AN: Hat trick! Just wanted to shout out a quick thank you to those few who've welcomed me back into the fold even after my long absence, especially my favourite Haven author SandraDeee. It's always a thrill getting compliments from someone whose work you admire, so thanks for that :)

Set during the season two finale. Forgive me if there are any minor consistency errors in it, since I haven't seen the finale in a few months so the details are a little hazy.


Spruce: (v.) to make neat or dapper (often followed by up).


Audrey rearranged the silverware on the tabletop for the third time, frowning at it critically. Shaking her head, she put them back the way she'd had them before. She turned the vase on the table to face the other direction, so the flower was pointed toward the door, and then made herself walk away from the table before she started reorganizing again.

Even though it was only early afternoon, she'd already cleaned the entire apartment more thoroughly than she had since she moved in. Then she'd thought the place was too obviously clean and hastily moved several things to make it look less like she'd scrubbed the place from top to bottom. She had never obsessed so much about a date in her entire life.

Breathe, Parker. Audrey took a deep breath, trying to clam herself. It wasn't like she'd never been on dates before – she'd been on plenty of them in college, and in the early years of working for the FBI. Sure, maybe not as many as most people had by her age, but it was still a pretty decent number. So what had her so frantic this time? Well, him, of course.

Stopping in front of the mirror, Audrey surveyed her reflection critically. She wanted to touch up her make-up but was afraid of looking like she was trying too hard. Anxiously she fidgeted with the straps of her blouse and brushed an errant curl behind her ear, before deeming herself good.

She shouldn't be this worried about the date. Really, it was just dinner with Nathan. They'd been having meals together for almost two years now and there was nothing all that significant about it. They'd shared every sort of meal, from hasty breakfasts before shifts to late night dinners in the office. It wasn't that big a deal.

Except that it was. It was a date. Not just partners grabbing lunch together during a case, but a man and a woman having an intimate meal together. Somehow it had transformed from something they did all the time to a dramatic new milestone. They were starting an entirely new chapter in their relationship, something that could lead to the sort of long-term commitments she'd never had before. It had to, because if things went wrong between them she'd have no choice but to leave Haven. She couldn't continue working with him after that sort of upset.

Oh God, was this all a big mistake? Were they ruining their precariously balanced friendship by treading into these new waters?

No, don't go there. Audrey shook her head, crossing to the kitchen to check on the griddle. This was the right choice. She had always felt a strong connection with Nathan, ever since they'd met. It had grown progressively stronger over the years, until now he was so thoroughly intertwined with her life that she couldn't imagine going on without him. And as she thought back to the kiss they'd shared, she knew this was the right thing to do. That feeling, that warm, all-encompassing passion coupled with the comfort and security of his familiar arms, that was what she imagined as her future. That was the sort of thing she wanted to have every day for the rest of her life.

She wanted that, and she wanted it with him.

There was a short knock at the door, and the butterflies in Audrey's stomach exploded into action even as a smile crept over her lips. She gave herself a last once-over and then headed for the door. As soon as she opened it and let him in, they'd be making that step into a new beginning. A relationship, a commitment, together.

Grinning, Audrey made that last step and twisted the doorknob.