Happy Endings Four
"Duke," Audrey suggested as the silence between them stretched to a ridiculous level, "why don't you try calling Nathan?"
"Ahhh, because you tried it already and it didn't work." He replied irritably.
"Yeah, but you're immune to the shroud trouble and I'm not. Maybe it will work for you." Audrey reasoned, hanging on to her patience by her fingernails. Duke's defeated attitude was beginning to irritate her – in addition to frightening her.
Duke glared at her, not because she was wrong but simply because his level of frustration with life was reaching meltdown levels. Then he pulled out his phone and dialed – and almost dropped the phone when it actually rang.
"Duke?" Nathan's voice on the other end was so welcome that Duke's eyes stung with tears.
"Yeah, it's me." He answered after clearing emotion from his throat. "How is everything in Haven?"
"Mia's safe with us in the station." Nathan answered, covering the unasked question first. "We're coping with the new troubles so far and I found William's aether stash."
"So Audrey and I should return now?" Duke asked eagerly.
"I'm not sure yet." Nathan cautioned. "Croatoan is still in the wind but he's not in Dave anymore."
"Wait… What?!" Duke exclaimed. "What do you mean –"
"Remember when Dave almost fell in the Void? Well, that cut on his leg was Croatoan's doing and somehow it let Croatoan hitch a ride in Dave's body. He's been the one killing people. But Dave's himself now and Croatoan is running around in a new body, thanks to Mia."
Nathan sounded like he wasn't sure if he was happy or not with that development and Duke couldn't blame him since he was conflicted about it himself.
"Is she okay? Did he hurt her?"
"She seems fine." Nathan reassured Duke. "She and Charlotte are going to go check out William's aether stash later today. But we have another problem. We need the control crystal to recreate the Barn but the crystal is in the Void and all the thinnies are sealed."
"I thought Charlotte sealed those – can't she just unseal them?"
"No. We think Croatoan sealed them against everyone but him."
"When we deal with this we need to make sure every thinnie in the world is sealed forever. I'm sick of these otherworlders coming here and screwing with us." Duke growled.
"Agreed, but in the meantime we need to figure out how to get into the Void and retrieve the power crystal."
"And me and Audrey?" Duke asked pointedly. "She forgets me and Haven if I'm out of her sight for longer than thirty seconds. It's made life pretty interesting."
"Seriously?"
"No one remembers Haven out here, Nathan. I can't access my money in my bank accounts or anything. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince an employer to have your girlfriend hang around the place watching you work?"
"Girlfriend?" Nathan asked pointedly. Duke sighed and waited.
"Hang on a second – let me see what the others think." Nathan took the phone away from his face and pushed the "mute" button.
"He wants to come back. He says no one remembers Haven out there and Audrey forgets us – and him – if she's out of sight of him for longer than a minute."
"If there's enough aether to form an aether core I'm going to need her help to do it." Charlotte offered hesitantly.
"Croatoan still wants them both." Dwight argued, shaking his head doubtfully.
"But if we need Audrey…" Nathan countered.
"We do." Charlotte put in, more forcefully.
"And Duke's immunity to these new troubles could only help." Nathan continued. Dwight was clearly less than pleased but finally nodded his acceptance.
"Okay, we're agreed." Nathan told Duke as soon as Dwight nodded. "Make your way back here."
Duke sighed with relief. "We'll be there in a few hours." He told Nathan. He disconnected the call and turned to share the news with Audrey when a knock sounded at their door. He groaned, knowing there was no way this was going to be a good thing.
In Haven Nathan looked around at the others as he pocketed his phone.
"He'll be here later today he says."
Mia closed her eyes briefly, worry and joy combating each other. Charlotte gave her hand a comforting squeeze and looked at Dwight with a mixture of sorrow and guilt. Dave just slumped wearily on the couch in Dwight's office, Vincent sitting next to him with worry etched on his face.
"Once he's here what do we do?" Dwight asked irritably. "Is it going to change anything?"
"With Audrey's help we'll create an aether core to power a new barn." Charlotte reminded him. "And Duke can only be an asset to you with his immunity to the new troubles."
"And none of that does any good without your controller crystal which is inaccessible in the Void – right?" Dwight pressed.
"We'll figure it out." Nathan soothed. "We always do."
Stan knocked on the door and then opened it without waiting for acknowledgement.
"We've had three different reports of dead bodies – all with no marks and blue eyes." He announced as soon as his head cleared the door. "Just thought you would like to know."
And Kira's fiancé, Tony, pushed past him to accuse Nathan of murdering Kira. The meeting quickly devolved into chaos until Vincent came up with the idea of a trial with the population of Haven deciding Nathan's fate. Tony was only mildly mollified and insisted that the trial begin as soon as those interested in participating could be gathered. Dwight took Stan and headed out to spread the word. Mia and Charlotte gathered together the supplies they would need in the mineshaft where Nathan had found the aether. Before they left he pulled them aside and revealed that Kira was there too, trapped by a fallen rock.
"So be careful." He finished. "Look out for each other. I don't want to have to answer to either Dwight or Duke if one of you doesn't come back."
"Send Audrey to us as soon as she gets here. We'll wait for her." Charlotte told Nathan. "And be careful yourself. Someone is clearly working hard to divide us – taking you down is just the first step."
Nathan nodded with a grim smile – at least the power had returned so people would be safe until morning when darkness finally fell. He hadn't cared much about his survival since the barn had imploded and he realized that he had caused the troubles to remain instead of ending for the next 27 years like they were supposed to.
Audrey and Duke, meanwhile, were listening intently to the brunette teen who had knocked on the door to their hotel room.
"I found your name in my dad's papers." She was saying. "It wasn't easy tracking you down but I'm desperate. Dad left some pretty big bills with some pretty nasty people and his journal said you owed him. I'm hoping you'll help me."
"What kind of help do you need?" Duke asked, cutting to the chase.
"Thirty thousand dollars will do it," the girl answered, watching Duke closely for his reaction. Duke shook his head sadly.
"Normally I'd give you the money, kid," he told her in response to her crestfallen expression. "But I can't access my bank accounts anymore."
"They got frozen?" She asked, showing more cynicism than Audrey expected.
"Something like that."
"Why don't we take her with us to Haven?" Audrey suggested. "No one will ever find her there since no one remembers it exists."
"What's a "haven"?"
"It's the town you were born, Hailie." Duke told her. "I was there so I remember."
"I've never heard of a town called Haven – not in Maine, at least." Hailie answered doubtfully.
"And that's why no one will find you there." Audrey said briskly. "So let's pack up and get moving."
"We have to stay together." Duke warned both of them.
"Fine." Audrey retrieved her gun from the bed and holstered it under the light jacket she wore. "I'm packed."
"What about you, kid?" Duke asked Hailie.
"Everything I care about is in my duffel." She shrugged the shoulder she'd slung the duffel over in illustration.
"Then let's move out."
Duke led the way out of the hotel room and took them to the parking lot of a nearby bar. Even though it wasn't even noon yet there were several cars parked out front – one of which was a snazzy black sports convertible, with the top down. He grinned like a kid in a candy shop and hopped over the door into the driver's seat. Audrey slid in next to him and Hailie made herself as comfortable as possible in the backseat – her duffel next to her. In a matter of moments Duke had hotwired the vehicle and they were on their way back to Haven, not a moment too soon in Duke's opinion.
What had been an all-day hike took a little over an hour in the sports car, possibly in part because Duke pushed her to her limits every place he thought there'd be no police cars to spot them. It was still before noon when Duke took Audrey and Hailie's hands and walked them through the fog bank that neither saw until he grabbed their hands. Hailie gasped with amazement and then inhaled sharply when they were through the fog and her childhood memories of Haven returned.
"How did I not remember this place?" She wondered aloud. "We lived here until I was eight!"
"Weird stuff happens in Haven." Audrey explained briefly. "And we've got to get to the police station and Nathan."
"Call him." Duke suggested sensibly. "He might not even be there."
Audrey pulled out her phone, her expression eloquently expressing her frustration at not realizing that she could now contact anyone in Haven she wanted to call. When Nathan answered she heard the murmur of many voices in the background and asked him what was going on.
"We're having a meeting." Nathan answered quietly and evasively. "You need to head to the old copper mine by the power station – Duke should know where it is. That's where William's aether stash is and Charlotte said she needs your help with it."
"Nathan, what aren't you telling me?" Audrey demanded, recognizing evasion when she heard it.
"We'll discuss it later, go meet up with your Mom. We need the aether core to create a barn."
"This conversation isn't over, Nathan Wuornos." Audrey told him firmly. She didn't see Nathan's smile but somehow she felt it.
"I've missed you, Parker. I'm glad you're back."
"Yeah, me too."
She disconnected the call and informed Duke and Hailie about events. Nathan was correct and Duke knew exactly where they needed to go. It wasn't terribly far from where they had entered Haven, in fact, and Duke led the way cross country with Hailie and Audrey following along behind.
In the mine Charlotte and Mia had found Kira and the aether. Charlotte was crestfallen, there wasn't nearly enough aether for a core but Mia was preoccupied with freeing Kira and healing her damaged leg. By the time Mia had teleported the stone to the other side of the room and repaired the damage to Kira's leg Charlotte had discovered the abundant aether stash in an adjoining room and Duke, Audrey and Hailie arrived. It was the work of moments for Charlotte to guide Audrey through the process of refining the aether into a core. Mia watched carefully, amazed by Audrey's affinity for the aether and the ease with which she manipulated it. A plan that had been simmering in her mind crystallized in that moment and as soon as she finished her work Mia called her and Duke to her.
"Charlotte, why don't you and Kira get Hailie to the police station? I think she must be about ready for something to eat and a break."
Charlotte raised an inquiring brow at Mia but nodded and ushered the other two women away when Mia merely smiled blandly at her. She shot her friend a look that promised a reckoning, however.
"Both of you need to listen to me, okay?" Mia began as soon as the three women left. "My brother will be attacking us soon – I can sense his intentions through the channel he put in my mind."
"Then aren't you a security risk?" Audrey asked, spotting the logical drawback.
"No. I'm far more experienced in mental abilities. He gets nothing from the link but my most negative emotions – it keeps him happy." She added cynically. "When he finally comes out into the open it's going to take all three of us to neutralize him. This is what we're going to do…"
As Mia spoke she partitioned Audrey and Duke's memories of the conversation behind a temporary wall. Her brother shouldn't discover what she had planned until it was too late. As soon as the other two understood her plan she ushered them out of the mine and after Charlotte, Kira and Hailie. They never even noticed the missing time because Mia left them memories of searching the mine for any more aether to explain staying behind.
The group made it through Trouble Alley and back to the station just as night was falling and Nathan's trial was winding up. Mia and Charlotte held Audrey back as Nathan made it clear to Tony that he was the person responsible for the darkness trouble. The trial pretty much fizzled after that and the women, and Duke, entered the station at last. And that was when Croatoan finally made his move.
Duke shuddered and a dark smoke enveloped him. Mia, alerted by her connection to Duke spun on one heel as Duke grabbed Hailie by the throat, his eyes totally black.
"Let her go, Duke! Don't do this!" She cried, pulling on his arms. He ignored her.
"Duke, it's me." She tried again, ducking under his arm and putting herself between him an Hailie. As she moved she threw open the door in her mind that she'd sealed to try and keep her brother from Duke's mind. His grip on Hailie slackened slightly and his gaze drifted down to Mia.
"Yes, Duke, it's me. And this isn't you. You don't kill children. You don't kill for someone else's power. You're a protector, Duke, not a murderer. Put her down."
Slowly his fingers opened and then he grabbed Mia by the throat as Hailie scurried back. Mia smiled at him and put a hand on his cheek, ignoring his grip on her throat.
"You don't want to hurt me, Duke." She choked out as his grip tightened. "Fight him!" She urged mentally as a roaring started in her ears.
"Duke!" Audrey cried urgently. His fingers loosened slightly again and Mia was able to draw shallow breaths. "Duke this isn't you!" Audrey continued. "You don't take orders from anyone."
"This is my destiny." He answered woodenly, but Mia was inside his mind – a mind clouded by black smoke – and she knew that wasn't Duke. Duke was…
"Duke! Duke!" Mia dove through the smoke to the trembling core in Duke's mind – his essence which was all but crushed by accusations and negativity her brother was throwing at him. Mia's psychic presence knelt beside Duke's essence and she threw a shield around the two of them, fending off what seemed like a cloud of malevolent black ghosts.
"Come on, Duke, you're stronger than this." She urged him and slowly Duke straightened. His "hands" gripped hers convulsively.
"That's it. You aren't alone, Duke. Don't listen to him."
"Mia?" His eyes cleared.
"It's my brother. We need to strike back, now. He's got to be in the room with us to do this to you. Are you ready?"
A fire lit in Duke's eyes as he realized just what had happened to him. His jaw firmed and his lips thinned and he nodded once. Mia smiled encouragingly and dropped the shield. To Duke it seemed like she exploded in a golden light but when the light faded the smoke in his mind was gone. To the observers it just looked like his eyes flickered from black to gold and then back to their normal warm brown. He released Mia's neck but pulled her close to him with one arm around her shoulder.
"Show yourself!" He shouted and the crowd parted slightly to allow an unremarkable, middle aged man to make his way to the space around Duke, Mia and Audrey.
"So, here we all are at last." He said with an oily smile.
"Indeed we are." Mia agreed and teleported the four of them to the street outside the station. The people in front of the station who had been following Nathan's trial through loudspeakers Dwight had rigged started and backed away, leaving them in a circle.
"Last chance, Duke. Spare yourself a pointless battle – and save my sister in the process. I'll mold her mind just the way you want it. You'll have the perfect mate."
Mia shot her brother a disgusted look.
"It's time, my loves." She told Duke and Audrey, unlocking the memory of their plan with those pre-arranged words. "There's something you don't know, brother." She snarled as her hand formed into a claw in front of his face and aether-smoke began flowing from his mouth, eyes and nose.
"Stop! You can't do this!" He choked.
"I can. I will. You killed my daughter!" Mia's voice rose to a shriek and the smoke pulled from Croatoan even faster. Audrey stepped up beside Mia, collecting the aether balls that were shooting from her palm like bullets from an assault rifle. They began to form a globe and one by one the black balls turned golden.
"Love, brother," Mia gritted out, sweat dotting her forehead with the effort she poured out. "You never understood it but it's going to destroy your vile plans."
"Duke!" Audrey gasped. He stepped up to her and Audrey placed her hand on his chest. He grunted as golden aether poured into him. His fists clenched and the tendons on his neck were clearly visible as he fought to contain what Audrey was siphoning into him.
"No, Dove, you don't understand!" Croatoan cried out. "I did it for you! I love you!"
"Mia's right – you don't know what love is." Audrey told her father, panting with the effort of transmuting so much aether. "But Mia does, and Duke does, and I do."
Duke's chest and face glowed golden. His eyes were lit up like a solar flare.
"Now, Duke!" Mia collapsed onto the ground with her brother.
Audrey held on a few moments longer, feeding the last of the golden energy into Duke but she fell to the ground the moment the last bit of light had fled. Duke trembled, the golden glow now lighting him from the waist up. Then, with a primal yell, he thrust his hands over his head and the golden light erupted from his hands, chest and face in a column that shot straight up for hundreds of yards before spreading out like an umbrella. The light went on for several long moments before flickering out – Duke fell to one knee. A rain of golden motes began to fall on Haven and as it touched the people faces filled with despair and fear began to smooth and ease. Smiles flickered on faces and then settled in. Someone laughed and a child began to dance in the falling golden light, making a game of capturing the motes.
Duke and Audrey and Mia sat up as they were coated in the healing energy. Nathan helped Audrey to her feet and pulled her into an embrace and Duke did the same with Mia. Stan handcuffed Croatoan. Dwight and Charlotte found themselves locked together in a kiss that promised healing between them. The shroud shivered and vanished and then voices cried out in fear that transformed into joy as every person who had died since the shroud had come into being suddenly appeared on the streets with their loved ones. Mia buried her head against Duke's chest, tears stinging her eyes.
"Hey, we won – why tears?" He asked, tipping her chin up.
"So many lives lost – my girl…" Mia whispered. "If only…"
"Hey, "if only" is a useless phrase." Duke told her. "Trust me, I know that one."
He turned to a tried and true remedy for tears and pressed his lips to hers. She responded with a hunger born of grief and relief she hadn't processed yet. They vanished from the street, reappearing on the deck of the Baton Rouge.
"I like your teleportation thing." Duke said with a smile.
"Well, I promised you an explanation and I thought it would be nice to talk in private."
Duke's smile slid off. He'd almost forgotten that there was still the matter of this strange connection between the two of them.
"Sit." He gestured to one of the lawn chairs on his deck, seating himself in the one next to it. "I'm listening."
"You know that our people are long lived." Mia began. "But we weren't always. When longevity was first unlocked we had a huge population explosion – so alterations to our hormone balances were programmed into our population. And our population plummeted, almost to the point of extinction."
Duke was listening with his full attention but obviously mystified as to the point.
"So another alteration to our genome was made. When individuals with complimentary qualities – qualities which would improve our species – meet, well certain hormones and biological drives turn on."
Duke looked at her blankly.
"Oh Duke, come on, you're smarter than this. You were attracted to my niece, my daughter and me – you and women of my genome are compatible. Biology has activated."
"Wait – this is…"
"It's no different than the hormones of your average teenagers – only we're adults and we can walk away if we want. But yeah, basically my biological programming wants to procreate with you." Mia grinned and shot Duke a look through her lashes. "And my mind thinks you're sexy and intelligent and fascinating and sweet…"
"But why am I affected by this? I'm a human being."
"You're the product of many generations – some of whom have been my offspring. In many ways you are more of a hybrid of our two peoples than the Halflings are. Apparently you've got enough of our biology that you are affected by certain drives."
"But I loved Jennifer!" He protested.
"Of course you did." Mia agreed. "She was one of the most loveable people ever produced."
"It wasn't some biological programming!"
"No, Duke, it wasn't. All the programming provides is the attraction. Without genuine feeling it won't really go anywhere."
"You said that this wasn't another destiny."
"It's not. It's biology and biology is not "fate"." Mia assured him. "You walked away from me and into the shroud – you can walk away now. I can walk away. Whatever happens between us is our choice – not destiny, not fate, not predetermined."
Duke jumped up and started pacing, his go-to when processing information and emotions.
"Why did you give Jennifer up for adoption?" he wanted to know.
"We were on the beach when my brother killed James. He saw us. I had to protect her. I got Howard to arrange her adoption far from Haven. I thought she would be safe." Tears swam in Mia's eyes as she explained.
"You must hate me for bringing her back to Haven."
Mia got up and stood in front of Duke, halting his pacing and grabbing his arms.
"You loved her." Mia told him, maintaining eye contact and willing him with everything she had to believe her. "I love you for that."
Duke looked away, a muscle in his jaw jumping as his hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
"I didn't protect her."
"You did." Mia argued fiercely. "And you supported her. And you did everything in your power to keep her safe. You aren't to blame for what my brother did."
Her hands slid up his arms to cup his face. Reluctantly he looked down at her.
"The only question here is what do you want, Duke? Shall I walk away?"
"What do you want?" He countered, floundering as emotions assailed him. Guilt over Jennifer's death and all the other deaths he'd had a hand in, anger at a new form of manipulation, fear of loving only to lose it all again – and a stubborn hope that just once he could have a happy ending. Mia smiled slowly and lifted onto her toes to whisper into his ear. An answering smile crept over her face even as a hint of a blush colored his cheeks.
"I might be able to make that happen." He agreed when she settled back down on her heels. "But –"
Mia cut him off with the simple expedient of pulling his face down to hers for a heated kiss.
"No buts." She told him fiercely. "You want this or you don't. Which is it?"
"Both." He told her honestly.
"Choose." She ordered him, practically bouncing with impatience. Another smile crept across his face.
"Why don't we go inside and you can present your arguments in favor?" He suggested. Mia's bouncing stilled and she reopened the connection between them – the connection that she had been keeping closed since the moment her brother had been defeated.
"You mean arguments like this?" She asked, sending everything she was feeling to him through that link.
Duke's eyes lit - her feelings were undeniable and it was clear that biological imperatives had nothing to do with what she sent to him.
"That works." He said slowly, his voice husky with emotion as healing began on a heart that had been battered and bruised for far too long.
Mia took his hand and led him into the living quarters of the Rouge, never letting up on the emotions she was sending through the link.
"Do you believe me yet?" she whispered as he shut the hatch behind them.
"Yes." He answered simply. He pulled her close.