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Nathan grips the steering wheel tightly as he drives, the radio’s playing music but he’s oblivious to it.
He’d known, well they’d all known, that the Troubles were over and done for; but Gloria’s words feel like the final nail in the coffin. The Troubles are over, Audrey’s not here, and Duke is dead. And he knows he promised her he’d find someone who makes him happy and live. But he’s certain he’s got a right to mourn her, and Duke, as well.
Blinking back tears he sees a car on the side of the road, the hood up and a woman pacing beside it, phone to her ear. As he pulls over he takes a few deep breaths, he can do this. He can be polite and help her and hopefully make her day better.
Climbing out of the car he nearly recoils when he sees blonde hair, messily pinned up. His heart aches, but he can do this. “You look like you could use some help,” he speaks up as he strides towards her.
The woman whirls around and...it’s Audrey. There’s no mistaking those blue-grey eyes or the smile that grows on her face. “Nathan!” Before he knows it they’re hugging. “Oh thank God, I’ve been trying to call anyone but all I keep getting is ‘number no longer in service’,” she gripes as if she hasn’t been gone for a few months.
He stares at her, relishing the familiar feel of her pressed against him, still not quite believing it. “What?”
Audrey gives a little sigh as her face softens, “Nathan.” She rises up slightly, and he without thought bends down. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner, things were...complicated. And you know how time gets.” Her forehead presses against his own. “But it’s me, this isn’t a trick. I’m real.”
There’s a smile tugging at his lips, as he feels himself being flooded with something like happiness. “Parker,” he says it sort of stupidly.
She looks like she’s about to say something in response, but before she can two things happen in quick succession.
The first is that a banging sound comes from the trunk of her car, which is followed by the sounds of a baby crying; clearly disturbed by the sound from the trunk. Before Nathan’s really thought about it his gun is out and trained on the trunk, ready for anything that might happen.
His eyes might be trained on the trunk but he can still see Parker, who stiffens. “Shit, I almost forgot.” Before he can try and stop her she’s jogging from him to the trunk, pulling out her key fob and pushing a button.
The trunk pops open and a familiar groan reaches Nathan’s ears. “Buddha, you’d think voluntarily getting in a trunk would be bearable, it’s not.”
Nathan feels himself going limp, his gun falling from his fingers—thank God he hadn’t turned the safety off just yet—to hit the ground, he kind of follows suit, his knees hitting the rocks and pain sparking through his nerves.
Duke, that’s Duke Audrey’s laughing at and helping out of her trunk. Duke who looks so very alive and there. His eyes blur from tears again but this time they won’t be stopped. In the background the baby’s still crying, an absent part of him notes that one of them should do something about that, but it can’t exactly be Nathan right now.
“Nathan,” so this is what Duke hugging him feels like. “Come on man, don’t tell me we already broke you,” warmth and worry fills Duke’s voice and Nathan slumps into him. Burying his face in Duke’s shoulder, letting his tears fall and breathing him in. Cypress, sandalwood, and the faint tang of grease finally connect in his brain and it’s that that manages to convince him that, yes, this is real.
He clings to Duke, and absently he realizes he’s babbling “I’m sorry” and “forgive me” over and over, until it’s all just meaningless words.
Warm fingers thread in his hair, “hey, hey.” It feels right to have Duke’s voice in his ear, and Nathan finds himself swearing that he’s not going to pass it by again. “Of course I forgive you idiot,” for a moment blunt nails scrape against his scalp and Nathan gives a shuddering sigh.
“Look, I love that we’re having a touching reunion here, but I could use a little help.” Audrey’s voice sounds sort of strangled and Nathan finds himself huffing in laughter as he pulls his head away from Duke. She’s holding the crying baby in her arms—in not the best position Nathan observes—looking stressed out. Right, Parker’s not exactly a baby person.
With Duke’s help he stands and goes over to her, taking the baby out of her arms—a boy, possibly, wearing a knitted striped cap and a onesie with a pirate bear on it—and making sure he’s supporting all the right parts he starts rocking. The baby’s cries don’t stop immediately but they do begin to peter out.
A brief sigh of happiness from Parker has him glancing up from the baby, to see she’s got both her arms wrapped around one of Duke’s her cheek resting on his bicep. She smiles when she notices him staring. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he says back, a stupid smile on his face and a blush creeping up his neck. “So why do you have a baby?” The blush creeps up higher.
Duke laughs, the best sound Nathan’s ever heard at the moment, while Parker’s smile turns fond. “It’s James. I didn’t really bother to ask too many questions before I hightailed it out of the Barn with him and then Duke to be honest.” She makes a face. “Though search me why they turned him into a baby.”
Nathan finds he doesn’t really care, he glances down again, running a finger over James’ cheek, marveling at how soft it feels. His crying’s stopped completely, and he stares up at Nathan with his eyes before they close and he nestles closer. Blinking back tears again he bridges the gap between himself and Parker and Duke, any distance is too great right now. He just wants so badly to be next to them for as long as he can.
He readjusts James slightly, then before he can try and stop himself he leans in and kisses Duke.
It’s not quite like their fumbling attempts in high school, for one thing Duke’s got facial hair this time, for another Nathan actually sort of knows what he’s doing, and for third Nathan’s holding a baby. But it doesn’t stop him from moaning slightly when Duke makes a hungry sound and grips his hair again.
Nathan’s mind goes a little blank after that, although he still finds himself conscious of James in his arms and does his best not to crush the poor kid, at least until Audrey makes a sound and he breaks away to find Audrey looking up at the both of them her pupils blown and teeth digging into her lower lip.
There’s mischief in the quirk of a smile she gives him when she notices his staring. “I hope my welcome home kiss is that good.”
It’s probably rude to shove James into Duke’s arms, but it’s even moreso awkward to hold a baby, and bend down, and kiss someone. So Duke’s going to have to deal.
Kissing Audrey is wonderfully familiar, it’s like coming home and falling in love with her all over again. He sighs into her mouth and just lets himself be, there will be time for questions later, but for now the only things, the only people, that matter are right here.
When they pull apart Nathan stumbles a little, leaning against her car for support. Need races through him and he shifts uncomfortably; why were hard ons so distracting?
“Need a little help there detective?” Duke’s teasing is wonderful, why didn’t Nathan realize this earlier? Even if it’s frustrating as hell.
“Shut up Duke,” but there’s no heat in it, especially considering how red he is. “You’re holding a baby.” Then Nathan can’t help but correct. “And it’s Chief again now.”
“He’s got you there,” Audrey laughs, moving to sidle up next to Nathan.
Duke pouts at the both of them. “Unwillingly holding a baby, I did not agree to this, he was thrust upon me.” His pout turns into a smile. “And congrats I guess.”
Even Nathan laughs at that.
-
Duke awakes with a gasping start, heart pounding as he tries to situate himself, the nightmare slow to give up it’s hold on him.
unending grey and woods and nothing.
He shivers, his breathing sounding loud to his own ears.
The bed shifts, and he hears Nathan’s disappointed murmur. A sound which focuses him, reminds him that he’s not in the Void anymore, he’s alive, and home.
In the dim light from the windows he can see Nathan, and on Nathan’s other side Audrey. Tucked away in a corner is James’ crib, and Duke just finds himself glad he didn’t wake anyone else up.
Slowly slipping out of bed he rifles around and tugs on a pair of boxers—he’s not sure if they’re his or Nathan’s, and doesn’t much care—padding his way to the kitchen, knowing he won’t be able to go back to sleep just yet.
He grimaces when he sees the digital clock on the stove, far too early. Leaning against the countertop he stares out the half open blinds to the moonlit beach and ocean beyond.
Soft footsteps behind him makes him tense for a moment, until he feels Audrey’s hand touch his back. “Hey,” she says quietly as her arms wrap around him and her cheek rests on the middle of his back. “You okay?”
“Been better,” he admits with a soft sigh. “Nathan’s gonna panic if he wakes up and we’re gone.” Duke completely understands, it’s only been a few days and even if they’re all living together they’re still so new. And sometimes he’s got to pinch himself just to remember this isn’t fake this is real. Haven had welcomed them back with open arms at least, and had accepted Duke’s second Huck Finn impression with aplomb.
He can feel Audrey smile, “well then, I guess I’m just going to have to drag you back to bed.” Her hands smooth down his chest to stop at his boxers. The snap of the elastic against his skin makes him twitch and shake his head.
“If this is your idea of seduction Parker,” he teases. “It could use some work.”
She huffs as she slides a finger under the waistband and tugs backwards. “You weren’t saying that a few hours ago. Come on, you can be middle this time. Nathan’ll love that.” The thought makes him smile and he goes willingly with her tugging.
In their absence Nathan’s flopped to take over most of the bed, the greedy ass. Duke gives an affectionate huff as he slides in under the covers and gathers Nathan against him, face to face and legs tangled together. Even in sleep Nathan’s affectionate, nose nuzzling Duke’s hair and making him smile.
As his eyes close he feels Audrey slide up against his back, her face burying itself between his shoulderblades.
The sounds of breathing become like the ocean and lure Duke back to sleep.
-
Audrey sits on the blanket they’d set out in the sun, Nathan’s head in her lap and James fast asleep on his chest. Nearby Duke’s on the phone pacing as he talks with the contractor about flooring or insulation or something, she hasn’t really paid much attention to the particulars of his project beyond that he’s rebuilding the Gull.
It’s nice to be out in the sun like this to see Haven recovering and growing. To see that maybe all the suffering they’d gone through, all the people who died, was worth it.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Nathan mutters into her hip, his nose brushing a patch of exposed skin at her waist.
She gives a brief laugh. “Am I now?”
“Yep,” he drawls.
Another short laugh leaves her and she begins threading a hand in his hair, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp. He makes a pleased sound and tries to scoot even closer.
Her gaze drifts down to James and she bites back a sigh. Part of her, that might be Lexie or might be the ghost of Mara, wants to march back into the Void, hunt down wherever Vince and her father are, and give them a piece of her mind. It just doesn’t seem fair to anyone, least of all James himself, that he somehow got turned into a baby.
But then again she got Duke unexpectedly out of it, and herself. So she’s just going to have to deal with two men thinking she could handle a baby; it’s a good thing she’s got Nathan and Duke to depend on. And Nathan seems to be loving it.
Then again that’s Nathan, and beyond that this is more than she could ever have hoped for.
Duke collapses on to the ground next to Nathan. “If I ever have to debate the merits of flooring again it’ll be too soon,” he groans. His arms flop out, one landing on Nathan’s stomach and the other onto the grass.
Nathan fakes the wind getting knocked out of him, which makes Duke roll his eyes. “It’s worth it,” Nathan reminds. Then: “Parker’s thinking too hard, make her stop.”
“Really now?” Duke looks up at her with an arched eyebrow. “I don’t know Nathan, she always looks cute when she’s thinking too hard, she gets that little furrow between her eyes, her nose wrinkles…” He grins at her.
She smacks him, but finds herself grinning back. “You sure know how to flatter a girl Duke.”
He rolls, so that his head’s on Nathan’s stomach and his legs are across her own. “I aim to please dear.”
Nathan heaves a sigh like he’s wondering how he fell for two ridiculous people.
It’s not perfect by any shape of the word. Duke thinks the Rouge is unsalvageable, Nathan still panics when they’re away from him too long, the whole James situation. But in a way that just proves that this is real, that she wasn’t lying to Nathan that first day, that this isn’t another Barn illusion, or a Trouble. It’s life and their living it as best they can.
Audrey wouldn’t ask for anything more.