Chapter Forty-Three: Roll With the Punches

2401 Hours, March 15, 2552. Phase Two, City of Cote D'Azur. "The Ides of March," Planet Sigma Octanus IV. Day Twenty-Eight of the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV

"Happy Birthday, Coop."

A grin began to appear on my face, small at first but gradually growing larger. I couldn't believe he was going to do this again.

"You ass," I said, grinning ear-to-ear. "I swear, Will, if you've sent me another birthday video of you mock-stripping, I'm going to throttle you."

Last year, on my birthday, Willis thought I'd get a kick out of such a video. Admittedly, it definitely wasn't a bad assumption on his part; I had indeed enjoyed it. What I hadn't enjoyed, however, was the severe reprimand I'd received when my commander had found it on my datapad. I was slapped with a "possession of contraband material", given a long lecture, and had to clean the barracks head as punishment. I didn't help my case much when I protested that it was only a joke on my husband's part, and nothing like the real thing. He hadn't, after all, gone so far as to strip completely naked.

Thank God. Otherwise, I'd have really been in hot water.

I'd explained the story later to Willis, and despite my angry tone, he'd found the whole thing hilarious. And so, it wouldn't have been very surprising if he'd chosen to do the same act this year. I had to say that I'd been amused by the odd turn of events as well, but I'd never admit that to my husband, of course. He was supposed to feel bad for getting me in trouble, and instead he had only laughed harder.

I'll get back at you, Will. Don't you worry, I thought smugly. I'd been planning such a move for his birthday this year, but I decided it would be more of a blindside if I postponed it. After all, I had over nine months to record something good: Willis's twenty-fifth birthday had been in January.

And today, finally, it was mine.

My husband's annual recorded birthday message began to play on my datapad a minute after midnight. Fortunately, pre-loaded messages for holidays and the like were allowed by UNSC military mail regulations---as long as they followed strict rules. This year's video was dated in October of 2551, several months after we'd both had shore leave together.

"So? How's it feel to be twenty-five like me, Coop?" Willis asked, speaking as though he'd recorded his message in the present. "Did you enjoy having a couple of months where you could pretend you were a year younger?"

"You are asking for it, Mister," I said to Willis's smirking face on the video.

After a long pause, he winked at me and added, "Just kidding, honey."

So the man does know his place, I thought with a smirk.

"Well, I've got a lot of people here who want to give you their best wishes, so I'll keep my speech short, sweet, and to the point. I love you, Natalie, and I hope this message finds you safe and well on your big day. You are my everything, Coop, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Hope to see you soon, honey." Willis suddenly bent down and out of the frame, and a moment later his face reappeared. My husband was now holding a small box up against his cheek. "See? Here's the present I got you. I'll give it to you the next time I see you after your birthday, but in the meantime, you can have fun guessing." He flashed that gorgeous smile of his at me, and I started to blush despite myself.

Willis then leaned closer to the camera, and he had that mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. "Of course, I'll have to wait till we see each other face-to-face to give you your real present. If I showed it to you now, this video would probably get censored and confiscated," he said, winking at me a second time.

"Eww! Will, you're so disgusting!" I heard somewhere off-camera. Suddenly, a fist came into view to the right of the camera as my best friend and Willis's little sister, Jamie, punched him in the arm.

I had to bite my lower lip to keep from laughing hysterically. Jamie had no idea that her older brother was actually alluding to the mock-strip fiasco.

"Ow! Jamie, you don't even know what I'm talking about!" Willis argued.

"Come on, Will! How stupid do you think I am?"

"You're not even supposed to be here! Everyone gets a private filming, genius. That was the rule."

"Yeah, well, now you're breaking different rules---"

Willis stood from the chair he'd been sitting on, and in the background I could see him playfully shove his sister out the door.

"Sorry 'bout that, Coop," he said once he was seated again. "But you know how she can be, right? Anyway, I love you and happy birthday, Natalie!"

Jamie came storming back into the room then, and my husband gave up his seat before she got really angry. Sitting on the chair, Jamie looked over her shoulder to make sure Willis was gone before she began.

"Seriously, Coop, I have no clue how you can put up with him. Why can't you see that he's an inconsiderate perv?" She sighed, then finally grinned. "But, he's a good older brother, and I know he loves you a lot. Plus, you guys gave me the best little nephew in the world!

"And happy birthday! Twenty-five, Coop, that sounds like an exciting age! I just hope you're not spending it on some miserable and war-torn planet. Let's hope that by the time Gabe's second birthday comes around, this whole mess will be over. I hope I get to see you soon, Natalie, and please, save my brother from himself. Remember, you're the only one who can do it. Love you like a sister, Coop!" Jamie waved, and then walked out of the room.

Willis and Jamie's parents recorded a short message next, wishing me a festive day and telling me how much they loved their grandson. The video seemed to cut out then, but after a moment I saw Willis walk back into the room. This time, he was holding our son.

"Here's a surprise for ya, Cooper," Willis said, smiling into the camera. He glanced down at Gabriel, sitting in his lap, and whispered, "Can you say 'happy birthday', Gabe?"

Gabriel, barely a year old at the time of the recording, just smiled and giggled.

"Seems to me our boy's a little camera shy, Coop," Willis said, turning his attention back to the center of the video. "But, I know he'd like to wish you a very happy birthday, and many more to come."

Willis gently grabbed one of Gabe's arms and had him wave. After that, the video ended with the pair grinning widely at me.

I sat there staring at the blank datapad screen for a while longer, smiling to myself. Willis had definitely made up for his botched attempt at humor the year before with this adorable video. Perhaps it was time to forgive and forget, right?

I smirked. You're not getting yourself out of this one, Will. I know how you operate, and it's on.

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It didn't take long for the ugly reality of my current situation to return to the forefront of my mind. In all honesty, I hadn't even thought of my birthday these past few weeks---or even the past few months, for that matter. All I'd had time to think about was how to keep my Marines and myself alive.

At the moment, however, I was acutely aware of the fact that I was still breathing.

Eight days had passed since I'd taken that fall out of the three-story window, courtesy of a nasty Elite. Doc Reynolds had wanted me to stay immobile and out of the fighting for over a week; instead, I was back in command of Bravo Company in two days. I knew it wasn't the best choice for my health, but it was what my company needed. I had promised myself after the battle in the Heathan forest that I'd never leave my Marines, no matter what, and I was keeping that promise.

Even if it meant I had to endure all this damn pain.

I'd had awful headaches the first few days after the fall, and my ribs still hurt when I inhaled. During my first perimeter watch, I'd also suffered from an intense bout of dizziness that nearly sent me tumbling to the ground. And hell, I'd vomited more in the days following the accident than when I'd had morning sickness with Gabe. Concussions sucked.

The Covenant, of course, didn't take a break just because I was in terrible shape. On the contrary, the bastards increased the number and severity of their attacks against our lines. Low on all kinds of supplies by now, my company was barely hanging on; I had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before the Covies penetrated our thin and worn out lines.

But if they succeeded, that would be the end of everything we'd worked so hard to save. If our perimeter collapsed, the Covenant would slaughter Bravo, occupy the city, and get whatever it was they had come for. Once that happened, the aliens would high tail it off-planet and glass the rest of the surface.

Ultimately, failure to hold the lines guaranteed our deaths.

Motivated by this knowledge and the fact that I'd been feeling better the past two days, I made another trip around the perimeter. Most of the Marines I saw looked hungry, tired, and haggard. Those I spoke to also had caked blood and dirt on their uniforms, and a good portion had at least minor wounds from the weeks of constant combat.

Some took advantage of my presence on their post and removed their helmets; that's when I saw the beaded sweat, the sunken eyes, and the gaunt faces. If you were to judge their collective state of mind by looks alone, you'd say we didn't stand a chance against the Covenant.

But, despite everything, Bravo Company had yet to suffer its fourth victim since I'd taken command. We'd gone two weeks without having to list a Marine as KIA, and that had boosted morale throughout the company. I could only hope that the inspiring but brief speeches I gave to the platoons had positive effects, too.

If only Major Andreas's battalion would have reached us, maybe we would have had a better shot at surviving. Well, maybe we ended up buying some other UNSC forces more time, I thought to myself. I just hope we did some good, any good, as long as I know we're not going to die in vain.

"Mind if I sit with you for a moment?"

"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my reverie and glancing up. The sudden movement of my neck sent my head whirling. Good thing I was already sitting down.

Lieutenant Dean Lewis took off his helmet and smiled. "I'll take that as a yes, Natalie."

He sat down next to me, and then brought his knees up to his chest, mimicking my seated position.

"What brings you my way, Dean?" I asked him, pulling off my own helmet. God, was it nice to breathe fresh air every once in a while. Well, as fresh as air on a battlefield could be, I supposed.

"Just came to see how you were recovering."

I gave him a rueful smile. "Let's just say I'll be living out my last few days in pain. But at least I'll know I didn't skip out on my duty."

Lewis was quiet for a moment before he replied.

"Natalie," he began slowly, "I must confess I heard about your feud with Lieutenant Smythe. For the record, you should know that nearly dying from a wound does not qualify as abandoning your men, or your post. From what I understand, Smythe was just an arseface trying to push your buttons, nothing more. Don't take whatever he said to heart, Natalie. I've seen what you do every day for these Marines, and the last thing I'd call such devoted attention and concern is abandonment."

I couldn't help but shake my head at the irony. "That lucky son of a bitch. He transferred just after my husband gave him a good scare, and then the invasion began." I glanced at the red-haired lieutenant and offered him a small grin. "But thanks, Dean. Coming from you, that means a lot."

Lieutenant Lewis grinned back. "Just thought you should hear the truth before we depart from this world."

We were both silent for a few minutes, just sitting quietly side-by-side.

"Today's my birthday," I said after a while. "And you know what's funny? I had no idea until I received a pre-recorded message from my family."

The other lieutenant's blue eyes lit up. "Really? Well, happy birthday, Cooper."

"Thanks, Dean."

"Am I allowed to inquire as to your new age?"

I shrugged. "Why the hell not?" Might as well forget about silly taboos at a time like this, I thought. "Twenty-five. I'm now officially twenty-five years old."

Lieutenant Lewis nodded. "I'm sorry you had to experience a shift to your next year of life this way. Shame it's going to come to a rather abrupt end."

I snorted. "Yeah, you could say that again."

"Shame it's going to---"

I chuckled, and Lewis grinned briefly.

"Dean, what's my son going to do without me?" I asked a moment later, serious again.

"Not sure, Natalie. I keep asking myself the same question about my daughter," the lieutenant answered.

"How old is she?"

"Three. Emma is beautiful, just like her mother." Dean smiled, no doubt picturing their faces. His expression changed after a moment and he turned to look at me. "What about your little one?"

"Gabe will be two in a few months." I quickly ran both of my hands over my face and took a deep, painful breath. "Fuck, Dean. I don't want to die here. I want to see my kid and my husband again."

"I know, mate," Lewis said. "If I told you I didn't feel the same way about my family and this horrible situation, I'd be lying. We'll just have to fight, Natalie. Fight to the very last."

"Yeah," I said. "We'll go down swingin'."