LABOR DAY, LABOR DAY, LABOR DAY! School and band is awesome but it leaves me no room to update these. Plus, I caught a cold! Boo! So, I'll just take my time with this weekend. So, this chapter will be basically filler. I do not own Destiny or its characters, ideas, ect. If you like this or see a detail that is incorrect, please leave me a review. I hope you enjoy this story!

God bless, JPLegends

ACT I: Fallen

Chapter Ten: Tension

Chloe and Titus were so impressed with Alec taking down Artemis that they had to go celebrate. "I know this place in the social district," Chloe says in the satellite after the game. "It's called Nerve Line. It has the best drinks. We should go there to celebrate." The ghost Tiber made a motion like nodding. Alec accepted and looked back to see Artemis. Her helmet was on, glaring at Alec. She was intimidating still. Her tall six foot three stature, only beaten by Alec's six foot five and Titus' eight foot. She stood with a big posture, like she owned the place. She looked at him, and after three seconds walked away. He thought nothing of it and the trio continued to Nerve Line.

Alec never liked clubs, bars or pubs. Nerve Line was something entirely different. The dance floor was open with a large space dedicated to it. Around the corners were the more obvious things. In the back was a bar, the left and right had tables and above everyone was a DJ playing songs of dub-step and pop. The lighting was dim except for searchlights hovering over the dense crowd on the dance floor. Human and awoken women were packing the floor while the men were sitting and drinking. A few tables away there were two guardians in a table for six, a failed fireteam mission. Alec heard them toast to "our fallen comrades sleeping in the Vault". Alec, Chloe and Titus sat at the bar as a frame appeared, asking in the usual monotone voice "What drink would you like, guardians?"

Chloe answered scotch and Alec answers whiskey. The frame pours them glasses and Chloe turns to Alec saying "To your victory against Artemis Dawn!" They clash their glasses together and drink it, downing the alcohol. "Alec, you are an annoying SOB. But you certainly are talented, I can assure you that." Alec laughs.

"I could say the same thing about you, Chloe," Alec says. "About the annoying SOB part anyway." Chloe punches him in the arm. "Hey now! Your warlock is showing." Titus smirks as Chloe continues to drink. Alec smiles while sipping at his whiskey. Chloe started off to him as an annoying, know-it-all. This he goes on a mission and spends time with his new fireteam and so much more is revealed. The compassion, awe and shyness that is Chloe Truscher. And the only words he could use to describe Titus are awesome, cool, superior. He has never known a man, or in this case robot, with the strength, durability and quiet demeanor like Titus. He's only been alive for a while, but he's really felt like he's found people he can trust. He turns around and looks at the dance floor. He puts his drink on the counter and stands up. Chloe immediately gets suspicious.

"Where are you going," She asks. "Since when are you a social butterfly?" Titus smirks at the two, rolling his eyes.

"Getting a bit restless," Alec says. "Need to walk for a second." He needs to keep his mind busy and his body moving. Otherwise, he gets bored and fidgety. He walks over to the dance floor and begins dancing. Mediocre at best, but okay. He dances to the upbeat music, twisting his legs and hips vibrantly in cohesion with his arms. As he dances, an attractive awoken approaches him. Tall, about two inches shorter than Alec, with an energy emitting an emotion like she stomps around acting like she owns the entire system. She has a purple t-shirt on covered by a leather jacket with a fur lining. She sports black leggings and combat boots, radiating a sense of rebellious nature. She has a pale purple skin, with violet eyes ablaze with energy. Her hair is shoulder length and spikey, in a shade of light pink. Every eye turned and Alec got a knot in his stomach. He knew exactly who this was.

"It's a pleasure you see you again," She says, tilting her head at the now still Alec. "You really held your own in that match. What's your name?" Alec starts thinking a mile a minute. Artemis is confronting him in the middle of the dance floor at everyone's attention. She doesn't appear to have a posse with her at the moment. Alec extends his hand for a hand shake.

"Alec Fields," He says, shaking her hand. "You're Artemis Dawn?" Artemis looks at Alec with a strange expression on her face. Flirty, but like she found a challenge. What that challenge would be, Alec didn't want to know.

"Artemis is just my field name," She says. "I'm Alisha Dawn. And I saw you were running with Titus-6? What's he like?"

"He's a good friend," Alec says, not knowing how to think of her. "Holds the team together. Hey, no hard feelings about…killing you?" Artemis, or Alisha, giggles with a laugh that Alec swore could kill an archon.

"Of course not," Alisha said. More slow music, in the form of a tango, appears and Alisha holds a hand out. "Want to dance?" Alec's brain explodes. What does Alisha want from him? He is a fairly good dancer, but he doesn't know how to respond. Ultimately, Alec takes Alisha's hand.

"Ugh…yeah," Alec says, pulling her close as the music starts up. "Sure." Alisha laughs as the music picks up. Tango, Alec leading, traditional style. They take their hands out and Alec puts his hand on her waist, as Alisha's hand goes on his shoulder. They step forward and back at a brisk rhythm, swaying from side to side as they go. As music changes in styles, Alec begins to throw moves on the fly. Brisk paces and Alec lifts Alisha and puts her down after spinning. After a bit more, Alec twirls Alisha and vice versa. The music slows and right at the climax, they pose at interlocked legs with Alisha's leg up. Alec found out loud and clear what Alisha was trying to do at this point. Music picks up, twirls. Ends with a dip.

"Wow," Alisha says. "You're really good. You dabble in dancing?"

"Yeah," Alec says, shrugging his shoulders. "Salsa, rumba, waltz, swing, polka. Erm, little bit of cha cha. Flamenco? Well, little rusty on flamenco." Alisha begins to laugh hard. "What? Flamenco is really complicated!" A little bit away, Alec sees Chloe stare at him with drink in hand. She looks at him with a straight lined mouth and an arched eyebrow, as if to say "Really? Did you just do that?". She turns and talks to Titus after realizing Alec caught the face she was making at him. 'women.' Alec thought. The two sit down and begin drinking and talking.

"So, Art…" Alec begins.

"Alisha." The crucible warrior interrupts.

"Yeah," Alec replies. "You seem to be really prominent in Crucible. But you're not associated with Vanguard."

"I used to be. While back, I lost my old fireteam on a raid to a Siege Dancer Cabal position. Six went in, I finished the job alone. After, I chose Crucible. People don't die as horrifically as they can on the field. And when they do, they always come back."

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"No. No, I'm not. It was my third year as leader and we were top for the raids. Then we were supposed to get to the center of a cabal stronghold in the Buried City so Vanguard fleet could bombard the area from orbit. Things started off well, then we were trapped. One good soldier got gunned down in a Darkness Zone. Another one crushed. Another gutted. The last two getting me to the center and out of the stronghold. On the field, they're so organized and tactical and smart. But in their own territory, they're beasts. Barbaric. I still have nightmares about them. Not the fallen, or the hive. The damned cabal."

"What did you do after the raid?"

"I quit. Retired myself from the Vanguard and stayed in the Crucible for God knows how long. I think its been a decade. Maybe longer. Then I hear of a new guy who kills an archon. Then Sepiks Prime. Then me. You're a talented guardian."

"Thanks. The crucible is fun, but field work is just…fitting for me, y'know?"

"I get it. What's your story? Before you were a guardian?"

"Hard to remember, really. I had a wife, a child. I lived as an honorable guy. Then the Darkness came and…poof. I joined a campaign as a sniper. I was on Russia and then…"

"You died. Explains that scar on your eye." Alec looks at himself in the mirror. Right there was a scar running down his left eye. How had he not noticed it before?

"Huh. What about you?"

"Soldier to the core. Fought while I was in Freehold against those animals. Never settled down, never stopped fighting, just kept going. I loved field work like you do now. Then, it came down to a group of Flayers and I died at the top. When I was revived, I nearly escaped with my life. Kept on with that life style for five years. Became a Vanguard for six. Led my team for three. Then, Crucible. I lost all will to fight that day. I just couldn't fight anymore after it."

"I know the feeling." Alec definitely knew the feeling. He couldn't tell from where, but he knew it.

"You are a soldier to the core. True soldier, patriot. You can do about anything after a tragedy. I can tell. I could never figure out how to stay with it like you. Most would have run away from the archon. How do you do it?"

"I think of what matters to me most. My friends, my family…or my friends that are now family. Think about it like this. This war isn't about survival, or banishment. It's about humanity coming together to defend our home. And if we made it this far, we can make it farther. And I have faith that we can win because of that." Alisha reaches out and grabs Alec's hand, making really flirty expressions.

"You have such strong morals. I'm glad you can think so optimistically. Hopefully, we can spend some more time in a more… intimate setting." Alec removed his hand. Under every other circumstance, he would have said yes. But he mentally prepared himself since the tango.

"No. Let's keep things professional." Alisha looks at her glass with a strange expression on her face.

"Okay. That's fine. I'll see you later then." Alisha gets up and walks away. Alec laid back, taking a deep breath. It was strange. There were many things that kept him from saying yes. His morals and barriers, yes. But the most prominent was Chloe. Why Chloe? Alec sipped his whiskey. The tension was so intense. And speak of the devil, Chloe walked over and sat down across from Alec. She turned back with suspicious eyes and then looked at Alec with a sense of suspicion.

"Was that Artemis?" Chloe asks. Alec nods putting down his now empty drink.

"Mmm hmm," Alec returned. "She tried to seduce me. Didn't work." Chloe scoffed.

"I'm surprised," Chloe says, picking up Alisha's unfinished drink. "Usually no one can resist her." She sips her drink and then gags. "God, she has horrible taste in drinks." Alec laughs, then looks down at his empty drink glass.

"How long have you been a guardian?" Alec asks. Chloe lays back, her eyes going into the upper corners, thinking.

"About fifteen years now," Chloe answers. "I started as another warlock fighting against the crowd in Europe. After nine years of that, the Vanguard noticed my potential. I put in a fireteam with Titus to help raid the King's position in Old Belfast. We detonated a nuclear reactor that reduced the King's Watch to ashes and sent the kell into hiding. It was a complete success."

"How long has Titus been around?"

"Almost longer that all of us," Chloe says, leaning back. "He's one of the original exo and has been around for the longest time in service. About eighty years, I'd say. Helped build the walls, fought in Six Fronts, Twilight Gap, the Moon Campaign. After that last one he was one of those exo that helped fight everywhere. Doesn't talk about his past much, but what I know is that he drove the Kings out of Belfast, the Devils out of Sydney and annihilated the House of Exile presence on Earth. He's done twenty raids over the years." Alec whistled.

"Have you ever experienced loss?" Chloe suddenly became fixated on the empty glass.

"A lot of the raids Titus lead weren't always a full success. I was involved in some of them. Soldiers fell, we mourn, we get back up. But it doesn't make it any easier. I can only wonder how Titus deals with it. Probably still carries the scars all the way back to Twilight Ga…"

Not Titus," Alec asks. "You?" Chloe's eyes well with tears, which she quickly wipes away.

"Yes. I've led three raids. All of them failed. Horribly. It was all on the damned Vault."

"The Vault of Glass?"

"Yeah."

Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Alec reaches over and takes Chloe's shoulder. They get up and leave. Nerve Line was for celebration. Thank goodness the Vanguard has an objective for the morning.

I HAD TO RESEARCH TANGO SO NOW I KNOW HOW TO TANGO. YOU'RE WELCOME!