The three men continued drinking in silence facing different directions. Chris knew it had everything and nothing to do with him. No matter. He was only staying long enough to say goodbye to Audrey. It was too bad, really. He'd liked her. Things had been fun while they lasted. While he would miss her, he wouldn't miss the troubles that followed the woman at every turn. He also wouldn't miss her insatiable need to conquer them. Dating a hero wasn't something he was cut out for. Especially a hero to a town he had grown to despise over the years.
The soft sound of a woman's footsteps let him know she had come back inside. Best to do this quickly. He needed to pack and she needed to rest.
"Well, gentlemen, I have a plane to catch." He said, getting off the bar stool. Turning to Audrey he smiled and offered his hand.
"Walk me to the car?"
"Sure," she replied with a smile that didn't go farther than her lips. Taking his hand, she followed him out the door into the lot. Duke and Nathan both let out a sigh of relief when they had left.
"You want to tell me what's going on here?" Duke asked, handing Nathan another beer. The interim chief did his best to bring Duke up to speed. As he did, the normally smug man's face became more and more perplexed.
"So, let me get this straight: She just went through the same day five times? And she had to watch each of us die?"
"Pretty much." Nathan replied stoically. "She's been up for five days straight."
"Hell of a bad day off." Duke commented, sipping his drink.
"She's having another day off tomorrow to make up for it if I can help it." Nathan said quietly.
"Huh, good luck with that one, buddy." Duke snorted. "I can't believe Brody's leaving her alone at a time like this!"
"She did tell him to leave for London." Nathan reminded him. The couple were too close earlier for the friends to miss their conversation. Duke looked disgusted.
"Seriously? Would you have left even if she told you to?" He exclaimed. Nathan sighed and shook his head.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Duke continued. "She deserves so much better."
"Or, maybe he deserves better than a walking disaster magnet." A voice said to their side. They turned to see Audrey standing in the doorway, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, staring at the floor.
"Don't talk about yourself that way!" Nathan told her sharply. Pained blue eyes snapped to his and he immediately regretted his harsh tone. Audrey looked like she was one step away from a breakdown.
"Well, what else would you call me?" She asked, tears coming into her eyes. "The town's gone to hell in a hand basket since I showed up."
"Audrey," Duke started, " that's just not-"
"Not something you need to be thinking of right now." Nathan interrupted, getting off his stool to stand in front of her. For the second time that day-that he could recall-he held her arms to steady her. The pain, confusion, and self loathing that stormed in her eyes ripped at his heart.
"Audrey, you've just survived five days of pure hell." He explained, trying to keep his tone gentle. "You're hurting, exhausted, and not thinking clearly. None of this was your fault. Do you understand me?"
"Nathan…" she tried to protest. Words died under the penetrating gaze of his grey-blue eyes.
"We're not discussing this any further until you've had some sleep." He replied, firmness creeping into his voice. "Right now, I want you to go upstairs and go to bed. Once you're rested, we'll talk all you want."
"Is that an order, Chief?" She asked, half a smile creeping onto her face.
"If that's what it will take, then yes." Nathan agreed, smiling back.
"In that case, I'll see you in the morning," she said quietly, unwrapping her arms from her torso to squeeze his hands. The look on his face spoke volumes.
As she walked past Duke to the deck stairs, he reached out to touch her shoulder. Audrey paused, looking questioningly. Duke smiled down at her and looked like he was about to say something. Changing his mind, he wrapped her in a bear hug. Shocked, but, touched, she slowly returned the embrace. After a moment, he let her go and gave her an embarrassed smile before heading behind the bar to refill his glass. Nathan waited until they heard Audrey go up the stairs before chuckling.
"I never figured you for a softy, Crocker." He teased, returning to his seat.
"She needed it," Duke replied with a nonchalant shrug. Reaching into his pants pocket, he tossed Nathan a set of car keys. Realization lit across Nathan's face as he reached out to catch them. Duke leaned in closer to him with a satisfied smirk.
"It's going to be a lot easier to make her stay home and rest tomorrow if she can't drive to work." He explained conspiratorially.
"Thanks," Nathan replied, pocketing the keys. "I'm going to wait until early tomorrow to send her a text telling her to stay home."
"You coward!" Duke accused. "I risk certain death while palming those and you're going to text her! You know she's going to figure out what I did."
"I'm trying to do this in a way where she won't be able to argue me out of this." Nathan defended.
"Why didn't you just tell her now?"
"She was already on the verge of tears." Nathan said, uncomfortable with that he was admitting. "If something I said ended up being the last straw, I…"
"And you accuse me of being a softy." Duke sighed. "Lord help you if you ever have daughters. They'll have you wrapped around their little fingers."
"If Audrey doesn't kill me tomorrow…"
"So, what's our plan, Chief?" Duke asked, draining his glass and thumping the wood in front of him.
"Our?" Nathan returned, incredulous.
"Nate, I'm a dead man anyways when she figures out how you got hold of her keys." Duke pointed out with a laugh.
"Thanks," he answered, chuckling, "I knew your less savory activities would be the death of you, but, I didn't think it would be like this."
"Hey, you want my help of not?"
"Okay. Here's what I'm thinking…"
Author's note: What did you think? If you like the story line so far, please let me know. I'll add more chapters. This is only my second published fan fiction. Comments and critiques are welcome.