I wandered the attic for a few minutes. Not trying to be nosy, I could glance down at the farm, but all sorts of covered boxes grabbed my attention.
So many memories, all I have are like two photos of John. One in the womb and one from Meera. My sigh kicked dust off a box, it's label becoming clearer. Jack's baby book and childhood items. So this is what families do...
' what? Still crying about your childhood? The same one you are giving your son... spending days of his life trying to figure him out?'
Days?
' can't figure him or Reyes out. Your hyper security is getting the better of you? Worked so hard to lock everyone out you locked yourself out?'
Oh shut up.
' it's true, when you found it you were pregnant, and didn't tell him because of work stress... What was the actual plan? To study him? Use your child as a test subject?'
No!
' curious because, the more I try to reason with your logic the more mangled it gets. You knew he loved you? Would do anything for you? But you stayed to get abused by Reyes and used by Jack... I have to say... seems a bit odd'
It was never the right time! I was going to tell him.
'Before or after you operated on your newborn?'
Stop it. I wouldn't use him or anyone like that!
' Genji? He begged you to stop working on him! You didn't listen. When will your son say the same thing and you won't listen either!'
I crouched on the ground next to my books and tried to regulate my breaths. The words on the pages blurring together.
' that's what I thought. Experiment. Experiment. Only thing different is you love the man who donated the sperm'
I love Jack and John.
' as people or studies, Sure are spending a lot of time alone in a lab or rever to avoid interactions. '
I inhaled and exhaled slowly as I laid on my back in the dust.
Some tickled my nose and I heard Jack approaching me.
" Hey, we would have let you at the table to do this or something" Jack said as he dragged a finger along a dusty box as if to prove a point.
" I can't think if I can't have everything everywhere" I said
" understood" he said as he looked around. I tried to avoid his eyeline, hoping he wouldn't notice my shaking.
" where is John?" I asked.
" watching cartoons with my dad sooooo" he said as he knelt down and I arched a brow at him.
" I think it would be the perfect time to—-" he paused dramatically and I glared.
" talk about the whole Overwatch thing" he breathed and braced himself for my annoyance. Including an exaggerated expression, one eye closed and the other bracing for me to unleash some form of hell onto him. I'm not trying to guilt him, i'm trying to find the proper way to convey what I want him to understand about my hesitation.
" I guess so" I said before pulling my legs closer to me.
" so how are you feeling about it?" He asked.
" I just want to be able to do my work, not all the time. I don't want to be trapped there. I don't want to work for them, I want to be able to work on my things without needing all the red tape most countries throw at me. I don't know where else I could get away with working on this even!" My hands waved over the papers detailing Reyes, John, Jack and me.
" Unfortunately exposing myself to so many different things while pregnant was one of the worst things I've done and that is saying something" I said as I buried my face in my hands.
" It's okay you didn't know" he said as he hugged me from behind.
" I'm a doctor, I fucking knew I was pregnant, you've been mad about this before so why are you denying me the satisfaction of hating myself"
" because I love you too much to let you shoulder all the blame. You had so much on your mind then, you've always sacrificed your own happiness for others. So it's not hard to figure out how that line got messy" he said as he rested his head on my shoulder.
That stung, it's supposed to make me feel better and it does but it opens up that pile of regret that I'm constantly circling. The endless cycle of self loathing.
" stop overthinking this. You are my smart, intelligent and wonderful wife, we just need to focus on what we are doing here" he said.
" so you really aren't rejoining?" I asked him.
" I can't Ange, the idea of it makes me so anxious that I can't. I cannot go back to that. I hope you don't either but I will support you either way"
" if I do this, I'll be turning into them, ignoring my own kid for—"
" Angela, you could balance both. They couldn't, you balanced me and work— you had so much time for me. You knew how to make time" he insists.
" but I'll also have Reyes"
" but who knows for how long"
I felt that gut punch again, that horrible conflict.
" You are shaking" Jack said as he rubbed my arms.
" That is too hard to talk about" I replied. I'm desperately trying to contain it all, all these pushed down emotions, everything feels so weighted. The air, my eyes, my limbs, everything feels so exhausting.
" I know. Soon it will be over and he will be dead"
" but what if—" I bit my tongue, I actually chomped down on it.
" You can't be serious" Jack said.
" I don't know what I'm thinking but I know an innocent— no— a — he shouldn't—- " I was stumbling over my words.
" Angela! He hurt you before he was brainwashed, how can you defend him?"
" and how can you not? He was your best friend!" My hand immediately clamped over my mouth and I regretted speaking. I could see it all, the internal conflict bubbling to the surface. I'm a monster, just like Jack sees Reyes, i'm just able to control it a bit better.
'finally'
" the things he did to you, that you never told me about. Why Angela?" He asked softly.
" I didn't want to ruin anything. I felt like I divided you two" I said softly.
" if I knew he was hurting you for that long I would have ended our friendship"
" but he was good to you! I don't know what I did but it was something and I want to know what that was!" I growled.
" with him? Nothing! It didn't take much. He almost got Jesse killed on a regular basis just because he hated him and would ' snitch' on him" Jack said.
I was now chewing my lip and I know he's furious.
" he's not innocent, he's far from it... but I can't help but feel like killing him isn't the answer. Especially when it's so rarely done!"
" I don't understand you" he said softly.
" what do you mean by that!" I said turning in his arms to face him.
" he tortured you, before— he hurt you. You just let him do that. Then he gets brainwashed, tortured you! the viciousness none of us thought should be possible to do to you or anyone. And yet— here you are still trying to defend him. Angela— It's okay to be angry at him. I don't know if you need to hear this. But you can hate him and actually fully hate him. You don't have to always find the parts in people that are the best. You—- you don't always have to be good" he said as he stroked my cheek. I could feel the watery tears spill out of my eyes.
" I don't know, I feel hatred! I feel rage but, I can't find it in myself to want that fate for him" I whispered.
" that's fine. Just think over things. I'll go with you wherever. We both will, but you need to make up your mind" he said.
" I thought we would together" I said as I tried to wipe the next tear before it fell.
" we can, I'm —- this is hard Angel. I don't understand how you are you" he said.
I looked at him quizzically.
" I feel broken all the time because of him because of the pain he brought but—"
" it wasn't just him. He was just a part of it... "
" That's not what best friends do Angela. You don't get jealous of your best friend and suddenly decide to talk to Talon about career options. Who does that?"
" I don't think we knew him that well" I replied as I pushed my notes back into the notebook.
" I thought i did" Jack said with a sigh. I know i keep overstepping with all of this, i just keep picking at this open wound.
" it happens darling and there's nothing to be done, but I think the punishment is too severe"
" so we will have to spend our lives making sure he stays alive because—"
" because of me, you can say it. I somehow caused this cellular phenomenon in his body that day— I still cannot remember what happened fully. But—"
" he forced you to use it on him, that's hardly your fault"
" I made it, it wouldn't have been there or used if I didn't make it and if he didn't know about it" I said.
" That means someone told him about it" Jack said as his eyes narrowed.
" I didn't—"
" no! I wasn't accusing you— I'm wondering. I wonder..." he paused as he searched his phone and ultimately went silent for a few minutes while I sit here in confusion.
" I wonder if any doctors that worked with you may have informed him" Jack said.
" You know very well that any resurrected was kept under complete secrecy" I replied.
" I'm just trying to think" Jack states.
" or during the next visit I can just ask him. Surely he knows something"
" and you think he would just offer you that information?" Jack was practically laughing at this point.
" I can try! We don't have many options. But it's in the past. I just want to move forward" I said.
He crouched back down to me and tilted my face up to him.
" You are right, as usual" he said.
" so you won't be furious if I write a letter asking for him to be removed from the death penalty" I ask.
" I can't stop you from doing that. That is your choice and I will" he looked almost in pain as he replied " I will support your decision".
" Good, and you" I said as I leaned closer to him, " can work on trying to make a deal so I can continue to practice my current studies, and some in the future if I advise them beforehand" I said as I patted his cheek.
" ugh" he said with an exasperated sigh.
" I can't do it without your help" I softly said to him, my lips nearing his. But stopping as I brushed my eyelashes on his cheek.
" are you trying to seduce me?" He asked.
" trying?" I said arching an eyebrow.
" I just need you to make a deal for me" I whispered into his ear, my teeth grazed his earlobe.
" I hate you sometimes" he said sarcastically.
" it's a shitty situation but we are out. Technically. And that's what you wanted and I wanted to an extent, sooooo" I looked up at him and he smiled before kissing me.
" is that a yes?" I softly whispered to him in between kisses.
" yes of course" he replied before sliding his hand up my shirt. His mouth pressed against mine as he pulled me under him. His kisses trailed down my neck, the lightest of nibbles as he went.
" hey kids! We are headed to the store. Do you need anything?" Called up his dad.
Jack pauses and I almost burst into a fit of giggles but he pressed his hand on my mouth.
" I think we are fine, I know John likes those dinosaur shaped foods so uh. That's good" Jack yelled back. He helped me up to my feet and brushed the dust off me. A very clear imprint of my back was on the dusty floor as Jack kicked the dust around.
" that all!" His dad asked.
" yeah it's fine, coming down anyways" he said as he pulled me towards the ladder.
" Oh, we figured we'd take the kid with us" his dad said.
" oh uh— he's never"I started to stumble over the words as I tried to force them out.
" he's never been to a store?" His dad said with shock on his face and in his voice.
" he's been hiding for his life. He's been to the park and stuff. But I don't think he's ever been on a public outing. And the media doesn't know about him" Jack said.
" oh yeah... kinda foolish now that I think about it—- " His dad said.
" no, it's not something people would immediately think of" I said with reassurance.
" Oh alright, dinosaur food it is" his dad said as he walked down the stairs where John was waiting with a big smile.
" hey kid want to go on a walk with your mom and I?" Jack asked him as he kicked his feet around.
" okay" he replied as he wandered off to find his coat.
" We will be back" his mom said as they went out the door.
" whole house to the three of us" Jack said with a mischievous grin.
" any plans?" I asked him as he found me a hoodie.
" taking a walk with my family, then maybe making dinner together?" He said with a grin.
" I think we can do that" I said after he put on his coat.
" brave to wear the 76 out again" I said as I brushed it lightly.
" yeah well. It's who I am now" he said.
" Good because I didn't want you retiring this" I said as I traced my hands over it.
" yeah?" He said softly.
" yeah, I love it. Not that I didn't love you in blue. But this. This is you now" I said as I breathed in the scent of it.
" Down girl" Jack said with a laugh.
" You know for being a vegetarian you sure do love the smell of leather" he added.
" only on you" I replied.
John bounced over to us and gripped our hands and we began our journey around the large spread of land. This is very cozy for now, I cannot believe we didn't discuss any living arrangements. As much as I love having his family here and him being able to help his father. I crave our own little space.
" I actually wanted to show you two something" Jack said as we approached a wooded area.
" what is it!" John asked with joy.
" well if you follow me then I will show you" Jack said as he led us through some more dense woods.
But after a couple of minutes you could see a little shed looking thing.
" a house?" John asked.
" cabin" Jack said.
" why is it so close to your house?" I asked.
" It's not that close Ange" Jack said.
" It kinda is" I replied.
" anyways! It was used before our house was built. So it's basically falling apart but I loved playing here as a kid" Jack said as he walked closer.
The walls were caving in and moss was growing all over the wood. It almost looked like a little forgotten fairytale house or something. John was fascinated by it, walked around it numerous times and tried to get inside but the creaking of wood made Jack pull him back.
" Not a good idea" Jack said.
" if I can't play why?" He asked.
" I wanted to see if you liked it and if you thought it was neat" Jack laments.
" I do" John says as he tries to pull the boards again and Jack has to pick him up.
" It's cute in a —- scenic way" I said as I looked suspiciously at Jack. He just smiled and began to walk us out of the woods, still carrying John in his arms and eventually in his back.
The walk back was enjoyable, we could hear the animals in the distance welcoming us back. Once we washed up, Jack began to prepare dinner, I was just chopping vegetables however he told me to do it. The only thing I have going for me right now is knife skills. I watched him make cream sauces and show John how to properly stir on the stove. My eyes kept glancing over to make sure he wouldn't burn himself. Jack kept sending me reassuring looks but I'm still anxious about it. And sure enough near the end of meal prep John did burn himself. He cried as I held him and Jack ran to get my kit. I watched as his flesh turned grey for a while, and flaked off within minutes. The skin shriveling instead of bubbling. I took careful mental notes of the pattern and made Jack bag a sample of the skin that fell off. John was crying into my neck and Jack kept apologizing despite my insistence that accidents happen. Even if you knew it was a possibility, so is everything, can't keep him in a bubble.
His parents returned after John calmed down, they were in bright spirits as Jack helped them out with bringing in and putting away groceries. My hands were full with John who was still very upset at the situation. His healing isn't as fast as it used to be.
" It still hurts?" I asked John softly as he snuggled against me.
" yes" he softly whines. I can see the healed flesh and gently touch it as he yells out in nearly hysterical pain.
" alright alright" I repeated as I held him against me.
I mouthed to Jack that I was going to take him to bed. And Jack nodded as I did my best to stand up while holding him. Once I got him into bed and he was still crying I did a scan of his arm and began to sample a tiny bit of his skin. While I waited for those results I read him a bedtime story. Because he's way too exhausted to attempt dinner at this point. Once he finished crying himself to sleep I quietly crept out of the room with my medical devices, that I snuck down to the couch and let them process. It shouldn't take this long but I want proper not quick.
Jack and his parents were already cleaning up by the time I returned, Jack kissed my forehead and they asked how he was.
" he cried himself to sleep. But I'll hopefully have something figured out soon" I said with a sigh as Jack handed me a plate.
" eat" he said as he sat next to me.
" You know I can't stand when I'm watched" I said softly.
" I know I just wanted to inform you to uhhhh EAT" he said.
" but I have to finish—" I started to say but he cut me off immediately and repeated "EAT" So I took a few bites of the potato egg casserole he made for me.
" this is really good but"
" no, I'll bring your stuff in here and we can go over it together while you eat" he said.
I nearly burst into tears and he looked worried.
" it's nothing I'm just—- emotional" I said as I went back to eating.
" You've been extremely emotional lately" he says.
" I just am probably having withdrawal" I said as I made a medication pantomime motion.
" ah—- he gave me some if you need it"
" I wish, but I need to concentrate on this" I said.
The timer almost seemed to have stalled completely as I nibbled on food, it was amazing but my stomach was just so stressed. We said goodnight to his parents and remained at the table waiting for any information at all.
" I hate that I have to compare everything to Reyes, and I find this completely ridiculous that somehow it affected him but not me" I said.
" don't they always have warning labels on things and screens and stuff?" Jack asked.
" while pregnant, yeah" I said as I pressed my fingertips into my temples, the nails pricking my skin.
Finally some answers but of course not the ones I wanted. Everything doubled down on him just being some sort of cell storm.
" It's like he has non-lethal hemophilia" I said with a sigh.
" and that?"
" blood disorder where you get injured and can bleed out BUT what I'm saying is, he has all the pain from it now. Before he didn't so I'm not sure how fast this is changing or if it will
Sort itself out in puberty or something or —-" I let out a long sigh.
Jack let me fall against his chest as he held me.
" He's a good kid, and I'm sure it will be okay" Jack said.
" I can't be sure. I honestly fucked up and unless I can find a way to reverse a lot of this then I don't know about his future at all" I said. I listened to Jack's heart rate speed up. But he remained calm outwardly for me.
" you are my brilliant and talented wife and I'm sure you will figure something out. You just need to relax. We all need to relax for a while and ignore all of this" he said.
JACK'S POV:
For the next few weeks we barely spoke alone, our days filled with trying to live a normal life while ignoring everything outside our bubble. I knew Sojourn would be calling soon and requesting Angela, and our answers. But for now it was spent trying to become a family.
Angela was even relaxing a bit, even started cooking with my mother. She is still so overly anxious around them but you can see she is starting to be able to let some of her guard down. At night she spends hours with her notebooks, so I let her work and selfishly I just sleep. There's no stopping her and there's no place to distract her except the barn and that is less than ideal.
But then one day my mother was in town for a few hours while my dad was showing John a few things around the farm. I can go a long time without sex, clearly. But she can drive me completely out of my mind. So I scooped her up from her work, showering her in kisses before taking her to the attic with a very soft blanket. Working off the weeks of sexual tension and frustration.
" I love you" I whispered before kissing her temple. She breathed a breathy " I love you" back. And we laid like that until we heard the doors downstairs rattling. I pulled up my pants and headed for the ladder to wash up before John could come try to find us. But judging from the footsteps it was just my mother returning. And from the window I could see John and my dad still far away.
But I did end up in the bathroom and cleaning up, Angela followed behind me and went afterwards. Both of us were fully exhausted but thankfully less stressed.
" Everyone's been asking if you are home" mom said when I came into the kitchen.
" yeah?" I asked.
" yes, why wouldn't they?" She responded with a happy smile.
" so they aren't horrified that a vigilante is back?" I asked.
" the opposite. Still the hometown hero " she says as she puts a pie into the fridge.
" book club. And they'd love it if you'd show your face" she says as she feigned pinching my cheek.
" uh hah... pass. They can meet Angela if they want but uh yeah that's a no from me" I said.
" Oh you can't hide forever" she said with a sigh.
" I'm not intending to hide, I just want a life that's not full of people knowing me" I said as I helped her chop some carrots.
" there's nothing wrong with people knowing you. You always felt very humbled before. What changed?"
That's a loaded question, everything changed.
" so uh—- where's John?" Angela asked as she entered the room. I mouthed " thank you" and she winked at me. How the fuck does she still make me blush? Oh yeah. It's Angela.
" Looks like he's about to be back inside, and muddy" I replied.
" oh great" Angela said with a long sigh.
" Morrison's love the mud, " my mother said with a laugh.
" Good to know" Angela said.
" daddy!" John happily shouted when he came in.
" hey kid" I replied as I tried to stop him from running inside in muddy boots but he saw Angela and nearly tackled her.
" scheisse" Angela said softly. Then realized what she said but then had a look of relief when she remembers that nobody in this room besides me knows German.
" oh John" my mother said.
He turned around and smiled.
" do you want a hug too?" He asked me with a mischievous face.
" I think he does" Angela said as she picked up John and handed him to me.
I let out a laugh as I was surrounded by my muddy family.
" Alright that's enough" I said as Angela wipes some onto my face with a giggle.
" Still want to have a book club here mom?" I asked.
" but then I could introduce them all to my grandson!" She said as she beamed.
" uhm. About that" Angela said softly.
" Right I forgot, sorry sweetie" she said as she looked at John.
" it's okay" he said softly as he wipes more mud onto me.
" Alright time to go get cleaned up" I said to my little family.
—
Once we were all mud free the rest of our night consisted of cartoon movies, popcorn and eventually tucking him into bed and then collapsing onto the couch together.
I fell asleep after she did, but I felt her moving around in the night before disappearing into the kitchen and laying out her papers. I glimpsed the faint light and walked to watch her work silently. Her brows were mostly furrowed and she would cry silently in frustration a lot. But then she caught sight of me and looked terrified. It took awhile to convince her to go back to bed. I helped her put away her papers but one just happened to fall, as I went to grab it she nearly snatched it away.
" what?" I asked.
" don't look at it. It's the worst outcome" she whispered.
" Now I have to know, you can't just sit alone in the knowledge. " I said almost angrily, she recoiled.
She slowly handed the paper over to me, and I looked back at her trembling expression.
" what makes you think he's dying?" I asked.
" there's something going on in his cells that I can't pinpoint or stop at this point in time. If I let them continue this cycle, like they did with Reyes then it will—" she paused and tried to gesture but her movements were a mess and she grew increasingly frustrated.
"he will just have cellular breakdown, he will- vanish? that's not the word-" she let out a longer frustrated sigh as she paced for a moment.
" people can't just disintegrate Angel. You are being paranoid" I said as I rubbed her shoulders and cleaned up the mess.
" You don't understand science" she said softly.
" I know that nothing has stopped you before, so figure it out" I said as I placed a kiss on her forehead.
I'm anxious but she keeps coming back to the worst case scenario. It's as if she's stuck in a daily cycle of blame and doubt. I can relate but I hate seeing her go through this. It's painful to watch her tremble in her sleep. I pulled her closer as she shivered, holding her small body against mine as she shook. Kissing her neck until she stopped shaking and circled against my chest, her warm breath hitting my chest.
I am worried about John, but I don't doubt her. She doubts herself. It's like Genji all over again, she was so confident when arguing with all of us to allow her to try some experimental stuff on him to bring him back in the first place. But then I saw her night after night when she'd try to take a break to rest, her entire body shivering from deprivation trying to figure out everything she did wrong. When in reality she did nothing wrong, He was perfectly fine with his new body that fully functioned. Every single time a problem would arise she would become a mess and second guess herself, and Genji would reassure her, I'd reassure her. Until Genji eventually blamed her for bringing him back and she went AWOL for a while. Had to cover for her a lot back then.
Understatement, eventually it got so bad that I had to force her to sign for time off so that I could stop covering and that was a whole other mess. Her self loathing destroys her regularly, I've tried lifting her back up and seeing her for her but all of this is pushing her over the edge, and given her recent trauma I don't know if she can handle it. Her own parental problems entangled in mine, she's got a lot to process. And then my phone lit up, I slowly reached over the now asleep Angela to grab it. Sojourn wants us, well her but us because yeah. I've worked on the deal for her and I hope it's accepted. But I don't know what to do with John when we go on this trip.
' for how long?' I replied.
' one week or less depending on what's wrong' she answered.
I sighed and tossed the phone aside while burying my face under the covers with Angela.
—
I woke up before her and went through the morning routine with my dad. How he's managed without help is impressive. But he's stubborn, even if you can tell he's overdoing it he still does it.
Angela walked into the kitchen as I was entering it.
She daintily kissed my cheek before going to help my mother with breakfast.
" uh, I need to talk to you for a minute" I said to Angela once I gathered my courage.
" I got the message too" she said as she peered into the fridge before handing a few eggs to my mom.
" oh—- well then, mom I have a question?" I started.
" Angela told me and I offered to watch John" she replied nonchalantly.
" oh—"
" I've raised you with more words than that" she said as she watched Angela delicately crack an egg and whisk them.
" sorry, thank you!" I said.
" you sure you don't want to just take him with us?" Angela asked before showing the mixed eggs to my mother.
" I hadn't thought too much about that" I said, leaning against the wall and admiring her form as she danced about the kitchen trying to avoid the stove.
" it might be better to get him to a lab" Angela said as she didn't take her eyes off my mothers hands and how they cooked the eggs.
" I could never get them fluffy like that" Angela commented.
" Well, you did and now you know" she replied to her with a grin. Angela has this beaming look on her face, like she's actually proud of herself for once.
" If you want to bring him that is fine too" I said. Thinking through the nightmare of explaining that. Worrying about him becoming a target if anyone who is mad wants revenge or the media in general.
" Lena will be there, she already messaged me" Angela said as she walked back to the sink to wash her hands, the rising sun in the window makes her hair and eyes sparkle.
I could watch her do anything and be absolutely entranced by her.
" Either way it's no trouble to us, let the kid decide" my mother said as she piled toast onto plates and began moving items to the table.
" That's the best plan" I said as I left the room to wash up and change. I stopped by John's room and he was still sleeping, I hate waking him, I know his dreams keep him up so much. Angela tried giving him sleeping medicine but that didn't help much. He's too much for most things. He heard the door slowly close and popped his eyes open.
" daddy" he said as he reached up his hands.
" breakfast time kiddo" I said to him as I lifted him up.
He was slower this morning but I helped him pick out clothes and wash his hands before bringing him down to everyone. As we ate I was the one to start the subject with him. His little eyes got all watery as he looked around the room.
" I don't want you to leave!" He started to cry.
" You can come with us" Angela reminded him gently.
" but I don't want to leave here!" He sobbed.
" it's just for a few days, and I will be with you. And Lena and your mom" I said.
John seemed to calm down but was still upset at the prospect of leaving today.
I complimented Angela on the eggs and she smiled brightly. Even my father who is rather stuck in his own routine complimented her. The part of her that craves approval was lifting her mood and she smiled through the rest of the meal, even while dealing with John's moods. We helped with the dishes and then had to pack up yet again. John was sitting in the back this time while Angela got to sit upfront. I made no indication that he was coming with us to Sojourn, I'm still incredibly anxious but as I glanced over at Angela who was passing a cookie back to John while he wiggled around in his seat, I felt relaxed.
This feels normal, like something that normal families do, and if I can just pretend that it's a normal old work engagement and Angela just has to file some missing paperwork then I can maybe make the best of this and not get lost in my thoughts. But that's just a dream I have, and unfortunately my brain will refuse to cooperate despite wanting this so bad. Angela pulls me back to happy reality whenever she smiles over at me while I start questioning myself for bringing John along. But I don't think Angela will be able to relax for months if she doesn't at least run a few scans on him. The flight was long and John fell asleep at some point while Angela and I softly whispered back and forth. At one point she handed me a cookie as well, stating that I was being too grumpy and needed to relax. But I can't. Especially when we arrived at the remote location currently being used for the " new" overwatch. Might as well have called it Blackwatch for the time being since it's still being released to the media. Lena came hopping out to greet us, Angela was thrilled and motioned for her to be quiet and Lena looked so confused until Angela lifted the back lock after kissing my cheek.
Lena saw John and nearly let out a cry of excitement but noticed he was still asleep.
Angela hopped out to hug her friend and I followed, giving a quick hug before slowly lifting John from his seat and holding him against me, Angela grabbed the important bags and divided the load of them with Lena. I locked the ship, despite landing in the courtyard like a parking space I still am anxious, as usual. Sojourn came over to meet us and her facial expression changed from surprised to shocked to just standing there blinking.
" did she just grow that?" Sojourn whispered as she circled me to get a better look at John.
" I don't ' grow' babies" Angela said.
" well I don't know! I knew there was a kid but holy shit! He's how old?! I thought Ana was protecting her sister's kid. Holy shit" Sojourn says as she circled around me again.
" when Jack ' died' did you try cloning him?!" Sojourn asked and Angela's entire body nearly screamed.
She had to hold her hands over her mouth as she burst into tears and then laughter.
" did I—-" Sojourn looked absolutely befuddled until Angela gave her a huge hug.
" I know what to do!" Angela nearly shouted.
" I know what I was doing" she said softly.
John was still completely passed out in my arms.
" what the hell are you talking about Ange?" Sojourn said.
" too long to explain" Angela said.
" try me" Sojourn said.
" we had sex and had a kid, beyond that is a bunch of medical shit I used when I was pregnant. But he's naturally ours. No cloning but you gave me a brilliant idea that I hadn't thought about so thank you" Angela states matter of factly.
"well thank you for the play by play Ange" Sojourn snorted. I was probably red, but i know Angela can't stand small talk, or even "let's state the obvious" moments like that.
" I'll show you to your room, but now I'm feeling we should switch this around a bit" Sojourn said.
" whatever is fine" I said as quietly as I could.
" do I get to watch him?!" Lena said excitedly.
" sure?" Angela said as she looked at me for approval that she didn't need. But we are here for her, so I'm just here for emotional support.
" yes!" Lena squeals as she spins around us for what seems like a solid minute. The most surprising factor is that she didn't manage to wake up John in the process.
" I'll show you to your room and then I'll take her to the lab?" Sojourn said.
We walked into the main building, it was finished but seems slightly empty. It almost looks like a mini headquarters we used to have. I'm guessing Overwatch is now a much smaller organization.
" still vetting new recruits. Speaking of which! I have some for you to look over later, you've always had an eye for this" Sojourn said as we walked, my chest was aching when I saw the old photo of all of us together easily a decade or more ago. We all looked so—- optimistic.
Especially Angela who was joking with Torbjorn. It stings a lot, the fact that it's up there is—- it's surreal.
" added a personal touch here and there—- just in case you changed your mind" Sojourn says.
" not a chance. Here to offer the occasional advice but I'm retired" I said, wishing I could find a different word because that one feels so gross to say.
Old soldiers don't retire, I felt John squirm in my arms for a moment before he plopped his head back onto my shoulder. Probably better this way, I don't want to disappoint him.
" and you Angela?" She asked.
" Jack will talk to you about that, I don't want to fully retire but I most definitely do not want to be stationed here or stuck with part time or whatnot. He's better at this than me" Angela said as she threw a wink my way.
Lena grumbled about that statement, I think she held out some hope. But Angela had already looked over things on the flight over.
" you sure you don't want to rethink it?" Sojourn said.
" I'm sure" Angela replied as Sojourn paused at a room.
" this will be where you are staying, again, I think we fu— screwed up on this but uh. Yeah, I'll find a crib— table? Cot?" Sojourn said.
" oh cute wall beds" Angela said with a giggle.
" yeah well" Sojourn said.
" this actually works because I turn into a blanket at night" Angela said as she looked around.
" alright if you say so—- I'll give you a minute to settle or drop off things and then I'll take you to him" she said.
Lena began to drop the bags on the floor while helping Angela.
Sojourn peeked her head back in.
" you two don't have anymore surprises for me—- do you?" She said.
" not that we can think of" I stated.
" no more kids waiting to pop out from a corner or something? Just this one?" Sojourn says.
" yeah just John" I said.
" so John jr?" Asked Sojourn.
" I thought he was dead" Angela grunted as she dug through a bag before pulling out her highly edited notes.
Sojourn shot me a look, and i just shrugged.
" also, I'm going to need to run a few random checks on him while I'm here" she added before standing back up and smoothing out her dress.
" not a problem" Sojourn replies.
I gently set John down on the bed and removed his shoes as carefully as I could. He's really knocked out, I guess flights just do that to him. We left him in the care of Lena while we headed to the tiny medical area they had set up. One stray nurse walked by but still no doctor. Clever strategy but it won't work on Angela anymore—- I hope not anyways. But she's more into staring at the equipment and tools at her disposal.
"We will be getting more" Sojourn called out to her as she was already on a mission to figure out everything.
" yeah, you've lost her at this point" I said.
" I can see that. I'll go over the new forms later but—- a kid?! Never thought I'd see the day. I mean I knew there was a kid as I've mentioned before but I didn't know it was your kid" she still seems slightly shocked.
" yep" was all I could reply as I watched Angela rifle through cabinets and have a slightly disgruntled expression on her face.
" can I help you find—"
" I'm fine" Angela replies as she moves some items around and finally returns to us.
" well?" Asks Sojourn.
" it's basic" Angela bluntly says as Sojourn sighs.
" it will work, but it's not great" Angela said.
" If you were willing to stay we would—"
" no" Angela cut her off and added " where's the patient"
" he's being moved to here, takes some time but within an hour he should be here" sojourn said.
" he's not staying here?" Jack asked.
" oh he is, but—- we had to build a special addition for him and for all future criminals of his stature. The clearance levels and the time it takes to actually remove them does take awhile"
" so he really isn't getting a sentencing trial?" Angela asked absently. I felt my teeth grind for a moment.
" he waved that right" Sojourn replied.
" given his medical state I don't think that should have been allowed, ethically. He was previously controlled and—"
" really? Ethically!? You want to bring ethics into this because—" Sojourn started and Angela was tensing up.
" I'm not denying my fault in the process but he was messed with long before I did! The soldier serum for one, then the gradual mind manipulation by Talon, then it increased more with other methods. Mine was just a physical thing, not mental" Angela looked furious as she spoke, and I'm proud of her for taking a smaller portion of blame instead of trying to absorb it all.
They looked like two angry cats, if they started circling and hissing at each other I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
" we are doing so much for you please don't throw this away over him" Sojourn said as she held her hands out pleadingly.
But that was a mistake, you never throw Angela out to pin someone else. That's her biggest drive sometimes is when someone is being treated bad under her and she can't stand it.
" oh I wish you didn't say that" I muttered to Sojourn while Angela walked away seething in anger for a minute.
" I know" she replied under her breath.
" I didn't mean it like that, I'm trying to tell you that it's pointless, he won't defend himself in court to this is a pointless argument to have, it's done. It's over. Just treat him while you still can okay? This is his choice" Sojourn passionately stated.
" is it?" Angela barely whispered, the hitch in her voice indicating the sea of tears she was holding back.
I don't understand her sometimes. I fucking hate the man, but at the same time she is working me over with this. I hate feeling undecided on this! Because he was a complete asshole to her the entire time. She's told me time and time again that I try to see the good in people but after that day I've never seen any good in him but she's trying to crack into that very thick shield that I have built to protect myself and my psyche; I fucking hate this!
I want my farm and my family, and more and more this shit just keeps getting in the way but if I don't let her process this, then I could emotionally lose some respect from her and I don't know if I can live with that!
" have someone do a psych evaluation on him. That will help the situation" I said after another minute of stewing over our options. Sojourn looked slightly perturbed but nodded in agreement.
" you will allow that?! Admitting that you never did one before the trial because that is fucking important and —"
" careful if you go into unethical we can dig up an entire boatload of your shit"
" so do it!" Angela growled back.
" you two seriously need to stop this petty shit. He will get the evaluation and if anything seems like it was in the wrong, then we will know and work on it from there, but drop the damn subject until we know more" I said as I looked at both of them.
Sojourn shrugged and the speaker buzzed.
" alright, he's here so—- get to work" she said before opening the door.
The medical bed that he was chained too was wheeled in and he looked haggard. A new level of haggard considering he is basically a rehydrates corpse.
" I'll leave you to it" Sojourn said as she left.
The people who wheeled him in taking chairs outside the room.
" are you awake?" Angela asked him as I took the chair inside the room. I cannot hide my irritation at this. But she's treated horrible people before, always telling me that it gets easier treating everyone and looking at their pain and wounds and not the face. It helps her remain in control of her emotions while working.
He didn't respond so she went ahead with her scans and sample taking. She even hung a bag of blood after awhile and worked some more on him. She'd shake her head every so often to remove the loose strand of hair that kept falling into her eye, never stopping to brush it back because " contamination". But eventually I got up and tucked it behind her ear. Trying not to look down at Reyes while doing so. She gave me a nod of thanks before resuming what she was working on. It could have been hours, I don't know at this point, I feel a hunger pang but know better than to interrupt or leave. So I'm just trapped in my thoughts, hoping that Sojourn agrees to the deal, that John remains virtually unknown to the media, that Reyes is just an asshole and that I don't have to sit through a court battle with Angela trying to defend the—- I can't think about it. I can't think about what he put her through, part of it is easier if I imagine him as someone else, someone controlled. But then I'd have to accept that all these years of anger have been about the wrong person. That the wrong person ruined my life. He still worked with Talon, it's not an Amelie situation, he sought them out! It's completely different! Even if he was eventually brainwashed, he still agreed to it in the first place.
" you ready?" Angela said softly as she kissed my forehead.
" for?" I asked.
" did you not hear a word I said?"
" I'm sorry angel, I must have— anyways what did you need?" I asked.
" I'm done for the day, he should be doing better and if not we will know more tomorrow" she said as she glanced over at him.
" alright" I replied before getting ahold of Sojourn and the guards.
They entered but we had to wait for Sojourn regardless, she gave us the go ahead to leave and explore.
As we neared our room you could hear winston's loud laughter coming from inside.
" well—- atleast we know he was in good hands" I said to Angela who nodded.
We knocked on the door before entering and getting huge hugs from Winston.
John was too wound up to slow down as he chased Lena around the room.
" I wanted to grab something to eat, how would we go about that?" I asked Winston.
He smiled and offered to grab us food or to send someone out for something else.
Angela just shrugged and let me choose and I finally managed to calm John down for more than a minute to find out what he wanted. Do we placed the order and waited while watching the three of them play. Eventually we had dinner and said goodnight to our friends so we could get on with John's bedtime, promising to meet them later for drinks in Winston's room. John thankfully took the bottom bunk, so we wouldn't have to worry about any high falls, he was exhausted from all of the activities and fell asleep while Angela read some random book to him. He was reading with her when he just dozed off. She carefully wiggles out of his grip and sauntered over to me, giving me the lightest kiss on my lips. I stood up and lifted her into the air before giving her cheek a kiss and placing her back down on the ground.
I set up the monitor along with a manual clock to keep watch that no matter what it was a real feed and not a fake feed. Then we walked hand in hand to Winston's room.
A/N: Apologies for all the typos in the last chapter, i ran a few checks over it before posting. But somehow i managed to miss a bunch of words etc in the first few paragraphs. It's rather embarassing if i'm being completely honest, but sometimes i sit too long on a chapter and the longer i look at it, the more it looks incorrect. So when i looked at it with "fresh" eyes, i was horrified!
I know i say this a lot, and i mean, like every time i post. But i am thankful for all of you who are reading this, shout outs to : Chaosdynasty, Trokxy, dragontear365,Kirabetarobot584, jfm76, TheMdogs, ,ayumiiishinozakiii, CyborgNinja777 and L0rdOfThEMemes