A Winter's Song
Author's Note: I had fun writing a McSombra Rime/Mountain Man McCree short fic so much that I decided to do a multichapter fic with them. I can't promise it won't have its share of angst either. q5dis on tumblr is responsible for inspiring the ship and I just love it!
― Nikki Giovanni
"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
"I love you because no two snowflakes are alike, and it is possible, if you stand tippy-toe, to walk between the raindrops."
― Nikki Giovanni
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~o~
Day One
Jesse awoke in the driver's seat of his truck with a small snort, mumbling and rubbing his face with one hand. He had parked off to the side of the road to rest; he had his truck loaded with everything for his trip to his cabin in the Swiss mountains, where he'd make a permanent home for himself. That fresh mountain air, the hunting he could do. It was the perfect escape from his life behind him.
"Shit...what time is...?" Jesse stared at the time on the dashboard. It read 11:44. It was about noon.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to hit a station near by.
Jesse switched on the radio for some music and it began to play "Smoky Mountain Rain" by Ronnie Milsap. He grinned and clapped his hands on the steering wheel in time with the song as he sang aloud to it. It made the morning nice and pleasant. He'd been driving for a long time, just listening to his music and making pit-stops along the way.
There was a shop on the right of the road and Jesse pulled into it. Once parked, he stepped out and walked into the store. It was small and smelled like wet fur, but he didn't mind it. He wandered to the coolers to grab a few drinks and noticed the younger man behind the counter watching a woman with a timid smile.
Jesse raised an eyebrow when he caught the look. Ah, he remembered the days when he'd been too shy to talk to pretty women.
He grabbed his drinks, picked up a few bags of chips and set them on the counter to pay for them before indicating the woman with a flick of his head/
"She's just human. Why don't you go over there and talk to her?" Jesse suggested, his tone hushed.
The man laughed weakly, meeting Jesse's eyes before he shook his head. "Talk to her? What? What in the world would I say?" he asked, uneasy.
"Hell, I don't know," Jesse shrugged his shoulder, leaned on the counter and glanced back at the woman who seemed interested in a magazine now. "Tell her about yourself. Always a good place to start."
The man waved him off. He definitely wasn't as confident as Jesse was. "Nah, she probably grew up with vacation homes, and guys like me fixing their toilets."
"Aww, come on, now. You gotta have some faith in yourself." Jesse glanced at the name tag the man wore on his shirt pocket. "Uh...'Ted'."
Ted smiled a little, nodding. "You're right. I'll go talk to her."
He started to go, but Jesse stopped him with one hand, gesturing to his items on the counter. Ted laughed sheepishly and nodded.
"Right. After this, then." he said.
Jesse left the store, whistling to himself and opening the bag of chips. He walked to his truck, glanced up toward the mountain he had planned to go - his new cabin home. Jesse smiled at the thought of it; finally, he'd have a place for himself to start his new life.
Just then, a video call went through and he sighed, staring down at his dashboard when he climbed into the truck. It was coming from Amari. She was probably calling him to convince him to come back to Overwatch - she'd spent almost an hour trying to talk him into staying when he announced he'd be leaving off on his own.
It wasn't polite to ignore her call, however, so he decided to answer it. Ana's face lit up from a tiny, holographic projected screen.
"My answer's still the same, Amari." Jesse spoke before she could.
Ana sighed, her features wrinkling with amusement. "I wasn't going to convince you further, Jesse." she told him. "I was calling to see how the trip was going."
Jesse let out a short laugh. "Sure you were."
Ana sighed gently now. "Jesse, you can't blame yourself for what happened."
Jesse's features clouded in thought now; he pursed his lips, refused to look at her. "Who said anything about blaming?" he asked, tone softer. "This is just me forging ahead and looking to the future."
Ana stared at him sympathetically. "I know. I know how you do things, Jesse. I just hope one day, you find what you need and maybe we'll meet again."
"Sure..." Jesse replied, "There's always Christmas."
He laughed gently and ended the conversation by shutting off the video. But Ana's words echoed in his mind, distracting him for the remainder of the trip.
Running? Him? Hah.
O
Jesse pulled up to the small cabin and noticed the little fence where two sheep where waiting. Jesse laughed and stepped out of the truck, walking up to the fence and patting one of the sheep along its side. It gave a small bleating sound and he laughed.
"Well, look at that!" he said, to himself, "They already brought you here."
He looked at the little round bells around their necks and the tags of their names hanging alongside them. "Cotton Ball" and "Puff". Well, they weren't original names, but still a little cute - even he had to admit that.
"Well, who knows..." Jesse continued, "Maybe I'll get us a goat or something."
He made his way up the steps of the cabin and unlocked the door with a simple swipe of the keycard. Stepping inside, he studied the details; enormous fireplace, hardwood floor and tall ceiling with windows. It reminded him a lot of the home he had in America. It had been a comfortable farm a lot like this cabin and even had a similar fireplace where he could kick back and listen to his father's stories.
The kitchen was small, but suitable for a man of his needs. After all, he was living by himself and had no one he really needed to worry about. There were a few cups, plates and bowls still in the cabinets that he could use, but he'd buy a few more in time.
Still, despite everything, it was one hell of a buy.
He thought about heading into the little town later - Zermatt, he remembered it named - at the bottom of the mountain later to buy some hunting supplies and maybe some groceries for his place. But he was definitely planning on resting by the fireplace first after that long trip on the road.
Jesse took a seat in the chair, gathered some wood sitting in the pile nearby and set it into the fireplace. After a few attempts at lighting it, it started up in a nice, comfortable blaze. He chuckled and sat back in his chair, removing a cigar and setting it into his mouth.
"Well...looks like we got the rest of our lives to work it all out, don't we?" he murmured, to himself.
Ana's words still lingered in his mind.
He thought about what happened long ago, but didn't want to think on it for much longer.
It's in the past.
Let it stay there.
O
Jesse was immediately stopped at the gates of Zermatt when he pulled up in his truck. An officer standing in a booth walked out and raised a hand, knocking on the window. Jesse brought it down and shrugged his shoulders.
"Something wrong, officer?" he asked.
"I'm obligated to inform you and any tourists arriving in Zermatt that this is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerces, but not in the Old Village." the officer explained, in a thick accent. "I just need an inspection of your vehicle, sir."
Jesse made a face. That was ridiculous. "Nobody uses combustion engines anymore."
"You'd be surprised, sir." the officer replied, beginning to look over the truck and all of its details. He pried the hood open and peered inside. "We have a lot of classic cars people bring here for tourism and shows."
Jesse pondered that with a thoughtful noise. Well, car shows were kind of interesting. Maybe he'd stop by some time to check them out. Then, he tilted his head. "Hey, you know where I can get hunting gear?"
"In town at Bahnhofstrasse, there's a hunting shop beside the Brown Cow Pub. You can't miss it." The officer patted the hood once when he closed it. "Everything appears in order. You may go ahead in."
"Thank you kindly." Jesse tipped his hat and drove through the gate.
The officer watched him go before shaking his head. "Americans..."
Jesse made his way into town, looking around at the tourists and locals as they passed by as well as the shops lining the streets. There was plenty for him to see and he definitely took interest in the Brown Cow Pub the officer had described. Hopefully they had good beer. It was hard to find a good drinking place sometimes.
He parked his truck at the side of the road and stopped into the store next to the Pub; it smelled of wood and strong cleaner. Jesse looked around at the hunting gear on the shelves and walls, including a variety of weapons locked behind cabinets. Nothing could compare to his trusty Peacekeeper.
"Ah! Guten Tag!" the man behind the counter greeted. "What can I help you with?"
"Hey." Jesse waved at him once. "Just looking to get some hunting gear. I was told you were the best in town."
"You were told right, my American friend. You've come to the right place," the man said, with a smile, "Deer are in season and no shop sells better equipment than Leonhard's!"
"You're Leonhard, then?"
"I am. I have crossbows and - "
Jesse shook his head. "Nah. I got my own heat right here." he told him, patting his holstered six-shooter.
Leonhard leaned to one side to look at the weapon before he laughed a little. "Using a six-shooter to kill deer? Well, aren't you creative!"
Jesse laughed with him. "Always was."
"So..." Leonhard began, watching as Jesse wandered around the shop. "They say an American bought the cabin up north. I'm going to assume that was you."
"You assume right." Jesse replied, studying the crossbow on the wall. "Always wanted a nice, cozy place of my own. Gonna do just what my daddy always taught me and live off the land carefree."
Leonhard made a face, his tone softening a little. "Then I wish you the best of luck on your task. The forest is haunted by spirits. No one goes up north anymore."
Jesse looked back at him, grinning and shaking his head. "Don't pull my leg, old man. Ain't no such thing."
"Yes, yes, that's what everyone says when I tell them," Leonhard said. "They say it like 'Der Typ is Irre!' But I know the truth. I saw it."
"Sure you did."
Jesse didn't buy into legends of spirits and anything supernatural, not even from his friends. He knew things as they were laid out in front of him. But Leonhard was absolutely serious about it. Who knew, really. Maybe the old man was just convinced of it and it had been something else.
"It has blue skin like ice..." Leonhard continued, mystified now as he spoke, making gestures with his hands, "Hair white as the snow... Eyes like an animal. It whispers to the beasts in the hills! I saw it once when I was wandering the mountains and it laughed at me, took what little food I had and left me alone."
"Sounds like this big scary mountain ghost just let you live."
Leonhard shook his head, not catching onto Jesse's sarcastic tone. "No, it's not just that. It's - "
"Alright, alright," Jesse interrupted, smiling a little, "I'll keep my eyes peeled for a blue ghost with white hair while I'm up there. Just give me some of those bait traps you got behind the counter."
Leonhard didn't think about arguing with him any more and retrieved the items in question. Jesse indicated a few more things of interest before he left the store with his equipment. Once outside, he placed everything in the bed of his truck before he noticed a little girl staring up at him.
"What happened to your arm?" she asked.
"Friend of mine lost his and I always admired it. Figured I'd get one of my own."
"Did you lose it in a gunfight?" the girl asked, eyes widening with delight. "My mama tells me Americans always have gunfights."
"Your mama's right."
"I knew it!"
Then, she looked back as her mother called for her in German. She rushed off to her and Jesse watched them go, entering a grocery store across the street. Jesse chuckled, shook his head before another thought came to him; the talk about spirits in the mountains, anyway. It was probably just a dumb story, but it did make him wonder why the cabin had been empty for a long time. After all, he'd gotten it cheap and the original owner had been eager to give it to him. It could have been an Omnic trying to keep humans away. Jesse had seen that kind of thing before.
Either way, he could handle it.
O
It was getting colder as Jesse cut up wood for his fireplace.
It wouldn't be long before winter appeared around the corner; he had to get a good bit of hunting in before that happened.
He took a few more swings at the stump before he looked up toward the sky; the sun was beginning to set, so it was probably a better idea to finish up. He huffed out a sound, gathered the wood under one arm and started back for his cabin. He even started humming a song to himself along the way.
It would be good to get started on hunting tomorrow. After all, he had planned on all kinds of food he'd make with a fresh kill.
Then, Jesse's mind wandered to the past; when he younger and living among the Deadlock gang. He didn't know what made him think about it. Being alone did have a bad habit of having his mind wander, after all. Maybe that was a good enough reason to drink up before bed.
"Come on, Jesse. Just one more."
"Ahh hell, Ashe. It ain't worth it."
"Any score that leads to a good haul is always worth it."
Jesse sighed, kicked up his feet. "She's old, Ashe. And here I thought we had standards above the rest."
B.O.B had been working on Ashe's bike off to the side when he lifted his eyes, toward the man, then to Ashe. The woman was also leaned back in her chair, smirking at Jesse's hesitation.
"She's old, but not old enough for what she did. She doesn't deserve what she's got, Jesse. Not like us."
"Sorry," Jesse answered, with a shrug, "Robbing old ladies just ain't my thing."
Ashe groaned with dismay, slouching her shoulders. "Aww, come on!" she argued. "There's no stoppin' me once I get into a rhythm!"
"You always were the ambitious one."
Ashe let out a short laugh. "You make that sound like a bad thing. You'd still be on a farm if it weren't for me."
"Sometimes, it doesn't feel like a bad thing..."
Jesse sighed to himself. Sure, things had ended on a rough patch with the gang, but he had to admit there were some charms to it he missed; after all, he'd ended up in situations worse than them once he'd left the gang. Things had been simpler then.
The wind billowed gently around him, halting him in his steps.
Jesse frowned, feeling an odd sensation creep up his back as he paused and looked over his shoulder. Somehow, he sensed eyes watching him from the forest; it could have been animals for all he knew, but this particular feeling felt different somehow.
Jesse's free hand rested at the holster of his weapon and he pursed his lips, eyes scanning the trees for signs of trouble. He saw nothing move and yet, still felt as if someone was there.
He grunted thoughtfully, but made his way back to the cabin. Once inside, he closed the door behind him, set the wood into the pile near the fireplace, and then walked to the window where he looked outside. It was already getting dark and it would be his first night alone in the mountains before he went hunting.
Maybe there was something about this forest after all. He always trusted his gut instinct when it told him something was up.
Still, it had to just be another human playing pranks or an Omnic who wanted to be left alone.
That's always how it ended up.