Pair: Kelly/John, Kelly Fred

Prompt suggestion by DoubleDidigit42

Title: Nightmare


Kelly crouched behind a broken wall. There was a shudder as the shot of a wraith tank hit the ground. She cursed as she checked her rifle. It was partially melted from a plasma bolt, which left it unable to fire. She dropped it to the ground and peeked out from her cover. She spotted several Spartans taking cover in the surrounding area. They were all pinned down by the wraith.

"We've got to get rid of that thing. We can't get past it." Kelly recognized the voice as Fred's.

"I'll take care of it." Kelly moved from her cover and took off across the open space. She heard the shouts of her teammates over the radio telling her to stop. She ignored them, running across the burnt road until she neared the wraith. Kelly darted as the turret gunner tried to hit her. She ran around the rear and climbed onto the back of the tank. The vehicle turned as it tried hopelessly to shake her off. Kelly's fist slammed into the back of the wraith, bending metal and sending neon blue sparks flying from the back ports. When she felt the wraith drop to the ground, she dropped off of the tank and took off at a full run.

The wraith blew up. Fire and shrapnel shot through the air. Kelly wasn't far enough away, and she knew it. Something hit Kelly and knocked her to the ground. It took her a second to realize that she wasn't injured. There was a heavy force on her back. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Spartan laying across her. He wasn't moving.

Kelly shot into action. She grabbed the other Spartan's arms and moved him up onto her back. She struggled to her feet and carried him away into a building to the side that was clear of enemies. Kelly heard the other Spartans call something about jackals through her radio, but she ignored it. She lifted the Spartan on her back and set him down so he was leaning against a wall.

Kelly connected to the other soldier's armor and got a damaged report. Her blood ran cold as she spotted the name attached. It was John. The report wasn't good at all. He had a lot of internal bleeding and his pulse was weak and erratic. Kelly reached up and removed her helmet. The lines of his heartbeat and pulse seemed to only make her more scared, which would only distract her.

John's head moved and he looked over at Kelly. His hands shook slightly as he reached up and removed his helmet. The Mark V helmet hit the ground and rolled slightly away. Kelly tried to keep her worry from her face as she noticed the blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Kelly." Kelly looked up at John. She knew that he could see the worry she was trying to hide. "Kelly, I'm not going to make it."

Kelly shook her head. "No, you're wrong. You'll be fine." She wasn't going to give up on him easily. She grabbed the med kit and pulled out a biofoam canister.

John stopped her before she could insert the nozzle into his armor. "Don't bother with that. Save it for in case you need it later." Kelly wanted to argue, but the look on John's face said he didn't have the time. "Kelly, I have to tell you something. I've known you for so long, and you've always been there for me." He struggled to take a breath. "Kelly, I have to tell you. I love you." The words sounded off, like it was someone else's voice coming from his mouth.

Kelly didn't know what to say. John's hand moved to her neck and pulled her to him. Their lips met and Kelly was surprised to find that she didn't taste any blood on his lips. The kiss broke and John slumped back against the wall. Kelly stared at him as she felt tears streaming down her face. She reached up, searching for a pulse, but found nothing. She leaned toward him and buried her face in his neck, letting herself weep openly.

Kelly shot up from where she was lying. She looked around and realized that she wasn't on a battlefield. She remembered being trapped in Onyx. They had taken refuge in a cave for the night, or what was considered night as the sun didn't set here. The person beside Kelly shifted and sat up with her.

"Kelly, is something wrong?" Fred's brows furrowed in worry. His hand reached over to run over Kelly's side.

Kelly didn't answer right way. She wasn't sure what to tell him. "Nothing, it was just a bad dream." She lay back down and Fred did the same. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her close. She let him, taking some comfort in his proximity and his touch.

Kelly found it hard to fall back to sleep. The dream was still vivid in her mind. She stared at the pair of helmets that sat side by side a bit away from them. Her mark V helmet stared directly back at her while Fred's Mark VI helmet was slightly angled toward Kelly's. She was confused at the moment. She loved Fred. He treated her well, he loved her back, and he was a sweet guy. But here she was having dreams about John. She couldn't deny it; there were still emotions in her for her first love. She'd thought that all of those had gone away when she'd chosen to be with Fred.

Fred had given her everything, and here she was unable to let go of a man that might be dead. "I love you, Fred." She scooted a bit closer to him, wishing that she could get closer, but their armor prevented it.

Fred placed a light kiss on her neck. "I love you too, Kelly." The words were so sincere and it made Kelly feel guilty. She did love Fred, but she was second guessing exactly how much. She tried to push all those thoughts aside and closed her eyes, attempting to get back to sleep.