A/N: Guess who! Yeah, it's Vengeance. So I'm hopelessly obsessed with the new show Haven, and the season finale finally gave me that last little push to try my first eve Haven fic! I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and I hope the will get better as the story progresses!
Disclaimer: As much as I wish I owned both Nathan Wornous and Duke Crocker, I sadly do not. All characters and things used in the TV show and book belong to the creators and of course the ever wonderful Stephen King, not me! Mega sad face.
"My name is Special Agent Audrey Parker, who the Hell are you?"
Audrey blinked from her spot next to Nathan. She wasn't sure what to think, and to be honest she wasn't even sure if she was capable of thinking. Not clearly anyway, too much was happening all at once. Maybe this was how the chief felt when he said he couldn't hold it together, Audrey couldn't even keep herself together.
And since she couldn't think, forget about talking. Thankfully Nathan was there to speak for her. It was almost funny given the situation that Nathan would be doing all the talking while Audrey stood there with her mouth unable to move. Talk about role reversal. She wasn't even sure what he was saying. She saw his mouth moving, and then the mouth of the women move in a similar way, and then she just looked really annoyed. Audrey however had no idea why that was.
All this happened in slow motion for Audrey until she noticed the women huff and turn around, and felt Nathan take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly. He then proceeded to tug it and pull her in the direction of his truck. It almost seemed wrong; Nathan was the one comforting Audrey and making sure she was being taken care of when it should have been the other way around. He was the one who had just lost both his fathers. She should've been comforting him.
"Are you ok?" asked Nathan. It was the first sound that Audrey had been able to actually register since the FBI agent had stated that she was indeed Audrey Parker.
Audrey took a deep breath, and gave Nathan a look before she pulled the door to the truck open and slid in, closing it behind her. She needed the safety of the familiar interior of Nathan's truck. A scent that was uniquely Nathan had attached itself to the fabric of the seats, and she was able to take comfort in that until she heard the slam of he door indicating that Nathan was also present inside the vehicle.
"Heey." came Nathan's voice again. Audrey could feel the pressure of his hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her trying to get a response. He wasn't used to her being quite and reserved.
"Yeah?" Audrey finally said in response. It was more of a reflexive response to the shaking than a response to anything else. She still didn't have an answer to his earlier question however. And Nathan must have seen this in her eyes, because he did not push the issue. Instead he opened his arms to her in the universal gesture of offering a hug.
It wasn't something that they normally partook in, but it just seemed like they both needed the comfort of each other's embrace, and the fact that Nathan could feel Audrey and now viewed it as almost a drug to be able to feel her skin wasn't going to ignore the fact that they both needed it.
Even so there was a second hesitation where Audrey debated if she really was going to allow herself to break down enough to get a hug from her partner. The hesitation didn't last long before she practically ell into Nathan's arms and held on as tight as she could. She was usually the strong girl, and she was going to make sure to get it all out in that embrace, because afterward she would have to be the old Audrey; the one who didn't show her emotions as often as most people. She had work to do and answers to gather.
After a moment or two she pulled away and gave another breath before she was ready to really speak about the situation at hand. "Where did..." She had to pause. She couldn't bring herself to say the words Audrey Parker when referring to that other women. It didn't seem right, and she wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say. It was like her tongue had swollen up and there just weren't any words.
Thankfully she didn't have to finish her sentence, because Nathan knew what she was talking about. A habit they had quickly managed to pick up when they had become partners and started working together.
"I told her to meet me at the station and we would discuss the situation there." offered Nathan getting back to business as well. It seemed easier on them if they just treated this like any other case they had to deal with. Take themselves out of it so to speak.
Audrey nodded and shifted to put her seat belt on, and looked out the window with an iron will. "Well let's go." She said. And then it was like things slowed down again. Audrey waited a second or two and she didn't hear the sound of the engine starting. But when she turned to look at Nathan she noticed it was because he wasn't even attempting to start the Truck, he was just staring at her. So she raised an eyebrow in question, and Nathan shook his head.
"You aren't coming; I'm dropping you off at Duke's." He said and then started the engine and started towards the dock as if that would keep Audrey from arguing. of course it was a wasted effort as she just wouldn't be Audrey is she didn't fight the issue.
"Nathan this is my problem. Not yours. I have to deal with it." she told him in her most commanding voice possible. She had never been the girl that had gotten taken care of, she always had to look after herself and deal with her own problems, no one else could, nor would do that for her.
She didn't feel right now getting the help from Nathan. She didn't think she deserved it. She had after all allowed the chief to die so to speak. She was sure there really wasn't anything she could have said to stop him from doing when he did, if he had in fact done it at all. But she felt guilty about the kindness that Nathan was showing her. In a way it only made her feel worse, and she wasn't sure quite how to deal with the feeling.