Kamilah never had a sweet tooth – something she didn't share in common with her family. When she was younger, she did indulge more in Ana's penchant for the sweeter things in life. And now, as Ana's sweet tooth faded away with age, Fareeha's cravings were what she entertained. That's why she was sitting on a bench in the park at night, digging into a small cup of ice cream while her daughter tackled a serving twice the size of hers.

She watched a group of young adults play frisbee on the field, before glancing to the side, where Fareeha was quite focused on her dessert, taking one bite after another while her leg shook restlessly. Her daughter had driven home out of the blue that evening, and insisted on bringing Kamilah out for dinner – which she didn't have a problem with, honestly. But there was something relentlessly cheerful, devil-may-care in Fareeha's demeanour that piqued Kamilah's curiosity.

One thing Fareeha never learnt to do, was hide something from her mother. It was too ingrained in her, perhaps, to share everything with the parent who'd been a constant in her life, that when she tried to do the opposite, it turned into a struggle. Not that it was all bad – Kamilah was glad Fareeha still had some tells to read. But she did respect the girl's space, and waited for Fareeha to decide when she'd share whatever she wanted to.

"You know," Fareeha said, picking out a cookie crumb in her spoon. "An ex-colleague looked me up the other day."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm. He's working in a private security firm now. Tried to recruit me."

"I assumed he failed," Kamilah deadpanned, getting a quiet chuckle from Fareeha. "But only you?" She watched as Fareeha nodded. "Why?"

"Well, I can't say much. But their company is launching some kind of project, building these...prototype combat suits. Like…um. Do you know Gundam?"

"Vaguely. I know those toys on your shelf are difficult to clean, that's all."

Fareeha laughed. "Yeah. So the suits are something like those toys. But they need to refine the designs, and they want someone with both combat and practical engineering experience to help with the process."

"That sounds interesting, actually. More interesting than what we do, at least."

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I was kinda tempted for a while."

"And…?"

Fareeha shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like I'm not...done here yet."

"Not done with being captain?" Kamilah said, and Fareeha replied with a non-committal hum.

After serving in the army for four years, Fareeha had been offered a promotion for her excellent performance. In fact, her dossier was accompanied by many recommendations, but Captain Amari had rejected that step up the ladder. Much like Ana had done before, she wanted to hang onto the rank of captain for a while longer, as it was a more active role than the rank of major. Part of Kamilah suspected Fareeha was still hoping for acceptance into Overwatch – a hope that wouldn't bear fruit – and she worried that Fareeha might stagnate due to her dearest dream.

"Did you consider the offer, though? Really consider it?"

"Yeah… What they showed me was pretty cool."

A slight gleam of wonder entered Fareeha's eyes, and for once, Kamilah saw her daughter waver in her commitment to the army.

"Do you think I should give it a go?"

"It's up to you, habibti. But if it were me, I'd probably go for it."

"Why did I know you'd say that?" Fareeha said with a smile, then averted her gaze, staring at the park. "I don't know," she sighed after a moment. "I feel like I've put a lot of work to get where I am now. Think I'll just ride this along, see where it'll take me. If I don't like it, then I'll hop off. Simple."

"If you say so."

Fareeeha heaved a sigh, and leaned back in the bench. "I don't know, mama. I feel like I'm...stuck, but I don't know where to go. The army's good, but that prototype project thing? Could be better. Or I could apply to Overwatch again. But they don't seem like a great place to be in right now."

"Yeah," Kamilah agreed.

The news had been filled with one scandal after another about Overwatch, some sensationalist and inconsequential, while others threatened to destroy the organisation's credibility. Many voices had spoken in favour of disbanding Overwatch together, fearing that the military organisation might go rogue, and this fear seemed to be gaining traction slowly but steadily. Amid all this pressure, Ana had been in less regular contact in recent days. Even when she was in contact, her mood was often sour, voice strained. Kamilah thought Overwatch was well past its golden years, and though she knew Ana shared the same sentiment, it didn't stop her wife from fighting to hold the organisation together.

Breaking out of her reverie, Kamilah patted her daughter's head gently. "It's alright, Fareeha. You'll find your way, one day."

Fareeha pouted mightily at Kamilah, and set her head on her mother's shoulder. "'One day' needs to come faster."

"Patience, rascal. You won't make the right decisions if you hurry through them."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Fareeha mumbled.

"Have I mentioned having the right attitude too?" Kamilah said, running her fingertips through Fareeha's short black hair.

"Bleh."

In what was a rare occurrence in Overwatch nowadays, Jack, Gabriel, and Ana were all seated in the same briefing room. And it goes without saying, that the issue at hand was serious enough to warrant their full attention.

Ana watched Gerard closely as he paced in front of the monitors. The emergency at hand was personal, and in truth, it had little impact but on one man – for now. It held heavy risks for the future of Overwatch and its most well-known members, should this problem not be resolved quickly. As the first victim, Gerard suffered under immense pressure, and it showed – his normally-impeccable suit was wrinkled, his hair in drooping disarray, his face drawn tight. He was distraught, exhausted, and pushed well beyond his limits.

"I checked footage from cameras in the whole neighbourhood," Gerard said, waving at the screens. "And they showed no trace of Amelie that evening, when she was supposed to return home. Her friends said she'd gone straight home, and I believe them." Gerard clenched his jaw, flexing his fingers briefly. "What they said was true – I checked the recordings again, and found that they were manipulated."

With a wave of his hand across the control holo-screen, he paused all but one monitor, and put an hour's footage on loop. He pointed at a figure strolling down a sidewalk. "Look – it's the same man, walking there. It repeats for the same hour – all of the cameras replayed the same footage for an hour, before resuming normal operations. All cameras, in the whole neighbourhood. It's too elaborate for this to be a random kidnapping."

"And you suspect Talon," Gabriel said.

"I know it was Talon. I know it!" Gerard exclaimed, as if he was sick of repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Given your history with them, it is a great possibility–" Jack started to say, but was cut off when Gerard stormed over to the table, beating his palms on its chrome surface.

"It is not a 'possibility', Commander! It is a certainty, I assure you. I would stake my name, my life–! My wife is at stake, damn it!" Gerard slammed a fist on the table, then pushed off with a desperate, exasperated cry. He walked in a circle before the table, steps jagged, fists clenched. Then he forced himself to stop, and took a deep breath, recomposing himself. He tugged at the lapels of his jacket, and breathed a heavy sigh.

"I lost my temper. I apologise."

"It's alright, Gerard," Ana said, leaning on the table. "You think Talon is behind this, and we have little reason to disbelieve you. You'll have all the resources you need to track them down – within reason. And I'd recommend Gabriel to provide support?"

Gabriel nodded when Ana looked at him. "My agents are familiar with Talon's tactics. They'll be of more help to you, Gerard."

"Thank you," Gerard said, though his brows remained furrowed – as they had been since he'd arrived in Zurich.

"Give us whatever plan you've drafted, and we'll review it, see if we can help any further," Jack suggested. "In the meantime, get some rest. You can't find Amelie in this state."

Gerard laughed bitterly. "You think I haven't tried? I can think of nothing but her. I can have no rest without her." He returned to his chair by the table, and dropped heavily into it. "I failed her. I was supposed to keep her safe, but I led them to her instead." Gerard's head sank into his hands, as he sat stooped in the chair, quiet in his devastation.

"I failed her."

After Gerard's personal tragedy, Gabriel took the initiative to work with Jack, and assigned covert agents to watch over the families of Overwatch's top command, and their distinguished anti-terrorist agents. There had always been an unspoken line that even Gabriel never crossed in his unorthodox missions, but now that Talon had violated that boundary, it had sent a ripple of anger and fear through those in the know. Many chose to strike at Talon in revenge for the assault on one of their own, while the rest tightened ranks to prevent the same from happening again.

All information that Athena had stored of the families who'd visited the base had been purged, and important dossiers protected with intricate triple-layered security. Though their families hadn't been told of anything that had happened, they'd been assigned unique eighteen-digit calling codes which could be used to contact agents in times of emergency.

Still, slip-ups happened. And the fear that Talon would outmaneuver them once more gnawed at Ana's gut. She could barely rest without having work to occupy her mind, and would only close her eyes to sleep when she received a reply text from Kamilah, or heard her voice – always calm and immeasurably curious about Ana's sudden, near-smothering attention.

"Ana? You there?"

Shaken back to the present, Ana realised she'd drifted off into her own thoughts again. "Yeah."

"Are you sure you're alright? This is the third time now."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...wanted to hear your voice, that's all."

"You've been wanting to hear my voice for the whole week. Did something happen?"

"No," Ana replied, after a brief moment of hesitation.

"And I'm sure that...thing you gave us was just from a regular update in Overwatch policy, right?"

"You could say that."

Kamilah sighed. "Ana, you can talk to me, you know. Anything that you can tell me, anyway."

"I know. But I can't trust this line, even if it's secure. If anyone is listening in, by the way, fuck off."

Her wife huffed in laughter, and Ana's heart lightened for a fleeting second. "I see the stress hasn't eaten your humour away yet."

"Keyword: 'yet'," Ana chuckled along. "But I'm fine, Milah. Just trust me, alright?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," Ana sighed. "And remember, call me if you need anything. Or if anything happens. You know the thing–"

"Yes, yes. You've said the same thing the last ten thousand calls, Ana."

"Just in case. You are getting old…"

"Said the woman who just lost the black in her hair."

"You're just jealous I managed to keep them for so long." Ana smiled, despite the twinge in her chest. What she wouldn't give to fly back home to watch over Kamilah and Fareeha herself, or bring her family to Zurich so they could be close by. Both dreams that had remained dreams for so many years, and would hardly turn to reality even now.

"I'm going to sleep now, Milah. Be safe, alright?"

"Yeah. You too. Don't overwork yourself, Ana."

"I'll try, albi."

The following months passed normally for Overwatch command, though they'd had to keep an eye out for Gerard, who'd been leading every search and rescue mission for Amelie himself. The man was relentless, driving himself into the ground by planning and executing each mission, and his team's medic had expressed concerns for his health should he continue in this vein. Jack and Ana had considered issuing an order to bring a temporary halt to Gerard's investigations – it had borne no fruit, and sometimes turned into anger-fueled assaults on Talon cells supported by Gabriel. But they restricted themselves to personal conversations with the man, offering advice to a friend who didn't need any further distractions at this point.

Fortunately for them, however, their dilemma was brought to an end when Overwatch agents found the very woman Gerard had been scouring the entire planet for. Amelie Lacroix was wandering down a street in Zurich, behaving a little dazed when she was approached by the agents, but was otherwise perfectly healthy at first glance. The agents promptly brought her back to base, where they could report their find to Jack, then guided Amelie to the medbay for further medical examination.

Ana had been away on a mission when she received news of Amelie's return. She'd flown back the next day, and found Amelie in a private ward with Angela standing next to her bed. The two were chatting amiably, and Amelie certainly seemed energetic enough that Ana thought she didn't belong in the hospital bed at all. Despite being confined, Amelie flashed Ana a warm smile as she approached, and raised a hand to clasp Ana's in greeting.

"Captain, it's good to see you."

"It's even better to see you, Amelie." Ana squeezed her hand, glad to find similar strength in Amelie's reciprocation. "You had us all worried for months."

"Yes, apparently I did. But it certainly doesn't feel so for me."

Ana cocked her head curiously, and looked to Angela in question.

"Amelie has no memory of the four months when she was missing," Angela reports. "The last thing she remembers is walking away from her friends, then…"

"Nothing," Amelie filled in for her.

"That's...worrying," Ana said. "Is there nothing you can tell us? Anything just before–?"

Ana hadn't the time to finish her question, when the door was flung open without ceremony. Gerard burst through the doorway, his dark eyes landing on the bed, coming alight with the first glint of joy since Amelie's disappearance.

"Cherie," he murmured under his breath, frozen as if in disbelief, before a grin parted his lips.

He flew forward, and engulfed his wife in a tight embrace. Amelie relaxed in Gerard's arms, and the tense expression on her face that Ana hadn't noticed before, melted as her lips curved in a radiant smile.

"Gerard," Amelie said softly, resting her head in her husband's shoulder, before pulling back. She passed an eye over his combat uniform, smoothed a hand over his longer hair, then cupped his cheek. "Darling, you've grown thinner. And you look so tired. Are you alright?"

"I am now," Gerard replied, laughter bubbling beneath his voice as he dragged a hand over his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

"I'm sorry–"

"No, no. Please, don't. I should be the one–" Gerard sighed, taking Amelie's face in both hands. "It doesn't matter now. You're back. But...where were you?"

Amelie sighed quietly, and Ana stepped in to save her the trouble of repeating herself.

"She doesn't remember anything from the last four months. And I was just asking – what do you remember, just before your memories go blank?"

Amelie frowned in thought, then shook her head slowly. "Just saying goodbye to my friends, before heading home. I...barely remember walking up to our house."

Gerard's face fell amid his joy. "Maybe your memories were erased? Artificially?" He looked up at Angela, who hesitated before answering.

"I'm afraid I haven't found a way to restore her memories. Frankly, I'm not even sure if it's safe to do so. If something bad had happened, then Amelie might…. It may be painful."

Gerard looked back at Amelie, whose expression had turned apprehensive. He kept quiet in thought, stroking his wife's cheek with a thumb. "We cannot let the perpetrators escape scot-free. Try your best to investigate what happened, but don't force it. We cannot...break something in her while trying."

"Of course not, Gerard."

"Thank you." He turned back to Amelie, and smiled as he placed a kiss on her lips. "You're safe now, Amelie. I'm here for you. No need to be afraid anymore."

"I'm not the one who's scared, Gerard," Amelie teased him, and he chuckled quietly, drawing her into his arms once more.

Ana waited as Gerard cradled his wife, then decided the two weren't going to separate any time soon. She bit down a laugh, then rose from her seat. Catching the uncertain look on Angela's face, Ana caught her eye and nodded at the door. The doctor followed her out of the ward, and Ana shut the door behind them.

"Something the matter?" Ana asked.

"Yes." Angela looked hesitant to continue. She glanced around at the few staff walking around, then led Ana to the covered walkway leading towards the main building. She stopped in the middle of the bridge, the two of them bathed in bright sunlight softened by tinted windows.

"I was examining Amelie again this morning, when I noticed something on the back of her head," Angela whispered, standing close to Ana. "It looked like a very small incision, very cleverly hidden – as if they'd healed a wound with healing tech similar to mine."

"We have captured prototype schematics from Talon cells that are similar to your staff."

Angela nodded. "But this one – it's not perfect. I could tell where the wound was, so it means their tech is not yet perfected." She shook her head, and raised a hand. "But that is not the point. What I am worried about, is that it may be linked to Amelie's memory loss."

Ana nodded slowly. "If it is, is there any way…?"

"It will be dangerous, and very invasive. Without knowing the procedure performed on her, I'd be flying in the dark if I do investigate. I don't want to hurt Amelie just for that small chance of…"

"I understand. How about this? Try looking into...whatever was done to Amelie. See if you can learn, or do anything about it. But if you're not confident, note it in the logs, and leave it alone. We'll see if there's some way of retrieving information from Talon that can shed light on this."

"If they are involved."

Ana quirked a brow. "You think they aren't?"

"I'm not sure."

Clasping both hands behind her back, Ana looked out of the window, gazing at the training field below. "We have reason enough to believe it is. And to drop Amelie right in our territory? Might as well be a taunt to our faces."

"Or a bait."

Ana turned her head, locking gazes with the doctor. Angela's eyes were resolute, backed by steel gained from years of service, and Ana was briefly shaken by the possibility.

The underlying hum of tension was finally lifted from the air, with Amelie lying safe and sound in the medbay. And when Doctor Ziegler gave the all-clear after deliberation with Overwatch command, Gerard gladly swept his wife back to France, where he'd care for his wife while he was off duty. They breathed a collective sigh of relief, unaware of how heavy the weight had grown on their shoulders.

But the reprieve did not last long.

Just two weeks later, they received news of Gerard's murder. His body was found lying in bed in his home, with bruises about his neck, and Amelie was nowhere to be found. They kept the circumstances of Gerard's death secret, fabricating a cover story of a Talon attack on his home, which had resulted in his demise and Amelie's disappearance. Behind closed doors though, they scanned through the forensics report over and over, hoping to discern some sort of motive to Amelie's murder of her husband. Her fingerprints and DNA had been identified at his neck, the only site on his body with any sign of harm.

"Must be Talon," Jack rumbled, regarding the report on his screen. "It can't be a coincidence. Didn't Angela say they might've done something to her head?"

"Brainwashing? Conditioning?"

Jack shrugged. "Whatever's powerful enough to make her kill him. Damn it," he cursed. "It has to be external meddling. They loved each other too much to even hurt a hair on the other."

Ana snorted, remembering Angela's words. "Made Amelie the perfect bait."

"Yeah." Jack sucked a breath, and released it in a sharp exhale, looking back at the report. "Gerard didn't even fight back, did he? No signs of a struggle… He was more than capable of overpowering Amelie. I've seen him take down squads of Talon himself, for God's sake."

"You said it yourself," Ana replied drily. "Gerard loved Amelie too much to hurt her."

"Even when she was killing him," Jack added. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "We failed him, Ana. We failed them both."

"Don't take it all on yourself." Ana stood, reaching over to switch his screen off. Then she knocked her knuckles on his forehead, drawing a glance from the man. "Go rest, hm? The funeral's tomorrow, and you haven't slept in the past two days."

"Neither have you."

"You don't know that."

"I do – 'cause you look like shit too."

"Shut up, Morrison."

There was a respectable showing at Gerard Lacroix's funeral. Nearly his whole division attended, which wasn't surprising – the man had inspired, encouraged, comforted, and guided his people through their work and all the difficulties it brought. Now, it was only fitting that they would send him off on his final journey.

Ana had stood with Jack and Gabriel, and watched quietly as the casket-bearers lowered Gerard into the ground. Jack gave his eulogy, followed by Gerard's family and friends, before the funeral came to a close. Finding the afternoon sunlight too overbearing, Ana didn't stay while the attendees mingled with one another. She strode to the shaded parking lots at the side, standing by the car that she will take with Jack back to the airport. And as she waited, she spotted Angela's discrete figure strolling up to her, and she already had an inkling of what the young doctor had to say.

"Captain."

"Doctor."

Angela seemed to hesitate, glancing back at the throng of black-clothed people. "I would like to apologise."

"You don't have to, Angela. There's no blame here."

"I saw that wound on Amelie's head. I should've tried to do something, but I didn't. I prioritised my own comfort over–"

"You said it yourself, it might've damaged Amelie in some way if you flew in the dark."

"But it caused Gerard's death."

Ana sighed, crossing her arms. "Angela, I understand that you feel responsible for this. But it is not your fault. Amelie was under your care, yes, but you couldn't have known what she would've done, or what had been done to her. Besides, the blame doesn't mean much now, does it?" She nodded at the grave. "Gerard's dead. We can cry and beat our chests 'til the sun sets, but that won't change the fact that he won't come back."

When Angela seemed unconvinced, Ana added, "Besides, Amelie is still missing. We can find her, and find out for sure what happened to her. It's better than making blind guesses by ourselves… And it's the least we could do for Gerard."

Angela stared at her quietly, then nodded, jaw set. "I'll be ready, Captain."

"I'm sure you will." Ana clasped her shoulder. "Now grab Jesse or anyone, go for a walk. Have a chat. Clear your head."

Angela nodded again, and moved away. Ana watched her go, then turned her gaze back to the funeral. The mention of Amelie was a sobering reminder, and the thought of another search mission dropped a stone in her gut.

She had a bad feeling about this.

A/N: Age check: Kamilah, 61. Ana, 59. Fareeha, 31

:c