"So, how's the view down there?" Ana drawled, passing her scope over the crowd gathered for the rally. "Or rather, how's the smell?"

"It's not that crowded, Ana," Jack replied over the comms, as the heavy truck pulled to a stop at the park's entrance.

"I don't know, think I can smell Rein from where I'm standing," Tien said, and Ana could spot his wry smile as he patrolled the northern border of the park.

"That hurts my feelings, Tien!" Rein boomed. They could hear him slipping the Crusader helmet on. "I didn't eat that many cabbages last night."

"Think you ate double my weight in cabbages," Torbjörn pointed out.

"…I didn't eat that many cabbages for my size."

"Point made."

"Alright, we're clear to move," Jack cut in, promptly followed by metallic clicks and shuffles over the radio. "Kostya, you ready?"

"Always, my friend."

"Eyes open, team. Let's go."

With that, all banter disappeared from the comms as the truck's back doors were swung open. Reinhardt stepped out first, armed only with his shield generator on his left gauntlet. He cast his gaze around, then stepped aside to allow the rest to alight; Jack took point and led Kostya down the path towards the stage constructed for this rally, while Reinhardt and Torbjörn took up the rear.

This was the first public appearance for the UN's newest Messenger for Peace, and security was on high alert – though Moscow had one of the world's most active anti-omnic movements, Kosta was insistent on starting in his homeland first, no doubt eager to make amends…and send a strong message. But what that message would be, depended on the success of his first rally. Thus, Overwatch was offered the aid of the peacekeeping forces, as well as the local police, to ensure that this mission ended well.

Ana kept alert as the rally went on, receiving regular updates from the ground team patrolling in and around the park. Though she had her sniper rifle on hand as always, its use was reserved only for an emergency on this mission; her main role was surveillance and team coordination – giving orders in Jack's stead, while the Strike Commander focused on Kostya's personal safety.

"Captain, loiterers near north point," Gabriel's voice crackled over the radio.

"Any danger?"

"If they weren't suspicious, I wouldn't be…"

Ana waited, then said, "Reyes? Report–"

"Shit."

She heard rapid footfalls over the line, and the click of a sidearm, before his mic was cut off. "Reyes. Do you need backup? Reyes, report." A moment's wait yielded no answer, and Ana opened another channel. "Tien, move to Reyes' position. There's trouble–"

"No, no. It's fine," Gabriel came back on, huffing heavily into his mic – more out of exasperation than exhaustion. "Caught these two trying to sneak around the back. Armed. I'll take them in."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I knocked them out."

"Of course you did." Ana's gaze was drawn towards the southern road then, where a van was speeding towards the park. "Mirem–"

"Captain, explosives detected in a van, just sped past my location," Mirembe reported, even as her drone flew through the air in pursuit of the vehicle.

"Get on it!" Ana brought Tien and Torbjörn into the channel as well. "Tien, Mirembe needs backup. Now."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Torbjörn, follow behind Tien. I need you to defuse the explosives, if necessary."

"Aye."

With a quick warning to Jack, Ana turned her attention towards the van – which had been disabled remotely by Mirembe's drone, along with the few cars behind it to avoid a mass collision. Since Tien was only halfway to her position, Mirembe moved by herself, taking on the driver and passenger who'd alighted with pistols ready. Their apparent confusion at the empty space around them was compounded, when one man's pistol was knocked out of his hand by seemingly nothing at all. Then he bent over in pain, hands covering his crotch, before his head rocked backwards and he fell to the ground unconscious. Still cloaked in her stealth field, Mirembe took the other down with ease, just as Tien reached the van.

"Took your time, dancer boy."

"Didn't want to steal your thunder, that's all."

The two rounded to the back of the van, where Tien ripped the locked doors open with the enhanced strength provided by his combat gauntlets. Ana heard short bursts of gunfire, then solid thuds as Mirembe and Tien incapacitated the people within.

"Damn, they activated the countdown. You have less than 5 minutes, Torb," Mirembe said, and Torbjörn rushed over to the van.

"Hm, regular high explosives. Not a problem."

"Should we stand back? Just in case?" Tien asked, as much in jest as he was serious.

"I got this," Torbjörn muttered, his tone reaching that placid focus. "But guard the doors if you feel antsy."

"Right."

Tien stood outside the van's doors, keeping watch while Mirembe hurried around to clear a perimeter, holding back confused passers-by until Torbjörn gave the all-clear. They took a concerted sigh of relief, and Ana scanned the area before delivering a report to Jack.

"Still nothing on my end, Amari. And good work."

"We're incapable of doing anything else, Morrison."

The rally went on for another hour, and ended with such a loud cheer that even Ana could hear from her lofty perch. When Kostya and his guards were loaded onto his van and left the site, Ana shut off her stealth field and hustled down the building, joining Mirembe, Tien, and Gabriel in their own transport van.

"Great job, kids," Ana said. She ruffled each of their heads as she walked in, then settled into the seat next to Gabriel, who snorted as he smoothed his hair back.

"Thanks, mom."

And so, a year passed with Ana spending most of her time in Overwatch, traveling all over the world once again. They moved at a slower pace this time, as Kostya had a full itinerary that kept him longer in each city, which in turn kept Overwatch busy guarding him as he went along. He gathered friends and allies, and was soon expanding his scope of activities that necessitated an imminent recruitment for Overwatch, so they'd have sufficient numbers to cover future missions – that always seemed to grow in number.

Needless to say, with their neverending influx of work and preparation for recruitment, Ana's schedule had been hectic – though she did manage to squeeze out some time to fly home. But only for a brief week or two at most, twice that year. Since she'd planned her breaks to coincide with her anniversary and Fareeha's birthday, Ana pretty much missed out on everything else that happened at home, and was only kept up to date by Kamilah over their calls.

For one, she missed Khalid's wedding to a florist he'd been dating since the Crisis ended. Ana offered her regrets and apologies to her brother-in-mischief, and he laughed her off with a grin and a tease; but she made sure to send him a recorded message on the eve of his wedding, and word was, it made him shed a few tears. He refused to reveal whatever Ana had spoken of in the recording, and Ana claimed it was a reminder that he'd never be as good as her. But, of course, no one bought into her obvious bullshit, and assumed it was something touching. Kamilah and Fareeha attended the wedding in her stead, and were pulled into the squad photo they snapped at the end of the night.

Not long after, Safiya and Zahra called home to give a little surprise – they'd adopted a six-year-old son, who had been orphaned during the Crisis. Samir, though a little quieter than Fareeha, seemed quite bubbly himself, and shared his cousin's fascination with flying and planes. So their parents had to set up separate calls for the children to chat away, while the adults could talk among themselves.

They didn't stick with this method of communication for long though, when Safiya finally fulfilled her long-time wish of moving back to Cairo. She and Zahra moved into the house that was built opposite the Amari family's still-empty lot, and during the frequent visits to Kamilah and Fareeha on base, they urged Kamilah to consider building their own house as well.

Fareeha, for one, was excited at the prospect of living opposite her cousin and favourite aunts, and couldn't stop pestering her own parents to build a brand new house to live in. So Kamilah, after long discussions with Ana over vidcall, decided to bite the bullet and contracted an architect to start drawing up plans for their new home – conveying her best recollection of the old house, so that Ana would have a nice surprise to return to as well.

And six months passed after Ana's first year in Overwatch, with Kamilah kept busy as well – chasing after Fareeha to balance homework and play, keeping up with the house's construction, and pondering over an invitation for a transfer from the academy and back to the hospital again. And when their lives had finally slowed down to give them some space to breathe, and the recruitment rush in Overwatch had subsided, Ana invited her family for a visit to their base in Zurich.

So started Mama Kamilah's new task – to pack for her family's trip to Zurich, and bring along some of the belongings that Ana had requested. She'd settled Ana's portion of the luggage first, before moving onto her own, and then she was given pause when she looked at Fareeha's smaller luggage, open on the bed beside hers.

Kamilah laughed to herself when Fareeha bounced in, carrying Fart the Purple Dragon and Beaks the Baby Blue Bird in each hand, and stuffed both toys into her luggage – which had more books and toys than clothes. "Fareeha, dear. You're going to need more clothes, you know? We're going for a week. And…" Kamilah lowered her voice to soften the blow. "We can't fit that many toys in your luggage."

Fareeha pouted. "But I want my toys."

"Alright, but…" Kamilah eyed the luggage. "You can only bring one. Fine, two," she added when Fareeha whined.

"Okay," Fareeha sighed, plucking out every toy except the dragon and bird. "But mama, can you bring your tiger too?"

Kamilah took a breath, ready to say 'no', but at the sight of her daughter's pleading puppy eyes, her reply turned into, "Yup."

Satisfied, Fareeha skipped back into her room with her toys, leaving Kamilah to her own packing – after wrapping her own tiger plush with a blanket in the luggage. But the girl wouldn't leave her mother alone for long, bouncing back into the room and looking curiously in her mother's closet – which was a lot emptier without a bulk of Ana's clothes taking up space. Fareeha hummed her favourite cartoon's tune as she looked over the clothes, then returned to her mother's side again, eager to give her own surprise.

"Mama, look!" Fareeha sang. "Now I look like you!"

Kamilah nearly choked when she looked up, and found Fareeha wearing one of Ana's oversized t-shirts, with a worn print of 'SEX MACHINE' on its front. She let out a sheepish laugh, figuring that Fareeha hadn't grasped enough…mature English to understand the letters yet. "You little rascal," Kamilah said, pinching the girl's nose. "Now, put it back in mama's closet or I'll have to iron it again."

"Aw, but it's so fun." Fareeha bounced around the room again, clutching onto the hem of the t-shirt and flapping around with her 'wings', making little bird noises. Then she stopped by the bed again, put both hands on her hips, and frowned. "'Fareeha, eat your veggies or no games!'"

Kamilah couldn't help but bark a laugh, and after she'd given Fareeha a flick on the forehead, the girl finally took off the t-shirt and tossed it carelessly back into the wardrobe. Kamilah had to restrain a sigh – making a mental note to fold the shirt later, and teach her daughter to fold clothes herself… If that was even possible, with a girl who seemed able to throw her dirty clothes everywhere except the laundry basket.

Getting bored, Fareeha threw herself onto the bed and plucked her bird toy from the luggage, flapping its wings idly. "Mama?"

"Hm?"

"Ami's daddy and mommy are gone. That's why we visit them at the grave, right?"

"Yes…?"

"What about yours?" Fareeha asked innocently, rolling onto her front. "Where are they? Do you visit them?"

"No," Kamilah said after a moment's pause. "I don't know where they are."

"Why?"

"Because…I left them a long time ago."

"But why? Aren't they sad because you left?"

Kamilah snorted scornfully, then caught the darker, bitter mood before it rose to the surface. "No, I don't think they are." She folded the last pair of pants and placed it in the luggage, then sat on the bed with Fareeha. She'd never expected to explain this to her own child, and took a moment to phrase it lightly. "Mama left them because–, I didn't want them anymore. They were…bad parents, Fareeha."

"Oh." Fareeha twiddled with her bird plushie's wings. "So they're not like you?"

"No." Kamilah smiled. "You think mama is a good parent?"

"Yeah," Fareeha said, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and she's perplexed why her mama would even ask in the first place. "You're the bestest mama."

Her mother chuckled. "And your ami?"

"Ami is the bestest also," Fareeha declared without hesitation, then fell into a moment of thoughtful silence. "Except when you make me eat kale. Then you're bad."

"You naughty little…" Kamilah leaned over and tickled Fareeha's sides mercilessly, getting a squeal from her daughter. Fareeha wriggled and jumped off the bed, running out into the corridor with her mama hot on her heels. "Come back for your naughty tickles, Fareeha!"

"No!"

On the day of their flight – and the night before – Fareeha positively vibrated with excitement. She dressed herself quickly and put on the hair beads they'd bought for her, and was exceedingly helpful at helping her mother carry their things, eager to reach the airport as soon as possible.

There, Kamilah brought her up to the observation deck first, where they remained for most of their wait, Fareeha enamoured with the planes rolling down the runways and taking off. And even when they've boarded their own plane, her wonder still hadn't worn off, and Fareeha kept her eyes fixed on the windows as they took off, giggling when she felt the acceleration and upward tilt.

The 5-hour flight to Zurich passed pretty quickly for Kamilah, who drifted in and out of a nap with one earbud in, while her other ear was left free in case Fareeha said anything. The girl watched the bright blue skies for a long while before she grew bored of the scenery, then fished out her own gaming device to play with, until the plane landed. She held onto Kamilah's hand as they navigated the unfamiliar surroundings, retrieved their backpacks, then went out to look for Ana in the arrival hall.

Her wife was pretty easy to spot – to her eyes, anyway; Ana waited a few paces from the crowd gathered at the gates, wearing a light jacket and pants, with shades covering her eyes. Kamilah had to suppress a snort at the sight, while Fareeha flew towards her ami for a hug.

"I missed you too, little one." Ana smiled, giving Fareeha one last squeeze before releasing her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, holding it out to Fareeha's eager hands. "Wanna share this?"

"Yeah!"

Ana ruffled her hair as Fareeha tore the package open, then stood to face her wife. "Milah, Milah."

"Ana, Ana. When will you learn?" Kamilah tapped at the tattoo still poking out beneath Ana's shades. "Your dumb tattoo can't be hidden. There are still people looking at you."

"I know," Ana sighed airily, pulling off the shades. "But people tend to stay away when they aren't sure it's you, you know?"

"I wouldn't know, Strike Captain." Kamilah smiled at Ana's peck on her lips, then planted a kiss on her wife's cheek.

Ana drove them over to a diner first, where they ordered some snacks to fill their stomachs, and finished the chocolate bar – most of which found its way into Fareeha's stomach. Then they went straight to the Overwatch base, where their identities were entered into the security system, before Ana was cleared to bring them to the barracks.

The Strike Captain's quarters, while bigger than the rest like the Commander's, was still quite modest – and a little small for a family of three. So they deposited their luggage and made their way to the team's private lounge, where the family was greeted warmly and loudly – the latter of which was mostly due to Reinhardt.

While Fareeha was drawn away from Kamilah's side by Reinhardt's exuberance and Mirembe's friendly teases, Jack extended his hand to Kamilah with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again," he said. "Feels like a lifetime ago since we met you in Cairo."

"It does."

"And now we finally get to meet you for real," Gabriel added, taking her hand next. "Ana's told us a lot about you."

"All about how terrifying I am, I presume?"

"Well, mostly." Gabriel shrugged, a lop-sided smile on his face as he caught Ana's pointed look. "But she does it in a very loving way."

"Trying to sabotage my marriage, Gabe?"

"Eh, he tries to sabotage everything," Torbjörn added, coming over to greet Kamilah as well.

While her wife was kept occupied by the three men, Ana turned her attention back to Fareeha, who's gazing at Reinhardt, Mirembe and Tien, enraptured as they threw out story after combat story to try impressing Fareeha the most.

"I bet you can fight a big tank!" Fareeha giggled at Reinhardt's story of wrestling an omnic into submission. "You're really big!"

Ana mock gasped. "Fareeha, you can't just tell people they're big."

"But I am!" Reinhardt proclaimed, drawing up to his full height and thumping a fist on his chest. "In fact, I am this team's noble and courageous tank!"

"Wait, I thought you're our knight?" Mirembe asked.

"It's a gaming reference, you dolt," Tien said.

"I wouldn't know, geek," Mirembe riposted, though their little argument went unnoticed by Fareeha, who stood in Reinhardt's shadow, still gazing up at him in wonder.

"You're really tall," Fareeha said.

"Yeah? You wanna ride on his shoulders?"

Fareeha's eyes grew round as coins at Ana's suggestion. "Can I, can I?"

"Of course! But we can't do it in here, you'll hit the ceiling. Come." Reinhardt offered his large hand for Fareeha to hold. "Let's show you and your mama around the base, shall we?"

"Yeah, yeah! Let's go!"

Naturally, Reinhardt became Fareeha's favourite within the first day, closely followed by Tien and Mirembe – quite literally, as the agents had little to do before their next mission. The three became Fareeha's little squad, and she spent as much time around them as she did with her family, who were often in the company of Jack and Gabriel. Torbjörn had flown back to Sweden in the meantime, to be with his own, larger family, and to work out a deal between the Ironclad Guild and Overwatch.

Since Fareeha seemed happy enough with her new friends, Ana stuck with Kamilah instead, rarely parted from the wife she'd seen so little of, over the past year. Then came a day when Jack and Ana were called away for an urgent meeting with Adawe, which lasted through the morning and afternoon. And when she returned to her office at last, she turned on the lights and was surprised to find Kamilah laid out on the couch, rousing blearily from the nap Ana had disturbed.

"Sorry, babe. Shall I turn down the lights?"

"No," Kamilah groaned as she pushed herself up with a sniff, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, I've knocked out for…over two hours."

"You're getting old, dear," Ana laughed, tossing her folder and datapad onto the desk.

"I found my first white hair not long ago, so yes. I am." Kamilah took a deep breath and dragged a hand down her face. She blinked slowly, then looked Ana over with that thoughtful crease between her brows. "That's your uniform."

Ana looked down at herself, as if to double check. "Yup."

"Hm." Kamilah stood and walked over. "Quite fashionable."

"Thanks–"

"But impractical. What's the point of this?" Kamilah gestured at Ana's right leg. "There's armour on this leg, but not the other one? And here, you have a chestguard." She knocked on the solid metal covering Ana's chest, then at the fabric over her stomach. "But there's no protection here. Just what is going on? Is Overwatch on a budget?"

Ana chuckled, crossing her arms as she waited for Kamilah to finish her inspection, circling around to examine the Strike Captain's back. "Ooh," Ana sang when Kamilah slipped her fingers through the straps on her backside.

"Well, at least your booty is secure," Kamilah deadpanned, giving the straps a tug before Ana turned around and pulled her close.

"Gotta safekeep the booty for you, Mrs. Amari," Ana crooned, feeling Kamilah laugh quietly against her lips, as she kissed her wife slowly. "I really missed you," she murmured, sharing one kiss after another, subtly steering her wife towards the desk.

But when Kamilah bumped into the desk, she caught onto Ana's game. She grunted, words stolen from her lips by Ana, but she pushed lightly against her wife's chest, holding Ana at bay. "Really? Right here?"

"Why not?" Ana purred, moving forward to stand between Kamilah's legs.

"Not in your office, Ana," Kamilah said, even as she slung both arms around Ana's neck.

"But Fareeha's sharing our room!" Ana whined, pout forming on her lips.

"Too bad," Kamilah crooned back at her, giving Ana another peck. She smiled at her wife's pleading and insistent kisses, giving no protest when Ana's tongue slipped in for a brief delve.

"Let's go to my room now," Ana whispered.

Kamilah huffed. "You really are hungry for it, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. And I'm going to eat you right up." Ana grinned, then turned around and hefted Kamilah onto her back, getting a burst of laughter from her wife as she carried Kamilah out of the office.

The next day, the family stole some time for themselves, playing out in the empty field behind the barracks. As it was usually breezy, Ana managed to get hold of two kites that they could fly, and that afternoon provided strong winds that kept them occupied for a long while. When Fareeha wasn't holding onto her own kite, she ran all over the green grass, reveling in the air that was much cooler than she'd experienced at home, and imagining she was right beside the kites soaring high in the skies above.

And when they finally tired of the kites, they just plopped down in the middle of the green field for a breather. Kamilah laid down on the grass, arms stretched out by her sides as she closed her eyes, enjoying the serenity with a faint smile on her lips. Ana, on the other hand, took the chance to chat with her daughter, who seemed more than happy to share everything that had happened while her ami was away.

"Samir said he wants to be a plane, but that's silly, right?"

"Why is that silly?" Ana asked, winding the kite's string around its wooden spool.

"Because we're people, not planes," Fareeha explained. "Like, Auntie Zahra is a person who flies planes. And helicopters."

"So? People can be planes if they really, really want."

Fareeha giggled. "No, they can't, ami."

"Oh really? Let me show you." Ana pushed herself onto her feet, and squat down in front of Fareeha. "Here, climb on."

"Why?" Fareeha asked, though she climbed onto Ana's back and held on as her mother stood up.

Then Ana bent down so Fareeha could lie comfortably on her back, and said, "Now spread your wings, habibti."

"You're so silly, ami!" Fareeha laughed.

"We're all silly beans, dear. Now, engage your wings, Captain Fareeha!" Ana spread out her arms along with her daughter. "Thrusters engaged. Let's take off!"

Both mother and daughter made loud planes noises with their mouth, as Ana ferried Fareeha around the field, swooping and swerving carefully so that Fareeha wouldn't fall off her back. She made a few twisting circuits, then turned around to fly towards Kamilah – and Ana paused when she found Kamilah's phone lens trained on her.

"Are you taking a video?" Ana asked.

"Oh, no. Just pictures." Kamilah tapped at the screen once more, lowering her phone slightly. "But good idea." She lifted her phone again, then waved a hand at Ana. "Go on, I'll record your flying."

"Milah, my back's kinda breaking here, you know." Ana straightened herself, piggy-backing Fareeha instead.

"Really? Who's old now, huh?"

"Still you, my darling old hag."

A/N: So time will fly pretty quick during chapters, but do tell me if it's difficult to keep up with the time yeah?

Just to keep us on track: as of now - Ana's 37, Kamilah's 39, and Fareeha's 9 years old. My god they're all growing up so fast.

Oh, and the uniform Milah's critiquing is that one from her early OW days, without the coat.