1 Year Later
The front door flies open, and a little brunette ran through into the kitchen a little taller than last year at this time but in the same rush as last year.
“Auntie Sara!” She goes flying into the blonde’s arms and is lifted immediately up into a flurry of kisses from Sara laughing and giggling.
“Look at you peanut.” She tickles the little girl on her side causing more laughter when Ava enters the kitchen and stops watching the whole scene unfold with admiration and love. When the little girl looks over and squirms out of Sara’s arms to get to Ava.
“Auntie Aves” She runs and jumps into her arms and gets lifted into the air with a scream and giggles. Ava throws her a couple more times before bringing her down and kissing her cheeks. The little girl’s protest’s but then kisses Ava back on each cheek and lays her head on her shoulder.
“How was your Christmas with Mom?” Ava asks her.
“Good but I didn’t get the Pony I asked for?” the little girl pouts at Ava who frowns at her. And looks over at Alex who has just entered who shakes her head as to say never going to happen and quickly moves back into the living room.
“Well maybe next year okay. But until then you can go see Granny Carol and I know she brought you some gifts.” The little girl gasps and puts her hands together in excitement. “And make sure you call her Granny Carol okay.” Ava puts Z down and she runs into the living room chanting Granny Carol Granny Carol. As Ava laughs and turns to Sara who has a serious look on her face.
“I’m pretty sure that your mother said she would never go by the term Granny if her life depended on it.” She smirks as Ava shrugs walking towards her. “Or did you forget the conversation from just two hours ago where she asked us when we were having kids and she had decided to be called YaYa?” Sara said it not understanding why.
“Right she did say that didn’t she.” She smiles as she wraps her arms around Sara’s waist and hugs her. “But I’ve decided that she should be granny because we’re not even Greek and YaYa is a Greek term.” She laughs
“You’re just trying to start an argument with your mother.” Sara melts into the hug and Ava pulls back looking at her with a smirk.
“I’m just trying to annoy her really, not argue annoy.” She says with a smile on her face. And she leans down and kisses Sara who deepens the kiss and they then both get lost in the kiss and are interrupted by someone clearing her throat. They break apart and look to see Carol standing in the kitchen with a smile on her face. “Mom.” Ava goes to move away from Sara and Carol throws her hands up motioning for Ava to stop.
“First off thank heavens you are acting normal around me this year, Even though watching my daughter make out with another woman is new I’m glad you’re being yourself in your own home.” She smiles as Ava relaxes back into Sara. “Secondly.” She starts to move towards Ava and grabs a spatula and runs at Ava. Ava pushes Sara towards her mother.
“Sorry babe.” Ava runs out of the kitchen into the living room with Carol hot on her trail.
“I’m too young to be called granny.” Carol says as she is chasing Ava out of the room and Ava is laughing mumbling something.
Hannah somehow gets caught in the middle while walking into the kitchen “What the hell.” She is pushed aside as her mother keeps chasing Ava. She makes her way over to the now laughing Sara in the kitchen and plops down on a chair at the kitchen island. “What was that?”
“Ava convinced Z to call your mother Granny Carol.” Sara laughs and goes to check on the food in the oven.
“it’s good to see them like this again, it’s been too long since they showed this kind of affection towards each other.” Hannah says grabbing a chip and choosing which dip in front of her she wants to try before finding a guacamole dip that looks really good and shoving in her mouth.
“I don’t know if that affection or outright murderous rage.” Sara laughs.
“It’s affection.” Hannah states sternly, “when we were growing up her and mom used to get into food fights all the time it was honestly some of the best days. I’m just glad to see them like that again.”
Sara can hear the laughter from the other room as Z is asking Granny Carol to put down the spatula and not spank Ava for being bad. Both her and Hannah look at each other and start laughing. The night goes well, and everyone is at the dinner table enjoying dinner laughter all around and conversations vary from person to person. Carol is laughing at Gary who is telling a story about how one of chemistry students lit his best suit on fire by accident. Laurel and Hannah are in deep conversation about Kara and her new job as a rescue helicopter pilot explaining her absence today from dinner. Alex and Sara are busy talking about Z getting ready to start soccer soon. Ava looks around the table and realizes this is quite possibly the happiest she has ever been. How so much has changed in just a years’ time. She looks at Hannah who is now laughing at something Laurel said and she is just grateful her sister is here.
After months of physical therapy, she was able to walk fully unaided. Ava knew she would be able too, the last time doctors said she wouldn’t walk she proved them wrong also. Not to mention her physical therapist is quite possibly the most beautiful person in the whole world. Ava shifts her gaze to Sara who is listening to a story Gary is telling and her face is all over the place following Gary’s hands as he explains what the rocket looked like that he and his students had set off. Sara glances over and sees Ava watching her and smiles and this time Ava doesn’t look away she keeps her eyes on her and smiles back. She isn’t afraid of Sara catching her staring now. Sara should be used to it by now as Ava tends to do it quite often.
Leo and Gwyn aren’t here this year because they went to visit Gwyn’s family in England and Mick is down in Florida saying he was going to relax on a beach with no damn drama this year. So, it’s a smaller affair more family like this year with Gary added to the mix. But Ava has come to really like him even though he is still learning about personal space. They all finish dinner and head to the living room to open grifts and of course Z is so excited to open gifts she can’t contain herself. So, she opens all of hers first and then the adults let her be Santa giving out the gifts with Hanna’s help making sure she knows the names on the tags.
A sweater here and tickets to a show there, some fluffy pink slippers that make Sara jump for joy, a new tie which Gary smile so brightly you’d think it was a million dollars. A nice petti coat that has Hannah beyond thrilled, a stylish leather jacket that sends Laurel into Sara’s arms excitedly, tickets to the Army Vs Navy game that has Alex all but sitting in Ava’s lap she is so excited. When Sara opens her gift from Ava almost immediately tears come to her eyes, she looked over to Ava and smiled Ava just smiled back and didn’t stop watching her.
“Ava, it beautiful.” Sara couldn’t hold it in.
“What is it Sara?” Laurel couldn’t see what was in the box, Sara looked over at Ava smiled and nodded as if to say its okay you can show them. When Sara pulled out the small painting and turned it towards everyone in the room. Everyone was mesmerized by the painting and its detail.
“Its where we went on our first date.” Sara announced, and everyone looked at Ava who had a huge smile on her face. Ava motioned for Z to come over to her and whispered in her ear.
“It’s time for our surprise.” She made eye contact with the little girl who ran into the hallway and into Ava’s bedroom into the closet to grab a small bag and bring it back to her Aunt Ava. Who then looked at Alex who stood and moved so Ava could make her way over to Sara and sit down next to her. “I had one more gift I wanted to give you. I know you don’t like to get Birthday gifts with Christmas gifts, but Z helped me pick this out and honestly, she made me swear I’d give it to you in front of everyone. She actually said she would give it to you herself if I didn’t give it to you in front of everyone.” She handed the bag over to Sara who took it and started to open it reaching down and finding another wrapped gift. She pulled it out and began to unwrap the gift. Once the wrapping was off it was a plain grey box, so she opened it and a small yellow velvet box came tumbling out into Sara’s hands. And she looked up at Ava who was watching her reaction and she looked back at the box and then back up to Ava who raised an eyebrow.
Sara stopped and moved her eyes from Ava to Laurel who had a huge smile on her face and then looked back at Ava. “Wait Ava is this what I think it is?” She whispered to Ava who just smiled at her.
“Open it.” She whispered to Sara everyone looking at them, Sara starts to laugh and looks at Laurel again who joins in on the laughter and now Ava is confused. Sara reaches out towards Laurel who looks down into by her side where her purse is sitting and pulls out a small wrapped box and hands it to Sara. Sara then turns to Ava still laughing and puts it in her hand.
“Is it possible we both thought of the same gift this year?” Sara says as Ava looks at the wrapped gift in her hand. “Unwrap it.”
Ava starts to unwrap the gift and has a blue box in her hands she opens the blue box and a small green velvet box is left in her hand and she looks at Sara with tears in her eyes. Sara smiles at her tears in her own eyes, she opens the box and she gasp’s, there is the most beautiful yellow sapphire oval stone staring back her with diamonds surrounding it and tracing down the edges of the ring. She looks up to Ava who hasn’t moved and watched her response to seeing the ring for the first time. Sara wipes the tears from her eyes and pushes the box in Ava’s hand towards her and motions for her to open it without words.
Ava opens the box and her eyes go wide inside is an almost matching ring that she gave Sara but instead of the Yellow Sapphire there is a grey blue sapphire in its place surround by diamonds and then tracing down the edges of the ring more grey blue sapphires. Ava covers her mouth and laughs a little and looks up to Sara they had chosen almost identical rings just each stone has a different meaning. Sara breaks the silence.
“It was my grandmothers ring and when I saw it, I had to get it for you. It matches your eyes.” She smiled and everyone just sighs around them causing Ava to laugh nervously.
“Yours is Canary Yellow Sapphire.” Ava says almost to quiet for Sara to hear, and then takes a deep breath and stands up reaching for Sara’s hand to pull her up taking the ring box from Sara’s hands. Once Sara is standing Ava bends down onto one knee and starts to speak. “Sara before I met you, I always felt like there was this piece of me missing. Some unexplainable void within me. And then I saw you for the first time and I felt this pull like a magnet that was drawing me in. And I know our first meeting didn’t exactly go so great considering by the time it was over you thought I hated you and I thought I had made a complete ass of myself. But I have to say nothing about our relationship has been normal. And I’m fine with that because honestly normal is boring and you make my life so much more exciting than I ever though possible. And you fill that missing piece perfectly like it was meant just for you. I know we both came into this with baggage and we both had our ups and downs, but you have stood by my side while I worked through some trauma and you even kicked my ex’s ass. But I knew when I walked into that wall and turned and saw your face holding back that laugh, I love so much. I knew that day the day I met you, I knew I was going to marry you. Sara Lance the only thing that could make me happier than I am right is if you would Marry Me?
Sara is crying and can’t get the words out, so she nods her head and lets the tears fall as Ava jumps up and kisses her and everyone around them start cheering for them as they kiss and embrace. Finally, Ava pulls back and takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto Sara’s ring finger and pulls her into another kiss and embrace. Sara finally finds her voice and whispers into Ava’s ear “Ava Sharpe you are the most amazing woman in the world. I love you so much.” Sara tightens the embrace.
“Auntie Sara aren’t you going to ask Auntie Ava now?” Z breaks the silence and everyone around laughs and Sara and Ava break their embrace.
“Well Auntie Ava asked before I could, so I’ll just take this.” She grabs the box and pulls the ring out of it and grabs Ava’s hand. “Ava Sharpe, I know you already asked me but I’m asking you now. Since you stole my thunder and you’re right we’re not normal.” Everyone laughs “Will you Marry Me?”
“Yes, Baby I’ll marry you.” Ava says as everyone cheers again. Sara slides the ring over Ava’s finger and pulls her into another embrace. And now everyone is getting up and starting to hug them and they break apart hugging everyone in the room one by one.
Ava moved closer to Hannah who grabs her and pulls her into a tight embrace. “You know your going to be my maid of honor, right?” Ava mumbles in her ear, Hannah hugs her tighter. When they pull apart Hannah puts her forehead against Ava’s, and they look into each other eyes. Ava is thinking about the fact that if it weren’t for Hannah none of this would have ever happened. Making the choice to take care of her sister after her accident four years ago had changed her life forever. It brought her mother back and they were doing better than ever, it brought her Sara, her soulmate, and for the first time in a long time Ava didn’t just love her life, she loved herself which she never thought she’d be able to do again. Hannah had made that possible. So, she grabbed onto her and pulled in for another long hug to make sure Hannah knew what that meant to her.