It had been over a year since that mission—the one that changed everything. They told Task Force 141 you were gone, killed in action during the solo op you took on before you and Ghost were set to leave the army behind. The life you had planned together—a quiet one, far from the chaos—vanished in an instant.

But you weren’t dead. Captured and left for dead, yes, but somehow you survived. Another team found you, pulling you back from the edge when hope had nearly run out. Under Shepard’s orders, you were kept hidden, isolated from the 141—forced to let them believe you were lost forever.

Now, after three long years of silence, the impossible had happened: permission to return. The weight in your chest grew heavier with each step as you approached the base, a place you could finally call home again.

You knew exactly where to find them, in their usual spot. Your heart raced with equal parts joy and anxiety as you drew closer. Fidgeting with your wedding ring—the symbol of a love you fear might never be whole again—you struggled to steady your nerves. Ghost. The man you missed with every breath. How would he react?

As you entered the room, Soap was the first to notice. His wide eyes flicked over you, disbelief etched across his face before his mouth opened.

“No way… Aye! Is that you, lass?” he shouted, his voice breaking through the air like a shot. The others turned toward you, confusion then shock quickly written on their faces.

You stopped a few steps away, far enough to give them space, close enough for them to truly see you.

Ghost’s gaze locked on yours, his eyes widening beneath the mask. But unlike the others, he didn’t move—frozen in place as though time itself had stopped. The woman he had mourned, the love he thought he’d lost forever, stood before him again.

“Luv?” he murmured, the single word heavy with disbelief.