AN:Okay, so a few things before we get started. This is literally the first piece of fiction I've written since 2004, and this idea has been driving me insane since I saw 'The Hand You Were Dealt' I just hope I conveyed this well enough. This is also completely un-beta-ed, and I've read it over once. It's now 4:30 am and I wanted to get this uploaded before I lost my nerve so pardon my wordiness and small grammatical errors.
Summary: Takes place right after 'The Hand You Were Dealt.' Audrey and Duke find comfort after what happened at the Darkside Green.
Disclaimer: I don't own this, no copyright infringement intended.
Rating: K+, I think. There's nothing in here that you wouldn't see on the show. If you think differently, please tell me.


Solace

It was late; Nathan and Julia had long left the Grey Gull and gone home. Audrey and Duke stayed long into the night, enjoying their banter and their flirting and drowning their sorrows, doubts and fears in their drinks. As the night pressed on, the negative thoughts overtook the pair and they had fallen into a relative silence, lost in their own respective reflections.

"I can't believe I killed that kid." Audrey broke the silence, slurring her words as she blurted out the remorse she could no longer stifle. "I-I didn't think that he would," she paused, clumsily tinkering with her empty martini glass before finishing, "combust."

"He killed three people." Duke practically spat out the words. "He killed Vanessa. He was going to do the same to anyone who pissed him off. He was coming after you too." His tone softened as he continued and he turned toward her in his chair, swaying ever so slightly. "You did the right thing."

"I could have, I don't know, helped him."

Duke placed his hand on her shoulder. "Audrey, you can't fix and save everyone. Some things, some people are beyond repair. Like me." He laughed softly and smiled bitterly at himself, all the while keeping his hand in place.

"Hey, I thought you didn't believe in fate. And that you we were on the same side now, and that we were going to get the man with the tattoo." She ended her statement with a hiccup.

"It's not fate, Audrey." His face twisted up sourly, "There are no leads to find this mysterious tattooed man. All of the evidence to the Colorado Kid is gone and I can't remember anything from that day to connect it to now. It's not fate, its inevitability."

Audrey had no response, and his statement hung in the air between them. She had gone over how to take the new information connecting Duke and the Colorado Kid in order help solve that particular mystery. She thought about talking to employees of every tattoo shop she could find, but she knew that would take probably more time than she could afford, these last few days were evidence of that. She had practically jeopardized this case by obsessing over her mother and throwing so much time into her own demons, and there were three bodies and a pile of ash to prove it. Her thoughts brought her back to Matt, again. She'd shot suspects before, but never killed anyone. The scene had been playing over in her mind all night, and the sound of the explosion echoed in her ears. She knew her taunting had caused that blast, she drew it out; she started the fire. This wasn't like Captain Richards drowning as his sketch drifted out of Nathan's reach and under water. This was single-handedly caused by her provocation. She had caused a teenager's death, and it was tormenting her.

"Audrey?" Duke's voice broke her reverie.

"You say my name a lot when you're drinking." She quipped, attempting to hide her thoughts and put on her usual façade. Duke laughed breathily at her stab.

"Yeah?" He leaned in closer, so that mere inches separated her face from his. "I can't help it if a beautiful name describes such a beautiful woman; I just have to say it."

Despite enjoying his closeness, Audrey snorted and shook her head. "Oh, that was too cheesy. Not your best work, Crocker."

"Yeah, yeah." He paused and the cheeky smile disappeared from his face as a look of genuine affection replaced it. "That may be so, but it's true."

Her breath caught for just a moment before she searched his eyes for any detection of their usual playful flirting; she was not used to this seriousness coming from Duke. After what felt like minutes, Audrey realized just how close they were and that his hand had never left her shoulder. "I-I should go home." The words came out slow and deliberate. She began to stand up, effectively breaking contact with him and the spell they had just been under. Before she was upright, she stumbled backward and grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself. Audrey looked down at her legs in almost disbelief.
"Whoa. I don't think, no, I know I can't drive home. Dammit. Does Haven have a cab company?" She knew her speech was slurred and stuttered, but whether it was from Duke or the alcohol was uncertain.

Duke laughed and looked up at her. "No, but you could always call one from Portland. Of course, you could walk home sooner than they'd be here to pick you up."

She sneered at him before shrugging. "Alright, I'll walk home." Audrey turned unsteadily and headed for the main entrance but a hand on her forearm stopped her.

"I'm not going to let you walk home in this rain. In Haven. Drunk." He enunciated the last words in effort to drive home his point.

"You're not much better off than I am, there's no way-"

Duke interrupted her, "My boat is docked in the back. And before you say it, no, that's not totally legal." Audrey eyed him skeptically. "Look, it's late, it's raining and you've slept there before. I'm not going to try anything funny… unless you want me to." He added the last part with a wag of his eyebrows.

Audrey gave in with an eye roll and they made their way to the back deck. The rain had only gotten heavier since their night began and the old wooden dock was slick where water had pooled in a few warped planks. Audrey nearly lost her balance along the way through the downpour; Duke caught her around the waist to pull her back up and she didn't pull away until they boarded his boat.

Once inside the cabin he rummaged through a chest, "Here." He handed her an old t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

"This is a much better outfit than what I originally slept in. When I was here last." She laughed at her own drunken speech. "Turn around, or leave or something so I can change." Duke obliged and faced toward the wall of the cabin, remaining oddly silent while she peeled her soaked clothing from her body. She dressed as quickly as possible, taking note of the awkwardness of the moment. "Uhm, where should I put these?"

Duke turned around and took the wet pile from her. He grabbed a towel from a nearby rack, laid it on the floor, and placed each article of her clothing flat on top of it. She studied him and noticed his care while performing this task. Audrey knew that there was something plaguing him; his behavior since they'd gotten on his boat had been peculiar; the silence and the lack of banter was out of character for Duke.

"Do you mind?" He motioned for her to turn around, waving a pair of cotton pants in the other hand.

Her forehead creased in concentration as she turned around. Another silence hung heavy in the air, Audrey couldn't handle this tension. "Is there something on your mind, Duke?"

"Yeah, I'm torn on who should get the bed." A half-hearted chuckle followed his response. His lie was plain as day, but he continued before Audrey could even think about pressing further. "But, since you are my guest, I will sleep in this very comfortable-looking chair." He moved toward an armoire, presumably for a blanket.

"Or we could share the bed." Her suggestion was timid and he turned to look at her, hesitating to move in either direction. "Just get over here before I think about it and change my mind."

Duke moved to the opposite side of the bed from where Audrey stood. They both cautiously slid into the bed, minding the other's space as they situated themselves. Audrey turned her head to face Duke, who was laying on his back staring at the ceiling. "What's really bothering you?"

The question permeated the air for a moment as Duke pursed his lips before answering, "I want to kiss you."

"But that would ruin it."

"How? Audrey, I care about you. Probably more than any of the other women I've kissed recently."

"Because it would be a drunken fling and that's not-" She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "The consequences just outweigh everything else." Audrey turned on her side to face him fully. "Right now, I'm a mess and I just need comfort." She revealed with her voice full of the regret and anguish she had been dwelling on all night. She could no longer stop the words from coming out, causing her to break her usual guise to reveal the scared, uncertain girl the town turned her into on occasion. Embarrassed at her revelation, she hurried an excuse,"I'm not normally the damsel in distress type."

Duke just smiled, "I know." He began lifting his arm to pull her next to him and she laid her head on his chest, curling up next to him. His arm rested around her waist and gave her a small squeeze. "I think I needed this comfort too." His voice was just above a whisper, and he didn't know if she heard it, but he didn't care. The only thing that he cared about in that moment was the feel of her cheek on his chest, and the way her blonde hair splayed out across his bed.

AN: Tada! Well. I hope you at least didn't hate it. I'll be tickled if you liked it. Now, a few other things real quick that I think are worth mentioning. I'm actually an Audrey/Nathan shipper at heart, but I don't think that they should start off with that sort of relationship, I think they should end up together after a long, difficult journey to get there. Also, I'm PROBABLY going to add a second part to this at the very least. I don't want to make this AU or into a long story of any kind. I wanted to write the morning after but I really liked how this ended so I left it. I tried as best as I could with characterization but with this show it's really hard to get a GREAT feel for them this early on. I took Audrey not immediately looking back at Matt after he exploded as a sign that she was afraid to see what she had caused and ran with it, sorry if you don't like sad-scared-weak-Audrey, but every motherless girl has a soft side she tries to hide.
Anyway, reviews aren't necessary, but they are appreciated. Goodnight (or good morning) all.