#&ant.

"thank you! enjoy your day!" sarah called over her shoulder to the cashier that had just finished cashing her out at the green basket. she exited the store with a few bags full of groceries. a few for herself, but most for the recipe she had planned to make with ant.

jordan had left the hospital for a while, so that will and the others that had stopped in to visit could have some privacy. plus, she had a short shift at work that she couldn't call out from. at least not without a heavy dose of guilt.

with a backpack full of supplies, including a few balloons tied to the straps, jordan jogged up the stairs of the hospital. about halfway to will's floor, she caught sight of ant. "hey!" she greeted him, pausing on the landing. "you're not here for treatment are you?"

sarah and ant had made a rudimentary plan to meet up the morning following liza’s surprise party, and go together to talk to wren. naturally, the two had some follow-up questions for him, now that they’d both heard justice’s side of things.

sarah had been unsure of which dress to wear, but it was anthony who convinced her that her white dress with purple floral patterns adorning it was the right choice.

she'd entered the dance alone. she assured amara that she'd 'point and instruct' a friend to come to the event with her, but it seemed that all her friends were already planning to attend with someone else. it didn't help that she didn't actually have that many friends.

one person she had considered asking was ant himself, but once she knew he had plans already, she didn't bother asking. ironically, he was attending with another friend she would'n't've considered asking. despite this meaning that she had no one left to ask (other than the person she had really wanted to attend with, who also had a date), she was happy that they had found one another.

sarah caught sight of ant, and reached for his elbow to get his attention. "red looks phenomenal on you, ant. i told you you were a total catch!" she cooed, leaning close to him so that he could hear her over the cacophony of music and chatter around them. "are you glad you came after all?"

sarah's heart wasn't in it. but, she had to be here at least long enough to soil amara's night. and needed an excuse as to why she did so, so that amara maybe wouldn't resent her for the rest of their lives. sarah had dwelled in the quieter areas of the party, and wandered through a couple of mostly empty rooms, before finally deciding that she had to make an effort.

besides, she had made a promise.

she owed ant a shot. so, she shuffled through the more occupied areas of the house, her eyes scanning the rooms for ant as she did. finally, she spotted him in the kitchen. where there happened to be plenty of alcohol, conveniently enough. "hey!" sarah called out to him, her voice mostly drowned out by the surrounding chatter. she reached out and placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. "hey. is that shot still on the table?"

jordan had told william what she learned from her inquiries at work first, he was her best friend and her brain. but, she felt it was important that ant know as well, even if wren was already released. of course, it was even more important that wren himself know, but she didn't know him as well. "do you have a second to talk?" jordan asked ant, approaching him and putting a gentle hand on his arm to get his attention.

with their snowcat building behind them, sarah plopped down on a bench beside ant, peeling off her mittens that were now packed with snow that would eventually melt and leave them completely soaked. she dropped them on the bench beside her, then held up a finger. "wait right here!" she instructed, as she jumped back up to briskly walk over to the hot cocoa stand. after a brief wait in line, she returned with a cup of cocoa for each of them. she handed him his as she sat. "i don't know how we did it as kids, do they not get cold?"