The Rabbit and the Wolfe
Welcome to the second installment of the Rabbit and the Wolfe series! For those who have not read the first part, I HIGHLY suggest you do, or most of this story won't make any sense Now that that is out of the way, those who have read the first part, you know what to expect in termed of M-rated content. For those who don't, my stories contain blood, gore, and the occasional sex scene, but not overtly so. If this isn't your cup of tea, feel free to look for another story that may strike your interest. If your still here, great! I hope you enjoy the second installment of the Rabbit and the Wolfe series and don't forget to follow, favorite and review!
01: One in the Chamber
November 18, 2561
Castiglione, Escala III
1100 hours
Three years. Three years since her last mission. Three years since she last took fire. Three years since she joined the civilian population. It was not the 36 months without firing a rifle. It was the 1095 days without her joy. Her second half. Her teammate, lover and friend. Kelly-087, her bunny. It took some careful flirtation, a collapsing Forerunner ruin, a small Sangheili girl and a drunken kiss to propel their relationship from squad mates to something much deeper and vastly more beautiful than either of them could have imagined. But a Covenant assassin from her family's past nearly ripped that dream apart. Though Sandra managed to kill him and end his stranglehold on her family, she was forced to 'retire' from the UNSC.
An angry chirp from her console roused her from her sleep. Tying her platinum blonde locks in a simple ponytail behind her, she answered the call.
"Hello?" Sandra asked wearily, not entirely awake.
"Wow Sandy, you look terrible. Didn't sleep well?" Bridget's concern was enough for the Spartan to give a slow nod, sipping some lukewarm coffee that she had left on the desk an hour or two before.
"Work has been hell these past few days. I have only had a few hours of sleep this past week." Bridget pouted on the other end of the line, giving her childhood friend a fierce glare.
"You shouldn't push yourself like this, Sandy. It isn't healthy. Let me talk to your CO, I'll set him straight." The comment dug at the empty hole in her chest, but she soldiered on.
"I can't tell you that, B. When I was reassigned, I-" she stopped short as Bridget held up one of her hands. Bridget ran a hand through her raven locks, sighing in defeat.
"I know, classified and all that stuff. I get it, I really do," Sandra was glad she didn't have to explain anything else. It hurt more and more each time she had to lie to them, but she didn't want them to worry unnecessarily. "Ok, new topic! How's Kelly?" Sandra smiled warmly at the mention of her lover's name.
"She's good…I think. We talk a lot, but not being able to see each other has been hard on both of us. But she has her job to do, as do I."
"And she couldn't come with you?" Sandra hated to be reminded of the fact she was still alone. Being without her bunny for so long was starting to make her petty. And jealous. Not to mention the lack of intimate contact was really starting to grate on her already frayed nerves.
"No. Her place is with her unit. Plus, it was a sudden reassignment. No time to do anything but back up and bolt. I took Amber with me because it would be far away from front-line combat. Kelly agreed that it would be for the best."
Bridget perked up at the mention of Sandra's daughter. She had fallen in love with the little one the moment she laid eyes on her. Though she may not be what some may consider a 'normal' child, with her light gray leathery skin, golden eyes and hinged mandibles, Nonetheless, Amber was adorable, highly curious and extremely funny in a sort of naïve, childlike way that made her irresistible.
"Oh? Is she there now?"
"No. she is still at daycare." Bridget looked off momentarily to the side in thought.
"Is she still being bullied?" Sandra burst out laughing. When Sandra had first dropped her daughter off at a local daycare, some of the other children picked on her for being 'different' 'alien' and a 'freak'. When Sandra came to pick Amber up that day, she was in tears. A quick talk with the owner and a few friends had quickly solved that problem. No one messed with her daughter. No one.
"Naw. It's amazing what a few calls can do. Little shit won't be messing with Amber anymore." Bridget couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine. She often forgot how ruthless the woman could become when someone threatened her family. Must be that Spartan training.
"Shouldn't you pick her up? Don't you usually leave around this time?" Sandra looked at the clock by her bed. 1115…she was late.
"Shit! I'm late! Gotta go! Call you later, then I'll see if I can get a hold of Kelly! Love ya, bye!" Sandra ended the call, cutting Bridget off mid-laugh. Sandra slipped into a jacket, nearly falling down the stairs as she fumbled with the armholes. Forcing herself to slow down, Sandra grabbed her keys off the counter of her small apartment kitchen and shoved her M6 into the small of her back. Throwing open the front door, she rushed down the steps as fast as she dared, climbing into the open seat of her warthog. She threw it into reverse, nearly shredding her neighbors flower garden as she pulled into the street. Merging with traffic, she took a few deep breaths and called the daycare.
"Hello, how may I help you?" A sweet voice answered after a few rings.
"Hey it's Sandra. Sorry, I'm running a few minutes late."
"Oh, don't worry about it! Amber is some of the best company I've ever had! She's regaling me with her time aboard a starship. Quite the tale!"
"I'll be there as fast as I can."
"Sandra, you drive safely, you hear? Take your time. We'll be here when you arrive." Sandra let out a short sigh of relief, nodding, even though the woman on the other end couldn't see her.
"I will. Be there soon." With that she ended the call to focus driving. The streets, while not necessarily congested, were still crowded enough to slow her commute to a crawl. There sure are a lot of police out today. More than normal. Much more. Red flags were going off in the back of her mind. Something was wrong. Lately, there had been more Insurrectionist activity as the overshadowing war with the Covenant was less and less of a concern each passing day. Bombing, kidnapping and murder were daily occurrences on Escala III, a topic no one wanted to talk about for fear that they would be next. Sandra could feel something big was coming, but didn't have any concrete proof.
Sandra pulled into a parking spot in front of the day care, warily eyeing the surrounding area for threats. The sun shone brilliantly, even behind her tinted sunglasses, and the warm breeze washed gently over her skin. Roses swayed in time to a beat only Mother Nature could hear. Everything was perfect. Perfect was never in a Spartan's vocabulary; things always tended to go south when it seemed you were in the clear. A small rustic building, with brickwork supporting a flat roof. Not much to look at, but Sandra wasn't here for the simple architecture.
"Mother!" The happy cry put Sandra's superstitions on the back burner. Amber ran through the parking lot, quickly being wrapped up in a loving hug. Her light grey skin stuck out amongst the blue sky and lush grass, but her golden eyes, always filled with happiness, love, and an unexhaustive curiosity, gleamed in the late morning sun.
"How are you, sweetie?" Sandra still had to crouch to hug her daughter, but not as much as she did three years ago. The young saurian had grown almost a foot and a half, and although still on the small side, her mother's commitment to physical fitness had bleed to her daughter, bestowing the alien with an above average endurance and strength. Well, above average for a six-year-old Sangheili female.
"I learned so much today!" Sandra kissed her lovingly on the head as Amber nuzzled into the crook of her neck, her favorite form of affection. A shout caught Sandra's attention, and she looked up to see a young woman waving a toy above her head as she crossed the hot asphalt.
"Hey, don't forget her t-" The young woman's smile was still etched upon her face as her head exploded, spraying bone, blood, and tissue clear across the lot. The force was enough to twist her body in a full circle before it crumpled to the ground. A second later, the crack of a sniper gave the Spartan her answer. Sandra pulled the two of them to the ground on instinct, as Amber's scream of terror fell on deaf ears. She had just pulled the M6 from its resting place when the pavement erupted as bullets tore into it. Scrambling to cover, Sandra hit the warthog frame with enough force to shake the vehicle.
Fuck! What the hell is going on?! The warthog shuddered violently as bullets pummeled its heavy armor. Peeking around the wheel, she could see a small group, maybe five or six, unmarked assailants with a variety of different rifles, but she couldn't spot the sniper. A whimper drew her head around. Amber was crying and shaking violently as she stared at the dead eyes of the woman who had taught her hours before. She had no choice: She had to get Amber out of here. She had to get her to safety.
"Amber, Amber can you hear me?!" Sandra yelled, slapping a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Amber flinched and shied away, horror showing clearly in her misty eyes. Ignoring the growing threat, she pulled Amber close.
"Sorry, sweetie, sorry. I need you to focus right now. Can you do that, for your mom?" A few moments of silence, then a quick nod. Sandra could hear the approaching boots, they were slow, cautious in their movements, but moving steadily in their direction. Without any armor, a head-on charge would be suicidal. She had to break them apart. For once, she was glad for the additional armor the researchers at ONI had slapped onto her baby. A plan quickly formed in her head. Rash and stupid, yes. But if it worked, it would buy them some time. Hopefully, enough to get off-world. She didn't know how widespread this attack could be but Sandra was unwilling to subject her daughter to such danger.
"Ok. I'm going to lift you into the car. I need you to keep your head down while I deal with the bad guys. Can you do that?" Amber nodded again, confused and terrified, but determined not to let her mother down. Sandra took a deep breath, and hoped whatever gods up there were listening. Here we go. Scooping her little saurian up in one arm, she practically threw her into the seat, glass cracking as rounds pounded the front end. Dropping below the undercarriage, her M6 roared in anger, catching on of them in the thigh, then through the head before a scream even left their lips. She rolled to escape the returning fire, bullets shredding the air where she laid a moment before. Gotta move! Spotting a car in the middle of the parking lot, she sprinted towards it, laying down fire as she went. A scream let her know she had hit at least one of them. Diving behind the vehicle, she grimaced as a lance of pain ripped through her side.
"Fuck." She hissed as her hands came up bloody.
"Forget the fucking squid. Kill the Spartan first. She's the real threat." Spartan?! How the hell do they know that?! A set of boots pounded across the empty lot, directly for her. Even in spite of the dire situation, she couldn't help but smile. Someone's eager. Fucking moron. She emptied five rounds into the soldier as he tried to vault the car. She ejected the spent magazine as his bloody body slid off the roof. Taking the fallen trooper's battle rifle, she pulled one extra mag from his pockets. Another hail of gunfire blew out the crippled vehicle's windows. The curses of a jammed weapon brought the stolen BR to bear, blood spraying out the back of their skulls as the 3-round-bursts punched through two helmets.
"Fucking hell!" One shouted, startled, as her companion dropped dead. She pummeled the car relentlessly as the DMR rocked back and forth. Sandra dropped back into cover, but not before a stray bullet ripped through her abdomen. The rifle clattered to the ground as she clutched her stomach, clenching her teeth in pain. She could still feel the bullet inside her, making every move excruciating. She tried to breathe, but each breath came out short and ragged. She knew it was bad, but Amber was counting on her. The soft chink of a pin being pulled brought the world rushing back.
"Fuck this bitch! I'm done!" A small part of Sandra's mind wondered why they hadn't used grenades earlier, but it was quashed along with the rest of her pain as she scrambled for her pistol. She emptied a full clip into the focus of her imminent demise. Blood and shards of bone sprayed in every direction as the oversized pistol tore into the enemy. He dropped the M9 as the last bullet tore his throat open. Then her world spun as she flew through the air.
Faint sounds trickled through the ringing in her ears. She could taste blood in her mouth as her eyes struggled to open. She could feel someone shaking her, but her rattled brain couldn't figure out why.
"…"
"…"
"M…
"Mot…"
Bridget. Daycare. Late. Crushed flowers. Amber. Attacked. As if the dam broke, her memories came rushing back to her. Coughing up red-tinted saliva, she tried to move, only to be rewarded with excruciating pain.
"Ahh! Fucking hell, that hurts!"
"Mother! I thought…that you…" Amber burst into tears beside her, relieved.
"Help me up, sweetie."
"Your hurt!" Sandra rolled her eyes at her daughter.
"No shit. Sorry, you didn't hear that. Never tell mommy." A weak smile graced her dirty face as her daughter rapidly shook her head. "We have to leave. There will be more. Help me to the car." Tears fell from her eyes as she was roughly pulled to her feet.
"God damn it! Shit!" A ragged scream left her abused lungs as she collapsed, breathing heavily. Using the mangled remains of the car, she pulled herself to her feet as Amber supported some of her weight. Both of their clothes were soaked in her blood. The once-smooth parking lot looked like a warzone: bullets holes and gore pot marked much of its surface, a mass of indistinguishable flesh lay near the detonation site. Sandra covered Amber's eyes, trying to protect her from the horrors she had become all too familiar with. They would need to talk about what happened here, if she could manage to not bleed out in the meantime. Dropping the bloody M6 onto the floorboard of the warthog, the wounded Spartan rummaged for the first aid kit.
"Look away, Amber." Golden, teary eyes held her own for a moment before they looked down at the pistol smeared with her mother's blood.
Tears poured from her eyes as she fished for the spent bullet inside her abdomen. Almost passing out, she pulled the offending object from her body and tossed it on the pavement in disgust. Shoving the biofoam bottle into her wounds, Sandra patched herself up the best she could. Pulling out of the daycare, she could hear faint sounds of battle echo between the buildings. Whatever was going on, it involved more than just her. It was time to cash in on a favor.
UNSC Infinity
23 Librae System
1600 hours
Kelly stared vaguely at the glowing blue letters, the words 'WAITING TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION' had lost any effect on her long ago. Now, the words were but a reminder of how her relationship with Sandra had fundamentally changed. She had not embraced her pup for three years. Heard her laugh. Ignore her shameless flirting. See her smile light up a room. If she were to be honest with herself, her days had become lonely and monotonous without her angel to guide her. Was this what my life was like before? She hated how dreary her days had become. For the third time that day, Kelly wanted something to go wrong, just so she would have something to do.
Her mouth twitched downward as the words continued to hover before her eyes, mocking her. It was not like Sandra had never missed a call. Sometimes, it would be a few days before either of them could contact each other, either because Kelly was on-mission, Sandra had work that needed her full attention, or a plethora of other reasons that kept them apart. Oftentimes, Kelly's call would connect to reveal her sleeping blonde with a grey mass passed out on her lap. Teasing would ensue, filling her with a sense of happiness. Until Sandra one-upped her with a risqué suggestion or comment that set her cheeks on fire and filling the bunkroom with her lover's sweet laughter.
"Staring won't help." Fred called out from the opposite side of the room. Kelly tore her eyes from the screen to glare at her brother, who held up his hands in defense. He shot a glance to their resident sniper, Linda, who gave a slight shrug and resumed tuning her sniper rifle. As much as she wanted to hit him upside the head, he had a valid point. She was quite weary from their last mission and had not accumulated any sleep for the last day and a half. Kelly could wait a few more hours. Muted shuffling behind her let her know Fred and Linda were leaving.
"CQC training with Chief." Linda said, leaving the unasked invitation in the air.
"Negative. Fred needs someone he can actually keep with." Fred's snort could be easily heard in the small room. The two Spartans exchanged glances but said nothing more, leaving Blue Team's scout to stare blankly at the monitor before her. Not ten minutes later, Kelly's head hit the table, not even her augmentations enough to keep her awake.
A gentle shake roused Kelly from her slumber. Her hand instinctively reached for a weapon, but a strong, understanding voice caused her pause.
"Woah, easy there, ma'am. I just came to wake you. The captain wanted Blue Team on the bridge." Kelly shot a glance to the ceiling, as if asking the AI to confirm his story.
"I can attest that my method would have been much louder." Roland spoke, his amused voice seemingly coming from out of thin air. Ignoring the AI, Kelly noticed the name stenciled onto his armor: S. Starr. She had a faint inclination that she had heard the name once before, but she couldn't recall. It wasn't important at the moment. She was needed on the bridge. Giving the ANUBIS-variant Spartan a short nod, she followed him out. The two of them made it to the nearest elevator, the only passengers inhabiting the small cube. The first few minutes passed by in silence, but Kelly started to notice the occasional turn of his head in her direction. Something was obviously on the man's mind, but she wasn't about to open up a conversation.
"Ma'am?" The Spartan finally asked. Kelly twisted her head slightly, an inclination she was listening. Unused to speaking with a Spartan-II, a few seconds of awkward silence passed before he realized his mistake and continued.
"Do you know a Spartan Wolfe?" Kelly froze, caught off guard. Why the sudden question? What was he after? She turned to face him, crossing her arms defensively, her sapphire eyes boring into his opaque faceplate.
"I do." She responded, protectiveness creeping naturally into her tone. She knew it was there, just didn't bother to stop it. Sandra was hers, after all. Her personality would never allow her to scream it from the rooftops, but she loved her and wouldn't let anything come between them.
"How is she doing?" Kelly didn't answer. The blue Spartan nodded his head repeatedly, as if answering a question in his head.
"I understand if you don't want to talk about it. Just know I won't tell anyone. I just was curious where she went, she just dropped off the grid." Kelly raised a brow at his statement. Won't tell anyone what?
He leaned over slightly, speaking in a whisper her ears strained to pick up. "Both of your girls are quite beautiful. I met Sandra on a ride to Earth. She pointed you out to me. I've got your back." Kelly blinked a few times as he straightened up. Her mouth turned up at the ends, the beginning of a smile. She glanced at the screen to see they were rapidly nearing their destination. She decided he deserved to know the truth, well, at least some of it.
"She's…good. Sudden redeployment." Spartan Starr knew there was more to the story, but decided not to press as the lift doors opened into the bridge corridor. There would be time for questions later.
"I believe you know your way around. I'll leave you to it, ma'am." Kelly gave him a brisk nod before the doors closed, leaving her alone in the hall of titanium. With nothing else to do, she made her way down the metal deck, following the brightly lit signs directing her to the bridge. The doors opened with a hiss, alerting anyone inside to her imminent presence. Lasky, Palmer, and the rest of Blue Team were crowded around a holotable, evidently awaiting her arrival.
"Now we can begin." Lasky said earnestly. His face was unreadable, but by the way his knuckles curled around the rail, he was holding back a lot of anger.
"We have just received word that an outer colony has been hit. A massive attack came out of nowhere. Fighting all over the surface. Massive civilian casualties. Then the planet went dark. Aura and Roland surmise that they took out coms."
"Covenant?" Linda asked.
"No. Seems our Insurrectionist friends have put aside our differences long enough." Kelly felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't even need to glance at the others to understand what they were feeling: anger, dread, sorrow, disgust and just a hint of fear. None of them had ever liked fighting humans, finding it chilling. Like every life they snuffed out took a bit of their humanity with it. But the mission came first. Each and every one of them would do what they had to do to protect humanity. But that doesn't mean they had to like it.
"-nough Roland! He needs to know." Kelly looked up from her hands as the Knight's silky steel voice sliced into the quiet that had covered the room.
"I need to know what, Aura?" Lasky answered in an even tone, used to the Forerunner's interruptions by now. She seemed to ignore people's privacy when she felt it was important.
Roland huffed, frustrated, as she continued. "We discovered a friendly craft drifting in space. A Condor I believe you Reclaimers call them, its FTL drive warped beyond repair. We scanned the craft for survivors…
"But?" Lasky filled in, dreading the answer.
"There were only two," Roland continued. "And one is in desperate need of medical attention." Lasky swallowed heavily.
"How bad?"
"Dead in an hour, two tops." The AI responded worriedly.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"EVA team already deployed, sir." Lasky let a relieved sigh leave through his nose. He looked up to Blue Team, who had been listening intently.
"Blue Team, get down to that bird. Offer any assistance you can." The Spartans exchanged salutes and left quickly, making their way to the nearest lift. Palmer placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax, Tom. You'll make yourself sick with all this worrying."
"Would you take care of me if I did?" Palmer raised a brow at his forwardness, a calm smile on her face.
"I sure would. Throw you out the nearest air lock. Solves my problem right there." They shared a chuckle before returning to the massive amount of paperwork calling their attention.
Kelly hefted a battle rifle at the crumpled remains of the Condor. Essentially a Pelican with a slipspace drive, the bird had seen better days. Chipped paint mixed with the mural of patches and rust, it was a wonder how the craft even made it this far. The tail had been melted so bad, she couldn't even point out the thrusters in the mess of metallic substance. As the rescue workers cut through the remains of the gangplank, fresh bullet holes and scorch marks stood out like a lime in a pile of lemons.
"Left wing." She pointed out, drawing her teammates' attention to the newer wounds. The rounds had apparently punched through the fragile armor of the bird, disabling its ability to provide thrust. She surmised the other boosters had been enough to flee, otherwise they would be looking at a pile of scrap, not an intact dropship.
"From the colony?" Fred wondered out loud.
"Possibly. Not enough intel." Linda responded, idlily fiddling with the SMG in her hands. A loud thud echoed around the hangar, alerting the Spartans that the rescue crew had finished up, allowing them to move up, in case there were any hostiles on board. The Master Chief signaled to move forward. The four crept slowly towards the gangplank. Whatever was inside had the element of surprise, the crew bay was pitch black. A shrill, horrified scream pierced the hangar, startling everyone. A grey and red blur flew out of the bay, straight for her. Oh my god. It was Amber, someone's blood drenching her clothes, like she had been swimming in it. Her tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes were a clear sign she had been crying for a long time. Taken back by her daughter's appearance, she almost allowed Blue Team to put a round through her alien skull.
"Friendly!" She bellowed, pushing the horrifying images away as she dropped her weapon. Linda pointed her sniper down as the blur slammed into Kelly, who grunted at the impact. Amber fiercely nuzzled into Kelly's chest, almost painfully so. But at that moment she didn't care. She had her daughter back, at least for now. But something was missing from this reunion, or rather someone. Cradling her daughter's smooth, leather-like skin she looked down into those terrified, happy golden orbs.
"Where's Sandra? Where's your mother?" Amber's eyes widened in realization. With a shaky, bloody finger, she pointed back to into the crew bay, fresh tears staining her face. No. Kelly moved as if on autopilot, she passed Amber a waiting corpsman and snatched her battle rifle from the floor, sprinting into the dark bay, the rest of Blue Team not far behind. Her foot stepped on something slick, sending her sliding across the crew deck. She tried to block out the soft squish as the others entered behind her. Kelly's blood froze solid as John's helmet lights illuminated the cabin.
Sandra lay on her back as her chest slowly rose and fell, her lungs struggling desperately to continue supplying air. Blood dripped from the walls to the floor, coating the fading metal in an angry red pool, too much to have come from one person. Her spent M6 lay beside the blonde's head, gleaming defiantly in the vibrant light. Dried blood and puss caked older wounds, remnants of biofoam still lingered around the edges. A serious of blackish-purple welts covered most of her face, marring its beauty. A deep gash on her forehead tinged her golden hair an unnatural pink, soiled with the pooling blood on the floor. No, no, no, no, no. NO!
Kelly was at her side in an instant. The blood soaked her clothes, but she didn't care. All that mattered was Sandra. To save her pup's life. It took only a glance to see where the major problems were. The gash on her head and the hole in her stomach had to be patched before she could be moved for proper medical treatment. Shoving her emotions aside, she directed Fred to focus on her stomach as Linda saw to Sandra's head. Kelly took it upon herself to keep her patient calm and lucid as her family worked on saving her pup's life.
A wet coughing brought the scout's attention from Fredrick's deft hands nimbly applying a canister of biofoam to Blue 5's belly. Hazy eyes shot franticly around the bird, looking for something.
"Amber? Amber, where are you?!" Sandra called weakly.
"She's safe. And so are you." Kelly responded tenderly, wiping a trail of blood from the woman's mouth.
"They…t-they came out of n-nowhere." Kelly shushed her, there would be time for explanations later, after she came out of surgery. "Sucks I have to get shot in order for you to fawn over me." Oh, Sandra you don't have to do anything. I'll always love you. Kelly continued to rub Sandra's temples lovingly, till a chuckle cause her to grimace.
"Stop laughing. Your making this more difficult than it needs to be." Linda said, slightly irritated.
"You're just jealous, Linda,"
"Would you like a knife instead of biofoam?" Linda retorted in a voice that made one seriously question if the sniper was serious.
Fred snorted and Sandra stuck her tongue out at the red-head. "Yep. Totally jealous." The Master Chief returned with a two corpsman a few seconds later, who moved her to a stretcher with only a nonstop stream of curses from the ex-Spartan. Kelly hadn't even see him leave, not surprising, all things considered. Kelly marched slowly out of the Condor, body moving on its own. Her mind was frozen, the chilling image of Sandra lying in a pool of her own blood was etched upon her mind.
"Ma'am?" A voice called to her awkwardly. Kelly turned to find one of the corpsman holding a fidgeting Amber in his arms, confusion plastered across his face. Wordlessly, she took the young Sangheili off the medic's hands and cradled her warm, little frame in her arms.
"Mother said we would find you mommy." Her voice wavering as she nuzzled into the veteran's strong frame. Relief flooded her veins, melting some of the ice that surrounded her still-hypothermic heart. She felt that she could not perform until she received word that Sandra would recover. This inhibition posed a variety of problems, all which she could address later. For now, Amber was her top priority.
"Shhh. It's alright. Your safe now." She cooed, trying to calm the shaking saurian in her arms. It was traumatic, yes, but she had become accustomed to such violence over the years. Amber had no such opportunity; it was all still so raw and terrifying for her.
"Is m-mother g-going to be ok?" Amber asked, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. Kelly tightened her hold as fear gripped her fragile heart. Kelly wanted to assure Amber that everything would be alright; that Sandra would be fine. But she didn't want to lie. Though her talks with Sandra, she found that her lover had been teaching Amber about the merits of truth. Lying to her now would just ruin all the hard work Sandra had put into raising their daughter. But she was scared. That if she said such words, they would become truth. But she had to push on. For Amber. For Sandra.
"There was a lot of blood. But…Sandra, our little pup, is strong. She'll pull through. I'm sure of it. We have to stay strong for her, alright?" Amber wiped a few tears away from her face, smiling up at her parent.
"Alright, mommy. We will be there when she stops sleeping." Kelly beamed a smile at her, kissing the smooth skin on the top of her head. Kelly looked up to see Linda giving her an odd look. She signaled the sniper over with a slight jerk of her head.
"Is this…your child?" Linda asked, pulling her fingers away from her pistol when Kelly glared icily at her. Amber pulled her head from her parent's chest, realizing the conversation was about her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Linda. She pointed a finger at the sniper, a joyful smile on her face.
"Look mommy! Its Aunty Chipmunk!" She squealed, excited. Linda stopped mid-stride, surprise and disbelief evident on her normally stony façade. Kelly couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she questioned the little saurian.
"Where did you hear that?" Linda glared at her as Kelly couldn't repress the smile in her voice.
"Mother told me!" Linda raised a brow in question and Kelly repressed an eye roll. Really Sandra!? Here we go… "Ya, ya! Mom said she eats so much she has to store all da food in her cheeks. Muver also said she needed to lose lots of pounds!" Amber smiled at Linda, pleased to meet the red-head. The sniper was another story, however.
"Your child is certainly…vocal." Linda ground out between clenched teeth. "It would be a shame…" Linda pulled out her M6 and racked it loudly, sending a clear message. Kelly narrowed her eyes above the clueless Amber.
"You wouldn't make it to the door." She growled back, somewhat serious. Linda snorted disbelievingly, but holstered her sidearm anyway. Kelly watched her long enough to make sure she wouldn't make a mad dash to the infirmary.
"I'm all yucky, mommy." Kelly had to agree. Their clothes had been soaked in blood, which had dried, turning the flexible cloth into a stiff shell. A shower and change of clothes were in order. Maybe even torch their ruined ones. With the rescue team tearing into the inoperable bird, there was nothing left for Blue Team to do. Shifting Amber in to a better position, she left the hangar, headed towards her quarters for a warm shower and a fresh change of clothing. Lasky wouldn't need her for a while, at least until Sandra was stable and awake. She had been separated from her little angel for too long. This would be a perfect opportunity to make up for lost time.
Come Back Next Time!
How was that for the first chapter? I didn't put dates in the first part because it was somewhat intertwined with the story of Halo 5. Now that we have moved out of canon territory (at least further away), I will now have dates and times to illustrate the passage of time and sequence of events. What do you think of the events so far? There is so much more to come! Part II has just begun! Old characters will return and new ones will come into the story. I am so excited for the next installment of the Rabbit and the Wolfe series and I can't wait to hear your reactions. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! Hope you New Year celebrations were fun and more importantly, safe. Happy 2017 and I hope this year is a good year for you all!