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Ana pushed open the door to the officers’ lounge. Spotting Gabriel on one of the couches by the window, she greeted him before putting on the kettle to make her afternoon cup of tea. As she waited for the water to boil, she took a seat across from him.
“How was your weekend, Gabriel?” she asked.
Staring out the window, he replied, “It was fine.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Ana asked, “What, you don’t feel like talking? I know it’s Monday, but you can usually do a little better than that.”
He rolled his eyes. “To be fair, ‘how was your weekend’ is a terrible question, Ana. You can usually do a little better than that.”
She laughed as the water in the kettle boiled, and got up to pour her tea. “Do you want any?” she called, holding up the box.
“I got coffee,” he said, holding up his own mug.
Ana returned to her seat, blowing gently on the hot tea. “Really though, you didn’t do anything? I was hoping to see you around yesterday, but you were nowhere to be found.”
“Oh. I was uh, off base.”
“Doing what?” Ana asked. It was unusual for Gabriel to leave the watchpoint if he wasn’t on a mission. When he didn’t answer, she looked up from her tea. “Gabriel?”
He was looking away from her, rubbing his hand across the lower half of his face.
“Gabriel?” she repeated, a little laugh in her voice, “Are you blushing?”
He glared at her. “I was…” he said, trailing off.
“Yes?” Ana prompted, her amusement growing.
“Jesse took me to lunch. For father’s day.”
Ana threw her head back and laughed. “And you’re embarrassed about that? Gabriel, that’s so sweet!”
“Ana,” he said, leaning towards her over the coffee table, “I didn’t realize he sees me as a father figure.”
“Well of course he does!” she cried, “You pulled him out of a gang when he was just a child, you’ve always looked out for him, and you guided him through his young adulthood! And you’re such a fatherly person.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” he growled.
“I’m not!” she said, “In fact, wait here, I’ll be right back.” She set her tea down on the coffee table and got up to leave the lounge. Gabriel sat there alone for a few minutes, sipping his coffee.
Ana returned with a small package in her hands. “This is why I was hoping to run into you yesterday,” she said. “It came in the mail last week, from Fareeha.” She passed the package to him.
“What is this?” He pulled a card out of the package. On the front was a picture of a family of owls sitting on a tree branch, one chick between two adults. He opened it. Inside was a brief letter.
Happy Father’s Day, Gabriel!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Being away from home this last year, I’ve missed you as well as Mum. I hope you know how much you mean to me, and how important you have been in my life. I’ve asked Mum to pass this along to you- I hope you like it!
Love, Fareeha
Gabriel reached back inside the package and pulled out a small box wrapped in paper covered in shining blue stars. He tore it off gently, and opened the box. Inside was a knitted beanie in a soft shade of blue.
“She sent it to me with a letter asking me to give it to you on father’s day,” Ana explained.
“Where did this come from?” he asked weakly.
“From where Helix has her stationed in Egypt, I would assume,” said Ana.
“No, I mean… I’ve known her since she was just a kid! And now…” he gestured at the gift and the card, an overwhelmed expression on his face.
“Oh,” said Ana, realizing what he meant, “I think she finally realized she doesn’t have to feel bad for seeing you as a father figure when she has Sam as well. That and she misses you. She’s been gone for the better part of a year now, after all.”
Gabriel turned the beanie over in his hands, looking down at it with a soft expression on his face. “I’m touched,” he said quietly.
“I thought you knew she and Jesse saw you that way,” said Ana gently. “You’ve always been so close with both of them.”
“Hey,” he replied, “I don’t have any actual kids of my own! How am I supposed to know what a parent-child relationship is like?”
Ana rolled her eyes, a fond smile on her face.
Gabriel pulled his usual black beanie off his head, and put on the blue one from Fareeha.
“That doesn’t match your Blackwatch uniform,” Ana observed.
“I should write her a letter,” he murmured, ignoring the comment.
“I’ll give you her address,” said Ana, “the next time I remember.”
“Thanks,” he said, in a choked voice.
“Gabriel, are you crying?” Ana sounded amused, but not surprised.
He rubbed the corner of his eye with his palm. “I cried a little yesterday too, after we got back from lunch.”
Ana’s expression softened. She leaned over to hug him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He stood up to hug her back properly, and squeezed her tightly.
“It means a lot, knowing you’re that important to someone,” she said. “That you helped make them who they are.”
“Yeah,” Gabriel agreed, burying his face in her shoulder.
“It’s hard to believe, looking at them, that you could be partly responsible for how extraordinary those two are, isn’t it?” she asked as they parted. Gabriel nodded, tearing up again. Ana had tears in her eyes as well, but he thought better of pointing that out.
“I have to get back to work,” he said at last, stuffing his old beanie into his pocket. “Let’s meet up for dinner later.”
“What, so I can tell you about the joys and responsibilities of parenthood?” said Ana.
“Of course!” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“All right,” she said, “I’ll see you later.” She sat back down to finish her tea. Gabriel took his coffee mug to the sink, and headed out of the lounge back to his office.
He sat down at his desk, and looked at the stack of paperwork in front of him. Gently, he pushed it to one side, took out a piece of looseleaf and a pen, and began to write.
Dear Fareeha…