James woke up to a head moving on his chest. He looked down and saw Vince sleeping on top of him, using said chest as a pillow. He smiled. It was amazing how a person looked when they were not faced with their stress.

He paused to think about that; for such a sweet person, Vince had a great deal of stress in his life. He had a father who wanted him to be someone he would never be. Now that James thought about it he had no idea what kind of mother Vince had or even if he had one. He was being constantly beat up to the point of needing hospitalization.

No more. It would not happen again. James would make sure Vince would never be harmed again. Vince was now his to protect.

James leaned forward and kissed Vince's blond hair softly.

So softly, James almost didn't hear himself he whispered, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you again. I promise."

"So he knows."

"Yes. Are you relieved?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure I ever wanted him to know."

"To hide such a thing would not be good for either of you. I know you are still in pain, Caboose but he is gone and is not coming back."

So sure about that are we Franz?

"I know but it just hurts to think about him, to see him in James. I can't lose James."

Light was coming into the room in the form of a sliver that cast itself onto the desk, reflecting off of papers scattered over the surface. Everything had a purple tinge to it. Franz, the Artificial Intelligence crafted for a program long gone, stood tall as he looked at a member of a heavily celebrated program. The SPARTAN was in pain; this anyone could see.

Caboose pulled at his blond hair a little before meeting the gaze of the AI. "Franz, I need you to help me. I can't do this without your guidance."

Franz didn't say anything for a long moment.

You once told me never to keep things from him; it would be hypocritical of you to keep this from him.

"Caboose, I will not always be here. An AI has a life span of 7 years. I am only here today because I have just spent the last seventeen dormant. I can not always be here. You will need to learn how to get along without me. Find a way how to talk to James; he will listen."

Caboose's vision got a little blurry as his eyes filled with tears. He nodded. Everyone around me is going to die.

It's a part of life, Caboose. By now I would think you would have gotten used to it.

"I can't talk to James. We never have been on good terms and now I'm afraid that we never will be."

"He wants you to listen. He wants to listen. He still needs you. Tell him otherwise you will lose him forever."

Yeah, just like you almost lost me forever, remember?

"Just try it. Please."

Caboose nodded. "Okay."

"Remember about Scott."

"Shit."

What?

"Yeah, I forgot about him." Caboose looked at the calendar and sighed. "Tomorrow. Damn it. I wish I had more time."

I wanted more time too, remember?

"You're not getting more time."

Caboose nodded again. "I'm going home. I need to talk to James before tomorrow."

"About?"

"Scott."

"And?"

"…Him."

Sounds fun.

"Hello?"

"Dave, it's me, Michael."

"Hey, man what's going on? I thought you were leaving."

"I am. I just forgot something: I can't come back in tomorrow. Someone's going to show up and I have to be home. Can you make sure I got everything fixed? I think I got everything but it would be a shame if no one checked and I was wrong."

"Oh yeah. I can do that. Good luck tomorrow; sounds like you are going to need it."

"Thanks. See ya."

"See ya."

Caboose hung up the phone and stared at the road ahead of him. Guess I'd better get back soon. Need to talk to James before tomorrow.

James woke up with a start a few hours later to the sound of a car pulling into the drive. Carefully, so not to wake Vince, he got up and made his way downstairs.

"What is dad doing home?"

"Someone is coming over in the morning and your dad wants to talk to you about him before hand."

"You made him come home early?"

"Yes. You two need to talk."

James groaned and slowly got up. He gave a quick look back at the sleeping Vince before making his way downstairs.

Caboose was locking the door when James found him. "We need to talk," he said with out even looking up.

"What about?"

Caboose took a very deep breath and turned around, looking James in the eyes. "Church. It's way past time you know about him. Franz may have told you a little but not enough. Sit."

James made his way to a chair and sat down. The chair was really old but still a good one. It was the upholstery that was on its way to the junkyard. It was very threadbare in places making it hard to see the pattern of flowers and leaves. It was funny; this was a habit James had whenever he was faced with something he didn't completely understand. Focus on the small things; don't look at the big picture.

Caboose sat down on the couch across from James. "What do you know about Church?"

James shook his head. "Not much."

Caboose's lips formed a sad smile. "I always changed the subject away from him. I hoped I would never have to talk about him ever again but now it's beginning to be clear I should have been telling you about him from the beginning.

"He was in Blood Gulch long before I got there and after the Captain died Church took over as the Blue team's leader there. He had a hard time getting along with anyone. When I got there it was fairly obvious Tucker and he never were on good terms and our relationship wasn't very different. Even though he treated me like dirt I kept trying to get on his good side; I needed to be friends with him.

"I got my wish after he had died." Caboose paused here. "There are going to be parts in this story you are not going to understand. There are parts in this story no one understands."

"After a round of friendly fire, Church was killed. This didn't stop him from coming back. He was a hard ass and would never let something as trivial as death stop him."

You got that right.

"He came back and continued to lead us, myself, Tucker, and Allison. Tex. She was Tex when she was still in the killing business. She was part of a highly trained team that were given AIs to help them be faster and stronger. Hers was an evil one named Omega. The two of them were known as the O'Malley team." Caboose paused to see if this needed more explanation but James nodded, signaling him to continue. "They were the best of the best. And lucky for us, she used to date Church. She was almost nice until Omega left her then she really was nice. It was kinda nice to have someone who had the power to keep the group going even through the things that happened.

"Then one night we couldn't find Church. It was raining so hard it soaked though my armor. I found him but it was so strange; he was alive. He was back in his old body and …." Caboose seemed lost for words.

"How?"

"No idea. No one knows. I got him back to the base. He was slightly beaten up but in the end alright. I think the jolt of coming back from the dead brought things into perspective. He wasn't as cruel as he was before. He seemed to realize that this might be his last chance to get things done. And soon after he was back at the base he and I started a relationship together."

Here Caboose paused to collect himself before continuing. "A few months after we started our relationship Church got sick. Tex said it was just the flu. Later we found out it was morning sickness. Church was pregnant with you at that point. He wouldn't tell anyone for a really long time. I was so worried about him before he told me. Then he did and it was wonderful."

"How? How could he…"

"I asked Tex the same question. It's in his genes. It's in your genes. It's the way the world is for you." Caboose closed his eyes and James could see tears form. "But after Church had you, he died. No one in his family has ever given birth and survived."

James looked down, trying to put this all together with what he already knew.

Church was the person who gave birth to him. This was caused by a gene that he, James, had too.

Church died because of this gene. James could die because of the same gene.

It wasn't sinking in. Maybe it was a good thing, for the moment at least.

"It will sink in later."

But there was one thing that didn't make sense.

"Where did Franz come into all this?"

Caboose opened his eyes and said, "Church was part of the same program that Tex was in. Franz was given to him to help his temper as well as serve as a normal functioning AI."

"Don't AIs have a seven year life span?"

"Yes. I spent several years with Church during and after the program."

James nodded. "And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, Church's father is planning on visiting us. You look exactly like Church; he'll know what happened to his son as soon as he sees you."

James shifted uncomfortably. "Is this a bad thing?"

"It could be."

James nodded. "I got something to tell you. It might cause some trouble tomorrow." Caboose lift his eyebrow. Suddenly unsure, James quickly stumbled forward. "He was getting hurt; beaten up by three guys. I couldn't leave him in the gym. I really didn't have much choice in the matter. I had to bring him home with me."

Caboose groaned softly. "Okay. What's his name?"

"Vince. He's upstairs asleep."

"Alright. Let's just get him back home before he shows up." James did not have to ask who he was. "And now let's get you to bed. I have a feeling you may need as much strength as you can get for tomorrow."

The next morning James woke up early. Very early. It was still dark when he woke up. He had started this as a habit; getting up before the sun and watching the sun rise. It cleared his head and now he seemed to need it more than ever. His grandfather was going to be here in a few hours to ask his father about the whereabouts of his other father. Damn this was getting confusing. Sadly, first thing was first.

James went up the stairs and smiled at the still sleeping form of Vince. As much as he didn't want him to, Vince had to go home.

"Hey, Vince…"

"Hm?"

"It's eight. You should be getting home."

Vince pressed his face into a pillow and groaned. He looked up and sighed. "So I'll see you on Monday?"

"Of course." James' happiness that Vince wanted to see him again was slightly marred by a small event that was taking place that week: finals.

Vince got up slowly and together they went down stairs. By then Caboose was already up and dressed. He didn't drink coffee to wake up in the mornings; instead he rolled off his bed. Once James asked about this and all he got as an answer was "It works for Allison."

Caboose looked up from the paper as they came in. This was something that he had to learn; as a SPARTAN he could hear James and Vince talking three stories up so timing the act of looking up from the newspaper was a talent that without earned him strange looks.

"You must be Vince." Caboose held out a hand which Vince took timidly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He took his hand back and said, "Whenever you're ready I'll give you a ride home."

"Thanks." James could tell Vince was worried about Caboose being a SPARTAN, like his step-father.

Caboose eyed him and added, "How's your arm?"

"Fine. I keep forgetting it's broken. James did a really good job at setting it."

James felt his face get warm. Praise.

"Help your self to some food. James, if you would…?"

James nodded and round up making himself and Vince pancakes before Caboose drove him back home.

The drive to Vince's house wasn't very fun. Tension was high between James and Caboose; they still had to deal with Scott.

As they pulled into their driveway, Caboose glanced at James. "I need to apologize. I shouldn't have been so distant. You're a good kid and I should have been there for you every step of the way. It's just been hard recently. You really look just like him and it hurts to see him again."

James nodded and gave his father a smile. "I know. I'm surprised really that … I don't know. I'm just surprised."

Caboose let out a small chuckle. "Me too. Come on." And he got out of the car and started to walk back to the house. James took a deep breath before following.

When James got into the kitchen he saw it was only nine; they could still have time before Scott showed up.

"You are worried."

"Should I not be?"

"Is there reason to be worried?"

"Franz, do you know this guy?"

"No. But neither do you. Why are you so … afraid?" It was as much as question about the term as anything else.

"I'm not sure."

"He's here."

"What?"

He leaned out of the window to see. It was true. A car was parked in front of the house that hadn't been there before.

Suddenly everything hit James. All of it. His knees gave out and he just missed hitting the sill. Sweat started to pour down his face.

"What do I do?" He pulled his legs to himself and tried to fight the urge to throw up. "I can't meet him. I'm not ready to. Fuck! It's too much." His heart was trying to fight its way out of his chest and the sound of it was filling his ears.

"Well that was bound to happen at some point. However you did choose to pick the worst time possible." Franz frowned and called out, "Caboose!"

Caboose was there in a second and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't meet him. Too much. It's all just too much for me. Not right now. Not—"

He laid his hands on his son's shoulders and said calmly, "You don't have to. You can stay in your room. Come on." And together, Caboose holding all of James' weight, they reached James' room. "I'll get you when he leaves."

Caboose dashed down the stairs as the knock on the door came. He took a deep breath and went to answer it.

On the other side of the door was a man in civilian clothing. He looked tired and well used. He had the same jaw as his son.

"You must be Scott."

The man nodded and said, "You are Michael J. Caboose."

Caboose stood aside and Scott came in. The walked to the living room together and Caboose offered a chair to Scott who took it.

Heavy silence followed.

"How did you find it?"

"Excuse me?" Caboose asked, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"That thing. That abomination my son left behind for me to clean up." Scott's voice was suddenly filled with fury and it was clear that temper Church had ran in the family. "How did you find it? Was it sent there like it was human?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know—"

"My son. I know what happened to my son. He died for the UNSC years ago. He gave his life and the result of that is still running around as if it were him." Scott looked away, as if he had just noticed what he was saying. "I'm sorry. But when I heard that it had … reproduced, I didn't know what to do."

Caboose was silent.

"Look, kid, my son, Leonard, has been dead for over twenty years but because of this and that, I haven't been able to give him the peace he deserves. Just tell me what happened to it after the war ended, please."

Caboose ignored but filed Scott's comments away and said, "Leonard was at Blood Gulch before I was. He didn't make it through the end of the war."

Scott laughed. "He wasn't alive when it started."

"I met a Blue SPARTAN solider named Leonard L. Church. He was our sniper and took over as the leader of our squad. He got sick just before the war ended and died from complications."

Scott stood up. "Bullshit! I know what happened. They just refused to tell me for seventeen years! That thing got pregnant and you have the brat!"

"James is no—"

"How did it happen? How did it happen?"

Caboose growled and stood up to stand eye to eye with Scott. "Do you want to know how much your son liked it when I licked the underside of his chin? You want to know how it happened but I don't know if it was the time we were against the tree or—"

"Fuck you, you fucking freak! You are the one who –"

"Get out of my house. Leave me alone. Leave James alone. Now."

Caboose and Scott locked eyes before the older man backed down. "Fine. I'll get going. Just remember, those things don't stay dead for too long."

You got that right.

And Scott left.

Caboose sighed and closed the door, thinking. What on Earth did Scott mean by any of his talk? How could Church have died twenty years ago, years before he joined the SPARTAN forces, and have been at Blood Gulch?

Those things don't stay dead for too long.

What did that mean?

He shook his head and groaned. "Long day. Not over yet." And he headed upstairs to face his hysterical son. By the time he got to James' room, the kid had calmed down a considerable amount but it was clear he could go off again at the wrong move. Caboose sighed and sat down next to James, who was holding his knees as if they were a lifeline. "What's wrong?"

"Is he gone?"

"Scott has left. I have told him to leave both of us alone."

"Good." The word came so softly that if Caboose had lacked his SPARTAN hearing, he could not have caught it.

"Talk to me," he said, brushing some hair away of James' ear.

"Church. It doesn't add up. When I meet Vince he asked if I was a freak –"

"And I told you that you are not a freak," Franz interjected.

"And it's true."

Caboose, whose hackles had just gone down raised again, placed his hand on the back of James' head. "Why do you think that?"

"What sort of normal person's mom is a guy who was dead when it all happened? And I'm just like him. It's all some kind of joke. A big mistake—"

Caboose grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. "There was never a mistake. You were never a mistake. If Church was here, he'd tell you the same thing."

"I'm a freak," he said, tears choking his voice.

"No, just different. You are amazing. You are everything I could have asked for."

James looked up and said, "If you never had me, you still would have had him."

Old wounds opened up and bleed inside of Caboose but he pushed the lose down and replied, voice stern, "But I know I got the better part of the deal."

James pulled away violently and shouted, "You wouldn't look at me because I look like him! You want him back and are willing to trade me for him."

"If that was true, I'd have told Scott to take you."

"Then why didn't you?"

Caboose, voice shaking now, said, with natural conviction, "Because I can't lose you! Even when I didn't look at you, knowing you were there, here, kept me alive."

"Only because he wasn't here."

"James, when Church died, I was broken. I still am. But when Tex handed you to me and I held you for the first time, I felt myself start to heal. After Church, I had no idea what I was going to do. You gave me a purpose. Nothing else matters to me but you." Caboose closed his eyes again and sighed. "I love you more than I love anything else and sometimes that terrifies me."

James was still looking scared and hurt but also calmer. "But I'm a freak."

"Yeah," Caboose said, looking at him again. "But I helped make you so I don't care."

They both sat next to each other in silence for ages. Not even touching. Just letting their hearts beat normally in their chests and breathing at normal rates.

"I'm hungry," Caboose said. "You want anything?"

When James was silent, Franz stepped in. "Seeing how you haven't eaten in three hours, you really should be hungry. What are you making? " he asked Caboose.

"I was thinking of going out. Maybe getting Vinnie's. You coming?"

James nodded.