Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes
Author's Notes: This is all A/U, but to make sense, this would happen after the finale of season 3, and the remaining seasons would not have happened.
This is a straight continuation from Chapter 28 (The Decision) so I would read that first. I did include a bit of it here at the beginning so this part will make sense even without reading the other chapter.
It's a little long, but I really enjoyed writing this one.
Prompt: Nathan struggles to get Audrey to remember - and succeeds. (Courtesy of Peacockgirl)
Summary: After Nathan follows Audrey into the Barn, he finds himself in Haven 27 years later, not having aged a day. But, Audrey is in her new persona. Can he get her to remember being Audrey?
Please Remember.
As he walked through yet another door, he found himself in a field. Shock and fear lanced through his body, and he was dimly aware that that was all he felt. He no longer could feel the chill in the air, or the roughness of his jeans. All he could feel was terror. There was no Barn, no clinically white hallways. There was only a field.
And so he started to walk. Something was propelling him in a specific direction, so he followed it. As a cop, he always trusted his gut, and so he walked. And walked. And walked.
If he could feel, he was sure he could feel the ache in his feet, but he continued to walk.
And then he saw the edges of a town. It was Haven. But it looked different somehow. He glanced at his cellphone, but it was dead. The battery was thoroughly drained, even though it had been charged that morning.
As he walked through town, a few people gave him a second glance, but everyone seemed to be busy with their own lives. He found himself standing in front of the Haven Herald, and noticed that a stack of newspapers had been thrown near the side of the building. Reaching down, he picked one up, and felt his blood chill as he read the date.
April 18, 2042.
No, it couldn't be. He dropped the paper in shock, and quickly looked around. It was then he noticed that everything was subtly different. Buildings looked older, some were freshly painted. Trees were bigger than they used to be, and cars that he had never seen before were driving down the street.
"Can I help you?"
The voice pulled him out of his shock. There was only one voice that could do that. And as he turned and looked into those eyes he knew so well, he was positive he saw a quick flash of recognition before it was masked by the curious gaze of a stranger meeting someone for the first time. Her hair was a dark copper this time, and she had long bangs. She didn't know who he was, but she had found him already.
He couldn't stop staring. The whole situation was making his blood rush past his ears in a cacophony of sound, and he wasn't sure if he was blinking or not.
"Why are you looking at me that way?"
Nathan could only shake his head. It was like he was having déjà vu to when he met Sarah for the first time. It was the Same. Damn. Scenario. And again, he couldn't get the words to come out. "I'm sorry. You just…"
"I'm what?"
His heart was racing. Or, it must have been. He could barely get any air in his lungs. Would this version of Audrey react to him similarly to how Sarah did? Or was she more similar to his Audrey, who was the most stubborn person alive? No, not alive. But, not dead, either. She was standing right here. And he couldn't look away. He knew he shouldn't say it, but the words just tumbled out. He had no filter around this woman, no matter what personality she was.
"It's kind of incredible." He could have kicked himself. Why did he have to say it? What if she didn't react like Sarah? What if this creeped her out? It was at this point he tried to walk away from Sarah, but she pulled him back in. He couldn't walk away here though, because he needed her. This wasn't like before. He didn't willingly come here – well, in a way he did – but there was no way back this time. "I'm sorry, that was rude."
"You can't call a girl incredible and then say it was rude."
God, that smile. That smile she reserves only for him. He couldn't help but smile back.
"Now I definitely would like to help you if I can…"
"Nathan. My name is Nathan."
"…Nathan. What can I do for you?"
"Uh…" Nathan's hand went to the back of his neck to start rubbing. It was an unconscious nervous habit, and no matter how many times Audrey had pointed it out to him, he just couldn't stop doing it. What can she do for him? She could remember she was Audrey. She could look at him with full recognition and pull him into a crushing hug. She could say this was all some elaborate scheme and they were still in present day Haven. She could pull his lips down to hers, and then take him back to her apartment over the Gull where he could lose himself in her for days. There was so much she could do for him. "I was actually hoping you could point me in the direction of a place to stay."
If he didn't know any better, the very same B&B that Audrey had stayed at when she first came to town was still open, and he of course knew exactly where it was. But, he needed a reason to keep talking to Audrey. Wait, not Audrey. Wait, what was her name?
"Oh! You're here visiting? From where?"
From where? From the past. From right here. "Uh, from a town pretty similar to this one."
She narrowed her eyes in a very Audrey-like fashion. "That sounds very vague." It was like she knew something was off, and as Nathan looked into her eyes, he saw that same brief flash of recognition before it quickly faded away again. Was she remembering him in some way? No, it couldn't be. Audrey never recognized him, but then, he met Sarah after he met Audrey. Or, no. He met Sarah way before he met Audrey. Wait. He shook his head. Time travel was so confusing.
"No matter. Sure, there is a great little B&B up the road. Let me walk with you. I know the owner, and can get you a great deal."
"Thank you…"
"Rose."
Nathan took her hand she offered to shake, and startled slightly when her warm skin touched his. It always seemed to startle him when Audrey touched him. He went so long without touch, and then to feel it, was…incredible. "Rose. Nice to meet you."
She smiled that smile again, and Nathan could feel his heart lift.
As they walked towards the B&B, she told him how she was recently new to Haven as well, but had absolutely fallen in love with the town, because everyone seemed to already know her. She had decided that it must be a small town thing, but she loved it, and had no intentions on moving back West any time soon.
"You haven't experienced winter here yet."
She looked up at him and smirked. "I'm sure I could think of a way or two to keep warm."
The way she looked at him, with her pupils slightly dilating, and a smirk pulling at her lips, Nathan was positive that Audrey was deep down in there somewhere. And it did things to him. Maybe if he could keep her talking. Maybe she would remember. So many maybes. And all too quickly, they were at the B&B, with a room negotiated for Nathan. Thankfully he had enough cash on hand for a couple of nights, but he would have to figure out how to get more. There was no way his credit cards would still be functional. Maybe Duke was still around and could figure something out. Actually, most people he knew should still be around, and could help him out. Surely they would remember him. It would be a shock that he hadn't aged a day, and that he was alive, but there was no need for secrets. He resolved to look for Duke as soon as possible, but he needed to make sure he could see Audrey, uh, Rose again.
So, with key in hand, he turned to her. "Um, Rose, could I uh, take you for coffee or something? You know, to thank you for pointing me in the direction of this place."
She tilted her head to the side to study him, but finally nodded. "Normally I don't go on dates with guys I just met, but you did call me incredible. What girl can say no to that?"
Nathan mentally danced a celebratory dance.
"I have a few errands to run. Would you like to settle in and I'll come pick you up in about an hour?"
"That would be great."
Nathan watched as she gracefully walked out the door and as he climbed the staircase to his room, he let the enormity of the situation wash over him. All in all, it wasn't all that bad. He was still in Haven. Sure, it was almost 30 years later, but most of the people he knew should still be alive, and knowing Haven, still here. Maybe his house was still there. Maybe he got lucky and someone kept it for him just in case he came back. He should be able to get a job back at Haven PD relatively easily enough, because again, people would remember him. And best of all, his girl was here. He had her at a disadvantage this time, but that only meant he was further ahead in their timeline. Maybe this time he could stop her from having to leave. And if he couldn't, at least he knew now what would happen to him in the Barn, so he could prepare for being gone another 27 years. But what if she wasn't drawn to him this time? What if it wouldn't be like that? No, that would never happen. She was always drawn to him, as he to her. The fact that they met again pretty much the moment he arrived in town should attest to that.
A familiar engine sound pulled him out of his reverie. No, it couldn't be. Could it?
Nathan took the stairs down two at a time and bounded out the front door. He didn't even know he could bound, but this situation warranted it. And when he confirmed his suspicions, he was pretty sure his knees almost buckled beneath him. There, pulling into the parking lot of the B&B, with her behind the wheel, was his beloved blue Bronco. She grinned at him through the windshield, and he threw her a wave, feeling awkward as he climbed into the passenger seat, but watched her as she pulled out onto the road. "This is some truck."
"Isn't it great? I never would have pictured me driving something like this – I'm more of a sports car kind of girl – but it was weird. There was just something about this truck that called to me, and I knew I had to have it."
Did she remember always driving around in it? Nathan licked his lips. "Um, where did you get it?"
"It was kind of fate in a way, I guess. I was sitting in the park looking for used cars on my laptop, and this older gentleman came up to me and asked if I had a particular car in mind. He said he had one he had been saving for just the right person, and I was that person. Now, naturally, I was a little apprehensive, I mean, who does that kind of thing nowadays, but there was just something in the man's eyes that made me want to trust him. So, he took me to see the truck, and I fell in love with it. He wouldn't even accept payment. He just said I needed to keep it in top notch condition, and that would be payment enough. We're actually going to go to his restaurant tonight." She threw a quick glance over to Nathan before continuing. "I hope you don't mind. I figured you might want some actual food instead of coffee since it's getting so late."
It could have been one in the morning for all Nathan's senses were working at that moment. Was she talking about Duke? Did Duke give her his truck? Who else would keep this and then give it away? He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. "What's the name of the restaurant?"
"It's actually more like a bar, but it's really cute and has great food. It's called the Grey Gull."
If he could feel anything, Nathan knew without a doubt that his blood was running ice cold, and his heart was beating out of his chest. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. He forced a swallow down his impossibly dry throat. "Sounds great."
When she came to a stop sign and turned left, Nathan snorted. She always did go left instead right to get to the Gull from here, and they always argued about which way was actually faster. They had always said one day they would test each other in separate cars, but just never got around to it. "You always go that way."
"What?"
Nathan quickly looked at her when he realized he had vocalized his thought. "Uh, nothing. Never mind, sorry."
She narrowed her eyes at him again, and again, Nathan swore he could see a glimmer of recognition swim through those clear blue eyes.
Before he knew it, they were climbing out and walking into the Gull. Would Duke be here? He couldn't still be working behind the bar, could he? But he was, and their eyes locked immediately. Nathan could see Duke shift his gaze down to her and then back up to Nathan. He visibly paled, but otherwise, didn't let on that he knew Nathan. He must have instinctively known not to say anything. And, as Nathan thought about it, he had told her he was just visiting. If he was, no one should know who he was. But, people would. Oh no, how was he going to cover? Should he just tell her now that he was lying, and that he was actually from here? But then how would he explain needing to be at the B&B? And as Duke started making his way over to them, Nathan started to panic.
"Rose! I'm so happy you came in today."
She walked over to Duke and gave him a hug, and Nathan and he made eye contact over her short stature.
"And I see you brought in my friend, Nathan. How on earth did you find him?"
Rose pulled back from Duke's embrace and looked between the two men. "You know him?"
Duke's eyes never left Nathan's. "Of course I know him! We were friends for years, but then he disappeared. I see you decided to come back."
Why did she have to be here for this? Why? Nathan needed to talk to Duke in private. He needed to save this.
"You never told me you used to live here."
Nathan looked down at her, seeing the wariness in her eyes. "I was going to mention it over coffee tonight. I didn't see you long enough before to give you my whole story."
She nodded, seemingly pacified by the explanation, and turned back to Duke. "What's the special tonight, Duke?"
"I'm going to whip you guys up something special." Duke finally tore his gaze from Nathan, and looked down at her. "Why don't you go grab a table? I'd like to have a quick word with Nathan, if you don't mind."
"Not at all! Go, catch up. I'll get Gord to grab us some beers. Wait, you do drink, right Nathan?"
Nathan smiled and nodded, and watched as she walked away from them.
"It's been a long time."
Nathan turned towards his friend, and drank in his appearance. He was an old man now, and looked similar to how he did when he was affected by the Trouble that aged him. His hair was white and falling out, but he was still Duke.
"Why did you do it, Nathan?"
"I had a good reason." And with that, he looked back over towards where she was sitting at a table, chatting to the bartender. Even in this persona, she was able to capture a room. She was his reason for everything.
Duke looked over as well and sighed. "And was it worth it, Nathan? She doesn't know you. She's not her."
Nathan turned back to glare at Duke. "Of course it's her. She just doesn't know it yet."
"You left the rest of us behind."
"I'm here now."
The two friends stared at each other for moments on end before Duke wrapped his arms around Nathan. "I missed you. We need to talk when you can."
Nathan pulled back and looked towards her again. "Tomorrow. Can we talk tomorrow?"
"You know she's staying upstairs again, right?"
"It wouldn't surprise me."
Nathan looked at Duke once more, and then headed off in her direction. Audrey was in there. Most definitely. There were too many coincidences already to say otherwise.
They talked all evening, and closed the bar down. Duke of course, let them stay as he was cleaning up, but she finally stood up and announced they should leave.
"Let me walk you home."
"Nathan, I live upstairs. I need to take you home."
Of course. The Bronco out front wasn't his, and he wasn't driving back to his house after making sure she was safe upstairs. No, she would be driving him back to the B&B, and then returning here. He sighed, and watched her mirror his actions. Was she nervous? What was she thinking?
"Look, I never do this, so, please don't get the wrong idea, but there's just something about you, Nathan. And Duke seems to trust you in some weird way, and I've really had too much to drink to be driving. Would you like to stay at my place tonight? I hear my couch is pretty comfortable."
The blood had to have drained from his face, but Nathan didn't care. She was so forward in this personality, kind of like Sarah. Or was it more? Was it that she knew she could trust him? She definitely talked more in this personality, but he liked it. He could listen to her talk forever. "Are you sure?"
"For some reason, yes. I have this sense I can trust you."
"Do you think your friend at the B&B will refund me the cost of my room tonight?"
Nathan watched as she threw her head back to laugh, and it was the greatest sound he had ever heard. She was so carefree here. But, being a writer, she could be carefree. And, the Troubles hadn't reared their ugly head yet. His of course was already activated, but his seemed to be one of the first to appear last time too.
He instinctively reached out towards her as he stood up, and when she placed her hand in his he pulled in a sharp intake of breath. God, she felt so good. His mind was already imagining how her whole body would feel pressed up against his, and he knew that he definitely had too much beer swimming through his veins. Maybe staying with her tonight wouldn't be as good of an idea as it first seemed.
But then she was tugging him towards the door, and he could imagine no other place he wanted to be. As he walked through the doorway, he caught a brief glimpse of Duke glaring at him. He would have to ask about that tomorrow. But tonight, tonight it was all about Audrey – Rose – he couldn't mess that up. He needed to stay focused, but as he stood behind her while she unlocked her door, the smell of lilacs and vanilla danced through his senses, and before he knew it, he had his hands on her hips, pulling her back to his front so that he could bury his nose in her hair. She smelled just like Audrey, and it was intoxicating. But of course she did. She was Audrey.
And then she turned in his arms, framing his face with her hands, and pulled his lips down to hers. God, it was just like it was hours – years – ago. But this time, she wasn't leaving. This wasn't a goodbye, this was a hello, and Nathan could feel himself getting lost in her. But then, she was pulling back.
"Whoa. Talk about déjà vu."
Nathan had to blink a couple of times to readjust his focus. "Hmm?" God, he couldn't even form coherent words, and he had to consciously step back slightly. Her body pressed against his was causing him to lose control, and this wasn't right. This wasn't Audrey. Not yet, anyways.
"I just…it just seems like we've done this before, which, is ridiculous." She shook her head and then turned away from his embrace to walk through the door.
She gestured around the room as she talked. "It's small, but it's cozy. I like it. Couch is right there, bathroom is over there. Let me grab you some blankets."
Nathan waved a hand. "I don't need any, thank you."
"Why wouldn't you need any? It's getting cold out there. Can't you feel that?"
Of course she wouldn't know he couldn't feel the cold. "You're right, sorry, I wasn't thinking. Blankets would be great."
He watched her as she made up the couch for him, and then as she got ready for bed. He missed her blonde curls, but she looked fantastic no matter what color her hair.
And so, he closed his eyes on his first night in future Haven, and drifted off feeling content that on his very first night, he was already sleeping in the same room as her. He would make her remember.
A scream woke him from his buzzed sleep, and he was momentarily disoriented as he tried to figure out where he was. It was the smell that brought it back to him. Her smell. The smell of lilacs and vanilla. Of course, he was in her apartment over the Gull. He was in future Haven. And then the scream came again, and he was running towards her bed, grabbing her shoulders to shake her when he reached her. "Parker! Wake up! Parker!"
Her eyes flung open, but it was if she was still asleep. "Nathan! You're dead! I saw you die!"
He shook her one more time, trying to get her to wake up. "Parker!" And finally, her eyes seemed to focus. Surprise flashed through them before she obviously remembered who he was, and she relaxed a bit.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Nathan. I'm not crazy, I swear. I just have these terrible nightmares sometimes."
Nathan sat down on the bed next to her, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was terribly intimate, but she didn't seem to mind. "Tell me about it."
She looked up at him and licked her lips. "They're…I don't know how to describe them. They seem so real, and like I'm apart of them, but I'm not me. You were in this one though. I was standing on a street talking to you on a cell phone, and then there was a horrible accident. I ran to you, but it was too late. You had…"
He could see tears forming in her eyes, and all he could was pull her to his chest as he placed one hand on the back of her head, and the other on her lower back. She was remembering. This nightmare sounded exactly how Audrey had described her Groundhog Day Trouble experience to him. "It's ok, I'm here, I'm ok."
As he took a deep breath, she pulled away from him. "Did you call me Parker?"
Oh shit. Did he call her Parker? Her screams had pulled him so far from the situation at hand, he could have. He didn't know. "Did I?"
She nodded and worried her fingers along her blankets. When she spoke, it was in a hushed voice. "Sometimes in my nightmares, I hear someone calling me that, and it seems so natural."
Ok, this he could talk his way out of. "So there you go. You must have still been dreaming and thought I called you that."
He studied her, trying to see if she bought his explanation, and when she finally nodded, he silently let out a breath.
"That makes sense, I guess."
"Do you want to tell me about the other nightmares you've had?"
She looked down and shook her head. "You'll laugh at me."
Nathan reached down and put his fingers under her chin, pulling up so that she would look into his eyes. "Am I laughing now?"
She paused before speaking. "Why do I feel so comfortable with you?" She looked around and sighed. "Ok, just one more that's been bothering me, and then I'll let you get back to sleep." She glanced up at Nathan and continued when he nodded. "I'm standing on a beach, which, actually, if I think about it, is very similar to the one here in Haven, and there's this older man sitting on the ground in front of me. He's shaking, like it's cold, but it's so hot out, there's no way he could be cold. And all these cracks start forming in the ground near him, so I have to step back. My belt feels heavy too, like there's something hanging on it."
Because he was holding her hands, Nathan could feel the blood in his fingers go cold, so he knew it was in the rest of his body as well. He pulled one hand away to rub the back of his neck, because he knew the hairs had to be standing straight up. She was describing the Chief's death. She was describing them standing there as he was breaking up. The weight on her belt had to be her gun. Because of course, as a writer, she wouldn't be used to that weight.
"Someone's yelling at me to say that everything will be ok, but I know deep down it won't be, and so I don't say anything. And then the cracks disappear in front of me, but the man just…and then I'm knocked to the ground, and I wake up. And every time I wake up, I feel like I've just let my best friend down. It's such an odd feeling."
What could he say? That's exactly how she felt in that moment. She had let him down. He of course forgave her, but in that exact moment in time, she had completely let him down.
"Please don't laugh. I know it sounds ridiculous."
"I'm not laughing." He couldn't think of having any reaction at that moment. Except hope. He was definitely feeling hope. She was remembering, but they were coming to her as dreams. She was able to pick up talents before as Audrey, like playing the piano, but she never fully remembered her other personas. Would this time be different? Since he was here with her this time?
He sat with her until she fell asleep, and laid awake the rest of the night. How could he get her to remember?
The next morning he carefully crept out the door, and walked downstairs. He left a note for her thanking her for her hospitality, and to drop by the B&B later, because he still owed her coffee. But for now, he needed to talk to Duke, and as he walked into the Gull, he wasn't surprised to see a spread of pancakes and coffee already laid out for him, with Duke sipping on a cup of coffee as well.
"So did you sleep with her?"
"I'm not answering that question."
"Well, I have to give it to you for at least being a gentleman."
"Why would you care, even if I did?"
"Because she's not Audrey, and if you had slept with her, you would have been taking advantage of her, and the situation."
Nathan scowled at Duke, but couldn't be too angry as he dug into his pancakes. Duke was right. If he had slept with her, he would have betrayed Audrey. Even if Audrey was in there.
After making his way through about half of the stack, he looked up. "Was I really gone 27 years?"
"Do you really think I would look like this if you had only been gone a few?" Duke stared blankly at Nathan and then dropped his eyes. "You've been gone 27 years, Nathan. I had fully given up hope until she showed up. It was just like before. She was just here. And I knew deep down, that if she was here, you wouldn't be far behind. I didn't expect you two to find each other so quickly though."
"I found her just as quickly last time, too."
Duke looked up at his long lost friend, and nodded. "True."
"She remembers being Audrey."
"Is that what your endgame is, Nathan? Are you trying to turn her back into Audrey?"
Nathan could only shrug.
"Please don't believe you can change her back. Don't get your hopes up. She's a different person now."
"I need your help, Duke."
Duke put his mug down on the table and ran his long fingers through his wiry hair. "I'm not as young as I once was, Nathan. I can't be chasing down Troubles for you again."
"No, nothing like that. I need money, and credit cards. I need a car, and a place to stay." Nathan reached into his pocket and dropped his phone on the table. "And I definitely need a new phone."
Duke looked at the phone and threw back his head to laugh. "Oh yeah, you definitely need a new phone. I can get you that. The credit cards, head down to the bank. Joe still works there, so I'm sure he'll hook you up. As for a place to stay…" Duke reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out a key, laying it on the table next to Nathan's place. "…you're lucky you had your mortgage paid off."
Nathan gaped at the key that was sitting before him. "Is this…"
"Yup. Should be pretty clean, too. I've had a cleaning crew go through there once a month just in case, and lucky for you, they were there last week."
"Duke…"
Duke put up his hands and shook his head. "Somehow I knew you'd be back, Nathan, and I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. The car however, someone got to that first, but I'm betting you don't mind."
Nathan looked up from Duke as he heard the door open, and in she walked. God, he needed her to remember. He needed her to be Audrey. But, at least she was here, and seemingly liked him. That was a start.
Duke turned around after following Nathan's gaze over his head, and stood up. "Rose, I didn't expect you this morning. Would you like some breakfast?"
She looked towards Nathan and a small smile creeped along her face. "Breakfast would be lovely, Duke, thank you."
"Pancakes?"
She nodded. "I could go for some pancakes. Do you have the lobster on special tonight?"
"For you, it's always on special."
Nathan snorted at her question. Of course she loved lobster. Audrey loved lobster. He didn't cover his snort well enough though, and she looked at him questioningly. He had to wave and shake his head. "I just marvel at how you are able to get men to do anything you ask." He swore she blushed, but her skin was tan enough that it didn't really show.
"May I join you?"
"Be my guest. I still owe you a coffee."
"Raincheck until this afternoon?"
Nathan felt as though his heart would burst with joy. She was already making sure she would see him later this afternoon. This version of Audrey was so…forthright. It was as though she wanted him now, even though she barely knew him. He could easily see himself falling for her, for Rose, but he couldn't. He knew Audrey was in there, and it was Audrey he wanted. It was Audrey he fell in love with. "That would be great. I have a few things I need to take care of this morning. Uh, would you mind driving me into town? I can always walk if you're busy."
"No, please, anything you need."
What did he need? Her. Only her. He needed Audrey.
Duke returned with a plate of pancakes and bacon, and let his two guests chat as they finished their breakfast.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?"
Nathan smiled through the open window of his Bronco. Her Bronco. So strange. "Yes, I have a few people I need to meet up with, but should be done around mid-afternoon. I can meet you at Rosemary's then?"
She nodded and grinned. "I'll be there."
And with that, she drove away, leaving Nathan standing in front of the bank. He blew out a breath and ran down the mental checklist of what he needed to do during the day.
At two pm sharp, Nathan could hear the telltale rumble of his Bronco's engine. Her Bronco's engine. He stood there waiting for her, and as she walked up with a smile on her face, he gestured towards the table that already held their mid-afternoon snack. A coffee for each of them, and a cupcake for her. "Oh, I love Rosemary's cupcakes! How did you know?"
"Lucky guess."
Just like Audrey, the cupcake completely distracted her, and she didn't even look up until the cupcake was gone, and she had washed it down with a large gulp of coffee. "Mmm, that was delicious. Thank you, Nathan. You sure know how to treat a girl well."
"Only the right girl." She definitely blushed that time. Audrey never blushed, and this was adorable. Maybe once he was able to get her to remember, Audrey would blush too. If so, he wanted to spend every day trying to make that happen.
"Did you get everything done you needed to?"
Nathan thought back to his day and nodded. He found Joe at the bank, who after clutching his chest and scaring Nathan half to death that he had caused Joe to have a heart attack, helped him reopen a few credit cards, and start the paperwork to reopening his closed accounts that still held his money. Next up was the police station, which was being held down by Dwight of all people. Never one for showing any emotion, he simply shook Nathan's hand and said his job was there whenever he was ready. The final stop was at the Haven Herald, where he had poured over the archives all day, trying to catch up on what he missed while he was gone. He felt his throat burn when he saw not only the obituary for Dave, but Vince as well. Neither he nor Audrey had any kind of obituary, so the story must never have been they had died. He mentally made a note to ask Duke about that later.
"Well, I have a place to stay, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind driving me there. It's on the outskirts of town, and not really walkable. I'll make you dinner in thanks."
"That would be great. I haven't really made any friends here yet, so it would be nice to eat dinner with someone."
Even here he was going to be her first friend. "What about Duke?"
"Duke is great, but, come on Nathan, how much can I possibly have in common with him?"
"Moreso than you think."
She tilted her head to the side as she contemplated his words. "Sometimes you're so cryptic, Nathan. It's almost like you think you know me."
He was getting too bold. He needed to pull back a bit. "You just remind me of someone I know."
"Tell me about her."
Nathan raised his eyebrows. "How do you know it's a her?"
She shrugged, and took another sip of coffee, never breaking eye contact. "Women's intuition."
This could be his big chance. Maybe telling her about Audrey would jog her memory. Maybe something he would say would be a trigger. Maybe he could bring out Audrey right here and now. "Well, I met her here in Haven, actually. She was an FBI agent, and had a minor car accident – almost drove her car over the cliffs."
"Oh my god! She was ok though?"
Nathan chuckled. Rose definitely was more expressive than Audrey, and such a writer. Wanting to know the story before anyone could actually tell it. "She was fine. I pulled her out of the car in time, and then she pulled a gun on me when she saw mine."
"You had a gun!?" She almost slammed down her coffee on the table. Thankfully, it had a lid on it.
He could only smirk at her. "Are you going to let me tell this story? Or are you going to keep interrupting?"
She waved a hand in the air. "Sorry, continue."
"Yes, I had a gun. I used to work on the Haven PD. So yes, she pulled a gun on me."
"I like her already."
"She soon solved her case that brought her here, but found out that someone who could have been her mother – she was an orphan – had also been here in Haven, years ago. Wanting to solve the mystery, she decided to stay, and we ended up working together."
"Did you sleep with her?"
He shouldn't have been surprised by her question, because she had definitely established herself as being very forthright already, but it did take him back.
"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate."
"No, it's fine. No, I didn't sleep with her."
"You wanted to, didn't you?"
Nathan raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged. "Women's intuition."
How should he answer this? Should he dance around the subject? No, honesty is the best policy. Definitely honesty. "Yes. Most definitely."
"Then why didn't you? Was she not interested? I can't imagine why she wouldn't be…"
Her blatant flirting was going to be his undoing. And they were sitting outside of Rosemary's. Anyone could hear this. But then, what did it matter? Anyone who knew him, knew he wanted Audrey, and knew that this was essentially Audrey sitting with him. And anyone who didn't know him, would only see two people out on what could be considered a date.
"She was interested, but…we just didn't get there before we both had to leave town." This conversation needed to move to his house. He felt like if he could get her to the house she wouldn't run after hearing more of this story, so he stood up. "How about we head back to my place. We can continue the story there."
"Ok. It definitely sounds like there's more to this story."
Nathan held out his hand to help her out of her chair, and kept holding it as they walked towards the Bronco. "Would you mind if I drove?"
She shook her head and reached into her bag to fish out her keys. "You can try. This truck is pretty touchy."
"I think I can handle it."
As he turned the key, it felt good to be behind the wheel, even though for him, he had just been there yesterday.
"Hey, where's my lip gloss?"
Nathan turned to look at her, feeling that bubble of hope rise in his chest again. She was looking around in the passenger door where Audrey always left her lip gloss. If this was her truck, wouldn't it be in the driver's side door? He watched as she turned to him, and it was like Audrey was looking at him with indignation that he stole her lip gloss. But then, the look was gone, and Audrey wasn't there.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure why I said that."
She looked out the front windshield, and remained quiet the rest of the way. Even if he wanted to, Nathan wouldn't be able to say anything. Audrey was definitely in there, and she was remembering. She was remembering quickly, too.
As he cooked dinner and she sat on the counter watching him, he told her as much as he could about Audrey. She listened intently, and jotted down notes as he talked, presumably to weave into some kind of story. Thankfully, since she was a writer, her mind was more open to the unknown than most people – even moreso than Audrey had been.
Over dinner, they talked about her, and she told Nathan all about her childhood – how she had been adopted, but never quite fit in with her family, so had lost herself in the world of books. As she grew older, she knew that writing was her passion, so had followed her dream. She ended up in Haven because a few of her favorite authors often wrote about the areas surrounding it, and she wanted to see the landscapes with her own eyes. And as soon as she set foot in town, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
It was always interesting to see what brought all of her personalities to Haven, and this one, like the others, just made sense.
"You know, there's one thing you haven't told me."
Nathan was clearing away their empty plates, and moved towards the sink to let them soak. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"What was her name?"
"Who's name?"
"Nathan…"
Damn, this was it. He was going to have to tell her. He tactfully had avoided saying Audrey's name, but there was no avoiding it now. "Audrey."
"Audrey what?"
He couldn't even look at her. Once he told her, she was going to panic. She had already told him that people in her dreams were calling her Parker. Only he called her Parker, which meant it was he who she was constantly dreaming about. Telling her Audrey's last name could be the thing that scared her enough to leave, and he really felt like he was getting somewhere with her. With each story he told, he could see that faint glimmer of recognition grow in her eyes. He was going to have to do it though. He put his hands on the counter to brace himself, and hunched his shoulders. "Parker. Audrey Parker."
He heard her pencil drop on the table and roll to the floor. And when after a few moments he didn't hear her say anything else, he turned to look at her. Her head was buried in her hands. He didn't know what to do. If it was Audrey, he would go and comfort her, but this wasn't Audrey. It was, but it wasn't. So he watched her, and waited. Waited for her to do something, anything, so he could react.
"You're the person in my dreams calling me Parker, aren't you?"
What could he say? It was the truth, but it was so hard for her to hear. It had to be. She couldn't even pull her head from her hands as she spoke now. "Yes."
Her head whipped up, and he could see tears falling down her cheeks. But worse than that, he could see fear in her eyes. There was no recognition. His admission had only frightened her. But how could it not? Anyone would be afraid if some stranger somehow knew their dreams. What was he going to do? What was she going to do? He could only stare at her. He couldn't react.
"What is going on? Ever since the moment I first saw you on the street, I was drawn to you – like I've known you before. And then it turns out you're really from here, and everyone knows you, but they all seem to look at you like you've come back from the dead. But still, I felt like I could trust you. And then you didn't laugh at my dreams – in fact, it seemed like you were reliving them as I told you about them. Were you? Were you there? But how is that possible?" She shook her head and quickly stood up, knocking her notepad to the floor. "I need to get out of here."
"Aud…Rose, wait."
She turned to him as she was half out the door. "That's the first time you've said my name since we've met. And it wasn't even what you wanted to call me. Why do I feel like I've been here before? Why does this place feel so comfortable?" She turned and walked towards the Bronco. "I need to leave, and don't even think of following me."
His legs were betraying him. She was walking away from him again, and he couldn't force his legs to move this time. Last time, they had miraculously propelled him into the Barn, but this time…this time, they were rooted to his front porch, forcing him to watch his beloved Bronco drive away, with her in the driver's seat.
For six days he walked around town, hitting all the places at all the times she would normally visit, but he couldn't find her. He would sit in the gazebo overlooking the water, pretending he could hear the engine of the Bronco rumbling down the road. But he never heard it. By all accounts, she had left town. He had scared her away. Duke of course, said, I told you so, but never in his deepest thoughts did he think she would run. She never ran. Haven was her home. Why did he have to tell her so much so soon? He should have known it would be too much. And now what was he going to do? He couldn't imagine a world without Audrey in it, and especially not this world – this world of his future. All of his friends (what few he had) were old men now. Sure, he could join the Haven PD again, but why? What was his purpose now that she was gone?
On the seventh day, on a whim, he bought a cupcake to go from Rosemary's. Why, he didn't know. He wasn't a fan of cupcakes, but it was there, and so he bought it and had it packaged to go. And he carried it as he walked and sipped his coffee, finally ending up on his bench overlooking the water. This was the bench where he and Audrey sat after the Chief died. It was so peaceful up here, and so far away from everyone that it was rarely busy.
"I really hope that cupcake is for me."
The voice pulled him out of his musings. There was only one voice that could do that. And as he stood up and turned and looked into those eyes he knew so well, all he saw was a look of complete recognition. He wasn't imagining it, was he? He had to try. He had to. "Parker?"
She nodded, and he could barely make his legs move. He was in shock. He had to say it again. "Parker."
She nodded once again, and then his legs were moving, and she met him halfway, and he was framing her face and crushing his lips to hers. All he could feel was…everything. He could feel her, she was here, and that's all that mattered. Reluctantly, he pulled away, but only enough so he could speak. He kept his forehead resting against hers, because he didn't want to break any contact. "How?"
Audrey wrapped her arms around Nathan, and buried her face in his neck. "You made me remember. From the moment I saw you walk into town, I knew I knew you, but I couldn't figure out how. So I wanted to make sure I stuck as close to you as possible. There was something drawing me to you. But then you started talking about someone else, and then you said it was me, and it scared me, because it all seemed so real, so I ran. But I couldn't run. Every time I closed my eyes, I would dream, but they weren't dreams, they were memories. Of you. Of us. And then this morning I woke up, and I remembered it all. I remembered being Audrey, I remembered you, and I remembered us. I had to find you, and somehow, I knew you'd be here.
Nathan was sure he had tears in his eyes, but it didn't matter. She was back. She was Audrey. She remembered. He pulled her lips to his again, and wanted nothing but to get lost in her. But then, she was pulling away, and all he could do was search her eyes for why she was pulling away.
"You never answered my question." He pointed behind him towards the bench. "Is that cupcake for me?"
Nathan laughed for the first time in what seemed like months. "Yes. Yes, it's for you. Always for you." She had found him, and he had found her. Now, to keep her here.
Upcoming Prompt: Nathan meets his child for the first time - and discovers he can feel him. (Courtesy of Peacockgirl)