick would always make snickerdoodles for Ava while she proofread his writing. It was endearing to say the least.
Sara was unsure how long she sat there until she started shivering. John was the one who found her outside and urged her back inside. He knew what is was like to watch a loved one die, to be on the sidelines while they were injured and dying. The team had decided it'd be best if he tried to talk to Sara or get her in touch with Oliver to try and talk. "Come on then, Let's get you some tea and then back to Sharpie."
"Don't call her that." Sara bit at him.
"Right, I'm sorry."
Sara was sipping the hot tea, scrunching her nose in distaste at the blend John gave her. He insisted it was great for soothing the soul but all she could taste was vinegar. She cast a sad look to Ava, who was still unconcious but still breathing. So there was some small comfort...
Except... "Gideon?" She asked.
"Ava is currently in a comatose state. All her minor injuries have been repaired and the major ones are at 25% completion. I needed to stop and take a rest. She has brain function but there is no telling what she could remember or forget. I'm sorry Captain."
Sara let that sink in. Ava might not remember her. Might not remember the team. She might wake up on the Waverider and be exactly who she was when they first met. That might just break her to have the woman she was madly in love with look at her like she was a stranger.
She quashed the feeling of needing to run again that rose inside of her with the new information. Ava needed her to remain calm, she'd be strong for her love. She would.
The second week didn't get any easier. Ava still hadn't fully healed and Gideon kept insisting she was doing the best she could under the circumstances. It didn't make sense to her, Gideon could heal her faster than regular medical care. But the love of her life was laying prone in a medical bed, still injured and still needing monitoring. She was beyond frustrated.
"Captain. Barry Allen is on the monitor asking for you."
Crap. She didn't want to leave. She needed to stay here by Ava. Just in case... "Go ahead Sara." Zari's voice broke her out of her struggle. "Ray and I are going to check her wounds and see about upping her healing factor today." The hesitation shone clear on her face. "You'll be the first person I tell if anything changes."
"Promise?"
"Of course." Sara still felt uneasy but she trusted Ray and Zari around Ava.
With that, she turned towards Ava and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back Aves, I promise. I love you okay? So don't you dare quit on me Sharpe." She couldn't look at Zari and Ray, afraid if she did then she'd break before she could see what Barry had to say.
"Ah! Sara! There you are!" Barry was beaming at her and her heart hurt a little more. "We have a situation at the CCPD and I'd like your opinion on it."
"Why me?" She asked, keeping her voice even.
"Well... we don't really know what it is. But what we DO know is that it looks like something someone who's been in the League of Assassins would do. And Oliver refuses to come over, stating he has enough problems with Felicity and who the New Green Arrow is..."
"Alright, I'll be there. I need to get away from the ship for awhile anyways." She didn't want to leave Ava but she could hear her girlfriend in her head now. Telling her she needed to go be a hero, help stop the bad guys like she believes she can. Her throat clenched up and she sniffled a little.
"Hey, are you okay?" Barry asked, ever the one to catch when one of his friends was hurting. "Oh jeez, Here I am asking you to come help with my problem. I didn't ask if you were in a good spot to come. I can always try to reach out to someone else."
What a good kid. "No, No. Uh, I'll tell you in person. I'll get a few things and meet you down there."
She pulled on Ava's sweatpants, uncaring if they might not be the best option to wear to Star Labs. She was just going to consult, not do any fighting. Hopefully. Sara sighed and packed her bowstaff that Ray and Ava had gifted to her last year on her birthday.
After alerting the crew that Ray and Zari were in charge, she went and told Ava she had to go. "I'm going off to play hero. You stay here okay? And just... rest. I love you to the moon and back. Gideon? Tell me if anything changes please."
"Of course Captain Lance. I will reach out to you the instant."
With that, Sara made her way to the jumpship to head down to Central City where Barry and Cisco would greet her.
"Sara!" Barry was all smiles at seeing her and she had to admit, it was nice being welcome with a smiling face instead of the somber ones on the Waverider. "Caitlin and Nora are pulling up the evidence in the lab here, Joe said we might need to look at it because it was definitely not normal."
"Nora?" Sara hadn't been keeping up to date with the two teams so she had no idea who the newbies were anymore. "You have one too?"
"Too? And uh, Yeah. Well that's a long story." He said sheepishly while Cisco gave Sara a hug before bolting inside, afraid of getting smacked. "She's my daughter. Uh from the future."
Sara thought she could steer clear of time travel for one minute. Oh man, Ava was not going to... Ava couldn't do anything right now. She frowned at that thought. "Who's your Nora?" He asked as they got into the control room where everyone could hear them now.
"Damien Darhk's daughter. She joined the Legends three weeks ago when Ray went into the Time Bureau to freak about how we couldn't find one of the Legends."
"Wait, what? He has a daughter?" Caitlin looked shocked.
"She sucks at cooking. But she can make a mean cheesecake for some odd reason. Also, Ray broke a guys phone and almost speared his at a faire because the guy was creepy and took a picture of her boobs." She added on, enjoying the looks of shock she was getting. "And now I'm here after two weeks of rest on the ship."
"Why were you resting? Nothing to do?" The small woman next to Cisco asked. She looked a lot like Iris... so that had to be Nora?
"My girlfriend got mauled by space pirates in an attempt to stop them from murdering her faux little sister. She's in a coma and might not remember us." Sara said harshly and everyone was taken aback. "Worst thing is she wants to meet you all because I said you're all family." She sniffled and wiped her eyes, getting frustrated at feeling so deeply.
"Well, WHEN she gets better, I'd love to meet her." Iris stated, firm in the fact that she was sure Ava would be okay. "And while we sort through this evidence, all of us want to know everything that's been happening with you all. Gideon told us you guys have been through a lot."
"If only you knew..."
It took way too long to sort out this whole mess. Two weeks to be exact. Turns out a former member of the LoA had decided he wanted to wreck havoc in Central City. But not of his own free will, because he had been drugged with a mind control syrum that made him 10x deadlier.
But in the end, they got him contained safely and shut down the mastermind behind the mind control. "Jeez. That... took way too long." Barry apologized to Sara who just gave him a sad smile. "Let's call Gideon and see what she has to say about Ava's condition. Maybe it'll be good news!"
Sara connected the call to the Waverider from Star Labs, team Flash surrounding her which helped. "Gideon? How is she doing?"
"One moment Captain Lance." Was not the answer she was expecting. "Ms. Tomaz, Would you...?"
"I've got it Gid." Zari took over the call and sounded like she was moving through the corridors. "How's Central City Cap?"
"The situation is dealt with. And it's too sunny here, not enough darkness in the hearts of people here."
"We all know you're a secret softie Sara, Don't try to play with us." Zari teased her, which helped lift the overwhelming sadness a tad bit.
"I am not! I'm dangerous." Sara pouted. She got no response for a minute. She was starting to get worried but then the screen connected to a video call.
What she saw made her glad she was sitting for she would have been knocked on her ass otherwise. "You are dangerous but also a massive softie, my love." It was Ava. Sitting up and smiling at her, looking extremely tired but oh so awake and oh so alive.
She didn't want to believe this was real. It would be too cruel if this were a joke. "Ava?" She choked out.
"We were told you might have some memory loss." Zari nudged her helpfully. "Come back to the ship and we can prove her memory is up to snuff." She told Sara who was scooped up by Barry and flashed to the jumpship.
"I'll grab your stuff, you go ahead and get the jumpship ready to take off." Sara smiled dazedly after him and started priming the ship.
It took too long to get back to the Waverider. But as soon as she docked, she took off towards the medbay. Ray and Nora were grinning at her when she got there. "How long has she been awake?"
"A little over an hour. Gideon tried getting a message to you all but you must have been finishing up the mission. We did basic tests, got her moving a bit and some water. She could remember all of us, without any help at all." Ray told her.
"And she must remember you. I heard her call you." Nora smiled at Sara, pressing herself into Ray's side.
Sara didn't waste anymore time and went into the medbay. Ava's smiling face greeted her and she swore she was about to have a heart attack. "Ava."
"Hello Sara." She responded, holding out her hand which Sara greedily took. "I kept my promise." She laughed tearily, bringing Sara's forehead to press against hers.
Sara's heart rejoiced at being reunited with her love. Ava remembered, she remembered her promise. Her declarations of her affections. How they met. Their first date. The Legends and them against Mallus. Her first I Love You. The sound of silence no longer echoed in Sara's soul now that she had her missing puzzle piece again.