A week passes. For a few days, Amélie cannot recall who Winston is. After some information from Lena and visits from the scientist himself. She begins to regain small memories about him. Then, one day, she laughs and talks about when she stole his peanut butter away from Angela because the doctor would not give it back. Everything clicked in place after that and now she remembers Winston as a friend.
Her eyesight is slowly coming back too. It started with just dark shapes and bright light, but now she can make out people's faces. It is still very blurry, but Angela tells her that that will go away soon.
She also has begun to walk by herself. Seeing as she can see. Lena looked surprised the morning she came into the medbay and saw Amélie standing in the middle of her room. Her eyes flashed with something, but Amélie couldn't quite catch it. The older woman decides to forget about it, seeing as Lena smiled enthusiastically quite quickly afterward.
There has been no news of Gérard returning. Amélie has begun to worry. Being able to see has also granted her the ability to notice the uncomfortable looks that pass across her friend's faces. Whenever she asks of Gérard, they frown, look at each other, then tell her that he is still off on his 'mission'. What if Gérard got hurt, or worse?! She continually tells herself that that's silly. Her friends would tell her if something happened, right?
With each passing day, she gets less and less sure. Maybe they think that she is too hurt to cope with the truth? She frowns, no, she really shouldn't doubt her friends, Gérard is... Gérard is fine.
"You're way too good at this game!" Lena chuckles softly, shaking her head. She is sitting with Amélie, putting away an old deck of Uno. She had lost to the older woman about five times. Each time becoming more and more frustrated. She lets it go, though, smiling at the delighted look on Amélie's face.
"No cher, it was just luck, trust me." Amélie laughs. The gentleness and pure joy of it making Lena almost shiver.
"Five times?! That's a bit unbelievable!"
"Believe it."
Lena shakes her head with a smile. She sighs and stands, a putting the cards up in a cupboard.
"Anyways...Seeya Amélie, I have to go train! That was a fun game of Uno!" She smiles and waves cheerily. Amélie nods with an equally cheery smile. It is a strange look on her as of late. Not unpleasant, but strange. Lena realizes that it is because the Amélie she knows is not devoid of guilt. This Amélie has done nothing wrong, killed no one.
"Au revoir Lena." She sits back on her bed. "Will you be here tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Lena nods and waves, leaving Amélie to her own devices. She makes her way to the training grounds. Though, when she makes it to the weapon room, she pauses, her train of thought catching up with her.
Amélie is so much happier like this. Lena can't help but think, would it be better if Amélie never remembered at all? There is a possibility of that. Angela had already spoken to her about how Amélie's subconscious seems to have built a barrier around her bad memories. She isn't able to perceive that her skin is purple. Nor has she remembered anything from the present day.
Amélie thinks everyone is still back in time. Jesse's beard had been a surprise, but she just gave him a hard time about in the end. She asks about Ana a lot. Finding it strange that she hasn't seen her come in yet. It is painful for everyone else, but not for her. Amélie is happy now. Doesn't she deserve the happiness, after everything?
Lena feels herself gripping onto one of the tables that are used to clean the guns. That would be wishing a life of lies onto Amélie. Nothing will ever change what she did. She deserves happiness, but she also deserves to know, doesn't she?
She closes her eyes and huffs a sigh. Guilt coils in her stomach as she thinks of Amélie remembering everything. Feeling the pain of killing the ones she killed under Talon's control all at once. Lena could not wish that upon anyone, especially Amélie. She rubs her face with a groan.
"Are you... alright?" A tentative, gruff, yet quiet voice reaches her ears. It sounds unsure. Hanzo, she realizes. She turns to see the man standing in the doorway, eyes glittering with what looks to be concern. His face is barely readable from his uncomfortable frown, but it's there.
"Hanzo... what are you-"
"If you are asking what I am doing in here, I was only about to train. I did not expect... to find you... here..." He warily makes his way to the case that holds his bow.
"Well, that makes sense..." Lena shrugs and pulls out her own guns. "I'm here to train too."
There is a moment of awkward silence between them. The only sound is the clicking and clunking of them taking their weapons from their cases and checking them over. Hanzo pauses suddenly, seeming to come to a conclusion.
"I meant it you know... you did not look... well when I came in. What is bothering you? Is Amélie not doing well?"
The questions from the archer take Lena by surprise. Out of everyone, she would not expect Hanzo to be asking her anything like this. Her eyes lock on the man. He still has his back turned to her, but his shoulders are tense. He is waiting for something. Probably Lena to yell at him and tell him to mind his own business.
"I, Amélie is fine, but... It is about her yes." Lena answers. Hanzo glances at her, the surprise evident in his features.
"What... is bothering you about her?" He is tense and confused, even more unsure. Lena sighs, looking down at her guns.
"She is so happy... if she remembers everything... that happiness will be..." Her voice trails off and she frowns.
"Gone." The archer finishes for her. She hears the rattle and thump of something being shakily sat down. Her eyes shift to Hanzo. His palms are flat on the table, his shoulders slumped and his chin down. He suddenly inclines his chin slightly and turns to face her. His eyes are alight with a rather dangerous emotion that Lena cannot quite place. "Tell me, Lena. Would you wish to forget every wrong that you have committed? Every life you've ended?"
"I..." Lena frowns, rather winded at this question. She pauses and thinks. Would she? After a few seconds of silence, she shakes her head. "No, I wouldn't, but, this is different-"
"Different because Amélie was brainwashed. She didn't actually kill anyone herself." Hanzo cuts her off bluntly.
"Yes actually..." Lena nods.
"Do you think she felt that way? Before Angela wiped her mind?" Hanzo asks. He half-glares at her, an eyebrow raised.
Suddenly, Amélie's words from a few weeks ago echo through Lena's mind. I pulled the trigger. I enjoyed the killing. Talon or not, they are mine, and always will be. She frowns and sighs, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "No, she holds herself accountable for it all... It... talking about this doesn't matter, she will either remember, or she won't. I can't stop anything from happening."
Hanzo looks her over. Studying her like a wolf eyeing an injured elk. His expression softens slightly and he sighs and turns back to his bow. "Just know that we who have done wrong do not want false happiness. We want redemption." With that, Hanzo picks up the Stormbow and leaves Lena.
She watches him go, then frowns. Redemption. She picks up her guns and runs after him. "Hey! Hanzo wait up! Let's train together!"
The next morning Lena wakes up feeling a bit better rested than normal. She skips to the cafeteria, humming a few notes of a tune that's name she can't quite remember. She is a bit sore from a sparring match with Hanzo. He had surprised her when he asked, but she agreed to it. It had been a while since she practiced any hand-to-hand combat. It was fun!
When in the kitchen, she makes two bowls of cereal, one for her, and one for Amélie. Then she proceeds to the medbay, waving at a very sleepy-looking Jesse as she passes him in the hallway. He gives her a small wave and a yawn-muffled, "Mornin'." in return. She giggles, entering the medbay. When she gets to Amélie's door, she presses the button to open it with her elbow.
It remains shut.
She tilts her head, frowning slightly, pressing it again. This time, it beeps, acting like she pressed the wrong button. She inspects the panel, making sure that she is pressing the correct button.
The third time Lena presses the button, the door slides open with a soft hiss. She shrugs to herself and begins to walk into the room. She stops when she feels air ruffle her clothes as if someone is moving by her. Her face contorts in confusion as she looks around for the person in question, but no one is near her. Strange.
She snaps from her thoughts when she hears a rustle of blankets. Looking over, she sees Amélie. The woman is staring at her with a strange, guarded expression. Her eyes are puffy and her hair is a mess. Lena's heart drops. She takes a step closer to the taller woman and Amélie takes a step away.
"Why?" Amélie's voice is shaky, uncertain, broken. "Why did no one tell me?"
Right at this moment, Lena can feel her heart shatter.