Crime (h.s. au)

Chapter Sixteen

Harry

My eyes take in the sight in front of me, absolutely dumbfounded as to how to go about the rest of my day. It's four in the morning, and I had just arrived to my apartment after the night in Rochester. The keys are still in my hand and I watch Ava as she's knelt on the ground, petting Zeus as soon as we entered.

"I've never really been around dogs," she laughs as Zeus sits in front of her, her hand slowly moving against his head.

"Really?" I smile, shutting my door after a few minutes. I toss the keys onto the counter and take off my suitcoat, setting it over my keys.

"Yeah. I mean, I've pet them and stuff, but no one I've known ever had pets," she explains, standing up. Zeus stays sat in front of her, wagging his tail against the floor. The boy looks more than happy at the visitor.

Mitch is the one that comes to take care of him while I'm out at work. Other than that, Zeus doesn't really interact much with others.

"Can I get you something to drink? Eat?" I ask her, concerned about the prior few hours. We hadn't talked much on the car ride home, but I saw how visibly distressed she was. I'm sure there was a flood of emotions that built while uncovering the evidence, but I've pieced a few things together.

This case hit home for her. She didn't live it herself, but she put herself in Bernadette's shoes. She held empathy in this case, and she got too close. It's hard to learn to lose those feelings, but sometimes it happens. It happened to Ava, and from what I've seen, this is rare for her.

The tipping point for the case was Alexander Cross. He somehow impacted her in a negative way which led her to have these emotions form. It seems to me that Alexander instilled some sort of worry in her mind, and watching the evidence be discovered, struck a nerve.

And watching a seemingly strong woman slowly unravel freaked me out. I had no idea what to do, so I took over to ease some of the tension that surely formed inside of her. She looked like she was going to be sick, and I tried to aid her in any way I could.

"A glass of water is fine, thanks," she says, removing her suitcoat as well. "Thank you for inviting me over. I don't do this with many people."

I send her a smile as I walk into the kitchen. "Of course. You're welcome whenever you need."

Ava walks further into the apartment and I allow her to explore, Zeus following her every step. She takes a seat on the chair in the living room and leans over her legs, petting Zeus. He has since laid his head on her knees, her smile bright as she pets him.

It's a strange feeling in me, having a beautiful woman like Ava in my apartment and knowing I can't do anything. There have been nights I'd thought about her, wondering what it would be like to be able to experience Ava for the woman she is. Under other circumstances, I'd have asked her out the moment I met her. And I'm almost certain she would have turned me down immediately. A woman like Ava is hard to find, and extremely hard to get.

Once I hand Ava her glass, she leans back in the chair and crosses her legs. I take a seat on the couch, looking over at her.

"Thanks again," Ava tells me, my lips sending her a smile.

"Of course. It was a rough day," I say, and she nods.

"I think I just was overwhelmed," she explains, and I nod my head in agreement. I just wish there was something I could do for her; anything at all.

"I understand. If there's anything I can do to help, I will try," I remind her, and she looks at me. I bite my lower lip and take a deep breath after, not sure how to compose myself.