Up on a tower, high enough to get a beautiful view of the area but low enough to stay warm and not need oxygen, a gathering was being held. A large table was set and the scent of meat getting smoked and grilled could be smelt. Vegetables being done the same way, filling the air with a mouth-watering scent.
Multiple simulation rooms were brought in for people to use, teleportation rings set up and faintly glowing with power.
Again, multiple versions of the same charters could be seen mingling and talking. Some however were new. Shepherds from different playthroughs were mingling and talking with Guardians and followers of the author. Squads of Spartans were talking and messing around. Huntsmen and Huntresses were spread out and talking.
Summer and a version of John were watching over their daughters as they fired different high-powered weapons while a Guardian with blue skin and hair pointed things out about the weapons they were firing. Armored Summer, aka Noble, was talking to a Krogan in red armor.
All in all, just a perfect scene. And again he could see Salam mingling with charters, one in particular just gushing over the child versions of Team RWBY and saying that she can't wait for her John and Ruby to get hitched.
Red smiled as he looked over the sean.
" A moment of peace in a war that never ends." he uttered under his breath.
" What was that?" someone asked.
Red looked over and saw a good friend of his that he met. Spartan-626.
" Just a line from The Christmas Truce by Sabaton."
626 let out an " Ah" and joined him in looking over the people.
" Is it me or is that Xur?" he asked as he pointed to the tentacle-faced agent of the Nine.
" Does he have Galie for sale?" Red asked with a chuckle.
" Doubt it."
They both turned to the landscape as they heard the sound of an approaching Phantom. It was heavily armored and red in the Banished colors.
" Well, looks like Infinite is here." Red said as he bounced off the rail to meet their new guests. The side door opened and Fernando Esparza aka BroHammer dropped down with The Master Chief in his Gen III. On the other side, Jager and Esscharum dropped to the ground.
" I have been here for not even one second and I am already hungry." Esherum said.
" Nice of you guys to join us." Red said, extending his hand to the newcomers.
They took it and shook. The Chief and Pilot with a firm handshake, Jaga with a death grip, and Esheram threatening to break his hand. It was only stopped when he sniffed the air.
" What is that delicious smell?" he said, taking a big ol whiff.
" That would be the smoking of meat. Hope you brought your appetite. We are going to have a lot." Red said, shaking his hand to ease the damn near broken bones.
" Oh, I think I found a human that I like."
Red shook his head as he invited them further into the tower and to the booths of games and simulators as well as snack tables.
John moved to one of his duplicates clad in Gen-III with the command stripes. They shook and spoke for a few minutes getting acquainted. This Chief being from a One-Shot that had him marrying Team RWBY. They walked off to meet some of the others and find something to do.
" Hey, where did John and Summer go?" 626 asked suddenly.
Red looked around to see if he could spot the white-cloaked mom and beast of a husband.
" I thought they were watching over the girls as they shoot some Destiny weapons." Red said.
" Do you think she found a hidey-hole and is currently pulling a quickie?"
" Knowing her, it would not surprise me. She has a thirst that can't be quenched it seems."
626 nodded, " And why did you make her that way again?"
" I don't know anymore."
They went back to the railing and looked out on the city again.
" So, any hopes or dreams for 2022? Aside from doing everything to keep 2020 and 2021 in that past."
Red took a breath. " Honestly, I just don't know anymore. I get the feeling the world has gone to shit in a handbasket and that we are going to get called home. Could be wrong but it would not surprise me."
" That's pessimistic, but I feel the same."
" Maybe. Just too much shit going on."
There was a pause.
" Want to talk about it?"
In another part of the tower, we can see a door open with a silver eye being seen peeking out. The door opened and Sumer walked out as nonchalantly as possible with John walking out with her shaking his head.
" Did you need to force me into, what is this, a Janitor's closet?" John asked.
Summer giggled, " Because a quickie in a public place like this is kind of hot. I wore the crotchless pantie hose for a reason. A nice cramped room, back pressed against the wall, you deep in me with my legs wrapped around your waist with your face sucking on my boobies, your cum filling me up, and all the while the only thing keeping us hidden is a single cheap wooden door. Oh, if we got caught, that would be embarrassing but oh so much of a turn on." she said as she fixed her skirt, " Plus this would be the last time we get written about having some adult time in 2021."
" You do realize that Red is still writing our chapter and could possibly have it alluded to? And that we left our girls to shoot overkill guns under a random supervisor." John pointed out.
" Oh, they are fine." Summer replied. Five seconds later she shot towards her daughters to make sure they did not kill someone.
" Did you two really go in there for a quickie?"
" It's Christmas. The least I can do is be civil." John turned and saw Jaga looking at him with what looked like a smirk of knowing what they had just done.
" You are lucky we are not in the same story." John said in a deadpan tone.
Jaga chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
" I am too new to what is going on around here, you are going to need to show me around."
" For an Elite that is supposed to be a Spartan Killer and killed hundreds if not thousands, you are pretty polite." John said as he began walking.
Jaga gave a "Hmp" as he was led around and shown what was what.
Back with Red, he looked out not so much amongst the city but up into the sky. A nice bright blue gradually going into a darker blue. A few jets were flying through the air that caught his attention.
" I always loved flying. Getting up high and just looking down on your problems from above. Gives you a new perspective." he let out more to himself.
" Head stuck in the clouds?"
Red turned and saw a Ruby approach.
" Oly Oly Oxen Free?" he asked.
" Noble Rose actually." she said.
" No, not really. Just the inner pilot in me yearning for some altitude." he said.
She chuckled.
" We do have flying simulators here, you know."
" Been in, flew, had a great time. Nothing like the real thing though."
They shared a laugh and turned back to the table to grab a drink and possibly some sausage and cheese.

Midnight was approaching and with it, a new year. Everyone had eaten and partook in games. Esherum ate almost all of the meat that was made but they had plenty more. Damn Brute could eat a whole onion bomb in one bite.
Aside from that incident, everyone had fun. Rocket fights in some of the smallest maps in Halo and Destiny Franchises with their own boom tubes, to the largest maps with snipers, Vehicle mayhem. Some just went in to find easter eggs hidden in the maps and locations.
" It's almost midnight. Got anything you want to be left in 2021 that should not be brought into 2022?" 626 asked as he approached Red.
" Can't say. Things that I would like to leave here in 2021 I have no control over for the most part. But can diminish in 22. You?"
626 shrugged. " Kind of in the same boat."
" Well, no ceremony to seal away an ancient evil or anything like that. Just spending time with friends from all over the world." Red said, " I think I jinxed it last year."
626 chuckled. " One can make the argument…but wouldn't that mean you just jinxed it again."
" Maybe. It won't be long before we go our ways again and wait till next year. I hope things go well for everyone. It may take a day, but I do intend on shaking and embracing everyone here before they head back to their separate games or stories."
" I'll join you in that. I am curious what Salam will do in Oly Oly Oxen Free when you get John and Ruby to tie the knot."
" Hmph, aside from gaining all the softy points? Probably try and sabotage it. Not sure."
" Well, we only have an hour or so left before 22 arrives. Want to grab a drink?"
Red gave a mirthful chuckle. " Could use one. I found this summer edition rum that is really good. Orange Cream Rum mixed with an orange cream soda, ohhh. Became a favorite of mine."
" Dude, it is the middle of winter. How do you even have that if it is a summer edition?"
Red just smiled.
" You bought a bunch before they stopped, didn't you?" it was a statement, not a question.
They both walked up to a bar and grabbed their drinks.
" Cheers!" they said in unison.
" How about a BTB with everyone before we hit 22?"
626 smiled. " You are on. One last match of 2021."

" Just a few minutes left." Jaune said as he held Ruby. Or he hoped it was his Ruby. The last thing he needed was to get beaten by John or from that insane S-III because he held the wrong girl.
" Relax. Noble Rose. Same as you." she said, leaning into his embrace.
Jaune chucked, " With so many copies of us in one place, I can't help but feel nervous about who is who."
She chuckled as she looked over and saw one of the Guardians were dancing with another shaking his head….and oh would you look at that, one jumped off the tower.
" Well you two, let's make this memorable." came a new voice.
They turned to see the black-clad woman known as Salam walking towards them, camera in hand and drink in the other. She held the camera up in silent permission for a photo op.
Nodding, they let her put them in the pose she wanted and took the photo.
" Thank you, sweeties. I would like to have one with all of us. Not just our story, but the others as well." She said slurring her words ever so slightly. " Do you think they would like that?"
" I don't see why not. It would be good to have as a nice souvenir." Ruby said as she began to look around to see if she could find Red and get him to make an announcement. She spotted him coming out of the simulator with 626, smiling and laughing the whole way. She sewed her way to them and asked about a whole group photo.
" Not a bad idea." he said as grabbed the mic for the PA.
" Group photo in front of the railing. One minute." he said, making people bumrush for the location like it was Black Friday.
" Where are Summer and John?" 626 asked, seeing the two absent.
" Right behind you." came Summers' voice.
They turned and saw the two. John shook his head and Summer with a content smile and licked her lips like she was making sure she had nothing on them.
Red gave them a look.
" Did she really?"
John nodded.
" Summer, -sigh- you could have saved that till after."
" I am sure I could have, but I wanted my snack." she said not even having the decency to sound ashamed.
" Get in the group for the picture." Red said, chuckling.
" Why not join us on the walk you two?" John asked.
" Was going too." Red said with 626 joining in alongside them
They joined in the crowd and with the help of Glyph, Liara T'soni's holographic buttler, we got a massive photo with everyone in it.
We had Summer and John lip-locked with the girls hugging it out.
Noble Natsuki/Summer Rose had her team of RWBYS around her doing their own thing with Shadow flipping Red off.
John and Ruby from Oly Oly Oxen Free were embraced with Yang and Fred being in a heated lip lock.
As for any Guardians in the photo, some were emoting in polite poses. Some in crazy poses and others going full Guardian and jumping off the tower.
" MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they all shouted in unison as the clock struck midnight.

/

Hey guys, how's it going? I know the last chapter here was a End of the year chapter...and that it took a year for me to update this...I promise that I did not abandon this piece of work. Just had a few projects in the fire. I do have ideas I want to put in, but priorities.

But with all that said and done, I just got one thing to say...

Fly Fast, Check Six, and I will see you all on the virtual battlefield.