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A light knock on the door stirred Wren from where she lay, staring out over the City with half lidded eyes. She rolled over to look over her shoulder as Kiran floated to the door to see who it was. Sisre, Beorn, and Franz had left not an hour before and she was exhausted from their visit. Who could it be this time?

"Rorick," Kiran said quietly.

Wren sat up and pulled her blankets over her lap and wrapped Cayde's around her shoulders.

"Come in."

Kiran moved out of the way as Rorick peered in, Marr and Brix hovering over his shoulder. She was surprised to see Flak's Ghost in tow, and yet, he had been helpful during the attack. She shifted uncomfortably as Rorick pushed the door closed behind him.

"Do you mind if I turn on the light?" he asked.

"Go for it."

She blinked against the light but quickly adjusted as Rorick took the chair from the desk and placed it beside her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Still trying to process everything."

"I thought I would come and check on you. The Vanguard are doing a full investigation into Flak. It turns out… well, you aren't the only woman he's been harassing. Others have come forward since yesterday and rumor is that the Praxic Order have Flak in custody to see if it's corruption by Darkness or something else."

Wren nodded slowly, turning her attention out the window to flickering lights of ships coming home from far off places. She wished she was anywhere but here.

"Wren, I know this is difficult and the situation is more complicated than I'm aware, but I can't help but feel responsible. As your fireteam leader I should have been more accessible to you and—"

"It's not your fault. Really. I know I can come to you. I hid it because…well, because I didn't want to feel like I couldn't handle the situation on my own. And I was going to tell Cayde, but I didn't have time."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Flak said it would be better if you handed me over to Oryx for the sake of humanity."

Rorick sat a little straighter. "I never would have let that happen. You are part of my fireteam, and that means you are under my protection. Not to say I don't think you can handle yourself, you've proven time and again that you can, but it's my duty to make sure all of you make it home. Even Franz and Beorn with their shenanigans."

Wren smirked. "Those two are trouble."

"All three of you are trouble." Rorick's hazel eyes softened and his mouth drew into a thin smile. "I would give my life to protect any of you. This fireteam is the most promising I've ever been a part of and I consider all of you like family. I want you to know that if anything like this ever happens again, that you'll let me know so we can work out a solution."

"I'll try."

"That's all I can ask." His gaze dropped. "That's not true. You say this wasn't my fault, but at the end of the day I knew that something wasn't right with Flak. That he was unstable at the very least, and I didn't handle it. I put my own selfish desire to see this fireteam succeed above all else. Do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me someday? When I've proven myself?"

Wren put an arm out and Rorick hesitated a moment from confusion before leaning in and letting Wren hug him. His return was firm and he ended it with a little Titan headbutt similar to how Franz and Beorn greeted one another. He stood and held out a hand to her and she took it. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We're here for you. I know how you Hunters get with your lone cowboy crap, but we are a team."

"Understood," Wren grinned. Rorick playfully knocked her chin with his fist.

"Alright. Well, Marr wanted to speak with you and Cayde should be down in a few hours. Koro was wanting to see you as well. What do you want me to tell him?"

"I'm tired but I also want to get all the visitors out of the way. Why is Cayde coming?"

"He has to ask a few questions for the investigation is all. I'll tell to keep his visit short. Do you want me to get Koro to bring you some food?"

"No, I'm not very hungry."

"Alright. Take care and I'll see you later." Rorick went to open the door but Wren stopped him.

"Can I go out soon?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"We still have to go after Oryx right?"

"I haven't heard about restrictions on your flight, but we haven't found a way to become ascendant yet either."

"I don't care when it is, I want to go."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to that?"

"The faster I can get back to normal the better, I think."

Rorick sighed, his hesitation marked by the grinding of his jaw. "We'll see how it goes. Rest for now."

Once Rorick was gone, tension and silence fell over the little room. Marr's shell wound around, pent up with nervous energy and he refused to look at Wren more than a second at a time. Kiran glanced between them, then went to Marr and gave him a little nudge, their shells clicking.

"Thanks for helping find Cayde," Kiran said and Marr immediately shook side to side.

"No. I don't deserve thanks. If I would have told Zavala or Cayde or… anyone… what Flak was doing, it never would have gotten this far."

"Why didn't you?" Wren asked. After finding out that others were suffering too, it was hard not to blame Marr. Or at least put some of the blame on him.

"I was afraid. I made Flak the way he was and I feel responsible for how he turned out. He wasn't always that way and I just…" he sank a little. "I wanted to believe that good person was still in there somewhere and that he'd go back to being how he was in the beginning."

"Hard to imagine he was anything other than a slime ball," Kiran said flatly.

"I know." Marr settled into the chair Rorick had been sitting in, as if he felt too heavy to float. His shell drooped and his light dimmed. "I filled his head with the idea that he'd be something great. Someone the people of the City could look up to and admire. I wanted that so badly for him, and for me. To be a Ghost everyone knew. I didn't realize how much hate I was sowing in him until it was too late. I didn't see the entitlement. And when he was told no by the Vanguard, or put with a team where he couldn't lead, I went right along with him in his anger. It was a slow process but over time he began to think the Vanguard was against him specifically. And why wouldn't he? He had no basis for comparison with what was fair and I was always saying he deserved more."

"What happens now?" Kiran asked.

"With the charges and how many are still coming forward? I… they'll probably imprison him long term. Or exile him… or… both of us? I've forfeited my memories of the events to the Praxic Order. It's probably selfish… I want to save myself if possible. They'll see that it isn't corruption of Darkness but… well, corruption from me. I never meant for it to be this way."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Wren asked. "I don't feel bad for Flak. He gets what he deserves."

"I understand. And I agree wholeheartedly. I also get whatever is coming to me. I just wanted… I wanted to say that I am so sorry for my part in this. It feels like we've all failed you, even if you don't see it that way. I have to go back to Zavala now." Marr rose from the chair but he still seemed heavy.

"I don't know if I can forgive you, Marr," Wren said. "I'm not angry at you, but I don't know if I'm capable of forgiveness yet."

"I didn't ask for it. I don't expect it. I wish the best for you, Wren. If we ever meet again, I hope it's on better terms."

Marr flickered, then disappeared, leaving Wren and Kiran alone once more. In the silence Rorick and Marr left behind Wren stared at her room, piece by piece to knickknacks, books, plants, and other things she kept there, but she saw through all of it.

Kiran turned the light off and Wren rolled over in Cayde's blanket, opening it up so Kiran could get underneath and cuddle close to her throat. This was all she wanted. The two of them in silent understanding that things had spiraled out of control and now they had to wait to crash land before they could rebuild and fly again.

Sitting with Koro was awkward. He'd given her a hug before sitting down in the chair Rorick had been in earlier, wringing his hands and tapping his feet. Had she not been exhausted and on edge, these things would have bothered her but now she stared at his hands and fought the urge to tell him to stop. Her fists wound tight in Cayde's blanket as she waited for him to speak.

"I wish I knew how to start this," he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "I owe you an apology for last night. I feel like if I hadn't gotten so drunk and passed out like I did, I would have been able to talk with you and walk you home and what happened…"

Wren held a hand up. "I appreciate it, but it's not necessary."

"It's my fault though and—"

"Enough. Look, it's Flak's fault. And my fault for not saying anything. I wish someone would just say I screwed up and stop trying to pull the blame where it doesn't belong."

"Wren I—"

"I'm sorry," she sighed, leaning onto her pillows. "I didn't mean to get snappy. I hate that people keep blaming themselves for what happened."

"We care about you, of course we're going to feel responsible. This never should have happened."

"I know. It never will again, but none of you knew so you can't blame yourselves."

"I don't want to argue with you. I know you're tired and stressed out. I'm just glad you're alright." He went back to wringing his hands.

"I feel like there's something you're building up to," Wren said.

"That's fair. I guess I better just… say it right? Right… okay well… Wren, I care about you. I mean, of course I like you, but last night I wanted to ask if you'd maybe want to be my girlfriend, but I passed out and…" he inhaled deeply. "I don't feel right asking you now, I just wanted you to know where I stand. Maybe when things settle down and we don't have to worry about Flak or about Oryx coming after you, we can talk about this again?"

Wren hadn't recovered from what he'd said yet. Everyone was right; Koro did have a crush on her and now her naivety was smacking her in the face. Girlfriend? She bit her lip and thought about everything that had happened between her and Cayde. She'd honestly never given Koro a thought in that way but she didn't want to hurt his feelings either.

"Koro—"

"Please, don't answer yet. Take all the time you need to think about it."

A knock at the door let Wren's shoulders drop. Koro got up to open it to see Cayde there with a datapad, Sundance hovering over his shoulder. She paid Koro no mind and flew past his head to join Kiran and Wren, bumping into the other Ghost in a flurry of dulled clacks. Meanwhile, Koro and Cayde were frozen in the doorway.

"Oh, why are you here?" Koro asked, forcing a smile but Wren could hear the tension in his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing, but it doesn't matter. Time for you to hit the dusty trail cowboy, Vanguard business," Cayde smirked, waving the datapad in the air.

"Right. I'll visit you again soon," Koro said, coming back to Wren to kiss the top of her head. "I'll bring you some food, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Koro."

He left and Cayde closed the door behind him.

Meeting Koro at the door wasn't part of the plan. The minute he looked down at Koro's face he became tense, standing a little straighter despite already being several inches taller than him. Cayde kept his eye on Koro as he went back to kiss Wren's head before leaving and Cayde struggled to not trip him on the way out.

The irritation at Koro faded when he saw Wren, still in bed with blankets pulled up over her legs.

"Hey lazy bones, gonna lay around in bed all day?" he teased, though his heart wasn't in it. She looked so small sitting there in her oversized sweater, hiding herself. The edge of his blanket poked out from under her own and he hoped it was bringing her comfort.

"I guess you're here to ask me about Flak?" she said quietly, pulling Colonel into her lap.

"Yeah, sorry. I just… have to. Investigation and all. It was either me or you'd have to go talk to the Praxic Order and I didn't think you'd wanna do that. They're about as much fun as a hyped up Phalanx with a blast shield. It won't take long, promise."

She looked away.

"I'm sorry we have to do this," Cayde said.

"Let's just get it over with."

"When uh, when did it start?" he asked, but he already knew.

Wren took a deep breath. "The first mission with Cerulean to the Moon. Flak made a comment about the Better Devils. Said I was doing favors and he'd found a map and was hoping you'd marked one of your caches on it."

Cayde remembered when he'd gone into her den and saw the hand canon laying on the floor. It hadn't quite clicked with him when Sisre had mentioned the gun before, but now it was clear as day. Wren flung it away on purpose.

Question after question they trudged through the interview the Order had prepared and by the time they were finished she'd curled her knees pulled close and was absently picking at a loose string on Colonel's beak. It hurt to see but there was more about it stirring in his chest. He could have stopped this. He could have put an end to it all in a matter of seconds.

But she didn't tell him. She didn't tell anyone. Didn't she know how dangerous this was? And on so many different levels? She should have trusted him. But how could she? With all the other fucking Hunters making her life miserable and it was his fault too. He knew how they were acting, the shit they'd put her through, and it pissed him off even more knowing that Ikora tried to warn him.

Listening to her tell him everything brought back the anger he'd felt when he almost put a bullet in Flak's head and after he asked the last question he dropped the datapad on her desk.

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" he asked, trying to keep that frustration from overflowing.

"I thought I could handle it. I thought he'd just stop and… I did make up my mind to tell you when he said he wanted to hand me over to Oryx, but I didn't have time before…" she clenched her jaw and he could see tears forming in her eyes again.

"What if there wasn't anyone around to help you?" he said, noting the raising of his voice but being unable to control it. Those words had played on repeat in his head since it happened. What if Flak had caught her somewhere more secluded? What if her fireteam wasn't nearby to protect her? What if Marr hadn't been able to find him?

"You think I haven't considered that?" she snapped. "I didn't think it would get that bad. And you're not seeing what I see. You don't get the shit I get just because I'm friends with you. If I come running to you to fix my problems, then I'm no better than the pet they say I am."

"I know exactly what happens but what do you want from me? You pull me in one minute and push me away the next and I don't know what the hell to do!"

"What do you want? Huh? How about you tell me that? Because you do the same damn thing to me!"

"I don't know what I want, okay!" Cayde shouted.

"Then I'll make up your mind for you. Get out! Leave me alone!" Her face twisted with pain and tears streamed down her cheeks. He could feel the anger radiating off her in Solar heat and his own was growing too. "I said leave!" She picked Colonel up and threw it at Cayde, hitting him square in the chest before Cayde could whip around and stomp toward the door. Somehow that stuffed chicken hurt worse than getting shot.

He put his hand on the doorknob and paused, the sound of her sobbing cooling him off instantly. He hung his head and drew a deep breath. She had her knees drawn up and was hugging them tight. These outbursts… he'd experienced them himself and had to remember what she was going through. This wasn't about him and his inability to make up his mind, it was about everything that had built up over time. All the things that had made her feel out of control of her life, the things that pushed her away from everyone else and made her an outsider among outsiders.

Cayde picked Colonel up and sat on the edge of Wren's bed. Gently he rested a hand on her back and she flinched, her gaze shooting up to meet his. Her lip quivered and she broke down, wrapping her arms around him. He felt pressure in his chest and the need to cry with her but nothing came out. Never had and never would, but he felt the sensation, the tightening of his throat and the need to cling to her.

"It's okay. Let it out," he soothed, rubbing her back. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

"I don't want it to be this way," she cried.

"I know." He laid back against her pillows and pulled his blanket from under hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Have you slept?"

She shook her head.

"Nightmares?"

She nodded.

"Right. Listen, s'long as you don't tell anyone I'll stay here until you fall asleep okay? Can't have people thinkin' I'm goin' soft."

Wren huffed and forced a smile but it only lasted a fraction of a second before her lip was quivering again. Kiran and Sundance hovered overhead until Sun decided to settle on Cayde's chest near Wren's head. Kiran spun quietly, unsure of what to do until Cayde patted a place beside Sundance and Kiran joined her.

"Go ahead," he sighed. "Everyone else is gonna use me as a pillow."

"Shut up, you like it," Sundance said.

Cayde stared out the window, gently rubbing Wren's shoulder until he was sure she was asleep. How the hell had they gotten in this deep? He only wished he knew so he could dig them out again. If only things could be easy.