So the Strike Team became active once more, a year after the end of the Omnic Crisis. They were equipped with brand new, improved versions of their combat gear during the war – which looked more like uniforms now, with the steel-grey alloy of their armour painted a distinctive blue that matched Ana's beret in colour, and blank patches at their shoulders where the Overwatch insignia would be, once these prototype designs were finalised. They were given the same weapons they'd used during the war, but for their current mission, they were armed less heavily than before. It only made sense, since Xie wanted their operation to remain a secret, and fully utilising their wartime ordnance would do nothing but draw undue attention to themselves.

And, to be honest, they really needed only a fraction of that firepower, as their missions turned out to be simple 'scavenging' runs that were hindered by inbuilt security at the Omnica facilities – hardly insurmountable odds. Their first target had been in North America, where Omnica had built an underground complex to conduct their experiments and coordinate between various divisions set up across the world. It was from this facility that they gathered the locations of other research sites – most of which were in countries that suffered the worst fighting during the Crisis, including Egypt – and off they went to dig up Omnica secrets.

With more weapons tech they recovered – that bore an uncanny resemblance to those used by omnics during the war – and the more pieces of communication they'd scrounged, it became obvious that Omnica was working with an unknown partner – or partners – to research war tech. They were receiving a steady stream of funds that was instantly cut off when the company came under fire for fraud. The team could dig up no further information on Omnica's mysterious partner, and even when they brought the information back to the UN, little progress was made in following investigations.

But the Strike Team's responsibility ended there – with the successful retrieval of Omnica's tech and communications, after five months of nearly-uneventful operations. Xie assured them that the intel would be put to good use, thanked them for their work, and sent them home with a single, important decision to make.

"Mama."

"Mm."

Ana leaned on Kamilah's study table and waited, but her wife merely continued frowning at her computer screen. "Mama, listen–"

"The 400 bucks we spent last month. What was that for?"

"Car suspension."

"Right," Kamilah sighed, shaking her head. "And we replaced the tires not too long ago. Might as well get a new car at this rate."

"We can, I guess." Ana waited for Kamilah to settle their payments, then reached across the table and grabbed her hands, pulling her attention away from the screen. "Milah, I wanna talk."

"Are you asking for permission?"

"No," Ana snorted, knocking their hands on the desk once. "I've been trying to get your attention."

Kamilah gave a wry smile. "When do you never?"

"When you're angry." She patted at Kamilah's hands. "Anyway, I wanna talk to you. About the UN."

That made Kamilah pause for a while. "Yes?"

"Seems my clever, clever wife was right all along," Ana said slowly, looking for a reaction on Kamilah's face. "They do want me to work there."

Kamilah nodded equally slowly. "And…?" She watched as Ana's expression turned sheepish and puppy-eyed. "You want to do it, don't you?"

In keeping with her current theme, Ana gave a quiet, puppy-like whine. "Maybe…?"

"Just say yes, Ana."

"Yes." Ana shot her a close-lipped smile, pressing Kamilah's hands to her cheeks. "You're not…upset, are you?"

Kamilah took a deep breath, and let it out. "No, I'm not."

"You look upset."

"That's how I look every day," Kamilah deadpanned. "But no, I'm not. Actually, I kind of expected this already."

"And…?"

"And what? You'll do what you do."

Ana pouted. "Now you sound upset."

"No, Ana. I'm–" Kamilah stopped, then sighed again. "Look, I'll be honest – when you came back from the war, when you were just living with us here, at home? That's all I ever wanted my life to be. But–" She pressed her palms to Ana's cheeks, when Ana's expression turned apologetic. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way. Listen – I am proud of you. Of what you've done. And if you want to do even more, I won't stop you. I don't want you to pass up an opportunity like this, and have you regret it for the rest of your life."

Ana regarded her for a quiet moment. "Why do I feel like you've prepared for this?"

"Because I have, you idiot. I've been trying to rationalise the whole thing ever since you flew off to Switzerland." She squeezed Ana's face between her hands, getting a squooshed smile in return. "And I decided that as long as you're happy, I am too. Now tell me I'm the best wife in the world."

"You're the best wife in the world," Ana said, words muffled, and giggled when Kamilah massaged her cheeks before letting go. She caught Kamilah's hands again, pressing kisses to her knuckles. "But you're really alright with this? I don't want you to say all that just because…"

"Yes. And if I were you, ami?" Kamilah said, raising a brow. "I'm not the one you should be worrying about."

"I know, damn it," Ana groaned, bending over to rest her head on the table.

"Fareeha's still a little upset since Ado moved out. So…you might want to wait a little."

And Ana did wait – for a week, then two, until it eventually stretched into a month. Time wasn't a concern, really, since Xie gave them quite some time to decide, and Ana wanted to make sure Fareeha was in a good mood before breaking the news. That she'd lose heart whenever she tried wasn't much of a help either – Ana would desist in the interest of keeping that smile on Fareeha's face, then promise herself that she'd do it the next time.

And when she did finally break the news, it was with Fareeha seated in the armchair, and Kamilah sitting beside her on the couch for backup. Ana told the girl that ami would be moving far away to work, and would be away from home for longer periods of time, that she'd keep in contact through vidcalls whenever she was not home. Then she waited as Fareeha processed the news and – unsurprisingly – her brows lowered, lips turning down into a frown.

"You know how it's like, right?" Ana continued gently, ruffling the girl's hair. "You'll be here with mama, then ami will come back to see you whenever she can."

"But you're always leaving! Now you're gonna leave like Ado too."

"Ami has to work, Fareeha. And this time I have to travel just a little more."

"How long are you going?"

"I don't know, habibti." Ana shrugged. "It'll be months at a time, that's for sure."

"…Fine."

Ana cocked a brow at the girl's seemingly brazen answer, but her heart dropped when she caught the quiver in Fareeha's lower lip, and the girl reached up to wipe roughly at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh, darling. Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," Fareeha retorted, then sniffled immediately after.

"Yes, you are," Ana sang, tweaking the girl's nose and getting a short, impudent whine in return. "You silly girl! Ami will come back to see you. I'm not going away forever, you know."

"I know," Fareeha said, still rubbing at her eyes.

"And mama will still be here, right? She'll look after you, and you'll look after her."

Fareeha nodded, looking back up at Ana. And though she was still biting her lower lip, with her mouth curved downwards, she wore a resolute expression that made Ana feel a pang of guilt. So she wrapped her arms around the girl and squeezed her tight, comforted when Fareeha hugged her back as well.

For the rest of the day, Fareeha went about her own business – doing her homework, playing her games, sneaking a few tidbits to satisfy her sweet tooth, and nudging away the greens on her plate during dinner. She seemed to have accepted their discussion well enough, and hadn't brought it up at all. But when Ana and Kamilah were just settling into bed, they heard a knock on the door before Fareeha peeked in.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" she asked tentatively.

Ana chuckled and pulled down the covers, allowing the girl to dive into her old spot between her mothers, nestling comfortably into the bed with her bird plush hugged tightly in an arm.

An eight-year-old with her own stubborn streak, who was still unabashedly attached to her mothers – it only made Ana glad to call this little one her daughter.

All too quickly, two more months had passed, and Xie invited those of the Strike Team who'd signed up for Overwatch back to Switzerland.

As before, Kamilah saw her off, and Ana kept Fareeha's hand in her own until they'd reached the boarding stairs to Ana's jet. She knelt before Fareeha, who nodded obediently when Ana told her to be good, to do her homework diligently, and to not give her mama headaches by refusing to sleep at bedtime or trying to skip breakfast in the mornings.

Ana couldn't help but smile at the resolve shining in Fareeha's eyes. "I love you, my brave little soldier," she crooned, pressing a kiss to the top of Fareeha's head, then pinched her cheek to get a giggle from the girl.

"And I love you too, my brave and scary wife," Ana cooed as she stood to face Kamilah, and was pulled into a firm embrace.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Kamilah grumbled into her ear, then let out a sigh. "I love you." She placed a kiss on Ana's cheek, then her lips. "Take care of yourself, and please – no heroics, hm?"

"I'll try, but no promises."

"Ana."

"Fine, fine," Ana murmured, giving her one last kiss. "I promise."

When the Strike Team arrived in Geneva – every single one of them had returned – Xie flew them over to Zürich, where a large, empty grounds had been set aside and a modest base was built for the newly-founded Overwatch. This would be their very own headquarters, a primary base of operations where they would work and train, and would be expanded accordingly as more personnel were recruited into the organisation.

Xie led them past the green training field – furnished with a running track and an obstacle course – and into the barracks to take a look at their spacious quarters, before leading them to the offices and sitting them down in a briefing room. There, Xie outlined their itinerary for the near future, and the first order of business was the public introduction of Overwatch – including their command hierarchy, which was expected from being made official. What they did not expect though, was the surprise that Xie dropped on them when she revealed the appointed commanders of the team.

Jack in particular tried to argue against his appointment, but she stood firm and made it clear that she would not be swayed. He desisted unhappily – after a little persuasion from the team – but still wasn't content to let the matter rest, his discussion with Gabriel spanning from the entire afternoon and into the night, when they were eating together in a quiet little diner.

"I still think you should be Strike Commander."

"Well, I still disagree," Gabe drawled, looking unmoved as he took a swig of beer.

"Why are you still arguing about this?" Mirembe asked, leaning on the table to look at the pair, from where she sat with Tien. "You're a capable enough soldier, and you outrank us all, don't you?"

"Yes, but–!" Jack flailed his hands helplessly at Gabriel. "He was the one who led us during the Crisis! Gabe has more right to this position than me."

"Yeah, but from the way I've heard, you kinda shared command from time to time, didn't you?" Tien pointed out, waving his fork at them.

"According to the situation, yes." Jack paused as if in sudden revelation, then turned his head towards Ana. "You led the team often as well–"

"No. Don't bring me into this, alright?" Ana held up her hands to cut him off. "I get to be your bloody 2IC, and it's already more than I bargained for."

"But you commanded the God Eye back home, right?" Jack said. "That's a way bigger outfit than what we have. In fact, it's bigger than any contingent that either Gabe or I have ever led. Wait, Ana – you should be Strike Commander instead."

"Hell no, buddy," Ana scoffed, but felt a twinge of sympathy at Jack's long-suffering look. "Jack, I understand how you feel, but you heard what Xie said. The commander's going to be the face of Overwatch. And while I do have a beautiful and irresistible face… Yes, thank you, babe," Ana added when Mirembe whistled playfully. "While I do have the face, there's no way I'm going to be facing the cameras, alright?"

"And you want me to face the cameras? I don't even know how to talk to people!"

"Personally, yeah. You're an awkward mess," Gabriel said. "But for…official, impersonal stuff, you're pretty good."

Jack was still unconvinced, and groaned, "I don't know about this. I should talk to Xie. Don't know what she was thinking… Even Rein is a better face for–"

"Jack," Gabriel sighed. "I was the one who told Xie to choose you instead."

"Instead?" Ana asked, while Jack stared in surprise.

"She spoke to me beforehand, but I declined the position. And we both decided that you're better suited for the job."

"You're the one," Jack uttered, eyes fixed on his partner. "God damn it, Gabe. Always."

Ana averted her eyes, sensing they were treading into personal territory. And it seemed that Reinhardt knew the same too, because he clapped his hands once and boomed, "Ah, I feel in the mood for dessert! How about some cake, hm?"

Ana grinned, piping up with her own order along with the others, trying to ignore the silence that had fallen over the two by her side.

Within the week, Overwatch's name was released and spread through the news like wildfire, sparking numerous discussions and speculation of potential threats and motives, as well as a few concerns regarding their relevance post-war. Omnic movements scattered across the globe were particularly vocal about the formation of Overwatch, voicing their fears that they would be policed or even clamped down by a renowned team of anti-omnic specialists. To quell their concerns, a press conference was organised, headed by Security Council President Xie herself, and accompanied by Strike Commander Morrison and Strike Captain Amari.

Both Jack and Ana were prepared and drilled thoroughly for the conference, memorising the briefs they were to deliver, bouncing questions and answers off of each other to keep their wits sharp, and their answers perfect. It paid off during the conference itself – both delivered their briefs perfectly, and Ana breathed a secret sigh of relief after, when Jack fielded most of the questions directed at the soldiers, putting on his best 'Commander' face and answering in his ever-calm, if a little monotonous tone.

When the conference was concluded in two short hours, Ana hopped out into the corridor and ran into Gabriel, who greeted her with a grin and a one-armed hug.

"How'd it go?"

"How else can it go, asshole?" Ana aimed a lighthearted punch at his gut. "It was okay, but god. I can't believe there are going to be more of these in the future."

"The burdens of command, am I right?" Gabriel said airily, earning a knock on his chest.

"Screw you," Ana whispered, leaning in. "If you didn't decline the offer, the two of you knuckleheads would've been in there together, instead of me."

Gabriel only gave a crooked smile and shrugged, patting her through the beret. He glanced over at Jack, who was engrossed in a discussion with Xie farther down the corridor, and asked, "So, how was he?"

"He was good. Everyone loves a soldier who looks like he can shoot better than he talks," she replied, sharing a snicker with Gabriel. "Nah, I'm just joking. He's pretty solid, actually. Your betrayal aside, I think you made the right choice."

"Yeah." Gabriel smiled wanly to himself, gaze softening as he continued to watch Jack. "He has it in him. Just doesn't know it yet. And you too." He nudged at Ana's temple with his knuckles. "We have the stoic Strike Commander to gain the people's confidence, and our charming Strike Captain to get the public to fall in love with us."

"You overestimate my power, Reyes."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Amari."

During the press conference, they'd announced Overwatch's very first mission: to protect the UN's chosen omnic representative, who would be flown around the world to organise the various pockets of omnic movements into a single, cohesive cause. Naturally, news of this spread nearly as quickly as the formation of Overwatch, and they quickly came under close scrutiny.

It was at this point that Xie finally took her hands off, leaving Overwatch in the capable hands of the newly-appointed Secretary-General, Gabrielle Adawe. The Strike Team had actually been Adawe's brainchild during the Crisis, but the then-Under-Secretary-General had tasked Xie with its formation instead. And now, Adawe sought to rebuild the peace that had existed between humans and omnics, with Overwatch's help.

The first thing she did, was choose the leader of the omnic peace movement in Russia – an omnic who simply called himself, Kostya. He was flown to Switzerland, where he would organise his long trip with the help of the UN, and have his security detail arranged by the soldiers of Overwatch themselves.

Their first meeting with him was interesting, to say the least. The omnic was easy-going and charismatic, spoke with a sincerity that belied his strength of will, and wore a sharp suit to round his spiffy image up. But the first thing that called attention to him, were the visible scars that marred his face – deep cuts over his jaw and neck, most of which were remnants from the Crisis, and a few were from recent assaults on his person. There were more on his body too, which he pulled his collar aside to reveal when he noticed their attention.

An interesting choice to lead the ideal omnic movement, Ana thought – rather symbolic, to have a survivor of the Omnic Crisis advocate for peace, even after the violence that'd been inflicted on him after the war. It made her think of Ado, who was now helping to run a shelter for both omnics and humans alike, while assisting in reconstruction efforts back home as well. So many people who wanted to piece their world back together after such turmoil – and Overwatch would be right alongside them, making sure they'd go far in achieving their lofty goal.

It seemed Kamilah was right – again. If Ana had turned Overwatch down, she would've regretted it deeply indeed.

"Blech," Fareeha said when Kamilah picked up a bag of kale, earning a click of the tongue from her mother.

"Vegetables are good for you, Fareeha," Kamilah reminded her, tossing the kale into the shopping cart that Fareeha was pushing along.

"Tastes bad," Fareeha said, parroting Ana's favourite complaint about the vegetable.

"You little rascal." Kamilah tweaked her nose. "Learning only the bad things from your ami." She smiled when her daughter giggled, and they strolled down the long shelf of vegetables together. Though Fareeha paid little attention, Kamilah tried to keep her interested in the greens she'd started to spurn from her palate, by picking out different selections for Fareeha to choose, just to involve her in planning a healthy diet. Fareeha even seemed to like their little activity together, and gave her opinions without complaint.

Kamilah picked up two clear boxes of grapes from the fruit shelf. "Green or purple?"

"Mm. Purple. I like purple."

"Purple it is."

"Mama," Fareeha said as she placed the grapes in the cart. "Can I get a comic?"

"Only if you're a good girl," Kamilah replied absentmindedly, looking at some bell peppers.

"I am a good girl," Fareeha said, so matter-of-fact that Kamilah turned to give her an incredulous look.

"Really? Are you going to eat the kale then?"

Fareeha pouted. "Yes…"

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Fine, go get your comic."

"Yay!"

With that, Fareeha ran off towards the magazine racks on the opposite side of the supermarket. Kamilah watched her go – just to make sure Fareeha didn't bump into anyone in her haste – before taking the cart herself and moving along, not straying too far so Fareeha could find her easily.

And it wasn't long before Fareeha returned, with even more excitement this time, holding her comic in one hand and waving a newspaper in the other.

"Mama! Ami's in the news!" Fareeha squealed.

"Shush, dear. Not so loud," Kamilah laughed softly, taking the newspaper to discover that Ana was indeed on the front page. It was a full-colour photo from Overwatch's recent conference, with Strike Commander Jack Morrison and his second-in-command, Strike Captain Ana Amari.

'Strike Captain'? Kamilah huffed in amusement to herself. Sounds ridiculous.

"Mama, can I read it?" Fareeha asked.

"You, read the news? Really?" Kamilah feinted surprise, causing Fareeha to bounce on her feet insistently.

"Yes! I wanna read about ami."

Oh Ana, Kamilah mused as Fareeha grabbed the newspaper. Your power knows no bounds.

"Someone's getting famous, hm?" Kamilah said, holding up the newspaper to the camera so Ana could see her own face.

"Ugh, god," Ana said. "I look so weird at that angle."

"I think you look cool, ami," Fareeha said, swiveling idly in her chair beside Kamilah.

"Really? Oh well. I guess your ami's pretty face does look good anywhere."

"You just said you looked weird," Kamilah reminded her.

"And Fareeha just changed my mind," Ana grinned. "How's my little girl doing? Listening to your mama?"

"Yeah. I ate kale tonight." Fareeha pouted.

"Oh, you have my sympathies, habibti," Ana crooned. And at a pointed look from her wife, she added, "But remember – veggies are good for you!"

"I know…"

Ana laughed at the girl's defeated tone. "And how's my darling wife? Ogling endlessly at my photos, are you?"

"Yes, actually. You do look quite smart when you're being all serious." Kamilah smiled when Ana raised a fist in triumph. "I assume you're busy then, Strike Captain?"

"Too busy," Ana sighed. "It's going to be another long day tomorrow. Don't think I've gotten enough sleep since Overwatch became a thing."

"Then you should sleep now, ami," Fareeha stated.

"Oh?" Ana raised her brows. "And shouldn't you be sleeping too, little one? It's past your bedtime already, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I got up to talk to you."

"Ah, thank you, darling. But you shouldn't stay up too late. Go on to bed now, alright? Ami will call again tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, ami."

"Good night, Fareeha."

Kamilah ruffled the girl's hair lightly as she jumped off the chair, and walked off towards her own bedroom. "You know, I think our daughter has the right idea. You should go to bed soon."

"But I wanna look at you longer, mama." Ana smiled. "I really miss you, you know?"

"I know. The bed feels so empty without you–, and no, not that way." Kamilah rolled her eyes when Ana's smile turned into a sly smirk. "God, I hate you. Go to sleep already."

"You say that now, but you'll miss me again soon enough," Ana laughed, then relented. "But yeah, I should go. You too, albi. Sleep well, and dream of me – I know I'll be dreaming of you."

Kamilah melted on the inside as Ana tossed her a wink, but she gathered herself and blew a kiss back to her wife, before the screen blinked off. She sat in place for a while, already missing the damned woman… But she stuffed her feelings down, and strode over to Fareeha's bedroom to check on the girl – finding the room's lights still on, and Fareeha snuggled up in bed with a storybook in her hands.

"Fareeha," was all Kamilah had to say, and the girl set her book aside.

When Fareeha was tucked in and had received a kiss on her forehead, she asked, "Mama? Where's ami?"

"In Switzerland, dear."

"Yeah, but where is it? Is it very far away?"

"Ah, that. Well…" Kamilah took her phone from her pocket, and quickly searched for a world map. "See here? This is where we are. Egypt, right?" She pointed out the country, and Fareeha nodded. "And Switzerland is all the way…up here." Kamilah scrolled up the map, and pointed the country out. "This is Zürich, in Switzerland – about 4 hours away by plane. That's where your ami is working now."

"Oh. Okay."

"Your ami and I went to Switzerland for our honeymoon, you know. We had our vacation there after we got married."

"Really?"

Kamilah nodded. "Yeah. We went during winter, so there was snow."

"I wanna see snow," Fareeha said. "Can I go too?"

"Of course. Maybe we'll go in the future with your ami. Or we can go and visit ami, during your holidays."

Fareeha grinned, more than satisfied with the answer. "Promise?"

"Promise. I'll talk to your ami, and we'll see what we can do," Kamilah assured her. "But it might be a while before we can go."

"It's okay. I can wait," Fareeha said, pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

Kamilah smiled, smoothing a hand over the girl's hair. "I know you can, my dear."

A/N: Overwatch...is finally here...Oh god why are my hairs grey-

Aight now that Overwatch has been established, I'll try to keep the pace chopchop quick, so that we can reach the main Amari Family Drama that I'm aiming for - Fareeha's joining the army, and Ana's disappearance. The things in between will be covered of course, no worries, just not in too much depth.

Ya know, it's been 52 chapters and you goofs are still here. I'd send all of you cakes if I could. Rainbow keks