The three men she cared for. And the one who cared for her.
The first; was her husband.
The only thing her first husband ever gave her that was worth something… was Fareeha.
Outside of that, the man was a sniveling weasel. A fool who thought he could control her. Raise his hand to her.
He tried it. Once.
After that the relationship was over. And he no longer had a hand to raise.
When Fareeha was born, she almost called him. Forgave him.
Because her daughter was truly the most important, precious thing in her life from the moment she opened her eyes and let out her first cries.
She raised her with all the love and care she could breathe into every moment. And no matter how hard it got, No matter how much her account shrank with her unable to take more bounty contracts, she would never ever do anything different.
When the crisis came, when armies of machines were burning cities, and killing people by the millions, someone remembered her name. Showed up at her front door with a paycheck large enough for ten lifetimes.
Her one condition, was Fareeha.
Her daughter needed to come with her, be kept safe along with the highest officials.
They allowed it.
And she picked up her rifle again.
That was where she met the second… and the third.
She was older than both of them. Not by much, but enough for it to be noticeable… at least by her.
Gabriel was a good man… once. Proud, strong, intelligent.
Good with Fareeha.
She could have, easilly, seen how it could be to care for him. Be in a relationship like that.
But she could see it… even then. Gabriel was a man with a very deep, chilling ruthlessness to him. A seething rage deep in the pit of his soul that, if it was ever released… would consume him and all those around him.
So she stayed away. Stayed as his friend.
He flirted with her, made his advances. But soon enough, he got the message.
And despite that, he never once treated Fareeha any differently.
Jack was the day to Gabriel's night. Always ready with an easy smile, ready to take the world on his shoulders and all of them too if they needed it.
But whereas Gabriel could have been a good father, and a good husband. Jack was already married to his work. Already a man pulled in too many directions at once and too willing to let himself be pulled in even more.
And so, like Gabriel, she stayed away. Loved him as a friend and let it go no further.
She didn't tell them. Didn't tell any of them she survived her accident. The only person who knew was Angela, and Fareeha of course. She could never hurt her daughter like that.
But she made them both promise to not say anything. To keep it a secret.
And she would not see those men again. Never again. The beings that pulled themselves free of the ruins of the Swiss headquarters were not the friends she remembered… or loved.
Jack was a man on a mission. One who seemingly wanted to die.
Gabriel… Gabriel was… something monstrous.
When Winston called them all back, called on Fareeha personally… she followed.
It was there… she found him.
"Ana!" He gasped, staring at her though he was seeing a ghost.
She supposed it was fitting.
It was her new moniker after all…
"How can this be!? I thought you were dead!"
He looked down at her, his voice a breathy whisper, looking as though he was ready to burst into tears.
It was the first time she'd ever seen that look on his face.
It filled her with shame. Made her gut churn with regret at her selfishness, at the hurt she'd caused.
She could not even meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry Reinhardt... " She said to him. And it just felt so inadequate. "A-After everything that happened… I needed time."
He said nothing. He didn't even seem to move.
Seven feet of pure muscle stood in the common room like a living statue. Just… looking at her.
She found her courage. Looking at him with a nervous, fragile smile bracing herself for his anger even as she tried to break the ice.
"Reinhardt, I must say-" She began. "- you're looking quite well. This life must agree with you."
Her words seemed to snap him out of his stupor. Blinking stupidly at her for a moment before his smile threatened to split his face in two, even as it lit up the room.
"And you, are looking as lovely as ever."
He reached down, taking her hand in a surprisingly gentle grip before lifting it up, even as he bent at the waist to kiss the back of her knuckles.
And after that, there was not one question. Not one hurtful word or accusatory implication. He led her by the arm and simply began to show her around base, introducing her to all the young people. The new faces of Overwatch she did not recognize.
Children…
Even her Fareeha.
Just children.
Were they doomed? Like Jack? Gabriel? Herself?
Was this another mistake waiting to happen?
She didn't want it to be true.
She wanted to tell them all to leave. To go home and not repeat their mistakes. Wanted to to to Winston, chastise him for his naieve, idealistic stupidity.
But she didn't. She didn't because she was young once as well… and knew she wouldn't have listened either.
"We will have to protect them you know. Teach these young kids a thing or two."
The words were ripped right out of her mouth. Made her look to her walking partner, finding Reinhardt smiling down at her.
She smiled back.
"I couldn't have said it better."
When they are sent to a mission, she notices the difference immediately.
Jack is not their 'tactician.' He is not the one the kids count on to have a plan, or to improvise. For that, they have Winston.
Reinhardt is not the one they count on to move headlong into the thick of the fighting. They have the Song girl.
Gabriel is not the one they count on to sneak in and pick off priority targets. They have their Shimada assassin for that.
Hell, most of them time, the kids don't even call on her for the 'impossible shots' For that, they have the other Shimada, the one with a bow.
Even Fareeha has gotten used to the dynamic with them.
The kids can take care of themselves.
The ones who count on her are what's left of the old crew.
Torbjorn, Angela, Reinhardt.
And when the enemy spots her, goes after her, these are who she relies on to save her in turn.
And he always does. Making himself the biggest target, shield at the ready, pushing himself into fights that would kill men a third of his age.
And always at the end, when he can remove his helmet, he has a smile ready for them.
She is not silly enough with young fancies to think that his smile is 'just' for her.
But it makes her smile as well.
And at her age, that gets a little harder every day.
She is not silly enough either to dismiss the fact that she is growing to care for him. Yes, even at her age. She's old. Not dead.
And she has to wonder why.
What makes him so different. What makes him something the others weren't?
The answer is simple.
He's the only one she's ever relied on who has never let her down…
The one with a big enough heart to accept all of her imperfections, all of her flaws and never expect more than she can give.
And as such, its with a little impulsiveness that, as they're waiting for the transport to arrive, and his helmet is off, she steps closer to where he is sitting, bringing his attention to her.
"Reinhardt- Promise me something will you?"
"Anything my dear." He says, and smiles that smile of his. The one that lights up a room and makes her smile in turn.
"Never change." She demanded.
Before he could answer, she leans down, grabs his chin and plants one on him.
He doesn't return the kiss, he's too surprised. But when she pulls away he's smiling in a way that makes him seem years younger.
Its almost adorable really.
She giggles.
She hasn't done that in years.
(X)(X)(X)
What can I say. I ship these two
...
...
...
I'm not sorry!
Anyway, if anyone's got any ideas feel free to throw em out there. So far we have one from Mercy and how she copes with her stressful work and Junkrat's peg leg getting caught in his own trap xD