Audrey Parker was a cop. And I didn't associate with cops. Not even the ones that I liked. And the time had come to finally admit to myself that I liked her. A lot. Too much.
This was not going to end well.
Audrey was an enigma to me. Well, sort of. I could actually read her like a book. But it seemed like the more I read, the more missing pages I found. Her demeanor was new to me.
By the time I had graduated from high school it felt like all of Haven had made up its mind about me, along with the help of Nathan. Some thought of me as nothing but a scoundrel set for a life of underhanded dealings and that I belonged in jail. I just knew how to get things for people and wouldn't let a little thing like conventional thinking get in my way. And because of this I had few friends before she came to Haven, and even fewer women friends.
From the moment I saw her floating in the water, her life at risk and her face peaceful, I knew that there was something different about this woman.
I learned quickly enough that she didn't trust people easily. I had to keep myself from laughing several times during our first conversation on the deck of my boat, me having a civilized cup of coffee while she stood there looking tiny in only my old button up shirt wielding a gun. But She must have seen something in me that she could trust. She keeps finding her way back to me.
When I learned that she would be working with Nathan, I almost lost all hope of ever getting to the bottom of this woman.
Nathan and I had…history. Childhood misunderstandings and arguments that neither of us could, or would, forget. Or forgive.
But she kept coming back to me. Our paths kept crossing.
The Troubles were back. And while on any other day I would be worried, ready to high tail it out of Haven, they kept bringing us together. They deserved a better name just for that fact.
When I saw her having dinner with Nathan at the Second Chance, I wanted so badly to say something that would egg him on, make him look bad in front of her. Anything to show her that he wasn't the Knight in Shining Armor that all the girls thought he was. That he had skeletons in his closet that made me look like a saint. But the sight of her in that blue dress, sitting there and for once, almost looking as calm as she did when I fished her out of the water, I held back.
Then I told her she looked nice. Again.
So many words to describe her and I had to use the least non offensive, but also the least flattering word, in my vocabulary.
Beautiful. Amazing. Sexy as Hell. Any one of those would have done. I was determined to make up for my mistake.
At first, when I asked her to dinner, I goaded at her and used the excuse that she needed to have more to her life than these strange cases. More than her work. But the more I made my case to her, the more one was building in my head. I had more to life than work. My whole life was practically a party. But what about what was beyond that.
I was in the process of cooking dinner when I called her to tell her what was on the menu for that night. I think in the back of my mind I knew that she was going to back out on me. I expected it, but I hoped all the same that she would make me the exception.
After she had hung up the phone, dinner date canceled, the mood for the party life was gone. At least I could take comfort in the fact that she had felt enough, something, to be nervous about Nathan knowing that we were supposed to get together for dinner.
I stood out on the deck, beer in hand and food cooked to perfection, lost in my thoughts. I thought about Audrey Parker and life before her, scared to realize that I couldn't, and didn't really want to, remember what life was like before she showed up. She and her quirky love for the insane had carved a notch in my reality. Just like she had always been there. Then my thoughts turned dark. What would I do with my life if she were to leave, or worse, become involved with Nathan? Or even worse, marry him.
The thoughts and images that filled my head had scared me. Never before had I become so attached to a woman without sleeping with her, or even kissing her. In fact, never before had I become so attached to a woman at all.
I had been pulled out of my thoughts by a beautiful woman seeking my attention. I decided to drown my sorrows in her.
And drown I did. The next few days were filled with the usual Troubles that haunted Haven.
And in the end, Audrey was the one to save me.
I finally got my meal with Audrey, though it was more of a thank you dinner than a date dinner.
We talked about my almost death by premature aging, humor heavily lacing it to keep from going too deep. The conversation had been going nicely when she asked me about what I remembered.
Did I remember the baby? It was mine.
She pulled out her phone and showed me the picture that she had take on her phone, all the while telling me that I would never be able to see the beautiful child I was looking at. The beautiful dark hair that covered her head. The blue eyes that focused so intently on the beautiful woman taking the picture. Never would I be a father to her. To make up for my own father's short comings. To prove that I was better than he was to me.
After that I had had to excuse myself from the table under the pretense of checking on the food.
At first my thoughts were filled with regret. Regret of not having something more in my life, or someone to go home to. Or at least the same someone night after night.
As I pushed those melancholy thoughts out of my head, images of her filled the dark corners. Thoughts of what it would be like to get off the rusty boat, buy a house on the land, and share it with her. Would there be children? I had just learned that I had fathered a child in 48 hours. Never before had I truly thought about having children. I imagined a little girl, like Jean, but with blonde hair instead of the full dark head of hair she had. Audrey's little nose on a little girl. Her same audacity and inquisitiveness. But hopefully my sense of humor. Future memories of Audrey and I on the beach or at home surrounded by at least two children ran through my head at such speed I almost wasn't able to catch them all myself. And I found myself hoping.
The sight and sound of Nathans old blue truck pulling up to my bar had me moving to the door.
If I wanted to have a happy life, the whole white picket fence and 2.5 children with the woman of my dreams, happy family life, I would have to take care of what was in front of me now. To make peace with the only man that stood between me and the only real happiness I would ever have a shot at.
I had to make peace with my brother.
Then, and only then, would I have a chance with Audrey and a future together.
Alright, I was having a real hard time getting inspired for a Covert Affairs Annie/Auggie story that I was hit with after South Bound Suarez, a nice multi chapter, possibly novel length story, but I was just itching to write something more. Then I watched the latest episode of Haven on Syfy, and I just had to get this out. I have to root for Duke because, honestly, I just dont like Nathan (Plus, my roommate has dibbs) and because he is way hotter, though a little lanky. And because I wrote this at 1:30 in the morning after a bridal shower/ bachelorette party, my thoughts weren't exactly streaming (No alcohol was used in the writing of this fiction) so I apologize it it doesn't exactly come across as smooth.
I have this idea in my head that Duke and Nathan are brothers, and that is part of the reason why they hate each other so much. That Nathans dad cheated and because Duke was born, it broke up Nathans parents marriage. They look enough alike to at least have one shared parent and Nathans dad strikes me as the type to cheat.
Anyway, I hope that you like it enough to not throw things at me for teasing you with something that isn't Auggie/Annie. I simple refuse to call them Augnie. It sounds like a sound you make when you sneeze with a stuffed nose. And I will try and get going on finishing that first chapter of my new fic. Honestly, the response to Auggie's Four Senses overwhelmed me and gave me to courage to write something more.
A great huge thanks to those who Reviewed, Favorited, or Alerted me, or my stories. You made my writing worth it.