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Chapter Text

The commotion came as the trainees were preparing for bed. In only three short months most of the children, adaptable as they were, had become accustomed to their new lives as soldiers. The sound of crying after lights out had become a rare occurrence, and reminiscing about their past lives was reduced to the occasional whispered comment, usually over dinner. That was one of the few times their trainers were not hovering mere feet away, ready to strike at the smallest infraction.

Earlier that evening, at one such dinner, the children had sat in rapt attention as Jorge covertly told them the story of a legendary figure called ‘ Mikulás’. “- and he wears a long red robe, with a red hat! And a sack full of presents!” Excited murmuring was quickly shushed, with several hasty looks at the trainers on the other side of the room, currently ignoring the children as they ate their own dinner.

“And he’s coming tonight ?” Naomi’s eyes were wide, her fork nearly forgotten where it dangled from between her fingers. 

Jorge nodded eagerly, ready to continue the story, but was interrupted by a scoff from Daisy. “Of course he’s not. Even if he were real -” She punctuated this by glaring daggers at Jorge. “It’s not like he knows where we are. This place is top secret.” She folded her arms triumphantly. “So there.”

“What?” Across the table, Victor looked near tears. He turned his gaze to Jorge desperately. “Is that true?!”

“Well…” Jorge tossed a glare of his own back at Daisy. He seemed to consider the conundrum for a moment. “Normally it would be,” He finally decided. “But I’ve come up with a plan to let him know we’re here.”

The first part of Operation: Mikulás went off without a hitch. Through the course of the evening, each child snuck out to the door of the barracks and dropped off their boots in the shadows nearby. “As long as they’re outside, Mikulás will see them.” Jorge had assured. “Then he’ll know we’re here and bring us candy.” 

Jorge was the last one to sneak off, and it wasn’t until he reentered the barracks that things went south. “052!” Came the familiar shout of CPO Mendez, and Jorge’s body immediately jerked to attention. 

“What in the hell are you doing?” The sharp stomp of Mendez’s boots against the concrete echoed through the room like an ominous drum. Jorge kept his eyes ahead, small form betraying the smallest of shivers. The rest of the children watched as Mendez stopped only a few inches behind Jorge, and he glared down at the boy. “I asked you a question, recruit. What are you doing? Where are your boots?” They waited in silence, every eye in the room on Jorge. Would he answer? To do so would mean punishment of course, but if he stayed silent…

There was no hesitation as the fist came down on Jorge’s skull. He stumbled, one hand raised to shield himself from another blow, but it did not come down on him again. “Answer when I speak to you.” Mendez’s voice had lowered from its usual shout, but still commanded the attention of the large barracks. It sounded more dangerous than before, if such a thing was possible. “Sir, my boots are outside, sir.” Jorge’s voice was quiet, but firm. He would show no fear to the enemy. 

“And what are they doing there? Did you step in shit during your drills this afternoon?”

“Sir, no sir. We- I left them out for. For Mikulás.” 

CPO Mendez’s face remained carefully blank. “You’re telling me that you left a piece of UNSC property- something that was placed under your supervision - outside in the mud for Santa Claus ?” Jorge flinched as the dangerously quiet voice rose into a yell between one syllable and the next. 

“Yes, sir.” 

Mendez looked around the room. “And was anyone else involved in this stupid scheme?” 

There was barely a breath of silence before Jorge jerked his head up and faced the crowd himself. There was a look of steel in his eyes that only the other children could see when he answered. “No, sir. I was the only one.” Mendez waited, but when no one else spoke up he nodded.

“Then I suppose you’ll be the only one punished. Tomorrow, you’ll learn to respect your uniform.” He shoved Jorge further into the room. “Light’s out!” He snapped at the children, who immediately began to scramble for their bunks. By the time Mendez had turned and taken the three steps back to the exit, every Spartan recruit lay neatly under their blankets. 

The next morning began like any other: with the sound of children waking up and eagerly beginning their day. At least, until each one walked past Jorge’s bunk and saw him knelt in front of an empty trunk. “They took my clothes.” He mumbled. He was still in the thin t-shirt and shorts he’d worn to bed. “While we were asleep they took my clothes.” Even his socks were gone. 

“Maybe they’re outside with our shoes?” Someone asked. Kurt grabbed Jorge’s arm and pulled him to his feet. 

“We can’t be late for drills.” He whispered softly to Jorge, who was near tears. 

It was a horrible punishment, and every other child was glad it was not them who would have to endure the long day of exercise dressed in their pajamas. Yet that relief was short-lived, as the children hurried outside to find Chief Mendez standing next to a giant pile of shoes- shoes that had previously been hidden among the grass and brush around the barracks. Behind him were two trainers holding a long black bag.

“You may not be aware,” Mendez began. “That there was an attempt to infiltrate this base last night. An intruder was caught right here-” he pointed at the ground. “Outside these barracks, and shot by the patrol.” He gestured to the soldiers. They picked the bag up and with effort, laid it on the grass by Chief Mendez. One of them unzipped it while the other grabbed the edge and pulled , letting whatever had been inside roll out onto the ground. The Spartan recruits gasped as they all saw the now-familiar form of a fresh corpse. The man was wearing a red robe and hat, covered in dirt and splatters of dried blood. Exactly how Jorge had described him the night before.

“I thought you might recognize him.” There was no mistaking the grim smugness in Mendez’s tone. “From what we can gather, he was attempting to collect all of your boots. Somehow they found their way outside. But that doesn’t matter anymore- because we took care of him the way the UNSC takes care of every one of their enemies. So let me be clear!” He smacked his hands together and began to walk down the line of children while the soldiers began the difficult task of wrapping the body up once more. “There is no room in the UNSC for antics! There is no room in the UNSC for flights of childish fancy! You are all soldiers, and I don’t care if it's Christmas, Easter, or even May Day! You will always be expected to act like soldiers!

“Now, when you return to your barracks this evening, you will collect your boots out of this pile. Until then, you will do all your drills today in your current state of dress.” He glanced over at Jorge, shivering in the cold morning. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir, yes sir!” All seventy-five children shouted in unison.

“Good! Now get to work!”

Chapter Text

It had been seven months since Master Chief had returned to Earth for the last time. Seven months since he assumed guardianship of a little girl that was, against all odds, his clone. His child. 

There had been many ups, and twice as many downs. Samuel had started first grade, which she’d taken like a duck to water. Chief had learned how to buy groceries, which had sounded simple but was actually needlessly complicated. He also had to get used to working behind a desk, and regular meetings with Specialist Woulfe about Samuel’s health and general wellbeing. Day-by-day, things became less surprising and more routine. But every once in a while, Chief still found himself having to roll with the punches. 

Like on this particular day. Winter’s chill seeped into the air, and the sky became more of a cloudy gray with each passing day. Weather reports predicted it would snow by the end of the week. That brought a lot of cheer to the base, as it was nearing the new year and there’d been no sign of snow.

So, he probably should have expected it when Samuel walked in the door, threw her book bag onto the counter, and asked, “What are we doing for Christmas?”

“What?” He asked, more out of surprise than anything else. He was in the middle of boiling water for mac and cheese, which tasted much better out of the box than it did when coming out of an MRE. 

“Christmas!” She enunciated. “Ms. Woulfe and I celebrated Christmas last year, and my teacher says that Santa Claus comes and gives you presents. Presents .” She repeated that last word with some serious six-and-a-half year old emphasis. 

“I know what Christmas is, Samuel.” He poured the pasta in the water. 

“Well, I just wanted to know, since she also said that some families don’t celebrate Christmas. Does Blue Team celebrate Christmas?”

Certain that the pasta could sit for a few minutes without his attention, Chief turned away from the stove and looked at her. Her ponytail was askew and there were dark flyaway hairs pointed every which way. She must have run from the bus stop. “We never have before.” She continued to stare silently at him, waiting for his judgment. “Would you like to celebrate Christmas?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yes! Please! We can do presents and decorations and get a tree and-” The list seemed to go on and on, and Chief found himself already exhausted at the idea of having to learn all these new things. 

“Okay.” He raised his voice just enough to catch her attention. “Put your bag away and do your homework. We’ll make a plan after dinner.”  She brushed her loose hairs out of her eyes and nodded eagerly before running off. Once she was out of the room Chief reached for his data pad and connected to TEAMCOM. Samuel would like to celebrate Christmas.

By the time Chief had finished cleaning up after dinner, TEAMCOM had 30+ new messages waiting for review.

Samuel stared at the windowsill with a worried look on her face. It started with a crease in her forehead and the slightest narrowing of her eyes, but would eventually devolve into a full on frown. Kelly always said that she looked most like Chief when she made that face. “Are you sure this will work?” 

Linda looked up from where she was hanging a red and green garland above the bedroom door. “That’s what the website said to do.” She returned her attention to the garland. 

“And you’re sure he’ll come? Even though it's Christmas Eve?” Apparently, the little girl was not easily convinced. 

“Dr. Woulfe told me to tell you that she wrote a letter to Mikulás explaining the situation, and that he wrote a letter back to say that he would be more than happy to make a special trip for you.” 

“And I-” 

 Linda anticipated the question- she’d answered it three times already. “And you can’t see the letter because after she read it, it turned into glitter and blew away in the wind.”

Samuel nodded, but continued to fiddle with the small pair of shoes on the sill until they were perfectly positioned. “Will they be home soon?”

Her question was answered by the sound of the front door swinging open. “We’re baaack!” Kelly sang out. Samuel ripped herself from the window and nearly ran into Linda on her way to the door. 

In the living room, Chief and Kelly were holding a Christmas tree while Fred was holding enough bags to fill a small store. “We weren’t sure what decorations to buy, so…” He dropped them on the couch in a pile, just in time for Samuel to throw herself into his arms. “Hey, kiddo! You’re so much bigger than you were last time I saw you!”

“You saw me at lunch!” Samuel pointed out. 

“Well, that just goes to show how fast you’re growing. Help me go through these bags, will you?” 

Linda stood in the doorway, taking in the scene. She was glad that the UNSC gave them such a generous stipend, on top of the bank accounts they’d apparently built up over the years. Otherwise Fred would’ve blown away their savings on this one shopping trip alone. She remembered poverty- hunger cramps that never quite faded; wearing the same clothes years after they no longer fit. She’d seen a lot of it throughout the universe and was glad that Samuel would never have to experience it. 

John knelt on the carpet while Kelly held the tree straight, occasionally shifting it per his directions. Judging by the amount of sap across the pauldrons of his armor, he’d been the one carrying the tree, despite Kelly’s so-called help. 

He still wore his armor more often than not. Though, she said to herself as he reached up and pulled the helmet off, he was getting there. Samuel had told her that he only wore the Mjolnir armor when he went out of the house, and one night only a week ago she’d caught him sleeping in it. Linda would have to talk to him about that, she knew. But she’d do so after the holidays. 

Content with what she saw, Linda retreated into the quiet of the kitchen to check on the gingerbread baking in the oven. Baking was fun, she’d decided. It required a different kind of focus than her sniper rifle, but a focus nonetheless.

Chief had just placed the last present under the tree when Samuel began screaming from her bedroom. He tensed for just a moment before recognizing it as a sound of joy, and only a moment later did she run out of her room with the pair of shoes in her hand. “Candy!” She screamed when she saw him. “Mikulás brought me candy!” 

“I see that. Merry Christmas.” He stood from where he’d been crouched by the tree. If it was possible, Samuel’s eyes got even bigger. 

“ More presents?” She ran for the tree, but Chief’s large hand held her back. 

“Wait. You can open them once everyone’s arrived.” She pouted for a moment but nodded, and Chief led her into the kitchen. “Breakfast.” He instructed, and didn’t even need to point to the table before she was already hauling herself into a chair. The pair of shoes ended up by her plate- Chief didn’t hesitate to move them to the floor. Candy-filled or not, shoes did not belong on the table. 

Samuel was bursting with energy, which Chief redirected by having her put dishes away. Dr. Woulfe had provided him with a list of age-appropriate chores, and he usually asked her to do two or three a day. Putting the dishes away helped her learn how to maneuver through the kitchen and remember where things went, as well as exercise her arms. Once that was done he sent her to get dressed. It was only a few minutes after that the doorbell rang. 

“Chief!” Esparza hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arms around Chief’s midsection. “It's good to see you, you’re still so pale!” 

Chief took the hug and gentle ribbing as he always did: with quiet acceptance and a pat on the shoulder. Esparza was certainly the most unusual man he’d ever known- though Esparza could probably say the same about Chief. 

“This is my wife, Bianca-” He pulled away to wrap an arm around his wife’s shoulders. She was taller than Esparza, but Chief still towered over her. She smiled warmly and extended her hand, which Chief shook politely. “And my beautiful daughter, Marisol.” He gestured toward the girl hiding behind her mother. “Marisol, this is Chief. Remember, I told you about him?” 

“He’s so tall …” She whispered to her father in Spanish. 

“Marisol…” Bianca scolded, but Esparza waved her off. 

“No, she’s right. He is very tall.” 

Chief felt a wave of deja vu as he crouched down, knees touching the thin layer of snow on the ground. “It’s nice to meet you, Marisol.” He held his hand out and she shook it quickly before pulling away again. There was an awkward pause as he tried to think of something to say that would make her feel at ease. Luckily, his teammate must have noticed because she was shoving herself past him and into the snow. 

“Marisol!!” Samuel threw her arms around her friend before quickly leading her into the house. Chief could only blink because: oh right, the two girls were classmates. 

“I’ve never heard her sound like that.” Chief noted aloud as he stood once more. He brushed stuck snow off of his jeans. He stepped back to make way for Fernando and Bianca. 

“Get used to it- little girls love to scream. I’m surprised they haven’t issued me a hearing aid.” Esparza joked. He’d barely stepped one foot in the door before he paused. “Hold on, I forgot the presents.”

“I’ll help.” Chief was quick to offer. “Bianca, there is food in the kitchen, you can help yourself.” He pointed her way to the kitchen, where Linda’s red hair could be seen.

The further he got from the house, the harder the wind blew. But even in just his t-shirt, Chief barely registered the temperature. Another of the many benefits granted by his augmentations. “Here.” Esparza threw the staggering amount of presents into Chief’s arms. “Make some use out of those muscles, eh?” As was usual with Esparza’s color commentary, Chief gave no reaction. He simply adjusted the bags and boxes in his arms. 

“You brought more than I expected.” He admitted as they turned back to the house. 

“Well, one for everybody. And one for Marisol, so she has something to open while Sam’s opening hers. That was Bianca’s idea- apparently when she was younger, Marisol would always throw fits at other kid’s parties. So Bianca started wrapping up one of Marisol’s toys so she’d have something to open.” Esparza smiled at the memory, but it was a sad smile. “I wish I could’ve been there.”

“You had a job to do.” Chief reminded him. “They don’t hold it against you.” 

“Well, I hold it against myself.” Fernando and Chief walked carefully up the steps to the house. His vision was impaired by the presents, so it was a relief when Kelly appeared to hold the door open. 

“Just so you know, the kids are getting anxious. And by ‘kids’, I mean Fred and I.” She poked Chief as he sat the presents under the tree. 

“Then we can start.” He answered the unspoken question, and she ran off to gather the rest of the house. 

Apparently when Fernando said they’d brought presents for everyone, that included him. Chief looked down at the brightly colored package while everyone else opened theirs. When was the last time he’d gotten a present? Did Cortana count? He thought briefly of the silver coin hiding in his nightstand.

“Aren’t you gonna open it?” He looked up to see that Samuel had abandoned her pile of presents and was standing in front of him. She must not have liked the look on his face, because she put one of her small hands on top of his. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to open it, that’s what presents are for. You don’t even have to be careful about it- ripping it’s the fun part!” 

Despite her reassurances, Chief was very diligent about separating the tape from the paper. Samuel kept her hand on his knee, and Chief was embarrassed to think that he needed her there. That something as simple and stupid as opening a present was overwhelming. He felt just like he had the first time he’d gone grocery shopping. Chief forced himself to take a deep breath and opened the last section of the wrapping paper. Inside was a wool sweater. Somehow, it was the exact color of his armor. And heavy too- it was noticeably heavier than any article of clothing Chief owned. As he picked it up out of the paper, he noticed the hood sewn onto the back. 

“Do you like it?” Bianca asked from the far side of the couch. “I ordered it online- it's weighted. We thought you’d like something familiar, for when you go out.” 

“It’s soft.” He surprised himself by speaking. Based on her smile, that was answer enough for Bianca. 

“We got one for each of you.” She gestured to the rest of Blue Team, who had already opened theirs. Linda was wearing hers- the brown suited her perfectly, as it always had. She gave him a casual thumbs up when she caught him looking. 

“It’s comfortable, too.” She advised. 

Chief set the sweater aside, and had scarcely done so when Linda threw a package at him. He caught it on instinct and frowned at her. “I got you guys something.” She ignored his look with a shrug. Samuel had returned to her own presents, but glanced up once at Chief to make sure he was alright. He made the ‘all clear’ gesture and she nodded once before looking away again. 

Inside this package, which was wrapped in plain brown packing paper instead of the brightly coloring wrapping paper, was a book. ‘The Secrets of Zen: Clearing Your Mind and Other Extreme Sports’. “It’s got some good information in there. I thought you might want to give it a try, now that you have the time.”

Things seemed to speed up after that. Fred gave Kelly a pair of expensive running shoes, and John and Linda received a subscription to a gun magazine. Kelly had bought them all blankets. John was almost embarrassed when he revealed his presents: a new combat knife for each of them. But judging by the way Kelly was bouncing on the balls of her feet, even as she balanced it on her unprotected finger, he’d had nothing to worry about. 

For Esparza, Fred had helped Chief select something. And that something was ‘101 Hilarious Pilot Fails, The Extended Movie Edition’. Esparza seemed to like the gift, but he shook his head at it. “After watching this, Bianca will never let me step on my Pelican again!” He moaned. And for Bianca (with Esparza’s help), Chief had purchased a significant amount of expensive chocolate. 

Once presents were unwrapped, they had a meal at the rarely-used dining room table. There was barely enough space, especially with the four supersoldiers, but they made it work. And once they’d finished eating, Fred brought out a football and offered to teach them how to play. Chief was just glad to get out of the house- the close quarters had begun to stifle him. It had gotten to the point where even a too-loud laugh had him reaching for his hip even though there was nothing there. Learning football would help him burn off some energy. 

And that night, once everyone had gone home, he could finally relax. “Did you have fun with Marisol today?” He asked Samuel as she climbed into bed. Per their routine, he would sit and talk with her until she fell asleep. 

She nodded, half asleep already. “I liked all my presents.” They sat in silence for a moment. “This was your first Christmas.” She announced, like she had just remembered. “Did you like it?” The light from the window bounced off her eyes as she turned her head toward him. 

He thought back through the day. The usually quiet house, loud and bustling. The presents he’d already assimilated into their designated locations around the house. Samuel, running around the backyard and trying to nail Kelly with snowballs. “It was overwhelming.” He answered honestly. “But I’m glad that we did it. I’m glad that the team enjoyed themselves.”

“The whole team.” She parroted back, and after another quiet moment Chief saw the way her breath evened out as she fell asleep.