2 years later
Bad days. Something Kamilah was all too familiar with, after forty years of living. There were days when she could lie down for hours, an empty shell of a person. Days when she would go through the motions of living out of necessity. Days when she wanted to lash out, hold the world by its throat and ask 'why'. All were unpleasant experiences, and none made her feel stronger for having survived.
Most bad days were coincidental, unnecessary. But Kamilah had to admit, that some were well-deserved indeed. And this group of entitled children masquerading as soldiers, was certainly getting what had been a long time coming.
Kamilah stood by the side of the training field, watching her instructor tear into a platoon of cadets for their dismal performance in the exercise that had just ended. They'd been held back after the rest of the company was dismissed, and it was obvious they were unhappy about it. Kamilah passed an eye over each exhausted and sullen face, and wasn't impressed by what she saw. Very displeased, actually. And her opinion took a turn for the worse when a cadet opened his mouth to argue with the instructor.
"Who said that," she barked, and all fell silent in an instant.
Major Kamilah Amari strode over to stand before the platoon – whose eyes were fixed at some point past her, afraid to make contact with Kamilah's. She waited for two seconds, allowing the tension to settle in, then spoke again.
"The one who dared to argue," Kamilah said, dangerously quiet. "Step forward."
A moment of hesitation, before a young man in the second row marched forward to stand at attention before her. He looked to be in his early-twenties, perhaps fresh out of university and used to debating with his professors – something the military academy had little room for, especially in field training. And certainly not when he'd barely earned the right to offer his inexperienced opinion.
"Repeat what you said, cadet."
His eyes flickered down to hers briefly, then he said aloud, "We were only three minutes behind the standard time, ma'am."
"Is that so? And what is the standard time?"
"20 minutes for 5km, ma'am."
"And you were only…how many minutes behind?"
"3 minutes, ma'am–"
"Ah, yes. So you took 23 minutes to complete the course. Well, I have news for you. You failed!" Kamilah shouted, and the cadet flinched. "You failed at 23 minutes. You will fail at 21 minutes. And guess what, cadet? Even at 20 minutes and 30 seconds, you will still fail! We set a standard time, not for you shitheads to argue and bend the rules. We set it to do just that – to set a standard. And you've fallen below it!"
The cadet kept his lips pursed, and though his expression remained stoic, there was no doubt he looked smaller than the major who stood a full head shorter than him.
"Yet you still dare to open your mouth to defend your shitty performance? In all my years at this academy, I have never seen a group of cadets as immature and worthless as the lot of you!"
Kamilah noticed the cadet's eyes flash briefly past her shoulder, and she was about to rip into him for not paying attention, when she saw that the entire platoon was trying not to get distracted. She glanced at her instructor, who nodded his head behind her. Kamilah spun around to find a figure walking towards them, clad in a sturdy black bodysuit with signature Overwatch-blue armour. That blue Republican Guard beret only served to affirm her identity…as if her current outfit hadn't announced it clear as day.
Strike Captain Ana Amari neared her wife, but stood at a respectful distance as they shared a brief nod together. Kamilah glanced back at her instructor, who barked a command, and the platoon saluted as one. Sighing quietly in relief that her cadets didn't screw up this simple act, Kamilah waited for Ana to return the salute, then resumed the reprimand at Ana's nod.
Taking a breath, Kamilah turned back to the cadet before her. "I'd like to remind the lot of you, that you are training to be combat medics. And let me tell you something – in the Medical Corps, speed is of the essence, because time will never be on your side. Tell me, cadet. When you have a fellow soldier bleeding to death on your back, are you going to tell them to wait for 20 minutes, because that's the standard time for running?"
"No, ma'am."
"Then stop giving me excuses!" Kamilah raised her voice, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Stop giving me goddamn excuses for your pathetic performance, and buck the fuck up! I've been watching your platoon for months now, and my opinion of you has only gotten worse, and worse!" She stepped past the lone cadet to pace in front of the platoon, glaring at faces that slowly wilted under her anger.
"You are an embarrassment to the academy," she hollered, and noted with satisfaction the cadets' grim expressions. "You are a shame to this uniform. You are a shame to this country. You are a shame to yourself!"
Kamilah went to stand before the cadet pulled from his platoon, and regarded him with a sharp eye. "You know what? Since you're all so confident, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll give you one chance to prove me wrong." She pulled up her left sleeve, pressing the buttons of her watch to set the countdown timer. "20 rounds around the compound in 30 minutes. Go."
The cadet's eyes widened, as his platoon was overtaken by panic behind him. "But ma'am–!"
"30 rounds!"
She started the timer with an audible beep, and the entire platoon was shocked into action, sprinting off to start their 'challenge'. It was a punishment, really – and an unfair one at that. Twenty rounds was nearly double of five kilometers, and thirty rounds could practically be training for a half-marathon. Then again, Kamilah never intended to be fair, nor did she expect the cadets to meet the impossible timing anyway. She wanted to drive a point home, and a painful lesson would accomplish just that.
"How brutal, Milah," Ana chuckled under her breath, leaning over to her wife.
"That's Major Amari to you, Captain," Kamilah deadpanned, determined not to be broken out of her menacing façade. Though Ana's smirk, coupled with her fond gaze, made it so much harder.
Turning her gaze to look at the cadets running past them, Kamilah kept quiet and waited for the timer to tick down to zero, while her instructor lost self-control and eagerly shook hands with Ana. She refrained from rolling her eyes when Ana was lavished with admiration, and distracted herself by glaring quietly each time the cadets ran past – a crack of the whip, as it were. And when the timer had run down, Kamilah decided to show a sliver of mercy.
"Stop. I said stop, you idiots!" Kamilah yelled louder, causing the cadets to stop suddenly and bump into each other, some of them falling over like dominoes.
The officers watched the platoon haul themselves to their feet and fall in, all the while panting hard and trying to keep their backs straight.
"Twenty minutes are over. How many rounds did you go?"
Even the answer was a mess – some declared 'fifteen' amid a smattering of 'twelve's, 'fourteen's, and even a 'ten'.
Ana clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "My, my. Didn't even bother to count your laps? Quite a pitiful display." She didn't bother to hide her chuckle at their suffering, and continued, "You slobs wouldn't have lasted two minutes in the Crisis. I'd suggest you start listening to the Major here. I've seen her haul countless wounded across the battlefield, even when she was injured herself. She saved many lives during the insurgency and the Crisis – even mine."
The Strike Captain clasped her hands behind her back, looking the cadets over. "The state this platoon is in, I wouldn't even trust you with the life of a fish."
"An accurate assessment," Kamilah said drily, turning back to the platoon. "I'll be keeping an eye on all of you for the next week. And if I still don't see an improvement, I will personally kick you out of the academy. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Satisfied with the loud reply despite their tired state, Kamilah gave them some reprieve and took her leave, handing the platoon back to their instructor. She walked away with Ana at her side, and when they'd gone far enough – but still not too far to be out of sight – Ana reached over to lace their fingers together.
Kamilah shot her a bemused gaze. "Can't even wait a minute longer?"
"No," Ana replied with an unrepentant smile, closing the distance so they walked shoulder-to-shoulder back to the academy's offices. "I lose any sense of discipline when I'm around you, Major Amari."
"Idiot," Kamilah huffed, though she mirrored Ana's smile as she touched the wedding band Ana wore beneath her glove.
When they reached the offices, Ana attracted many more glances as they walked down the hallway to Kamilah's office. Though they'd known the brass had invited the Strike Captain home for a formal function and to inspect their own forces – giving the troops a morale boost along the way – Ana's proximity still took many people off-guard. The eyes fixed on Ana were mostly filled with awe and respect, but while the Captain smiled at the attention, Kamilah felt a dull irritation – and longed for the days when they could walk through the base unnoticed, with Ana all to herself.
Perhaps it was a good thing Ana didn't come home often. Kamilah was aware of this sensation getting worse each time Ana was with her, despite her efforts at suppressing it.
Still, she bit her tongue and led Ana into her office, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when her wife shut the door.
"This is all your fault, you know," Kamilah grumbled, getting a curious tilt of the head from Ana. "Because of you, we've been getting so many wannabes as recruits. Thickheaded louts who think they can be 'heroes' without slogging it out first."
Ana gave an apologetic grin and shrugged. "What can I say? I have a way of inspiring idiots. Leading the flock, so to speak."
Kamilah rolled her eyes and fell heavily into her chair. "Keep inspiring people like this, and I'm going to lose my voice permanently from shouting at them."
"Then it's lucky you won't have to shout so often anymore, hm? My capable Lieutenant-Colonel," Ana crooned, leaning down to peck her on the lips.
"The ceremony's in two days," Kamilah reminded her – something Ana had returned for, as well.
"Hey, to me? You already are a general…the way you love ordering me around." Ana grinned when Kamilah slapped at her shoulder, then gave her wife another kiss, before settling into a seat next to her.
Kamilah looked at the desk, and found a sandwich and a cup of coffee waiting beside her file tray – food that hadn't been there before. Ana must've had been here before she joined Kamilah out in the field. She grabbed the cup of lukewarm coffee and took a sip, then offered it to Ana.
"So, has your trip been confirmed?" Kamilah asked.
Ana cocked her head in a moment's thought, then realised what Kamilah was talking about. "Oh, yup. I'll be flying off to Gibraltar in two months. Gonna be there for a while to finalise the base's plans, then it's back to Zurich. Kind of looking forward to it, to be honest. It'll be like a vacation compared to my regular headaches."
"I'm sure," Kamilah replied, taking the coffee back. "Guess it helps that you're not establishing a base of monkeys on the moon."
Ana laughed. "Yeah! I still can't believe it though – it's like they've never watched a single Planet of the Apes movie before."
"It's for science, Ana."
"Yeah, I know. But you can't control science, sometimes." Ana leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "Maybe I shouldn't say that now, with our R&D branch up and working. You should see some of the tech they're developing – hoo! It's like science fiction come to life."
"Really? Maybe you can show me something when I'm there."
"Oh no. I'm sorry, but they're classified." Ana drummed her fingers on Kamilah's arm, then reached up to clasp her wife's chin. "But I could show you something right now…"
The purr in Ana's voice was unmistakable, and Kamilah clicked her tongue, shoving Ana away as her wife burst into a loud cackle.
"Incorrigible."
"You still love it, albi."
At the end of the day, Kamilah fetched Ana from the shooting range where the snipers were training, and they drove out of base towards Fareeha's school. Both still wore their uniforms – Kamilah out of habit, while Ana wanted to make Fareeha happy, allowing the girl to show her famous mother off at school.
As ever, Ana attracted her fair share of attention as they entered the school grounds. But Kamilah's focus wasn't on her wife this time – but on the absence of her daughter. A slight frown creased her forehead when she realised what this must mean, and she led Ana into the school, where they found Fareeha sitting alone in her homeroom with her teacher. The twelve-year-old glanced up at their entrance, then dropped her pencil onto the homework she'd been working on, her gaze lowered to avoid her parents' eyes.
"Kamilah," the teacher rose to greet them. "And Ana Amari? I don't think we've met before."
"We haven't," Ana confirmed, clasping her hand with a smile. "It's my pleasure."
"It's mine as well. But…I'm afraid we have something more important to discuss right now." She gestured at Fareeha, who was now kicking her feet beneath her table, looking apprehensive. "Fareeha has failed her math exam again. And her science exam was a borderline pass."
"I see." Kamilah glanced at the girl, unsure if her heart sank at the news or the guilty expression on her daughter's face. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I'm sure you two are very busy. I will give her remedial classes after school, but I'd really appreciate it if you could monitor her homework a little closer as well?" The teacher smiled politely. "Fareeha's been turning in half-finished homework, claiming she doesn't understand or doesn't have time. Thing is, I'd like my students to try even when they don't understand the concepts – it's a much better alternative to not trying at all. But with regards to time…?"
"I don't believe it's an issue of time," Kamilah said, knowing very well Fareeha had made enough time for herself to read books and play.
"Ah, I see. Then, if I may suggest sitting down with her to do some exercises…"
They listened to the teacher's advice – Ana being more attentive, while Kamilah had heard it all before in the last meeting. When the discussion was done, they offered their thanks and walked out of the school, with Fareeha trailing behind them in silence. The girl barely even looked at Ana when her mother opened the car's door for her, and the two adults exchanged a glance before climbing into the car as well. Kamilah kept quiet for the drive, already organising her time to focus more on Fareeha and revise primary school mathematics herself. If she'd been alone with Fareeha like the last time, she would've spoken to the girl herself. But since Ana was here, she let her wife take the lead.
"Fareeha, have you been facing a lot of trouble at school?" Ana asked, and she waited only to be answered with silence. "You have to do your homework, dear. Or you won't understand your subjects enough to pass your exams."
Fareeha remained silent, and only glanced up when Ana turned around from the passenger seat to look at her.
"Tell ami. Why haven't you been doing your homework?"
Fareeha pouted. "I hate math," she mumbled, and Ana could already see the tell-tale scrunch of her face.
"I know. And guess what? Ami used to hate math too. I used to get all the questions wrong, then get scolded by my own mother when I went home with red marks all over my test papers." Ana smiled when Fareeha looked up, a little doubtful. "It's true! But then I passed my tests in the end. You know why? Because I practiced. Over and over, until I could understand what I was doing. Oh, I know doing homework is just horrible. But the thing is, habibti, you have to try."
Ana patted at her own shoulder, where her rank and name were embroidered on the uniform. "You think ami got to be Strike Captain because I didn't try, and thought one plus one equals Beyoncé?"
Kamilah let out a groan at her words, and when Ana chuckled, Fareeha laughed in wet hiccups as well. Looking into the side view mirror, Kamilah caught sight of Fareeha wiping her eyes, and Ana nudging at her cheek.
"It's okay to fail, Fareeha. But what's important is that you try, and improve. Got that?"
Fareeha nodded.
"Good." Ana ruffled her hair. "Hey, mama. Let's go to McDonald's."
"We have food at home," Kamilah said.
"No, we have ingredients that aren't cooked yet. Let's get McDonald's, then ice cream after. Sounds good, Fareeha?"
A mumbled reply, but it was clearly in the affirmative.
"Come on, mama."
Kamilah sighed. With one last glance at Fareeha in the mirror, she changed lanes and made for the city center instead.
It was one week before the school semester ended, during which Ana spent much-needed time with Fareeha, while panicking behind closed doors with Kamilah over math formulae and teaching methods they'd never seen in their lives. Honestly, Ana thought a few of these math problems belonged in university, but the family managed to work through an assignment together, before Fareeha was finally free for vacation.
As planned, Ana flew with her family back to Zurich, in a private jet provided by the army. And in the Overwatch base, Fareeha seemed to shake off her school blues with little trouble, especially when she and Jesse laid eyes on each other, exchanging their customary finger-gun greeting. The two had grown close over the last couple of years, with Jesse shaping up to be a reliable older brother who could be entrusted with Fareeha, while her parents were busy – as they would be on the third night of their stay.
Fareeha sat on the bed, watching Ana button up her dress jacket, as Kamilah looked herself over in the mirror. "Mama, why aren't you wearing your uniform?"
"Because she looks stunning like this, of course," Ana replied, smirking when her wife raised a brow. "But you look great in your uniform too, colonel."
"But…mama wore her uniform back home."
"It's politics, Fareeha. I'm not representing the army tonight," Kamilah said, providing the correct answer. Though she'd attended an army event in uniform just last week, Kamilah was disinclined to do the same for the Overwatch-UN function they were attending that night. Overwatch was a neutral organisation, and her uniform would only raise questions.
"Oh." Fareeha cocked her head. "But I like your uniform."
"What, don't you think this dress is nice?" Kamilah asked, waving at the black sheath gown she wore, with a golden belt about her waist. "I thought you said it looked good."
"Yeah, and your uniform looks good too."
"Fareeha, dear," Ana stepped in with a laugh. "When you grow up, you'll understand – during these times, you're supposed to say 'you're the most gorgeous woman in the world'."
While Fareeha looked a little confused, Kamilah huffed and turned back to the mirror with a faint smile. "Maybe I should've dyed my hair, though."
"Nonsense," Ana crooned, running her fingertips carefully through Kamilah's groomed hair – which bore more silver flecks than before. "You look very classy with a bit of grey."
"Funny, I don't feel classy," Kamilah sighed, though she did smile into the kiss Ana pressed to her lips.
"Ew," Fareeha giggled. "Stop kissing!"
"No way," Ana snipped back playfully, then swooped in for another quick kiss with Kamilah, getting a second 'ew!' from her daughter.
"You're gross!" Fareeha laughed, leaping off the bed and running away from her mothers.
"We're gross?" Ana muttered under her breath as Kamilah took her purse from the table. "Wait 'til she learns what we do in private." She flashed an unapologetic grin at Kamilah's dry gaze, then went to answer the bedroom door when the bell gave a short beep.
Ana tapped a button, and the door slid open to reveal none other than Jesse McCree, dressed in casual shirt and pants.
"Evening, Captain. Ma'am," he added when Kamilah came to stand beside Ana. "May I just say, you two look lovely tonight." A slight flush rose to his cheeks as he spoke – something that amused Ana greatly. He'd grown much from the young boy they'd taken in two years ago, but at 17, Jesse still had more maturing to do before he could grow into the suave gentleman he aimed to be.
"We always do," Ana replied, while Fareeha skipped through the door to join her assigned caretaker for the night. "Now, the two of you be good. And Jesse, remember – no poker, no guns."
"Or I'll shove them both up your donkey," Kamilah added.
Jesse broke into a sheepish grin, scratching at his head. "Yes, ma'am."
"What donkey?" Fareeha asked innocently. "Jesse has a donkey?"
"We all do, habibti," Ana said, not bothering to explain further. "Now shoo, the adults have some wine to drink."
Fareeha looked even more confused. "But I thought you're going somewhere important?"
"Your ami's joking, lil birdie," Jesse chuckled. "Let's go, I've got some movies we can watch 'til we fall asleep."
"Do you have popcorn?" Fareeha asked, putting her hand in Jesse's as they walked off together.
"And lots of soda."
"Yay!"
Ana watched them go, then locked her door and brought Kamilah over to the lifts.
"He's cleaned up a lot," Kamilah commented as they entered an elevator together.
"Yeah. You know, I think Fareeha's doing him some good too. He always behaves better when she's around. And he keeps asking when the two of you are visiting."
"Probably because he'll have an excuse to indulge in junk food."
"And watch all his westerns again," Ana laughed, then took Kamilah's hand as the elevator doors opened.
They walked through the foyer, and found Jack and Gabriel already waiting for their ride outside the doors, the pair still adjusting each other's uniform and hair.
"Ah, there you are," Jack said, turning to face them. "Kamilah, you look great."
"What about me," Ana deadpanned, rolling her eyes at Gabriel's nonchalant hand wave.
"Thanks. You look good too." Kamilah smiled. "By the way, congrats on your wedding. You remember – the one you didn't invite me to?"
"Ah, well." Jack laughed nervously. "It was a quick ceremony, really. Nothing to drag you all the way from Egypt for…"
"How about this?" Gabriel chimed in. "You invite us when you renew your vows, and we'll invite you to ours, hm?"
Kamilah breathed a laugh at Gabriel's wink. "Deal."
"Jesse, what are those!" Fareeha giggled maniacally, pointing at the spurs attached to the heels of his boots. "They're so silly!"
"What! They're not silly–"
"Yes, they are," Gabriel rumbled from where he sat slumped by the bar. "All that clinking will give your position away, one day."
Jesse started to pout, but shrugged off his mentor's criticism as always. "Anyway, they're lucky boots, lil birdie. My–, someone I knew used to wear 'em."
Ana noted his quick pause, but said nothing from where she lounged with Kamilah on the break room's sofa, with her wife's head resting on her shoulder. But where Ana had subtlety, Fareeha behaved like an elephant in a glass shop of emotion.
"Who?"
"Ah… Nevermind that now." Jesse's voice grew quiet, and his gaze fell to the floor.
Thankfully, Jack's entrance prevented an awkward silence from falling over the room. The commander looked over the buffet table, eyes lighting up at the covered trays. "Oh, the food's here."
"Too bad they're gonna grow cold before the others get here too," Ana groaned out loud, and Kamilah grunted in assent.
"Eh, they're nearly here. And why are all the curtains closed?" Jack asked.
Before any of the hung-over adults could stop him, he strode to the windows and flung the curtains wide open, causing Gabriel, Ana and Kamilah to hiss like burnt vampires under the noon sun.
"Fucking shut them," Gabriel growled, pulling the hood of his Blackwatch uniform low over his head, which fell onto the bar with an audible thud.
"I told all of you not to drink so much last night," Jack chided, though he drew the curtains half-closed, before going to check on Gabriel.
While Jesse watched videos on his tablet with Fareeha, Ana settled into a quick doze with Kamilah, resting her head on her wife's. And it seemed little time had passed before the break room's door was opened again – this time to a loud cheer.
Ana and Kamilah turned their heads to watch Fareeha run towards Reinhardt, who lifted her high into the air with a booming laugh. Behind the large crusader was Torbjörn, Angela, Tien, and Mirembe – all the Strike Team was here, which was becoming a rare occurrence nowdays, given their busy schedules. And since they would all be back in base for a few precious days, they decided to have a private party to themselves to celebrate yet another successful year at Overwatch.
"Ah, good! I'm flipping famished!" Tien rubbed his hands together as he eyed the buffet line, but he was quickly stopped by Reinhardt.
"Hold on, Tien! We agreed to take a photo before eating!"
"But–, food…" Tien looked like a child with his ice cream taken away from him.
"Oh, don't look so pitiful. It'll just take a few seconds." Mirembe nudged him over to the corner where Reinhardt was ushering the rest of the Team.
Ana rose from the sofa along with Kamilah, keeping an arm around her wife as they stood to the side, watching Reinhardt arrange everyone's position for the group photo. Jack nagged at Gabriel to pull his hood down, but the man muttered about his hangover and kept it drawn over his head. Ana grinned when Jack shot her an exasperated look, as she took her place between them, and waved Fareeha over to her.
Tien came to squat in front of Gabriel, while Torbjörn, Jesse and Mirembe stood to the left of Ana and Fareeha. Angela tussled for the camera with Reinhardt, until Kamilah put an end to their disagreement by taking the camera for herself.
"But Kamilah, your family's in there! You should be with them," Reinhardt said, as Angela went to stand with Torbjörn.
"It's just a photo, Reinhardt. You can take the next one with me in it."
"Right. Um, of course!" Reinhardt chased away any hint of bashfulness with a grin, then quickly stood behind the team, setting his hands on Ana and Jesse's shoulders.
"Alright, ready." Kamilah held the camera up. "Ana and Gabriel – stop looking so hung over. One, two…three."
"Now it's your turn!" Reinhardt declared, hurrying forward to take the camera from Kamilah, who gave a fond sigh as she took her place beside Ana.
"He loves photos, doesn't he?" Kamilah whispered, as Reinhardt readied the camera.
"He just really likes mementos," Ana murmured through her smile. And right before Reinhardt squeezed the shutter button, Ana moved her head quickly to kiss Kamilah on the cheek.
"Ew!" Fareeha exclaimed when she looked up at the movement. "Kissing again!"
Reinhardt laughed. "Your moms aren't the only ones," he said, turning the camera around so they could see the photo on its small screen – Jack had planted a smooch Gabriel's cheek as well.
"They like kissing each other so much," Fareeha lamented, as Ana shared a high-five with Jack behind her.
"Ah, little Fareeha," Reinhardt said. "When you fall in love, you will know why."
A/N: Age check: Ana, 41. Kamilah, 43. Fareeha, 13.
Also, thank you for all the reviews and comments so far! It's difficult replying here on FF, but know that I appreciate every comment you give!