Chapter Text
An old tear-stained letter served as a funeral blanket over the photos of the dead.
...I know that there are still people who need to be protected. So I cannot stop fighting. Not yet. Not while there are still people waiting for me. One day I hope you'll understand.
Your mother, Ana.
Fareeha sat on her bedroom floor, with legs crossed and folded in towards her body. She lifted the creased letter her mother sent years ago out of the large, blue shoebox resting on her lap. She set it to her side and peered into the shoebox; into the faces of long dead comrades. Fareeha needed these rare moments of reflection. It was important to remember why she still fought.
Filled with veneration at the sacrifices of her old squad mates and friends, Fareeha carefully lifted the stack of photos out of her keepsake box. She thumbed through them all, letting her eyes linger on each face for a few moments, in an empty silence filled with memories of the dead. Some made her smile and others only brought her tears.
Lieutenant Elsayed, 129th Special Forces Regiment: killed during an airstrike on the outskirts of Cairo. Her first mentor in the military.
Ajax, Helix Cyber Security Team: the omnic engineer killed during the Anubis crisis.
Fareeha spotted a smudge from an old thumbprint on the edge of Ajax’s photo. Of course she could keep them in an album protected by a layer of plastic, but holding them directly in her hand always felt more personal.
While flipping through to the next photo, Fareeha heard the door behind her open and close. The visitor walked quietly up behind her and without a word spoken. She knew who it was without turning away from her shoebox. Wiping the tears pooled in her eyes, she returned the stack of photos to their grave.
“Are you feeling better, Fareeha?” Angela inquired in a soft, comforting voice from behind her.
Fareeha turned her head enough to glance at the woman kneeling down over her shoulder, “I am now. Thank you for being here with me.”
Angela chuckled, “No thanks needed. I want to be here with you.”
Fareeha sensed her lover drop to her knees and lean closer over her back. Seconds later, she felt the doctor's arms wrap tightly around her midsection. Her warm breath tickled against the sensitive skin underneath Fareeha’s right ear before she planted a quick kiss on the spot. Fareeha flinched ever so slightly at the sensation of warm lips tickling against her skin.
“Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I want you here,” Fareeha grinned.
“Of course you do,” Angela teased with a soft whisper against her ear. “But I don’t want to interrupt you.”
“I was looking through some old photos. I need to be reminded of some things. I can show you them if you want to stay.”
“I would love to,” Angela replied in a hushed, warm tone. She released the hold on Fareeha and sat on the floor behind her, swinging her legs around and over Fareeha’s folded ones. Without another moment passing between them, Fareeha felt those comforting arms embracing her again. She massaged her fingertips over the soft skin of Angela’s forearm. which elicited a satisfied hum from the woman’s lips.
Fareeha removed the photos from the shoebox again. A bitter-sweet moment--the faces of the fallen always filled her with an aching sorrow. But this time was different.
She finally found someone special to share these memories with.