"Hey, man. I probably should say: I've been there. It was hard enough not knowing what exactly set me apart from the rest, why I was always assigned therapy. When I did find out, it really changed things up. It's a hard life, not being able to think like the rest. It was interesting to see you explain scout's insecurities this way." – VivaL'Aquila

I'm glad to see that my story, particularly this chapter, is able to connect with my audience. That's what my goal was with this story. Because I too have been there.

…

…

"Jeremy with autism... for a man with the ability to double jump, the idea is not impossible! Maybe the very corner at the pockets of his brain altered the laws of physics of the universe to his command! Maybe he can reverse time and freeze it!" – Ganxi

I never thought of it like that, but now that you bring it up, it does make sense after all.

…

…

"Have you heard how scout says you shall not pass? It's hilarious. Do you play tf2? If yes, what's your steam? But, good chapter I feel like the story turned into a more grim side. Maybe that what you wanted." – Toni the Pepperoni

Yes, it is what I wanted. It's not the average fanfiction, but that's the whole point.

And in case anyone else here is wondering, I am on Steam. My username is Rockgod. To help narrow it down, my profile picture is of Deadpool. I do play TF2, but I haven't for a long time. I'm waiting for the game to finish fixing matchmaking and I also want to wait to see its' revival in popularity, which hopefully will be soon with the new Pyro update.

…

…

"People who make fun of autistic people are just born assholes." – Lord Demolitions

Couldn't have said it better myself.

…

…

"Is Miss Pauling ever going to be in this story?" – Spectator 3152

I've thought about it, but I'm not sure how. I'm trying to imply that Tracer strongly dislikes her due to her treatment of Scout/Jeremy.

No more time wasted, here's the next chapter. SPOILER ALERT: Someone from Overwatch will be back here.

Jeremy drove his Mercedes Benz into a parking lot at Seaside, Oregon, not too far from Cannon Beach. Lena and Emily were sitting in the back of the car. They were driving to a diner for breakfast that Jeremy knew. The diner was in a strip mall block. The parking was packed. It took a long time to find a non-handicapped parking spot. Jeremy knew why. It was Christmas Eve, and people were scrambling for last-minute Christmas shopping.

Lena and Emily were impressed with the diner as they walked in. It was very bright and warm, and the staff was extremely welcoming. The diner was packed with people eating some of the holiday specials that they were offering, such as peppermint waffles, and eggnog pancakes. The three just barely managed to get the last table available.

They sat down, with Lena and Emily sitting next to each other, and Jeremy sitting across from them. Despite what happened that morning, he looked much happier now, and that made the girls much happier as a result. Jeremy was in fact smiling now. Lena was so happy to see this. She didn't think she had ever seen him smile during the short time that she and her girlfriend had been here. As soon as they were seated, a waitress came by their table and asked if they would like to order some drinks. All three ordered a pot of coffee, with cream and sugar on the side. Jeremy and Lena each ordered glasses of milk and orange juice, while Emily ordered a glass of grapefruit juice.

After the waitress left, Lena asked Jeremy, "So, love, are you feeling better now?"

Jeremy grinned. "Oh, yeah. I'm feelin' fantastic now! I'm eatin' breakfast with my favorite girls! How can life get any better than this?"

Lena was about to say, Well, there's having a girlfriend to eat breakfast with, and…But she didn't even say anything. Jeremy was finally in a good mood and she would be damned if she were to kill it right now. Instead, she just said, "You know how happy that makes me, love? You've been through so much pain lately, so it makes me smile to see you smile for once."

"Aw, thanks, Lena. You know, now that you mention it, I just wanna say to both of you: Thanks for putting up with me.

I mean, I know I got a lotta issues. Everything from my dad leaving, to my brothers picking on me, to losing out on chances with girls I love, you name it, I've done it, and you already know it. I kinda feel bad and even hypocritical for saying that nobody loves me when you two just spent last night in the same bed as me, and you Lena, did it with only that skimpy nightshirt of yours."

Lena blushed and shushed. "Keep it down, love!" She said through gritted teeth. "I don't need a bunch of perverted men staring at me!"

"Sorry," he said, sitting back down. "Anyway, you do get what I'm sayin', right? I don't think clearly when I'm under pressure and stress, and with all this shit that I'm having to battle, I certainly am not in my right mind, and that of course means I'm sayin' nobody loves me when you two girls are doing just that.

And I know that people lose patience with me when I'm throwing the same old pity party day after day, and that actually gives them the right to yell at me and leave me alone. And it's even worse because I just created a valid reason for them to walk out on me. But you girls never did. You stuck with me through my lowest moments and have promised me that you'll keep doing it for as long as I need it, so thank you both. It means a lot to me."

Lena was starting to get a little bit annoyed by his sudden and very loud chattering, but that quickly died down. She would take it over seeing him continuing to mope and feel sorry for himself. So she would take as much of this as she had to. And it was touching to hear him say that she and her girlfriend made such a huge difference in his life. "You're welcome, love. And thank you for finally letting us in."

Just at that moment, their drinks had been dropped off at their table. The milk, and juices were delivered in large, tall glasses, and the server gladly poured coffee for the three of them and dropped off a large container of cream and bowl with sugar packets. Then she took their orders. Jeremy ordered a large skillet with scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, cheese, bacon, onions, and jalapenos. Emily ordered a plate of French toast with fried eggs and hash browns on the side. Lena ordered a corned beef hash, with a side of rye toast and sausage links. Then they ordered a large plate of cinnamon rolls and a large bowl of fruit to share. The server was somewhat surprised that they ordered so much food. These three still looked pretty young, and yet they were ordering enough food to serve a small army.

After she left, Emily asked Jeremy, "So, love, how are you liking your retirement?"

"You mean from fighting?"

"Yeah."

"I gotta say, it's very…" he spent a while searching for the right word to use. "…Therapeutic. Let's put it that way. Y'know, fighting was really starting to get boring after a long time."

"Really?" Lena asked, surprised that Jeremy was saying this. "How so?"

"Well, at first, it was fun. And you know me, I had a lotta rage built up in me. I wanted to take it out on somebody, but I would never do it towards an innocent guy, OK? You get me? So, when I was told that there was this gravel war in the southwest, and they needed me to kill some dudes, I immediately jumped on board. Now was my chance to release some rage. Well, that, and it promised high pay. I needed to get a high-payin' job to support ma. At the time, I wasn't very good at guitar, so I needed to find something else to help ma. And I owe her everything, she brought me into this world, so I gotta debt to pay off." Lena smiled. It was nice to hear Jeremy talk about how much he loves his mother. That's what every good son does. "Of course, I didn't tell her exactly what it was. I didn't want her to have a heart attack over hearing that her little boy had become a killer. That would just not be good at all.

So, I went to New Mexico, in this base called 2Fort, made friends with my other teammates, and we had a great time. Sometimes we would be transferred to some other Mann Co bases around the world. And I mean, we had 'em everywhere. We travelled to Egypt1, China2, Japan3, Brazil4, somewhere in Northern Canada5, Alaska6, somewhere in the Middle East7, it was such a blast. Killing dudes had never been so much fun."

Lena and Emily were surprised. Jeremy was a raging first-person shooter fanboy before those had even existed. They were almost disturbed to hear that he liked killing guys so much.

"But," he continued. "That excitement wore down very quickly. After a few months went by, it was getting very tedious. You know, day after day, that crazy lady would keep screaming the same instructions over the speakers. Shoot this, kill that, the enemy has the intelligence, you failed, we have lost the control point, the bomb is almost at the final terminus, it went on for years. It was a total fuckin' harassment. It really was. Year after year, it was nothin' but us killing the same old dudes over and over again. Looking back, I have to ask, why? What was the point to all this? From what I've been told, something these two brothers, who were the heads of RED and BLU, fighting over gravel. Gravel? What the fuck is gravel good for? It's worthless. It's nothin' but a waste of time and energy. Tell me, we're now in 2077. Almost 2078. Has anyone found a suitable use for gravel in this day?"

Lena drew a sharp breath. "Sorry, love. We don't use gravel for anything here." Emily nodded in agreement.

"Oh, well, that's just perfect!" Jeremy spat out. "Engaged in a war over some stupid gravel pit which was good for nothing! It was worthless back then, and it's worthless today! It was all nothing but a waste of time!"

"Don't say that, love," Lena said. "You made lots of friends from it. And money, don't forget about the money."

"Yeah, that's the only thing that kept me going. I couldn't afford to just walk out, because there goes my revenue if I do. I practiced music whenever I could in the hopes that someday, I would able to just quit that stupid job and do something I actually wanted to do. Man, I was looking forward to that day. Going up to the administrator's office, with my guitar in my hand, and telling her and the Mann brothers to go fuck themselves. And Miss Pauling, too," he added bitterly. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure she really was gay. I'd seen her flirting with Doc. I think she just told me that so I'd quit hangin' round her. Yeah, that's it," he snarled. "She lied. She's not really gay. She just told me to fuck off. And for what? What did I ever do to her? Maybe I was being a little creepy, but I think she could tell that I just wanted to be with her. But no, she just took my love and threw it back in my face."

Lena and Emily twitched by hearing that. Lena was no fan of Miss Pauling before, having heard that she did indeed walk out on Jeremy without ever looking back. But now, she felt nothing but hatred for her. How could you do that to him, you bitch?! She thought. How could you, you…you…you selfish…vile…cruel…heartless demon from hell?! She calmed down and said to him, "Jeremy, I am so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. You weren't even there."

"No, I'm just sorry for everything you've gone through. You don't deserve this."

"Well, it's too late now. And that bitch doesn't even matter anymore. She's gone. She's probably dead now. She means nothing to me. And even if she did, fuck her. I've got you two girls now. You two more than replace her."

At last, Jeremy was opening his eyes and realizing what he still has. For once in his life, he wasn't saying that his life was pointless and not worth living. Lena was so relieved to hear this, and already Jeremy felt like his heavy burden to carry didn't feel so heavy any more.

"Thank you, love. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine. Emily and I will always be by your side, no matter what."

"I love you two."

Lena and Emily then leaned forward from across the table. Lena gave Jeremy a kiss on his left cheek, and Emily gave him one on his right. Jeremy's stomach was filled with butterflies. If only my bros could see me now. Somehow Lena could hear what he was thinking, and she said, "They'd probably not believe it." Jeremy looked back in surprise. It was almost scary to know that Lena could read his mind.

"So, anyway, love, what were your brothers like?"

"Well…" Jeremy was a little unsure if he wanted to talk about it, but decided to. "So, as you know, I was the youngest of eight."

"Yep."

"The oldest of the pack was Jordan. Then there was Jack, Jared, Jacob, Jessie, Jasper, and Jason."

"So you had a mother that gave your brothers all the same initials, huh?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. And all of our middle names start with A. My middle name is Aaron, just by the way. (Author's Note: That is non-canon. I made that up.)"

"Aaron, huh? That's a nice name," Emily said.

"Thanks. Jordan, the oldest, was a fitness nut. Everything he ate was either pill or powdered-shaped. He believed that the Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Gods were real and that they got their powers by bodybuilding and running marathons every day.

Jack was a writer. His favorite books to write were self-help books. He was very snobby. He would knock on people's doors and offer them advice on how to improve their lives. And by offer, I mean demand. He taught me everything I know about picking up ladies. That explains why I fail at it so much.

Jared was a hobo. He strongly believed that men should embrace their inner animal. Because of that, he still lived with ma even after the younger guys went off to live by themselves. He never shaved, rarely showered, and often wore second-hand clothes.

Jacob was interested in computers, which at the time, were rarely used. Only the Australians used them at the time. They discovered the internet long before the rest of the world did. By 1978, the rest of the world was starting to catch on, and Jacob did lots of research into it. He was very overweight. The older guys used to make fun of him until he threatened to sit on them. And he ate lots of spicy foods, so that made it worse.

Jessie started his life as a criminal. He was in a lot of gangs, did drugs, spray painted graffiti everywhere, and this eventually landed him in a jail. Naturally, he wanted out. He also wanted a second chance at life, so he got a job in the prison as a chef. He cooked food for his inmates, and got a job at a bar and grill restaurant once he was released. Last I heard, he got a new job at Olive Garden. He gave discounts to all his brothers whenever they visited. Except me. He charged me extra.

Jasper and Jason were twins. I liked these guys. There were nicer to me than the rest of the pack were. Probably because I was the only one younger than them. Jasper was a fashion designer. He liked to design dresses and suits, mostly for weddings and renaissance fairs. Jason, however, was a party animal. He liked to stay out late and party with friends. No one thought he would make it anywhere in life, but just before I left, he bought one of our old bases, Badlands was its' name, and turned it into a brewery/dance club, proving everyone wrong. I don't know where he got the money from, but I doubt it was through anything legal.

Not that I should criticize him for doing illicit activity. I was guilty of it myself. We made bombs with real uranium and plutonium, we stuck up drug dealers for money, snuck into the kitchens at restaurants, and jacked food from them-"

"You really did all that?" Emily asked, wide-eyed. "Was all this legal?"

Jeremy grinned and said, "Absolutely fucking not. But that describes us perfectly.

And then finally, we get to that last of the eight brothers, which is me, the distance runner and guitarist. So that's basically it. That's the eight Scott brothers. There's there athletic trainer, the writer, the hippie, the computer nerd, the chef, the clothing expert, the alcohol entrepreneur, and me, the musician."

"Sounds like you've got a very diverse family, love."

"Yeah. All our neighbors thought for sure that we were all adopted. But as my pal Hard Hat would say, 'Nope.' We all come from the same ma and dad." He then stopped for a moment, and then he sadly added, "Yet, now I can see why people would think that. Those guys always picked on me and mocked me for not being able to keep up in fights with them. That's what I get for being the runt of the litter. I bet now they're glad I'm gone."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, love," Lena said. "Just like with Miss Pauling, they're gone. They're out of your life. They don't mean anything anymore. You're with us now."

"Thanks," Jeremy said. "Thanks for listening to all this. I know I can ramble on about stuff for a while."

"I have a question to ask," Emily said.

"OK, shoot," said Jeremy.

"Back at the house, you said that you actually died once. Is that true?" She asked, with a little worry.

"Oh, yeah. That's not a lie. I really did die."

"Oh my," Lena said, covering her mouth.

"Hey, don't worry. I came back, didn't I?"

"Well…Obviously, yes. But what happened? How'd you die?"

"In our fight against the Mann robots, I took one too many hits. And then I died. Then I went to heaven and saw God. Yeah, that's right. God is real. I saw Him with my own eyes. I don't mean to sound like a religious freak, though. I know people don't like those."

"Yeah," Lena said. "I know how that feels."

(Flashback)

Lena was a teenager. She was now swimming in the Atlantic Ocean while on a vacation (or holiday, as she called it) with friends at the beach. She was happily swimming around in the ocean, but unknown to her, a shark saw her and was now swimming up to the surface to where Lena was swimming. Eventually Lena felt the water underneath her tremble, and before she knew it, a large great white shark came out of the water right beside her. It had its' jaw wide open and looked like it was about to eat her. Lena screamed in fright and panic, but surprisingly, the shark didn't eat her. Instead, it actually began to talk.

"Excuse me, miss," the shark said. "Do you have a moment to talk about Jesus Christ?"

Lena screamed in shock at this and shouted, "No! Go away! Get away from me!" She swam back to the beach.

"No?" The shark said, disappointed. "Well, can I at least give you a pamphlet for the local church? Maybe extend you an invitation to attend service once a week?"

(End Flashback)

"Yeah, not good memories at all. Anyway, is this true? You actually saw God?"

"Yep. He showed me heaven. And it was filled with foosball tables. That's how I knew it was heaven."

"Wow," an amazed Emily said. "You really saw the big cheese. What was he like?"

"Oh, everything you'd expect. He was large, bearded, robed, and he spoke in a loud and very snarky voice, not unlike myself, in fact." Lena snorted. She was beginning to think that Jeremy was either hallucinating or making the whole thing up. "He also told me what my true purpose in life was."

"Really? What was it?"

"God made me as his personal gift to all the ladies of the world. It is my purpose to get every girl in this world laid." Lena and Emily started to laugh, but before they could, their faces turned red. "Some bang-up job I'm doing at that," Jeremy finished.

All of a sudden, Jeremy looked so hot in the eyes of the two girls. They didn't know why he looked so sexy all of a sudden. Was it because he said that God made him specifically to have sex with every girl? Was it because of his skills, both at running at music? Or was it something else entirely? Then Jeremy said, "And yet, even though I've met God, I've still converted to Dudeism. You heard of it? It's a religion that comes from The Big Lebowski. I only heard of that movie after comin' here, but I really like it. It's my new favorite movie. My old one was You Only Live Twice." Then Jeremy got up from his table and said, "Excuse me, girls. I just need to go take a leak." And he left, with very mumbled, "OK"s from the girls.

As soon as Jeremy was out of sight, Lena and Emily stared at each other, and then gave facial expressions that said, What was that?

"Are you fawning over him?!" Lena asked Emily.

"Well, you're one to talk. I can see the look in your eyes that you're crushing on him, too!"

"Well, how can any girl not fall in love with that big hunk of a man?"

"Yeah, I know. So it's his destiny to get every girl laid, huh? Even the lesbians?"

"Yeah," Lena said with a grin on her face. "I can see how easy it would be for him. He's got that ripped physique…"

"Those toned biceps…"

"That rugged appearance…"

"Mastery at music…"

"Oh, I would be sucking on his cock right now…"

"No, you wouldn't. I would beat you to it."

"In your dreams, lady."

Suddenly, the two girls snapped out of their daze and stared at each other in horror. They could not believe what they were just thinking, much less saying. And what was worse, not only did each girl hear their girlfriend saying it, but they said it as well. The two girls sweat-dropped and their heads made sharp turns in various directions. This was so awkward. Lena and Emily couldn't believe that they were capable of making such dirty thoughts, and towards a man of all people.

"Look at us, Lena. What's happening to us?"

"I think…We're falling for him…"

"But…But…We can't. We're girlfriends. We can't have one of us falling over a man, much less both of us, and even less falling over the same man. We have to do something to stop this."

Quickly, the two leaned forward for a full and loving kiss. Their lips locked onto each other perfectly. The kiss was so passionate, and it lasted for a long time. But when the two finally broke away, they knew it wasn't enough.

"Do you still have her number?"

"Yep."

"Call her. Make sure she gets over here before one of us has his cock in our mouths."

"I'm on it." And Lena began to dial a number on her cell phone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Jeremy, completely oblivious to what was going on back at the restaurant, was walking over to the strip mall instead of using the toilet at the diner. He decided that he needed to express his love for the girls in a physical way. Words were no longer enough. He had to do something to show them how much he cared. He walked into the mall, past the Japanese restaurant which had what appeared to be Hanzo as a server, past the 1950's-themed malt shop, which had large pictures of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, among other fifties icons, and fifties-style soda in glass bottles, and past the carousel where lots of children were playing around on.

Finally, he reached his destination: A flower shop. He walked into the store, with a bell ringing on the door. He simply said, "Hi."

The clerk at the desk asked him, "Can I help you?"

Jeremy took off his sunglasses and said, "Yeah, can I have a dozen red roses, please?"

"Oh hi Jeremy. I didn't know it was you." The clerk reached behind the counter into a cooler and pulled out a bouquet of roses for him. "Here you go."

"That's me. How much is it?"

"It'll be 18 dollars."

"Here you go. Keep the change." He patted the dog on the counter. "Hi, doggy."

"You're my favorite customer!"

"Thanks a lot! Bye!"

"Buh-bye!" And Jeremy walked out of the store, back to the restaurant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeremy walked back into the diner. He walked at the table he was sitting at, only to find Lena and Emily with red faces. "Hey, girls. What's goin' on?"

"Um, nothing!"

"Yeah, yeah, nothing at all! Just…a little warm, that's all. The restaurant is a bit hot. I mean, I get it, since it's cold outside, but they could stand to turn down the heat a bit."

"Oh, alright. Anyway, I got something for you girls." He showed them the roses he just bought.

"Oh my…"

"Jeremy, they're…they're so beautiful! This is what you were doing during your 'leak,' wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I wanted to show you girls how much you meant to me instead of just sayin' it over and over again. The best thing I could think of was to give you some nice flowers. Well, diamonds also came to mind, but I don't think I could afford them."

Thankfully, the two girls were touched by this gesture, and both gave Jeremy another kiss on the cheeks. It was at that moment when the server showed up with their food. "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something," she said.

"Oh no, it's OK, love! We're just talking!"

"Oh, OK," the server said, clearly not convinced. "Anyway, here's your food." And she gently set it all on the table for the hungry young adults to eat. The all immediately dove in.

A few minutes had passed before any of them brought up another conversation, since they were all so anxious to eat this hot food. At one point, Lena reached for a cinnamon roll, but Jeremy snatched it away before she could put her hand on it.

"Hey!" She shouted. "That was mine!" Jeremy just giggled and stuffed it in his face. Lena eventually got her revenge by snatching a bite of Jeremy's mouth-watering eggs, which had a lot of sausage on them.

"Why you little-!" He shouted, but Lena just giggled with the food in her mouth.

"Sorry, love," she said slyly, "You hungry?" Jeremy said nothing, and decided to keep eating.

Then he decided to ask her, "Say, Lena, I never got around to askin'. How does it feel not having that accelerator on you anymore?"

Lena was surprised to hear Jeremy ask this, but assumed that he would only naturally be curious about it. So then she spoke. "You know, even though I'm no longer a time-travelling sprinter, I must say, lately it just feels like a massive weight has been taken off my chest." Both Jeremy and Emily cracked up from hearing that. Confused at first, Lena eventually found out why they were laughing. "He he he. I wasn't intending that to be funny, but I guess it is." Once the two had settled down, she continued.

"Anyway, I have to admit, that without this, it does feel like the world is resting on me. That thing was my symbol of being on Overwatch and everything that I lost in the first Slipstream accident. Now, without it, I'm free. Not just from Overwatch, but I'm also free from being a slave of time. Now I can do whatever I want and not face any time-related consequences for it. I think that without this, I can truly start a new life now. My only problem is, I don't what to do now."

"You know, I'm afraid I've been thinking," Emily said.

"A dangerous pastime," Lena said.

"I know, but you remember how both of us want to learn how to play music, right? Well, what if you and I and Jeremy started our own band and performed music to large crowds everywhere?"

Lena and Jeremy both stared at Emily in awe. Playing music for a living, as a band? Jeremy had been playing music as a solo act in clubs around Portland, but he had never considered playing with a full band backing him up, probably because no one wanted to. And despite her interest, Lena wasn't sure if music was right for her. I mean, she was a pilot and fighter for most of her life. Music was really under the radar for her until recently.

"Well…" Lena said, unsure. "I don't know…"

"Just a suggestion," Emily said. "I just thought it might be a good thing for us to do, since we'll all still be together. And I've always wanted to play bass guitar. If I do that, you, Lena, can take up drums, and Jeremy can be our guitar-playing leader. We'll have a real band then."

Drums? That seemed easy. There were no chords or notes to learn or memorize, there was just beating sticks on drums and cymbals. Maybe she could learn that. "If Jeremy will teach me, then…I'll give it a try."

"Well, I've never been a great teacher, but sometimes, I have to admit, it does get lonely up on stage by myself. Sometimes I'd just be sitting behind a piano and singing to a crowd of people.

(Flashback)

Jeremy once did just that in a half-filled ballroom around a small town called Hillsboro. He simply sang into his microphone,

Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight.

Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, and you got us feelin' alright.

He blew into his harmonica, pounded some notes on his piano, and was met with a standing ovation from the audience, but he felt like he was destined for more.

(End Flashback)

I'll try it out. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Alright, if he's in, then I'm in," said Lena.

"OK, what shall we name ourselves?" Emily asked.

"How about The Sprinters?" Jeremy asked. "That name's never been used before, and all of us here are sprinters, right?"

"Well, I'm not," Emily said. "At least, not as good as Lena. I did some track and field in high school, but I was never really good at it. But let's do The Sprinters. Can't think of a better name."

"OK, let it be said that on December 24, 2077, The Sprinters held their first meeting at an Elmer's Diner in Seaside, Oregon."

"Yeah, I'm sure this will be a remarkable day in history," Lena said sarcastically.

"Oh hey, speaking of remarkable days in history," Jeremy said, grinning, "You said it would be a remarkable day if I was ever able to outrun you. Remember? You said that back at Overwatch."

"That's right, I did," Lena said.

"Well then, once we get home, I challenge you to a race. I wanna see how fast you can run without your accelerator to help you."

Lena was about to respond with, "I will kick your arse and leave it in the dust," when she realized: That's right. I don't have my accelerator any more. This meant that there was no controlling time here. There were no easy ways ahead. It was just her own strength against his.

"Well, we can't do it right when we get home," Emily said. "You know, we just ate. We have to let this food digest before we do anything physical." Jeremy cracked up at that, while Lena and Emily blushed. "I shouldn't have said that," she muttered.

Before long, The newly christened Sprinters finished their meal, split-paid the tab, and went home to Cannon Beach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours after coming back home, Jeremy and Lena met up outside the driveway of his house. Both were wearing workout clothes and were prepared for a long run. The food had long since settled in their truck-sized stomachs, so they were ready and willing to run again. Jeremy looked pumped, while Lena looked unsure of herself. Emily was standing beside the two, ready to start off the race. "Ladies, gentlemen, start your engines!" She shouted. Both runners crouched down on the starting line marker that Jeremy spray-painted on the ground. "Ready…" Jeremy grinned at Lena. "Set…" Lena looked back, with some worry but with determination nonetheless.

"GO!" And the two were off.

At first, it was easy for Lena. She found that she was able to keep a good pace with Jeremy in the beginning, even though he was slowly gaining a lead over her. But as they passed one mile, it was clear to Lena that her legs and lungs along weren't strong enough to keep her up with Jeremy. By the time a mile and a half had passed, Jeremy was out of sight, and before she could even finish two miles, she collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

Emily ran up to her some time later, and saw Lena lying on the hard blacktop. "Lena! Sweetie! Are you alright?" She grabbed Lena and turned her body over to face her.

Lena said nothing, except for a small hoarse cry that sounded like, "Aaaa-Eeeeerrr"

"What? What is it?"

"Aaaaaa-eeeeeerrrr…"

"Aaa-eer?"

"Wh-Wh-Waaaaaaaaaaa…."

"Wa-er? Water? Water? Is that what you're saying?"

"I…neeed….waaaa…eeeeerrrrrr…."

Just at that moment, Jeremy pulled up another one of his cars, a blue 2067 Dodge Durango. "Thought you might need a lift back to the house."

Lena was still hoarse, but she gave out a noise that sounded like, "Shut up."

Fortunately, Jeremy was kind and thoughtful. He made sure to bring a crate full of water bottles with him and told Lena she could have all she needed. He even brought along some Powerades for good measure.

"Well, Jeremy," Emily said, as they were driving back to the house. "Today's been a good day for you, hasn't it? Starts off with breakfast with your favorite girls, and now a sprint with one of them. Betcha Miss Pauling never did this."

"No way she ever did," Lena said, still hoarse, but now capable of fluent speech again with some water and juice to soothe her. The hoarseness of her voice made no attempt to hide her contempt for the assistant to Jeremy's old administrator.

"Nope, she didn't. But as I said before, she doesn't matter no more. You two are the only ones that do. In fact, I got something special planned for us later this evening."

"Really? What?" Lena asked.

"It's a little Christmas tradition back at my house. Every Christmas Eve, Ma would make us this awesome fondue for dinner. It was a tub of boiling oil with all the meat we could want. She also made a cheese fondue that we dipped bread and veggies in, and a chocolate fondue with marshmallows and candy for dessert! I'm thinkin' I'll have it here for dinner tonight! You'll love it! It's the best!"

Fondue. That sounds really nice, the two girls thought. They couldn't remember the last time that had some excellent fondue for dinner. They looked forward to this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the three were engaged in various activities. Jeremy was in his garage, working on his old Impala. The garage was the only place that Emily hadn't visited during her tour, and Jeremy couldn't understand why. It was filled with things up her alley. He had six cars in total. The Mercedes-Benz, the Impala, the Durango, a Ford Taurus, a Chevy Tahoe pickup truck, and, parked outside in a separate spot, a Winnebago, which he planned to use as a tour bus someday.

Lena and Emily were downstairs in the basement. Lena was on the treadmill, hoping to strengthen herself up for the next time she and Jeremy would run. Emily was doing some bench presses.

They were all wound up doing their own things that they barely noticed the doorbell ring. It was a few times before anyone knew it was ringing. Jeremy ran out of his garage, back into the house, to answer the door. Who could be ringing at this time? He thought.

As he opened the door, Lena and Emily came out of the elevator to see what was going on, and they all saw it clearly.

Standing in the doorway was someone the three were familiar with. She looked different, but they all knew who she was. She had long red hair, pink marks on her cheeks, and she was now wearing a purple sweatshirt with long black pants and white sneakers. She had headphones in her ears, and was holding an electronic pad in her hands. Her eyes were green, her lipstick was cherry red, and she spoke in a soft, but very happy, voice. "Hello, Jeremy."

Jeremy couldn't believe his eyes. He never thought he'd see her again. And now, he had to say, she looked much more beautiful than he remembered. Those eyes, that hair, most of all, that smile. She just looked so cute. She was so cute, in fact, that at first, Jeremy didn't have the courage to speak. He spent a few seconds trying to think of the right words to say. Finally, he cleared his throat, and simply said, "Hello, Hana."

1Egypt, Lakeside
2Kong King
3Suijin
4Borneo
5Coldfront
6Yukon
7Dustbowl

Well, she's back. A lot of people wanted to see D. Va back in the story, and now I have done it. I'm still not sure of what I'll have her do here, so I will happily take suggestions.

I'm expecting the heavy drama to be finished now (with Scout being depressed and confessing deep secrets), and now I'm trying to get him back uphill again. I knew I had to include a touching scene where he gives the girls flowers because they have had to put up with a lot with him, specifically hearing him say how no one loves him when they just spent the night in bed with him.

Also, could someone please make a SFM version of the scene where a shark speaks to Tracer? I don't remember where I got that from, but it just cracked me up.

And for those of you want me to acknowledge that Scout is much faster than Tracer, here it is. This is the main reason why I had her lose her accelerator in the first place. So that she couldn't use it to gain an advantage over Scout. Because of that, she would be in a race that she had to compete in using her only own raw strength.

As for Scout's brothers, I got that idea from a picture that somebody posted on the internet, though I don't remember who it was, and I can't find that picture anymore, so I'm afraid I can't say whose it was. One notable difference, though. In that guy's (or girl's) picture, the oldest of the brothers was named Jeremiah (which can also be Jeremy). In fact, before Scout's real name was revealed in TF Comics 6, I predicted that his real name was Jordan. Heh. Guess I wasn't too far off.

Main point I want to make here is D. Va is back. I'm still unsure how to use her in the story, since I still don't think she and Scout make as great a couple as Scout and Tracer would, but I figured that she should be in this so that Scout would at least try to do something to end his misery. I think that if doesn't at least try to do something that could make him happy again, then he's just an emo kid who deserves the sadness and loneliness that he gets, and I don't want that, so I'm making it so that he at least tries and that it possibly leads somewhere, but I still don't know where.

Also, as always, please leave reviews, even if you're just a guest. I always like to know how I did, and I'll even take criticism (as long as it's constructive), so please, please, leave a review.

That's all for now. See you again soon.