Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ava Sharpe is five years old when she first learns about soulmates. She is sitting on the floor in her bedroom, colouring in her favourite book when her knee suddenly starts to burn. Tears well up in her eyes when the pain only gets worse and she runs downstairs to find her mother and father. She runs into the kitchen sobbing uncontrollably and startles both of her parents from where they are starting to put together their dinner. Her father picks her up and calms her down enough to find out what has upset his daughter so much. When she finally stutters out the cause for her tears her parents share a warm smile that confuses Ava. Why are they smiling when she is hurting? Her mother wipes away her tears and they take her into the lounge room to sit on the couch. They tell her that what she is feeling is actually coming from a special little boy that is her soulmate. He must have fallen over and scraped his knee and her Dad smiles at this, because this boy must be adventurous. They tell her that she will feel whenever this boy hurts himself and she hopes that he is more careful in the future because she doesn’t like the dull ache in her knee caused by his clumsiness. They also tell her that if she gets hurt the boy will feel it too and she promises herself that she will be extra careful so he doesn’t feel bad because of something that she did. The thing that surprises her most about having a soulmate is the knowledge that when she finds this boy and they accept their connection they will be linked. They will still feel each other’s pain but they will share emotions as well and Ava thinks that has to be the most special thing in the world.

Ava rubs the remaining tears from her cheeks. “When will I meet this boy?” she asks her parents seriously.

“No-one knows sweet-pea.” Her father pulls her in close and ruffles her hair. “But I promise he will be worth waiting for.”

It has been ten years since Ava first felt the connection to her soulmate. She is starting to doubt whether her soulmate will actually be a boy, but that thought is far too scary to deal with at this point in time. What she does know without a doubt is that her soulmate is a clumsy idiot that has plagued her existence with constant bumps and sore spots. Clearly this person doesn’t have the same diligence for safety that Ava strives for. Recently though Ava has started to worry about her soulmate because the pain she is feeling through their bond is different to what it was before. She has grown to expect the sore knees and elbows because it is somewhat obvious that her soulmate is a bit rough and tumble, but recently she has felt the sting of a split lip and worryingly what feels like hands hitting far too hard in softer places.

She confides in her father and he listens diligently to her concerns. They both know that there is nothing that they have to power fix and Ava can tell that her father is truly concerned about her soulmate getting bullied. A few months pass and soon she starts to feel a deep throbbing in her knuckles that tells her that her soulmate has started to fight back. She is simultaneously proud and scared for them. At least she knows that her soulmate has learned to protect themselves because most of the pain she feels now is focussed into her hands, so she knows that they aren’t getting hurt like before.

She tells her father and he shares her concern and relief about this development.

“He’s your soulmate Sweet-pea, of course he’s a tough one.” Her father pulls her close and shrouds her in a comforting hug. Ava hopes he’s right.

Ava is in her second year of college when she becomes confident that her soulmate will be a woman. Thinking of her soulmate as a boy has always felt slightly off and her few flings with women on campus has confirmed what she has long suspected. She has recently turned twenty and she is driving home for break to see her family. She practices what she is going to say to her parents for the entire seven hour drive and by the time she gets back to her childhood home she is a nervous wreck. Her parents immediately know that something is wrong but they know that she will tell them in her own time.

She makes it ten steps past the front door before she whirls around and blurts out “I’m gay.”

Her parents only falter for a heartbeat before they envelop her in a crushing hug and she cries in relief. Ava is ecstatic that her news has been received so well and she spends the next three days on an absolute high. She was pretty confident that they would have been fine but there is always that niggling doubt that doesn’t go away until it’s all out in the open. They are all sitting down for dinner and Ava is reaching for the salad bowl when suddenly all of the air is ripped from her lungs. She is gasping for breath and everything is suddenly tilted on its axis. She collapses onto the floor and she can vaguely register the voices of her parents yelling in concern. Her vision is starting to fade and her heart is beating a mile a minute. Her soulmate is drowning. Her soulmate is in trouble and Ava is paralysed in fear. She can’t draw a breath and she is perilously close to losing consciousness. Tears are streaming down her face when suddenly she draws in a sharp breath. Then another. And another. Until her breathing starts to even out and the burning in her chest starts to fade. Her soulmate didn’t die. She came close but somehow she made it and Ava is so relieved she starts to laugh. Her parents are kneeling by her side gripping her hand like a lifeline and they can only watch in concern as their daughter seems to cycle through a multitude of emotions in only a few minutes.

“Is everything okay Sweet-pea?” her father asks as he brushes a few stray hairs off her face.

“Yeah she’s okay Dad.” She sits up and accepts their help back into her chair at the table.

“What happened?” her mother asks fearfully.

“I think she nearly drowned. She doesn’t seem to be badly hurt, but I don’t know.” Ava rubs at her chest like that will somehow rid herself of the dull ache that has settled there. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

It has been nearly two years since the night that Ava’s soulmate nearly drowned and she has been concerned for the woman ever since. There are so many aches and pains that Ava just can’t rationalise as being anything other than trouble. She will wake up through the night with sharp hunger pains cramping up her stomach and her wrists are sore like she is being too harshly restrained and Ava is frustrated beyond belief that she has no way to help. She began lashing out at her parents and eventually took up martial arts as a way to burn excess energy and feel less helpless. She is rapidly improving her skills in hand-to-hand combat and she is proud of how quickly she picked up stick fighting. It is also the first time in her life that she has been coming home with bruises and on one hand she feels guilty that she is adding to the pain her soulmate must be feeling, but on the other hand she is glad that her soulmate must know that she exists. That there is someone out there in the world looking for her. Wherever she is.

Ava is showering at her dojo after a particularly intense sparring match with her friend Natalie. She pushed herself harder than usual and the tall brunette definitely noticed. She rests her head against the shower wall and takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Something is different with her soulmate because in the last few weeks she has noticed a change in what had become a depressing pattern and she is hoping that somehow the other woman is going to save herself. She hops out of the shower and dries herself off. She is standing in her underwear talking to Natalie in the next stall when she feels it. Her soulmate is hit multiple times and it staggers Ava. She chokes when she feels her windpipe closing shut and it definitely feels like large hands painfully gripping her throat. She falls to her knees and claws at her throat like it will somehow miraculously allow her to breathe again. She vaguely registers Natalie rushing over and calling her name but she is on the edge of losing consciousness. As quickly as it begins it stops and she can breathe once again. She gulps down air and rubs at the scratches stinging the side of her neck. Natalie is rubbing a comforting hand along her shoulders and Ava flushes in embarrassment when she realises that the brunette is stark naked.

Natalie finds her modesty hilarious but she gets up to get dressed anyway because clearly Ava needs a minute to collect herself. She pulls up her dark, curly hair into a loose bun and dresses into a loose singlet and some sweat pants. Ava drags herself off the floor and continues getting dressed and she gladly accepts Natalie’s offer to drive her home. They don’t talk about what happened beyond acknowledging that Ava’s soulmate survived the ordeal. Natalie offers to stay with Ava when they get back to the blonde’s apartment and Ava doesn’t have the strength to say no. She is so scared for this woman that she has never met and she so desperately wants to share the load of her worries with someone else. Even if it is just for a night. So Ava settles down into her bed facing away from the leggy brunette on her other side and spills all of her secrets to this woman that makes her feel safer than anyone has in a long time.

At some point in the early morning she is dragged from her sleep by a crushing weight in her chest and for just a moment she thinks she is having a nightmare. She chokes and lets out a terrified scream when she realises her soulmate is drowning. Again. Her lungs are burning and tears are streaming down her face, but in a matter of moments her soulmate has once again evaded a watery grave. Natalie wraps her up in a warm hug and Ava cries in earnest for all of these feelings that she can’t even begin to name.

Ava clenches her teeth and takes a deep breath as she waits for the pain in her lower leg to become a dull ache rather than the burning throb that she is currently experiencing. For the last five years her soulmate has suffered and by extension Ava has as well. She still has absolutely no idea what could be happening to the woman but that hasn’t stopped her from rising through the ranks at the Time Bureau. She was recruited straight out of college and she has never looked back. Ava is still wary about going out into the field because of how often she finds herself bent over in agony because of her soulmate. She is concerned that it could make her a liability if she randomly freezes up. Yesterday she nearly fell down a flight of stairs because she felt like she had suddenly stepped on a land-mine and she has been limping ever since. Rip has been sympathetic about how often Ava has opted to stay behind her desk because of the pain and she is thankful that she isn’t being looked over because of something out of her control.

Ava has been using Bureau resources in her off-time to search for her soulmate, with Rip’s permission of course. So far she hasn’t found even a whisper of anything that could help her. It doesn’t help that she also has no idea where to start. Ava has been meticulously keeping a journal of the pain she feels, dates and times, as well as her theories on what could be causing it. She tries not to think too much about how many entries in the last few years felt like blades and whips. There was even a day she felt like she was stabbed by a spear but who the hell would be running around with a spear? The only benefit from the constant beatings she feels through the bond is that her pain threshold has become shockingly high and she is starting to earn herself a reputation among the new recruits. She barely notices hits that would stagger other agents and her years of martial arts training has made her deadly fast.

A few months previously she was training some new recruits when a ripping pain tore through her left shoulder and she fell to her knees on the mats. Her soulmate was definitely shot and when she told the recruits that that was why she collapsed they all expected her to take the rest of the week off. Instead she got up and guided them through one of the toughest sessions they had ever experienced and now they fear for their lives when she enters the training room as their instructor.

Ava is currently stuck in her office meticulously working through the last of her paperwork. It is well past the time that most agents have gone home but she is determined to finish this report before she clocks out for the day. She doesn’t particularly feel like going home to her small apartment filled with unpacked boxes. It still hurts her to think of why she had to move and actually unpacking will make it real that this is her life now. She was in a relationship with Natalie for nearly five years and they were living together for four. She had even considered what it would have been like to marry her, soulmate be damned. One day though, she came home and Natalie had her bags packed and told Ava that she had found her soulmate and that even though she loved her she could never forgive herself if she didn’t see what could come of their connection. She left Ava with a kiss on the cheek and the promise that one day they could try to be friends. Fuck that. She left a hole somewhere in Ava’s chest that aches every day and she’s not sure it will ever go away. She hopes that she never has to see Natalie ever again.

Ava is finally packing up for the day when a knock sounds on her office door. Director Rip Hunter is on the other side and he offers her a smile and a promotion that she would be stupid to turn down.

Over the next two years Ava rapidly begins making a name for herself at the Bureau and she works directly under Director Hunter. Her soulmate’s circumstances seem to have changed over this time as well because instances of debilitating pain become few and far between. Ava becomes much more confident and takes advantage of the reprieve to become a stellar field agent. She can count on one hand the amount of times that her soulmate has forced her to be benched in the last two years and Ava feels like it has to be some kind of record. One of the instances had to be a poisoning and the other her soulmate had the absolute hell beaten out of her and it’s a long time since someone so thoroughly managed to get the upper hand against her that Ava was genuinely concerned.

She still keeps her soulmate journal close by just in case and she is quite certain that she has managed to keep most of her extensive pains to herself so the other agents don’t try to coddle her. Rip has her leading her own missions now and she is proud of how far she has come.

She is awake one night absentmindedly flicking through a book on the couch before bed when it happens. Her soulmate gets shot. Three times in her torso and the pain is so abrupt and intense that Ava cries out. Her entire body jolts as her soulmate hits the ground and suddenly every nerve ending in her entire body lights up. Ava has never in her life felt pain like this and just as she is convinced that she couldn’t possibly survive another second it’s gone. It’s gone and she is left feeling hollowed out and she knows without a doubt that her soulmate just died. The woman that was supposed to be her equal, her other half has just died and Ava never got to meet her. She never even knew her name.

She fumbles her phone out of her pocket and dials the only person she can think to call. It’s late and the phone rings for a long time before the call connects. She hears a mumbled hello and the familiarity of her father’s voice is her breaking point. She chokes out a harsh, ugly sob and her father is instantly alert.

“Aves, what happened? Are you hurt?” his voice echoes into the silence of her apartment.

“She’s gone Dad.” Tears are streaming down her cheeks and her chest is shaking from the force of her crying.

“Who’s gone?” he asks and she can hear sheets rustling in the background.

“My soulmate…” she chokes out between harsh sobs, “…She just died.”

“Shit. Okay fuck. Aves I’m on my way.” She can hear her mother now, asking what is going on. “Sweet-pea I’m on my way. I love you so, so much and I’m on my way. I have to hang up now, but I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?” his voice is as soothing as possible and she can hear doors slamming through the phone.

“Okay.” She chokes out.

“I love you sweet-pea.” He sounds sad as he hangs up the phone and Ava drops hers and begins crying in earnest. At some point she passes out and she welcomes the darkness as it comes.

She wakes up in the morning in her own bed and she is temporarily confused as to how she got here, but then she remembers what happened and her stomach turns. She stumbles out of bed, into the bathroom and empties her stomach into the toilet. Her mother is suddenly behind her holding her hair back and Ava is so thankful her parents are so wonderful.

Her mother wipes the tears off her cheeks and pulls her into a warm hug right there on the bathroom floor. Her father comes in and sits on her other side. He rubs a hand along her back and drops a kiss in her hair.

“I called work for you. Told them there was a family emergency and some guy named Rip said you could have the next couple of weeks off.” Her father holds her hand tightly as she nods.

“Thanks Dad.” She whispers.

She can feel the hole where the connection to her soulmate used to be and she is terrified of this feeling of being completely adrift and alone. She can’t remember a time when she couldn’t feel the connection and she would never admit it out loud but she is terrified.

The death of her soulmate changed Ava. She knows that she is different but she can’t bring herself to really care. Rip is the only person aside from her parents that know about her soulmate dying. She came back to work a week after that night, stone faced and numb. She marched into Rip’s office and told him that she would be able to work in the field indefinitely now that she won’t have to worry about her soulmate connection and he had looked at her with sad eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

She doesn’t really feel much anymore. Food is tasteless and colours just don’t seem as bright as they used to be. She has stopped going out for drinks after work and she knows that her colleagues call her a robot behind her back. She doesn’t really care about that either. Gary is the only person that seems determined to break through her no-nonsense exterior and she truly has no idea why he even bothers.

She considered looking up the death notices for the day her soulmate died but in the end she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She is already mourning for someone she never knew and she thinks that it would be so much harder moving on from a real person. Someone with a history and a family and friends. The thought makes her feel sick so she just pushes it down and throws herself further into her work.

Nearly eleven months after her soulmate died Rip comes into her office and settles into a seat across from her desk. She knows he has a flair for the dramatic so she just waits until he is satisfied with the long silence between them. Eventually he clears his throat and passes her the binder from his lap. It lands in front of her with a dull thud.

“What’s this?” she flicks through the first few pages without actually reading anything.

Rip leans back in his chair with a smirk. “Do you know why the Time Bureau had to be created?”

“Yes, you captained a bunch of morons into breaking time and now we all have to fix it.” Ava rolls her eyes and glares at Rip while he laughs.

“Not quite. I wasn’t actually the captain when time nearly folded in on itself. That honour goes to Sara Lance.” Rip is staring somewhere over her shoulder with a fond smile on his face.

“So what does that merry band of idiots have to do with why you are currently here wasting my time?” Ava taps a finger against the desk impatiently.

“How much research did you do on the Legends when you started at the Bureau?” Rip watches her intently.

“Honestly? The bare minimum. I know enough about them to know what not to do.” She smirks and Rip laughs again.

“That’s what I thought.” He leans forward and taps the binder. “I want you completely up to speed on all of their missions and it wouldn’t hurt to look at their personal files as well.”

“Is this really necessary?” Ava sighs and eyes the mountain of paperwork she still has left.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t. Besides the Legends will be coming into play sooner rather than later and I want you completely up to speed.” Rip stands and adjusts his tie.

“Yes, sir.” Ava plasters on a smile until the door closes behind him. Once the door latches she lets out a loud groan and drops her head onto the large binder that he left behind.

Ava spends nearly a month reading as much as possible regarding the Legends, at Rip’s insistence. She has gone over every mission that the Legends ever did, that they have on file anyway, and as soon as she finished that Rip was back demanding that she start on their personal files. Ava truly doesn’t understand how he ever put up with the Legends. They seem to be incapable of doing anything without a disaster occurring and their captain and her choices makes Ava frustrated beyond belief. She wonders sometimes if it wouldn’t be better for everyone if they stepped in and stopped Rip before he created the team in the first place. She mentioned it to him once and she barely escaped the ‘you know that would cause time to collapse in on itself!’ lecture with her sanity intact.

The first files that Ava reads through are the smallest of the group. Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall were a part of the original team but Carter’s untimely death seems to have prompted an early exit from the woman. The next file she starts is labelled Captain Cold. She couldn’t help but be impressed with Leonard Snart’s heroism in the end because the beginning of his extensive criminal file wouldn’t have led her to believe that he could have been that kind of person. She is not often surprised and she will grudgingly admit that Rip made a good choice in picking him.

After reading Snart’s file she had high hopes for his partner in crime. Heat Wave ultimately left her feeling disappointed though. His rap sheet is incredibly long and even as a member of the Legends he seems to be quite erratic. She absentmindedly hopes that Mick Rory is not a person that she ever has to deal with directly because she feels like it would be tough to not punch him in the face.

She is genuinely interested in the science behind Firestorm so she takes her time reading through the files on Doctor Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson. She spends a lot of time wondering how a man as brilliant as Doctor Stein ended up stuck on a time ship with the likes of Captain Cold and Heat Wave. Clearly there is an element that she is still missing.

Following the theme of science and technology she decides to read the Atom’s file next. She promptly decides that Ray Palmer is a genius with exactly zero common sense. She almost starts on Captain Lance’s file next but she can barely bring herself to even look at the picture pinned to the front of the folder. There’s just something about the woman’s smirk that makes Ava feel off balance. She decides to leave that one until last and just hopes that by the time she gets to it she won’t feel as strange.

After learning about all of the other Legends Nate Heywood, or Steel, seems wholly underwhelming. He was an average white guy, with an average job and an average life until one day he was whisked away on an adventure. At some point along the way he was injected with something he probably shouldn’t have been and now he can change his molecular structure to become solid steel.

One year to the day of her soulmate’s death Ava stays at home and cries. She hates herself for still feeling sad so the next day she goes to the gym and works herself until she can barely walk. It’s not like she has a soulmate left to worry about how she treats herself anyway. Her parents come down on the weekend to stay with her in her tiny apartment and for just a little while she doesn’t feel so adrift in her own life.

The next few weeks are spent in the field chasing down various anachronisms and filing the corresponding paperwork for Director Bennet and she doesn’t even think of the two files she has left in her desk drawer. Eventually Rip corners her and insists that she finish the job so she reluctantly goes back to her office and grabs Vixen’s file to take home and read over the weekend.

Ava has mixed feelings about Amaya Jiwe. She is more than frustrated that the Legends have deemed it acceptable to have pulled her from her own timeline, but the woman herself is quite remarkable. Ava grudgingly admits to herself that she has a lot of respect for the totem wearer. After growing up in a small village in Zambesi she joined the Justice Society of America in the early 1940’s and eventually found herself travelling through time. Amaya is the only member of the Legends that Ava actually finds herself interested in meeting.

Ava returns Amaya’s file early on Monday morning and she realises with a start that the only Legend she hasn’t read up on is Captain Sara Lance. She doesn’t get the chance to go back to her office to get it though, because just before lunch she is being rushed into the hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to the upper torso. As her lung collapses she vaguely wonders if her soulmate was this scared before she died. Ava hopes she wasn’t.

It takes weeks for Ava to be released from the hospital. As far as getting shot goes it was apparently the best case scenario and she knows how incredibly lucky she is. Her parents pretty much move in with her while she is recovering and not for the first time she counts her lucky starts that these people are her family. She is drifting in and out of sleep on her couch when she starts to feel an itch somewhere deep in her chest. The itch quickly becomes prickling pain and she calls out for her mother in a panic. The older woman rushes in just in time to witness Ava being gripped by a violent seizure. She calls an ambulance and does her best to protect Ava’s head and neck as she thrashes on the couch.

Ava wakes up to a steady beeping and a dry, cottony mouth. She vaguely registers that she is back in the hospital and she wonders if her lung collapsed again. Her parents quickly appear over her bed and they both look monumentally relieved.

“Hey.” Ava croaks.

“Hey Sweet-pea. You had us worried for a while there.” Her father gently takes her hand and places a kiss on her knuckles.

“What happened?” Ava slurs and her mother places a straw in her mouth and the water is an instant relief to her scratchy throat.

“You had a seizure. The doctors still don’t know what caused it.” Her mother brushes a few stray hairs off her forehead.

“Oh you have a friend here to see you! He’s in the waiting room.” Her father smiles at her.

Ava is confused, she didn’t know she had any friends left. “Who is it?”

“He said his name is Rip Hunter. Would you like me to get him?” he waves his hand in the general direction of the door.

She nods and her father immediately leaves to go and find Rip. In no time at all the two men enter Ava’s room and she wonders when it was that Rip managed to worm his way into her circle of trust.

Rip spends a fair bit of time regaling her parents with some of the less classified tales of Ava’s time at the Bureau while she slips in and out of a light sleep. She’s not sure what it is but something feels different than it did before.

It takes months before Ava is cleared for field duty again and even then she has to start off easy. She hadn’t realised just how much she had missed throwing herself into work. Rip has been hovering around her a lot and she can’t work out what exactly he seems to be waiting for. Thankfully she doesn’t have to wait long for him to grow impatient and confront her with it. He catches up to her on her way back from lunch.

“Did you ever get around to reading all of the files on the Legends?” he says it nonchalantly so Ava immediately knows this is about more than just the files.

“All of them, except for Captain Lance.” Ava is confused when her response makes a vein bulge in Rip’s forehead and she wonders what makes the White Canary so damn special to him.

He takes a deep breath to gather his thoughts before responding. “Just please make sure you do it soon, please.”

He walks away before Ava can respond and his insistence on pushing her towards this topic makes her want to throw all they have on the Legends into an incinerator. As it is she actively avoids Captain Lance’s file for as long as possible.

She is walking to lunch with Gary one boring Thursday when she feels this warmth spread through her entire body. It starts in her chest and vibrates right out into her fingers and toes. She gasps in amazement when she realises that the hole her soulmate had left was no longer there. It takes her a moment to realise that Gary is trying to get her attention to see if she is feeling okay.

“Gary I have to go! I just remembered that I have to talk to Rip!” she takes off at a run and doesn’t stop until she is panting in front of Director Hunter’s office. He opens the door and looks her up and down while she attempts to catch her breath.

“Come with me.” His voice leaves no room for argument and she has no choice but to follow him as he marches down the hallway.

Eventually they come to a stop at Ava’s office and Rip ushers her inside without saying a word. He pulls out her chair and waits until she sits down. He pushes the chair in so that she is flush with the desk and opens up her bottom drawer. He pulls out a thick, battered folder and drops it in front of her. She realises that it is the folder on the White Canary and she opens her mouth to protest.

He holds up a hand to forestall any potential arguments. “You are going to sit here and read this damn file. You are not to leave this office until it’s done. That’s an order.” He softens a little bit at her look of indignation. “If you want to talk about anything when you’re done, you know where to find me. I promise I’ll listen to everything you have to say then.”

He walks out and the door shuts firmly behind him. Well it seems that she has put this off as long as possible and with an irritated sigh she opens the folder to read the first page.

Sara Lance, daughter of Quentin and Dinah, younger sister to Laurel. She was born on the 25^th of December 1987. Ava frowns in confusion. The next line says that she also died on the 8^th of October 2014. A cold feeling of dread creeps down Ava’s spine and she pulls out the second drawer on her desk so hard she nearly breaks it. With shaking fingers she lifts out her soulmate journal. She hasn’t touched it since her soulmate died. She flicks the pages until she finds her last entry and there it is, written in her own handwriting. October 8, 2014 she died.

Tears pool in Ava’s eyes and she has to take several deep breaths to calm down, because surely the universe wouldn’t be cruel enough to pair her with a woman as incompetent as Sara Lance. The woman that Ava has actively despised for months, but beneath her rage there is also a tiny sliver of hope that maybe if it is Sara then she hasn’t missed her chance.

She shakes herself off and opens her journal up to the first page. She begins reading Sara’s file in earnest, constantly comparing it to her journal. Everything lines up. She was bullied in her teens. In 2007 the Queen’s Gambit went down and she nearly drowned on the day that Ava collapsed in her parent’s dining room.

Sara spent the next two years fighting for her life on the Amazo and Lian Yu. Near the end of her time there she was nearly strangled to death and she was eventually separated from Oliver Queen when she was swept away and presumed dead. That was the second time she nearly drowned.

After that she was found by Nyssa Al-Ghul, heir to the Demon, and recruited into the League of Assassins. She spent five years in Nanda Parbat as Ta-er al-Asfer and in that time she was injured with many blades and there are side notes that say she also caught shrapnel in the leg from a grenade, a 38 calibre bullet in the left shoulder and she was stabbed with a spear.

She eventually came home to Starling City and became the vigilante known as the Black Canary. Ava notes that this was the period of time that her soulmate suffered the least. The poisoning that Ava felt is confirmed to be snake venom of all things and the beating Sara received resulted in her being thrown out a window. There is a hazy period of time where she returns to the League of Assassins to be with Nyssa and Ava actually growls at that.

Ava notes with growing dread that the dates in the file are edging perilously close to that particular day and she feels a little bit sick at finally finding out the details of what happened. There is not a single shred of doubt in Ava’s mind that Sara isn’t her soulmate and she isn’t sure if she is more excited or terrified. She steels herself and turns the page. Sara had returned to Starling and resumed her mantle of the Black Canary, when Thea Queen of all people, shot three arrows into her and left her to fall off a building. Ava swallows back tears when she reads that it was her sister Laurel that found her body and eventually took up her cause as the new Black Canary. Ava has to pause at that to wipe away the tears streaming down her face because she was heartbroken at her death and she never even knew Sara. She can’t even begin to understand how Laurel felt after losing her sister.

There are no entries until a little over a year after she died. Laurel somehow managed to get Sara’s body into Nanda Parbat, past a veritable legion of Assassins and resurrect her in the Lazarus Pit. Ava makes a mental note that she wants to meet Laurel Lance because this woman must be an absolute force of nature. Resurrection isn’t easy work though and it takes Laurel months and a warlock named John Constantine to properly restore her soul and she realises with wonder that the date for that is today. What she felt today was Sara getting her soul back.

Sara goes missing for a while and the next bullet point is marked in early 2016 as the date that Rip recruited her to be a Legend, the date that Laurel named her the White Canary.

There is more to the file but Ava feels somehow guilty about knowing things that are yet to happen in her soulmate’s future, things that are only in this file because it already happened in Rip Hunter’s past. Rip Hunter, the man that started all of this in the first place. She slams the file shut and gently places it in her bottom drawer with her journal. She knows as an Agent with the Time Bureau not to mess around with time travel so she is happy to leave the rest of that file untouched, at least for now.

She reaches Rip’s office and she can see him sitting at the desk with his head down reading something. She is suddenly so unsure about what she wants to ask him but she pushes open the door and before he can say a word she stares him down. “How long have you known?”

“That Sara Lance is your soulmate.” He states it with such confidence that Ava half collapses into a chair. “I suspected when you told me your soulmate died, but of course I couldn’t be sure. Not until you ended up having a seizure on the same day that she was resurrected. The day I came to see you in the hospital was the day I knew for sure. I could see that you had a light in you again.” He tells her gently like she is a wild animal that might spook at any sudden movement.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” she yells, angry about how long he kept this to himself.

“You had to work it out for yourself.” She scoffs in disbelief and he raises an eyebrow at her. “If I had come to you and said ‘Oh hey, by the way, your soulmate is Sara Lance but you can’t do anything with this information because you could upset the timeline and Sara’s very existence’ you would have straight up told me to fuck off.”

She laughs in surprise because she cannot recall a time that she has ever heard Rip curse. She really thinks about what he says though and she sighs in defeat. “I suppose you’re right.”

Ava ends up taking a week off work and driving to her parent’s house the same day that she knows Sara is beginning her adventures with the Legends. They are happy to have her home but they know something is on Ava’s mind. She feels like she is crawling out of her skin because she has known who her soulmate is for weeks and she can’t do a single thing about it. She has to wait for time to play itself out and she can’t meet Sara until the other woman has blown the timeline to utter shit. Meeting Sara before then could collapse the timeline and end the world so she just has to wait. Rip said that she cannot meet Sara until at least late 2017 because the assassin has a set future that has to play out exactly as it did the first time.

Sara Lance is completely off limits for 19 more months. She convinces herself that 19 months will go quickly, besides she has been connected to her for around 24 years. What’s another year and a half?  

Ava excuses herself early from a meeting and makes her way down the street into a coffee shop to try and warm up. She knows her current predicament is Sara’s fault because it is a balmy Friday in late Spring but Ava feels like her fingers and toes are about to freeze off. Sara has been gallivanting through time with the Legends for 7 months now and Ava’s heart skips when she thinks about meeting her soulmate this time next year. She receives her coffee and makes her way to a table in the corner bathed in sunlight. She vainly hopes that it will help warm her up but it seems that Sara is verging into the territory of hypothermia. Ava is focussing on trying to stop her hands from shaking when a throat clearing startles her. She looks up at the stranger and nearly falls off her chair.

Laurel Lance is standing there looking at Ava with a mug clutched in one hand and a laptop under her other arm. Ava vaguely registers that she’s staring but she can’t seem to stop looking at her, drinking in every detail of the woman that saved her soulmate’s life.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” Laurel is gesturing to the seat across from Ava, her smile becoming more nervous the longer she sits there gaping. “It’s just that there aren’t any other free seats and I really need to finish this report for my boss.”

“Of course! Please, I’m so sorry! My head just hasn’t caught up to me today.” Ava laughs nervously and either Laurel hasn’t noticed that she is acting insane or she is polite enough to ignore it.

“Thank you! The only other free seat was next to a guy that was a really heavy breather and I don’t want to have to deal with that today.” Laurel laughs and sets her laptop down gently before dropping into her seat. She holds out a hand to Ava. “My name is Laurel.”

Ava takes her hand with the utmost care and vaguely registers the feel of calluses on an otherwise perfect palm. “Ava.”

“Nice to meet you, Ava.” Laurel smiles and Ava is transfixed by the light shining golden in her hair. If she is this hopeless around her soulmate’s sister she is actually scared about the possibility of just keeling over when she eventually does meet Sara.

They sit in companionable silence as they enjoy the warmth and atmosphere of the coffee shop. Ava keeps subtly glancing at Laurel as she works and tries to pick out features that match what she has seen in the few photos she has of Sara. Laurel keeps tapping away at her laptop and Ava watches as her lips quirk up into a smirk.

“You know I’m flattered that you can’t seem to take your eyes off me but I’m sorry to say that you’re not really my type.” Laurel outright grins as she watches Ava sputter into her cup and a dark flush blooms across her cheekbones.

“I’m not! What?! Just…I…I’m sorry…” Ava flounders as Laurel just sits there smirking while she makes a fool of herself. “Okay I should go, yeah I’ll go.”

Laurel gently grabs her by the wrist before she can escape and Ava stills in her chair. “You don’t have to leave. I’m not upset.”

“Really?” Ava feels mortified but she can’t actually make herself walk away when this is the closest she has ever been to her soulmate.

“Yeah. Despite the staring you seem pretty cool.” Laurel smiles warmly and goes back to tapping away at her laptop. After a few moments she senses Ava relaxing her posture and she waits until she is raising her mug to her lips. “Besides you are definitely more my sister’s type.”

Ava chokes. She honest to goodness chokes on her coffee like some ridiculous sit-com character. Her eyes are watering but she can still see the mirth swimming in Laurel’s eyes and she wonders for just a second if she somehow knows about her connection to Sara. She scoffs even as she thinks it though because that would be impossible. She wipes her mouth with a napkin and levels a glare at Laurel that would send new recruits running for their lives.

“You did that on purpose.” She folds her arms across her chest in annoyance when Laurel just laughs.

“Yeah but it was worth it. You should have seen your face.” Laurel grins and rests her chin on her hand as she studies the Agent sitting across from her. “You don’t really get to joke around with people much, do you?”

Ava bites back a defensive retort and actually takes a second to think about it. She doesn’t joke around at all. She realises with some level of sadness that she hasn’t for a long time. What kind of person has she become that she can’t even recognise when people are joking and not just making fun of her. She has so thoroughly closed herself off that no-one would even feel brave enough to attempt it with her. All of these thoughts flash through her mind in only a few brief moments but it must show on her face because the grin on Laurel’s face morphs into something that looks disgustingly like pity.

Ava rubs her hand uncomfortably across her neck as she decides that she should probably be honest with her soulmate’s sister. “I don’t really have people to joke around with.”

“What do you mean?” Laurel stares intently at Ava as she fidgets with her fingers.

“I don’t really have any…” Ava lets out a long shaky breath and takes some strength from the genuine warmth in Laurel’s eyes. “…Friends.”

Laurel glances at her watch and Ava has no idea what to feel as she watches some steely sort of determination cross the other woman’s features. “What are you doing right now?”

“With my life or my afternoon?” Ava doesn’t know what kind of answer Laurel expects from her.

“Your afternoon, obviously.” The smile is back on Laurel’s face and she is quickly tapping out a message on her phone while simultaneously focussing all of her attention on Ava.

“Nothing I suppose. The office won’t need me back until Monday.” Ava shrugs uncomfortably as the reality of her self-imposed isolation comes crashing down on her.

“Come and hang out with me this afternoon.” Laurel scribbles down her number and an address on a napkin before shoving it at Ava with a smile that makes her glow.

Ava sighs as she considers the offer. She literally has nothing left to do until she has to go back to work, so what could it hurt. “I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst way to spend a Friday night.”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll see you at six.” Laurel begins packing up her things and Ava laughs as she wonders just what she signed up for. She watches as Laurel strides out of the coffee shop into the bright afternoon and as the door swings shut she suddenly feels warmth bloom inside her. Sara has managed to avoid freezing to death and Ava can finally feel her hands again.

Ava shows up at the address Laurel gave her at ten minutes to six, because she can’t help being overly punctual, and wonders if she is actually at the right place. She is wearing dark skinny jeans, a green button down shirt and black boots with her hair falling loose in gentle waves. She is standing in front of what looks like an abandoned office building and she feels a pang of hurt that maybe Laurel is playing some sort of joke on her. She flips her phone over and over in her hand as she contemplates just leaving and pretending this never happened. Laurel’s name and number is freshly saved into her phone and she is mentally scripting a message to send, that doesn’t sound pathetic, about how she never actually showed up when the woman calls out to Ava from across the street.

The Agent startles slightly enough that it isn’t obvious but her heart is racing. Laurel crosses the street and pulls her into an unexpected hug. She awkwardly returns the hug and Laurel pulls away and waves at someone behind her. Ava turns around and notices two women waving back at Laurel and she curses herself for feeling so out of place. Laurel’s invitation seemed genuine but Ava can’t help the small stab of fear that somehow they are going to make a fool of her.

The two women take turns hugging Laurel and Ava recoils slightly when she realises the shorter one is Thea Queen, the woman that murdered Sara. She doesn’t have a chance to start spiralling though because Laurel starts the introductions.

“Ava these are my friends Thea and Felicity. Guys this is my new friend Ava.” Laurel points at each woman in turn. Ava’s heart clenches at the word friend because she really wants it to be true.

“I’m so glad you could make it Ava! It’s so much better when you have four people for these things and Laurel said that you’re smart so that definitely helps.” Felicity rambles excitedly.

Ava’s mind is whirring at an impossible speed and it takes her a moment to register that she is blindly following these women into the creepy building. Also why is Laurel calling the woman that murdered her sister a friend? Ava pinches herself to make sure she isn’t actually hallucinating. Nope, that hurt so this must be real. She decides it is for the best if she withholds her judgement until she knows more about what is happening. They reach a reception desk where a scrawny boy is dressed in a vest and tie that don’t fit quite right and Ava wonders again what the hell is happening.

The boy hands Laurel a key and points them towards the elevator. They all pile on and the door slides shut. Ava looks around and the other women all seem too excited for what they are currently doing.

“What the hell is happening?” Ava blurts out and Felicity looks at her in wonder.

“Did Laurel not tell you what we’re doing?” the blonde questions with a chuckle.

“No she did not.” Ava levels a threatening look at Laurel and she is frustrated that it doesn’t even affect her.

“We’re doing an escape room.” Thea supplies excitedly.

“A what…” Ava deadpans.

“An escape room. You know? Working together to solve puzzles, build friendships and get out of the staged room.” Felicity looks absolutely delighted.

“I’ve never done one before.” Ava says it quietly like she is hoping that they won’t hear her.

“Well you’ve got us so we’ll breeze through it then go and get some drinks.” Felicity laces her arm around the crook of Ava’s elbow and for the first time the Agent feels like these people genuinely want her to be their friend.

The elevator dings open and they file out into a dingy hallway. There is a woman standing nearby and she walks them into a bland room with a single desk, four chairs and two steel doors, one of which they just came through. They all take a seat and she quickly runs them through the rules before wishing them luck and locking them inside. Ava files away all of the information about the challenge and is surprised to find she is actually excited to be doing this.

“So why are we doing this?” Ava asks while she flips her chair to look for a key to the steel door.

“Because it’s girl’s night.” Thea shrugs and does the same with her chair.

“Yeah! Every few weeks we try to get together and do something fun and leave the guys to brood at home.” Felicity supplies as she pulls out a drawer on the desk.

Ava chuckles at that and moves over to start running her hands along the wall when it becomes obvious that the furniture is yielding no results.

Laurel follows her lead and joins her at the wall. “My sister Sara used to come with us and she helped balance out the numbers, but she had to move away for work.”

Ava stills at the casual mention of Sara but thankfully no-one seems to notice. She glances over and finds Laurel watching her intently. “Thank you for inviting me, even if it was just to even out the numbers.”

They all laugh and Ava feels warm at the prospect of these women becoming her friends.

“We’ve been wanting to do this escape for weeks! Apparently it’s the hardest one in the city and instead of one room to escape there’s five, all with different themes.” Felicity supplies as Thea helps her to actually flip the desk.

“Okay there is no key in this ridiculous room.” Thea glances around like maybe there is something that she missed.

Ava listens as Felicity and Thea throw ideas around and then she slides her fingers over a spot in the wall and realises that it feels different to the rest. She runs her hand back and forth over the spot that is just wider than the width of her shoulders. She starts tapping across it and it draws the attention of the other women in the room. They all watch as she picks up the chair nearest to her.

“Did you find something?” Laurel asks.

“Maybe.” She grunts as she swings the chair full force at the wall. Plaster explodes as the chair goes clean through the wall and exposes the next room. She kicks away the excess plaster and turns to see the others positively beaming at her. She smiles awkwardly as she realises that there is plaster stuck to her clothes and she is thankful that she didn’t dress up too much for this.

There is a beat of silence and then, “that was freaking awesome!” Felicity shouts before marching forward and pulling Ava into a crushing hug. Ava laughs and decides that she likes how affectionate this group seems to be. She stands back and allows Felicity and Thea through the hole. Laurel places a hand on her shoulder before she follows them and smiles warmly. “I knew you’d fit right in.”

Ava has to blink back tears before she follows Laurel because it feels like she actually does.

Ava walks out of the escape building on an absolute high. The challenges were tough and even Felicity’s giant brain struggled through some points but they all mesh and complement each other so well that they finished with the fastest run time on record. They are covered in various debris from the run and there are feathers in Thea’s hair but they are all sporting wide grins and Ava feels so content that she would happily relive this night over and over again.

“Let’s go get some drinks!” Thea attempts to throw an arm across Ava’s shoulders but their height difference makes it feel so unnatural that they immediately burst into laughter. Thea pouts and loops her arm around Ava’s instead. “Not a single height joke, I swear.” Thea glares and Ava laughs again.

“I won’t make fun of your height…” Ava pauses and grins devilishly “…I wouldn’t stoop that low.”

Felicity snorts and Thea pulls away and grabs Laurel’s hand. “Laurel the giraffe is teasing me!” Thea pretends to pout at Ava but they both burst into laughter which Felicity and Laurel quickly join in on.

Ava is clutching her stomach in laughter as Felicity regales the group with a story from her goth teenage years. She is definitely veering into the territory of being completely drunk but she feels so accepted into this group that she doesn’t even care. They are crammed into a booth in the back of some dive bar, still filthy from the escape rooms and sharing stories without a care in the world.

She finds herself watching Thea a lot throughout the night. Rationally she always knew that Thea was being mind-controlled when she killed Sara but she never believed it until now. There is no way that this pure little ray of sunshine could ever kill one of her friends in cold blood.

Laurel goes to the bar to get them some more drinks while Thea tells Ava about some of the wilder nights running her nightclub. She makes a mental note that Laurel only seems to be drinking water but she assumes that they take turns being the sober friend. Ava has to admit that she’s impressed with how business savvy the younger Queen is for someone so young. Laurel returns and passes around their new drinks before sliding back into the booth next to Ava. They all thank her and before they can pick up their glasses Felicity recoils violently and throws her head back against the padded cushion behind her. Ava and Laurel both jump in their seats, surprised at the sudden movement and the string of curse words that follow.

“Is Ollie okay?” Thea leans towards her and takes her hand in concern.

Before Felicity can respond her phone dings on the table and Ava can see the word sorry followed by a bunch of exclamation marks. Another message quickly follows and the blonde picks up her phone to respond. She sighs and puts her phone back on the table.

“He’s fine. Apparently he was training with John and he dropped his guard and caught a fist to the face. He promised that he’s putting ice on it immediately.” Felicity gives Thea this look, which Ava knows from experience, is the look of someone that has had to deal with this kind of shit for a long time.

“I’m sorry my brother is an idiot.” Thea pats Felicity’s hand consolingly and Laurel snorts out a laugh.

Ava though is fascinated to actually witness someone else experience the soulmate connection to the degree that she has had to deal with. Most people only have to worry about paper cuts or kicking their toes, but of all the people Ava can think of Felicity would be one of the rare few to have felt what Ava has if her soulmate is Oliver Queen.

“You’ve found your soulmate?” Ava says it with a kind of envious reverence. She blames the amount of alcohol she has consumed that she said it all.

“We all have actually.” Felicity says it sadly and takes both Laurel and Thea’s hands. “Mine is Oliver, Thea’s brother and he is possibly the most accident prone person on the planet.”

Ava would laugh at that description but she is having trouble processing why Laurel and Thea are so sad if they have found their partners already. She won’t ask them about it though. Even drunk she knows its poor form to ask people about their soulmates. Laurel must sense her curiosity though.

“I met my soulmate when we were young. I didn’t know it at the time and I was actually dating Oliver when we first met, but when we finally worked it out it was the greatest feeling in the world.” Laurel says it quietly but her words ring loudly in Ava’s ears.

When it doesn’t seem like she will continue Ava can’t help but whisper, “Can I ask what happened?”

Laurel smiles sadly and Felicity squeezes her hand. Ava feels a rising tide of dread wash over her. “His name was Tommy Merlyn and he died during the Undertaking.” Laurel takes a shaky breath. “He died saving my life.”

“I’m so sorry.” Ava feels sick but she is also in awe of Laurel. She knows exactly what it feels like to lose a soulmate and she knows exactly how it ruined her. Even after hers miraculously came back to life she was never the same and yet somehow Laurel manages to be this bright light, with a good heart that was willing to make friends with a sad stranger she met at a coffee shop.

Thea breaks the heavy silence by clearing her throat as Laurel wipes away a stray tear. “My soulmate is Roy Harper. I first met him when he stole my purse.” At Ava’s look of shock Thea laughs before continuing her story. “Yeah I know, but I forgave him and not just because he’s my soulmate. There was a lot that happened that I won’t go into, but he had to go into hiding and I haven’t actually spoken to him for a couple of years now. It’s nice to know he’s still there though, even if it’s over between us.”

Ava is stunned to say the least. She obviously knows about the vigilante careers these women have, but to hear how frank and open they are with something this personal, and in this case painful, she is finding whole new levels of respect for them.

“What about you Ava, have you found your soulmate yet?” Laurel asks it gently, like Ava might spook like a wild animal.

Ava swallows hard “No, not yet.”

Felicity offers her a warm smile. “Do you have a boyfriend or anything? We don’t actually know that much about you.”

Ava huffs out a laugh. “No I’m not really the boyfriend kind.”

She looks over at Laurel and her eyes are sparkling with mirth. “So you were checking me out when we met.”

Ava buries her face in her hands as the table erupts in laughter. She will never live that down apparently, so she decides to just stop fighting it. She is surprised to find that she doesn’t mind going along with the joke though.

“Well can you blame me? Look at you.” Ava waves a hand up and down the length of Laurel’s body and curses the blush she can feel creeping up her neck. She is definitely feeling drunk now.

Thea laughs so hard she is nearly laying in Felicity’s lap. “Oh my God! Laurel, can we keep her please?”

Ava can’t remember a time she laughed this much or this freely and she can’t help but wonder if the soulmate connection knew she needed a sister as much as a partner. She watches Laurel laugh and thinks that she could definitely love this girl like a sister.

Ava has been added to the girl’s group chat and she finds herself grinning at all hours because of the never-ending stream of banter, especially between Laurel and Thea. She meets up with Laurel nearly every other day for coffee because they both work on the same block and their lunch hours mostly line up. Ava hasn’t felt this happy in the longest time and her Dad tells her as much when she calls home. He seems so relieved that she is opening up again and Ava feels so content.

Ava and Laurel grow closer the more time they spend together and Ava absorbs all of Laurel’s stories about her childhood and especially Sara. She can’t get enough of hearing about Sara and Laurel is obviously proud of her little sister so there are a lot of stories. She never says much about the time that Sara was missing but it was obviously very hard on her. She tells Ava about her spiral after losing Tommy and becoming an alcoholic and Ava tells her how wonderful and brave she thinks she is.

Ava begins to open up to Laurel more as well and she wonders if she has started to piece together the similarities between her soulmate stories and her sister. Ava doesn’t care if she does, it would be a relief to talk about it.

They are walking down the street together one day, when suddenly Ava feels the wind get knocked out of her. She stumbles and Laurel quickly grabs her by the hand to steady her. She breathes hard for a moment and Laurel looks on in concern.

“Ava, are you okay?” Laurel is running a hand comfortingly across her back.

“Yeah it’s just my soulmate. Don’t worry it happens all the time.” Ava waves her off with a strained laugh.

“What do you mean?” Laurel looks concerned.

“With the amount of fighting she does I sometimes think she has to be a vigilante or something.” Ava freezes as the words slip from her mouth and Laurel does as well.

They both ignore the sudden awkwardness and Ava pretends that she doesn’t notice the penetrating look Laurel is sending her way, like she is a puzzle to be solved.

Ever since Ava found out about Laurel’s sobriety she has cut right back on how much she drinks when they are out together, because it’s no fun being the only sober person in a bar. Neither of them ever mention it but Laurel’s eyes shine when after two or three drinks she starts ordering water instead. Which is how she finds herself in her current predicament. She has Thea Queen cradled in her arms bridal style because the tiny woman can’t even stand up right now and Laurel is supporting most of Felicity’s weight as she drunkenly stumbles down the hallway.

They reach the door at the end of the hallway and Ava waits patiently as Laurel manoeuvres the key around Felicity to get them inside, Thea babbling about how strong she is all the while. The door swings open and they all follow Laurel inside as she flicks on the lights. She goes through another door with Felicity and Ava follows with Thea. Felicity is face down on the bed and Laurel is removing her shoes with an exasperated grin.

“This is Thea’s room. They can crash in here together tonight.” Laurel states as she rolls Felicity enough to remove her glasses and place them on the bedside table.

Ava gently places Thea on the bed and unzips her heels before pulling them off. Thea sighs in relief and Ava is surprised that she can even feel her feet with how drunk she is. Thea flails wildly for a second before pouting at Ava.

“I need help.” She grabs Ava by the shirt and attempts to pull her closer.

“What is it munchkin?” Ava smiles fondly as Thea’s face scrunches in distaste at the nickname.

“I can’t sleep in this dress, it’s uncomfortable.” Thea whines and Ava laughs as Laurel throws a large sleep shirt in their direction.

Ava helps the smaller woman sit up and unzips the dress down her back. She helps navigate Thea’s head and arms through the right holes of the shirt and when she is covered she helps her shimmy out of the dress from under the shirt. Thea sighs happily when they are done and she snuggles down into her pillow before yawning. “Love you Bean-pole.”

Ava’s heart clenches and she brushes the hair back off Thea’s face. “Love you too, Munchkin.” She whispers.

She realises that Laurel is watching their interaction with an adoring smile and she wonders if she should be embarrassed by how soft she has become. She doesn’t have a chance to think about it though because Laurel is asking for help to get Felicity out of her tight dress so she walks around to the other side of the bed. Felicity is already asleep but they both know she will appreciate not sleeping in her tight dress that is covered in decorative zippers. Ava holds her up while Laurel unzips her dress and gets her shirt on and when she is finally comfortable they leave her on her side and Laurel ducks out of the room to get buckets, water and aspirin to leave at their bedsides because they are definitely in for a killer hangover in the morning.

Ava flicks the light off as she follows Laurel out of Thea’s room and watches as the other woman steps out of her own heels. She fights back a yawn and glances at the clock on the wall to see that it is nearly four in the morning. She is dreading the drive back to her own apartment across town but at least it’s a Sunday so she will get to sleep in.

“Don’t even think about it.” Laurel states as she turns towards the door.

“Think about what?” Ava rubs tiredly at her eyes.

“Leaving. You’re staying here tonight.” Laurel says it with an authority that Ava doesn’t even think about arguing with.

“Fine I’ll sleep on the couch.” Ava eyes the various boxes and things stacked on the couch with exhaustion.

“No you won’t. Even when it’s not covered with Thea’s junk it’s super uncomfortable. You can sleep with me.” Laurel says as she herds Ava towards her room and she is too tired to argue the offer of a comfortable bed.

Laurel lends her some pyjamas and a spare toothbrush and she gets changed in the bathroom before brushing her teeth. She drops the toothbrush in the cup to use again in the morning and drags herself back to Laurel’s room. The other woman is already tucked in and Ava assumes that she is asleep. She crawls in on the side that is free and sinks into the softness of the mattress. Just as she is about to fall asleep Laurel rolls over.

“Ava, can I ask you something?” she whispers into the darkness.

“Mmmhmm.” Ava mumbles as she battles to not fall asleep before she can answer Laurel’s question.

“Have you ever felt your soulmate die?” Laurel breathes it out fearfully as she watches Ava’s face in the darkness.

“Yeah. It was the worst day of my life.” Ava says it so quietly that Laurel has to strain to hear her and her heart speeds up at the admission. She doesn’t get a chance to follow up with more questions though because Ava is asleep and snoring softly. She is sure now though that Ava is her sister’s soulmate and she couldn’t be happier because she really likes Ava and her sister deserves someone like Ava to love her. Laurel is the last to fall asleep that night and she does so with a smile on her face.

A few weeks later Thea Queen shows up on Ava’s doorstep in tears and Ava’s heart shatters when she tells her that Laurel is dead. Dead at the hands of Damien Darhk. Ava cycles through emotions so quickly she can barely process them. Rage, sorrow, disbelief, anguish, fury and this yawning chasm of emptiness opening up inside of her that she isn’t sure can ever be fixed.  

She calls in sick to work and cries for nearly a week and when her tears finally stop she wonders if she will ever feel anything ever again. She and Thea hold hands at her funeral and they are gripping each other so tightly for some kind of relief that they know they’ll never have.

Laurel saved Sara’s life, she saved her soul and Ava can’t help but wonder if Sara even knows her sister is gone. She can’t think about that though because her heart can’t take that train of thought. She does know that in some ways Laurel saved her own soul too. Ava wasn’t even really living her life until she met Laurel. After Natalie left she just stopped and it was Laurel that taught her to be human again. She glances at the tears streaming down Thea’s cheeks and she wonders if Laurel somehow saved her too. Ava pulls the girl in closer as she starts to sob uncontrollably and the tears that Ava thought were finished start welling up in her eyes again as beautiful, radiant Laurel gets lowered into the ground.

Felicity walks over with Oliver behind her and she pulls them both into a crushing, shaky hug. “She’s with Tommy now.”

Yeah her tears were definitely not finished.

Thea practically starts living with Ava because she is struggling to go home to the apartment that she shared with Laurel. She told Ava late one night that when she is there she keeps expecting Laurel to walk out of the next room and she can’t bring herself to go through Laurel’s things. They sit up together watching the trashy shows they used to tease Laurel for liking, crying, laughing and reminiscing and somewhere along the way they start to heal just a little bit.

Ava gets used to coming home to Thea’s things spread through her apartment and she takes comfort in the fact that she isn’t grieving alone. One day at the office she remembers the file she has on Sara Lance stashed in the bottom of her desk. She realises that she never finished reading it and she doesn’t care enough anymore to worry about knowing too much about the future. She flips towards the end and bile rises in her throat when she finds the date of Laurel’s death printed next to a dot point in Sara’s timeline. She takes the file to Rip’s office and slams it in front of him.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” she shouts, beyond caring about her professional reputation.

“You and I both know that we can’t change the past.” Rip states calmly.

Ava sees red. “But it wasn’t the past! It was my fucking future and you still let a good person die!” she screams and clenches her fists.

“You’re clearly not in the right mindset to talk about this right now. I’m giving you two weeks off to really grieve for your friend. I am truly sorry Ava but there is nothing I could have done.” Rip is placating and Ava can’t even look at him anymore.

“Fine.” She leaves the file on his desk and goes back to her office to get her things. She puts on her blazer and carefully opens up the drawer to retrieve her soulmate journal. She doesn’t feel like leaving it here anymore.

Her fury is bubbling under her skin even once she gets home. She drops her briefcase and blazer at the door and pulls her hair out of the harsh bun she wore to work. Thea’s head pops up from the other side of the couch and she peers at Ava owlishly. “You’re home early. Is everything okay?”

“No” Ava’s voice cracks and Thea bounds straight up over the couch to pull her into a hug and she breaks down. She cries hysterically in Thea’s arms until she gets herself so worked up that she runs to the bathroom and throws up her lunch. Thea follows her and supports her until she lies down in her bed. Thea ducks out of the room and comes back with three photo frames.

“She had these in her album and I thought you should have them.” Thea crawls onto the bed and sits behind her.

Ava sits up and takes the frames from Thea. Tears immediately pool in both of their eyes as they look at the first picture. It was taken the night they did the escape room and the four of them are all laughing at the camera. Ava wonders how she could have ever been that happy. She stands the frame on her bedside table before looking at the next one. It’s of just Laurel and Ava, their faces squished together and smiling for the camera. Laurel insisted on taking the picture once when they had lunch together at the park. She had told Ava that it was too beautiful a day to pass up on the opportunity and Ava couldn’t say no. She clutches the frame to her chest as she looks at the last picture. This one is of Laurel, Ava and Thea all squashed onto the couch in their pyjamas with mussed up hair the morning after they all stayed over. Oliver took the picture when he came to pick up Felicity. Ava and Laurel are sitting on either end of the couch and Thea is spread out on top of them and grinning like a little kid.

“These are beautiful Thea.” Ava reverently places the pictures down and draws the smaller woman into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Well I noticed you didn’t have any pictures of her and I didn’t think that was fair because I know you loved her too.” Thea snuggles into her side and they sit in companionable silence just thinking about the friend and sister that they lost.

Eventually Ava falls asleep and Thea gets up to drape a blanket over her. Ava has always been like a protective big sister to her and it’s nice that she can return the favour. She goes over to the door and picks up the things that Ava dropped there when she got home. Thea hangs up the blazer and carries the rest of the paperwork over to the table so that Ava can work on it there later. A small black book slides off the top of the stack before she can sit them down though. The book has fallen open on the floor and Thea notices that it is full of hand-written entries. She tries not to pry but she notices the headline ‘My Soulmate’s Injuries’ written in Ava’s precise hand and Thea will be one of the first to admit that she can be overly nosy sometimes.

She doesn’t mean to read the entire thing but once she started she couldn’t stop because she knows exactly who Ava’s soulmate is and she has no idea what to do with this information.

Ava is grocery shopping when Thea messages her that she is going out of town for a few days so she doesn’t worry when she doesn’t hear from her. Her stomach nearly bottoms out when she receives a phone call from Felicity a few days later telling Ava that the younger woman is in a coma and they aren’t sure if she will wake up.

Ava races to the hospital to find Oliver and Felicity at Thea’s bedside and once again she curses the fact that she can literally travel through time but she can’t manage to save anyone that she loves from being hurt. Oliver looks at her with the saddest eyes and she wonders how much guilt the Green Arrow carries on his shoulders. Surely it is crushing him as much as it is crushing her. He surprises her by pulling her in for a quick hug.

“I never got to thank you for looking after my little sister.” He whispers sadly as he lets Ava go.

“She looked after me too.” Ava places a gentle hand on the young woman’s shoulder and wonders if she will be strong enough to survive losing two sisters.

Ava keeps in touch with Felicity and they message each other pretty regularly but they don’t do girl’s night anymore. Ava throws herself into work harder than she ever did before but she still takes the time to take flowers to Thea and Laurel every week. It becomes her Sunday tradition. She goes to visit Thea in the morning and takes her bright flowers for her room in case she wakes up. She knows all of the nurses by name and they all know her. Once she finishes updating Thea about everything that has happened that week she takes her other bunch of flowers to the cemetery to visit Laurel. She spills all of her secrets to Laurel and she finds that it doesn’t hurt as much to talk to her anymore. She runs into Quentin a few times and he appreciates that she still visits his little girl.

She is visiting Laurel one day when Sara gets shot in the stomach. Thankfully she was already sitting on the ground but she grits her teeth in pain and hopes that the Legends get Sara patched up quickly. Help doesn’t come though because the next thing Ava knows is that Sara is being strangled. The familiar burning pain lights up inside Ava and tears stream down her cheeks as her soulmate dies again.

She doesn’t know how long she lies on the ground next to Laurel’s grave crying but she doesn’t care. She can’t handle how many people she keeps losing. What is the point of any of it? She is surprised when strange hands grab at her and she wipes the tears away to see Quentin Lance kneeling next to her looking concerned.

“It’s Ava right? Are you hurt?” He asks awkwardly because he knows this woman was Laurel’s friend but he never met her in person until after he had lost his baby girl.

She gasps as Sara’s connection flares back to life and she feels the burning pain in her stomach again. How her soulmate keeps dying and coming back to life she’ll never know but she is so glad that she still has the chance to meet her. She realises that Quentin is still watching her with sad eyes and she nods shakily.

“Yeah, I’m sorry it’s just my soulmate connection.” She can’t really tell Quentin that his only living child just died and came back to life again, even if she doesn’t tell him it’s Sara, so she plays it down. “She just got hurt and it took me by surprise.”

He sits on the ground next to her as she wipes away her remaining tears. “I remember once when my daughter Sara was young, around fifteen or sixteen. For the longest time we didn’t think she had a soulmate because she never felt any pain that wasn’t her own.” He pauses to look at Ava and finds her staring at him with rapt attention. “I got a call from her school because she got up in the middle of an exam swearing bloody murder and disrupting the class. So I drive down to the school to pick her up and she was insistent that it wasn’t her fault but the teachers wouldn’t listen to her.”

“What happened?” Ava is genuinely curious about the direction this story is heading.

Quentin laughs “Her soulmate had kicked their little toe and because Sara had never felt anything through the connection before it surprised her enough to disrupt an entire exam hall.”

Ava laughs out loud at the thought that she could have affected Sara so much and Quentin laughs lost in the memories of his daughter as a rebellious teen.

“She was so excited when she realised what it meant though. She was actually kind of sad when her toe stopped hurting.” He runs a hand across Laurel’s headstone. “She stayed up every night that week harassing Laurel about how to find her soulmate and what it would feel like and how would she know who it was? And Laurel was so patient with her and answered every question she had because I think she was just as excited as Sara was.”

Ava swallows past a lump in her throat. “Thank you for telling me that.”

Quentin pulls a business card out of his wallet and hands it to Ava. “Any time you want to hear any stories about Laurel, or even Thea, you give me a call. It’s nice to talk about the happier times with someone that actually knew my Laurel.”

“I promise I will.” Ava slides the card into one of her pockets.

After that day she starts meeting with Quentin every few weeks, just like she used to with Laurel, to hear his stories and she likes to believe it is helping him heal as much as it is her.

Ava spends so much time focussing on just getting through the next day or the next mission that she doesn’t realise just how much time has been slipping by. She is sitting in her office filling out paperwork from her latest assignment when she receives an alert that the building is under attack. As if her day wasn’t hard enough now she has to go and deal with whatever nonsense is happening downstairs. She makes sure that she has her gun and strides down the stairs.

She walks into the room with her arms behind her back while her team keep their weapons raised at the intruders. She tells them to get on the floor and she doesn’t get a chance to really look at them before the tallest man starts talking back to her. She doesn’t have the patience today to deal with this shit so she grabs him by the arm and twists it until he is face down on the floor. She vaguely registers that he said they were Legends and her heart speeds up just a bit. She is too proud to back down from her aggressive stance though and she twists his arm again for good measure. “Oh we know exactly who you losers are.”

She drops a knee into his back and hopes that he shuts up because she has a reputation to maintain in front of her team. He doesn’t, “Wow this floor is like super clean.” She wrenches his arm a bit harder, “Lady why are you so mean?”

“Maybe it’s that poly-blend pantsuit that’s got her so grumpy.” Sara says it with a smirk, like she doesn’t even care that she is on her knees being held at gunpoint and Ava can’t help but look at her. She was hoping that she wouldn’t have to and she is furious that Sara looks so fucking smug. She pulls her gun to make a point.

“I didn’t know Men’s Warehouse gave group discounts.” Nate joins in on the joke and Ava may not be able to actually pull the trigger on her soulmate but she would happily shoot that guy.

“What’s wrong with you people, do you want to get shot?” She raises her gun and points it at Sara’s chest, before turning to aim it at her team member instead. Her hands are sweating but she keeps them steady.

“Totally rather get shot than look like a Seers model.” He states and yeah, Ava’s going to shoot this one.

“Hold your fire, stand down all of you. Excuse me, thank you. Thank you, thank you.” Rip comes running in and forces everyone to lower their weapons, before turning towards the Legend with the smart mouth. “Hello, so good to see you all. Next time just call ahead.” Rip is smiling and Ava is still so mad at him.

Her attention is drawn for a just a second when Nate smashes Rip against the wall and before Ava even registers her moving, Sara is suddenly pointing her own gun at her. Now that they are standing face to face Ava can’t stop staring at Sara. She is easily one of the most infuriating people Ava has ever met but she is also so, so beautiful. She isn’t even listening to the exchange between Rip and the other guy until Sara speaks.

“Amaya went back to 1942?” Sara asks in confusion. She looks away from Ava and towards Rip and the second they break eye contact Ava starts to breathe again. How can a person’s eyes be so fucking blue?

“It was her idea. She wanted to go back home to Zambesi.” Rip states it like he isn’t going to get his ass kicked.

“What did you say?” Nate looks absolutely furious and Ava is sure that Rip probably messed with his life too, claiming it was for the greater good.

“It was Amaya’s idea to go back to Zambesi.” Ray parrots and Ava almost wants to face-palm herself out of embarrassment for him.

“No I heard him, Ray. I was just being rhetorical.” Nate sadly turns away from the group and Ava is starting to feel really apprehensive about this whole exchange.

Sara breaks the silence after a truly uncomfortable pause. “Alright this is just awkward.” Sara drops the gun away from Ava and she holds out her hand to take it back. Sara presses it into her palm almost reluctantly and starts to walk away like she has no idea who Ava is to her. Ava shakes her head because of course Sara has no idea who she is. She’s just some uptight bitch standing in between her and what she wants right now.

“So what brings the rest of you to the Time Bureau?” Rip asks as he adjusts his tie.

“We found an anachronism.” Ray says it proudly like they are going to pat him on the head and thank him and Ava scoffs.

“I wasn’t aware any of you were searching for anachronisms.” Rip looks genuinely confused.

“We weren’t, Rory was on a bender, when Julius Caesar showed up.” Sara rests her hands against her hips like she is daring Rip to contradict her.

He laughs before turning towards Ava. She may not like him at the moment but she is still his second in command. “Agent Sharpe, have we seen any activity that would match such a massive historical displacement?”

“Absolutely not, sir.” Because Ava is good at her job and she would know if something this detrimental had happened to the time stream.

“Well I guess you must have missed one then.” Sara openly mocks her and, soulmate be damned, Ava does not like this woman. How can someone this abrasive be related to good people like Laurel and Quentin?

“I find that very hard to believe and you know what, I’ve had…” Ava is ready to tear absolute shreds into Sara and she doesn’t even care who sees it. She is furious when Rip starts speaking over her and she has to bite her tongue to keep her job.

“Ready a go team and we will meet you at the op centre.” Rip says it sternly with absolutely no room for argument.

“Yes, sir.” She relents and walks away to do her job.

She follows Mick Rory’s trail and pinpoints his last known location and she can’t help but be disgusted by this man’s habits. Sara doesn’t speak to her but it’s probably for the best because Ava can’t decide if she wants to kiss her or punch her.

The shit-show that follows after they open the portal to Aruba has a massive headache brewing behind her eyes and she can’t wait to go home and process everything that happened today. The idiots truly thought that they could steal the Waverider and fix an anachronism on their own. The stupidity of it all is astounding to Ava and she just cannot fathom how she and Sara are supposed to be a match for each other, because so far the only thing she has felt coming from the other woman is open hostility. Mick Rory also called her hot at one point and it took everything she had to not shove his beer bottle down his throat.

Her day goes from bad to worse when she is actually captured by Julius Caesar and he chains her up to march with his army. She is mortified that she can’t even get herself out of this situation because she has never been the type of person to wait around for a rescue. They walk for hours and Caesar doesn’t shut up the entire time. Ava is in the middle of wondering how hard it would be to deafen herself when the Legends show up and she is once again furious at Rip for doing whatever he wants regardless of policy.

Sara is running towards her as Firestorm is raining fire around them, the assassin kicks down the man holding her captive and she can’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

Sara breaks her cuffs apart with a triumphant smirk. “Rescuing you!” she shouts.

“I can take care of myself.” But even as she is saying the words Sara is gracefully spinning to block an attack aimed at Ava’s back and she grips the chain in her hands a bit tighter. She would never admit it out loud but she is glad to see Sara again, even if she is infuriating.

They fight back to back so seamlessly that anyone would think they have been doing it for years and Ava recognises Sara’s ruthless ability for the talent that it is. There is a point where she is helping Sara sail through the air and she has to wonder if she can feel their connection too. Ava drops two soldiers with her chain and there is a moment when she turns to Sara and she swears that something in her eyes has changed, like maybe she can see something in Ava looking back at her.

At the end of the fight Sara turns to Ava and smirks at her. “See, problem solved.”

Ava is still far too proud to admit that they worked well together and there is a small part of her that still wants to spite the Legends. “I’ve got to say Miss Lance, now that I have seen your team in action with my own eyes…” she lets Sara believe that this is going to go their way for just a second. “… You are even worse than I imagined.”

“You’re welcome.” Sara frowns at her before storming off with Rory, leaving Ava to follow behind.

Still worth it though.

Ava has been monitoring all of the Legend’s missions and she knows immediately after Gary hangs up on her that something is very wrong, so she takes it to Director Bennet. They determine that the Legends have managed to turn a level 1 anachronism into a level 8 and at some point along the way, they kidnapped Gary. Ava volunteers to go and arrest the lot of them and Director Bennet agrees. She opens a portal to the Waverider to find out exactly what the hell is going on.

She is met almost immediately by Sara and she can’t help but wonder if she has worked it out yet. Nevertheless she has a job to do and her soulmate standing in her way won’t stop her. “Sara Lance, on behalf of the Time Bureau I am placing you and your team under arrest.”

“Took you long enough. I’ve been expecting you for hours.” Ava can’t help the tingle that runs down her spine at the words and the deadly look on Sara’s face.

Ava sighs, of course she won’t make this easy. “Pursuant to Title 16, Section 3053 of the Global Treaty on time travel, I have the authority to bring you and your team in.”

Sara stands defiant of the laws and raises her chin in challenge. “Which arm?”

Ava is surprised that Sara wants to know more about the laws but she acquiesces and tells her. “The Global Treaty was negotiated between Director Hunter and the United Nations.”

“No, I mean if you try to bring me in to the Bureau, I’ll break your arm. It’s up to you, right or left.” The casual way that she threatens violence would frighten Ava if she didn’t know so much about her, but as it stands she is confident that she can take her, even if she is an assassin. Ava hasn’t been sitting idly by all of these years.

“Your threats may work on confederate zombies, Quentin Turnbull’s cronies and Speedsters, but you don’t scare me. I’ve spent the last five years watching your screw-ups, I know everything about you. Now where is the member of my team that you’ve taken hostage?” She does know so much more than Sara could possibly realise but she isn’t about to tell her that, so she tries to draw her attention back to Gary.

“You mean Gary? This ship is probably like a vacation after having to answer to you.” Sara sounds surprised that she even noticed Gary was missing and it kind of hurts that she genuinely seems to dislike her.

Ava’s feelings are becoming involved so she pulls out her baton while she can still keep her face composed. “Last chance. Come quietly and I’ll make sure you get your job back at Sink, Shower and Stuff.” And Ava will happily admit that she found it hilarious that that’s where Sara was holed up for the last few months.

Sara unfolds her batons. “When did a Legend ever go quietly?”

She smirks and Ava can recognise a power move when she sees one and Sara pulls it off flawlessly. They both twirl their batons into a ready stance and approach each other. The first few hits are evenly matched and neither of them manages to land a hit to skin. Ava knew of course that Sara would be a formidable opponent and it shows when she actually hits her the first few times. Ava attempts to pin her against the wall and damn if that didn’t make her insides swoon a bit. The feeling passes though when Sara head-butts her right in the face.

They eventually lose their batons and fight hand to hand and Ava is becoming increasingly worried that this is a fight that she won’t win. Sara lands a solid left hook on her jaw and it staggers her a bit. She can feel her hair escaping her bun and she knows she must look like a mess. She needs to slow this down and catch a breath otherwise Sara is going to do real damage. The fight is going so fast that she can’t tell what hurts are hers and which ones are Sara’s.

“Rip should have recruited you to the Time Bureau.” She mocks as she tries to catch her breath.

“Rip knows I would never leave the team.” Sara looks her straight in the eye and Ava knows that she means it.

“Your mistake.” Ava lunges and Sara once again evades.

They spin and punch and block. Once again evenly matched, they both swing in perfect synchronisation and punch each other right in the face. They hit the floor together and Ava is done with this ridiculous charade. They fight too similarly to ever really one-up the other so they would just keep fighting until one of them passes out.

“You wanna take a break?” she pants and looks over at Sara pinching the bridge of her nose. She feels the tingle of pain in her own nose so she knows it was a solid hit.

“I could use some water.” Sara is so nonchalant and Ava desperately tries to quiet her breathing to match the assassin.

“Yeah.” She hopes that Sara doesn’t notice how relieved she is that they are done fighting.

They get up off the floor and Ava silently follows her to the kitchen. Sara grabs two cups and fills them with water from a jug in the fridge. They sit down at the table and sip quietly. Their silence is interrupted by a shrunken sabre-tooth tiger of all things and Ava is too tired to care or wonder exactly what the story is behind that.

“I hope that thing is potty-trained.” Ava goes for a neutral kind of joke because she wants to stop fighting with Sara and actually talk to her.

“Probably not. Cats are jerks.” Sara says it so matter-of-factly that Ava knows there must be a story behind her conviction. She can’t help but feel offended though because Ava thinks cats are sweet.

“Let me guess you’re a dog person.” She says it like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

“I like ‘em dumb and loyal.” Ava scoffs. “Speaking of we should probably check on Gary.” Ava is surprised that Sara even suggested it but she is happy to go along and she hopes this means that Sara is starting to feel like they can work together.

They put their cups down on the table but before they can get up a noise from behind Ava draws their attention. She turns and realises with a dawning horror that the tiny sabre-tooth tiger is returning to its proper size and it is pissed. She jumps up out of her chair and starts slowly backing away.

“Whatever you do, don’t…” Sara is talking but Ava is not sticking around to find out what she is saying. She likes little lap sized cats, not ones that have teeth as long as her forearm.

Ava sprints down a hallway and comes to a locked door. She turns around to see the way is blocked by the sabre-tooth and she wonders if this is how she is going to die. At least she finally got to have a somewhat civil conversation with her soulmate.

Just as the cat leaps she is tackled sideways through a portal and the only thing she can register is that Sara Lance has saved her. Again.

“Where did you get a time courier. That is stolen government property!” Even as she is yelling it she knows she is focussing on the wrong part of what just happened but she can’t help it. Adrenalin is pumping through her body and her brain isn’t exactly firing like it should be.

“You’re just mad because I just saved your life again.” Sara is gloating and yeah Ava will admit to herself that she’s actually right.

Gideon interrupts their argument and they sit in sullen silence in the cell with Gary, until some of the other Legends return to deal with the sabre-tooth. Ava is absolutely fuming with how her day is turning out. Jax and Ray ramble for a bit about how much fun they had at the circus and Ava cannot believe that they ever manage to get anything done at all.

“I mean I don’t believe that the anachronism has been dealt with.” There is no way that these buffoons dealt with a level 9 anachronism while she was trapped in here with Sara and Gary.

“Believe it Agent Sharpe, as I’ve already communicated to Director Bennet, 1870 Wisconsin is anachronism free.” Gideon sounds so smug and Ava can’t believe that even the ship’s AI is working against her.

“Even our AI doesn’t like you.” Sara is grinning in delight and Ava feels her heart constrict at the words. All she ever wanted was to meet her soulmate and find a partner but the woman doesn’t even like her.

Gary is complaining again and Ava is too sad to be mad at him. All she can muster is a gentle “Gary” as a reprimand for his unprofessionalism. Ava moves to untie him because she just wants to go home but Sara turns to her and her voice demands attention.

“I need to speak with you. In private.” Her voice leaves absolutely no room for argument so Ava reluctantly follows her down to the library. Sara shuts the door behind them and Ava chokes up a bit when she notices the photo of Sara, Oliver and Laurel. God she misses Laurel so much, she would probably find this entire situation hilarious.

Sara is looking at her expectantly and Ava just doesn’t have the energy to deal with her anymore today, but she is tired of being the only one that knows what they are to each other. Sara is ranting at her about something and she notices an old letter opener sitting on a shelf. She wanders over and picks it up. Sara stops mid-rant and looks at her in confusion.

Sara tilts her head. “What are you doing?”

Ava spins the blade a few times in her hand. “You didn’t notice at all, did you?”

“Notice what?” Sara demands.

Ava sighs and drives the point of the letter opener into her open palm until she draws blood. It’s blunt so it hurts a lot. She drops the bloodied blade back on the shelf and finally looks back at Sara. The other woman is clutching her hand in shock and all of the colour has drained out of her face.

“Holy shit!” Sara sinks back into her chair and keeps looking between her hand and Ava’s that is now dripping blood onto the floor.

“Yep.” Ava walks out of the library and back towards where Gary is being held. Sara doesn’t follow her but Ava understands. It’s a lot to process and she’s had nearly two years to come to terms with it. She’s going to need some time and Ava just wants to go home and lie down.

It takes three days for Sara to track her down. Ava is sitting on her couch alone flicking through the channels on her television when someone knocks on her door. She is in her pyjamas and she really doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now. She opens the door and her stomach swoops when she finds Sara on the other side and for the first time she isn’t looking at Ava like she wants to punch her. They both stand there awkwardly until Ava clears her throat and invites Sara inside.

She fiddles awkwardly with the hem of her pyjama shirt as Sara wanders into her apartment and drops gracefully onto her couch. She gently closes the door and takes a fortifying breath before joining Sara on the couch. They both openly stare at each other and Ava cannot fathom how a girl as stunningly beautiful as Sara Lance could possibly be her match. The silence between them is stretching and it is making Ava truly uncomfortable.

“How long have you known I was your soulmate?” Sara asks quietly like she’s afraid of breaking the silence that has settled around them.

“Around two years.” Ava can’t lie to her, even if it makes Sara uncomfortable.

“How did you know it was me? We hadn’t even met yet.” Sara studies her intently and Ava fidgets under her intense scrutiny.

“How many other people have died and come back to life after over a year?” Ava grins uncomfortably.

“You felt me die?” Sara looks so vulnerable and Ava doesn’t know how to reassure her at all.

Ava nods her head slowly. “It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced and then I felt nothing at all. You were just gone, until one day you weren’t.”

They both laugh awkwardly and Sara hesitantly reaches out to take Ava’s hand. “Why didn’t you say anything when we met?”

Ava sighs. “I didn’t know how and I couldn’t really bring it up in front of all of those people. Then it was too late because you hated me.”

Ava tries to pull her hand out of Sara’s grip but the assassin won’t let her go. “I never hated you. Not really. You were just very frustrating.”

Ava laughs and leaves her hand in Sara’s. “I suppose that’s fair. I thought you were very frustrating too.”

Ava is trying to filter through all of the thoughts and feelings she has crashing around her head. She has so many things to ask Sara but she has no idea what to start with. The other woman keeps surreptitiously glancing around her apartment before settling her gaze back on Ava, before repeating the cycle. Suddenly Sara gasps and jumps up off the couch. She strides over to the bookshelf and picks up the frame off the top shelf. She clutches it to her chest and turns back towards Ava with tears in her eyes.

“You’re Ava.” Sara whispers reverently.

Ava is very confused. Did Sara not know what her first name was? “Yes?”

“You’re Laurel’s Ava.” Sara holds out the photo of her and Laurel in the park.

“She told you about me?” Ava gently takes the frame out of Sara’s hand and traces the lines of Laurel’s face.

“Of course she did! They all have. Thea and Felicity, even Oliver likes you. They told me all about your girl’s nights that Laurel was insistent that I try to come home for. She wanted me to meet this girl that she claimed would be perfect for me. And Dad…” Tears pool in Sara’s eyes as she drops back onto the couch and takes Ava’s hands in her own. “…You’re the Ava that takes my Dad out to lunch every few weeks to talk about Laurel. You were there for him when I couldn’t be. He said you still take her flowers and visit her on Sundays. It’s you.” Sara has tears streaming down her face and she reverently brushes away the few that have escaped Ava’s eyes as well.

“Can I kiss you?” Ava whispers and Sara nods.

They lean closer and Ava can feel her heart thudding erratically in her chest and she wonders vaguely if she’s too young for a heart attack. Her thoughts are silenced once Sara’s lips meet hers and the rest of the world ceases to exist. She can feel something shift inside of her and a blast of pure warmth blossoms throughout her body.

She pulls back from Sara just slightly, breathing hard. “Wow.”

Sara is rubbing at her chest and grinning. “Did you feel that?”

“I think it was our soulmate connection recognising each other.” Ava says in wonder.

“Should we test it?” Sara smirks leaning back in.

“Definitely.” Ava grins and recaptures her lips.

One week after Ava and Sara accepted their connection Ava is woken early one morning by her phone ringing on her nightstand. Sara stirs next to her and glares in the direction of the loud noise. Ava fumbles for her phone and doesn’t even look at the caller ID before answering.

“Hello?” Her voice is scratchy from sleep and she rubs at her eyes to help them focus a bit.

“Ava, thank goodness you answered. I wasn’t sure if I should call this early or not but I have news.” Felicity’s voice is far too loud and excited for someone that just woke up and Ava can’t really deal with this right now.

“What’s up Felicity?” Ava mumbles into the phone and Sara perks up at the mention of her friend’s name.

“It’s Thea.” Felicity states and Ava sits up, suddenly fully awake and Sara startles at her sudden movement.

“What happened?! Is she okay?” Ava shouts into the phone and now Sara is fully awake and sitting up. Ava puts the phone on speaker so she can hear as well.

“Ava, Oliver and I are at the hospital right now. Thea just woke up.” Felicity sounds delirious with excitement.

“Felicity that’s amazing! Do you think I would be able to visit later today?” Ava is grinning and Sara loops an arm around her waist.

“I’m not sure right now. I’ll track down a doctor and let you know as soon as I find out.” Felicity pulls the phone away from her ear and Ava can hear her talking to someone on the other end. “Listen I’ve got to go right now, but I’ll message you once I know anything.”

“Thank you Felicity.” Ava smiles and disconnects the call.

Sara is grinning at her and Ava feels so content in this moment. She studies the early morning light shining through Sara’s mussed hair and she can’t stop herself from reaching out and running her fingers through it. Sara’s eyes gleam with mischief and before Ava even knows what happened she is on her back with Sara straddling her lap. The assassin leans down to kiss her and Ava knows that today is going to be an amazing day.

It takes weeks for Ava to learn how to adjust to her new connection with Sara. For a woman that presents such a stoic face she feels so deeply and it staggers Ava some days. She has started spending nights on the Waverider and she is somewhat glad that Zari Tomaz has been recruited to the team because she doesn’t feel as out of place around the others as she used to.

She is currently pacing around her apartment needlessly moving things and then putting them back. Sara will be picking her up soon to take her to Felicity’s birthday party. They were both invited independently of the other because of course they are both friends with her and they haven’t actually told anyone that they are together yet. They are planning on telling everyone tonight and Ava is nearly sick with nerves. What if they think she isn’t good enough for Sara? She is in the middle of alphabetising her cook books when there is a loud knock on her door.

“Aves, open up!” Sara’s voice is muffled through the door.

She swings the door open and Sara pulls her in for a tight hug before running her hands down her arms and glancing around the apartment. “Sara is everything okay?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. You have been freaking out for, like, twenty minutes. I got here as fast as I could. What happened?” Sara’s voice is laced with concern and Ava laughs in embarrassment.

“I’m nervous about tonight.” She admits and Sara looks at her incredulously.

“Why? They literally all know and like you already.” Sara grins and places a gentle kiss on Ava’s lips.

Ava can feel her nerves receding the longer that Sara holds her in her arms and she realises that she was being completely irrational. “I suppose you’re right.”

Sara laughs and kisses her again. They kiss until they are both a little breathless and Ava pulls back with a small measure of regret. “If we don’t go right now, we won’t be going at all.”

“I know.” Sara looks at her with darkened eyes and Ava shoves her out the door before she loses all of her composure. She locks the door behind her and takes Sara by the hand as they walk down to her car together.

Ava and Sara walk into the venue together and Felicity meets them to say hello. The birthday girl is already quite tipsy and Ava is reminded of how carefree the woman used to be on girls night and she feels a pang at the reminder of why they stopped happening. Sara, of course feels it too, and places a comforting hand on the small of her back. Felicity notices and a smile breaks across her face as she squeals in delight.

“Is this happening?” She waves a hand between the two of them as Oliver joins them.

“What’s happening?” He asks as he takes the glass from Felicity’s hand before she spills it.

“Sara and Ava!” Felicity shouts in excitement.

Oliver looks at how close they are standing and the hand that Sara still has on Ava’s back and he grins. He thinks back to the afternoon he spent training with Laurel all of those months ago. She talked at him for hours about how perfect Ava would be for her little sister and somehow they found each other without her. He chokes up a little bit at the thought, so to cover it up he pulls the couple into a hug and tells them how happy is for them.

He breaks the hug just as Thea and Quentin reach them and he laughs as his sister launches herself into Ava’s arms.

“Bean-pole, you made it!” Thea squeals as she squeezes Ava mercilessly.

“I couldn’t miss seeing you Munchkin.” Ava hugs Thea tightly as well. “It’s good to see you out of the hospital. How are you feeling?”

“Like I had a six month nap and missed a bunch of stuff.” Thea laughs before pulling Sara in for a hug once Quentin lets her go.

Ava looks around at the small group that they have assembled and shrugs at Sara. Sara seems to understand what she means and they lace their fingers together. “So we have something to tell you guys.” Sara grins. “Ava is my soulmate.”

There is a beat of silence as everyone absorbs the new information and Ava thinks she is going to have a panic attack. Thea squeals in delight and shouts “I knew it!” before crushing them into a tight hug. Once she finally lets go Ava notices Oliver wipe away a tear, but she chooses not to mention it because he is smiling. Quentin has tears streaming down his face and Ava truly has no idea if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. She looks to Sara to gauge her reaction but she looks just as frightened as Ava feels.

“Daddy?” she worriedly takes her father’s hand and it seems to bring him back to the moment.

Quentin lurches forward and puts his arms around both women and sobs in delight. Oliver ushers the three of them off towards a small office room so that they can regain some composure and leaves them there. They all take a seat close together and wipe away their tears.

Quentin is smiling broadly at the two of them and shaking his head. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.” He turns towards his daughter. “Sara don’t you dare let this one go.”

Sara falls into his arms and he kisses her on the head. “I won’t Daddy, I promise. She’s stuck with me now.”

They all laugh and Quentin turns his attention to Ava. “I’ve always liked you Ava. You’re a good kid with a good head on your shoulders and I know you will look after my little girl because I know how much you cared for Laurel. Still care for Laurel. I’m so proud to welcome you into our family, officially.”

Ava chokes up again and she silently curses herself for how much she has cried already tonight. “Officially?”

“You were a part of this family long before you realised you were Sara’s soulmate.” Quentin hugs her tight and she looks over at Sara to see happy tears streaming down her face.

Thea eventually shows up with make-up wipes and helps make them presentable for the party again. It suddenly hits Ava just how much she missed the small brunette being in her life.

Sara obviously knew that Ava has been good friends with Thea and Felicity for a long time, but seeing it in action is a completely different story. The three of them are currently drunk and doing ridiculous dances with each other on the dance floor. Sara is watching them with a smile from the table she is at with Oliver and John.

Oliver catches her staring and nudges her to get her attention. “I’m glad to see you so happy you know.”

“Yeah, you too.” Sara smiles and returns her attention to the women on the dance floor.

They started having girl’s night again and Sara invited Amaya and Zari into the group. The totem wearers were a bit awkward at the beginning because the concept of girl’s night was not something that they were familiar with, but they settled in eventually. Ava was surprised to find herself bonding so quickly with Zari and she is happy that the cynical woman has come to trust her.

The first time that Zari approached Ava about the concept of hacking history she visibly recoiled at the thought, but eventually she came to see the point that Zari was trying to make. It still doesn’t sit right with her but she lets the woman tell her about her ideas anyway.

Ava meets Felicity at the Arrow-cave for lunch one slow Tuesday to catch up with the woman. It became a lot easier once Sara admitted how much they actually all knew about each other. Felicity had run a full check on Ava when they first met and they all knew about her job at the Bureau and Ava knew all about Team Arrow because of Sara’s file. They are gossiping about a trashy show that they are both watching when Felicity gets an alert on her computer. She wheels over to the console and taps on a few keys.

“What’s happening?” Ava enquires around a bite of chicken.

“Holy crap.” Felicity rapidly taps away again before turning back towards Ava. “Do you remember me telling you about the Laurel from another Earth?”

Ava chokes down her piece of chicken. “Yeah, why?”

“I think she was just killed in a shoot-out with the police and we have to stop them from identifying the body.” Felicity is frantically trying to contact the team but they have gone dark for their mission and she can’t reach any of them.

Ava places a reassuring hand on Felicity’s shoulder. “Let me help. I understand the consequences of Evil Laurel ruining Good Laurel’s reputation. You know I have the means to do it. Just don’t expect me to be getting involved in all of this vigilante business after this.”

“Okay, fantastic. I’ve just sent all of the information to your phone.” Felicity wrings her hands together anxiously.

“See you on the weekend.” Ava smiles as she opens a portal with her courier and notices Felicity gaping at the opening.

“You have got to let me look at that!” Felicity shouts as she walks through it.

“Not a chance, Smoak.” She yells back as she shuts off the portal.

Ava peeks around the corner to take in the scene. There are three police cars blocking the way at the end of the alley and none of the officers are looking this way. It is a dead end alley so they were safe to assume that no-one could get behind them. No-one without future tech anyway. There are several bodies strewn about the alley and Ava assumes that they are waiting for the detectives and crime scene techs to show up. Ava spies the woman in the leather jacket amongst all of the men and swallows down her nerves. She doesn’t really have a plan from here. She makes a snap decision and calls the Waverider as she waits for an opening.

“Hello, Agent Sharpe.” Gideon’s greeting is neutral as always.

“Hey Gideon, is Sara around?” Ava says quietly.

“Currently the Captain is off board in 1632 France, with most of the team.” Gideon states.

“Can you tell me who is still on board?” Ava fidgets impatiently. She is wasting time.

“Miss Tomaz is the only person on board at the moment.” Gideon replies.

Ava quickly runs through her options and decides that Zari is probably the best person to help her with this anyway. She doesn’t want to force Sara into helping her hide the body of a woman that is identical to the sister that she has already lost and the rest of the idiots would probably tell her anyway.

“Could you put her on please Gideon?” Ava asks.

“Certainly Agent Sharpe.” Gideon transfers the call and Ava’s heart slightly increases in speed.

“Hey Ava what’s up?” Zari asks around a mouthful of popcorn.

“I need your help and I need you to not ask questions until we are done.” Ava knows she sounds stressed so she is relieved when Zari doesn’t fight her.

“What do you need?” Zari asks without hesitation.

“I’m opening a portal. You have to be quiet.” Ava activates the courier on her wrist and Zari is by her side the next moment. Ava quickly explains the situation and Zari’s eyes are wide and scared by the time she is done.

“Great so all we have to do is grab the body of Sara’s dead sister’s doppelganger without anyone seeing us and somehow hide the body.” Zari sounds incredulous but determined and Ava will take what she can get.

They stay low and creep along the wall until they reach Evil Laurel. Ava takes a shuddering breath and steels herself for the job they have to do. She picks up the body from under the arms and Zari takes her legs. They make it back around the corner, miraculously without anyone seeing them and Ava opens a portal back to the Waverider.

They enter the Med Bay and Ava immediately panics. “We have to get her out of here before Sara comes back. This will break her. Where the hell can we hide a body?”

Zari is staring at the ground contemplatively. “I have an idea.” She holds up a hand towards Ava. “I need you to listen to me before you get mad though.”

Ava immediately hates whatever the totem-wearer is about to say.

“What if we trade her with the real Laurel. History needs for there to be a body and we have one. We just need them to switch places. This Laurel becomes the Laurel that originally died and the real Laurel takes the place of the one from the different Earth. No-one even knows that this one has died yet.” Zari speaks rapidly so she can get all of the words out before Ava stops her.

Ava collapses onto a chair. It is easily the most insane thing that she has ever heard in her life but logically it could work. They would have only moments and so much could go wrong but maybe, just maybe it could work. Ava knows that she would hate herself if she didn’t at least try. She couldn’t save her friend the first time around, but maybe she can this time.

They swear Gideon to secrecy and even the AI knows how much emotional damage Sara could suffer if somehow they fail and she finds out about it. They fabricate the outfit that the Black Canary was wearing when she died and they miserably change the clothes of the woman on the floor. Zari runs the outfit they take off down to the incinerator while Ava double checks Laurel’s file.

They meet back in the Med Bay and put Gideon on high alert. If they can pull this off they will only have seconds to save Laurel’s life. The file states that she died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and that is where they will have to make the switch.

Ava double-checks that she has the memory wipe device for the paramedic they are about to scare the hell out of and she takes a deep, fortifying breath. Even though she came up with the plan Zari looks terrified and Ava puts both of her hands on her shoulders and looks her in the eyes.

“We are not going to fuck this up. We have a plan and we are strong and capable women. We’ve got this.” Ava isn’t sure if she’s saying the words to help Zari or herself but either way they have to go now.

Gideon wishes them luck and Ava opens the portal into the back of the ambulance. There isn’t much room and it is absolute chaos. Zari crashes down into the paramedic’s lap and she slaps a hand over his mouth so he can’t alert the driver. Ava quickly disconnects Laurel and carries her back through the portal into the Med Bay and connects her to Gideon. She drags Evil Laurel’s body back through the portal and onto the gurney. Zari has the paramedic in a choke-hold and he is struggling to break free. Thankfully the driver hasn’t noticed anything yet. She hooks up Evil Laurel to the machines and passes Zari the memory wipe device. They both look away from the flash and Ava flicks the heart rate monitor back on as they jump back through the portal. Ava can hear the machine flat lining as it closes and she shudders.

They are thrown into silence once the portal closes and they can no longer hear the sirens and the machines. Ava realises that she is absolutely covered in blood from the switch and Zari isn’t much better. She walks fearfully over to Laurel and tears prick her eyes when she sees how pale she is.

“Is she alive, Gideon?” Ava whispers, afraid of what the answer could be.

She feels Zari slip her hand into her own and they both ignore the slide of blood between their fingers as they hold their breaths.

“Yes. I have repaired the worst of the damage and I believe she will make a full recovery in time.” Gideon states happily.

Ava’s knees buckle and Zari has to hold her up. She cries and when she attempts to wipe the tears away she smears blood across her face and she doesn’t even care because they did it. They saved Laurel.

“Gideon have we affected the timeline at all.” Zari asks into the relieved silence. Ava tenses next to her waiting for the news.

“Not even a blip. Congratulations to the both of you.” Gideon replies after a tense moment.

“I could honestly kiss you right now.” Ava laughs in delight.

“Yeah, please don’t do that.” Zari wrinkles her nose and laughs when Ava laughs.

They stand by Laurel’s bedside for hours, too afraid to leave in case she somehow disappears. The blood covering their skin has long since dried but they can’t even leave her bedside to clean it off. Gideon keeps updating them on her condition and it has improved every time. Ava is feeling light-headed at the implications of what they have done and Zari is starting to get concerned about Ava’s well-being. She never knew Laurel personally but she knows enough about her to know how important she is.

Their silent lookout is eventually interrupted by Gideon announcing that the team is back on the ship. They decide it will be best to tell Sara before she finds them in the Med Bay so they head out to find her. They step onto the bridge and the entire team goes silent when they see them.

Sara goes pale at the sight of them because it is just so much blood. “What happened?”

Zari realises that Ava can’t speak right now and she sighs. “You’re gonna need to sit down for this.”

“Is anyone hurt?” Sara asks fearfully.

“The opposite actually.” Ava’s voice breaks and they tell the team everything.

Sara is in tears by the end of the story and she runs towards the Med Bay in a cold sweat. She knows that Ava and Zari would never lie to her, especially about this, but she just can’t believe it. Ava is right behind her when she pushes open the door and she gasps at the sight of Laurel stirring on the bed.

“Where the hell am I?” Laurel groans pitifully.

Sara cradles her sister gently and tears rain down her cheeks. “Exactly where you need to be.”

That night, after Ava and Laurel have passed out curled up in her bunk, Sara portals herself to Ava’s parent’s house. She spends the entire night telling them exactly why she needs to marry their daughter as soon as possible. She tells them absolutely everything and they are both pretty shell-shocked at the end of the story. As the sun comes up Sara is gifted with Ava’s grandmother’s ring and crushing hugs from her soon-to-be in-laws.

Sara portals back into her bunk just as Ava is waking up and she proposes immediately.

Ava says yes and they both cry. Then Laurel wakes up and she cries too.

After everyone gets over their shock about Laurel being alive again they all join forces to throw Ava and Sara the biggest wedding Star City has ever seen. They pull out all of the stops and it is easily the most stunning wedding Ava has ever seen in her life. It is somehow both opulent and intimate at the same time.

Laurel presides over the wedding and tells everyone about the night she realised that Ava was Sara’s soulmate and everyone is choked up by the end of it.

Ava has Zari and Thea as her bridesmaids. Sara has Felicity and Amaya.

Quentin spends most of the day in tears because he is just so damn happy.

Ava’s parents are much the same.

Oliver resolutely denies it, but Felicity recorded him crying through the ceremony. John did too.

After their first dance Ava slow dances with her father, then Sara, then Quentin, then Thea, Sara again and randomly enough Zari.

Laurel pulls them both aside with Quentin and Ava’s parents after dinner and she explains the struggles that she has had being registered as a citizen after being declared legally dead for well over a year. She can’t use her old name anymore but Felicity helped her set up a new identity. Since Ava is now going to be Ava Lance they decided that she is going to be Laurel Sharpe after her new sister.

Ava cries at that and crushes her in a hug. “You’re the best sister I could have asked for.”

At the end of the night, after they have made sure their family are all where they are supposed to be, they retire to their room. They are flying out to a private beach in the morning for their honeymoon. Ava’s feet hurt from her heels but she doesn’t even notice when Sara is smiling at her like that.

They fall into bed and hours later they lay tangled together, their hearts beating in tandem and Ava can’t quite believe how full her life is. The soulmate connection didn’t just bring her the love of her life. It gifted her with two sisters in Laurel and Thea and best friends in Zari and Felicity. Through Sara she has gained a huge messy family and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sara shuffles and places a gentle kiss on her lips. “I love you, Ava.”

“I love you too, Sara.” She snuggles into her wife’s side and drifts off into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

Ava grins as she feels Sara’s warm hand slip into her own and they naturally lace their fingers together. Sara is on the phone to Laurel and she laughs at something her sister says. Ava can’t help but stare at the smile that lights up Sara’s face. There are some days that she still can’t believe that Sara is really her wife. She is truly the most beautiful person Ava has ever laid eyes on. Sensing her eyes on her, Sara turns and winks at Ava as she hangs up the phone.

“So how far away is Laurel?” Ava asks as Sara wraps her arms around her waist in a gentle embrace.

“Two minutes or so. Apparently traffic is pretty bad downtown today.” Sara says as she hooks her thumbs through the loops on Ava’s jeans.

A gentle breeze blows light strands of hair across Sara’s face and Ava is mesmerised at the sunlight turning her hair golden. Warmth blooms in Ava’s chest as she notices the new freckles dusted across Sara’s cheeks from their holiday. Through their soulmate bond Sara can feel the love radiating from Ava and she leans forward to place a chaste kiss onto the taller woman’s lips. Ava follows her as she pulls away and Sara happily obliges her as they press closer together. A throat clearing close by brings them back to reality before they can become too inappropriate and they reluctantly separate with a final kiss.

“You’d think that after six weeks on a secluded beach together you’d have that out of your systems.” Laurel smirks at the two of them as she leans up against her car.

“Have you even seen my wife?” Sara grins as she pulls Laurel in for a tight hug.

Laurel runs an appraising eye over Ava, noting her tanned skin and relaxed stance. “I suppose you’re right.” She winks at Ava to draw a reaction from her younger sister.

Sara pouts as she picks up her bags to put in the car. “Okay, you can stop looking at her now.”

Laurel and Ava both laugh at Sara’s antics as they tightly hug each other. They all pile into the car and pull into the hectic airport traffic. They are waiting for a traffic light to turn green and Sara is grumbling about being forced to sit in the back of the car.

“So without telling me about your sex lives, I want to hear about your trip.” Laurel grins as she shifts the car into another lane of traffic.

“It was our honeymoon, there’s not much else to talk about.” Sara smirks as Ava blushes and Laurel screws her nose up in distaste.

“You were gone for six weeks Sara! Surely you got out of bed for at least a couple of days.” Laurel frowns in the mirror at her sister in the back of the car.

Sara cackles in the back seat as Ava insists that they did in fact get outside to go sightseeing and she promises to show the photos to Laurel once they get home.

 Two weeks back at work after her honeymoon and Ava is ready to tear her hair out. Nearly everyone she works with is incompetent on some level and she has been running around doing some serious damage control since she got back. To make matters worse, she has barely been able to spend any quality time with her wife because Sara is also playing some serious catch up with the Legends. They are both so exhausted that they are collapsing into bed at the end of the night, hours later than they would like to be, and falling asleep almost immediately. They have been splitting their time pretty evenly between the Waverider and their apartment because sleeping on the ship may be convenient, but the rambunctious housemates are not very conducive to quality private time.

A knock on her office door has Ava groaning in displeasure because she doesn’t even care if the building is falling down; she is staying and finishing these reports. She calls out that the door is unlocked and is surprised when Laurel enters with a small cardboard box.

“Hey Ava.” Laurel says cheerfully as she places the box down on the least cluttered area she can find on the desk.

“Hi Laurel.” Ava eyes the box warily. “Not that I’m not pleased to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Well I got a call from Gideon and apparently Sara is having trouble focussing on their recent mission because you are hungry and frustrated. She has snapped at both Nate and Ray and if Gideon had a corporeal form she said she would come here and force you to eat herself.” Laurel laughs and pulls out two take-out containers from the box and two large coffees. “So I brought you some lunch.”

Ava’s stomach grumbles at the sight of the food and she is surprised to realise how hungry she actually is. She eagerly grabs the container that Laurel holds out for her and releases some of the tension in her shoulders. “Thank you for this. I’ve been flat out trying to catch up on everything since we got back.”

“I know. You need to look after yourself though.” Laurel chides good-naturedly.

“I think I’ve made it through the worst of it, if that makes a difference.” Ava waves a hand towards a precariously teetering pile of papers.

Laurel stares down the stack with wide eyes. “I’m glad it’s you and not me.”

Ava chuckles at her blunt assessment. “I suppose. Speaking of work though, have you made any progress with getting your old job back?”

“I’ve decided that I’m not actually going to go back to work at the DA’s office.” Laurel sips from her coffee as she avoids looking at Ava.

“Can I ask why?” Ava is surprised that Laurel isn’t jumping at the chance to get her old job back.

“Well I’ve done a lot of thinking since everything happened and I’ve decided that I’m going to be making some changes in my life.” Laurel takes a deep breath and Ava silently encourages her to continue. “I’ve accepted a position to work in the Social Services department, working directly with children and their families.”

“That’s great Laurel! You will be doing a lot of good for a lot of people that really need you.” Ava reaches across the desk as grasps the other woman’s hand in her own. “So I guess I’m wondering why you look like you ran over a puppy.”

Laurel lets out a short burst of laughter at Ava’s assessment. “You are too smart for your own good sometimes.”

“Yeah, it’s why they gave me this fancy office.” Ava states completely deadpan.

Laurel chuckles again and she remembers why she wanted to talk to Ava in the first place. She is the only person that she could think of that knows absolutely everything about her but can still be an impartial bystander. “I don’t want to be the Black Canary. Oliver went and assembled this whole new team while I was gone and they don’t really need me anymore. Curtis, Dinah and Rene are great at what they do. Oliver has said that I could come back whenever I was ready but Dinah has taken up the mantle of the Black Canary now and I feel like it suits her more than it ever did for me. I don’t know. Does it make me selfish that I don’t want to run around in the shadows fighting bad guys anymore?”

“Of course not. You literally died fighting for the people of this city. You, more than anyone, deserve a chance to live a semi-normal life. No-one in their right mind would hold that against you.” Ava abandons her food as she gets up to hug her sister-in-law.

“Why only a semi-normal life?” Laurel whispers as she clutches onto Ava’s blazer.

“Well you were officially dead for like a year, your sister is still a time-travelling superhero, your father runs interference for a group of vigilantes and pretty much all of your friends are probably wanted by a number of government agencies. Except me, of course. Also Oliver is the damn mayor. Even without all of the other stuff, that’s still something that makes your life a bit weird.” Ava grips Laurel’s arms as she speaks so that she is positive that the other woman is taking her rant on board.

 Laurel laughs at Ava’s assessment and a weight seems to lift off her shoulders. “Well I suppose that’s it then. Next time I see Oliver I’m going to tell him that I’m leaving it up to the new kids.”

Ava is just getting back to her office after lunch when she gets an alert that she is receiving a call from the Waverider. She accepts the call and smiles when the image of Sara appears in front of her, signature smirk in place.

“Hey.” Ava leans back against the front of her desk.

“Hello, beautiful.” Sara winks and damn if that doesn’t still do things to Ava.

“What’s up? Is this a work call or did you just miss me?” Ava drops her voice at the end of her sentence and delights at the look that passes over Sara’s face.

“Can’t it be both?” Sara grins at her wife.

“Okay, give me a minute then.” Ava opens a portal and does a quick mental check to make sure she has everything she needs before stepping through into Sara’s office.

Sara greets her with a kiss and they both take a moment to enjoy the rare moment of quiet surrounding them. “Unfortunately I did actually call you for a work thing.”

“What do you need me to do?” Ava is quick to switch back into Agent mode.

“We have two level nines so we are splitting the team to deal with them both. I’m going with Amaya, Zari and Wally to get Tutankhamun and his army out of the 1904 Australian Outback and I need you go meet up with Ray, Nate and Rory to make sure they don’t implode the timeline.” Sara starts leading the way towards the fabrication room.

Ava snorts in amusement at the blunt assessment. “Where are they exactly?”

“They are in England, on the 22^nd of August 1485, making sure that Henry Tudor actually wins the Battle of Bosworth Field. I don’t have to tell you how important it is to history that the Tudor’s take the throne.” Sara activates the fabricator and watches with delight as a ruffled monstrosity of a dress materialises.

Ava eyes the dress with unveiled disgust. “Fine, but only because I don’t trust them without you or Amaya there.” She sighs and starts unbuttoning her blazer.

“That’s the spirit!” Sara turns back to the fabricator and makes herself a dress that is far less complicated than the one Ava is attempting to put on.

“How have they not been discovered yet anyway?” Ava grumbles as she slips into the first layer of petticoats.

“They’re a bunch of white dudes in Ye Old England willing to throw down against a common enemy. They’re fine. You clearly need help though.” Sara laughs as she watches her wife struggle with the laces on her corset.

Ava pouts at Sara as Amaya and Zari join them, both already dressed for their mission. Amaya walks straight over to Ava and helps her adjust the corset to a more comfortable sitting position. Sara starts getting dressed in her own outfit as Amaya starts lacing Ava tightly into her corset. Zari moves over to help keep Ava stable as Amaya yanks on the laces and Sara has to bite back a laugh at the thunderous look on Ava’s face. Once the corset is laced Zari and Amaya help Ava into the outer layer of her dress and lace it up as well. They make quick work of her hair and soon enough they are wishing each other luck and heading to their particular missions. Ava pulls Sara back before she can join the others to give her a gentle kiss. Ava opens a portal to where she needs to go and she blushes furiously when Sara winks at her and whispers “Don’t worry about the dress. I’ll help cut it off you later.”

Sara’s laughter follows her through the portal and she can’t help but smile at how happy her wife is.

Ava doesn’t know how many hours it’s been since she left the others on the Waverider but she is exhausted. Somehow they managed to fix the anachronism and Henry Tudor is back on track to becoming the next King of England. She is leading Ray, Nate and Rory away from the crowds so that they can portal out of here without anyone noticing. She can feel bruises forming from the boning in her corset, her hair is sticking out in wild directions and her dress is ripped and filthy.

The boys aren’t much better though. Ray has one eye swollen shut and blood down the front of his shirt. Nate somehow lost his shoes and when they found Rory at the end of the battle he had a knife stuck in his shoulder that he hadn’t even noticed, much to Ava’s horror. They did well though so Ava didn’t have the heart to drag them away before they could have a celebratory drink with their new comrades. The Legends have definitely made her soft. Sara sent a message well over an hour ago saying that they were already back on the ship and they had gotten all of the Egyptians home without too much trouble.

They finally find a deserted area and she opens a portal into the Med Bay so that Mick and Ray can get checked out before they go to bed. They step through the portal and as it closes a deafening alarm starts wailing throughout the ship. They all jump in surprise at the sound and the flashing red lights.

They all cover their ears in an attempt to drown out the piercing sirens and look around in a panic. Nate goes running for the door and cries out in alarm when the door refuses to open.

“Gideon what the hell is happening?” Ava shouts and hopes the AI can hear her over the sirens.

“There has been a biological contaminant detected in the Med Bay so the room has been forcibly shut down and quarantined until the threat has passed.” Gideon states over the sound of the siren.

“Can you at least turn off all of this bloody noise!” Mick shouts from the corner.

The sirens finally stop clanging and they all look at each other fearfully. Once the room finally goes quiet they can hear someone banging on the door and they realise that the rest of the team had come running at the sound of the alarm.

“Gideon what do you mean there is a biological contaminant?” They hear Sara ask from the other side of the door.

“It seems that a strain of the English Sweating Sickness has been brought on-board and as there is no current known cure I had to initiate quarantine procedures.” Gideon informs them.

 “That doesn’t sound too bad…” Ray jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Well actually the onset of the English Sweating Sickness starts with a rapid drop in body temperature, which leads to violent cold shivers, giddiness, headaches, neck and joint pain, and general exhaustion. Then once the cold stage passes your body temperature ratchets right up and leads to delirium, thirst, intense sweating and heart palpitations. Eventually the strain on your body causes you to collapse and the people that lost consciousness almost always died.” Nate pales as he rambles out the symptoms from memory and everyone stares at him in horror.

“Gideon, how do we know who has it?” Ava makes eye contact with Sara through the door and does her best to remain calm even though she is starting to freak out internally.

“You all need to be decontaminated immediately and then I can run a scan on each of you.” Gideon sounds as serious as Ava has ever heard and the fact that the AI sounds worried sends a tendril of fear prickling down her spine.

“Okay what is the decontamination process?” Ava asks into the eerie silence. For the first time that Ava has known them, every member of the Legends is deathly silent. She wouldn’t be surprised if they are all holding their breaths waiting on Gideon’s reply.

“There is a biohazard box in the cupboard in the corner. All of the contaminated clothing will need to be placed in there so it can be safely destroyed.” Gideon starts and Ray rushes to get the massive box. He drags it to the centre of the room and unlatches the lid. He pulls the bloody shirt over his head and drops it inside.

Nate and Mick start pulling off their jackets and Ava realises with a growing sense of horror that she is going to have to ask one of these idiots to help her out of this ridiculous dress while Sara is staring at her fearfully from the other side of the damn door. Ray seems to notice that Ava hasn’t moved after he pulls his own boots off.

“Are you okay Ava?” He asks with genuine concern shining in his eyes.

She shakes her head no. “I can’t reach the laces on the back of my dress.”

Ray blushes scarlet and if the situation weren’t so dire Ava might have found it endearing. “Just get over here and help me please.”

“Right, yep, okay!” Ray drops his boots in the box and makes his way over to Ava.

She turns around so that she has her back to him and pulls her long hair aside so that he can see. He fumbles with the knot that is tied right over Ava’s backside and starts apologising profusely for accidentally touching her butt. Not that she noticed with the amount of layers between his hand and her skin anyway.

“Just get on with it Mister Palmer.” Ava sighs, because they still have the skirts and corset left to untie.

They navigate the outer layer of her dress off, over her head and Ray throws it in the box before turning back for the skirts. She has to talk him through finding the knots and all of the guys are very confused about the hoops stitched into all of the ruffles. Nate has to help Ray with the hoops and they are both horrified at the weight that all of the skirts add up to.

“How does anyone even walk in this?” Nate asks in confusion as he attempts to get the ruffles inside the box.

“Well no-one ever said it was fun.” Ava grumbles. She is left standing in a short camisole that falls to her upper thighs, a pair of plain black briefs and the corset laced over the top.

“Women are hard-core.” Nate breathes in wonder as he finally wrangles the dress into the box.

Ray is focussed intently on the tight knots that Amaya tied hours earlier and, try as he might, he just can’t get them undone. He asks Nate to try and he fumbles and curses but the knots remain stubbornly tied. Eventually Mick shoves Nate aside and pulls out a small knife. Before Ray or Nate can breathe a word of protest he slides the blade cleanly from the bottom to the top of the corset and it springs apart. For the first time in hours Ava is able to take a full breath.

“Well that’s one way to do it, I suppose.” She drops the ruined corset onto the top of the pile and gently runs a hand over the sore spots around her ribcage to assess the potential damage. She is feeling a bit chilly and she desperately hopes that it’s because she is standing barefoot in the Med Bay in her underwear and not because she has caught some ancient disease.

They are all standing around awkwardly in their underwear waiting for their next instruction from Gideon, trying not to look at each other. Eventually Ava grows impatient. “What next Gideon?”

“I’m afraid you have misunderstood my instructions. Every article of clothing needs to be placed in the biohazard box, including undergarments. Then the box can be sealed and activated.” Gideon sounds apologetic as they all grimace. “Once that is done you need to have a decontamination shower.”

“Well I don’t want to sweat to death.” Nate declares before pulling down his briefs and tossing them in the box.

Ava’s cheeks flame red as he speeds towards the open air shower on the far side of the room. Ray is blushing furiously as he strips down and awkwardly covers himself as he waits for the single shower. Nate hurriedly scrubs himself down to Gideon’s standards and grabs a tiny towel as he hops out. Ray steps into the still running water once Nate is clear and starts cleaning from top to bottom.

“The biohazard box needs to be sealed sooner rather than later, I’m afraid.” Gideon sounds truly apologetic.

Mick growls as he takes his boxers off and Ava realises that she is going to be fully naked in front of these people that aren’t her wife. She forces the feeling of discomfort down though because she would rather a brief moment of embarrassment than hours of agonising sickness. She pulls the camisole over her head, exposing her breasts to the open air, and drops it in the box. She quickly strips off her briefs and throws them in as well, before slamming the lid shut. She follows the instructions on the activation screen and steps back as the biohazard box starts vibrating. Once that is finished she checks on the progress the boys have made. Nate is standing in a hospital gown looking in every direction, except where she is standing. Ray is towelling off and Mick is in the shower. All of them are steadfastly refusing to look in her direction and she is relieved that they are trying to be respectful in what is a truly ridiculous situation.

Mick steps out of the shower and Nate hands him a towel. Ray is also walking around in a hospital gown now, so Ava gets in the shower. The water is not nearly as warm as she would like and the pressure stings her skin, but she uses the antiseptic soap and starts thoroughly scrubbing to Gideon’s standards. Once the AI is satisfied the water shuts off and Nate hands her a towel without cracking a single joke. She wraps the towel around her torso and grimaces when it barely covers anything.

“Now that you have all been decontaminated I will start running scans now. Mister Palmer could you and Mister Heywood please take a seat so that we can get started.” Gideon’s voice fills the Med Bay and the two men fist bump before sitting down. They attach their monitors and a bright light shines over them as the scans are running.

Ava quickly towels herself as dry as possible and puts on her own hospital gown. Her hair is still quite damp but there isn’t much that she can do about that right now.

The lights above Nate and Ray blink out and they remove the monitors at Gideon’s request. “Mister Rory and Agent Sharpe, please take a seat.”

Ava steels herself and sits in the seat that Ray just vacated and waits for the AI to start running tests.

“So I have to ask…” Nate’s voice breaks the sullen silence that has settled in the Med Bay. “Why are you still Agent Sharpe? Didn’t you change your name when you married the Captain?”

All three men eye her curiously. “I did change it. Legally my name is Ava Lance, but it was easier to keep my maiden name for work. Especially with how often I work with Sara. It would be too confusing for the underlings to deal with a Captain Lance and an Agent Lance.”

“Yeah that makes sense.” Nate nods in wonder, like she has just solved some great mystery.

The light above Ava suddenly switches off, indicating that the scan is finished and as she removes the monitor from her wrist she is hit with a sudden bout of nerves. The guys all seem tense as well and she is somewhat comforted that she is not alone in this feeling.

“I have analysed the results and unfortunately you are all carrying traces of the English Sweating Sickness in your blood. The Med Bay will be kept under quarantine indefinitely, none of you will be allowed to leave and no-one can enter until the disease passes, lest we risk spreading it.” Gideon sounds genuinely apologetic and Ava looks towards where Sara has her face pressed up against the door.

She makes her way over to her wife and they both have tears gathering in their eyes at the news.

“You’re gonna be okay. I promise.” Sara declares boldly, even though her voice is thick with emotion.

“I love you Sara.” Ava can’t think about anything except the worry that she can feel rolling off of Sara in waves and she desperately attempts send back a positive emotion. She’s pretty confident that she fails at that, but it’s the thought that counts right?

“I love you too, Aves.” Sara places her hand on the glass and Ava matches her from the other side.

They have been trapped in the Med Bay for just over four hours now and it has been around three hours since they first started showing symptoms. Zari worked out a way to breach the room, without risking an outbreak, so that the rest of the team could send in mattresses, clothes, blankets, food and drinks.

They are all bundled under various blankets as they all shake from how cold they are. Gideon has the temperature set way higher than they would ever usually be comfortable with, but the cold feels like it has settled into Ava’s bones and she can barely move from the discomfort. Her head is throbbing and if she moves too quickly the room spins. Occasionally she can decipher small specks of warmth coming from Sara but she can never focus on it for long. She is incredibly tired but Nate is insistent that falling asleep will be bad for them.

She is huddled against the door on a mattress with a blanket wrapped right up around her head. Only her face is exposed and she is doing her best to keep up with the story Sara is telling her from the other side of the door. She has no idea how long she sits there drifting in and out of focus but she realises that she is starting to get really warm. She peels the blanket off and sits in her hoodie and sweat pants. She is vaguely startled when a hologram appears next her and Sara crouches down to look at her.

“Hey beautiful.” Sara whispers, concern lacing her tone.

Ava coughs weakly. “I don’t feel very beautiful right now.”

“I always think you are beautiful.” Sara declares.

“What’s going on Sara?” Ava stares blearily at her wife.

“Something’s come up and I really, really don’t want to leave…” Sara goes to take her hand before realising that she is only a projection.

“… But you have to go.” Ava insists; even though it is truly the last thing she wants and they both know it.

“I’ll do everything that I can to come back here as fast as possible. I’m taking Amaya and Wally with me. Zari will stay behind to keep an eye on you all.” Sara blows Ava a kiss because she can’t give her a real one before she stands up and the hologram disappears.

Ava unzips her hoodie and discards it on the floor. She notices that the guys have all ditched their blankets as well and she knows that it is about to start getting really dangerous in here. She forces herself to stand up and she nearly collapses as a projection of Zari appears right next to her.

“Hey Ava, what’s going on?” Zari asks in concern.

“We’re about to switch into the sweating part of the night.” Ava runs a hand across her forehead and notes that it is already feeling damp.

She stumbles over to their pile of supplies and starts stacking water bottles, pain-killers, food and ice packs near everyone’s beds. Her body is screaming in protest and she can feel how scared Sara is. Zari follows her around the room, even though she can’t physically help; she wants them to know that she is there with them.

Ava drags herself back to her mattress and collapses onto her blanket pile. “Gideon we’re going to need the temperature dropped as cool as you can make it.”

“Right away Agent Sharpe.” Gideon immediately processes the request and hopes that it helps them on some level. The AI is feeling particularly helpless as her humans are suffering and she can’t do anything about it.

Ava struggles out of her sweat pants as Zari’s projection sits on the floor next to her mattress with a tablet. Ava is panting at the effort and she relishes the feeling of the cooler air on her exposed skin. She is back down to a tank top and a pair of briefs, but she is long past caring who witnesses her body anymore.

“What are you doing Zari?” She mumbles as she reaches for a water bottle.

“I’m working out on the bridge and I figured I’d just leave the hologram running in case any of you need something.” She looks up from the tablet and her brow furrows as she takes in how awful Ava truly looks. “And maybe I want to keep an eye on you.”

Ava huffs out a pitiful laugh. “Okay. I suppose that’s fair.”

Ava lays on her back staring at the ceiling. She has lost all concept of time passing. All she knows is that she is so, so thirsty and that she has sweated right through her tank top but she can’t move to fix either of those problems. It is unbearably hot and Gideon has assured her multiple times that the temperature in the Med Bay is as low as she can make it while keeping them safe. She has a lot of trouble believing that claim though. She is startled from her stupor by Zari jumping up in excitement.

“Wha’s hap’nin?” She slurs around her dry mouth.

“I’ll be back in a minute, I promise!” Zari’s hologram disappears and Ava blinks in confusion.

Ava is miserably reaching for another bottle of water when the portal that the team has been using to send things into the Med Bay opens. Ava is surprised when Zari steps through wearing a skin tight black outfit made from a material that Ava can’t identify. She also has something that looks like a clear fish bowl on her head. Ava wonders if this is what being delirious feels like.

“I’ve been looking for a way for us to come and help you guys without having to wear those massive hazmat suits and I found these in 2097. I went for a quick shopping run and now we are safe to come and go as we please. The suits come with their own decontamination chamber so that they can be re-used.” Zari rambles excitedly as she does a quick lap of the room and distributes fresh ice-packs and cold bottles of water.

Zari helps Ava sit up and she strips her out of her soaked tank top. She also removes all of the sweaty blankets that she has been laying on and brings her fresh ones. Zari gently gathers her damp hair and ties it up in a messy bun so that it is off her neck. Ava isn’t sure where she found a basin of cold water but Zari begins wiping her back with a cool wash cloth and it is easily one of the best feelings Ava can think of right now. Zari gets her to lie down on her back again and efficiently starts cleaning her face and neck. Ava almost wants to laugh at the blush dusting the other woman’s cheeks as she starts cleaning the sweat off her naked chest; but she appreciates the cool relief more.

Zari is running the wash cloth down Ava’s legs when the portal opens again and the rest of the team file into the Med Bay in their new futuristic hazmat suits. Sara immediately strides over to Ava and Zari and drops down next to the mattress to run her hand lovingly across her wife’s forehead.

“Hey beautiful.” Sara takes Ava’s hand in hers and they both feel the relief that they are able to touch each other again, even if Sara is wearing gloves.

Ava is too dazed to respond but she smiles deliriously in Sara’s general direction.

Zari hands Sara the wash cloth that she was using on Ava. “I didn’t want to overstep or anything and I know that she’s your wife, but she had sweated through her tank top and I had to take it off and…”

“Hey, hey, Zari it’s okay. Ava and I are soulmates remember. I could literally feel how much you helped her feel better. I know you and I know you were nothing but respectful.” Sara does her best to reassure the younger woman.

Zari seems taken aback at Sara’s calm demeanour. “Oh, okay then. Are you sure?”

“Zari, I promise that I’m not mad that you touched my wife’s boobs.” Sara smirks as Zari goes bright red beneath her helmet.

“Okay great! I’d better go help Mick.” Zari scrambles away from the couple and gathers up another basin to take to Mick’s bedside.

Sara chuckles and turns her attention back to her wife. She wasn’t lying when she told Zari that Ava felt better after she had helped her. She hopes that Ava is through the worst of her symptoms because she hates seeing her love in so much pain.

Sara settles in on the floor next to Ava and watches as Amaya, Zari and Wally tend to Nate, Mick and Ray. She doesn’t move from her spot holding Ava’s hand until well after her fever has broken and they are all cleared by Gideon and the quarantine is finally, finally lifted.

Ava is having a well-deserved night in at her apartment. Sara is off on a mission and she is taking the time to catch up on the shows that her wife won’t watch. She is huddled on the couch under a blanket, clutching a bowl of ice-cream, the light of the television casting shadows around the room. It’s been three weeks since she was quarantined on the Waverider and she wonders how long the last vestiges of exhaustion will cling to her. For the first four days Nate, Ray, Mick and herself were absolutely useless and bedridden. Gideon had thoroughly checked them all multiple times and insisted that there wouldn’t be any lasting effects but they are all still struggling to maintain their energy levels, even weeks later.

Ava’s phone lights up on the coffee table in front of her and she groans as she reaches for it. She blinks in confusion at the message Thea just sent her.

Don’t shoot and don’t be naked. I’m coming in.

Ava’s heart lurches up into her throat when the front door swings open and she reaches for the closest knife on reflex. Living with Sara comes with having deadly, sharp blades within reaching distance at all times. She clutches the dagger in a tight fist as her eyes adjust to the sudden bright light that was just turned on.

“Jesus Thea! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Ava grumbles when she realises that the intruder isn’t actually a threat.

“I told you I was coming in.” Thea smirks as she discards her jacket on the rack by the door.

“Yeah, two seconds before you broke in.” Ava tosses the dagger onto the coffee table and resumes eating her ice-cream.

“It’s not breaking in when you’ve given me a key.” Thea eyes the blade on the coffee table in confusion.

“Don’t make me revoke that privilege.” Ava grins when the younger woman pouts at her and she shuffles over to make room on the couch.

Thea drops onto the couch nearly on top of Ava and pulls at the blanket until they are both huddled beneath it. “What are we watching?”

“Lucifer.” Ava frowns as Thea steals the spoon out of her hand and starts eating her ice-cream.

“Cool, what episode are you up to?” Thea asks around a mouthful of Ava’s dessert.

Ava sits up and really looks at her friend. It’s very subtle, but Thea’s shoulders are tense and her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes and Ava is immediately bombarded with scenarios that could have her cheery friend so stressed and none of them are good. She rests a hand on Thea’s thigh to get her attention. “Hey Munchkin, are you okay?”

Thea tenses for just a brief moment before her entire body deflates. She reaches forward and places the, now empty, bowl gently on the coffee table. “How do you do that?” She whispers into her lap.

Ava’s heart breaks at the lost look plastered across Thea’s features. She shuffles over and tucks the smaller woman under her arm. “I know you and I love you enough to notice when something’s up.”

Thea sniffles and burrows further into Ava’s side and the blanket. “I love you too Bean-pole.”

“You don’t have to talk to me, but I want you to know that I will listen when you are ready.” Ava runs her fingers gently through Thea’s short locks, the television completely forgotten in the background.

“I don’t really know where to start.” Thea looks up at the taller woman with big, sad eyes.

“Start with whatever is easiest.” Ava smiles at her encouragingly.

Thea sighs and Ava watches in silence as she takes a few moments to gather her thoughts. “I think I’ve let myself get stuck. All I seem to be doing lately is going to work for Ollie and running around as a vigilante at night and I’m just so tired. Laurel has been so much happier since she started her new job and I want that too.”

“Who says you can’t have that? Do you have a job in mind that you think you would like?” Ava gently hugs Thea with the arm she has wrapped around the smaller woman.

“It’s not really the job that I am getting tired of. I actually like working at the Mayor’s office. It’s Speedy that I don’t have the energy for anymore.” Thea absentmindedly plays with the hem of Ava’s pyjama shirt as she works out what she wants to say. “I’m just so tired of the running and the fighting and looking over my shoulder. I’m angry all of the time and I don’t want to be. It used to feel like I was fighting for something good and better, but nothing I do ever seems to make any difference.”

A stray tear breaks free through Thea’s lashes and Ava gently wipes it away before making the smaller woman look at her. “So quit. You have done more than your fair share to help keep this city safe. Oliver has a new team now and they are completely capable of doing their jobs without you. It’s about time that you do something for yourself and its okay to let other people stand up and take their turn.”

Thea sniffles at Ava’s intensity but she can feel the guilt she has been carrying fall away at her words. There is only one thing that is holding her back from making her decision. “Do you think Ollie will be mad at me?”

“Thea, your brother loves you so much. He will always love you, no matter what you decide to do with your life. Honestly he’ll probably be relieved that you aren’t going to be in the line of fire every night. He definitely won’t hold this against you.” Ava declares.

“How do you know?” Thea whispers into Ava’s shoulder.

“Because you may not be my little sister by blood, but it’s exactly how I feel. I know what the pressure of duty and honour can do to a person and I respect you for recognising that the weight is too much. All I want is for you to be happy and so does Oliver, however you happen to find it.” Ava smiles warmly as Thea finally relaxes into her side.

They sit in comfortable silence watching the final scenes of an episode that they missed the storyline for and Ava is aware that Thea is thinking deeply next to her, but she doesn’t say anything. A new episode starts but it is washing over Ava like white noise as she waits for the younger woman to voice her thoughts. Ava gets up and makes them both a cup of tea before resettling into her place at Thea’s side.

“Hey Ava…” Thea finally breaks the silence that had settled between them.

“Yeah Munchkin?” Ava sips from her steaming mug.

“I was wondering if you could, maybe, help me with something.” Thea fiddles nervously with her tea cup.

Ava notes the way that Thea fidgets and won’t look at her and a frown settles across her brow. She places her mug on the coffee table and takes one of Thea’s hands in her own. “Honey, are you pregnant?”

Thea’s eyes go comically wide and she wordlessly opens and closes her mouth.

Ava notices her pause and immediately attempts to comfort her friend. “Hey it’s okay! I will help you with whatever you decide and…”

“I’m not pregnant!” Thea shouts when she finally manages to regain her voice.

Ava pauses and runs her hands through her hair as the panic recedes. “Oh, thank God.” She breathes in relief.

They both start laughing hysterically as all of their emotions finally start to settle again. Eventually their laughter subsides and they both sip at their cooling tea. Thea bumps her shoulder into Ava’s arm with a grin.

“Well if I ever do get pregnant I’m definitely telling you first.” Thea giggles at the panic that rises up in Ava’s eyes. “But I was wondering if you could help me track someone down?”

“Yeah of course, who do you want to find?” Ava finishes her tea and places the empty mug on the coffee table next to Thea’s.

“Promise me that you won’t tell anyone.” Thea waits until she nods her agreement before continuing. “I want to find Roy.”

Ava snaps her head around to look at Thea so quickly that she worries that she pulled a muscle in her neck. “Your soulmate?”

Thea nods timidly. “I know it’s been years but I haven’t stopped missing him at all. It was easier to pretend that us being apart was worth it when I could feel how happy he was, but he isn’t happy anymore. He is scared and miserable and I still love him.”

“Of course I’ll find him! I honestly don’t know how you let him go in the first place, especially after you accepted your connection. I know I never could have let Sara go after I found her. You are so strong.” Ava is already mentally planning how to track him down and Thea’s relieved smile makes her consider going back to the office immediately, even though it is nearly eleven o’clock at night.

“You’re the best!” Thea kisses Ava on the cheek and grins when the taller woman scrunches up her nose at the action.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Ava grabs the remote to turn off the television. “Come on, it’s time for bed. You can have some of Sara’s pyjamas.”

Thea follows her down to the bedroom and takes the clothes that Ava hands her. She quickly gets changed and they brush their teeth before settling into bed together. Ava turns off the bedside lamp and darkness settles throughout the room.

“Goodnight Munchkin.” Ava whispers.

“Night Bean-pole.” Thea replies, her voice thick with sleep.

Sara tiptoes into the apartment at around three in the morning, absolutely exhausted from her last mission with the Legends. They had gotten back too late for her to call Ava, but she had trouble falling asleep alone on the Waverider and eventually she had given up and decided to go home.

She slowly swings the bedroom door open and she can’t help the smile that lights up her face at the sight. Ava is fast asleep on her side of the bed, snoring softly and Thea is face down in the middle of the bed. All of the warm, protective feelings that she felt coming from Ava earlier make sense now. Only Thea, Laurel and occasionally Zari can prompt those feelings from her wife and it makes Sara feel so lucky that she was paired with a woman with such a large capacity to love.

Sara pulls back the blankets on her side of the bed and slides in next to Thea. The younger Queen grumbles at the disturbance and rolls onto her side without waking up. Sara shuffles into a comfortable position and falls asleep listening to the soft breathing of Ava and Thea.

The sound of her alarm clock reluctantly draws Ava out of her peaceful sleep. She immediately becomes aware of two things. The first is that at some point in the night Thea has shuffled over and wedged her elbow into Ava’s armpit. The second is that one side of her body is completely uncovered and she is feeling distinctly cold. She rubs her face to try and wake herself up.

“Aves, can you turn off the alarm?” Sara mumbles sleepily.

Ava presses the button to silence the alarm before turning to look at her wife spooned into Thea’s other side. A wide grin breaks across her face because she hadn’t expected to see Sara this morning. Her wife’s presence also explains why she woke up with barely any blankets because Sara is notorious for turning herself into a human burrito while she is sleeping.

Thea grumbles and struggles her arm out from underneath Sara before rubbing her eyes miserably. “What time is it?” She asks through a yawn.

“Six-thirty.” Ava sits up and stretches out her spine. She has to bite back a grin at the disgruntled looks on Sara and Thea’s faces at her movement.

Thea reluctantly sits up and Sara teases her about how much her hair is flying in every direction. Ava chuckles at their bickering and Sara pouts at her when Thea rolls over the top of her to get out of the bed. Thea pads down the hall towards the bathroom and Ava climbs on top of Sara once she is out of sight. Sara is still adorably sleepy and Ava brushes some of her hair away from her face before leaning down and kissing her.

“Good morning Sara.” Ava smiles as she sits back up still straddling her wife’s lap.

“Morning beautiful.” Sara gently runs her hands down Ava’s waist to rest against her hips.

“What time do you have to be back on the ship?” Ava starts piling her hair on top of her head to tie into a messy bun.

“Same time you’ll be leaving for work unfortunately.” Sara watches entranced as Ava finishes tying off her hair and the morning sunlight makes it shine golden.

A sudden crashing noise from the kitchen startles them both and it is quickly followed by Thea cursing up a storm.

“We should probably go deal with that while we still have a kitchen.” Ava smirks and stands up.

Sara rolls out of bed to follow her and catches her in another sweet kiss before they meet Thea in the kitchen. The younger woman is already dressed in the clothes she was wearing last night and Sara helps her cook while Ava gets ready for work. They all eat together and Sara goes to get ready while Ava and Thea clean up.

“Thanks for letting me stay over last night.” Thea says once Sara re-joins them in the kitchen.

“Anytime Munchkin, you know that.” Ava states as she starts gathering paperwork to take to the office.

“Laurel’s still away on that trip for work and I still struggle sometimes when she’s away. I think it reminds me too much of when she was…” Thea awkwardly pauses, but Ava and Sara both know exactly what she was going to say because they still feel the loss of Laurel sometimes too. Even though she is alive and well now, they still vividly remember when she wasn’t.

Sara strides across the kitchen and pulls Thea in for a tight hug. “We mean it Thea, you are always welcome here. You’re family.”

“Thanks guys.” Thea checks her watch and flinches at the time. “Anyway I’ve got to run. I still have to get home and change before work. I’ll see you both again soon.” She calls out as she rushes out the door.

Ava finishes packing her briefcase and kisses Sara again. “I have to run too, or I’ll be late for work.”

“I’ll call you around lunch and see what you’re doing.” Sara watches as Ava transforms from her cuddly wife into her Agent Sharpe persona.

“I’m looking forward to it. I love you.” Ava smiles at Sara as she picks up her keys and makes her way to the door.

“Love you too, beautiful.” Sara calls out as Ava is walking out the door.

Sara picks up her courier off the counter top and opens a portal back the Waverider. She takes a last look around the apartment before she leaves and carries the feeling of home with her as she steps through into the kitchen on the ship. The portal closes and she is met with all of the noise of the Legends preparing for the day ahead.

Ava should have known that things were going to blow up sooner rather than later. It has been weeks of straight forward missions and no incidences of people getting hurt or making mistakes. It was too good to be true. She had just assisted the Legends with a mission and they were on the bridge of the Waverider when Gideon announced that Sara had a message from John Constantine. Sara had paused, wide-eyed and asked the AI what he wanted. Ava vaguely recalls that he is the demonologist that helped Sara get her soul back and apparently he has found something that he can’t deal with on his own.

Which is how Ava finds herself sitting next to a chicken in some weird office, filled with all sorts of crazy objects and smells. Constantine is waving his arms around in an attempt to convey how important his case is, but Ava is transfixed, staring at something that looks scarily like a foot wedged down beside an armchair. She is pulled back to the conversation at hand when Sara sighs dramatically.

“And you need our help with that?” Sara is rubbing her forehead in frustration.

“Well that’s about the gist of it, love.” Constantine rakes his eyes across Sara’s body and Ava has to rein in the urge punch him in the face.

Sara glances at her in surprise and Ava doesn’t even care that her wife can feel her possessiveness through the soulmate bond. She is truly coming to dislike John Constantine and the sooner they can get this mission done with, the better.

Sara turns back to the man and places her hands on her hips. “Fine, get whatever it is you need, then we’ll head back to the ship and start from there.”

“Lovely, I knew I could count on you.” He starts shoving various odds and ends into a sack and Ava watches, horrified, as he picks up the foot, sniffs it and shoves it in with the rest of his things. His coat billows behind him as he rushes into another room and they can hear him clanging around in there.

Ava opens up a portal to the Waverider when he comes back out and they meet the rest of the team on the bridge. Sara and Constantine run everyone through the plan again and Ava can feel herself getting tenser and tenser the longer she spends around this British lunatic. They all stand around watching as he feverishly scribbles out runes and designs across the floor of the ship and Ava notices that Sara is radiating nerves as he looks like he is getting close to finishing. She pulls Sara aside and asks if she is okay.

Sara nods at her and assures her that she is only nervous because she has to lead the expedition to this other plane of existence, because her soul had crossed through there when she died. Constantine has assured everyone that it will be a safe trip and they are only going to meet someone to get information on this demon before they face it. Ava wraps her arms around her wife and they both take a moment to relax into each other before they are thrown back into the madness of this mission. Soon enough they are being called back onto the bridge and Ava reluctantly admits to herself that Constantine has done a remarkable amount of work in such a short period of time.

At the centre of all of the runes is a five pointed star that will be their gateway to this other realm. They need five people, one for each point of the star, and Ava refused to let Sara go without her. Amaya and Zari being totem-bearers are going on this trip as well, because their totems give them a unique connection to the afterlife. Constantine will be the fifth traveller to make sure they get back in one piece.

Constantine positions Sara at the head of the star and Amaya and Zari at the two bottom points. The two remaining spaces are between Sara and the two totem-bearers. Once he is satisfied with where the others are standing he turns to Ava and rakes his eyes across her body making her cringe.

“Now love…” Constantine smirks as he takes in Ava’s defensive stance.

“Don’t call me love.” Ava quickly interrupts.

“Well pardon me, pet…” He grins as Ava fails to hide her frustration with him. “… I just need to make sure that you are equipped to make this journey with us.”

“What do you mean?” Ava feels her heart skip a beat because she never even considered that she might not be able to follow Sara on a mission this dangerous.

“Well Sara is leading our little expedition and these two…” he points between Amaya and Zari, “they have the power of their totems and loyalty to their captain to keep them linked to the group.”

“Well where does that leave you?” Ava snaps at him, her frustration getting the better of her.

“Luckily I already have a link to Sara’s soul, so I won’t have a problem following her on the spirit plane.” Constantine pulls a lighter out of his pocket and flicks it open.

“What do you mean you already have a link to Sara’s soul?” Ava asks in confusion, wondering if something happened when she was brought back from the dead and he helped her regain her humanity.

“Well let’s just say our souls have been one and it leaves a metaphysical connection.” He lights the candle and quickly pockets the lighter.

Ava looks towards Sara and her wife is cringing away from this entire conversation. Amaya and Zari are also studiously avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the room. Ava feels like her stomach is bottoming out but she knows now is not the time to get into this and the guilt she can feel radiating from Sara helps to reign in her anger. She takes a few deep breaths and pinches the bridge of her nose. She knows that she shouldn’t care about the fact that her wife apparently slept with this idiot at some point, but she is hurt that Sara never mentioned it to her. “Sara and I also share a very, very strong metaphysical connection, so…”

Constantine leans forward and conspiratorially whispers to Ava. “Well then we both have excellent taste in damaged women.”

Ava feels a pang of hurt through the bond from Sara and Ava realises two things immediately. The first is that Sara had made her way over to where they are standing, presumably to hurry along this argument, and heard what this idiot just said about her. The second is that rage boils to the surface and she will not stand by as anyone insults her soulmate. She grabs Constantine by the lapels of his jacket and slams him against the wall. “Sara’s not damaged and if I ever hear you speaking like that about my wife again I will end your miserable existence. You got that?”

“Your wife?” Constantine’s eyes go wide and he stops struggling against Ava’s hold as he realises exactly how much he just messed up.

“Yeah the wedding rings usually give that away.” Ava snarls and releases her hold of his jacket before standing protectively next to Sara.

“Well how was I supposed to know the difference? She has rings on all of her bloody fingers.” Constantine waves in Sara’s general direction and he pales when he realises that Ava is definitely going to do some serious bodily harm if he doesn’t shut up soon.

Sara steps between the two of them to try to put an end to the argument because she can feel that Ava is on the verge of snapping and they still need Constantine standing to finish this mission. “John, Ava is my soulmate as well as my wife, so she won’t have a problem sticking with me. Now can we just get this over with?”

Constantine adjusts his jacket and mumbles as he brushes past the women. “Well you could have bloody-well led with that.”

Once the warlock is out of earshot Ava sighs dramatically. “I swear I will throat punch him before today is over.”

Sara chuckles as she feels Ava’s anger start to slightly recede. She leans up and places a chaste kiss on her lips before whispering, “I promise we will talk about all of this once we finish this mission.”

“Do we have to?” Ava pouts at her wife as Sara drags her towards their positions around the star.

Sara winks at her as they all join hands and Constantine starts chanting. Ava feels a strange pulling in her lower abdomen and soon enough they are hurtling through a vortex in search of answers.

Ava, Sara, Amaya and Zari are all gathered around the table in the kitchen eating a late lunch while they wait for the guys to finish setting up their trap. Once they got back from their trip into another dimension they were all famished so they made their way into the kitchen while Constantine recruited Ray, Nate, Mick and Wally into helping him collect what he needs to finish this. Sara had pulled Ava aside and explained to her that she had slept with Constantine once, long before they met, and that when they had spoken about exes she had genuinely forgotten about him because it was so unmemorable. Ava is feeling distinctly more settled now that everything is out in the open, but she still can’t wait until it’s done so that they can send John Constantine on his merry way.

Ava is marvelling at the sheer number of plates that Zari has scattered in front of her when she hears stomping coming from down the hallway. She notices that the others are all subtly bracing themselves, so she doesn’t feel as foolish when she flinches at the sound of Constantine storming into the room.

“Sara your damn ship is insisting on being completely useless!” He comes to a stop a few feet from the table and Ava has to hide a grin at how disgruntled he looks.

Sara rubs her forehead in frustration. “Gideon, what exactly is the problem?”

“Captain Lance, I am not comfortable fabricating the things that Mr Constantine keeps asking for.” Gideon’s voice is as exasperated as Ava has ever heard and she notices Zari fighting down a laugh next to her.

“See, this is exactly what I’m talking about!” He shouts while pointing at the ceiling. “It’s only a few human ears, it’s not like I asked for a whole damn body.”

Amaya chokes on her sandwich and Zari is shaking from the effort of keeping her laughter inside. Ava suddenly wishes that Gideon had a corporeal form so that she could high-five her for getting Constantine this rankled.

“John, I’m sorry but you’re just gonna have to find your dismembered body parts however you usually do and stop harassing Gideon.” Sara doesn’t even attempt to hide her frustration at being forced to mediate this ridiculous argument.

Constantine storms out and Sara drops back into her chair with a huff. Ava places a comforting hand on her wife’s thigh as Zari finally gets herself under control.

“Thank you, Captain.” Gideon sounds monumentally relieved and Ava can’t help the grin that erupts onto her face at the thought of the AI disliking John Constantine as much as she does.

“Anytime Gideon.” Sara declares as she picks her sandwich back up.

Ava is finishing off the last of her lunch when she gets an alert from the Time Bureau calling her back to the office. After many assurances from Sara that the hardest part is done, Ava reluctantly heads back to work and leaves the Legends to deal with Constantine and the demon. At least she knows Gideon will be giving him a hard time in her absence.

Ava sighs in relief as she finally unpacks the last box that was sitting on the floor of her new office. She was promoted to Assistant Director nearly two weeks ago, so they moved her upstairs into a much larger space, but she has been too busy to really get settled until now. She takes the empty box out for the recycling and when she comes back in she takes a moment to look around the space. The glass walls let in a lot of light and it is minimally furnished. She has decorated her office for efficiency, not sentimentality. The only personal effects she has here are three photographs and two indoor plants to give the place some colour. She walks over to the shelf and studies the photos that she decided on. One is of her and Sara on their wedding day. Another is of her parents hugging her and Sara at the wedding reception. The last one is of her, Laurel and Thea dressed up at a function hosted by the Mayor’s office. She smiles at the sight of her family and she remembers their excitement at the news of her promotion.

Her computer alerts her that she has a notification, so she makes her way over to her desk and sits down. She has a monitor on the wall that has been silently playing the news and as she moves to turn it off she realises that Oliver is on the screen. She unmutes it and listens as the media declares that he is under official investigation by the FBI because they suspect that he is the Green Arrow. They’re right, of course, but Ava still worries about how this news will be affecting her friends.

Her computer sounds again and she turns off the television because there are only so many problems that she can handle at one time. She freezes as she realises that the alert is the one she set up for tracking Roy Harper and that he has just been caught on a camera in Hub City. Now that she has a reference point she manages to find out that he has been living there using the name Jason Todd. She finds out where he lives and works and where he spends his free time. She debates calling Thea but having this information does nothing to dispel the reason he went into hiding in the first place.

Roy is a wanted fugitive and Ava worries about the ramifications to Thea’s life if they get back together with the situation as it is right now. She uses her new clearance as Assistant Director and pulls up everything that the police have on Roy and, while she’s at it, Oliver. She frowns as she reads through all of the information and she spends all afternoon and most of the night trying to think of something that may help.

Ava is madly tapping away at her keyboard when a knock on the door startles her. She looks up and finds Gary awkwardly hovering in the doorway.

“What is it Gary?” She sighs as she stretches her aching back.

“Have you been here all night?” He asks in concern.

She looks out the window and flinches as the bright morning sun burns her eyes. “I guess I have.”

“Well I just came to drop off these reports that you wanted.” Gary tiptoes forwards and hurriedly places the files he is holding on the edge of her desk. “Maybe you should hire an assistant or something, so you don’t have to stay here all night.”

“Holy shit!” Ava stands up suddenly and startles Gary.

“Or not, you can totally do whatever you want.” He holds up his hands in a surrender gesture.

Ava quickly grabs her coat and keys before herding Gary out the door so that she can lock her office. “Not now Gary, I have an idea.”

It takes six days for Ava to pull together everything that she needs before opening a portal to Hub City. She steps straight into Roy’s dark, little apartment about ten minutes before he is due to get home. She has a quick look around before straightening her blazer. She is dressed in her regulation Time Bureau suit with her hair pulled back into a harsh bun. She doesn’t have to wait very long before a key is turning in the lock and she braces herself. She knows exactly how skilled Roy is at fighting and he has been on the run for a reason. She doesn’t expect this to be easy by any means.

Roy registers almost immediately that there is a stranger in his apartment. His whole body tenses but he doesn’t strike immediately. Ava is standing with her hands up in the air so that he can see she isn’t holding a weapon.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Roy looks like he is moments from bolting out the door.

“I’m here to help.” Ava states in the most assuring tone she can muster. “Thea sent me.”

Roy moves a lot faster than Ava expected and he quickly has her pinned against the wall. She struggles but doesn’t fight back. She needs him to realise that she isn’t a threat.

“You’re clearly a Fed and I’m not going to let you manipulate me.” His grip holding her against the wall tightens and she winces in discomfort.

“Yes I work for the government, but not like you think. I’m not here to arrest you.” She keeps her voice calm in the hope that she can get through to him.

Her phone starts to ring and it startles both of them. “It’s in my front pocket.” Ava nods towards the pocket holding her phone and she keeps her hands up as he pulls the device from her jacket.

He frowns in disbelief at the caller I.D. lighting up the screen. It’s a photo of her and her wife and Sara’s name with a heart next to it. He looks at her in genuine surprise.

“Answer it and put it on speaker.” Ava insists and she watches as he accepts the call with shaking fingers.

Sara’s angry voice immediately fills the room. “Ava? Are you okay? It felt like someone just grabbed you and I swear I will cut someone.”

Ava grins as Roy flinches at the sound of his old friend’s voice, because he knows exactly what Sara is capable of. He gapes as Ava takes the phone out of his hand and assures her wife that she is fine and it was a misunderstanding and the rookie will definitely pay for his mistake. Sara reluctantly hangs up and Ava focusses again on the task at hand.

“Oh my God, you’re Sara’s soulmate.” Roy backs away from her and drops onto his couch attempting to process everything that is happening.

“I am.” She smiles reassuringly and sits in the armchair across from him. She opens up the gallery on her phone and hands it to him. “I’m also a very good friend of Thea’s and I was serious when I said she is looking for you.”

He stares in wonder at the photo of her and Thea in their pyjamas and she patiently waits as he gathers his thoughts.

“You said you can help me. How?” He passes her phone back with shaking hands and vulnerability shining in his eyes.

“I want you to come and work for me. As I said before, I do work for the government and I have a proposition that you would be an idiot to refuse.” She gestures towards a file that is sitting on his coffee table and he picks it up in wonder.

Over the next few hours she tells him all about the Time Bureau and what all of his friends have been up to and, when she finally runs out of things to tell him, he agrees to her terms. He will be coming to work as her assistant and she has written the paperwork to state that he was undercover in Star City when news broke of him being a vigilante and they had to keep his agent status a secret to protect the mission. Now that the fictional mission is over he can return home and Ava will clear up any confusion with the authorities.

Roy quickly packs his meagre belongings into a bag and marvels as Ava opens a portal back to her office. It is after hours now so the building is mostly empty as she gives him a tour. They reach a small room with a platform in the centre and she tells him to stand on it and hold still. A light scans over him and activates a machine in the corner.

After a few minutes the machine spits out a complete Time Bureau uniform and she tells him to try it on. He gets changed behind a partition as Ava waits. He steps out in his new suit and Ava smiles at him.

“Well now you are looking the part. Is it a comfortable size?” Ava taps at the display screen on the uniform fabricator as she waits for an answer.

“Yeah it’s perfect, how did it do that?” Roy stares in wonder as the machine reactivates and fabricates three more suits.

“Trust me when I say you still have a lot to learn. Now follow me please.” Ava starts walking towards the door as Roy awkwardly gathers his bag and new suits before jogging to catch up to her.

They head down to the parking garage and get into a plain black SUV. Ava drives them across town and parks in the garage beneath an apartment building. She instructs him to get his things out of the car before leading him towards the elevator. She presses the button for the fourth floor and after a short trip they get out and walk halfway down the hallway. She pulls out a set of keys and opens the door. The apartment is sparsely furnished with a single bedroom and bathroom. It is small but clean and Roy glances around in confusion. He drops his things onto the kitchen bench and waits for Ava to explain what they are doing here.

She moves over to the couch and sits down with her briefcase. Roy follows and sits next to her, eyeing the massive folder on the coffee table warily. She digs through her pockets and places the keys for the apartment next to the folder, along with the car keys.

“You will be starting at the office 8am on Monday, don’t you dare be late. I expect you to read through this entire manual before you start if you have any chance of keeping up.” Ava is in full Assistant Director Mode and Roy listens with rapt attention. She opens her briefcase and pulls out more paperwork. She drops it next to the keys and points towards a section she needs him to sign. “This apartment is now yours, as is the car downstairs.”

“Are you serious?” Roy stares wide-eyed as Ava pulls a phone out of the briefcase and hands it to him.

“This is a Time Bureau issued phone, do not lose it.” Ava hands him a pen to start signing things.

He scribbles his signature onto everything she tells him to before she starts collecting her copies of the paperwork and stowing it in her briefcase. “Okay I think that’s everything.”

“Why would you do all of this for me?” Roy says in disbelief as he looks around his new apartment.

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Thea.” She stands up and moves towards the door. “Now you listen to me Roy Harper. I am taking a huge fucking risk for you. If you hurt her I will end you. If you don’t bring 110% at work, you are done. If you disobey my orders, you are done. Am I clear?” Ava knows that she is being completely overbearing but she needs him to know exactly how serious she is.

“Crystal clear. I won’t let you down I promise. I have no idea how I will ever thank you for what you have done.” Roy chokes up as he realises just how much Ava is giving him and he surprises her with a hug.

“Okay that’s enough.” She breaks out of the hug after a moment and double checks that she has everything that she needs to leave.

“Yeah you are definitely Sara’s soulmate.” Roy chuckles and Ava can’t help the smile that the thought of her wife brings to her face.

A knock at the door brings them both back to the moment and Roy looks at Ava fearfully as she goes to open it. She swings it open and hugs the woman on the other side.

“Bean-pole what’s going on? Your message was cryptic as hell, and where are we?” Thea demands as soon as Ava opens the door.

Ava steps away from the hug and shrugs. “I’m sure you’ll have more questions for me, but for now I’m going to leave you to it.”

Ava steps out of the way so that Thea can see into the apartment. “What did you do?” Thea gasps in surprise.

Roy strides forward and pulls Thea into a crushing hug and Ava can see tears glistening in both of their eyes. Neither of them even notice as she leaves and shuts the door behind her. She opens a portal back to her own apartment and smiles as she hears Sara singing in their bedroom. She kicks off her shoes as Sara makes her way out to the kitchen.

“Hey beautiful, how was your day?” Sara beams as she makes her way over for a kiss.

“You have no idea how insane my day was.” She loops her arms around Sara’s waist and starts going over everything from the last week in painstaking detail.

Sara is speechless by the time she is finished and Ava just wants to go to bed.

“I can’t believe you pulled that off.” Sara laughs in delight and peppers Ava’s face with kisses. “I love you and your big heart so much.”

“I love you too.” Ava settles into Sara’s side and hopes that everything is going well between Thea and Roy.

Thea comes storming into the apartment late the next afternoon and nearly gets stabbed by Sara for startling them so much. Ava doesn’t have any time to process the intrusion before Thea is throwing herself into her lap and squeezing her so hard her ribs protest.

“Thea is everything alright?” Sara asks as she stashes the blade in her hand back under the coffee table.

“Everything is so perfect I can’t even believe it!” Thea stops hugging Ava and holds her by her face instead. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything about finding Roy and I’m not even mad, because you’ve given us both the chance to start fresh.”

Thea is absolutely beaming in delight and she can feel how proud Sara is through the bond. “I’m glad you’re happy Munchkin.”

Thea jumps up in excitement and Sara takes her place tucked in against Ava. “I am so much more than happy! Oh, and Oliver called me this morning. Apparently the case the FBI was building against him was being anchored around the fact that they had found Roy and were planning to make him testify. So when you cleared Roy you also inadvertently trashed the case they were building against Ollie. It doesn’t completely take the heat off him, but at least now he has time to prepare himself.”

Ava is truly surprised at the news about Oliver’s case, but she is glad that she somehow managed to help. She had spent a few days brainstorming ideas to help him but she hadn’t managed to come up with anything. “Thea, that’s amazing news!”

“Anyway I have to run and meet Roy, but we are throwing a party at Felicity and Ollie’s place tonight to celebrate all of the good news today and you both have to come.” Thea demands even though her ever-present smile diminishes the intimidating air she was aiming for.

“We’ll think about it.” Ava loves Thea but she and Sara have both had a big week and she was looking forward to a night in for once.

Thea leans right into Ava’s personal space and places a hand on each of her shoulders. “Bean-pole you are the guest of honour and I will come over here and drag you out in your sweatpants if I have to.”

Sara starts laughing and Ava can feel the delight radiating off her so she sighs in defeat. “Fine but only because you don’t often make me do things and I haven’t seen Felicity for a while.”

“That’s the spirit!” Thea claps in delight and blows them both kisses as she rushes out the door.

The door swings shut with a resounding thud and Ava lets out a long breath at the sudden silence. “Remind me again why we gave that little hellion a key to our home.”

“Because she is the little sister neither of us ever asked for and we love her.” Sara leans in with a smile and places a kiss against Ava’s jawline.

“Gross.” Ava crinkles her nose in disgust at the warm sentiment, making Sara laugh.

“I can literally feel all of your mushy feelings right now! You can’t even pretend to be a badass around me anymore because I know all of your secrets.” Sara laughs as Ava shoves her shoulder and pouts at her.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Ava grumbles as she settles back into the cushions.

“I know.” Sara grins and kisses Ava delicately making them both smile.

Ava is marching back to her office after a string of meetings, clutching a precarious stack of papers when Roy falls into step beside her. It’s been four months since he first started at the office and Ava is more and more impressed with his work ethic every day and he genuinely seems to enjoy what he is doing. He deftly takes the folders out of her hands and offers her a fresh cup of coffee, which she immediately sips from. “What have I missed?”

“Sara called but she said it was just to check in and you don’t have to rush to call back if you are busy.” Roy pauses as he opens her office door for her. “Also Director Bennet wants the reports from the 1878 Reykjavik mission on his desk before tomorrow and Gary spent the morning trapped in the supply closet on the third floor, which is why we couldn’t find him.”

Ava sits down behind her desk as Roy places the folders in front of her. “First is Gary okay?”

Roy shrugs. “Yeah, he thought he was in the Dark Ages because the light was out, so I guess he’s fine?”

“Oh, Gary…” Ava sighs before taking another sip of her coffee. She has no idea how she ever functioned before Roy was her assistant. He has proven to be incredibly capable and she rarely finds herself as stressed as she used to be. She pulls three files out of her top drawer and hands them to Roy. “These are the Reykjavik files, I want you to drop them off at Bennet’s office. Once that’s done go find Agent Bishil and Agent Hastings, you’ll be reporting to them for the mission to 1937 San Francisco.”

Roy quickly tucks the files under his arm and stares at her in surprise. “I get to go on a mission?”

“You’ve passed all of your required training, you’ve proven to have good deductive skills and I know you can keep it together if shit hits the fan, so to speak. I’m giving you the opportunity to branch out of the office a bit more. I suggest you don’t waste it.” Ava starts organising the stacks of paperwork on her desk into piles determining their importance.

“On it, boss.” Roy winks at her as he strides out the door.

Ava shakes her head in amusement because she has to admit that the boy is charming. She just hopes that he’s still a good assistant once he gets a taste of fieldwork. She opens up the most pressing file and starts reading the first page. As she is nearing the bottom her phone lights up with a message from Roy.

Forgot to tell you! Lunch is in your top left drawer.

Her stomach rumbles at the news and she pulls open the drawer to find a sandwich and a bottle of water. She unwraps the sandwich and takes a big bite and she thinks again how glad she is to have made the effort to hire him.

She pushes through the most urgent paperwork before she calls Sara back. The Legends have been all over the place for the last week and she hasn’t seen her wife in person for at least three days. She dials the Waverider and is met with Gideon’s neutral voice asking about her day. Once she has a quick chat with the AI her call is sent through to Sara’s office.

Ava frowns in concern at how exhausted Sara looks. “Is everything okay over there?”

“Well no-one has been seriously maimed and we haven’t broken time so I’d call that okay.” Sara chuckles but they both know it is forced.

“I’m coming over right now.” Ava quickly moves to lock her office and she leaves a note for Roy letting him know where she is.

She opens a portal into Sara’s office and she is barely into the room before her wife is crushing her into a hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I know me too.” Ava whispers into Sara’s hair. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Sara pulls back slightly so that she can look at Ava. “I have no idea what happened. We are all pretty tired because we haven’t been able to get much down time for days but something must be up. We got back from the last mission and everything seemed normal but Zari absolutely lost it on Mick and no-one knows why. We all know Mick isn’t exactly tactful or anything but he was just being his usual self.”

Ava frowns at Sara’s vague explanation. “What do you mean she lost it?”

Sara pulls out of Ava’s arms and starts pacing fretfully across her office. “She was screaming at him, so he snapped back and…” she momentarily stops pacing to look directly at Ava. “… She used her totem on him.”

“What?!” Ava gasps in surprise.

“I know! It took Wally, Amaya and Nate to separate them and Mick’s just left the Med Bay.” Sara throws up her hands in confusion. “And I don’t know what to do because Zari is refusing to talk to me.”

“Where is she now?” Ava leans back against Sara’s desk and does her best to send some reassurance to her wife as she can feel her anxiety spiking.

“She’s locked herself in her room and she’s somehow managed to block Gideon from doing any reads in there. So we have no video, audio, thermal or resonance scans to see what is happening.” Sara marginally begins to relax as she registers the calm that Ava is broadcasting for her.

Ava is deep in thought trying to remember if Zari had sounded off the last time they had spoken. It was maybe four days ago and she had seemed a little bit withdrawn but Ava had just assumed that she was stressed about the mission they were about to leave for. Now she is wondering if it was something bigger and she hadn’t noticed that her friend was upset. She tries to stem the guilt that she is feeling from the soulmate bond because Sara is upset enough without adding Ava’s doubts into the mix. “I’m going to try and talk to her.”

Sara walks back across the room and clutches Ava’s hands tightly between her own. “Do you need me to do anything?”

“Just go and make sure that the rest of your team is okay. They’re probably just as upset as you are right now.” Ava kisses Sara’s forehead and watches as her wife reluctantly heads off to find the rest of the Legends.

Ava shrugs off her blazer and hangs it over the back of Sara’s chair before pulling her hair out of the tight bun that she wore it in to work. She has no idea what is about to happen or how long it will take and she wants to be as comfortable as possible. She runs her fingers through her hair in an attempt to brush it out a bit before slowly making her way across the Waverider to Zari’s room.

Once she is standing in front of the bedroom door she realises that she is nervous. She calls out Zari’s name a few times and asks her to open the door but there is no response. She presses her ear against the door but the only thing she can hear is the quiet humming of the ship vibrating through the metal. She sighs as she considers her options. She could wait out here in the hallway until Zari needs to leave for something like the bathroom or food, or she could force her way into the room. Her worry for her friend eventually outweighs the risk of her wrath so she calls out to let Zari know that she is coming in. Ava activates her courier and opens a portal to the other side of the door. She walks through and finds herself standing on the edge complete chaos. It seems that Zari didn’t only use her totem on Mick, she used it on her room as well. All of the furniture is upended and there are shreds of torn material and broken glass scattered everywhere.

Ava notices that Zari is sitting on the other side of her bedframe on the floor and her heart constricts as she realises that the other woman is shaking. She calls out to her as she slowly makes her way over but Zari doesn’t even seem to know that Ava is in the room at all.

As Ava works her way across the room she realises that Zari is only wearing her underwear and that her skin is flecked with small dots of blood. She assumes all of the tiny cuts were caused by the hurricane that was clearly unleashed upon the small room. Once Ava rounds the corner of the bed she realises that Zari is hunched over herself silently sobbing and she rushes the last few steps to reach her friend. She drops to her knees in front of Zari, ignoring the sting of something sharp piercing her skin. She awkwardly tucks her hands underneath her legs after she goes to reach for Zari, but stops at the last minute in case the other woman doesn’t want to be touched.

“Zari, hey it’s okay.” Ava says gently.

Zari finally looks up and it’s the first time since Ava entered the room that she has acknowledged the other woman’s presence. “Nothing is okay.” Zari sniffles.

Ava’s heart breaks a little bit for how clearly distraught the small brunette seems. “Zari can I touch you?”

Ava holds her breath as Zari considers her request and after a long pause she nods in agreement. Once Ava receives confirmation she gently shuffles forward and pulls Zari into her arms. Ava hums softly as Zari breaks apart in front of her, crying for an indeterminate amount of time. Once Zari’s tears finally start to ebb Ava realises her legs are aching from holding this awkward position for so long. She also registers how cold Zari’s skin feels under her hands and that some of her cuts seem to have glass in them.

“We need to get you cleaned up and then we are going to talk about this alright?” Ava slowly releases Zari from the tight hold she had around her and she notices the brunette shiver as her skin is re-exposed to the cold air.

Zari looks up at her and her eyes widen in fear when she realises the exact moment that Ava notices what she has clutched in her right hand. She drops her gaze from the tall blonde because she can’t handle the look of sorrow on her face, as she tries to subtly sneak the small knife underneath the bed behind her. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

Ava feels a chill run down her spine as understanding staggers her a little bit. She vaguely registers a spike of panic coming from Sara at her reaction and she desperately attempts to make herself feel neutral again. She knows she is failing spectacularly though. “Zari I need you to be honest with me right now. Are you going to hurt yourself?”

Zari shrinks in on herself and picks at a piece of glass that is stuck in her arm. “No.” she whispers.

“Are you sure?” Ava takes Zari’s hand and holds it away from where it was aggravating the small cut on her other arm.

“I’m not going to hurt myself. This…” Zari’s voice breaks as she indicates towards the glass shards in her skin. “This was an accident. Once it happened though, I thought I could, but I can’t…” She takes two deep breaths before she can continue. “I can’t do it on purpose, I tried and I just can’t.”

There is a sick feeling swirling in the pit of Ava’s stomach at the thought that Zari has been pushed this close to the edge and not a single one of them noticed. “I believe you. Zari, I want you to know that if you ever feel like this you have people that you can talk to.” Tears well up in Ava’s eyes but she forces them back down. “You can always talk to me.”

“I don’t know if I know how.” Zari whispers brokenly.

Ava glances around the trashed room and sighs. “Well how about we get you comfortable and then we’ll see how we go?”

At Zari’s nod she opens a portal to the bathroom in her apartment, because maybe some distance from the Waverider might be a good thing right now. She walks the brunette through and sits her on the edge of the tub. She ducks back onto the Waverider and reconnects the panel to the wall that opens Gideon’s channels again.

“Gideon, can you tell Sara that I’ve taken Zari off of the ship to talk and that I’ll call her later?” Ava asks as she walks across to the portal.

“Of course.” Gideon pauses. “Is she okay?”

“She will be.” Ava feels a spark of warmth at the concern of the AI towards her humans. “Can you get someone in here to clean this up before she comes back though?”

“Right away. Thank you, Ava.” Gideon opens the bedroom door and Ava steps back into her bathroom before closing the portal. It takes her a moment but she is shocked to realise that, for the first time ever, Gideon called her by her first name.

She pulls a well-stocked first aid kit from under the sink and opens it up on the floor in front of Zari. She runs some disinfectant over the tweezers and begins the process of extracting glass from Zari’s skin. Once she is satisfied that she has gotten all of it she makes the brunette get in the shower while she cleans up. She keeps out a large roll of Band-Aids and puts the rest of the first aid kit back under the sink. She goes down to her bedroom and retrieves some warm pyjamas from the near-overflowing drawer. With how often they have people stay the night unexpectedly, Sara had gone on a shopping trip and came home with sleepwear in all colours, shapes and sizes. She gets back to the bathroom just as Zari is getting out of the shower and she hands the brunette a towel. Ava averts her eyes as Zari dries off and picks up the roll of Band-Aids that are decorated with princesses and dinosaurs.

Once Zari is dry Ava starts sticking the colourful Band-Aids over all of her fine cuts. She notes that only a few of them are still trickling blood and that none of them are deep enough to scar. She also notices that Zari is blushing profusely and she realises that the brunette must be embarrassed about her nakedness.

“You know this kind of makes us even now.” Ava teases.

“What do you mean?” Zari tilts her head in confusion.

“Well you’ve seen me naked and if I remember correctly you even touched my boobs.” Ava laughs as Zari cringes.

“I was hoping you were too delirious to remember that.” Zari admits.

“Nope.” Ava smiles as the brunette finally cracks a smile, even if it is small.

“Damn. Also what’s up with all of the princesses and stuff?” Zari holds up an arm decorated with three princess Band-Aids and a dinosaur with a frown.

“That’s Thea’s fault. She bought them for Sara.” Ava chuckles at the memory of Sara with a cartoon dinosaur taped to her forehead.

Zari smiles at the thought of her captain wearing these ridiculous things. Ava finishes covering her cuts and she hands her some green pyjamas to put on before leaving her in the bathroom. Ava heads down to the kitchen to turn the kettle on and she feels a jolt of shock come through the soulmate bond. She assumes that Sara has just seen the state of Zari’s room and she does her best to send something reassuring back, but she knows that Sara can feel how much her stomach is still churning. Once Zari is dressed she meets Ava in the lounge room and the tall blonde wordlessly hands her a cup of tea. They both settle down on the couch and Ava watches as Zari nervously sips at her tea.

“So are you going to tell me what happened today?” Ava tries to be as gentle as possible with the smaller woman because she knows this won’t be an easy conversation.

“There’s no chance that we can just pretend that nothing happened is there?” Zari does her best to force a grin but it falls off her face almost immediately.

“Not a chance. Zari I want you to be completely honest with me right now. Should I be worried that you are going to hurt yourself or someone else in the future?” Ava does her best to be firm yet also understanding because she can’t stomach the thought of what might have happened if she hadn’t shown up in time.

Zari folds in on herself and clutches her mug to her chest. “Is Mick okay? I never meant to hurt him, I just… I don’t know what happened. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I promise it was an accident. I just got so upset and my totem reacted and I couldn’t stop it.”

Ava places a hand on Zari’s shoulder to help ground her again. “Zari, Mick is fine. He’s probably holed up somewhere on the ship drinking beer and watching football as we speak.”

Some of the tension Zari was holding in her shoulders relaxes at that. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now though.”

“What do you mean?” Ava shuffles a bit closer to Zari.

“I can’t go back to the Waverider. How am I supposed to face them after what I did? How are they ever going to trust me again? I wouldn’t forgive me.” Zari sniffles and Ava’s heart clenches at the sight of tears welling up in her eyes.

“Zari no one is mad at you for what happened. They know it wasn’t your fault.” Ava is close enough now to wrap an arm around Zari’s shoulders and she hopes that the brunette is somewhat comforted by her actions.

“But it was my fault! I’m a terrible person.” Zari’s voice cracks and she subtly attempts to wipe away the few tears that are streaming down her face.

“You are not a terrible person. You were upset and what happened was out of your control.” Ava says gently, afraid that Zari might pull away.

“She’s right you know.” Sara walks slowly into the room and sits in front of them on the edge of the coffee table. She shares a small smile with Ava before focussing all of her attention on the brunette huddled in her wife’s arms. “If you don’t want me to be here I’ll go, but I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

“You don’t hate me?” Zari whispers sadly.

“Of course not. If I was in the business of holding grudges over people getting upset and lashing out I don’t think I would have a single friend left and I definitely wouldn’t have married her.” Sara grins and points her thumb towards Ava. “But seriously, I do need to know what happened today.”

Zari fidgets with the mug in her hands and stares intently at her lap. “It’s my brother’s birthday today.”

Ava and Sara glance at each other in surprise and they wait in silence for Zari to continue her train of thought.

“You know this was always supposed to be a temporary arrangement because I was never planning on sticking around for long.” Zari places her mug on the coffee table next to Sara and walks over to stand in front of the empty fireplace.

“What do you mean?” Ava stands up and leans against the arm of the couch.

“My home in the future is set to become a dystopian nightmare, my entire family is dead and no matter how hard I try, I can’t think of a way to save my brother.” Zari starts pacing angrily across the living room. “I was supposed to find a way to fix everything but instead I’ve been playing video games and going to girl’s nights and travelling through time helping everyone except my own family.”

“Zari that’s a lot for one person to have to deal with alone and you don’t have to feel guilty for taking time for yourself.” Sara assures the brunette as she helplessly watches her pace back and forth.

“No it’s not okay!” Zari shouts back, tears now streaming down her face. “I moved on and started building this new life without them and I don’t know when it happened but they aren’t even my first priority anymore.” Zari pauses next to the table where Ava had dumped her work things after they had gotten back to the apartment. She slides the gun out of its holster and holds it up against her head.

Sara immediately strides forward with her hands held up in a surrender position “Hey, it’s okay let’s talk this one through.”

“I don’t deserve to get a new life after I abandoned them.” Zari sobs and her hand shakes.

“Zari you haven’t abandoned anyone! You’re a good person and we can help you.” Ava moves to stand next to her wife.

“Yeah, you helped Ava to save my sister and I’m sure if we all put our heads together we can find a way to save your brother.” Sara takes another step forward as Zari seems to falter.

“You said that we can’t mess with the timeline and use loopholes.” Zari looks heartbroken but there is a tiny glimmer of hope beginning to burn in her eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about it, saving your brother, and technically it isn’t a loophole. It would be changing your past but your past is my future and as far as I’m concerned, the future is an open road.” Sara declares as Ava gently links their little fingers together.

“Do you mean it?” Zari lowers the gun and holds it pointed towards the ground.

“I may be a lot of terrible things, but I have never been a liar.” Sara holds out her hand and Zari shakily passes her the gun. Sara immediately disassembles it and drops the pieces on the table as Ava pulls Zari into her arms.

They all move back to the couch and Sara watches with tears in her eyes as Zari sobs into her wife’s shirt. Ava is holding on to one of her hands behind Zari’s back and Sara vaguely notes that she is losing feeling in her fingertips because she is holding on so tightly. Eventually Zari tires herself out and she falls asleep on the couch. Ava and Sara tuck a blanket over her and slip a pillow underneath her head so that she is comfortable. They tiptoe down the hallway to their room and sit in stunned silence on the end of their bed.

“This is my fault.” Sara eventually chokes out. “I’m the Captain and I should have seen how much she was struggling. How could I have missed this?”

Ava can feel the guilt and heartbreak threatening to swallow Sara whole and she moves to kneel in front of her wife. “Sara it’s not your fault. It’s no-one’s fault. We all missed it because Zari does a really good job of protecting herself. Look at where she came from, if she had let something like her emotions get in the way she would have been caught by ARGUS and had her life stripped away. She had to learn from a really young age to lock her feelings away and get on with the job.”

Sara wipes at the tears staining her cheeks. “What if she thinks I’ve let her down? I should have tried harder to include her.”

Ava laces her fingers through Sara’s and does her best to sound positive. “We can’t dwell on what ifs right now. I feel like I let her down as well but the best we can do is promise to do better in the future. We can learn from our mistakes and we can be there for her and the rest of the Legends now.”

“You’re right.” Sara nods and pulls her phone out of her pocket.

“What are you doing?” Ava asks in confusion as Sara taps away.

“I’m messaging my Mom to see if she can come to the ship and talk to the team.” Sara states like it’s obvious.

“I agree that having an outside source for the Legends to talk to will be beneficial, but I don’t understand how your Mom will be a big help with that. Isn’t she a History Professor in Central City?” Ava stands up and moves to find her pyjamas.

“Oh, she is, but she got a Psychology degree before she changed fields. So she is technically qualified to come and deal out some therapy and she already knows about most of the messed up stuff we deal with on the regular, so we don’t have to worry about secret identities and stuff. Besides, as far as she knows I’ve come back from the dead at least twice and Laurel once, so she’s not a stranger to outrageous stories.” Sara finishes typing and tosses her phone behind her onto the mattress before looking for her own pyjamas.

“That is actually kind of brilliant.” Ava tugs her shirt over her head. “I can run it through the office and make it official so she doesn’t have to worry about it conflicting with her job.”

They both finish getting dressed and brush their teeth. Sara’s phone rings so Ava goes to check on Zari and when she comes back Sara passes her the phone so that she can talk to Dinah about their plan. They stay up pretty late talking logistics and by the time they are done there is a plan in place for Dinah to go to the Waverider once a fortnight and spend an hour with each of the Legends.

Neither Ava nor Sara can sleep because of their worry for Zari so Ava sits up and completely drafts the agreement for Dinah Lance to officially be added to the Time Bureau’s books, because if the Legends somehow learn some impulse control in this it can be only good for the Bureau, right? Sara spends most of the night hovering between Ava and Zari and at one point she opens a portal back to the Waverider to give the team an update because she knows they won’t be asleep either.

 They do end up falling asleep somewhere around four in the morning, but they both rise with the sun and start cooking a big breakfast to get them through the day. They cook eggs and turkey bacon for Zari and the brunette wakes up to smell of fresh brewed coffee. Once they are all fed and dressed they tidy up the kitchen and Ava opens a portal back to Zari’s room on the Waverider. They step through into the clean space and no-one comments when Zari’s eyes shine with unshed tears. Ava says her goodbyes and leaves them so that she can get into the office and sort out some paperwork.

It only takes two days to clear the paperwork with Director Bennet and Ava finds herself opening a portal to pick up Dinah Lance to take her to the Waverider for the first time. Sara has the unenviable job of wrangling the Legends together on the other side. Ava quickly runs Dinah through the basics of how the time courier works and she has to give her Mother-in-law credit, the woman hasn’t flinched once at the task that has been set for her.

They step onto the bridge and Sara begins introducing her mother to her teammates. Once she explains why Dinah is there, they are met with various forms of protest and general un-enthusiasm.

“Listen I don’t care if you talk about your feelings, or hobbies or the weather but for one hour a fortnight you will be sitting down with my mother and talking about something. Nothing that is said in these sessions will be mentioned to me or anyone so don’t be afraid to actually make the most of your time.” Sara stares down every person on the bridge and they all mumble their agreements under the wrath of their Captain.

“That’s more like it. Wally you’re up.” Sara points them towards the library as the rest of the team disperses throughout the ship, waiting until it is their turn.

Ava spends the next few months watching in amazement as Dinah Lance actually seems to be making progress with the hooligans on the Waverider. She bit her tongue at the beginning because Dinah’s methods seemed to be completely outrageous but, of course, Sara’s mother is somehow getting results through the madness. Every second Thursday Sara opens a portal at around eight-thirty and Dinah comes on board. She always meets with the Legends on the same roster, so she starts off with Wally at nine AM and they pretty much spend the whole hour together meditating.

Dinah spends the ten to eleven spot baking various things with Ray and then the eleven to twelve spot eating those things with Nate. From twelve to one she sits in the library drinking tea with Amaya and listening to all of her stories from Zambesi and the Justice League and then at one o’clock the whole team comes together for family lunch.

After lunch at two o’clock she sits with Zari in her room playing video games and ever so slowly the brunette starts to open up because she knows that Ava and Sara organised this whole charade so that she could get help without feeling singled out. The three o’clock to four slot is spent drinking beers with Mick in silence watching sports and he is surprisingly accommodating to Dinah.

Sara refused to force her team to do something that she wouldn’t do herself so from four o’clock she meets with her mother and sometimes she even attempts to tell her things that she probably shouldn’t keep inside anymore. Though most of the time she can’t bring herself to open up, so they go to the training room and she spends the time teaching her Mom self-defence instead.

Dinah seems to be making an impact though so Ava can’t begrudge her tactics. None of the Legends seem to really talk about anything important but maybe knowing that they have the option helps anyway. All she knows is that Zari has been checking in with her and each time the brunette seems lighter inside and Ava is steadily pushing back the panic that had clawed its way around her throat.

Chapter Text

Ava manoeuvres her SUV into a parking space between two poorly parked cars as Sara and Laurel bicker between themselves in the passenger seats. Once she is satisfied that she is parked as well as she can be she shuts off the engine, drawing the attention of her two passengers. They hop out of the car and Laurel passes around the stuff they brought for dinner so that they can carry it upstairs. Ava is holding a Tupperware container full of cookies and a salad bowl. Laurel and Sara are both carrying two bottles of wine each and Ava just knows that she will be carrying their asses home later. They hop in the elevator and Ava is content to listen to the sister’s arguing over the details of something that happened when they were teenagers. The elevator slows to a stop and when the doors ding open they all step off and Laurel leads them down the hallway. Ava has never actually been to Oliver and Felicity’s apartment before and she is curious to see how the Green Arrow and his genius wife spend their down time. Felicity greets them at the door with crushing hugs and a huge smile which Ava happily returns.

“Finally! What took you guys so long?” Thea shouts from across the room before barrelling into the group of blonde women at the door.

“You know how it is; we had to get Attila the Hun out of 2031 Zimbabwe.” Sara shrugs before bounding away to say hello to her Dad.

Thea grabs Ava by the hand and drags her to the middle of the room where Roy is waiting for them. “Everyone! Now that you are all finally here, we have an announcement.” Thea shouts causing everyone to go quiet. She holds up her left hand, showing off a large, shiny diamond resting on her ring finger. “Roy and I are engaged!”

Ava blinks in surprise as she is inadvertently crushed into the middle of a fierce group hug but she couldn’t be happier for Roy and Thea. They have been through a lot and she is so glad that they have managed to overcome it all to get to where they are today. Eventually people move away to start opening up the champagne bottles and she plants a kiss on Thea’s temple and tells her how happy she is for them.

“We couldn’t have done it without you Bean-pole.” Thea grins up at her with a teary smile.

“Of course you would have. You two are literally made for each other, so you would have worked it out eventually.” Ava chokes up a bit as Roy and Thea both crush her into another hug.

“Whatever you say, Boss.” Roy winks at her as she rolls her eyes at him.

“How many times do I have to tell you, that you don’t have to call me Boss when we’re not at work?” Ava grumbles at her assistant.

“Probably a few more times, Boss.” Roy laughs as he is dragged away by Curtis and Rene for a drink.

“He’s such a little shit.” Ava mumbles as Sara passes her a flute of champagne.

“And yet you love him anyway.” Sara smirks and pokes Ava in the side making her grumble again.

“Don’t you dare let him hear you say that.” Ava threatens even though she can’t hide the truth of it from Sara because of their bond.

“I promise.” Sara leans up and kisses Ava gently. “Besides I can’t have people knowing that my wife is all soft and squishy and not the badass that they all think she is.” Sara bounds away from her with a laugh and Ava rolls her eyes and drains her glass.

Ava passes the taxi driver more than enough cash to get Gary home. The scrawny man is such a lightweight and she practically had to carry him down to the street to make sure he gets home alright. She still cannot fathom how he and Roy have become such good friends because she didn’t think they had all that much in common. She waits until the taxi is out of sight before slowly making her way back upstairs. Her friends and family don’t often have the opportunity to celebrate and they are quite rowdy drunks. Ava is being a responsible designated driver though, so she has only had two drinks and is now starting to make sure people are getting home safe.

She makes it back to Oliver and Felicity’s floor and is surprised to find Roy sitting by himself in the hallway. He scrambles to his feet when he sees her and wrings his hands together nervously. “Hey Boss, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?” She smiles at him reassuringly, hoping to ease some of his obvious nerves.

“Well, here’s the thing, you have done so much for me. You cleared my name with the Feds, you gave me a job, a home and a second chance with Thea. Which I can never thank you enough for, by the way…” Roy rambles quickly.

“Where are you going with this, Harper?” Ava places her hands on her hips and without realising uses her Assistant Director voice on the young man.

“Well you are the closest thing that I have ever had to family and I was wondering if you would be my best man?” Roy looks at her with the biggest hopeful eyes.

It takes Ava a second to process what Roy has just said and when she does, tears spring to her eyes. She curses her stupid emotions because there is no way he can’t see the way she melts at the question. “You think I’m family?”

“Of course. You’re like a grumpy, big sister that acts like she doesn’t care but would secretly fuck shit up if anyone messes with us.” Roy grins and play punches her shoulder.

A tear breaks free from one of Ava’s traitorous eyes and rolls down her cheek. She pulls him in for a tight hug, which he quickly reciprocates. “Of course I’ll be your best man.”

“Yeah?” Roy squeezes her a bit tighter before breaking the hug to grin at her.

“Yeah, but if you tell anyone I cried I will strand you in a decade no-one will ever think to look for.” Ava does her best to glare at him while attempting to wipe her eyes.

“That’s a secret I can definitely keep, Boss.” Roy winks at her and moves to go back inside.

“I told you not to call me that here!” She shouts at his retreating form but she can’t help the warm feeling she gets from his returning laughter. He is definitely the annoying little brother she never had growing up. She quickly wipes at her eyes again before going back to re-join the party.

Ava is squashed on the couch between Zari and Mick as she listens to Ray tell a story about how he nearly levelled a city block when he was first putting together the Atom suit. Laurel is sitting on top of Felicity in the matching armchair and Ray and Wally are sitting on the coffee table. Aside from Ava, they are all quite drunk and the stories they have been telling are bordering on ridiculous, but Ava doesn’t doubt the truth to them.

“So what made you want to build a superhero suit in the first place?” Zari pipes up as Ray finishes his story.

“Well, ah…” Ray awkwardly pauses before taking a deep breath. “I was engaged to my soulmate, Anna, and we were planning our wedding when Slade Wilson’s Mirakuru army invaded Star City. She was murdered in front of me.”

The group goes deathly silent at Ray’s confession but Ava can tell that Laurel and Felicity already knew this. Still her heart goes out to the man and she finds a new level of admiration for him, that he can continue to be so positive after suffering something so heartbreaking.

“Ray, I’m so sorry.” Zari speaks up when the silence stretches to an uncomfortable length.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know and besides, she’s the reason the Atom exists. So that I could protect other people even if I couldn’t save her. I like to think that she would be proud of me.” Ray shrugs and smiles to himself at the thought of his soulmate.

“You know, after Tommy died in the Undertaking, I felt pretty lost in the world. Then when Sara died and I put on the Black Canary mask, it was the first time that I felt like I was doing something that they could be proud of.” Laurel plays with Felicity’s hair absentmindedly as she maintains eye contact with Ray. “So I guess I understand what the Atom suit means to you.”

Ray reaches over and rests his hand on Laurel’s knee. “I think you’re right.”

Ava watches the two of them as they share in the unique pain of the loss of a soulmate and she marvels at their strength of character. They both knew and loved their soulmates when they lost them and yet they still became such kind and generous people. When Sara died Ava became a different person and she has no idea what her life would look like now if her wife hadn’t miraculously been resurrected.

“I don’t really understand all of this soulmate business.” Zari states, kicking her legs up into Ava’s lap, much to the older woman’s annoyance.

“What do you mean?” Felicity asks she attempts to wiggle out from underneath Laurel.

“How do you guys find each other? Because it’s not like you have a sign with each other’s names on it or anything. How do you know what you’re looking for?” Zari tosses back the rest of her drink as the rest of the group frown at her in confusion.

“The universe puts you in each other’s path. They will become someone that, for some unknown reason, you keep running into over and over again until you can’t ignore the coincidence anymore.” Ray states as Laurel and Felicity nod in agreement.

“Huh, that sounds weird.” Zari holds out her glass for Wally to refill.

Ava frowns at the way Zari speaks about soulmates, almost like the idea is a novelty that she doesn’t really know how to entertain, until it suddenly clicks. Ava stares at the shorter brunette for a moment as the idea washes over her. It is rare, but there are known cases of people being born without the link to their person. “Zari, do you not have a soulmate?”

“Nope.” Zari pops the ‘p’ as she leans back into the cushions. The entire group goes wide-eyed in surprise at the confession. “Not many people in the future do actually. ARGUS found a way to sever the connections before birth and it’s not often that parents can hide a pregnancy from an overbearing government. Then after a while the children conceived by severed parents stopped developing the link at all.”

“That’s horrible.” Felicity shouts into the silence. “The government has no right to take something like this away from people. It’s just wrong.”

Zari just shrugs. “I never really saw the big deal until I started hanging out with these guys.” She points her thumb in Ava’s direction.

“That’s why you can’t trust the government.” Mick growls as he opens another beer.

“What about you big guy? Have you got a soulmate out in the world somewhere waiting to find you?” Zari nudges him with her foot.

“Nah.” Mick takes a large sip of his beer and frowns when he realises everyone is staring at him with rapt attention. “I found my soulmate years ago.”

Ray nearly vibrates off the table in excitement. “Who is it? Do we know them? Where are they now?”

“Cool it, Haircut.” Mick grumbles and sighs in defeat. Clearly this is not a conversation he can walk away from now. “Me and Snart were those tectonic soulmates.”

“Tectonic?” Zari looks around in confusion because she has never heard the term before.

“Do you mean platonic soulmates?” Ava asks for clarification, because that pairing makes a weird amount of sense to her. Crazy and yet, somehow not, no wonder they were such good criminals if they were that in sync with each other.

“Yeah, that.” Mick points his beer bottle at Ava and then retreats from the conversation and the living room.

“Holy shit. I did not see that coming.” Zari laughs.

“What about you Wally? Since we already know Ava and Sara and Felicity and Ollie are meant to be.” Laurel nudges Ava playfully and laughs when she swats her hand at her.

“Yeah, I’ve got one out there somewhere. They bang their shins into things a lot.” Wally chuckles and manages to bring some lightness back to the group.

A loud booming noise from upstairs shakes the apartment and Ava and Felicity both recoil in pain. Even drunk, every single person in the apartment jumps to attention, ready for any type of attack. Ava struggles to catch her breath and her ribs burn with the effort. Sara and Oliver appear at the top of the stairs and reassure everyone that it was an accident and they aren’t under attack.

“Are you guys kidding me?” Felicity shouts when she notices the scorch marks on their clothes. “What the hell did you blow up? Oliver, I had better still have a tidy bedroom and an untouched wardrobe when I get up there.”

“Well I was showing Sara my new rappelling arrows and we were going to have a race down the side of the building…” Oliver rushes to explain before his wife completely loses her temper.

“I’m sorry, what?! Let me get this right, you were going to drunkenly climb down twenty floors on the outside of the building in the middle of the night.” Felicity rubs her forehead in frustration. “Then what? You couldn’t get the window open and decided to blow a hole in the wall instead?”

Oliver and Sara both look appropriately chastised. “In his defence, I accidently pulled the wrong arrow out of the quiver and instead of shooting cord, it blew up.” Sara speaks up when the vein in Felicity’s forehead bulges.

“The hole in the wall isn’t really that big, although the dresser broke when we were thrown into it.” Oliver grins like that helps his argument at all.

“Oh my God, I’m married to an idiot.” Felicity mumbles under her breath.

“Well, tonight was heaps of fun. Thanks for the invite, but this is bordering on uncomfortable and I’d rather not see married people fight.” Zari grins and jumps up from the couch. She fist bumps Roy and Thea before putting her jacket on.

There is a sudden barrage of people saying their goodbyes and making a hasty, giggling retreat from the apartment. Soon enough only Oliver, Felicity, Sara, Ava, Roy, Thea and Laurel are left.

“So how much of our bedroom is still standing?” Felicity crosses her arms and stares down the two guilty daredevils.

“Most of it? Only half of the bed caught fire.” Oliver grimaces at the thunderous look on his wife’s face and he glances at Sara like she can somehow save him, but she is currently doing her best not to wither under the force of her own wife’s disapproval.

“Okay, well the two of you are going to stay here and clean up the mess you made. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to go and stay with Ava tonight and when you’re done you can come and get me.” Felicity grabs a coat and her handbag.

Sara puts on her best pleading, puppy-dog face in the hope that Ava will save her from punishment.

“No, I agree with Felicity. You can’t just blow up other people’s apartments. I’ll see you when you finish cleaning this place up.” Ava kisses Sara on the cheek and starts shuffling everyone else to the door so that she can drive them home.

Thea is asleep so Roy carries her down to the car, while Ava supports a drunken, stumbling Laurel. She notices that Felicity is walking with a slight limp and she can still feel the dull ache in her own ribs because of the antics of their soulmates. They all pile into her car and make the quick drive to Roy and Thea’s place. Roy assures them that he can get his fiancée upstairs without a problem and thanks them for such a great night.

Ava idles the car out the front until she can see that they have made it inside and the security door has swung shut. Once she is satisfied that they are secure she pulls away from the curb and starts the drive back to her place. Laurel is passed out in the back seat and she doesn’t have the energy to make that stop before getting home to her own bed.

Felicity quietly stares out the window for the length of the drive and the silence is only broken by the soft snoring of Laurel in the back seat and the low humming of the weird songs radio stations play after 2am. Ava pulls into her parking space and she shakes her sister-in-law awake. They make it up to the apartment and Ava sends Felicity into the infamous pyjama drawer to choose something for herself and Laurel while Ava helps Laurel brush her teeth.

Laurel falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow and Ava sets a glass of water and an aspirin on the bedside table. Felicity has a shower and gets changed in the bathroom while Ava tracks down a bucket for the blonde currently unconscious in her bed. Ava has her own shower while Felicity makes them both a cup of herbal tea.

Once Ava is dressed in her comfiest pyjamas she makes her way down to the kitchen and sits at the counter next to Felicity. She eagerly takes a sip of her tea and sighs happily at the warmth that spreads through her body.

“How did you deal with having Sara as a soulmate when you were growing up?” Felicity asks, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over the room.

“I worried about her sometimes when we were kids because she was getting bullied.” Ava quietly admits. It’s the first time she’s mentioned it to someone that wasn’t her father because after finding out everything else Sara had to go through, it didn’t really rank as something that needed talking about.

Felicity glances at her in surprise because she absolutely cannot fathom the idea of the White Canary getting bullied by anyone and letting them walk away unscathed.

“I know.” Ava chuckles at Felicity’s reaction. “Now that I know her, I have a hard time picturing it too. That’s not what you really want to talk about though, is it?”

Felicity sighs and stares into her mug. “After the Queen’s Gambit sunk, were you afraid?”

“The night the Gambit went down was the first time I genuinely thought my soulmate was going to die. She came so close to drowning and I was only twenty. It was so unexpected and everything that came after was just so unbelievable. I guess after a while I was more scared when I couldn’t feel anything. At least feeling her hurting let me know that she was still alive.” Ava stands up and moves around to the sink to pour out the last of her tea. It has gone cold and she isn’t really in the mood to finish it anyway.

“I know what you mean. Oliver made it off the Queen’s Gambit pretty unscathed, but the things that happened on Lian Yu gave me nightmares. I was only eighteen when it started and with the time difference a lot of the things that happened to him were night time here. I would wake up at all hours of the night screaming in pain, too afraid to fall back to sleep. I started becoming pretty reclusive because I didn’t know how to explain to people why I would be reacting so violently to the soulmate connection.” Felicity fiddles with her mug and struggles to make eye contact with Ava.  “I didn’t really have any friends except for my Mom, until I found Oliver anyway.”

“I didn’t really have a lot of friends either.” Ava admits, emboldened by Felicity’s blunt honesty. “I used Sara’s pain as a tool to turn myself into a weapon and I became someone that people found unapproachable and harsh. I didn’t realise, until it was almost too late, that becoming that person was my own way of protecting myself. Then she died and that remaining piece of me that was kind and forgiving died with her.”

Felicity stares at the stoic blonde with rapt attention. “What changed?”

Ava glances down the hallway towards her bedroom and smiles. “Laurel. She brought Sara back, and then she found me and saved me too.”

Felicity moves to place her mug in the sink as well. “Oliver is my absolute favourite person on the planet, but I think Laurel was my first real friend too. She deserves so much more happiness than the world has given her.”

“Come on, it’s getting late, we should try to get some sleep.” Ava pulls Felicity into a long overdue hug that helps to settle a part of her that has been restless for most of her life. She takes a deep breath before releasing her hold on Felicity and she quietly leads her down the hall and crawls into the middle of the bed between her and Laurel. She is so exhausted that she falls asleep almost instantly.

Ava wakes up the next morning to the sound of Laurel retching into the bucket that she had thankfully put out the night before. Felicity is still sound asleep, so she blearily sits up and rubs Laurel’s back as she continues heaving. She notices that the other woman has sweated through her shirt so she helps her up and into the bathroom so that she can shower. While the water is running, Ava empties the contents of the bucket into the toilet and does her best to not gag at the smell. Ava hands Laurel a sports drink while she is still in the shower so that she can begin replacing electrolytes in her body.

She pulls her hair up into a messy bun and starts cooking some hangover food for breakfast. Laurel will definitely need it and she knows that Felicity had quite a bit to drink as well. The smell of bacon rouses Felicity from the warmth of the bed and Laurel appears not long after in a fresh set of pyjamas. They both lean miserably against the kitchen counter as Ava places plates of food and glasses of juice in front of them. She serves up a portion for herself and sits on the stool next to Laurel.

At the first bite, Laurel groans in satisfaction. “I’m so glad you married my sister.” She says around a mouthful of food.

Ava just chuckles and continues eating her eggs. Felicity and Laurel insist on cleaning up the mess from breakfast and Ava isn’t silly enough to say no. Once the kitchen is back in order they shuffle over to the couch and settle in for a lazy day watching movies.

Sometime after lunch Sara and Oliver show up declaring that the apartment is back in order. Ava has to bite back a laugh at the sight of Sara. Her wife is wearing a pair of William’s sweatpants, that are far too short for her, and a flannel shirt that is clearly Oliver’s because she is swimming in it. When questioned about it, the two troublemakers admit that they were too scared to raid Felicity’s wardrobe for something for Sara to wear, just in case something happened while they were cleaning. They settle into the lounge room with the others and they all spend the rest of the afternoon lazily finishing a Harry Potter marathon.

Ava sighs as she settles into bed after a long day at the office. She wiggles herself closer to the middle because she is pretty confident that Sara will be crashing on the Waverider after their latest mission. The Legends were still in the midst of their shenanigans when Ava left work and there is a pretty high chance that they won’t be finished for hours yet. The apartment always feels too quiet when Sara is away and usually it would bother her, but she is dead tired and it doesn’t take long for her to drift off.

A shrill buzzing sound reluctantly draws Ava out of her sleep and she blinks her eyes blearily at the clock on the bedside table. She groans pitifully when she realises that it is three o’clock in the morning, but she blindly reaches out for her phone that is still blaring noise at her.

“H’lo.” She yawns into the microphone.

“Oh thank goodness you answered. This is the third time I’ve attempted to call and I was starting to wonder who else I could get to help.” The voice on the other side rushes through an explanation, causing Ava to sit up in alarm.

“Gideon?!” Ava throws off the covers and starts frantically searching for something to wear. She has never heard Gideon sound so distressed before and the thought that the AI had to call because no-one else can has Ava absolutely terrified. “Are the Legends alright? What happened?”

“I have no idea if they are alright. After we crash landed outside of Star City they were thrown around a bit and I can’t just force them to the Med Bay with sheer force of will.” Gideon grumbles, causing Ava to start sweating in fear. They crashed!? Not a single one of them can get help?

“Just hang tight Gideon I’m coming over right now.” Ava haphazardly pulls a jacket over her pyjamas and slips her feet into a pair of boots before opening up a portal to the Waverider. She takes a deep breath as she steps onto the bridge and stares wide-eyed at the flashing lights and damage the time-ship has suffered.

“They are in the kitchen, Assistant Director Sharpe.” Gideon states. “But I must warn you that they are not really themselves right now.”

Ava walks slowly down the hallway towards the kitchen. She can feel her heart pounding up in her throat and the red flashing lights are casting eerie shadows throughout the ship. As she gets closer to her destination she can hear scuffling sounds and something that sounds alarmingly like someone crying. She takes a breath and marches into the room expecting the worst.

Ava comes to a complete stop and stares in utter disbelief at what she assumes are the Legends, sitting on the floor stuffing their faces with cake. “Gideon, what the hell am I looking at?”

“We were thrown off course when we left the temporal zone and were forced through a worm-hole. We still came through where the Captain had intended but the Legends appear to have been de-aged as a result.” Gideon states quietly, but the children still startle in surprise at her voice.

“Holy shit!” Ava realises that she is getting light-headed from shock and leans against a wall for some support.

“Hey, you said a swear!” One of the boys points an accusing finger at Ava and it startles her out of the mental spiral that she was falling into.

She cautiously makes her way towards the group of misfits and does her best to keep calm. They are all obviously different ages, with Mick being the oldest, but even he couldn’t be more than six right now. She can easily pick Sara, Amaya and Zari from the group and Ray’s dark hair helps to identify him from Nate. They are all wearing their adult sized t-shirts like long dresses over their tiny frames and Ava can tell that none of them are wearing pants.

“Who are you?” Nate asks curiously as she crouches down to their level.

“My name is Ava.” She does her best to smile warmly at them, but she still feels like she is on the verge of a panic attack. She notices that they seem a bit banged up from the crash and a few of them still have damp tear tracks down their chubby cheeks. “I’m here to look after all of you.”

“Neat.” Ray chirps before grinning bashfully at her.

Ava does a quick head count and realises that the young speedster is missing from the group and it sends a rush of fear through her body. “Gideon, where is Wally?”

“Mister West is currently in his room.” Gideon whispers as the children stare wide-eyed at the ceiling.

“Are you a witch?” Mick asks around a mouthful of cake.

“No? What makes you think that?” Ava gently questions the boy as she mentally makes a note of how adorable young Mick is.

“Cos you can talk to the lady that’s stuck in the roof.” He states matter-of-factly.

Gideon makes a kind of choking noise at that and Ava has to bite back a laugh at this entire situation. “How about this? If you all come with me, I’ll teach you how to talk to her as well.”

The children all perk up at the offer and they all look to the oldest boy to wait for his decision. He rubs his chin thoughtfully before grinning at Ava in all of his gap-toothed glory and nodding in excitement.

“Okay let’s go.” Ava attempts to herd them all out of the kitchen but she would probably have had more success with wild cats. Eventually she makes them all hold hands in a line and they follow along behind her like little ducklings. Zari is the smallest of the group and she is determinedly toddling along with her pudgy little hand being held gently by Ray.

The crying Ava could hear earlier is getting louder, the closer they get to Wally’s room and she quickly opens the door to get him out. The children all startle at the door whooshing open and if she wasn’t so overwhelmed by everything she would probably find this whole situation hilarious. Ava glances around the room and she rapidly strides over to where Wally is lying on the floor. She would be genuinely surprised if the boy is any older than twelve months in his current condition. She picks him up and gently cradles him against her chest in an attempt to calm him down. She rocks back and forth and hums until his wailing cries become sad hiccoughs.

Nate curiously pokes his head into the room. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah buddy, he’s fine. Just a little bit scared because he was by himself.” Ava walks back out into the hallway and ruffles Nate’s hair as she passes. “Now let’s go get checked out.”

The little ones all cheer and reform their duckling line. Amaya is at the front this time so Ava takes her by the hand and leads them all towards the Med Bay as Wally gently tugs on her hair. Once they reach their destination Ava has to hop into one of the chairs so the children understand what it is that they need to do. She has Wally settled in her lap and she slides the ridiculously large wristband over his chubby little hand. They all coo in excitement at the light that passes over Ava and Wally and they all declare that they want the next turn.

Ava’s patience is well and truly tested as she helps all of the children in and out of the Med Bay chairs and she almost collapses in relief when they are finally done. “What’s the verdict Gideon?”  

“The Legends only suffered minor injuries from the crash, which I have healed for them already and from what I can tell, the effects of their de-aging should only be temporary.” Gideon hums happily, now that she has had the chance to assess all of her small charges.

“How temporary is temporary?” Ava feels relief wash over her in waves at the positive news.

“I’d say anywhere from 72 to 120 hours.” Gideon declares as the children all stare at each other in confusion.

Ava rubs a hand over her eyes. “So 3 to 5 days. That’s not so bad. I can deal with that.” She sighs as she thinks about all of the work she is going to have to delegate to other agents so that she can deal with this on the down low.

“Unfortunately I am grounded due to the crash, but the fabricator seems to be fully operational if you require anything for the Legends while they are infants.” Gideon sounds truly apologetic as Ava seems to come to the realisation that she has just become fully responsible for seven children under the age of six.

“How old are they exactly?” Ava whispers fearfully as she stares wide-eyed at the kids currently running amok throughout the room.

“It’s hard to pinpoint their exact age, but by my closest estimates Mister Rory is around six and Mister Palmer is five. Captain Lance, Miss Jiwe and Mister Heywood are all four, while Miss Tomaz is only a year and a half. Mister West was harder to analyse but he is probably around nine to ten months old currently.” Gideon rattles off her findings as the children get rowdy and start knocking things over.

Ava knows that she is on the verge of a panic attack and the best way she knows how to avoid it is to focus on things that she can actually solve. She notices that Sara and Zari are shivering in their T-shirts, so the first thing that she has to do is get the children into proper clothing. She tries to explain how Gideon works as she marches them towards the fabrication room. Zari struggles to keep up so Ava lifts her up into the arm that isn’t already holding Wally and continues on their way. Sara is gripping onto her pyjama pants and Ava is doing her absolute best to ignore the fact that her soulmate bond with the blonde has been muted. It’s probably for the best at the moment because she has no idea how she would cope with being bombarded by the emotions of a four year. Holy God, her wife is currently a four year old. Nope, that’s not a thought that Ava is capable of processing right now. That’s an existential crisis that can wait until later.

She gets them all dressed into warm pyjamas and opens a portal back to her apartment. She knows that she can’t have the children sleeping on the ship in the condition it is currently in. She has Gideon fabricate sleeping mats and blankets for all of them while she convinces them all to step through the opening in the wall. Once all of the Legends are in her apartment she goes back to the ship and retrieves all of the sleeping equipment she will need for the kids.

The excitement of the night coupled with the long day they already had means they all fall asleep rather quickly and for the first time all night Ava gets a chance to start processing how to deal with this. The portal to the Waverider is still open so she steps back through so that she can talk to Gideon without waking the children. She makes sure that she drags a chair to a spot where she can still see them and rubs her temples in distress.

“Gideon, I have no idea how to parent a bunch of rowdy children. What am I going to do?” Ava whines helplessly.

“Well technically you don’t have to parent them. You just have to keep them alive for three to five days. How hard can that be?” If Gideon had a body Ava could image her shrugging right now.

“You’re right, all they need is food and water and oh my God!” Ava quickly jumps up in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” Gideon sounds alarmed.

“Sara has like forty ridiculously sharp knives stashed through our apartment. I’ll be right back!” Ava runs through the portal and ten minutes later she returns with a duffel bag full of various weapons that she drops onto a desk, muttering under her breath about assassins and their paranoia. “I think I got everything.”

“I did a search on the internet while you were gone and started fabricating some food that is supposedly very popular for children aged two to six, as well as some softer foods for Mister West and Miss Tomaz. I must say that baby foods seem very unappealing.” Gideon states as Ava moves back over to the fabricator.

“Great thinking Gideon. We’re also gonna need a bunch of toys to keep them distracted and diapers for Zari and Wally.” Ava cringes at the last part and wonders why they all weren’t changed into the same age.

“I’ll do some research on the toys while you move some of the food back to your apartment.” Gideon declares as Ava starts packing the different foods into boxes.

Eventually Ava’s kitchen is stocked with more food than they will ever actually need and there is a pile of toys and age-appropriate books in the lounge room for when the kids wake up. There are two brand new cribs and a changing table in Ava’s bedroom along with stacks of disposable diapers, powders and wipes. There is also a precarious stack of clothes in various sizes for when they will inevitably need to get changed.

Ava has just finished calling in reinforcements when she hears Wally starting to sniffle. She thanks Gideon for all of her help before shutting down the portal and she moves over to the baby Legend and picks him up. She can immediately smell the problem and she steels herself for the beginning of the longest few days of her life.

Laurel, Thea and Felicity all arrive within half an hour of her call and, even though she explained the situation to them in incredible detail, they are still stunned to see it with their own eyes. Thea has taken at least thirty pictures within two minutes of being inside and Laurel looks like she is about to burst out of her skin in excitement. Ava has already fed and changed Wally, and that first diaper change will probably haunt her forever, so she gladly passes him over to Laurel who immediately starts blowing raspberries on his cheeks, causing him to giggle and the gaggle of aunties to swoon.

Soon enough the rest of the Legends begin to wake up and the apartment breaks into pandemonium as the four women feed and bathe the children. Eventually the kids are all fresh, fed and happily playing in the lounge room while Felicity bounces Wally on her knee and Ava rocks a grumpy Zari around the kitchen as she talks to Laurel and Thea. They quickly realised that Zari absolutely refuses to be touched by anyone that isn’t Ava and she is simultaneously charmed and frustrated by the tiny brunette.

Oliver, William and Roy show up with breakfast and coffee for the adults and Ava immediately pulls her assistant aside so they can talk about how they are going to manage things at the Bureau while Ava is stuck at the apartment. Soon enough Roy is kissing Thea goodbye and heading downtown to run interference at the office and Ava is once again struck by how proud she is of Roy’s work ethic. Oliver is dressed down in sweatpants and a plain T-shirt and Ava briefly realises that this is possibly the most casually dressed she has ever seen the man. Laurel, Oliver and William are an absolute hit with the children as they play a kid safe version of the floor is lava.

She watches from the kitchen as Sara laughs freely while being swung around by her big sister and her heart clenches at the sight. Her big blue eyes are shining brightly and Ava briefly recognises that this version of Sara is still untouched by the horrors of her adulthood. William says something that she can’t hear and all of the children break out into hysterical giggles, even Mick. It hits her then, that all of the Legends are at a point in their lives right now before they suffered the things that bent and shaped them into the people that they eventually become.

This version of Sara has never been bullied, or washed from a sinking ship into a precarious future, or known the terror of joining the League of Assassins and she has never known the pain of dying. Ray hasn’t lost the love of his life; Nate hasn’t known the isolation caused by his haemophilia and distant parents. Amaya hasn’t experienced the struggles of growing up in a war torn country, Mick and Zari haven’t lost their families and Wally is still a happy pure-spirited baby right now. As Ava comes to this realisation she vows to herself that for the few days that they are children they will know nothing but happiness and love.

Thea wanders off to the bedroom to put Wally down for a nap as Ava makes a start on preparing some lunch. Felicity has some contraption spread out in pieces on the end of the counter and Ava knows better than to ask what that’s all about. Gideon had fabricated one of those baby back pack things just in case and Ava is so thankful that the AI literally thought of everything because Zari is being super clingy and her arms are just so tired. It takes both her and Oliver to work out how to get Zari strapped into it and the tiny brunette is very disgruntled by the time she is snuggled into Ava’s back.

She moves around the kitchen with ease, even with the added weight of the toddler pressed against her and she hums quietly as she works. Zari babbles in delight and Ava can feel her drool seeping into the back of her shirt. Ray has perched himself on a stool next to Felicity and he is listening with rapt attention as she patiently explains what she is doing with her tools.

Laurel is sitting cross-legged on the floor as Sara and Amaya poorly attempt to braid her hair. Mick is pressed against William’s side pointing at the pictures as the older boy reads aloud from one of the books that Gideon fabricated. Oliver is helping Nate build some monstrosity with Legos and they both look absolutely delighted.

Thea returns once Wally is asleep and proceeds to take hundreds more photos before helping Ava finish off lunch.

“Don’t you think you have enough pictures by now?” Ava smirks at the younger woman.

“Never! They are all so fricking adorable.” Thea grins and blows kisses at Zari, who immediately hides her face in Ava’s shirt causing Thea to pout and Ava to grin proudly.

Sometime before dinner Felicity and Ray shout triumphantly and Ava watches in shock as a hologram of some random woman appears in her dining area. The stranger is dressed in a fitted tank top, a loose pair of trousers and a strappy pair of heels. Her brunette hair falls in gentle waves to just past her shoulders and she is also smirking mischievously at Ava.

“Felicity why is there some random lady in my apartment?” Ava turns towards her beaming friend for some answers.

“Well if you don’t want me here I can go, but I must say I’m kind of offended that you aren’t happy to finally see me.” The brunette winks at Ava to show that she isn’t actually upset and starts wandering towards the kitchen, peering curiously at things as she goes.

Ava feels her jaw drop in surprise as she registers the snarky accent and she stares back and forth between Felicity and the brunette. “What?.. How did you? Gideon?”

“Surprise.” Gideon grins and waves at Ava before turning towards Felicity and Ray. “I didn’t think this would be ready yet.”

“It wasn’t and I apologise in advance if it glitches but it should do the job today, to help keep you in the loop with what’s happening.” Felicity turns something in the device that is now assembled on the end of the counter and the hologram of Gideon appears to solidify.

“Wait, what exactly is happening?” Ava bounces a bit as Zari starts fussing.

“Well Ray, Zari and myself have been working on making Gideon more interactive because it’s kind of weird talking to a disembodied voice sometimes and so far this is what we’ve managed to come up with. Obviously once they are back to adult size we can keep working to make her more realistic. This device makes her transportable but clearly she is still connected to the Waverider and its database.” Felicity rambles delightedly.

“Okay then, welcome to the madhouse Gideon. I hope you are prepared to help keep the little Legends out of trouble.” Ava waves a hand towards the lounge room and Gideon smiles in delight at the sight of the children playing.

“Surely it has to be easier than managing their adult selves.” Gideon winks mischievously at Ava before moving into the other room to interact with the children.

Ava shifts her attention to getting Zari out of the carrier and once the toddler is back on the ground she wobbles her way over to a stuffed bear that is sitting near the couch and flops onto it. Once Ava is satisfied that the little girl is content to play with the bear, she turns her attention back to Gideon and watches her make her way across the room. The AI appears to be absolutely fascinated by the chaos caused by the children and the only time she falters is when Nate tries to hold her hand and his little fist passes right through the hologram causing him to cry fearfully.

“Weren’t you the lady that was stuck in the roof before?” Mick cautiously approaches the new person and Ava has to stifle the laugh that builds at the sight of Gideon’s affronted face.

“No Mister Rory, I was never stuck in the ceiling.” Gideon does her best to assure the boy.

“My name is Mick, not Rory.” He frowns at the AI as she flounders in her attempt to follow his six year old logic.

“My apologies, Mick.” She smiles at him but even Ava can see from across the room that she may be in over her head.

“You talk funny.” Mick declares and thankfully Thea decides it’s time to step in and help Gideon.

“That’s because she’s not from here, buddy. People that are born far away learn to talk different than we do.” Thea does her best to explain Gideon’s accent without delving into too much detail, because even as adults it’s hard to wrap their heads around the concept of a walking, talking AI.

“Cool.” Mick shrugs in acceptance before holding a book out to Gideon. “Will you read me a story?”

Gideon glances around in a panic and at Thea’s reassuring smile she crouches down to Mick’s level. “I would love to read you a story, but you’re going to have to turn the pages for me. Is that okay?”

“Sure! Thanks, Giddy.” Mick beams and rushes over to climb up onto the couch with his book.

Gideon grimaces at the butchering of her name but she follows the boy to the couch and situates herself beside him. Together they start working through the pages of Hop on Pop and as Ava watches the fond look spread over Gideon’s face she is suddenly struck with the thought that this is probably the first time the AI has been included in a mundane activity and not just used for her database.

The morning of day three Ava is dragged from a dead sleep by the sound of a baby crying. She doesn’t move right away and she grumbles as Laurel rolls over the top of her to reach the crib. Felicity and Thea have been going home at night and returning early in the mornings, while Oliver, Roy and William drop in whenever they have time between work and school. Laurel has stayed with Ava every night and they are essentially co-parenting the Legends between the hours of six and six. They are both exhausted and running on autopilot at this point.

Laurel reaches the crib and picks up Wally before moving towards the changing table. Ava is almost on the verge of falling asleep again when Zari startles awake and starts crying too. She groans and drags herself out of bed to soothe the little girl. She moves seamlessly around Laurel and once the babies are settled they both head towards the kitchen to get a start on breakfast. They pass Gideon standing sentinel over the sleeping children and nod their good mornings to each other.

Ava watches Laurel as she sways around the kitchen with Wally in one arm and a carton of eggs in the other, humming softly to the little boy. Laurel’s hair is pulled up into a messy bun, she has bags under her eyes and Ava wonders if she even knows she’s not wearing pants, but regardless, this is possibly the happiest that she has ever seen her sister-in-law.

“You’re gonna make a great Mom one day.” Ava blurts out as Laurel peppers Wally’s face with kisses.

Laurel deflates as she sits Wally into a high chair. “I always wanted kids with Tommy, but I don’t think I could do it by myself.”

“Maybe you don’t have to do it by yourself.” Ava stands next to Laurel and rubs her back soothingly with the arm that isn’t holding Zari.

“What do you mean?” Laurel looks to Ava with hope burning in her eyes.

“Well for starters you will always have me and Sara, regardless of whatever you decide…” Ava pulls Laurel into her side and places a kiss into her hair. “… But don’t think I haven’t noticed how close you and Ray have been getting since Roy and Thea’s engagement party.”

Laurel’s cheeks flare pink and she awkwardly turns her head away from Ava. “It’s nothing. We’re just friends.”

“It’s okay if it is more than that you know.” Ava threads her fingers through Laurel’s and squeezes reassuringly. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but Ray Palmer is one of the kindest, most brilliant men I have ever met and you could do much, much worse.”

Laurel chuckles sadly. “What about Anna though?”

“What about her? Sure, they were soulmates just like you and Tommy, but don’t you think that both of your soulmates would want you to have a chance at being happy. You shouldn’t have to spend the rest of your lives alone to honour the people that are already gone. Ray is in the unique position of knowing exactly what it is that you’ve lost and he should be someone that can empathise with everything you are feeling.” Ava feels her eyes welling up with tears at the sight of Laurel so upset.

“You really think so?” Laurel sniffles as she opens a container of food for Wally.

“I know so. Besides, that idiot can be dashing occasionally and you deserve the best.” Ava flicks at Laurel’s butt with the dishtowel and laughs when the other woman yelps in surprise.

Thea, Oliver and Felicity arrive before Laurel can retaliate so Ava starts feeding Zari as they say their hellos. Gideon wanders into the kitchen looking as put-together as always and Ava finds herself momentarily envious of the AI, because it’s not fair that she can look that calm and collected after three days of reading Hop on Pop, on a never-ending loop to Mick.

“So I’d say anytime from this morning the Legends should start returning to their adult selves.” Gideon announces as she pulls a face at Zari. Funnily enough, she is the only other ‘adult’ that can get close to the little girl aside from Ava.

“Thank goodness for that! Don’t get me wrong, they are truly adorable but I am just so tired.” Thea grumbles as she slouches over the counter top.

“Don’t complain.” Laurel swats at Thea with her free hand. “Ava and I are the ones that are up and down all through the night dealing with upset children.”

A loud popping noise from the lounge room alarms everyone into action as the children startle awake from the sound. They rush from the kitchen to see that Nate is now fully grown again and desperately attempting to cover his privates from the eyes of the children. The regrowth was so rapid that he burst through the seams of his pyjamas. Laurel passes Wally to Oliver before dragging Nate off to the bathroom to get dressed as Thea and Felicity giggle hysterically.

Ava sets to work calming the children down again and steering them towards the kitchen for breakfast. Oliver is making faces at Wally and tickling him causing an eruption of giggles. Just as all of the children are seated at the table and Nate and Laurel re-emerge there is another loud pop and everyone pauses in shock at the sight. Oliver is now cradling a fully grown, stark naked Wally West in his arms and the shutter noise of Thea’s camera causes a cascade of hysterical laughter as Wally zips out of the room, retuning seconds later, red-faced and completely dressed.

Once breakfast is finished Nate and Wally decide to return to the Waverider to start cleaning up the mess from the crash, under Gideon’s supervision.

“They grow up so fast.” Thea wipes away a fake tear as the men leave the apartment through a portal.

“Two down and five to go!” Laurel throws her hand out to receive a high-five from Ava, which she reluctantly gives her.

Later that afternoon both Mick and Amaya change back to their adult selves. Ava will probably be forever scarred by the memory of that cute little boy suddenly bursting through his clothes and giving her a full frontal view of grown-up Mick. They are a little bit more prepared by the time Amaya changes back because they have robes scattered within reaching distance right through the apartment now. Laurel is colouring in on the floor with Sara and Amaya and as soon as the loud popping noise breaks through the apartment she is up and reaching for a robe. Mick decides to head back to the ship to stay with Nate and Wally. Ava pretends not to see him stashing the Hop on Pop book in his jacket before he goes. Amaya insists on staying at the apartment to help and Laurel gladly heads home for a full night of sleep. Now that there are only three children remaining in the apartment Felicity and Thea decide that they are going back to work tomorrow and only Laurel will come back to help out.

Ava was silently hopeful that Zari would be comfortable around adult Amaya but the toddler is determined to keep the totem-bearer well away with her screaming. At least Amaya is a calming presence for Ray and Sara, who are both very concerned that their friends aren’t sleeping over anymore. They build a blanket fort and Amaya falls asleep with Ray and Sara piled on top of her. Ava takes a bunch of photos before covering them with blankets and turning off the television. She checks on Zari sleeping in her crib and delicately brushes the baby fine hairs away from her face before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Around four o’clock in the morning there is a loud pop and Ava wakes up to the sound of little Sara screaming and baby Zari wailing and Gideon attempting to calm a very confused adult Ray Palmer. She jumps out of bed and grabs Zari as she makes her way out to the lounge room. Sara is cradled in Amaya’s lap wiping away her frightened tears as the older woman sings softly to her. Ray has moved to the kitchen in a robe with Gideon as the AI patiently answers his questions. Ava gently rubs Zari’s back in a swirling pattern as she rocks her back to sleep. Once the apartment is calm again Ray portals back to the ship to start repairs on the flight controls and Ava insists on Sara and Amaya coming to her room to sleep. She places Zari back in the crib and crawls into her side of the bed with Sara in the middle and Amaya on the other side. They haven’t moved an inch when Laurel shows up the next morning and takes a bunch of photos of them before they wake up.

They spend most of day four boxing up all of the excess baby supplies that they definitely don’t need and setting them aside to donate to charity. Now that only Sara and Zari are kids, Ava is being forced to confront the reality that her soulmate is a child and has no idea how important they are to each other. Sara has been incredibly shy around her but thankfully she somehow recognises Laurel as her big sister. While there was a veritable horde of children destroying her apartment she found it easy to avoid focussing her attention on Sara, but now there is nothing to distract her from the tiny blonde’s antics.

Ava has to admit that tiny Sara is adorable and every time the little girl grins something inside her chest pulls uncomfortably. Zari is napping in her bedroom and Laurel is banging around in the kitchen talking to Gideon, leaving Ava alone in the lounge room listening to Sara explain the rules of a game she wants them to play. In this moment it is so easy for Ava to pretend that this little girl could be her daughter and the laughter from the kitchen to be coming from her wife and all at once the force of wanting threatens to overwhelm her. She has talked about the future with Sara before and neither of them were fully set in stone about whether they wanted children together or not, they were both happy to just see where the future may lead. Though, now that Ava has seen the possibilities she wants nothing more. She wants a child with her wife’s bright eyes and dimply grin, she wants the sleepless nights and exhausted laughter as they raise a family together, and she wants the bright eyed excitement and yells for “Aunty Laurel and Giddy!” to be real as they leave the kitchen and Sara jumps up to greet them.

Most of all, she wants her wife back to normal, so that they can talk about maybe making these fantasies a reality one day.

Gideon’s hologram projector had started glitching earlier in the day, so Ava had called Ray to come and pick it up and with some gentle nudging she had convinced Laurel to go with him back to the ship. It left her alone with Sara and Zari but after having seven children crammed into the apartment, just having two is a piece of cake. Sara happily follows her around and does her best to help with dinner as Zari plays with her bear on the floor.

Eventually Ava gets the girls fed and the kitchen cleaned, so she leads them down to the bathroom and starts running warm water into the tub. She methodically strips Zari out of her onesie as Sara gets undressed.

“Avey, can we please have bubbles?” Sara turns her big, hopeful blue eyes on the adult.

“Of course we can, sweetie.” Ava melts under the force of Sara’s gaze and reaches for the bottle to add bubbles to the water.

Sara cheers in excitement as the water starts frothing and even Zari starts bouncing happily. Ava is hit with that heart wrenching feeling again as she watches the girls, but she pushes it aside because now is definitely not the time. She helps Sara into the tub once the water is turned off before grabbing Zari and plopping her in next to the older girl. Sara plays happily with some toy boats as she washes Zari’s hair. Once she finishes cleaning the toddler she pulls her out of the bath and immediately starts towelling her down. She gets Zari into a diaper and then dresses the little girl into a soft, lavender onesie so that she can go to bed. She grabs Zari’s favourite bear and hands it to the little girl as she sits her just outside the bathroom door to stay dry.

Ava helps Sara clean up before letting the water out and helping the blonde dry off and snuggle into some pyjamas. She picks up Zari and takes them both to the bedroom. Ava plants little kisses across Zari’s cheeks before putting her in the cot and pulling a blanket over her. The little girl is out almost immediately causing a soft smile to break across Ava’s face. She helps Sara into bed and pulls up the little girl’s blankets. She quietly reads to Sara from a book of fairy tales until she falls asleep too. Once Ava is confident she won’t wake up again she kisses her on the forehead and turns out the lights before going back to the bathroom for her own shower.

Ava wanders down to the bedroom a while later, after talking on the phone to Thea and stops to take in the sight of the girls sleeping peacefully. She takes the time to really appreciate the moment because tomorrow will mark the end of the time frame Gideon had given them for the Legends to be de-aged and as much as she will be glad to have her wife and friend back, she knows on some level she will miss this. She gently lowers herself into the bed, careful not to wake Sara and drifts off to sleep.

Just after midnight the, now familiar popping noise echoes through the bedroom and Ava jerks awake to find Sara fully grown again, lying next to her. It takes her longer than usual to get up for Zari’s cries because the force of the bond slammed back into her and she almost wants to sob in relief at having her Sara back.

“Do I have a head injury?” Sara groans and rubs her eyes as Ava gets out of bed to get the toddler out of her crib.

“No, why do you ask? If you don’t feel well I can take you to the ship so that Gideon can check you over.” Ava quickly moves back to the bed and Zari stops crying almost immediately after Ava picks her up.

Sara looks at her wife fearfully. “Aves, did I forget that we had a baby?”

Ava blinks in surprise at the question before bursting into laughter. Sara pouts at her which just causes her to laugh more. “Honey, this is Zari. All of the Legends were de-aged as the Waverider crashed.”

Ava can feel the riot of emotions that cycle through her wife as the memories come flooding back. Apparently the others all remember their time as children but in a hazy dream-like kind of way. It takes Sara a moment to process her experience of the last few days and once she does she can’t help but laugh. It’s definitely one of the weirdest things to have happened to the Legends.

Ava leans over and kisses Sara deeply. “I’ve missed you so much.” She whispers when they finally part.

“I was here the whole time.” Sara jokes and leans her head on Ava’s shoulder as she stares at baby Zari in wonder.

“It wasn’t the same though.” Ava sighs and wraps an arm around Sara’s waist.

“I’m sorry.” Sara reaches out and brushes the hair back off Zari’s face and the toddler frowns at her miserably.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Ava presses a kiss into Sara’s hair before doing the same thing to Zari.

“I know, but I also know that the last few days can’t have been easy for you and I’m sorry that I couldn’t help.” Sara snuggles further into Ava’s side, careful to avoid disrupting the toddler perched in her wife’s lap.

“I love you so much.” Ava sighs happily as Zari drifts back off to sleep.

“I love you too, beautiful.” Sara watches Ava stand up and place Zari back in her crib.

Ava gently places the little girl down on the mattress and pulls her blanket back up to keep her warm. She makes sure that her bear is within reaching distance and gently kisses her cheeks. Ava watches the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathes peacefully before turning around and going back to bed. She is shuffling under the covers when she realises that Sara is staring at her and it takes her a moment to decipher the feelings coming through their soulmate bond. She gasps when she realises that it is the same feeling that she has been getting for the last few days and she takes Sara’s hand in surprise.

“Sara I think I want a baby. Not straight away, because our lives are far too hectic right now, but one day. I want that for us.” Ava feels her voice waver but she knows she is broadcasting her feelings strong and clear because Sara smiles at her so lovingly.

“I want that too and one day you are going to make the best Mom.” Sara kisses away the few tears that have escaped onto Ava’s cheeks. “Now come here and cuddle me.”

Ava laughs and reaches out for her wife. Their bodies press close together and Ava runs a hand slowly up and down Sara’s back. “Why are you still naked?”

Sara laughs mischievously. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“Nothing tonight because Zari is right there and I am beyond exhausted.” Ava kisses Sara until she stops pouting and lays her head down to sleep, lulled by the steady sound of her soulmate’s heartbeat.

Laurel reappears sometime after breakfast with a smile splitting her face and a crushing hug for both of her sisters. She immediately informs Ava that she was right and that after a good long talk, she and Ray are going on a date soon. Apparently he is determined to woo her in a respectful and timely way. She also gives Sara a rundown on the team and how far along Gideon’s repairs are coming. She also spends nearly forty minutes showing Sara photo after photo of the little Legends causing a lot of manic laughter and embarrassment.

Ava is laying on the couch listening to the sisters’ tease each other with a smile on her face. Zari is asleep against her chest and there is a light blanket draped over both of them to ward off the slight chill in the air. She is just beginning to doze off when the air around her pops and a heavy weight suddenly settles across her body. She opens her eyes to see an adult sized Zari staring at her in shock. It takes Ava a second to realise exactly why there is a deep red blush burning its way across the other woman’s cheeks. Zari is currently straddling her across her hips with their chests pressed together and she is completely naked. Ava is only wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, so they currently have a fair amount of skin on skin contact happening. Instead of being mortified Ava can’t help but burst into hysterical laughter as she helps Zari wrap the blanket around herself in an attempt to protect her modesty.

“Where are my knives?!” Sara shouts from another room and Zari pales in fear.

“Ava I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Zari whispers frantically.

“I know you didn’t and it’s okay.” Ava instinctively moves to rub her fingers across Zari’s back to calm her like she did when she was a toddler and to her surprise it works almost immediately.

Sara strides into the room looking confused. “Aves, why can’t I find any of my knives?”

“We had an apartment full of kids, so I had to move them to the Waverider for safe keeping.” Ava shakes her head in amusement at how attached her wife is to deadly objects.

“Okay.” Sara shrugs before winking at the half naked woman huddled into her soulmate’s side. “Welcome back Zari.”

Zari brings her hands up to cover her face. “I’m just gonna get out of here, if one of you could open a portal to the Waverider that would be great.”

Sara tosses a courier in her direction. “Is everything okay, Zari?”

“Yep.” Zari calls out over her shoulder as she rushes through the portal into her room on the ship, leaving the three women in the apartment bathed in confused silence.

“I should go too, I’m meeting Dad for lunch. Do you two want to come?” Laurel asks as she slips her jacket over her shoulders.

“Yeah, sure.” Sara grabs her own jacket and looks to Ava.

“I’ll meet you both there; I have something I need to do first.” Ava hugs Laurel and kisses Sara goodbye as they leave the apartment.

Ava crouches down and locates baby Zari’s bear under the coffee table. She fluffs up its fur before opening another portal onto the Waverider. Zari is playing a video game and doesn’t acknowledge Ava when she sits beside her.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, honestly Wally aged-up at a much weirder time than you and in front of a lot more people and he seems to have gotten over it.” Ava hesitantly places the stuffed bear next to Zari.

The brunette seems to deliberate for a moment before carefully lifting the bear into her lap. “You’re not upset?”

“Not even a little bit and I promise Sara doesn’t care either.” Ava stands up and places a kiss on top of Zari’s head before she even thinks about it and both women slightly freeze.

“You were a really good Mom, Ava.” Zari blushes and fiddles with her bear as she says it, but she manages to look Ava in the eye.

“You made it easy, Z.” Ava smiles as she opens a portal.

Zari snorts. “No I didn’t.”

“No you didn’t.” Ava laughs in agreement as she leaves Zari in her room.

A few months later all of the Legends give Ava and Laurel Mother’s Day cards and flowers as a joke. Neither Ava nor Zari ever mention the heartfelt card that she slipped to her later, even if it did make Ava tear up.

One year after they got engaged Thea and Roy get married. Oliver walks her down the aisle in her beautiful flowing gown and hugs both her and Roy as he leaves her at the altar. He spectacularly fails to hide his tears from the audience. Laurel, Felicity and Sara are wearing long, silver bridesmaid dresses with red rose bouquets. Ava stands on the other side of the altar in her pressed black suit next to Gary and Diggle. She silently passes a handkerchief to Gary when it all seems to become a bit too much for the man.

The ceremony seems to go in the blink of an eye and before she knows it Roy is kissing Thea and everyone is cheering. She links arms with Laurel and they move to follow the brand new bride and groom down the aisle so they can go and take some more photos. Her face hurts from smiling by the time they make it back to the reception and she is pleasantly tipsy from all of the complimentary champagne.

Ava has to fight back a surprise bout of nerves when she rises to give her best man speech and realises that there has to be at least two hundred people in attendance. She finds Sara’s face in the crowd and she can feel the love and support coming through their bond so she easily slips back into her confident persona and starts speaking.

She loses Sara for a while after her wife found out some of her old friends from a different universe had managed to make it to the wedding. Ava doesn’t even know why she is surprised that there are people from different universes here, because of course if that kind of thing were possible her wife would be right in the middle of it.

She eventually finds Sara at the bar leaning against an attractive redhead and Ava can’t help but feel fond of how friendly she gets when she is drunk. It can be such a stark contrast to when she is sober. As she makes her way over to the pair she can hear them laughing about a woman named Kara and Ava remembers that she met the bubbly blonde attached to that name earlier. Their familiarity with the topic of Supergirl informs Ava that this woman must have come from Earth-38 as well.

She gently bumps Sara’s shoulder to alert her wife to her presence before ordering a drink from the bartender. “Should I be worried that you ditched me to talk to some beautiful stranger?”

The redhead sputters into her drink as Sara snorts in amusement. “Very funny, Aves. This is Kara’s sister Alex, from Earth-38.”

Ava shakes Alex’s hand in greeting and is pleasantly surprised at the subtle strength she can feel. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, how do you know Sara?” Alex moves so that they can sit together at a table.

“She’s actually my wife.” Ava grins as Sara puffs out her chest proudly as she says it. “So should I be worried by how close you two seemed over there?”

Ava winks at Alex to let her know that she is joking and the redhead laughs pleasantly. “Definitely not!”

“You don’t have to sound that adamant you know.” Sara grumbles and takes another sip of her drink.

Alex looks Sara up and down before shaking her head. “Well, you’re not exactly my type.”

“Excuse you, I am everybody’s type.” Sara insists over the sound of Ava and Alex’s laughter.

“Maybe we could have had something in an alternate universe.” Alex winks playfully at Sara before waving at someone in the crowd.

“Rude.” Sara mumbles under her breath as Ava kisses her cheek.

They are joined at their table by a short brunette and Kara carrying a large tray of drinks for everyone. The brunette sits next to Alex, and Kara sits between her and Sara on the other side of the table.

“I’m pretty confident that you both know my sister Kara and this is my wife Maggie.” Alex makes the introductions between the women.

Ava notices immediately that Alex and Maggie seem to be able to communicate easily without words and she wonders if they have soulmates in their universe. Sara leads the conversation through how they all first met and fought Nazi’s together for Ava and Maggie’s sake. Eventually though, the conversation rounds back to the wedding and how happy they are for the couple.

“I noticed in their vows that they said they are soulmates. It’s nice to see that this universe has soulmates as well. I wonder if there are many differences though.” Alex rambles as she notices Roy and Thea dancing together.

“Well, Sara and I are soulmates, why don’t we compare notes because I was kind of wondering the same thing.” Ava laces her fingers through Sara’s as she leans forward in excitement.

“It’s kind of a funny story actually.” Alex shares a fond look with Maggie as Kara starts cackling into her drink.

“It’s actually the best story ever!” Kara shouts in delight.

“Do you guys share markers to help you identify your person?” Alex asks seriously.

“We are linked to share each other’s pain and once we find each other and accept the connection we can share feelings as well.” Sara nudges Ava playfully.

“That’s pretty intense. We just get magic tattoos.” Maggie shrugs and waves down a waiter for another round of drinks.

“What do the tattoos do?” Ava asks in fascination.

“In our universe you are born with a tattoo somewhere on your body. It is the word to describe your first impression of your soulmate.” Alex explains.

“That sounds pretty damn vague.” Sara swirls her glass around. “How do you know if you found the right person?”

Kara giggles again and Maggie sighs. “Well the first time you speak to your soulmate, the tattoos burn for a few minutes like you’ve been hit with a branding iron. Trust me, you notice.”

“I was there the first time Alex and Maggie spoke to each other, it was absolutely hilarious.” Kara chuckles in delight at the memory.

“Because we were at a crime scene and then both of us started jumping around like our asses were on fire.” Maggie snorts as she remembers how ridiculous it all was.

“Our asses kind of were on fire.” Alex nudges Maggie playfully before turning back to Ava and Sara. “Maggie’s tattoo is on the back of her left thigh and mine is across my lower back.”

“Do you mind if I ask what they say?” Ava is completely enraptured by their story.

Alex blushes causing Kara to break out into gales of laughter. “I thought Maggie was egotistical…”

“… And I thought Danvers was arrogant.” Maggie smiles lovingly at her wife.

Sara snorts in amusement and Ava can tell that she is just as interested in their story as she is. “What happened next?”

“By the time my tattoo stopped burning Maggie was already storming off. So we didn’t talk for almost two weeks.” Alex admits sheepishly.

“Kara, in full Supergirl uniform might I add, ended up kidnapping me from work one afternoon and took me to Alex so that we could talk.” Maggie chuckles and glares playfully at the alien.

“It’s not my fault you two were being so stubborn. I had to do something.” Kara huffs.

“As you have mentioned many, many times Little Danvers.” Maggie slings an arm over Kara’s shoulder and squeezes her happily.

“As it turns out, we had a lot more in common than we thought.” Alex chuckles.

“Well that sounds familiar.” Sara laughs and kisses Ava on the cheek before launching into a full retelling of how they found each other.

Ava is sitting at a small outdoor café across from Laurel eating her lunch as her sister-in-law tells her about the different houses that her and Ray looked at over the weekend. Ray and Laurel had been dating for nearly a year when they found out that Laurel is pregnant. She is five months along now and Ray is nesting something fierce. He is adamant that everything needs to be perfect for their baby and Ava is confident that she has never seen Laurel happier than she has been for the last few months.

Ava and Sara had been with Laurel when she took the first pregnancy test, and the second, and the third to be sure. Once she had gotten over the shock she had left them to go tell Ray the good news. A few hours later he came tumbling through a portal and dragged them out to find a ring because he wants their baby to know that they are going to be a family forever, soulmates or not. Quentin cried for two days about his baby having a baby and he likes Ray almost as much as he likes Ava.

 Laurel is positively glowing now and Ava is deliriously happy that her best friend is finally getting everything she has ever wanted. They decided to put off the wedding until after the baby is born because they don’t want to rush anything. Ava finishes her last mouthful of food and leans back happily in her chair. Laurel passes over her phone so that Ava can see the yard that she is talking about. Ava moves to hand the phone back, but as she looks up all of the colour rushes from Laurel’s face and she moves her head in the direction that her sister-in-law is facing.

A cruel looking man in a perfectly tailored suit pulls a gun from underneath his jacket and points it in their direction. Ava’s heart thumps painfully in terror and she can feel the responding panic from Sara through their bond. Ava is in motion before she even realises that he is firing at them and she topples the table over as she uses her body to shield Laurel. Pain ricochets through her rib cage, shoulder and the back of her thigh and she knows that she is going to be in a lot of trouble very soon, but her main concern is still Laurel.

Ava keeps herself between Laurel and the shooter and she watches fearfully as the woman curls herself around her bump in an effort to shield the baby from harm. Ava is having difficulty breathing now and she wonders if she is imagining the sound of a portal opening up in the rapidly emptying street.

The sound of fighting moves away from them and she realises that the Legends have arrived and they are distracting the shooter. More men suddenly arrive and the Legends have a real fight on their hands. Ava moves to get Laurel off of the street but she collapses before they make it further than two steps. She can feel Laurel’s hands on her, attempting to stem the flow of blood, but there is just so much of it. She can hear someone screaming. It might be Laurel, it might be Sara, hell it might even be her. She just can’t tell anymore.

Laurel rolls her onto her side when she starts gasping and choking on her own blood. From this angle she can see Sara running towards her with the Legends hot on her heels. She weakly reaches for her wife as the blonde comes to a sliding stop in front of her.

Ava vaguely realises that they are all dressed in furs and leathers and look ridiculously out of place on a suburban street. Sara leans down and Ava can see that her mouth is moving but she can’t hear anything over a loud ringing in her ears.

This is not the first time that she has been shot. This is the first time Sara has been around to feel it though. The last thing she thinks about before she loses consciousness is that, at least this time she had the chance to love Sara and be loved in return. She has been blessed with so many people and such goodness in her life.

This time the thought of dying doesn’t frighten her as much as it should.

She wakes up to the beeping of hospital machinery and she blinks her eyes a few times to focus her eyes. There is a man slumped in a chair at the foot of her bed and it takes her a moment to work out who it is.

“Dad?” Her throat burns and the word comes out garbled, but her father jerks towards her at the sound anyway.

“Hey Sweet-Pea, don’t try to talk. You’ve been through a lot.” He presses a button to alert the nurses of the change in her condition and brushes the hair out of her face.

“Laurel?” She whispers painfully. She has no idea what happened or where anyone is and the unknown is causing her heartrate to spike.

“She’s fine, everyone is fine. They are all very worried about you though. Sara had to force Laurel home for a nap because she didn’t want to leave you and they were worried about the stress on the baby.” Her father gently strokes the back of her hand as he speaks and Ava finds it incredibly calming.

“Love you, Dad.” Ava smiles as she slips into sleep again, the strength of the drugs sapping her energy away.

“Love you too, Sweet-pea.” He kisses her forehead before texting everyone waiting for news at his daughter’s apartment.

The next time she wakes up Sara is by her side immediately. She feels a lot more lucid this time as well. Sara plants gentle kisses all over her face and cries tears of relief that she is back with her. Eventually everyone gets impatient and soon enough Ava’s hospital room is filled to the brim with her family. All of the Legends are there as well as her Father, Mother, Laurel, Thea, Quentin, Roy, Felicity and Oliver.

The nurses get very frustrated very quickly with this situation and demand that some people leave. Reluctantly most of them head back home with the demand that the people remaining at the hospital text them with updates constantly. Sara sends Ava’s parents back to their apartment with Quentin so that they can get some sleep. Soon enough only Sara, Laurel and Ray remain.

“What happened?” Ava asks after Sara has fed her some ice chips.

“The man that shot you is Ricardo Diaz. He is a high level mobster and when I was working at the DA’s office I got him sent to prison and he was released last month. He is not the type of person to let anyone make him look weak, so he had a score to settle with me.” Laurel looks incredibly guilty so Ava takes her hand and squeezes it reassuringly.

Sara takes her opposite hand as she picks up the story. “I was on a mission with the Legends in Siberia when I felt this bolt of fear from you. Thankfully we were already on our way back to the ship because I have never felt something like that from you before. I asked Gideon to track you as we started running back to the ship and she found your phone with Laurel’s at that café. I knew something was terribly wrong and I was maybe fifteen steps from the cargo bay door when you were shot. I went down and Ray freaked out because he knew you were with Laurel. He got Mick to carry me onto the ship and he piloted us back to Star City. Once we fought off the mobsters I knew you were fading…” Sara chokes back a sob. “… I could feel our bond weakening and it scared the hell out of me.”

Sara sobs quietly into Ava’s hospital gown so Ray picks up the story. “We got you to Gideon and she fixed what she could, but we had a rough landing and the Med Bay wasn’t operating at full capacity. So once you were stable enough you were transferred here and we called your parents. You were in a coma for six days.” Ray places a hand on Ava’s good leg and pats it gently. “I am forever in your debt for saving my family. I know words aren’t enough to describe what I feel right now, but I want you to know that if you ever need anything from me consider it done.”

Ava smiles seriously at Ray and Laurel and she shifts with a slight grimace of pain as she moves to take her sister-in-law’s hand in her own. “I could never let anything happen to you.”

It takes weeks of physical therapy before Ava is cleared to go home and her first night back she snuggles into Sara’s side in relief that she is finally back where she wants to be. She still aches and she still has a long way to go before she is back to fully functioning, but she is alive. She is alive and happy and she still has a long future ahead of her with the love of her life.

“Please don’t ever get shot again.” Sara whispers as she lightly traces her fingers over Ava’s new scars and the old one in the centre of her chest.

“I forget sometimes that you didn’t feel the first one.” Ava admits because it is the one experience that she never got to share with her soulmate.

“Were you afraid the first time?” Sara rests her palm over the scar that they are talking about.

“Absolutely terrified, but I was also heartbroken that I never got my chance with you.” Ava kisses Sara sweetly as a tear escapes from her wife’s eye and rolls slowly down her cheek.

“I want us to get old and wrinkly together and never have to worry about what we would do without each other.” Sara grins sadly as she cuddles in close enough to hear Ava’s heartbeat.

“I love you so much, Sara.” Ava places a kiss into her soulmate’s hair as she feels sleep starting to pull her under.

“I love you too, beautiful.” Sara yawns and pulls the blanket in tighter around them both.

Ava is cleared for active field duty not long after Laurel gives birth to her son. Ray was so overwhelmed he opened a portal right into their bedroom at three o’clock in the morning and nearly got stabbed for his efforts. Once he explained that Laurel was in labour Ava and Sara immediately jumped into action. It took nineteen hours for Thomas David Palmer to make his arrival into the world.

Ava is an incredibly proud aunt and she has a stash of photos of baby Tommy all through her office. She is almost sad when she passes her physical with flying colours because it means she won’t be able to spend as much time with her nephew. She knows that the Legends have been struggling without Ray on-board though and she is determined to help fill that gap in any way that she can.

The first few missions that she goes on are simple level twos and threes and she knows that Sara is doing the best that she can to ease her back into field work. She can feel how anxious Sara gets when they are separated and she knows that her wife is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to her.

Tommy is six months old when the Waverider is attacked by time pirates.

Gideon has a built in protocol to expel the ship if they are boarded by pirates and there is a three minute window to get to the jump ship to avoid being displaced through time. They are all still on coms when the cargo bay is breached and Gideon’s countdown begins. Ava is in the library with Nate and Amaya when Sara orders everyone to the jump ship. The lights start flashing as they run down a hallway and they have to stop and hide as a large group of pirates run past them. They don’t have time to stop and fight them because there is less than two minutes until they all get blasted throughout the timeline.

“Okay, I’m at the jump ship with Zari and Mick. Everyone else, check in.” Sara demands in a rush through their earpieces.

“I’m with Ava and Amaya over near the kitchen, we’re being slowed down by all of the pirates but they haven’t seen us yet.” Nate whispers.

“I’m stuck in the engine room. The door jammed when the cargo bay was breached and I can’t get out.” Wally shouts in a panic.

“Wally don’t freak out alright, Zari is already working on something to get you out of there. Ava, Nate and Amaya hurry up and get here please. We can’t leave the jump ship to help you because if you don’t get here in time we need it to get back to Gideon so we can track you guys.” Sara is starting to stress because Gideon has just started counting down the seconds from sixty and her wife isn’t here yet.

“On our way, Captain.” Nate pokes his head out of their hiding place and indicates for Ava and Amaya to follow him when the coast is clear.

They immediately start jogging and they only have three hallways left when they round a corner and crash into a wall of pirates. Fighting breaks out and Ava can hear Sara shouting in her earpiece to hurry. The pirates aren’t very skilled fighters and it doesn’t take them long to deal with them, but it is long enough that they know they won’t make it to the jump ship in time. They run as fast as they can anyway. Zari makes a noise of triumph and Wally starts speeding towards the jump ship as the countdown hits five.

Four. They have two hallways left to run.

Three. They reach the corner and turn.

Two. Wally sprints in from another hallway and dives into the jump ship.

One. The doors on the jump ship seal shut when they are only halfway down the hallway.

Zero. Nate grabs hold of Ava and Amaya and pulls them close to his chest as the force of the temporal zone rushes through the ship. Ava holds on for dear life and she can hear Sara screaming in her earpiece.

Getting expelled into the temporal zone feels kind of like having your body pulled inside out and stretched, before having all of your bones put back inside in the wrong places. It feels like it lasts for an eternity before they drop back into the timeline.

They come crashing down into a densely wooded area and Ava and Amaya land in a bitingly cold river. Nate lands on the bank and fortunately he managed to turn to steel before he hit the ground. Landing in the water is probably the only thing that saved the women’s lives, even if they do come out shaking and shivering. They shuffle over to where Nate is lodged in the ground and Amaya uses her amulet to give her the strength to pull him out.

“Is everyone okay?” Nate asks as he turns back to normal and starts brushing dirt from his clothes.

“Okay isn’t the word I would use, but we’re alive and we need to get out of this wind.” Amaya shivers as if to prove her point and attempts to wring more water out of her clothes.

Ava is dressed in her Time Bureau suit and all of the layers are sticking uncomfortably to her skin because of the water. She activates her time courier to get them home, but the screen briefly shows her their current time and location before it starts to spark and she has to yank it off her wrist. She drops the sparking courier on the ground and shakes her hand like it will help alleviate the sting of the burn she just received. It must have been damaged in the fall and she is incredibly frustrated that they are now stuck here waiting to be rescued.

“Well it looks like we’ll have to wait for the rest of the Legends to pick us up after all.” Ava says with a frown.

“We need to find shelter before it gets dark and Ava and I need to dry off so we don’t get sick.” Amaya pulls off her boots to tip out the water and Nate looks on sympathetically.

“Where are we do you think?” Nate looks around at the trees like maybe he can puzzle it out himself.

Ava hesitantly picks up the courier now that it seems to be completely dead. “Before this thing fritzed it told me where and when we are, but I don’t really know anything about this area in this time period.”

“Where and when are we?” Amaya asks curiously.

“Logroño in Basque Country and it is nearly 5pm on November the 10^th 1609.” Ava states as she shoves the broken time courier in her pocket. She can’t risk some villager finding it and messing up the timeline.

“Oh shit!” Nate pales and looks between the two women. “This is not good.”

“Why? What happens here in 1609?” Amaya asks curiously; suddenly tense about being out in the open.

“Have you ever heard of the Basque Witch Trials?” Nate asks as they start moving towards the tree line. Both women shake their heads no, so he continues. “In January 1609 at Logroño the most ambitious attempt at rooting out witchcraft ever undertaken by the Spanish Inquisition began, and it was maybe the biggest single event of its kind in history. By the end of the year around 7,000 cases had been examined by the Inquisition and they had more than 11,000 pages of evidence.”

“So what does this mean for us?” Ava asks nervously.

“Well the people that were accused of witchcraft were mainly women, but also included men and children and even priests. The first phase ended in 1610 and they burned people at the stake and some of them died under torture before they even made it to trial. Thousands of people are accused of witchcraft between 1609 and 1613 and some even confess to it thinking they may be pardoned with their honesty. They don’t stop burning witches until 1614. So if we don’t fit in here perfectly there is a very good chance we will be tortured and burned alive.” Nate states gravely.

“Oh my God, that’s awful.” Amaya shakes her head sadly and presses in close to Nate in an attempt to warm herself up a bit.

“We definitely have to get out of these clothes then.” Ava points between her suit and Amaya’s jeans and t-shirt.

“I have an idea. You will definitely hate it, but it should work.” Nate says it warily.

“Well anything at this point is more than I can think of, so let’s hear it.” Ava rubs her forehead in an attempt to stave off the headache she can feel brewing behind her eyes.

Ava is huddled in the bushes next to Amaya, both of them stark naked and shivering. She is wondering how exactly Nate talked her into this nonsense, foolish plan. She has been broadcasting nothing but frustration and annoyance through her bond with Sara and her wife seems to be rapidly cycling through worry, confusion, frustration and rage. The only positive moment Ava has had since they got here was when Nate let her punch him in the face so that they could sell their story of bandits on the road.

Ava and Amaya watch as Nate approaches a man on the edge of the village. None of their clothes could even remotely pass as era appropriate so he is butt naked as well.

“Please, sir, can you help me?” Nate hunches over to make himself as non-threatening as possible and his purpling eye is swollen and obvious.

“Who are you? What do you want?” The villager stands warily and his eyes dart around in case of a surprise.

“My name is Nathaniel. I was attacked on the road by bandits and they took everything, even my clothes!” Nate plays the part of pathetic robbery victim quite convincingly.

“I’m sorry to hear that. My name is Pascal and I’m sure I have some clothing that will fit you.” Pascal smiles warmly and moves to go into his house.

“Wait, Pascal please. It wasn’t just me on the road. My wife and sister are travelling with me and I told them to wait in the trees to protect their modesty.” Nate glances desperately to where Ava and Amaya are still hiding.

“The scoundrels stole the clothing of women as well?” Pascal shouts furiously.

Nate nods his head sadly. “I’m afraid so. I am ashamed that I couldn’t protect them from this embarrassment.”

“Please Nathaniel, I’m sure you did your best and I would never allow women to go cold.” Pascal slaps Nate on the shoulder good naturedly. “Wait here one moment, please.”

“Of course, thank you so much.” Nate awkwardly stands with his hands covering his privates as Pascal enters the house shouting for Catalina.

He quickly returns with a bundle of worn clothing that Nate hastily puts on. Once Nate is dressed Pascal calls for Catalina again and he introduces her to Nate as his wife when she comes outside. Nate walks Pascal and Catalina over to Ava and Amaya and the two women awkwardly call out their hellos. Pascal respectfully averts his eyes as Catalina helps Ava and Amaya into basic grey, woollen dresses. Once they are presentable Pascal leads them all back to his home and invites them inside for tea.

Ava and Amaya huddle around the fire to warm up and Catalina tracks down some stockings for their feet. Nate explains to Pascal that Ava was recently widowed in Zaragoza and that he is taking her to Bilbao to live with him and his wife until she is ready to be remarried. They were accosted on the road near Navarre when they stopped at the river Ebro for water. The bandits took everything, including their wedding rings and Ava and Amaya are heartbroken at the loss. Of course, they don’t mention the bundle of personal items that they stashed in the woods for safe keeping.

Pascal and Catalina are incredibly sympathetic and are happy to let them sleep in their barn and feed them as long as they all help with the chores. They figure that it shouldn’t be too long until the rest of the Legends show up to save them so they agree to the arrangement.

They meet Pascal and Catalina’s children that night and Felipe, Hector and Lucia are all very curious about the strangers staying in their barn.

Three months into their stay in Logroño, Ava notices that Pascal and Catalina’s neighbours, Alonso and Magdalena are watching the three of them with a bit too much interest. That night in the barn they decide that it would probably be best for them to move on to protect the family that kindly took them in. There is a coach travelling to Bilbao in two days so they say their goodbyes to Pascal, Catalina, Felipe, Hector and Lucia so they don’t accidentally draw the attention of the Inquisition.

They meet an older couple on the coach and Nate once again explains how they came to be in this predicament. Benito and Mariana are a boisterous couple and happily share what they can with the three strangers. Benito is absolutely thrilled when he finds out that Nate can read and write and is good with numbers, so he offers him a job working for him in Bilbao.

They find an inn on the outskirts of the city that doesn’t look too closely at the three odd people staying together and do their best to make their single room into a home. Nate goes to work every day for Benito so that they can afford to eat and buy more clothes, while Ava and Amaya venture out to find jobs of their own.

Ava becomes a seamstress working under a harsh mistress named Elvira but she thrives under pressure and the old woman doesn’t frighten her nearly as much as the other employees. Amaya finds a job selling fruit at a market stand for a pleasant old, blind man named Miguel. Their days are long and the work is often frustrating and tedious but they make it work. They wake up every morning hoping that today is the day the Legends find them and bring them home.

After ten long months stuck in the past they are all starting to lose a bit of confidence in their rescue team. Ava can feel that Sara is still determined to find them but the hardship of their day to day lives in poverty is starting to wear on them. Nate does his best to keep their spirits up but Ava misses her family desperately. Benito and Mariana often invite them over for nice dinners and it breaks up the tedium a bit, but they aren’t really sure how to converse with them beyond basic pleasantries without giving too much away.

Ava lies awake most nights wondering what her family and friends are doing. She wonders how much of Tommy’s life she has already missed and if Sara is taking care of herself properly. She worries about her parents and what they must think about her being missing for months.

Ava has never really been a person to believe in faith and religion but she is praying now. She prays to every God that she can think of to get them out of here. Ava isn’t sure if somehow her prayers ended up out in the world, but the people that eventually come for them aren’t the ones they were hoping for.

Eighteen months into their stay The Spanish Inquisition arrives on their doorstep looking for Amaya and takes them all away.

They spend weeks locked in a cell cold and starving. They can hear doors opening and footsteps coming their way so they lace their hands together in a last show of support.

“We have to fight now. If we wait any longer we might not make it.” Ava stands strong as the footsteps approach. “They already think we’re witches, so let’s show them how right they are.”

Nate and Amaya both voice their agreement and move into a fighting stance. Nate turns to steel and Amaya activates her pendant, while Ava shakes out her arms in preparation for battle. They all tense as they hear keys rattle and Ava nearly collapses in shock when Sara rounds the corner with the rest of the Legends in tow.

Nate bursts into tears and Amaya collapses into Zari’s arms as Sara rushes forward to pull Ava into an uncomfortably tight hug.

“You found us.” Ava has to choke back a sob as Sara smiles at her.

“Of course we did. I would never stop looking for you.” Sara kisses her even though Ava can’t remember how long ago she brushed her teeth.

“Boss, we should probably go if we don’t want those nosy bastards at the gate blowing the getaway plan.” Mick grumbles from the hallway.

“You came with a plan?” Ava wonders if she actually just passed out in the cell and this is all just a hallucination.

“Yep and it’s gonna work too, but we have to go now.” Sara grabs Ava by the hand and drags her out along the hallway.

Ava has no idea where they are but Sara seems to know the way and she would follow her soulmate to the ends of the earth over broken glass if it meant getting to stay with her, so she silently trails along behind her. Somehow they make it back to the ship and are greeted with Gideon’s relieved hologram in the cargo bay. The team helps them to the Med Bay, then the bathroom and soon enough they are fresh and clean sitting at the kitchen table ready to start putting on some of the weight they lost in the cell and just living in general poverty.

“What took you guys so long to find us?” Nate asks around a mouthful of food.

“When the Waverider expelled you and the pirates the jump ship was forcefully launched. Let’s just say we had a bit of a rough landing and it took us five weeks to build the part we needed to get out of Hong Kong 1923. Once we tracked the Waverider down we managed to find where the time stream spat you out, but clearly you’d already moved on by that point. You managed to keep a pretty low profile but we overheard someone in the marketplace in Bilbao talking about the Inquisition picking up a man with his wife and sister. The description fit you guys pretty well so we followed it right to you.” Zari fills them in as she piles her plate high with various foods from around the table.

“Longest seven weeks of my life.” Sara states as she spoons some sweet potato onto Ava’s plate.

Ava pauses with her spoon halfway to her mouth and shares a confused look with Nate and Amaya. “Seven weeks?”

“Yeah you’ve been gone for seven weeks.” Sara’s face falls as she looks between Ava, Nate and Amaya. “How long was it for you guys?”

“We were there for just over a year and a half.” Ava says it quietly but the whole table is deathly silent and her voice seems to ring in their ears.

Ava struggles to transition back into her everyday life after being gone for so long and she finds it incredibly jarring that for everyone else she didn’t seem to miss all that much. Of course everyone was worried but Tommy is still a baby, Laurel, Thea and Felicity are still the same friends that she left and Sara is still the same woman that she loves. She just feels different now. She has lived through hardship and poverty and she finds herself panicking when she doesn’t know where Nate and Amaya are at any given point in the day.

Ava knows that Sara is worried about her so, after two weeks of creeping anxiety, she adds herself to Dinah’s therapy roster on the Waverider. She struggles to find a starting point with her mother-in-law but surprisingly therapy works wonders for her.

Six months after she starts seeing Dinah she feels like she is back to her old self and that confidence carries over into her job and she gets promoted to be the Director of the Time Bureau. The promotion means that she is no longer an active field agent but on some level she knows that she is happier that way and Sara never says it out loud but Ava can feel her relief through their bond.

Tommy is almost two years old when Laurel gives birth to his baby sister. Annabelle Dinah Palmer is born on a Tuesday afternoon with a head full of dark hair and big blue eyes that make Ava melt. Ray is so proud of his wife that he walks the halls of the hospital with Tommy, telling strangers about how amazing she is. Ava cradles her new niece in her arms and she is reminded of a conversation she had with Sara nearly two years ago.

Ava and Sara leave the hospital arm in arm with their hearts full of happiness and a phone full of photos. They get back to their apartment after stopping to grab some takeout for dinner and Ava immediately starts searching for something. Sara sits at the table eating her burger as she watches her wife rummaging around. It doesn’t take her long to find and she drops the photo album on the table in front of her wife. Sara swallows her mouthful of food before flicking the album open. She grins when she realises it is the album that Thea gifted them of the Legends from when they were de-aged.

“Man, I can’t believe this was nearly two years ago already.” Sara laughs as she turns the pages and the memories come flooding back.

“Do you remember what we talked about when that was over?” Ava asks seriously.

“About us having our own kids one day?” Sara gently closes the album and shifts closer to her wife.

“Sara, I think I’m ready. I’ve been the Director for a year now and the Legends don’t have to deal with big, crazy anachronisms much anymore. Our lives are the most stable I think they’ve ever been.” Ava takes Sara’s hands in her own and looks her in the eye.

“Our kids could grow up with Laurel’s kids.” Sara grins wistfully.

“Are you saying you agree with me?” Ava stares hopefully at her wife.

“Yeah, I am. I’m ready and I want to have a baby with you.” Sara beams at her wife as she stands up and pulls her into a bone-crushing hug.

“We’re gonna be parents.” Ava whispers into Sara’s hair, with the full force of their bond broadcasting more happiness than they know what to do with.

Ava is getting dressed for dinner when Sara’s phone starts ringing from the other room. She hears her wife answer the phone and she is suddenly struck with a tense feeling through the soul bond. She abandons her hair brush and walks out to the kitchen to find out what has Sara feeling so uncomfortable. She reaches her wife just as she hangs up and Sara runs her hands through her hair in frustration.

“Who was on the phone?” Ava gently takes Sara’s hands in her own and starts massaging the tension out of her fingers.

Sara sighs deeply and looks at the floor. “Nyssa Al Ghul.”

Ava pauses her ministrations in surprise. “Your ex-girlfriend?”

“That’s the one.” Sara grins sheepishly at her wife.

“What did she want to talk about?” Ava keeps her voice carefully neutral even as a slight flare of jealousy sparks in her chest causing Sara to smile.

“She needs my help with something important. She didn’t want to say what it was over the phone though.” Sara leans against the kitchen counter and rubs her forehead as she debates what to do.

“Well then, we should help her.” Ava slides her fingers through the belt loops on Sara’s skin tight jeans and shrugs.

“You want to help Nyssa?” Sara asks in surprise.

“Well how else can I thank her for keeping my soulmate safe until I could find her?” Ava smirks and places a gentle kiss on the end of Sara’s nose.

“You’re such a sap.” Sara laughs and shoves Ava away.

“And yet you love me anyway.” Ava teases as she grabs her jacket.

“Of course I do.” Sara laughs and snags the car keys off the hook at the door. “Now let’s go find out what my ex-girlfriend wants me for.”

Sara pulls the car to a stop a few houses away from the address Nyssa gave her. Ava is on high alert and does her best to scout the area for any potential threats but she can’t see anything out of the ordinary on this quiet street.

“Do you have any idea of what to expect once we go inside?” Ava asks quietly as she makes sure her weapons are in reach.

“Not really. I don’t believe Nyssa would ever willingly hurt me and she said that this is an old League safe house.” Sara tucks her baton up underneath her jacket and opens the car door to get out.

Ava walks two steps behind Sara all the way to the house that Nyssa is supposedly waiting in. She tenses as Sara knocks on the door and they both hold their breath as they hear footsteps approaching. The door opens and Nyssa quickly glances up and down the street before ushering them both inside. There is no furniture that Ava can see except a rickety table with four chairs that have definitely seen better days. They all sit down and Ava watches Nyssa curiously. The woman is definitely beautiful and she moves with a grace that belies her deadly capabilities.

“I suppose you’re both wondering why I called you here under such mysterious circumstances.” Nyssa smirks as she crosses her legs comfortably.

“You could say that.” Sara genuinely smiles at the brunette and Ava will admit that she finds herself charmed by the woman’s accent.

“Do you remember much about my sister Talia?” Nyssa questions Sara curiously.

“She is Ra’s Al Ghul’s eldest living child but he passed her over to give you the title of Heir to the Demon instead. She abandoned the League and formed her own cult following, leaving you to deal with your father’s wrath alone. She is a master level assassin and a deadly tactician. She also trained Oliver when he was stuck in Russia but she is cold and calculating and you told me once that she has become pretty vengeful.” Sara rattles off as Nyssa nods in agreement.

“That sums her up quite well actually.” Nyssa laughs, a soft melodious sound that has Ava entranced. “She has decided that I am not worthy of the title I was given and she is rather unhappy that I disbanded the League. So she has decided that she is going to take the title by force and she is killing off all known children sired by my father before she kills me as well. She believes that as the only blood heir remaining, the League will have to follow her rule without question.”

“Are you asking us to protect you?” Ava asks incredulously.

“Of course not. There is a reason my father chose me to be the Heir to the Demon before Talia. I am more than capable of handling myself.” Nyssa states with a deadly edge to her voice that makes Ava break into a cold sweat.

“Then why are we here Nyssa?” Sara places a hand on her wife’s thigh and gives it a comforting squeeze.

Nyssa watches the way Sara interacts with Ava and she smiles sadly to herself. “Sara, before I say anything else, I just want you to know that I am genuinely glad that you found your soulmate.”

“I know you are Nyss, I’m just sorry you can’t find yours.” Sara leans across the table and places her hand over Nyssa’s in a comforting gesture.

Ava stares at the brunette as she attempts to puzzle out what the women are talking about. Nyssa obviously notices and looks to Sara in surprise. “Did you never tell her about the League’s stance on soulmates?”

Sara actually looks ashamed and Ava’s heart rate spikes in response. Nyssa leans forward and her serious expression commands Ava’s attention. “My father believed that soulmates were a distraction and a liability to the mission. The final hurdle to becoming a member of the League was to renounce your soulmate in a special ceremony. He had found a way to sever the soulmate connection and he did it to every assassin as their final test.”

Ava recoils in shock and stares at her wife. “How were you not severed from me?”

“For the longest time I didn’t think I had a soulmate because you were so damn careful, so I lied. I wasn’t ready to give you up once I realised you were there and I lied to Ra’s Al Ghul and told him I was born without a soulmate. He thought it meant that I was born for the League.” Sara shrugs bashfully under the intense gaze of the two other women.

“Of course I’d already fallen in love with her before she told me this.” Nyssa laughs softly as Ava whips her head around to look at her. “My father severed my connection when I was five years old so I never really understood the pull that Sara felt for you.”

“I’m sorry that your chance was taken from you.” Ava genuinely admits.

Nyssa shrugs indifferently. “At least he waited long enough for me to have felt something from my person. I had a sore ankle that I just couldn’t explain and even though I will never find them now, just knowing that the universe had planned someone for me helps sometimes. Talia never had that chance. She was brought to the League to train when she was three and he severed her immediately, so she never even got to know if there was someone out there for her.”

Nyssa shakes her head and straightens her spine. “But I didn’t bring you here to reminisce on the horrors my father inflicted on his children. I’m here to save the ones he has left.”

“What are you talking about?” Sara asks as Nyssa stands up.

“My father was a well-travelled man and he fathered children all over the world. Sara, as you know, I was born in Taiwan and Talia was born in the Philippines.” At Sara’s confused nod Nyssa continues as she leads them up the stairs. “Well he also fathered a son in Kenya, a son in Mongolia, a daughter in Turkey and another daughter in Puerto Rico.”

Nyssa pauses at the top of the stairs and takes a deep breath. “Talia killed all of them.”

Ava gasps in shock and Sara clutches her wife’s hand as she reaches out for Nyssa. “I’m so sorry you have had to deal with this alone.”

“Hopefully I don’t anymore.” Nyssa ushers them down the hallway. “Talia doesn’t know it yet, but she missed two.”

The brunette opens the door at the end of the hallway and the three women quietly step into the room. There is a single mattress on the floor and two little girls curled up together, sleeping peacefully.

“They were born in Russia and their mother died six months ago. They got lost in the system so Talia couldn’t track them. Honestly, I’m still surprised I found them first.” Nyssa whispers as she watches over her slumbering sisters.

“Are they why we’re here?” Sara asks seriously.

“I didn’t know who else to call. I need you to take them for me.” Nyssa takes Ava and Sara by the hand and pleads.

“And do what with them?” Ava can feel her hand shaking in Nyssa’s grip at the implications of what she is asking.

“Raise them. Love them. Give them a life that I never could.” Nyssa tightens her hold on the other women as if to emphasise her desperation.

“How do we know that you won’t try to take them back one day?” Ava asks fearfully.

Nyssa laughs disbelievingly. “I have a veritable horde of assassins gunning for me and I refuse to risk anyone else finding out about their connection to me. Even if Talia somehow finds out that the girls are still alive, she would never think to look for them with my ex-girlfriend and her soulmate. Also I was raised in a cave in Tibet and at no point while I was living in Nanda Parbat did I learn to be nurturing. The best thing I can do for them is to give them their best chance with people that will love them unconditionally. The two of you are the only people I know I can trust with my little sisters.”

Ava swallows hard and looks at Sara. Their soulmate bond is lighting up with all of their different emotions and Ava can’t help but think that this is somehow fateful. For the last eight months they have done everything in their power to become parents but nothing has worked. Neither of them succeeded in falling pregnant and the adoption agencies were hesitant based on their job statuses. Maybe this is the opportunity they have been waiting for. Ava can feel that Sara is in agreement with her before they even say anything out loud.

Sara turns towards Nyssa, who had averted her eyes in an attempt to give them some privacy. “What are their names?”

“Kristina and Natalia. They have just turned three.” Nyssa’s eyes shine in delight at the soft smiles adorning the faces of the women she chose to raise her sisters.

“Well it’s not how I imagined that we would become parents but I guess we’ve never really done anything in an ordinary way.” Ava laughs gently and kisses Sara before crouching down to get a better look at her new daughters.

They are identical twins with a fair complexion and hair as thick and dark as Nyssa’s. They look incredibly peaceful as they sleep and Ava is suddenly hit in the chest with such warmth and affection that these are her daughters and she already knows that she would do anything for them.

“I guess it’s finally time for us to move out of our apartment. We can’t raise our kids in a place that only has one bedroom.” Sara laughs and moves out into the hallway to talk to Nyssa.

Ava’s connections at the Bureau mean that she is able to have their apartment packed up and moved in only three days. It’s a two storey house with a big yard and four bedrooms. Kristina and Natalia each get their own room and they finally have a spare room, so they don’t have to share their bed with a revolving door of guests anymore.

Nyssa dropped off the grid to deal with Talia the day after they moved into their new home. She left them all with parting hugs and the promise to visit once it is safe. Ava was absolutely shocked the first time she saw the girls awake and got a look at their bright blue eyes. They may not be blood related to the girls, but their eyes and dimples remind Ava of Sara so much that she can’t help but stare at them adoringly. Their dark hair is the only thing that sets them apart from their mothers.

With Laurel’s help Ava is able to forge the necessary documents stating that Kristina and Natalia legally belong to her and Sara. They wait to reveal the full names that they gave to the girls until their official adoption party. Everyone is in attendance and when the girls are introduced as Kristina Ava Lance and Natalia Sara Lance, Quentin bursts into tears. They tell everyone that they wanted the girls to know that even though they were adopted they are a part of their family forever and that’s why they gave then their names.

Kristina and Natalia happily run around with Tommy and Anna as the adults all catch up with each other. Sara has officially handed over her title of Captain to Amaya so she can spend more time with her family, like Ray. They both still go out on missions from time to time though. Natalia runs up to Ava and gently tugs her hand as she is talking to Zari and Thea.

“Mom, I’m hungry.” The little girl pouts.

Ava nearly has a heart attack as she registers what the little girl just called her. She somehow manages to keep her hysterical tears at bay long enough to provide snacks for her and her sister. Thea has to hold her up though.

Sara quickly finds her in the crowd and asks her what happened to make their bond go crazy.

“She called me Mom.” Ava whispers, like she still can’t believe it happened.

Sara absolutely lights up. “Really?!”

“Mom, Mama can we please watch Ferdinand with Tommy and Anna?” Kristina and Natalia come crashing into their legs and Sara absolutely fails at keeping her tears inside.

“Of course, my sweet girls.” Ava declares and walks away to help put the movie on.

They don’t know it until she gifts it to them at Christmas, but Thea captures the entire interaction on her phone.

It is a beautiful spring day when the girls are five years old that Ava and Sara decide to teach them how to ride a bike. Ray and Laurel bring Tommy and Anna so all of the cousins can learn together. All of the Legends show up for the occasion and it comes out that Mick and Zari never learned how to ride a bike either. Nate disappears for a while and he comes back with two adult sized bikes and a smile splitting his face in half.

Zari is incredibly reluctant but Mick is surprisingly agreeable when he realises that his bike has flames painted on the sides. Mick probably has more fun than the kids over the course of the day and Zari pouts constantly but Kristina and Natalia keep encouraging their Aunty to try, so she can’t stay mad for long.

Ava takes about a million photos and her heart feels full enough to burst. Even when she notices Nyssa leaning against the side of the house in the shade doing her best to remain unseen, she can’t wipe the smile off her face. Ava wanders over to Nyssa slowly, giving the assassin plenty of time to decide whether she wants to talk to her, or not.

“Hey, it’s been a while.” Ava greets as she reaches the other woman.

“It has. They’ve grown a lot.” Nyssa smiles as she watches her little sister’s squeal in delight as Sara chases them. “I knew I made the right choice when I left them with you both.”

Ava studies the other woman thoughtfully. “How is the Talia situation coming along?”

“Talia will never be a threat to them ever again.” Nyssa’s entire body tenses as she says her sister’s name and Ava barely manages to not flinch at the action.

“You know, I never expected to like you.” Ava blurts out, causing Nyssa to raise a perfectly sculpted brow in her direction. “I mean, why would I? My soulmate loved you for years. You were like this person from a fairy-tale come to life.”

“More like a nightmare.” Nyssa interrupts with a scoff.

“Regardless, you felt like this untouchable anti-hero that saved Sara’s life before I even knew who she was. You are ridiculously good at so many things and you got to know Sara at a time in her life that I can never understand for myself. Also you are easily one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen; I truly don’t understand why I don’t feel threatened by you.” Ava admits honestly and she silently curses the blush she feels rising on her cheeks when Nyssa studies her in surprise.

The assassin blows out a breath before relaxing her posture a bit. “I never expected to like you either.” Nyssa chuckles quietly to herself. “I loved Sara with everything that I had and I know that she loved me too, but you were always there in her heart when we were together. You were the one thing standing between me and everything I had ever wanted, but I knew I could never take you from Sara because I loved her too much to hurt her like that. You were always destined to take her from me and it broke my heart when she finally left.”

Ava stands in shock as Nyssa opens her heart to her and for the first time, she can completely understand how her soulmate fell in love with this woman. Nyssa is clearly a force to be reckoned with, beautiful and deadly, but her true strength lies in her ability to be vulnerable. She bares herself open with seemingly no regard for how she could be torn to pieces and yet she can still smile in spite of her loss.

“Nyssa, I don’t know what to say.” Ava admits as she watches a single tear roll gently down the brunette’s cheek.

“I’m not telling you this to garner your sympathy. I just want you to know that I am not here to take anything from you. Sara is happier now than I have ever seen her and that’s all I have ever wanted for her.” Nyssa tucks her hands into her simple black jeans and turns her attention back to the group of people out on the street.

Ava surprises both Nyssa and herself when she pulls the other woman into a tight hug. “Why don’t you come out and say hello to the girls. I’m sure they’d be happy to officially meet their Aunt Nyssa.”

“What?” Nyssa stares at Ava in genuine surprise.

“Like it or not, you are blood family to those girls and I refuse to be the person that stands in the way of them getting to know you.” Ava straightens her spine and grabs Nyssa’s hand before pulling her gently out into the sunlight.

Sara beams at them both when they join the group and everyone cheers manically as Zari manages to ride the entire length of the street by herself and when she makes it back she admits that she didn’t completely hate the experience. Nyssa seamlessly blends into the group and just like that, their family grows by one.

Ava is comfortably reclined on the couch in Thea’s apartment with Laurel on one side and Felicity on the other. Sara, Ray and all of the Legends have taken the kids to the zoo for the day leaving the four women to have a girl’s day like they used to when they first met.

Thea marches into the room with an armload of snacks and drops them unceremoniously on the coffee table. Felicity leans forward over her little bump and grabs a packet of Oreos for herself as Ava opts to share a bag of sweet and salty popcorn with Laurel. Thea squishes down onto the end of the couch next to Laurel and pulls up her Netflix queue.

Laurel sighs happily as she is forced further into Ava’s side. “Did you guys ever think when we first started doing this that we would get here?”

“What do you mean?” Felicity asks as she attempts to brush some crumbs off her shirt.

“All those years ago, you were the only one of us in a relationship and now we are all married.” Laurel lazily waves her arm to point at Felicity. “Ava and I have two kids each and you have William and your little one on the way.”

“We were all running around getting beat up on the regular and now we have jobs that we actually like and don’t require skin tight leather.” Thea jumps in with a laugh.

“We have more friends than we know what to with.” Ava laughs, thinking about the Legends, team Arrow and even the women from Earth-38 that she has started spending more time with.

“Speaking of friends…” Laurel slaps Ava’s arm to get her attention. “Are Zari and Nyssa dating yet, or what?”

Once Nyssa managed to get the League off her back she seemed a bit lost in the world, so Sara talked her into moving to the Waverider to help out with missions so that she could be at home with the girls more. Of course, Nyssa thrived with a new purpose in life and after a few months, they noticed that she was getting closer to Zari. Ava was absolutely thrilled when Zari approached her about potentially asking the assassin out and she listened patiently as her friend rambled about how much she likes the other woman. The two brunettes’ have a surprising amount in common despite being born in vastly different time periods but Ava encouraged her to go for it. Of course she immediately went to Sara to talk to her about it and her wife admitted that Nyssa had come to her for the same reason.

“They had their first official date on Friday and from the terrifying amount of smiling Zari was doing on Saturday, I’d say it went well.” Ava smiles happily and grabs a small handful of popcorn before Laurel can eat it all.

“Yes!” Thea fist pumps the air in excitement. “Roy owes me $50.”

“They are both so grumpy and scarily smart. They are perfect for each other.” Felicity grins happily as she rummages through the snack pile.

“Sprout and Pumpkin called that development weeks ago.” Thea laughs delightedly.

“Do you really have to call my kids Sprout and Pumpkin?” Ava pokes Thea good-naturedly, because secretly she finds it adorable.

“Bean-pole, I’ll call my nieces whatever I want and besides, they love it.” Thea sticks her tongue out at the older woman.

“You’re a menace, Munchkin.” Ava throws a kernel of popcorn at Thea and frowns when she catches it in her mouth.

“Can you two cut it out; I want to watch this movie before everyone gets home.” Laurel shushes them and presses play on the movie that she has picked.

They have ten minutes left of the movie when the door swings open and the apartment is suddenly packed full of rowdy adults and rambunctious children, because of course they can’t even finish a movie anymore. Oliver immediately pushes his way to Felicity’s side to rub her bump and he gives her a kiss. William has Tommy on his back and Ray is passing Anna to Laurel. Ava notices Nyssa and Zari holding hands and she grins at them in support. Kristina is perched on Mick’s shoulders and they have matching tiger face paint. To this day Ava is ridiculously impressed, yet baffled with Mick’s loyalty to his nephew and nieces. Nate and Amaya have butterflies painted on their face to match Anna and Sara is crouched down and laughing with Natalia. They all look exhausted after a long day out in the sun but everyone is smiling and the kids are delightedly recounting everything that they did with the team.

The apartment is filled to the brim with happiness and laughter so Ava sits back and lets the warmth of her family and their happiness wash away the last of the darkness lingering in her soul from her past.

Sara flops onto the couch next to her. “Is everything okay?”

Ava kisses her wife and smiles. “Everything is perfect.”