A/N: A tribute to all ChiefxCortana writers out there, regardless of how good or bad, but especially to Kavek, Heart-of-Memories, JustShotMarvin, XT-421, FuryanJedi13, Anakya Superion, and Spartan Ninja for their works involving this particular pairing. Hail the awesomeness!
1. Mistake
He'd always wondered if he was wrong to leave her behind, but he corrected that mistake when he rescued her from the Gravemind's clutches.
2. Need
She always wondered how to quantify the threshold for his statement, "Wake me when you need me;" though, she mused as she unsealed the tube holding her precious person, Doctor Halsey and the remaining Spartan popping up out of nowhere to rescue them certainly qualified as a "need."
3. Grumpy
After she got her synthetic body, everyone was surprised to find that it was Cortana who was the grumpy one in the morning, or at least they were until they found out what John had been doing to make her want to stay in bed.
4. Loud
Cortana had always known that it was not what you said but how loud you said it; they could probably hear her shrieks all the way to Sangheilios when she found out she was beign separated from the Chief.
5. Bitter
It was a bitter reunion, John thought as he gazed down at the shuddering construct on the holopanel; he had his scars, and now Cortana had her own.
6. Beginnings and Endings
The first time Cortana was in his head, John thought that he would never be warm again; the last time she left it, he believed he was going to burn alive for want of her cool presence.
7. Damaged
She was unsure of the time, the date, even her own name; she knew she was damaged so severely that she might not make it after all, but the sight of him standing over her was enough to soothe away all of the worries she had.
8. Picnic
Their first date was uncomfortable to say the least, especially considering that the other Spartans where trying (and failing) to be stealthy when they tailed the pair to the park for their picnic; Cortana was heard to ask the Chief if his siblings were trying to chaperone them or get blackmail to post on the Internet.
9. Awkward
When Lord Hood asked them why they were standing so close together, there was a moment of awkward silence before they reluctantly inched apart.
10. Unworthy
The Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret had long thundered that humanity was unworthy of its heritage as the Reclaimers, but Cortana could never agree with them; how could someone as 'undeserving' as John be more noble than the Didact himself?
11. Neurosis
The Chief swore that the longer he was without Cortana the more neurotic he became; how else would one explain the "flickers" of her that kept appearing on his visor?
12. Beautiful
John was unable to stop himself from oh-so-gently brushing her cheek with just the tips of his callused fingers; she was so beautiful when she smiled at the touch.
13. Terrified
It was perfectly normal to be afraid of the dark, he'd told her, especially with all of the things she'd been through, but he would protect her; he was stunned to silence when she told him that it was not her that she was afraid for.
14. Children
There was a long debate going around in the Office of Naval Intelligence about whether or not they should require the remaining Spartans to have children; Paragosky said, "Fuck it," when John got married to his onboard AI.
15. Toasted
After seeing what several of the Marines did after getting toasted on contraband booze, John vowed to never touch the stuff.
16. Grudge
As he watched Reach burn, John was sure that he would never let go of the grudge he held for the murder of his siblings.
17. Forgiveness
The Chief was unsure exactly what he had done to make Cortana angry but he asked for forgiveness anyway; he later learned that it had all been a ploy to get him to use some of his vacation time.
18. Alone Together (by WakeyJakeyeggsnbakey on deviantart; I wanted to share this because it's perfect for them)
I have come so far
I don't believe where we are,
or if we'll ever get home,
stuck here forever,
alone, together,
with only a bond that has grown,
deeper over time,
I'm yours, you're mine,
but nothing can ever exist,
you're a computer,
you can't have a suitor,
and neither of us can resist,
this love that we share,
we both know it's there,
and will never admit what we see,
that is for the best;
but now I must rest,
so wake me when you need me.
19. Sick
She had always wondered why humans were so miserable when they were sick, but when John came down with a bout of pneumonia so severe it almost killed him, she understood.
20. Beloved
Cortana was not sure what was real and what wasn't after she descended into rampancy while they drifted in space, but lying curled up on silken sheets with John pressed against her back, calling her "Beloved," seemed almost to good to be true, and she sobbed aloud when it wasn't.
21. Repulsive
A more repulsive being Cortana had never met before she encountered the Gravemind, and even with the Chief protecting her from it now, he still haunted her nightmares, holding John's disembodied head.
22. Ancient
The enemy and the devices meant to contain it are just as ancient as they are terrible, but that was never a problem for the two of them; they just needed to make a bigger "boom."
23. Touch
The first thing she ever touched was his face, and she began to cry when she realized that it was not just a dream.
24. Gentle
The others could not help but notice how gentle he was when he held her; he acted like she was made of glass, though she was far more durable than he was.
25. Kinky
John had never known that his AI had a kinky streak a light-year across, but he found out when he woke up with his hands handcuffed to their bed and a smirking Cortana hovering over him.
26. Formal
The sleeves were a little short, his shoes were one size too small, and he hated wearing all of his military decorations because there were so many it pulled him off balance, but the sight of Cortana in her silken sky-blue gown was enough to push all of the formalities to the background; she blushed and giggled when he told her she was beautiful.
27. Outside
Cortana's first time outside in her cybernetic body was an experience for all of them; she reminded them of a two year old with the way they were perpetually having to drag her away from somthing dangerous.
28. Anecdotes
His little AI will never cease to surprise him with all of the anecdotes she has at her disposal; it seems like she has at least one for everything.
29. Conspiracy
They never actually found the head of the conspiracy after John went after him; "No one hurts my AI and gets away with it."
30. Trapped
Cortana likened her containment in Halo's Control Center to being a trapped animal; though Halo would do nothing to her, it was him she was worried about.
31. Power
'Power corrupts,' the rampant AI mused as she destroyed them, 'and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but' - an eerie grin lit her face when she turned her attention to the high security cell she'd tricked him into, watching as he futilely slammed his fists against the door, trying to escape her clutches - 'it rocks absolutely, too.'
32. Defiant
Neither of them had ever been ones to give up without a fight, but their stalemate with Paragosky was getting a little ridiculous; after the first attempt on her life, the Spartans were willing to concede that perhaps their defiance was a good thing.
33. Meeting
During the whole two-hour meeting, John did not once change his slightly-pained expression nor the blush on his face, but Cortana's appearance from under the table after everyone else had gone explained everything.
34. Sunlight
The sunlight filtering though the trees created dappled patterns over the forest floor, the creek, the rocks; Cortana was fascinated with it all, and John sat there with her for hours, just enjoying nature.
35. Fanfiction
"You know, I don't these people have lives at all, but I do like some of their ideas."
36. Dominant
Though the pair never said it outright and no one ever heard them, the Spartans could always tell who had been on top the night before.
37. Takeover
Needless to say, once the Chief got involved, all of the Insurrectionists attempting a takeover headed for the hills.
38. Fighting
The whole of his life had been nothing but fighting, shooting, and explosions, but it was even more blissfully ironic that the end of that war came about through a high speed chase and a jump into the Dawn's cargo bay.
39. Lost
The day he lost her was the day he died inside.
40. Involuntary
Him calling her "love" was completely involuntary, a reflex now that they had been together for six months, but it blew their secret relationship completely out of the water.
41. Regret
"The message just repeats: Regret, Regret, Regret," and the words set chills down the Chief's spine as an eerie sense of deja vu swept over him.
42. Game
Naturally, Bungie asked them to be the beta testers when they made a video game about the Halo Campaign.
43. Traitor
John wondered when protecting his AI had made him a traitor to the UNSC.
44. Newcomer
He was just finished a battle in which he was outnumbered and outgunned when one of the communications officers came to tell him that he had a new daughter.
45. Asleep
She couldn't help but watch him while he slept and wonder if he was dreaming of her.
46. Frigid
The Spartans had never seen John act as cold to them as the day they were ordered to take Cortana away.
47. Addiction
During the last trimester of her pregnancy, Cortana developed an addiction to the penuche fudge that John made for her birthday, and though it left the kitchen an absolute mess, he gladly made enough fudge to feed the whole of the UNSC for years.
48. Protocol
It was the first time he disobeyed protocol when he was ordered to terminate Cortana; no one ever found them after they went AWOL.
49. Pet
John was not quite how she managed to weasel her way into getting them a pet, but at least she didn't pick a weasel; she chose the cutest of black kittens and made him blush when she told him that it reminded her of him: dangerous by word but still so cuddly.
50. Soaked
Even after he landed in the lake, he claimed that he never missed; he just was a little off sometimes.
51. Unusual
It was very unusual for any of the Spartans to go to bed before ten, but tomorrow was Cortana and John's wedding; they were asleep by nine-fifty nine.
52. Pressure
"They all look the same; which wire do I cut?"
53. Nervous
She had never seen him act so nervous before, and he was so jumpy and twitchy that eventually she had to ask what was wrong; it came as a shock to her when he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
54. Predatory
Her evil delighted look was absolutely predatory when she caught sight of him, and the Spartans began dying of laughter when they watched her start to stalk him all over the base like he was some kind of animal and she, the hunter.
55. Trust
Cortana knew that she could trust him with her life, but she still had the occasional doubt; he had told he to jump, but could he reach her in time?
56. Habit
Even though it had been years since he left the UNSC, it had long since become habit for him to get up at five thirty in the morning and not a moment later.
57. Holiday
Cortana was wild with rage when the remains of the Covenant interrupted her first Christmas holiday; John simply shook his head and went to put on his armor.
58. Falling
Falling in love was not something that Cortana had expected to do, but falling in love with a Spartan, one of Oni's emotionless automatons, was insanity.
59. Intelligent
She was the most intelligent computer program to date, but she still stuttered and blushed like a fool when he asked her out on a date.
60. Mother/Father
John decided that in lieu of asking a random person, he would go ask Doctor Halsey what he should do about his impending fatherhood.
61. Ambition
Her greatest ambition was to get married and live in a nice house for the rest of her life, and their daughter was just icing on the cake.
62. Chained
The other Spartans would never forget the time they walked in on them and saw the Chief chained to their bed while in full armor.
63. Trek
Their trek across their own private planet took years, but they enjoyed every moment of it.
64. Grieving
No one knew how long he would grieve for her, but they were willing to give him as long as it took.
65. Repair
His armor was not the only thing in need of repairs.
66. Hungry
Even after they fled the persecution of the UNSC, Cortana never feared that they would go hungry; John was an excellent hunter.
67. Fuzzy
Her vision was fuzzy until she learned how to focus her new eyes, and his face was the first thing she saw, brow furrowed in concern.
68. Bet
Kelly became a lot richer after the Spartans caught John and Cortana kissing in the gardens.
69. Toy
John didn't know how Cortana had acquired the baby toys for their little girl (he had a sneaking suspicion that there was a receipt from Amazon lying around somewhere), but he had long ago learned not to question Cortana's methods.
70. Violent
The first assassin that came after her met a violent end at the hands of her protector; she slept on, unaware.
71. Stranger
The man that tried to lure her away from her Spartan wound up being a convicted serial killer; she was just lucky that John had recognized his face from a wanted poster.
72. Penance
He would spend an eternity in Purgatory if it meant that she would be okay.
73. Possession
His most prized possession was the AI cartridge that she used to inhabit, and he wore it on a chain around his neck so he would never have to let it go.
74. Cybernetic
Her state-of-the-art cybernetic body was fast enough to dodge bullets, strong enough to lift two tons, and agile enough to do a replay of The Matrix, but what he loved most was that her eyes were the exact same shade of brilliant electric blue that they had always been.
75. Morals
"It's kind of hard to obey societal rules when you were trained without morals."
76. Denied
When the Chief was denied the right to see Cortana, he was worried that something might have gone terribly wrong during the assessment procedure; when she walked out of the tech suite in her own synthetic body, it was all he could do to stop himself from sweeping her off her feet and never letting her go.
77. Captured
They never found all of the pieces of the Insurrectionists who had taken Cortana in the dead of night; all they knew was that the Chief had taken care of them.
78. Practice
Practice makes perfect, which was why she stayed out on the shooting range until well after dark, determined to pass the test that would let her join her Spartan on the battlefield.
79. Memory
For his sake as much as hers, they agreed to let her die naturally, even though it killed him to watch her waste away to the point where she couldn't even remember who he was.
80. Book
The book was called… something utterly unpronounceable but it was completely fascinating, and Cortana was able to do nothing but sit there and laugh while she watched him read it with the avidity of one who has just discovered something new.
81. Desperation
It was desperation that drove her on High Charity; she refused to die without seeing him one last time.
82. Bad
"No! Bad Spartan, BAD! I've told you not to bring live weapons or explosives into the house! Remember what happened last time?"
83. Dark
Even though High Charity was lit with the glow of fires and sputtering glow-orbs, the darkness could not have been more oppressive.
84. Saved
She saved his neck on Alpha Halo by stopping him from firing the rings, so he saved her from the Gravemind's clutches.
85. Monotony
One could always rely upon Cortana to break the monotony of everyday life on a UNSC base.
86. Inside
With her inside his armor, he felt like there was nothing he couldn't do.
87. Shy
Cortana never thought she was capable of being shy, but the first time John introduced her to the rest of the Spartans as his girlfriend laid that to rest.
88. Finally
They had finally gotten home, finally settled into their new home, finally gotten a chance to relax – and then the remaining Covenant barged in and ruined the moment.
89. Empty
The whole time she was on High Charity, his armor had never felt emptier.
90. Disagreement
The fact that they had had their first lovers' spat came as no surprise to anyone, but the fact that they had been arguing over whose desk they should "break in" next made everyone do a facepalm.
91. Happy
Cortana thought that the happiest day of her life was when John asked her to marry him, but that was until she brought their beautiful baby girl into the world.
92. Develop
By the time the pair had gotten back to Earth, there had been a breakthrough in cybertechnology, and Cortana was quite glad to volunteer to be one of the first AI implanted in a fully synthetic body.
93. Learn
"And they say old dogs can't learn new tricks."
94. Again
When Cortana found out that she was pregnant - again - she promptly whacked her husband upside the head, an exasperated expression on her face.
95. Purr
He was sleeping in his easy chair like a typical man, their black cat also asleep on his lap, purring so loud that she could be heard across the room.
96. Elegant
It was obvious to her that he was not comfortable in all of the elegance of the formal ball, so she hauled him away with the other Spartans for a round of paintball capture the flag – while still in their formal gear.
97. Bear
"He's like a… tinfoil-wrapped teddy bear; tough on the outside, but he's soft inside."
98. Tiny
Her holographic form was normally so tiny; it came as a shock to see her taller than he was in the Control Room.
99. Brilliant
Cortana's brilliance surpassed even that of her mother's, especially when she successfully outwitted ONI's top AI one after another, and even Halsey was forced to admit defeat.
100. Tired
When it was finally all over, the Warrior and the Intellect both passed away in their sleep, weary from an extraordinarily long lifetime.
A/N: If I need to get over a writer's block, I may write more of these.