I have ideas for other stories that take place before this, which explains why some character's current situations here.


The Wedding

In the main worship area of the Gibraltar cathedral, Reinhardt looked around the large space, mainly at the altar then back out into the crowd as the invited guests made their way in. His groomsmen were out conversing with those already here. Jack was the best man, with Torbjorn and Jesse being the other groomsmen. Torbjorn was still particularly bitter about not being given the honor of best man, and Reinhardt's explanation of the team commander carrying greater weight, not to mention he could carry a speech better.

"I'm telling you Reinhardt, I got one ready to go," Torbjorn attempted to convince the groom again. "I can say more about your life than Jack ever could."

"For the last time Torbjorn, if I wanted you to give the best man speech, I would've asked you."

"My wife, kids, and grandkids are all here! They should see me do something besides standing here."

"And I'm grateful they all came, but the answer's still no."

"Who's that getting married today?" a feminine voice called to Reinhardt, tapping as far up his back she could reach.

"Brigitte!" Reinhardt called out, giving her a massive bearhug that threatened to rip his tuxedo apart. "So happy you could make it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she tried getting out, eventually put down back on her feet when Reinhardt was finished. "So, when do I get to see the lucky lady?"

"Same as everyone else when she walks down the aisle. You here with anyone?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend's saving a seat. Hope there's enough space in here for everyone. Looks like all of Overwatch is gonna be here."

"Well I was in charge of invites. And I just invited as many as I could."

"Reinhardt, my friend," Genji walked up to the groom.

"Genji, so glad you could show. Where are you sitting?"

"Over with Hanzo and Ameile. It's funny how some guests aren't sure which side of the aisle to sit down on."

"Greetings Reinhardt," Zenyatta approached the German wearing his formal white Shambali robes. "I've been told the ceremony is ready to begin, if you're ready."

"I am, but," Reinhardt stammered, a rare bout of nervousness coming over him.

"But what?"

"I've known this woman for 40 years. And I've wanted her for nearly as much. Why am I so nervous now?"

"Maybe it's because you wanted something for so long and you can't believe what you wanted is finally happening. It happens to the best of us." Zenyatta then got a message from inside his head, drawing his attention away from Reinhardt, going back to the groom once he was finished. "They'll be marching down momentarily."

As soon as the wedding march started playing from the organ in the rafters, everyone in the pews stood up, waiting for the brides wedding party to make their appearance.

The first one down the aisle was Lena, in a yellow dress holding a small flower bouquet, a bit self-conscious about how her notably feminine dress and hairstyle would have people reacting. Her hair was straightened out so that her normal spikes were flattened down and tumbling over the right side of her head. She also sported her miniature accelerator on her wrist. Angela followed down with the same dress and bouquet to do the same routine.

Finally, as the wedding march restarted, and with arms interlocked, Fareeha and Ana walked slowly down the aisle, making sure the elderly sniper didn't make and missteps. Fareeha, instead of wearing the same yellow dress Lena and Angela did, wore a dark blue one, somewhere inbetween the shade of her standard raptora suit and the blue on regular Overwatch uniforms. Ana, meanwhile, forwent the idea of a wedding dress in favor of her old Overwatch uniform, what she wore during the first crisis. The blue beret, the blue jacket, the pieces of armor on her chest plate and pants, they all still fit. All that needed to be accommodated for was her eyepatch.

Once the two Egyptians made their way to the altar, Fareeha helped Ana get into her position next to Reinhardt and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. She then took her spot between her mother and the other bridesmaids.

"Welcome to all those in attendance," the Omnic monk started out. "We are gathered here today in this space to celebrate the marriage between friends so dear to each other. Ana Amari and Reinhardt Wilhelm, two of Overwatch's finest and longest serving. I believe they have some wedding vows to start off with."

Reinhardt pulled out a piece of paper from his tuxedo jacket and unfolded it.

"Ana," he began to read off of it. "When I first met you, all those years ago, I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. The fact that we were often put on the same teams fighting Omnics, sorry Zenyatta, certainly helped. And the years where we kept peace in the world together were the happiest of my life; since I looked forward to every mission we had together. When I heard the news you were shot and had died, I cried for days. I almost walked out of your funeral I was so distraught. But I kept on going even when Overwatch disbanded, trying to do what would make you proud.

I know I've told you many times already, but you have no idea how happy I was when you showed up back here. All that missed time we got to spend. All the more missions to go on. And I can say I've been looking forward to this moment for decades. The moment where you become my wife."

When Reinhardt finished, Fareeha pulled out a similar sized piece of paper out from her purse and handed it to Ana.

"Reinhardt, you are the most charming man I've ever known, and I . . I," Ana didn't know what else to say. Pretty much everything Reinhardt had said was what was in her vow speech. She tossed the speech aside and wrapped her hands around his head, pulling it down for a kiss. Needless to say, it got a brief stunned response from the crowd.

"Ana!" Zenyatta called out trying to separate the two. "You're getting ahead of the ceremony."

"Sorry, I just didn't know what to say," Ana apologized. "Reinhardt took the words out of my mouth."

"Well, in lieu of spoken vows, Ana Amari," Zenyatta moved on to the main event. "Do you take Reinhardt Wilhelm to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and cherish for the rest of your days?"

"Ana afeal (I do)," Ana replied, tightening her grip on her future husband's hands.

"And you Reinhardt. Do you take Ana Amari to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and cherish for the rest of your days?"

"Ich mache (I do)," Reinhardt shouted.

"Then by the power invested in me by the order of the Shambali, and whatever it is that regulates this sort of thing in Overwatch, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now you may kiss."


The reception was held in one of the large mess halls back on base, with circular tables replacing the long rectangular ones. One long table was left where Ana, Reinhardt and the rest of the wedding party sat where they could see everyone. Lucio was off to the side in control of his DJ equipment.

"Hey, hey, hey, this is Lucio for this reception's entertainment. First off, let's give another round of applause for the happy couple."

The hundreds of invited guests, mainly other Overwatch members, took Lucio's direction and started clapping. Reinhardt raised a hand in recognition while Ana made a more nervous wave, her hand shaking.

"Reinhardt and Ana. I've worked with them for a long time now and I don't think I've seen a couple here more in love. Now I believe the best man and maid of honor have some words to say."

Jack and Fareeha stood from their chairs while Lucio ran to give his microphone to Jack, his cue to start speaking.

"Hello, I'm Jack Morrison. All of your know me as your Commander. Despite making plenty of speeches on the battlefield, I'm not one for making speeches in this kind of setting. One where people expect so much from the man in charge. So when Reinhardt asked me to be the best man, I thought, 'Why me? Torbjorn's your best friend.' Then he said it meant so much for the man who led him so many times into battle should lead in something for this wedding.

I first met Reinhardt and Ana 40 years ago when Overwatch first started to stop the crisis. Reinhardt, I thought he was the most boisterous man I've ever known. Even at our age, that's still true. Brought on after fighting valiantly with his crusader units during the first Crisis, he's always been the guy swinging his hammer around, protecting our forces with his giant shield. And even after he was forced into retirement before the Zurich incident, you can't keep this crazy old man down.

Ana, now that's a different story. Not only was she the best sniper I've ever had the pleasure working with, but she was already caring for her baby girl. I don't have any children of my own, and I doubt I ever will, so I can't imagine the pressures bearing down on her back then. And by back then, I meant her entire Overwatch career.

Now I've come to the hard parts. I was there in the field when Ana got shot in the eye and we all thought she died. And I was there when she returned from the dead, in Egypt as we attempted to get in a Talon compound. Gabe was there too, but as Reaper, and we fought for a bit before he disappeared. Ana and I then wandered, trying to find answers about Talon's plans about the second crisis. It was during that point we got Winston's recall message and Ana decided to respond, leaving me on my own again, until I was, how you say, forcibly brought back into the mold. Which lead us to where we are today.

Honestly, I'm surprised it took you two this long to get married. Real dedication to the cause right here. You rookies can learn a thing or two from their service. And to wrap things up, I'd like congratulate you two on both your marriage and retirement. Goddamn, what a way to go out. So let's all raise our glasses and wish the couple a long, peaceful, quiet marriage."

As everyone raised their champagne glasses in salute, Jack handed the microphone to Fareeha, ready to give her maid of honor speech.

"Hello everyone, I'm Fareeha, the little girl Jack mentioned before. Like Jack, I'm not great at public speaking either. So when my mom asked me to do double-duty of maid of honor and walking her down the aisle, I figured why not. Anything to make my mother happy on her special day.

So, my dear Ami. What can I say about her you all don't know already? A dedicated soldier. A proud leader that nearly everyone here has worked with. The hardest-working mother anyone can ask for. You all know how I was practically raised on Overwatch bases when she was on duty, making good friends with those she was closest too. Like everyone else up here with me. Angela, Jesse, Jack, Torbjorn, Lena, and of course, Reinhardt.

One day, out of the blue, I receive a letter marked simply for me. I had no idea who it was from, but as I read it, as I knew it was from Ami, I was amazed. Relieved. Furious. And plenty of other things. I've kept it with me all these years and I'd like to read a few lines from it. "My dearest Fareeha. Every mother hopes for a better life for her daughter. I was willing to fight and die for it. I taught you there is nothing more important than protecting the ones you love. You grew up surrounded by heroes, filling you head with stories of adventure, dreams of glory. But it was not the life I wanted for you."

All your life, you wanted me to not have to go through the same tribulations you did. Even if all I wanted was to fight by your side. Well, after years in the Egyptian military, Helix Securities, and Overwatch, I understand what goes into being the mama bear everyone depends on, and I wouldn't want it any other way. So you can at least rest easy.

I couldn't think of a better man for her to marry than Reinhardt. The man I used to have a poster hanging in my room back in Giza when I wasn't with my mom. Even when I was come by as she was on duty, sorry Jesse and Angela, I'd want to spend time with Reinhardt the most. He sort of became the father figure of my life, and I'm really glad you did.

Like Jack, I'm surprised you waited this long to get married too. And I don't want you two to wait any more in spending your retirement years together. So, I'd like everyone here to raise your glasses, I'll wait," Fareeha raised her glass of champagne and waited until everyone she could raising a glass did, "and I'd like to wish all the best for my mother and Reinhardt Wilhelm. You two have been so good to me over my life. It's about damn time you spend some time for yourselves. Cheers."

Everyone went through the same routine they did when Jack finished his speech.

"And now," Lucio spoke out once he got his microphone back. "If the groomsmen and maids wouldn't mind, it's time for the bride and groom's first dance."

Ana and Reinhardt made their way down to the open space in front of the wedding party table. Lucio put on a song Reinhardt requested, "Days of our Love," by David Hasselhoff. Ana had deliberated him on the matter a number of times, how they needed a real romantic song instead of the cheesy crap he listens to all the time. But Reinhardt eventually won her over, mainly with how people would expect something cheesy. And the guests wouldn't want anything less than seeing the old German dance to some Hasselhoff.

And so, the two elders dances, holding hands while Ana reached her right hand as far up Reinhardt's other arm as she could reach. The big German reached his left hand around his bride, pulling her in as close as her head rested against his chest. They swayed side to side, briefly forgetting about all the people watching them. This moment was just about the two of them, the first of many more together.

Once the song moved onto the second verse, the groomsmen and bridesmaids made their way to the floor to join them. Jack danced with Angela, Jesse with Fareeha, and Lena, much to her dumb luck, ended up stuck with Torbjorn. Everyone else at least looked normal, the women with an arm on the men's shoulders and the men with a hand the women's waists. But it was the opposite with Lena and Torbjorn, with his metal hook hand resting on Lena's side. They both knew this looked ridiculous.

Once their dance ended, Ana and Reinhardt made their way around the general area chatting with those who weren't danced. At one table, Ana spied Satya Vaswani and Jamison Fawkes making chatter with the rest of their table. Among them were Mei-Ling Zhou and her husband and Aleksandra Zaryanova with her girlfriend, Leslie. One she picked up on the Australian mission that formerly brought the junkers into the fold if she remembered correctly. When arranging who would sit where, the thought of putting Mei and Aleksandra at the same table, considering their nasty breakup, but was assured they had both moved on. And from the looks of things, they were getting on well enough.

One dark-skinned child between Jamie and Satya had a hard time keeping the cut and mashed version of the adult's meal in her mouth, and Jamie kept making sure the food went in her mouth, but didn't clean it afterwards. Satya kept rubbing her belly as she watched, the bump of another pregnancy was starting to become visible.

"Satya, Jamison," Ana said. "How lovely you two made it. I take it your kid isn't causing too much trouble."

"Nah, everyone loves Navya," Jamie complimented his daughter. "Just you wait until she grows up and takes after her parents."

"So when are you expecting, Satya?"

"Not for another 5 months at least," Satya continued to rub her stomach. "It'll be interesting to see how my husband can deal with two young children."

"How is everything else here?" Ana asked.

"Exquisite."

"Same here," Jamie got in. "It's a shame Roadie couldn't be around for this.

"How long's it been?"

"Coming up on seven, eight years, I think."

"There were times today I wish Gabriel were still here to see this."

"That Reaper guy? I'd think he'd try to destroy the place."

"He was a good man once, long before anyone here's time. But I'd hate to put a damper on my own wedding party, so enjoy yourselves."

Ana continued making the rounds to each of the other tables, seeing how her guests were doing. One had Ameile, Hanzo, Genji, and a redhead she guessed must've been Lena's date, given the amount of times she went over to check up on everyone there. Torbjorn's extended family took up two whole tables by themselves. The rest was mostly a mass of various Overwatch members recruited since the organization was reinstated and their loved ones. This place had grown up again so fast, she couldn't keep track of everyone's names. Even if she was seen as Overwatch's mama bear.

In a bit of not paying attention what was happening in her path, Ana accidently ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorr-," Ana stopped once she saw who it was. A face she wasn't sure would actually show up. She'd only invited him out of courtesy, not thinking much more of it.

Koyah. Fareeha's biological father. Here wearing a brown leather jacket and his hair just as white as Ana's.

"Ana," Koyah said. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Koyah," Ana replied, unsure of how this would proceed. "It's a miracle this uniform still fits me."

"It suits you. Just like Reinhardt does."

"I didn't think you'd show up."

"You'd think I'd miss this party?"

"Well, yeah, since we really weren't that close honestly."

"So what did we have, Ana?"

"It was so long ago, I have no idea."

"Reinhardt at least makes you happy, and was around Fareeha growing up. Look at me, talking about our daughter like she's still a little girl."

"She'll always be that, but she's become one of Overwatch's best troops."

"She seems pretty happy with that Jesse McCree fellow."

"Oh they've been friends for years. He was just 18 when we brought him in."

"It's a shame we weren't the best parents."

"No, I wasn't the best father. It's not really anything to complain about now given her age, but you did all you could."

"We both did."

"Hello, everyone?" Hanzo called out, trying to get everyone's attention, taking a knife to hit the side of his glass. "I hate to take the spotlight away from the married couple, but my wife and I have an announcement of our own to make. Would you like to?" he redirected at Ameile.

Ameile stood up, taking over announcing duties. "We're expecting our first child!"

Those who did hear the announcement gave the sniper and archer their share of congratulations. Reinhardt and Jamie gave Hanzo corny advice about being a father. Having to change diapers. Getting the kid to sleep in the middle of the night. Teaching them about the world in general. Ana, meanwhile, sat in an open chair next to Ameile, giving a smile to her longtime assistant.

"So how long have you two known?"

"A few weeks now," Ameile replied, rubbing her stomach in joy. "We were waiting until there was a large enough group where we could announce to everyone at once. Looks like I'll be joining Satya in the maternity ward soon."

"I didn't think you could get pregnant, after what Talon did to you."

"I didn't think so either, given the amount of times Hanzo and I tried to conceive. But it wasn't something Angela couldn't fix once I brought it up to her."

"I was still sniping for the Egyptian army when I was pregnant with Fareeha. But if you feel you need to take some time off at any point,"

"If you can make it though your's while still fighting, surely I can do the same."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. You could find yourself hiding out in a sniper's nest then suddenly feel the need to pee or throw up."

"I don't need that imagery in my head just yet!"

The celebrations continued well into the night, though those who had early morning training or deployments had to retire early. And as soon as their part in the festivities was done, Reinhardt and Ana took off for his quarters to spend their first night as a married couple.