A/N: I don't own Haven or Jim Croce

Lexie was climbing under the covers in Duke's bed when she groaned loudly.

"You have the most comfortable bed ever. Holy hell, how do you ever leave this boat?"

Duke chuckled, pulling off his pajamas and crawling in next to her. "I used to get up so I could see you. Now that you're here, though..."

He tickled her side and she laughed, trying to tickle him back. But he was bigger, stronger and had longer fingers. In a tickle fight, she had no hope. But if she changed the stakes...

She acted quickly, twisting to wrap her legs around Duke and pressing her mouth to his.

The tickling stopped immediately as one hand went around her back, the other tangling in her long, damp hair as he kissed her.

"You were saying something about me being here?" Her words were mumbled against his lips.

"Fuck it, words can wait." Then he was kissing her, every ounce of stress from the day driving him.

She pushed, rolling to straddle him. She was sitting up, hands pressed to his chest as she stared at his face in the soft light. Her chest felt tight, and she didn't think it had anything to do with her ribs. He was utterly, indescribably beautiful. Every curve and plane of him. This man, he could have anyone, anyone in the world- and he wanted her.

She still had no panties, hadn't thought to bring clothes from the apartment. There was nothing between them and she could feel him hardening beneath her. Staring into his eyes, she pulled off her borrowed shirt, unashamed of the dark purple bruises. They were signs that this man had brought her back to life.

The look in his eyes- the dark, hungry look- made her bold, and she stroked her fingers over his chest and then down his arms, pulling his hands up over his head and holding them there.

"Wanna play a game?" Her voice was a husky whisper.

He pushed his hips up against her. "What game?"

"You keep your hands right here. No moving them. I'm going to see if you need me as badly as I need you." She leaned over, raining kisses on his face. A thousand kisses for a thousand missed opportunities. He was smiling, confident that he could win.

He kept his hands over his head as she kissed down his throat, stopping to suck gently, nibbling on him. He made the sweetest little whine-groan whenever her teeth touched him, and she found it ridiculously sexy. She left a hickey on his collar bone, then kissed down his chest.

He shifted slightly and she gazed into his eyes. "Keep your hands up as long as you can, Duke." She made her tone seductive, "This is the first actual bed we've shared."

His breathing was harsh and ragged, but when she nibbled his belly button he stopped breathing completely. She grinned devilishly, darting her tongue out to lick around it.

She pressed her hands against his chest, scratching down, over his hips. She kissed and licked down his abdomen, pressing a teasing kiss on the head of his cock. He gasped and Lexie grinned. Another long, slow lick from base to tip. She could see strain in his arms, and his hands were fisted in the pillow. He was so determined to win.

So was she.

She moved to lick him again, and as her tongue flicked against the head she suddenly moved quickly, pulling him as far into her mouth as she could- swirling her tongue as she pressed her fingers into the skin of his hips. She bobbed her head, lips tight around him. He gasped, his hands flying to her hair as she sucked.

Oh, winning still felt so good!

She raised her head to grin at Duke. "I win."

Duke's eyes were dangerous, sharp as blades. "I don't know if I'd say that just yet, Lexie."

He pulled her up, kissing her neck, one arm tight around her waist.

"Open your legs, beautiful. Straddle me. It's time to test you."

His voice gave her goosebumps, and she knelt up, her legs on either side of his hips. She braced her hands on his shoulders, rubbing herself against him as she sighed, rocking. She didn't see his hand moving until it was on her, stroking and rubbing. Her head dropped back, lost in sensation as she pushed down against his hand.

"What do you mean by 'test'?" Lexie breathed

"I know it's been a long day. But I want to see how many times I can make you come."

She whispered, all her breath stolen from that delicious, dangerous threat, "I'm hearing a lot of talk, Crocker."

"Let me fix that."

Duke grasped her hips, raising her up before he slowly pulled her down onto him, sheathing himself inside her.

She forgot how to breathe for a moment, the pressure of him filling her driving the thoughts from her head. Her long hair was a curtain, hanging around them as she squeezed.

Lexie moved one hand, as Duke had done, to where they were connected. As she moved, her fingers traced his body, her body, and she was already shaking. The feeling was so intense. But she could still win too.

"Duke," she whispered, "I need you. Please, please take me." She rocked her pelvis in a slow circle, drawing a moan from him. The sound made her move faster, harder. She gripped his shoulders as she loved him.

With a low groan, he flipped them over, better to watch Lexie come undone. He laid a soft kiss against her ear, waited for her to meet his eyes, and then he thrust, hard and deep, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. After the impossible day they'd been through, this was what she was craving; Duke, hard inside her, moving her entire body with each thrust.

She was tensing, building and she couldn't fight it, raising her hips to meet him with equal force. She was so keyed up, her system overloaded, and already she was arching, every muscle in her body tightening as she came, whipping her head from side to side.

Still he pressed on, thrusting into her like his life depended on it. Not two minutes later the climax hit again, as if it hadn't actually abated, just simmering under the surface. "Duke, Duke please, I need you. I want you to come for me." She wrapped her arms around his neck, scratching and pulling at him.

"What do you want, Lexie?" His voice was rough like sandpaper, but soft as velvet.

"I want you! I want to see you. To see you loving me."

His voice was low and serious. "All you ever had to do was open your eyes."

Then he was pounding into her, and she met his thrusts as long as she could but she was too close again. She squeezed around him, hands on his face so she could kiss him.

She had to push him over the edge.

She moved to kiss his neck, and the next time he pushed deep, she clenched her muscles and bit his shoulder. Suddenly the climax was tearing through him, too, and he moaned, jerking inside her, warming her insides. A few more thrusts, and he rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard.

She locked her legs around him, very serious.

"I love you, Duke. Do you understand? I want to be with you. I want to sleep next to you. I want it all, Duke."

"Then stay with me. Let's get your stuff and bring you home. Here, with me. Stay with me. Live with me, Mara."

His use of her true name, his urgent tone, the utter seriousness in his eyes made her tremble.

"You're willing to do that, knowing what I am?"

He laughed. "Willing? I'm fucking begging. Lexie. Audrey. Mara. I need you here."

She was blinking back tears. Her arms tightened around him. "Ask me in the morning. I might snore or talk in my sleep or something. If you still want me here... yeah. Yes, I'll stay with you." She kissed him slowly, with every fiber of her being. He gently pulled from her body and she slipped his shirt back on- they did have a guest.

Duke leaned back against his pillow, grinning.

"What's that look for?"

He stretched sinuously. "Who, me? I'm reveling. You know, rolling around naked in an awesome fucking feeling."

She muffled her laughter in his chest as she cuddled up against him.

It was very dark, maybe 3 a.m. when Lexie woke. It took her a minute to figure out why she was awake , but after a moment, she heard the creaking of the bedroom door.

Too dark to see, Lexie squinted, finally making out a tall, familiar figure.

"Nathan? What's wrong?"

"I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry. I... this sounds so stupid... I had a nightmare. Wanted to make sure you were both really here."

Lexie's heart broke for him. "Come here, Nathan. You can sleep in here." She patted the empty space next to her. "I'd offer you the middle, but I'm greedy."

"Parker, are you sure?"

The old surname fallback made her smile.

"Get over here, Wuornos." She held the blanket up and he crawled right in. It took her a minute to realize he was shaking.

She moved a little, pulling him until he rested his head on her shoulder. She rubbed his back and realized he was shirtless. "Am I hurting you, Nathan?"

"No." He was crying, she could hear it in his voice even before the tears permeated the fabric of her shirt.

She stroked his back with the arm she had around him- her other hand still firmly ensconced with Duke's.

"I'm sorry you've been hurting, Nathan. Please, talk to me."

"I dreamed you were still gone. I was alone. No you, no Duke. And I knew it was my fault. Then you came back and didn't remember me- didn't like me at all. I... I just..." He buried his face in her shoulder, the tears overwhelming him.

Gods, he wasn't talking about a nightmare. He was talking about their day. The last six months, for him.

"Oh, Nathan. Of course I remember. I had to pretend, don't you understand? They wanted a quick fix and thought getting me to kill you would somehow be a magic bullet." She shivered. "No pun intended. And yes, I was angry with you. But you can only get that mad at someone you really love."

"When you were yelling at me, you said something, and I can't stop thinking about it."

She was still rubbing his back as she asked, "Which part?"

"You said it was unfair having someone you're in love with telling you to shoot them."

"Mmm. I did, and I meant it. It was unfair."

His voice was barely audible as he asked, "Did you mean it, when you said you were in love with me?"

Silly, foolish man. "Yes, I did. I am."

"But what about you and Duke?"

"What about you and Duke?"

"I wrecked that years ago."

"Nathan, you love him."

"That doesn't matter, Audrey- sorry, Lexie. Once you kill love, you can't bring it back."

"Funny thing about love. It's hard to kill. Nathan, do you honestly think he'd take all those punches and insults if he didn't love you?"

"That's why he can't love me. I hurt him."

"Nathan, he understands. It kills him to see you unhappy. He loves you."

"But... I don't understand, Au- sorry, Lexie- what does that mean for any of us?"

She trailed her fingernails gently up his back, loving the way he responded to her touch. Just her, in all the world. He shivered, pressing his face farther against her. She could hear him sniffing her.

"It means the logical thing, the right thing, is to be a trio, not a couple. It's not that unusual. Polyamory. You love Duke and you love me, Duke loves us both and I love you both. Why does it have to be a choice? If you do love me, of course."

"If I... seriously? If? You must know how I feel."

Stubborn, pigheaded man.

"No, Nathan. I don't know. I can only guess. You have to say something for someone to know." This time her voice was rough, but still she kept the tears back.

"Parker, of course I love you."

She rolled her eyes in the darkness

"Nathan, you love Laverne. You love the station. You love the Moose Museum. Doesn't mean you're in love. There's a difference between 'love' and 'in love'."

He sounded amused. "Are you comparing yourself to the Moose Farm?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Nathan was very quiet for a moment. "You just want me to say it, don't you?"

She shrugged, knowing he'd feel the motion.

His head was still nestled against her shoulder, and it almost felt like he was smiling. "Audrey. Mara. I'm crazy in love with you. Stupid crazy. Have been almost since I met you."

"You mean after we stopped pointing our guns at each other?"

He turned his head to muffle his laugh against her shirt.

"Maybe before. I still laugh sometimes about how stubborn and sarcastic you were, teetering on that cliff. No screaming or begging for you, no."

She chuckled quietly. "I was a little too anxious to throw in the 'Captain Obvious' part. I remember I almost went over switching off the radio because I didn't want to die with that song playing."

"Bravest, most stubborn woman I ever met."

"Yeah, well right back at you, Wuornos."

"Never said I wasn't stubborn."

"Oh, I think you did. Speaking of you being stubborn, are you ready to tell me you're in love with Duke?"

"Audrey, if I say that... it means I'm a perpetrator of domestic violence. That's one of the lowest things you can be, right above pedophiles or rapists."

Lexie froze.

"Don't you ever, ever compare yourself to them. I know pedophiles and rapists, and you are nothing like that. Nothing, do you hear me?" Now she was shivering, imagining Nathan trying to equate himself to... him.

He squeezed her in a hug. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Please relax, I'm sorry I brought up bad memories."

She was focused on her breathing, trying to calm down.

"It's not just the memories, Nathan. I can't stand the thought of you lumping yourself in with him. You're not like that. And I know Duke feels the same."

"Lexie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you killed him. I don't know the story, but I'm glad you did."

"If I tell you what happened, will you tell me how you feel about Duke?"

"I won't leverage you like that. You don't have to say anything that hurts you. Yes, I love Duke. Been in love with him since we were kids."

Lexie hugged him with the arm she had around him. "I didn't kill him because he raped me. Had been for about two years. I killed him because he was going to shoot me up. Heroin. I didn't plan it. His knife was there and I knew what would happen."

"Then I'm doubly glad. If you hadn't, I'd track him down and do it myself."

She had to change the subject. Absolutely had to.

"You're in love with Duke. Thank you for admitting it. Nathan, do you trust me to try something? It won't hurt."

"Trust you with my life, go ahead."

She smiled a little. "This is going to freak you out, so please stay calm, okay?"

He sounded hesitant. "It's okay. You've freaked me out before."

She carefully pulled her left hand from Duke's, holding it up as she focused. The Maze blazed to life, blinding in the darkness.

It made Nathan gasp, and she chuckled before taking his hand, focusing. She pulled it over her, pressing Nathan's fingers against Duke's ribs. She knew it worked when she heard Nathan's quiet, surprised gasp. "How? I can't feel anything else."

"I know how to communicate with the Aether inside you. To direct it. This is about the most I can manage without curing your Trouble, which I promise we will do. I promise. But Nathan, you have to forgive yourself. Me and Duke are a package deal. You take one, you take both. Think about it. And get some sleep. We're right here where you can feel us. Both of us."

"I'm not sure I can sleep."

Lexie made sure he was lying comfortably against her, his hand still touching Duke, and she quietly began to sing.

"Well, I know it's kind of late

I hope I didn't wake you

But what I got to say can't wait

I know you'd understand

Every time I tried to tell you

The words just came out wrong

So I'll have to say I love you in a song.

Yeah, I know it's kind of strange

But every time I'm near you

I just run out of things to say

I know you'd understand

Every time I tried to tell you

The words just came out wrong

So I'll have to say I love you in a song

Yeah, I know it's kind of late

I hope I didn't wake you

But there's something that I just got to say

I know you'd understand

Every time I tried to tell you

The words just came out wrong

So I'll have to say I love you in a song"

As she fell silent, she heard Nathan's tiny, quiet snoring and a knot of stress melted away. He'd be okay.

She was staring at the ceiling when she heard Duke's quiet whisper.

"You really can do anything."

She twined their fingers together. "No. But we can. Together. Sleep. Sleep knowing I love you and I'm not going anywhere. Oh, and that it's Nathan snoring, not me."

Duke chuckled softly and they slept, all managing to touch. All managing to feel the only things that mattered- each other.