In the Cold

Wow, I have neglected to update my fic for nearly four bloody months! Damn. I feel as though I owe all of you an apology. The time since my last update has been rather busy for me.

First of all, I've been writing other projects which will hopefully enable me to start my own official writing career (Fanfic is fun, but you don't paid for it). Otherwise, I was on my Xbox 360. One of the new games I acquired was none other than Halo 4! Now that was unbelievably awesome, but considering the content of this particular fic, it's understandable that I and many others were a little bit… disheartened by the ending of that game.

However, I believe that there is a good chance that we have not seen the last of our favourite Artificial Intelligence yet!

Am I reaching? Probably. But then, I am just annoyed at how so many of my favourite pairings get chewed up and spat out (particularly in Star Wars, but hopefully things will change now that Disney is in charge. Again, I'm probably reaching).

Well, I don't know just yet when the fifth and sixth Halo games come out, but until then, I guess I'll focus on my writing.

Speaking of which, I have good news for the faithful readers of this fic! I originally decided that this would be the last chapter, but I have since gotten a very small amount of further inspiration. So there will probably be a couple more chapters after this one, but I'm afraid that will be it. So, you've gotten a reprieve for now, my loyal friends.

And now, without further ado, on with the show!

"Well, you have to admit that this isn't the worst situation that we've found ourselves in."

Cortana rolled her bright blue eyes before fixing them on the Chief. "Really?" she said dryly. "How do you figure that?"

"Well," he continued, "when you think about what we went through with the Halos, the Ark, Requiem, and everything in between, I'd say that this one is not as bad."

"Probably," Cortana admitted with a sigh. As she exhaled, her breath came out as a white vapour in the frigid air. "That doesn't mean that I don't wish it was a little bit warmer here. I'm not exactly a fan of freezing my ass off."

John let out a laugh in his usual deep baritone, his own breath also taking on the white haze. He was enjoying the usual banter that he and his lover partook in, but part of him also agreed with her; things could be just a little bit warmer here. As a Spartan and lifelong soldier, he was more than capable of tolerating really cold temperatures, but he also found himself wishing that he was decked out in his MJOLNIR armour. The heavy outfit would have served to insulate him from the biting cold.

Of course, that would have not done much to help with Cortana's situation either. She did not have access to such equipment, nor had she any experience of being in such harsh coldness, and John felt that it would have been somewhat unfair for her to be subjected to it while he would be protected due to his armour.

For a brief instant, John was surprised at himself. He had never bothered with such thoughts in the past, preferring instead to focus on the job at hand and little else. But then, he had never been in such an affectionate relationship before. Now, he cared more about Cortana's health, happiness and well-being more than anything else.

That was love for you.

Standing back, John watched Cortana pace back and forth frustrated, either to keep herself warm or out of mere aggravation at the whole situation, though he suspected it was a little of both. He could understand her annoyance, but in all honesty, they were lucky that they managed to find shelter.

The UNSC had been trying to secure its frontiers in order to protect it from any further threats. The lessons of the Covenant, the Insurrectionists, the Flood and the Prometheans had been more than enough, and so many new bases had been established on planets in the outlying systems to monitor for any such aggression. One of those planets was this one; a small world covered with ice and snow, and only newly discovered so it had not yet been given an official name. All it had was a UNSC monitoring station, as well as a few power generators and some high-tech devices that produced enough oxygen. The latter of these utilised special kinds of heaters that melted small sections of the ice, thus releasing the oxygen contained within and providing breathable air.

John and Cortana had been requested by Lord Hood to go to this base and ascertain its readiness in the event that something major happened and it needed to spring into action. The Spartan had been assessing its military preparedness, while the former AI did the same for its analytical side. Pretty standard stuff, really. Of course, as was typical for Cortana, she had gotten bored quickly and began wondering how long it would be until they got to leave this ice cube of a planet. John had managed to avoid this problem, as Spartans tended to have lots of tolerance, but he nonetheless sympathised with his girlfriend.

Then things had taken an unusual turn. It had started out pretty routine, of course, but both John and Cortana were well aware of the curve balls that could be thrown their way, and this was no exception. The commanders at the base had requested that Cortana take a look at one of their power stations and oxygen generators to ensure everything was up to scratch. John was not required to come along, but he did so anyway. Given his relationship with the former AI, he was extremely protective of her.

The power station and generator were all up to scratch, and Cortana had decided that she did not need to spend any more time there than was absolutely necessary, so she told John that they could head back to the main base immediately. Of course, John suspected that the main reason why she seemed so eager to leave was that it was just a little bit warmer at the main section. He managed to hide his smile and the two of them hopped back into their Warthog for the drive back.

Unfortunately, the return trip had hit a little bit of a snag. The journey was only a few kilometres, but a snowstorm had unexpectedly whipped up, obscuring visibility and lowering the temperature even further. To make matters worse, the plunging cold had caused the engine to stall, leaving the Spartan and the former AI stranded.

But it seemed as though John's luck had continued to hold out for them. Even through the driving wind and snow, the Spartan's finely tuned eyes managed to pick out the opening of a cave not very far from where they stopped. The couple had gotten out of the Warthog and made their way for this refuge. Cortana had trudged through the cold as best as she could, but only managed to get about three quarters of the way before it became too much, and John was forced to carry her the rest of the way. Even through her supposed indignation, John could tell she was actually grateful for the assist.

And so that was how they ended up in the situation that they were currently in: holed up in a cave of ice, sheltering from the snowstorm outside.

"Cortana," John said, "maybe you should just calm down for a while and relax. I mean, you've been working hard for most of the day."

Cortana ceased in her pacing to fix the Spartan with a piercing glare from her electric blue eyes. "I am pacing because I am trying to keep warm so as I don't freeze to death."

"I feel fine."

"Of course you do. You're a Spartan. You're biologically enhanced to tolerate extreme conditions like this. Even without your armour, this cold is no big deal to you." She continued pacing.

John casually crossed his arms over his muscled chest. "True, but to be honest, I wouldn't mind the extra warmth afforded by a suit of MJOLNIR amour," he admitted.

"I'm sure you would. Hell, I wouldn't mind being back inside it myself."

John raised an eyebrow. "You weren't actually wearing the armour," he pointed out, "you were just a chip in the helmet."

Cortana glared at him again. "So?!," she shot back. "It was still much warmer than how I'm feeling right now!"

John chuckled again. This kind of behaviour was just pure Cortana; indignant and stubborn no matter what the situation was. But that was one of the many reasons as to why he cared about her so much. If she were any different, then she wouldn't be his Cortana.

Deciding to do something instead of merely standing around, John began to rummage through the supply packs. They had been in storage in the back section of the Warthog, and upon the vehicle's shutdown, he had grabbed them just before their walk to this cave. They were the size of a large backpack, and crammed with equipment meant to make life easier in sub zero temperatures; portable heaters, dehydrated food, water in thermoses, insulated sleeping bags, thermal blankets and the like. John had to give credit to whomever packed these kits; they had definitely thought things through.

While Cortana continued with her frustrated pacing, John busied himself in setting up the portable heaters and unrolling the sleeping bags and blankets. It was only after the heaters were turned on and gave a low hum to indicate that they were working that Cortana decided to cease her pacing and sit down. She huddled on a blanket beside the device, her arms firmly wrapped around herself, seeming to hope that would be enough to stave off the cold. The faint shaking indicated that it was not too successful.

As John kept himself busy by sorting through the packets of food, Cortana watched him, noting with more than a little annoyance that the Spartan displayed no visible sign of being affected by the cold.

"How can you stand the cold?" she asked, more out of annoyance than not knowing the answer.

"I'm a Spartan," John replied simply. "We're practically engineered to survive in extreme conditions. But even in my childhood before all that happened, I remember that I was always pretty tolerant of the cold."

Cortana gave him another one of her trademark wry looks. Her eyes were the usual electric blue, seemingly colder than the temperatures just outside of their cave, and yet unbelievably fiery at the same time. "Tolerating usually extends only to chilly days typically experienced in autumn. I don't think anyone in their right mind would find these conditions tolerable, even if they were a Spartan."

John gave a casual shrug. "Must be my trademark luck, then."

Normally, whenever one of them was in a less-than-perfect place, it would usually take a simple witty remark from the other to get them back into a positive frame of mind. But every now and then, this fell a bit short of the mark, and John could tell that this was one of those times. The whole situation was clearly aggravating Cortana, and he never liked to see her in such a state. Fortunately, the Spartan knew how that could be remedied.

John stood up and walked over Cortana, sitting down beside her on the blanket and encircling her form in his muscled arms. The former AI stiffened, but he knew this was more of a residual feeling from her previous annoyance than not wanting to be comforted by him. After just a couple of seconds, she relaxed into his embrace, her body now largely warmed by his physique, as well as the portable heater.

Cortana let out a sigh of contentment, her previous anger at their circumstances melting away as she leaned into her lover's powerful embrace, the beating of his heart having a calm and soothing effect on her. Vaguely, she remembered the first time she had experienced her own heart beating. It was when she had made the transfer into her human body, and she had been getting used to all of the new sensations. The dull thudding of her chest thrilled and amazed her; it let her know that she was alive!

Of course, more times than she could count, her heart had been set to much faster and more frantic paces whenever she and John made love. But it also thudded with worry whenever he went off on a mission, and she was forced to stay home. In her past life as an Artificial Intelligence, she could have easily been transferred into a small chip that was inserted into his helmet, and she was right there along with him. But most times nowadays, she was forced to stay back while he continued to risk potential injury and death in the name of preserving and advancing the UNSC.

The fear of not knowing what could happen… that was what weighed in on her heart more than anything else.

"John, I'm curious about something," Cortana spoke up suddenly.

"About what?" the Spartan inquired.

"Have you ever thought about another life outside the military?" she continued. "I know you're a Spartan and that there is probably nobody better at kicking ass and causing wanton destruction than you are. But you can't do it forever, can you? And when the day comes for you to hang up the MJOLNIR armour for good, well… then what?"

The question obviously surprised John, but it also surprised Cortana, perhaps more so since she was the one who vocalised it. Sure, he was the Master Chief, the hero of the UNSC, the scourge of the Covenant, the one who destroyed the Flood and defeated the Didact and his Prometheans; all of that was just the tip of his impressive resume. But even he was not immune to aging and death, not even with the mysterious 'upgrades' he had received from the Librarian. There would come a day when he simply could not fight anymore. Cortana just wanted him to have a life, both before and after that day came.

"You know what, Cortana? I've actually been thinking about that more often these days," John answered honestly. "I cannot deny that I do want to keep serving the UNSC as long as possible. But nor can I deny that I want to do more with the time I have left." He suddenly grew thoughtful. "I know that most Spartans are in that profession for life, and for a long time, I thought that was how I would end up. But then something changed for me. Something that I am extremely grateful for every day of my life."

"Really? What was that?"

John looked down at Cortana, and she saw a discernible warmth in his eyes. It was something that nobody else but her ever got to see, and it was more than enough to warm her entire being so that she no longer felt even the slightest trace of the cold. "You came into my life."

Cortana felt her heart skip a beat, and she found herself at a loss for words. But she let him continue.

"It's true, you know. Even from our earliest days together, I could tell that you were more than just another AI, more than just another piece of equipment. Even though you were created from the brain of Doctor Halsey, and you exhibited quite a few similar behavioural quirks to her, you still showed your own individual personality; one that was proud and stubborn, but also highly intelligent and unflinchingly loyal. Even though you were just a chip in my helmet, I already trusted you more than most of the people I knew."

Cortana felt a small tear forming at the corner of her eye, and yet she let him keep talking.

"You were with me through the biggest challenges of my life; the Halos, the fighting on Earth, the Ark, Requiem, the list goes on. And then you became human, and all of a sudden, all new possibilities become possible." Here, he let out a chuckle. "Ironically, neither of us knew how to begin such a relationship, but that all changed thanks to a chance encounter on the beach."

At this, Cortana let out a laugh as well. Neither one of them could have predicted the set of circumstances that would lead to them encountering each other on the beach, and then making love for the first time on the sands. But neither could deny that it was indeed a special memory for them, and it would start their relationship in earnest.

"So, to answer your question," John finished up, "I still don't know what lays ahead in my future. But one thing is for certain:" he looked deeply into her bright blue eyes, "I wouldn't want any future at all if it didn't have you in it."

Cortana felt her heart skip again, and a feeling of warmth spread through her, seemingly not just in her body, but her soul as well. It was the kind of warmth which made her forget all about the cold, and feel only the love between her and the man who held her. It was not the first time he had ever said anything like this too her – far from it, actually – but it never failed to make her feel like she was the most important thing in the universe, and that when she was with him, nothing else mattered.

"You always know how to make a girl feel special," she said, smiling up at John.

"Well, not just any girl," he countered playfully with a smile of his own, "just you. But then, you were special to begin with anyway." He lowered his lips to hers, capturing them in a kiss. It started off gentle, but after a few seconds, it became more passionate. It was at times like this that it felt to Cortana that the rest of the universe slipped away from the two of them and left only them and their love. For all they knew, the temperature outside could have dropped even colder, and it would not have mattered to her in the slightest; the warmth between the two of them was all that mattered.

Without saying anything, John and Cortana's hands began roaming each other's bodies, undoing the zips and fasteners that held their clothing in place and sliding the fabric of each other's bodies. Movements like this had become instinct for them; it seemed as though they could just sense when they were having erotic feelings for each other, and their bodies complied automatically. The couple frequently joked that they had developed something of a mental bond with each other and that it had started years earlier when she had been an Artificial Intelligence residing in the neural lace of his armour; effectively inside his head. That in itself had been rather intimate, and it seemed to make their current relationship all the more meaningful.

Within a minute after their initial lip-lock, John and Cortana were both nude, with her lithe and feminine form being cradled by his muscular bulk, and the primary illumination provided by the flickering orange light given off by the fire. It was something that was quite surreal and served to add to the already erotic atmosphere.

Deciding to let John take the dominant role in this particular encounter, Cortana simply lay back and let him lavish her body with his affections. He was in a position that was half sitting, half crouching, and he held her form in his arms, firmly and gently, as if she was the most delicate thing he had ever held. Lowering his lips to her body, he planted gentle kisses on the sensitive points of her flesh, particularly her nipples and the other areas on or around her breasts. Running his mouth and tongue over the gorgeous mounds, the Spartan elicited soft breathy moans of pleasure from the former AI.

Their relationship was decidedly fun for many reasons, and one of those was the fact that both enjoyed the pleasure involved in both the dominant and submissive roles in sex. In one session, Cortana could be the one who dominated John, but in the next one, the roles would be reversed, and the Spartan would once again be firmly in charge. Both were immensely fun, but right now, the former AI wanted nothing more than for him to subject her to his whims. If she had the means to think about it at the moment, she might have figured that since the Spartan had been protecting her from the cold, it was a natural progression for her to let him be in charge this time.

Of course, her mind was nowhere near in a condition to muse on that, but that was just how she liked it!

Gently manoeuvring her body and readjusting his own at the same time, John now positioned themselves so that Cortana's back was to him. He leaned his head forward and continued to plant kisses along her shoulder and neck, and at the same time he reached around her front and grasped her breasts with his hands. He gently squeezed the D-cup mounds, running his calloused fingers and thumbs over the nipples.

Cortana leaned her head back with her eyes closed, and moaned softly as she revelled in the euphoria that John was giving her, feeling his lips on her neck and his hands on her breasts. She felt her body give an involuntary buck of pleasure.

Leaning back slightly, John gently guided Cortana's body over his erection, positioning her womanhood over it. Gently but firmly, he eased her body onto the hardened length, essentially impaling her on it, and sliding it into her slowly but surely. Eventually, he was sheathed to the hilt in her tantalising warmth. The couple stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying an intimacy that they bestowed upon each other and nobody else, before Cortana started to move her body up and down the Spartan's manhood.

Even though he was viewing her from behind, the sheer sight of Cortana's body as it slid up and down his length was amazing for John. Every inch of her body was absolutely perfect. Even back when that body had been nothing but a holographic avatar, he had considered her to be a fine example of feminine perfection, laid out in bits of code in various tones of blue. Now that body was flesh, blood and bone, and it was his sole privilege for his own body to be joined with it in such intimacy.

But more than that, it was Cortana. It was the former Artificial Intelligence who had been with him throughout the Halo event, the Flood crisis and that business with the Prometheans. There would never have been any other woman more suited for him.

Leaning back, John placed his hands on Cortana's hips and assisted her with her bodily movements. Leaning his head back, he let out a soft groan as he felt his own pleasure wash through his body. At the same time, the former AI let out her own moans of ecstasy, the sound of which was like sweet music to the Spartan's ears.

Cortana had by now completely forgotten about the freezing conditions outside the cave. Now, it was just her and John, and nothing else mattered. The fire still flickered, and the heat of the flames continued to warm the front half of her body, but even had that not been the case, she was sure that the passionate lovemaking she and John were engaged in at the moment would have generated more than enough warmth for the two of them.

Funny, she thought vaguely, here I am having sex – and great sex, at that – and yet part of my mind is actually thinking science! That part of her mind actually laughed at that, figuring that the intense pleasure and euphoria had done a number on her thought process.

Mentally kicking these thoughts from her mind, Cortana slowed down her movements and eventually ceased them. Easing her body upwards, she felt John's manhood slide out of her, and then she turned herself around so that she was now facing him. Looking down at the Spartan, she saw that, in spite of the cool conditions inside the cave, a faint sheen of perspiration had developed on his muscled flesh. Glancing down at her own body, she saw that she had started to sweat a little as well, the liquid clinging to the curves of her form.

Having passionate sex will do that to you, no matter how cold it is, Cortana mused as she repositioned her body over John's, feeling the tip of his hardened manhood once again press against her opening. Easing herself down, she impaled herself on his nine inch shaft once more, and immediately began rocking her hips against his. John once again placed his hands on her waist, gently encouraging her in her grinding movements.

It did not take long for Cortana to feel the same level of pleasure as she did before, and she eased up on her grinding to once again bounce up and down. She threw her head back and let out a long moan as she experienced the waves of pleasure wracking her body again, and through the haze of her euphoria, she was aware that John had slid his hands up her sides to grasp her breasts once more. This caused a spike in her sensations, and she felt it bring her closer to her climax.

She was positively amazed what this man could do with his hands. Those hands could easily handle all sorts of deadly weapons crafted by both humans and other species, or even kill a person with just one powerful blow, and yet they also held her gently, practically setting her flesh on fire. Just one touch on a sensitive part of her body, such as her breasts, and her entire being ached with pure want. It was absolute heaven.

Gazing down at John, she saw the slightly animalistic look in his eyes that indicated he was slowly but surely getting closer to his climax; a sensation mirrored by Cortana feeling herself getting ever closer to her own release.

John looked back up at Cortana; at the point where her body was joined to his, up to the firm and well-toned abdomen, the gorgeous breasts which he currently cupped in his calloused hand, and to her beautiful face, now in a look of pure ecstasy. Nowhere was this more apparent than in her electric blue eyes, which were clouded over with a haze of euphoria.

The Spartan and the former AI reached their climax at the same time, feeling the waves of pleasure wash over them and into each other, as if they were experiencing each other's orgasm as well as their own; feeling the sensation of John releasing his hot liquids inside her, and Cortana gasping as she felt spurt after spurt of it within her core. Each buck and tremble was felt by the other, as if the couple had become one whole entity; one that was more intimate than any time he had been equipped in his MJOLNIR armour, and she occupying the computer chip in his neural lace.

As the high from the conclusion of their sexual encounter gradually subsided, John and Cortana remained locked together in their intimate embrace, simply enjoying the remaining sensation of being joined together. However, the sweat from their lovemaking had begun to cool in the frigid air, and John did not wish to let either of them freeze. Extremely low temperatures were something that he could tolerate, but Cortana could not.

Gently removing himself from Cortana, he reached over and grabbed one of the thermal blankets. Pulling it over to them, he wrapped it around him and Cortana, tucking them in together and insulating them from the cold.

Smiling, Cortana snuggled up next to John, her head resting on his muscular chest. "I take it that you're warm now?" he asked playfully.

"Oh yes, John," she said contentedly. "Very warm indeed."

The Spartan looked down at his girlfriend, returning the smile. "Well, it looks like the snowstorm will last only another few hours, so we just need to keep warm until then. I think we can easily manage that."

"Well, I don't know, actually," Cortana said in a very playful tone. "I think I'd much rather stay out here for a little bit longer than that."

"You're kidding, right? Not long ago, you were complaining that it was too cold out here!"

"True, but that was before you… warmed me up quite thoroughly."

All John could do was laugh and hold Cortana closer to him.

This idea is one that has been floating around for a while. Some of you have suggested that I come up with a chapter that takes place in the snow. At the time of this writing, many of you in the northern hemisphere would be experiencing winter. I however, live in the southern hemisphere, and it's summer down here at the moment. To make matters worse, my new place doesn't have decent air conditioning! That tends to make things rather uncomfortable.

Fortunately, we're coming up to the end of summer now, so it should cool off soon.

Anyway, there's a 50/50 chance that the next chapter I put up will be the last one. If not, it will be one more idea that I managed to squeeze out before the last one. We'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully, I won't take so long to write it.

By the way, a guest to this site said that I must have either a vivid imagination or a healthy sex life. I DO have a vivid imagination, but I cannot deny that I wish the second one was also true! Fact is, I'm the kind of guy who has hardly ever had a girlfriend, partially because of past social awkwardness and partly due to sheer bloody laziness. Man, my life needs a boost.

And there I go, talking about my problems to strangers on the net!

Anyway, see you all really soon!