The Return

Chapter 3

He worried about her the whole day. He had left that morning, way before she awoke, to take care of things. Cortana told him it was alright, as she was free that day anyways. Still, it bothered the Chief, leaving his daughter alone. What if she forgot about him? Sure, it was just work and he'd be back, but he was still worried.

His fears increased later that day when he finally made it back home only to find Cortana and Miranda gone. Where could they have to go? Cortana told him she was off that day. So what else could get her to leave the house?

Needless to say, he was high-strung by the time they got back. He was on the couch in the living room, watching the apartment door, awaiting their return. Maybe this is how Cortana felt for that whole year, waiting, uncertain. If so, he felt horrible.

"Hey, Chief," Cortana rang out as she came into the apartment, grocery bags in her arms. He frowned, looking for his daughter, only to find her walking in behind her mother. She was carrying a bag too, but it was too heavy for her and she was struggling.

"Where were you guys?" Master Chief quickly rose, going to grab his daughter. She dropped the grocery bag in surprise, but he wasn't too concerned. It looked like it was just vegetables in there. "I got home and-"

"We went to the store, John," Cortana told him, not looking back once as she headed into the kitchen. "Pick up the things she dropped."

Ignoring that command, he followed her. "I would like some warning."

"I didn't know she'd drop it. She was the one that wanted to carry something."

"No, Cortana. I meant about you leaving the house. What if something happened?"

"Chief-"

"Hi," the baby told him randomly, kissing his cheek. "Hi."

"What if I needed to get to you guys? Huh? What if-"

"She just told you hi, John. She wants you to acknowledge her."

He was already holding her. How much more acknowledgement does she need? "We're talking, Cortana."

"Would you just calm down?" She was going around the kitchen now, putting things away. "And go pick up those things she dropped, huh? Then it's snack time."

"She eats lunch and a snack?"

"Not when she's with you, no. Then she just eats bread for a meal and is fine for the day."

He gave her a look. "That was an oversight that won't happen again."

"Me!" The baby hit his hand then, tired of being ignored. When he finally looked at her, she smiled. "Hi."

Sighing, he sat her down on the ground before heading back into the living room to get the groceries. Of course the baby followed him.

"Aba."

"What does that word mean, Cortana?" he called back to her. "She says it a lot."

"I don't know. She just makes noises sometimes."

"Where are you going, Miranda?" He had picked up the fallen bag now and was headed back into the kitchen. She wasn't though. "Come here."

"She's probably going to her room," Cortana told him as he sat the bag down on the kitchen table. "Go with her."

He found her where her mother said he would, sitting on her bedroom floor with some of her stuffed animals. Miranda didn't look up at the Master Chief though as he came into the room, instead focusing on her play.

"You don't walk away from me," he told her as he came to stand in front of her. "That's bad."

"Hi." She smiled up at him. "Yes!"

He smiled slightly, staring down at her. "Yes."

"Yes!" Then, picking up one of her stuffed dogs, she held it out to him, babbling something.

"You want me to take this?" He did so, holding the stuffed Labrador in his hands. "I hope it is not with the expectation that I will play with you, because I won't."

"Aba."

"What does that even mean?"

She just went back to her other toys, ignoring him from that point on. Still, Chief stood there, watching over her. It was a mundane task, but he'd take mundane over what he had spent the last year doing. For now anyways. He was sure bloodlust would get the better of him eventually, but now that he was finally back with his daughter he wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

"Aba," she told him as she stood up, walking out of the room ten minutes later. Chief followed her, though he was about tired of her unwillingness to stay in one place. Is this what children were? Constantly on the move? He sure hoped not.

"Your safety blanket?" was the first thing out of Cortana's mouth when she saw the Chief. He frowned before realizing she meant the stuffed dog in his hands.

"Ha ha."

"Me." Miranda wasn't interested in their talk, instead pointing at the plate Cortana had in her hands. "Me."

"Here you go." She gave the girl the plate, smiling slightly. "Can you go sit down in the living room?"

Chief frowned, his eyes trailing behind the girl. Cortana finally dismissed him, telling him that he could go in there as well, to watch over her if he liked.

"What are you eating?" Chief found his daughter on the floor, her plate in front of her.

"Baba."

It was some chopped up fruit. Chief made a face as the baby ate some more. The child didn't close her mouth when she ate, allowing him to see everything. It disgusted him.

"Aba?" She held up a piece of the fruit now to him, as an offering.

"I'm not hungry," Chief tried.

"Aba!"

"Alright, fine." He held out a hand, allowing her to place the food in his palm. He hadn't planned to eat it, but she kept watching him, waiting until he did to look away. Then she just went back to eating like nothing happened.

When she was finished eating, the baby just handed him the plate, apparently expecting him to put it back in the kitchen. Chief just let out a slightly breath before going to do so.

"You were the one that was so worried about where she was," Cortana pointed out to him ten minutes later when they were all in the living room and their daughter began to sing loudly. She wasn't really singing more of just making loud noises. Annoying noises.

Chief just sat there on the couch next to his former AI, staring at the young girl. "How do you…make her stop?"

"She's just playing, Chief."

"That's horribly annoying."

"It is, isn't it…Daddy?"

"Cortana," he sighed as his daughter stood up from the floor, heading over to them. Clearing his throat, he said, "I have things I must attend to tomorrow."

"Such as?"

He didn't answer, instead lifting his daughter into his lap when she came to him. Cortana wasn't so easily distracted however.

"Chief-"

"I'm a Spartan, Cortana."

She just stared at him before glancing down at their daughter. "So…you think that you might…be leaving again? Some time soon?"

"It's what I hope for."

"John-"

"It's nice, being home," he told her. "But I don't do home well. You know that."

"You want to leave already?"

"No," he told her, shaking his head. "I know though that I will eventually. I don't…stay places. You know that. When you first found out that you were pregnant, I told you that it wouldn't affect my work. Protecting the human race will always be important to me." Reaching down he cupped his daughter's cheek making the baby look up at him and laugh. "How could it not? Especially when she's one of those humans."

"Aba!" The baby reached out, patting his chest. "Hi."

"I don't wish to be gone long, Cortana. Ever." He let himself smile for once, not even fighting it. So long as it was for his daughter, he was okay with doing it. "But what would I do here? Retired?"

"You're getting older, John."

He just grunted, still staring down at his daughter. "Not that old."

"Would you rather go out while you're still at that top of your game? Instead of some old man that they have to tell they no longer need?"

"I'll die on the battle field long before that happens." He smiled over at her. "My luck and all."

Leaning against his arm, she let out a long sigh. "Yeah. Your luck."

"Dow'," the baby complained, pushing away from the Master Chief before jumping from his lap. Giggling, she patted Chief's leg before toddling back over to her toys. He just sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"It was what I was made to do. Protect. Serve."

"Hn."

"Cortana-"

"I have things to do. Can you watch her? I'll just be in the bedroom."

Giving a slight nod of the head, John watched as the woman stood before leaving the room. Chief turned his attention back to his daughter, watching her as vigilantly as ever. Cortana just didn't get it. Chief wanted to be with Miranda, always, to keep her safe. By the same token, he couldn't stand the thought of someone else handling the safety of humans. Because if they weren't safe, Miranda wasn't safe.

Period.


Her cries startled Master Chief to attention. He had relaxed some, lazily staring at the little girl. His mistake.

Standing, Chief quickly made his way over to his daughter. She had just been sitting there, playing with her little blocks. What could have gone wrong?

"Oh." He lifted her into her arms. "You got a cut."

She was bleeding from her finger. She had probably sliced it on some toy or something. Her flesh was so delicate…to him at least.

"Aba," she whined, leaning against him while wailing. "Mama!"

"Don't call her," he said, bouncing the child uneasily. "I am here."

And? The baby just continued to cry, the pain in her finger horrible. Chief wanted to laugh, finding humor in the fact such a tiny cut could make his child cry. Did she not know what he went through every day? Still, she would learn about pain eventually. And he didn't really like the idea of her feeling so crummy anyways.

"What's wrong?"

Chief was in the bathroom at that point, his baby in his arms. "She cut herself. I need-"

"What? How?"

He handed the baby off to her mother when the woman moved to take her. "I think on one of her little toys or something."

Cortana pressed a kiss to the baby's head before moving to open the medicine cabinet in there. "Here's the Band-Aids. This si what you need, huh, baby?"

Frowning, Chief stared at the bandages. They were for little girls, pink and covered in hearts. The baby calmed down some after her mother wrapped the bandage around her finger.

"Mama!" She held her finger up to her mom, whining still.

"Kiss to make it better?" Cortana did as prompted, pressing her lips to the Band-Aid. Content, the baby finally stopped her whining. Then Cortana handed the box of bandages to the little girl. "You ready?"

"Ready for what?" Chief asked.

"We have to go put Band-Aids on some of her stuffed animals now," she explained as she headed out of the bathroom and to the little girl's room. "They're hurt too."

Chief thought that this was slightly excessive given that the child was already so calm, but figured it wasn't his place to question it. "Well, I'm going to take a shower then, huh? Wash up some?"

"You do stink."

"Cortana-"

She just closed the bedroom door behind her. Chief sighed before closing the bathroom door as well and turning to face his shower. The days seemed to drag by here, spending time with his…family. Everything felt slowed. He felt like a sloth here, as if he was accomplishing nothing. How did people live like this? So….so…useless.

Once he finished his shower, John went to check on his daughter again. He could hear her and Cortana's voices coming from the bedroom, his wife talking while his daughter was giggling loudly. Not really wanting to be faced with that, but not really knowing what else to do with his time, he headed into the room.

"Aba!"

Miranda was sitting on the floor with her mother, still placing Band-Aids on her toys. Cortana smiled up at him, but he just took a seat on the floor next to them, watching with a bored expression.

"Hi," Miranda greeted him, crawling over to get in his lap.

Chief made a face, but it just made the girl laugh. When she noticed that her father was no longer wearing a shirt, but rather just his jeans, she decided to inspect his chest. Though he had aged, Chief's body did not. He still took immaculate care of himself, never wanting anyone to have a reason to think he was no longer fit to be a Spartan.

"Wet," the baby said, patting his chest. He had hardly toweled off, too concerned to getting back to his child. "Brrr?"

Chief just watched her, not speaking. Then the baby took notice of all of his scars. There were numerous ones. He was not invincible, after all.

"Aba?" She looked up at him before rattling the box of Band-Aids she had. "Aba."

Chief just sat there, watching her. Then she had to go and try to put one of those damn pink bandages on him.

"No," Chief said, but she just ignored him. Cortana smiled brightly at this, finding it amusing. "No, Miranda. Cortana-"

"She's just trying to fix you. We put Band-Aids on boo-boos."

"I'm not injured. They're all healed."

"She doesn't know that."

"Aba." She moved to get another bandage. He had so many owies. How would she ever manage to cover them all? Huh? This was impossible. Why didn't this guy put on his own bandages? Did he not have a mommy to buy them for him? Well, he couldn't have her mommy!

She pressed a kiss to the two bandages, as Cortana had done with her cut. Then she moved to get another Band-Aid out. She still had so much work to do.

"Miranda," he finally said, moving to pick her up. Setting her down on the ground, he patted her on the head. "I'm not a girl, huh? I'm a man. I don't need these."

"Aba?"

"No."

Her face screwed up as her eyes started to well again.

"Chief, you hurt her feelings."

"I didn't do anything."

"Just let her take care of you," Cortana said. "It won't hurt anything."

"I can't have these stupid…bandages on my chest, can I?"

"What? Are you afraid someone will see them? Who? If you're not in your armor, you're in your clothes. Who else are you taking your shirt off for?"

"Cortana-"

"Just let her play for right now. Then you can take them off." She smiled at him. "You should be happy that she wants to take care of you. It means that she loves you."

He stared at his wife for a second before looking back at his daughter. "Alright, but this crying business has got to end."

Cortana only smiled, shaking her head. "Okay, Daddy."

He didn't fight her this time, not feeling like arguing with her. Instead he just lifted his daughter into his lap, smiling at her to let her know that it was okay.

"Aba?" She rattled the box. He nodded slightly, watching as she moved to bandage him again. "Hi."

He just stroked her back gently, watching his daughter put Band-Aids on him. "Hi."


"What's this, Chief?"

He glanced the side, hardly even noticing the woman walking next to him. He was back on base again, today focusing on getting reassigned. The sooner the better. Still, it felt odd to him, being around so many soldiers, but not in his armor. He thought it suited him much better, his armor did, than just normal clothes.

"Is that…a Band-Aid?" The woman next to him snickered slightly. She was supposed to be leading him to the office of a higher ranking official, not mocking him.

Frowning, Chief looked down at his right arm, having forgotten that the night before he had let Miranda given him a Band-Aid there too. She had whined about how his other scars didn't have anything protecting them and he had let her put just one on his forearm, planning on taking it off the next morning. He had with all the ones on his chest, but had forgotten that one.

"Yes," he said, looking away.

"Are you…hurt?"

"My daughter…" He shook his head. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone. Well, sometimes Cortana, but that came with the territory. "No. I am not hurt."

If Chief was a blushing type person that would have qualified for it. Instead he just stared straight ahead, planning on scolding his daughter later. Halfheartedly of course. Would Miranda ever need to be punished? Sure. Just not by him. Cortana could handle that. Scolding was what she was best at. He knew that first hand.