Hey all,
Admittedly, this was supposed to be a filler Valentine's Day chapter (looks like it's a thing) but the festive season ate my time and it is a shame to just delete it so hopefully it is still enjoyable.
*Canada: Small Town*
Waking up from another peaceful night's sleep, Fareeha looked out the window and appreciated the beauty that is just outside her home. A magnificent view of the crystal clear blue lake that reflected the skies so beautifully that it looked like there were two skies, its shores were flanked with generations old pine and birch, all overseen by a majestic snowy mountain where the lake receives its water.
Fresh air blew into the room when she opened her windows, filling it with the hint of sweet and nutty smell of nature. Taking a deep breath, she dropped to the floor and did her usual sets of pushups, followed closely with bear crawls and planking. Once her blood was pumping, she threw on her jogging attire and ran around the lake, nodding and greeting the other joggers. After completing the third lap around the lake, she leaned against one of the trees for a short break when a man stopped in front of her.
"Don't tell me you… Finished three laps in one go again…" he gasped, hands on his knees and panting hard.
"Good morning Lucas, I see that you just finished your first" she smiled.
"Hey… This lake's like… 4km in length..."
Lucas was one of the newer friends she made while jogging here for the past months. From what she was told, he is from a well-respected family and is one of the younger bankers who holds a high ranking position in the bank. Another strange rumor was that he never started jogging until someone told him that she was jogging here... But she brushed it off as fun gossip.
"Common, let's see if you can keep up this time" she laughed before taking off.
"H-hey!" he called out and forced his legs to move.
In no time she lost him but didn't notice until she finished the jog, too focused on her own workout. Challenging herself to a final sprint back to her home, she ran right into a delicious breakfast that was just about to be eaten.
"Milo no!" she cried, picking up the Birman just when he reached out his paws at the apple fritters set out for her.
"Don't tell me he was on the table again!" Sam called from the bathroom.
"I told you, you just have to push the chairs away from the table" she shot back, dropping the cat on the floor, which proceeded to purr and rub itself around her leg.
"Yeah yeah, those should've cooled down by now so better eat up before they get too cold" he said, washing his hands and sat down on the table.
"Where's mom?" she asked, sitting down after pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"You know her, she needs to walk… How was your jog? Was Lucas there today?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing..." her father said, picking up the newspaper with a slight smile.
After an hour, she washed the dishes and bid Sam goodbye as he went off to work. Taking her time to feed Milo, she made sure that Sam's car was out of sight before rushing to the shed in the back.
Sam had not used it for years since he stopped his woodworking after failing to receive permit to chop down the nearby trees of the forest that they are living next to due to a Nature Preservation Law that prevented the town from expanding. Normally the downside of being so close to the woods is the variety of insects or an occasional racoon that will invade the houses, but to Fareeha, it was a perfect hiding spot.
Unlocking the shed, she grabbed the bag that she hid under a large blanket and checked if everything was in order before going into the woods, not stopping until she reached a clearing where burnt marks were plentiful on the floor and many unnatural holes at the forested ceiling above her.
"Okay… Nice and easy, just like yesterday" she thought, pulling out her jetpack and strapping it on.
"One… Two… Three!"
In a gust of wind, she flew into the air, just high enough to rake her hand gently across the leaves. Timing her hovering, she preserved her jet fuels by letting out short bursts of air and rocketing back only when necessary to maintain herself in the air as long as possible.
Using footage from her past combat missions that Overwatch retrieved for her, it took months to remember how to hover and maneuver properly in the air, especially through tight corners. She was amazed how she used to move with such grace and precision, even when the skies lit up in a hailstorm of fire, now she could barely hover between tree trunks.
Twisting around a particularly difficult curve, she accidentally slammed into a log and had she not repositioned herself in time to direct the thrusters to the ground, she knew she would walk back with broken bones.
"Phew…" she thought and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
She vaguely remembered that the first thing they learned in Helix was how to hover for long periods of time, sometimes it may even feel that she could hover forever. Now with her lost memories, she found herself grounded more often and could barely maneuver around. She wished to practice in open air instead of these trees, but because of her love for her father, she decided to do this in complete secret.
The past few months had been a time of incredible happiness for her father, more so than all the years they spent Christmas together combined, to be finally reunited with his whole family that he thought was lost. Her mother also cherished the time they had together. First she was rather sheepish, not knowing how to apologize and make up for the years of pain that she had caused, but thankfully it did not take long for Sam to recover from his shock and quickly accepted the healing process.
With great enthusiasm he drove them around town, showing them the sights and did almost everything to keep them as comfortable as possible. With long walks around the lakeside, staring at the starry skies, or to just sit in the living room and listen to the decades worth of stories from Ana, it was all brimming with love and care that the family had not felt in a long time.
Yet despite all that, after months of blissful reunion, it was clearer day by day that this peaceful country is not fitting for people like Ana or Fareeha. When the days passed, they passed slower and slower, building up an anxiety that they could not shake off, leading to Ana's long walks and Fareeha's secret practices.
She was packing her things when a rustling of leaves caught her attention.
"Who's there?"
"Looking good there 'Eeha" Ana said, walking into the scene.
"How did you know I was here?!"
"If you've forgotten, I'm a sniper, figuring out where people are is part of my job"
"And you have been looking for me?"
"I prefer to know where everyone is at all times…" Ana said before looking up at the damages that Fareeha had done to the trees "You know there is a clearing just two minutes away where you can practice without damaging these trees"
"I know, but I think I can practice better among the trees" she lied.
"Speaking of, good to see that you are able to move around more now instead of just floating at a single direction"
"So on the scale of 1-10, how easy will it be to shoot me down?"
"Honestly… 8"
"What?"
"What they taught you in Helix was correct, using the skies as 'cover', however, against an experienced marksman, you'll need to start taking cover even in the air"
"But I've never done that in my combat videos"
"Null Sectors may be dangerous, but it is difficult to code experience for a machine, unlike real soldiers" Ana said with pride.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, they walked back home together, enjoying each other's company and the sights around them, never tiring to appreciate the brimming peace and beauty here, even stopping to look at the lake when it loomed into view.
"Lucas there this morning?" Ana asked.
"Yes? Why is everyone asking me that?" Fareeha asked, slightly annoyed by the question.
"Nothing"
Milo was the first to greet them when they entered the house, meowing loudly and rubbing himself around their legs. It was getting late and Fareeha was taking some food out of the fridge when Ana stopped her.
"Let's go to that new restaurant instead"
"Don't worry mom, it's no problem" Fareeha said, thinking that Ana doubts her cooking skills.
"I know, but Sam has been craving for some local food for a while now"
There was something weird about how Ana said it, but Fareeha shrugged it off because Sam had been struggling to digest the Egyptian cuisine that they had been preparing since they came back, especially when both loved to add in extra spices into their cooking. After pouring out another packet of food for Milo, they cleaned up and went to the restaurant located around the block.
It is a medium sized restaurant, easily serving up to 30 tables while maintaining comfortable distances between guests, and specializes in local cuisine. Fareeha, who has never visited before, found the place to be nice and warm, deserving of its favorable reviews for being a great family restaurant in the area.
After ordering, a voice called out to Fareeha just after Ana excused herself to the bathroom.
"Fancy seeing you here"
She looked and saw that it was Lucas.
"Hello Lucas, what are you doing here?"
"Just hanging out with my buddies" he said, pointing to his friends who were seated at the corner of the restaurant "You?"
"Just getting some pick up"
"Nice, what did you order?"
"Just a steak, scalloped potatoes, and a tourtiere"
"Traditional, but... If I may make a recommendation, you should try these" he said, leaning down to the pastry display next to the counter "The butter tarts here are delicious"
"Oh okay, maybe next-"
"Hello Lucas, fancy seeing you here" Ana said.
"Hello Mrs Amari, I was just recommending some butter tarts to add on to your takeaway"
"Thank you dear, I think we will have some"
"Great! You will not regret it" he said, walking away and chatted with the cashier quickly before returning to his table.
"Mom! We didn't bring that much money" Fareeha hissed.
"Do not worry, I'm sure we can negotiate the price" she said.
Knowing better than to argue, she could only watch as Ana made her way to the cashier and pointed to the butter tarts. Fingering the notes in her pocket, she wished that she had handled her money better, having spent most of it on poor investments and impulsive purchases... And so far away from payday as well.
When the food came, she braced herself for Ana to start haggling the price, but to her surprise, not only did she take the food without paying, but they seem to be giggling about something while casting glances at her.
"What was that about?" Fareeha asked and grabbed the bags from Ana and noticed that it contained much more than they originally ordered.
"Mom? This can't be ours" she said, looking at the few extra containers.
"Oh Lucas there added a few more things, he swore that we must try these, so much so he paid for our dinner! Isn't he a dear?"
Fareeha looked at his table with slight annoyance, but he avoided her gaze, chatting away with his friends with a slight smile on his face.
"You want to thank him for me?" Ana asked.
"No. Let's go"
"That smells delicious" Sam said, kicking his shoes off at the door and patting Milo, who was cleaning himself on the sofa.
"Then come in before the food gets cold" Ana called.
"Thank you dear" he said, kissing her on the cheek before sitting down.
Wasting no time, they said their prayers and ate, all agreeing that the restaurant is worth its salt. And, with Fareeha's reluctance, they all loved the butter tarts.
"That was great… How much did you pay for all this?" Sam sighed, leaning back in his seat.
"We didn't" Ana said before Fareeha could reply.
"Oh? Then how did you pay for this?"
"Lucas was there"
"Oh he paid for this? That's nice of him"
"Ok stop" Fareeha said, putting down the half eaten butter tart.
"Stop what?" Ana asked innocently.
"I know what both of you are doing and I feel very uncomfortable about it"
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Don't play dumb, I know you arranged this somehow" she said, looking at Ana with suspicious eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"You said its your job to know where people are right? Somehow you... You... I just know both of you are behind this!"
Irritated, Fareeha walked away with a huff, annoyed that both of them were obviously hiding the fact that they had arranged all her recent encounters with Lucas. They must be behind the reason for his presence during her morning jogs and now in restaurants? Are they so desperate for her to settle down that they had to somehow manipulate him to be near her at all times just because she once said he was cute?
Too frustrated to sleep, she grabbed the book next to her bed and try to clear her mind by immersing herself into the story of Peter Freuchen, a Danish explorer who survived absolutely incredible odds and remained unbroken until death finally caught up to him via heart attack late into his life.
After she calmed down, she turned off the lights, and was about to sleep when muffled voices came from the door. It was common for Ana and Sam to talk late into the night, normally about finances or what to eat tomorrow, so she did not think much of it. That was until some key words perked her attention.
"...don't have to go"
"Won't be long… Jack needs me…"
Go? Jack? Jack Morrison? Sliding out of bed so quietly that it will elude even a sniper, Fareeha crept to the door and pressed her ear against the slit under the door.
"But-"
"Shh!" Ana hushed.
Fareeha held her breath and stayed absolutely still, praying hard that Ana did not hear her movements prior. After a solid minute, they started talking again.
"Can't he just send someone else?" Sam said so quietly that Fareeha closed her eyes to concentrate.
"Not for those two. And especially not after what happened at Gibraltar"
"I still don't like it, why does it have to be you? What if they call her back too?"
"They won't. Overwatch now have a voice in the UN, I will have them relieve her from her duties as a HSI Pilot"
Fareeha gritted her teeth in anger. Ana is still trying to stop her from going back out into the fight? How long has she been hiding the fact that Overwatch had been contacting her? Does she not have a say in this?
"That won't stop her…"
"Which is why we must give her more reason to stay"
"I don't know…" Sam sighed.
She could hear wood creaks of the chairs as Ana reached over to hug him.
"I lost an eye creating a future for her Sam… Please help me make her live it"
"Okay..." he said after a brief silence "Can I at least know where you are going?"
"From what I've been told, I'll have to start in Utopaea"
After that exchange, she could hear the chairs being pushed back and water running as they proceeded to wash the dishes.
Forcing herself not to punch something, Fareeha breathed hard to calm the rising rage that she thought was long forgotten. A rage that was birthed since she received her mother's letter years ago after she thought she was dead.
Once more her mother is only thinking of herself, ignoring the dreams and desires of her daughter.
"How can she be so selfish?" she thought with seething intensity.
The Amari was forged through the fires of war, each of them were all decorated soldiers, and Ana desires to see it end with her? Why? Why is she so selfish to only think about herself? Does she seriously still think that she is a child who cannot decide for herself? However, underneath all of this, she could feel a soft voice that fought for dominance amongst the rage, paving the way to new questions and possibilities.
Why shouldn't she stay? What else is there to fight since the war is over? Shouldn't she spend some time to at least try out the life that her mother fought hard to give her?
These thoughts plagued her through the night, pondering on the fact that Dr Ziegler did bring her back from the dead... How many have this opportunity to literally have a second chance for life?
*Next Day*
"Seriously… There's no way… You just did three laps…"
Fareeha smiled as she finished her stretches. It is another beautiful day and Lucas was once again here, panting hard when she already caught her second wind.
"Well done, you have beaten your own time" she said, looking at her watch.
"Don't change the… What? You're keeping track?" he asked, the fatigue suddenly gone.
"Common, let's see if you can keep up this time" she laughed.
"Ladies first" he said, fully energized and ready to run a thousand laps.
*5 minutes later*
"Still a good effort there" Fareeha laughed, patting Lucas in the back.
They had just completed half a lap and she slowed down purposefully for him to keep up. Only until she was sure that he was about to faint did she keep an eye out for the bench and sat down, which he joined gladly.
He could not even reply, having spent every ounce of energy to keep up with her and amazed that she was barely out of breath. Though he was no slouch in the physical sense by any means, for her to conquer this track so easily made him feel really out of shape.
"Her house must be full with marathon medals" he thought, breathing down his burning lungs.
"Thank you for the dinner" she said.
"Haha… Don't mention it… Those butter tarts were good eh?"
"Yes, I just need to buy some milk later to enjoy the rest of it"
"Ahh, do you need help? Those bags can get pretty heavy"
"Do I look like I need help?" she asked sternly.
"Oh no! Sorry I-" he started but she waved it off, laughing.
"No thanks Lucas, I think I can manage a few bags of milk"
After bidding him goodbye, she ran one more lap before making her way back home, where she cleaned up, fed Milo some food, and made her way to the Supermarket.
It was a good choice to go today as there is a big sale going on. In addition to the milk, she took her time and bought additional ingredients to practice cooking some of the local cuisines with plans to add an Egyptian twist to them. After subscribing to a virtual cook guide, she thanked the cashier and went home.
Taking her time, she skimmed through the guide and found a handful of recipes that are within her skillset. Tying her hair and donning the apron, she fired up the stove and set off to work, trying to balance the tips in the guide while adding her innovation of spices. After a series of trial and error, she was proud of what she had accomplished.
"That smells good, where did you buy- 'Eeha? You're cooking?" Sam asked, stopping in his tracks when he saw her in an apron.
"Dad? You're home early"
"What? I always come back at this time"
Confused, she looked at the clock and saw that it was already evening. This came as a surprise to her because she would normally spend her afternoons training with her jetpack in secret, prompting her to always be weary of the time. Turns out cooking good meals is more time consuming than she thought.
"Well good thing that dinner's ready" she said, unable to believe her luck that she would already be serving an experimental meal the moment it was ready "Where's mom? She's usually back before you"
"She didn't tell you? She went off with the hiking group to climb a mountain"
Fareeha paused for a moment but recovered quickly.
"What? Which one?"
"I didn't ask but she said she will be gone for a few days"
With that said, he helped her setup the table. As they ate, she was relieved that her dad seemed to enjoy the new recipe, helping himself to large portions of each dish. After the meal, he busied himself with the pots and pans, leaving her only the table and drinking cups to clean. Afterwards they cleaned their palates with sliced apples and were talking when her communicator vibrated.
"Hmm…" she voiced.
"What is it?"
"Lucas is asking me when I am free for dinner" she said, ignoring the hidden smile that faded onto his face. Somehow, just somehow, she knows Ana was behind this just before she left.
"And?"
"I'm afraid that the UN may call me back soon"
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, just say that you will be free tomorrow night" Sam encouraged.
"Tomorrow? That's too fast"
"You've got other plans?"
She looked at her dad, saw the hope glittering behind his eyes, and sighed. She hated that they are so aggressive about this, but he was right about that; she had only been reading every night since she was back so perhaps... Its possible?
"Only if he is free"
*Next Day*
She did not go out for the jog today, opting to stay at home for the morning. What she is about to do tonight would require as much mental and physical strength that she has in her reserve for she knows it is going to be painful. Checking her planner again, she double checked tonight's arrangement before getting out of bed, not wanting to leave things to any unnecessary obstacles or awkwardness.
Since it will happen tonight, she must make sure that everything will go according to plan. Her clothes, transportation, timing, everything, there must not be room for error.
Once that was done, she looked out the window. It was a slightly cloudy day, which enhanced the beauty even more. Rays of sunshine pierce through the clouds, as if the sun was trying to peek through, this made the lake look like it is giving out an almost heavenly aura. Truly a paradise on Earth.
Going to the kitchen, she saw that Milo was already waiting for her, or maybe for breakfast, but who can know for sure what cats are thinking?
"Hey Milo, dad didn't feed you enough?" she asked, reaching out for the cupboard where they kept his food when she saw that his bowl was still half full.
"You haven't finished your food" she said, trying to coax him to eat, but he merely meowed and rubbed himself around her in a rare show of affection.
After petting his head, she opened the fridge and was satisfied to see that it was filled with food and ingredients that could well last a few weeks, perhaps even a month if only one of them eats.
The rest of the day crawled by slowly… Too slowly...Seconds were hours, minutes were days as she waited for the time. Should she call Lucas now? Or wait until later so that there will not be any changes to the plan tonight?
"It does not matter, in the end it will happen" she thought to herself.
Checking the time, she decided to run over the schedule again.
First she will make sure everything is in the bag, which she had already packed last night. Then she will make sure that she is appropriately dressed early so that she will not miss her ride. Nice and simple, little room for error and leaving the unpredictable human factor to her alone.
So she waited, taking the time to clean up parts of the house that had annoyed her since she returned and putting everything back to its proper place (Sam has always neglected the little things). Thankfully, this was taking more time than she thought. To kill even more time, she distracted herself by spending some time with Milo in between her chores, playing with him whenever she could.
Then the time came.
On queue, a car pulled up in front of her house. She was glad. In her experience the taxis are sometimes late so she made a mental note to give this man a hefty tip.
Dashing to her room, she grabbed her bag and was about to open the door when, to her shock, Sam opened it.
"Dad?" she exclaimed.
What is he doing here? It is too early for him to be back!
"Hey 'Eeha... Looks like my guess was right" he said sadly, looking at the heavy bag in her hand.
This was the absolute worst case scenario. She had hoped that she could avoid any interactions prior to her flight, but now she would have to endure the dreaded pain that will now follow.
"I... I-" she began, but he cut her off.
"You should go or else I'll never forgive myself"
"Huh?"
"I knew that the moment I told you where your mother was, you would never buy it and would follow her back"
She looked down shamefully, her fingers caressing the belt of her bag. She had never spoken about this with Sam but he was spot on. This peaceful, beautiful country is no place for someone like her, it never has been and never will be.
"Dad… I want to stay but… I can't…" she sniffed.
"I know, this day would come when both of you came back" he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry"
"Don't be, you have your mother's fire, and you can be proud of that"
Those words sparked a strong realization.
For years she had always been compared to her mother, how much that she resembled or carried herself to be like her. But what of her father? Is she cursed to be the daughter who will always break his heart if she follows her own? Is there at least something she could do to prevent that? She needs to do something to at least try to make him proud.
"But what about you? What can I do to make you proud? Or is there something I have from you that I can carry with pride?"
She felt her father's hand squeeze her shoulder for a moment as Sam was taken aback by the question.
"You carry my love for poutine"
"I'm serious dad"
"I know, it's just such a sudden question"
She waited patiently as he arranged his thoughts, which took up a full minute.
"Something that made me proud... (Chuckle) I… Envy you" he let out after a brief reluctance.
"What?" she asked, not expecting that reply.
"Ever since I was a kid, I have dreamt of volunteering for the HSI" he said, looking at the bag that contained her armor "I've always thought they were really cool"
"Then why didn't you?" she asked, wondering where this was going.
"I know right? Your old man would've passed with flying colors, but those were just the dreams of a young man who did not dare to take the leap"
"I don't understand"
"I guess what I'm trying to say is… You don't need to carry anything from me, or your mother for that matter, you are who you are"
She hung her head as the words washed over her.
"That would not be fair… Both of you taught me so much, I am who I am because of you and mom... But now I feel that I'm only trying to be as good as mom and shoving you aside... I can't... Balance what both you and mom are teaching me and-"
"No. You had not 'shoved' me aside... You have your mother's passion and you have surpassed your father's dream even if it was mere fantasy to him. You have outgrown everything we could've ever taught you... In fact, you've even grown wings of your own"
"Dad" she choked and hugged him tightly.
"We are both proud to have you as our daughter Fareeha, even when we don't say it... So keep the skies clear for us, that way we can always see you soar" he said, fighting back tears.
A honk came from the streets. The taxi has arrived.
Looking at his daughter one last time, he helped her carry her bag and shared one final hug. Saying their goodbyes and promises to see each other again, he waved with a heavy heart until the taxi turned the corner.
"Sam? What are you doing out here?"
He turned around and saw that it was Lucas, who looked like he was dressed to go to some function or dinner.
"Hey Lucas, what are you doing here?"
"Oh I'm actually here to pick up Fareeha, we were supposed to have dinner tonight, is she ready?"
"Ahh… About that… Come in, I have something to tell you" Sam said.
Heads up, it may be a while before the next chapter but should not be later than 2 weeks (fingers crossed)
Oh and another thing, I have stumbled across that I should warn my readers something if I planned it further down the road (and Reddit voted overwhelmingly that I must warn readers about it as soon as possible) but I feel that feels like a spoiler if I warn about it...
But as it looks like it is a Fanfic Writer's etiquette, I'll just say it below:
Major Character Death Planned