" Chief Mendez will be so angry with us. Or maybe he'll be fiercely proud. Or, possibly both. " , Kelly-87 idly thought aloud, as she sat with legs neatly crossed in front of the crackling campfire, while nonchalantly prodding it with a long orange tree branch , tipping over some of the flaming wooden chunks.

" Its impossible to be sure, though. That's how it is with him. ", she added, poking the flames a few more times. Firm and buffeting gusts of ocean air- filled with a saltiness, and slightly fishy- swept in every few minutes, causing the fire to warble and dance as it fought back against the sea's spiteful attack.

Sitting beside her on the cool, firmly packed, wavy beach sand, with his own legs also crossed, John-117 couldn't stop a corner of his mouth from turning up slightly.

Kelly's description of the thought process of the old NCO who'd been alternating between ruthlessly putting the Spartan-2's through the wringer for the past few years, and being an indomitable father figure that they inevitably looked up to, was spot on. That was saying something, because Senior Chief Petty Officer ( SCPO ) Mendez, the grand master and most ruthless of, all the trainers of the Spartan -2 program was a man who all under his charge learned quick was all but impossible to read. He wouldn't allow anything to crack the veneer of his Prussian-Grade military discipline, and played all his cards so close to the vest, they were practically sewn in. What little you did see of how he felt and thought, was virtually only because he let you.

To be fair, though, that didn't apply to everyone. To be most accurate of all, though, that mostly didn't apply to the Spartan 2's themselves. After all, they had spend every single day for the bulk of their entire lives, under his tough but fair charge

And, to be perfectly dead on target, that didn't apply to Kelly.

" I'd say you figured that out first. ", John stated. " You knew that first exercise of ours was all about teamwork. "

He had plenty of reason to say so. Kelly's ability to psychoanalyze someone had become blatantly obvious to John long ago. She'd been the first candidate to call John out on his over-competitiveness on the very first day of their training, when John had powered off so quickly and enthusiastically he'd done it without her and Samuel through the legendary " Playground " obstacle course back on Reach. By " abandoning " them, John inadvertently cost them and himself a meal of turkey and mashed potatoes that night; something that Kelly had been quick to point out was the fault of his insatiable drive to always win.

Well, at least she hadn't outright accused him of being a selfish jerk right off the bat. That'd been Samuel. John still remembered the violent, " I ought to choke you right here and now " look on Samuel's face as the other teams were being led off to chow down on their civilian grade feast.

I learned my lesson. I've always put my team first after that day.

Kelly glanced up, and looked at him. Her green eyes had a glint in them, one that John recognized as partially nostalgic ( she'd taken rich pleasure in verbally blasting John for robbing them of a real dinner, after Samuel had taken the lead ), and partially satisfied that John had acknowledged she was right.

She was, after all.

" At least you caught on, eventually ", she reminded him. " Though, I have to say: stealing his oxygen tanks and using them to swim the whole team out to this nowhere cove doesn't seem like it fits into any of even his plans. "

" But, you still think it does. "

" Of course. Its The Chief. He's always up to something. "

" As long as it involves us winding up exhausted. "

Nodding, John leaned back, uncrossing his legs and stretching them out. He let his neck crane back, bringing the dangling and bobbing fronds of the densely grown and towering coconut palm trees that ran parallel with the ocean into view. They were clearly outlined against the night sky, which was studded with the usual assortment of uncountable stars, and constellations of stars. Out here, on a uninhabited island with no human settlements or lights, the clarity and sharpness of said stars and constellations was definitively maximized.

It was a real pretty sight.

It was worth it, John decided. Or, at least some rebellious piece of him thought so. It wasn't so bad, to take some time off. They weren't children anymore, after all. They were growing up, and getting closer and closer to being full fledged men and women. Part of that process was learning how to push boundaries, and make calls on their own.

Yes, they were still Spartans. Yes, they would still not even contemplate disobeying an order to leave this island at the drop of a hat, or one to not land on it in the first place. Mendez had trained that into them from Day 1, and he'd done it too well. But, that was exactly it: there had been no orders, either way. Granted, that may have been because they were out of reach of any comms systems ( and didn't have any with them, either ), but nobody in the brass could think they'd gone rouge, or something that extreme.

All they'd done was steal their Head training officer's O2 tanks, and ( temporarily ) gone AWOL from BUD/S ( basic underwater demolition/ Spec-ops ) training to scratch out a few days to a week of R and R. They'd be back in action before anyone was any the wiser.

Or, they'd all be facing disciplinary action. Or some contrived survival training in Reach's mountains. That was all assuming, of course, that Mendez had planned/ expected them to do this, and they'd played right into his hands anyway.

Well, that's neither here nor there. Let's enjoy ourselves for now.

" You got your head in the clouds, John. "

Kelly's light, Manchester accent got his attention quickly, as always.

Dropping his chin, John met her eyes, still with that glint in them. They were focused on him now, and her mouth was formed into a slight, but genuinely warm, smile.

The kind of grin she reserved only for him. It was something that was shared between them and nobody else. Maybe Mendez had noticed. If he had, he'd said nothing.

So, he must've noticed-

" Distracted ? "

John shrugged, quickly slipping back into the moment. " Somewhat. We haven't had a chance to relax and take it easy that much, if I remember. "

" That's true. Wall to wall ops and exercises. "

" Sure is. But if I get a week off from it, I won't say no. Especially if I get to spend it with you. "

" Oh, my God. ", Kelly outright laughed at that- a undeniably pleasant sound to John. " You're not that subtle, are you ? "

" Subtle ? Grace is the one who loves bombs, remember ? "

" Which is poetic, given her name. Come on, though: You know what I mean. "

John did, needless to say. Kelly was right (No surprise there ): getting to spend this many free days with Kelly was definitely something that he'd been wanting for longer than he realized.

It helped that everyone else of their group- including Grace- was well away, out in the water as he and Kelly sat here by the fire. They were busy using the snorkels from their BUD/S gear to ply the seabed of the shallows offshore, gathering clams and oysters by flashlight that they'd then cook over the outdoor stove.

They'd been out for only a few minutes, anyway. They'd take at least half and hour to gather up enough seafood to constitute a decent meal for some ever-hungry Spartan 2's. Maybe more.

So,in that case-

" And, you know I can still read your mind right now. ", Kelly scooted around the edge of the fire, until she was right beside John, who pivoted to face her.

The mood was palpable. He noted ( not that it was possible for him not to notice ) how attractive- beautiful, actually-Kelly was. Her angular, well boned face looked alluringly pretty in the firelight, and her brunette hair was neatly tied back in keeping with regs, but it still hung past her ears.

What was best of all, though, was John knew Kelly was more than beautiful; she was fiercely intelligent and perceptive. Brave. All those years of Spartan PT had resulted in her being in flawless shape. And she loved guns with a passion, understanding they didn't pull their own triggers, and deserved to be treated as the finely crafted tools and defenders that they were meant to be.

( She did still lace the snow clumps she lobbed at the others with rocks, though. )

" Can you ? What I am I thinking right now ? "

John managed to keep his tone level, but that was a facade that Kelly saw right through it. She slipped a hand neatly over one of his, the one that was pressed against the cool sand.

Her skin was still warm. She'd been closer to the fire.

And I thought I liked how an MA5D's grip felt

The owner of that hand looked him in the eye, and it was obvious was she was thinking, and about to do.

" You're about to find out. ", Kelly told him.

Her pointed gaze didn't flinch as she began to slowly lean forward-

- and was met when John's lips met hers first.

Always take the initiative.

John's last coherent thought before everything faded out, was one of the first lessons SCPO Mendez had taught them. Go and and seize the moment, he'd always said. Preempt moves you see being directed your way.

Of course, that'd all been about tactics, and dealing with enemy contact, and-

Well, neither of them was thinking about training lessons right now. Or, anything else at all, for that matter.

They heard the fire crackling, the mildly high waves crashing and wooshing endlessly, the soft rustling of the palm fronds, and they were aware of where they were, but that was all. Good kisses tend to have that effect.

Finally, they pulled back.

Kelly's face was lit up, and her eyes had a surprised look to them.

" You- ", she whispered. " You jumped the-"

" Gun ? ", John supplied helpfully. " An M7 ? "

" Smartass ", Kelly succeeded in putting together a response. She exhaled.

" You're worse than Corpsman Jennifer back at base. "

Shrugging, John owned up to the accusation, rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. " So, that's a problem ? "

Kelly firmly shook her brunette head.

" Not at all. "

" Now, hold still. "

This time, John did as he was told, as Kelly leaned in again.

Well, he mused, as Kelly's lips were the first to touch.

Good soldiers follow orders.