Chapter Three: Stolen Moments

I left the briefing room feeling somehow more exhausted than elated. The concerns I had about the threat of a new enemy far outweighed the positives gained from Willis's and my promotions. With each of us getting another rank up, it meant a lot more pay would be making its way to our kids back on Mars, which was good - but I also knew it meant for sure now that we were here to stay, and that any hope that this deployment would end sooner rather than later had just died.

It'd been four months since we'd left Gabriel, Liam, and Olivia behind on our homeplanet with Willis's parents. I'd ached every day to see them. Now, it seemed like we'd be waiting even longer for a reunion. The thought left me sad.

Walking through the corridors of the ship to get to my quarters, I passed by a number of Marines and sailors who took one look at my rank and promptly saluted. Not having been used to it on the ground for the past several weeks, where such displays were forbidden for obvious reasons, I was slow to return the gesture. I felt achy and sluggish from the fight - my recent gunshot wounds in particular were sore and hurting. So before I proceeded to my room, I stopped by the mess for a quick pick-me-up.

Going to the drink dispensers first, I grabbed two cups of hot coffee, holding them together in one hand by the rim, then stashed away two energy bars in my pockets. I knew we'd have to return to the surface shortly, just as soon as I was done getting a few things ready for my higher-ups to read, so we didn't have time for a real meal. Although I was hungry and would've certainly preferred that to a few quick bites of a bar. But I reminded myself that beggars couldn't be choosers.

By the time I reached Willis's and my quarters, I was about ready to slump into the small chair by the equally tiny desk in the room. Before I could do that, though, I had to get past the automated AI voice-match system, since we were berthed in the senior officers area.

"Please state your name and rank for entry," the low-grade AI said as I approached.

I answered without a second thought, having done this routine countless times during our voyage to Khan. "Major Cooper, Natalie McKenzie. Service number 38221-50486-NC."

A harsh tone sounded and a red light went on. "Access denied."

Frowning, I racked my brain for a moment before I remembered. "Oh. Lieutenant Colonel Cooper, Natalie McKenzie. Service number 38221-50486-NC."

"Access granted."

The hatch was unlocked then and I was able to pull it aside and go in. Willis had his back to me when I entered, going through his gear for something by the minuscule closet. Thinking nothing of it, I set the two drinks and bars down on the desk, then quickly undid the buttons of my battledress jacket and shrugged it off, along with my armor, weapon, and helmet. After that, feeling considerably lighter without all the added weight on my person, I pulled out the bottom of my T-shirt from under my belt. I finally took another step forward then and pretty much flopped down into the hard chair in the room, propped my head up on the desk with one hand, and let out a sigh.

In front of me, I heard Willis chuckle. "Rough day?"

I snorted. "I wish that were descriptive enough to even begin to cover it."

"It's not so bad," my husband replied, finally turning to face me. "Look. I've got a shiny new insignia."

A smile made its way to my face. "I noticed. Congratulations, honey."

"Thanks." He stepped a little closer. "So now that we're both the same rank..."

"Yeah, about that - "

"What?"

Willis was staring at me with an inquisitive look on his face now. I didn't want to steal his moment, but I knew he wouldn't let it go until he knew. So I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair I was in and flipped over the collar so he could see. His eyes went wide.

"Jesus. You made LTC?"

"Yup. I don't know if that's tragic or if I should actually be happy about it. This...wasn't what I was expecting when we got called up."

My husband just beamed, like I had at his own good news. "Tragic? No way, Coop. You worked real hard for that." He leaned down and gave me a brief kiss. "Congratulations, Colonel."

I kissed him back in return, then pulled away to run a hand through my hair. "I'd be happier about it if I knew for sure it was something I could handle. The brass have put a lot of faith in me, and I just...I don't know if I can live up to their expectations."

"Cooper, what are you talking about? I've been down there with you the whole time, you know. I've seen what you do. If you don't want to trust your own judgment, at least trust me. You're the natural choice for this."

"Maybe, but...Christ, Will. I've only just recovered from getting sniped through the chest. I had a damn heart attack and was a dead slab of meat on Doc's table for five whole minutes before he was able to bring me back. That was a month ago. Then I watched Hayden die, and I almost had a very public breakdown the other night in the rec room over it. I can't sleep - "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Willis said, holding up his hands. "Slow down, Coop." He crouched in front of me and put his hand on my good shoulder - not the one that had also taken a bullet - and smiled. "Natalie, you're doing fine. I know you've got a lot on your plate all the time, but you've always dealt with it exceptionally well. If I can be half the major you were, I'd be happy. You're exactly what your Marines need. So don't ever doubt that, and don't worry about everything so much. Just get out there, and do what you do best, honey. The rest will follow."

I rubbed absently at my chest, unconsciously gripping my brand-new set of dogtags. "I guess you're right." I leaned my head back then and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Sorry. It's just...this whole 'new enemy' thing has thrown me for a loop. Before today, it seemed like things were finally getting wrapped up out here. I really thought we'd be going home after this. I miss the kids so much - "

"I know you do, Natalie. And so do I. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait, though. You'll see." He gestured to the goodies I'd brought from the mess hall, probably to get both our minds off the subject. "These all yours, or do I get a set?"

I chuckled. "No. I picked up two of everything so you could get a jolt of caffeine and some food, too. I know it's not easy flying those birds all day."

He leaned in to kiss me again as he grinned. "Thanks, honey."

"You're welcome." I reached for my own coffee just as he did his and took a long drink. The liquid was tepid by now rather than hot, but it still hit the spot. "Damn. I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury sometimes, getting to come back up to the ship twice in the last few days for a quick rest and some grub." I frowned. "None of my Marines have it this good."

"True, but they don't have the huge responsibility on their shoulders that you do, either. Don't feel bad." My husband unwrapped the bar and immediately ate half of it in one big bite. "So what's next, Colonel? When do you want us to head back down?"

"Soon," I replied around a mouthful of my own bar. "I actually don't think I'll even have time to shower this trip. Captain Rhodes wants me to write up a report on our initial approach to the ruins and our subsequent encounter with the Prometheans before I go. For Admiral Dartmouth."

Willis suddenly stopped mid-chew. "Wait, what? Promeans?"

"Prometheans," I corrected. "Rhodes said that's what we just fought on the island. Mechanical bastards."

"That's what he called you and the spook up here for?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of glad we've actually got some intel on those things now. Should help us fight back."

"So what are they exactly?"

"As far as we know at the moment, they're robotic AIs. I'll send you and the other senior officers on the ground the details when we're back planetside. But nobody knows where they come from, or who made them. It's not old Covie stuff, not new Storm stuff, and I kind of doubt the Flood could've created them." I shrugged. "But hell, I could be wrong. That's up to the spook to determine. Our job is just to find a way to eliminate them."

"Holy shit," my husband said then. "A brand-new enemy. I was right."

"Yeah, you were. Rhodes said we're getting some reinforcements in in the next few days, too. So we're not completely screwed if things get crazy."

The one thing I didn't mention yet to my husband was the portals we'd found inside the ruins. I figured that was a need-to-know thing for now, and I didn't want him even more worried about me fighting on the ground.

Finally, Willis released a sigh. "What about my little brother, Coop? How's he holding up? I know he went inside those ruins with you guys. He gave me a pretty convincing line so I let him."

"He's fine," I answered sincerely. "He did pretty good with everything, even the new stuff." I gave him a look. "Kid's growing up."

"I know. That's what he said to me that convinced me. Said he was nineteen now, almost twenty, and that he'd already dealt with a lot on his own here on Khan in the years since he left Mars. It was time for me to let him off the leash."

I took my husband's hand and squeezed. "I'm glad you made that choice. He's more capable than you know. I think this'll be good for both of you."

"I hope so. It's just...hard to do, after what happened." He sucked in a deep breath. "I thought he was dead for all these years, so seeing him suddenly alive again...my protective instinct just increased tenfold."

"But you know he's okay now, Will. And you can both start to move on."

My husband nodded, and I lifted my hand then to run it through his short hair. He briefly closed his hazel eyes and pressed his head against it.

"You really have to work on that report now?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. We don't have much time."

He opened his eyes and smirked at me as he reached for my hand, still in his hair. "Because I had something else in mind now that we're here."

I smirked, too. "I'm sure you do, but - "

Willis cut me off when he pulled me in for a kiss. It was soft and delicate at first, but still managed to stir something in both of us. It'd been a chaotic and emotion-filled past few days for us, first in dealing with my best friend's death, then gearing up for the assault on the island, and now knowing that we were facing something utterly unknown to us that we'd soon have to return groundside to fight. The unspoken news that we weren't going home as expected also put a damper on things. But the promotions had been nice, and I soon found that so was this.

Things heated up quickly from there, so fast that I momentarily forgot all about the report and simply focused on my husband's deep kisses and his touch. In minutes we'd clambered onto our bunk, already half-undressed, and shortly after that, we were both lost to a sea of passion.