Without expecting or meaning to, Kamilah had become immensely familiar with Cairo's airport. How could she not, after seeing Ana off for her flights back to Zurich, or taking a plane herself to visit her wife who worked halfway across the world? Nothing really piqued her interest in the airport anymore, and walking through the pristine halls filled with travelers was as exciting as strolling down a pavement in her own neighbourhood. All routine. Except today.
Kamilah watched from her chair as Fareeha tapped her foot on the floor, waiting impatiently in the long line that had formed at the check-in counter. Unable to restrain a huff of amusement and exasperation, Kamilah shook her head, leaning back in her seat. Fareeha had proven that, once she'd set her mind to it, she could study and excel in her exams – earning stellar results that had granted her swift acceptance at a university in the UK, where she would pursue an engineering degree. But for all her mental acuity, Fareeha's stubbornness still won out sometimes, and she dragged her feet long enough that she couldn't beat the queue – despite Kamilah's repeated nags at her to leave the house early.
The only reason Kamilah didn't pull Fareeha out, was the girl's reluctance. Oh, she was excited, sure. Fareeha had packed her luggage with much care, going on frequent shopping trips over the past weeks to pick up whatever items she'd need. She collected recipes from Kamilah, and tried her hand at cooking more often, so she could feed herself while she lived alone. She packed and unpacked her beloved items, torn between taking them along or leaving them behind. But she mostly chose to leave them, including her Overwatch posters – which she'd asked Kamilah to clean regularly.
Fareeha behaved like all was well, until the night before her flight, when she carried her pillow into the master bedroom, and crawled into her mother's bed. She wore a sheepish, playful grin when Kamilah grumbled about her taking up space, and they had a short chat before Fareeha fell asleep with Kamilah stroking her head. Unbeknownst to her, Kamilah had stayed up longer, reminiscing all those times when little Fareeha had jumped into her parents' bed gleefully, treating a sleepover with her mothers as an adventure in itself. Fareeha never truly did outgrow that phase of her life – always gladly clutching onto her mother's apron strings despite her independence – and now…she would be letting go. Fully.
Kamilah's throat tightened briefly, and she stood when Fareeha strode away from the counter, with only her backpack slung on her shoulders. They made a side trip to the stores first, buying a few packets of candies and a book to keep Fareeha entertained on the flight. Kamilah smiled when Fareeha dropped a cat pharaoh magnet into her hand, before they walked to the entrance of the departure hall together.
"Remember to call me when you get there," Kamilah repeated herself, for what must be the thousandth time judging by the look on Fareeha's face.
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
"And take good care of yourself. Don't just eat nonsense for your meals."
"I think I will," Fareeha said, rolling her eyes.
"Don't get into trouble," Kamilah continued, undaunted. "And if you need something, tell me and I'll send it over for you."
"How about when I need you to do my laundry?"
It was Kamilah's turn to roll her eyes, and she rapped her knuckles on Fareeha's forehead. "Don't push your luck, rascal. But I'll come visit you when I get the chance. Maybe during your term break, or something."
"That'll be nice."
"Remember – don't get into trouble."
"You said that already."
"It bears repeating," Kamilah sighed, looking up at her daughter. She was struck for a moment by Fareeha's uncanny resemblance to Ana, and took a breath to steady herself, clasping at her daughter's arms. "If you miss home…just give me a call. Or text. But remember to keep in touch, okay?"
"Okay," Fareeha said, then looked back at the entrance. "Think I should go now."
She tugged at the straps of her backpack, adjusting them on her shoulders. Fareeha took a step back with her passport in hand, then paused when Kamilah moved to follow her. She stared at her mother uncertainly, before engulfing Kamilah in a firm hug. Kamilah returned the hug with nearly as much strength as Fareeha, and they shared a quiet laugh when they were done trying to break each other's backs.
"Bye. Drive home safely, alright?"
"When do I never?"
Fareeha shot her an incredulous look. "You bumped up the kerb just now."
"I was rushing for time because someone left the house late. Remember?"
"Whatever," Fareeha huffed, a crooked smile parting her lips as she scratched at her head. She gave Kamilah one last hug, then stepped away. "Bye, mama."
"Have a safe flight, habibti."
Fareeha shot her another smile, then walked into the departure hall alone. She cleared the checkpoint without trouble, and turned around to give her mother one last wave, before walking farther into the hall and out of sight.
Kamilah stood in place for a long while, reluctance gripping her in full. But there wasn't much she could do, and she finally moved her feet – one step after another, as she walked away from the departure hall.
The house was empty. So empty.
It hadn't been that bad when Ana first left – Kamilah still had a sprightly baby daughter to take care of, and passed her days filled with Fareeha's giggles and fusses, spending much of her time running after the little one, worrying and caring for her. Things hadn't changed much since then, and Kamilah always had Fareeha to give her company and headaches whenever Ana was away. Her daily schedule and routines revolved around two people – hers and Fareeha's – and that kept her days quite well-occupied.
Or perhaps, too well-occupied.
She felt Fareeha's absence the moment she reached home. It was refreshing at first, to finally have some privacy for herself, some quiet for her thoughts. But the novelty took little time to wear off, and soon, Kamilah was all too aware of how…silent the house was. Every move she made produced a not-echo that would go unheard, and she often caught herself listening for the slightest sounds of movement from the upper floor – more specifically, Fareeha's room. She would hear nothing each time, and the emptiness would hit her all over again.
It reminded her of the time before she'd met Ana, though there were obvious differences now. Where she'd once repulsed others from her life, she missed and wanted her family back at her side. And where she'd wallowed in her self-imposed solitude, she now smiled and was assuaged when the family's chat lit up the phone's screen. Granted, Ana still texted less frequently than Fareeha, but the girl's excitement over her new surroundings was more than enough to keep Kamilah entertained. She read each of Fareeha's texts and photos, making sure that her daughter was well, and took some pleasure in Fareeha's learning to stand on her own two feet, in another country…without her mother.
Kamilah let out a sigh, replied to Fareeha's latest photo, and locked her phone. It was only the second week since Fareeha had flown off, and here she was, lying on the couch on a lazy Saturday morning, at a loss for what to do. She stared at the spinning blades of the ceiling fan, trying to remember what she'd done for herself, her own enjoyment. A hobby? Flipping through TV channels before crashing into bed was definitely not one. Shopping for groceries? No. Buying random gifts for her family because she was bored? Maybe. Play that same old mobile game with Ana? Most probably.
But what did she ever do for herself, without two troublemakers to worry about?
Kamilah closed her eyes, fingers drumming listlessly on the back of her phone – until a thought struck. She paused for a moment, before a certain giddiness set in. It was an old, throwaway fantasy she'd had when she was much younger. A daydream she'd dwell on to make the days more tolerable, to keep her going.
Could she…?
She brought up her phone, and typed into the search bar: 'How to build a custom hoverbike'
"Give me covering fire!" Ana yelled into the radio, blasting on the team-wide frequency as she hauled a bloodied Overwatch soldier onto her shoulders.
"You are the covering fire–"
"Now!"
Her fierce bark put an end to any more backtalk, and she was promptly answered by a strained cry of 'Yes, ma'am!'. Ana heard the sergeant on her shoulders groan weakly in pain, but remained crouched behind the cracked concrete wall of an old warehouse. Her fleeting thought to give reassurance disappeared when there was a lull in hostile gunfire, and Ana burst out of her hiding spot, sprinting towards the evac point as quickly as her legs could take her. The VTOL was guarded by a scant few Overwatch soldiers, and they covered the Captain's retreat as she ran up the ramp, setting the injured soldier's body on the floor.
The rest of her squad pulled off one last hail of lead, before rushing into the VTOL as well, throwing themselves inside as the ramp closed behind them for take-off. Ana was panting heavily as the team's surviving medic tended to the wounded soldier, but she didn't take time to wait, blood boiling now that she had time to think, away from a messy crossfire of bullets.
She stormed into the cockpit, where the pilot wisely ignored her as she slammed a fist on the communications console. That did nothing, and Ana gritted her teeth, forcing herself to be rational, jabbing in a 12-digit code to open a secure channel back to base.
"Captain Amari–"
"Give me Reyes, Athena. Now."
A very quick pause. "Yes, Ana–"
"Explain this fucking bullshit, Reyes. Now!"
"Captain, they moved too quickly–"
"And you were supposed to move quicker. Your people scouted the goddamn area before we went to secure the target. So tell me how this bloody escort mission turned into a rescue mission, how these same goddamn people managed to rout us again, and how the fuck you missed them – again!"
A deep breath over the comms. "Captain. They are a very well-coordinated group. And they've spent long enough fighting against us to learn our tactics–"
"Spare me the excuses," Ana barked, cutting Gabriel off. "I'm taking you off the Talon investigation. Athena – contact Gerard LaCroix and have him ready for my call the instant I'm back in base. This case should've been in his hands long ago."
"Yes, Captain," Athena replied, unperturbed. "May I request an update on the mission?"
"It failed," Ana ground through her teeth. "Doctor was captured by Talon, who shot him when we had him back in our hands."
"Understood. And what is your team's headcount? I am receiving vital sign readings from only–"
"Five. Seven K.I.A."
"I am afraid that is eight K.I.A. now, Captain."
Ana froze, then straightened herself from the console. She walked to the doorway, and watched the medic close Eaton's blank eyes with blood-slicked fingers. Her hand curled into a fist, before she turned away and sank heavily into the seat at the comms console. Ana's head fell forward to rest in her gloved hands, and she stayed there until the anger had ebbed, allowing grief and resentment to settle in.
She had failed.
"Captain, I must protest–"
"Angela," Ana interrupted tiredly, knowing too well what the protest would be. "Your technology will help to save lives, no matter what form it takes."
"That is what I cannot accept," Angela pushed on. "You have taken that which would heal, and…perverted it into a weapon of war. Yes, it will still save lives in this form, but it will take lives as well – a direct contradiction to its original purpose."
"We have made it versatile," Ana replied. "And you will pardon my saying – we are using it to its fullest potential. In my hands, it will save the lives of your comrades – both by healing them, and killing those who would kill them first."
"It was not made to kill!" Angela burst in indignation. "Captain, I must point out that Overwatch is on the leading edge of technology due to all the research it conducts. We are respected, and will be emulated. If the world sees that we are manufacturing such lethal, 'versatile' weapons, they will soon follow in our footsteps. They will do more harm than good with technology they do not fully understand, much less appreciate the reason for which they were invented."
"They will do harm with or without the technology we have," Ana riposted. "What matters is that we have the means to stop them when they step out of line. Dr. Ziegler." She placed emphasis on Angela's name, stopping the doctor before she argued again. "I understand your concern. But we cannot sit on the sides and take the moral high ground, while others threaten the peace that we work for. Your technology was invented with noble intentions, yes. But it'll still serve its purpose, even if you disagree with its…execution."
Angela remained stiff in her seat, fixing Ana with a steely gaze. "This would not have anything to do with the team you lost?"
Ana's eyes narrowed a fraction, blood quickening in her veins. "It has everything to do with them, and all whom we have lost in the line of duty. The lives of your colleagues outweigh your personal comfort. Don't they, Dr. Ziegler?"
It was Angela's turn to bear the shot – but her poker face didn't hold as well as Ana's. Her expression twisted into anger, as she glared at Ana. "Comfort? I feel none of that when I am surrounded by people who corrupt medicine by turning it into a weapon."
Ana sat still, while Angela rose from her chair and swept out of the office without a word.
"Haven't seen you and Gabe in the same room for a while," Jack rumbled quietly as they strode down the hallway, crossing the threshold into the hospital wing.
"Don't think we will be anytime soon," Ana huffed. She was still miffed about the botched mission, and though she regretted stripping that modicum of authority from Gabriel in front of the whole team at mission control, she hadn't quite spoken to him yet. Her gaze dropped in thought. "Where is he? Haven't seen him around since his mission yesterday."
Jack shrugged, inching closer to Ana when they neared the door to a private ward. "He gave me the report, but after that…nothing." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Jack looked almost dejected, glancing up at Ana. "Mind if I talked to you later?"
"Only if you bring the beer," Ana said, already knowing what he wanted to discuss.
Neither of their relationships with Gabriel had been the best in recent days, what with the Blackwatch commander constantly pushing his boundaries in missions, ignoring parameters and regulations, and necessitating cover-ups to keep his activity secret. Arguments made up most of their communications now, and Ana had given up trying to speak with him in the short term. Jack too, it seemed, though he had a marriage to worry about as well.
Jack looked up when Ana clasped his shoulder, and he forced a thin smile before opening the ward's door. Its sole occupant stirred at their entrance, but didn't try to sit up and salute – a telling sign of Jesse's condition. He only offered a groggy 'heya' when they reached his bed, pulling up chairs to sit beside him.
Jesse, after flashing that faint smile at them, fell back to a placid expression as the silence dragged on. Ana looked over the bandages on his face, and the arm resting on top on his covers. The blanket was pulled up to his chest, and covered what remained of his left arm, which had been amputated at the elbow after a disastrous accident during his mission with Gabriel the day before.
"How are you doing, cowpoke?" Ana asked, getting a lopsided smile from Jesse.
"Just...fine, ma'am. Thanks for asking. And visiting. Y'all didn't have to."
"Heard you saved Gabriel's ass yesterday," Jack said. "Thanks, kid."
"It's alright, Morrison...Ha." Jesse seemed to laugh once in reflex, then continued in a crestfallen, bitter tone. "'All-right'. Get it?"
"Kid…" Jack sighed.
"Doesn't seem appropriate, Jesse," Ana said. "You've still got some left."
Jesse burst out in a brief laugh, wearing a stiff grin as he moved his left stump. But his lips quickly thinned into a line, quivering, as he covered his face with a hand, leaning back into his pillows.
They heard him sniff once, then Jesse opened his damp eyes – which sparkled with a glimmer of hope. "Oh, but Angie – she's a sweetheart. Came in and told me they could have a prosthetic made for me. A nice, hardy one that'll last long in the field. Ain't that nice?"
"Yeah. We'll patch you right up," Jack said. "Don't worry about it."
"Thanks." Jesse sniffed again, finally looking down his left arm. "Guess it won't be so bad after all. Yeah…" He was trying to convince himself, though the furrow between his brows wasn't much of a good sign.
"Where's Gabe?" Jack asked, distracting the young man. "Has he even been here to see you?"
"Yeah, only for a while though. Think he's gone to check on that Shimada guy…"
"Shimada?" Ana asked, mystified as she glanced at Jack. "I read Athena's report. Shouldn't he be dead by now?"
"No," Jack replied, crossing his arms. "Dr Ziegler stepped in this morning, and managed to keep him alive. I believe she's still in the operating theatre. But I don't understand what she's trying to do with just...half a goddamn body."
"She's a genius, that one," Jesse supplied.
"I know. But Gabriel…" Ana shared a glance with Jack. "You think he has plans for this one?"
"He's pretty bent on the Shimada case, ma'am." Jesse exhaled through his nose, looking troubled. "Ever since you pulled him off Talon… Think he said something about 'getting an edge' with Genji Shimada."
"Jesus Christ," Jack groaned. He rubbed at his temples with one hand, frown etched onto his forehead. "I'm gonna have to talk to that...madman."
I don't envy you. Ana turned her gaze from Jack, to meet Jesse's eyes. The young man shot her a close-lipped smile, but Ana couldn't bring herself to return it. She patted Jesse's arm in farewell, and took her leave with Jack by her side.
Ana ran a hand through her hair, tossing her towel carelessly on the bed. She fell heavily into the chair by her study table, but didn't bother switching her computer on. She stared at her reflection in the black screen in a thoughtless haze, before reaching for her personal phone on the desk – which she'd barely touched for two days.
She flicked off all other notifications and opened her texts, skimming through the chats before turning to her own family. It was mostly populated with Fareeha's texts about her goings-on, and Kamilah's replies. She scrolled through them idly, then her eyes slowly grew wide as she reached the end, where Kamilah had taken a photo of engine parts wrapped in thick packaging, laid neatly on their garage floor. She was finally building a custom bike of her own – something Kamilah had mentioned throughout the years, but never really acted on. Ana remembered a vague daydream of building that bike together with her wife, and felt a twinge deep in her chest. What she wouldn't give for that right now…
[That's cool. Can you put it together yourself, though?]
Ana set the phone down, and laid her head on the table for a short rest – but she was soon interrupted by the loud ringing of her phone. She groaned quietly and picked it up, reading Kamilah's name on the screen.
Her thumb hovered over the red button, as she hesitated to answer. Ana was bone-tired, even though she hadn't been out on a mission that day. She wasn't in the best of moods, and didn't want to affect Kamilah in any way, or worry her. But she hadn't been in touch with her family for a few days now, and rejecting this call wouldn't exactly be...wise.
Ana took a deep breath and pushed herself up, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Hey, albi."
"'Can I put it together?' Really, Ana?" Kamilah said, and her indignant tone managed to put a smile on Ana's lips. "No, I'm buying all these expensive parts that I 'cannot handle', so I can display them in the house until they collect dust."
"I'm just worried about your safety, darling. They're pretty heavy-duty," Ana explained. "Don't want you to have any accidents, you know?"
Kamilah sighed. "I know. I'll go to the workshop if I need any help, but I think I can handle it. It's pretty foolproof by now."
Ana laughed quietly. "That even I can do it, huh?"
"Of course," Kamilah humoured her, then a brief silence fell over them. "How are you doing? You've been quiet for a while now."
"Been busy. As always."
"I can tell. You sound tired."
"That obvious?" Ana huffed, slumping back onto the table. "Yeah...kind of. I don't know if it's just me, but it's been...difficult lately."
"Anything you can talk about?"
"No. Sorry, Milah."
Another pause, and while Ana started to feel antsy, Kamilah replied, "That's fine. Before I forget – are you still coming back this year? Fareeha's away, but I guess it means you can get some peace and quiet over here."
"Well, I… Actually," Ana stuttered, but couldn't find the strength to continue. She had considered staying in Zurich instead of flying home this year, since Fareeha was away. But Kamilah… "I don't know. I've been pretty busy with work–"
"And it's going to kill you if you don't know when to rest," Kamilah said, matter-of-fact.
"I don't…"
"I miss you, Ana."
Her gut twisted, but she kept quiet when Kamilah sighed.
"Look, I'm sorry. I know your work's important. I'm not going to drag you away if you need to–"
"Milah," Ana spoke, and Kamilah fell silent. "I'm coming back. I do miss you too, you know?"
Ana waited for a while – long enough to make her nervous – until she finally heard, "I know."
Kamilah was dozing on the sofa at night, with the TV turned on to fill the house with some noise, when she was roused by the solid click from the front door's lock. She blinked blearily up at the fan, listening to the thuds and shuffles from the doorway, followed by footfalls turning into the living room, where the only lights in the house were on. She smiled when Ana came into view, her wife looking quite good in a simple long-sleeved shirt and pants, and Kamilah sat up to greet her.
Ana came to her with a soft smile, and Kamilah glimpsed the crinkles in the corners of her eyes as her wife wrapped her in a tight embrace. Kamilah's lips parted in a smile as well, then lazy laughter when she realised Ana was leaning fully into her, weighing her back down to the sofa. She held onto her wife who lay motionless on top of her, face nestled under her chin, so she could feel the puffs of breath on her neck.
"I've missed this so much," Ana mumbled into her skin.
"You're telling me," Kamilah replied lazy, combing through Ana's greying hair with her fingertips, reacquainting with the fluid strokes that soothed them both. "Are you really that tired, amar?"
"I'm never gonna move again," Ana grunted.
Kamilah laughed softly, content to stay in place, even if it was a little warm with Ana lying on top of her. Hands wandering from Ana's hair and down her back, Kamilah trailed her fingers in haphazard paths over Ana's shirt, nearly lulling herself into another doze – until her stomach growled.
A brief pause, then Ana started shaking in laughter, lifting her head. "Haven't you eaten?"
"No, I was waiting for you," Kamilah said. "I made dinner. You always barely touch airplane food, so..."
"It's 9pm, Milah," Ana stated, pulling back to sit up with Kamilah. "You didn't have to."
"I know." Kamilah shrugged, then tilted her head in curiosity when she met Ana's stare. "What's wrong?"
Ana's expression cracked for a moment, before she hid it behind a nonchalant smile. "No. I just forgot how beautiful you are."
Kamilah rolled her eyes, getting a laugh from Ana, and she smiled into the kiss pressed to her lips. Ana's fingers slid up to her nape, and she leaned in gladly, growing weak when Ana deepened the kiss. A keen longing sparked back to life under the caress of Ana's lips, the long years falling away from her shoulders, and Kamilah felt as enamoured with her wife as she had been when they were still dating.
She was left quite breathless when Ana pulled back, and clutched tightly onto that bright spark, holding it close to her heart. How did she ever forget this feeling…
"I love you, Milah," Ana whispered.
Kamilah looked back into light bronze eyes, catching that subtle shadow hiding secrets she would never learn. Her heart clenched at the thought, but she left it alone, focusing instead on the tenderness in Ana's gaze.
"I love you too."