A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. :)

Twin Peaks doesn't belong to me.

Cooper almost laughed at the way Audrey addressed him. He hadn't been called "Agent Cooper" in years now. He was "Assistant Sheriff Cooper" now. After everything he had overcome, every demon he had fought, he could see why people wondered why he stayed in Twin Peaks. It wasn't as if he didn't wake up some nights, in a cold sweat as a nightmare lingered in his mind. He resigned from the FBI; the emotional toll was a little too much to bear. He had been working as the sheriff's assistant for awhile now, having come out of isolation only a few years ago.

When he heard about the bank explosion shortly after it happened so long ago, he himself had been pretty wounded, and he had wanted to go see Audrey. When he finally did, she had fled Twin Peaks. He never got to say goodbye, and that made him sadder than anything at the time. It was another reason for his isolation.

"That's Assistant Sheriff Cooper to you," he corrected. He gestured to his booth. "Join me?"

She balanced her food in her hands and slid into the seat in front of him. He couldn't believe how beautiful she had become. Her eyes still had that little twinkle that they had when she was eighteen. Her face had matured slightly, as well as her body. Audrey Horne, a woman. "Assistant Sheriff? What's that about?"

"I just...the FBI left me with many emotional and physical problems that I knew, eventually, I had to break away from." he admitted. He didn't feel like telling her the whole story; it was far too depressing.

"Wasn't that a bit of Twin Peaks' fault, too? This town has caused a lot of trouble to you."

"Well, yes, but I love this town. It's a comfort. I knew I always wanted to stay."

She studied him for awhile. "There's something you're not telling me, Agent...oh, um..."

He chuckled. "Dale. Dale is fine. Yes, I'm not telling you everything; at least not now. Later, yes. That is, if that's what you want."

She smiled gently. "I do."

"So where have you been?"

"Washington DC." she secretly loved how his eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing there?"

"Being a Special Agent."

"Audrey Horne!" he exclaimed. "A Special Agent? For the FBI?"

She only smiled in reply, showing him her badge.

He leaned back, his pie and coffee still untouched. "Wow. How old are you now?"

She giggled; she turned right back into a teenager around him. "Oh, you never ask a lady that, Dale."

He chuckled again and shook his head. "A Special Agent. Audrey Horne, FBI."

Audrey gave him a full-blown grin now. "That's me."

"That's amazing." he replied honestly. "You're not here on a case, are you?"

"No. I'm just here on vacation. But this is Twin Peaks, something could turn up at any moment." and he couldn't disagree with that.

"Wow. I still can't believe you're sitting in front of me, Miss Audrey. I honestly thought I'd never see you again."

Her expression softened. "Oh, Agent Cooper...oops, Dale," she corrected herself. "I wish I could've said goodbye to you, but all I wanted to do was leave. I didn't think too much, I just wanted to run away. The only people I said goodbye to was my family, really, and after my father died," she stopped and shrugged. "They didn't really care that much."

"Where are they now? Your family?"

"Here, for all I know. Honestly, I should go and see them, but I barely talked to them, even when I was at Quantico. Now with my job, it's hard to telephone all the time."

Cooper nodded with a little smile. "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you. I know I am. How long are you here?"

"A couple weeks."

A couple weeks wasn't enough. He wanted her here forever; he wanted to make things right. "What happened to that boy you had for awhile? John?"

She shook her head. "We had a fling. I said a short goodbye and he wasn't too fazed. What about Annie? She still around?"

Cooper hesitated. "It's a long story, Audrey. But no, Annie is not around anymore."

Audrey gave a slight frown. "Well, I'm sorry. You did like her quite a lot, didn't you?"

"I loved her." he said solemnly. "But...like I said, a long story."

"You should tell me one day, if you want to. I'd like to hear it."

Cooper tentatively reached out and squeezed Audrey's hand. "Thank you, Miss Audrey."

"You have to stop calling me that. I'm just Audrey."

"Alright, Audrey," he smiled, standing up from the booth as she did the same. "Let's talk again?"

"Oh, of course," she replied. She reached out to shake his hand, but he instead pulled her into an embrace.

"I really missed you," he whispered. Audrey's heart melted. "I'm so glad you're back." He pulled away with a kiss on the top of her head. "Talk to you soon, Audrey."

She smiled a smile that set off a million butterflies in Cooper's stomach. "You too, Dale."

A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying, next chapter is on its way soon (and it's longer) :)

-Lulamae