"Ooh, it already looks so much nicer than before."
"It'd better. It was just empty land. And a smoking pile of rubble before that–"
"I meant, nicer than my old home," Ana sighed. "Is it just me, or are you becoming more like me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Kamilah replied drily, hiding her smile even with the camera lens focused on the lawn.
"Never thought I'd feel so touched seeing sprinklers in my own home," Ana said as Kamilah passed the camera over the grass. "Have I ever told you how my mom made us water the damn grass ourselves?"
"Too many times, dear."
"You know, maybe we should let Fareeha water the lawn too. Builds character…"
"You're just jealous that she doesn't have to."
"Psh." Ana stuck her tongue out at her wife, when Kamilah turned the camera back to herself, as she walked back into the house. "I'm not jealous of anyone. People are jealous of me."
"You wish." Kamilah rolled her eyes, then turned her phone around to resume the house tour.
It had been eight months since they'd returned from the trip to Switzerland, and since then, the house's construction had moved quickly along to completion. Then Kamilah spent nearly two months stressing over the move and furniture shopping, and only stopped pulling her hair out when she could finally crash into their new sofa, with Fareeha right beside her.
She walked Ana down the hallway, past their open dining room and into the kitchen, listening to Ana's wonder as she was introduced to the modern, rebuilt version of her childhood home. Kamilah smiled to herself as she entered the living room, giving Ana a good look at the photo of the original Amari family that she'd hung on the wall, before going over to the sofa where Fareeha was laid out on, tapping intently on her gaming device.
"Say hi to ami, Fareeha."
"Hi, ami," Fareeha said off-handedly, obviously too absorbed in her game to be bothered with anything else.
"What are you doing, habibti?"
"Boss battle," Fareeha muttered.
"I bought her a new game last week," Kamilah said as she moved away from the living room. "Something about building robots to fight with? But she's playing with it too much… Maybe I shouldn't have bought it for her."
Kamilah bit her lip as Fareeha's loud whine followed her down the hallway, the girl having heard her mother's comment, and was prodded into giving a very eloquent protest. "She's becoming more like you, Ana."
"Oh, sure. When she's naughty, it's my fault. And when she's good, it's you, isn't it?"
"That's right."
Ana sighed airily as Kamilah continued the tour, showing her around the first floor before moving up to the second. "Huh, is everything new? Did you move back any of our old stuff? The bookcases?"
"Yeah, but I had to throw most of them away. This is basically a brand new house, with brand new furniture… Sponsored by the UN's favourite captain."
"Ah yes, the very same who's been crying into her wallet. I know her pretty well."
"Good, give her my regards. Feels like I haven't seen her in ages."
"Aw, Milah. I miss you. You know that."
"I know." Kamilah swallowed the sigh that rose to her throat, letting Ana off the hook this time. God knows she'd nagged at her wife about her absence enough – even Kamilah was tiring of it herself. Besides, it wasn't as if Ana had much of a choice…
"Oh, damn! This is our room now!" Ana exclaimed when Kamilah walked into the master bedroom last. She laughed, "This feels so weird. It used to be my parents', and now it's mine."
"Feeling old yet?"
"That's pretty rich, coming from someone who turned 40 this year. Should I bring along a wheelchair when I come back next?"
"Only if you plan to sit in it," Kamilah sniped back. "And you'd better come back this time. Fareeha was pretty upset when you had to cancel before."
"Yeah, I know. I'll have to buy her twice the chocolates now."
"Please don't. Her self-control is getting more horrible." Kamilah fell back into the comfy new bed with a sigh, then groaned as she stretched, getting a few creaks from her back.
"Ooh, is that a preview?"
Kamilah clicked her tongue. "Ugh, it's like your brain's always in the gutter since you joined Overwatch."
"Hey, listen. I have two guys constantly fucking in the room next to mine, while I can only get any when I go home once in months, are you kidding me? It's unfair."
"Well, it's your fault for being there in the first place."
"Oh, oh! I've been wondering when you'd start throwing that in my face."
"Then you'd better buckle down, because I'm going to–" Kamilah was cut off when two beeps sounded from Ana's end. She waited as Ana received the call, then sighed after a short exchange.
"Sorry, babe. But I gotta go. Overwatch seems intent on overworking me today."
"It's Sunday."
"Yup! I love my job."
"I hate it." Kamilah smiled along with Ana's grin.
"Love you, Milah."
"Then prove it."
"I'll come back soon. Promise." Ana blew a kiss, before the screen went dark.
Kamilah heaved a sigh, letting the phone drop to the mattress. She rolled over and grabbed the fluffy pillow – the one Ana would use when she's back – and squeezed it in her arms. She took a deep inhale of the freshly-washed scent, and couldn't help but let out another sigh. Ana had been away for over a year, and she couldn't come home soon enough.
'Soon' turned out to be 'longer than expected' – a common occurrence since the founding of Overwatch, and though Ana had been forced to stretch her promises more than she'd like, she still made an effort to return home as soon as she was able. This time, it took three more months for her to get things in order, before she could slip away from Overwatch for a visit back home.
A 'visit' home. Somehow it felt more poignant than it sounded.
Kamilah drove her back from the airport, and when they'd reached house, Ana took a moment to stand before her home, staring at it in silence. She thought she'd lost most of what she had to remember her family by, when the house was turned to rubble in the Crisis. In truth, she did; but now, as she looked upon Kamilah's excellent effort at recreating the old house, it felt as if it'd all come back. Better, even – it was hers now, where her very own family would live and build upon the memories of the old.
It feels…good.
Ana walked in with Kamilah as her guide, marveling at what she'd only seen through the screen thus far, and nearly tearing up at the personal touches Kamilah had emulated from Zaid – little potted plants in rooms, family photos on end tables and the fridge, and that one display cabinet in the living room with a shelf for the children's plush toys.
Then she deposited her luggage in the bedroom and threw herself facedown onto the plump new bed – only to be chased off by Kamilah immediately, getting scolded for dirtying the sheets her wife had changed recently. She clamped her arms around her grumpy wife then, smothering Kamilah's face – and nagging – with playful pecks until she desisted, a smile cracking through her poker face.
Since Fareeha was over at a friend's house, Ana was free to spend the day alone with Kamilah, making up for the long year that she'd been away. It was a…rediscovery, in a sense – sort of seeing Kamilah in a new light, spotting the subtle changes they'd both experienced in their time apart.
As Kamilah spoke about the transfer recommendation she'd received again – after rejecting the last one – Ana just nodded and listened quietly, running her fingers through her wife's wavy tresses, and playing with the few silver strands she'd found. Ana hadn't quite started going grey like Kamilah, but one thing they both shared were the lines about their eyes. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed it, reaching up to caress the faint beginnings of crow's feet at Kamilah's eyes. It was something that she couldn't see through their vidcalls, so it came as a surprise – a welcome one, as Ana's been paying a bit more attention to her wrinkles as well.
Kamilah clicked her tongue when she noticed Ana worrying at her eyes. "Yes, yes. I'm growing old. You are, too."
Ana snickered as Kamilah tapped at her temple, and she caught her wife's hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "Actually, I was thinking how much more beautiful you look." She grinned when Kamilah rolled her eyes, then said, "And, Milah. I've been wanting to ask you for a while…"
"We are not building a statue of you in the lawn."
"No, not that. I just want to ask… Have you ever thought about moving to Zurich with me?"
Kamilah stared at her quietly, then snorted. "Are you kidding? And just what would I do there? Join Overwatch with you?"
"Well, maybe you could get that degree you've always wanted," Ana mused, threading their fingers together. "Maybe a medical degree. Then you can open your own private practice. 'Doctor Kamilah Amari'. Sounds just great, don't you think?"
"Please. I'm too old to be slogging for a medical degree now," Kamilah sighed. "Besides, we just finished building the damn house, Ana. Do you know how close I came to losing my mind over it? How I nearly wrenched my back moving our stuff over–?"
"I know, I know!" Ana waved a hand to placate her wife before she launched into a rant. "It's just a future consideration, that's all."
"Maybe. And even if we want to, I'd wait until Fareeha's a little older. I mean, she already missed her friends when we moved out of base. It'll be more difficult for her." Kamilah regarded her for a moment. "Why, do you want us to move?"
"Nah, it's just a possibility. I know I haven't been around much, and I do miss you all. I don't want to make this…too hard, you know?"
"Don't worry about it, Ana," Kamilah huffed, running a hand down her hair. "We're doing just fine so far. Or do you not think so?"
"No! No, of course not. It's just–" The words caught in her throat as she looked back at Kamilah's curious gaze, and Ana gave a slow sigh, wrestling her guilt into submission. "We've been great, and you've been absolutely wonderful. I just don't want to tire you out."
"Ana, please. I've been tired ever since I married you." Kamilah laughed, then kissed Ana's pout away. "But I'm serious, amar. Don't worry about home, alright? I'll take care of things back here, and you just worry about…whatever it is you worry about in Zurich."
Ana smiled, laughing under her breath as she leant forward to embrace her wife, burying her head in Kamilah's neck. "I love you, Milah."
"If you don't, my dear, I'll have to toss you into the trash."
Fareeha returned home in the evening, and greeted Ana with a big grin on her face – not to mention her dirty clothes speckled with sand from the playground, and minor scrapes on her palms and knees that were bandaged by her friends' parent. They made her wash up before dinner, then went into the city for a night out together – though they had to drive home earlier than expected, as Fareeha was quite tuckered out from an entire day's worth of play.
Despite Ana's prolonged absence before this visit home, the days went by in the same fashion as all her previous visits. Ana took over caring for her daughter – who'd grown enough that she didn't need constant attention anyway – and made sure the family spent as much time together as they could, whenever Kamilah was home from work. Fareeha did protest from time to time when she preferred to play by herself, but Ana always managed to coax her into wandering out for a simple stroll in the park or a movie. Ana had to restrain a laugh when she realised just how much she was acting like her mother, who'd always insisted on spending 'family time' together when she was back from a tour of duty.
Oh, how the tables have turned…and how she regretted complaining about her mother's efforts before.
It was only at the end of the week that Ana managed to see Safiya and Zahra again – along with their adopted son, Samir. Her sister had been away from Cairo visiting her in-laws, and when she heard that Ana was back, Safiya made it a point to drop by on the very same evening that she returned home. And the moment Kamilah opened the door to let them in, Ana took off at a sprint down the hallway and leapt right onto her sister, who let out a cry of surprise and staggered backwards under her weight.
"Ana–, Ana!" Safiya's arms wound around the sister clinging onto her like a koala, and she let out a breathless laugh along with Ana's cackles. "Ana, you're breaking my back!"
"Someone's getting old," Ana sang, squeezing Safiya about the shoulders before she swung her legs down, and allowed herself to be lowered to the floor. She cocked her head, watching Safiya stretch this way and that with a grimace. "Wait, I didn't really hurt your back, did I?"
"She sprained her back a while ago," Zahra chuckled, taking her turn to hug Ana. "Still feeling the strain."
"Aw, poor baby," Ana crooned, before grinning down at her nephew, ruffling his hair. Samir smiled up at her, then was quickly pulled into the house by Fareeha.
"Shut up, Captain," Safiya groaned, as they followed their wives into the house as well. "I finally manage to see you after so long, and the first thing you do is try to break my back."
"What else are sisters for?" Ana deadpanned.
"I don't know, but not this," Safiya sighed, scratching her head. "Oh, wait! Kami, have you shown Ana that forum thing I sent you?"
"Oh, Safiya. Please," Zahra said as Kamilah shook her head.
Safiya cackled as she pulled out her phone, quickly tapping her way to the browser and searching for a link. When she was done, she handed the phone to Ana and said, "Here, look at this."
Ana raised her brows at the forum thread on screen which, so far, displayed posts talking about the Overwatch team. Not about their courageous deeds in the war, or their current peacemaking efforts, or even a complaint about the militant nature of their organisation, no. It was about…their physical attractiveness.
Her lips started curving into a smirk as she scrolled through the comments – some adoring, some lewd, and some just downright objectifying. Then she happened upon a small subsection dedicated to herself, filled with questions whether she was married, if she was gay, and what was her workout routine. There were comments on how cool her tattoo and beret were, and then there was one that made her stop dead.
"Oh my god, someone said I'm a MILF," Ana said in disbelief. "Someone said–, I don't look that old, do I?"
"Well, you do have Fareeha," Safiya pointed out.
"Yeah, but I don't–, what the fuck." Laughter started falling from her lips, even as Kamilah squinted at her for the cuss. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel."
"Don't overthink it, Ana," Kamilah said drily as Safiya took her phone back. "Or you might start thinking you're a celebrity."
A lop-sided smile made its way onto Ana's face, and she padded over to Kamilah. "Why? Are you jealous?"
"Jealous of what, exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know. With so many people hankering after me… You might start feeling a little threatened?"
"Threatened?" Kamilah scoffed. "I'd gladly dump you on any moron who thinks it'll be great to be with you." Her lips parted in a smile despite her words, when Ana engulfed her in a tight hug.
"It's okay, Milah," Ana crooned. "You are my only MILF."
The expression that overtook Kamilah's face was beyond description, but it was safe to say that it encompassed shock, disbelief, repulsion, and murder.
"You are my…" Ana leaned in and whispered, "Milah I'd love to fuck."
Kamilah snapped out of her trance then, and clamped Ana's face in both hands. She stared straight into Ana's eyes, and said in a deadly hush, "I'm going to kill you, Ana."
"Looking forward to it, babe."
Of course, Kamilah didn't follow through on her empty threat. And so, Ana was able to spend a very satisfying weekend with her own family and her sister's, warming the new house together with lively chatter and laughter, in a way that it hadn't been for a long time. And it made her leaving for Zurich just a tad bit harder, especially when Safiya followed with Kamilah to send her off as well. She wondered – not for the first time – just why she was leaving them behind. But as always, the thought was fleeting, and Ana left it alone in favour of remembering Kamilah's loving smile and reassurances.
Back in Zurich, she focused on her work again – and its load grew heavier in the year that followed. When Kostya's peace movement had gained traction and pulled together as a solid entity, Gabrielle Adawe started replacing most of the Overwatch agents in Kostya's security team, so that they could start diversifying and focus on other problems as well. In addition to offering aid to the UN peacekeepers and relief missions, Overwatch was given more dangerous tasks as well, including the takedown of notable extremist and terrorist groups, and notorious gangs that threaten the safety of the populace.
For these missions, Overwatch needed many more agents in their ranks, and so ramped up their recruitment efforts, pulling in plenty of soldiers who'd volunteered or came recommended. Thus, while Jack was in charge of mission planning and delegation, Ana was to oversee the recruitment process – which included too many hours at the desk, scanning through countless documents. It made Ana want to punch Jack in the face, even if he wasn't responsible for her plight.
And though her subordinates handled most of the grunt work, Ana was still the one who received reports on the performance of their agents, and assigned them to the missions they'd be suited for. Unfortunately, she was also the one who'd receive complaints about the agents when they screwed up, which made her heave an exhaused sigh.
"Something wrong?" Gabriel asked, setting his mission report onto her desk.
Ana waved him over, and Gabriel pulled a chair along to sit beside her, taking a good look at the screen. "We have two more agents who were found…problematic."
"Hm." Gabriel skimmed through the report on said recruits, who'd made a mess of their training that morning. "Disregard for their teammates' lives, borderline insubordination… Still managed to complete the training simulation successfully? Interesting."
"Interesting?" Ana scoffed as Gabriel reached over to scroll through the recruits' profiles. "Troublesome, more like. We'll have to cut them loose like the rest."
"But these aren't the only ones with red marks, are there?"
"No. There are more of them than I'd like to see."
Gabriel hummed to himself again. "I don't think just getting rid of them is the best option. How about leaving them to me?"
"You? Are you going to train them yourself?" Ana asked incredulously, getting only a shrug from her colleague. "Gabe, you already have your hands full with that Deadlock operation. You don't have time for training, and you certainly can't afford to let these people screw your mission up."
"Maybe they won't. Just leave it up to me, Ana."
Ana watched him in thoughtful silence. "You know, you've been requesting quite a few transfers in and out of your team…. Almost like a reshuffle?"
Gabriel barked a quiet laugh. "Nothing escapes your eye, huh? Yeah, I am. Deadlock isn't an easy target to take down, and those straight-laced soldiers you've been giving me just can't cut it."
"You need people who can…bend the rules."
"Exactly. Come on, Ana," Gabriel added when she still looked uncertain. "Let's be honest – none of us on the Strike Team were chosen for being obedient, were we?"
"No." Ana leaned back into her chair with a sigh, steepling her fingers as she took another glance at the screen. "Look. I'll give you the people you need – but if anything goes wrong, it'll be your head. Along with ours."
"Trust me, Captain. I'll whip them into shape."
Another year went by, with Overwatch undergoing rapid expansion – not only among their ranks, but with the base itself. New facilities were constantly being added to accommodate their new personnel, and there was a specialised R&D lab under construction, for a new tech and sciences branch that Adawe had in mind. While that would be a major addition for the future, they'd undergone another significant change within Overwatch in the meantime – though it was kept top secret.
Despite Gabriel's initial attempts to escape the commander's mantle, his success with his team of 'troublemakers' had been remarkable – to the point where a sub-section of Overwatch was founded, codenamed 'Blackwatch'. Ana was uncomfortable with its creation, truth be told, and Jack shared her sentiments; black ops was a well-known secret that every military kept, but Overwatch was under international scrutiny. Should any news of Blackwatch's existence leak out, Overwatch would come under heavy fire – something Ana much preferred to avoid.
But it seemed that Gabriel was keeping a good grip on things so far – no one knew of their existence other than high command, and their continued success would ensure their secrecy for a long time. That, however, didn't mean that Jack and Ana were spared any of the headaches Blackwatch dumped into their laps.
"Why did you bring him, and only him back here?" Jack asked, his arms crossed as they stood behind the one-way mirror separating them from the interrogation room.
Gabriel shrugged – a gesture that was starting to annoy both the commander and captain – and they fell into silence as they stared into the room, and its sole occupant.
Blackwatch's recent operation to wipe out a Deadlock cell had been a success, and though Gabriel left none of the gang members standing, he had brought back the sole person left alive. A boy who was only just reaching sixteen, with a dirty mop of unruly brown hair that hung limply by the sides of his face. He still wore Deadlock gang colours, ripped and bloodied from his encounter with Gabriel's team. There were numerous bandages on his body, and Ana wondered if he wasn't in shock, given how he stared blankly at the table, not even trying to fight against the cuffs that chained him down.
"He's just a kid," Gabriel murmured, almost to himself. "He killed two of my people, acted all macho until we subdued him. Then he started shaking and crying on the way back."
"He was still part of Deadlock, Gabe," Jack pointed out. "You know their initiation ritual. He would've had to murder someone to get in, and he'd have killed more after."
"I know, Morrison," Gabriel growled, but then checked his temper. "But you missed what I said – he's just a kid. He must've been manipulated, brainwashed–"
"Still doesn't excuse what he's done," Ana said. She frowned at Gabriel when he looked a little lost himself. "Gabe, I'm not saying it would've been better to leave him behind, but what do you expect to do with him now? Why are you still keeping him here?"
"Send him back to the authorities," Jack spoke before Gabriel could. "At best, he'd get a life sentence. At worst–"
"No. Look, we can get more information out of him. Use him, even. Deadlock's been difficult for us, and we could use him to get inside."
Ana leaned over, shooting him a glare. "Gabe, we are not letting this one into our ranks. And you are not going to recruit him into Blackwatch."
The ghost of a smirk flitted over Gabriel's lips. "We'll see," was his only reply, and he entered the interrogation room before they could say another word.
Both Jack and Ana wore deep scowls as they watched Gabriel take a seat opposite the boy. He talked for a while, but got no reaction from the captive. Then, with a knowing look, Gabriel took the tattered cowboy hat sitting on the table – inciting a violent start from the boy, who tried to pounce at Gabriel, but was foiled by the cuffs chaining him to the table.
"Just what the fuck is he trying do," Jack rumbled, looking over at Ana.
But she had no answers, and shook her head wordlessly, feeling frustrated herself. She reached down to the computer on the desk before them, tapping on a few buttons to bring up the sparse profile that Gabriel had compiled on the boy.
Jesse McCree. It'd better not be a name that brought them more trouble.