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Finally, Ava's lips were pressed firmly against the detective's, and it was more than Dinah could have ever imagined. Strong arms curled around her waist, pulling her impossibly close. Every caress of calloused hands along her hips and ribcage caused her heart to flutter, beating in time to a melody being composed with each second that passed. Dinah's hands began to roam too, each finger appreciative of the muscle that lay beneath supple skin.
Although as her palms came to cup the agent's cheeks, it was as though a violin's string broke. Without warning the moment ended, far sooner than Dinah had anticipated. With gentle firmness hands grasped the raven-haired woman's shoulders, putting a great deal of space between the pair, compared to that of mere seconds ago. The detective had to hold back a whine at the loss of contact, desiring nothing more than to be kissed senseless by the commanding agent.
Though it was the blonde's furrowed brow that dragged Dinah from her reverie. "This was a mistake," each quietly muttered syllable was like a knife to the detective's heart, the very same one she had given to Ava. Her stomach plummeted, and the dread began to seep into every limb of her body. The heart she had protected for many years after Bobby was now shattered and it was only made worse when pale green eyes refused to meet her own.
Both her mind and heart panicked, imperceptible elevations she knew the vampire would pick up on. Managing to form a coherent sentence, she released a bated breath, "What do you mean?" Dinah hated how her voice shook, and lip wobbled as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She chastised how weak she sounded; pain weaved into each pitiful murmur that left her shaking body.
Ava's head whipped up upon hearing the barely held together woman speak, a frown on her lips as she observed the effect of four words. The ebony-haired detective had lost her usually impeccable posture as her shoulders slumped, appearing more broken than she wished to let on. Now it was the detective's turn to avert her gaze, her hazel eyes downcast as they were no longer able to contain the tears held within.
Ava held back in that moment, a feeble attempt to maintain her crumbling façade. She was failing, failing her unit, Agent Langford, herself but most of all, Dinah. "Because I'm," the hollow scoff that rang out from the detective put an end to her sentence, "Don't you dare say monster du Mortain, for that is not what you are." Stubborn as always, a streak that brought both humour and annoyance, right now it was a lifeline, one Ava clung to.
"How am I not? I have caused nothing but pain and have failed on countless occasions, failed... you."
"You have only ever kept me safe Ava. I have always felt safe in your arms, cared for and protected."
Repeating the action that saw Ava recoil earlier soothed the pair of them this time. The detective's fingers slid over Ava's jaw, tracing with such delicacy it drew a shiver from the blonde, whose own tears began to surface.
"I'm sorry, Dinah."
Dinah wasted no time hugging Ava, the latter burying her face into ebony locks, breathing in their signature scent of coconut. Apologies continued to be whispered repeatedly and only once silence consumed the atmosphere once more did the detective dare to speak, gently pressing her lips to the blonde's cheek, "You've always been my knight in shining armour Ava."