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Aaron wasn't shocked to find that Spencer was not in bed and not in their rooms at all. G.A.R.C.I.A. had stopped following him at night days ago. Aaron was adjusting fine to moving back into the Tower, but Spencer was not. Even Prentiss wasn't having an issue. Aaron wondered if the issue was more profound than just Spencer having issues sleeping in the Tower again. He was restless all night long even when he was asleep. Aaron was awake, so he checked on Jack who was dead asleep. The welcome that they had got had been stalled a little when Jack had appeared behind them, transmatted out of the Ceres Galliot. Ikora Rey had quickly stepped up to smile at Jack who looked nervous. Jack was handling all of the pressure well of being the first child Guardian. Though Spencer sheltered him, a lot and Aaron wondered how much of a spectacle Spencer had been when he had been young. Aaron had not searched the archives for Spencer and Moira Reid and what they had done before the Collapse. It seemed that Spencer was the one that had been in the spotlight more than Moira, but Aaron had learned that she was just as intelligent, just as unique as Spencer was when it came to their brains."G.A.R.C.I.A.," Aaron called out as he got out of bed to get his running clothes on."He left for a run approximately thirty minutes and seventeen seconds ago. Do you want me to find him?""No. Why don't you join the rest of your selves in Morgan's room." Aaron had plans, and those plans were nothing that he wanted G.A.R.C.I.A. to see. Though he was quite sure that at least one of the two of their parts of the whole spied on them during sex at least once.Aaron started his run, following his standard path. He was sure that at one point he would run into Spencer. He was not wrong as twenty minutes into it, he came across Spencer, but Spencer was not running. Aaron was glad that he was close enough to the end of his run that he didn't feel bad about stopping. Spencer was staring at the Traveler, holding his necklace in one hand."I don't know, Moira," Spencer said out loud.Aaron felt something just seconds later, like a mind pressing on his own."There is something coming, and I don't like that I can't remember my dreams."That pressing was back seconds after Spencer stopped speaking. Aaron knew that it had to be Mara and Spencer was using Moira in case anyone stopped and listened in on him. Aaron was worried that Spencer hadn't realized that he was there."He's sweaty, so I'm sure that something will happen when we go back to the room. We are both going to have to shower, and it makes sense to do it together." Spencer paused and then laughed just a second after the pressure was gone on Aaron's mind again. "I will tell him. Love you, too." Spencer turned around, leaning against the railing."What exactly what that?""When I left the Reef after we were safe and as settled as we were going to be as a people, we were still very new to everything that we now were. Yes, several of our people were very gifted, and those like Petra and I had were very evident but others it seems have popped up over time, like the Light and the Darkness inside of us let them unlock slowly, so we were not overwhelmed. At the end of our stay, at the big feast, I kept on hearing what I thought was Moira talking to me, but it was just her mind. We worked on it some before we left but were unsure if we could do it over long distances. It seems that we can. I talked to her like I was right there. It will make a few things easier if it holds. I think that it will.""Can you talk to Uilliam like that?" Aaron asked."No. It's just Moira. Probably the twin thing," Spencer said. He stopped and cocked his head to the side before waving Aaron away. Aaron moved where Spencer wanted him to, and Spencer shot forward and grabbed at something just beyond the corner. He pulled Eris Morn out into the visible area. "Erisia Pyatova-Hsien."Aaron didn't know what to say to Eris's name. It was evident that she was from what used to the Russian area of the world that used to be."You!" Eris said. She hissed at him and tried to get away. Twin growls sounded from behind Eris, and there were Helo and Luna growling at the former Guardian. Or current. Aaron wasn't sure on that given she had no Ghost, and there was no Light left in her that Aaron could find."Yes, me. So Hidden One, do you want to tell me why you are spying on me?" Spencer asked."I felt a presence that I knew and wondered what My Queen was doing here, but it seems that she was not here but talking to you." Eris looked at Aaron and grinned at him wickedly. "So did you find that you didn't want to bed a Lord anymore and needed to bed a Queen?""You are funny, Eris but getting pissed off would only fuel you and your stupid thoughts. I would no sooner bed Mara than I would bed you. In fact, I think that you have a better shot at getting my dick in you than Mara does. The Queen talks to me because she wishes to. Don't even try and sow the seeds of discord here among my team and me again or you will feel what kind of Darkness I can wield. You won't like what I can do, and I don't think you want to feel that. Go crawling back to the hole you have made here in the Tower and do not follow me again. You were Ikora's hidden, so you feel like you are allowed, but when it comes to me and mine, I'll end you for spying. Do you understand?""Yes," Eris hissed. Spencer dropped her down to the ground, and she took off, near scrambling like a Vandal. It was creepy. Aaron watched her leave though before he turned to Spencer."She's one of your sister's spies?""No like Prentiss or any of the others. Eris keeps Guardian secrets, well all of my sister's spies do, but Eris went to the Reef before she came here. She and my sister have something cooked up, and I am not sure that the Vanguard is ready to know about it. If it has anything to do with the dreams that I can't remember, I don't think I'm ready for it.""Well, let's go back to the room and shower. We can't have your sister thinking that I have neglected your needs."The Tower wasn't fully awake still, and the only people that they came across were the standard lower class Exo frames that took care of menial labor and a few guards who were on duty. Jack was still asleep in the bedroom so Aaron all but pushed Spencer into the bathroom and shut the door. He locked it and started to strip himself. Spencer walked to the shower to turn it on to get the water warm. After getting naked, Aaron stepped up to reach around Spencer, pushing his running shorts down to his thighs and cupping his cock. Spencer arched up into the movement, his lips parting in a pant. Aaron loved him like this, willing to just let Aaron do what he wanted. It was kind of heavenly."Don't move," Aaron said. He dropped to his knees, taking Spencer's shorts all the way down. Aaron brushed the palms of his hands between Spencer's thighs as he ghosted them back up Spencer's body. He nipped at Spencer's ass cheek. Aaron stood up, using Spencer's waist to brace him. Spencer's shirt was still wet enough that it stuck to his skin, so Aaron had to peel it off of him, but he was rewarded with a naked Spencer when he was done, which was worth it. Aaron plastered himself to Spencer's back, wrapping an arm around his waist and holding him tight. Aaron felt the tremors in Spencer's body from not enough sleep and too much exercising. Spencer had been trying for a week to wear his body out to the point of exhaustion, but it didn't seem to be working. Aaron hoped that what he did helped."What do you want?" Aaron asked."Anything," Spencer answered.Aaron used his body to push Spencer into the shower and under the spray to get them both wet. The new head that Spencer had got somewhere on the Reef was like a rainfall. It was huge and got water everywhere. Jack liked it because it was like playing in the rain he said. He missed doing that so Aaron had told Spencer the next time it rained and the weather was good they would head down into the City and play.Aaron found the slick and laid it down where he could get it easy, it was usually kept out of Jack's reach just to be safe so he wouldn't slip in the shower. No matter if he could come back, Aaron didn't want him breaking his neck in the shower. Aaron took his time as he cleaned off the both of them, using the soft poof that was something strange to have found a case of hidden in the depths of the Tower but a few had been passed around by the Guardian who had found them. Spencer had grabbed one for each of them.There wasn't a second where some part of Aaron wasn't touching Spencer. It was grounding to Spencer and Aaron saw him near drifting as Aaron pushed him under the water to rinse the last of the suds off. Aaron turned Spencer around to kiss him, pushing him into the wall as he turned off the water. There was usually a bit of a fight in Spencer, but this time there was none. There was just the utter giving up of Spencer into what Aaron wanted.Aaron had plans to take Spencer against the wall of the bathroom, but he made a second choice as Spencer limply wrapped his arms around Aaron's neck. Aaron reached down and gripped Spencer's thighs right where they met his ass on the underside. Spencer tightened his arms around Aaron's neck as Aaron spread his legs and lifted. Spencer wrapped them around Aaron's waist as Aaron got them to the right height."Luna and Helo didn't follow us back did they?" Aaron asked."No.""Good." Aaron pushed himself backward, getting used to the weight before he turned and took them right out of the shower. Aaron barely glanced at Jack's room door as he passed and went right into the next room where the desk that Spencer used was as well as the bed that Luna and Helo had taken over as their own. It had also become the family room after they had come back from the Reef.Aaron dropped Spencer onto the desk and scattered the tablet and the sheets of paper that were all over it onto the bed. Aaron would clean it up before they did anything more adventurous for the day. Aaron dug his fingers into the meat of Spencer's thighs, gripping tight enough that it would bruise. Spencer sighed into Aaron's mouth as Aaron took it in a kiss. Spreading Spencer's legs, Aaron rubbed his cock on Spencer's as he pulled Spencer all the way to where his ass was barely on the desk anymore. There was a tube of the slick that they used in the desk drawer right at Aaron's left hip, and he planned on using that soon.When Aaron let go of Spencer's thighs, he didn't move them back in but kept them spread apart. Aaron grinned as he kissed down Spencer's neck as he reached up to grab Spencer's hair and pull his head back to make his neck go taut. Spencer groaned as Aaron sucked a hickey into the pulse point on his neck that was going crazy. Aaron knew that part of that was not being able to touch. Aaron had told him to not move, and he was holding to that. Aaron had not decided how he wanted to fuck Spencer yet, whether on his back on the desk or on his front. Both were very good positions, but each had a perk. Aaron jerked on Spencer's hair, pulling him down to where he was on his back on the desk. He looked at Spencer's eyes which were half-lidded and so full of lust that they were barely glowing. Aaron loved it when he was like that. Aaron grabbed the slick and only coated his cock liberally before he made a quick swipe on Spencer's hole. He grabbed a shirt that was across the back of the chair on the correct side of the side of the desk. Aaron grinned before he stepped up and lifted Spencer's legs up to like Aron wanted. It only took a little before Spencer took control of his limbs and slung them over Aaron's shoulders, using them to keep Aaron close. Aaron spread Spencer's cheeks with one hand and used the other to hold his cock steady as he started to push inside of his lover.Spencer's eyes slowly closed as Aaron bottomed out inside of him. Aaron wrapped his hands around Spencer's hips, using that to pull Spencer to meet his hips with every single thrust inside of him. Aaron heard Spencer scrape his nails on the desk before he reached up to grab the far side of the desk using that grip to help Aaron's motions of his body. Spencer gasped as he came, release coating his upper belly and chest as his cock bobbed as Aaron didn't slow his trusts at all. Aaron chased his orgasm, not even attempting to get Spencer off again. Just when Aaron was also ready to come, he pulled out and grabbed Spencer's thighs. He pressed the thighs together with his cock in between using that to get off the rest of the way. His own release joined Spencer's on his belly."We have a mission," G.A.R.C.I.A. said from the edge of the room. Aaron's head shot over to look to see that she was at least turned around to where she wasn't watching. "We are to meet in the hanger and head to Mars.""We will be in the hanger as soon as possible," Spencer muttered as Aaron let go of his legs.Aaron watched G.A.R.C.I.A. disappear through the door before he stepped back away from Spencer. Aaron looked down at him."Well, there went that nice and sleepy feeling that I was having," Spencer said. He sat up and looked down at his body. "At least you opted for easy cleanup.""I was hoping to get you into bed as soon as possible. Looks like that will have to be after whatever mission we have. Prentiss has been on a trip for Ikora Rey into some of the parts of the Moon that the Vanguard has secured for use, so I wonder if it's just going to be us or someone else will be joining us.""I don't know, but you had better start to get cleaned up and then we can find out our fate. I was shocked that it took this long for Zavala to give us a mission." Spencer didn't raise his eyes from his chest and belly. Aaron handed over the shirt that he had grabbed so that Spencer could clean up a little before cleaning up the rest of the way once Aaron was done in the bathroom."It's our first mission with our new armor," Aaron said."Yes, I'm looking forward to what it feels like.""Yours is made with Awoken metal instead of Earth metal.""Yes, I noticed that. I saw the plans for the standard armor that Mara got the plans of from Prentiss. I like my version a lot better.""Yes, there is more purple than blue in it." Aaron grinned at him, and Spencer tossed the shirt at his face. Aaron caught it before it could actually hit him. Aaron tossed it into the hamper that had become the home to all of their clothes. Thankfully there were machines, low-class Exos that did that kind of thing. So far they had no issues with not getting their clothes back but then Aaron wasn't exactly sure he knew what the process was. The hamper would start to blink when it was full, so he assumed that the machine that it went into held that much and their clothes never mingled with other people's.There was no one else around when the two of them got into the hanger, and it wasn't until Aaron saw that G.A.R.C.I.A. was waiting outside that whoever they were going with was inside the ship already. Aaron stepped up tot he ship, his helmet tucked under his arm. His weapons were inside of G.A.R.C.I.A.s space where she kept everything.Morgan was sitting in Spencer's pilot seat, and when he saw Aaron get on the ship, he showed Aaron the coordinates that he had been given. Aaron knew that was in Meridian Bay, but that was all that he knew."Who?""Ikora Rey, something about there being something stirring that needed to be taken care of and we were the Guardians to do it. Prentiss is still off doing a mission for her, so I was tapped to join you. Though I think that it has something to do with the fact that I was the one to go to Mars with you guys the first time. Rossi's bitching that he's going to have to run around with just Prentiss, but we both know that it's more of a cover than anything. He's missed her.""Yes, I'm glad that we don't share a communal wall.""Speaking of walls. It seems that there is an issue in the floor above us all. G.A.R.C.I.A. came to me and said that the team was being moved elsewhere. We don't have a location as of yet, but G.A.R.C.I.A. said that she fought for bigger rooms and better elevator access. She's being tight-lipped on where she thinks we are going to go.""I don't really care as long as Jack has a room." Aaron didn't care where he stayed. He was used to moving around as an Iron Lord before they had found the temple and settled there they had lived like a caravan during the war with the Warlords. It was harder to hit them if they moved around. Before moving to the Reef while hunting the Wolves, it was the longest that Aaron had ever stayed anywhere since he had died the first time."I keep meaning to ask," Morgan said as he stood up from the chair and settled against the wall, leaning there while making sure that he didn't hit anything. "Why do you think that you and Reid have your memories? I mean I'm an Exo, I know that my memories from before when I was Human were mostly gone. My file has never been recovered so I can't know why I joined up to become an Exo, same with Rossi. Zavala has made hunting who you were before taboo while Osiris was more free with that and understood that we were not meant to never know what we were. Doesn't that just rob what humanity we had left in us out? Anyway, I just...why are you and Reid different?""I don't know on that. I would say that for him part of it was his brain. That powerful and very vast brain was not meant to lose anything but me, I have no clue. There are memories that have faded. The more powerful the memory, the more that it stays. I don't remember every single memory of my childhood, just the painful ones and the ones that were pure joy like when I held Sean in my arms for the first time but everything around that time is gone.""He used to talk about his brother and twin sister, but he's stopped," Morgan said."Yes, I think that it hurts to talk about them," Aaron said. He didn't want Morgan asking about them. Morgan was too close to Zavala and while Dave might keep it quiet, Morgan would not."Ready?" Spencer asked as he appeared in the center of the open area of the ship. He looked at Morgan, but his helmet was on so Aaron couldn't see the look on his face."Yes," Aaron and Morgan said at the same time."Ikora said that she gave you the coordinates already. So let's go."The travel time to Mars felt like nothing even though there was no speaking. Aaron checked over his weapons. Banshee-44 had been given all of their weapons to clean them up and check them over. Aaron had thought that the Exo was going to explode when he saw Patience and Time. Aaron knew that it was one of a kind, but he also knew that the Vanguard had been looking for the creature named Xur to get his weapons, through trade for a long time. That Xur had gone to the Reef and not the Vanguard had stung Zavala a little.It had taken a week for Zavala to be happy with the debriefing for the three of them and released them to be allowed on missions. Though that had meant that Prentiss had been sent out pretty quick by Ikora, but Aaron and Spencer had been left behind. Aaron was okay with that, but now he was wondering if it was why Spencer was so restless at night. Spencer thought it was nightmares and Aaron had thought so at first, but he was wondering if t was energy that needed somewhere to go and a mission was just what he needed."The Black Garden may not stay among us for long," Ikora said as the comm system on the Ceres broadcast scaring all three of them and making them jump. "Something has begun to repair the schism torn by its destruction. Vex now flood the Garden channels to protect it. We must stop the weavers before they seal the Garden and begin to summon back its heart.""Back to the Garden we go," Morgan said.The ship settled into an area that Aaron remembered well and saw that there were no enemies around when the last time it had been full of them."I liked this place better when it's dead," G.A.R.C.I.A. said into the comms when the three of them appeared on the ground. The way up was broken and cracked but easily passable.Goblins were the first enemies that they came across with Hobgoblins and Minotaurs launching attacks on them from afar. Aaron focused on the ones that were a more significant distance away while Morgan and Spencer worked on the closer enemies. Steadily they moved forward, finding harder and harder enemies to kill to clear. Everything still had that sickly green glow to everything. The Vex kept on sending enemies to stop them from getting too far forward, but there wasn't enough to actually stop them.A considerable barrier stopped them from going forward. There was nothing to do but keep on killing the Vex that appeared until finally, the shield dropped. Aaron whistled for the other two to follow him. They all ran through to make sure the shield didn't pop up again and stop them. Aaron slowed as they got close to an area where a few Vex could ambush them, but there was nothing. Aaron was worried that it meant that a huge amount of them was going to be waiting for them closer to the Heart.A few more twists and turns and then they were entering a large area where a bunch of Vex was waiting on them. Aaron found that there was just what he thought there was going to be, enough enemies to overwhelm them if they allowed it to happen.The fighting was slowing them down. There was another hill to hike up with mostly broken steps."You can tell that the area is coming to life again," Spencer said.'Why?" Morgan asked."Those Vex have grass growing on them. That means they were there a while in a single spot only to be awoken again."Vex fought them for every single inch that they gained up the stairs and at the top was a large interior, and there were Minotaurs porting as they got close."Precursor Vex," G.A.R.C.I.A. said as Aaron got a good look at the Vex. He agreed that they were older versions, meaning that there more active gates in the area that were linked to the past than what Aaron wanted. There was a CYclops at the top of the area as well, shooting at them, trying to take them out while they were distracted fighting the Minotaurs."Morgan, Cyclops!" Aaron yelled out."You got it," Morgan dropped back and unstrapped his Rocket Launcher as he dropped his other two guns to the ground. It was interesting to see the Titan use it. He didn't like to, but he carried it because it wasn't always easy for the other to. Morgan would wait for the Cyclops to turn and fire at Spencer who would duck behind the wall that was close and then Morgan would fire off a rocket, and it would shoot off at the Cyclops and shock the hell out of it. It started to fire off shots in a random manner. It was a good time for Morgan to get another shot or two off. It took five shells to take the Cyclops out.It was like the Cyclops was holding back a flood of enemies. More Precursor Goblins and Minotaurs flooded at them. It was chaos as they all fired as fast as their primary weapons would allow. Aaron's mind remembered more and more of the trip and turned without him even thinking of it when they finally broke free of the chaos of the Vex trying to block them.It got darker and darker as they ran through the tunnels until they found an active gate that was dispelling Vex left and right it seemed."They really want to stop us from making sure the Heart doesn't take seed again don't they?" Morgan asked."If it were you, wouldn't you?" Spencer asked.Aaron didn't say anything because there was nothing else to say. Morgan and Spencer worked on the enemies while Aaron kept firing Patience and Time at the gate to shut it down. The gate did not shut down but instead spewed out two Minotaurs, and then Confluxes formed. Energy pulsed between them. Aaron looked with his eyes instead of his scope as something started to form in the middle of the Confluxes. It was a Hydra."The Undying Mind," G.A.R.C.I.A. said. "It's trying to build the Heart again. Kill it!"Aaron kept up on shooting the gate as more Vex appeared out of it. After another three shots, it shut down. He reloaded his gun and started to fire at the Hydra as its shield rotated around to try and protect it. Morgan and Spencer ignored that it was trying to kill them as the took out the lower Vex as they swarmed around.Then it was just the three of them and the Undying Mind. Aaron enjoyed the wait between shots, it allowed him to steady his breathing and then get a good shot off that hit the Hydra right in the eye on what was considered its head. He also used that time to look at the Hydra, which was covered in grass, plants, and moss. It was one of the most disgusting things and reminded Aaron of a Zombie, a myth that had survived the collapse. It looked like a rotting Vex corpse instead of the standard pristine creation that was Vex perfection.The Hydra's body near shuddered after one of Aaron's shots, and he grinned because he was pretty sure it was almost dead. Morgan and Spencer had spent the time dancing around and keeping its eye on them instead of him so that he could fire without having to dodge, so Aaron paid them by dropping his Rifle to the ground and running toward the main fighting area. Aaron drew his Golden Gun, and the Hydra was falling to bits and exploding with the first shot. Aaron still fired the other two into the corpse. It made him feel better."Guardians?" Ikora's voice was a little staticky as the body finished exploding. Aaron walked back to pick up his weapon."G.A.R.C.I.A., do we have a way out?" Aaron asked."Yes, and I have a lock on Ikora," G.A.R.C.I.A. said as she appeared in front of Aaron."The Black Garden remains here, among the Light. But the Vex will never cease until their birthplace is restored, and we must keep it here until we can understand its origins.""Well that was helpful," Morgan said with a sardonic tone to his voice. Spencer started to laugh then he yawned. Morgan's head snapped over to him."Quickest way out," Morgan said."You got it."Aaron trailed behind Spencer with Morgan taking the lead. Aaron wasn't sure that Spencer wasn't going to pass out on the way home. He just hoped that he made it to the ship before he did. If Spencer wanted to be the one to pilot, Aaron was going to fight it and make Spencer let him fly.Spencer didn't even try and fly the ship. He got on-board when they reached where G.A.R.C.I.A. had the ship pick them up and walked right back to the bedroom area, dropping onto the bed with his armor still on. Aaron checked on him before setting the course to take them home. Morgan stripped to his clothes and Aaron did as well. It was only when they were both without armor did they turn to help Spencer out of his. The catches were good and only popped with force. Still stiff from being new but also just made to not come apart easily. Spencer was passed out and didn't even wake at all when Aaron got his chest armor off of him. Morgan worked on legs while Aaron took the upper body."G.A.R.C.I.A. said that he's been not sleeping well at all, said he's having dreams. Is that related to his gifts?""Yes, he can't remember what he's dreaming though so I am not sure if it's just the dreams or something else as well like being back here after being among his own people for as long as we were." Aaron looked at Morgan's face and saw that the Exo looked fond. Spencer had slipped into Morgan's heart easily, but Aaron wondered what kind of feeling he would have once Morgan knew the whole truth. There was no reason to try and figure that out. It was going to just have to wait until it happened. Aaron knew that it would, and he understood keeping it a secret, but Morgan didn't like secrets. He was a lot like Zavala in that way. He didn't mind keeping his own, but he hated others keeping them from him.Aaron covered up Spencer when he was down to his clothes and shut off the light. He turned at the door and looked to see that Spencer's eyes were open just enough to see who was in the room. Aaron gave him a smile knowing his eyes saw better in the dark than normal eyes. Then the eyes were shutting, and Spencer's breathing deepened out again. Aaron hoped that he slept for a while. G.A.R.C.I.A. would stay with him while Morgan and Aaron gave their report and then Aaron would join him again on the ship to wait for him to wake. Jack would still be in lessons and when those were just about over was a good time for Spencer to wake up. They could go and have dinner and some fun as a family after that.Plans made, Aaron settled in at the helm of the ship and watched as the stars moved around them. Like this, the darkness was beautiful but still deadly.The End