Haven: Startle
She startles easily. He may be a man of few words, but he is quick to notice the abrupt change in his partner's behavior after her kidnapping.
She startles easily. Zones in and out. Her mind drifts to places unknown as she maintains a blank expression on her face.
He comes into the office with a file in his hand. "So I found more information on the suspect we-…"
He stops and places the file on his desk when he sees her, when he notices the state of mind she's in. He doesn't fail to notice that and closes the door behind him so they have some privacy.
Clearly, she's not okay.
She's sitting on the couch in their office, leaning forward with her head in her hands.
"Parker," he says almost too quietly. "Parker…"
He reaches out and touches her arm, his fingers barely making contact with her warm skin. This startles her as she finally meets his eyes. Her terrified blue eyes quickly scan his face, wide and vulnerable. He crouches down, kneeling to her level.
"Parker, I think you need to see a psychiatrist."
Her blank expression morphs into one of alarm, her eyes going wide with surprise.
"What? Why?"
(Those are the first words she's said to him all morning.)
"You carry a city firearm. You were abducted. And honestly you seem a little…"
She leans back against the couch and lets out a breath, raising an inquiring eyebrow at him.
"The guy who abducted you is still out there. That would rattle anybody, but you almost shot me this morning and I-…"
She looks away, glancing down at the white bandage still wrapped around her injured hand. Slowly pulling off the bandage, she gazes at the scar – a reminder of the blood she had spilled to escape her abductor – in silent horror.
After a moment, he takes her hand and closes his eyes briefly, marveling at the contact with her skin before running his thumb over the scar.
"I'm concerned about you, Parker," he says softly. So softly he wonders if she hears him or if she's consumed by her own thoughts. His thumb continues to trace indiscernible patterns over the scar.
Her scar is a constant reminder of her kidnapping. Her scar is the physical reminder, but the emotional scars cut so much deeper. They leave scathing, horrific memories locked in the crevices of her mind. They leave her mind on alert, never sleeping, as her eyes dart from one corner of a room to another, from one end of a street to another. The emotional trauma of her kidnapping leaves her body restless and shaken.
"Audrey."
When she finally looks up at him, her eyes are filled with water and a single tear slides down her cheek. Another brush of skin-to-skin contact as his thumb wipes the tear away.
She startles easily. He notices she nearly pulls away when he gently wipes the teardrop from underneath her eye.
(No, she's not okay.)
"I need help, Nathan," she finally admits. "Please help me."
She then leans forward as he gently embraces her; his arms find their way to the small of her back as her head rests against his shoulder. Her blonde hair tickles his chin as he inhales the sweet scent of her shampoo and what is uniquely her.
(He wishes he could hold her forever.)
She sobs quietly into his shoulder as she lets out some of the pain and anguish in the only way that she knows how. With him.
He answers her plea silently and it's one he vows to keep.
I'll help you, Audrey. I promise.
Fin.
Author's Note: This scene is AU, but loosely based on the footage for Episode 302 "Stay" that one of the executive producers, Shawn Piller, put on YouTube. I do not own any of the dialogue I borrowed from it. Crafted my own scene out of it and I honestly think I could've done a better job since I don't write Audrey/Nathan often enough. With the abundance of Audrey/Nathan fic out there, it makes me feel a bit inadequate, but I figure I can capture the moments full of angst and emotion at least.