[color=598527]>STAFFORD, VIRGINIA
>LAINE RESIDENCE
>02OCT2019
>0115...///[/color]

The knife slipped easy, honed and sharp as it was, snapping the crisp carrot like a small bone.   She paused at that, holding the chef’s knife up and then shook her head, going back to the cutting, angled for long thin slices. Laine swiped the into a tupperware bowl, the clock on the oven burning bright red 1:15AM. 

She had been in bed but sleep was evasive, even after weeks away from Alaska and UMBRA, her thoughts continued to turn over pieces of information. Laine was back at work, the case given to her of another murder in another place but at night her mind turned to Maria. Turned to Alaska and the memories she could not remember and the woman whose life she had taken over. 

After the vegetables had been prepped, she leaned against the counter in the quiet kitchen. She reached for a bottle of red wine and a glass and went back to her study. Where Donnelley had a gun room, she had a home office dedicated to cases that were cold and never left her. Maria’s casefile was there, along with everything she had saved from Black River and Alaska. She began taking out her notes, transcriptions of interviews and began to read. 

She sat on the carpet, leaning back against the couch she kept in there when she napped and could not bear the empty bed. Laine drank and reread the prison interview and compared it to the notes from Noatak. 

[i]People vanishing, nothing left but their clothes.[/i]

Laine picked up the Alaskan driver’s license and stared at the young native woman in the small picture. Her dark eyes stared back, filled with accusation and Laine wondered again what happened to her. Did she cease to exist, her body turned to dust like the bear out on the tundra. Was she somewhere in another place like the shaman had explained, there were many dimensions and he had walked those planes. 

She rubbed her thumb across the printed copy of the signature of Alasie Creech. Laine looked at her phone, the temptation to call the Anchorage branch of the FBI or the local cops. Just to see if anyone one had reported her missing. Or was she just another missing native woman, another vanished sex worker. 

Laine felt the familiar knot of guilt, that she had somehow unwittingly caused death to this woman and turned her into another statistic. She sighed and set the ID down, taking another drink of wine.

When she woke, Laine was still sitting at her coffee table, her head on her arms and the laptop open but the screen dark. She slowly sat up, groaning at the stiffness in her back and arms and picked up her phone, checking the time. It was nearly 4 am and she dragged herself to her bedroom, flopping into bed without changing her clothes. 

Sleep teased at her, when she started to drift the memories would intrude, prodding at her to think about the case. Laine rolled over, sighing heavily, looking at her phone. She wondered briefly where Donnelley was for a late night call. She decided to let him get his sleep and turned the TV on, searching for something to watch and forget. Settling on Pretty in Pink, she finally dozed off before Ducky became too annoying. 

She woke up late and rolled over, her phone in hand before she was sitting up. Laine scrolled through her contacts and spotted Ava’s number. She decided she needed company, Laine had spent the weeks just working and coming home to work more on the case from West Virginia. She was running on fumes and it was supposed to be her time off. 

Tapping the screen, she could hear the other end ringing. Laine glanced at her clock, it was just after 10 am not an ungodly hour on a Saturday. 

The phone rang a few times before it ceased and there was a shuffle of fabric on the other line. [i]“Hey Laine!”[/i] Ava answered, her voice bright with delighted surprise. [i]“How are you? It’s been a minute since we last talked!”[/i]

The sound of Ava's voice made Laine smile but it also reminded her of what had been left undone in Alaska. She took a deep breath, "I'm alright, I hit the ground running at work once I got back so I've been a little preoccupied. I don't think that helped much but I've decided to take a long weekend. I don't have any plans but we can make some. If you're not busy, I don't want to intrude if Dave's visiting."

She tossed the black comforter aside and sat at the edge of her bed, then took a drink of water from the bottle she kept there. "I was thinking about going into DC, maybe getting a fancy overpriced lunch and just seeing the sights. You know I've lived here for a few years now and hardly ever go to the city. Maybe shopping... definitely some shopping. And a spa visit if there's a chance. What do you say?"

[i]“That sounds like a lot of fun! I’m not busy, Dave left a few days ago.”[/i] Ava said, her voice growing soft with a hint of longing as she mentioned Dave’s departure. [i]“We’ve been texting, but I’m trying to give him space so he can have time with his son.”[/i] There was the sound of a jingling collar, likely Ava petting Thor. [i]“Going up to DC sounds like it’d be fun, maybe we can drive by the White House and flip off Trump.”[/i]

"Sounds like a plan," Laine said, then added, "I think we both need something to occupy our time. It’s tough, I know. Being apart from that special person.”

She cleared her throat then said lightly, “I’ll swing by and pick you up, wear comfortable shoes. We’re gonna play tourist.” 

[i]“Should I wear pants or can I get away with busting out my fall outfits?”[/i] Ava asked, her tone half joking but there was some genuine excitement to it as well.

Laine chuckled softly, “You can get away with dressing up, we’re going to some decent places so it would do. You know how DC metro area is, everyone in suits. I look forward to seeing your fall wardrobe. And I’ll dress nicer than the last time you saw me. Text me your address, I’ll pick you up.” 

[i]“Alright! I can’t wait, I have so much to tell you!” [/i]Ava squeaked. [i]“Oh and also I’ll need your gothiness for something, but we can talk about that later! See you in a bit!”[/i]

Laine raised an eyebrow, “Now you have me intrigued. See you soon.” 

She ended the call and got up to shower and get dressed, deciding to dig through her closet for something more fun and dressy, something that Ava might get a kick out of. Laine stood there, realizing she needed to update her wardrobe, it was all business suits and shit she could wear to a bar to play pool or listen to some old punk band still touring. It had been that long since she had a girlfriend to hang out with, since she had moved from LA. Since the few solid female friends she had made in Quantico had either moved on or got married and never had any time. She also had to consider the chance of running into colleagues so nothing too far out there. 

After another ten minutes of rummaging through the neat dark rows of clothing, she found what she wanted. It was something rare among her clothing, an outfit with color. When she finally left the townhome, she wore a black skirt and black stockings with little hearts dotting them and a pair of modest heels. The crushed velvet halter top was a deep plum, a black blazer worn over it was neatly tapered at her waist.

Traffic was light from her place to  Ava’s, everyone had already gone into work. When she pulled up, Laine checked her makeup in the rear view mirror, touching up the dark burgundy lipstick. She sent a text to her friend and waited, leaning back in her car, a black Volkswagen GTI hatchback. It was clean and upholstered all in black inside and black rims to match. Laine reached for the cat eye sunglasses and slid them up, waiting for Ava to emerge. 

The front door to the house opened and out stepped Ava, dressed in a soft grey dress beneath a long, dusky pink cardigan. Her legs were clad in some mauve leggings with a pair of calf high light brown boots. Her hair was left free flowing, the completely straight strands gently twitching in the breeze as she turned, bent down to give Thor some parting chin skritches, then stepped back to shut and lock the door. 

She turned around and smiled at the car, waving enthusiastically as she walked down the porch toward Laine.

Laine took a moment to absorb the difference in Ava’s hair, it was lovely and shining red in the sun but she felt a pang of nostalgia for the wild curls that defied gravity on a humid day. She grinned, “Well look at you.”

She observed the younger woman closely and her grin slipped to a more secretive smile at the glow on Ava’s face. Laine flipped the lock so she could get into the car, “Wow that hair, it looks great. How many were on the team to wrangle your curls?”

Laine chuckled, her own hair had been recently dyed and was deep black, trimmed to a length just brushing her collar bone. Her blazer was hanging on the hook of the backseat so as not to get wrinkled, the velvet plum colored halter top exposing her tattooed arms. 

“Uuh, at least two.” Ava said sheepishly as she settled into the car, placing her purse primly on her lap. “And thank you, it’s taken some getting used to, but I like it a lot.” She said, running her fingers through her hair. “You look great too!” She said, focusing back on Laine and looking her over. “I love your makeup.”

Laine smiled crookedly, “Thanks, I figured we could just dress up for each other since our mans are gone.” 

She waited for Ava to buckle up before putting the hatchback into drive and pulling away from the curb in a sudden rush of speed. Laine eased back on the gas and cruised to the end of the block. “Love the boots, I almost wore some of mine but I figured you’d get a kick out of the tights.” 

Laine pulled her skirt up to show a flash of thigh, the small hearts on her hose visible. “Cute, huh?” 

She turned and got out of the neighborhood, hitting a main road that would take her to the 29 rather than get on the 66 which was always crowded. They had time to drive along the smaller roads and avoid the snarls of traffic. Reaching out to turn down the music that was already at a minimum level, Laine asked, “So, have you been back to work yet?” 

“No, I work full time for the Program so I’ve basically got 4 months of leave.” Ava answered with a shrug. “I’ve spent most of my time being with Dave and just...not really doing anything.” She chuckled sheepishly. “How have you been? You went back to work right? How’s that going?”

"Oh, well, lucky you," Laine replied. "Yes, right back to work. It's not really that different from what I do in the Program. Trying to find monsters, just of the more human variety. Not exactly a break but...”

She gripped the wheel then glanced at Ava, “Look I’m gonna put this out here but once we get where we’re going to talk about good things, normal things. Our hair, our boyfriends, our favorite 18th century Romantic poets, whatever. Because I spend almost every night looking over our stuff from Alaska and West Virginia. I think about Maria every day, about Alesie...what happened. I know I need a break, I need time away from it but it festers. Like a raw wound that won’t heal.” 

She blew out a breath, “Sorry, Ava. I don’t mean to bring it up but...”

Laine shook her head, it was always in the back of her mind and ready to spring into the forefront. 

“...It’s alright.” Ava assured her quietly, reaching out and gently touching her arm. “I’m here for you, like you were there for me when I was falling apart in Ohio.”

Laine smiled tightly and had the urge to smoke but ignored it, the morning walks and jogs proved her lungs need for less of the bad habit. Instead she reached over, crossing the wheel to briefly touch Ava's hand on her arm. "Thanks, I'll be alright I'm sure. It's just frustrating. You know, it's one thing for a case to go cold despite our best efforts to find evidence and clues but to have work to do, leads to follow up then having it taken away for no valid reason. It's wrong. Just [I]wrong.[/I]

She pressed the gas, the GTI picking up speed with a humming of the engine. Laine wove between traffic, flicking her blinker until finding the on ramp to 66 as the Potomac River became visible. 

"I mean it, though," Laine said after a moment of silence. "You've been more helpful to me than you probably know. It's hard for me to admit when I need help. I'm supposed to be the Doc, it's not comfortable for me to feel like I'm burdening someone. But you and the team, you make it easier for me."

Laine glanced at Ava then back at the road, "And I'm grateful."

She wound through the streets of DC, a glimpse of the Washington monument could be seen as they passed office buildings. "Almost there, you're going to love this place. It's one of my favorites. They even have a non-alcoholic drink menu and a selection of tea."

“That sounds nice.” Ava smiled at the mention of an alcohol free and tea menu. She shifted in her seat so she could face Laine better. “And I’m glad that I can help you, Laine, in whatever way I can. You’re never a burden to me or to anyone else, everyone needs a chance to just relax and be genuine with someone.” She gave her what she hoped was a warm and reassuring smile. “Even a Doc.”

Laine nodded, then chuckled a little, “The old phrase ‘physician heal thyself’ doesn’t apply well to a psychologist. I don’t know, maybe some are better at it. But most I’ve met are not.” 

She glanced over at Ava, “Thanks. It does feel good to get out of the office and my apartment, which basically is just another office with better furniture. I miss you and the rest, even my co-workers that used to be my [i]team[/i], we bonded through the job and the trauma but even now I feel the distance of what I know and can’t tell them. Like a gulf has opened up between the world and I that I can’t cross. I can only watch it.” 

The restaurant in sight, Laine took a deep breath, “Well enough with my morose company, I’m done with that unless you want to talk about it. I’m ready to eat, my stomach is growling.” 

Laine parked and unbuckled her seatbelt, looking over at Ava, “I hope you brought your appetite.”

The restaurant was fairly crowded but there were still open tables and Laine asked for a booth and they were led to it by the hostess, Lori, who lay menus on their table. “Anything to drink?” she asked.

Laine did not even glance at the menu, “Ice water and We Definitely Started the Fire. We’re getting the Boozy Brunch.” 

The drink sounded like some sort of secret code and it reminded her of Donnelley and his spy games. 

“Rum in it?” 

“Not yet.” 

“And you, Miss?” Lori asked.

Ava looked up from the menu after looking over the ‘Free Spirited’ selection of mocktails. “I’d like the Flowers at First Light please.” She looked over to Laine with a grin. “I have to stay on brand.”

Laine grinned at that, “It’s a good choice.” 

Lori smiled at both and said she would give them a few minutes with the menu. When she left, Laine leaned forward a little, “I already know what I’m getting but take your time. You know, Alex and I used to come here a lot. Especially on weekends, they have picnic meals you can buy to go.”

She glanced at the brunch menu then out the window, “I don’t think you met him, did you?” 

Laine looked at Ava, “He’s a forensic pathologist, he helped us with the autopsy.”

Ava blinked and frowned in thought for a moment. “He helped with what autopsy? Maria’s?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t remember meeting an Alex, it sounds like it was before my time.”

She nodded, “Yes, Maria’s. Dr. Bakker helped the Bureau a lot as he was a forensic pathologist with Prince William county. He taught at the Academy, too. We dated for about three years until we split ways, but it was just one of those things where we just couldn’t move on to the next step, we were on different paths.”

Laine looked at Ava and made an apologetic gesture, “Anyway, long story short I trusted him to do the work and keep his mouth shut. He did both. He took the money rather than join up and moved in with his new fiance. But that’s just more information than you ever probably wanted to know about someone not even part of my life anymore.”

She huffed a chuckle and spotted Lori loading their drinks up. “If you have any questions, I think I’ve tried everything on the menu.”

“Oh, I’m good, I already decided to get the lobster omelette.” Ava said, setting down her menu and focusing her attention on Laine. “I’m glad everything worked out for you two, you and this Alex. You found happiness on your different paths even if it wasn’t with each other.” She smiled.

"You're right," Laine smiled, a full grin at the thought of Donnelley. 

Lori approached and took their order, Ava’s omelette and Laine’s wild mushroom toast before returning shortly with a basket of warm doughnuts. Some were filled with a huckleberry jam and some had maple glaze and bits of thick bacon stuck to the surface and others had more fragrant spicy scents. They were no Dunkins.

Laine took a huckleberry and bit into it, setting it on the saucer and licking her thumb of the thin icing. “We’re supposed to see each other soon but who knows, it’s all on his schedule. But tell me about living with Dave. How was that?”

Ava’s eyes brightened as she set down her maple glaze donut, forgoing the omelette for the moment to indulge in her favorite vice; sweets. “It was great!” She said once she finished chewing through her doughnut. “We took it easy, did some gun training and exercised and, um, well,” She flushed and rubbed her hands over her napkin. She smiled. “He, uh, said he loved me and I told him I loved him.”

Laine grinned at that, leaning forward on her arms, “Finally! I’m so happy for you both. It feels good doesn’t it? It makes things so much better yet...honestly it’s worth the cost that may come. I am glad you’re happy, it feels easier to share it.” 

She sipped the cocktail, the mingling of flavors ending with the heat of ginger. “Dave seems like a wonderful man, and he’s very easy on the eyes.”

Laine raised her glass to Ava, “Nice catch.” 

The food came without too much of a wait and they took their time eating and talking. Laine asked, “What ever happened with the dog? And how’s your cat? I never really had a pet. My mom pretended to be allergic.”

Ava giggled and rose up her own glass, clinking it against Laine’s. “Thanks, we’re really happy with the development. Though we haven’t discussed what will happen next in our relationship but...We’re happy.” She sipped her own drink, enjoying the refreshing mingling flavors of the strawberry and mint.

She pulled a confused face at the concept of someone pretending to be allergic but answered the question, “Prince went to live on a farm.” She paused and added quickly, “An actual farm! He’s living on the grounds for a stable and he’s going to be trained to run along carriages for historical reenactments since that’s what dalmations were originally bred for.” She beamed. “Dave and I visited him before Dave left, he seemed really happy though he nearly knocked me over when he saw me.” She chuckled and picked up her fork to dig into her omelette. “I started following the farm on instagram just to make sure he’s doing okay. Thor is, of course, relieved to not have a giant hyper dog running around his domain.”

Laine smiled warmly, “As long as you’re both happy, just enjoy it and enjoy each other. That’s what we’re doing.”

She had a mouthful of the egg and garlicky mushrooms when Ava mentioned the farm and her eyes widened. Swallowing her food, she said, “That’s really lucky. Virginia has such cool places like that, I’m happy for a good ending. We don’t get so many but that’s a victory.” 

After a few more bites, Laine asked, “As for shopping today, did you have anything particular in mind? I know a few clothes places but I don’t know how much you would like them.” 

“I’m up for wherever you like to go, who knows I might find something I’ll like.” Ava grinned before digging into her omelette, humming at the flavors. 

Her eyes brightened as though remembering something and pointed her fork at Laine. “I almost forgot, I need your help or your expertise on something! My birthday is coming up and it actually falls close to Halloween, so Dave and I were talking about having a Halloween shindig and inviting the UMBRA and THUNDER crews.” She paused. “Okay he said UMBRA, but I want to invite Queen and I’ll invite Ghost and Poker too. I don’t expect them to show up, but I don’t want to be rude and exclude them.” She shrugged. “But I thought it would be fun.”

Laine raised her brow with interest, “Remember, we’re [i]THUMBRA[/i] now. As much as they don’t want it, both our teams are really too small to be functional on their own. I think we could make it work but looking at it from a top down perspective, I can see why they merged us.” 

She paused another thought making her examine that idea but she said nothing, instead continuing “I’m sure an invitation will make them feel included, even if they don’t go.” 

Laine did not sound regretful at all that they might not show up. Queen would probably be alright, likely he would be trashed and loud. Ghost was starting to bother her, something about his outburst against their teams being united and a few other moments she had stored away. Nothing she could define yet but it made her pay attention to him. And Poker, he was someone Laine would avoid if she could, she had caught him looking and did not like his expression. Laine kept this all to herself and encouraged Ava, “We have to do that, make sure that the team doesn’t naturally fall into the two divides.” 

She cut a piece of the mushroom and egg toast and pushed it to the edge of her plate, “Want to try it? The mushrooms are sublime.” 

“Sure, thanks!” Ava picked up the small piece and popped it into her mouth, humming again at the taste. “So,” She said after swallowing. “I’ve never thrown a party, let alone a Halloween party. Usually my tradition is to decorate my house a little and then wear a witches hat to give out candy. Then spend the night sipping on tea or soup and watching anything Halloween themed but not horror based.” She paused. “Except Coraline, that’s my favorite horror movie. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you would be interested in helping me plan the party?” She asked slowly before smiling hopefully at Laine.

Laine finished her drink, setting down the glass then clasped her hands, “I would love to help you plan and execute a badass Halloween party, especially for your birthday. We can definitely get something going. So Coraline, is that the sort of theme you’d want? Rather than classic horror gross stuff. Something cute but still spooky. I’m already getting ideas.” 

Lori stopped by and cleared the empty plates and asked about refills, Laine asking for a Pretty in Pink. She took another doughnut, pulling it apart, “I’m assuming it’s a party at night, is it going to be a costume party? Are you going to serve drinks or keep it nonalcoholic?”

Ava’s eyes brightened as Laine took to the idea and she smiled broadly. “It’s definitely going to be a costume party and we can do alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks! There’s actually this show coming out and I was thinking about dressing up as…”

[color=598527]>...///[/color]

“That was the best brunch I’ve ever had.” Ava sighed as they walked out of the restaurant and back to Laine’s car. “I might have to bring Dave to that place, he’d love it.” She fought off a yawn as the food coma tried to set in and she focused on Laine. “So what’s next for our Girl’s Day?”

Laine patted her stomach and sighed, "You should I think he'd like it, they have some wild game sometimes for dinner. And yeah, I felt like I needed to make up for the Waffle House disappointment."

She grinned and unlocked the doors to the GTI. "Next is doing some clothes shopping, I need some new warm clothes for winter and probably outdoorsy stuff. You know, just in case."

She got into the car and buckled up, looking over at Ava. "Alaska reminded me I don't know shit about hiking or anything to survive outside longer than 24 hours. If that. I've never been into that, I'm a city girl at heart. But the places the Program leads us, we need sturdy boots rather than cute heels."

“Yeah, Dave wants to take me into the mountains to learn survival skills.” Ava sighed, buckling herself in as well. “I mean, I’m excited to spend some alone time with him and I love nature. It’s just extreme camping is...extreme.” She chuckled sheepishly. “The cons of being in love with a Mountain Man.”

Laine started the car and backed out of the parking spot, glancing over her shoulder. The mention of Alaska made her almost expect to feel the thump of a Russian thug under her tire. It was momentary then like a cloud passing it vanished from thought. 

"I can imagine," she said, "Donnelley wants to take me to Texas but no mention of camping, so that's nice. But I do have to get past my ignorance and mistrust of myself in nature. Maybe I'll borrow Dave for a weekend."

Laine glanced at Ava as she pulled to a red light, "For a crash course in wilderness training."

“There’s no one better to teach you.” Ava grinned. “So, clothes shopping? I’d be up for that, I could get a new sweater dress or two.” She looked out at the street as they drove by and frowned. “And...maybe a new vest to replace the one I...wore to that mission in Alaska.” She looked over to Laine. “Dave and I finally got around to dealing with the clothes.”

“Please don’t say crash,” Laine said, shaking her head, “I’ll probably slip somewhere and fall down the side of a mountain. But yes, that’s the idea. If he’s alright with it, and you too.” 

Her thoughts flicked to Donnelley and his opinion of her spending a weekend alone with another man. He would have to get over it, it was Dave afterall. Solid, loyal, dependable Dave who adored Ava, he would be the only one that would probably get a pass from Donnelley. Maybe. Laine rolled her eyes at his territorial tendencies but her attention was snatched back by the mention of a vest. 

Laine looked at her, “I know it must have been difficult. I saw how much that vest meant to you, I know it meant a lot to Donnelley and I when we made it. But it’s just clothes, alright? It can be replaced.” 

The light changed to green and she pulled forward. Keeping her eyes on the road she continued, “Seeing the blood...the proof of what happened. It’s still hard to grasp sometimes. I know it happened, I saw the evidence but not remembering it makes it like some nightmare that fades as soon as you wake up.”

Waking up in Alesie Creech’s bed and what that meant. Dulane had mentioned piles of empty clothes where people once were. A shiver touched her skin and she cleared her throat, wondering briefly if Ava ever thought about the biker who she replaced. 

“Dave remembers, Donnelley to some extent as well since he was the last one down,” Laine said, gripping the wheel tight for a moment. “We’re the lucky ones, Ava. We don’t have to remember losing those we love.” 

“I know.” Ava said, her voice soft as she looked out the window. After a moment she fished out her cellphone and shot Dave a text.[i] ‘Hey, out with Laine for brunch and shopping. I hope you’re having a good day, I love you.’[/i] She finished the text with a smiling emoji surrounded by hearts and put her phone away. 

She sighed quietly and turned back to Laine with an attempt at a smile. “Dave and I managed to salvage most of the patches, cleaned the blood off them and everything. Maybe we can pick up some new ones and a vest?”

She grimaced slightly at the thought of Ava's blood all over those cute patches Laine had picked out at the boutique in Idaho. "Sure thing, we'll get it together again, maybe get some new patches. That's what battle vests are for, to evolve with experiences."

“Yeah and we’re certainly getting a lot of experiences lately.” She said with a huff of a chuckle. “But I do love the idea and it made me so happy to get it from you and Donnelley. I’m just sorry that not all of it survived.”

"We did though," Laine said quietly. "That's what matters. But we'll make your vest the cutest rad little thing ever."

She checked the GPS for the directions to CityCenterDC, a huge shopping center close to downtown. Weaving through traffic the little Volkswagen made quick work of it and soon they were rolling into an underground parking garage. 

Laine stepped out and once Ava was clear she locked up the car. She glanced around the shadows, listening hard to the cavernous sounds of engine idles echoing off the concrete. She reached and felt the gun in her waistband holster which she covered with the fitted blazer. 

"Alright, once we see the mall map we'll make our game plan," Laine gestured for Ava to follow as they made their way into the dazzling bright lit shopping mall. 

Laine blinked to let her eyes adjust to the bright artificial light. "Last stop will be the shoe store, since it's the heavy boots. Let's get started, you said sweater dresses?"

Ava nodded, glancing down at her purse when her phone chimed. She fished it out and smiled when she saw that Dave had texted her back. [i]’On the mountain. Mal's coming out soon. Love you, have fun!’[/i]

She texted back a heart and a pine tree before tucking her phone away. “Yeah, some sweater dresses and maybe we can find some stuff for the party since we’re here.”

[color=598527]>...///[/color]

After a few hours, Laine dragged herself back to the car after the last stop at the craft store, her feet hurting after not taking her own advice about shoes. The bags and boxes filled the hatchback and the last Michael’s shopping bags were stuffed along the sides. 

Laine checked her phone for the time and turned to Ava, “We’re pretty much done, anything special we couldn’t find we can order online. It’s spa time.” 

The drive took them to Alexandria, to the Lorien Hotel, a luxurious place that she normally was out of her way but the website sold her on the expensive massage and body treatment. After so many nights in shitty motels for the Program, the stress and bad fast food they deserved the spoiling. 

“Look, don’t freak out on the menu, I got this,” Laine said, “I have a little savings account for things like this. I used to do girl days with my friend Mariana but she’s married now and in San Francisco. You don’t mind replacing her do you?” 

She smiled at Ava, then pulled up to the valet parking. The spa and resort in the hotel was immaculate and clean, with the typical calming decor of water fountains tinkling and soothing music. Laine checked them in, handing the debit card over to pay for the package and quickly stuffed the receipt in her purse. 

A hostess came around and smiled, “Welcome to Kimpton Lorien Spa, we have lockers near the steam room to put away purses and phones.” 

Ava shifted on her feet with mild discomfort, her cheeks flushed as Laine insisted on paying for the spa package. Even though she said it was alright, she still felt...unbalanced and unused to being on the receiving end on such a luxurious gift. She smiled at the hostess and turned to Laine. “How about we call this my birthday and Christmas present combo?”

Laine looked her over, pausing for a moment as she observed Ava. “Sure, we can call it that,” she said, “Don’t stress about it, it’s something I always put aside anyway. We deserve to be taken care of, even if it’s just some hot oil and flower wraps.” 

The hostess waved them towards the sauna to start off and Laine glanced at Ava’s newly straightened hair, “This will be the ultimate test.” 

Ava looked at Laine in confusion until she noticed her staring at her hair and realization clicked. Ava’s eyes widened and she put her hands almost protectively on top of her head and her nice, straight hair.