Part II:

Jorge had generously put them up in a hotel for the duration of the wedding. It was a place that tried its best to be modern yet homey, a solid, rectangular building atop a green hill, miraculously unscathed from the war.

Jun and Emile were roomed downstairs, with windows that faced the sunrise. Carter was down the corridor from Kat, on the top floor.

Kat's room was uncomfortably comfortable. The bedding was pale rose and the wallpaper was cream. There was a television screen that disappeared discreetly behind a wood panel when unneeded, a holo-fireplace that crackled lightly in the centrally heated air, and real printed books on the shelves. A digital touchscreen near the bed controlled the door lock, the temperature, the television, and the tint on the windows.

It was too cozy. It was too nice. And she couldn't sleep.

She sat up in her comfortable bed and reached for the data pad on the nightstand, figuring she might as well work if she couldn't sleep. She thumbed through various files, searching to see if the lab reports from her research center at HQ had come in yet.

Memories distracted her from work, just as they had distracted her from sleep. She wasn't unused to that. It wasn't unusual for her to close her eyes and see plasma flashes, to hear Carter's voice rapping out orders over the screams of the battlefield… and to think about Thom. (Oh, Thom.)

But it wasn't any of those things that kept her up tonight. Instead, she thought about Jorge and the easy way he smiled since the war ended. She thought about the wedding invitation in its thick cream envelope. She thought about the strange, outlandish concept of marriage, more alien to her than the Covenant. It wasn't war that kept her up. It was peace.

And she thought about him and whether he was sitting up awake in his bed down the hall, thinking of marriage.

The room was stuffy. She threw aside the soft pink covers and went to the window. It had a safety feature that would only open it halfway, so she retrieved her data pad and hacked into the computer system, overriding the safety feature from her room.

She threw the window wide open and welcomed the cold air on her skin. It smelled green and damp and carried the cool, hopeful scent of spring.

Kat crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She wasn't used to sleeping in a comfortable bed with rose covers and frilly pillowcases. She wasn't used to staring out a window and not flicking her eyes over each landmark for enemies and sightlines. She wasn't used to breathing the night air and not scenting it for danger, like an alert bloodhound. She wasn't used to peace.

There was a noise. No, not really a noise, more a feeling, a presence. She turned around abruptly and stared at the door.

She knew it was Carter. There was no shadow over the line of light under the door, but she knew it was him. He didn't knock or call out to her, but she could almost feel the imprint of his hand on the smooth wood, the brush of his fingers over the gold letters of her room number.

She wondered what he was doing there. They had agreed beforehand that they wouldn't see each other at night during Jorge's wedding. Civilians tended to gossip. Spartans too.

The silence lingered. She listened carefully and didn't hear him leave.

She sauntered over to the touchscreen and thumbed the door controls. "It's unlocked," she called out recklessly into the dark.

She waited a heartbeat. Slowly, the handle turned and the door opened to reveal the Commander. He stepped in, checked outside to see no one was watching, and closed the door behind him. There was a moment's silence between them.

"Did I wake you?" he said awkwardly.

She bit her lip and shook her head. They were never awkward with each other, but Jorge's wedding had thrown them both out of their element.

"No," she replied. She shifted over on the bed in a silent welcome. He took it and crossed the room to sit next to her.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he said, gesturing to the glowing data pad.

"Not really. Carter… I thought we agreed we weren't going to…"

"Do you want me to go?" he said quickly.

"No," she said, also quickly. "Stay."

She touched the back of his neck with her fingers in that soft massaging motion she knew he liked. The stubble at the nape of his neck tickled her skin. She heard him sigh, felt his head droop.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep," he said. "Too many thoughts rolling around in my head. All this wedding business… Kept thinking about Jorge, wondering if he's going to be happy."

Kat shrugged. "He always was the most human of us. Figures he'd be the one to get married, to a civilian no less."

"Yeah," Carter chuckled. "Married." He said the word slowly, thoughtfully, letting it roll off his tongue. The word hung in the air between them, between their bodies, warm and full of unspoken meaning. Neither of them said anything for a few long minutes.

"We should get some rest," Kat suggested gently.

"Big day tomorrow," Carter agreed.

They lay down, side by side in the wide, comfortable bed. They pulled the cream and rose comforter over their bodies and rested their heads on the frilly pillows. Neither of them said a word. They lay as still as a pair of dolls in a crib, staring at the ceiling.

Kat wondered if this was how Jorge would lie down with his wife tomorrow, and then night after night after night. Would he rest his head into the soft pillows and think nothing but peaceful, happy thoughts? Would he dream peaceful dreams?

Carter shifted next to her. He turned over on his side and very slowly, very gingerly, put his arm around her. She felt his breath on her neck, and his heartbeat. She closed her eyes.

X

Notes: So there's part 2! Next up should be the ceremony itself. Also, does anyone know if Kat's arm is a permanent prosthetic? Or is it some sort of armor attachment that she takes off after missions?

Thanks so much for reading and please take the time to review! :D