Hi! Here's my first Haven fanfiction, Broken Memories!

Title: Broken Memories

Rating:

Genre: Horror, Romance, Supernatural

Summary: After the death of my brother, I knew my Trouble had gone away. I never felt the rush after I touched the blood of a Troubled person. But there was something else. I guess it was never just me absorbing the blood. It was the taste. The taste...it contributed to the rush. I know my Trouble is gone...so then why do I still feel the need to touch Troubled blood? More importantly, why do I feel the need to consume it?

Characters: Duke Crocker, Audrey Parker, Nathan Wuornos, Jennifer Mason, Dwight Hendrickson, others.

Pairings: Audrey Parker/Nathan Wuornos, Duke Crocker/Jennifer Mason

Warnings: Spoilers for Season Three and Four. Also, there are spoilers in the summary as well, if you can't tell. Also, some characters will be out of character, but in my mind, it is necessary for this story to work out the way I want it to.

EDIT IN AUTHOR'S NOTE: IF I SEE ANOTHER REVIEW FOR ARBITRARY POSTED ON HERE, I WILL BLOCK YOU.

Enjoy.

The pain was still there. I could still feel it, and I highly doubted that it would ever completely go away.

It was like a raw and infected wound, one that everyone but me kept picking at. I tried to shut them out, to make them drop the matter and leave me alone. But they never seemed to understand.

The wound was festering and bleeding constantly.

It only bled more and more as it declared its pain when Dwight had demanded that I dig up his grave.

It had not mattered that he had only said those things under the influence of William's power. Jennifer was an example—even if those that were infected couldn't have controlled themselves, they should have known what they were saying and doing. I knew that Sasquatch and I never had a good relationship—especially after he tried to rob the Cape Rouge—but still...what he did was inexcusable.

Jennifer stirred next to me but did not wake. I turned to watch her, taking in the simple yet strong beauty that she was. She didn't belong in this chaotic excuse for a town. She belonged in a huge city, bustling and worrying about how she would be able to hail a good taxi. Haven was a dangerous place, and someone as pure and kind and beautiful as her didn't belong her, no matter how hard we tried to make her fit in.

Running my hands over my face, I sighed heavily and stood, stretching with a groan as I made for the bathroom.

I had business to do today. There was a transaction I had to watch over between two Guard members and some shady people from the mainland. Even though I was a Crocker—one of their sworn enemies—they could not resist having the chance to attempt to force me to work for them. Enslaved would be a better term, but it was too...negative, for me at least.

As I stepped into the shower, the hot water beat against my aching muscles, and a long groan escaped me. I could feel the beginnings of a massive headache rising, and for once it wasn't the aftereffects of a hangover. I had gotten little to no sleep last night; my mind had been in overdrive, a jumbled mess of useless ramblings and thought patterns.

Twisting the knob off, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped out of the shower. The room tilted and spun suddenly, and I kept myself from falling by bracing my arms heavily against the cool tile counter of the sink. The pounding in my head screamed at me, and I grit my teeth as I glared at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked horrible, worse than I ever did when coping with sickness or the remnants of a night of nonstop drinking. My eyes were dull and my skin was pale, and I could see the pain and exhaustion and agony burning deep within the depths of my chocolate-colored stare.

With a frown, I pushed myself up, gritting my teeth at the wave of nausea that washed over me, and steadied myself with a hand on the door frame. Maybe it would be better if I just filed a sick complaint and rested for a bit...

"Duke?"

My eyes snapped open and I lurched, the room twisting and turning as I fell. There was a shattering sound, and then two small and petite hands steadied me before I fell.

"Duke? What is it? What's wrong?" Jennifer's voice was a pain-inducing roar to my aching head. I bit back a moan and shuddered, my knees buckling and giving out as my head screamed at me.

The darkness was beginning to obscure my vision, and I felt myself relax.

"Duke? Duke!"

"Okay, so...tell me what happened?" Nathan Wuornos stood with his arms crossed over his chest, brow furrowed and a slight frown on his face.

Jennifer gave a frustrated groan, throwing her hands in the air. "I told you, I don't know! He had just finished taking a shower, came out of the bathroom dressed, and then he just passed out."

"Was he acting strangely before he lost consciousness?" Audrey asked, tilting her head and making her blonde hair float gracefully over her pale skin.

"No. Well...I-I don't know. I'd just woken up and was going to make breakfast." She wrung her hands in worry, her dark eyes wide and full of concern.

"Jennifer, relax." Nathan moved to place a long-fingered hand on the petite woman's shoulder. "I'm sure Duke will be fine."

She glanced over at the unconscious man, who was laid out prone on their shared bed. They were in the main cabin of the Cape Rouge, where the entire spectacle had occurred. Pale and warm rays of sunlight peered in through the half-curtained windows, a beacon of hope and happiness in a place where there were dark secrets and dangers.

"It's strange to see him like this," Audrey murmured suddenly, her eyes fixed on the tall man before her. "To see him so pale and prone to anything."

As if responding, Duke gasped and arched off of the bed, eyes snapping open and chest heaving.

"Duke—!" Jennifer made to help him, but a large hand clamped down on her arm and yanked her back.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Jennifer struggled to break free, but the former Chief of Police stopped her with a shake of his head and a dark look in his eyes.

"Stop fighting me and look at his eyes," Wuornos growled, nodding at the Crocker.

Duke was glaring at them, teeth bared in a scowl. His muscles were tensed, rippling beneath the smooth and tanned skin, and the veins stood out aggressively on his neck and arms.

His eyes were burning a dangerous silver.

"Crocker." Nathan's voice held a thinly veiled threat as he forced Jennifer behind him. At least, if Duke decided to attack, he wouldn't be able to feel it. "Calm down."

The larger man continued to glare, but now his jaw was clenched and his hands were clenched into fists. It seemed that he was keeping himself from attacking them, and the evidence of that realization was shown in the way that he brutally forced his hands open and dug them into the bedsheets.

"Duke." Audrey stepped forward, hands raised as she took careful steps to remain as non-threatening as she could. "Have you absorbed any Troubled blood lately? Without our knowing?"

Crocker grimaced and closed his eyes, resting his head against the bedpost behind him. After a moment, the man shook his head, speaking in a tense and strained voice as the veins and tendons stood out visibly on his neck. "No."

"Then why are you like this?" Nathan demanded, his tone as harsh as it normally was but holding an unusual gentle note.

Duke pressed his lips together, his breathing becoming heavy and labored. His jaw clenched so hard that his teeth audibly creaked, and he groaned as he shook his head back and forth.

"Duke?" Jennifer stepped forward, disregarding the growl Nathan gave, and kneeled a few feet from the con man. "What is it? Are you hurt? Sick?"

"Jennifer, stay away!" Silver eyes shot open, and he glared ferociously at the woman, making her gasp and back away.

The hunter growled and lurched forward into a sitting position, panting heavily as he trembled and shook his head roughly. His hands dug almost painfully into the bed, and a creaking sound was heard as the mattress moaned its protest.

"Duke!" Nathan snapped, a dangerous warning hidden in his voice.

"Shut it, Wuornos." Duke groaned, broad chest heaving as he glared at the former Chief of Police.

"Duke." Audrey stepped forward, her voice soft and calm as she drew the attention of the ailing man. "Can you tell us what happened?"

The dark-haired man made to speak, but then a violent cough wracked his lean frame as he jerked and leaned over the side of the bed, bringing up a startling amount of blood.

Nathan pulled Jennifer away, eyeing the blood with a dark eye. "Duke..."

"Don't..." Duke grimaced and shook his head, chest heaving with heavy breaths. "Don't touch it. I can't..." He moaned and writhed on the bed, the sheets clenched in his hands.

"Shouldn't we call a doctor?" Jennifer demanded, glaring at Audrey and Nathan. "He hasn't been this bad before, has he?"

"From what we've seen, no." Nathan watched the man intently, eyes narrow. "But worse things could have happened while we weren't around him."

"Just...just shut up for a second," Duke growled in a voice that was still hoarse and breathless. "Shut up and let me..." His body went limp suddenly, and his breathing was barely audible.

"Duke?" Jennifer approached the man, sending a glare to Wuornos as he gave a hiss of protest, and placed a hand on the broad, trembling shoulder. "Are you okay now?"

It was silent for a moment until the dark-haired man opened his eyes and shifted, gently moving the petite woman away from him as he sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed.

"Duke." Audrey stepped forward, concern flashing in her eyes as she frowned and noticed the grimace that had appeared on the man's face.

"Need air." He had his broad back to her, and faint tremors could be seen wracking his body. "Can't think in here." Duke did not bother to wait for a response as he stumbled out to the deck.

"Duke!" Audrey's voice echoed after him, but he paid it no mind as he stalked off, intent on—

...

"Duke!"

I snapped back to the current reality, a sound reminiscent of a growl escaping my throat.

Audrey was kneeling on the ground, her pale and bloody hands held firm against the openly bleeding gunshot wound on Nathan's lower abdomen. The woman herself was in no better condition; bruises and long, thin scrapes lined her arms and upper neck. She was breathing heavily as if she were attempting not to pass out.

The man on his knees in front of me gave a crazed laugh, his tangled auburn hair turning a deep brown-gold in the darkening sunlight. He tilted his head back to give me a rather unnerving stare, teeth bared in a feral grin.

"Well? What are you going to do? Kill me or save your friends?"

"Duke—" Wuornos growled, dark eyes narrow. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"Shut up, Wuornos," I rumbled, the veins in my arms and neck standing out clearly in my rising agitation.

The Troubled person laughed maniacally. It was only a rare occasion when the three of us—Nathan, Audrey, and myself, I mean—came across a Troubled person that had some sort of mental illness or issue that only worsened their abilities. In this case, we had a person whose Trouble turned the blood of his targets into poison, and on top of that had probably a few mental illnesses.

"What are you going to do? You have to decide..." The man was still talking, chattering on in that strangely calm yet crazy voice. It was beginning to annoy me.

I growled and pressed the muzzle of the gun to the back of the man's head. "I swear if you don't shut your mouth I'm blowing it to kingdom come."

"You've never even used a gun before." The insane Troubled man kept staring at me, and the deranged light in his eyes continued to grow stronger. "I can see it. You hold it all wrong. The muzzle is pointed at an angle that will only cause me pain, and you're clearly not prepared for the backfire it'll give off." He scoffed and shook his head. "It's all pathetic, really."

I bared my teeth, feeling Wuornos' eyes boring into my skull. "You trying to educate me on guns, nutjob? You'd better think of what you're going to say next very carefully if you don't want a bullet in the teeth."

"Duke." Nathan groaned, fixing his pale grey-blue eyes on me. "Quit messing around."

"Messing around?" I grinned wildly, my eyes dangerously bright as my body tensed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one with the gun."

"And he's the one who turns Troubled blood into poison. And you're Troubled, in case you haven't noticed." The former police chief glared, face set in an emotionless mask.

I scowled, my grip tightening on the weapon in my hand. "Be quiet, Wuornos."

"Crocker." Dwight appeared, loping over the hillside, muscles rippling beneath his shirt and his Kevlar vest. "Put the gun down and step away from the fugitive."

"Do you realize how many people he's killed, Sasquatch?" My head was swimming with the rush of adrenaline and something else, making it hard for me to control my expressions as I normally did. This confused me if only for the slightest bit because he was dead and the Trouble should have been cut off.

Dwight narrowed his eyes, his frown darkening and carving itself deeper into his face. "It's nice to know that you actually care and you're not just saying that to save your own skin."

The Troubled man laughed, a deep and dark sound as he shifted and dared to turn his head to face me. "C'mon, Crocker. What're you going to do?"

A dull ache throbbed in the back of my head, and I gritted my teeth and tightened my grasp on the gun, the force of it turning my knuckles white. "Shut up."

Audrey was staring at me, her eyes narrow as she scanned my entire body. "Duke..."

I growled and trembled viciously, my eyes snapping towards her as I bared my teeth. "Don't, Audrey. Not now."

Dwight's hand came down on my shoulder, heavy and hard and weary as he glared at me boldly. "Duke. Give me the gun."

"I'm the only one that can stop this." I struggled to keep my voice even and unwavering, even as the rush of power filled my being and I wanted to take Sasquatch and throw him across the grassy clearing. "I'm the only one who can take his Trouble out so no one else dies."

The larger man scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You don't care who dies or not as long as you get something out of it, don't you?"

"Dwight," Nathan spoke up, a clear and heavy warning in his voice.

"Stay out of this!" My voice rose in volume, and I cringed internally as I realized that it was beginning to display my rising irrationality.

"Duke, listen to me." Audrey's voice tore through the thick fog that was clouding my mind and senses. "You need to calm down. Take a deep breath and give the gun to Dwight."

The Sasquatch's grip tightened, and I was tempted to hit him in the face with the gun. "Listen to her and give me the weapon before you hurt someone."

My teeth were creaking now, and I shook my head as I glared down at the Troubled man bound before me. "Shut up. Shut your damn mouth."

The man stared back, teeth bared in a wild grin. "Come on, do it. You know you want to. Pull the trigger. Feel the rush of power." His voice was an oddly soothing croon as he swayed back and forth like a baby cradle. "You yearn for it; you hunger for it. You know you do."

"Duke!" Audrey snapped, her eyes burning with worry and anger. "Don't do it!"

"Be quiet!" They were all talking and loud and interrupting and irritating. They all needed to just be quiet and leave me alone.

My hands trembled, and a rush of heat flared through my body.

"Crocker—"

"—Duke, don't—"

"—put the gun down—"

The roar of the shot echoed throughout the area.

The Troubled man gasped and choked, blood pouring from his mouth as he fell forward and jerked once before laying still.

I could feel Audrey's eyes boring into the back of my head as I turned and began to stalk away.

"Crocker." Dwight appeared in front of me, rage burning in his eyes as he blocked my means of exit.

"Get out of my way." I glared back at him even as another wave of scalding heat washed over me, and I trembled and swayed on my feet.

Hendrickson noticed my wavering, and his eyes were dangerous slits. "What are you—?"

I grimaced slightly as my throat burned and acid fire tore through my body. "Get out of my way."

"Duke." Audrey was on her feet now, her brow furrowed in confusion and concern. "Are you okay?"

A snarl escaped my throat before I could stop it, and I shivered with the urge to fight. Without answering, I pushed past the towering man in front of me and stalked down the hill towards my truck.

The first chapter is sort of weird, I know, but it'll make sense as the others come. Read and review, pleaze! :)