Summary: Upon the fall of Overwatch, Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were declared dead. After spending time on the wrong side of the tracks Jack finally comes to the decision that he needs to turn his life around.

Warning: References to violence, drug use and it starts out kinda serious, but then gets a little stupid at the end.

Confession

Thanks to the Soldier Enhancement Program, it was easy for Jack Morrison to stalk his victims until they were in the shadows and rob them of whatever valuables they had. If they put up too much of a fight, he'd have to kill them. It was as simple as that.

At first he thought that an even simpler way to go about getting what he needed would be to go directly to the source and take everything they had. As a matter of fact, he'd done it a few times before. But killing your drug man was not only in poor taste, it wasn't very smart. After a few times of doing that, Jack wasn't sure how he'd get his next fix.

So instead, he'd steal what he needed to get the money and then find a reliable dealer so he could have a constant supply. It was a much smarter way to do business.

Now Jack sat in his little studio apartment, white lines of powder disappearing into the rolled up piece of paper he had jammed up his nose. With what technology had become, there were easier ways to get the stuff into his body, but he preferred to keep it simple.

It only took a few moments to take effect and despite the fact that he lived alone, he murmured, "This is the best batch yet. It's almost like it was made for enhanced soldiers."

Due to his enhanced condition, Jack was forced to do more of a drug before he felt the effects, but obviously today was a good day. He quickly stood, not really sure of where he was going, and knocked over a box that was on his shelf. Laughing at himself for his blunder, he dropped to his knees to put the contents of the box back where it belonged.

One of the first things he picked up was a picture that nearly blew his high. It was of himself and Gabriel Reyes during their Overwatch days. Boy, did they look happy. Gabriel had been his best friend, after all. Jack respected the man. Hell, he'd even loved the man. And it was in much more than a brotherly way. As a matter of fact, Jack had been so desperately in love with Gabriel that he could never muster the courage to tell him how he really felt.

And even after all these years, those feelings seemed to come flooding back.

Jack sighed and looked at the remaining white lines on his coffee table. He could easily override those feelings by snorting a few more of those, but why bother? He'd been doing this same stuff, and variations thereof, for years and it hadn't erased any of it. The memory remained and he was somehow still clinging to his feelings for Gabriel.

He'd never told a soul about those feelings either, barely even wanting to admit them to himself. And regardless of the fact that Gabriel must have hated him to go to the extent of destroying Overwatch, he was still madly in love with the man.

Again, Jack laughed at himself, this time because of his current situation. "I just turned a perfectly fine day into a pity party for one."

His short-lived high was long gone now, pushed aside by memories of days gone by and missed opportunities. He'd had plenty of chances to tell Gabriel how he felt, even if it didn't amount to anything. At least Gabriel would have known. Maybe it would have even changed the course of events that lead to the fall of Overwatch.

But that wasn't going to change anything now. Overwatch was gone, Reyes was dead and Jack was now a no good junkie. It was something he'd thought about time and time again. He just wanted to stop thinking about it. So, he went back to his couch, grabbed his makeshift straw and made those white lines on his coffee table disappear.


Even though he'd practically snorted until he passed out, Jack couldn't shake thoughts of the old days. And he couldn't shake thoughts of what he'd become.

He was suddenly walking down the street with no idea where he was going or what he'd planned to do. All he knew was that he ended up standing in front of a church.

Jack found himself sitting inside the confessional, staring at his own hands. What was he even doing? He'd never confessed a day in his life. He wasn't even religious. Maybe he just wanted to talk to someone. And talking to someone would be a good first step if he wanted to get out of the rut he'd been living in for the past decade.

The priest waited patiently for Jack to begin. But where should he begin? Should he begin at the beginning? Should he begin at the end and work his way backward? Should he begin at what was bothering him the most?

"Bless me Father, for I have sinned," Jack started. That was how these things usually started, wasn't it? He paused for a long time, unable to think of what else to say.

The priest waited for a moment before he spoke. "How long has it been since your last confession, my son?"

"I...I've never confessed, Father..."

"I see. Please continue," the priest urged. He had a kind and soothing tone even though his voice was a bit on the rough side.

Jack sighed and tried to think of where to start. "Well, I'm not proud of the man I've become, Father. I was well-respected and I helped people a long time ago. And now I do nothing but hurt people and participate in selfish activities." Even though this was a confession, he wasn't comfortable giving specific details about what he'd been doing. He was a criminal after all.

"And why do you think this change came about?"

That was a pretty good question. Jack wasn't really sure how he should answer it. Surely this priest knew who he was and the organization he'd worked for. Just about everyone knew about him. But maybe the priest was asking the question in order to get him to think about the answer himself.

"I had a very prestigious job many years ago, but the organization collapsed and I began working odd jobs," Jack explained. "But then I started spending a lot of time thinking about the past."

"And that's what made you selfish and hurtful?" the priest asked.

Jack thought about that for a while. Dealing with his thoughts of the past had turned him to drugs in order to block out the thoughts and numb the feelings he got from thinking about all that stuff. But it all kept coming back and he resorted to doing more drugs more often to numb the pain of remembering. But it wasn't the fall of Overwatch and the memories of his time in the organization that he wanted to forget. It was Gabriel and his feelings for him that Jack wanted to get rid of.

"A former co-worker...," Jack began as he stared at his hands again. "I was... I was in love with him." It suddenly felt as though a weight had been lifted off his soul when he said it. He never knew how good it could feel to simply say the words. He'd been in love with Gabriel back then and even though Gabriel had died years ago, he was still in love with him now. "I loved him, but I never told him."

The priest was quiet for a long time and Jack wondered if he'd offended him in some way.

"Then you should tell him, my son," the priest finally said.

Jack frowned. "I can't. He died a long time ago."

"You shouldn't let that stop you from telling him. Do it when you leave here. Visit his grave and tell him how you feel," the priest suggested.

It seemed like a good idea. If telling a complete stranger felt that good, maybe saying it out loud to Gabriel's spirit would help even more.


It wasn't a very long walk from the church to the cemetary where Gabriel's tombstone stood. Jack had only been there once since the fall of Overwatch, but he remembered exactly where it was.

As he made his way toward the section where Gabriel's body would have been buried had it not been completely obliterated, he noticed a hooded figure standing near the tombstone. He couldn't go confessing his love for the dead while someone else was around. Then he would just seem like a nutjob. So, Jack strolled over and stood patiently waiting for the interloper to leave.

"Oh, there you are. I thought you'd changed your mind about showing up," the hooded gentleman said.

It was the voice of the priest! This man must have been really dedicated to his 'flock' if he was out here to accompany Jack during his visit.

"Go ahead," the priest said. "I believe you had something to say."

As the priest removed his hood, Jack stood there staring in astonishment. This priest, this hooded stranger, was none other than Gabriel Reyes himself.

Jack wasn't sure if he should kill the man or kiss him. "Reyes?"

"Yeah. I was just as surprised when I saw you sitting in the confessional. You're looking pretty good for a dead man," Gabriel said with a smile that nearly melted Jack to the bone.

Then Jack thought about the fact that Gabriel was the one he'd confessed everything to, including the fact that he was in love with him. The blond wasn't really sure what to say at this point. "The last time we saw each other, we were at each other's throats."

"Jack, I'm a different man now. And from what you said in church, well, it sounded like you took a wrong turn. I'd like to help you," Gabriel told him.

Jack noticed Gabriel moving closer to him. "Gabe..."

"I want to help you, but you have to say what you came here to say."

There was no way this was happening. They were in a cemetary and Gabriel was standing so close that Jack could feel Gabriel's breath on his lips.

"I love you," Jack whispered closing his eyes. He immediately felt Gabriel's lips touch his, but it was only briefly.

"Good. You, Jack my boy, are on the road to redemption," Gabriel said as he flipped his hood back on. "Come on. I'll give you a ride back."

Jack stood there stunned. He half expected Gabriel to at least tell him that he loved him too.