The room slowly faded into view, as a groggy Linda shot up in bed with a yelp. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and her bangs were plastered to her face with a thick coat of cold sweat. She looked around the room in minor panic, as she realized that when she fell asleep she wasn't in her room. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands, and breathed out an exasperated sigh. The memories began to come rushing back to her; the ambush and the firefight, and finally John nearly getting himself killed saving their unit. She remembered hearing the sickening splats of the enemy shots impacting John, and his small cries of pain.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the sound of her door being unlocked pulled her attention. The door to her room hissed open and the faint amber light of the hallway illuminated her dank, dark room. In the door way stood a hulk of a man, there was this aura cast about him, due to the amber colored glow behind him. It was John, it was her John.
John had been in a deep sleep, the deepest of his entire life. It wasn't often when he could sleep, and when he did the dreams were usually plagued by the constant invasion of Covenant. He was busy boarding a battle cruiser, and fighting his towards the bridge when he heard someone scream. He began to look around the softly light purple hallway for the source of the scream. It went away after a few seconds, then once again it came back; only this time he figured out who it was that was screaming aloud; Linda. He began to run down the hallway spraying, and cutting down the Brutes that were in his way. He arrived at a door at the end of the hallway, and keyed it open; with a hiss the dream ended. John shot straight up in his bed, and looked around for the clock; 0331 it displayed. He breathed out, and stood up; he was in only his fatigue bottoms but decided to go check on Linda instead of searching for a shirt.
He walked out of his room, and down the hallway towards Linda's room; he could feel his heartbeat thumping against his chest. The very thought of being near Linda, even in combat had that effect upon him. He keyed the door lock, and opened it to see Linda sitting up in bed looking at him; he could see her faint smile.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked tenderly as he crossed her to room.
Linda smiled and shot up from bed and threw her arms around John. She rested her head upon his bare chest, and could feel his warmth and care seeping out of his pores. She looked up into his eyes and smiled at him, as she smiled she let out a soft sigh and rested her head on his chest once again.
"I am now," she whispered softly to herself, smiling sheepishly as she basked in his tender care.
John's ears easily picked up what she had whispered. He felt a smile tug at his lips, and could feel his heart fill with pride and hope. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to him; vowing that he would hold her till she felt safe once more. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and breathed in the scent of her conditioner. It wasn't regulation; she had without a doubt taken some out of a store front when they were in Hayden's shopping district. The scent was of velvet and lilacs; it reminded him of Reach. It took him back to that small cleared valley, where he had spent almost all of his free time; when he wasn't face first in the mud.
Linda leaned back a little, and looked at John clear in the face. She had to sate her need to see his face, the face of the man she had loved for the last twenty years. She saw him glance down to her eyes, and she locked them together in a gaze that couldn't be broken; even by a fuel rod shot from a hunter. Linda was a little bit surprised that, even though his face was covered in scars and bruises it didn't hide his soft features. His loving eyes looking at her, made her heart thud loudly against her chest.
"John, can uhm...can I ask you something?" she cooed quietly.
"Yeah, anything you want Linda. You know that." he responded as he brushed her hair away from her face.
John felt at home, almost as if this was where he belonged; in Linda's arms. He began to slowly rock back and forth as he softly hummed to her, still running his fingers through her hair. He could still feel her scent wafting through his nostrils, and filling his head. It was intoxicating. The slow realization of what was going on was starting to dawn on him. Could this be the moment he had been dreaming of? He took notice that the fire haired beauty in his arms had grown quiet.
"Linda, hey what did you want to ask me?" he questioned looking down at her.
He happened to see that Linda was softly breathing, finally asleep. She had fallen fast asleep in his strong arms, and didn't even seem to notice. John smiled to himself, as he gently laid her down on her bed; making sure that she was comfortably settled in bed. He looked down at her, and sighed beginning to leave her; when she rolled over on her side away from him. John looked at her for a moment, and let out another sigh; was this an invitation for him to join her in bed?
He slowly set himself down on the bed next to her, he pulled himself close to her and wrapped an arm over her midsection; softly tugging her into position. He breathed out, letting his warm breath wrap around her neck, and roll down her arms. He leaned in and laid a small kiss on the back of her neck, he let it linger there for a moment before pulling his lips off. Suddenly he was hit by the realization of what he had done. Guilt hit him like a low-orbit drop as he pulled his head back, and felt his face begin to burn with stupidity and embarrassment. He closed his eyes in an attempt to hide what he had just done, in case she woke up. He held his eyes shut for a few minutes, and breathed somewhat heavily; feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He opened his eyes to see that Linda hadn't moved from her original spot, he sighed out of relief. He closed his, only this time allowing himself to be carried off into a deep sleep; knowing that Linda hadn't noticed what he had done.
Linda awoke with a start, letting her eyes get used to the darkness that filled her room. She was getting ready to get out of bed, when she noticed an arm draped over her. She froze, and felt a small pang of fear creeping through her. She slowly turned her head, and part of her body towards the person who was draped over her. She noticed the familiar scar that ran along the jaw line of the man, she breathed out a soft sigh of relief.
"John," she crooned, running her finger tips lightly over his bicep.
She could feel her heart flutter slightly as his reflexes caused his biceps to flex, and reveal the toned and sculpted stone under his skin. The warmth of his breath crept slowly over the crook of her neck, and onto her clavicle. She felt her skin begin to rise at the awkwardly sensual experience, but decided that she needed to wake John up before they both got into some real trouble; it was more for her own sake than his.
"John…Wake up," she said again, but still as softly.
John was on that Covenant ship again, running through the hallways being chased by a horde of Elite regulars. He stopped and dropped to his knee, spraying at their kneecaps with his MA5B rifle. Blood was spurting all over the hallway, and screams were shattering his ear drums. He walked over to a dying Elite and put a single shot through its skull. He laughed happily, knowing that he had stopped the enemy advance. He removed his helmet to inspect the dents that the aliens had put in it, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Linda. She was walking towards him, slowly and lightly swaying her hips as she walked. John went to meet her half way, but was thrust from his dream and brought back to the world of the living.
John opened his eyes to see Linda's emerald beauties staring at him, directly in his eyes. He saw that his arm was still stretched out over her lithe body, and saw her blush a little. He felt his heart jump into his throat, and wave of embarrassment wash over him.
"I…I…uh..I'm sorry," he stuttered out of fear, retracting his arm and falling backwards out of the bed.
Linda just smiled at him, and slowly slinked out of bed. She stood up and leaned her chest and arms back in a deep stretch causing her standard issue tank top to rise up her stomach. She had absent mindedly revealed to John her silky smooth, and flat stomach a small reveal to her toned, slender figure. She saw out of the corner of her eye that John did a once over, and looked back down at the bed.
"Why were you in my bed with me?" she asked concerned, but secretly relishing in the fact that finally she had been able to be with him such a way.
John just shrugged his shoulders a little, and coughed to clear his throat. She could see that he was uncomfortable, and felt somewhat sorry that she had put him on the spot like that; but she needed to know.
"Well after we arrived back at the base you seemed exhausted, but didn't want to go to sleep. So I helped you remove your armor, and put it away. Then I had to basically drag you to the mess hall so you could eat something; however you seemed awfully upset that I hadn't gone to medical yet. I went to get something for you to eat, and when I came back you were passed out. I…I took you with me to Medical, and while I was getting checked on, you got cleaned up and showered. I hefted you up and took you to your room, so that you could fall asleep on your bed. I left you here to sleep and went off to my own room to do the same. After sometime I was woken up by you screaming in your sleep and came rushing to you. I held you till you fell asleep and well, I joined you in bed so that you'd feel safer and wouldn't wake up screaming again," he spoke timidly, his eyes casted downward, not looking at her.
"And well now we're here talking about it," he said ending the tale, sitting back down on the bed with a huff.
Linda looked at him thoughtfully for a few seconds and smiled at him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, she wanted him to be hers forever, or until to Covenant ended them both. She sighed and walked around the bed to him, and as he swung his feet out over the edge of the bed she sat down on his lap.
"Thank you for coming in here to see if I'm okay. I know you were probably really worried about me, and I can see it in your eyes. Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked, sure of herself that she knew what the answer was going to be.
John just smiled and leaned his head forward, letting his forehead rest against hers. He breathed out shakily as he felt the adrenaline rising in his blood. He smiled and ran his hand over her back, and began to trace circles along her shoulder blades.
"Yeah, I guess there uhm is something I've been wanting to say" he said unsure of himself.
She leaned back a little to get a good look at his features; she was looking at his eyes, and nose. Then finally looked at his lips and felt her head begin to swim with desire. She leaned in a little bit more, and he did the same; only a few inches remaining. John held his breath as he and Linda embarked on a collision course; he wanted it so bad.
"Master Chief report to the Command Office , Master Chief report to the Command Office as soon as possible," announced a garbled electronic female voice, causing Linda to pull her head back.
John coughed and let Linda get off of his lap; he stood and looked at her one last time, then quickly leaving the room. He rushed down the hallway towards the Armory and Command Office. If it was that important this early in the morning then he might need to get suited up for a fight.
Linda threw herself back onto the bed, pouting and running her fingers through her hair. The anxiety was going to be the death of her, not some shit eating alien. She needed that man in her life, and she needed him now.
"I'm going to tell him tonight, I'm going to make him realize what I feel," she said to no one in particular, closing her eyes again drifting off to lands unknown once more.