Though she at least had a change of clothes for each of them- cotton leggings and a black tank top for Mara, sweats and a shirt borrowed from Nathan for Duke- they were stuck at Audrey's for another hour while Mara had to retell her story to three different people- as if they'd never heard of tape recorders- and try to sign a dozen papers with an almost immobile right hand. It felt like wearing boxing gloves and her usual flowing script barely looked like a chicken scratch.
Mara paused in the middle of signing the first page, taking a deep breath before signing 'Cross' as her last name.
Duke was struck by that single moment. This woman had been an integral part of their lives- like it or not- for so long, and he had never thought to question her lack of a surname. It had never, ever occurred to him. She was 'Mara, Creator of the Troubles' and even after learning about her true history, he'd never thought of her as a normal person with a last name- one she apparently hated.
But she was just the same as any of them. Parents and siblings and fears and dreams.
Why had they been so afraid of her? If she had been what they thought she was, she could have easily killed them or just left them behind- he'd seen enough from her by now to know for certain that they couldn't have kept her prisoner if she had truly wanted to leave.
Again, they had thought they held all the cards, while she was simply pretending to be a reluctant prisoner to stay near them. The smile grew on Duke's face as he stared at her, realization finally dawning on him.
Mara glanced up from signing a paper and paused to try and stretch her hand. She froze when she saw him grinning at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're in love with me."
"You're insufferable. I already told you that." She tried to look bored but her cheeks turned pink.
"No, I mean you've been in love with me. Even back then"
"Again, I told you that."
"Yeah, but now I can see it."
The edges of her lips twisted into a smile and she bent over her paperwork, letting her hair fall over her shoulder.
Over Mara's vehement protests, Duke called Gloria over to Audrey's place.
"I'm going to get in trouble for wrecking the splint, Duke!" She eased back against the couch, long hair out of the ponytail but still swept over one shoulder.
"No, she'll give you a new, clean splint." He eyed her wrist thoughtfully. "That might be a little longer. But if she wants you to go in for x-rays, that's what we're gonna do."
"I will not! I'm perfectly capable of scanning and documenting my own injuries."
"That's true, but not in a way that a court of law can understand."
"Duke, you heard Dwight. I can't go before a court of law. Not only am I technically not a 'person' because I lack the required paperwork, they can't produce two of those bodies. Nobody will understand anything about me and I'd be in more trouble than I am."
"Well, what is Dwight going to do with the one in custody?"
Mara shrugged and looked away. "Dwight explained everything and I understand. The only things he can legally cite him for are public disturbance and..." she sighed, closing her eyes as she muttered, "destruction of private property. They're trying to do what they can, but I'm not a legal person. The closest legal description they can do is 'private property'. They thought they could say he slashed your tires."
"Over cold, dead carcass!" Gloria's furious voice came from behind them, cutting off Duke's angry reply.
Mara's head snapped up and she groaned at the movement.
"Does your neck hurt?" Duke sounded anxious, fingers running across her neck like he could check by feel.
"Just sore, nothing serious. I wrenched my neck. Calm down."
Gloria held up a finger at the two and they watched her stomp menacingly toward Dwight, who looked terrified. Gloria's words were too quiet to make out, even with Mara's hearing, but she dug in her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, waving it in Dwight's face. He finally nodded, holding his hands up and taking the paper from her. She huffed and stomped back to take a seat in front of Mara.
"Government bullshit, that's what it is. Well let's see what they say about 'private property' now. You're a person, not a cow or a car!"
Mara and Duke shot each other a glance before Mara hesitantly asked, "Gloria, what's going on?"
Gloria was in an utter snit as she dug through her bag. "They want to claim you as private property. Well, not while this old crone still has juice in the battery. Nope. I backdated a birth certificate for you and you're not required to have a social security number if you'e not working or collecting anything from the government. So I just gave him all the proof he needs to try that little piece of... Well, to try him for everything he can throw and make stick." Her fingers were working carefully, cleaning and debriding the wounds on Mara's face and Mara held still, though her eyes were staring at Gloria in stunned silence.
"But Gloria," she finally said, "what about the other two bodies? I can't- there's no way I can explain those deaths. Those are not obvious self defense, nobody will understand how my abilities work and if they did-"
"Hush up, you can't flap your jaw while I'm working on your face. Honey, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Those two are already in my office, with paperwork that's going to accidentally have them cremated right after my autopsy results. The autopsies didn't show anything but what looked like one fell on the knife you were protecting yourself with and the other died of a broken neck when he fell and hit his head."
Mara's mouth opened and closed wordlessly and Duke rubbed her back. She finally said, "Why would you do that for me?"
Gloria smiled as she moved on to Mara's ribs, feeling around gently. "Because nobody hurts my kids. Because I don't like rapists or thugs and I flat out hate that broad who has the nerve to call herself your mother. I hope you don't mind too much, but I may have fudged a few details on your birth certificate."
"I would hope so, I'm sure they'd be questioning my age at the very least."
"There's that. And place of birth, what was I supposed to say, 'alternate dimension'? No. You were born October 31, 1983 here in Haven, to me and one Mr. Edward Cross. An old friend of mine signed off as the delivering doctor."
Mara wanted to squeeze Duke's hand, but her fingers were too swollen. She really, really didn't want to cry, certainly not with so many people around. "Thank you. I can't..." She cleared her throat, stretching her neck.
Gloria stopped her with a wave of her hand. "Don't thank me. I always wanted a daughter. And you're good for my boy."
"How can you say that after tonight? What if the Gull suffers?"
Gloria looked at Mara over her glasses. "You're smarter than that. You've been around here a long time, you show me a house or business in this town that hasn't had a body show up. This is Haven, sweet pea. We're New England born and bred. We don't let a body or ten throw us for a loop."
A shocked laugh burst from Mara's mouth and she tried to hide it by coughing into her elbow. The muscles in her arms protested the movement.
Shaking her head, Gloria took her glasses off. "Kid, you need x-rays. The ribs, both hands and wrists- hell, probably your neck and back for good measure."
"I don't want to. Please don't. I can scan myself and tell you what's broken."
"Mara-"
"You hush and let me handle this, Duke." His mouth shut with an audible 'click' and Mara wondered fleetingly if Gloria could teach her how to do that. "I'm damn well going to see that little son of a bitch rot in jail. I know you're upset and you're sick and you're scared and angry, but you doing this, letting us poke at you and take pictures could save countless women down the road, kid. If he walks because you're afraid to get x-rays, you know he's going to hurt other girls. Girls who don't have your abilities, girls who are weaker than you. I know you don't want that on your conscience. I know what you really are, not what those books say. You protect people. This is how you protect people right now."
"Gloria!" Duke's tone was angry but Gloria didn't even glance at him, her eyes boring holes in Mara.
Mara gazed back and her brow furrowed. Her hunched posture slowly straightened and she stretched her neck. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and strong. "You're right. If I want to prove I'm not what everyone thinks, I have to act like it. I'll go where you want me to."
Duke was dumbfounded, but Gloria smiled brightly, patting Mara's knee. "That's more like it. We're going to have to cut those rings off anyway, before the swelling cuts off your circulation. You don't want me to do that here, I'm getting old, might cut off something you want to keep."
Mara pressed her lips together to keep from laughing but there was a definite smile around her lips. "It is harder to hide missing fingers than toes. Do you want us to just follow you?"
"Yes, I do. Dwight! You're done with her now, doctor's orders. She's going to the hospital. You fix those charges, don't forget what I said."
Dwight blushed and ducked his head like an errant child instead of a behemoth police chief. "I've got it under control, Gloria. It's taken care of."
They followed Gloria to the hospital and Mara was quiet as her rings were cut off and she moved herself through all the positions the x-rays required. Trying to twist her right wrist so they could get a lateral view, Mara let out a small, pained grunt. Duke, wearing a lead apron that matched Mara's, rubbed her back and Gloria stopped.
"Are you having a lot of pain, Mara?" Gloria looked at her seriously.
"Pain is relative. Am I in pain? Yes, but I've had worse."
"How limited are you on what you can take during pregnancy?"
"I'm not. Medications don't cross the placental barrier in my species."
Gloria grinned. "Why didn't you say so?" She trotted off across the hall, returning with a syringe and several bottles. "Arm out."
Mara held her arm out and Gloria gave her the shot. Within seconds her muscles began to relax and warmth spread through her chest. "Wow. This is... great. Can I take some of this home?"
"That's what the bottles are for. You'll need to take the anti-inflammatory every six hours, the hydromorphone every four and you can take the Versed- this liquid- every six hours as needed. It can make you a little loopy so no driving."
When the medication was working, Gloria took the rest of the x-rays and Duke sat with Mara as she read them.
Resting her head on Duke, Mara mumbled, "I can tell you what she'll find. One broken rib, the bones in my hand have shifted and there are simple fractures of the right ulna and radius. The neck is just minor whiplash and there's a small crack in the left ulna. She'll have to straighten the bones in my hand and if I'm lucky she'll leave it in a splint instead of a cast. The left doesn't even need that. An Ace bandage will manage that. She might want to tape my ribs but there's not much point. Taping hasn't been shown to actually help."
Pressing his cheek to her hair, Duke said, "Still, we're going to do whatever she says."
Mara shrugged, yawning, and Gloria came in with her x-rays, telling them everything Mara had just told Duke. Mara didn't say a word, just raising her eyebrows at Duke in a gesture that clearly said, "I told you so."
He couldn't help but smile at the teasing look.
Gloria insisted on doing a nerve block before she reset the bones in Mara's right hand, and Mara didn't bother arguing. With a woman like Gloria, you had to save your arguments for important things, and this just wasn't worth fighting. She sat unmoving through the entire thing, giving Duke an amused look when he flinched at the sound of the bones moving.
"You're looking a little green, Crocker. You want me to ask the good doctor for some medication for you?"
"Oh, you're funny. It's just different when you're not the one getting worked on or the one doing the work."
"I'd rather it was me than any of you. I was thinking, I'm going to keep my hair long. I want something that's an obvious identifier between me and Audrey. I'd never forgive myself if she got hurt because of me."
"Are you sure? You should look how you want to look. Audrey wouldn't expect you to change for her. None of us do."
"Yeah well, aside from how fun it is confusing Nathan, I still prefer long hair."
His arm tightened around her shoulders. "I like the long hair too, to tell the truth."
"Win-win. I'll figure out another way to mess with Nathan."
Gloria finished strapping on the new, bigger splint, putting the medications in a bag and brushing the hair out of Mara's face. "Now listen. I want you to go home and rest. No roughhousing or running around or anything for at least a couple of days."
Mara nodded. "What about working with Audrey, training her to use the Aether? I- hell, I haven't had a chance to tell anyone but Duke. My brother William, Charlotte did something to him and I'm trying to get him to come home. If he does, he can remove the implant himself. He has a lot of practice."
"Your brother as in the one who was messing with the Troubles?"
Mara grimaced thinking of Aaron and Ben, the son Gloria had lost because of the twisted Trouble.
The one Duke had been forced to kill.
"She was controlling him somehow. I tested the message myself, there was no trace of deceit, none. He can use Aether, but not like I can. There's no way he could have faked those results. I'll find a way to keep her from controlling him again, but Gloria he might be our best shot at getting rid of Charlotte for good. I don't want to upset you though. You've done so much for me, I don't want to break your trust."
"Sweet pea, we all have our cross to bear. If you say he was being controlled and that he can be good, I trust you. Might be awhile before I trust him, but I trust you. Do what you have to, especially if he can remove that implant."
"Thank you so much. I don't expect you to trust him and I'd never ask you to forgive him for what he did, but that's not who he is, or not who he was before Charlotte did whatever she did."
"Mara, we don't forgive for other people. We forgive for ourselves, so we don't have to carry all that hate and pain around."
Cocking her head, Mara asked, "How do you learn to forgive someone truly awful? Someone like Charlotte?"
"Well, I'm a big fan of forgiveness, but I find some people easier to forgive once they're in the ground and can't hurt anyone. That's just my experience."
Mara chuckled, nodding. "That's kind of what I thought. Thank you for everything."
"I'll call to check on you. If you need anything at all, you call me. And don't worry yourself about any of the legal garbage. I'll make sure everything is taken care of." Gloria hugged Mara gently and Duke led her to the Land Rover, keeping his hand on her arm as he drove.
"You can touch my hand, Duke. I can't do much with it right now but your arm is going to get a cramp at that angle."
He shook his head, smiling. "You're unbelievable. Your hands are so swollen you can barely move them, you've got a huge laundry list of injuries and you're worried about me getting a muscle cramp."
Mara just huffed a disgruntled sigh.
Back on the Rouge they lay naked in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to each other breathe and the sound of the storm that still hadn't abated. Mara's head lay on Duke's arm as he held her, the sheet draped over them.
"On television, they always act like groups of bad guys attack one by one. I guess it's supposed to be dramatic or something, but I always thought it was stupid." She was whispering, but there were no more tears in her voice.
"When a group attacks, the only way to ensure the upper hand is by all rushing in at once. Sometimes, those silly staged fights make me laugh, and sometimes they make me angry. If your enemy engaged one at a time, it wouldn't be nearly as dramatic or interesting as they want it to look. It's easy to fight to disable when it's a fair fight. Though any kind of group vs. individual fighting is unfair by nature.
"But I keep thinking; I killed them one by one. Like a silly television fight. Why do you think that is?"
He tilted his head back and forth, dark eyes intent as he thought it over. "Because the reverse of what you said is also true. A group dog piles an individual. They've got multiple ways of striking, but the individual is limited. So they have to fight smart. Instead of wasting time and energy just flailing around, they disable each target as the opportunity arises. The individual must, by definition, focus on individual targets, just in more rapid succession."
Mara considered. "So even if you kill- or disable- them one by one, you don't think that indicates some level of malice or premeditation?"
"In that scenario? Absolutely not. I honestly can't think of a circumstance that would make me think it was planned, not in a 4 on 1 fight. Maybe if you'd put a grenade with a tag on the pin that said 'pull me', but then, if they were dumb enough to fall for that I really wouldn't want to be swimming in the same gene pool."
"You're not, you know."
"Not what?"
"Swimming in the same gene pool. I mean, yes- I have a long history and I can't even guess at how many times I was used in the Barn times, but to my knowledge, besides Audrey I'm the only woman from my home on this world. Well, the only fertile woman except Audrey. Our genes are different. This baby could have abilities. They could even have both our abilities. He's unique, so we can barely guess."
"Would it be just like your ability or could it be anything?"
Mara shrugged against him. "Unique, remember? I'm different from my own people in so many ways. Usually abilities are like Troubles, they run in families. But neither of my parents is gifted. My gift is related to but unequal in power to William's ability. Nothing about me has ever made sense. But James was Immune, like me. I never got a chance to really prove he had abilities- I was locked under Lucy- but I think he did. He was showing promise in several areas, and the art was particularly close. He was starting to create with his drawings- like the other girl but stronger, and I'm sure that given time and training he would have done other amazing things. And we already know Jennifer was gifted."
"What do you think will happen with William?" His fingers stroked her ribs in a lazy oval.
"Ideally, he comes home, I find a way to alter him so whatever Momma was doing to him can't be done again. After that it's up to him. I'd never ask, but I do wonder what would happen if he came back to her, like a spy."
"She did say she'd turn the implant off if you brought him back. You're sure we can trust him?"
"I'm sure he passed my test. She did something to him. When I sent the orb back to him, I did tell him that I was in love. I want him to know what to expect. And I hid coding in that orb too, just in case he didn't take that very well. We'll just have to wait and see. If he passes the second test, I will help bring him through. If he fails, then I know. Audrey is scared to use the Aether and she really doesn't want to have to remove the implant. It would be nice to have a fallback plan, just in case." Mara yawned widely.
"Go to sleep, beautiful."
"I'm afraid I'll have nightmares."
"Not while I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Will you please wake me up if you have to use the bathroom? Your knife is gone anyway and you couldn't use it with your fingers so swollen."
"I did say I'd do it when I couldn't handle things on my own. Yeah, Duke. I'll wake you up."
He smiled like she'd given him a gift. "Thank you."
"For what, wrecking your night and dragging you with me to pee?"
He shrugged. "For letting me in."
Mara slept dreamlessly and woke in Duke's arms. She had to pee, but so, so much worse, she needed the medication Gloria had sent home with her. Her entire body ached and when she held her hands up, they were so swollen and discolored she could barely move them.
The medication would have to come first. She really, truly hated being dependent on anybody, but it seemed that the universe had some kind of lesson for her.
"Duke? Duke, wake up, please. I need help." She kissed his shoulder and tapped the splint against his chest.
His eyes blinked open and he looked down at her. "You're awake."
"I am. That's why I woke you. I need help."
He stretched, keeping his arm around her. "What do you need?"
"First, I really need the medication. I'm not completely sure I'm going to be able to move without it. Then I have to pee."
He smiled as he reached over to grab the bag of medication, digging out the pills and putting them in Mara's mouth, holding the water bottle so she could swallow them and then giving her the liquid. "Can you wait for those to work or do you need the bathroom sooner?"
"I don't think I can wait."
He pulled back the covers, climbing out her side of the bed so he could keep a hand on her, and he picked her up cautiously, mindful not to touch the dark bruises or broken rib. As he carried her to the bathroom, he spoke seriously. "You bruised up pretty good. Don't freak out when you look, okay? You're still beautiful and the bruises will fade. This will all be a memory soon."
She smiled wryly as they entered the bathroom and he set her on her feet, one hand on her shoulder. "I've been hurt before, Duke, and worse than this. I'm not going to lose my mind over a few bruises."
Mara emptied her bladder, glaring at Duke when he asked if she needed help. She got enough movement from her left hand to take care of her needs, stopping to brush her teeth. She stared into the mirror as she brushed.
Duke wasn't lying, she looked bad. Road rash on her face and inky bruises in places she didn't remember getting hit.
Oh well. At least Charlotte had lost money and still not gotten what she wanted. Mara smiled at her reflection in vindictive glee.
"What are you grinning at?"
"Just thinking about Momma wasting her money. It's almost funny. I don't know how much she paid them, but she lost her money and they never got to spend it. I think that's a win."
He threw back his head, laughing loudly, and the sound made Mara smile more.
"That's my girl."
He'd just carried her back to bed when the phone rang. Duke cuddled her into his side as he answered and she rested quietly, one arm over his chest as the medication started to relax her. He held the phone away for a minute, thumb over the mouthpiece as he whispered. "Nate and Audrey want to come over and see you, is that okay?"
She shrugged and grimaced as her body protested. "As long as you help me get dressed, I don't care. See if you can get them to bring ginger ale."
Duke repeated her request into the phone, hanging up. "We don't have to get dressed for a little bit. How are you feeling?"
"Better than the other guys."
"How did you sleep?"
"You were right, I didn't have nightmares. Thank you for that."
"My pleasure. I mean it. I hate that you're hurt, but I'm glad you're letting me help you."
"I have to get used to it if we're having a baby, right?"
He grinned brightly. "That's right. Our kid is going to be awesome. I hope she's just like you."
Mara clutched her chest as she laughed. "That's going on the record. Nobody has ever wished for someone else like me. Most don't even want the original me! And he is going to be just like you. Smart and worldly and good."
"You're all of those things, Mara. And it took me awhile to realize it, but I think I've been wishing for you for a long time."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I wanted someone who loved me. Someone smart, who can keep me on my toes. Someone with my passion for learning. Someone brave and strong who would still lean on me, that I could support too. I wanted a partner, and I never found all of those things in one person before."
"Right. I'm not old, I'm just a good vintage."
He laughed, kissing her hair.
"Duke?"
"Mara?"
"Obviously I have a lot of stories you still don't know from before, but I have one particular story that's about you, and I wondered if you want to hear it."
"Of course I want to hear it. I want to hear everything you're willing to tell me."
"How much do you remember from when you jumped into the Barn?"
He stretched while he thought back. "Not a lot. I remember jumping, and the blinding light. I could hear Audrey talking and I yelled for her. Then I saw the holes that looked like they were burning, the same color as what surrounds your handprints when you use Aether, and then I was in the water. Then handcuffs."
"And you figured that you missed the six months because of the way time moves in the Void?"
"Exactly. Why?"
Mara shifted a little to rest her arm on Duke's chest, enjoying the way Duke's skin felt against the planes of her body. She turned her head to press a kiss to his skin and hesitantly, she started talking.
"Time does pass differently in the Void, obviously. It's not linear, it's not cyclical, it's just like everything else about the Void- chaotic. You remember how Audrey Two had her memory erased when she came out of the Barn?"
"Yeah. I still feel guilty about that. I shouldn't have taken her out there."
"She'd have hired someone else if you hadn't taken her, Duke. None of that was your fault. But you know the Barn takes memories. You were there longer than a few minutes, Duke. You were there for at least three days, maybe four.
"The first day, after I got my own memories back, I found you there wandering around. Byron wasn't there to keep you out and Momma hadn't come and it was before they planted the Lexie personality and William came. I sat down with you and told you everything. Tried to explain the difference between me and Audrey, and between Audrey and the other personalities. About the lives, about the Troubles, about me. I was-" her eyes slipped closed and she sighed deeply, "I was so happy to be able to talk to you as just me. To tell you everything and see the look in your eyes as it started making sense to you. It was cathartic. We talked all day and most of the night. I told you that I was awake in Colorado, that I was jealous and it was me that kissed you.
"The second day we played cards and I gave you a drink from my world, but it was in a mason jar. Blue, shiny stuff? After your second drink you kissed me on the mouth and then you apologized, said you were buzzed. I never told you that that drink didn't lower inhibitions or alter your feelings, it just made sensations stronger. But you were blushing and apologizing so I let you have your story.
"The third day, I walked in on you and you were naked. And you stayed naked. We stayed together the whole day. It was one of the best days of my life. I told you to look in my eyes, that I needed you to be able to recognize me from any of the others. You didn't look away from me once the entire time, and the look on your face the first time we had sex burned itself into my brain."
Duke's hand tightened on her hip. "I was there with you? You told me everything? We made love?"
"Yeah. You didn't get expelled from the Barn until just before they started the Lexie program. When I landed back in Haven, when I was still trapped under Audrey but I was starting to bleed through, I kept praying that you would remember. That you would help me. Obviously that didn't happen, but I think it's part of the reason you could always tell me and and Audrey apart. The first time you brought me a drink in a mason jar, I thought you'd remembered something. I wanted so badly for you to remember. I wanted to make you see me the way you had before, because you never looked at me like a monster in the Barn."
"Is there any way to... I don't know, give me the memories back? Are they just hidden or actually taken away?"
She rubbed her feet against his legs as she thought. "Actually removing a memory is much harder than just hiding it. It's probably still in there, just hidden. I could try. If I use just a bit of Aether maybe it will burn away the block."
"Do it. Please?"
Mara took a deep breath, pressing her fingers against his chest and letting the Aether flow out slowly. Duke's eyes shone silver and he gasped, tears rising in his eyes.
"Oh god, I remember talking to you. You- you told me everything. Everything that's happened, you had already explained. Mara... you begged me for help and I forgot."
His tears spilled over and she stretched to brush one with her lips, her eyes slipping closed as she tasted the salty water.
"You didn't forget, Duke, she hid your memories. That's what the Barn does. It destroys. Memories, mostly, but if things had gone any more wrong, it would have killed every Troubled person in the world."
Duke's breath hitched and the tears continued to fall. "What do you mean?"
"If Audrey had killed Nathan, or if I had killed you, the Barn was wired to send out a pulse that would kill anyone with a Trouble, active or not. It would have ended the Troubles, but only by ending the people who carried the Troubles."
He looked sick, the tears slowing. "She almost did it, Mara. She was going to..."
"I know, and I was getting ready to claw my way out to stop her. Thankfully William's Aetherlings distracted her, and then they found that 'what was once our salvation will be our doom' prophecy and I calmed down. Like I told you, I didn't want to hurt her, I just wanted to fix it. I wanted my home and my freedom. I was prepared to kill for it, but I didn't want to.
"I know what everyone thought of me. What Nathan thought of me." Mara smiled faintly. "He really liked that fucking shock belt. I'd be doing absolutely nothing but walking and bam, twitching on the ground. When I'd ask him why the fuck he did that, he'd get that smug grin and say the belt was your idea and that his finger slipped or I looked like I was going to run or whatever. I was praying for the day when he'd do it while I had a hand on him, because he would have gotten shocked too and I would have peed myself laughing. And it wasn't because he was scared, it was because he was mad. Or he thought it would make me vacate my body, like I could do that so easily."
"No, he did? He was shocking you for no reason?" Duke sounded so scandalized it made Mara laugh.
"I remember one time, he did it and I was still on the ground, I looked up and said, 'Please sir, may I have another?' He pretended not to get the reference and shocked me again! So I catch my breath and ask him why he did that and he said, 'Because you asked nicely' and I said, 'Please sir, will you quit fucking shocking me?' and he hit it again and said to watch my language because there might be kids around. I asked him if he wasn't more concerned with kids seeing a cop shocking an unarmed woman and he immediately replied that there were no kids around. We went back and forth for ten minutes before he finally said he'd shock me again if I didn't start walking."
Duke couldn't help but laugh, picturing the ridiculous confrontation. "On the one hand, I'm pissed that he was going around shocking you for no reason, but I can just imagine that, and I wish I could have seen it."
Her smile was breathtaking. "Your wish is my command." Turning her left hand palm up, Mara focused on the memory, letting it play above her hand for Duke. His eyes narrowed as he watched Nathan playing with the remote but Mara's words made him laugh, and then he was laughing uncontrollably, his face red and his free hand holding his belly. His mirth made Mara laugh, too, and they laid together laughing like idiots for several minutes.
He was still grinning when he turned his head to look at her. "You're amazing. I want to watch that at every holiday party. Some people show videos of their kids dance recitals or vacation pictures, but I want to watch that video all the damn time. I know how tough you are, that there's nothing he could have done that you couldn't have given him right back, but he was so awful to you, didn't it ever scare you?"
Mara considered, stretching her shoulders. "I admit he scared me a little with the whole knife to the throat, but he totally shot himself in the foot and didn't realize. You remember when you were threatening to cut off my toe and I made you stop by suggesting Audrey would get hurt? I already knew she wouldn't. The day you separated us, you guys were so distracted by Audrey being back that nobody noticed that the blade had broken the skin on my throat. When I was looking at her I could she was unmarked, and since the wound was fresh, she would have gotten it if we'd been bonded.
"I knew it was safe. Which is why I cut my own toe off- I could get what I needed without actually hurting Audrey. I probably might have hurt her a little if I had to, but I didn't want to actually damage her. I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it, not ever. It was one thing I was so careful about. Assholes or not, they're still my people. It didn't matter that they forgot me, it only mattered that I swore to protect them. You. All the Troubled people. Even when I was angry I took my oath seriously. It was why I wanted you to finish that doctor off. To end a terrible cycle of violence and pain. He was beating his girlfriend. The woman I killed, she was tormenting her little girl. Same with Kurt, though he didn't hurt kids, he hurt plenty of other people. He was useful, but he was a monster. I wish Dwight hadn't stopped him from beating the snot out of Momma though."
Duke chuckled. "I think even Dwight wishes he hadn't intervened now."
"I guess we should get dressed, huh?"
"I don't mind being naked."
"You're an exhibitionist. Normally I'm good with that. But with Audrey and Nathan? No. He lost the right to see me naked after the fifth 'just checking to make sure it works' shock." She laughed quietly. "If I pick my clothes can you help me get dressed?"
"Only if you promise I can undress you again when they're gone."
Mara brushed her lips against Duke's. "I give you my solemn vow."
He helped her up and she walked slowly to the clothes Duke had insisted on hanging in his closet. He kept his ankle hooked around hers and he pulled a shirt on, taking her arm as he slid into a pair of pajama bottoms. She ran her fingers over everything, finally settling on soft yoga pants and a tank top, but her fingers wouldn't grasp the hangers. Growling, she finally said, "Duke? I need some help. These hands are useless. Can you grab this shirt and these pants?"
"Of course I will. Next time, just ask me first."
"I don't expect my hands to be incapacitated for that long. I have to try and keep moving or the swelling will just get worse and eventually my muscles will atrophy."
"Keep your fingers on me." Duke reminded seriously, and Mara pressed her fingers to his neck as he squatted to help her step into her pants and pulled the tank top over her head, switching hands as she slipped each arm through the straps.
They linked arms and walked out to the living room, Mara following Duke as he started the coffee before they settled down on the couch.
"How long are you going to have to keep the Gull closed?"
"Only today. But I'm staying home with you for the next few days."
She considered arguing, but cuddled closer instead. "Thank you."
Duke looked honestly bewildered. "What for?"
"For being you. For not being mad about yesterday."
"Oh baby, come here." He tightened his arm around her, pulling her to sit sideways in his lap so he could wrap both arms around her, holding her close. "Of course I'm not mad at you. I'm mad as hell about a lot of other things; I'm mad that Dwight and I didn't hear you, I'm mad that I didn't see them get up and go after you. You warned me and I said I'd keep an eye on them. I fucked up and you paid for it, that pisses me off. But you didn't do anything wrong."
"It's not your fault, Duke. We were both watching them, and you offered to throw them out when they first came in. But even if you had, they'd have just waited outside. Charlotte planned it out well. She knew when I'd have to do something about the implant, and she told them my eyes were trick contact lenses. She made it so they wouldn't even be afraid, that they wouldn't pay attention to the signals that show I'm dangerous."
Duke scoffed. "If you were dangerous, you'd have kicked the shit out of me or Nate by now. We've certainly deserved it sometimes."
Mara ran her stiff fingers over Duke's arm, whispering. "That's different. You're... family, for lack of a better word. You should be able to get mad at family without hurting them. That's what I think, at least. Not that you'd know from my mother. We used to pretend that Charlotte wasn't really our mother, that she'd stolen us from someone. We'd never seen gifted children from non-gifted parents. As obsessed with Aether as Charlotte is... I can see her snatching us from a park or store. A girl can dream."
They held each other, cuddling on the couch waiting for their friends as the storm continued to embrace Haven.