It was quiet in the car – Kamilah was dozing off in the passenger seat, tired from an extended shift, and Ana was loath to disturb her rest. But she would do so anyway; the matter eating away at Ana for the past few days, had finally bitten into her.

"Milah."

Brief silence – then a barely audible grunt.

"You listening?"

Another grunt, though grumpier this time.

"I wanna ask you something."

"Mm."

"What do you think about Adofo staying with us?"

That worked better than a splash of icy water to the face. Kamilah's eyes snapped open in an instant, staring blankly out the windscreen for a few long seconds, before she frowned at Ana. "What?"

"He wants to go through a total replacement of his systems. Hardware, software, everything except his memories. He'll be a regular civilian omnic, then he can't stay in the facility anymore." She glanced at Kamilah, and her wife's stony gaze only made her huff wearily. "It's difficult, I know."

"Even civilian omnics were turned during the war. You remember, don't you?"

"Yeah." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, unsure what else to say. Fresh memories from the war and her old friendship with Ado had been screaming at each other non-stop since Adofo had approached her tentatively. So she'd turned to her wife, looking for a little reason or wisdom, or even just blunt honesty as Kamilah was apt to offer.

"What about the others?" Kamilah asked, as they stopped briefly at a red light.

"He only asked me. And you know how well our last meet-up went," Ana sighed.

It'd been thoroughly stiff and awkward when the squad was reunited with Adofo. Mesi and Khalid were more open with the omnic, even if they bore a little caution, but the others who'd witnessed Ado's turning found it more…difficult. Ana had less trouble, as Ado had dropped by her house since his last visit; but Layla was notably quieter than usual, and Hakim kept unconsciously rubbing at his ruined knee. The tension seemed to have gotten to Adofo as well, and he'd made an early exit from the gathering. The squad hadn't gotten together since then.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Kamilah continued. "You saw him turn."

"Yeah. But it wasn't his fault."

"And it still won't be his if it happens again."

Ana's throat grew dry, as she turned into the residential district. "It probably…won't. The A.I.'s under such a tight lockdown, it might as well be in a black hole. But he knows the risks, Milah. And if we let him stay, he'll give us the kill switch for his systems. Kill switches. Like, other than a specialised device, he'll put the codes into our phones, tablets, whatever we want. Anything happens – just a press, and that's it."

"There's still a huge risk."

"Yeah."

Silence fell over them for the rest of the drive, and Ana let her mind rest when she'd driven into the garage. They'd have more time to think on it later. But as she switched the engine off, Kamilah held the back of her hand to Ana's shoulder, giving her pause.

"How long will he stay?"

She shrugged. "Until he finds what he wants to do next, I suppose. I'll be helping him look for his own place too, regardless of…what we decide." Ana sighed again, taking Kamilah's hand in her own. "There's no pressure, Milah. I can help him settle things before he even goes for the system wipe."

Kamilah lowered her gaze in thought. "He doesn't have a place to stay after the wipe?"

"If we don't find something for him, no. He'll be deadweight to the army after that, so there's no place in the facility for him."

"Ana," Kamilah sighed heavily. "When will you never give me a headache?"

"Headaches and I come in a package, remember?"

"I wish I didn't," Kamilah grumbled, making Ana smile when she threw her wife's hand away, and reached for the door.

From the first moment Adofo showed up at their doorstep with just a single backpack and a locker, he was obviously determined to keep his presence as small as possible, and not get in the way. Physically, he was smaller, as the defunct military components were replaced with smaller, more compact civilian parts. He was shorter too, and though he didn't have to bend down to fit through the door anymore, he still stood a head and a half taller than Ana.

He offered his thanks to them repeatedly, as he made himself at home in a small corner of their garage. And that was where he slept at night, or stayed when it rained. Most of the time, though, their small backyard was where he lingered quietly – doing his own research and downloading new knowledge at first, then playing with Fareeha when the girl had warmed up to him. And oh, did she warm up to him, when she learnt how much higher Adofo could lift her into the air than Ana or Kamilah could. After a few warnings from Kamilah though, they settled themselves on the ground instead, playing with their toys while Adofo supplied sound effects he plucked from the internet.

Ado made himself useful around the house as well, cleaning up while the women were out of the house, and even tinkered with their electronics to make them more efficient. Of course, since he was still learning these new skills, he had little accidents now and again, but was always able to repair the devices in no time at all. And after making himself a more solid fixture around the house, they'd let Ado escort Fareeha to and from school as well, often carrying the girl on his back as he took long and fast strides towards their destination.

His presence had caught the attention of their neighbours, and many were hesitant to approach the Amari household for the first few weeks. But Ana was pretty sure that they'd get used to having him in the neighbourhood – even if some might never get truly comfortable with him.

"Fareeha."

A pout.

"Fareeha, no."

A whine.

"Ami said no."

Fareeha let out another whine, and remained kneeling on the stool by their bar table, her hand still clutching the single cookie she'd plucked out of the jar. "Just one more."

"Fareeha, listen to ami." Ana leaned on the counter, looking sternly at Fareeha, who was pouting more severely back at her. "You've brushed your teeth, and you've already had five cookies after dinner. No more."

"But it's just one more!" Fareeha whined.

"One more will make it six, so no. Fareeha," Ana intoned. "Put that cookie back, or there'll be no more cookies for you the whole week." She was instantly treated to an even worse whine, as Fareeha rocked back and forth on the stool in the beginnings of a tantrum. "And no more games, either."

That did the trick. With an impressive sulk, Fareeha dropped the cookie back into the jar, and didn't bother to screw the lid back on before jumping off the stool. The girl's grumbling could be heard as she stalked away from the kitchen.

"And it's time for bed, Fareeha!" Ana called after her. "Go to bed!"

A grumpy whine reached her ears.

"My god," Ana breathed out, hearing her faint footsteps moving up the stairs. "She's getting worse."

"And she's only, what? 6, 7 years away from puberty?" Kamilah laughed quietly as Ana reached for the cookie jar, fishing out Fareeha's cookie before she shut the lid. "She's going to be a handful when she's a teen."

"Two handfuls, seems like." Ana took a bite of cookie. "Anything from your manuals that can save us?"

"Maybe," Kamilah said off-handedly, letting Ana feed her the remaining half of the cookie. Then they looked up when Adofo popped his head into the doorway.

"I just saw Fareeha stomp upstairs." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Should I go and…?"

"No, leave her," Ana said. "I'll check on her later."

"Okay."

"Ado, wait," she added quickly when Ado left, and he popped his head back in again. She patted at the countertop. "Here, let's talk."

The omnic walked in and paused by the chair, then gave a start as if he remembered his smaller stature now. Adofo settled on the chair easily, and fixed Ana with that attentive, electronic blue gaze.

"How was the city today?"

"It was good! I found a few omnic shelters and businesses – they've been struggling to rebuild since the crisis. Think I'm going to volunteer at some of those places. Get in touch with the others, see what I can do, you know. Maybe even help with the city's reconstruction, I don't know. Stuff to make up for…stuff," he finished lamely, avoiding the sensitive subject.

"That's a great first step, Ado." Ana smiled.

"Yeah. Thing is, I'm not sure what I really want to do. I mean, I like photography. But then I was thinking if I should get into construction. Or – learn to repair systems. There have been a few attacks, and I want to help…"

"One step at a time. Don't rush everything," Kamilah said, tapping at her cup of lukewarm tea. "Take all the time you need, and learn whatever you want. We'll be here to help you."

Adofo's eyes blinked in that happy rhythm, hand reaching up to scratch at his head. "Or you know, I could get into inventing. Maybe finally invent a mouth for omnics."

"What, you still want to taste pizza?" Ana laughed.

"I was thinking more of smiling, but pizza is always good."

"Not with some toppings, it isn't." She shrugged. "But if you just wanna smile, why not…put a display screen on your face?"

Ado's eyes went dark, then came alight. "You just blew my mind."

And so, a year passed in the best, most mundane manner that Ana had dreamt of, while she was lying in hard cots and missing home dearly.

She and Kamilah had to work their motherly magic to rein in Fareeha's more petulant inclinations – 'magic' meaning a near-saintly amount of patience to wait for the girl's tantrums to end, and explaining why her mothers wanted her to do as they said. It really was a coin toss, sometimes; Fareeha would either go away still sulking from the lectures, or nod and follow along with their wishes…only to throw another tantrum soon after. It was a headache, truth be told, but it took a little more time before Fareeha started listening to them more, even if she didn't fully understand everything they told her.

Still, Ana did feel proud of the girl, and loved her all the same. How could she not? Fareeha was her sweet little daughter, who still often found her way into their bed at night, whenever she needed the company.

As a family, they celebrated their birthdays and wedding anniversary together. Ana was there to pin the eagle insignia on her wife's epaulet, for Kamilah's promotion to the rank of major. She attended the promotion ceremonies for Mesi and Khalid as well, watching her friends receive their own eagle insignias with no small amount of pride.

Then, the Amari family dressed up to attend Mesi and Layla's wedding. It was a more traditional affair than Ana and Kamilah's, without sabre arches or military uniforms. There was, however, a slightly palpable air of tension during the celebrations, apparently due to a past misunderstanding between Mesi's parents and Layla's Coptic family, but the couple were determined not to let it ruin the night. They pulled Ana, Kamilah, and even Fareeha into a long string of dances, and though they hadn't indulged in any alcohol, Ana still felt the same high as she kissed her wife at the end of the last dance.

And, as the year drew to a close, with Ana pondering over her future course in the army and passing on the leadership of God Eye to Khalid, her problems were given a solution from an unexpected source. She was summoned to a private office in Central Command one day, left to her own privacy as she gained access to the secure vidcall on the computer, and was greeted by the president of the UN Security Council.

Xie met her surprise with a smile, and after a short tête-à-tête, invited her back to Geneva for a 'discussion of her career, and the future'.

Ana cocked her head then. She'd thought her tenure in the UN was over. "Is…there something wrong, ma'am?"

"Not of the same scale as the Crisis, to be sure," Xie said carefully. "But there might have been some things we've overlooked in our clean-up before."

"So it's something concerning the omnics?"

"To give you a short answer: yes. But I don't wish to speak more here – a face-to-face discussion will be better." Xie looked over Ana's curious expression, tinged with a little concern, and she relented with more. "Don't worry, Ana. It's not a huge problem. And, it's only a small part of the reason to bring you back. To bring the Strike Team back, in fact."

"You're recalling the entire team?"

"Yes. And I'd like to discuss your future within the United Nations."

"And she didn't say anything else?"

"Not really, no."

"Why is she so cryptic? What is she? Some kind of…witch, like from a movie or something?"

Ana couldn't help but chuckle at Kamilah's exasperation. She scooted over the bed, and wrapped both arms around her wife, giving her a tight squeeze. "She's a nice person."

"Not from where I'm standing, no." Kamilah held still, then shifted on the spot so that she faced Ana proper. "She's calling you away again, Ana. Did she say for how long?"

"No."

"And, she's bringing the whole team back? Is there another problem?"

"Sounds like it. But not as big as the Crisis, that's for sure."

"And, what? She can't use her own peacekeeping forces to take care of it?" Kamilah grumbled, her frown deepening despite Ana massaging her temples. "Ending a 7-year war isn't enough, now she wants you to do more–?"

"Milah, sweetie. Sweetie." Ana pecked her on the lips, and a second time when Kamilah opened her mouth to gripe again. "Relax. Calm down. You're working yourself up over nothing."

Kamilah gave a drawn-out groan, as Ana cooed at her jokingly and peppered her with more little kisses, until she caught Ana's lips for a longer, deeper kiss. She sighed when they parted, closing her eyes briefly. "She did mention 'your future within the UN'."

"Well, yeah. But we don't know for sure…"

"And if she does offer you a place there? What then?" Kamilah asked, voice quiet. "You'll be there most of the time. Then what about us?"

Ana smiled softly, despite the twinge in her chest. "We'll find a way to deal with it together."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It won't be, but we'll deal. We are strong, confident, amazing, gorgeous women, after all." Ana snickered when Kamilah slapped at her shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Come on, now. You're worrying too much, hm? We'll just go along, and see what happens."

Kamilah took a deep breath, and bent over as she exhaled, resting her head on Ana's shoulder. Ana rocked her gently, rubbing her back in circles, and gave little random smooches on her neck and shoulder.

"You and your headaches," Kamilah muttered.

Ana chuckled. "I'm your one and only headache, darling."

As expected, Fareeha was upset when she learnt that her ami would be going away again, on 'hero' business. 'But you said you gonna stay!' was her chief complaint whenever Ana tried to talk to her about it, and it took a while to turn her sad pout into a nod, whenever Ana reminded Fareeha to listen to her mama while ami was away.

And Kamilah – bless her – had stood stoic in the face of looming change, and was supportive of Ana in…whatever sort of mission her wife would soon embark on, despite her own unease about it. On the day they'd sent Ana off at the base's hangars, she even managed to coax a smile to Fareeha's lips, getting a giggle from the girl as they said goodbye. After Ana was done squeezing Fareeha in a hug, Kamilah gave her wife a kiss, then pinched her nose and told her to stay safe. Ana didn't reply with a joke for once, and instead gave a solemn promise before she boarded the jet.

A four-hour flight later, Ana had landed in Geneva, made her way to the UN offices, sent a selfie back to Kamilah the moment she had wi-fi, and received a photo of her two girls eating cookies in return. It made her smile as she walked over to the apartments where she had lodged the last time. Ana left her luggage unpacked, leaving her modest quarters with the intent of grabbing a snack. As she walked down the hallway, Ana slowed to a stop at a particular door, with half a mind to knock, but decided against it. For all she knew, the others were put up in different rooms.

But she'd strolled down the corridor a good handful of paces, when she heard a smooth voice call her name. She turned around and shared a grin with the man who moved down to meet her. Gabriel had changed little over the year, though his hair seemed to have grown out a little, and was combed back with a certain roguish flair. He slowed when he came close, aiming mock punches at Ana's shoulders, then held his hands up.

"Okay, wait. I gotta know first." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Are you still 'Captain' Amari?"

"Yeah."

"Ey, me too!" Gabriel laughed, pointing between Ana and himself. "Same rank!"

"Same rank!" Ana clasped his hand tight in some odd captain's solidarity. "Let me guess: you rejected your promotion too?"

"Yeah! 'Cause fuck my prospects, am I right?" He ruffled Ana's hair, getting an annoyed cluck from the sniper. "But you know, Jack is–" Gabriel was distracted when a door behind them opened, and sure enough, the blonde soldier walked out into the hallway. "Yeah, him. Bastard's a major now."

"Come on, Gabe." Jack rolled his eyes, before flashing Ana a smile. "So what are your stripes now, Ana?"

"Still Captain, sir." Ana straightened her shoulders and puffed up her chest. "Should we salute now, Gabe?"

"Eh."

"Oh, cut the shit, Ana." He held out his hand. "It's good to see you again, by the way."

"Look at this idiot," Gabriel rumbled. He slapped down Jack's hand, slung his arms around Jack and Ana's shoulders, and yanked them into a group hug. "We're friends, remember?"

"And boyfriends, hm?" Ana shot them a crooked smile.

"Hell yeah." He pressed his lips to Jack's cheek before the blonde could react. "We are."

"Hey, hey." Ana tapped a finger on her own cheek, as a flush spread over Jack's face. "What about me?"

"You get one too," Gabriel crooned, giving her a kiss as well. Then he paused, and regarded her thoughtfully. "Kamilah wouldn't mind that, would she?"

"Of course not." Ana patted at both their arms and broke away, leading them towards the lifts. "Not unless you go for my mouth, that is. Then she'd punch you."

"Huh. How hard does she punch?"

Ana turned around to face Gabriel, as Jack called for the elevator. "You ever been to hell?"

"Uh, no?"

"She'll send you there."

The trio stuck together for the next two days, while they waited for the rest of the team to arrive in Switzerland for their upcoming meeting with Xie. They were met with two new surprises – in the form of Mirembe and Tien, soldiers they'd fought with during the Crisis, in Nigeria and China respectively. The two had performed exceptionally during the war, and their mention in the Strike Team's reports had interested Xie enough to invite them to Geneva.

Then, with Reinhardt and Torbjorn's arrival, the roster was complete – save for Liao, who had declined this invitation for her other pursuits. And so, they were gathered in a briefing room one morning, listening to Xie's explanation for bringing them together again – to scout out, and delve into secret Omnica facilities, where the company had engaged in research for illegal war tech, before they were shut down. The news didn't shake a single person in the room – not after how Omnica's name had been dragged through the mud for years. And they listened attentively as Xie outlined their objectives and goals, before she started on the other reason she'd called them back.

Xie tapped on her holographic console, and the screens set on the table before each person lit up, displaying a white and orange logo, beneath which was spelt 'Overwatch'.

Ana had to restrain a sigh when she saw it. Headache.

"But," Jack said slowly, bringing his eyes up from the screen to look at Xie. "To assemble a peacekeeping force with a team that specialised in anti-omnic warfare? Wouldn't that be seen as an act of aggression?"

"That's why our first moves have to be careful. But don't worry – I have that concern covered," Xie replied. "The point is, you won't just be keeping an eye on the omnics – you'll be ensuring their safety as well. The omnics' rights movement is growing – slowly, but steadily. But there are still fears that the omnics will turn against us once more, and I'm afraid it is an active fear. The Crisis may have passed, but our problems have far from ended. You know about the assaults on omnics, how the climate could turn dangerous when their movement gains traction. We need you to make sure that nothing happens to their omnic representatives, that nothing will escalate tensions and disrupt our efforts to bring peace."

"And I assume it's a convenient way to look out for…radical omnic elements," Gabriel mused.

"Exactly. By working at the heart of matters, you'll know when something goes awry." Xie tapped idly at the pen she held in hand. "But Overwatch takes no sides – you will be protecting everyone."

"Sounds like an excellent goal," Reinhardt declared.

"It is." Xie smiled at him. "But it's a lofty one, and I have no doubt that this endeavour will have its own difficulties. I've gathered all of you primarily to deal with the Omnica situation, but I'd also like to extend an invitation to you. I will understand if any one of you doesn't wish to be a part of Overwatch, but I will say this." Xie looked around the table, sharp gaze resting on each face briefly. "All of you are exceptional individuals, and I do hope that you will lend your strength to this cause."

"Now, Fareeha," Kamilah said, crouching before her daughter. "Pay attention in class, and play nice with the other kids, alright?"

"Okay."

Kamilah smiled. "Give mama a kiss before you go."

Fareeha complied happily, giving her mother a smooch on the cheek. "Bye bye, mama. Bye bye, Ado."

"Have fun, kiddo." Adofo waved at the girl as she ran into the school, only slowing down after Kamilah called after her.

They watched the girl skip farther down the school's hallway, until the entrance doors swung shut, and their view was blocked. Kamilah sighed airily and turned around, nodding her head at Adofo, who followed her down the path from the school.

"You have anywhere to go today?" Kamilah asked.

"No, nothing." Ado shrugged. "You?"

"No. How about a trip to the supermarket?"

"Sure."

Kamilah glanced at Ado, who had pulled out his phone, and went to take a photo of a stray cat by the pavement. After Ana had left for Switzerland, Kamilah came to realise how much…better the house felt now, even with Ana away. It was less empty, less lonely. And though Adofo wasn't a talkative person by nature, his quiet companionship was more than welcome – not to mention his help in taking care of Fareeha. Whenever Kamilah was tired out from work, he'd step in and entertain the girl instead, giving her enough time to rest before she tended to Fareeha again. He'd been nothing but helpful for the past year, and Kamilah was glad that things had turned out well, despite her initial fears.

"Hey, did Ana call last night?" Ado asked when he walked back to her, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his brown hoodie. It was a gift from the family, and he'd worn it often…though he still didn't have pants to go with it.

"Yeah," Kamilah sighed, as she was prone to do when thinking of her wife. "Why, did you want to talk to her?"

"No, just wondering. Thought I heard you talking." Ado tilted his head. "Will she be away for long?"

"I don't know. I hope not." She heaved another sigh, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "I just…don't like her being so far away."

"I'm sure she'll be back before you know it."

Kamilah huffed. "In hindsight, it will seem fast. But in the meantime…" She fell silent, crossing her arms. "Is it selfish that I want her to stay at home?"

"No, it's understandable," Adofo replied simply. "Nothing wrong with wanting to have your wife around, is there?"

"I guess not." She wanted to laugh at how easily Ado had shared that bit of logic. Maybe she was letting herself think too much again. "Still, I miss her. And I'm sure Fareeha does too."

They lapsed into silence then, Adofo clasping her shoulder in comfort as they walked on. Kamilah reached for her phone when it vibrated in her pocket, and was greeted with a picture from Ana – a slice of rainbow cake.

Ana: [Forgot to send. Dessert last night ;p]

Ana: [Rmbr the first cake I got you?]

[Of course]

Ana: [I'll get one for you when I come back]

Ana: [Miss you :heart:]

Kamilah smiled at the text, the ache in her chest turning just a little sweet. Maybe this wouldn't be too difficult after all.

[Miss you too]

[:heart:]