A Family In All But Blood

Overwatch Headquarters - 36 Hours After The Stuttgart Incident

"Thank the fucking lord that's finally over with..." Jackson walked out of Strike Commander Morrison's office after having finally finished filling out the mission report for the Stuttgart Incident. It never failed to aggravate him whenever he had to fill out mission reports for every single mission he was ever sent on, without question it was his least favorite part of being in Overwatch. Thankfully, it was a necessary evil since it was dwarfed by everything else he enjoyed. Since he still had a couple days before he'd be able to get back out in the field, Jackson was taking time for R&R however possible, though the process of the mission report was, to say the least, aggravating to no end, and as such he'd intentionally put it off for nearly a day before finally getting it done. Not that Morrison at all bought Jackson's excuse of a migraine in the wake of a rough (failed) mission, but it was what it was either way. Now, with the annoying part out of the way, Jackson finally had some time on his hands, and he knew precisely what to do first.

He navigated the labyrinthine hallways of the Overwatch Headquarters, making his way past the meeting room and towards the living quarters on the far side. It was a lengthy walk, but he had the time, and he was fine taking as long as he needed. After all, he wasn't going anywhere for a few days, so why not enjoy the relaxation time while he had it? His walk happened to take him by the training area, and, hearing noise inside he stopped to look in, walking onto the control bridge to observe.

Genji Shimada was inside, in a combat-ready stance as training drones surrounded him, and for a moment he remained perfectly still, his mostly cybernetic body perfectly relaxed and unmoving. The drones activated, their visual sensors glaring red as they opened fire on Genji. Geni didn't hesitate even for a moment, drawing his short sword smoothly and dashing head-on into the fray. The drones dropped like flies in a bug zapper, each and every one of them falling to his blade, yet for each drone that fell, another took its place. This didn't bother Genji in the least, and the more drones that appeared, the harder he fought, taking them down relentlessly, never tiring and never slowing down. Jackson, watching from the observation bridge, grinned to himself as he walked over to the training settings, located on a panel nearby.

"Taking down the floating drones is nice and all...but let's try somethin' a bit bigger, shall we?" Jackson grinned as he pressed a few buttons, and then the confirmation button that appeared via hologram in front of him, stepping back and grinning as he watched. As Genji cut down the last of the flying drones, the floor shook, and a gigantic bipedal tank drone appeared, its cannons aimed squarely at Genji as he leapt back to gain some footroom. Analyzing the threat, Genji took a low stance, slowly reaching for the katana on his back as he summoned every ounce of energy he had in reserve. Jackson's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.

"RYUJIN NO KEN O KURAE!" Genji shouted at the top of his lungs as he drew the glowing green blade, and at blinding speed dashed towards the massing tank drone, launching himself high in the air. For a moment time seemed to slow down as Jackson watched Genji intently, his blue eyes never once blinking. He couldn't miss a single second of this if he wanted to. A moment later, Genji executed a downward slash, and Jackson's eyes widened as he could have sworn he saw a massive green dragon appear, and as Genji landed on the ground behind the tank drone, the massive machine split down the middle and fell to the ground, split cleanly in half. Slightly dazed from he'd just seen, Jackson ended the training session and then walked out into the training area.

"You know, of all things I expected you to do against that thing, summoning a green spirit dragon and bisecting it was definitely not one of them." Jackson remarked as Genji turned towards him.

"Jackson." He said in calmly enough, though he seemed a tad annoyed. "If you are curious as to the extent of my skill, perhaps a more up-close and personal demonstration is required." Jackson immediately went wide-eyed.

"Noooooo, nonononononononono, I'm perfectly fine thanks!" Jackson raised his hands in a defensive gesture, a sweatdrop running down the back his neck.

"Your actions would say otherwise." Genji regarded Jackson as calmly as ever. "Perhaps you yourself should train in swordplay. It may widen your abilities as a combatant in the future."

"Well, as I like to say..." Jackson drew one of his sidearms and spun it expertly around his trigger finger with a wide grin. "Fancy swordplay and super-advanced technology and cybernetics are no match for a few bullets in your skull."

"That may be so, but even a most skilled gunman may find himself engaged in close quarter combat sooner or later." Genji replied, seeming to smile now himself.

"The soldier who taught me how to use a gun taught me martial arts as well, Genji." Jackson's grin never wavered. "It comes to that, my enemy will be disarmed before they can say 'die!'"

"I certainly admire your confidence, Jackson." Genji stated sincerely. "I pray that it never fails you should you face such an adversary."

"I certainly appreciate the sentiment." Jackson smiled and nodded in thanks.

"So where are you headed to?" Genji sheathed his katana and stretched a bit.

"I promised Captain Amari I'd stop by the living area. Fareeha arrived earlier this week, and I promised I'd go see her." Jackson smiled.

"Well, don't let me keep you." Genji certainly sounded like he was smiling now, and Jackson's smile widened as he bowed respectfully to Genji before turning and leaving the training area, feeling a little more upbeat than before as he walked out of the training area, resuming his walk towards the living quarters. He'd always had respect for the Shimada warrior, and being complimented by him only increased that respect. Genji was no novice, not by a long shot, and Jackson readily conceded that his abilities far outweighed his own in terms of combat. Yet he was humble, and never once allowed his abilities to make him overconfident or cocky.

Jackson's smile never wavered as he made his way across the base, stretching as he arrived at Ana's living quarters. He almost hit the buzzer right off the bat, but then remembered something, his smile turning into a grin as he flattened himself against the wall next to the door, hitting the buzzer once and then waiting.

"Habibti, can you see who that is?" He heard Ana's voice, albeit muffled, inside the apartment, and he grinned as he waited a few moments. The door slid open, and a young Egyptian girl no older than 12 walked out, looking around in slight confusion as she tried to locate the source of the buzzer, and as she walked a little further out, Jackson grinned and placed his index and middle fingers right on top of the girl's head, causing her to freeze up for a moment.

"Forgot to check your corners, Fareeha." Jackson said with a grin, and the girl immediately brightened up and whirled around, throwing herself at Jackson and hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Jacksooooon!" She squealed excitedly, hugging the Scot happily as Ana stepped out to see what was going on, smiling widely when she saw what was going on.

"Well then, look who decided to show up!" She declared with a smile as Jackson grinned at her, hugging Fareeha tightly.

"Oh, my God, Fareeha, look at you!" He grinned as he beheld the girl with wide eyes. "You're huge!" Grinning widely he looked over at Ana with wide eyes. "What in the blue blazes are you feeding her, Ana?!" The Captain laughed at Jackson's playfully incredulous query before returning his wide grin with one of her own.

"Hard to keep track of every meal, but this afternoon we're having shawarma." Ana smiled and walked over to hug Jackson once Fareeha had finished, smiling up at him warmly. "You're welcome to stay if you please, Jackson."

"I'd love to, thank you!" His smile remained as wide as ever as Ana waved him into the apartment, heading into the kitchen to check the meat she had cooking on a vertical spit over a very hot heating element. Jackson entered as well, smiling as he looked around with the still excited Fareeha at his heels chattering about this and that and such and such, often switching between English and Arabic out of habit. Jackson smiled as he entered the kitchen where Ana was and then raised an eyebrow at the method of which she was cooking the meat. The kitchen was hot and stuffy from the open element, and it felt as though it had been on the entire day. "Are...you sure you've got that right, Ana?"

"Yes, I've done this before." Ana assured him as she slowly turned the meat over the heating element. The meat looked quite cooked through, with no visible trace of fat or juices on it.

"Is...that how you cook shawarma?" Jackson inquired, still eyeing the spit quizzically.

"Yes, you roast it!" Ana nodded with a smile, occasionally adding some seasoning to the meat, which looked like beef, as she turned it.

"So...why not use a crock pot, that'll roast it thoroughly..." Jackson suggested.

"Because roasting in a crock pot would just extract the juices out of the meat and into the broth and gravy around it." Ana replied. "Shawarma is typically cooked on a spit because this ensures that the meat absorbs the juices and thus the flavor more thoroughly." She smiled at Jackson warmly. "You cook it like this for up to a day, and the slow cooking makes sure it's nice and tender. After that, you shave off very very thin slices, and you can wrap it in pita bread, naan bread, a tortilla, anything that can be wrapped around it along with vegetables and sauces of your choice!" Hearing her explain how it was made was making Jackson's mouth start to water.

"Wow..and you've been at this all day?" Jackson looked at her wide-eyed as the implication set in.

"Well, since early this morning, Morrison had me up ridiculously early to discuss Gérard's next target for his Talon investigation. After that I had hours of time with nothing to do. So I decided to make use of it."

"No jobs for you today, eh?" Jackson watched her work closely, removing his jacket due to the heat.

"Oh, there's always work to be done, but thankfully nothing so urgent that it needed to be done today." Ana replied, still focused on the cooking but very much enjoying her conversation with Jackson while Fareeha was doing what appeared to be homework in the living room. "So I thought I'd take some time to make something I haven't made for a long while."

"Well, you're certainly dedicated to it." Jackson remarked as he looked around the kitchen. "Anything you want me to help with?"

"You...?" Ana looked at him directly now, sounding legitimately surprised by the offer.

"Well, yes! I'm here, aren't I? Not exactly about to sit around my thumb up me a-" he instantly cut himself off before he let the swear word slip, making a quick glance in Fareeha's direction before changing direction mid-word. "-aaaaaaaa-ppendix."

"Good save." Ana mouthed this suppressing a giggle before replying. "Well, if you wouldn't mind grabbing the pita out of the pantry and warming it in the toaster oven, that would be quite helpful!"

"Right away, ma'am!" Jackson immediately went over to the pantry, spotting the pita immediately and grabbing it, warming up the toaster oven as he counted six pita flats. Ana couldn't help but watch how focused Jackson got as he sprang into action to help. He wasn't doing so because she asked him, or because she was his commanding officer. He was helping her for no other reason than he cared. He simply cared. He needed no other reason, and was happy to help her regardless.

"Alright, now," Ana declared as she stopped turning the meat, "To shave it." Jackson grinned and as he set the pitas to warm, he grabbed a nearby carving knife, sharpening it quickly before proceeding to slice off near-razor thin portions of meat with near expert precision. Ana couldn't help but stop what she was doing and just watch him slice away at the beef, admiring his focus and his determination to get it just right. She almost shook her head in disbelief at how much he actually knew what he was doing. She'd known this young Scot for three years now, and yet he still found ways to amaze her.

"I think this ought to be enough for all three of us to have at least two wraps each." Jackson declared as he finally set down the knife, sweat pouring from his brow due to his concentration. Ana quickly grabbed a white hand towel and proceeded to dab his sweaty brow gently, smiling warmly at him. Jackson couldn't help but blush a little as Ana wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling slightly embarrassed that she would do so. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the gesture or the kindness from it, it was just an odd feeling to have someone who obviously cared so much to do so, especially when this person was his commanding officer. This one gesture made it easy to see why the other Overwatch agents respected Ana so much. She treated them like family, like her own, and not like people to command. Morrison was the soldier in both occupation and mind, but Ana felt something more personal for the members of the organization she helped establish. Twenty years at Overwatch had given her a worldly perspective few had, and Jackson could see how much she really cared as she folded the towel and dropped it in a nearby hamper. "Th-thanks..."

"Oh, it's nothing, Jackson." She smiled widely as she removed the pita from the toaster oven, the flat breads now a warm, toasty brown.

"No, I mean..." Jackson hesitated for a moment as Ana turned to look at him in slight confusion. "...thank you for everything. I never really knew what a family felt like before you brought me here, so...thank you." Jackson managed a small smile as Ana turned towards him fully, her expression soft and caring as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Overwatch is as much my family as Fareeha is, Jackson." Ana smiled warmly, looking the Scot is his blue eyes. "You included. I can honestly say that in the 20 years I've been in Overwatch, I've never met someone quite like you." Her smile was one of slight amusement now. "I've known you for three years, and you still manage to find ways to surprise me."

"Not intentionally..." Jackson chuckled a bit awkwardly. I'm never this awkward, what's wrong with me?

"Heh, who ever does?" Ana asked cheerily, and she and Jackson shared a chuckle, enjoying one another's company and very much enjoying the conversation now.

"Fair enough, fair enough." Jackson smiled as he stretched a little, fanning himself a bit. "Do you need any more help?"

"No, that's fine, I'll have them all ready before long." Ana smiled and nodded in thanks. "Please, relax!"

"Of course, if you need anything else, I'll be in the living room." He smiled as he turned to exit the kitchen, but then for a moment turned back towards Ana. "Ana?" Hearing her name she turned towards him once more, a quizzical expression on her face.

"What is it...?"

"Again...thank you." Jackson smiled sincerely at Ana, his heart warming as she returned it. Ana stopped what she was doing for a moment and walked over to Jackson, giving him a tight, almost motherly hug that he returned more gently.

"You don't have to thank me, Jackson." She said softly.

"I'm still going to though." Jackson smiled as Ana laughed softly and shook her head a bit as the hug parted.

"Oh, you." Ana playfully shoved him as she went back into the kitchen to finish prepping the wraps. "You know, it's nice having someone around to help with everyday things like this." Jackson smiled as he leaned against the door frame to a the kitchen a bit.

"Well, you know I'm always happy to help, Ana." He smiled widely as she prepped the shawarma wraps, casing them in tin foil to keep them warm.

"Heh, good. Now go sit down already."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Later That Evening

Jackson stretched a bit as he exited Ana's apartment, smiling as he turned back to see her in the doorway. After the shawarma had been prepared and eaten, Jackson had spent some time with Fareeha, and had found himself laughing repeatedly as Ana had gone out of her way to embarrass the girl, much to her chagrin and Jackson's amusement, only to turn around and embarrass Jackson as well. It had been an enjoyable afternoon, and as evening feel, Jackson found himself on his way out.

"Thanks for having me, Ana." He smiled widely as he stretched a bit.

"It was our pleasure, Jackson." Ana returned his smile. "Any time you want to come by, feel free."

"I will do, I will do." Jackson donned his jacket and looked himself over for a moment. "You know, I was a little on the fence with the codename you thought of, but thinking it over, it has a nice ring to it. Rolls off the tongue, nice and easy."

"I knew you'd warm up to it." Ana's smile never wavered. "It suits you, especially with that jacket."

Jackson laughed at this. "Please, you've always hated my jacket. I first wore it and you called me a walking cherry."

"Well, you look like one, for goodness sakes!" Ana laughed and Jackson laughed with her. For moment they regarded one another, both of them smiling and then Jackson nodded to Ana.

"I'll see you later, then." Jackson turned and proceeded to walk down the hall, feeling happy that he enjoyed himself with Ana and Fareeha, but feeling a bit down that it was over. He still had another day left, and he had no idea how he was going to spend it, especially after having already used his opportunity to see Ana and Fareeha. He was so lost in thought that he nearly ran right into Gérard Lacroix. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Aucun problème du tout, my friend." The frenchman smiled, regarding Jackson with respect. Jackson and Gérard had worked closely on several Talon Stings, and they'd become friends after a particular close call where each had saved the life of the other. Since then, Jackson had become friends with the Frenchman, and had been present when Gérard had proposed to his wife, Amélie, a professional ballerina who had also became a friend of his since meeting her. "How are you this fine evening?"

"Eh, no complaints here. Spent the afternoon with Ana and Fareeha, had lunch and everything." Jackson smiled as he shook Gérard's hand.

"Ah, that sounds like a lovely afternoon indeed." Gérard grinned a bit and winked. "You and Ana certainly spend a lot of time together, no? Perhaps there's something going on there you're not telling-"

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo, nonononononononononononono!" Jackson instantly cut him off. "You got it all wrong, mate, Ana's just a close friend. She's also considerably older, Gérard, and has a daughter, I'm not exactly in the same, uh, range..."

"Doctor Zeigler's older than you too, but you never miss an opportunity to flirt, eh?" Gérard's grin was wider than ever.

"Look, I...I mean, you...Uh..." Jackson was stumped there and he knew it, and so Gérard, who burst into laughter at his expense.

"Come now, mon ami, you can't wait forever!" Gérard declared. "If you like her that much, then just ask her on a date already!"

Jackson's expression turned down as he remembered Angela's rebuttal the previous day. "She's...too caught up in her work to consider dating, Gérard. She takes her profession very seriously, it's why none of us ever see her outside the medical clinic."

"Oh, come now, why would that stop you? Where's that confident Scot that I know you are?" Gérard scoffed, raising an eyebrow in a knowing manner.

"He went out on a mission and got shrapnel in his arm and a laceration in the side, why d'you think I'm not in the field?" Jackson grinned widely now.

"Un absurdité, mon ami. I watched you take a twelve gauge in the back, and you still were able to go on mission the next day!" Gérard declared.

"Twelve gauge buckshot isn't exactly a 4 inch metal fragment infected with god knows what buried halfway in your arm." Jackson replied. "Nor is it a metal hook the size of a compact refrigerator slicing your side open and making you bleed everywhere."

"Alright, you've got me there." The two men shared a laugh, and Gérard clapped Jackson on the back. "You should visit us in France sometime, I'm sure Amélie will be happy to see you again, yes?"

"Aye, how is she? Career going strong?" Jackson grinned.

"Strong as ever, she has a production of, I believe it's Swan Lake coming soon, she'll be busy with rehearsals, no doubt." Gérard elaborated. "She'll welcome the opportunity to see you again, I'll wager. She asks about you sometimes!"

"Does she?" Jackson was a little taken aback by this. "Well then, guess I'll have to swing by France next time I'm out!"

"Merci, my friend." Gérard bowed politely. "Now if you'll excusez-moi, Morrison has something to talk about with me. I will see you another time!"

"Aye, take it easy, mate." Jackson smiled as he waved to his comrade, continuing his walk across the base as he thought a bit on Gérard's assertion about Mercy. I guess he has a point, I can only wait so long before I have to ask her at some point. Though, when should I? Knowing her, I'll have a hard time of just getting her alone long enough to ask her, she's never without a patient.

He sighed to himself as he continued walking. I guess I'll find out soon enough...though I'll likely wait til tomorrow.

For now...I think I'll take up Genji's offer.