Author's Note: Last chapter of the story! I hope you've enjoyed, and please let me know what you think. And don't forget to go on to the Closing Author's Note once you're finished, too. :)

Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter Forty-Five: Renewal

Undetermined Shipboard Time, March 24, 2558. Onboard UNSC Transport Ship Excalibur, In Orbit Above Planet Khan. "The End of the Road," Outer Colonies. Day Thirty-Four of the Dawn of the Prometheans

A few hours later the four of us boarded the Ex. Landing inside the port hangar bay, I took my time collecting my gear and bottle of brandy while Willis and his brother filed out. My husband didn't even wait to see if I was coming behind him - they just walked off in the direction of the nearest hatch into the corridor, making me frown. I wondered if the rift I'd first felt before returning to Qamar was beginning to broaden more than I thought.

"Don't mind him, Cooper," Heat said to me as he stepped out of the cockpit and pulled off his helmet. "Your husband can be a real jackass sometimes."

I snorted. "Tell me about it."

"I don't mean to pry, but...is something going on between you guys? Looked like you were being pretty frosty with each other on the ride back. It was almost too quiet for comfort. And I know that's very different than how you guys normally are."

"We were fighting about you a little earlier."

Captain Heat immediately grinned. "Did you finally tell him about your strong attraction to his very handsome wingmate?"

I rolled my eyes, then gave him a pointed look. "No, actually. And stop trying to dig yourself an even bigger hole. I think the giant black tar pit you're in right now in Willis's mind is deep enough."

"All right. No more jokes. Got it."

"I'm serious, Brandon. He's...about as pissed as I've ever seen him. You guys were like brothers before this, and you know it takes an atomic bomb of an issue to get on Willis's bad side. I was almost convinced he didn't even have one till our big fight about Matt a couple months ago. And now this."

Heat raised an eyebrow at me. "You guys had a fight about Matt?"

"Yeah. Long story. And not your business."

"Okay." He let out a sigh. "So what are we going to do about the guy?"

"We are going to do nothing. I've said my peace to him, and that's as far as I'm getting involved. The rest is up to the two of you. I just hate to see you guys tiptoeing around each other all the time when everyone knows you're good friends. It'd almost be comical if it weren't so sad."

"And yet that's the state of things these days."

"Well, do something to change it," I said. "Will's not immune to a productive talk or a nice apology. Just keep trying till he's past his stubborn phase."

My husband's wingmate smiled a little again. "Is that what you do when you guys are fighting?"

This time I smirked. "I have other weapons at my disposal." I raised my hand up before he could speak. "And no, I will not detail it for you."

"Right." Heat scratched at his head. "So what should I do? Last time I tried to talk to him he pretty much verbally kicked my ass. I'm sure he would've done it for real if he hadn't been lying in a hospital bed." He glanced down at the helmet in his hands. "And to be honest, I don't even really think I blame him. If he'd done the same to me by accident, and I'd spent weeks recovering and got told I'd never be able to fly again because of it...I don't know that I would've reacted any different."

"I know. You guys take your flying very seriously."

The captain shrugged. "It's a way of life, Natalie. It's like it chose us instead of the other way around."

That I could understand. In a way I'd always felt like that about being in the Corps. I couldn't imagine life outside of it, or the kind of person I'd be without it. I guess I could understand my husband's anger more when I looked at it that way, too.

"Well, just remember that if all else fails, time heals all wounds," I told Heat then. "He's not the type to stay mad at the people he cares about forever. That's the upside. The downside is, what we heard from the doctor so far isn't encouraging. It's not likely he's ever going to get his wings back, and I'm scared that that's...going to change him."

I'd started seeing the signs of that already. He was more bitter and quicker to get upset at things than he used to be. My hope was that that would change once we got home again and we had some distance from this place - but nothing was for sure. Either that, or some miracle happened and he was able to fly again someday.

Captain Heat gave me a solemn look then and reached out to squeeze my shoulder. "Don't worry about that just yet, Cooper. You're married to a good man. And underneath it all, he loves you very much. I know it."

"Thanks."

There wasn't really much else to say at that point, so we said our goodbyes for now and parted ways.

My next task was to set about making sure all the personnel under my charge were present and accounted for. For that I contacted my battalion commanders, speaking to Majors Harris and Mullen first, then lastly to my XO, Major Brewer. Once that was complete and I sent a confirmation of the roster to Captain Rhodes, there was nothing else for me to do at this point but wait for the journey back to Earth to start. Releasing a sigh, I hefted my bag and bottle again and stepped through the hatches and corridors to the senior officers' berthing area.

Willis and I were sharing new quarters this time, since the ship was laid out a little different than the Affair. The dumb AI who ran security still sounded about the same, though.

"Please state your name and rank for entry," the digitized voice prompted.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cooper, Natalie McKenzie. Service number 38221-50486-NC."

The light above the hatch lit green. "Access granted."

I walked inside then expecting to find an empty room, but my husband was already there. He had his back to me and his shirt and boots off as he lay sideways on the bunk, looking like he was just unwinding from the packing and the trip up. I was sure with his wounds still healing, the weight of the bags had probably made him sore.

"Sure took your time getting here," he said to me evenly when he heard me come in.

I immediately scoffed. "It might surprise you to know that as regiment commander, I have a lot to take care of before I get to relax and enjoy the ride. I had to make sure everyone and everything was aboard first."

I moved over to the small closet to dump my duffel, then took off my uniform jacket and pulled off my boots before sitting down on the chair beside the minuscule desk. Nope, I thought to myself. Haven't missed being on a ship at all. I was getting ready to open up the bottle of brandy Laraza had given me when I felt a pair of strong hands start to massage my shoulders.

Though I tried to hide it at first, I quickly had an appreciative smile spreading across my face as I closed my eyes. It felt like all the tension was dissipating and being replaced with...something else. "Will..."

"Nope," my husband countered, his voice close to my ear. "You don't get to protest this one. I know it's been a long day - half-day, really - and this is my way of trying to say I'm sorry."

Eyes still closed, I grinned a little wider. "This is a damn good apology so far."

I felt him lean down a bit more to press his lips against the side of my neck. "It'll get better," he whispered.

I had to admit, I liked the sound of that. More than anything right now, I needed some time where I could forget about it all - what had happened here on Khan, the battles we'd fought, the people we lost. I needed a mental break so I could keep it together and not let the memories overwhelm me - especially since lately, without the meds, I'd been reliving set pieces every night.

Suddenly Willis stopped though and I opened my eyes to find him turned around, facing me now. He had a serious look on his face, so I placed my hands on his cheeks and asked, "What is it?"

"I just want to let you know I've been thinking about what you said about Heat, when we were planetside," he answered. "And I promise to continue giving it its due consideration. I hope you understand why I can't let it go just yet, though."

"I know. Heat sort of...put it in perspective for me."

"He did?"

"Yeah. We talked for a bit after we landed and you and Matt took off at something close to a run." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why the rush?"

Willis shrugged. "Just needed a few minutes to myself to digest things." He leaned in and kissed me, softly at first, then harder. "I think I've got my priorities straight now. I love you, Cooper."

I kissed him back, the smile quickly reappearing on my face again. "I love you, too."

Our embrace became more passionate then, and soon our breathing was labored. Surprising me yet again, Willis picked me up off the chair and carried me over to the bunk, landing over me. It was a testament to how much he'd healed in the last week, and hot as hell. I was reaching to pull off my T-shirt to match him when my datapad rang.

"Shit," I growled.

Willis planted his lips on mine again to stop my protest. "Let it go, honey."

I kissed him in return, then pushed up on his chest a little and ran a quick hand through my hair, now hopelessly messy. "I can't. It might be important."

My husband groaned in disappointment, but this couldn't really be ignored. I suppose in a way I'd accepted the likelihood of interruptions when I'd gotten promoted over a month ago now. I gently pushed past Willis as I got up off the bunk, then walked the couple steps over to the table, where my chirping datapad was.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cooper," I said, picking up.

"Colonel, it's Rhodes," came the reply. "I have something I'd like you to see in the briefing room. Go ahead and bring Major Hawk along as well."

"Uh, yes, sir. We'll be there in a minute."

Willis shot me a quizzical look from the bed as soon as I'd hung up. "What was that about?"

"It's Rhodes. He wants to see us in the briefing room. Better start getting presentable."

"Oh." His face fell. "So no - "

I picked up his shirt from the back of the chair and smacked him playfully with it. "Not now. Throw this on and your jacket and let's go."

I wasn't sure what to expect when we were called in. I didn't know if I was in trouble for something, if he needed to talk to Willis about his status, or whatever else might be up. All I knew was I hoped to hell it didn't have anything to do with any hostile aliens - or AI robots - suddenly reentering the equation.

"Sir," I said when we walked in. "Lieutenant Colonel - "

Captain Rhodes waved a dismissive hand at me. "There's no need for formalities, Cooper. I just had a surprise for the two of you now that we're finally underway."

"Sir?"

A large screen popped up from the center of the table then, and I realized with growing delight what this was. Much like the end of the fighting I'd endured six years ago on Sigma Octanus IV, my husband and I were getting treated to a live link home post-op.

"I've momentarily restored access to personal communications on this console so you can call Mars," Rhodes said. "Feel free to contact your children from here. I know we've been away for several months already, and it'll be at least three weeks till we get back to the Sol System. I'm sure they miss you as much as you miss them."

"Wow, sir," Willis injected. "This is fantastic. Thank you."

"Yes, sir. Thanks," I added.

The Navy captain smiled. "You're welcome. I'll leave you to it."

As soon as he left, Willis and I exchanged a glance. Then my husband reached for the keys on the console while I sat down beside him, my heart beating hard with anticipation.

We hadn't seen or spoken to Gabe, Liam, and Olivia for almost five months. This was too good to be true.

The waiting was the hardest part. Once Willis finished entering the appropriate numbers, I reached for his hand from underneath the table. He took it and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Soon, the image of my father-in-law appeared on-screen. He seemed just as surprised to see us as we did him.

"Will? Natalie?"

"Hey, Dad," Willis replied. "We finally finished our big op. We're coming home."

His father smiled. "That's good news, son."

"How've the kids been, Mr. Hawk?" I asked.

"A little rowdy lately, but fairly obedient most of the time. I'm guessing you'd like to see them?"

"Yes, sir," my husband and I answered simultaneously.

"All right," he chuckled. "I'll get the little rascals now. Wait one."

The two of us waited impatiently for our kids to enter the screen. As soon as they did I felt a sudden wave of emotion engulf me. My babies were safe, alive, and healthy - and grown.

"Mommy!" Gabriel and the twins shouted in unison. "Daddy!"

"Hey, guys!" Willis responded. "How are you?"

"Good," Gabe answered for his younger siblings. "When are you and Mommy coming home?"

"Now, Gabe," I replied, finally finding my voice as I wiped at my eyes with my sleeve. "We're on our way, son. Just a few more weeks and we'll be back."

"I missed you, Mommy. And Dad. A lot."

"Me, too," Olivia said.

"Me three," Liam chimed in.

I gave a short laugh. "We've missed you, too."

We spent a couple more minutes talking with the kids, but despite how happy and excited I was to see them, I knew we had to keep an eye on the time. We'd been allowed access to the system for only fifteen minutes, so whatever we needed to say had to be fast. And I knew Willis probably wanted to talk to his parents, too.

"Okay, guys. Sorry, but we gotta go now," Willis said then. "Your mom and I will be home very soon though, all right? Be good for Grandma and Grandpa till then."

"Okay, Daddy."

"We love you," we both said.

"Love you too."

The three of them herded out of the room, and I was left with a crushing hurt I knew wouldn't subside until we were home with them. That wasn't the end of the conversation, however, as we still had five minutes of the call left.

"Dad?" Willis called out.

"Yes, son?"

He took a deep breath. "Dad...there's something else I want you to know. Give me a sec and go get Mom for me in the meantime, please."

"All right."

Though obviously perplexed, Willis's dad did as he was told and also disappeared from the screen while my husband left the briefing room - presumably to go get Matthew from his quarters. This was one reunion I wasn't sure I needed to be present for, but since Willis hadn't asked me to leave to let them do it in private, I remained seated until he came back.

I turned around then. Behind me and currently out of the frame, my brother-in-law stood with a visibly anxious expression. I leaned out of the shot and gave him a small smile of encouragement.

"It'll be okay, Matt. Whatever's happened all these years doesn't matter to them. Remember that. You're their son. They love you."

He still looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights, but slowly he nodded and stared back at the screen. It felt like an agonizingly long wait until his parents reappeared - both of them this time - but really, it'd only been about a minute.

"Well, William?" his mother asked. "What did you want to tell us?" She looked at me in growing excitement. "Is Natalie pregnant?"

"No, no, no," I responded quickly, waving my hands. "We're not...looking to add to the family again just yet."

"Oh. Then what is it?"

I felt Willis tense up beside me. "Mom, Dad, we sort of...bumped into someone while we were here."

"Who?" his father asked.

"Well, I'll let my baby brother speak for himself."

My husband pushed Matthew into the frame then; the poor kid was still looking a little stunned.

At first all anyone did on either side of the call was stare mutely at one another. This was the first time in twelve years that they were seeing their dead son - and the first time Matt had seen them in just as long. After a while their mother simply broke into tears, long unbidden sobs, while their father continued to stare, his mouth agape.

"Matthew," he said finally, softly. "My son."

At that, my brother-in-law livened up, too. "Yeah. Hi, Dad. It's been a while."

"But how - ?"

"We'll explain everything when we get home, Dad," Willis said. "For now, just know that both your boys are coming home."

THE END