It's been three days since they last talked or screamed at each other to be precise. Despite being in the same house, they've barely seen each other. The meals were quiet and rushed. Laurel didn't seem to mind the cold war between her two moms. She hasn't asked questions yet and her parents were grateful for it.

Ava was true to her word about spending time with Laurel. She and the little girl have gotten closer. Ava woke Laurel, cooked her meals, bathed her, watched cartoons and movies with her and they've spent the day before feeding birds and ducks in the park. At the end of the day the little girl would tell Sara what she and mama did.

Sara was almost glad that her daughter and her ex-wife had spent the days together but all she did was worry. What ifs occupied her mind and the thought of them leaving and Ava going back to Ivy Town was causing too much stress.

Zari and Amaya visited twice, Mick dropped by for some work advice and Laurel checked in on her every few hours. She had Nana Anne help her walk around the garden to exercise her still recovering body however she wasn't patient enough. Stubborn Sara can't wait to be better so she could leave soon and forget the past few days.

After their fight three days ago they retreated back to their respected rooms. She couldn't help but let go of all her emotions and cried herself to sleep. She hasn't done that in a while and she hated how it felt. She hated how she made herself sick thinking about the things she said to Ava and how she's hurt the both of them for bringing up the past. She crossed the line. 

Her anger and bitterness however was stronger. Neither apologized to the other and Sara was too proud to admit to Ava that she didn't mean to be that harsh.

Little Laurel distracted her from her thoughts. The little girl wanted Sara to come and help Ava and Nana Anne cook pancakes and bacon. She couldn't say no to the excited child who was already pulling her to the kitchen.

Her body was heavier than it usually was and she used the walls and furniture to help her walk to the kitchen. The aroma of cinnamon and butter welcomed her and her mouth watered. When Ava looked up their eyes locked then Ava smiled at her. Her heart started beating fast.

Her ex-wife was wearing a white shirt and shorts, her bun sloppily placed on top of her head and she looked casual, relaxed... beautiful. She assumed Laurel was a huge contributor to the change in aura and appearance of Ava.

"You want to lend a hand?" says the taller blonde.

She cleared her throat. "Sure, what can I do?" she moved closer to the station where Ava was mixing the batter.

"Here, keep mixing then you scoop them to the pan when you're through" she gladly took over the duty. She can't shake how domestic and familiar this feels.

Laurel and Ava were having fun chopping up fruits for toppings. Occasionally the little girl would steal some and Ava would pretend to be shocked and catch her in action. When she resumed putting batter in the pan Laurel moved to help.

She let her measure out the batter and helped her pour in the pan. As much as she didn't want to admit they were having fun. Ava played music moments later which spiced things up. Laurel danced as they cooked and they were all amused by the little girl.

Laurel plated her own food. She made fun shapes out of her pancakes and drew on them with syrup. Mommy helped and Mama too. They both were situated on either side of their daughter and watched her get creative with her food.

"That's amazing little bean who taught you that?" Ava said kissing her daughter. "We have a little artist in our midst"

"Mommy makes these always" the little girl responded.

"Yeah? Mommy cooks for you? How is your kitchen still intact?" the taller blonde surprisingly joked.

"Hey! That was one time!" Sara responded in her defense.

The smoke detector wailed in the now clouded kitchen. Sara was attempting to make the famous Lance Family chicken cacciatore and she is failing miserably. Smoke filled her lungs as she opened the oven. She tried to clear the air by swatting the smoke away from her face.

"What in the world is going on babe?"  She didn't see who it was but judging by the voice it was Ava.

"I made dinner. Or I tried to at least" She turned around with a frown on her face and the burnt dish on her hands.

"That's it youre officially banned in the kitchen." the taller blonde took the baking dish in her hands. "Thanks for trying babe but you and the kitchen...aint gonna happen" Ava gave her a quick peck on the lips. If that was her attempt on taking the frown off her face it didn't work.

"hey! you love my cooking" Sara pouted even more.

"I do?" she asked with a scrunched up face which earned her a slap from Sara. "Yes! Yes I do."

When they realized they were talking again and enjoying each other's company they suddenly became quiet. They ate their breakfast and listened to Laurel talk. The little girl always enjoyed talking. She loved being creative and her parents loved her for it

If they were still married now, moments such as this were treasured. Eating together was a traditional thing and they always made sure to have time for the little girl, may it be breakfast or taking her to ballet school or fetching her.

"Mommy?" the little girl was playing with what's left on her plate. ""Are you and mama fighting again?" She looked at Sara in the eyes. Ava almost choked.

"No baby. How can you say that? Mama and I cooked breakfast together. see? Were okay" she looked at Ava who nodded to her in support.

"But you barely talk. You don't play with mama and me" the little girl frowned.

"Hey babe? Mommy can't play with us because her tummy still aches but I promise when she is better she's going to play with us okay?" She wiped the chocolate from Laurel's lips. She coaxed the little girl to finish her breakfast and asked Nana Anne to bathe her afterwards

When the little girl was taken upstairs Sara and Ava were finally left alone together. With Nana Anne occupied of taking care of Laurel, the taller blonde volunteered to help Sara to the room.

"I can do this alone Ava you don't need to help me" said the shorter blonde. "I can walk now" she said standing up from her chair

"I think the better word for it is limp" Ava rushed to her side and placed her hand firmly on Sara's waist.

Her presence was familiar. If she didn't stop herself she would've melted. Ava's strong hands helped remove some of the weight she had to carry. Their close proximity made her anxious and she could tell that Ava was too.

When they finally reached the room Ava gently let her go. She slowly eased herself down the bed and Ava tucked her in comfortably. The taller blonde was about to leave when she remembered something.

"Ava?" She asked.

"Yeah?" She replied almost too quickly.

"Can you get the med kit in the drawer I need to dress my wound" it was usually Nana Anne or one of the helpers that helped her dress but she could do it herself now and she didn't want to bother anyone.

Ava silently looked for the kit. She raised the first bag she grabbed. "That's the one" Sara replied.  "What are you doing?" Sara asked when Ava sat beside her on the bed.

"I'm dressing you" she replied like it was the obvious answer. "Up up" she pointed on her shirt.

Sara froze and her mouth went dry. "My-my shirt?" She swallowed the lump on her throat. She didn't mean to stutter and sound like a complete idiot but she didn't expect Ava to be so casual about it.

"Yes your shirt" Ava readied the things she will use on the tray. Sara lifted her shirt up just below her breasts.

After Ava sanitized her hands she put on gloves and started removing the tape on her stomach. She couldn't help but stare at her ex-wife while she does so.  "Do I have something on my face?" Ava said killing the silence.  She looked up to meet Sara's gaze.

"No. This is just weird" she laid back and let Ava do her thing.

She usually loved it when they're not talking because no talking means no fighting but with Ava being so thoughtful and kind in the past days she felt like she owed her a conversation. She tried of thinking of what to say. Should she apologize first? Or should she make small talk and apologize later?

"Ava" "Sara" they said in unison. Great way to make things extra complicated than it usually is. She thought to herself. 

"You go first" Said Sara but Ava insisted she go first and knowing her ex-wife she just went with it.

"I shouldn't have said things that I've said that night. I'm sorry." She started "I know it wasn't easy for you and I know that you love Laurel so much. I can't blame you for leaving. I can't blame you for feeling what you feel. I really am sorry Aves." The nickname came out naturally.

"Yeah I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to be harsh to Nyssa, I was just jealous I guess. She was really close with Laurel and I felt that bad that she spent more time with our girl than I did"

Ava continued to dress her wound. "I really want us to get along Sara. Not just for Laurel but for us too. Things ended badly for us and I want to fix that" she saw the sincerity in the taller blonde's eyes when she looked up.

Her blue orbs spoke to her and a huge part of her wants to believe it, wants to make things right "me too" she answered.

They finally talked calmly for the first time in a while. They talked about Laurel and how she missed her when she left, how it was like for Ava in Ivy town and how she coped with her loss. More apologies were said along the way until Ava finally finished dressing her wound.

"I'm glad we had this talk" Ava said as she stood up from the bed.

"Me too. Thank you for helping me" she smiled genuinely. She couldn't remember the last time they had a light conversation and it feels amazing. She couldn't help but think that there was hope in them fixing at least their friendship.

***

The door clicked shut and Ava could finally breathe again. Her heart was beating fast and her hand was cold and sweaty.

She didn't think dressing Sara's wound was a mistake until she lifted her shirt. She recalled the very moment she laid eyes on Sara's toned abdomen. She placed every ounce of self-control not to think about other things.

It wasn't the first time she dressed Sara's wounds, she had done it many times that she knew what her scars looked like, when it happened and what caused it. For a detective, Sara was pretty reckless. She dove on danger constantly, mission after mission, and she would always have scratches and bruises and sometimes wounds that cut deep. Thankfully though, she never experienced life threatening injuries, until now.

Sara hissed through the pain as Ava dabbed the ice pack on her lips. "Did that hurt?" she asked. It was one of those days where her fiancée would come home with more bruises than she usually had and a few cuts here and there.

"Little bit" Sara held the pack on her face while Ava took off her shoes.

The taller blonde hated seeing her battered and sore but she knew she couldn't stop Sara from doing her job. She loved it too much. The frown on her face was maybe too evident because Sara noticed it immediately.

"You have that face again." Sara whispered as she leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"what face?"she tried to hide the expression but it was already too late.

"come here" her fiancée coaxed. She sat in front of her on the bed and Sara immediately snaked her arms on her waist. She felt her chin on her shoulder. "I need you to stop worrying babe" she whispered on the crook of her neck

She closed her eyes and melted on Sara's warmth. She paused for a second, inhaling her scent and gathering her strength "I can't" she turned to face Sara. "What if it's not just bruises and cuts the next time around? What if it's bullets that make you bleed the next time a mission goes south? Or a knife? Or worse?  I hate waking up every morning, bidding you good bye and thinking if you could come back home to me. I'm scared Sara. Always" She felt the tears burn her eyes.

"Hey, your future wife is a badass. I can take care of myself okay? I don't want you thinking about those things. I know its hard baby but you gotta try . When did I ever not come back home to you? I can't promise anything but I swear, I will do my best to keep safe"

She held Sara's hands tightly and gave them a kiss. She nodded and wiped the tears that started to fall on her cheeks. "I don't want to lose you"

"you won't" If it only took assurance for her to feel safe she would've been by now but every day still she worried. Every day she thought about Sara's cases and if her last text or her last coffee with her was going to be the last one they ever do but every day Sara proved her wrong, because every day, Sara came home.

The doorbell rang twice before she finally snapped from her thoughts. Ava carried herself gracefully to the front door. When she finally opened it, the other side held a surprise she never expected.

"Hello dear" the voice was clear and gentle but mind you it was full of authority. The older woman at the other side of the door smiled.

Ava's jaw fell open "mom?"