097 Afterlife

Carter stood by the lake, watching the water lap at the shore. He didn't really know how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was being in the pelican, heading toward the scarab. He didn't remember hitting it, but there was no way that he could have made it out of that alive. What was more confusing was where he was. It seemed to be Onyx, but it lacked any of the familiar military buildings, only a small two-story house. The light blue painted wood of the outside was soft against the white trim and deck on the front of the house.

Carter didn't know why but he moved toward the building. He moved up the steps, running a hand over the railings that led up. It was so perfect, like it was out of a dream. It was like an old picture of a house on Earth. The kind that existed outside of big cities and he'd only ever seen in books. It was what he'd always wanted to live in when he was a little kid. He'd thought about living in the same kind of home with Kat, but he knew that could never be.

Carter moved to the door, opening it up. The inside was just as perfect as the outside. The walls were a soft green in the main living room and he moved through, looking over the tan couch that looked so inviting. It was fluffy and looked comfortable, like it was straight out of a magazine. Carter moved on until he reached the kitchen. The blue and white checkered drapes in the window fluttered in the breeze and he moved over to the table. This house was perfect, what he'd always wanted, but it was missing one thing that would make it truly perfect.

Glass hit the ground and Carter turned toward the sound. Standing in the back doorway was exactly who he had just been thinking of. Kat's mouth hung open in surprise. Carter smiled slightly. "Kat."

The female Spartan suddenly became angry. She stormed over to him and her fist hit his shoulder. "What are you doing here?" There wasn't as much anger as he had expected. There was some anger, but it was mixed in with sorrow. "You aren't supposed to be here yet. It's too soon." She pounded her fist against his chest but his arms just wrapped around her waist. He frowned as he spotted the light tears that were running down her cheeks. "You were supposed to live." He pulled her to his chest and she fit perfectly against him, face buried in his chest. "You were supposed to live." The words were muffled as she cried against him.

Carter held her tight to him, trying to calm her down. "You know I couldn't live without you." He smiled as her fist hit him again. "Can't you just be happy that I'm here?"

Kat turned her face so that her cheek was against his chest. "I would be if it didn't mean you didn't make it to the end."

"I made it as far as I could." Carter led her into the living room and they sat down on the couch. "If it helps it turned out you were right. It was more than a torch-and-burn op."

Kat snorted and leaned fully against Carter. "Wish that actually counted for something." She closed her eyes, snuggling against him. "I am glad that you are here, Carter. I missed you. Still don't even know what happened."

"I missed you, Kat. You were taken before you could really tell. Sniper got you from the sky." Carter hesitated for a moment before his hand moved to her stomach. "Kat, why didn't you tell me?"

Kat took a deep breath and shrugged. "I was planning on telling you at a time where we could maybe talk about it before we had to go into combat. We didn't have that when I found out." She sat up and smiled at him. "Would you like to meet her?"

Carter was confused for a moment before it struck him what she was talking about. "Meet her? Our daughter? Yes." Each word was more and more excited.

Kat stood up and pulled Carter with her. She led him up the stair and to a light blue painted room. Cartoon-like pictures of ODST and Spartans looked to be skipping across the walls happily. It seemed odd but Kat much have decorated since she'd been here. He was pulled over to a crib where their sleeping child lay. He looked down at the infant who was slumbering peacefully.

"Carter, this is our daughter, Katy. All the wonders of having a child, none of the unpleasant parts of pregnancy. One good thing about being dead." Kat leaned on the crib, smiling down at the child.

"Katy? You named her without me?" He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around Kat's waist, looking over her shoulder at the child.

"First, you weren't her and she needed a name. Second, Katy is a special name. Katy was my best friend in Beta, and died saving my life." Kat turned around in Carter's arms. "You got a problem with that?"

Carter shook his head. "No, that sounds like two great reasons to name her Katy, without me. Honestly I never had any good ideas for girl names." He rested his forehead against hers. "This is perfect, Kat."

"It is now that we're all here. Still wish you would have made it further." She frowned a bit. "Hoped you'd be able to tell me if the war ended and humans survived."

Carter shook his head. "I don't care about that. I have you. I have Katy. That's all that matters to me." Kat was going to protest but he leaned down, bringing their lips together. As he pulled away he didn't move to far away. "Let the living worry about the war. We have all eternity to be together."

Kat chuckled slightly. "Well put." She pulled him back toward her, letting herself enjoy that there was no longer anything standing in their way. They could be together, happy, a family, and nothing could stop them.

End~