The auditorium was packed to full for the awards ceremony, with hundreds in attendance. Save for the occasional clicks of camera shutters, the hall was filled with respectful silence as the field marshal reached the end of his address in that ever-monotonous note. The president took his place at the podium next, and Ana just barely caught the sigh about to pass her lips. She shared a glance with Jaida, who sat beside her in the front row, then pulled herself together and focused her attention on the stage.

She'd been careful to look smart for this event – not that she would've been sloppy otherwise, but the news of her award made Ana particularly attentive this time. In fact, she wasn't the only one – Kamilah had fussed over her endlessly for nearly an hour before they left the house today, making sure her dress uniform was crisp and sharp, her face so fresh and clean it was practically commercial-ready, and her hair properly pinned in place. Even her stubborn fringe had been cowed into behaving for once by Kamilah, so Ana could do little but follow.

The president was thankfully more charismatic than the field marshal though, and his speech seemed less painful, leading quickly up to the actual awards ceremony. Ana examined each soldier that marched across the stage to receive their medals, reading the various degrees of nervousness, pride, and sobriety on their faces. She smiled when Safiya, recognised for her exploits in the Sa'ka, strode up the stage with that snappy, yet somehow casual gait. Khalid, who now wore a short beard to cover up the scar on his jaw, received a medal for his achievements in God Eye. Mesi earned hers by holding down a city against an omnic siege with just a handful of platoons, saving the lives of over a thousand civilians. And of course, Jaida had a list of accomplishments to her name – though Ana suspected the brass also feared divine retribution if they didn't commemorate her dedication during crisis.

Then came Ana's turn, and the laughter she'd suppressed died away, replaced by a slight twist in her stomach. Ridiculous, she thought, considering how she'd faced dangers much worse than bearing the spotlight on stage, but her stomach continued flip-flopping away as she strode up the stairs. Her ears went deaf as her name was announced, and she could barely hear when they spoke of her deeds in the Strike Team. When all eyes turned towards her, she took the cue and strode forward, standing straight as the president pinned the Order of the Sinai Star to her uniform – the highest honour one could earn in the military.

A close-lipped smile broke through her stoic mask when the president nodded genially at her sharp salute, and she quickly turned away to march off before embarrassing herself – but she was given pause when a lone figure in the audience stood from their seat. Ana frowned, recognising the person to be her own sister. She froze uncertainly, and in her brief moment of indecision, more stood – the rest of the Sa'ka with Safiya, Khalid and God Eye, Kamilah and the Medical Corps, Mesi and her company. Safiya barked out a command that rang clearly through the auditorium, and the soldiers saluted her. Her. A damned Captain facing a good number of badges that outranked her.

Ana was struck speechless – well, not exactly. 'What the fuck are you doing, you morons,' came to mind, but protocol dictated respect to be shown to superior officers who were…violating protocol themselves?

Panic kindled in the pit of her stomach as she stared at them, waiting for a reprimand to be yelled out – but nothing happened. Jaida stood in the front row as well, a lazy smirk on her face as the generals rose to their feet – along with the rest of the soldiers in the auditorium – and followed Safiya's example.

Ana's frown grew deeper, her feet unconsciously stepping backwards as she turned to glance at the marshal, only to find him holding a salute as well.

What the fuck?

The curse nearly left her lips that time, and she looked to the president, who raised his brows and nodded subtly towards the audience. Ana grabbed onto the cue gratefully and shot her own salute back at them, waiting for Safiya's next command to set the soldiers at ease, then hurried off the stage with as much grace as she could muster.

"You should've seen your face! I've never seen you so dumbstruck before," Safiya cackled when Ana pounced on her after the ceremony, slapping the colonel all over her dress jacket – carefully avoiding her badges, of course. She didn't let up until Safiya poked her in the sides, then clamped both arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so proud of you, my little goblin."

"I hate you," Ana grumbled, smacking her sister's back one last time before returning the hug. "You could've at least warned me."

"It was a surprise, dumbass," Safiya sighed, clasping her by the shoulders. "Though we could've totally gotten chewed out for making a scene. Lucky they didn't…" She was distracted by another soldier calling her name, and she nodded at her colleague in acknowledgement, before turning back to Ana. "Damn it. I'll see you tonight, yeah? I've got to run now."

"You and everybody else, seems like," Ana muttered, getting a pinch on her cheek before Safiya jogged away from the foyer. Everyone she knew had dispersed hastily upon dismissal, eager to return to whatever pressing duties they had on hand; Kamilah and Khalid had left her with a kiss and a hug respectively, before marching out of the glass doors, leaving Ana behind with her sister. And now that Safiya was gone, Ana began walking slowly towards the exit as well, with a vague idea of fetching Fareeha from the babysitter's a little earlier…

Her gaze landed on Mesi, who stood by the auditorium's doors, frowning and nodding at her datapad while Jaida spoke rapidly in her ear. They exchanged a few more hushed words, then the senior officer finally walked off. Mesi started strolling towards the exit, when she looked up to find Ana standing before her with an expectant gaze.

"There you are, hero," Mesi said, laughing when she got a groan from Ana. "Were you waiting for me? Isn't there a world for you to save–, oh wait. You've already done that."

"How nice of you to notice," Ana deadpanned, falling in step with Mesi as they made their way outside. "So…where are you going?"

"Well–" Mesi stopped abruptly in her tracks, her fingers freezing over the datapad that she was typing into. She glanced up at Ana in silent thought. "Hm. You've nothing to do?"

"Not right now, no."

Mesi cocked her head. "Then I guess you can follow me – provided you keep your mouth shut."

"Oh, trust me. I've had plenty of practice."

Mesi led her to a research facility that she didn't know existed – it was located within a compound that used to be the heart of omnic operations within the army, and had been converted into a centre dedicated to anti-omnic warfare during the crisis. Access to the research facilities was highly-restricted, and Ana could only gain entry after sending a request to Jaida herself to gain clearance into the building. Mesi, who had kept quiet for the length of their journey here, only spoke when they had descended into the third level underground.

"Since your Strike Team ended the omnic threat here, we've been organising some…scavenging operations," Mesi said, as they walked down the empty corridor. "Gathering as many omnic bodies as we can, looking for the old military models, getting specimens of the new models they'd use in the war. Just stuff we can use, in general."

"Use?" Ana echoed, peering into the thick glass windows they walked past, getting glimpses of scientists and engineers working at their stations, and examining omnic parts. "For what, 'research'?"

"Yeah. To see if we can figure out how they were turned against us. Or even why. No luck so far, though." Mesi shrugged, placing her palm against a scanner installed by a set of doors.

"It's been two years," Ana stated.

"It's that difficult." Mesi led her into a room not unlike a morgue, except there were identical storage pods in place of bodies. The small display screens at the foot of each pod were dark, but even without the information, Ana could guess what they contained.

"I wasn't there when it happened, and I don't know if you want to see him, but…" Mesi tapped on a screen they had stopped at, and it came alight. The pod initiated a routine systems check, but Ana's attention wasn't on the status indicators. She stared hard at the familiar service number, and the name below it. Mesi looked to her when the status lights winked green, and Ana nodded stiffly.

With a tap on the screen, the pod slid out of its shelf with a muted hiss, and Ana clenched her jaw briefly as she looked through the transparent glass at the pod's resident – Adofo. He looked much worse for wear than Ana's vague memory of him, with black burn marks and deep gouges all over his metal body. She recognised the bullet hole in centre of his chassis – the shot with which Ana had incapacitated him. She wondered if the omnics had repaired him, used him in engagements after that incident…

"We've dismantled most of the omnics that have been through the 'operating table', so to speak. But those that are intact…" Mesi tapped at the pod. "We're putting them in storage."

"For?"

Mesi flashed a tight smile. "They were promised that they'll be kept in storage if the failsafe was activated…"

Ana took a deep breath, but whatever words she didn't have were expelled in a sharp sigh. She was starting to regret accepting Mesi's invitation to come here. "What do you plan to do with them?"

"For now? Nothing. But if things turn for the better, maybe we'll reactivate them in the future."

It should be good news, but Ana felt nothing. Slowly, she rested a hand on the pod, its coldness seeping into her skin. "Would he want to, though? After what he's done, do you think he'd want to be reactivated?"

Mesi held Ana's gaze for a long moment, then closed her eyes and turned away.

Safiya stayed with the family for a few more days after the ceremony, bunking in the same room with Fareeha, and the two often played and giggled with each other late into the night, which led to Ana chasing both her daughter and sister to bed. Either that, or pry the grown woman away so she wouldn't stop Fareeha from catching enough sleep, and instead spend some time chatting with her sisters downstairs. Safiya didn't complain – though Fareeha didn't hesitate to pick up the slack – and she was happy enough to just lay back and relax, especially with a sister who'd been too busy to even maintain regular text conversations for the past few years.

Ana was glad for Safiya's company herself, and took the chance to finally deal with some matters she'd put off the last week. The first of which, was to visit her father's grave. Zaid's body had been one of the many to be transported back home, and Safiya had flown in to help Kamilah take care of the affair, making sure he was interred properly beside Zayirah's grave – which had a new headstone to replace the one destroyed during the crisis.

She carried Fareeha in her arms, drawing comfort from the girl as she stood before the graves, that last note of finality settling in after Ana had spent years ignoring it. Fareeha kept quiet with her eyes fixed on Ana, while Safiya and Kamilah chattered behind them. On their way here, it became apparent that this was Fareeha's first visit to the cemetery, and no one had spoken to her about the grandparents she never knew. She asked questions which none of the three women really knew how to answer, and quite curiously, she desisted after Ana told her, "Ami's papa…died. He's sleeping, but he won't wake up again."

Ana was starting to wonder if Fareeha understood the simple explanation, when the girl hugged her about the neck and said, "It's okay, ami."

Her brows rose in surprise, and she returned the girl's hug as Kamilah came to stand beside her, setting a hand on Ana's back.

"One of her friends lost his father," Kamilah explained in a whisper.

"Ah." A small, wistful smile rose to Ana's lips as she sighed, then gave Fareeha a peck on the temple.

Too young. Too damn young to…

They drove over to the old family home after lunch, just to check on that plot of land and see what progress had been made in the reconstruction efforts. As it turned out – not much. Two years, it seemed, hadn't been nearly enough time for the country to rebuild, even with the military's help and plenty of foreign aid. From what Ana had seen just from Cairo alone – which had as many empty spaces as the buildings left standing – it was obvious they would need many more years to rebuild what they had before the war.

Still, Ana was somewhat glad to see the rubble had all been hauled away, leaving an empty lot where their house once stood. Only the blackened ground remained as proof of what had happened. That alone was enough to pique Fareeha's curiosity though, and Kamilah led her closer to the site, careful to keep the girl's hand in her own. There was no telling if there were any unexploded ordnance leftover from the war, even after this area had been swept over by the army.

"So, do you want this place?" Safiya asked.

"I don't know," Ana replied, eyes trained on her family as they strolled down the pavement, Kamilah pointing at different spots and telling stories that made Fareeha giggle. "It's not even much of a place anymore."

"Yeah. But papa left us the deed, and I'm still going to live in Asyut for the time being, so…"

"You just want me to cough up the money for a new house, don't you?" Ana deadpanned, though her poker face couldn't stay long when Safiya let out a hyena's cackle and smacked her on the arm.

"Come on! You were on the UN's payroll, and now you have the bonus from the Sinai Star? You can build a palace here, if you want. Oh! And that swimming pool we always bugged our parents about."

Ana laughed. "I forgot about that. Then mama would tell us to earn the money to build it ourselves." She hummed thoughtfully, looking over the modest plot of land again. "Actually, now that I think of it…"

"Ami!" Fareeha skipped over to Ana, hugging around her hips. "Mama said you used to live here!"

"We did, habibti." Ana tweaked her nose.

"But the house is gone."

"Well, we can build a new one here, if you want."

Fareeha's eyes grew round. "Really? This place is big! You can build a really big and tall, tall house!"

"That's more 'tall's than I like to hear," Kamilah came to mutter in Ana's ear, snorting when she was elbowed gently in the stomach.

"Do you want to, Milah?" Ana asked. "We could rebuild if we're going to move here."

"Mm. But Fareeha's still in kindergarten at the base, and she's already set for primary school there too…"

"Oh, right. Maybe we'll wait for a while then?" Ana chuckled at Fareeha's pout, ruffling the girl's hair. "One day, my dear. One day."

Since Ana's return from Switzerland, she'd been given a solid two months' worth of block leave. From what she'd heard, the original length had only been a month, but after a correspondence with the UN that included a few pointed suggestions from Xie – who took care to mention that Ana had worked tirelessly for five long years – they decided to double the gift, and let their prized sniper enjoy the longest vacation she'd ever had.

In the past, it would've meant Ana flying overseas with Kamilah for a holiday, maybe have that second honeymoon she'd been dreaming of, to celebrate their tenth anniversary…and make up for her five-year absence.

Now though, Ana found satisfaction enough in just staying home – pure luxury as it were, compared to those hectic years rushing between countries and fighting off a worldwide disaster. She shed every other aspect of her identity – sniper, soldier, captain, hero – and settled down just as a mother and wife. Two of what could be seen as the simplest of duties, that she'd been unable to perform in those years of war.

She sent her wife to work every morning, then went home to prepare her sleepy daughter for school, dressing Fareeha in her uniform and coaxing her into finishing a bowl of cereal, before dropping her off at the kindergarten. Ana lingered outside the school for the first few days, content to sit and watch Fareeha fidget during her classes, and bounce around animatedly during their play times. The girl would run straight to her when school was over – attracting some attention to Ana as she did so – and they would slip away for lunch, hang around the playground, then go home for a nap together, before going to fetch Kamilah from the academy.

All such mundane little things, but they gave Ana more joy than she could express.

"Ami, you missed a bird!" Fareeha exclaimed, bringing her finger down on the tablet's screen to catch said bird, then dragging it to the tree that was the same shade of yellow as its feathers.

"Oh wow, your eyes are better than ami's!" Ana grinned at Fareeha's giggle, and continued to sort out the multi-coloured flock of birds onscreen, matching them with their trees.

It was the weekend, and they'd wanted to go into the city for the day, but then Kamilah was snatched away by the academy at the last minute, putting their plans on hold. She'd grumbled terribly while pulling on her uniform, though Ana and Fareeha managed to alleviate her scowl by giving her a kiss on each cheek. Still, Kamilah was in a rather poor mood as she sped away on her bike, so Ana suggested baking some cupcakes for her, and Fareeha squealed her own approval – no doubt she was eager to eat the cakes herself, as well.

Ana took her time with this batch, partly because she'd gone out of touch with the kitchen, and she also made sure to let Fareeha help as much as she could – pouring in the ingredients, mixing them together with Ana's help, and having her attempts at eating the batter thwarted by her mother. Ana then assuaged Fareeha's sweet tooth with a few chocolate chips, and led her out to the living room, where they were now sprawled over the new fluffy carpet Kamilah had bought, playing tablet games while their cupcakes were baking in the oven.

"Do you play lots of games with mama?" Ana asked, reaching into the bag of potato chips she'd just opened.

"Yup. Mama likes playing games. And she's so good at it!" Fareeha opened her mouth at the end of the declaration, letting Ana feed her a chip.

"Really?" Ana asked, munching on a chip herself.

"Yeah! She always gets the highscores. Always." Her eyes gleamed with pride. "And sometimes, I beat mama's score!"

"That's good, darling! Maybe you can teach ami how to play games. So ami can give mama a run for her money too."

Fareeha tilted her head curiously. "Why run for mama's money?"

Ana laughed, tapping her on the forehead. "I mean, challenge mama's highscore, silly bean."

"Oh." Fareeha pressed her lips together thoughtfully, but not for long – another flock of birds had just appeared onscreen.

"So…what do you do with mama? Besides games?"

"Mama brings me to the playground so I can play with my friends," Fareeha said, tapping and staring intently at the tablet. "And we go out to eat. Sometimes, mama brings me to the river for a walk."

"The river? In the city?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah! I like the big ships. They're pretty." Fareeha grinned victoriously when she cleared yet another level in the game, earning another chip to chomp on. "But I like sleeping with mama the most," she said, voice a little muffled. "I like the bed, it's soft and comfy. And mama hugs me to sleep."

"Oh, I understand, sweetie. I love it when mama hugs me to sleep too."

"Uh-huh. I like to bring my toys along too. Like, when mama gets sad, I give her Fart so he can make her happy." Fareeha leaned in, unaware that her mother's expression had fallen slightly. "We should really give her a tiger toy, ami."

"Of course, dear. Soon, I promise." Ana smiled. "Don't want mama to be sad now, do we?"

"Nope!"

Ana: [Guys I need a favour]

Layla: [Yeah what's up]

Ana: [You're free this Tuesday right. Mind babysitting for me? Like, bring Fareeha out to play or something]

Khalid: [YES PLEASE]

Mesi: [^ Hakim will be with his family though, right?]

Hakim: [Ya :( ]

Layla: [Are you busy? I thought you're like, on leave forever]

Ana: [Yes…]

Ana: [We just need someone to look after her for a while, that's all]

Khalid: [what]

Ana: [Milah and I have a date?]

Layla: [WAIT HOLD UP]

Layla: [ARE YOU DUMPING YOUR KID ON US SO YOU CAN GET LAID]

Ana: […It's been a while]

Layla: [OHHHHMYGOD #1 MOM]

Ana: [DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE? TO BE LIKE, HALF THE WORLD AWAY WITHOUT YOUR BABE?]

Ana: [I HAVEN'T TOUCHED HER FOR YEARS AND I'VE STILL BARELY TOUCHED HER]

Ana: [IT'S BEEN 2 WEEKS. THIS IS INJUSTICE]

Layla: [Uh, of course we know? I mean, we were at war and shit, remember? Busy fighting and stuff?]

Khalid: [yeah right. even in the fucking field camps you two couldn't keep your hands off each other]

Khalid: [it's like, every time I turn around, one of you has a hand in the other one's pants]

[Khalid has been removed from 'Dense Cupcakes with Shiny Medals']

Mesi: [Anyway.]

Hakim: [IT'S THE TRUTH]

Hakim: [ANA YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA]

[Hakim has been muted for 1 day]

Mesi: [Anyway, yes. We'd be happy to take care of Fareeha for you]

Ana: [Thanks babe]

Ana: [Also can you help me buy a tiger plush while you're out? Kiddo wants to give one to Milah]

Ana: [So let Fareeha choose the toy and stuff]

Mesi: [Sure]

[Khalid has been added to 'Dense Cupcakes with Shiny Medals']

Ana: [Now boy. Lay that sweet gossip on me]

[You have been removed from 'Dense Cupcakes with Shiny Medals']

Fareeha had been more than happy to go with the squad when they came to pick her up – she'd grown familiar with them during their regular visits since the war in Egypt had ended. Apparently, they managed to curry a lot of favour with the girl, who was quite susceptible to gifts that came in plush toys or sweets. And so, she'd buzzed with excitement for the whole morning, and practically leapt into Khalid's car when he opened the door for her.

At least she remembered to say goodbye to her mothers, all the while oblivious to the winks and brow wiggles that the squad was shooting at them. Ana ignored it, of course, taking her time to kiss Fareeha on the head after Kamilah was done, and smiled sweetly back at the idiots as the car pulled away from the house.

Then Ana led her wife back inside, and the moment the door was shut behind them, she hauled Kamilah onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry, getting a surprised laugh and a pinch on her bum. She didn't waste any time, striding up towards their bedroom and tossing Kamilah onto the bed, trapping her wife beneath her as she lavished Kamilah with kiss after kiss, fingers slipping beneath her clothes in a tease. Laughter at their own hastiness mingled with their kisses, and their fervour cooled somewhat as they kissed and caressed bare skin, the desperate need to reconnect giving way to a gentle exploration that…didn't go quite the way Ana had imagined it.

"Milah, I can't remember how I got every scar I have," Ana drawled, lying naked on her front as Kamilah straddled her hips, tracing the new scars on her back.

'Maybe if you stopped collecting them like it's a hobby, you would."

"Babe," Ana snickered, wiggling in place to turn around and face Kamilah. "If it's a hobby, I would remember how I got each one… Hm. This one, though." She caught Kamilah's hand, guiding her fingertips to trace over the scar cutting diagonally across her clavicles. "I got from that time I jumped on that huge omnic."

"I knew you got injured then." Kamilah bent down, pressing a kiss to the scar. "Why else would you wear that stupidly huge jacket in the vidcall?"

"You remember?" Ana smiled, returning the kiss on her lips. "I didn't want you to worry."

Kamilah blinked down at her. "Not a single day passed when I didn't worry about you, Ana. And trying to hide things from me didn't help."

A twinge in her chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Kamilah closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, twining their fingers together on Ana's chest. "You idiot," she uttered, then dipped in for a kiss. Slow and sweet in their reaffirmation, then Ana pulled her down by the nape, deepening the kiss as she slipped her tongue between Kamilah's lips.

She heard the moan in Kamilah's throat and flipped them over, settling comfortably between Kamilah's legs. She grazed her tongue briefly over Kamilah's, and nibbled on her bottom lip, smiling when she recognised the slow, deep inhale that Kamilah took. Ana kissed her again, and Kamilah yielded to her lips easily, giving a low moan as she arched into Ana's hand on her breast, and ground against the thigh rubbing at her core.

"I love you," Ana murmured against her lips, kissing along her jaw, up to her ear. "I love you so much."

Kamilah clutched at her shoulders tighter when Ana's fingers dipped between her legs, stroking her wetness, and sank in slowly. "Ana…I missed you." She gasped when Ana's thumb rubbed her clit firmly. "I missed you, do you know that?"

"I know," Ana breathed against her skin, biting at her pulse point. "I missed you too." She drove her fingers hard into Kamilah, groaning quietly at the lewd cry beside her ear. Ana didn't give her a chance to catch her breath then, finding a relentless rhythm that made Kamilah's nails bite into her flesh, because god, if the way Kamilah felt around her fingers, if the way she felt was any proof, they needed each other – now.

Kamilah's hips bucked into her hand with each thrust, and Ana could hear it in her gasps and moans, feel it in the tug on her scalp as Kamilah's fingers gripped her hair. She brought their lips together in a fierce kiss, using her weight to pin Kamilah down as she came unraveled, crying her pleasure into Ana's mouth. The tautness in her muscles slowly melted away, her arms and legs relaxing around Ana's body, as her head fell back onto the sheets, half-lidded eyes gazing back into Ana's, breaths leaving her parted lips in pants.

"Good?" Ana asked, a sly smile on her face.

Kamilah gave a husky chuckle, pulling her down for a kiss. Hand sliding up to her chest, Kamilah pushed Ana onto her back, gifting her with another, deeper kiss. "I love you, amar. More than life itself."

"Oh?" Ana purred, shooting Kamilah a smirk as she ran both hands up the thighs that straddled her. "Then show me, albi."