For all of the John/Cortana shippers out there, I love you all! 3 3
The vegetable garden in the front of John's cabin is a surprise.
But, as Cortana trudges down the dirt path, she can't deny what she is seeing. Rows of lettuces and root vegetables come into focus.
Briefly, she wonders if she is at the wrong place. After all the time they had spent together, the Chief had never once mentioned an interest in plants.
Then, again, she and John rarely spoke about things that extended beyond the world of the UNSC.
She looks ahead and runs a bio-scan. She didn't come all of this way for disappointment. Within seconds, she is reassured by the results. It confirms that John is, in fact, in the building ahead of her.
And he is alone.
She wonders how long he has lived here in solitude; it has been three years since she said goodbye to him.
Three long years.
Much of that time had been lost to her. She had been Composed when the Didact's ship had been destroyed and had been trapped inside the Domain until Doctor Halsey found her and restored her. The threat of rampancy was no longer a danger, thanks to a new algorithm that was embedded into her core processes. Then, Cortana had been given an artificial body, the greatest achievements in robotics, according to Doctor Halsey.
Together, the two of them worked outside the UNSC (which had continued their hunt for the doctor) to eliminate the growing threat from the Didact.
Initially, Cortana hesitated. Her loyalty lay with the UNSC, but after Halsey had told her about the assassination attempt against her, Cortana's allegiance wavered. The doctor promised that she would do her best to avoid directly harming any of those in the UNSC - and never John - but it was imperative that they worked outside the rules and regulations of the ONI to save the universe.
If they achieved their goal, Doctor Halsey had vowed that Cortana could leave and find John, if that was what she wanted to do.
For nearly a year, they had deciphered relics and outran the UNSC to restore the Domain to its former glory. When the ancient database had finally been repaired and they returned to the Covenant ship, Doctor Halsey had given Cortana access to John's service record.
At first, Cortana thought Halsey had manipulated the data, but the solemn look on the doctor's face was testimony that it was the truth: John was no longer part of the UNSC.
He had been dismissed and thrown off the Spartan program and given a dishonorable discharge.
Then, he practically disappeared.
Cortana had worked her hacking magic with Halsey and together they found a potential location of where he might be. With a quick goodbye and a knowledge that she would never see her creator again, Cortana hopped onto the tiny transport ship and headed for John.
For home.
A slight movement from the window pulls Cortana from thoughts of the past.
John knows that she is here.
Truthfully, he probably saw her a half-mile away when the path straightened, she acknowledges.
He should be able to recognize her; Doctor Halsey had gone to great detail to make her look as she had in her avatar state. And yet, John doesn't come out to greet her.
She keeps walking forward.
A niggle of doubt enters her mind. Maybe he has moved on past that part of his life and wants no reminder of the UNSC. Maybe he has found someone else. Maybe-
She pulls herself short. Everything she has done since her rebirth is to get to this moment. She will not let fear dictate this moment.
She walks up to the front porch and draws a deep breath. Then, she raises her hand and knocks.
Less than a second later, the door opens.
John, not Master Chief, greets her.
The Spartan armor is gone and a simple black t-shirt and tan pants are in its place. His face is covered with a day's growth of beard instead of his customary helmet. His hair, which is the longest she had ever seen on him, is spiked in every direction. And his eyes - his eyes are the brightest blue she has ever seen.
"Cortana."
She swallows the lump in her throat. She didn't expect it to be so hard to see him after so long. "John."
He takes a step closer to her and she is forced to look up to see his face. He has aged in these past three years; his eyes speak of the weariness his soul must feel, but that is overshadowed by the unadulterated hope on his face.
Then, he does the unexpected.
He kisses her.
There is no awkwardness as he reaches down to cup her jaw. His lips cover her own as if they have done so a thousand times before. When Cortana raises her hand to touch his chest, he covers it with his free hand. His pulse drums underneath her fingertips, strong and steady.
Her lips parted slightly as John's hands -warm and strong- move to her hips. His thumbs rub tiny circles over her; Cortana's arms move to snake around John's neck, pulling him closer.
Each kiss they share speaks of the lonely nights and unbearable days they had to endure during their time apart. Distance didn't make their hearts grow fonder; it made them desperate for each other.
Eventually the kisses slow and Cortana leans into John's chest.
They stand there for a minute before John breaks the silence. "I looked for you."
She takes a step away so she could see him properly. "I know." A guilty look passes over her face. "You were relieved of your duties because you went AWOL to look for me."
"I don't regret my decision." His brow furrows. It is weird for Cortana to see his emotions so openly now. "The UNSC is different than it used to be. "
She looks around the cabin. "I wondered how you handled the shift from soldier to civilian. You've done a good job of keeping yourself off the grid."
"I picked up some things from you." His voice is warm.
"I still found you."
"You're the only one who I wanted to find me."
His openness catches Cortana off-guard. She had convinced herself that she was going to have be the driving force in moving things in a more personal direction, but John is more than comfortable with the shift in their relationship than she expected.
"So, what do you do now?"
There is a moment of hesitation before he answers. "I help people."
Cortana immediately picks up on the hidden meaning of his statement. "You're a mercenary."
He shifts awkwardly. "I don't do it for the money."
"For the excitement?"
"No." His voice is tired. "I've had enough of that. I use certain opportunities to find things." He takes her by the hand and pulls her into the home he has created for himself.
The area is sparse; there is a small couch by a fireplace that looks like it has never been used. A table is in the back. Two chairs are on either side of it. There is a bookcase lined with various medals John collected throughout his career in the UNSC and a couple of pictures. Cortana recognizes an old photograph of the original Spartan-IIs when they were all about nine years old and wonders how he got a hold of the photo.
The candid picture of her, in her former avatar state, and him stuns her even more.
She recognizes the background; the photo had been taken on the Cairo platform. Her hand was on her hip, facing away from whoever was holding the camera. John, wearing his standard Spartan armor, was kneeling in front of the plinth, making him eye-level with her.
"A thank you gift from Lord Hood." His voice is in her ear as he lets her hand go. "He said we were the best damn team he'd even seen in action."
"He's right."
John doesn't say anything as he picks up a small glass sphere from the shelf and sets it on the table. "Watch."
The sphere activates as soon as he releases it. A star map is projected on the walls. Holographic displays hover over the tabletop. A string of glyphs blink above several of the objects.
It takes time for Cortana to comprehend what she is seeing. The object in front of her isn't Forerunner. "It's Precursor," she whispers.
John nods.
"According to this, there is some kind of security breach on this installation." She reaches out to point to the oblong cylinder.
"I know."
She looks at him questioningly.
"Whatever the Librarian did to me on Requiem allows me to read Forerunner and Precursor glyphs." He pauses a moment. "The Flood is rebuilding."
And we're the only ones who can stop them is left unspoken.
It isn't fair. She and John are supposed to ride off into the sunset together, hand in hand, and let Halsey or Lasky or the Arbiter save the universe. They have paid their dues.
"What if I say that I want to forget that you showed me this?" It's a selfish question, but one she needs to ask.
"I'll ask you to stay here with me."
She looks at the map. "And what if I can't forget?" she whispers.
"Then we'll save the universe, just like we have before."
He was letting her decide their future - to live the life of civilian or as a hero? To live in ignorance and freedom or knowledge and obligation? The only request he has is that they remain together.
She reaches out and grabs his hand. It is so much bigger than her own. She flips it over and looks at his palm. Her eyes trail up his arm. There are scars, some more faded than others. His shirt covers up his bicep, but there is no missing its definition. Finally, she moves her gaze up to his face. He is waiting, just like he has been for the past three years.
"We're never going to get a happy ending, are we?"
A ghost of a grin passes over his lips. "You're here. That's enough for me."
Cortana reaches over and turns off the map. "The universe can wait one more day." She brushes a kiss across his cheek. The stubble scratches her lips but she doesn't mind. "But, today is ours, John."