Maternal Instinct
Audrey Parker had suffered through countless trials in her life; her tenacity and ability to overcome such obstacles were just two of her many qualities that made her such an invaluable officer of the law- especially in Haven. Audrey had the unique ability to not only remain unaffected by the troubles, but also to truly connect with the usually unintentional harbingers. With her FBI training, sharp mind, passion to help others, and always-dependable partner Nathan, Audrey had managed to overcome rogue machinery, skin-walkers, and even death itself. Her most difficult battle, or so she had thought, was the fight to defy whatever strange and cruel forces which were trying to erase her for twenty-seven years. Audrey, along with her partner and friends, still managed to escape this cursed fate, destroying the Hunter's cycle, permanently. Having experienced all of this, Audrey was certain that she was prepared for any trying situation, until that day…
Audrey woke up to the sound of waves crashing and the faint smell of pancakes. She pulled on a t-shirt that was many sizes too big and crept into the kitchen, unable to hide her smile at seeing her husband at work. He was unaware of her presence as he manned the griddle, softly humming to himself. A fine coat of pancake mix coated his hands as he prepared breakfast. Audrey crept up behind him wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing a soft kiss on his neck as she did so. Nathan gasped softly and relaxed into his wife's touch, amazed that she still had the power to dazzle his nerve endings with a single brush.
"Good morning, sleepy head." Audrey recognized the smile in Nathan's voice that mirrored hers.
"It is a good morning. Smells familiar." Nathan laughed at Audrey's quip. Even though they had been together for two years and married for one, Audrey was still unable to fully grasp her husband's absolute obsession with pancakes.
Nathan spun around and captured Audrey's lips with a soft kiss, silencing any other sarcastic comment she may have made. As their kiss deepened, the harsh beeping of the coffee maker broke them out of their romantic embrace. Audrey groaned, resting her forehead on Nathan's.
"You just had to be the most amazing husband ever," she teased.
"Don't compliment me; I just make you coffee because I know how cranky you get without it," he retorted.
Audrey smacked him and went to fix their mugs as Nathan plated the warm food. They ate at their kitchen table, keeping an eye on the clock so that they wouldn't be late for work. Continuing their morning in companionable silence, the couple got ready and headed to the police station.
It had been an unusually slow week in Haven; even the troubles seemed to have come to a lull. The duo filed paperwork for a few hours before they heard the static of the radio.
"Nathan. You there, hon?" Laverne crackled through the walkie.
"Yeah, we're here Laverne."
"We've got a situation down at the daycare."
"Alright, we'll go check it out." Nathan confirmed.
As the blue Bronco headed toward the scene of the disturbance, Nathan filled Audrey in on its history.
"Everyone in Haven knows that there is really only one daycare to enroll your children in: Mrs. Keller's. The woman is amazing with children of all ages. There are usually some thirty kids enrolled at any given time." Nathan explained.
"Amazing with kids, huh? Sounds like it might be a trouble." Audrey mused.
Nathan let out a short chuckle.
"Audrey, as much as it astounds you, it is possible to be good with children without possessing any strange ability."
"Not in my experience! I know that you're mister baby-whisperer, but not all of us have the talent of managing- er, dealing, with kids." Nathan just continued to laugh at his wife's complaints as they pulled into the daycare. They exited the truck and continued into the building, keeping an eye out for anything amiss.
"That's strange. No one is at the front desk." Sure enough, the oak sign-in desk at the front was empty. Nathan continued through the hall, Audrey in tow. They had just came up to a door when, suddenly, the officers heard screams and the sounds of something shattering. Pulling out their guns, Nathan and Audrey quickly burst through the door to find dozens of children running around squealing in delight. The duo quickly re-holstered their weapons and tried to find whoever was in charge, which was made difficult by the chaos around them. Audrey finally spotted a frazzled young woman chasing after two children.
"There!" Audrey and Nathan quickly crossed the room, maneuvering around stumbling toddlers and scattered toys. Nathan reached the woman first.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Haven PD. We got a call about some sort of disturbance." He explained. To say that the woman looked stressed was an understatement. Her hair exploded out from her obvious attempt at a smooth bun, her employee t-shirt was stained with at least three unknown substances, and her eyes were filled with pure fear.
"Thank God! I didn't know what else to do!" the woman exclaimed.
"Woah, there. Just calm down and tell us what happened." Audrey stated.
"My name is Jessica Weaver. I'm an intern here. I usually come in at around 8 to help Mrs. Keller set up for the day, but when I arrived, she wasn't here! Mrs. Keller is never late! She didn't call, email, text, anything! But then parents started to show up, so I checked the kids in. I didn't know what else to do! I have no idea where Mrs. Keller is, or what to do… I…" Jessica exclaimed. Seeing that the poor woman was bordering on hysterics, Nathan quickly stepped in.
"It's fine, Jessica. You did the right thing. I'll go check out Mrs. Keller's house to see if I can find her. In the meantime, Audrey, you stay here and help Jessica with the kids." At the mention of her name, Audrey whipped toward her husband.
"What? You want me to watch 30 children? Nathan, you can't leave me here! I… I don't know what to do, or… What if someone gets hurt? What if a child dies?" As Audrey's hysteria climbed, Nathan attempted to console her.
"Parker. You'll be fine! Jessica will help you, and I'll be back in an hour or so." Leaning closer so Jessica wouldn't hear he whispered, "It's not like you haven't had a child before. I know that maternal instinct is in there somewhere; you just have to let it shine through!" He kissed her on the cheek before quickly heading back out the door and to find Mrs. Keller.
Audrey's incredulity at Nathan's abandonment was quickly shattered as she saw a two-year-old barreling toward her, sobbing. The small girl clung to Audrey's leg as the officer tried to figure out what to do. Jessica had already immersed back into the throng of children, so Audrey ignored her FBI training for once and just let her "maternal instinct" take over. Stooping down, she picked up the child and tried to find the source of the problem.
"What's wrong, sweetie?"
"I want my mommy!" the girl wailed. Audrey couldn't help but resonate with the feeling of abandonment; as an orphan, she herself had felt it often.
"I know that your mommy wants you too, sweetie, and she'll be here soon. My name is Audrey. What's your name?"
Audrey managed to detect a "Lizzie" among the sniffles.
"Well, Lizzie, why don't we go play while we wait for her?"
The little girl nodded, and Audrey carried her toward a mammoth box of stuffed animals, dolls, trucks, and the largest assortment of toys she had ever seen in her life.
She sat with Lizzie in her lap, playing, and as she sat, some other children ventured over. Audrey introduced herself to the other children and soon managed to get them all to play with each other, without killing each other. Once Lizzie and the others were settled, Audrey wandered over to a pair of boys attempting to re-decorate the walls with crayon. On instinct, Audrey knew that direct confrontation would not work with four-year-old boys.
"Wow! That looks amazing, but I bet I can draw a better picture than you two. Actually, I know I can draw a better picture."
"Can not!" the boys roared in aggravation.
"Can too! In fact, why don't we have a little contest?" Audrey knew she had succeeded when she saw the boys' eyes widen with excitement. Less than ten minutes later, twenty kids were engaged in the first "Mrs. Keller's Daycare Art Challenge" in which the best drawing would be rewarded with an extra cookie at lunch. Glad that art was being completed on paper rather than walls, Audrey went to help Jessica prepare lunch.
The remainder of the day went uneventfully. Except for ending a few minor food fights and breaking up a wrestling match, Audrey wasn't even needed. At 5 o'clock, the parents of Haven showed up to retrieve their excited children. As the minutes went by, the daycare emptied. By 5:30, only Audrey and a much less-stressed Jessica remained. As if on cue, Nathan rolled up in the Bronco and sheepishly clambered out.
"Nathan! You said 'an hour or so'! You've been gone for five! What happened? Did you find Mrs. Keller?" It was then that Audrey noticed her husband's limp and the blood staining his clothes in multiple places. "Oh my god! Are you ok?" Nathan unsuccessfully tried to quell Audrey's worry as she looked over his wounds.
"Audrey, I'm fine. I'm sorry I was so long. I had a bit of a… speed bump. However, I did find Mrs. Keller. She had gotten mixed up in a situation, but she's fine, and she'll return to work tomorrow." Jessica visibly relaxed with the knowledge that she wouldn't have to face the daycare alone, but her joy was tinged with a bit of disappointment as she looked at Audrey.
"I guess this means that you won't be coming back to help?" she asked the officer.
"I think I had my fair share of children for a while," Audrey laughed.
"Well that's a shame! I have never seen someone so natural with children before!" she stated. Audrey and Nathan's eyes widened in shock.
"Me?" Audrey asked, unbelieving. Nathan just laughed.
"I told you that you could do it, Parker! You just needed to let that maternal instinct out!" he joked. With that, Audrey and Nathan said their goodbyes and drove back to their house.
Later that night, the duo had settled in front of a fire to relax after their day. Nathan explained how Mrs. Keller was indeed troubled- not with a knack for kids, but for understanding how things worked with a simple touch. She had been blackmailed by a group of bank robbers who wanted to abuse her trouble. Calling Duke for back up, Nathan had followed the trail of leads to the group's hideout where they had rescued Mrs. Keller and arrested the men. Audrey listened while nestling in his recently, bandaged-up arms.
"The one thing I don't understand, Nathan, is why you called Duke for help when you figured out the situation. Why didn't you just get me?" Audrey asked in confusion.
Nathan smiled and explained.
"I know that you doubt yourself when it comes to kids, and I just wanted to show you that you are actually great with them. I want you to be confident that you can be a great mother. Plus, did you see that poor Jessica's face? I couldn't just leave those children defenseless! I knew that only you would be able to handle the situation." Nathan gently kissed the top of Audrey's head, and she sighed.
"I guess you're right. All of the uncertainty with James and the barn," Nathan tightened his hold on his wife at mention of her near-disappearance, "I guess it just made me nervous about the prospect of starting a family. Being with all of those kids today really showed me that parenting will be crazy and hectic, but it will be worth it. So worth it." Audrey finished and smiled.
"So I guess that means you want kids then?" Nathan asked.
"I think so. Plus, it doesn't matter if I'm not a perfect mother because I know you are going to be the greatest dad ever," Audrey stated with certainty.
"True." Audrey laughed at Nathan's confidence and felt him chuckle behind her.
The couple continued to talk of the future and whatever wonders it may hold as they basked in the warmth of the fire.