[color=598527]>FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA >AVA RESIDENCE >21SEP2019 >0915...///[/color] Ava panted as she wiped the sweat dripping down her brow away with the back of her hand. She settled her hands on the top of her head, glancing up and over at Dave with a grin as they slowed their hard run to a sedate walk, cooling down after pressing themselves to their limit on their run. It had been almost a week since they got back to her place, after tearfully seeing Prince off to a new and happy home, they had settled into a lazy routine for a few days. They did little to nothing, except spend time together. Dave napped, she played a few video games, they did some grocery shopping to stock her cabinets back up. The most time consuming and labor intensive activity they did was the day Ava showed Dave how to make a cheesecake. It still made her giggle thinking a man capable of turning fertilizer into an explosive compound had been perplexed by the chemistry of whipping up the perfect fluffy egg whites. As nice as it was to put Alaska behind them and settle into a normal routine as a couple sharing a space, it had to come to an end. Alaska had been an eye opening experience for the both of them and as much as Ava hated it, she had to admit that she could no longer sit passively on the sidelines. The nature of their work wouldn’t allow it. So over the past three days they had been hitting the ground running on their training regiment. They had spent most of a day at the shooting range, brushing up on her reload and reaction times as well as doing general PT. Though they had started to incorporate more dexterous exercises to, once again, hone her reaction time. It would have been a grim process and she likely would have dwelt more on just WHY she had to do this in the first place if it wasn’t for Dave being by her side. “What do you think?” She asked him once her breathing had finally settled down enough to speak. “Good run this morning?” "Good as a run ever is," Dave said, grinning to show he was just playing. He shifted his weight, flexing first one knee and then the other, wincing as they popped. He wasn't old, but years in the mountains had put some mileage on his joints. "Whatcha feelin' for breakfast?" Dave was an early bird, despite his naps throughout the day, and he'd happily taken over breakfast duties so that Ava could catch a little more sleep during the first week of their time together. While it didn't matter so much now that they'd started running in the mornings, he'd kept up the habit. She returned the favor by making lunch, and dinner was handled by one or the other depending on what they felt like eating. Ava hummed in thought as they turned a corner onto her street. “How about some eggs and toast? I’ve also got that bowl of fruit in the fridge we should finish off.” Dave gave her a look. "I'm addin' bacon and sausage to that, cuz ain't no way I can keep myself alive off just fruit and toast." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll help ya with the fruit though." She laughed, beaming happily at the kiss. “Alright, alright, I’ll eat some bacon and sausage.” She put her hands on her hips as they drew closer up to her house, happy to be closer to a shower. “So, what’s the plan after breakfast, coach? Are we hitting the gun range today or the gym?” "Gun range," Dave said firmly. "We both gotta keep puttin' rounds out with our pistols. And I wanna rent one of them sub-guns and start you learnin' that." Her eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t know.” She said nervously. “I’m barely comfortable with my pistol and it’s small and...manageable.” "You'll be okay," Dave said confidently. "Same kind of bullet, but a bit bigger gun. More accurate, more ammo in the mag, and the bullet's movin' faster, too." He reached over and gave the back of her neck a squeeze. "I'd never make ya try somethin' I thought ya weren't ready for, sugar." Ava still looked uncertain but she nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.” She paused for a moment then smiled and giggled. “Hehe, shot. I wasn’t even trying for that one.” Dave broke into a grin, then leaned down and gave her a quick, comically loud kiss. "C'mon, I'm starvin'. If I don't get some food in me I'm gonna fall over." “Can’t have that, I’m not strong enough to carry you.” She laughed and trotted ahead a bit to her house, past the white fence that enclosed Mrs Grier’s yard and flower garden. “You can get breakfast started if you want,” She said, fishing her keys out of her pocket and unlocking the door. Thor came running up as she stepped inside and she bent down to give his head some skritches. “I’m going to stretch out and then take a shower.” Dave quirked an eyebrow at the thought of a team-shower, but then shook the idea off. His knees hurt, and more importantly he was hungry. Maybe after the range. He closed the door behind them, paid his due respects to Thor, and then headed for the kitchen. "Have it ready soon," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair as he passed. “Make sure ya come hungry." She smiled at the touch and watched him head into the kitchen. “Oh I’m sure I will be.” She then went to the living room area, pushing the coffee table away from the center rug and then went through her post-run stretches. Maybe making it so Dave could see her butt as she bent over, maybe that was just a coincidence. Quickly she finished and headed for her bedroom, to get some more comfortable and less sweaty clothing on. Thor padded along beside her. He had been remarkably clingy ever since she got back and Prince was taken to his new home. Not that she minded, but it did get to be an issue when they were in bed and Thor was trying to snuggle up with her and got between her and Dave. Or laid in such a way that his tail constantly rested on Dave’s face. Or his entire backend, on one unfortunate night. Ava stepped into her room and went to her closet, pulling it open and looking inside for something to wear. As she was pondering her wardrobe, she felt Thor brush past her leg and looked down, seeing him sniffing at the black, taped shut bag she had stuck in the corner of her closet and tried to forget about. It was the very same black bag she had gotten back from the Program along with the rest of her belongings. It contained the clothing she wore on that disaster of a mission. The clothing she had died in. She shivered, but continued to stare down at it, as though expecting it to start moving on its own. Like a body bag that held something that still yet lived. Another shudder raced up her spine and she bent down, gently tugging Thor out of her closet and shutting the door. She turned and put her back to it to keep it shut and to lean against, eyes squeezed shut as a tightness settled into her chest and a cold sweat started to break out along her hairline. Dave walked into the room a few moments later, a spatula in his hand. “Hey, I’m makin’ some eggs, you want ‘em scrambled, or…” He trailed off, frowning. “Hey, sugar, you okay?” He walked up and put a hand on her cheek. “You alright, sugar?” Ava started and looked up at Dave, seeing him there and feeling his hand on her cheek bringing her back to the here and now. “Hey Dave, um, yeah.” She said quietly, running her hand over her face to wipe away the sweat. “Just…” She trailed off and shrugged. “I saw that bag with my...stuff in it.” She cracked open the closet door and peered inside at the black bag wrapped cube. “I’ve been...kinda avoiding it.” He looked over her shoulder at the closet door. “Yeah, I could understand that,” he said. He fought not to grimace, not to show his own discomfort at the situation. “Well...There ain’t no time limit, ya know? Whenever you’re ready. Or never, if that’s how ya feel. Nobody’s gonna make you open that bag.” “I can’t just...leave it there though.” She said, shutting the closet door and leaning back against it. She frowned down at the floor. “I think it’s time, I’ve put it off too long.” She raised her eyes up to look into his face. “After breakfast, will you...sit with me?” Dave smiled and stroked his thumb over her cheek, then pulled her into a hug. “Course I will,” he said, squeezing her tight. “Let’s get some coffee and some food in us, an’ then we’ll handle it. You an’ me.” She shut her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around him and returning the squeeze. “Okay, we’ll do that. Thank you Dave.” “Any time.” He kissed the top of her head and held her close for a few moments. “I uh...I like holdin’ you, but I do have food on the stove. We probably oughta go take a look at it, ‘fore I burn your place down.” “Oh,” Ava stepped back and laughed. “Go, go finish making breakfast, I need to take my shower anyway.” She made a ‘shooing’ motion with her hands. “And, uh, I’ll have sunny side up eggs.” “Dunno why you’re kickin’ me out for that, but alright,” he grinned. “Sunny side up it is.” [color=598527]>...///[/color] Ava sipped at her tea, a nice blend of Earl Grey and lavender instead of her usual sugary bomb of coffee. She was anxious enough as it was, she didn’t need the extra boost of sugar and caffeine to make it worse. The curtains were drawn shut around the living room to make sure no one accidentally saw them looking at bloody clothing, casting the whole room in a muted shadow as sunlight tried it’s best to pierce through the fabric blocking the windows. She was waiting for Dave to finish up in the shower, hovering in the kitchen with her tea and staring at the black bag of folded clothing sitting on her coffee table. Just picking it up and moving it had been enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck. She took another sip of her tea and tore her eyes away from it, keeping her breathing steady while she waited for Dave. Once Dave was there, she would feel more stable, feel more safe. Dave walked in a few moments later, freshly showered and dressed for the day in jeans and a white t-shirt. He crossed the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, running a hand across Ava's shoulders as he passed. "So," he said as he filled his mug. He forced some levity into his voice, keeping his tone relaxed. Ava needed a rock, and he intended to provide it. "Are you ready?" He smiled at her as he pulled a chair around the table next to hers, and nodded at the seat beside him. "I'll be right here, sugar. The whole time." Ava smiled at him, walking over and taking the seat next to him. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be. You sure this won’t be hard for you too?” She asked, a line of worry creasing her brow. "I'm sure." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, taking pains to keep his own worries hidden. In truth his heart was already hurting. The thought of the bag's contents scared him half to death, made his stomach twist and his mouth dry. The thought of what this moment would do to Ava was even worse. But it was necessary. They had to confront this together. Dave kissed her hand and then released it, taking a gentle grip on her shoulder and nodding. "Whenever you're ready, sugar." She took in a breath and nodded to him, turning to look down at the wrapped up bag of clothing. Steadying her nerves, she ripped off the tape sealing it shut and began to unwrap the plastic. The first piece of clothing she saw was the vest that Donnelley and Laine had so thoughtfully covered with patches they knew she would like. She sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the vest and many of the patches covered with dry and crusted blood. Her blood. There was so much of it. Ava’s eyes began to tear up and she felt her throat tightened. “Oh...no.” She whispered, reaching out to touch one of the bloody patches. “I...I forgot I was wearing that.” Tears started to stream down her face and she took in a shaking breath. “They worked so hard on it.” Her voice cracked and she turned to press her face against Dave’s chest. Dave wrapped Ava in his arms, squeezing her tight. His own eyes burned, the sight of her blood nearly bringing tears, but he swallowed them for Ava’s sake. “I know, sugar,” he whispered, stroking a hand through her hair. “I know. I’m here.” She cried into his shirt, leaning into his warmth and comfort. She was heartbroken to see the vest crafted for her out of the kindness of her friend’s hearts ruined. That combined with the shock at the sight of so much blood… Ava sobbed for a minute or so before finally sucking in a deep breath and slowly pulling back from Dave. “Okay,” She said shakily, her voice raw and face flushed with tears glistening on her cheeks. “Thank you Dave.” She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes to try and rub away some of the tears. Dave cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Always,” he said. His thumb stroked her cheek. “Are you...Can ya keep goin’? We can stop.” “No,” She said, leaning into his hand and turned to kiss his palm. “I can keep going.” She picked up her cooling tea and drained it. She looked at the vest and blinked back the tears. “Maybe, we can save the patches?” She asked Dave, gently picking up the vest to better inspect the state of the patches. “They can be cleaned, right?” “I bet we can, yeah,” Dave nodded. “I’ll do it for ya. I know some tricks for gettin’ blood outta clothes.” He paused. “I mean, I learned ‘em huntin’ in the mountains. Deer bleed.” Ava nodded, somewhat distracted as she looked down at the vest, rubbing her thumb over one of the blood encrusted patches. “I...Don’t want to keep the clothes.” She said, sniffing as she looked into the bag at the shirt inside that was also covered in dried, old blood. “What do we do with them?” "I'll burn 'em," Dave told her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms still wrapped tight around her. "We'll get the patches you want, and then I'll take care of the rest, okay?" “By yourself?” She asked, looking up at him with a frown. “Are you sure?” "I'm sure," he said. He gave her a soft kiss and smiled, squeezing her a little. "Might be it'll help me deal with some stuff, too." “Okay.” She said with a slight, hesitant smile. “I’ll try to salvage the patches and…You get a fire going?” "Works for me." With a final kiss on the forehead he rose. "An' I'm thinkin' pizza tonight. I need junk and beer after this." Dave gave her shoulder a squeeze and then left, heading for the fireplace to begin his task. “You and me both.” She smiled at him as he got up before looking back down at the patches and her smile faded. She took a deep breath and got up to fetch a pair of scissors to get to work. [color=598527]>FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA >AVA RESIDENCE >24SEP2019 >...///[/color] Dave sighed and leaned against the wall, nodding his head while he surveyed his work. For days Ava had been talking about converting her office into a studio, somewhere she could work on getting back into her painting. She’d bought Ikea furniture and stacked it in the corner, and there it had sat, waiting for the two of them to “get a chance” to work on it. Then she’d announced that she was getting her hair done, and Dave had seen his opportunity. Over the last few hours he’d put together a desk, easel, and chair, stocking each with some brushes and paints he’d picked up from the local hobby store. A vase of peonies sat on the desk; they were Ava’s favorite flowers, and he thought they might make for a good first subject. Against the wall was a small futon, and he’d moved her book shelf to a more advantageous spot out of the way of the paints before restocking it. Dave nodded with satisfaction. Overall it looked good, and while he was sure they would make some minor changes on the layout, it was something big off Ava’s plate that would make her happy. That was the main goal, after all. From one of the discarded boxes, where he had been contentedly enjoying his new lair, Thor suddenly jumped out and trotted out of the combination office and art studio. A moment later came the sound of the front door opening. “I’m back!” Ava called out. “Dave? You home?” Dave grinned and stepped into the hall, his thumbs hooked in his pockets and not a small amount of pride evident on his face. “Yeah, c’mere!” He called. “Spare room!” There was a brief pause before Ava entered the hallway, a nervous smile on her face as she ran a hand through her long, now completely straight red hair. “Hey,” She said sheepishly. “What do you think? Does it look nice?” Dave beamed when he saw her hair, his smile broad. “Sure does,” he said, reaching out and running his own fingers through the silky strands. “I think you’re gorgeous, sugar.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “C’mere, I want you to see somethin’.” Ava’s smile widened even as her cheeks flushed. “Thank you, I really like it too.” She perked up at the mention of a surprise. “Oh? What do you want to show me?” She stepped up to the doorway and looked inside, her eyes widening as she saw the painting easel in the middle of the room, a comfortable stool and the little stand she ordered from IKEA put together. Complete with new bottles of paints and new paintbrushes. She stepped further inside and her eyes landed on the soft pink peonies on her desk, right in view of the easel and catching the light from the window nicely. She turned to Dave with a bright smile. “I love it!” She said, wrapping her arms around him in a firm embrace. “Did you do all of this by yourself?” He held her close, his heart soaring at her pleasure with the surprise. He shrugged. “I mean, Thor did his part. Supervised, made sure I was putin’ things together right.” He gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you like it.” “I love it Dave,” She said, looking up at him with bright eyes and a smile full of warmth and affection. “Thank you so much. I,” she started to say something, but stumbled over the words for a moment. “I’m happy, you make me feel very happy, Dave.” He grinned, feeling a flutter in his stomach as he squeezed her tight. “I’m glad, sugar,” he said, leaning down to place his forehead on hers. “I’m happy, too.” He kissed her, his fingers running through her hair. She smiled and leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer; enjoying the intimacy and comfort of the embrace. Dave held her for a while, content just to have her in his arms. After a moment he kissed her neck and then nuzzled her cheek. “So...Bedroom?” Ava laughed softly at that, her skin flushing with delight as he kissed her neck. “It’s the hair isn’t it?” She teased. He laughed and picked her up, grinning. “Lil’ bit.” He kissed her again, more deeply this time. Ava returned the kiss, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She pulled back with a grin. “I think the bedroom sounds like a good idea.” With a laugh Dave turned, carrying her out into the hall and towards the bedroom door. [color=598527] >VIRGINIA BEACH >.25MILES FROM ATLANTIC FUN PARK >28SEP2019 >...///[/color] The sea salt tinged breeze swept over Ava as she opened up the driver’s side door and stepped out of the car. She smiled at the late afternoon sky filled with soft grey clouds, the rolling of the ocean waves and the golden sands of the beach. Though it was still September, there was a chill in the air brought on by the wind over the water and she enjoyed the briskness of it as it reminded her that autumn was on its way. But she still adjusted the soft cream knitted cardigan she was wearing to block out some of the cold. “Looks like we’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us.” She said looking over to Dave as she saw him exit the car. "Never minded a walk," Dave beamed, circling the car to put his arm around her waist. The sleeves of his trademark flannel were rolled down in deference to the chill. "Feels nice out here." “It does,” Ava smiled, grabbing her purse from the car before shutting the door. She locked the car and slipped her purse over her shoulder before turning to look up at Dave. “Want to walk on the sand? Recreate a bit of our first date?” "Sure do," he said lightly. He steered them towards the beach, his eyes scanning the parking lot beneath the brim of his hat as he did so. He made a mental inventory of the people nearby. What they were wearing, what they were driving. "Then maybe some of that boardwalk food?" He grinned and patted his belly. "Need to get back up in the mountains soon, put some miles on, or we won't be seein' my abs again." She laughed and nudged him in the abs with her elbow. “Oh stop, we can see your abs just fine. You ate half a cheesecake in like 3 days, I think you can handle some corndogs and funnel cake.” "It was really good cheesecake," he sighed wistfully. "Corn dogs sound good, though. Or a big ol' turkey leg." “Good thing we’ve got a walk to help us out.” She chuckled, leaning her head against his chest as they stepped onto the sands of the beach, still a little warm from the sun that had been shining earlier that day. At the mention of the mountains, she sighed and wrapped her arm around him to give him a squeeze. “I’m going to miss you, when you leave.” She said softly, looking up at him. "I'll miss you too, sugar," Dave said. "But it won't be for too long. Ain't nothin' keepin' me away from you." “I know.” She smiled up at him. “Besides, you need to go home and see your son. I’ve been kind of hogging you and I feel bad about that.” "See my boy, see my grampa, see my dog," Dave said happily. "And my mountain. Missed them trees." “Yeah, my quiet suburban street really isn’t your style.” Ava said, looking out toward the water and watching the waves crash into the shore as they walked. “Thor will miss you too, he really likes taking naps with you.” She added with a grin. "Well, tell him I'll be back, though I know his naps won't be the same without his tail in my face." Dave laughed and squeezed her hip. "I swear, there's a dozen ways he could lay, but it's gotta be on my chest, and it's gotta be ass-first." “He just does that with you, I don’t know why.” She laughed, pressing her head back against his chest. She lapsed into silence after that, simply enjoying the contact and taking in the scenery as they walked. There were other people out and about, enjoying the beach in the late afternoon, but they weren’t an intrusive presence at the moment. She looked up at Dave, watching the breeze blow through his long hair and ruffle his beard. It was a far cry from how she met him, he had had a bit of a scruff to him then but now...Well, she was hardly the same as she had been back then as well. She mentally shook her head, reflecting in bewilderment how much had changed in the span of a few months. She still felt like herself but she knew there were ways she had changed. Good ways, but there were also bad ways... She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on Dave next to her and the beach around them. [color=598527]>...///[/color] The hours seemed to pass by all too quickly as they relaxed and enjoyed themselves in the mild controlled chaos of the small boardwalk amusement park. They ate, with Dave burning through 4 corndogs, a turkey leg and a Belgian Waffle and Ava enjoying a hot dog with a side of curly fries and a funnel cake. Then it had been time to burn off the deep fried foods. Dave played the shooting gallery game and managed to win Ava a large alpaca plushie in a bow tie and a little lilac hat she had been not so subtlety ogling with desire. Ava tried to return the favor with the dart game and managed to win a small plushie for him. It was about the size of a hand and was a little white and grey speckled owl with a red plaid lumberjack hat. Likely earned more from the game operator admiring her determination than any actual skill in the game. Next came the rides, with Dave making the daring choice of riding a mechanical bull not long after eating. He managed to hang on just past the 60 second challenge and walked away, proudly, with another little stuffed toy. This one, a cartoonish pile of swirly poop with bull horns, a bull snout and an angry face. Ava had decided to give the rock climbing wall a try and had a surprisingly fun time scaling the plastic rocks. She didn’t make it to the top, but she still had fun climbing it and celebrated making the halfway point with a small bag of kettle corn. Just as they were getting ready to call it a day, they both decided to ride the ferris wheel before leaving. The clouds had partially cleared away and so they could start to see the sunset over the ocean in the last waning rays of daylight. Ava adjusted her purse as an empty gondola car came to rest in front of them on the platform for the ride. She smiled up at him, with her pillow sized alpaca plushie in one hand and the bag of half eaten kettle corn in the other. “Shall we?” He smiled in answer and pulled open the door, ushering her in with a hand on the small of her back. Then he climbed in with her, taking the seat beside her and putting his arm around her. Ava beamed up at him, setting her stuff next to her before snuggling against his chest to combat the growing chill in the air as the ferris wheel began to move and lift them up. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as they climbed up higher, the sunsetting over the ocean starting to come into view. She let the comfortable silence stretch for them as they rode up. When they finally came to a stop, she looked up at him with a small smile. “I’ve got something for you.” She said, reaching for her purse and flipping it open to pull out a small gift wrapped box, about the size of her palm. “Wait,” She frowned and dug in her purse another second before slapping a blue bow on top of the box. “There. It fell off.” She smiled again and held it up to him. “But, here.” Dave chuckled and took the package, removing the bow. He grinned and stuck it to the brim of his hat before unwrapping the box. "What we got here?" He asked as he removed the paper, looking down at the small pocket-sized picture frame it contained. Inside the thick, silver-edged acrylic was a picture from their hike in Seattle, taken on a hilltop. Dave remembered asking another hiker to take it for them. In the photo he sat on the grass, with Ava leaning back against his chest, his arms around her. She was wearing his hat, laughing beneath the oversized brim as he leaned forward to plant a comical kiss on her cheek. Prince sat beside them, a doggy grin on his face. He felt his throat catch, and he turned it over. [I]I'm okay, and can't wait to go on another hike! Ava [/i] Dave blinked away tears and leaned over to wrap his arms tightly around her. "It's perfect," he said, his voice hoarse. "Thank you." Ava wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his neck and holding him. “I’m glad. I...I know you have to leave soon and I just...I didn’t want you waking up and wondering if I was...still here.” She said, her own voice growing hoarse as her throat tightened. “I wanted you to know I was okay.” He squeezed her tight, not quite managing to hold his tears. But the ferris wheel was moving, and they were alone, and he didn't care. Rather than wipe his eyes he kissed her cheek. "I love you, sugar," he said quietly. Ava’s breath caught at the admission, her chest welling with multiple emotions as her heart beat fluttered with adrenaline. She gripped onto him tighter as the feelings in her chest whirled together, a storm of happiness and affection mingled with an instinctual response of anxiety and uncertainty at this sudden change of their relationship. With three little words, the dynamic between them had completely shifted. In the rush of emotions though, she felt something click into place. A realization that had been building in the back of her mind and now came to the front. She shut her eyes and pressed a kiss to Dave’s cheek, near his ear. “I love you too, Dave.”