Flirting on the Battlefield (WidowReaper story)

The Story of the Widow

She was always considered beautiful, elegant. She was praised in her dancing, her violin and piano playing, and in her poise. Never did anyone care to notice her intelligence, acknowledge her thoughts. She was used to it.

She had met Gerard Lacroix at a young age, in college. She was studying the arts, with a minor in toxicology and venom immunochemistry. She had a certain fascination with the human body, both in its capabilities for movement and in what could bring it down. She had musings of making her studies in those fields her major, but, alas, Gerard thought it unsightly for a woman of her status.

Amelie Guillard, of the notable Guillard family, was always treated as a fragile artifact in a museum, only meant to be gazed upon. And Gerard knew this upon meeting her.

Systematically he'd raise her confidence, her affection for him, only to devastatingly crush her emotionally, crippling her self-esteem until she was desperate for him to build her back up. Throughout her college years and career as a ballerina in Paris, there was Gerard, behind her to point out every flaw in every pirouette. To note when she faltered, and to kiss her cheek with a reassurance that left her feeling indebted to him for loving someone as flawed as herself.

Upon their wedding day, she was so nauseous from fear, excitement, nervousness, and an aching feeling in her heart she couldn't quite discern, that she paced back in forth in her waiting room until blisters formed on her feet. She was used to it though, and persisted her wear on the rug. As the time came for her to waltz down the aisle, her anxiety spiked. What if she tripped? What if she didn't walk perfectly to her beloved Gerard? Oh, he'd be furious! He'd be sure to notice, he noticed everything she did. Amelie felt sick at the thought of disappointing him yet again. With one last look at herself in the mirror, she wondered why an accomplished, intelligent man like Gerard was marrying her. And then she walked to him.

Their marriage was picturesque, they were the most beautiful couple anyone had ever seen. No one could see what was behind the facade. After their nuptials, Gerard had revealed to Amelie that he was being scouted to join Overwatch, an up and coming organization tasked with the protection of the world. Amelie was overjoyed for her new husband, how proud she was for him. So at 22, she and her husband moved from their life in Paris, and from her career, all for his.

As work left a heavy burden on Gerard, his manipulations of Amelie grew more and more callous. He no longer gave her sweet surprises, no longer worked quite so hard at building her up after delivering a devastating blow to her psyche. It was a rapid decline in her mental health, and his own, until, finally, the day he struck her across the cheek.

Neither had seen it coming, and things grew quiet in the Lacroix household. Gerard was tentative with his remarks towards Amelie, at first, worried about what she may do, or, worse, what she may say to others. A month went by, and Gerard realized she was completely submissive and blamed herself for his actions against her. And it was then, in that moment of realization, that Gerard's cruelty amassed a deeper villainy.

The physical abuse worsened gradually, bruises appearing across Amelie's body in an array of pain. She grew meek, silent. Rarely speaking, rarely leaving her home at all.

No one saw what occurred behind closed doors, and no one suspected a thing.

When Overwatch held a Christmas Celebration, Gerard, of course, made his wife attend. She looked beautiful, red dress with mistletoe earrings, a sight to behold at the party. Gerard eagerly showed her off, pleased with his prize and how all envied him for her. It was then that Amelie first met many of the Overwatch members. She was so young, merely 23, and yet held such a maturity to her, such an intelligence and talent for conversation.

Ana Amari first took notice of her, eagerly ushering Amelie towards the tea table. "Hello dear, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Amelie was stunned, and smiled warmly towards the kind woman. "Finally? I had no idea Gerard talked about me to his coworkers." Her French accent was still quite heavy, and she looked towards her husband, who was conversing with a tall blonde man a ways away. He must care for her deeply to talk about her as such!