Short chapter. Takes place 1 year after Part IV and about 2-3 years before the events of House of Devils.

Greed the Defender Part V

"You should find something to eat, Vell," Sera said, opening the blinds fully and without warning.

Vell growled and pulled the covers over his head, "Worry about yourself, Ghost."

Sera appeared above his covered head and floated closer, "I could call Eris…"

Vell's narrowed eyes appeared, "You wouldn't…"

"Maybe she'll dress you too."

Vell glared for a few more seconds before slowly disappearing back under the covers, muttering, "Do what you want, Sera."

The Ghost floated closer, her voice softening, "Please, Vell. For me."

Vell reluctantly rolled out of bed, trudging to the shower before his Ghost had a chance to get on him for that as well.

He turned the temperature up as high as he could, which wasn't very much. His Ghost started restricting the mechanisms when he first scalded himself. The habit never took root but still his Ghost worried.

He understood and was grateful for her concern but before, he hated her for it. From keeping him from feeling the pain he deserved.

He had done what was asked of him. He got the case back to Earth. Just without the person who was supposed to come back with it.

It hurt. It hurt worse and longer than any pain he had ever felt in his of the pain, he couldn't bring himself to break the news to his family or even attend the funeral service, sending Eris in his place to deal with his family's grief and confusion and ire.

A monstrously cowardly thing to do. Letting someone else deal with the aftermath of his actions. But no matter the justifications and no matter the self loathing he put himself through, the pain of a bullet was preferable to the shame of facing his family.

They came to the Tower occasionally; always demanding to speak with him and always being told he wasn't available. Sometimes they came together, other times it was just Tarlowe when he could find some respite from his new responsibilities as the CEO of Suros Foundries or it was Daniel, Christine and Maya when school didn't occupy their time.

Meanwhile, Vell lost himself in his work; taking missions that took him from the City for long periods of time. And when he was forced to rest, either by Eris, his Ghost or the Vanguard, then he lost himself in other ways; in drink, in training or in men's beds.

That was the reason, Eriana had told him. The reason why she recruited him after the disaster on the Moon. His ability to lose himself completely in his job, even if he had a bad reason for getting lost.

He had been deemed mentally unfit to participate in the fight to retake the Moon but both Eriana and Eris were sent. Judging by their accounts and the death toll, 'disaster' seemed like an understatement. But there was no other word to call it.

His Ghost had questioned him when he agreed to this mission; asked his reasons. It was simple, wasn't it? Crota needed to go down. She didn't believe him, of course, but she didn't attempt to change his mind.

Vell left the room, "Is Eris around?"

"Ah, no actually. She isn't."

"What do you mean?" Vell paused, moving to the side of the hall to avoid obstructing traffic, "Where is she?"

"She and Eriana actually left earlier today," Sera chirped inside his head, "I believe they were heading for the European Dead Zone. Has to do with the mission against Crota."

"No details?"

"None."

The Titan frowned, "Huh. She never does that," he murmured out loud.

"They'll be back later today. In the meantime, you need to eat."

He sighed, "I'm not hungry, Sera."

"Yes, you are. I can keep bothering you until you go."

"I'm going to train, Sera."

Sera appeared in front of his face, "After you eat."

He pushed the Ghost away and kept walking. She reappeared, stopping him again and peering into his eyes, "Vell, please. Go."

So he did. He ate, then he trained for hours upon hours in weapons and melee until Shaxx forced him to take a break before he drove himself to collapsing. Vell couldn't bring himself to care if he did. He couldn't think while unconscious anyway.

Now he was in one of the empty lounges, in a chair and facing the setting sun and doing exactly what he had hoped to spend the day not doing.

"I'm proud of you. I'm still proud of you."

If he were alive, would he still say that? Vell abandoned him to a painful death at the hands of the Fallen and the abandoned the last of his family when they needed him most.

Now, more than ever was the past so vivid in his mind. Vell remembered his birthday. His 21st; before everything. Back when he was surrounded by his family, calm, content and most of all, happy. Maybe one day, it could be like that again. If the turns his life has taken meant anything, it was that anything was possible.

"Vell?"

He had heard his name. But it was the voice that had him out of his seat before he even registered it completely.

The man who had said his name. He looked old and tired. But he still had the feathery white hair he always did and the blue eyes that had him stuttering like a nervous child so long ago.

Vell reminded himself to breathe because now; now he had a reason to continue.

"Toland?"

It was quiet. It was always quiet but Pride was gone for the moment. And with him, the pressure on the back of Greed's neck. Wrath(K) was still in the Vault. Sloth and Lust on their own individual tasks. He had left Greed with nothing to do but dwell on his own thoughts. If that was actually the case, Greed couldn't help but wonder if he was being punished for something.

"They got in," Envy murmured.

Greed shifted for the first time in hours at the sound of her voice, "Hmm?"

Envy's head turned away from the wall to face him, red eyes shining in the dark, "Aro and his clan, the Will of Light. They got into the Archives. Then they destroyed it."

Greed straightened up in his seat, "They destroyed it?"

Envy turned away from him again, "Vex memories report them leaving with a body. Anyone you know?"

Greed's hand tightened around his other fist, "You know exactly who that was."

The Exo let out a mirthless laugh, "Adrian Suros," she sighed, "Ah, I remember the day you first brought him to the Tower. So many Guardians smitten on sight."

"What do you want, Envy?" Greed growled darkly.

"It seems Pride sent the Vex in too late. They know how to get into the Vault now. And your nephew finished the job you never could."

Greed's tightening fist slowly went limp.

"There's also another thing. The Vex report one of the Guardians staring at something. A Titan. It seemed to make him very emotional. Your brother left a message for them. Did you know that?"

"Of course not!" Greed sprang up from his seat.

"Of course not," she echoed, "Pride would know about it if you did. So now what?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. They'll probably try to get to the Wraths."

Envy scoffed, "That's a given. But I was talking about you."

"What about me?"

"Daniel knows," she said, "Soon the rest of them will know. You gave yourself over to the Darkness for the chance to fix your…mistake. And now it's been fixed."

"But not by me."

Envy waved a gloved hand, "Details. The point is that your nephew knows and has probably started going through the process of forgiving you. You have no reason to be here anymore."

When Greed didn't respond, Envy continued, "This is what you get, you know. Giving yourself over to the Darkness for a selfless reason."

"As opposed to a selfish one? Like you?"

"Like me. Like Gluttony," she pushed off the wall, "Now they're on the path to forgiving you and you'll either kill them or die by their hand."

Greed's eyes fell to the ground, "I realize that."

"I figured." She turned to the exit, "And…about Eris…"

"Yes, I know. Thank you. When Gluttony died, I was worried about having to keep the Hive at bay myself."

"I accept your thanks, Greed. But I did it because Eris was important to me, as she was to him. As you were to him."

Greed's eyes widened slightly, "Did you…"

"No," she laughed softly, "Even if I did, I had no illusions of whether it would be possible or not." She began to leave.

"You don't think?"

"I'm an Exo, Greed."

"What does that mean?"

"If you don't know," she peered into his eyes, "Then you probably never will. Human."

For those who follow this story but not me as an author, I uploaded the first and second chapter of the Skyrim fic, "A Dovahkiin's Lie". Check it out if you like