Poker did her mood better than Catherine had been expecting. She didn't win by any means, but hearing the other Spartan IVs laugh at each other and talk amongst themselves like normal marines was comforting. Thorne had been happy to see her actually show up, and she wondered if he'd expected her not to. She hadn't exactly looked well earlier, so she wasn't too surprised.

"I fold, my hand has been crap from the start." Hoya, whom Catherine had been informed was the most reckless of Thorne's team. Demarco laughed like thunder at the other man, and Catherine found herself grinning at the sound. She wished she was on Thorne's team. She actually got along with these people. But then a our thought hit her. When push came to shove, she still wouldn't trust them. Things would remain a surface friendship between them, and she had a feeling they would take just as much offense as Blue Team.

'Grass is always greener on the other side.' she thought. A sound behind her caught her attention, and Catherine whipped her head around to watch as Linda and Kelly set their trays on the table behind her. She knew for a fact that they could have done so silently, and that they had only made noise because they wanted to. Well, that was likely the closest to an invitation she was ever going to get.

"I'll see you guys later, my team is here now." she excused herself, picking up her tray and taking a seat next to Kelly. She felt the most comfortable with the brunette Spartan, and she also seemed to regard Catherine with less distaste than the others.

"Feeling better?" Linda asked, voice so quiet she wasn't sure if she'd actually asked the question. Catherine nodded.

"I bounce back fast. Although I hope the Chief had fun cleaning his shoes." she said, a sugary tone in her voice that covered the malicious intent of her words. Linda chuckled softly at her response.

"You sure took him by surprise." Kelly said. She had something close to a smile on her lips, and she found herself offering a similar look.

"You know, he's really not that bad. John doesn't like to be so….forceful. You're just very good at getting under his skin, and he's still recovering from...a lot of things actually. He's usually more patient." Kelly supplied. John's actions had been somewhat inexcusable, but he wasn't truly like that, and Catherine needed to know that. If she could change her views on him, then it was up to the Chief himself to uphold those views. If she could convince Catherine to be better, John would fall into line as well.

"Well I don't it matters what he's really like. He's not fond of me, and frankly the feeling is mutual. Linda shrugged, sticking her spoon into the food on her plate.

"I have a feeling that's going to change." Catherine raised a brow at her.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" she asked dryly. She didn't believe that he had any intention of making things between them better.

"He spoke with me earlier." she said. Catherine waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"About?" Linda shrugged, unwilling to answer. Catherine huffed, and finished off her food. Kelly and linda ate quickly, and after sharing a look with each other, the pair excused themselves quickly. Catherine found their hasty retreat odd, until the sound of a tray setting to her left sounded. 'Oh hell.'

"You're looking better." she was extremely tempted to glare at him, but whenever she did that an argument usually began.

"I hadn't eaten. I just needed a meal." she said tersely. He nodded, digging in slowly to hi own meal.

"Don't tell me your as bad as Frederick." he mumbled, and she raised a brow.

"What's so bad about Frederick?" she asked. He was annoying, but he and the Chief seemed to get along fairly well from her perspective.

"He likes to play russian rulet with his dietary practices. When he gets caught up in a project he likes to see how long he can go without stopping to take basic care of himself. He's passed out on more than one occasion." Yeah, that definitely sounded like something she would do, but she thought it best not to tell him that.

"I didn't think Spartans pass out." she mumbled, having witnessed just how tough the 'super soldiers' were.

"I eat the same food to body mass ratio as any other normal person. I can guarantee you our bodies don't react much different to lack of food than yours does." he argued. Catherine supposed that explained the large amount on his plate. She had no doubt that the man sitting before her could pack away a spare tire.

"I can imagine." she said, not bothering to hide the distaste for conversing with him that became evident in her voice. He sighed, placing his utensil down and shifting towards her.

"Look I-"

"Don't. I already told you not to apologize." she interrupted. He crossed his arms over his chest, uncrossed them, then crossed the again. He needed words. Words were...hard.

"I was wrong. About you mean. I spoke with Lasky-"

"Good, I'll probably be out of your hair so-"

"No." He stated quickly, and she blinked in surprise.

"No?" she didn't understand.

"I didn't ask him to assign you. I asked him what the hell I'm supposed to do." he explained. "I have no intention of giving up on you, you're a part of this family now and there's no taking that back. I made a decision to accept you into this team, and I'm not gonna take that back just because you aren't what I expected." she was stunned. He'd expected as much. Her green eyes were wide, lookin at him with a sort of bafflement.

"What? Why?" she sputtered. "You don't have to keep me, hell I don't want to stay!" she argued. The Chief forced himself not to take the answer personally. He'd been expecting the response, but it still wasn't what he wanted to hear.

¨Believe me I am well aware of that. You've run from, what? Seven? Homes. I get the picture.¨ he said, and was ever so slightly surprised when her look of irritation tuned to one of horror.

¨How do you know bout that?¨ she whispered, so quiet that he knew he was the only that possibly could have heard. ¨How did you find that. There's not a single file that has that information." she demanded, raising her voice ever so slightly.

¨I ddnt need the UNSCs records.¨ he stated. ¨But that isn't the point. The point is, Blue Team isn't another foster home. I'm sure it seems like it from your perspective, but-¨

¨I don't need to know what you think my perspective is. I don't need your help, your pity, or your team.¨ she stated, picking up her tray as she prepared to leave.

¨Well they need you.¨ Catherine paused, knuckles turning white as she gripped the tray in her hands. ¨I haven't seen them so...themselves...in a long time. I don't like a lot of your ways, or more accurately I don't understand them. However….they're fond of you. You're a change of pace, one that we're admittedly due for." he sounded sullen all of a sudden, and the fiery tempered woman found herself sitting down again. "You think we aren't a compatible team, but that's exactly why we are." he continued.

"I don't agree with you-" she stated firmly. "But humor me. How so?" Catherine wasn't particularly interested in being persuaded, but she'd amuse herself with his point of view for now.

"Simple. You don't see us as a threat." he almost sounded...smug? No, something else.

"Should I?" she asked sarcastically, raising a brow at his answer.

"No. But they do." he said, guestering around the room with a sweep of his eyes.

"Because they're ignorant." she argued. Oh. She paused as the smallest grin spread out on his face. Now she saw his point. They weren't normal. She was a lot closer to it than they were, and yet, she saw them differently than other outsiders. She saw them as just as normal as everyone around her. She saw them as human, something others struggled to do. That was why he wanted her to stay with Blue Team, to act as a bridge. She was introducing his team to a life outside the cold shoulders and fearful faces of normal marines, and she was doing it in style.

"So let me get this all straight." she drawled pinching the bridge of her nose. "You want to keep me around for...let's call it 'social therapy' because I'm not a sociopath like you, and I don't avoid you all like the plague? Wow, I'm flattered." she stated bluntly. She was most certainly not flattered. She expected the accusation to get a rise out of him, but instead, his grin morphed into a smirk. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing, nothing." he dismissed, returning to his food. Her eyes narrowed, and she watched as he piled food into his mouth, which she noted could hold twice as much as her own.

"Don't play games with me." she grumbled.

"It's funny that you would say that." the Chief began slyly. "Because that's all anything is to you. It's one big game, and you win by pushing as many people out of your life as you can. You see it as pushing players off the board, when in reality, your just sacrificing your pawns, and other lower players, and slowly losing the game. And one of these times-" she watched as as plucked a leftover meatball of her plate. "You're going to lose your queen." his analogy was a solid interpretacion, and Catherine found herself slightly offended he'd read her so well.

"I can take care of myself. Life isn't chess." she argued.

"Chess is war simulation. You're fighting a losing battle Cath. I'd suggest you stop throwing your players away. After all, the queen can't win the game if she's the only one on the board. And if the queen falls...the game is over." his tone was no longer teasing, and he didn't need to look at her to know he had hit her where it hurt. Fred had been right. She'd been toeing the line for a while now, close to giving up, but not yet having found an opportunity that justified it enough.

"I've been on my own for a very long time, as you now know, I think that's evidence enough I'll be fine. I wouldn't still be here if there was anything to be concerned about." she finalized, collecting her now empty tray and making her way towards the door.

"A game doesn't end with the first wrong play." he called after her. Because that's all this was. A game. And Catherine's survival was the stakes.

"I'm willing to take the risk." she claimed, for some reason feeling the need to have the last word. He shrugged, as if he was giving up the argument, and Catherine shook her head, pushing the tightening in her chest away. She didn't need him, or his team. She'd never needed anyone.

'They need you.'

No. Alice had needed her, and she'd failed her. She didn't want to fail anyone else, didn't want anyone else to fail her. But then why was she here if not to help people? She joined the UNSC to save lives, but did it stop there? She thought of Linda and Kelly. Their concern, their pleasant company minutes before. The Chief spoke as if there was something wrong with them all. She didn't know much about the Spartans, but...having had it pointed out to her….something was off about the group. Were they really in need of her support? Her of all people? Kelly's words thrummed in her mind, and Catherine wondered for the first time what exactly he was recovering from.

She wanted to ignore. She wanted to appear distant ad untouchable, but it had become evident to her that there was someone...no more than one that needed help, and she seemed to be the only person who cold give it. As she exited the mess, and found herself walking back to her dorm, Catherine found her anger melt away. He was trying to help. He had good intentions. Her vision began to blur, and Catherine blinked the moisture in her eyes away.

No. She was going to help Blue Team. That was it. This wasn't a self healing session, or an attempt to make a family, a home here. It was basic compassion. Nothing more.

"Is she coming this time?" Frederick asked as his team waited patiently in the briefing room for the arrival of their little red haired member. She had exactly ten minutes before she would be considered late.

"Fred, don't go looking for a fight." Kelly scolded.

"I'm just saying. She was talking about leaving yesterday, or you kicking her out more specifically." he said, pulling John into the conversation.

"If she's here, then she has a chance. If not, she's likely meeting with Lasky about a transfer, and she's probably already made a decision."

"How can you be ok with that?" Fred asked, suddenly taking the offensive. "You're just going to let her slip past us?" he asked, anger seeping into his tone.

"We have no right to intervene unless she's willing. It's her life."

"Not for long! At least not with the way things are going! She's suicidal John."

"Fred!" Linda chastised. It wasn't fair of him to make such accusations when she wasn't around, and Linda found herself taking offense on her behalf.

"Don't Linda. You know I'm right. It's the elephant in the room. She's done nothing but try to kill herself since she got here. She's just doing it creatively!" he snapped.

"You're just mad because she wasn't interes-"

"I'm mad because no one is concerned Kelly!" the room was silent for a moment.

"We're all concerned Fred." the group looked towards their sniper. John hadn't exactly expected her to speak up, but he was pleasantly surprised. "But Catherine hasn't accepted us as her family. It's not the same with her as if it were one of us. The further we push, the farther she's going to run. She needs something stubborn and unmoving. Something that isn't going to chase her, but will still be here when she comes around." Linda explained. "But most importantly, she needs us to have a little faith in her." Fred sighed in frustration, but nodded in agreement. Kelly's eyes settled on the clock, and she felt an ounce of disappointment. There was hardly any time left

"Should we…. start the briefing?" she asked. The Master Chief followed her gaze, and crossed her arms over his chest. He could invest two more minutes in his hopes in the redhead.

"N-" There was a patter of footsteps before the door slid open, revealing a Catherine that looked nothing like the one he had seen the day before. She stood taller, a purposeful look in her bright green eyes that he had yet to see since meeting the redhead.

"I'm not late." she said, gaze boring into the four Spartans before her.

"You're not." he confirmed, holding her gaze. Linda, Kelly, and Frederick were silent. "We didn't start without you." he added. What he wanted to say however, was slightly different.

'We didn't give up on you.'

'Not yet.'

'Not yet.'