Haven Fic: Time (Has Numbered My Days) - Chapter 04/?? [Duke & Audrey]
Author: siricerasi
Fandom: Haven
Characters/pairings: Nathan/Audrey, Claire Callahan, Duke Crocker, Jordan McKee
Rating: M
Chapter: 4/?
Word count: 1228
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Through 3.06 (Real Estate)
Story Summary: It’s all so fucked up, so far from where they’d started, so far from where they should be. And she’d take all of it back, she’d forgive everything, if he could just be here right now.
Chapter Summary: "Audrey. A house tried to kill us last night. Nathan is apparently working with a group of criminals, your therapist is sleeping in your room and you… you want to go to work. At 7 in the morning."
Author's Notes: Written for my hc_bingo prompt "disappearing".
So this chapter got... long. Very long. So I decided to split it up, mainly so I could get part out today as I was planning to finish tonight but ELECTION.
This chapter features Audrey and Duke!
Song for this chapter is "Holland Road".
so i was lost
so i hit my low
little did i know that would not be the end
For once, Audrey doesn’t dream.
Morning light wakes her, and she automatically reaches up to check for blood. None, mercifully, and her head no longer hurts with such intensity. Just a dull ache she’s grown accustomed to. And that could as well be from last night; for someone who doesn’t cry often, it usually leaves her, well, sore. Running and fighting, that she can handle just fine. But crying?
She glances at Claire, still sleeping like the dead. Audrey slips out of bed as quietly as possible, not having the heart to wake her. It’d been a long night for all of them. It takes her half an hour of scalding hot water to wash away all evidence of blood and grime, and by the time she’s done with her makeup and hair she decides she looks half-way decent. At least alive.
She almost runs into Duke, literally, on her way out the door. (Also almost screams, still jumpy from her kidnapping, and if that’d been her abductor he would’ve taken her all over again-)
“Audrey!” Duke is staring at her and she realizes there’s coffee all over his shirt, two slopping mugs in his hands and suddenly she’s laughing, close to hysterically. “I’m glad my pain is amusing to you,” Duke grumbles as Audrey tries to down on her grin. “Although, it is nice to see you smile. I just wish I didn’t have to burn myself to get you to do it.”
“Sorry,” she smirks. “Good morning, Duke. Thank you for the coffee.”
Duke just stares at her disbelievingly for a moment, then shakes his head. “You’re welcome. Can I please go…” He gestures at her door with dripping hands.
And suddenly Audrey is hesitant. Not that she doesn’t trust Duke, completely, but she’s not sure how Claire would feel waking up to him wandering around half-naked. “Claire’s sleeping,” she tells him. His eyebrows climb almost to his hair, and Audrey rolls her eyes. “Something about making sure I don’t bleed to death overnight.”
“Ah. Right. Wait, what?”
She sighs. “It’s… complicated. Look, I need to get to the station, okay? We can talk later.” That seems to be her new life motto.
Duke just stares at her. “Audrey. A house tried to kill us last night. Nathan is apparently working with a group of criminals, your therapist is sleeping in your room and you… you want to go to work. At 7 in the morning.” She flinches at his words (Nathan’s not working with them, he can’t be), but forces another smile.
“Yup. I’ve been remembering things, as Lucy. I saw the Colorado Kid’s face, Duke. I think I can ID him, I just need to. Y’know. Get to work.” Duke opens and closes his mouth a few times, still holding the dripping mugs out like he’s waiting for them to… hell, it’s Haven, maybe he’s waiting for them to clean themselves.
Audrey rolls her eyes and turns to leave, but Duke stops her again. “Audrey, wait. You… you’re not dying, are you?”
She starts laughing again.
It actually takes a hand over her mouth to control the sounds, so much less mirthless this time around. Duke looks even less amused. “Audrey?” She’s not sure she’s ever heard him use an actual serious tone before, but this must be what it sounds like.
“Depends what you mean by dying, I guess,” she answers dryly, between giggles. “I am disappearing in a little over a month, does that count?”
“You know what I mean.”
She rubs her forehead tiredly. “I’m fine, Duke. Something about bursting walls in my brain when I remember these things about Lucy.”
Duke just stares. “Are you…” He sets the mugs down on the arm of one of her patio chairs, rubs a coffee-stained hand across his mouth. “Do you even hear yourself, Audrey? Your brains just… exploding, but that… that’s fine?”
“It’s not exploding,” she sighs, knowing she can’t talk herself out of this.
“Oh, right, of course. Just bleeding.” Audrey folds her arms. “Look, just come downstairs with me and have some coffee. Well, more coffee. And breakfast. Which I’m guessing you forgot about.” She has to smile at his rambling, just a little, because he’s right. “I’ll make waffles? On the house, come on.” He looks so much like a lost puppy, drowned in coffee, that she can’t help rolling her eyes and following him downstairs. She sits at the bar and nurses a cup of coffee while he bustles around cooking (and she has to admit, he’s a fabulous cook). And she knows she should be hungry, even if her minor headache has left her more nauseous than anything else.
“So,” Duke’s voice startles her from a pleasant daze. “Are you planning to tell me why your brain is bleeding? Cause it’s kinda rude to throw that at a guy and then just walk away.” He glances up at her from the batter he’s stirring, a small smile on his face overwritten with concern.
Audrey sighs. “Really, Duke, I’m fine. Claire called it a “subdural hematoma”, something about repressed memories being blocked by a wall in my brain. And when I broke that wall…”
“You started passing out and getting nosebleeds.” She shrugs, nods. Duke pours the batter into the waffle maker, silently, then walks over to lean against the bar across from her. “Are they dangerous?” he asks quietly.
She can’t make herself look at him. “Duke…”
“Audrey.”
She takes a sip of coffee, swills it around her mouth before swallowing. Then answers, quietly, “Yes. If I keep pushing at it.”
Duke runs a hand across his mouth agitatedly. “So you’re gonna stop, right?” It’s not even a question.
Audrey runs a hand wearily through her hair, massaging her temple. “I don’t think it’s that simple,” she tells him. “Claire said that… some doors can’t be closed, once they’re open.”
Duke smiles at that. “I seem to recall you telling me that same thing, not so long ago.” Audrey blinks, then remembers the Rev. Remembers how she thought she’d lost Duke. “I think I came back alright.” (And he had, he definitely had.)
“Okay, that’s different,” She protests. “This is… science, Duke, not a morality test. The memories seem to be triggered by places and things - that necklace, or the beach, or the house. I can’t control it.”
“Like the Troubles,” Duke says quietly. “Not exactly science, Audrey.”
It’s adorable, how he simply refuses to stop trying to get her to fight. How he keeps coming up with various methods of reminding her that her fate can be avoided, that the Troubles can be beaten.
She wishes she could believe him.
The waffle timer goes off, and then they focus on food and coffee and the beautiful sunrise because anything else is too much, too close to the edge. She doesn’t think about the fact that she only has a limited number of sunrises left, a limited number of hours to spend with Duke, a finite number of his waffles she can eat and cups of coffee she can drink.
No, she laughs at the flowery shirt he changes into (It’s all I have here, okay?) and enjoys the smell of the sea and the brisk fall air and for a moment, just a moment, lets herself wonder what it would be like if she could stay.
and when i've hit the ground
neither lost nor found
if you'll believe in me
i'll still believe
Fandom: Haven
Characters/pairings: Nathan/Audrey, Claire Callahan, Duke Crocker, Jordan McKee
Rating: M
Chapter: 4/?
Word count: 1228
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Through 3.06 (Real Estate)
Story Summary: It’s all so fucked up, so far from where they’d started, so far from where they should be. And she’d take all of it back, she’d forgive everything, if he could just be here right now.
Chapter Summary: "Audrey. A house tried to kill us last night. Nathan is apparently working with a group of criminals, your therapist is sleeping in your room and you… you want to go to work. At 7 in the morning."
Author's Notes: Written for my hc_bingo prompt "disappearing".
So this chapter got... long. Very long. So I decided to split it up, mainly so I could get part out today as I was planning to finish tonight but ELECTION.
This chapter features Audrey and Duke!
Song for this chapter is "Holland Road".
so i was lost
so i hit my low
little did i know that would not be the end
For once, Audrey doesn’t dream.
Morning light wakes her, and she automatically reaches up to check for blood. None, mercifully, and her head no longer hurts with such intensity. Just a dull ache she’s grown accustomed to. And that could as well be from last night; for someone who doesn’t cry often, it usually leaves her, well, sore. Running and fighting, that she can handle just fine. But crying?
She glances at Claire, still sleeping like the dead. Audrey slips out of bed as quietly as possible, not having the heart to wake her. It’d been a long night for all of them. It takes her half an hour of scalding hot water to wash away all evidence of blood and grime, and by the time she’s done with her makeup and hair she decides she looks half-way decent. At least alive.
She almost runs into Duke, literally, on her way out the door. (Also almost screams, still jumpy from her kidnapping, and if that’d been her abductor he would’ve taken her all over again-)
“Audrey!” Duke is staring at her and she realizes there’s coffee all over his shirt, two slopping mugs in his hands and suddenly she’s laughing, close to hysterically. “I’m glad my pain is amusing to you,” Duke grumbles as Audrey tries to down on her grin. “Although, it is nice to see you smile. I just wish I didn’t have to burn myself to get you to do it.”
“Sorry,” she smirks. “Good morning, Duke. Thank you for the coffee.”
Duke just stares at her disbelievingly for a moment, then shakes his head. “You’re welcome. Can I please go…” He gestures at her door with dripping hands.
And suddenly Audrey is hesitant. Not that she doesn’t trust Duke, completely, but she’s not sure how Claire would feel waking up to him wandering around half-naked. “Claire’s sleeping,” she tells him. His eyebrows climb almost to his hair, and Audrey rolls her eyes. “Something about making sure I don’t bleed to death overnight.”
“Ah. Right. Wait, what?”
She sighs. “It’s… complicated. Look, I need to get to the station, okay? We can talk later.” That seems to be her new life motto.
Duke just stares at her. “Audrey. A house tried to kill us last night. Nathan is apparently working with a group of criminals, your therapist is sleeping in your room and you… you want to go to work. At 7 in the morning.” She flinches at his words (Nathan’s not working with them, he can’t be), but forces another smile.
“Yup. I’ve been remembering things, as Lucy. I saw the Colorado Kid’s face, Duke. I think I can ID him, I just need to. Y’know. Get to work.” Duke opens and closes his mouth a few times, still holding the dripping mugs out like he’s waiting for them to… hell, it’s Haven, maybe he’s waiting for them to clean themselves.
Audrey rolls her eyes and turns to leave, but Duke stops her again. “Audrey, wait. You… you’re not dying, are you?”
She starts laughing again.
It actually takes a hand over her mouth to control the sounds, so much less mirthless this time around. Duke looks even less amused. “Audrey?” She’s not sure she’s ever heard him use an actual serious tone before, but this must be what it sounds like.
“Depends what you mean by dying, I guess,” she answers dryly, between giggles. “I am disappearing in a little over a month, does that count?”
“You know what I mean.”
She rubs her forehead tiredly. “I’m fine, Duke. Something about bursting walls in my brain when I remember these things about Lucy.”
Duke just stares. “Are you…” He sets the mugs down on the arm of one of her patio chairs, rubs a coffee-stained hand across his mouth. “Do you even hear yourself, Audrey? Your brains just… exploding, but that… that’s fine?”
“It’s not exploding,” she sighs, knowing she can’t talk herself out of this.
“Oh, right, of course. Just bleeding.” Audrey folds her arms. “Look, just come downstairs with me and have some coffee. Well, more coffee. And breakfast. Which I’m guessing you forgot about.” She has to smile at his rambling, just a little, because he’s right. “I’ll make waffles? On the house, come on.” He looks so much like a lost puppy, drowned in coffee, that she can’t help rolling her eyes and following him downstairs. She sits at the bar and nurses a cup of coffee while he bustles around cooking (and she has to admit, he’s a fabulous cook). And she knows she should be hungry, even if her minor headache has left her more nauseous than anything else.
“So,” Duke’s voice startles her from a pleasant daze. “Are you planning to tell me why your brain is bleeding? Cause it’s kinda rude to throw that at a guy and then just walk away.” He glances up at her from the batter he’s stirring, a small smile on his face overwritten with concern.
Audrey sighs. “Really, Duke, I’m fine. Claire called it a “subdural hematoma”, something about repressed memories being blocked by a wall in my brain. And when I broke that wall…”
“You started passing out and getting nosebleeds.” She shrugs, nods. Duke pours the batter into the waffle maker, silently, then walks over to lean against the bar across from her. “Are they dangerous?” he asks quietly.
She can’t make herself look at him. “Duke…”
“Audrey.”
She takes a sip of coffee, swills it around her mouth before swallowing. Then answers, quietly, “Yes. If I keep pushing at it.”
Duke runs a hand across his mouth agitatedly. “So you’re gonna stop, right?” It’s not even a question.
Audrey runs a hand wearily through her hair, massaging her temple. “I don’t think it’s that simple,” she tells him. “Claire said that… some doors can’t be closed, once they’re open.”
Duke smiles at that. “I seem to recall you telling me that same thing, not so long ago.” Audrey blinks, then remembers the Rev. Remembers how she thought she’d lost Duke. “I think I came back alright.” (And he had, he definitely had.)
“Okay, that’s different,” She protests. “This is… science, Duke, not a morality test. The memories seem to be triggered by places and things - that necklace, or the beach, or the house. I can’t control it.”
“Like the Troubles,” Duke says quietly. “Not exactly science, Audrey.”
It’s adorable, how he simply refuses to stop trying to get her to fight. How he keeps coming up with various methods of reminding her that her fate can be avoided, that the Troubles can be beaten.
She wishes she could believe him.
The waffle timer goes off, and then they focus on food and coffee and the beautiful sunrise because anything else is too much, too close to the edge. She doesn’t think about the fact that she only has a limited number of sunrises left, a limited number of hours to spend with Duke, a finite number of his waffles she can eat and cups of coffee she can drink.
No, she laughs at the flowery shirt he changes into (It’s all I have here, okay?) and enjoys the smell of the sea and the brisk fall air and for a moment, just a moment, lets herself wonder what it would be like if she could stay.
and when i've hit the ground
neither lost nor found
if you'll believe in me
i'll still believe