Hi everyone! sorry things have been slow. But the next few chapters won't be so episodic as usual, they'll actually stay in one place for a while. I hope you enjoy, thanks again for reading!
With two suitcases firmly in hand, Adelaide stepped off the airship and was welcomed with the sight of Watchpoint Gibraltar.
"God.." she murmured, casting a look around the old base. "It's been a while since I was here." The sunset covered buildings shone in the evening light, uncut grass brushing the ground floor windows. To the right, large, uncontested waves crashed against the rocks below. Adelaide allowed herself a smile. It might look different, but it could still be called home. A glimmer of blue light caught her eye, and the next thing she knew a pair of sprightly arms wrapped themselves around her. Her suitcases fell to the floor with a thud.
"Oh no…" she moaned as Tracer giggled, hugging the woman tightly. "It's so good to have you here Addy! Finally you're back with us!"
"Er, no." Adelaide corrected, prying the younger girl's arms away from her as she picked her suitcases back up. "I'm only here temporarily. If I'm pouring money into your accounts to keep you all doing your grand escapades, I should at least see what it is you're up to."
Tracer's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Riiiiiight." she drawled, throwing a thumb over to the airship. "Is that why you brought like twenty other bags?"
"Not twenty!" Adelaide said, suppressing a grin. "Only ten others. And they're essential. You don't think I'd go anywhere without my jewellry did you?"
Tracer let out a huff, linking arms with Adelaide as they walked toward the facility's entrance. "Well at least you're here." she replied, bumping shoulders with her old friend. Adelaide smiled back. Lena truly was one of her closest friends. She'd been there when Lena first joined Overwatch, and alongside Angela and Winston helped Lena come to terms with her condition. She was the nearest thing Adelaide would ever have for a sister, and she treasured Lena's company immensely.
"You sure you're alright leaving poor Charleston alone in London?" she asked. Adelaide let out a bark of laughter.
"Please. I'm sure the minute I left he'd have cracked out his baking set. There'll be a pile of muffins as high as the ceiling when I get home." she joked. Tracer shook her head in disbelief.
"He doesn't even eat! Why does he make them?" she asked.
Adelaide shrugged. "I think he likes the whole process of making something from scratch. That or it's the opportunity to wear his frilly aprons." she commented as they passed through the main entrance, the large doors cooling them from the heat outside.
"How's Winston been?" she asked. Tracer let out a small sigh, raking a hand through her choppy hair.
"He's always working, even when I tell him to take a break! Sometimes I don't know what the big guy runs on." she said. Adelaide furrowed her brow.
"Well that won't continue for long." she muttered, striding up the stairs to Winston's lab. She gave it a once over, mechanical equipment as far as the eye can see, various mathematical and scientific equations strewn across the board. However, it was clear Tracer had started to influence the place, extra pairs of goggles hung from a small hook on the wall, a large blanket had been draped over Winston's tyre chair. It was looking less like an abandoned laboratory and more of a home. Placing her suitcases down next to a monitor, Adelaide gazed around, a nostalgic look breaking on her face.
Lena noticed, bumping shoulders with the woman. "Good to be home, huh?" she offered. Adelaide immediately felt a retort on her tongue, but swallowed it. "Yes." she agreed, a genuine smile appearing. Tracer beamed, before a thought crossed her mind.
"Oooh!" she cried, grabbing Adelaide's arm firmly and dragging her across the room.
"I almost forgot, I've got some surprises for you!" she chirped. Adelaide looked mildly concerned. ""Am I going to be concerned about this?" she muttered. Lena grinned. "Oh no." she replied. "I think you're going to like this very much."
The two entered the next room. What was once the break room where agents would eat and relax between missions, half of it served as a storage area. Boxes were piled high up to the ceiling on the right, but the kitchen area was still working. Well lit and seemingly well stocked, it was clear Winston and Tracer had tried to make it as homely as possible. But none of these things mattered to Adelaide. In front of her, resting on the seats around the kitchen island were none other than Wilhelm Reinhardt and Angela Zeigler. They had turned at the sound of the door opening, and Reinhardt's face lit up like a small child at Christmas.
"Adelaide!" he boomed, rising to encase Adelaide in a bear hug. "It is so good to see you my friend!"
Adelaide could do nothing but hold tight to the giant of a man. She mildly cursed herself, it seemed she had developed an affliction where a smile would not leave her face. She'd have to ask Angela about a cure later. The doctor in mention rose gently from the island, her bright blue eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oh Adelaide!" she said, clapping her hands together. "I'm so glad you are here!" When Adelaide didn't respond she furrowed her brow for a moment, before understanding dawned upon her.
"Reinhardt." she said. "I don't think she can breathe."
Reinhardt quickly loosened his grip, and released a blue faced Adelaide. Tracer giggled, leaning against the wall as she watched the display with amusement.
Whilst Reinhardt threw down a few thousand apologies as Angela drew her into a much softer embrace, Lena smiled. Seeing these three interacting again, it was almost as if nothing had changed. Sure, Reinhardt had gotten older, Angela always looked immaculate and Adelaide had become much more materialistic than she used to be. But Lena realised that there was the opportunity for Overwatch to begin anew. She'd spent several nights discussing it with Winston. The gorilla was adamant that they could start over, and although Lena encouraged his efforts and did all she could to help, she was never a hundred percent confident that things would be the same.
But now, watching Reinhardt try to flex and fail, throwing out his back whilst the two women giggled, Lena realised that there was actually hope for the future.
"Addy, I'll take you to your room if you want!" she called out. "Winston will be back from repairing the perimeter scanner soon, so after you're settled in we can grab some dinner." Adelaide turned and nodded. It seemed that a smile was permanently fixed to her face. For a second Lena wondered if it had ever not been there. But then she remembered the night in London, and remembered Adelaide's weary face. It was so strange how being back with her old teammates brought out her better self.
Lena led Adelaide back out of the room, hearing Reinhardt discussing loudly the different kinds of bratwurst they could acquire as they left. They moved back through the main room - where Adelaide grabbed her suitcases - up the stairs and down another corridor.
"My goodness." Adelaide murmured. "Are you putting me in my old room?" Tracer blinked innocently. "No idea what you're talking about love." she replied, pressing the opening panel on the door. "Just picked this one at random is all."
Adelaide stepped through the door and was smacked in the face by nostalgia. The room was mostly empty, but the evening sun shone brightly through the large window at the back.. She hadn't cleared it out herself, she was incarcerated during the shutdown process of Overwatch, so she assumed someone had done it on her behalf. But she could still make out the scuff marks on the floor where she'd moved her bookshelf on her first day, and that one small crack in the wall where she'd accidentally lashed out with her powers because she was upset over something silly.
She lightly trailed her hand over the crack, and felt a surge of emotion in her chest. She felt like she was home again. Like she had a purpose other than wearing fancy clothes and keeping up her family's reputation. She remembered how happy she'd been to do good for the world, to be something other than a pretty face. But realisation dawned on her. Those days had been and gone. She'd dug herself in too deep to ever come back. She huffed a deep breath before placing her suitcase on the bed, opening it to reveal silks and fake furs.
As she unpacked, Tracer frowned, leaning against the door frame.
"Why all the posh stuff Addy?" she asked. Adelaide raised a brow at her. "You do realise it's me you're talking about right?" she joked. Tracer shook her head.
"No, that's not what I meant. Before you had your nice stuff sure, but you didn't wave it around like a flag or use it as a barrier to block out people."
Adelaide stopped, giving Tracer a confused look. "What's brought this on?" she asked. Lena shrugged. "I dunno, it's just what I've noticed since you've been back and all-"
"I'm not back." Adelaide corrected her swiftly. "I'm only here for a few days-"
"See there you go again!" Tracer interrupted, pointing at her. "You're always distancing yourself, always trying to make out that you're not really back, that you don't really care about us anymore." She dropped her arm, eyes sad. "Why can't you just admit that you'd be happier here with us than in that stuffy mansion in England?"
Adelaide paused, biting her lip in thought. "Lena...it's difficult." she said. "In all honesty I'd like nothing more than to just throw half of these damn suitcases into that ocean and forget all about my legacy and the politics and the money." She smiled grimly and shrugged. "But I can't. If I do that then every slimy idiot wins. People like the Blackwells, like half the governor's board who I'm currently stopping from launching an attack on an Omnic centre in London."
Adelaide glanced out of the window, seeing the waves crash against each other out to sea. She let out a small sigh. "I can't stop being this person Lena." she said softly. "No matter how much I may want it, there's more important things to be done than consider my hurt feelings." She gave the girl a weak smile. "I'm sorry." she said.
Lena's gaze dropped to the floor and she crossed her arms, shrugging quickly. "Yeah, well. I guess that's your decision yeah?" she answered. Adelaide nodded. "But Lena." she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I might not be able to join officially but I will always support you. If you ever need help or if you ever need extra funds for a mission I can give you those-"
"We don't want your money!" Lena cried, throwing Adelaide's hand down. "We want you! We want Addy, we want the old team back, we..we want everything to be how it was." Her voice broke and she shook her head, moving away to the door.
"Lena…"Adelaide began, but the young woman held up a hand. "It's fine." she sniffed. "Dinner's probably ready anyway."
And with that she blinked out of sight. Adelaide heard footsteps moving back down the corridor, leaving her in the silence of her old room. She sighed, running a hand through her locks. "I guess some things really have changed.." she murmured, before turning back to unpack.