Author's Notes~
To put this out there this story is inspired from Razzika's My Neighbor is a Spartan, (if you haven't heard of her you should go check out her stuff, its really great) and if it sounds like I'm copying her please tell me. The only thing that sucks more than anything is someone claiming something that's not theirs.
I am not fully including Halo 4 or Halo 5 into this story, this strictly diverging from Halo 3 only hinting to a few things in the current Halo games. There will also be book references so if you don't know them I'll try to give backstory without over detailing it.
This is my first story so please give me criticism and feedback on the little things so I may fix them for futures chapters.
Thx and I hope you enjoy!
"Thoughts"
"Important Ideas"
"Important Information"
Chapter 1: Home
The morning sun's rays stretched across the sky, soft yellows and pinks melted away to reveal a pure blue sky as the sun rose. The forests and tall grassy fields lazily swayed awake from their night slumber, the sweet scents of the morning dew wafting into the crisp air. It was a peaceful morning that had all the birds singing and the crickets chirping. Their morning routines were ruined by the rumbling of a roaring engine. Without warning a plated body of pure power rocketed out of the woods onto the dirt path scaring all the birds from their trees and silencing all crickets from their chirping. The metal monster's tires spit out chunks of earth as its driver drove down the dirt road toward a small town.
The grass whipped behind the warthog and a shallow hill was fast approaching the metal monster. The driver slowed to a stop atop the hill and rested next to a large oak tree. The owner of the vehicle scanned the small town below with dark blue eyes, his eyes memorizing every detail with pin-point accuracy. He located the main buildings in the town such as the Town Hall and the Mayor's Office. Satisfied, the Master Chief gripped the steering wheel firmly and accelerated forward, he quickly glanced at the time on his dashboard. He was twenty minuets early to his original arrival time.
0800 was fast approaching as the warthog closed in on the town entrance. A large brass fence stood as the main entrance with the town's name Silvering Brooks gleaming in the sunlight. John took notice of the craved metal branches and leafs decorating the the name, careful craftsmanship made the decorations seem very special.
His attention was caught forward as the tires met smooth pavement. John's eyes widen a bit as he drove through a tree canopy, the sight stole his breath away. The branches of the orchard trees intertwined together to create a tunnel with small splashes of light pooling onto the road through the branches and leafs. The leafs shimmered and teased the light on the black asphalt making the drive a beautiful one. John sighed in content and shifted his gaze back to the road, after spending his entire life fighting this was a small pleasure he never wanted to end. A commotion at the end of the tunnel again had John sighing, but this time in slight annoyance. His peaceful drive ended as he existed out of tree canopy and into the bustling town whose residents were going busy at work.
The warthog caused quite a bit of attention as people gawked at the metal beast. John pretended not to notice the stares and drove at a slower pace as he searched for the Town Hall. Old brick buildings and little shops met his eyes as did some of the people. A shiny splash of light caught his eye and he looked past the rooftops of the brick complexes to a white building with a golden dome ceiling. It was the Town Hall, which stood behind the front section of the town and a little ways to the Spartan's right. John moved his gaze back to the street and navigated his way through the busy town. As John drove he observed the town's residents as they went about their morning. Many people, especially men, stood slack jawed at the black beast came rumbling around the street corner. The corner of John's lips cracked up in a tiny smirk at the expressions of the people, but kept his attention on the road.
He rounded another street corner, the Town Hall's golden dome casting a yellow glow on the other complexes that stood next to it. Parking next to the sidewalk, John stepped out of the warthog placing his phone and wallet into his right pants pocket. With a large hand he closed the door, his left hand locked the car with the keys before placing them into his left pants pocket. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, a quick calm coming over him. Opening his eyes he shifted to the left and walked around his car to the cracked sidewalk, his body caught more than a few looks as people stared at him. John wasn't surprised from these reactions of awe and a tinge of fear from his titanic form. The Spartan didn't blame them as he towered at neck craning 6 feet and 10 inches with the eye catching accompaniment of scars that litter his body.
John walked up the stone steps toward the Town Hall's front double doors. His right hand grasped the golden handle and pulled while also ducking his head down a bit before walking inside. The chilling air of the Town Hall cooled his skin as he made his way to the receptionist's desk. His boots thudded against the clean smooth tiles making his presence known to the woman behind the desk. She was a thin woman with blonde hair neatly tucked back into a bun. A black long sleeved form fitting dress hugged her body and a pair of red rimmed glasses perched themselves on the bridge of her nose. Hearing the boots smack the tile floor she looked up only to have her eyes nearly pop out of her skull.
She blinked one.
Twice.
John met her eyes and gave her eerily calm look which had her snap out of her ogling. With a cough she quickly looked down to recompose herself before looking up only to be startled as the huge man stood in front of her desk. She sheepishly smiled at the man. "Hello, good morning sir. How may I help you today?"
John without hesitation, answered. His deep gravely voice making the woman look at him oddly. "My GPS does not seem to work this far out into the country and I am lost as to where to find my home in Silvering Brooks."
The woman snapped out of her staring and sighed. "Sorry about that, we are certainly getting a new reception tower because the last one was struck down from a lighting storm last month. As for helping you find your house..." The woman blushed and squirmed in her seat in embarrassment. "I'm new here as well and I myself don't know the town or neighborhoods that well. Sorry."
"It is alright. Is there possibly a map I could have?"
The receptionist's cheeks went from pink to red. "Well, um, we don't have any maps."
John looked at the woman and titled his head slightly to the side which was barely noticeable.
The door opened behind the Spartan and a soft pitter patter of shoes hitting the tile echoed. This had the receptionist perk up immediately and before John could inquire the woman, she pointed behind his right shoulder. "The woman in the green tank top on the other hand can help you."
John turned to gaze at a slightly plumb woman wearing a minty green tank top and blue jean shorts. Her dark curly ebony hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun and a plastic bag hung on her left arm while a book was cradled in tanned her hands. The tanned woman did not seem to take notice of the receptionist and the mentioning of herself.
"Naomi!"
The ebony haired woman looked from her book to the receptionist before gaze landed on John.
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Hearing her name being called Naomi turned her attention away from her book and looked to voice that called her. She looked at Ashley for a few fleeting moments before looking at the giant man standing next to Ashley's desk.
"Holy shit." she mumbled. Noticing the man looking at her, she quickly smiled at him and strolled over to the pair. Naomi looked at both Ashley and the stranger with cheerful green eyes. "Hi. Is something up Ash?"
Ashley smiled at Naomi and cleared her throat. "Why yes there is Naomi, this young gentleman doesn't seem to know where to find his house as he just moved here. Will you help..?"
"John." The man's voice low gravely gripping Naomi's attention.
"Right. Will you help John find his house?" Ashley gave her a pleading look that hid behind her sweet smile.
Naomi chuckled a bit. "You still haven't memorized the layout of the town yet, Ash?"
Ashley blushed several shades of red and frustratingly sighed. "No I haven't Naomi, but will you please help John here find his house."
"Of course I will." Naomi turned to look at John with expectant eyes. "Can you tell me the address so I can point you in the right direction?"
"117 Stone Ridge." John said smoothly.
Naomi perked up at this. "Hey you live right across from me! Follow me and I'll give you directions." Naomi started walking toward the door and John followed her.
Naomi opened the door and waited for John to exist. The large man said a quick thank you before existing, Naomi cheerfully smiled. "No problem John."
Naomi followed the man down the stone steps to the cracked sidewalk, during her decent she embarrassingly chuckled which caused the man to look at her with calm blue eyes. "Um, can I actually caught a quick ride with you since we live right across from each other?"
The man stared at her for a couple of seconds. He looked warily at her before carefully nodding and walking away from her. "Okay he's one of the quiet ones," She thought. "I hope he can trust me, I-" Her musing were cut short when her eyes caught sight of one of the toughest and scariest cars she has ever seen. The slick black beast dwarfed her, but seem to fit John perfectly. "Holy crap John, she's yours?"
The tall man replied with a yes before unlocking the doors, opening the driver door, and sitting down on the driver seat. Naomi quickly walked over to the passenger side door and opened the door. She placed a foot on the step and used the car's door handle to push herself up and onto the seat. "Holy crap the seats are sooo comfy." Naomi chuckled to herself before closing the door and bouncing in her seat a little. She took a moment as she placed her book and plastic bag on her lap before looking at John with an sincere expression. "Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it."
"You are welcome Naomi." John gave her a small smile.
Naomi noticed the small smile and happily returned it. She sat back and relaxed into the comfy padded cushions. "Alrighty then, first off you're gonna need to take a right on Gracewood Road to get out of Town Hall Square."
John nodded his acknowledgment and ignited the engine, the car purring a low rumbling thunder. Naomi nearly squealed in delight like a school girl seeing her crush on wet t-shirts Wednesdays. "Okay can I say one thing real quick?"
"You can." John replied.
"You're car is bitchin' John."
The large man nearly chuckled at the comment, but instead nodded. Naomi caught the smile in his eyes and sat back. She buckled her seat belt as did John, before he drove forward. "Okay after you take the right you need to go straight for two blocks then turn right onto the road."
Following her directions to the letter and finally on the open road, both sat in silence. Tall grass whipped behind them as John followed the road to the neighborhood. Naomi fidgeted in her seat and looked at John, she noticed the scars that covered his pale skin, especially two large jagged scars that ran across his arms that were pink from plasma burn. The scared skin left her feeling sad, the amount of hell he had to of gone through must of been pure agony. Naomi wanted nothing more to hug the man that sat next to her. Not thinking anymore on the subject she looked to his clothes and noticed the UNSC logo on the left shoulder that looked stretched from the shear muscle that bugled. His clothes were defiantly form fitting, his muscles bulging and flexing under the tight fabric. Naomi quickly looked away as John met her gaze, blushing.
She cleared her throat and looked back at John, a small hint of pink still lingering on her cheeks. "By the way my full name is Naomi Harper. I never quite got yours though."
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John's mind raced as he thought of a last name, he didn't remember what his last name was after his Spartan training. His last name being replaced with his Spartan serial number and rank name. Scrambling for a name he came up with a lame excuse for the woman. "Chief." He said gruffly.
"Huh." Naomi said. "That's interesting."
The woman- Naomi, kept him feeling a little uneasy. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, she defiantly was thoroughly observing him. He mentally shook himself, his Spartan training keeping him too edgy. With a quiet sigh through his nose he mentally pushed aside his training and relaxed. Naomi seemed trusting, for now. The Master Chief will still keep a watchful eye on her.
Naomi looked at him again with her light green eyes. "Okay because I'm bored and we still have around five miles left, give or take, can I ask your rank in the UNSC?"
"Chief Petty Officer." John rumbled.
Naomi whistled low. "Whoa. That's pretty awesome."
The woman took notice of how John didn't speak much and took advantage of the situation. "Well I moved up here a couple years ago from Florida. I'll tell you one thing, snow was a whole new concept to me. I honestly prefer the cold compared to hot humidity because at least my hair won't fizz out up here as much."
The grassy plans continued to stretch out and in the distance, tiny black dots could be seen. Naomi seemed almost giddy and played with the strand of ebony hair that escaped the bun. "You'll love Stone Ridge. Its nice and quiet, not a lot happens unless you count Frank's hens missing every now and then."
At this John raised a dark brow and looked at her for an explanation. Naomi looked at the road, "Some sort of animal keeps breaking into Frank's chicken pen and stealing some of the hens. We don't see footprints, but he thinks its a fox. I think its mountain lion."
"Some of your neighbors are farmers?"
"Yeah, they're some of the best people I know. Especially since without them, the farmer's market wouldn't rake in as much money to help the town." Naomi said.
John nodded at this. "Why do you think it's a mountain lion that is taking the hens?"
"Because there are no footprints and there is always that one low hanging branch that gives the hens shade."
John again nodded at her comment. "Do you have any family that lives up here?"
Naomi gave a mischievous smile. "Now look who's asking the questions." She chuckled. "Yeah, my three sisters live up here with their husbands and kids."
"Do they live near by?" John asked.
"Yeah," she said. "In fact they live the next town over." Naomi shifted in her seat and said cheerfully. "Look at that, we're here."
John drove up to the neighborhood's entrance, a large stone wall with a black metal plaque with golden letters spelled out Stone Ridge.John gripped the steering wheel anxiously and drove into the awaiting neighborhood. Naomi instructed him to drive further down the road and once at a stop sign, to turn left. John followed her directions with baited breath and came to the end of a cul-de-sac. His eyes squinted in confusion as he looked at the unfinished house in front of him. The house had walls, but it had no roof or a front door.
John sighed deeply and rested back in his seat, he closed his eyes and let his head hit the headrest.
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Naomi looked at the man sitting beside her. He looked tired, almost defeated in a way. She looked back at the unfinished house in annoyance, then looked down at her feet. Thoughts swarmed her mind before she came to an exciting conclusion. "I have a guest room in my house that's been left empty ever since Tony left. John can use it." Naomi straightened up excitedly. "You know Chief," Naomi started slowly. "I have an extra room that you could use while the construction workers continue on building your house. My offer is on the table if you want it."
John sat up and looked down at Naomi. His blue eyes gazed out the window in deep thought, he seemed to mull over this for a couple of minuets before coming to an conclusion. Naomi was almost in a trance as John's blue eyes looked at her green ones. His eyes seemed to dark with seriousness then fade back to calming blue.
John really couldn't say no as he had no where to go. This woman offered him a place to stay and he was extremely tempted to take her up on her offer. With a sigh through his nose, John looked into Naomi's eyes. He could trust her. "Naomi," John said. "I am going to take your offer. Thank you."
Naomi only smiled. "You're welcome. After all that's what neighbors are for."
Naomi looked to her right and pointed out her window. "My house is right there. The green one with a brown roof."
John reversed back and drove on the opposite of the cul-de-sac toward the driveway. He pulled up beside a small a beige car, the word Nissan on its grill. Stepping out of the car, Naomi talked excitedly about her home and apologized profusely about it still being messy. John found her rambling quite endearing and stepped out of his car. His eyes soaked up the house, two stories but still looking very small. The paint on the house looked worn and faded, but was the lower part of the walls had crude drawings of people, houses, and some sort animal John couldn't make out. Naomi chuckled at his confused expression. "My nieces and nephews come visit and draw on the house with chalk."
John said a quiet graveled 'Ah' and continued looking at the house. A few flower type bushes stood next to the sidewalk that connected to the driveway. A pink plastic flamingo with sunglasses and a hat stood in the middle of the bushes, a large toothy smile adorning it's plastic pink face. He followed Naomi to the front door, but before she unlocked the door she looked back at him with a tinge of concern. "You're not allergic to cats are you?"
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That's the first chapter! Review it and let me know how I did!
Thx again for reading, I really appreciate it.
Talk to you all next chapter! :3