There is nothing worse in this world than losing what you love. "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's meant to be," is the saying. Why would you let such a precious thing go? Hold it. Never let go. If it loves you, it'll stay. If it leaves, force yourself to forget about it. What's gone is gone, and somethings just shouldn't be remembered… For your own good.

Something's Are Better Left Alone

"Dad! What're you doing?!" With wide eyes, I looked back at the man I called my father. No emotion what-so-ever in his eyes, just the words, "Get out of the car, Jamie." I sat there, stunned. My father had never pulled a gun on a person before. If a wild raccoon got into the house, it was dealt with. If a person broke in, you scare them off. You don't pull a loaded shotgun on the face of a man who had just offered transportation to newcomers. It just seemed like common courtesy to not do that, but hey, what do I know?

"He's right… Get out of the car, kid." I turned to Duke Crooker, the said man who had offered to drive us around town until we found the keys for the truck. "What the hell do you mean, 'get out of the car?!' What the hell is going on?!" My dad glanced at me quickly with a stern look across his face, "I will explain it later. Now get the fuck out of the damn car, Jamie." He had never sworn in front of me before. Ever. Never raised his voice, never said anything bad, nothing. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door to step out. One foot on the ground, I heard a smack from the butt of a shotgun hit something. Like a face. I quickly turned back to see Duke's hand on the barrell, and my dad's face hit the back of the truck, blood starting to seep out his nose and mouth inch by inch. "Dad!"

Trying get the gun out of Duke's hands, I was knocked out of the car angrily. I landed on my ass, instantly reminding me of my life and how the hell it got to this point. I look up with a confused look for a moment. Not like you expect to get shoved out of a truck or anything. I met Duke's gaze and somehow my mind just stopped. Duke got out of the truck and started walking away, leaving behind his still-running truck and my dad who probably had a broken nose. I got up and leaped over the seat to my dad, "Are you okay?! We have to get you to a hospital and tell the cops!" I started checking him over, seeing if, by some odd happening, he'd been hurt anywhere else in the ten seconds all three of us were in the vehicle at the same time.

He put his hand on my head, causing a momentary pause, "You alright, kiddo..?" He gave off a goofy smile, which was immediately gone the moment I gave him the look. The one that said, 'You're a damn idiot.' It was quite a common look for my family, typically on my mom's side. I helped him get out of the truck and turned the exhaust off, looking for Duke. "Where the hell… Good, he's not in sight. Hospital, now." I had to half carry him; a fifty year-old man with a bloody face isn't exactly the best walker in 90 degree heat. We only had to walk down the street, thankfully, before someone had the courtesy to help us out a little. We got a ride to the hospital, and then proceeded to call the cops.

I sat in the waiting room, already feeling a bit overwhelmed by my first hour in my new home. We lost the keys, left our bags, (that are probably gone by now), in the truck, my dad had a broken nose and is missing a tooth, and now I'm sitting in a hospital being questioned by police. Now come on, that has to be a record of some kind. The officer was blonde and I was actually surprised by how pretty she was. She didn't look like the kind of a person that would be interested in law enforcement, but more by stocking Victoria Secret or something of that nature. Maybe a bartender. Hell, maybe even a nurse. "So, Duke Crooker offered you and your father a ride and then your dad pulled a shotgun on him..?" I nodded as she read back her notes, "And Duke did nothing to provoke your father?" I let out a sigh, that had to be the third time she'd asked that in the last five minutes. "Yes. My dad hasn't been in this town for the past 20-something years, no way he'd even know Duke." The officer, I think her name was Abby maybe, looked back as a male officer, pretty sure his name was Nathan, came up to her and pulled her to the side, "Audrey, I think we have a problem." She nodded in agreement, both of them fully aware that I was within earshot, "We have to find Duke. Hear his side of the story. If nobody was being provoked, then maybe he just snapped, but we have to be sure just in case something's up." Nathan nodded and walked off, Audrey turning her attention to me quickly before walking away. "You and your dad be careful." I nodded and walked into my dad's room, closing the door behind me. "How's your fat nose?"

"Still wanting to know your business until you move out, kiddo." We exchanged quick smiles and laughed a bit, both trying to avoid the subject of the incident. Our laughs were followed by awkward silence and after a bit of shifting around, I finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Dad…" He looked down, a hint of shame hidden in his eyes, "Let's not talk about this now, punk." I crossed my arms the way my mom used to do when she wanted to know something. I wasn't trying to copy her, but I guess some things just rub off. "You pulled a gun on a stranger. He was trying to be nice, I'm not defending him, but even I know that it's not the usual greeting in any part of this world. Except Russia." Ending a serious conversation with a joken was a common courtesy our family granted each other. Seriousness didn't suit any of us very well in any situation. In my parent's vows on their wedding day, they both ended with jokes. I suppose something's are just going to stay the same, no matter how hard you try and change them.

"Listen, kiddo. I know what I did was wrong, and I shouldn't be teaching you to pull guns out on people… Even though I can't really teach you much of anything anymore, seeing how you're all grown up but still… Just trust me on this. That boy is nothing but trouble, I can feel it. Please, don't go near him. We don't need another accident, alright? I might actually shoot him if he lays a hand on you." He forced a little smile, and I could see where he lost his tooth. It wasn't very noticeable, but it would still stick out if you look for it. "Dad…"

Duke slammed his fist on the desk, trying to get out the rage that was being built up inside him. It had been building for quite some time now, but this was probably going to be one of the worst breakdowns. "What the hells' up with you, Crooker?" He swung his head back to see Nathan, standing in the front of the door. "What do you want, Nathan? I don't remember inviting you, so I'm pretty sure this counts as trespassing. That's against the law, Nathan."

Nathan started walking towards him, "Not if I'm here on police business."

"Oh yeah? Well, this boat is private property, so it's still kind of trespassing."

Nathan let out a large sigh, "We have some new people in Haven. I'm pretty sure you've met them. What the hell were you thinking, Duke? You broke a man's nose and got blood everywhere. You know what happens when you get Troubles' blood on you. You could've killed someone. Or worse."

Duke threw a lamp at the side of the room, "What?! You think I don't know that? I was trying to be nice to the damn family, and then he just pulls a gun out on me! What the hell was I supposed to do? 'Oh hey, there's a shotgun in front of my face, better just sit here and hope for the best.' Really?! I can't stand those people already… You know, my dad tried to make amends. He really did. And this is what happens. I almost die, and then I get close to killing someone. You just can't win with those people."

Nathan gave him a usual stern look, crossing his arms and sitting down near the door. He had his head in his hands, occasionally raking his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make his brain think harder. "I don't know what to tell you, Duke. We can't just kick them out. You know what they can do to us. And besides, if Audrey can figure out what caused their Trouble, then it'll go away for now and we can deal with this afterwards."

Duke laughed as he paced, "Ohoo, you don't understand, Nathan. It's not just something that'll go away because Audrey thinks she can help. It's not like that. I wish it was, but it's really not. It can't go away, they've even tried to get rid of it by having my father kill one of their own. But nothing can stop them now that they know what they're doing." He sat in his chair facing Nathan, both knowing the situation they were in. "I know Audrey can't help with this one but… Maybe it's stopped somehow. The girl wasn't born in Haven, maybe she's not Troubled, like her father.. We can't be sure of everything."

Duke's head turned at that, "What do you mean she wasn't born here? All the Vanheld's were born in Haven." Nathan shook his head at Duke's words, "Not her. She was born in Wisconsin, away from all this. It might not even be affecting her. We don't even know if she knows about the Troubled. If she doesn't, it might work in our favor."

Duke stood up again, walking towards the door with Nathan's eyes on him, "Where are you going?" Without looking back at him, Duke said sternly, "That girl was born here. I know it." Nathan got up and walked after him, afraid of what would happened if, by some chance, Duke was right.

It's four in the morning so please don't judge me too hard, okay? Please leave a review, and once again, sorry for the cliffhangers. Thanks for reading, it means more than you think!