Hi there, horny savages! Today we have some sexy and definitely a lot of sweet, nothing worth kicking out anyone under 18 but, still. The lovebirds are together, although not everything is said and done yet. Follow me to the end for more nonsense, enjoy!

IMPORTANT: The story will end definitely in chapter 36 (thirty-six) looks like this shit will be even bigger than RECOMPOSE ever was. I wanna shoot myself on the FOOT. THANKS FOR ENABLING MY KINKY SIDE, YOU ASSHATS! I love you all.

TAKE ME WHEN YOU NEED ME

PART XXX

CAIRO STATION – Sol System

NOVEMBER OF 2562

Much like the last time, the bed wasn't big enough for two, but it didn't matter.

A bigger need than comfort kept them close. They spent hours reconnecting, filling the void of four years, eight months and twenty-four days without the other the best they could.

She kept reassuring that they would have time, but the Master Chief was tenacious. He didn't give her a single chance to complain; only reasons to beg for more. They didn't care if anyone heard strange noises coming out of a SPARTAN-II's quarters, the time to be secretive about their activities was long gone.

She had said the words. The scary, hard ones.

John-117, however, was a man of action more than words. He figured he would have to say it back at some point, but for now, the way he kissed and caressed every inch of her skin proved a lot more. How much he had wanted to see her again, how deep was his need of her. John took his time to find on her body every one of the marks that told the story of Sarah's birth, recognizing them with the tips of his fingers or a soft brush of his lips: thin, pale stripes on her hips and thighs and the underside of her breasts, mostly. She explained what those were. He considered them as a testimony of her status: this fine woman had picked him to make a child, and he was proud.

The hushed words drifted back to him. Her hands were exploring, tirelessly.

"What about this one?" Cortana muttered.

She was asking about one long and ragged scar, seven inches long, between his ribcage and the hipbone on his left side. It wasn't the oldest he had but it was indeed the biggest. Cortana had probably noticed it because it was pinkish, looked different compared with every other major and minor markings he had on sight. Like with most of his scars, John didn't really have a story for it; it was either the result of a mistake or a calculated risk. In the case of seven-inch-long, it had been a risk worth taking.

"Plasma sword." he said, vaguely. Cortana's intense eyes demanded a little more, so he just shook his head and added: "An Elite got too close, ended up with its skull caved in."

Her fingers wandered over the rugged tissue, following the line with a slow movement.

John flinched, feeling a little ticklish.

"Does it still hurt?" she wondered, in a low voice.

"Sometimes, when the weather changes."

Stretched on top of him, she let her cheek down on his collarbone and continued to run her fingers all over that scar, absentmindedly. Cortana exhaled a relieved sigh, relaxed and fresh after several intense sessions of wonderful make-up sex and a quick shower. Her long hair, dark as a raven's wing and smooth as silk, swirled around the sheets tangled on the hand he kept pressed to the small of her back.

She kissed his neck and moved upwards, rubbing her nose on the light stubble on his cheek and kissing it too. Part of her knew that John needed it. Cortana brushed her nose on the faded gray above his ears, on the small wrinkles around his eyes, over his faint freckles. She always gave those special attention, smiling, taking time to count them, kissing them. He seemed to like it, the groans were very conclusive. Moving her long hair to the side, Cortana hovered above him and purred low, like a content kitten, reacting to the rough feel of his palms going down her back and waist, resting at last on her hips.

Both pairs of dog tags rested tangled together between their bodies, warm and safe.

It was perfect. Like old times, carefree and sexy.

She dropped on him again, hiding her face on the crook of his neck. John squeezed her between his arms, nuzzling her cheek the same way she had previously done to him.

"I wish this would never end." Cortana sighed, her voice sounded muffled.

"Don't think about that now." he said, still rubbing the soft skin of her back.

"She can't stop talking about you, you know?"

A little smirk pulled on the corner of John's mouth, amused.

"Sarah?"

Cortana nodded, still hiding. "She's suspicious of you."

"Why would she be?" he insisted, curious.

"Jealousy, I think. We don't meet many strangers and I was smiling a little too much to you yesterday." she decided to roll away from him and sit, combing her messy hair with her fingers, lazily. "She's too clever for her own good at her age, and the big man poked her interest. I pity you, really."

"Why?"

"Just wait until she gets confident."

After a moment of contemplative silence, he asked: "… are you going to tell her?"

Cortana shrugged, hugging her knees. A dark curtain fell down her shoulders.

"You heard it… she knows about her real father. If she gets comfortable around you, it will be easier to break it to her slowly. We have time to work things out before mandatory cryosleep, the two of you will get along well."

She sounded very convinced, but then again, she knew Sarah better than him.

The Spartan only nodded and took a deep breath.

She grabbed his hand, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.

"It will be okay. Tom and I promised her that she would meet her Papa someday."

The mentions of Lasky didn't irk him as violently as before, but still, his skin prickled a little every time she talked about that man. She hadn't come to his quarters wearing his ring, at least, and that eased off his possessive demons.

"John." her voice made him focus again. Their eyes met. "Do you want me to tell her?"

"Yes." his reply was almost embarrassingly fast, eager.

"I was just checking. You seem a little scared."

"I'm not. But it's difficult."

"Difficult?" she cocked her head to the side, curious.

John took a deep breath, looking away.

"I don't know what to expect. I don't have intel." he confessed, after a few seconds.

Cortana bit her lower lip, divided between tenderness and worry.

If anything, one could always count on the Master Chief's absolute honesty. She could barely scratch the surface of all that was going on beneath his skin. This was a man of war entirely out of his element, Jameson Locke had been right to question the Spartan's ability to be a fatherly figure… but Cortana had no doubts. And yet, she thought of asking him first, of offering him to wait a little longer.

"… you just have to do what comes natural, John." she commented, her voice soft and caring. "You've proven me over and over that the instincts are there. I can give you reading material if you want intel."

John nodded, acknowledging.

She sensed he still wasn't completely convinced. Better to take it slow, indeed.

After all, she wasn't sure of how Sarah would react, either.

Cortana leaned over him and kissed his nose, softly, in the act of extending her arm to the floor so she could pick up her purse. John put an arm behind his head and watched her go about her business with an attentive stare.

After rummaging inside her purse for a moment, Cortana pulled out a dark bottle.

"We should celebrate." she sat again, crossing her slender legs, waving the bottle in the air. "Want to crack this one open? I've been saving it especially for this moment."

"What's that?"

"Remember that time Fred got you a beer bottle for your birthday? I kept it."

John rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's expired already, and I don't like beer."

"I know." she pouted, a little disappointed. "I want to celebrate, anyway."

The way she plucked her lips out made him feel very inclined to shove her on her back and give her some more. Ultimately, Cortana shrugged and not without some effort, popped the bottlecap off. She gave it a sniff, first, then took a long sip. John waited, intrigued. Not two seconds after tasting it, her face contracted in an ugly grimace; she jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, to spit everything out.

The Spartan smiled to himself, amused.

Cortana returned a moment later, after drinking some water to rinse her mouth.

"Ugh, you were right. It was expired." she admitted, with a sigh. After climbing to the bed, she sat again beside him and smiled. "Well, we're going to have six months ahead to try other beers until we can find one you like. Think about that, John: you and me, working together again. No need to hide. This time, I want everyone to know that I'm yours."

Imagining it indeed made his spine tingle with a shock of satisfaction.

"I thought Doctor Glassman was head of the project."

"Oh, Henry will resign soon enough, find himself suddenly very stressed and in urgent need of downtime. That's where I come in, to steal the position. My mother will make sure nobody rejects my application. Parangosky and Osman will be flipping tables, for sure."

Her smug grin was tantalizing. John narrowed his eyes.

"So, you had it all planned."

"Would you have it any other way, Master Chief?" she smiled, feigning innocence.

Now it was his turn to give her a smirk to die for: "Does it mean you're going to boss me around again?"

Cortana bit her lower lip.

"Only if you promise to boss me around when we're in private, too."

Her husky voice never failed to stir demons inside him. She was sitting comfortably and although her fingers drifted lazily up and down his naked thigh, he didn't sense arousal or intent on her part. The flirty banter was quite amusing, too; he had missed it.

There was no point in denying things.

"Six months." John exhaled. "What happens after that?"

Her long hair covered her breasts, now. Yet, seeing the shine of metal on her skin was an absolute thill, the sign of their union on plain sight.

"The war with the Covenant is dwindling and most of the smaller conflicts are getting cold. The UNSC is chasing away stray factions. Still this will be going on for some years if not decades." she looked down and crossed her legs. "So far, what I got is an arrangement to secure that you are deployed for limited periods at a time. Admiral Osman was tough and I'm sure that there's ulterior motives to her proposal. But the terms of your enlistment are that you can return to Reach every nine to twelve months, depending on the scale of the campaign you're attached to and the development of the conflict. And you will be issued a certified paygrade and proper reparations over non-perceived income for the past thirty years. It's the least they can do."

It sounded good to him. It was a lot more than what he'd been expecting. It meant that he could do his job and keep his family, both at the same time. A huge weight lifted from his chest, for some reason.

"You're going to be acknowledged as a proper soldier, John, not as a classified piece of hardware. You, and every other SPARTAN-II. We're working on the IIIs now, they're attached to the negotiations as well."

John frowned, shaking his head a little in disbelief:

"What exactly did you do?"

"It's a long, exhausting and discouraging story." she shook her head in return, with a veiled smile. "And it will work better if you see it, it's not the same if I tell you."

But John noticed that this didn't exactly make Cortana as happy as it made him feel.

"What are you thinking?"

"Do you want to retire, John?"

He considered it, for a few seconds.

"No."

"Yeah, I thought so." she inhaled deep and looked to the roof.

"Does it bother you?"

"Not really." Cortana reclined against the pillow, right beside him. "It's not like I was expecting to just barge into your life again and ask you to leave everything behind to come with me, I know you… and I've been thinking a lot about this. Like with everything else, I guess, we'll take it slow. One step at a time."

John nodded, agreeing with her. Slow and simple seemed good.

It would take time to come down from over thirty years in and out of combat, when it was all he ever knew. He literally couldn't think about a life outside the barracks and the tight schedules, even less of sharing his time with the responsibility of being a father. The Spartan from ten years ago would've frowned hard to the one from the present that was considering settling down, in a way. And yet, the Master Chief found himself curious about this new kind of life, eager to take on the challenge of running this new unit.

Scratch that. This new family.

"There's one thing I'm not slowing down about, John: I want another baby."

Comforting warmth stirred inside him, again. He nodded.

"And we're getting married officially, if you're still up to it."

He nodded again. She frowned a little, amused.

"… you're surprisingly complacent, did I fuck your brains out or what?"

A faint smile curled up his lips. "I'm fine, really."

Cortana dropped one shoulder and answered with a smile of her own. A huge swarm of butterflies swirled inside her stomach. Her free hand wandered across his chest again, John grabbed it and pulled it to rest on top of the strong beat of his heart; for a couple of minutes they didn't speak, just stared into each other's eyes. She loved the coarse feel of his fingers tangled with hers.

Cortana understood everything he meant, all those things he didn't have words for.

"We're going home, John." she promised.

He nodded, for the third time. "Together."

It was she who moved forward, with absolute calm, and straddled his hips again.

It was also she who leaned down to meet him halfway for a sweet kiss that got deeper and rougher until he found his way inside her body again. By seizing her hips with a strong grip, John guided her movements up and down and back and forth, and in slow, sensual circles that made her curvaceous shapes arch under the strain of building pleasure. With both palms firmly planted on the Spartan's chest, she continued to rock and squeeze him in, the thrill of the friction making her shiver and moan in delight. John pushed himself up on one elbow to reach her chest and take control of her breasts, tracing them with his mouth, hooking an arm around her waist. The trail of fire continued up through her collarbone and throat, the side of her neck and finally, her lips.

This time, there were no words. It was the silence of the room and their breaths spiking from time to time, the rustling of the sheets twisting about, the soft slap of flesh and quiet moans, whimpers and growls. It was a time for celebration.

She was tired, but wanted more.

He could never have enough of her.

They had been built to please each other, in the most complete way.

She sighed and threw her head back, arching even further, presenting her body for him to do as he pleased. In his hold she was helpless, and she loved it. Cortana reached the peak of her pleasure once more, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him; he continued to guide her hips through her orgasm as he searched for his own. It didn't take much longer either, her empty womb was hungry and demanded seed with the tight grip of her insides, sucking him in.

The stimulating moans in his ear only drove him crazier.

The call of the female never failed to awaken his instincts, and wrapped in her skin, her scent, her warmth and her sound, John let go. He drove deep within her, feeding her another load that she received gratefully, falling apart between his arms in whimpers and praises, breathing heavily against his skin.

A few more minutes went by in the peaceful silence of the aftermath.

Cortana went on murmuring nonsense under her breath, seldom leaving tired kisses on his neck, stubbly jaw and ear. John's instincts responded with intense satisfaction.

But at last and with a resolute sigh, Cortana slipped off his lap and out of the bed. The Spartan reclined back again, leaning on one elbow, watching with curiosity as she opened his travel bag and began to pull clothes out of it. More specifically a piece of his underwear and a big black t-shirt. He hummed in approval at the sight of the gleaming trail of moisture dripping down the inside of her thigh; an insane pride and arrogance swiveling inside him. Cortana cleaned herself up with the wet towel they had disposed especially for that use, and then dressed in the garments.

She pulled up her beautiful, long hair to make a bun at the nape of her neck. When she noticed his look, she laughed:

"I'm confiscating these. I got to go back to my quarters dressed, preferably." she said, arching an eyebrow. But when she saw John spring up sitting with a hard frown twisting his brow, Cortana returned to the bed and sat beside him. "Sarah will wake up soon, I have to be there. The Wayward Son won't come for another two days, we have time."

The words seemed to ease off his concern.

Still, she ran her fingers through his short hair and John leaned onto her palm a little.

The meekness of the action was undoubtedly surprising for her. No, she didn't want to leave either, but she had a duty too. And she needed to sleep, at least an hour or two. Sex with her Spartan was nice and all, but she wasn't twenty-six anymore. Being a mother and a business woman was exhausting.

"You could just drop by the cafeteria later, have breakfast with us. Be suspicious."

She winked. John smirked again.

"Will do." he promised.

x.x.x.x.x

Ellen Anders in her pajamas opened the door for her, when she returned.

The Asian woman smiled upon seeing Cortana's clothes, maybe a little too excited.

Cortana replied with a shy smile and finally, a snicker. Anders chuckled, stepping aside to let her in, quickly. Now back into her quarters, the mother checked that the little girl was still sound asleep and kissed her forehead, then received a warm hug from her friend and travel companion.

Ellen, much like Tom, had been a fundamental pillar to Cortana's resolve.

After the birth, many things changed. Her first idea to abandon the UNSC and shift her work towards the private sector faded.

Cortana came to understand that if she wanted to make her plans work, if she wanted to see her Spartan again, she would have to continue working for the same people that kept them apart. Befriending Ellen Anders was a natural consequence of having her as Sarah's doctor, her sweetness ultimately conquered Cortana's trust and she decided to open up about her problems with her. Much like what happened with Tom, Ellen just couldn't sit on her hands.

So, despite her dreadful relationship with Catherine Halsey, Ellen decided to request a transfer from the UNSC Infinity to the laboratories of Project MJOLNIR, on planet Reach. With a little help from Cortana's crafty part, Anders achieved a post with the medical staff under Doctor Henry Glassman's department of cybernetics. From that point forward, their friendship only grew, both women lived relatively close by in the same planet and had more than one excuse to get together whenever they had free time.

Without giving away too many details, Cortana told her everything about her late-night adventures. She cherished Ellen's friendship to bits, she hadn't had any other close friends since her half-sister, Miranda, had died.

Not long after Ellen went back to her bed, Cortana picked up her pad from the desk and opened a new email. She typed:

HE'S HERE. WE'LL BE ON ROUTE SOON.

IT WAS ALL WORTH IT, TOM. THANK YOU.

I'LL SEE YOU WHEN WE GET HOME.

She knew that she had no obligation to tell him, that he wouldn't mind. No, that was a lie: Tom would mind because he was a good friend. He had been there for her where John couldn't be. She was massively grateful for all he'd done to help them. He didn't resign the captaincy of the Infinity and thus, continued campaigning wherever the fleet was sent, but he communicated often and even managed to spend a couple of weeks back on Reach with them, once in a while. Did they go out together, sporadically? Yes, but never without Sarah. They didn't live in the same house, they didn't have a life together except when the kid was involved. Like that time when Sarah had a high fever and Tom turned the city upside down looking for ice-cream at 0300, then stayed the night at Cortana's apartment just in case they needed something else.

Did they share any feelings, at all? Well, they both loved Sarah. And Cortana felt great admiration and cherish for Tom, in the way she'd feel about a big brother. Tom had natural skill with children, it was obvious that he liked being a dad.

He just didn't want a wife, or that was what the Captain had told her.

Did he want her, like any man wanted a young, attractive woman?

Maybe he did. But he respected her bond with John too much; Cortana wasn't lying when she told the Spartan that Tom would never fuck her. She wouldn't allow it. She might have been an ungrateful bitch in the past, but whenever she had a partner, she had always been a one-man-bitch.

With a happy smile on her lips, Cortana finally got in bed, cuddling her daughter.

x.x.x.x.x

Cortana had predicted it: once Sarah got more comfortable with the big man, things got intense. She wanted to know who he was and what did he want with her Mama; John was skilled enough to resist the interrogation without spilling any beans. Ultimately, it made the child more suspicious and didn't help at all to get them any closer. Well, she was only four years old and he was a total stranger, technically. John understood that she was protective, frowning with her best imitation of a menacing stare.

This realization ended up constantly trying to pull a smirk on his lips, it was so strange and heartwarming. She was a fierce lion cub.

The Master Chief had resigned his commitment to Cairo's Chief of Staff to spend more time with his girls, a decision with mixed results. First, because Sarah didn't trust him, and second, because he had no idea what to do with the little girl other than stare and wonder. He didn't know what to expect of a child that small, but he was impressed, nonetheless. According to Cortana, their daughter could read, write and do math at the level of any other kid at least ten years older. John already had a first-hand taste of her cleverness; her speech was also remarkably clear.

Well, considering her mother, he shouldn't have been surprised at all.

So, just like the tense breakfast, lunch came and went, and they moved to a recreational area to be more comfortable. Again, they just sat down to watch the people come and go, to stare through the viewports towards the distant Earth and the ships entering and leaving the space station. There wasn't much else to do at an orbital defense platform.

"You know, Master Chief." Cortana started, rather casually, resting comfortably on her seat. She was on her third cup of coffee of the day. "Sarah and I are learning chess together. I remember you are quite good at that game, isn't that right?"

John arched an eyebrow and noticed the girl was looking at him. That day, her hair was done in two tight pigtails at the base of her skull and she wore a gray dress. She looked very feminine and innocent, alright, but it transpired that a dangerous mind swam in the depths of her big steel-blue eyes.

What was going on inside that tiny head of hers?

"I play occasionally." he commented.

"I'm sure you could teach us a thing or two."

"Perhaps."

"Mama, please." Sarah quipped, smug. "You know everything."

Cortana feigned modesty, with a self-satisfied smile of her own. "Well, that's half-true, but chess is a big game and there's so many variations. You never know what you can learn from an opponent you never faced before."

The girl frowned harder, thoughtful. After a few seconds, she pulled the big pad out of her backpack and placed it on the coffee table. She turned the pad on and tapped the holo-chess app without even looking at the screen: she was challenging the Spartan with her self-righteous stare. The challenge was accepted, of course: in silence, John leaned forward on his seat across the two females, resting his elbows on his thighs, intertwining his fingers. His whole predatory stance was designed to intimidate, just like that of the child's. Sarah held her chin high.

"Easy there, Chief." Cortana said, with irony. "She's only four."

"I know." he replied, absentmindedly.

With the memory of their own game of chess fresh in her mind, Cortana decided to be a bit more protective and she sat on the floor beside their daughter, to coach her. Another thing the little girl had inherited from her father, was her relentless determination to win in any circumstance. Which meant that she was a sore loser, just like him.

To prevent a disaster that could damage any possible relationship, she chastised John with a look. If he understood, she couldn't say.

"I want the white pieces." Sarah claimed, raising her hand.

John conceded. He tapped the screen to claim the black ones.

"Do you want to play in apprentice mode, sweetie?"

"No." the little girl was sharp, decisive.

Apprentice mode was a tutorial, the board's projection would flash movement options for any selected piece in bright colors. Impressed with her daughter's confidence, Cortana raised her eyebrows and sighed.

"So, Sarah, the objective of chess is to capture the most pieces?" she asked.

"No, I must capture the king. To do that, I have to dominate the board."

The mother's smirk grew arrogant, and amazingly sweet at the same time.

"That's right. Show the Master Chief how you dominate the board."

As part of his strategy, John allowed her to make the first move.

Sarah immediately tapped her pawns, putting up a defense line in a few moves. He was familiar with the plan and proceeded accordingly, swiftly taking pieces from her grasp and approaching the center of the board with is own. To even the odds a little, Cortana gave her hints from time to time, but she didn't exactly tell her what to do.

John didn't particularly take it in a bad way, but it fueled his desire to win. If Cortana was on the other side, it was fair game. For over forty minutes, they danced around each other -the girl had a gift for teasing, she had learned well the art of distracting strategy and a couple of times nearly tricked him into making the wrong move-. She even sacrificed one of her knights, in a clever process that ended up costing him one of his rooks later. It was as impressive as it was charming, the child made noises whenever she tapped a piece: she growled when she touched the bishops and neighed when she moved the knights. However, the Spartan had already deduced her endgame and was ready to counter-attack and defeat her thoroughly.

Cortana must've noticed, because she shot him a deadly stare.

'She's only a kid. Let her win, and thus win her trust.' those eyes said.

This time, he caught the meaning. In a veiled way, the Master Chief made a mistake on purpose, leaving an opening. It took Sarah another turn to notice the opening, but once she saw it, she attacked with her remaining knight. Again, she neighed under her breath when the piece moved on the board, it was immensely cute to hear her.

"Have you ever seen a real horse?" she asked, out of the blue.

John narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Have you?"

Sarah shook her head.

"Shame." he commented, calmly. "There were wild horses on Longhorn Valley, very close to where I lived when I was a kid."

He didn't mention, of course, that Longhorn Valley was technically a dark site for one of the SPARTAN-II housing and training facilities.

"You lived on Reach?" she moved a rook to the following position.

John hummed an affirmation, evaluating the board.

Cortana's eyes went from one to the other as they spoke. The Spartan was so tall even sitting and the child was so small, even more so with her legs folded beneath her weight to fit under the coffee table. And still, they were at the same level.

A shiver of pride ran down her spine.

"Did you see white horses?"

"Yes."

"Brown horses."

"Yes."

"And black horses?"

"There were horses of all colors." John moved again, quickly.

"I like horses." Sarah mused, looking at the board with unsettling focus. "They're so pretty. I want to ride one, someday."

He didn't know what to say. Reach was glassed ten years before and it was more than likely that all the horses had perished in the event. The thought made him feel a slight pinch of sadness.

He hadn't been on Reach in ten years, either.

"I'm sure you will." the Master Chief promised, instead.

Cortana loved the serenity of his voice, deep and gruff, but reassuring. She smiled.

He moved the queen, taking Sarah's last pawn but leaving another opening on purpose. His king was mildly in danger, now, with a knight only two moves away from toppling it if he didn't do anything to prevent it. Which he wasn't planning to, no matter how much this hurt his pride. Sarah caught on with the final stage of the game and against John's every prediction, she executed a complex run with her queen, completely out of his reach, and in the following two moves she had killed his king.

"Check mate." Cortana claimed, raising her arms in the air to celebrate. "Sarah wins!"

The child laughed and stood up, excited; her mother smothered her with tight hugs and kisses while still sitting on the floor. John just observed them, a little rebel smile tugged on the side of his mouth. His chest warmed up, sensing a surge of raw emotions that felt good.

Losing didn't bother him, for some reason.

"Good game. Want a rematch?" he asked, resetting the board.

He was willing to fight for another chance to assess control. But the little girl refused.

"Maybe later. I want to finish my drawing." she said, shaking her head.

"Sarah, what do we say?" Cortana reminded her, in sobering tone.

"At the end of the game, the pawn and the queen go back into the same box." the girl recited, rolling her eyes. It was a phrase she had obviously memorized. Then, stretched over the coffee table, she extended her small hand to the Spartan. "Thank you for playing with me, Master Chief."

John blinked a few times but nodded, in the end, and offered to answer her greeting.

Sarah's eyes opened wide when she noticed the size of that hand compared with hers, how thick and strong his fingers were, how many scars they had. She resolved to shake his hand by wrapping her little fingers around his index, and that settled it. His skin prickled at the soft pressure and gentle warmth of the child's skin, unblemished, innocent. The Master Chief's lips curled up a little further, amused with her antics; but what really got him was the scent. He'd never smelled something like that before.

It was a soft perfume, sweet and undoubtedly artificial, on her clothes.

Like lemon and flowers, and honey.

The scent stuck to his nose, it warmed up his chest every time his heightened senses caught it drifting in the air. The rest of the day elapsed in peace. John enjoyed especially how Cortana cuddled the child in her arms for a short afternoon nap, holding her close and rubbing her back. It felt like a pleasant thing to do, he tamed the curiosity lurching around in his mind. Before the official bells of night-cycle, the Spartan escorted Cortana and their daughter back to their quarters. And so, he returned to his own accommodations, alone but deeply pleased.

There would be a very special visit later, in the wee hours of the dead-shift.

x.x.x.x.x

She was at the limit of her strength, again.

On her knees and facing away from him, Cortana arched her back, propping her ass up so the angle of the penetration would go deeper. With a strangled moan, she threw her arms back and her desperate hands grazed the back of her Spartan's head, ruffling his short hair, breathing hard. He was almost out of her reach, one strong arm wrapped around her waist, his free hand delving between her legs to add more excitement to her already spicy evening. Her eyes rolled back, as her head did.

Big mistake, she left her neck all in the open. He was quick to attack it.

Sitting on his heels on the hard-grated floor, the Master Chief continued thrusting into his mate, grunting low against her soft skin. The erotic way she mewled and squeezed him with her inner muscles was about to push him off the edge.

"It was so hot, John." Cortana moaned, bouncing against his hips. "You have no idea how much it turned me on, to see you being so sweet to her, so gentle…"

"She's a good girl." he growled.

Cortana sighed when his demanding pushes slowed down a little, she leaned her weight back onto his groin and closed her thigs together. She smirked, purring, feeling him swell inside. His restraint was about to snap.

"I want another baby!" she begged him: "I want a dozen! I want to see you lying on the ground, covered in our children!"

He didn't stop to think about how amusing that idea was, her sensual words only made him more ravenous. Cuddling her tighter, he increased the pace.

"Yes, ma'am." John answered, close to her ear. "That's going to be fun."

She sensed the devilish smile on his lips. Her blood ignited on the spot.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum!" Cortana hissed, out of air.

She took him down with her, or more like, he took her along for the ride. The Spartan quickly pushed her down, holding the female with her cheek to the floor, and held his own massive weight hovering above her back with one hand as he increased the pace, relentless. He withstood the convulsion of her body with the last of his strength, until finally couldn't hold it back at all and allowed himself to fill her womb again.

The wild, animal impulses dominating them both soon would bear fruit, at such a rate.

Panting and twitching slightly, Cortana dropped her hands limp onto the floor. He bent over her with care, holding her close, and kissed her hair.

"You're going to be the death of me, Cortana." he gasped, with a smirk.

Beneath him, she giggled.

x.x.x.x.x

The UNSC Wayward Son was just thirty hours away, as per the latest report, but it was meaningless. More important things were happening at Cairo.

Although John didn't find it in himself to join the conversation unless he was asked a direct question, he was content with overseeing Cortana and Sarah's activities thorough the day. There was something captivating about the way they interacted, he didn't want to miss a single thing the girls did even if it was just the child drawing the afternoon-cycle away and her mother working on her pad, answering queries and making calls.

He studied them in silence, from the padded bench across from them, relaxing with his arms crossed and boots firmly planted on the floor.

Like a good leader, the Master Chief made sure to keep an eye in the surroundings.

Sporadically, an Asian woman stopped by to share a meal and talk to Cortana: Doctor Ellen Anders. John recognized her from their turbulent days on the Spirit of Fire, but he didn't intervene beyond a cordial greeting. The SPARTAN-IV that had escorted them all the way to Cairo kept themselves out of sight, but John knew they were around, doing their jobs. Two of them had been his trainees. He accounted for and tracked every single person that moved within their sensitive area, had taken notice of all exits and blind-spots. He carried only his sidearm, concealed, but ready and standing on attention. Nobody would harm his girls as long as he were there.

Cortana noticed his stare, from time to time she smiled or winked at him. Sometimes she rubbed her daughter's shoulder or head. The Spartan found himself wishing he could do the same.

Maybe just touch her hair, or…

At some point in her artistic crusade, Sarah grabbed her mother's hand and placed it on top of the pad's screen. Cortana sprayed her fingers, so the girl could trace the shape with her index. When she was done, Sarah put her own little hand inside the silhouette of her mommy's and drew the smaller shape as well.

Cortana tilted her head, curious.

"What are you doing, sweetie?"

"I'm drawing your hand and my hand. And some day we will draw Papa's hand too."

Sarah took her hand away and began to paint the background.

John's attention got poked when he noticed how Cortana's face twisted in a gloomy expression. No, Sarah wasn't talking about Lasky, it was obvious. The Spartan sensed his mate's emotions, just as if she were next to him and shivering in his embrace. The mother swallowed hard, putting her own pad aside. Then, she knelt beside the table and pulled a silver chain out of the collar of her button-up shirt.

"Sarah, do you remember what these are?"

The girl's eyes brightened.

"Those are my Papa's tags." she said, nodding fast. "He gave them to you."

John felt the blood rush violently inside his veins.

"He did. But he can't be out there being awesome if he doesn't have a pair of his own, too. So, he got another one after we separated." Cortana explained, softly. "Remember what I told you about that?"

"Papa John has tags just like yours."

"Exactly."

Then, she looked over her shoulder at John. She signaled him to approach with a nod.

He hesitated, at first, but a stronger need pushed him to obey. The Spartan dropped to one knee by his mate's side, resting an elbow on his thigh to keep balance. His impressive shade covered them both, being larger than life as he was. Gently, Cortana sneaked a hand under his shirt collar and pulled the chain out.

Sarah's big steel-blue eyes were suspicious, she still didn't like being close to this big man that was named just like her father.

"Look, sweetie." Cortana whispered, placing her pair of tags next to John's.

The child stepped closer, wary and keeping a watchful eye on the man, studied the tags for a moment. Her attention went from one pair to the other, comparing, reading, and ever so slowly her eyebrows became un-furrowed.

She ended up more confused than defensive.

"They're the same." Sarah blurted out, confused. "But… those are my Papa's tags."

"Yes!" Cortana broke a wider smile, excited. "Do you understand what this means?"

Sarah's face was serene, like carved in stone, but the look in her eyes reflected distress. John sensed the shift in the atmosphere and thought about what he could do to turn the tide. It made him overly uneasy to sense the little girl's anxiety. His hand ached with the need to grab her small fingers and give her some form of comfort, but what was he supposed to do? He wouldn't want to be touched if he were in a similar situation, not until he had processed the information entirely.

The child surprised them both: she took another step with resolve and extended her tiny hand to grab the tags hanging from John's neck. The frown returned, menacing; arrogance took over her sweet voice:

"You don't look awesome." she blurted out, still frowning. "You look old."

John blinked a couple of times, stunned.

Cortana closed her eyes, red-faced, and pressed her lips in a thin, hard line to hold back a sudden burst of laughter. On his part, the Spartan frowned harder than the girl did, turning his face scarier than originally intended.

"Well, wait until you see my awesome armor." he replied, all smug as well.

John put himself at the child's level so effortlessly…

It was hilarious. Cortana was incapable to restrain herself anymore, she just exploded laughing, covering her face with both her hands, touched by the stare competition father and daughter had decided to engage in. She leaned onto John's arm to hide her face and the tears that ran down her cheeks, both of happiness and of laughter.

Sarah let go of his tags, at last, shifting the frown for a toothy, bright smile, showing off a cute little gap between her front teeth.

One that the Spartan replied slowly, invaded by relief at last.

x.x.x.x.x

John flinched slightly when the heat of a small hand caught his pinkie; he stopped dead on his tracks. They were watching the Wayward Son as it docked on the side of the station, getting ready to unload passengers and cargo. The viewport bathed them in warm light, the sun was setting down the curve of Earth. When he tilted his head down to look at the child, Sarah was holding his hand by the finger, rubbing her eyes with her other fist.

"Papa, I'm tired." she said, softly.

Her voice was so sweet, it made his spine prickle with joyful satisfaction.

But he was frozen in place, looking at the kid like she'd grown a horn on the forehead.

Papa. She called him Papa.

It had to be the first time after their 'introduction' that she approached him straight up, speaking to him directly.

He didn't notice Cortana's presence until, suddenly, she was there beside him. A grave mistake that, in a combat situation, would've costed him his life. He was being too sloppy, what the fuck was going on with his reflexes? John unconsciously identified any possible threat within the area but was blind to those two females, and he had no idea of why.

"It's past your nap-time, sweetie." Cortana said, thoughtful. "Let's find a comfy place to sleep, okay?"

Sarah nodded but instead of going to her mother, she tugged on John's pants.

"Papa John, I want to nap." the girl insisted, now yawning.

She threw her arms up, giving him a very clear cue to act upon.

The Spartan's eyes met Cortana's, panicking inside.

"Well, pick her up. Your daughter wants to nap." the mother said, shrugging.

John blinked, confused. "What?"

"Pick her up. I'll find us a quiet spot."

"Elizabeth, I…"

She stretched her hand to touch the side of his face, lovingly. He had to fight with all of his strength to resist the impulse to lean into her warmth. The smile on Cortana's lips was so powerful that he was speechless, again.

"Do what comes natural, Chief." she whispered.

He wanted to kiss her, so bad.

But the kid kept tugging on his pant's leg, more eager now.

Instinct compelled him to protect. The child wanted to sleep.

So, obeying a stray impulse, the Spartan did as he saw fit and sneaking his hands under the little girl's armpits, he pulled her up and close, perching her on one of his arms. Sarah's response was automatic: she cuddled up. She knew she would be safe with him.

Of course, he wasn't ready for it…

It was another system shock. The moment he stood back up carrying her, John became immensely aware of the child. She was so, so close, breathing on his neck; the smell of the baby perfume on her clothes and the insignificant weight of her tiny body, nuzzling and throwing her small arms around his thick neck. Sarah hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder; she sighed-yawned, twisting one of her pigtails between her fingers.

Cortana chuckled, deeply pleased. She guided them to a corner of the observation deck, quiet and away from prying eyes under the amber light. They found a perfect spot to rest, with a comfortable padded bench big enough for ten, to watch the sun disappear. Following the instructions, John dropped carefully onto the seat, holding Sarah against his chest. The girl's eyes were closing, she yawned again.

So small compared to her mighty father, a little monkey clutching to a giant.

Cortana sat right next to him, hooking her hand under his thick arm.

"See John?" she whispered in his ear, after kissing his cheek fondly. "Did I lie to you? Are you not holding your baby in your arms, now?"

He swallowed hard, turning his head to meet her warm sapphire gaze.

Her smile was, again, dazzling enough to render him mute.

"And I'm watching you hold her." she added later, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Cortana brushed it off with the back of her hand. "I can take her, if you want. She's almost dead asleep, won't know the difference."

Those were not the kind of tears that made him uneasy, so he didn't worry.

John shook his head. "No. It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I got her."

Overjoyed to the deepest corners of her soul, Cortana didn't miss the way the Master Chief's hand trembled, slightly, as he ran his fingers down the child's spine, soothing her. Sarah relaxed completely in his hold, her breath easy and carefree. She was knocked out, her small fists clutching the loose flaps of his uniform's shirt. The Spartan relaxed his massive body against the backrest, but his piercing attention to the environment increased, folding again into a vigilant stance. Classic John.

'Looks like you can make a father out of the Spartan, but you can't take the Spartan out of the father.' Cortana thought, immensely proud.

A few minutes went by, occupied only by the ambient buzz of soft elevator-like music. He took a deep breath, reaching at last that peace he'd been wishing for so long. Four years and almost nine months.

Sarah twitched and whimpered in his arms, clutching him closer…

The natural response was to softly rub her back.

"I'm here, love." John whispered, against his baby's hair.

Before he could even notice her stunt, Cortana snapped a picture with her pad.

After dinner that same night-cycle, the girl demanded that he put his huge hand on the pad's surface, so she could trace it on top of the other two shapes and complete her art. Still a little bit reluctant, he conceded and did as she asked; being so involved all of a sudden had him off balance. It would take some time to process and understand it all.

But he acknowledged these unknown responses, just like Sarah was accepting him.

UNSC WAYWARD SON (on route to Planet REACH)

NOVEMBER OF 2562

"This is for me?" John asked, stunned.

The locker room was busy, lots of people were getting ready to enter the cryopods. The trip to Reach would take fourteen weeks traveling in slipspace with barely a skeleton crew. To save up on resources, energy and supplies, all passengers were to be stacked up in stasis. Cortana was already standing beside them in her underwear, a fact that didn't bother him only because John was absorbed in his daughter's frown, crouching in front of her.

He didn't want to go into cryo.

He knew the trip would be like the blink of an eye, he would wake up again in a couple of seconds and they would be back on Reach's orbit.

But he didn't want to blink, he didn't want to keep missing things.

"I wanted to make one for you too." Sarah informed him. "Mama said I should make it long because you have big hands. But it's too long, I didn't do it right."

"We can wrap it twice over." he was quick to reply.

And proceeded to show the little girl what he meant. John took the little knit braid from her hands and gave it two turns around his wrist, then held it up for her tie the ends. It was just fine. Her face brightened when she noticed, and she secured the colorful bracelet with a perfect tiny knot. The Spartan showed her the charm shaped like a feather, dangling from the braid.

"Thank you. It's very pretty." he said, with a small smile.

Sarah pursed her lips in a way that reminded a lot to Cortana and blushed a little.

Another one of those strange impulses took over John's confidence, and he just lurched down to press his lips gently on his daughter's forehead. To be able to express how deeply he cherished her gave the Spartan immense instant relief: it wasn't as hard as he had first thought. And it felt good, like something he should do more often.

To know that he would have the time to do it more often felt even better.

The best thing was that Sarah didn't resist or back away. Instead, the little girl leaped to wrap her arms around his neck and planted a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek herself.

Cortana snapped another picture, with a huge grin on her face.

TO BE CONTINUED

Wasn't this sickeningly cute? LOL Trying to define how this man would react to his baby girl defying him is funny. She needs some discipline, thank God daddy will turn her into fine Spartan material by the time she's all grown up. Well, I hope you enjoyed, next week we'll have more emotions and big events in the life of our favorite Spartan(s).

Now, some commentary for our non-logged readers!

B93, my sweet, I'm glad you had a good time with the previous chapter and hopefully you enjoyed yourself in this one too :3 I had a lot of fun writing it, for sure. Thanks for stopping by!

lol LIZZY OF DUNWICH you were on a WARPATH last week! I agree with you wholeheartedly on who's to blame when you're cheated on, because cheating is a matter of two consenting people and at least one of them had a previous commitment that was disrespected. The committed part should be the first one to get roasted. In this case, let's consider that John is focused on the possible challengers that might show up to fight his claim on Cortana. So, yeah, he kinda dumps it all on the other dude, but then he is angry at her too because it finally sinks in and he grasps the full meaning of what happened. Or so he thinks. Anyway, things got explained. Oh, darling, if you only knew how much I've cried writing some parts of this story… it does hurt. But it's necessary, so I soldier on as best as I can :P A little note on the comment you dedicated to the user Dream of Starlight; I feel you, when you say you hate seeing how works that you produced with a passion fly under the radar unnoticed. My biggest disappointment in that area is when some random Tumblr's headcanon becomes hugely popular for absolutely no reason (usually, it's either illogical or plain dumb and incoherent) and suddenly every fanfic adapts that headcanon as truth. And when someone writes ignoring that headcanon or proposing, you know, a more logical or canon-aligned headcanon, then nobody cares and it doesn't even get looked at, as you said. Been there, done that. Then we ask ourselves why 50 Shades of Gray was a best-seller. I'm glad that you had a good time with their reunion, overall, hopefully you find this chapter amusing too ;) thanks so much for all your insights!

To the GUEST that speaks of hotness and melodrama… well, hopefully the melodrama is over. IDK, thanks for stopping by!

And last but not less important, the friend FROG31791, lots of respect for your service; also, it makes me smile like a lunatic whenever someone says they can't wait to read more, it's the ultimate compliment, really. Thank you so much for supporting!

Thank you very much for the support, as usual! Please consider leaving your thoughts in the box below, I love reading your reactions to these shenanigans! Only happy endings from now on!