She hadn't stopped thinking about that exchange since it happened. Even after a long shower and a dose of NyQuil, she was still lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. Earlier she had actually bothered to close her eyes only to end up tossing and turning for hours. The weirdest part? She had actually gone to her private quarters and gotten into bed. Maybe she couldn't sleep because she wasn't on her beloved couch. Angela rolled over and looked at the time. It was already three in the morning. She tossed back the covers and got out of bed, heading toward the door. She abandoned her private quarters and started down the long hall toward her office. As she journeyed through the silence of the base, she continued bouncing thoughts from the evening around the inside of her skull.
Why did she apologize so many times after she had broken down? The way that Amélie had looked at her… It was almost painful. The way that Angela instinctively pulled Amélie into her arms and held her there until she stopped crying… It was instinctual from years of comforting patients, but what if she took it as something more? Would she even take it as something more? Why did she find herself hoping for Amélie to interpret it with a different meaning? The doctor shook her head, trying to stop herself from imagining such nonsense as she arrived at the wing of the building with her office. At the end of the hallway, Gabriel was walking in her direction. He sported his favorite black sweatshirt with the hood flipped up onto his head, as usual. He looked utterly exhausted, but he perked up at the sight of his friend.
"What are you doing up?" He asked, gesturing to the massive windows on the wall, "It's the ass crack of the ass crack of dawn."
"I couldn't sleep." She said, reaching her office door.
"Not even on your magic sofa?" Gabriel replied with a grin.
"I'm about to try and hope for the best." Angela told him as she unlocked the door via the fingerprint scanning panel on the wall.
"Wait, you mean you actually tried to sleep in a bed?" He inquired, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
The doctor only nodded as she opened up the office door. A small streak of light crept into the otherwise blacked out room. It illuminated the mess that never left the floor and gave a peek into the collection of dirty coffee mugs that were scattered in strange places throughout the room. Gabriel scratched the back of his neck and looked hard at Angela.
"Are you okay? Are you sick?"
"I'm fine, Gabe." She reassured him, "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay… Come and get me if you need anything." Gabriel told her with genuine concern.
She nodded again and stepped into her office, closing the door behind her. The doctor blindly ventured to the couch and sprawled out across it. She grabbed the blanket that was draped over the cushions and pulled it atop her, closing her eyes and rolling onto her side. Instantly, she felt much more comfortable and she pulled the blanket up to her chin. The quiet occasional footsteps in the hallway outside of her office helped to lull her to sleep. Even though she had finally pushed back her thoughts of Amélie, they crept back into Angela's unconscious mind and she saw her in her dreams.
It was one thing that Angela had drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Amélie in her mind, but it was another that she dreamt up all sorts of false realities in which she could justify her crush on the married woman. Yes, only a few hours after waking up, she had now diagnosed that fluttering feeling in her chest whenever Amélie giggled as a crush. She had also shuddered when she figured out that the only word that could fit what she was experiencing was "crush". Now, though, she trudged through the mess hall toward the coffee maker with her favorite novelty mug. It was a hideous little mug that was made to look like a prescription pill bottle, comedically labeled "coffee" across the front, but she loved it nonetheless. As she picked up the coffee pot, she heard her name being called.
"Doctor Ziegler!" Gérard Lacroix shouted as he scrambled into the mess hall.
Oh, great.
Angela tried to ignore the small spike in her pulse as she turned around and greeted Gérard with a warm smile, "Good morning."
"I think you mean afternoon," He said, looking down at his watch.
"Is it really afternoon already?" The doctor asked in disbelief, stealing a glance at his watch.
Her eyes fixed on the digital numbers. It was half past two o'clock. She frowned ever so slightly as her gaze trailed down toward the wedding band around Gérard's finger. Thankfully, she snapped out of it as soon as he spoke up again.
"I'm afraid so, Doctor. Anyway, I wanted to let you know how thankful I am that you've been such a good friend to Amélie. And I also wanted to extend an invitation." The French man said cheerfully.
"Oh? To what?" Angela pondered aloud, taking a sip of coffee.
"It's a surprise going-away party for Amélie, before she leaves for England." He explained, "I'd love it if you could come and I know she would too. Gabriel will be attending and perhaps a few others."
"I'll be there," She told him, "When?"
"Wednesday night. We're all going to the house to get things ready and then once she gets back from ballet practice, we'll jump out and surprise her!" Gérard explained, a cheeky grin on his face, "I'll send you the address so you don't get lost."
Angela nodded awkwardly, realizing that Gérard had no idea that she had just been there last night. Did he even know how frequently she and Amélie had been around each other? Did she ever bother to tell him? If she didn't, why? What was she trying to hide from her husband? There was nothing to hide… Right? They were just very good friends.
"Doctor Ziegler?" Gérard waved a hand in front of her face.
She shook her head a few times and lifted her eyebrows, "Hm?"
"Are you feeling okay?" He asked.
"Yes, just a little tired. Don't worry, Gérard. I'll be there." She assured him.
"You're the best," Gérard told her, "I'll let you get back to your studies."
He turned on his heel and left the mess hall just as merrily as he came in. Angela leaned against the counter top and rubbed her temples with her fingertips, sighing quietly. Why did she have to go and have a thing for her coworker's wife? And furthermore, why did Amélie have to instigate it further by being so flirty with Angela? Some of that was flirting, wasn't it? Angela had to believe she wasn't crazy when Amélie said those little lines that would make her heart rate pick up more than usual.
"Whatcha thinkin' bout?" Lena Oxton asked, appearing before Angela from seemingly nowhere.
It was normal with this one, though. What, with her being all blinky and fast and whatnot. Angela had grown used to being snuck up on by the newest member of Overwatch. She didn't mind at all, really. Lena was a sweet girl and it was impossible not to love her and her spunky personality. She had come to love her quite quickly and she made a great addition to the organization.
"Oh, nothing." Angela replied nonchalantly.
"Doctor things?" Lena prodded, opening up the fridge and looking around for a snack.
"I suppose so." The blonde woman chuckled as she turned around and leaned back against the countertop.
"I saw you talking to Lieutenant Commander Lacroix. Did you get an invite to his fancy surprise party too?" She wanted to know.
"I did," Angela said, "And, Lena, I've told you a hundred times, you can just call him Gérard."
"Right." Lena nodded and hopped up onto the counter, swinging her legs as she opened up a bag of baby carrots, "How are you feeling, doc? Reyes was worried about you."
"Is this what I sound like? A broken record, constantly asking people how they're feeling?" The doctor sighed.
Lena gave her a small frown and she instantly felt guilty.
"I'm sorry. I just… I'm exhausted, I suppose." Angela told her.
"It's alright! I just wanna make sure you're doin' alright. You take care of everybody else, so it's our job to take care of you every once in a while." The chipper brunette smiled.
"You're too sweet, Lena. I appreciate that."
"Oh, it's nothing! I've always got your back, remember?" Lena reminded her comrade.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me," Angela said, patting Lena on the shoulder.
"Mhm! Anyway, I told Fareeha I'd kick her butt in a spar after I got a snack. I'll see ya 'round, doc." She giggled as she blinked out of the kitchen.
Angela smiled to herself as she exited the mess hall. The weight on her shoulders felt a bit lighter than when she came in. On the way back to her office, she took a moment to hang around the window by the training room. The glass was vibrating and loud music was coming from behind the walls. At the far end of the facility, Fareeha and Tracer goofed off and danced around to Fareeha's favorite; Heavy metal. The doctor laughed to herself and carried on her way. As much as she wished she could join then in their shenanigans, she had things to do and not enough time to do them.
To Angela Ziegler, time was like a freight train. A freight train that moved at ridiculously fast speeds and plowed through everything in its wake. It didn't matter if Angela felt like she had only been studying an hour or two. Time didn't care. That metaphorical freight train would accelerate through what felt like one hour and turn it into four, or even seven. So it wasn't much of a shock when Wednesday finally rolled around and Angela, as usual, had completely lost track of time and was surprised to find Lena at the door to her office. She was dressed up in a nice little button down shirt, smiling expectantly at Angela as she stood in the hallway.
"I… Um…" The doctor stumbled for words, making no effort to cover up her confusion.
"Don't tell me you forgot!" Lena begged, "Amélie! Surprise party! Tonight!"
Angela ran a hand through her messy ponytail and groaned, "Verdammt, I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body."
"You've got plenty of time! Just throw on one of your fancier doctor coats and let's go!" The British girl encouraged her, earning a laugh in response.
"I'm going to get myself cleaned up. I'll meet up with you once I'm done." Angela advised the cadet.
"Sure thing!" Lena said as she blinked down the hallway.
As she went about readying herself, the doctor hummed and tried to get into the mindset necessary to attend social gatherings. Angela pulled out her favorite white turtle neck and pulled it over her head, smoothing out the fabric and picking off a stray piece of lint from one of the sleeves. She then searched around the office for a pair of black jeans that she knew she had left somewhere a few weeks ago… She couldn't quite recall where, though. The blonde woman dug around her work quarters, looking beneath things and behind things. Finally, she prevailed and found the missing jeans sticking out from beneath the couch. She decided that they weren't too wrinkly and stepped into them, grabbing a lint roller from the bottom drawer of her desk and rolling it down her legs. She was about to step out the door when she realized that she had to do something about her hair. Groaning, she whirled around and stood before a mirror.
Her fingers looped around the hair-tie that currently held a loose, messy ponytail and yanked it out. Blonde locks fell freely around her face and appeared somewhat wavy from being in a ponytail for so long. She supposed she had no other choice than to put it back up, perhaps just a tad neater this time. She pulled all of her hair together and put it into a tight ponytail, securing it with the hair-tie and examining her reflection to make sure she hadn't missed any pieces. Thankfully, she had successfully executed a perfect ponytail on the first try. She grabbed her purse off of the coffee table near the couch and exited the office, making sure the door had locked behind her. It didn't take long for her to find Lena, who was still blinking around Headquarters as she normally did. And it felt like it took even less time to arrive at the Lacroix's townhouse.
The hover car came to a gentle stop at the curb and allowed the handful of Overwatch members to get out. Angela got out first, followed by Lena, then Fareeha, then Gabriel, then Jesse. They crossed the street as the car drove away and Gabriel opened the door of the house, revealing numerous streamers and balloons decorating the interior. They all filed in and looked around at the festive display. Lena and Fareeha beamed excitedly and Jesse wore a half-smile. Gérard rounded the corner, covered with flour and sporting a "Kiss the Cook" apron. Gabriel snorted and Fareeha stifled a laugh.
"What have you been up to, Lacroix?" Gabriel asked.
"I made a cake! It's vanilla with strawberry filling." He said proudly.
"I didn't peg you for a master chef," Jesse told him, prompting Fareeha to try suppressing a laugh.
"I didn't peg you for a comedian," Gérard came back, "Thank you all for coming, by the way. You're the first to arrive, but there will be more soon. I invited some of her ballet friends and a few others."
"Sounds great! Need any help?" Lena offered.
"If you don't mind, I could really use somebody to make a playlist for the party. I have the system all set up over there." The French man replied, wiping his hands on his apron.
Fareeha instantly perked up and locked eyes with Lena. The two made a bee-line for the stereo system and began battling for the rights to the playlist. Jesse's brow furrowed as he watched them. He curled his fists and shook his head.
"You're gonna make everybody's ears bleed, Fareeha! Let me pick some real music." He growled as he stormed over to the pair.
Gérard laughed and turned back to Gabriel and Angela, "Where is Jack? I invited him."
"He couldn't come. Same with Amari. Shit hit the fan again and they're stuck at HQ, taking a bunch of international calls with officials. I'm guessing we'll have to intervene at some point." Gabriel predicted, watching a scowl form on Gérard's face.
"Hopefully it can wait till Amé leaves for Britain… I haven't been able to stay in one place for more than ten seconds." He uttered.
"You're the only one of us that's crazy enough to go and fall in love when the world is at its worst." Gabriel said, folding his arms.
Angela offered a half-smile to Gérard, but she couldn't ignore the sudden pain in her gut when Gabriel had said that. He wiped at his forehead and shrugged.
"I'm a hopeless romantic, my dear Gabriel. What can I say?" He retorted, "Ah, I nearly forgot. Angela, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure," She nodded.
"In my office, there's a new bottle of wine sitting on my desk. Can you go get it for me? My office is down the hallway, second door on the left."
The doctor nodded and walked down the hallway. She felt odd receiving directions to his office. She already knew where it was. But he didn't know that. Why did he still not know that? She tried to push down the thoughts as she entered his office. The sound of more guests arriving filled the house as she flicked on the light switch and approached his L-shaped desk. There were a few picture frames on the desk and even more pictures tacked up on the wall above his computers. A familiar photo of Angela and Torbjörn from the Halloween party, a picture of the Blackwatch team, and a candid snapshot of Reinhardt lifting up Jesse above his head. Angela smiled to herself and looked at the framed photos. There was one of Amélie in a black leotard with a gold medal around her neck. And another one of Amélie, this time holding a small tuxedo cat with big, yellow eyes. Beside that frame was a photograph from their wedding day. Amélie smiled at the camera while Gérard gazed lovingly at her. They held hands. It looked happy.
Angela picked up the framed image and gazed at it. Amélie was smiling, but there were no little wrinkles by her eyes. Whenever she smiled, they were there… But not here. She set down the picture frame and turned around to grab the wine bottle. Her hands closed around it and she listened to the sound of more people arriving. She scanned the room for a clock, seeing that it was now nearly 8 o'clock and Amélie would be getting out of ballet practice soon. She turned off the light in the room and returned to the kitchen. Gabriel took the wine bottle and uncorked it as various strangers introduced themselves to Angela. At the far end of the room, the DJ trio had finally set aside their differences and finished up the playlist. Music now played at a reasonable volume throughout the townhouse. Gérard reappeared in the kitchen, this time all cleaned up and ready to surprise Amélie. The last of the guests showed up and Gérard swiftly gave them directions.
He temporarily turned off the music as everyone settled into their hiding spots. Angela hid behind the sofa with Gabriel and the two of them gave stern glares to Jesse, Fareeha, and Lena every time they threatened to burst out with laughter. Gérard turned the lights off so that it would appear that no one was home. Then, he kneeled down by the front window of the house and waited. Only a few minutes had passed when a cab pulled up outside of the townhouse and the sound of a car door closing could be heard. Gérard broke out into a full sprint and dove over the sofa, landing behind it with a loud thud. Jesse, Fareeha, and Lena nearly lost it right then. However, the sound of the door unlocking caused everyone to go still and silent. They were like statues as the hallway light flicked on and Amélie dropped her dance bag beside the door. She turned on the kitchen light and everyone jumped out of their hiding spots.
"Surprise!" They shouted in unison, causing an exhausted Amélie to snap back to life.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Amélie asked.
"A surprise party! For you, mon amour. Before you go off to Britain for a while." Her husband explained, giving her hand a squeeze.
Amélie's eyes found Angela's and that trademark smile took ahold of her lips, "That's so sweet. Thank you, everyone."
"Let's get this party started!" Lena shouted, mashing the buttons on the stereo system.
The music resumed and everyone began socializing. People congratulated Amélie and wished her good luck left and right. Angela stepped aside and helped herself to the alcoholic refreshments as per usual. She fixed herself a glass of wine and made her way back to Gabriel's side. He watched in amusement as Fareeha and Jesse busted out their best dance moves.
"Have I ever told you how glad I am that the delinquent stuck around?" He inquired, taking a drink from his cup.
"Only a thousand times." Angela joked, "Fareeha seems glad to have him around, too."
"The two are practically siblings. We're like a weird, fucked up little family." Gabriel said.
"Mhm." She nodded in agreement.
Amélie finally began to approach her and Gabriel told her something else before walking off. She didn't really catch it, since she was so busy looking at Amélie, but it probably wasn't a very big deal. Amélie pulled her into a tight hug and then released her, giving her a peck on each cheek.
"I'm so glad you're here," She told Angela.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Angela said, getting a mushy smile from Amélie.
"I promise I'll be back. I just have to finish making the rounds. Don't go anywhere." Amélie ordered.
Angela stayed where she was, watching everyone socialize before her. Lena approached her and scanned the cooler for something to drink. She pulled out a can and cracked it open before turning to her comrade.
"Hey, doc?"
"Yes?"
"Between you and me… That Amélie Lacroix is real pretty." Lena whispered.
Angela laughed, "She sure is, isn't she?"
"Uh-huh! But you didn't hear it from me." The British girl reminded her before she hurried back over to Jesse and Fareeha.
Angela continued to chuckle to herself as she sipped her wine. It had probably only been about thirty minutes when Gabriel's phone started ringing. He answered it, hesitated, then stepped out of the room. Jesse fixed his attention to the hallway that Gabriel had disappeared into, waiting for him to return. Angela chewed the inside of her cheek. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what would happen next. Sure enough, Gabriel returned and waved Jesse over. There was a hushed exchange of words and then they walked over to Gérard. Gabriel spoke first and Gérard looked angry for a moment, then disappointed. He nodded, straightened up, and collected himself before going to his wife's side. He took her hand and led her out onto the back patio. When they stepped back inside, he nodded to Gabriel and Jesse and the three of them left the townhouse. Amélie re-entered looking rather unfazed. She kept her promise and rejoined Angela, standing by her side and putting together a mixed drink.
"Are you alright?" Angela questioned, her voice a bit cautious.
"Mm?" She looked at Angela for a moment, "Yes, I'm fine. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yes, but… Gérard-"
"What about him? He isn't here right now." Amélie cut her off before she could finish.
"I just-"
"Angela. I'm fine. Vraiment. I'm just happy that you're here." Amélie reassured her, reaching out and squeezing Angela's hand.
Amélie smiled at her and the doctor couldn't not smile back. The rest of the night went smoothly without any other interruptions. They played a few drinking games, shared some good stories, and did a little bit of dancing. By the time everyone had started leaving, it was nearly 1 o'clock in the morning. And as fate would have it, the remaining partygoers were Angela, Fareeha, and Lena.
"Thanks for letting us surprise you! It was loads of fun." Lena said graciously as she followed Fareeha to the front door.
"Thank you for surprising me." Amélie chuckled, "Angela?"
She turned at the sound of her name, stopping a few feet away from the door. Lena continued on her way outside and Fareeha held the door open.
"Yes?"
"Do you think you could stay just a moment longer? I think I injured myself at practice tonight…" Amélie asked, gesturing down toward her left leg.
"I don't see why not. I'll only be a minute." Angela told Fareeha.
"We'll get a cab." The Egyptian woman said as she shut the door behind her.
"So, what happened?" Angela inquired as she followed Amélie back into the living room.
To her surprise—and confusion—Amélie stopped in the hallway and turned around to face her. Tears had welled in her eyes and she once again looked utterly distraught. Angela reached out and took her hand.
"Amélie? What's the matter?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do." She choked out, wiping furiously at her eyes.
"About what?" Angela spoke softly.
"When I go. I'm going to be alone for weeks." Amélie winced.
"But you'll be with your ballet friends. And you know that everyone is only a phone call away." She said, rubbing her thumb across the back of Amélie's shaking hand.
Amélie only let out a few raggedy breaths in response. Angela hated to see her so broken up. The only thing that ever seemed to make her this way was loneliness. She was afraid to be alone.
"You can call me whenever you need to. I'll always pick up. Okay?" The doctor promised, her eyes finally meeting Amélie's as she moved her gaze off of the floor.
She looked at Angela differently, now. Not sad. Content, almost. She lifted her free hand from her side and daringly brought it to the blonde woman's cheek. They paused, both seemingly paralyzed for a moment before Amélie's lips parted ever so slightly and met Angela's. Initially, Angela was completely alarmed at the sudden contact. But the feeling of Amélie's soft, full lips against her own was much too intoxicating to pull away from. Her body relaxed, eyes closing as she found herself pressed against Amélie's body. Amélie's lips tasted like the salt from her tears and mint with a hint of vodka. She relished everything about the moment. From the taste of Amélie's lips to the way that her heart felt like it was bound to explode out of her chest at any given moment. It was inexplicably exhilarating.
And it was over too soon. Their lips parted and Amélie's hand remained on Angela's face. They both drew in air as their foreheads met. Everything was still as their eyes found each other like magnets. Amélie's thumb slowly moved over Angela's cheek, which was now flushed pink.
"Amélie, I-"
There was a banging on the door and the two abruptly split apart as Fareeha shouted outside, "Angela! The cab's here!"
"Just a second!" She called out.
"I'm sorry." Amélie told her.
"When do you come back?" Angela breathed, disregarding the unnecessary apology.
"Four weeks from now. Angela-"
"No. It's okay, Amélie… I just… Need some time."
"I understand…" Amélie nodded.
"Angela! Come on!" Fareeha yelled.
"I'll call you—Or—You call me." Angela said as she headed for the door.
"I will," The French woman replied, "Goodbye, Angela."
"Auf wiedersehen," She bid her farewell as she walked out of the townhouse.
Fareeha stood there with her arms crossed and Lena hung halfway out of the window of the cab. Angela smiled nervously and carried on down the walkway. Fareeha followed suit and they settled into the back seat of the cab. Lena hummed to herself, still somewhat intoxicated. Beside Angela, Fareeha drummed her fingers on her leg and stared straight ahead. The quiet gave Angela some time to try and process what had just happened. It also gave her time to realize that she wished what just happened had happened sooner. Oh, god. She kissed her friend's wife. She wiped her now sweaty palms on her jeans and tried to appear composed as her mind became clouded with thoughts. Angela Ziegler; Scholar, peace advocate, medical expert, and homewrecker.
Yet somehow, she would do it again in a heartbeat. And the worst part?
She intended to.