Author's Note

This chapter was actually so long I cut it in half, I'll post the next chapter soon, and the one after that is already being written. Thank you again for everyone who has stuck with me so far, and I'm still having fun writing this!

Uploaded

11/24/2023

LEGEND BELOW

"Chief, that's not a good idea..." = Normal speech.

''You're you, don't let it control you...'' = Normal thoughts/Receiving coms.

Chapter 35

The Aftermath part 1

Rated-M

M rating for blood, and language, and violence.

Music of the day

Halo 4 - Wreckage

"I want you to promise me something…" He muttered into her exposed neckline, the chill of his breath against her bare flesh sending pleasurable shivers down her spine, ending at the curve of her rear.

"Hmmm?" She hummed contentedly on top of his large body, pressing herself comfortably against him. She found that despite his existence as something that lived cold, he could be surprisingly warm when out of his armor.

"If it ever comes down to it… If something were to happen to me, I want you to find someone else…" He started, but he paused when he felt her tighten around him in response to his words.

"Don't…" She muttered sharply, a hurt filling her voice. "Don't you go there, don't even think of it." She warned, glancing down to him, her vibrant blue eyes reflecting his face right back at him.

"Come on Samus…" He tried again.

"No." She refused.

"I won't be around forever." He stated.

"You don't know that." She defended hotly.

He only laughed lightly at her words, his voice cracking like a ghost. "We're bounty hunters, it's bound to happen sooner or later. I just want to be able to go with the knowledge that you'll not stay stuck up on me afterwards." He teased, yet he was serious as could be.

"You flatter yourself." She scoffed haughtily, turning away. In response, he shifted underneath her, getting a hot red faced blush from the woman.

"Oh really? Is that how I flattered my way into your pants?" He hummed, his cocksure attitude only making the her cheeks redden even more. "Because, from where I'm sitting, it looks like I've got you all to myself. I think you're underselling me." He hummed deeply, reaching back to place his cool hands on her bare cheeks, the action sending more then pleasurable waves up her body.

She squeaked in surprise, before her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You forget that I'm the one on top." She reminded sharply.

"Of course…" He admitted defeat, laying back down.

She hummed in victory, before resting her head on his chest once more. Yet, even now, his words echoed loudly in her mind.

If she did lose him…

If someone or something took him away from her…

She wasn't sure that she'd ever be able to recover, ever be able to open herself up again to anyone, ever.

She would lock down, closing her heart off forever as she tossed the key into the eternal abyss.

Perhaps that's why he said what he did, because he knew her a little too well. Because he knew that if he didn't make her promise him then and there, he'd likely never get the chance. The last thing he wanted was to die knowing that she'd never get over him.

If, nothing else, he wanted to make sure that at least she could still find some semblance of happiness once he was gone.

That's why she found his request impossible to deny.

"Damn you…" She cursed quietly into his chest, tear's prickling at the corners of her eyes. "I'll only promise if you promise me something." She said quietly, unable to meet his gaze.

He hummed deeply, nearly asleep. "Hmmm?"

"Promise me you won't sacrifice yourself. I-I… I-I don't need another suicidal maniac to look after…" She whispered heatedly, the hurt on her face palpable.

He scoffed, sounding offended. "Don't worry, I don't plan on dying anytime soon…" He murmured as he trailed off to sleep.

She would have joined him, dead tired from the passionate events of that night with the cold alien…

But something stopped her…

And for the briefest of moments, an image passed through her mind, one of him being impaled by his own pillar of ice. The image was stuck in her head, and haunted her dreams for a time to come…

But she never forgot what he made her say that night.

"Promise me that once I'm gone, if I have to go, make sure you find someone else. And when you do, don't ever let them go."

"I promise… Rundas…" She murmured as she finally fell asleep in his large strong arms…

Darkness met her gaze, the vastness of space her good morning.

Everything hurt, pins and needles stabbing into every cell in her body.

But…

But she was alive…

She had made it, made it out of the hell of a situation she had found herself a part of.

And…

The Didact was dead, turned into a corpse that no technology could ever hope to reverse the damage. She'd made the mistake of leaving a chance for recovery from previous foes, and they always came back to bite her…

She wasn't taking any chances with him.

And now, she'd never have to worry about him again.

Her eyes looked upwards, gazing beyond the vail of her visor. The world around her had been turned into an asteroid belt of metal and dust, nothing left of the ship that threatened humanity.

Yet…

That wasn't the only thing that was missing…

"J-John…" She whispered, barely capable of anything more.

Where was he? Where had he gone?

She'd survived the blast, somehow, so she knew he had to have as well.

She turned her head, glancing around the void of dark and empty space that surrounded her, seeking him out.

Then she saw him, that familiar green armor floating lifelessly in the void. With merely a thought, she kicked on her thrusters, her low power not enabling much else. Slowly, she drift towards him, the distance closing at a painstakingly slow pace.

She reached out to him, her green claws grasping his chest plate when she finally reached him. She didn't care anymore, care about hiding how she felt, how she would be viewed by others. Her strict and cold hearted demeanor melted away as she pulled him into a hug, holding his unmoving body to her own.

He didn't move, seemingly frozen in place. She'd felt a momentary panic fill her bosom, before she silenced the dread before it could bubble forth.

His suit had just locked up, nothing more.

That's when she noticed the frozen blood surrounding his body, a lot of blood. Her eyes widened in horror, red pupils narrowed to pinpricks.

His arm…

His left arm was gone, torn away at the elbow.

"N-No…" She wasn't even aware that she'd spoke, shaking in horror. Reacting to her emotions, the Power-Suit activated the scan visor, instantly going over his body.

She felt her heart skip a beat when she detected his life signs underneath his armor, weak, yet unmistakably still alive.

Hands shaking, she reached back to where his power pack was built into his suit, pressing her palm against it. Sucking in a slow breath, she reversed her tiny power supply into him, just enough to jumpstart his suit's reboot measures.

There was a small flash of pink, her diminutive internal energy supply following into his suit.

"Come on… Wake up, damn you…" She cursed quietly, her eyes fluttering as she suffered from her rapidly drying supply of energy. She didn't have enough to heal him and restart his suit, so she had to pray that his suit would stop the bleeding and keep him alive long enough to get back to the Infinity.

He had to live…

She wouldn't allow anything else to happen…

Not now…

No.

Never again.

A few moments passed, before his visor began to light up, the reboot successful. The Spartan's eyes slowly opened, his gaze greeted with the helmet of another peering into his own.

"Good… You're alive…" She murmured to herself, voice weak, cracking in despair.

The Chief slowly craned his neck, stretching his body in his suit, most of his systems still coming out of lockdown. "Samus…? Where…?" He muttered, voice dry, strained. His eyes widened in horror as red lights began flashing across his splintered visor's HUD, warnings of all kinds blaring. Stunned, he slowly turned his head to the left, lifting up his arm to find that everything below his bicep, armor and all, was gone.

He sucked in a sharp breath, the pain staggering. He was momentarily startled by the sensation of weightlessness beneath him, before he realized that both of them were currently floating aimlessly in space.

"Space… Probably in orbit somewhere near Earth…" She murmured, floating lifelessly in front of him. Her arms hung by her side, head staring off into the distance. The only thing still connecting the two was her tail, the draconic limb wrapped possessively around his inner thigh, preventing them from being separated.

"Samus…? Are you alright?" The Spartan asked, his usual gruffness replaced with concern at the sight of her apparent weakness, deciding to ignore his own critical needs for her own.

He supposed that he should be worried about his own health, as his body was still recovering from the attacks the Didact had used on him, and his damaged armor suit.

And his missing arm…

But he couldn't help the sensation of protectiveness that had overcome him.

She laughed, the sound a soft and gentle noise, unlike anything he'd heard from her previously. Although she didn't turn to face him, he gained the impression she was glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. "I'm fine, John… I'm worried… about you…" She muttered, voice hitching. Yet despite that, he could sense her mirth.

"Really? Because it sounds to me like you can't even move…" He found himself taunting back, his deep gruff voice cracking slightly in amusement only for him to wince in pain, reaching over to hold his armored bicep out of instinct.

"H-Hey…? John?" She asked suddenly, her lone red eye staring at him from the corner of her eye.

He didn't respond verbally, but the shifting of his head towards her told her he was listening.

"Shut… the fuck.. up…" She murmured decidedly, struggling to catch her breath. "It's a… miracle we're both… not dead…" She wheezed out, blinking weakly.

The Master Chief, despite himself, chortled at her response. "Yes ma'am." He nodded as if he were taking orders.

She rolled her eyes, but didn't bite back.

Although she wanted to.

Oh god she wanted to, wanted to bite back, tease him relentlessly, talk to him as he held her like few others ever had in her entire life.

She just wanted to go home, strip naked from her armor, and not have to worry about saving the galaxy for at the very, very least, one fucking hour…

Couldn't the universe spare her that leisure?

So caught up in her exhaustion induced daydream, she was caught unaware when he appeared before her, reaching out to pull her body snugly against his own. She felt her checks flush as she gazed out at him from behind the safety of her visor, a strong sense of comfort filling her bosom as he held her in his arms.

He glanced down at her, his face unreadable as ever.

But in that moment, she was sure she knew what he was thinking about, if the way his hands curled protectively around her backside was anything to go by.

"Don't worry, I've got you…" He murmured softly, his gruff voice sending shivers down her spine. She felt the urge to press herself into him come up, and, this time she didn't push them away. The chin of her helmet came to rest on his broad chest plate, her eyes fluttering closed.

"You idiot… I know you do…" She muttered quietly, hiding her face as she turned away, cheeks flushed lightly. She reached around him with her free hand, claws digging into the hitch on his armor to hold him close. "I'm more… worried.. about you…" She whispered, hiding her gaze from his eyes.

He chortled painfully, but didn't say anything further. For now, all he could do was hold her firmly to himself, and wait for someone, anyone to come and find them and bring them home.

But that could be some time…

"John…?" The Bounty Hunter murmured, voice slurred now, her exhaustion bone deep. He could see from the flashing from her visor that her suit had entered low power mode, and her body was likely drained badly as well. From the ability alone that he was able to physically touch her told him that her shields were down too.

"Yes?" He asked quietly.

"When we… get back to the Infinity…" She murmured softly, voice barely a whisper. "Promise me that we will… take some time off… I'm sick of fighting… aliens…" She trailed off, sleep finally taking hold of her.

His eyes widened, before his gaze softened. "Of course… I'm sure the Captain wouldn't mind." He muttered, as if to himself.

Although he was sure she had fallen asleep in his arm, he was distinctly aware of her tail as it wrapped itself around his thigh, crawling down the length of his armored leg, as if she was refusing to let go, even in her sleep.

''You really found yourself a keeper, Chief…'' A familiar blue lady muttered teasingly from within his mind.

He wanted to scoff, but he was too tired. ''I already knew that.'' He sighed, resting his head atop her own as he took that moment to gain some much needed rest.

''Just promise me you'll survive long enough to make something out of it…'' She whispered to herself, a ghost of a smirk on her face.

Wisely, he chose not to respond to the jest made in his expense.

Cortana smiled to herself, silently sending out a distress beacon to any and all local UNSC forces. His suit was badly damaged, and his transmitter wasn't working properly. The signal would still work, but the rescue team would have to be relatively close to pick up on it.

There was no need to worry, she knew someone could find them soon enough…

All they had to do was wait now.

"Calm down Smythe, you know she's alive just as much as I do…" A once jovial voice muttered, a sentiment shared by others around them.

"I know, but at this point I feel responsible if I don't have a small panic attack every time she goes off to do something completely irrational…" The grey armored Federation Trooper muttered, eyes glued to his scanner array at the helm of his Stiletto class star-fighter. "Come on Anthony, you know she's a glutton for dangerous shit… Why do you think she keeps throwing herself into such crazy situations?"

The black man shook his head from the other seat of the fighter, yet he was smiling, this time a bitter look.

Not that his companion could see.

"She keeps finding herself in this scenario because she thinks it's her responsibility to protect everyone." He muttered, sharing with the other man something that had gone unshared for too long.

"What? Responsible for who? The whole galaxy?" Smythe joked back, not taking the man's words seriously.

But…

"Yes." He said simply. At his copilot's questioning glance, he elaborated. "Ever since she was a child, she's been raised to be the best at what she does. She's been gifted the single most powerful suit of armor in the entire galaxy, and has been trained by the people that made it to become their ultimate warrior. She's, for all intents and purposes, the Hero the Chozo gave the galaxy before they vanished all together, and she still carries that weight on her shoulders…"

"That's… That's too much for one person to bear…" Smythe muttered.

"Yes… But it was her choice to bear it, and no amount of coercion from me or anyone else has even come close to making her change her mind, save one… But he's no longer here…" The big man sighed, shaking his head. "But that's a topic for another time… For now, let's just focus on bringing them home."

"Do we even know where home is anymore?" The other soldier muttered dryly.

"That's also a topic for another time." Anthony laughed.

"I suppose you're… Hey- I think I see them!" Smythe sighed, only to nearly bite his tongue as he finally managed to pick up the weak distress signal. "Up ahead, ten clicks to the right." He said, turning the ship to adjust to the new course.

Just up ahead he caught a clear sight of the two missing heroes, floating lifelessly in the void. "This is Rouge Wing One to Captain Del Rio of the UNSC Infinity, we found them…" Anthony called over his com unit.

The line was silent for a long moment, before the captain responded. "Copy that Wing One. Get them aboard and return to Infinity… Del Rio out." The line went cold.

The Stiletto gently soared forward, its headlights flashing bright to light up the void. Upon the lights shining against the visor of the Spartan, the man in green turned his head to face them.

The bay door to the star fighter opened, depressurizing as the air escaped in a hiss.

The Spartan glanced back to the sleeping woman in his arms, making sure he had a good grip on her. "Let's get you home, Samus…" He muttered, initiating his low level thrusters to push him and her both towards the fighter. A bit of maneuvering later saw them both safely aboard, the Spartan's feet on solid ground once more.

The moment they were aboard, Anthony and Smythe came running out from the cockpit, worried by the fact that the Bounty Hunter was laying unconscious in his grasp. "Don't worry, she's just sleeping. Her body's been through a lot…" The super soldier said before any tension could rise, knowing that there was some history behind the other two men and the woman in his arms.

"I know… Her armor would've vanished otherwise." Anthony sighed, shaking his head. "Forget that, what about you? Your arm…" The man said in concern. The Spartan glanced down to the stump where his arm once had been.

He shook his head, his spartan training allowing him to block out the pain relatively well. "No use worrying about it, it's probably unrecoverable now." He said, almost to himself. "They have Spartan grade prosthetics, they'll probably suit me out with one when I get back…" He murmured, glancing back down to the unconscious woman he held so carefully.

Anthony sighed, nodding his head as he turned his gaze towards the Bounty Hunter. "Still… It doesn't get any easier to see her like this…" The big man muttered.

"Please tell me this won't be a recurring theme…" The Spartan found himself muttering, a sense of dread filling his stomach.

"Okay." Anthony sighed, turning away as he moved for the pilot seat once more.

The Spartan watched him go, blinking in confusion.

Was he missing something?

Curious, he turned to the other Federation Trooper, seeking answers.

Smythe raised his hands in surrender. "Hey don't look at me. You told us to not tell you…" The man stated, moving to join Anthony.

That feeling in his stomach turned from poison to venom at the other man's words.

He sighed.

He turned to the space against the wall, the only place he could actually find some rest. Glancing down to the unconscious woman in his grasp, he found himself smiling. Realizing that he might as well settle in, he slid down, coming to rest against the wall of the fighter, carefully holding the Hunter in his arms.

The moment his head hit the wall, he was asleep.

Maybe this time, when he was awoken, the universe wouldn't be at stake…

She awoke to the dull thrum of a biological observation monitor humming in the background, the typical bleached white walls of a medical facility the first thing that greeted her gaze beyond the rim of her visor.

Slowly' she blinked, the world coming back to her gradually. Her head felt foggy, but not hazy, the effects of exhaustion and likely nothing more. The lights outside of her visor were dim, probably so as to not blind her.

She found her gaze drawn upward slightly, the energy readings on her HUD reading fully charged. Biological activity within her body was at nominal levels as well.

She was fine, she realized.

No giant piece of a starship stabbing through her abdomen, no freezing atmosphere threatening to consume her whole, no planet on the brink of collapse…

Just her, in a bed of sorts, and she was in one piece…

She dropped her head back down, shoulders sagging as the tension that had built up vanished in an instant.

She was fine.

She was likely on the Infinity, assuredly within one of its many specialized medical facilities.

She lay there for a long while, before another thought occurred to her.

Where was John?

She sat up, the motion so sudden that it surprised even her own body. She clenched her claws, getting a feel for her body again as she moved to get off of the bed. Her feet hit the ground, a momentary feeling of weakness trailing up her legs before it faded away. Dragging on the ground behind her was her tail, something she'd completely forgotten about before then.

She approached the automated door, however, before she could even open it, it slid open on its own. Her eyes widened when she nearly walked right into the green armored super soldier she'd been seeking out, her gaze drawn upwards to his visor.

"Oh, you're awake. The doctor said-" The man went to say, but was cut off when he found himself pulled into her embrace, her head resting on his chest plate.

Although both of them were still completely armored, she still sought that semblance of physical contact with the man. If nothing more then to prove that he was still alive after the hellish war the both of them had just come out the other side of, then it was because her greedy heart desired to hold him.

"…Are you okay?" She murmured into his chest, as if afraid to look up to him.

The man let out a soft sigh. "I'm fine, Samus." He said softly.

"John…" She muttered.

"You've been asleep for a week..." He added lightly. As if to further prove his point, he raised his arm up, the one that had been cut off. In place of his missing limb was a titanium advanced prosthetic limb, armored in a similar fashion as his suit itself. He flexed the cold metal digits, as if to show that he was fine.

"What about your internal injuries…?" She asked quietly.

"I've been diagnosed as fit for duty-" He tried.

"John…" She muttered.

"I'm fine, Samus." He consoled, reaching up to put his hands on her shoulders.

But he had a feeling that it wouldn't be enough.

Not for her.

Not if she could help it…

And she could help it.

She looked up, her red visor staring up into his golden splintered one. Without even speaking, she reached up and began prodding at the chin of his helmet, as if silently asking for permission to remove it.

The Spartan was silent for a moment, before his helmet hissed at the seams, the locks coming undone. The man reached up, pulling the metal armor up and off. He set it on the ground beside his feet, finding his gaze locked intently on the woman in front of him.

In a flash of light her helmet too was gone, her long green locks falling freely down the back of her armor, coming to rest by the back of her knees. She stared up at him, vibrant red eyes blinking gently, black lips parted.

The man couldn't help his wandering gaze as his eyes trailed the corners of her lips, noticing the thin line that extended from her lips up to the point where her jaw connected to her skull. It reminded him of a snake, but he'd never seen her open her mouth that wide before…

"Samus…" He went to speak.

But she cut him off, leaning up as she pressed her puffy black lips to his own. Almost immediately he could feel her energy slipping into his body, his wounds healing the longer she held the kiss.

She pulled away, a thin trail of saliva connecting the two. She licked her lips, as if tasting him on her own tongue. Before the Spartan could even attempt to get a word in edgewise, she pulled him back down into another tender kiss.

A dull scrapping sound could be heard repeating from somewhere behind her, the bladed edge of her tail cutting gouges out of the metal floor as it wagged excitedly back and forth.

"If you compare me to a dog, I will kil-" She said heatedly as she separated her lips from his own, breath momentarily taken away. But her words died on her lips, face flushing as she gazed up at him.

"You'll what?" He asked in that usual gruff way of his, yet this time she couldn't help but detect the hint of teasing in his voice that was typically absent.

However…

"I will-!" She snapped, mouth opening to fire off an emotional retort, but it died on her tongue. Images flashed before her eyes, memories of the past coming back.

"Hey relax, we're the good guys-" His voice echoed in her head, ghostly tone dripping with a comforting level of sarcasm.

"I'm going t-to…" She tried, voice trailing off as tears began prickling at the corner of her blood red eyes.

"Justice will prevail and all that stuff-" He turned towards her, as if looking for her reassurance in that very moment. She nodded to him, a tight ghost of a smile gracing her lips as she leveled her gaze on him.

"I-I-…" When trying to even taunt him with threats of violence, her body locked up, voice vanishing in the back of her throat.

"-right Samus?" He asked in that overtly confident way, sounding as if he was smirking at her.

"Right Samus?" He died, impaled on his own ice spike, staring right at her in the brief moment he had slipped free from the specter that had been controlling him. And there was nothing she could do but watch, his screams still echoing out in her ears.

"I-I-I-I will not let anyone touch you…" She finally managed, tears pouring down her lightly green skinned cheeks. "I-I'm done losing people… I'm not going to lose you…" She whispered, biting her lips to hold back the sounds that threatened to burst forth.

"…Samus…" The man breathed, briefly taken aback by her sudden and unexpected reaction. He saw the look in her eyes, a look he'd seen time and time again in the eyes of marines, soldiers, Spartans, civilians…

People…

It was the look of a person who had lost someone very dear to them, and the scars had never left her. Instead they had burrowed deep into her psyche, and she'd managed to keep them down there for a long, long time…

Long enough that when they finally started to show themselves again, they burst forth with a righteous vengeance that she couldn't control. And so, when those emotions started up, she couldn't stop them from spiraling out of control.

And right now, she didn't need comforting words to calm her scared and confused mind. Therapeutic statements made to sooth for those in this sort of situation, nor did she need someone to prove to her that he was fine.

She just needed him to hold her.

And that's something he did. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snuggly to his chest. His right hand came up to gently cradle the back of her head as he held it to him, his metal left hand firmly holding her. He didn't say anything, resting his chin on her head as she let out her emotions.

It was just what she needed to ground her in this reality once more, to convince her own bleeding heart that he was here by her side, alive and breathing.

He was safe, and she only had herself to blame for that.

Chapter

35

End