"Zarya! Ta your left!" Tracer was heard shouting from a distance as she zipped all over.
"Just a scratch!" bellowed the tank of a woman. "Ready for battle!"
Tracer rushed by her giving her a salute before blinking past the enemy's fire. Zarya targeted Tracer's back and fired. "Barrier's on you!" Tracer held her breath as she slowed down time and let the barrier slap her on the back before she was airborne climbing onto Pharah's back. "Get back!"
"Thanks luv!" Tracer bounded off her as Pharah was pelted by missiles. Tracer back flipped and landed on her feet onto a railing and hopping off it skidded into the wall where a torret blasted her. The blast shot her hard backwards against someone who had been running after her. She quickly gasped a breath and rewinded time to gain the health she lost. Suddenly the shelter exploded in bombs.
"Tracer! Are you alright?!" she heard on her intercom. She shook her head and crawled from under the debris to a spot inside a saloon. "Fine, fine, what's our status?"
Another explosion nearby and Tracer ducked her head, covering it. "We're down two men, hurry out here!"
Tracer loaded her pistols and dashed back out into the opening. More torrets blasted at her heels as she dashed forward in a blue blur. Explosions left and right got her ducking and racing through the rows of peoples, shooting at them without so much as guidance.
"Tracer! What're you doing?!"
"Sloppy joe…" she muttered under her breath as she took to hiding in a Barret. Suddenly a red dot lighted up on her chest. Eyes widening, she recalled time and dashed backwards to safety, but the entire roof came crashing down. A black helicopter scoured the area above, pelting down missiles, debris exploding and raining everywhere.
"Did we lose the payload?!"
A dark figure dropped down to the opening, slowly rising to their feet, eyes alert. She hadn't seen Tracer evacuate the building or any sign that she was around, but Tracer was tricky that way. She lowered her visors and raised her sniper rifle. That squirrel had to be in here still. She took a few cautious steps inside, looking careful for any movement under the rubble.
"Widowmaker… eyes on *static*… we … *static*… Where…" Annoyed she ripped the earpiece out. Idiot had blasted the communication towers in his barrage. She was losing focus. Just then something dashed from the rubble and rushed into the corners. She swung to aim at it then saw it was a cockroach, for a split second she lost concentration and it was all it took. Tracer dashed from under the rubble, knocking debris everywhere in her attempt to get away. She climbed the stairway and was gone within the second it took Widowmaker to snap the rifle around.
"Merde," she spat and ran outside of the building to see above. She threw out a gappling cable and launched herself up, hurtling above into the air several feet above the platform. She spun upside down in midair to look through her scope and her blood froze when she saw Tracer's blue beam was spiraling her way. It hit her in the chest and she was shot backwards, still attached to the cable she swung back down into the room, crashing into the rubble. She landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her. She stared up at as she caught her breath and then held it again when Tracer's face hovered over hers. Her fist tensed around the sniper but Tracer's foot was on it. She sagged against the debris and sighed. "Make it quick…" she said under her breath.
"Tracer! We're regrouping, where are you? Are you alright?" Tracer kept her eyes on Widowmaker as she pressed a finger to her ear, joining the call. "I'm alright. Saved… by a bug…"
"Back to the portal then. Meet you back to re-team up." Tracer nodded and looked away to the exit where the sun was setting, the light shining into her eyes. She saw the chopper was coming closer, to retrieve Widowmaker she was sure, "Roger."
She returned to load her pistols and saw yellow eyes boring into her. She slowly lowered her weapons. During that call Widowmaker had had enough time to whip up the rifle and shoot it at her, but instead her hand on the rifle was flaccid and her face was steely but calm, watching her moves with no expression. Tracer smirked and holstered her pistols. "Another time then, luv?" She grinned and then hopped off the ledge and a blue streak roped across the ground, disappearing into the broken Barrets.
.
Tracer was greeted by her team who clapped her on the back. "We thought we'd lost ya lass!"
"It'll take more than that to catch and trap this lil bugger!"
"No wounds either?" Mercy asked while examining her hands and arms. Tracer grinned, "Funny, innit?" She looked around as the crew bustled around to their healing stations and repair their drones. "Hungry though. We've got anything?"She asked eagerly, eyes sparkling.
Mercy shook her head in mirth and released her, "In the dining hall. Go join the others then."
Tracer saluted her and raced into the hallway. "Last one in is a rotten egg!"
"Oy! That's cheating! How dare ye!"
.
Tracer stuffed herself with bread and turkey all the while the table listened to McCree boast about his winnings. Mercy offered her cranberry jam on toast and she happily accepted. Someone with so much energy had to eat at least 7 times a day. She kept a stash in her dresser for after dinner and even snacked while on missions.
Symmetra listened to McCree's tale with confusion; she didn't believe half the detail. "Was that when you dove head first into the underground sentra and didn't come out? I should know, the teleporter was there." The table erupted in laughter and applauded. McCree shrugged and then grinned at her. "Keeping tabs on me darlin'."
Tracer chuckled as she bit into the cranberry jam toast, following it with a swig of Torbjorn's speciality ale. It was a bit spiced but it went well with the jam. She nodded to him in thanks, holding up the cup in salute. He clapped her back heartily, "Have yer fill, lass. Plenty more!"
She coughed at his slap and grinned. Zarya slammed down her mug and rubbed a fist under her chin. "I got hit with dat damn teer gas and was shot in tha back, cowards the lot. If it weren't fer her, I'd have a good shot at dat Bastion."
"Who?" McCree smirked, taking a sip of the ale, as if he didn't already know.
"That bloody Spider woman!"
"Now, now, if you're going to curse someone out, use their proper name," Mercy said, carefully eating toast with yam jam. Tracer had stopped eating to listen carefully when Widowmaker was mentioned. It brought her back to the Barrets where she had found Widowmaker lying on the rubble as if she had just woken up from sleep, they could've easily killed each other and then it would've been mission accomplished from both sides. She swallowed her mouthful and then chugged her ale, gently putting it down. She sat quietly while she listened to everyone talk, even as they interrupted themselves. Her mind wandered to the yellow eyes staring up at her, half lidded, body slacked in any attempt to move. She seemed relaxed and at that moment Tracer had realised she didn't want to cause her harm. Widow could've killed her within that second. But she didn't. Why?
That night she couldn't sleep. She lay in bed, staring out her window. She counted the stars and kept losing track whenever she saw a shooting star. She sighed and rolled over. Suddenly there was commotion below. She jumped to her feet, whipping off the blankets, racing to the window ledge, forcing it open. Below she saw Bastion and Genji running. She opened her mouth to yell when a sudden chill went up her spine. She spun around and stared hard into a dark corner of her room. She glared, narrowing her eyes, couldn't see what was there but definitely something was. Black mist wafted out and erupted in a spiral at her.
"Reaper!" she yelled out in alarm. She made for her pistols when instantly a grappling hook caught onto the window ledge and there appeared Widowmaker in her face, who spun her around, gripping her arms tightly in a choke hold. Reaper grinned at her under his mask. "A fly caught in a widow's web," he laughed huskily, "It's too bad I won't see the end of this one! Finish her!" he yelled at Widowmaker as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke again. Outside her room she could hear footsteps pounding the floor and bullets ringing off the walls. With a deep breath intake she flashed out of Widowmakers' arms. But that put the red dot on her chest yet again. She sighed. She held her hands up. "Wait, wait, wait."
"Why should I listen to anything you say?" Widowmaker said evenly, steely eyes on her.
"Well… first, I'm unarmed…" Tracer chuckled half-heartedly.
"That should matter to me?" Widowmaker drew in closer, eyes widening in anger, losing her cool. Abruptly she flung her weapon to the side and lunged at Tracer. Tracer caught off guard tumbled with her, both grappling on the ground. Tracer wrapped her legs around the other's woman waist as she struggled to get up and get a hold of her.
"You obviously don't want to kill me!" Tracer shouted over their scuffling. "What is this you've got on me?! A score to settle?!" Widowmaker turned her hips and got Tracer in another chokehold, "I've nothing to say to you, gosse!"
They scuffled and wrestled to pin the other down. As soon as one thought they had the other the tables were immediately overturned and they were back to tussling. A punch was landed and then a slap from another. Both even angrier, they crashed into furniture toppling the wardrobe and sending pillows and blankets flying. They wrangled under the blankets like mad lovers trying to dominate the other. Popping out from under the sheets, feathers rained on them as Tracer tried to tie Widowmaker's hands behind her back with a thong. The blue skinned woman bucked her hips and arched up fast, snapping Tracer in the chin with her head. Tracer rolled off and spat blood aside as she darted away when Widowmaker spun around and lashed out her grappling cord like a whip, slicing through the headboard she chose to hide in.
Tracer zipped up to her back and spider locked her limbs with her own, making them both crash to the floor, face first. Widowmaker hissed in contempt.
"You're not trying hard enough!" Tracer huffed in exertion. "You don't want to kill me!"
Widowmaker wriggled violently in her bonds.
"If it's exercise you needed…" Tracer shushed them both and oddly enough Widowmaker stopped moving. It was too quiet outside. Was it all over? Who won? Without warning there were shadows at the bottom of her door. The door handle turned slowly and as Tracer reluctantly let go of the woman pinned beneath her, Widowmaker unraveled and thrust herself out from under her. She skidded across the ground and shot whoever it was in the chest, making them crash backwards.
Widowmaker whipped the sniper around to face Tracer who now had her pulse pistols aimed at her, "This is exactly what I meant! What the bloody hell is it you want with me?!"
None moved, none wavered or even blinked, just amber eyes staring at each other, daring the other to make the first move. More exasperated shooting outside. A quick flick of her eyes to the side let Tracer know that McCree had been teleported to safety and running the stairs again to find her. Tracer licked her cut lip. "Well?"
Widowmaker lowered her weapon ever so slowly. "What about you?"
Tracer's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Shoot and shoot a like, innit? I'll shoot ya when you shoot me. You freeze… I freeze."
Widowtracer turned away to the window. "Amelie, wait." And she froze at the name that stayed asleep within her. Suddenly her fingertips gripping the rifle were all tingly and numb and her legs frozen in place, she began to shake, her chest constraining air and her eyes watered. A shot went through the window shattering the top pain. Everything abruptly went slow motion, painfully so. As widowmaker began to fall backwards, Tracer screamed and rushed to grab her, arms outstretched. She caught her as she heavily fell against her chest and Tracer fell hard onto her knees, collapsing to the floor with Amelie tightly in her arms. She desperately tried to cover the wound on her chest that blossomed like a rose.
"Oh god, no, no!" she squeezed her tightly, sobbing. Widowmaker slowly turned her head, tears beading her eyes, the corner of her mouth draining blood that collected in her mouth. She gave a weak smile and weakly grasped Tracer's hand on her chest. "I guess I lost focus."
"You're gonna be okay!" Tracer encouraged by trying to check her pulse which she realized was never there in the first place.
"It's … been a long time…"
Tracer looked over at her frantically, not knowing what to do. She bit her lip and quietly asked, "Since what?" Since she had been shot? Widowmaker chuckled deep in her throat that sounded much like a gurgle and cough. As she opened her mouth, more blood drained out. She shook her head, she reached up with her left hand and gently cupped Tracer's tear streaked cheek. "Since I've been called …. Amel …ie…"she replied with a sad smile. Her eyes slowly drooped closed and the hand dropped which Tracer quickly caught.
When the body finally sagged Tracer felt a deep knot in her chest, a deep despair within her. Her lower lip trembled and she squeezed the hand she held in her own, rubbing her thumb over the limp fingers.
"Amelie…" she whispered hoarsely, choked back with tears. "Amelie?" She cradled the head against her shoulder gently. Wiping at her nose she reached over and grabbed the bed sheet they had just tussled in and swung it over to cover Widowmaker's body with her own as if that would help warm up her cold body. She embraced the body and hid her face in the crook of the blue woman's neck, shoulders shaking as she cried. "Amelie!"
"We've got her!" The intercom cheered. "Talon is pulling out! We have things under control! Tracer are you there?"
She never answered and when they searched the entire building for her they found her wrapped up in a bed sheet with a limp body in her arms, hair covering her face, not bothering about the blood on her own body.
"Mercy?" she asked quietly and as the medic surgeon, knelt by her side gingerly, she looked up with a tear streaked face, puffy red eyes from crying. "Who fired the shot?"
They all tensed up and looked at each other. "Lena, darlin'. We did our job-"
"WHO FIRED THE SHOT?!" Tracer screamed at them, never releasing Amelie's body. They all jumped back; never had they thought Tracer could get angry like that. Immediately she burst into tears again and refused to let the body out of her sight even when they carried her away.
.
At the funeral Tracer was grim and sour. All heroes saluted as the casket was lowered to the ground.
"Once an Overwatch Agent, may the god take mercy on her soul and let her rest in peace. She did a great service with protecting the innocent while her time lasted. We vow to keep the Lacroix name forever remembered. May they both rest in peace by each other's side."
Tracer wept silently, head down, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "I'm sorry Amelie…" she whispered into the wind. "I'm so sorry."
.
