Summary: Duke/Jennifer fluff taking place between 4x11 and 4x12 while they wait for William's next move.
Characters: Jennifer Mason/Duke Crocker, mentions of the others.
Spoilers: Season 4, episodes 1-11.
Timeline: Season 4, between episodes 11 and 12
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, never will be. All characters belong to their original creators.
Author's Note: I guess I just can't help coming up with all those small missing moments we never got to see on screen, and they haunt my mind until I write them down. 'Sorry not sorry' kind of situation.
They pulled up to the warehouse-looking structure at dawn, ripping through the morning fog rising from the water.
Duke parked his truck by the central gates and killed the engine, allowing the silence interrupted only by the soft lapping of the waves against the gravel shore and occasional cries of the seagulls somewhere in the distance envelop them completely.
He looked out the windshield, observing the building looming over them, dark and eerie with its low roof and peeling paint on the walls that was making it look like it was trying to shed its skin, and the pier to the right from it disappearing in the fog. The forest running along the shoreline was thick and dense, black forms of tall pines reaching into the indigo sky.
Started by something, a flock of ducks let out a series of urgent quacks and took off from the water in a perfect formation.
Duke turned to Jennifer sitting in the passenger seat and offered her a small smile before pushing his door open. "Come on."
"What is this place?" Jennifer asked, joining him outside. She shivered in the chilly morning air, her breath coming out in little white puffs.
"A secret fortress." Duke took her hand and pulled her through the half open gate and towards the side door as she smiled and shook her head at his response.
He took his time to unlock all five deadbolts that looked both impressive and almost comical on what appeared to be an abandoned structure on the outside – an instant giveaway, if you please. The door opened with a low squeal of hinges that hadn't been oiled in quite a while, and they stepped into the semi darkness.
Inside, the air was stale - like in a place that wasn't in use too often, hanging thick and low, smelling of dust.
Jennifer took in sparse furnishings that, despite being old and mismatched and looking like something picked up at the garage sales and in the thrift stores over the years, and a thin layer of dust covering almost everything in sight, had the feel of Duke's touch to them, which made the place look almost cozy. There were candles on the shelves – probably for practical reasons more than anything else – and old books lying everywhere. It obviously wasn't a place of recreation, but it was warm, much warmer compared to the morning chill, particularly bitter by the water, and right now it kind of tramped all else.
Jennifer turned to Duke. "Do I want to know?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.
He paused for a moment, then made a funny face at her. "Probably not."
"Probably not," she echoed, nodding, and Duke chuckled softly.
He crossed the room, approaching one of the windows and pulled away the curtain to sneak a glance at the calm water of the bay. Outside, the first rays of sun were poking cautiously at the layers of fog covering the ocean and rolling across the forest, trying to push them away but losing the battle. And above all that hung heavy grey clouds, promising storm in the seas and maybe aftermath on the shore.
"So," Jennifer started, unsure of what to do with herself. "What's the plan?"
Duke gave the area one last look and tucked the curtain back into place.
"I told Audrey and Nathan to meet us here first thing in the morning, and bring the cavalry with them." He glanced around the warehouse contemplatively, assessing something or another, not quite sure what it was that he needed to pay attention to. By his side, Jennifer shifted from foot to foot, and Duke offered her a soft, reassuring smile. Or as much of it as he could muster.
Ever perceptive, she nodded and let out a small sigh, her eyes going down to the book almost of the will of their own, to the guard symbol glowing like a beacon of some sort.
"You think William is going to come for me," she said, locking her gaze with Duke's. A statement, not a question. "And you want to be ready."
He stepped closed to her and pulled her towards him by the lapels of her jacket.
"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "But better be safe than sorry, right?" His ghost of a smile faded at the sight of troubled confusion that crossed Jennifer's face. "Hey, it's okay." Duke tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, his palm cupping her cheek, his skin so much warmer than hers it sent a shiver down her body. "Whatever William's plans are, he's not going to come anywhere near you, Jennifer. I will never let anything happen to you."
Duke held her gaze until Jennifer's features relaxed and the crease between her brows disappeared.
"We just need to find the door, and it will all be over," she said with more confidence than she felt, making a face at Duke as though it was nothing but a mere nuisance getting in the way of something more important – like picking up the groceries or choosing which movie to see on a Friday night.
If only…
Duke couldn't help but smile. "Come here."
He steered Jennifer towards the couch and plopped down, pulling her down with him until they were settled comfortably with her back resting against his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist.
"You good?" Duke asked, touching his lips to the top of her head tucked just underneath his chin, and then let out a long breath and sagged against the back of the couch when Jennifer nodded, her body relaxing in his arms.
There was an old clock on the wall, ticking loudly, and Duke's gaze lingered on it for a moment or two, following the measured pace of the sweep hand that seemed to be moving in slow motion, each second lasting forever. Or maybe it was just his mind willing the time to stop, to stay in this moment when nothing else mattered. Not William, not some stupid door, not the troubles or their impending doom that was practically palpable at this point. It was even almost possible to ignore that gnawing fear in the pit of his gut he couldn't help feeling whenever something good came his way, the fear of having it taken away from him like everything else was before.
It was the sound of the turning pages that brought him back to 'here and now'. That, and a soft, but unmistakably irritated growl. "There's nothing in here. Just this…" Jennifer paused.
"What?" Duke asked, tickling the top of her head with his breath.
Jennifer hesitated, uncertain. "This… 'Child Of Ruin' thing," she said at last, half turning to look up at him. "You think it means something bad? It doesn't sound particularly good."
Duke took his time to consider her words, unsure of how to respond. He didn't care what the creepy message meant, truth be told, not for one moment. What he did care about was that it bothered her and he hated hearing fear in Jennifer's voice, hated not being able to find the right words that could make it all better somehow, something believable to put them both at ease, and not being able to do that was making him feel like a trapped animal, helpless and scared.
"I think," Duke started. He took the book from her, closed it and tucked it between the couch cushions before wrapping his arms around Jennifer again, feeling her go mellow against him. "I think… there's an island just off the coast to the northeast Haven. A few acres of woods and an old cabin that the fishermen and local kids use sometimes in the summer, nothing special."
"Hm." Jennifer's fingers closed around the sleeve of his jacket. Exhausted from the tension of the last few days and a sleepless night, lulled by the warmth of Duke's body enveloped around hers, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, the buzz of her thoughts slowing down and reducing to a low hum in the back of her mind, somehow unimportant by the moment.
"It's nice out there," Duke continued, his voice dropping to a comfortable half whisper. "My dad used to take me there fishing before the Troubles came back the last time. We would spend hours swinging the rods and pulling out bluefish and herring." Back when he was still a dad and not whatever the Troubles made him, he thought but kept it to himself. "So I was thinking… we could grab a boat, go there for the day." His fingers started tracing slow circles on the back of one of Jennifer's hands, her skin soft and smooth under this touch. "You'd like it there. You could wear those tall fisherman boots, feel the pain of the 6-year old me."
"No Troubles there?" Jennifer asked, her voice also low and somewhat sleepy, although there was an unmistakable smile in it, smile that made Duke warm on the inside.
"No Troubles." He smiled, too. "What do you say?"
A/N: Jennifer is alive until proven otherwise ;) My coping mechanism.