Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You always looked forward to a vacation at your grandmother's and couldn't imagine not being able to be there for the holidays. But with age, this place gradually lost its charm. There were no longer spells and fairies on every corner, the cellar did not lead you to the dragon's cave, and the ladder to the attic did not lead to the dream forest. No. Now it was all boring, old and dusty.

You were bored and explored the rooms that were overflowing with memories but at the same time, there was nothing worthy of the attention of an almost grown girl like you. Or at least you thought so. You reached the end of the narrow corridor to the last door you hadn't yet explored and which you could have sworn had never been there. Or at least you never noticed them. That's what you tried to tell yourself. However, it was worth exploring.

You walked in without closing the door behind you. The room looked like some sort of alchemy workshop or witch's study. It couldn't even be ruled out that it was both. The alchemist witch's workshop. You smiled at that. 

Along the walls stood tall cabinets filled with books, crystals, and various tools used for god knows what. In the middle of the room was a large solid wood table with gems, glass vessels, written papers and one decorative box. Beside the table stood a black cauldron that looked like it had been cut out of a Harry Potter book.

It was too real to be just imagination, but then again, why would Grandma have it? Then you will have to ask her about that. The old lady will have a lot of explaining to do. However, this was too interesting to just walk away and not look at anything.

The library was the first thing that caught your attention. Some of the books were quite old, bound in leather. There were grimoires, alchemy tomes, bestiaries filled with the strangest drawings and cartoons with captions. Then there were some encyclopedias and handwritten diaries. However, the handwriting was so terrible that it was impossible to read what was written there. Hard to say who it belonged to. For example, your grandmother, you couldn't rule that out.

You then walked over to the table. Looking into the crystal ball revealed no future for you. Instead, your attention was caught by the aforementioned wooden box, which itself was about the size of a jewellery box. It was made of dark wood and decorated with gold. When opened, it contained a jewel inside. On the crimson velvet lay a ruby necklace with one large stone in the centre. It looked like no other piece of jewellery you'd ever seen. It was not over-decorated or kitsch, but rather delicate and elegant.

Without realizing it, you were reaching out to him. The necklace was light as a feather. As you examined it, you noticed something strange. It looked like the ruby was emitting a faint glow. You were sure it wasn't glowing just a few seconds ago. However, the glow slowly grew until it enveloped you completely. As it gained in intensity, you had to cover your eyes from it.

Once the glow wore off, you felt disoriented and dizzy. You wanted to lean on the table, but instead, your hands rested on the void and nothing could stop you from falling to the ground. You sat up and rubbed your eyes. You took a deep breath and exhaled. A good sign was that everything around you slowly stopped spinning and everything slowly stopped in place.

The first strange thing you noticed without needing your eyes was when you fell. At your grandmother's, the wooden parquet floors cracked under your feet. Here, the cold concrete floor made you shiver. Another thing was the absence of furniture. After looking around, it was all clear. You found yourself in a completely different room without taking a step. Would you fall? You immediately dismissed the idea. Your feet didn't leave the ground the whole time.

The room was grey, with the grey tin cabinets you remembered from camp and a single light bulb that seemed to be off. Otherwise, the room was empty. You heard footsteps above you, but for it to be a grandmother, there were too many footsteps. It sounded more like a group of people. With each passing second, you started to dislike it here.

You got up as quietly as possible and walked to the door. You carefully took the handle and tried to open it. A stone fell from your heart as the door opened. You opened them just a crack and waited. There was silence everywhere. That is, except for those steps upstairs. That gave you the courage to come out.

The hallway felt as cold and empty as the room you came out of. You reached the end of the corridor and peeked around the corner. No one is anywhere. That suited you. However, you barely had time to take a step forward when a stern, harsh voice came from behind you, sending chills down your spine.

"State! This is a restricted area! Identify yourself!” said the man behind you. You slowly turned around. The man was wearing a black and grey uniform with a helmet and was pointing a gun at you. You were covered in icy sweat and your whole body was shaking with fear.

About 15 minutes later you were on the ground floor of the building, in a small room that looked like the one you appeared in. But now you were sitting in a chair with your arms and legs tied to the back. The one who caught you in the hallway was standing outside the room guarding the door. In front of you stood another, a taller man in a black jacket with a stern expression.

The man wanted to know what you were doing there and since you had no reason to lie to him, even if it all sounded a little crazy, you told him everything. From visiting your grandmother to the strange necklace you were wearing, to finding yourself here. It was clear from his expression that he didn't even believe you. 

"That's a very nice fairy tale, but now tell me how you got here. Who sent you? What were you looking for here?" he asked. What were you supposed to say to him? That some strange god sent you? That the threads of fate that the Norns weave together have led you here? Probably not.

“Look girl, if you don't start talking, trust me I will get my answers. Either for good or for bad. I can start at your pretty nails, and knuckles and work my way up. Wouldn't it be better, to tell the truth, and save your pretty face and walk away with all your fingers?” to add intensity to his monologue, which sounded like something from a bad movie, he leaned closer to you and stroked your cheek. 

You flinched to the side, his touch disgusting. What the hell was he thinking of himself? Moreover, as he was close, his mouth stank outrageously. Did this guy even know toothpaste? Or at least mouthwash? But you didn't ask any of that. 

You tilted your head back and swung around and headbutted him as hard as possible. Upon impact, you heard something crack under your head. Probably the nose. You shook your head to clear your head and look at the man. You smirked triumphantly. The pig got what he deserved.

He was holding his nose, which was bleeding, and his face was as red as a lobster. Hard to tell if it was pain or anger. Probably both. You felt damn good about doing enough, but at the same time, you were growing worried that you had screwed up and that something much worse was in store for you.

However, now that you were rid of this strange individual, you were able to enjoy some peace, while also gaining the time you needed to make a plan to get out of there.

The man in the jacket angrily left the interrogation room and stormed to the infirmary. He cursed like a starling on the way, leaving behind him a trail of blood that was still flowing. On the way, he passed a Latino man who was ironically dressed in black and in whom he raised a certain curiosity. It wasn't very often that a Blackwatch agent, even one of lower rank, got fired by a little girl.

The man's name was Gabriel Reyes and he was almost at the top of the hierarchy here. Gabriel picked up the walkie-talkie and called one of his men to assist him in the interrogation. This could have been even more interesting. He went to the room himself. A young man in a black uniform with messy brown hair and a cowboy hat was already waiting for him there at the door.

"Took you long enough, old man," the young man smirked as he played with his revolver. His most popular weapon so far.

"Stop fooling around before you get hurt," Gabriel retorted and kicked his leg, causing the young man to stagger and nearly fall.

“Sure boss,” he replied, putting his weapon away before continuing. "What's the point anyway? This is not our job, is it?” he didn't understand. He'd rather be out in the field than doing these boring errands.

"Wait and see," he replied cryptically before punching the password into the lock and entering the room.

You perked up at the sound of the door opening and focused on the new arrivals. This time there were two. A black man and a guy in a cowboy hat. However, despite the unsightly hat, it was not to be thrown away. He was better looking than the boys at your school.

“Jesse, let her go. All of this is certainly unnecessary and, above all, unpleasant," ordered the black man.

"Sure old man," replied the cowboy and walked over to you. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the ropes that bound you, leaving only red bruises on your hands. 

"Stop calling me that. how many times do I have to repeat to you that you have to address me correctly at the base!" the black man admonished him, but it was written in his eyes that he didn't mind that much. You rubbed your sore wrists and eyed them suspiciously. What were they? Why did they let you go? Were they not under the same organization by any chance? Those were the questions running through your mind and you were interrupted by the black man walking closer to you. 

“My name is Gabriel Reyes and this boy is Jesse McCree. I am in charge of this place and it was certainly not in my interest to treat you this way. My people take their work very seriously and our enemies are very resourceful. But I don't think you're a spy," he said and you just nodded hesitantly. "How about we talk in a nicer room?" he asked, trying a nice smile.

He looked like he meant it, but you still didn't know if you could trust him. What if he just smeared honey around your mouth and wanted to take you to an even worse place? You weren't going to leave anything to chance and formed your escape plan in your head.

Gabriel looked at you as if he expected some answer. You nodded in agreement. This could be your chance. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, you will take your legs on your shoulders.

"Shall we?" Gabriel asked walking to the door. Meanwhile, Jesse walked over to you and offered you his hand, giving you a bright smile. He had a charming smile. You would accept being in a different situation, but not now. You had to be strong now.

You walked past him as if he wasn't even there and you heard him snort in disappointment behind you. However, he didn't seem to take it too seriously as a playful smile graced his face. As if it was all supposed to be a game.

You followed them both out into the hallway. Gabriel went first, then you shuffled along with a slow step, and finally, Jesse went. Although he soon caught up to you and ended up walking by your side. You looked at him... He was your type. You tried to look neutral, but you couldn't do much, especially when your eyes met. You both looked at each other. You immediately looked away and felt your ears redden. That was so embarrassing. Even more embarrassing when you heard Jesse chuckle.

This is how you reached the end of the corridor. Gabriel and Jesse turned to one side and you sensed your chance. You turned to the other side and sprinted away. You gave it your all. Even if they were to barricade your way, you would try to push your way through.

Your heart was racing and at first, it was the only thing you could hear. However, that soon changed. Because soon your heartbeat was drowned out by the fast-approaching footsteps. Before you knew it, two strong arms wrapped around your waist, stopping you in no time. For that moment, as if you were running through the air before you finally stopped. 

He still had one arm around your waist and the other around your arms. You could feel his hot breath on the back of your neck. 

“Not so fast, darling,” he told you, his breath smelling of cigars. As close as you were, you could feel the warmth of his body and every muscle of his at the same time. He was definitely in great shape. At the same time, he scratched you with his growing beard.

After your failed attempt to escape, Jesse kept his eyes on you, walking by your side the entire way with his arm around your shoulders. This is how they led you to some kind of dining room or canteen. There were two long tables with counters set with food.

They sat you down there and Jesse sat right next to you. Gabriel walked over to the counter and took two plates of cherry pie. He put one in front of you and the other in front of the cowboy. He didn't wait for anything and started eating right away. Although after about two bites he went for coffee.

You liked pies, but not cherry ones. Fresh cherries, yes, but anything flavoured with cherries was simply disgusting. Besides, you didn't feel like sweets at all right now. Instead, you pushed the pie aside to the cowboy who seemed to be enjoying his. 

You were more attracted to something else. On the other hand, right across from you, you were mesmerized by a burger sprinkled with sesame. He looked delicious and the thought made your mouth water. And as if someone decided to answer your prayers, Gabriel brought you exactly that burger.

"Just dig in. You must be hungry,” he encouraged you to eat. You didn't need to hear anything else. You took it in your hands and took a bite like never before. It was simply excellent.

“Can I look at your hands? Because of the injuries,” Gabriel asked you as half of the burger disappeared inside of you. You nodded and wiped your hands on a napkin before handing them to him. Gabriel gently touched you and took a good look at them. He focused mostly on your wrists. You had no idea what he was looking for, but you were one hundred per cent sure that it wasn't injuries because he just glanced over them.

"OK. I would like to hear what happened now,” he said letting go of your hands before leaning back more comfortably in his chair. You were still hesitating about whether to tell him or not. Jesse looked at you with interest at the mention and fixed his brown eyes on you.

You took a deep breath and told them your story. And to add emphasis to your words, you showed them said necklace. To your surprise, the stone in it was a different colour. At grandma's it was ruby red, now it was snow white with red edges. Another inexplicable thing.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it's true,” you said, but you knew how crazy it all sounded.

"I believe you. It sounds unlikely, but it has happened before. unfortunately, there are not many mentions of it and nothing proper to draw information from," Gabriel finally said with all seriousness. These were the right words you needed to hear all along. You looked over at Jesse, who had stopped chewing when you were telling him and was swallowing your every word.

Chapter Text

After that, they left you to finish your meal in peace before Gabriel assigned Jesse as your bodyguard since he couldn't let you wander around the base alone as it served the Blackwatch organization, whatever that was.

"How about a little tour?" Jesse asked you as Gabriel left you. You thought about his offer for a moment. What other option do you have? It's hard to say how long you'll be here and if you'll even manage to get home. Besides, you had nothing else to do anyway. 

“That would be nice,” you finally replied and Jesse's eyes lit up with excitement. 

“You'll see it's not so bad here,” he said, adjusting his arms for you to hang on to before he started leading you through the maze of corridors.

Jesse showed you almost every floor of the base and finally took you to the vast inner garden. It looked like someone had taken a piece of jungle and put it in there. There were well-trodden paths through the jungle, and along its edges, there were many benches for rest. The whole atmosphere was complemented by the whistling of birds.

As you walked, you noticed that there was even a waterfall with a pool falling from the ceiling, the water of which divided the entire room in two. Bridges were built across the river and a few fallen trees could act as temporary bridges.

At the end of this garden was an open view outside. You walked over to the glass wall and looked out. You were greeted by a view of a dense coniferous forest. You were slightly taken aback by that. They could have made this room outside in the forest and not imitated the forest. But we won't argue, the inner forest looked better.

You walked back into the room and lay down on the grass. You closed your eyes and let yourself be carried away by the surrounding sounds. You could easily forget everything that happened to you today and imagine that you are back at home or somewhere on vacation.

When you opened your eyes, you noticed that the ceiling was black and twinkling like a night sky full of stars, and if you tried, you could find some constellations there too. You looked next to you where Jesse had laid down, putting his hands under his head and taking off his hat. You had to admit he was handsome.

“I don't know if I should be scared or flattered that you're looking at me like that,” the cowboy said, completely freaking you out. You didn't realize it at all. You automatically turned to the other side, setting your back to him.

"Come on, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I've been looking at you too and I'm not going to lie to you, you're seriously pretty,” he said, patting your shoulder. That was even more embarrassing than you could have imagined. His hand then moved from your shoulder to your waist and as if you were light as a feather, he rolled you over. Now your face was barely inches from his.

You searched his face everywhere you could, just to avoid his eyes, but you kept coming back to them anyway. He caressed your cheek before taking your chin gently. You felt your heart racing. Wonder didn't jump out of your chest. He tilted your head slightly and approached you himself. Your lips almost met. You were expecting his lips on yours when the deafening roar of an alarm filled the room and the cell room darkened with red light.

Jesse immediately pulled away and jumped to his feet. It wasn't until now that you realized that you had been holding your breath the whole time. Jesse helped you to your feet and took you to what was supposed to be your new, temporary room. You asked him what was going on, but he didn't say anything. Just to keep you safe. Then he disappeared out the door. 

You listened for a moment as footsteps ran from one side to the other behind the door. You wondered what was going on, but on the other hand, you thought that perhaps ignorance was better.

Once all the footsteps stopped and the siren went silent, you decided to find out what happened. You reached for the doorknob, but it was locked. You kind of expected it. But you weren't going to just wait here. You didn't have a chance before, but now you could finally apply one of the rules your father taught you. You unbuckled your belt and took out a small pocket knife from the buckle. That was rule number 1. always carry a knife. In addition, his training in picking locks came in handy now. You'll have to thank him when you get home.

You managed to unlock the lock on the third try. You tucked the knife back into your belt and peeked out the door. No one anywhere. You walked out as quietly as possible and closed the door behind you. However, your heart almost jumped out of your chest when the voice that accompanied you all day came from next to you.

"Are you running away again?" he asked, the warmth missing from his voice. Rather, there was sadness in him.

“That's the way it is,” you replied with regret in your voice before admitting to yourself. However, you had the impression that you wouldn't get home by waiting in one place.

"I'll show you the exit," Jesse finally said, surrendering. 

You didn't talk on the way and you wanted to say something, apologies, reasons why you wanted to go home, but you didn't want to make it worse. Instead, you played with the necklace and noticed that it was almost all turquoise again. Only in its centre was a white spot, like a snowflake lost in a blue-green sea.

Jesse led you back to the garden. You had no idea why since you didn't see any exit or door. It looked like Jesse knew where to go. He went behind a giant tree, pulling aside several vines that formed an imaginary wall that hid a heavy, metal door behind it. You followed him to the wall and walked over to the door. You expected him to unlock the door and open it, but he took your hand instead.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" he asked you once more and for the first time in a while, you felt vulnerable. 

“I just want to go home,” you whispered. It was true, but at the same time, you were tempted to stay. You thought about what to say next as if you needed to justify yourself for wanting to leave.

You were interrupted from your thoughts by Jesse pulling you into a hug. It was a nice form of comfort. You knew all along that he was taller than you, but it wasn't until now that you realized the difference when he was almost a head taller. He could have rested his chin on your head.

"Don't go," he finally said. It wasn't a question like before, but more like a request.

"I have to," you replied after a moment and pulled away. The longer you were in his embrace, the harder it was to pull away.

"Before you go, will you tell me your name?" he finally asked brokenly.

“It's not a problem,” you smiled. But before you tell him, you wanted to do one more thing. The thing that Jesse started earlier in the garden and didn't get around to finishing. You stood on your tiptoes and pressed your lips to his. It was a short kiss, but by far the best you've ever had. Jesse was taken aback for a moment but quickly adapted and took the reins. In the end, you were the first to pull away again. You could feel your cheeks burning, but it was worth it.

“Y/F/N,” you introduced yourself to him. It looked like your name caught him by surprise. He even had to look at his wrist several times where he had some tattoos. After a few seconds, a victorious smile spread across his face and he stepped closer to you. He was about to take your hand, but before he could, the necklace glowed and its light began to engulf you. You automatically withdrew from him. The last thing you saw was Jesse with panic in his eyes shouting something. 

You didn't hear anything at all, as if the light absorbed all the surrounding sounds at the same time. The light completely enveloped you and you just prayed that you were finally home and not somewhere else.

The light finally faded and you were greeted by the familiar surroundings of home. Just like last time. Your head was spinning now and everything around it. It wasn't as bad as the journey there though.

You leaned against the familiar table and waited for everything to stop spinning. Once you were in some sort of order, you immediately put the necklace back where it belonged and went back to your room as fast as you could where you flopped onto the bed. All the tiredness from the whole crazy experience got to you. You had no idea how tired you were.

After a few minutes, you fell asleep like a log and didn't hear your grandmother enter your room and put a plate of food on your table. With a mysterious smile on her face, as if she knew something you didn't. But you knew one thing. You will never touch a necklace like this again. No more travelling like that.

Chapter Text

You haven't mentioned the incident to anyone since then and rather tried to forget it. It seemed like a figment of your imagination. You've never really been to grandma's since then either. At most for a quick visit.

5 years passed like this and another summer at grandma's was waiting for you. Fortunately, you only went there for a week and you had other plans for the rest of your vacation. Holidays with friends, travel and sights. You couldn't wait any longer.

Since you haven't seen your grandma in over a year, she had a belated birthday present for you. You barely had time to unpack your things, so you had a small box in your hands. You opened the box full of expectations. Inside was a fine leather bracelet with intricately woven knots that held a round crystal of your favourite colour between them,

“It's beautiful,” you said, hugging your grandmother behind it. "Thank you very much," 

"Then try it," she encouraged you and was perhaps even more excited than you. You took it and put it on. It fits you perfectly. You held out your hand to get a better look at him as the crystal glowed with a familiar light.

“Damn it,” you blurted out before the light enveloped you completely. She must have done this to you on purpose.

The light faded and the comfort of the sofa was replaced by an icy floor. It was like you blinked and you were somewhere else. You weren't even dizzy like you were on the last trip. You looked at the bracelet. All colour faded from the crystal, replaced by a milky white.

You rose to your feet and looked around. The room reminded you quite a bit of the room you first appeared in, with one big difference. It was somehow maintained here before. Now? It looked deserted now. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere, pieces of moss covered the walls, the lights didn't work, and the part of the ceiling that let in the daylight was missing.

You walked over to the door and out into the hallway. Or rather, what was left of the corridor, since it was somehow missing here. There wasn't even a wall, just its ruins leading into the forest.

You decided to search the wreckage first. You might find something useful there. However, that is easier said than done. There was nothing real here. As you were checking the lockers, you were about to give up when something metallic glinted in one. It was a dagger. You carefully took her hand. This was perfect for an emergency. Better than a small knife in your belt. Next to the dagger, you also found its sheath. You took it and attached it to your belt. You went on with this certainty.

You went through a few more half-empty rooms before reaching the forest. Fortunately, there was a well-trodden path that had not yet had time to overgrow and disappear without a trace. You followed her because it seemed better than going in a random direction.

The road led up a hill, where the trees slowly thinned until finally, they disappeared completely. You have a view of the surroundings. If it wasn't lost, it would be a nice view. As far as the eye could see, there was a green forest, behind which was a long field, and then in the distance the outlines of a city.

You've seen enough episodes of Bear Grylls to know you should get to town ASAP. Or at least get out of the woods before dark.

You returned to the forest path again, hoping it led to the city. However, while you were walking, you felt as if someone was watching you. Someone's eyes were stabbing into your back, like two sharp knives, but whenever you turned around, no one was there. You added to your stride, hoping to shake someone off, but it was in vain. 

After a few kilometres, the eyes in the back were joined by an animal growl that started in the beast's throat and ended in someone else's throat. That growl sent chills down your spine. Your hand automatically went to the dagger and you gripped its handle. You held her so tightly that the knuckles on your hands turned white as if your life depended on it.

The growl grew louder with each step. A lot of ugly images ran through your head, what it could be and how you could end up. You immediately took off running. You ran out of the way, hoping to shake off the predator, but to no avail. You still felt his stinging gaze on your back. 

As you focused on running away and on your pursuer, you didn't notice the root sticking out. I tripped with a half-somersault and ended up on the ground. However, you didn't have time to check if you had hurt yourself, because when you looked over your shoulder, you finally saw your pursuer. It was a giant wolf, although it was much too big for a wolf and stood on its hind legs. His teeth were like knives and he growled menacingly at you.

You were still on the ground and your hand went down to the handle of the dagger. The wolf dropped to all fours and ran towards you. You automatically raised your dagger and waited for the worst. The wolf jumped and you were mentally preparing to stab when another giant wolf appeared from the other side and knocked the first one to the ground.

The other wolf was lighter in colour, though still a dark brown, and the most striking feature about him was that he had a mechanical prosthesis in place of his left front paw. The first wolf noticed this too. He bit into her and tried to tear the artificial limb off. However, he failed to do so and the lighter wolf had ample opportunity to attack. He bit into his neck and flung him several meters away.

As the fight continued, you gathered all your courage and tried to sneak away to the side. However, as soon as you moved slightly, the lighter wolf looked at you and you froze in place. You were only afraid to move so you wouldn't summon the other wolf on you. You just hoped he was on your side and wouldn't have you for dinner.

The battle ended as the light brown wolf bit the first one's throat. He crumpled to the ground and a pool of blood began to form beneath him. However, the strangest part of it all was yet to come. Hair began to fall from the wolf's corpse, and his entire body began to change, and shrink until instead of a wolf, there lay the naked body of a man with a torn throat. 

It was a disgusting sight. you looked away and moved to the side to get as far away from the carnage as possible and maybe to get away from the other wolf all together. 

That said wolf focused on you and moved closer to you. He limped slightly on a metal paw with several wires sticking out of it. That was probably the worst injury the dead wolf had done to him.

You had nowhere else to go when your back hit a tree stump. The wolf was barely a meter away from you. You feared the worst and didn't dare to move. Instead, you closed your eyes and waited. 

You felt the wolf standing right in front of you. You felt his hot breath on your cheek and waited for him to bite into you as well. However, instead of pain, you felt his nose start sniffing you. First, he sniffed your chest, then your hair, and finally he ran it over your cheeks. You winced as it tickled. It would be nice if it wasn't an overgrown wolf.

The wolf took a few steps back and watched you with its big hazel eyes. You slowly scrambled to your feet, trying to figure out what to do next. You took a few steps to the side before looking back at your saviour. 

"Thanks for saving me, but I'll probably go," you said nervously and continued down the path. Maybe it wasn't the most logical thing to do, but it still seemed better than waiting for your end on the spot.

You went down the path of god knows where and you kept looking back and you always caught sight of your saviour. Well, it looked like he wasn't planning on attacking you. If only he could lead you to a city.

After a few long minutes, the outlines of the tents began to emerge among the trees. With the hope of civilization, you added to the step. You even started running, but after a few meters, you stopped in your steps. What seemed like a flame of hope was extinguished the moment you discovered that the tents were torn and the entire camp was completely devastated.

You reached the very centre of the camp and peeked into a few tents at the same time, but their morbid contents completely put you off from the rest. You tried to find something to eat or preferably water, but there was nothing at all. And if anything was there before, it was gone.

"Your job?" you asked the wolf as a branch snapped behind you. The wolf walked up to you, the fur on his back bristling. He sniffed something before looking at you and snorted and as if to confirm his answer he grunted softly

"I'll take it as no," you guessed and walked away. At the edge of the camp, you poked your foot into something small and shiny. You bent down to pick it up and found it was an ornate old lighter. You tried it and found it was still functional. That was a good sign. The fire was always handy. The wolf followed you. However, he was always a few steps behind you. Such a quiet and unobtrusive guardian.

You had been walking for a long time and it was starting to feel like you were walking in circles. Everything looked the same. Trees, rocks, fallen branches, there simply wasn't anything to use as a foothold. Slowly your legs started to hurt after the tireless walking. 

A stump stood in your way with several bushes around it, on which grew small berries that reminded you of blueberries in colour. You sat on a tree stump and started picking blueberries. When you finally had a big enough handful, you wanted to pop them in your mouth. Well, the important thing is you wanted it. Before you could do so, the wolf shoved your hand and small blue balls scattered all over the ground. 

“Come on, that was my lunch,” you complained and were about to pick them up off the ground when the wolf placed his massive paw on your leg, growling and shaking his head. As if he wanted to tell you not to eat them. Disappointed, you gave up and closed your eyes for a moment. You needed to rest for at least twenty minutes.

“Alright, I guess we can continue,” you said when you rested enough and stood up. The berries still tempted you, but so what. If they weren't edible, it was lucky that the wolf stopped you.

You continued until it slowly got dark in the forest and the cold began to creep up on you. You automatically started rubbing your hands together. You went a little further before you came to a small clearing. It was the perfect spot for a campfire. 

You started collecting stones and wood to prepare the fire pit. The wolf followed you here the whole time, but when you got to work, he disappeared like steam over a pot. Maybe he was tired of you, you thought. You lit a small fire and basked in its warmth. Your stomach was rumbling, but it would be difficult to find food in the dark. You can find something in the morning.

You watched the flickering flames and wondered what to do next. You remembered your previous travel experience, but even then you had no idea how you managed to get back. It's hard to say how long you'll be here and if you'll ever get home.

You were interrupted from your thoughts by the snapping of branches behind you. Without thinking, you turned and your hand went down to the hilt of the dagger. But you pulled it off right away because it was your wolf saviour and he was carrying the body of a rabbit in his mouth. He walked over to you and placed the rabbit by the fire. He then nudged him closer to you.

"Thank you," you answered automatically, pondering how to prepare him. You had never done anything like this before, even if you remembered how your grandmother prepared rabbits for lunch right in front of your eyes. However, you didn't want to, but if you wanted to eat, there was nothing else left for you.

You pulled out your dagger and got ready. You tried to be quick and organized. After a while, you finally had the rabbit prepared on a stick and slowly roasted it over the fire. When the meat was finally done, you cut it in half. You kept one half with you and put the other half in front of the wolf. He eyed you at first with his head tilted slightly to the side before snorted and looking like he was smiling before getting down to his portion. 

After eating, you lay down by the fire and wondered if it would be better to stay awake or at least get some sleep for tomorrow. The wolf first lay on the other side of the fire, but gradually moved towards you. Your eyes were already closed when you felt the wolf lie down right next to you. His thick fur warmed your back and even though it was completely illogical, you felt safe. With this feeling, you couldn't resist any longer and fell asleep after a long and tiring day.

Chapter Text

You slept as hard as the ground beneath you. You woke up in the morning all broken up with the feeling that you could sleep through judgment day peacefully. You stretched, still sleepy. As much as you wanted to wake up in your soft bed, breakfast would be waiting for you downstairs and you wouldn't have to worry about anything like that.

You were still trying to come to your senses when your eyes fell on a piece of bark that was filled with a pile of berries. They were completely different from the ones before. You recognized wild strawberries, raspberries and that was the end of it. Maybe there were some blueberries and cranberries, but you weren't sure because they looked like the ones the wolf dropped on the ground yesterday. 

You looked at it like an epiphany. All this time you thought you were alone in the forest, but apparently, you were wrong. But why would someone leave you berries here? That made no sense to you. You were about to push them aside when a wolf emerged from the forest. He walked over to you and nudged the bark with the berries closer to you with his snout.

"Do you think these are edible?" you asked him hesitantly. The wolf nodded his head in agreement. This was the umpteenth time you had the impression that he understood you. You tentatively tasted a few berries before eating them all. After this small breakfast, you set off again.

This time the wolf walked in front of you as if trying to show you the way. After half a day, you finally emerged from the forest and a golden sea of fields spread out before you.

Despite you, the wolf led you. You walked for a long time, without breaks, barely shuffling your feet when the first building appeared in the distance. It was low but quite extensive.

Your legs were shaking and you had the impression that if you stopped, you wouldn't be able to continue because your legs would give up. You struggled to the door where you leaned against the wall. 

You needed to rest for a moment and closed your eyes. When you opened them again, the wolf was gone. That it was just an illusion all along? You raised your hand and were about to knock when the door opened and several people came out. You didn't remember much of it, but at some point, someone lifted you in the air and carried you to the hospital part of the building. You felt like you were in a hospital.

You sat on the bed and in no time you drank all the water that was placed in front of you without hesitation. You were put in charge by a blonde doctor named Angela Ziegler. She treated all your scrapes and cuts and stopped at your wrist. From her perspective, you had the impression that something was missing from your wrist. When you asked her about it, she replied that it was nothing. She then put you on a drip. Apparently, you were worse than you thought.

After all possible procedures, she finally let you rest with the promise that you would then tell her exactly what happened to you. When she left you laid down and fell asleep almost immediately. After last night you were thankful for a soft bed and a decent blanket. You had planned to sleep for like two hours and then finish the rest with Angela, but when you woke up it was already morning.

After some time, Dr Ziegler brought you breakfast, and with her came another older lady of darker skin, with an eyepatch and a long white braid. She introduced herself as Ana.

Angela wanted to see your injuries, and your wrist and hear your story, just like she promised yesterday. She assured you that will come later after you eat, but you convinced her that you would eat later.

All of your wounds were healing nicely, but both women were once again shocked at your wrists, which were clear as a lily. They both took chairs to you and you told them what happened. About your journey into this world, about your encounter with wolves and your guide. You were hesitant to bring up the teleportation thing at first, but you ended up starting with that.

Angela was surprised by your story, but Ana didn't seem surprised at all. She rubbed her chin in thought before giving you an encouraging smile saying that everything was sure to be alright. Before they left, Angela told you that she had to discuss your situation with the others, but that she would try to help you as much as possible. 

They moved you to your new room that same afternoon. Although it was small, the main bonus was the private bathroom. You had the room explored in a few minutes and now you were more interested in what was in this building since it reminded you of a hospital and you couldn't think of anything else.

You went out. It was already evening and the corridor was empty. You wandered around the building and occasionally heard a noise coming from a room. Without realizing it, you reached the kitchen. You've been there once before when they gave you a quick tour.

You peeked inside. You weren't hungry or thirsty, so you thought about walking on again when you realised you weren't alone. You walked in and noticed a man you hadn't seen standing by the fridge. He had his back to you, but was taller than you, with brown hair and a serape draped over his shoulders. You looked him up and down and stopped at his shoes. You've never seen a grown man in cowboy boots. Well, except for TV and Halloween.

“Howdy,” he greeted you as he turned to spot you in the doorway. He had a bushy face and an incredibly warm smile, but your eyes drifted to his hand, which he used to close the fridge. It was a prosthesis. That wouldn't be all that unusual, but this one looked better. Maybe it had something to do with what Angela mentioned to you. 

That is, with the fact that the technology and robotics here were at a much better level than in your world. Although, you might have had your doubts since your grandmother used to have surgery with automails, which were limited, but unbeatable. A lot of companies wanted to buy her patent when she decided to quit, but she kept it to herself.

“Hi,” you replied with a small smile. You didn't know what to say, so you planned to move on again. "Then I guess I'll go again," you said and were about to disappear when he spoke to you in his warm voice.

"Don't you want one too?" and pointed to an open bottle of beer. “You look like you might like it,” he offered. You paused and considered his offer, which you eventually willingly accepted. 

“Here,” and he handed you a beer which he opened using his metal hand without the use of a bottle opener. “By the way, I'm Jesse. And such a pretty flower like you certainly has an equally pretty name," he introduced himself. You smiled at his flattery before introducing yourself to him.

"As I said. A pretty name for a pretty girl. Here you go,” he said cheerfully, tapping you before you both drank.

Jesse was very pleasant and very easy to talk to. He immediately welcomed you to the Overwatch base, which was the name of the place, and was also interested in your story, which you willingly shared with him. He asked a lot of things, how it must have been all scary and also about your home. It was nice to tell him all this, but it made you homesick at the same time.

Seeing the longing in your eyes, Jesse tried to cheer you up and change your mind. He told you about the other agents and added some funny stories about what he had experienced. And when he saw your smile and heard your laugh, he knew it was worth it.

It was getting close to midnight and you were getting tired. After you yawned for the umpteenth time, he offered to escort you to your room. He bid you a good night at the door before going on his way.

Jesse went outside the base and lit a cigar. He had long since given up on ever seeing you again, let alone talking to you, let alone living under the same roof. He always remembered meeting you. And even though his world was full of androids, supernatural beings and magic, no one had yet managed to travel through the worlds. There were a few cases, but all from the other side, from your side.

From the way you looked at him, he figured you didn't remember him. But he didn't want to try his luck. What if you forgot about him on purpose? That's why he decided not to remind you of their earlier meeting and to try it with you from the beginning.

Chapter Text

Jesse gave you a proper tour of the base the very next day and showed you all his favourite spots. Every time you met someone along the way, he introduced you properly, and after a while, you felt like you knew almost all the agents here.

A few days later you headed to the shooting range. Everyone here carried a gun and you were told that it would be better if you knew how to use one too. For your own safety.

You found the training room without too much trouble, as Jesse sometimes took you here when he went to train, even though in your opinion he didn't need it. He was an excellent shooter.

As you watched him during training, you picked up on a few things, and most importantly, when you were younger, your father sometimes took you to the shooting range.

You took your gun, checked it, prepared your targets, took your headphones and went for the shot. You barely scratched the target with the first shot and you already hit the target with the second. Although not where you planned, but that also counted. It was clear that you may have had some basics, but you would need to brush them up.

This is how you fired a magazine when someone tapped you on the shoulder. Surprised, you turned around to run into the cowboy there.

“You look like you could use some help,” he offered as you took off your headphones.

“Well…” and you looked at the target, who was just supporting his offer. “Maybe a little,” you replied.

"I'll give you a little help with your stance first, because you don't want the recoil tossing you around like a ragdoll, do you?" and moved closer to you. He got behind you and his hands began to run up your body until you were standing in what he thought was the right way. You'd be lying if you said you didn't like it.

When he took a step away from you so you could shoot, you thought of doing something completely different. Instead of shooting, you purposefully moved your foot wrong and bent your arms a little differently before you fired. The recoil threw you and you almost fell. Well, it was almost, as if Jesse caught you immediately.

"Shall we try again, sugar?" he asked as you regained your balance and ran a hand through your hair.

"Definitely, I won't leave until I get hit," you answered determinedly, and especially you liked his presence. Again he stood up behind you and helped you into the right position. He even helped you aim at the target. He didn't go away even when you pulled the trigger and hit the exact centre. It instantly lifted your mood and within moments you had emptied the entire magazine at target.

“That's what I call talent,” he complimented you, pulling out his revolver. He aimed at the target and hit himself squarely in the head.

“Show off,” and you nudged his shoulder.

“Ouch,” he replayed as if you'd seriously hurt him. You fooled around and trained like that for a while. Well, mainly you trained under his guidance. Towards the end, you managed to hit the centre of the target several times.

The next day, Jesse was waiting for you outside the base. When you came out, two horses were standing in front of you. Both were already saddled and ready for a ride.

“Ready for a ride?” he asked you.

"You must be kidding me," you replied, looking at the horse. You've never ridden a horse, and somehow you never planned to.

Jesse introduced you to the horses, introduced you to them and made sure it was going to be fantastic. You believed him and in no time you were sitting on the brown stallion with the white socks, following the cowboy's instructions. You drove slowly to get a better feel for the ride, and when you felt up to a challenge, you broke into a gallop.

You drove through the fields, around the forest and took a break on a hill under the shade of the trees. When you were coming back, you had the impression that you wouldn't even get down. You were surprised you hadn't fallen yet, since you couldn't feel anything from the waist down.

“I can't feel my butt,” you complained as you arrived back at base. Jesse showed you the stables before helping you down from the horse. Your legs tingled and you were glad to sit on the crate. From there you watched him take care of the horses.

"What about the legs?" he asked when he was done.

"Better. I think I'm screwed for the rest of my life," you replied with a laugh, massaging your ass.

"So much?" he chuckled and walked over to you. You were already thinking that he would escort you to your room when something unexpected happened. He stepped behind you and took you in his arms as if you were some kind of princess.

“Wait, I can still walk on my own,” you fidgeted at the gesture.

"Seeing how the trip has worn you down, I've got to make it up to you, darlin'," he replied casually.

“That's really good,” you mumbled, but he carried you to your room, where he bid you good night.

After a month you were already an honorary member of the base. Although you didn't go on dangerous missions with them, you still got your own task. You didn't quite understand its essence, but you accepted him anyway.

For three days, your task was to guard the underground base where the cells were located, to guard one of the specially reinforced cells. You didn't know of anyone they could imprison there, especially when no prisoners were supposed to be there. They just told you it was a secret.

You sat in front of the cell on a chair, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the records from the tablet that Jesse had lent you. Thanks to this, you could find out more about this world. Sometimes you could hear something moving in the cell. You guessed it was something big. You wondered what was there, but you had no way of finding out.

You haven't seen the cowboy in the three days you've been guarding the cell. His mission was somewhere far away. When he returned, he devoted himself to you again. He trained you in shooting, took you to interesting places, late-night drinks and conversations. You got along great and even found him attractive.

Despite all that, as close as you and Jesse were, you wished you could go back. You discussed it with Mercy, who wished to help you. She even suggested a library from a nearby town, which had records of everything possible. Even Blackwatch. When she mentioned this, you immediately remembered your first trip. After this, you knew where to start your research.

After that, you confided in Jesse about your upcoming plan, as if you found anything important there that would help you get back. The cowboy wasn't too happy about that. He was trying to discourage you and convince you otherwise. He wanted you to stay here so you could have a new home there.

His offer was very tempting and if it were in a different situation you would have stayed, but you couldn't even imagine what was going on at home. If the days there are the same as they are here, then they must have issued a search warrant for you. That's why you consecrated it to him as best you could. You had a family and even if you don't like to say goodbye to it, home is home and your family will miss you and wish you would come back.

Jesse saw how adamant you were and even though he wished you would stay there with him, he couldn't stop you from your decision. So at least he helped you pack supplies, and new clothes and gave you some money for the trip. You had one last beer with him before you said goodbye.

Chapter Text

The next morning, right after a short breakfast, you set off towards the city. You were given a navigator to guide you. After a few kilometres of travel, you ran into an old acquaintance at a signpost. There sat a brown wolf without one paw.

“Hello,” you smiled at him. The wolf nodded at you before standing up and climbing to your side. You walked to town together.

You planned to spend more days there, so you went to find some accommodation first. Finally, you found a hotel in the city centre that was quite affordable. The problem only occurred when you wanted to register. No dogs in the hotel. They fired you with that. You had the impression that this would be repeated in other hotels, so you thought of something.

You found another hotel, but before you went there you needed to get a few things. You bought glasses with fake glass, a long white stick and dog straps that were suitable for a wolf. At first, he didn't trust you and didn't want to put it on, but eventually, he let you.

When everything was ready, you walked into the reception and wanted to register. Again there was the same problem.

"Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate you here with such a large dog," the receptionist told you eloquently.

"But I need him. This is a special guide dog. I have very weak eyesight that I am gradually losing,” you explained, focusing mostly on your eyes. You had to play it right if you wanted the wolf to stay here with you.

The receptionist hesitated at your answer, but you explained it to him in such detail that you almost convinced yourself. When you finished, you left with the room key, which you got a big discount on, and of course, the wolf could stay with you.

As soon as the accommodation was arranged, you went to the library. The library was located in a large square and consisted of several floors, overflowing with books.

You walked in while the wolf waited outside and the librarian led you to the section in question. There were only two books on the subject. One contained a list of all similar organizations. The second was more specific. It had a comprehensive history, goal, breakup and former members.

You sat down at the table and started researching. You didn't find anything very important there. Mostly there was information that did not help you at all. At most, they enlightened you with some information about this world.

You were looking through the list of former members when you came across a page with Gabriel Rayes. You immediately remembered your first trip here. You were a little saddened to hear that he had passed away. You kept scrolling until you came across a photo that looked quite familiar. In that photo was the same cowboy who guarded you back then and showed you around the base.

A wave of nostalgia washed over you at the sight. Then you swiped on the name. That's where you got stuck. Jesse McCree. Such a coincidence, you thought. At first, you didn't even remember him until you realized that it was the same person when you saw that photo.

You had a copy of that page made so you could look at it in peace in your room. Subsequently, you found books about magic, magical amulets and travelling between worlds. There was perhaps even less on this topic than on the previous topic. At most a mention, somewhere it was about mystification and the like.

You made copies of the most important information before you went for a little shopping. In your room, you then prepared a small feast for yourself and the wolf, for whom you bought a nice steak. You put a piece of meat on his plate on the floor.

After eating, you confided your thoughts to the wolf. You consulted yourself first, but it was better to talk to him.

"Do you think he remembers me? Maybe he'll know about something,” you mused, showing him a photo of Jesse. “Tomorrow we will return to the base. Maybe now I'll find out something else,” you decided and took a bottle of hard alcohol. You had the impression that you needed some alcohol.

After eating, you poured it into a glass and sipped. The wolf moved closer to you and poked the bottle weakly with its snout. Then once more before weakly taking it in his mouth and placing it on the ground.

"What are you doing? I don't know if this is good for you,” you said, taking the bottle from him. The wolf whined and gave you the biggest puppy dog eyes you've ever seen. You tried to resist but in vain. You took a bowl and poured some into it. “I just hope it doesn't hurt you,” you said, taking a drink yourself.

Before you knew it, you and the wolf drank almost the entire bottle before falling asleep at the table. It was obvious that you didn't drink much and that you had a lot on you now.

The wolf, which had no sign of alcohol at all, watched you the whole time, and when you fell asleep so soundly that you weren't even woken up by the sound of a falling glass, he turned into a man. It was none other than Jesse. He walked over to you and carefully helped you to your feet. You were so out of it you didn't even realize it.

“Careful,” he said placing you on the bed.

“I'm not tired,” you mumbled and tried to get up, but Jesse just gave you a light push and you didn't try anything else, as as soon as your head touched the pillow, you were in dreamland. Jesse watched you for a moment before brushing your hair away from your forehead and getting to clean up.

That morning you regretted buying the alcohol at all. Your stomach hurt and you still had a bad taste in your mouth. You rolled onto your other side and closed your eyes. You wanted the best to fall asleep, but it didn't work. You weren't in the mood to get up when the bed sagged. You covered your face as Jesse greeted you with doggy kisses.

“Good morning to you too,” you told him when he finally stopped. You wiped your face and sat up. You were surprised to notice that it had been cleaned. You didn't remember much from the end of the evening you didn't even remember how you got to bed, but you had the impression that you didn't clean anything.

Right now, though, your head hurt too much to think, so you hugged Jesse instead, snuggling into his bushy fur. Maybe you won't go to the base until tomorrow when you're better.

You were still lying in bed when a siren rang out across town. You immediately ran to the window and looked out. There was panic in the streets, gunfire could be heard in the distance and black smoke rose from the buildings.

"What's going on?" you asked yourself before you started packing. You didn't have much to do, so you were done pretty quickly.

“I guess we should disappear,” you said firmly and walked out the door. In the corridor, however, you were surprised by black smoke and flames lazily they climbed along the railing and began to lick the stairs. smoke you pinched your nose a forced to cough. You pulled the top of your t-shirt over your nose and headed up the stairs. You leaned against the railing and immediately flinched. The railing here wasn't on fire, but it was still hot.

You pulled your hand to yourself as Jesse reached under your legs, took you on his back and jumped off together with you and took off running, even with one paw missing. He run through the streets until you got out of the city from where you headed into the nearby forest.

You slowed down in the forest until you came to a small abandoned farmhouse. There was light in the windows, so you decided to knock. An elderly gentleman opened the door for you and allowed you to stay the night. You settled in the barn where you used Jesse as a pillow. Meanwhile, the whole time he was wondering what you got yourself into.

It was a little after midnight when the wolf started poking at you. You sat up sleepily and squinted. You heard cracking outside. You walked over to the door and peeked out. All the surrounding trees and bushes were on fire. You heard gunfire and screams in the distance. Jesse fell under your feet again and started running.

The wolf zigzagged through the trees and constantly changed direction, but slowly and surely the enemies surrounded you. You are trapped. Even if you wanted to use your training from Overwatch, there were plenty of them. You hugged Jesse and prayed that you would somehow get out of this. Jesse growled at them and snapped at them if they came close, but otherwise nothing. Even he knew he was trapped.

As you pressed together, you noticed a faint glow coming from your left hand. It was a bracelet from my grandmother and it glowed. The light grew stronger until it completely enveloped the two of you.

Chapter Text

You huddled together, waiting for the shot or when someone hits you. However, none of this happened.

“You're going to snuggle up there all day, or you'll say hi to me!” a familiar voice spoke to you that made no sense at all in this situation. You cautiously opened your eyes and couldn't believe what you saw. You were back at your grandmother's house and she was standing there in front of you.

“Grandma,” you couldn't believe it and immediately ran over to hug her. Jesse also opened his eyes and looked around. “I'm so glad to be home,” you breathed.

"And who is this?" Grandma asked as you pulled away from each other and looked at the werewolf.

“This is…” and you realized that until now you didn't know if the werewolf had a name or not. Grandma just looked at you curiously and waited for an answer. “That's Jesse,” you finally said, as he reminded you quite a bit of him.

In the quiet of the living room, over a cup of tea, you told what happened to you. Grandma was sitting in her chair nodding and Jesse was laying next to you, just putting together a picture of what was going on here. However, none of this seemed to surprise her in any way. She remained completely calm and trusted you with everything.

The next day she sent you to see her old friend who lived at the end of town. You should have brought her a message. You just wondered why she didn't go there alone, or better yet, why she simply didn't call her instead. 

You couldn't argue with her, but from previous experiences, it didn't lead anywhere, so you obeyed and set off on your journey. The interesting thing was that the grandmother insisted that the werewolf stay there with her. At first, he wanted to accompany you, but when she made it clear how much she wanted him to stay, he listened.

“Well, she's gone. You can change. I know very well that you can do it," Grandma started as she saw you slowly disappear through the closed gate. Jesse looked out the window before looking back at your grandmother who exuded natural authority. He hesitated for a minute, thinking about what to do before he obeyed and turned into a human. He covered his private parts with his good hand.

"Look at yourself, you're not going to walk here like this," she decided and gave him the clothes that belonged to her late husband. She could tell by the look they had similar sizes.

"Yes ma'am," said only the cowboy and went into the next room to change.

"Sit down," Grandma said when he returned. He immediately obeyed her without a word and sat down at the small table across from her. "So, now that we finally have our privacy, tell me a little about yourself?" and her interrogation could begin. After all, she only wanted the best for her little granddaughter.

She had a lot of questions for the werewolf and when he didn't answer right away or left something out, she figured it out immediately. He couldn't hide anything from her. When she got her answers, she rubbed her chin and gave him a satisfied look.

"Do you like her?" she finally asked with a serious expression, completely stunning him. He was afraid of walking into a trap with his answer, but he finally answered honestly that he loved you more than anything.

"I guess he doesn't know about it," raising one eyebrow as she did so. She read you like an open book.

"I don't know. We know each other like that, but she doesn't know that I'm a werewolf…" he tried to explain.

"The longer you hide it from her, the worse it will get…” she said when she heard his story and she stared into his eyes. She meant it and he knew she was right. "...for both," she finished with a sigh.

When you came back, Grandma was sitting at the set table and Jeste was nowhere to be found.

"You're finally back," Grandma smiled as if she couldn't wait for you and you handed her the basket. Meanwhile, a werewolf joined you and rubbed against your leg. You have automatically scratched him on the head.

"It's time to fix you," Grandma said, pulling out a mechanical paw from the basket and looking at the werewolf.

Moments later you were sitting on the couch comforting Jesse while your grandma tried to install his new limb. Of course, he was partially anaesthetized so he wouldn't feel it, but the resulting nerve fusing was excruciatingly painful.

“Now get ready,” you told him before his paw clicked into place and he had to do something to keep from biting something. He finally managed it and whimpered in pain.

"So, it wasn't so bad, was it?" Grandma said patting him on the back. Jesse growled something at her before starting to whine again. He was able to attribute the pain to the moment he lost his hand. Eventually, he fell asleep from the pain. You couldn't do much since he was lying on your legs. You read for a while before falling asleep as well.

You woke up that morning on the couch with your face buried in werewolf fur and a blanket over you. Right after breakfast, it was time to exercise his new limb and since it was nice outside, you decided to train outside.

Jesse stammered a bit at first and his movements were quite stiff, but after about an hour of training, you got the impression that he had been using that paw forever.

After lunch, the friend who delivered your robotic limb came to visit the grandmother with her grandchildren. When they saw the werewolf, they ran at him like little fleas and refused to let him go. In their eyes, it was a giant shaggy dog.

Jesse was there playing with them, running around the garden with them, carrying them on his back, then deliberately knocking them down and then chasing them. You followed them for a while before they ran after you too and you didn't get the tag.

Meanwhile, grandma and her friend were drinking coffee outside on the terrace and watching you with interest. They would occasionally honk at you to be careful, but otherwise, let you frolic.

"So she brought an overgrown dog instead of a boyfriend?" Grandma's friend asked when you were far enough away and engrossed enough in the game that you wouldn't have noticed them anyway.

"You can say that, even though it looks like she has two in one. He's a werewolf and he seems to like her," she replied and took a sip of coffee.

"You look like you're not sure if he's the one."

“Darling, as you can see, he is missing the hand that usually has his name written on it. This makes the certainty disappear.”

"As if something like that is a problem for you," she replied like nothing. After all, she knew very well what she was talking about.

"I know. I guess I'll try it. Maybe he'll confess to her then," she pondered aloud.

"The young ones. What would they do without us?” and she was exaggerating a bit.

"What wouldn't we rather do for them," laughed the grandmother.

"And what do you say about him so far?"

"He is not bad. It would be better if he stopped the game, but I probably won't be able to change that," she sighed.

"Give them time. Although so far it looks like he could be the one," she finally said.

"I guess you're right," your grandmother finally told her.

You frolicked there for a long time before collapsing in the grass. The kids laid down around you and partly on Jesse. If they wanted you, they could simply tighten you up. Sometimes you wondered where they got all this energy and how many times you could use it too.

Chapter Text

The necklace slowly with each day changed to its original colour and the white slowly but surely disappeared. It was one of the quieter days when Grandma sent you to town in the morning to do a little shopping for her. You found it a little weird that she didn't let Jesse accompany you, but whatever. You shrugged it off and went on your rounds.

Grandma had her reasons for sending you shopping, and none of them related to a lack that you would necessarily have to supply. She just wanted to be alone with the werewolf and finish her interrogation.

"I don't mind if you want to spend the rest of your life with her. But if you're only going to be like a wolf with her, then forget about it. I would like to live to see great-grandchildren," she finally said sharply with crossed arms and meant it dead serious.

Jesse didn't like this verdict very much. Depending on the situation, he would prefer to stay with you as a wolf, because you liked him that way, and if you ever found your way to Overwatch, he would court you like a man, but he had no idea how to cross that line without looking stupid.

Eventually, the thread of conversation turned to the topic of soul mates. Her lecture was so comprehensive that the werewolf was beginning to wonder if your grandmother was even from this world. He even learned a few new things from her.

"Do you remember whose name was on your hand before you lost it?" she asked him.

“It was a long time ago, I'm not sure, but I think it was Y/N's name,” he answered uncertainly, as he wasn't 100 % sure, but he knew one thing. And that his heart pulled him to you.

"Thinking does not mean knowing," the grandmother replied harshly and pierced him with a look that gave him chills. She rubbed her chin before speaking again. "There is one way to find out whose name you had there," she said before standing up and heading for the door. Her words may have been harsh, but they gave him hope.

“Are you going or are you planning to sit there all day until Y/N gets back?” she called to him.

"Sorry, ma'am, I'm going," he called apologetically and followed her into her study. To the room where you found the necklace that was responsible for all this travel. Grandma was swaying around the table, preparing something in a cauldron, the contents of which were bubbling and a plume of smoke rose from each bubble that burst.

“Sit over there for now while I finish,” she told him, motioning him to the carpet where several pillows were located. Jesse obeyed her and sat down there. Once the potion was ready, she scooped it into a low bowl and handed it to the werewolf.

“Drink this. It will induce a hypnosis-like state where you will travel into your younger self that still had both hands. I will be with you all the time and I will navigate you. Is everything clear to you?” she asked. The cowboy thought for a moment and decided it was worth it.

"Cheers then," he finally said before taking a drink. Although it stank to the point that it almost turned his stomach and it tasted even worse, he drank it all and lay down on the carpet.

He was beginning to think it wasn't working when everything around him began to spin. The colours began to mix until they formed a tornado of colour flashing before his eyes. He blinked a few times to shake it all away, but when he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the study on the ground. Instead, he stood by the open window, smoking one of his cigars and staring into the distance.

It was dark outside and the only light was the waxing, almost round moon. There will be a full moon in two days. He was in his younger self and the memory of your brief encounter was still quite vivid. He tried to play it off, but Gabriel knew how much he missed you.

Reyes just walked into the room with the folder that contained the information for their next job. A mission that cost him an arm and a curse.

"We have a task. Something that will finally make you change your mind,” Reyes said, throwing the file on the table. Jesse didn't even look at him and continued to wander somewhere else.

"We're leaving tomorrow. I advise you to try to get some sleep. I'll pick you up then,” Gabriel said before leaving him alone.

"Jesse, can you hear me?" came a woman's voice in the cowboy's head. He flinched as he hadn't expected it and almost dropped the cigar when he remembered that it was just a memory of the past.

"Yes, ma’am. I can hear you loud and clear,” he replied, puffing on his cigar before tossing it in the bin.

"Good. We mustn't waste time. Do you have both hands?” his grandmother asked him. Jesse looked at his hands for reassurance. He extended the fingers of both hands and clenched them into fists. He had almost forgotten how incredible it was to have both proper hands. Although he had a prosthetic hand, nothing could compare to a real, flesh-and-bone one. He replied in agreement.

"Can you see your tattoo?" she asked him further. The cowboy pulled off the glove that covered his tattoo and examined him.

"I see it," he replied, having to concentrate more as the text seemed to blur.

“Can you read it? What is that name?” she kept asking. He had to concentrate to read the text. The ink slowly returned to its place until it formed a name that he could read aloud. Your name.

Once the effect of the potion wore off and Jesse returned to the present again. He was still slightly dizzy from the potion and his stomach felt like it was on the water. Grandma, however, knew very well how to put it back together, so before the cowboy moved into the living room, she prepared fresh tea and some cookies in the meantime.

He felt much better after the tea. He was slightly confused by the time travel. He was deep in thought trying to decide what was better. To be with you like a wolf, or to tell you the truth. But before he could come up with a clear solution, he smelled your scent from the door and automatically turned into a wolf and so did his new hand.

He had noticed it before, but he had to attend to someone else rather than investigate. When he turned into a human before, his new mechanical hand also changed and adapted to his human body. This was a major step away from the technology of his world, which had so far tried to invent something similar.

As soon as you entered the room, the werewolf was at your side and greeted you, surprisingly he didn't knock you to the ground.

“Nice to see you too,” and you scratched behind his ear. When you were finally able to move, you noticed the dishes laid out and the tea. Would Grandma have a visit in the meantime? You just shrugged at that. Well, it was her house and her life after all.

When the crystal was finally charged and ready to transport you to another world, you were ready. You wanted to go back there for two things in total. First, you wanted to get Jesse back there, and second, you were intrigued by the idea of soul mates and wanted to find out more about it and maybe even find your own.

In order to be transported to another world, it was enough to touch the person you wanted to take with you and wish for it. That was all. You walked over to the werewolf and wanted to hug him to make sure you wouldn't forget him here.

"Next time bring a guy instead of a wolf!" Grandma called to you as the light slowly began to surround the two of you. Jesse was a bit touched by these words, as he had the impression that she would be able to replace him with someone else if he came back as a wolf.

Chapter Text

The crystal returned you to the same place you disappeared from. It was now daylight, but it wasn't looking much better. Charred and broken trees rose from the thick layer of ash, and everything cracked uncomfortably under your feet. It was a terrible sight, a ruined landscape. However, you knew very well that it would take time, but a much greener forest would grow in this place.

You walked on, heading towards the Overwatch base. You had the impression that you would figure something out there, and even if you didn't, the cowboy was there. You had a long journey ahead of you and when night fell you were only halfway there. So you decided to camp.

You started the fire as you noticed how the werewolf kept fidgeting and couldn't stay still for a moment. You had the impression that there was something different about it. It all dawned on you when it got darker and a giant silver disk appeared in the sky.

"How about we catch something for dinner?" you suggested because you had the impression that such a thing was a great idea. Especially when you saw a herd of deer along the way. The werewolf raised his head and looked at you before happily sticking his tongue out and something barked. 

It wasn't completely dark yet and there was still some light so you jumped up and nodded at the wolf. He sniffed around before catching the trail and running. You ran after him. He was fast, but he ran so that you could catch him.

Jesse unexpectedly stopped in front of one bush. You almost tripped over him. You crouched quietly and noticed a doe grazing a few meters in front of you. The wolf started to sneak to his target and once he was close enough, he pounced on an unsuspecting victim. It was a short fight that ended as expected with the werewolf pulling the doe by the neck closer to you.

Together you dragged the carcass to the camp. The werewolf wagged his tail contentedly. He allowed you by the fire to cut off a piece of meat. However, as soon as you wanted to cut off more, he started to growl at you.

"Don't worry, I won't eat it all," you joked and put the meat on the fire. His response was merely an amused huff before starting to eat.

Early in the morning, you set off again. You walked at a leisurely pace as Jesse perked up. He crawled under your feet and started running. You had a feeling of deja-vu when someone was watching you again. You meandered through the trees. You hoped it wasn't those shooters again. Although now you had the impression that it was something faster and bigger.

A terrible roar echoed through the forest, shaking the trees and causing the leaves to fall from them. You clung even tighter to your protector, hoping that now that he had all his limbs intact, you would be able to outrun him.

You ran to a small clearing when the werewolf stopped in his tracks, pricked up his ears and took off. Once he caught a familiar scent, you felt his body relax beneath you. You had no idea why and it didn't take away your fear at all.

Out of nowhere, like a bolt from the blue, a giant blue Chinese dragon came rushing out of the sky towards you. You fell off the wolf from the shock and couldn't get up. You crouched closer to the werewolf and felt your heart pounding. It was pounding exactly the same as when the two werewolves clashed when you first appeared here and thought that would be the end of you.

Now there was an overgrown lizard, against which the werewolf looked like a puppy. You did go through some basic training, but how could it possibly help you against a dragon? You didn't dare look at him. You focused in front of you and the way your knees were shaking.

"Where were you? You should have reported a week ago," said a stern voice with a foreign accent. You guessed Japanese since you knew it enough from a few anime. You took a deep breath and peered over the werewolf's back.

Instead of a dragon, standing before you was a man of Asian descent with black hair and a beard and a notable tattoo on his left hand. Your protector barked something at him. Apparently, the man didn't understand him like that either, because he frowned at him.

"You disappeared from all radars in the world for a week. You think they won't send another agent to investigate it?” he asked moving closer to you. The werewolf just let out a breath before turning to you and nudging you lightly with his snout. That gave you the courage to climb out of your shelter. Plus, he was an Overwatch agent, right?

“Hi,” you greeted slightly nervously. The man was looking at you and you had the impression that he was looking for every fault in you. Werewolf barked at him.  

"Hello. I'm Hanzo. Jesse's partner,” he introduced himself and bowed slightly.

“Y/N,” and you followed suit.

After that, Hanzo told you how things were. When you teleported to your world, they lost all connection with you here and were worried that you would fall into the clutches of the enemies. He was the closest and so he was checking when he recognized your scent. Furthermore, he decided it would be better if he escorted you to the base.

You were in enemy territory and therefore chose a longer but safer route. As it got dark, you set up camp. You had the impression as if you were there extra, so you offered to jump for firewood.

 "What's taking you so long? Is that her?” Hanzo started as you got out of earshot. Jesse transformed into a human and scratched the back of his neck.

"It is," was the cowboy's reply, and the dragon knew it wouldn't be as easy as it looked.

When you came back, the fire had already been made and the hare was roasting on it. You dined in silence and you had the impression that there was quite a tense atmosphere there. You sat near the fire away from the werewolf. Your eyes slowly dropped as a giant furry mass brushed against your back. You smiled and snuggled closer to Jesse before falling asleep. That's how you felt completely safe with him.

At first, you thought it was just a dream. The fire was already out and Hanzo was nowhere to be seen. You sleepily rubbed your eyes and the werewolf nudged you with his snout a few times before you finally woke up. You heard footsteps around you. That was bad.

You were instantly on your feet and running alongside the wolf through the forest. You couldn't see much in front of you, because even though there was a full moon and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, there wasn't much light coming through the trees.

You focused on the road and realized too late that you were alone in the forest. At some point unknown to you, you got separated from Jesse. Your hand automatically went to the gun. You aimed ahead and focused on the steps.

However, when you saw the lights of the scopes pointing at you in the dark, you slowly holstered your gun back and raised your hands above your head. The fight would be futile in this case. In the distance, you heard the roar of a dragon and the howl of a werewolf. That was the last sensation you remembered before someone hit you in the back of the head and everything was engulfed in darkness.

Chapter Text

You woke up in a dark room, chained to a metal chair. Your head still hurt from the stunning blow, but despite that, you tried to focus on your surroundings. You had the impression that you knew what organization it was, but you weren't one hundred per cent sure. You were alone in the room and you didn't see any guards anywhere.

You had a view of the door and impatiently awaited the arrival of your captors. Part of you was glad you were there alone, but the fear of the unknown was killing you. After some time, the door finally opened and a man in a black uniform and black glasses walked in. He must have been compensating for something with them or wanted to look cool.

The man walked over to you and started asking you all sorts of things about Overwatch. You told him that you didn't know anything. He leaned closer to you and began to describe what would happen to you if you didn't tell him what he wanted to know. It was like deja vu and before you knew it you gave him such a hard headbutt that his glasses fell to the ground. The man cursed before storming out of the room with threats of how much you're going to get away with it.

With Overwatch, you had an inkling of what kind of people they were and what they were capable of. On the one hand, you felt good about grounding him, but on the other hand, you were starting to worry. You were afraid that you wouldn't get out of there safe or alive at all.

After some time that seemed endless to you, black smoke began to billow from under the door, billowing not far from you. That struck you as a bad omen.

The smoke piled up there until it formed a figure. The figure was dressed all in black, with a black cloak, long claws, and a mask over its face. It kind of reminded you of a Death costume.

“I admire the smoke. I haven't seen that anywhere before,” you said, trying to play it cool. You had the impression that you momentarily threw him out of his role as he stopped before leaning towards you and asking for information about Overwatch in a creepy voice.

“I don't know anything about that,” you replied, trying to come up with a tactic. Through the white mask, you couldn't make out what that person looked like. "How do you do that with the smoke? A fan or something?” you wondered

"Do you break the nose of anyone who captures you?” he asked you with amusement in his voice and you slowly got the impression that you had met this ghost before. But you couldn't remember when or where.

“Only when they threaten me,” you replied and then thought a little risk it. “I prefer talking over a cup of coffee,” you said more with an innocent smile. 

The spectre across from you straightened up, you felt as if he laughed heartily before pulling off his mask. The face beneath may have been haunted, or scarred, but it was the same man you had met during your first visit to this world.

“I knew you were familiar to me,” you smiled and just like back then, so even now he has untied you. This time, however, he didn't take you to any buffet. Instead, he took a chair and sat across from you.

He asked all sorts of things for a while. How did you disappear then? Why did you come back? Why aren't you in your world? What do you do in Overwatch? Etc. Then you questioned him in return. What was it? If this is Talon? What happened to Blackwatch? You also asked him about soul mates and tattoos, since no one had told you much about it.

Gabriel only answered you with something that he didn't have to worry about revealing something sensitive. He explained what you wanted to know about soul mates, but he didn't want to talk about Jesse that much. In addition, he gave you a small compass that helps you find your soul mate. He gave it to you saying that he no longer needed it.

You chatted for a while more when a red light coloured the room and an alarm rang out through the space. Gabriel immediately put on his mask before turning to you.

"Looks like it's time for you to come back," he said before vanishing out of the room. You walked over to the door and listened. It was chaos outside. You could use that. You took the handle and it was unlocked.

 You took advantage of the confusion outside and slowly walked on. You walked into a larger hallway where more guards were aiming their weapons at the incoming dragon with the werewolf. You were grateful that they had come to your rescue.

You carefully made your way towards them when the reinforcements ran over and noticed you. You immediately started zig-zagging around the room, wanting to make it as difficult as possible for them. One of the guards aimed at you and was about to shoot. In the confusion, no one noticed the black smoke billowing across the ground or the hand that materialized from it and pulled the guard aside just as he fired.

The bullet was no longer aimed at a fatal spot, but it still hit you in the arm. It was a clean arm shot. It was a pain like you had never experienced before and you immediately grabbed your injured arm which was bleeding.

Both of your saviours noticed immediately and Jesse saw red. With a new fury, he charged at his enemies, tearing them apart as if they were stuffed animals. Hanzo made his way to you and changed into a human so that he could better attend to you. He hastily bandaged your wound with a piece of cloth and while you were pressing on the wound, he took you in his arms and ran away.

Jesse ran ahead of you, taking out any enemies that wanted to get in your way. You had no idea how long you ran before you finally stopped in a small clearing. Hanzo sat you down and pulled a first aid kit from his belt.

Finally, he took out a bandage from the bag, which was said to be infused with healing potions and special charms to make it even more effective. He removed the rag from your hand, disinfecting the wound before wrapping your hand with a magical bandage. You noticed how the underside of the bandage glowed faintly greenish and the pain slowly subsided.

You were glad that your hand was healed so quickly and that you got to safety. You decided to camp at that place for the night. Hanzo built a fire while Jesse went hunting. As the meat was roasting, the werewolf lay down next to you and rested his head in your lap. His ears were stuck to his head and he was whining sadly.

“Hey, that's good. I'm fine,” and you patted his head. It was nice, but it didn't add much to his feeling of letting you down. He failed at protecting you and they hurt you. You petted him some more before he finally got a little better.

After eating you fell asleep curled up next to Jesse while they were both still awake. Hanzo decided to take the patrol first.

"You should finally change and tell her," Hanzo said sternly. Jesse knew very well that the dragon was right, but that didn't change the fact that he was afraid. He was afraid of rejection. He didn't want to lose you again.

Chapter Text

You were once again on your way to the Overwatch base. During this trip, which was extended due to the Talon attack, you were slowly coming to terms with Hanzo. Since Jesse couldn't talk to you as a wolf, you had a word with the dragon. Slowly and surely you got closer to him and he decided that he had quite taken a liking to you.

The journey was long, and as it was going at a reasonable pace the whole time, the werewolf felt like stretching his legs more. He slipped under your feet and carried you on his back. He barked something at the dragon before taking off running. Hanzo ran after you and within moments he turned into a dragon and took off into the air.

Jesse was running with you trying to win an imaginary race. Eventually, you reached a field where you had more space. You were running through the grain when Hanzo swooped closer to you and stole you from the werewolf's back. He soared back into the air with you in his paws. You knew he wouldn't just let you go, but you were still afraid.

You screamed in fear as the dragon tossed you into the air and for a moment you experienced a free fall. Fortunately, it didn't last long and you landed on the dragon's back with relief. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck to keep yourself from falling. After a few minutes in the air, when fear was partially replaced by wonder, you were able to enjoy the flight.

That evening in the quiet of the camp, you remembered the compass Gabriel had given you. You still had it hidden in your pocket. You pulled it out in the flickering light of the fire pit and examined it. The lid was closed and decorated with various symbols that you didn't understand. He looked old.

After a moment of determination where you hesitated if you were ready to find your soulmate or not, you finally opened it. Instead of a classic arrow, there was a small red crystal inside that lazily floated a centimetre above the device.

The crystal absorbed some light from the hearth before it flared and the light shot out into the world like a laser. The red light like a straight line led through reality aimed at the werewolf. You tried to lean to the side with the compass, but the laser was pointing at Jesse from every direction.

"So you're my soul mate?" you asked him. Hanzo also gave the werewolf a curious look as this meant that he was finally going to have to change or do something other than just hide behind a dumb puppy mask.

Jesse looked nervous, his ears stuck to his head and slowly walked over to you. He still had no idea what to do and this didn't seem like the right time to confess. He was almost before you when he decided to act. He took the compass from your hand before turning and running away.

“Wait!” you exclaimed scrambling to your feet. However, when you succeeded, the werewolf was already gone, and with it the compass that would allow you to find him again. Besides, where could you look for him now after dark?

You sighed sadly before sitting back down by the fire. You rested your head on your knees and thought. You reflected on everything that had happened so far and how the werewolf behaved on your way. It all came together in the end.

"Did he know all along?" you asked yourself first before looking at Hanzo. He just looked down at your question. “So he knew,” you sighed.

You felt like you were chasing a ghost the whole time. Questions ran through your head that you didn't know the answer to and you started asking Hanzo. You wanted to find out more. Make a picture of why the werewolf ran away.

Hanzo answered you as best he could, but even he didn't know the answer to some questions. Besides, he couldn't say for sure what was going through his friend's mind. He tried to reassure you that you would figure something out in the morning and that it would be good.

Once you fell asleep, the dragon waited for a moment before taking off into the sky and searching for the werewolf he found nearby. Jesse wasn't usually the nervous type, but when it came to you, he had no idea what to do. He feared the rejected as the devil of the cross.

“Why don't you just tell her the truth? You're making it too complicated!” he launched, barely landing on the ground.

“I panicked, okay? Do you think I don't want to tell her? Not like this," and he played with a closed compass. Whether or not he wanted to tell you.

“What's Y/N up to now?” he asked looking at the dragon.

"I do not know. I think she will return home," he replied, not at all pleased with it. Jesse didn't want to lose you again, even though he was the one running now. He squeezed the compass in his hand until it cracked.

"Can you keep an eye on her?" the cowboy asked after a moment of silence. He had no idea if he could get back to you now.

"Don't you think as your soulmate she would understand?" Hanzo asked, hoping Jesse would change his mind and come back. But that didn't happen. Instead, the werewolf returned to base. Hanzo came back to you and wanted to make sure you were okay.

That morning he explained to you how things were. He asked you what now, as he thought you could use your bracelet to get back home, but as you explained to him afterwards, that wasn't an option at the moment.

Although you didn't have any plans for the future at the moment, you refused to give up. Hanzo gave you some advice and assured you that Overwatch will be there for you whenever you need it. He escorted you to the nearest town where he said goodbye to you and returned to base.

Jesse thought he would do well. He had already said goodbye to you once, so he didn't understand why it was bothering him so much now. He thought that if he kept himself busy enough, it would pass. That's why he took every mission he could. He even found himself on such a threshold that they didn't even want to give him missions. When he wasn't on a mission, he tried to suppress those feelings with alcohol.

He spent more time in bars, where he drank himself into sleep or tried to occupy himself with some flirting. It wasn't that serious. After all, whenever the most fun was about to happen, he backed out of it because he felt like he would let you down. And you weren't even there.

However, his grief and longing for you were most evident during the full moon and the days around it, when the wolf spoke for him. His sad howl could be heard for miles. During these nights he tried to find you, but in the morning he always came back completely exhausted.

It was painful for the others and especially for Hanzo to see one of their agents suffer like this. Hanzo looked like he was annoyed by this, but underneath it all, he felt sorry for him.

You, on the other hand, decided to explore the world here. What other opportunity will you have for it? Plus, it dawned on you that if you ever wanted to get home, you had to find Jesse. Without it, your bracelet won't charge. You searched for the werewolf on your travels, but you felt as if the ground had collapsed after him.

Once you met in a pub on the other side of the continent. You were sitting at the bar and he was in the far corner with a half-empty bottle of whiskey. He followed you here with a plan of apology, but as soon as he saw you, all his strength and determination seemed to leave him. Instead, he just watched you with sad eyes and listened as you chatted with the bartender.

"...he ran away before I could talk to him properly. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I've already lost him twice, it won't happen again. If he doesn't want me, let him tell me to my face,” he heard you speak determinedly.

You baited him with those words. He still didn't dare to tell you or address you, but his admiration for you grew. Your determination and inner strength, which he saw when he first met you. He finished the bottle and left the bar. Your voice was like honey to him, but he chose to retreat for now.

Jesse was getting worse by the day. His grief and longing for you were evident on him. It was already noticeable on missions where he had increasingly poor results and had to be withdrawn from several missions and replaced by someone else.

The Overwatch command could no longer turn a blind eye to this. A meeting of the agents was arranged to discuss what to do with Jesse McCree. At this rate, he was a burden on the organization. The decision was made that someone would take on the task of fixing it up. A subsequent vote decided that the task fell to Hanzo.

"Why me?" the dragon asked.

“You're his best friend. It's up to you," Mercy said kindly, as she couldn't do anything with the werewolf either.

So the dragon had to come up with a plan to get the stubborn cowboy to meet you. He knew you wouldn't be a problem because he kept in regular contact with you and then told Jesse about it. The cowboy was on the one hand happy to hear about you and on the other hand it was eating him up more.

Chapter Text

You corresponded back and forth with Hanzo. He always asked how you were doing and wanted you to know that Overwatch was there for you. You didn't expect that something urgent would come up and he would have to make an appointment with you. Of course, you agreed and were happy to see him in person after a long time.

A week before the meeting was supposed to take place, he sent you a letter with a small silver key. Such a small key couldn't unlock any big door, you were sure of that, but on the other hand, you had no idea what secrets it could unlock.

You agreed to meet at a nearby pub on a full moon day. You didn't care what day you met and you didn't attach any special meaning to the phase of the moon. It was a day like any other for you.

You waited in the pub drinking beer. You had no idea what to expect, but you were looking forward to seeing the dragon again. However, you didn't expect him to walk through the main entrance, dragging a cowboy with a silver collar behind him. On the one hand, you found it slightly comical, and on the other hand, you had no idea what to think about it.

Jesse resisted and didn't want to go there, but the silver collar around his neck told him otherwise. At first, the werewolf had no idea what was going on, but a few kilometres from the pub, he caught your scent and it came to him. He got up, tried to escape, cajoled and bribed Hanzo, but in vain. It was like trying to move a mountain.

That's actually how the dragon saw it when all his rational arguments and suggestions to get back to you burned out. Therefore, he had to turn to slightly more drastic and effective means.

You suddenly ran out of words when you saw them come there like that. The whole time you imagined many possible scenarios in your head and you were ready for anything. Well, except for this.

“I think you two have a lot to say, I'll wait outside,” Hanzo said as you greeted each other and handed you the silver collar chain. When he made sure you wouldn't let him go, he left you there. You had a lot to catch up on.

The two of you stood at the counter, neither of you knowing what to say. That's not how you imagined it and you didn't like the awkward silence. Jesse was nervous too and didn't even dare to look you in the eye.

“Would you like a beer?” you offered him a bottle. You really couldn't think of anything better to say, but it was still better than the awkward silence.

"Yeah, gladly," he smiled wolfishly and scratched the back of his hair. "So how's it going?" he asked you as you both had your drink and tapped each other.

"I’m fine, what about you?" you asked.

“Me too,” he replied and you felt like you were back at the beginning. "Why didn't you come home anyway?" he finally asked you after an excruciatingly long period of silence.

"I can't go back. For me to come back I have to be with you, otherwise, the amulet won't charge,” you explained and even though you tried to sound normal you couldn't help but sound like it was his fault why you were still here.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” he replied and you got the impression that it didn't exactly add to his mood.

"Why do you have that collar?" you asked him. “That must be unpleasant. Especially tonight,” you added as you remembered what the night was like. You were looking at the collar and noticed a small key lock. Then it dawned on you and you remembered the key that Hanzo sent you.

“I'll be right back,” you said before running off to grab your jacket. Jesse thought you'd better run away and that it couldn't get any worse. He sighed and took a drink of beer. When he put the bottle down, you came back with the key in your hand and a smile on your face.

"Where did you get it?" Jesse asked you as he noticed a key that looked like it belonged in his collar.

"I got it a week ago from Hanzo. I mean, it's more of a coincidence but I have a feeling it's from the collar," you said and motioned for him to bend down a little. Jesse obeyed and rested his head on your shoulder. How he missed you. And your wonderful smell.

“I'm glad you're okay,” you said weakly as you struggled to get the key into the lock. Why did they have to do it so small? Jesse didn't answer that but you knew he was listening. 

“After you ran away, I felt like it was because of me. That you were afraid, that the compass pointed at you and found out we were together… With someone as ordinary as me… Someone who makes all the trouble,” you continued, confiding in him with your fears.

"What? No, it's not like that,” he blurted out, lifting his head to meet your eyes. “I was afraid of what you would say when you found out the truth that I was a werewolf,” he explained, still taken aback, taking your face in his large hands.

“That's nonsense,” you replied. "The fact that I was accompanied by a werewolf somehow occurred to me from the beginning. I just didn't know that the werewolf was you all this time,” you explained, now it felt so comical as you circled each other. The cowboy's eyes sparkled with hope.

"Are you serious?" he asked you while still touching your cheeks. As soon as you took off his collar, wolf features appeared on him. His hair and beard grew thicker, wolf ears and a tail appeared, his eyes shone goldenly, and you mustn't forget the sharp teeth and claws. This apparition of his would scare someone, but not you.

“Deadly serious,” as soon as you answered, a stone fell from Jesse's heart and he pulled you into a warm embrace that made you feel like if he squeezed you any tighter, the bones in your body would snap. You hugged him too and you saw his tail swinging from side to side like a bell.

“You don't know how happy I am about that,” he smiled before kissing you. It was a bit of an awkward kiss, but it didn't matter. It took you a little by surprise, but you didn't complain. This was better than you imagined.

As you pulled away for air, the werewolf planned to continue. He wanted to shower you with kisses until he almost ate you whole, but you stopped him.

“Slow down cowboy, all is not forgiven,” you cut him off with a playful smile. You wanted to torment him a little for leaving you alone in the middle of nowhere. Jesse only whimpered in a whisper.

A few weeks later, you were together at the Overwatch base in his room when you finally got him to tell you his story while you were gone.

Jesse confessed that he tried to find you after you disappeared. He was sorry that you disappeared as soon as you told him your name. The name he had written on his arm. He tried to find you everywhere, but when he found out that he couldn't travel from his world to another, it hurt him.

He was still human when you met. He became a werewolf during a mission that didn't go well. The werewolf bit his left hand and just wouldn't let go. During the fight, the werewolf bit his hand completely off. Unfortunately, the curse is spread through saliva. They did get the werewolf, but he was infected.

In addition to the phantom pain of losing a limb, he was plagued by an infection from the contagion and a fever preparing his body for the first transformation. When he first transformed, it was like being ripped from a chain, but he gradually learned to control it.

"Ready to meet my family?" you asked him as the crystal in the bracelet finally recharged.

"Not at all," replied the cowboy. You laughed at his answer and called him a coward before reassuring him that it would be okay. A familiar light surrounded you and you teleported back to your grandmother's house.

"Well, finally someone went through with you by two," your grandmother greeted you when you appeared in her house.

“Grandma,” you greeted her and went to hug her.

"Ma'am," Jesse greeted, removing his hat. Grandma invited him for a mass hug. When you pulled away she kept making fun of him and that she was glad you finally brought a guy instead of a wolf.

"Did you know that?" you asked her in disbelief. how come that old lady was always one step ahead of you? Grandma didn't answer you and just smiled mysteriously before asking if you wanted some tea.

"That's not possible," you still couldn't believe it. You finally laughed it off. Jesse gave you a quick kiss before wrapping his arms around your waist and you went for a cup of tea together. You had a story to tell.