Thel began to stir from sleep when sunlight hit his eyes and a familiar scent entered his nose. His mandibles formed into a small smile as he buried his face into the sheets. He took in a deep breath, drinking in the pleasant, heart-warming scent of Dawson. For it being only a part of her, he found her scent to be relaxing and wonderful. He reached over to wrap his arm around her waist. Instead of making contact with her sleeping form, he felt cool, empty air.

His eyes shut tighter before slowly opening. He moaned as he sat up in bed. Then he glanced around the room before gazing toward the spot where Dawson had slept last night. He found it empty.

Now, where did she go? He thought.

Before he got a chance to worry, he heard footsteps to his left. Isabel was walking toward him while holding onto a small crate, which hung from her side. She smiled at him when her eyes met his.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she teased.

Smiling, Thel closed his eyes and shook his head at her. Opening his eyes once more, he said, "Good morning to you too." He observed her as she continued to walk toward him. Without her Spartan armor on, he could see she was dressed in a dark grey short-sleeve shirt and pants. Her black boots made a soft clicking noise as they hit the stone floor. Her outfit was suitable for casual periods of her job while complimenting her frame. At least, he thought so.

Isabel shook her head lightheartedly. Instead of stopping when she reached the bed Thel was on, she moved to the other side and toward the bed next to theirs. She adjusted her hold on the crate before moving aside a couple pieces of her Spartan armor to make room. Then she placed the crate on top of the bed next to her armor. She yelped when she felt Thel wrap his arms around her and pull her onto the bed.

Once she was on the bed, Thel straddled her. He leaned down to her neck and began to nip it tenderly. Isabel was surprised by his action at first, but she did not stop him from giving her attention. She smiled while closing her eyes and humming. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he continued to kiss her neck.

After a few more nips, he leaned toward her ear and whispered, "Do not ever leave my side again." Then he straightened just enough to look into her eyes. Isabel slowly opened her eyes to see him still over her. The look on his face was gentle, yet serious. She rolled her eyes playfully. Then she lightly hit him on the snout.

"Did you forget to remember I said I was going search this place today?" she asked.

"I did not think you would start so early," he replied.

"Well, to be honest, I did not search the whole place…yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said while sitting up, which Thel tentatively allowed, "I did not search the place thoroughly." Then she got off the bed and stepped toward the crate. "My search was halted when I stumbled across these." She picked up one side of the crate and leaned it toward Thel until he could see what was in it.

Looking carefully, he could see a variety of items had been placed inside the crate. He recognized the two water bottles because he had seen them in the Mess Hall on the space station. The other two items he had not seen before. One of the items was contained in a red, tightly sealed bag. Inside the bag appeared to be long, rectangular stripes of some kind. The other item was simply a white circle.

Confused, he gazed up at Dawson who simply chuckled.

"Rations," she said. Then her smile disappeared as her voice got a sad tone to it. "I know it's not much, but at least it's something."

Hearing the disappointment in her voice, he quickly added his support to make her feel like her find was not a waste. Plus, he felt his confusion might have hurt her in some way.

"You did well, Dawson," he said with a smile.

Isabel's smile returned along with a colorful blush on her cheeks. Thel moved to the edge of the bed until his legs draped over the edge. He reached out to her as a gesture to sit on his lap. She chuckled while grabbing the crate. She placed it on the ground next to him before accepting his invitation. As she sat down, he wrapped his arms around her. Then he began to gently rock back and forth with her securely in his arms.

"You did well, Dawson," he repeated.

"Thanks," she said softly. She was not ashamed to admit it felt good to be in Thel's arms. She felt safe…worthwhile. Sighing with content, she rested her head against his chest. Like a cheerful cat, she rubbed her head against his chest and cuddled closer.

Isabel's right hand slowly moved across her chest to land on his. She could feel the faint vibrations of his beating hearts. Her hand slowly glided across his flesh before it touched his mark. Just like the previous night when he had shown her, her fingers traced the mark's outline. She could not even begin to imagine the pain he must have felt when he had been branded.

She had a feeling he rarely reflected on past events, but she still felt compelled to take his pain away. She stared at his mark for a moment before kissing it. With her lips to his mark, she said, "I'm sorry."

Thel stopped rocking after he heard her speak. He lightly pushed her away to look at her.

"What for?" he asked.

Isabel shrugged. "I don't know. Just felt like it needed to be said."

He chuckled and brought her close once more. "Whatever you were apologizing for, I am sure it was not needed."

She shrugged again. "Maybe, maybe not." She laid her head in the area where his neck and shoulder met. She then kissed his neck and said, "I missed you."

Thel smiled and rested his head on top of hers and said, "And I you."

The two stayed as they were, simply allowing time to pass by. In the silence and calm, they embraced each other's company gladly. They were aware the moment they were having now would not make up for the time they had lost while they had been away from one another. Nonetheless, both were happy to be back together again and have things patched up. It felt like both had a heavy weight lifted off their shoulders.

Thel took a deep breath before rubbing her back. Wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her in place, he leaned down to pick up one of them items contained in the crate. He chose the white circle. Once his hand had a firm grip on it, he picked it up and examined it. It appeared the white circle had much more to it.

It turned out the white circle was actually a lid to a container filled with oval shaped items.

"What are these, Dawson?" he asked turning the container in various directions with his hand.

"They are called nuts," she said. She took it from him and opened it. Then she handed it back to him.

Gazing inside, Thel could see there were some varieties between a few of the nuts. Isabel smiled as she watched him rummage through the container. Soon, she took the lid and container away from Thel. She closed it back and set it aside. Then she pointing to the bag and saying, "Could you get those for me, please?"

"Of course, but what are they?" he asked leaning down again to grab the item Isabel requested.

"Beef jerky," she replied as she grabbed the bag when he gave it to her.

"'Beef jerky'?"

Isabel opened the bag and took one out. "It is pretty much meat that has had the fat cut of it, cut into strips, and then dried."

"Why does it have to go through a process like that?"

She shrugged. "It is just the way it is done, I guess. I also heard spices are used to prevent it from decaying. I think that is why this has lasted so long."

"Interesting," he said as he carefully watched Isabel examine strip of meat.

Isabel tore the jerky in half before handing it to Thel. He took it from her and then examined it. He heard her chuckled as she began to eat her half of the jerky. He sniffed it before taking a bite. Due to it being dried, it was not hard to pick out the dry taste of it. Despite the dryness, his taste buds could pick up new, unfamiliar flavors. He figured it must have been the spices Isabel mentioned.

"How do you like it?" Isabel asked as she finished chewing her piece.

He swallowed before answering. "It is…different."

She simply chuckled and nodded. "I see."

Thel smiled when she looked at him. She looked drained, mostly likely due to all that has happened. He was sure revealing the truth had only added to her stress and exhaustion. However, the smile on her face seemed to counteract the negatives to some degree. It brightened up the features of her face and made her as beautiful just as he remembered.

Isabel leaned her forehead into his when she saw him crane his neck down toward her. She then took his hand when she felt him touch her cheek.

"It is good to have you back. Having you here gives me hope things might just turn out for the better." His smile vanished when he thought of 'Zad and 'Lavat who were still missing. "Yet…I still worry for my missing brethren. All the signs we have found of their presence have given me little comfort."

"Arbiter," she said getting off his lap. Then she gently took his head in her hands and guided him until they were looking into each other's eyes. "We'll find them."

Thel smiled returned when she leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I hope so."

"We will," she said as she lightly patted the side of face. Then she turned to the crate and grabbed one of the water bottles. Once she had one, she walked off.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to finish searching the barracks. I told you I did not do a detailed search of the place."

"Would it not be a better idea for both of us to explore this place?"

"In a sense, yes, but you do not know the barrack's layout as well as I do. Plus, I kind of already ate. Those rations are for you. Eat as much as you like."

"Dawson…"

"Arbiter," she sighed as she turned slightly toward him. "You and I both know we need as much energy as we can get. I have a feeling this will be one of those rare times during a mission where we have peace and quiet to gather our thoughts and strength."

"You do realize that applies to you as well."

"I know. However, like I said, I already ate. You have not. I am not saying you have to eat everything in there." She chuckled as she said, "I really don't expect you to." Then she got serious again. "I care for you, Arbiter. Just do me a favor and take this time to relax and renew your strength or simply reflect."

He gazed deeply into her eyes as she spoke. In her eyes, he saw determination, concentration, yet concern. He knew she was staying focused on the mission, yet a part of her looked out for his well-being. Both of them as well as their teams had been through stress and moments of hardship since the beginning of this mission. He felt those hardships and stress had lingered over the humans and Sangheili even during the night.

The same could not be said about last night. He felt he had gotten a restful sleep. No stress or complexity had disturbed his sleep or remained on his shoulders when he woke up. He was not sure why. He had a good feeling it was because Dawson was with him. She knew the place and he trusted her word. Plus, she had brought him food and voiced her concern.

However, he cared about her just as she cared for him. He did not want to lose her right after things had been patched up between them.

Stop thinking such negative thoughts, Thel, he thought. She is not helpless and is more than capable of taking care of herself.

"Very well," he sighed still feeling hesitant to let her wander off on her own. "But do not take too long. We still have to reunite with our comrades." The words he spoke were true, but he mentioned their objective to hide his true reason for not wanting her to take long.

Isabel chuckled and then nodded. "I will make haste as best as I can."

"Good luck in your search, Dawson."

"Thank you." Then she started walking off to continue her search.

As he watched her, Thel said softly, "Be safe."

Isabel was still searching the building after about a unit (an hour) passed by. Before Thel began to panic due to his own foolish fear about her safety, he considered the relative size of the human's barracks and what Isabel told him about it. Once he reflected on the facts and date, his fear subsided.

Thel walked over to the window and glanced outside. Sunlight seeped through the leaves and foliage. He figured it was probably brighter at the top of trees than it was below them. Regardless, now that it was light outside, it would make their journey through the jungle easier. It certainly was an improvement over yesterday's weather…at least, the part when it began to grow dark followed by rain.

It would be wise to devote this entire day to looking for a way to reunite with our comrades, he thought. That could prove a problem though. Who knows where we ended up when we fell into the river. He sighed heavily. Then he crossed his arms as a new, troubling thought crossed his mind. Some of the words that were spoke during our encounter with the chieftain and the other Spartan concerns me. I wonder why.

Flashback:

The chieftain snickered and flexed his right arm, displaying an object casing the top of the Jiralhanae's armor plating. At first, Thel did not understand why Titus was doing such a thing. What made him think the Sangheili leader was interested? After a minute or two passed and upon close inspection of the object, the realization hit Thel like an energy dagger in the back. The object encasing the armor plating was a Sangheili skull.

"What a sad fate to befall such a high-ranking Sangheili," the chieftain said with sarcastic sympathy. The chieftain shared an impish grin with a few of his Jiralhanae. "Fortunately, all his hard work and dedication was not a waste. Until he and his troops came long, we had not had such fine prey for the longest of time. Nice and fresh."

End of Flashback.

Thel took a deep breath as he felt his anger build up inside him. What that beast did was intolerable and revolting. However, what bothers me is what he said. Why would he waste his time with a description of the Sangheili he…Breathe in, breathe out…killed? He went into deep thought and did what he could to figure out why a simple description bothered him so. After a moment or two went by, a chill ran down his body. Could he be referring to 'Zad or 'Lavat?

If he is, I will make sure to end his life, Thel thought as he clenched his hands into fists.

"Arbiter?" a gentle, concerned voice said.

His rage dissolved away when he heard Isabel's voice and felt her hand wrap around one of his fists. He took in a quiet, deep breath before gazing at her. He saw the same concerned expression on her face before she had continued her search.

"You okay?" she asked.

He stared at her before smiling a soft smile and saying, "Yes. I am fine."

For a moment, she simply stared at him. It appeared she either did not believe him or was not satisfied with his answer. Then she lifted his fist using both of her hands and then kissed it. After the kiss, she simply held his fist to her lips. However, she loosened her grip when he moved his fist up to her cheek.

He unclenched his fist to lay his hand against her cheek. Isabel let one of her hands fall to her side while the other held onto his hand. She closed her eyes as she felt him gently caress her cheek. She carefully pushed into his hand to show she was enjoying his small, yet caring gesture. Suddenly, a stinging sensation caused her to close her eyes tighter.

Thel gasped softly when he saw a clear substance stream down Dawson's face.

"Dawson, are you all right?" he asked.

Before he could wipe away the substance with his thumb, she pulled away to wipe it away herself. Isabel inspected the tear before pushing him away teasingly.

"You big jerk," she teased. "Now look what you've done." Then she turned her back toward him. She began to take in calm, deep breaths to fight back the surfacing tears of joy.

Isabel's action confused and troubled Thel. He tried to figure out if he had hurt her in some way.

"I...I am sorry," he said. "I did not mean to..." He stopped when she heard her laugh. He watched as she turned toward him. A small, kind smile was plastered on her face.

"You silly Sangheili," she said. "You do not have to apologize for anything. I was just teasing you."

Now, if someone else did that to him, he might be annoyed with them. However, since it was Isabel, it did not bother him. He was thankful he was finally able to enjoy her antics and smiles once more.

Chuckling and giving her a sinful, seductive look, he said, "Is that so?"

His look made shivers run down her body. Despite that, she was still able to smile and chuckle. "Yep." She then dared to step up to him until they were mere inches away from one another. She stood her ground as he stared down at her. Another chuckle escaped through her lips at the thought of how silly the height difference must have look when viewing it from the side.

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked with a firm, challenging tone.

Instead of answering right away, he cupped her face in his hands.

"This," he said closing his eyes and leaning down to lick her right cheek. Then he moved to her left cheek and licked it. After he took care of her now rosy cheeks, he licked her forehead before halting in front of her lips. He felt her shiver under his grip when he slowly ran his tongue over her lips. He smiled inside when she had opened her mouth to allow his tongue to meet hers.

As she had felt his moist, alien tongue slither across her lips, Isabel shook with erotic elation. If only for a short time, she wanted to get lost in the moment. To do so, she shut her eyes and allowed him to guide her.

With a soothing, yet seductive growl, Thel's tongue began to play with Isabel's. He gently moved her tongue up and down in a wave-like motion. When she tried to wrap her tongue around his, his growl grew slightly louder as he pushed toward her. She responded by pushing back. Thel pulled his tongue out long enough to chuckle.

As much as he desired to continue exploring her mouth, he knew they had work to do.

"As enjoyable as this is, we need to get back to the mission," he said softly as he leaned his head down on her forehead.

Isabel moaned and cursed, "Damned mission."

He chuckled. "Come. The sooner we get this mission over with, the sooner we can make time for us."

At that thought, she smiled. Not only was she smiling at the fact she and Thel were back together again, she now had something to look forward to after the fight.

In the past, the only thing she had fought for was survival and to prove Donovan she was capable of making it on her own. Since everything she had held dear had been taken away, she had nothing personal to fight for. It had remained that way until she met Thel. At first, she had merely seen him a comrade…a different kind of comrade, but a comrade nonetheless. Her opinion of him had changed as they had spent more and more time together.

As she reflected, Isabel believed she had not realized her true feelings for him until after she had broken up with him. She remembered clearly how she had felt that day. She vowed to never hurt herself or him like that ever again.

"You know what is weird," she said.

"What is?"

"On previous missions, I didn't really care how long it took to complete it. I can't say the same about this mission."

"Why is that?" he asked moving back a bit in order to gaze down at her.

"Because," she paused as she looked up at him, "I got you. Now, I simply want this mission to end so we talk and catch up." She winked at him. "If you know what I mean."

Her lighthearted gesture made Thel smile and chuckle. "Synchronized minds think alike."

"So it would seem," she said as she sighed. "In any case, you are right. We still have a mission to complete. Let's get to it so that this mission can be completed as quickly as possible."

Once she was done speaking, Thel nodded in agreement.

"Arbiter, can I ask you something?" Isabel asked as she and Thel were walking.

"Of course, Dawson," he said. "What is on your mind?"

"You know how we fell upon that camp before being ambushed," she paused when she saw him nod. Seeing he was paying attention and understood what she was talking about, she continued. "Well, I remember you saying something about not finding anything useful. What did you mean by that?"

Before answering her, he chuckled. "You remembered me saying that? I have to say I am a bit surprised."

Feeling a bit insulted, she stopped walking and crossed her arms. "And just what is that supposed to mean? Are you saying I am deaf or something?"

At first, Thel was a bit shocked by her reaction. Despite that, he remained composed and stopped to turn to her. He held up one of his hands as a sign of peace. "Of course not. What I meant was you had been staring intently at something when I had spoken those words. I meant no ill will by my statement."

"Oh," she said blushing in embarrassment. Then she turned her gaze away as she mentally kicked herself. "Sorry."

Thel chuckled again as he made her way over to her. Then he gently took her chin and guided her gaze toward him. He smiled when he met her eyes.

"It is all right," he said. "I should be the one to apologize. There must have been something behind my tone that must have offended you."

Since his grip on her chin was light, she was able to shake her head.

"No. It's all right. I jumped to conclusions, which I know I should not do."

He wanted to argue with her, but he knew now was not the time. "How about we get back to our objective?"

Isabel nodded before both of them started walking again. After a moment or two passed by, Thel spoke up.

"Back to your question, there were scraps of paper scattered around the campsite. I believe they were notes from the research team the shaman, Loki, had mentioned."

"And there was nothing of use written down on the notes?"

"None that I could tell."

"Hmm…are you sure you searched carefully and thoroughly?"

"I believe I did. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe we should go back and check to see if you missed something," Isabel said as she changed the direction she was walking in.

"Dawson?" Thel said as he followed her. "Where are you going?"

"Just as I said, we should head back to the camp to see if we missed anything."

"Dawson, wait," he said as he grabbed her hand to stop her. "This course of action is not wise."

Turning her body sideways to look at him, she asked, "Why?"

"For all we know, the Jiralhanae chieftain and his pack might have made a base camp there."

"And…?"

"Dawson," he said with a heavy sigh. "We are not exactly in the best condition to fight…at least, not against a company that large."

"I always thought your kind does not back down from a fight," she said. However, she soon regretted saying it when she felt him squeeze her hand. Feeling ashamed, she averted her eyes from his. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said-"Isabel stopped when she heard him speak up.

"It is all right," he said with a firm, yet gentle tone.

"What?"

"You are right. Normally, I would not approve of retreating or backing down. However, my kind does not go and look for a fight. Plus, it is just you and me. I would be hurt and sad if I lost you after I just got you back." He smiled when he saw her blush.

Hearing his kind words, Isabel slowly gazed at him once more. "You are sweet, you know that?"

"Thank you. Now, do you understand why I do not wish for us to go back to the campsite?"

She nodded. "I understand. So…what is your plan then?"

He released her hand and then said, "Let us focus on getting back to your comrades. Then we can focus on finding my missing brethren and the artifact."

Isabel nodded again and began to walk back in the direction they were originally going in. However, she stopped when she did not hear Thel's hoof steps trailing behind her. She stopped and turned around. She saw him frozen firmly in place.

"What is it?" she asked.

Thel carefully examined the area as he took in the various scents. Picking up something, he tensed up more as he slowly reached for his swords.

"We are not alone," he said with a soft, yet deadly whisper.