Charles awoke to a blinding light that glared in his face. Squinting, he slowly opened his eyes to see he was in the infirmary.

'What happened?' He wondered as he tried to sit up, only to met with a flash of pain in his abdomen, forcing him to relax again. He stared at the ceiling as memories flashed in his mind of Zeljan.

'I know what you're thinking, but you need to wait until you're healed. You sustained more damage than me.' The Rider said.

'Better me than you, you're more important than me.' Charles said. 'That's not true, you're the important one here. You successfully brought Overwatch back, stopped Zeljan, and finally defeated Jackson once and for all. You're the leader here Charlie.' The Rider retorted. Charles smirked as he glanced down to see Angela slumped on the end of his bed, a clipboard gripped in her hand. Her hair fell out of its usual ponytail, obscuring her face from Charles.

'You've sustained a few cracked ribs, your spine also took some damage, a few bruises, a fractured jaw, and a broken leg.' The Rider listed off.

'Aww, you do care.' Charles replied. The Rider made a hissed laugh before growing silent. Charles lifted himself up again, fighting against the pain flowing through him. As he did this, Angela's head moved as she looked up and gasped lightly.

"Charlie!" She said standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder, easing him back down. "No sudden movements, you need your rest." She ordered. Charles eased back up on his bed as she smiled.

"I'm fine Angi, just my jaw hurts that's all." He replied. She sighed and smiled, he noticed tear streaks down her face. Charles raised a hand, caressing her cheek.

"I'm here Angela. Everythings okay." He said, comforting her. "I-I know, just after we found you, dazed and blood everywhere, I was just scared I'd lose you." She said as fresh tears welled in her eyes. Ignoring the pain, Charles sat up and ushered Angela to lay down next to him. She complied as he relaxed back down in the bed, Angela resting on his side as to not add more pressure to anything broken. She rested her head on shoulder as he kissed her head and laid his cheek on her hair. Julie and David walked in and smiled at the two lovebirds.

"Glad to see you up." David said as Julie walked over and stood on the other side, she grasped his hand and rubbed his head.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. "I'm doing fine now mom, just tired." Charles replied. "That's an improvement. Considering you've been unconscious for a week." David said.

"A week?" Charles asked. "Yes, the injuries you've sustained have healed, but your ribs and leg are still injured." Angela said raising her head. Charles sighed and relaxed back on the bed as Angela pushed her hand through his hair.

"Well, we just wanted to check up on you. We'll let you get your rest." David said as his parents kissed him and left. Angela sat up and smiled as she got up to finish her work.

'I don't want to be restrained to this bed forever.' He thought as he removed the bedsheet and swivled his feet over the edge of the bed and lifted himself up. Pain flared before easing as he controlled his breathing. His feet touched the cold tile floor as he glanced up and sighed. With the rest of his strength, he lifted his upper body up as he leaned on his good leg for support and grabbed the bed. He glanced down to see he was in a loose fitting hospital pants and shirt, courtesy of Angela. He grabbed his IV pole and used it to hold himself up as he walked to the door and opened. He noticed new faces talking before someone looked over and stood at attention, the rest following suit.

"Commander on deck!" He said as the troops lined the sides of the hall and saluted him. Charles smiled and waved them off.

"You're fine, I'm just Charles." He said, causing a few to have looks of confusion. He laughed lightly as he walked to the rec room where he could hear Lena, Hana, and Lucio yelling, Gabriel and Ana telling them to calm down, Reinhardt and Torbjorn arguing about who's hammer is better, just all and all his family being happy. He stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath as he straightened himself, ignoring the pain, and entered. The door opened as the noise ceased to see who entered. Charles stood in the doorway and grinned.

"Morning." He said. Lena was the first to blink to him and hug him. "Oh my god, oh my god." She asid over and over as she grabbed his face and placed kisses all over. Gabriel and Ana walked over, tears now falling down their cheeks as they embraced him. Reinhardt and Torbjorn raised their glasses before continuing with their argument. Lucio and Hana walked over and patted his shoulder. Only Lena held him before looking at him as she wiped her tears away.

"I'm so glad you're safe. You had me worried you'd never wake up." She said. "I'm fine Aunt Lena. Thank you for worrying over me, but I thought that was a mom thing to do." Charles replied.

"Hehe, consider me your other mom." She said before Ana cleared her throat and looked at her. Lena rolled her eyes as Ana and Gabriel stood in front of him, Gabriel back in his original BlackWatch uniform. His scars showed, but he never had that hateful personality when he was Reaper.

"Grandma, Grandpa." Charles joked. Gabriel and Ana smiled even more as Charles made his way over to the couch where Hana and Lucio continued their match.

"Watcha playin'?" Charles asked. "Paladins, it's a good game really. But they need to focus on nerfing or buffing some of their other characters instead of adding new ones. That and people keep comparing this one to another called 'DoubleWatch' was it?" She asked Lucio.

"Yeah, even though they are completely different. In DoubleWatch, you can change heroes, but in Paladins you play the hero you pick. Similar to Bean of Legends, MITE, LOTA 2, and StarCraft II." Lucio replied. Charles laughed lightly before grabbing his ribs.

'Easy now, you are still healing.' The Rider said as he appeared next to him. Hana glanced over and waved to the skeleton as the demon nodded in return.

"Why are you here?" Charles asked. "Well, it was getting boring in there. Besides, the three were arguing like crazy, which would make great entertainment." The Rider replied. Angela walked in with a wheelchair and sighed.

"Even when you're injured, you still find a way to move about." She said as a smile formed on her face. She walked over and pointed at the chair, signaling him to enter. She walked over and helped him into it as his leg was propped up. He sighed and watched the game continue between the group. Angela removed his IV and told him to drink plenty of fluids to keep his strength up. He turned and rolled his way to the command center to see Commander Lawson, Atticus, Symmetra, and Winston arguing around a holographic map. They stopped as they watch Charles rolled himself in and stopped in front of the map.

"Glad to see you up and running, figuratively speaking of course." Winston said. "Haha, thank you Winston. So, how are we on finding Zeljan?" Charles asked.

"You can sit this one out until you've healed fully Commander Williams." Lawson said. "With all due respect, I will not sit this one out." Charles retorted.

"But Charlie, you're not fit for duty." Aaron pointed out. "I'm crippled in one leg, ribs cracked but mending, and a fractured jaw Mr. Richards. I'm injured, not dead." Charles snapped.

"Well, this is my op now." Lawson retorted. "On whose Jurisdiction?" Charles asked. "I did." A voice spoke. Charles turned his chair to see Director Petras walking into view.

"You may have touched the delegates of the UN with your story Mr. Williams, but OverWatch is UN. You will follow my orders, to the letter." Petras snapped. Charles gritted his teeth, pain flaring through as he held in his rebuttal.

"Director." Charles said with a nod. "Now then, Commander Lawson, continue with your plan. I want this 'Zeljan' found on the double." He said before turning to leave. He stopped as he turned to Charles and looked down on him.

"I don't need your pity." Charles snapped. "Sir." He added. "I am sorry about what happened to John." Petras said.

"No you're not, you never knew John like I did. He was a father to me. All he ever was to you, was an expendable soldier of an elite group. Like my mother and father were, I don't need your pity either." The Strike Commander growled. Petras had a look of fear as the aura around Charles became darker. Petras glanced up to see Angela, Lena, Reinhardt, and Torbjorn glaring at him.

"You should leave, sir." Torbjorn said. "Are you threatening me?" The Director asked. The wheelchair rattled as Petras turned to see a flaming, injured, skeleton glaring at him.

"No, I am." The Rider growled. "Keep that thing, under control Williams or I will have you exorcised." He threatened before The Rider grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer.

"Try it, and you'll see all the innocent men, women, and children died because of you." The Rider said. Petra's face grew pale as the Rider released him and relaxed back into the wheelchair. Skin and muscle reformed as Charles sat their, relaxed and with a grin on his face.

"Now then, I believe you were leaving?" Charles asked as the Director straightened out his coat and left. The rest of the original team glared at the Director as he made his way back outside to his waiting helicopter. Ana, David, and Julie walked in and looked at Charles.

"I have a feeling you did something to make him that scared?" Ana asked. Charles leaned and back clasped his hands and put on a poker face.

"I can't say that I did." He said before a grin appeared. The Rider appeared next to him and nodded.

"I don't think we'll be getting any visits from him ever again. Maybe next time, he'll use the phone." The Rider said before disappearing. Charles turned his chair and rolled over to Winston and Lawson.

"Now then, where were we?" Charles asked.

~Zeljan~

The war criminal walked into a pristined, white building, green-turquoise tiles marked the floor as clacks from his shoes were audible. He continued as a huge Talon emblem decorated the wall as he entered a room that housed one commander and two operatives.

"So, how was Project Avatar?" The man asked. "A sham. They created a vaccine that cured the subjects and the main was killed." Zeljan reported.

"Pity, we could've used him. What was his name again, Jackson was it?" The man asked. "Yes, but he is no longer here. I had to let him go, due to him threatening the mission." Zeljan said. He glanced to see Sombra and Widowmaker not making eye contact, clearly disgusted with his tactics, but Kurst only cared about results.

"From what our operatives have said, you used ancient edicts to make a pact with him?" The man asked. Zeljan bit his tongue as he glared at the operatives.

"Yes, but I've called it off. Jackson has been returned to Hell since the Strike Commander Williams was his only goal. He threatened the mission, so I had to put him down." Zeljan replied.

"I see, you are dismissed." The man said. Zeljan nodded as he turned and left the office andw alked to his quarters.

"I want a lookout posted on him and his electronics hacked. I want to see if he is still an assest or an enemy." The man said. Widowmaker and Sombra nodded as they turned and left. Sombra walked a few meters behind Zeljan as he walked down a series of corridors before arriving at his assigned room. He pressed a few buttons until the door opened. Sombra hacked the door, as Zeljan made his way in. Sombra slipped in and went invisible before dropping a translocator out his door. She watched as Zeljan placed his watch on the dresser and tossed his jacket on the bed. He walked to a computer and sat down.

"Username: Kurst, encryption key: Guardian." He said as the computer booted up before fritzing and going back to normal. Sombra glanced out the window to see Widowmaker perched up, watching his movement. Sombra returned her attention back to Zeljan as he sighed.

"Entry log #145: Project Avatar was a bust, it showed potential but Overwatch was one step ahead. I wished to see it go into fruition, so I can make my way farther up the Talon chain of command. But now I'll need to bide my time and await my next option. *Sigh* I've gotten bored of this, updating this stupid log only to have Overwatch ruin my plans. I'm curious about how they operate, better than this worthless group I've forced myself to align with. I have a feeling, Black Badge would be happy to receive, say, something of Talon's that they've been missing since Talon has had the Badge under their thumb after the fiasco with the Arsenal. No matter, I'll just bide my time for now. End log." Zeljan said as the screen returned to the screen. He stood up and stretched before freezing. He turned to the corner where Sombra hid and walked over to it. Sombra watched as the man stalked over to her, looking as if she was caught.

'Sombra, get out of there.' Widowmaker said softly in the comms. Zeljan stopped before turning and left for the bathroom. Sombra released her breath as she inhaled quietly. She walked over to his computer and long purple lines extended out of her claw-like hand and entered the computer. She managed to cracked the firewalls and siphon out any information Kurst had before translocating back to her past postion as the bathroom door opened. The computer went back to normal as Sombra quietly made her way out of the corridor and slumped on another wall. Widowmaker turned the corner and saw Sombra as she jogged over and knelt next to her.

"You okay?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. "Oh nina, I didn't know you cared about little old me." Sombra said playfully. A smile formed on the cold assassin's face as she sighed.

"Well, Reaper was the only one would could handle my cold demeanor. I guess you finally broke through." She said as she helped her up and patted her back. The froze as Zeljan walked past them and locked eyes with the two.

"Sorry if I spooked you ladies, just heading to the mess for a drink." He said before walking off. The two looked at each other before turning and left for the commander's room.

"Well?" He asked. Sombra placed a holovid on the table of the commander as it replayed everything Zeljan said.

"I see, no matter. We'll play his charade and then make our move. Time is on our side." He said as the two nodded before leaving. THey left for Widow's room as Sombra slumped on the chair. Widowmaker grabbed a book and sat on her bed and opened where she left off.

"Is that all you do nina?" Sombra asked. "Oui, I see that yu have something better?" She replied. Sombra smirked as she looked to the ceiling.

"You ever wanted to just, leave. Escape this hellhole and explore the world?" Sombra asked. Widowmaker glanced at her as she placed her bookmark in her book and closed it. She rested it on the stand as looked at Sombra.

"You're point?" She asked. Sombra turned to face e the assassin and lean forward. "Go, explore this world. Leave this all behind." She said gesturing to the room.

"I guess I have, but of course they couldn't have that." Widowmaker said. "Well, we could always leave together and never look back. I've read about your past, how you were forced to be this." Sombra said.

"How do you know this?" She asked. "I'm a hacker, remember? Now answer my question, do you want to be an assassin all your life or do you want to go out and explore the world on your own terms?" Sombra asked. Widowmaker sat, shocked, by Sombra's question. She felt something she never felt before, curiosity. Widowmaker swore she could feel something under her cold exterior. She could feel freedom if she agreed to what Sombra said.

"I guess you're right. I do want to explore this world, whenever I was on mission, we arrived at some wonderful place. I would want to explore it, but the mission came first." Widowmaker said.

"So, what's your answer?" Sombra asked. Widowmaker looked at Sombra, her life flashing through her eyes, her life as Widowmaker and another woman flashed by. A black-haired beauty holding hands with a man. She wore a big, flowing, white wedding gown as her hands interlocked with the black-haired man. He had a small black mustache and a tuxedo. The two smiled at each other, happiness seemed to ooze from the two. She wondered who this woman was, she looked like her, but happier.

"Yes." Was Amelie's reply.

A/N: So, I stayed up and watched Halo: Nightfall on YouTube at like 5:30 in the morning, so I pulled an all-nighter for this chapter. I'm tired but not tired, is that normal? Oh well, I do hope you enjoy this chapter guys and gals, and I'll see you in the next one. Tata for now!