*TW for attempted sexual assault. If this is a trigger for you, it starts right after Flak shows up and ends at the first section break.

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Bag of Glimmer in hand, Wren made her way from the Tower to the ramen shop where they'd agreed to meet for dinner. The days in the City were still warm but the nights were getting cooler. Not so much that she'd pass up wearing her new dress, however, and she walked with confidence in the red satin cheongsam. White birds adorned the front over her collarbones and the slits up the sides stopped mid-thigh. Underneath she wore her typical black shorts but as the evening air rushed through the City, she wished she's opted for tights.

"So where's the dagger?" Franz asked, hand out as Wren approached. She dropped a bag of Glimmer in his hand and he burst out laughing. "Yeah, told ya you couldn't get it from him."

"Technically I did, but he caught me."

"That had to have been a sight to see. Did he scold you? Cuss you out?"

Wren shifted as she thought about what had happened between her and Cayde. She could still feel the Ace slide up her thigh and although it'd been a few hours since then. It was all she could think about.

"He just took it back and I got away."

"You know Sisre invited him to dinner with us tonight, right? Gonna be really awkward if he shows up after you tried to steal his dagger."

Wren forced a smile. "Yeah… awkward."

She honestly hoped he wouldn't show. At least then she'd have time to figure out what to do about what had happened between them. She already admitted to Sisre that she wanted Cayde, but this? This was another level she didn't know if she was ready for yet. One thing she was certain about, however, was that he wanted her too. At least on a physical level.

"Earth to Wren," Franz said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hm? Sorry, zoned out."

"I asked if you know when Ro and Sis are supposed to be here."

"About nine I think?" Wren looked around in the growing crowd around the ramen shop.

Red lanterns cast a warm glow on the people around them and the air was filled with the smell of spices and cooking meats and sweets from the bakery two shops down. People were laughing and talking and a musician was getting set up nearby.

Soon she could see Rorick towering above the crowd as he and Sisre made their way to Franz and Wren. Beorn followed with Koro. Sisre greeted Wren with a kiss on the cheek and Koro hugged her tight.

"It's been a while," he said. "You doing okay?"

"Been great. I'm still sorry about what happened in Shaxx's class."

"Don't be. I really shouldn't have said what I did."

"Apologies all around," Wren laughed. "You're not working tonight?"

"Nope. I'm going with you guys for dinner. Is uh… is Cayde coming?"

"No idea," Wren shrugged. Koro looked around hands deep in his pockets.

"Hey, do you think I can talk with you about something later?" he asked.

"Sure. Do you want to just, talk about it now?"

Koro laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not yet. I need some liquid courage I think."

Wren tilted her head. "Oh, okay?"

Before Koro could explain any more, the group moved into the restaurant to take their seats. Sisre fell back with Wren, linking arms with her.

"Did you decide what to do yet? About Cayde?"

Wren kept her voice low enough that only Sisre could hear. "Well, I thought I'd move on and just ignore it but… there was another incident."

"Uh oh."

"I had a bet with Franz that I could steal Cayde's dagger, and he caught me as I was trying to run away."

"Oh Traveler… what did he do?"

Wren's face flushed. "Let's just say, I'm pretty sure now that the feeling is mutual."

"Did he kiss you?"

"No, but he was about to. A Hunter came looking for him and I panic and got the hell out of there."

"You really have to be more careful."

"I know but it's like, once he caught me I forgot about the rest of the world."

"I'm on the fence about this, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Look, forget about it for now. We can have a nice relaxing day tomorrow and we can talk about it then, okay?"

"I can do that. Really glad Flak didn't show up," Wren said as Beorn pulled her chair out for her. "I know that's probably not alright to say." She glanced over at Rorick.

He raised a hand to dismiss it. "Voicing as much isn't a problem. If it became an issue with the team, that would be different. I will admit there's a certain tension when he's around."

"Well he's not around now, so screw the tension, let's have some fun!" Franz said, shaking the bag of Glimmer he'd won from Wren. "First round is on me."

Wren relaxed a bit after her second drink and through dinner and desert she enjoyed herself. Drinks and laughter with friends, she forgot about everything else. Feelings for Cayde, anger toward Emelie and her den, pressure of Oryx, even the decision to tell Cayde about Flak. This was it. This was their night to just be normal for a change. She allowed herself to enjoy their company as well as the sights, sounds, and smells of a busy weekend night in the ramen shop.

When it came time to leave, she didn't want it to be over but the alcohol in her system made her feel lightheaded and she was ready for bed. To curl up in Cayde's blanket and sleep until she wasn't tired any more. They went outside, into the chill night air and Wren stretched her arms high over her head.

Beorn and Franz came out with Koro hanging between them, laughing but so drunk he could hardly stand.

"We're gonna take him upstairs to bed," Franz said.

"He said he wanted to talk to me about something," Wren said, leaning against a wall.

"It'll have to wait. He's two steps to passed out. He's even worse with booze than you."

They had a laugh before the Warlocks took Koro up the steps beside the restaurant to where he lived with his family. Sisre offered to walk Wren back, but Wren declined, insisting she was fine to go alone. There was a lot to think about and in her inebriated state, she had some courage to confront those things.

She turned the corner into a long, dark alley, away from the lights of the busy street behind her. Rainwater settled into a shallow rut that ran down the middle of the flagstone path, reflecting the pale light from above. A cat ran out and startled her. She stumbled a little, giggling at herself when a voice behind her caught her off guard.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Flak stepped out of the shadows, twisting his blade against his palm. "It seems a little bird has lost its way."

"Leave me alone, Flak," Wren warned but she had to put a hand to the wall to steady herself and when he noticed her drunken state, his thin lips spreading into a wide smile.

She didn't have time to run before he was on her, shoving her to the wall, his hand clasping over her mouth to keep her from screaming. The tip of his dagger dug into the soft flesh under her jaw and she could feel the heat of the cut as it pierced her. Blood trickled freely down her neck and he licked it from the blade.

Wren pushed at his chest but he only leaned into her harder. He wrestled with one of her hands and pinned it to the wall above her head, the dagger still firm in his grip. When he yanked her arm up the dagger sliced across her forearm. Her head swam from the booze but she regained enough of her senses to bite his hand, feeling the crunch of bone as his blood filled her mouth.

Flak screamed in pain and rage and slung Wren to the ground where she scrambled to get up and run, the flagstone under her was wet and slick. Kiran and Marr buzzed around them frantically, slamming into Flak but it was more an annoyance than anything.

"I have to get help!" Marr said, flying away as Flak grabbed the hair on the back of Wren's head and snatched her back.

Wren spun, gritting her teeth as the twisted hair cause shockwaves of pain to radiate over her scalp. She grabbed Flak's wrists and tried to sweep his legs. He stumbled forward and fell on her. As soon as he let go, she caught him with a swift elbow to the side of his head and when he lurched to the side she rolled and tried to get up.

Flak was too fast and recovered from the blow quickly. He grabbed Wren's ankle and she slipped, hitting the ground hard on her chin. Stars swam before her eyes and she struggled to stay conscious.

"I've waited so long for this," he hissed in her ear, sliding the blade under the collar of her dress and cutting it away in one swipe.

Wren grabbed at the fabric as it fell away, trying to keep it together as Flak flipped her over to her back and sat on her hips. She wrapped her arms over her chest, trying to keep her breasts covered. He'd put the dagger in his mouth, his teeth gleaming against the blood-tinged metal as he grabbed her wrists and tried to force them above her head. Wren wrapped an arm around his and bucked her hips skyward. She tried to catch his leg and slam him to his side, but instead he used the momentum to headbutt her.

The black sky above spun and she was completely disoriented for a time as Flak tore down the front of her dress. She punched and kicked from beneath him as she regained her focus, yelling out for help, begging for anyone who might be passing by.

"Shut up!" Flak growled around the blade before dropping it beside them. While she was pinned, his knees pushed hers apart as he pressed his mouth against hers.

She could feel the bulge in his pants pressing against her, smell the stink of his breath, taste his bitter tongue as it pushed past her teeth. She bit down on it and he withdrew, punishing her with a flurry of punches to her face and chest, the taste of his blood mixing with hers in her mouth.

"Get the fuck off her!" Franz came out of nowhere and ripped Flak off Wren. He and Rorick proceeded to beat Flak, who cried out for mercy as his fireteam members pummeled him into the pavement.

"Are you okay?" Sisre asked as Beorn knelt beside Wren, draping his coat around her.

"Someone get Cayde," Beorn demanded, and Wren realized some civilians had gathered around to see what the ruckus was about.

"No," Wren gasped. "Please no."

"Wren, this has to stop," Sisre said.

Tears burned Wren's throat and she curled up into Beorn's waiting arms. The last person she wanted to see her like this was Cayde.

"I've got you," Beorn assured.

"That's enough!" Cayde said as he rounded the corner on the alley, Marr zipping around behind him. Cayde ran to Flak and forced Rorick and Franz off him. Flak lay on his back in the alley, barely conscious.

"What the hell is going on here? Have you all lost your—" he stopped when he saw Wren, clinging to Beorn in a puddle of water and blood. She couldn't stand the look that crossed his face and she turned to hide in Beorn's chest. He drew his arms tighter around her, a hand rubbing her back.

"He was on Wren," Franz yelled, trying to get after Flak again but Sisre held him back.

It only took a second for Cayde to put two and two together and he took a step back as if he'd been hit in the chest, then his expression went dark and he picked up Franz' dagger, inspecting the blood-streaked blade.

"What a nice dagger," he said coolly. "It'd be a shame if you lost it. Here. Let me help you with that."

Flak's face twisted in fear and he scrambled to get up and run away. Cayde threw the dagger, the blade piercing through Flak's hand and pinning it to the cobblestone below. Rage grew in him and he felt the burning heat of Solar energy flood through him. He was on Flak in an instant, flipping him, Ace of Spades to the Hunter's cheek. The pressure of the trigger grew as he began to squeeze, all too willing to blow Flak's head clean off his shoulders.

But that wasn't what needed to happen. He could feel the silence hanging in the alley, the weight of eyes on him. He glanced up to see a kid staring at him from behind his mother's leg and as much as the anger boiled within him, he resisted pulling the trigger.

"Rorick, go get some guards," Cayde demanded as he stood and holstered the Ace.

Shame, embarrassment, pain, all rushed through Wren. She should have handled Flak. She should have fought harder. Now people were looking at her. Watching her cower in Beorn's arms, dirt and blood and tears showing her weakness.

"I don't need you to protect me," she snapped. Cayde stopped in his tracks, shoulders dropping. Wren pulled Beorn's coat tight before she fled through the gathered crowd and into the darkest shadows of the City.

Hours passed and the search for Wren was fruitless. Flak had been dragged to the Tower by City guards, a group of Titans all too happy to put Flak in his place when they heard what had happened. Cayde wouldn't be surprised to hear that Flak arrived in the Tower prison with a few more lumps than he went in with and Marr had been taken from him and instructed to stay with Zavala until a decision could be made about what to do with the Hunter. Cayde wanted him dead. That much was obvious, but Zavala would no doubt shut that idea down.

Cayde stood in Wren's den, having checked every nook and cranny of the space despite it being too small for her to hide anywhere. The makeshift tent in the corner was abandoned. She hadn't been here. He moved the brightly colored fabric aside once more and looked down at the mattress covered in stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows. This was more her home now than the Tower.

Away from everyone. Putting herself aside. Having a den was one thing, but this hurt him. There had been a couple of nights when the storms raged and from on high he could see her little light shimmering down here while the other Guardians were fast asleep in their beds. He'd wanted to check on her when he noticed, but always backed out at the last minute.

"I guess you haven't had any luck either."

Cayde turned to Sisre and shook his head. He picked Colonel up from the tent and stared at its beady black eyes. "I keep circling back, thinking I'd find her here eventually."

"I'm worried about her. I don't know where else she'd go but here and her room."

"Were you able to get in?"

"I was. The dress she was attacked in was laying on the floor so I know she's been there but she didn't stay."

"What did you do with the dress?"

"I threw it away where she wouldn't have to look at it. Beorn, Franz, and I left her notes."

"Why don't you go back and get some rest. You look exhausted."

"I can't." Sisre hugged herself and stared at the chicken in Cayde's hands. "Not until she's safe."

"What's going on here? I still don't understand why Flak would attack her like that."

Sisre inhaled deeply and sat on Wren's stool. "Flak's given her trouble since day one. Because of the Better Devils you gave her. Insisted it was because she was doing you… favors. You know…"

"It's been going on this whole time?"

"I didn't think so. I mean, she told me at first. We were on a mission on the Moon and we got trapped in the tunnels, remember? Well, while we were down there I guess he tried to force himself on her and when she denied him he left a nasty bruise on her chest."

"Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" Cayde gripped the chicken tighter.

"She wanted to handle it on her own. I didn't really hear much about it after that, I thought it was done. I suspected something was up when Flak said she killed him, but I didn't see what happened and Wren never talked about it. I had no idea it was escalating to this."

"I don't understand why she won't just let me handle this stuff. It's my job to protect her—"

"But it's not," Sisre interrupted. "Yeah, it's your job to step in and handle things for your Hunters, but your job isn't to protect her specifically. She wants to prove herself to the other Guardians. To the other Hunters. Mostly to you. Since the day I met her she's tried her damndest to prove to you that she's a good Hunter."

"She's one of the best Hunters I've ever seen but if she needs to be protected then I'm going to do it," he said, throwing the chicken down into the pillows. "She's so… she so small and…" flashes of her getting her arm ripped from her body, of her begging him for help, dying in his arms before he could get her out of the Darkness Zone. It'd stuck with him. And putting her in danger on the Dreadnaught? He never should have done that. The isolation, the drowning, and now the image of her broken and bleeding because of another Hunter?

"She might be small but she's—" Sisre paused, her green eyes growing wide. He could almost hear the click in her head before she spoke. "Wait… you… Are you in love with Wren?"

"What?" Cayde heard the crack in his own voice when his head snapped up to meet her gaze.

"That's what this is all about isn't it? You love her and you want to protect her."

"It's not like that. Don't get carried away."

"I think it is like that. You don't have to admit it, but I think it's true." Sisre stood up. "And I think there's one last place to check. And you need to be the one to look there."

Cayde clenched his jaw.

"The top of the Tower," Sisre said. "She hasn't gone there in a long time, but I feel if there's one place in this City we haven't checked, it's up there."

"Zavala had it blocked off—"

"Wren would find a way. You should go."

"I don't know. I think she'd hate that. Maybe you should go instead and just let me know if you find her."

"Cayde. There's only so much I can do for her. Only so much comfort I can give her. It'll mean more if it's you. Promise. Now go. I'm going to keep searching in the City. Let me know if you find her. Please."

She wasn't going to let him run. She touched his elbow, gave it a reassuring squeeze, and left him alone in Wren's den. He walked to the place where the roof was missing and stared up at the light of the Tower, a beacon in the night.

In love with Wren. He let the thought roll around in his head before leaving it in the den, his feet carrying him toward the Tower.

Zavala had sealed one entrance to the roof of the Tower but finding another wasn't too hard. The stairwell was abandoned, as the old one was, but this one was much less crowded with junk. Frankly, this way was easier to access.

Cayde pushed open a trap door and a gust of wind almost knocked it out of his hand. He stepped up onto the roof and scanned the area to see Wren, sitting on the railing, her legs dangling over the edge. She'd changed into baggy black pants and a thick pale pink sweater that was several sizes too large and lined with short, soft fur. Her hair blew in a tangled mess around her head. From one hand a bottle hung loosely, the other hand rested on Kiran's shell where he sat on her knee.

His heart dropped to see her perched so precariously on the edge but he resisted the urge to run to her and pull her back, afraid that startling her would result in her falling to her death.

"Hey kid," he said weakly, taking a few cautious steps forward.

"Go away," she whispered.

"Sisre's been looking for you. And Beorn and Franz. And me. We've been worried sick about you."

"I can take care of myself," she said, louder this time. She tilted forward and Cayde lunged forward to catch her but she leaned back again, her eyes closed, face to the moon and he slowed his progression again.

"Of course you can."

"I'm a good Hunter." She sounded like she was about to cry. He edged forward.

"You're one of the best damn Hunters I've ever seen."

"And I can take care of myself," she repeated, taking a long swig from the bottle.

"Dammit kid," he muttered under his breath. "How about we get you down from there and off to bed. Let your friends get some rest, huh?"

She seemed to think about it for a minute, then she nodded. Kiran flew up beside her as she clumsily tried to swing her legs around. She began to tilt over the railing and Cayde caught her, cursing in his head as he pulled her back over the railing to sit her on the rooftop.

"Alright, I think that's enough alcohol." He took the bottle from her.

"But it's good."

"No, Sugarbird, it's only for when we're happy. We don't drink when we're sad, okay?" He was being a hypocrite but at least when he drank alone he couldn't actually get drunk and fall off the Tower.

"Yeah okay," she said, leaning over into his shoulder.

"Why don't you have shoes on?"

"Why don't you have shoes on?" she repeated.

"Let's get you to bed," he said, scooping her up. Her feet were dirty and her toes purple from the cold. "You're a mess."

"I don't wanna go to bed," she squirmed, trying to get down but he held her tighter.

"Cut it out. Fine. Where do you want to go?"

"The den."

"Alright, alright," he relented, and she relaxed, curling her arms up and nuzzling close to his chest. "Why do you have to be so difficult?"

"You smell nice," she muttered, her voice soft.

"Don't start that."

She was quiet the rest of the way to the den and he thought she might be asleep until he got down on his knees to put her in her little nest of pillows and plushies and she climbed down herself and crawled inside. She collapsed in a heap and cuddled Colonel close.

Cayde looked around in her workbench to find some rags and water. He sat outside her tent and washed her feet, then covered her up, tucking her legs in so she wouldn't get cold but she shivered anyway.

"Sundance, send a message to Cerulean's Ghosts and let them know I found Wren and she's safe. Tell them she's asleep and to get some rest."

He was about to go to the workbench again when he noticed tears dripping from her nose onto the chicken plushie.

"You're gonna be the death of me," he muttered and crawled in beside her. She scoot closer to his side without being prompted and put her head on his shoulder.

"I don't need help," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Is that why you didn't tell me what he was doing to you?"

Wren didn't answer, just picked at a place on his chest piece where the leather needed to be repaired. He grabbed her hand to stop her from making the hole bigger but she misunderstood and wrapped her hand around his index finger and rested it on his stomach.

"You should have told me before he could hurt you like that," Cayde said, tracing her fingers with his thumb.

"You already said that."

"What? When?"

"When I died."

"I think the booze has you confused. I have no idea what you're talking about."

She sighed, frustrated as if he should remember when she said, "I died and you told me that I needed to tell the real you what was happening before Flak hurt me."

"Do you… do you see me when you die?"

Wren nodded into his shoulder and he stared up at the ceiling of the tent. He'd never talked to other Guardians about what they saw when they died before. It was a personal experience, different for everyone and sometimes even different every time it was experienced.

"But not that one time," she said with a sigh. "After I shot Flak I died and you weren't there and I walked for forever in the dark and you… you weren't there." She started sobbing and he pulled her closer to his side, removing his other hand from her grip to push her hair back and make her look him in the eye.

"Shh, it wasn't real. I'm here now, right?"

She hiccupped, sniffled, then nodded.

It might be wrong, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"When you die, what do I do?" he asked.

She sighed, the answer taking time and his body tingled waiting for her response, wondering if she'd fall asleep before she could speak.

"You lead me home," she said wistfully, then she went still.

Cayde lay there for a long time once she fell asleep, listening to her shallow breathing, her arm across his chest. Sisre's words echoed in his head and this time, he wasn't able to walk away from them.