Author Notes

As always, a big thank you to everyone who has supported this story via reviews, favourites, follows and by PMs. A special shout out thank you goes to AzuraHarrison for some really solid feedback and words of encouragement.

This is a very Widow centric chapter and primarily about her character development and setting the foundations for the future, as will the next few chapters be primarily about setting the stage for what I've got planned so please bare with me, it will be worth it when we get there!

This chapter also didn't turn out quite how I originally planned it, with parts I originally intended for this Chapter now being moved over into Chapter 3 instead otherwise this Chapter would of been the largest chapter I'd of written to date and probably getting closer to the 5500-6000 word count on it's own (instead just shy of 4000).

As a bit of a tease, Chapter 3 will see a lot more from our Overwatch heroes.

If you have any thoughts or feedback, everyone is welcome to send it to me as it all really helps me to make this story better (please do let me know if you spot any mistakes in particular!).

Chapter 2

Widowmaker woke up screaming, darting upright in her bed with eyes wide open in fear and pain, her face covered in sweat and breathing heavily. She blinked a few times as reality settled in around her and she grabbed her head in dismay, closing her eyes. What was happening to her and why? She didn't know. It had been two days since she had first woken up in this room, her prison. Two days since she was first visited by Tracer and told that she had contracted Chronal Disassociation. Two days of nightmares, disrupted sleep patterns, unruly emotions and nothing to do or keep her occupied other than her own thoughts & introspections, while trying to keep up appearances when Tracer visited while quietly enjoying the distraction she provided. She grimaced and gripped onto her head slightly as a wave of nausea ripped through her stomach and pain akin to a nail being driven into her skull; she would know what that felt like but she couldn't explain why.

There was however no escaping herself in this room. Every nightmare and severe headache unlocked more of her mind, revealing something from her past both recent and distant. She now knew that her first nightmare from when she woke up in this room where she had murdered a man called Gerard in a bedroom apartment had in fact happened although she could remember nothing more about what happened afterwards; where she had gone and what had happened afterwards eluded her. She also remembered her fight with Tracer when she had assassinated Mondatta although it was a memory she spent little time analysing unlike the older memories she had remembered.

Frustration was becoming a common bedfellow for Widowmaker now, her usual coldness and stoic patience eroded in so little time due to what she assumed was the breakdown of her own mind, but there were questions she wanted answers to but none were forthcoming. Not that she had told anyone what was happening to her, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her captors found out if they didn't know already; there were cameras in her rooms after all and today was also the day she had been informed that she would be meeting Dr Angela Ziegler for a medical examination, which for some reason unsettled Widowmaker to her core for reasons she couldn't explain that only served to frustrate her further.

She sighed and let her hands drop from her head and onto her lap as the pain and nausea started to ease away, before standing up from the bed and looking around her room. On the desk sat a tray of uneaten cold food and an empty glass that had previously contained water. While normally she didn't need to drink or eat that often due to a slowed metabolism courtesy of Talon, the amount of times she woke up to a bed virtually dripping with her sweat on top of her exercise routines she had setup for herself was enough to force her to drink plenty, and ask Overwatch AI Athena for more whom she figured was the one keeping an eye on her through the cameras.

Her mind soon settled as she reasserted some control over herself and set out into her daily routine. She quickly stripped the bed, neatly piling the sheets and covers on top of the bed before stripping herself down and doing the same with her clothes. She then went to the wardrobe and puling out clean clothes and a towel and went into the bathroom to shower herself down; she knew when she left the bathroom there would at least be clean bedding waiting for her even though the sealed mirror door to her room never opened. She simply assumed that there was more to her prison than met the eye and that it probably had something to do with the Athena.

Upon leaving the bathroom sometime later dressed in clean plain clothes she had been provided with while drying off her long hair in the towel, as expected new bedding was on her bed alongside fresh food and glasses of water on her desk. She simply ignored it now, and sat in the chair trying to concentrate on drying her hair and using her fingers as a comb to untangle any knots that had formed. As she finished, the mirror door hissed open and Tracer bounded in with her usual boundless and barely contained energy and was followed by Angela a few steps behind her and Widowmaker quickly slipped back into her cold outward appearance and clinically assessed both of her visitors.

Tracer was as always unarmed and wearing her Chronal Accelerator, there was a slight flush to her cheeks although as to why she wasn't sure. Tracer however wasn't the one who she was most interested in assessing as Tracer was already mostly predictable in her attire and behaviour in the past two days she had visited, where Widowmaker had said nothing and had either simply stared at her as she talked or continued on with an exercise routine that Tracer had interrupted. Widowmaker knew that Tracer blamed herself for Widowmaker's current predicament with the Chronal Disassociation and there was a part of Widowmaker that vaguely resented her for it, although as always she maintained her outward indifference and cold silence.

Widowmaker's full attention settled on the Doctor, whom was dressed in your typical white Doctors coat and wearing casual Jeans and a woolly shirt underneath while carrying a small suitcase that Widowmaker assumed was carrying the Doctor's equipment. What interested her the most though was the Doctor's body language, as while the Doctor did a remarkable job at keeping her facial expressions neutral and almost clinical, her body language spoke volumes to Widowmaker; the Doctor was anxious and afraid of her.

"Good mornin' love, sleep well?" Lena asked in her usual cheerfulness as she entered the room, not that she expected Widowmaker to answer whom true to form didn't. Lena couldn't help but feel a slight flush of heat come to her cheeks as she noticed Widowmaker's long silky hair out of it's usual ponytail flowing down over the back of the chair she was sat in - she looked stunning, but she quickly pushed the thought from her mind telling herself to get a grip.

"So..." she continued as she sat down cross legged on the bed next to the clean bedding, earning a raised eyebrow from Widowmaker and making her feel slightly nervous all of a sudden "... this is Dr Ang-"

"I know who she is Cherie..." interrupted Widowmaker in a flat statement, surprising Lena almost at the fact that she actually spoke "... and why she is here. You did tell me yesterday."

Lena saw Widowmaker's gaze flick over to Angela where she seemed to analyse her, as if peeling layers from an onion before she shook her head and stated "No."

"I'm afraid we must..." Angela said in her Swiss accent that didn't hide the gentle force and determination in her voice, as she stood at the bottom of the bed betraying none of the unease she felt "... we have to make sure there are no complications from your condition."

"Why do you care?" Widowmaker asked, her eyes narrowing on the Doctor as her mistrust and discomfort grew at the thought.

"It's my job to care." Angela answered carefully, not wanting to betray her true feelings on the matter; she had after all been friends with this woman before Talon had taken her.

Several tense moments passed of Widowmaker quietly half glaring at the Doctor, with the Doctor returning a calm gaze and Lena's eyes flicking between the two.

"Fine..." Widowmaker finally stated before turning away to grab a glass of water and take a quick sip before adding "... be quick, then go."

"Very well..." Angela spoke and placed the small suitcase she was carrying on the bed next to Tracer and taking out a diagnostic scanner and approached Widowmaker, whom remained perfectly still in her seat.

Angela hesitated for a moment as she stood over the assassin as her cold golden eyes looked up at her with a knowing lethal gaze, before Angela began to scan her. As the scanner did its work, time seemed to pass slowly for Angela as it began listing a series of different issues both recent and historic as it identified them, and as it grew so did Angela's heart sink. Cybernetic devices, evidence of extensive historic invasive torture from tissue scarring, an artificially slowed metabolism, the break down of neural pathway blockers in her brain signifying the use of memory blockers, not to mention traces of side effects on her organs from numerous other drugs.

A part of Angela wondered just how much more abuse Widowmaker's body could of taken before it finally just gave out as it had already taken immense punishment and somehow survived. The headaches from the chemical breakdown of the neural blockers must of been agony on it's own. The good news to her though from what she could tell was like Lena, Widowmaker hadn't physically been affected by the Chronal Disassociation in anyway that would effect her health and that she was otherwise in very good health despite everything and at least the slowed metabolism explained why she wasn't eating much. There was one final task she needed to do before she could leave though and she deactivated the scanner.

"I need to collect a sample of your blood, if that is alright?" Angela asked, Widowmaker simply shrugged in response.

Angela quietly taking that as a yes, moved back to her suitcase putting the scanner back before pulling out a gun like looking device that had a clear vial connected to the top of it. As she turned and moved back over towards Widowmaker she noticed her visibly tense up for a moment.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt. I just need it to take a blood sample. If you hold up your arm, It won't take long." Angela said in a gentle tone.

Widowmaker relaxed slightly and cautiously raised her nearest arm to the Doctor, her eyes unwavering as they look up at her. Angela quickly and carefully presses the nozzle of the device against Widowmaker's upper arm and pulls the trigger of the device. After a quiet hiss, blood begins to flow into the empty vial attached to the device and Angela can't help but notice that the blood seemed a darker red and thicker than it should of been. Within seconds the vial was almost full and Angela release the trigger and pulled the device away from Widowmaker's arm.

"See, just like I said." Angela said with a smile before returning to her suitcase, while Widowmaker absently rubbed her arm as her gaze continued following the Doctor.

"I'll be back to give you my findings to you tomorrow afternoon or evening once I'm done with my analysis of the scans and your blood work, but you seem in good health from what I can initially tell. If you need anything else though in the mean time... pain killers, sleeping tablets, let Athena know and I'll come down." Angela spoke after closing her suitcase and picking it up.

Widowmaker almost glared at her for saying those words; she knew from a scan that she hadn't been sleeping well and was suffering from pain. Instead of answering her though, she simply turned her back and facing towards the wall her desk was placed against. Angela gave a slight sigh knowing she couldn't help if her patient didn't let her and moved to the mirror door with Lena quickly following behind her. Widowmaker suddenly had the urge to not be alone.

"Tracer... stay." Widowmaker spoke out before her mind could process.

Lena stopped at the sudden request from Widowmaker, Angela just gave her a worried look before nodding and leaving. Once the door had hissed closed, Lena moved back into the room and stood silently, looking at Widowmaker who still had her back turned to her, and facing towards the wall in her seat. They spent several moments like this before Lena finally broke the silence.

"What's up love?" she asked in a cheery voice

Widowmaker turned to face Lena in response, a tired expression on her face that partially surprised Lena.

"Cherie..." Widowmaker began in a quiet, almost delicate voice and she paused. She sounded so fragile, she hated how weak she sounded. Tracer's reaction to her one word caught her entirely off guard when Tracer sat back down on the edge of the bed and cautiously placed her hand on Widowmaker's arm in a gentle show of compassion and a genuine look of concern on her face.

Widowmaker didn't know how to respond, her once carefully maintained outward indifference crumbling around her for every second Tracer's warm hand remained on the cold skin of her arm. After a few moments she removed her arm from Tracer's touch out of fear that she'd loose control, and she pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest with both her arms as she tried to regain her composure.

Lena just sat there in astonishment, Widowmaker was feeling and displaying emotions despite the usually cold exterior she always wore when others were around her. She looked even more fragile than she sounded the moment she moved herself away from Tracer's touch and hugged herself. A pang of sympathy struck at Lena's very core and all she could wish was to help Widowmaker.

"Do you want me to leave love?" Lena asked in a gentle tone and to her surprise Widowmaker shook her head, so Lena sat further back on the bed to give Widowmaker some space and let her speak when she felt up to it. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours and yet there was no sign of Widowmaker saying or doing anything, but Lena remained as she knew that if she broke this olive branch that Widowmaker had extended, she'd never get another opportunity.

"I remember things..." Widowmaker spoke quietly, finally breaking the monotony of the silence and Lena's own slowly spiralling thoughts and feelings "... there was a man, Gerard. Did I kill him?"

Lena blinked and opened & closed her mouth several times like a goldfish in shock before coming to her senses. Out of all the questions she had hypothesised Widowmaker asking, this one about her own past wasn't one of them and it caught her even further off guard than how emotional Widowmaker was being. She did of course know who Widowmaker was before her life in Talon, after their first confrontation in the museum a few months ago Winston had told her all he knew about Amelie Lacroix and Reaper. It was a sad and exceptionally depressing story on Amelie's part that Tracer had rather not of known, but now she couldn't run away from it as it was very well much sat right in front of her. Reaper on the other hand was just some exceptionally dangerous mercenary with strange abilities nobody knew anything about.

"Yes..." Lena slowly answered.

"Who was he?" Widowmaker quickly asked, and Lena's heart dropped further than it already had.

"I didn't know him personally, we never met..." she answered carefully, not wanting to tell her everything.

"Cherie..." Widowmaker stated in a tone of warning and shot her a glare that could kill; Lena knew instantly Widowmaker would settle for nothing but the full unvarnished truth and that she could see right through her attempts at half truths.

"He was your husband, in a different life, and an Overwatch agent in charge of taking down Talon." Lena sighed in defeat shaking her head and Widowmaker turned her gaze to the floor. Lena then dared to ask her own question "... why are you asking?"

When Lena didn't get a response straight away, she thought she may have pushed to far.

"... because I dream about the night I killed him, every night..." Widowmaker answered in a richly emotional voice, filled with hurt and pain. She then looked up at Tracer with a glare and a single tear rolling down her right cheek "... and it only started happening after I came back from THAT place."

Lena's breath hitched in her throat at the implications of Widowmaker's statement. Widowmaker blamed her for her predicament and so much more, and Lena's guilt swelled up within her like a tidal surge. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't and instead just hung her head in shame. Widowmaker meanwhile watched and studied Lena's reactions both obvious and subtle. Despite being incredibly emotional herself, she was still constantly observing and assessing and she could only come to the conclusion that Tracer cared deeply about what had happened.

Widowmaker sighed as she wiped the tear from her cheek in disdain upon realising it was there before speaking in a more controlled tone "Why you all care is beyond my understanding. I'm a weapon, it's all I know. I know I've killed many people even if I don't remember them and yet here you are helping me. You saved me when you could of let me die and you visit me every day..." Widowmaker shook her head at Tracer "... I wouldn't of done the same for you."

Lena looked up and smiled "That's what makes us different love... I care about everyone..." Lena then dared to go a little further "... and you to can be more than just a weapon if you choose to be."

Widowmaker arched her eyebrow at Tracer, she had never thought about her own choices as she never thought she had any. Was she even allowed to truly think freely? Wasn't she supposed to just follow orders and kill who she was instructed to after all? Yet the answers she often had in her own mind to such questions were strangely absent. She suddenly realised that there were voids within her mind where previously there had been voices among other things that would keep her under Talon's thumb, and that the reasons why she had been so sloppy in her fight with Tracer was due to those voids.

The nightmares, returning memories and her resurfacing emotions were all symptoms of the breakdown of those mental inhibitors. It must of been caused from her latest maintenance cycle where something had gone wrong, or right. If Reaper hadn't of stopped the scientists from performing their final checks that would of picked up on the degradations before they were a problem she wouldn't be here now, but were they a problem really? She decided they weren't and that in the end, it wasn't Tracer's actions that had caused her to be this way although she wasn't about to tell her that.

"Perhaps you are right Cherie..." Widowmaker finally answered after her several minutes of pondering.

Lena hadn't expected that response from Widowmaker, she half expected she was being toyed with and if not for the facial expressions that had betrayed Widowmaker when she had been deep in thought, she would of believed it to be the case.

"Well... I'll admit, I didn't expect ya to give that sort of answer!" Lena smiled genuinely.

Widowmaker unwrapped her arms from her legs and reached over for an elasticated hair band she left on the desk the previous night before going to bed, and began to pull her hair back into it's normal pony tail.

"It is an answer I doubt I could of given a week ago." Widowmaker answered in an almost absent minded manner as she sorted out her hair, there was something about Tracer that recently just put her at ease and made her open up more, maybe it was being able to feel again or just the compassionate nature of the Brit, she wasn't truly sure. Lena certainly seemed cheerful again, simply smiling at the fact she had managed to break through to Widowmaker in only two days, the why's didn't really matter to her right then. It was then that Lena suddenly realised she had things to do and stood up.

"Well I'm afraid I'm going to have to run love, got thing's I need to do... I'll be back tomorrow if you want?" Lena offered

"Tomorrow..." Widowmaker simply answered with a nod upon finishing sorting her hair out into a pony tail "... I would like to ask if I could have writing pad."

"A writing pad?" Lena asked in surprise "Why an earth do you want one of those?"

"I feel it would helps to order my thoughts if I write them down..." Widowmaker answered, which was only partially true; she wanted something else to do other than exercise, eating & drinking, showering and looking at drab metal walls and ceilings and since she couldn't escape her thoughts she might as well try to get them out of her system, which seemed like the most logical thing for her to do.

"I'll see what I can do, although I can't promise anything." Lena smiled, Widowmaker nodded her understanding.

"Ok, well catch you tomorrow then love." Lena finally said and left the room.

Once the mirror door sealed shut behind her, Lena leaned against the wall and sighed and looked back through the one way mirror door where she could see Widowmaker preparing to do warm up exercises. Was Widowmaker playing with her or was she being serious, she had been so uncharacteristically emotional to the point of extremity she wasn't sure of anything anymore where Widowmaker was concerned, she'd have to be cautious.

With that she blinked off down the corridor towards Winston's lab to ask him if he could give Widowmaker something to write with.