First of all, I swear I didn't intend for this to get this long, it just sort of happened.
Second, updates will hopefully be regular, and will usually come on Friday or Saturday. This was done now and I'll take any excuse to avoid homework, so here you go. :)
Third, thanks so much for the great response! I'm so glad you guys like it so far.
Lastly, this chapter follows the plot of 4.12 pretty closely, but it'll start deviating from the show's canon soon.
The drive into town was uncomfortably quiet. Although Audrey wouldn't qualify Nathan as one for small talk even on the best of days, after what had happened that morning he seemed even more withdrawn. Which was probably fair, she thought. She'd do the same if he was holding out on her.
And despite all the rational parts of her that urged her to confide in him, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The fear that he would reject her was too great. She could face this on her own, but she didn't think she couldn't deal with the disgust she'd see in his eyes when he realized just what she'd done.
Nathan parked the car without a word, and as he stepped out and slammed the door, Audrey took a minute to gather herself. She'd have to push her own problems aside for the time being to deal with whatever fresh hell William was bringing them today.
After a minute she spared a glance in the direction Nathan had headed and undid her seatbelt, helping herself out of the car. Nathan had decided they'd stop at the tennis courts first, then work their way to the other locations, assuming they couldn't get anything concrete here. And it already looked like they wouldn't. She shut the car door and took a look around the area; there were minimal witnesses, no blood or anything else that stood out. In fact, excluding the body being wheeled off the court, it didn't look like anything at all had happened.
Not for the first time, Audrey wished she lived in a town where the murders were committed by real people, not by shadows or ghosts or fantastical creatures.
As she approached Nathan standing off to the side with another officer, movement on the other side of the court caught her eye. Turning her head slightly she caught sight of no other than the man of the hour- William.
He gave an exaggerated wave and she narrowed her eyes. She knew he was over-the-top gutsy, but he had to have more nerve than she thought coming to a crime scene.
Nathan broke away from the officer and stepped towards her, though her attention was still focused on William.
"Witness said the victim asked if he heard some noise before he died, although everybody else says the place was silent. Nothing else yet, although I'd still bet on William."
"Probably a fair call." She nodded over to the other side. "He's here."
She watched the change in Nathan's posture as he looked over to where William stood. All of a sudden he seemed stiff, defensive. She certainly couldn't blame him, as their last meeting with William had ended about as badly as it could have. Still, she knew what she had to do.
"I'll go talk to him."
Nathan turned to her quickly, a rebuttal ready on his lips, but she shook her head. As much as she'd like to have Nathan by her side, this was a conversation she needed to have with William one-on-one.
"He can't hurt me, remember?" Audrey placed a hand on his forearm in an attempt to reassure him, her fingers lightly brushing his skin. "And you can't hurt him." She gently chastised, although she knew it wasn't needed. Nathan had given himself constant reminders not to touch William after he'd inadvertently shot her, but with his occasional hot-head and William's penchant for pushing buttons, she still didn't want to take any chances.
"Right. Be careful." He whispered, and she gave his arm one last squeeze before turning away.
William still wore that same self-satisfied smirk, and as she approached him it only grew. She could feel Nathan's eyes on her, watching her closely. As good as it was to know that he had her back, she couldn't help but worry what he'd do if he perceived her to be in danger.
"Trouble in paradise?" William's teasing tone set her on edge, raising the hair on the back of her neck.
"What do you want?" She asked bluntly, but her harsh words did nothing to wipe the smile off his face.
He glanced her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl, and she crossed her arms defensively.
"Just wanted to make sure you're okay. I mean, Nathan did shoot you-"
"He shot you." Audrey stepped closer, dropping her voice slightly. She knew Nathan was still lurking behind them, keeping an eye on her. It was comforting in a way, but this wasn't something she wanted him to overhear.
William reached out and poked her harshly in the side before she could react, retracting his hand with a shrug.-
"He hurt you and I healed you, I think I deserve a thank you."
Her first instinct was to go for her gun, but she knew it wouldn't be much of a threat. If pulling the trigger would end with her on the ground too, he had to know she wouldn't go through with it. Instead she took an immediate step back, glancing behind her quickly. Nathan had disappeared, and she felt her heartbeat speed up. She didn't need him making an more rash decisions, even if half of her brain was screaming at her to kick William's ass as well.
Scanning the court, her nerves dissipated when she recognized his blue Bronco had vanished too. He was most likely headed back to the station, leaving her to deal with the psychopath on her own. It was probably a good call, it would be easier to talk to William without worrying what Nathan would do, or worse, what he would overhear. She knew William would jump at the chance to tell him just what he'd told her, and she'd never forgive herself if Nathan found out that she was responsible for the Troubles from anyone else.
"Are you one of those couples who just has to know where the other is all the time? Because, honestly, that's a little clingy."
Audrey turned back to face him with a stoney glare. "Don't touch me." She replied, ignoring his probing question. He chuckled a little at her words, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Okay." He placated her, taking a large step back so he was against the chain-link fence. "You win."
She took a deep breath, trying to still all of the thoughts swirling in her head. There were too many things she needed to know, too many questions she had to ask him. She settled for the easiest one first.
"Did you kill these people?"
William gave an exaggerated shrug, tilting his head to the side. "W-e-l-l," He drew out the word, and she felt her patience already growing thin. She wasn't in the mood for his showmanship, she needed answers now.
"Not directly." His smile widened, and for the hundredth time she had to remind herself not to slap it off. "I can't take all of the credit. But, I can take most of it."
So that meant he troubled someone. Another innocent victim in all of this. Whoever it was probably didn't even realize what they were doing, or who they were hurting.
"Who?" She watched his face closely but he didn't give anything away, sticking to that smug look he so favored.
"Come with me and I'll show you."
Audrey almost laughed at that. "I'm not going anywhere with you." He had to be joking, like hell she was going to follow him somewhere else. Not after everything he'd done, and especially not after what she knew he was capable of.
"Oh, come on." He actually sounded a bit disappointed, like a petulant child who didn't get his way. "Don't you want to get to do your Audrey Parker thing and tell them how special they are?"
Suddenly she remembered his words from the last time they met, about how she had the wrong idea that she was some kind of savior. Why would he want her to help now?
"What are you getting at?"
William laughed again, leaning forward towards her. "You'll see soon enough." He stepped towards the open gate, spinning back around to offer her a hand. "Coming?"
Honestly, this whole song and dance was getting old. But it wasn't like she had much of a choice; it was either go meet Nathan at the station and tell him she had nothing, or tag along with William and attempt to wrangle some more answers.
With a sigh, she decided on option two, and reluctantly followed him through the gate.
As it turned out, William took her to the next place on her list. As they walked through the town square, Audrey glanced around for Nathan, but was relieved to see he hadn't followed up at the other locations. The crime scene tape was still wrapped around a sectioned off area, but aside from a handful of uniforms, it didn't look like anything horrific had happened here either.
"So, you excited?"
She turned to glare at William, stuffing her hands roughly in the pockets of her jacket in an attempt to suppress the urge to hit him. It didn't work.
"What, do I get the silent treatment now? That's a little unfair, don't you think?"
She whirled around to meet him, face flushing as she tried to combat her anger. Maybe Nathan wasn't the one she should have been worried about, maybe she would end up hurting him and injuring herself. At the moment it honestly seemed like it would be worth it.
"I'm over your little game, okay?" She stepped closer, and for the briefest moment something close to fear flashed in his eyes. "You're going to tell me who the troubled person is. And after I've helped them, I'm going to lock you up for the rest of your days."
As quickly as his smile had disappeared it spread across his face again, and that teasing glint reappeared in his eye. Her threats meant nothing to him, just as they always had.
"No you won't. But, we'll get to that later." He pointed behind her, and she turned slowly. "There's your troubled guy."
Audrey squinted up at the little family standing atop the hill, the man and woman happily chatting with one another.
"Which of them is it?"
She felt William's laughter behind her, creeping up her spine in a very unpleasant way.
"You'll see."
Just as he spoke the man reached down and lifted the tiny baby out of his wife's arms, and Audrey felt her throat close up.
A black handprint, same as the one she'd seen on Carrie Benson and Jack Driscoll, was stamped clear on the baby's back. As the parents rocked the child back and forth, Audrey turned back around to face the man responsible.
"You're a monster."
"Coming from you, that almost sounds like a compliment."
She pushed by him roughly, pulling her phone from her pocket even as he called after her.
"Hey! You're gonna miss the best part!"
She'd barely started scrolling through her contacts when a loud cry pierced the air. Passersby turned to stare at the young parents as they gently rocked the baby, attempting to soothe it as it wailed. After a moment their efforts succeeded, and the baby quieted as the two adults sent sympathetic looks to their surrounding neighbors.
Audrey turned to William with a frown.
"What's the best part?"
He chuckled. "That was it. You missed it."
"What are you-" She cut off as her phone buzzed in her hand, flashing several messages from the dispatch.
Four more bodies.
If the baby was the troubled one, it had to have just caused those deaths, which meant…
"Oh my god." The realization seemed to slap her in the face. She had dealt with difficult troubles before, but this was going to be something completely new.
"There it is." William stepped up alongside her again. "Don't worry, this one'll be easy."
"Easy?" No, there was no way this was going to be easy. "I can't just…. Talk a baby out of crying!"
He sighed, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. The ole' Audrey Parker tricks aren't gonna work for this one."
She just knew she shouldn't ask, shouldn't bait him any further, but she already had 7 bodies on her hands, God knew she needed all the help she could get.
"What did you have in mind, then?" She asked through clenched teeth, her patience worn far too thin.
He leaned in closer towards her, and she fought the urge to recoil. "I didn't create this trouble. You did. I always liked it though."
"And what does that have to do with me fixing it?"
William gave another dramatic sigh, like she was completely missing the point.
"You created this trouble originally. When he cries, people die. Right?"
Audrey nodded slowly. As he took a step towards her she automatically backtracked, clenching her hands tight into fists at her sides. He smirked at her reaction, but kept going.
"Soooo, wouldn't it make sense to create another trouble that counteracts that? Something that makes silence?"
Strangely enough, his offer did make sense. If she gave someone else a trouble that created a silence bubble of sorts, maybe it would cancel out the baby's deadly cries.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind Audrey shook her head. No, she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself give someone else a trouble.
"Come on, you know I'm right."
So this was his plan. Get her to trouble another innocent victim, and then….
"What happens if I give someone a trouble?" Audrey hated the way her voice shook in front of him.
William's self-assured smile changed, and for a moment it seemed almost…. happy.
"Well, if I'm right, then you remember being you. The real you. No more Audrey Parker."
"No." Her response was immediate, and she turned away from him, retreating back up the pathway. She ignored his parting shouts as she dug her phone out of her pocket once more, fingers automatically dialing Nathan's number. Her insides twisted as she considered just what William's suggestion would mean. In addition to ruining some poor soul's life with a curse they never asked for, she'd risk turning back into the woman she'd once been, into that awful person who had hurt so many people.
No, she couldn't let that happen. There had to be another way around it.
As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, Nathan was growing concerned. He had skipped out of watching Audrey and William back at the crime scene; he knew she was more than capable of handling herself, and if he had to be in the same vicinity as that guy for more than five minutes he wasn't sure if he could keep himself from arresting him.
But after milling around the station for a few hours, going through what little information they had on the deaths that morning, Nathan couldn't help but be a little worried. He'd hoped to hear from Audrey soon after he got back, but she hadn't even sent him a text.
He had to assume she was still with William, which was always a concerning thought. As much as he trusted Audrey, there wasn't a cell in his body that would ever trust William.
An hour and a half after he'd made it back to the station they got a call about even more deaths under the same suspicious circumstances as the ones that morning. He considered contacting Audrey, but didn't want to disturb her if she was in the middle of getting answers out of William.
But just as he was grabbing his coat to head out his phone rang anyway, and Audrey's number flashed across the screen. He picked it up quickly, trying to sound much less nervous than he felt as he answered.
"What's up, Parker? Where are you?"
"We gotta talk. Now." She sounded upset, and anger flashed red hot inside of him.
"What happened with William?"
"Can you come pick me up?" He heard a crackle, like she was shifting the phone around, before she continued. "I'm at McKillion and Pinewood, is that okay?"
"Are you okay?" Nathan rushed out of the station quickly, brushing past a group of uniforms as he pulled out his keys.
"I'm fine. I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah." He was reluctant to hang up, but as he slid into the front seat of the bronco he heard the click on the other end, signifying Audrey had no such qualms.
He made it there in under ten minutes, and still managed to abide by all the street signs, which was an achievement.
Audrey gave him a tired smile as she got in the car, but he certainly wasn't about to be fooled that easily. As she settled in and pulled her seatbelt across her lap, Nathan turned the car off.
She looked up at him with a frown. "What's wrong?"
"You said we needed to talk, so let's talk."
"Right here?" She released the seatbelt and it flew back with a loud snap.
"Tell me what happened with William." The small distance between them on the bench seat felt like miles as she averted her gaze, pressing her lips tight together. He reached out and grabbed her hand, eliciting a small smile from her.
"What's got you spooked?" Nathan lowered his voice as he spoke. It was just the two of them in the empty cab of the car, no need to broadcast their conversation.
Audrey met his eyes, and he was taken aback by the fear he saw reflected in her face.
"You know when I was in that…. other Haven? Without the Troubles?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough. He nodded.
"While I was there, William told me who I was. Who I really was, before Sarah, and Lucy, and… Audrey."
Nathan frowned slightly, but waited for her to continue.
"He says he knew me, my original self, and I guess he must have because…." Audrey trailed off momentarily, shaking her head as she regathered herself. She pressed on in a louder voice, displaying confidence Nathan knew she didn't really feel. "He said that together we created the Troubles. We started all of this. I started all of this."
"That's impossible." The words escaped his mouth before he could help it, and her face fell. He knew that Audrey's past was a mystery, but this was something he'd just never considered. How could she have started the Troubles? She was the one who fixed them, every time. She'd spent all of her lives helping troubled people, there's no way she was the cause of it all in the first place.
"It's not. It makes sense, doesn't it?" She shifted on the seat, turning to face him more fully. "Agent Howard even said it seemed like I was being punished. It would explain why the only way to end the Troubles for good was to kill someone I love."
"But you help people." He'd seen it himself countless times. How many lives had she saved during her time in Haven? How many families had she helped heal?
"Only because I'm the one who hurt them in the first place." Nathan could see tears building in the corner of her eyes, but she held them back, looking down at the bench seat in between them. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, searching for the right words. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I-I didn't know what you'd think." She squeezed his hand gently, and he knew she wanted him to give some kind of verdict. To proclaim her a lost cause or to stand with her. How she could ever doubt him was the biggest mystery of all; if she knew anything, she had to know he would never leave her.
"I love you." He stated simply, reached up to brush his fingers across her cheek. She leaned into his hand, eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment. "And that's not who you are anymore."
Audrey opened her eyes at his words, and they plainly still carried that uncertain look.
"There's more." She whispered, and he sighed. "William showed me who's causing all the death's today."
He drew back his hand, surprised. "You met the troubled person? Did you get to talk to them?" This had to be a good thing; if she could talk someone troubled into being able to control whatever was happening to them, than maybe it would reassure her that she wasn't the same person who had caused that same trouble all those years ago.
"It's a baby."
He frowned, and she rushed to continue.
"He did this to a baby and I… I can't do anything. When he cries people just drop dead, I mean Jesus, Nathan, what do I do with that? I can't just send him away somewhere, and I certainly can't just tell him not to cry. And what would I even say to his parents? It's insane, and horrible, and I-I can't do this." She spoke so quickly it was hard to keep up, everything she had been keeping in suddenly bubbling to the surface.
"Hey." He reached out his free hand and gripped her shoulder tightly, forcing her to look up at him. "It's gonna be okay."
Audrey shook her head, her tears threatening to escape again. "No, I really don't think it is. William gave me a way of stopping it, but I can't do it. I shouldn't do it, but honestly I can't see another way around it."
Nathan almost wished he didn't have to ask. "What did he say?"
She took a deep breath, rubbing away her unshed tears. "He said I should make some sort of silence trouble, that it would cancel out what's happening with the baby."
"A silence trouble? Can you do that?" Did she just carry the ability to create troubles around with her? Was this something she'd always possessed? Nathan felt a thousand questions building in his mind, but he knew better than to overwhelm her with the possibilities.
Audrey shrugged, seemingly at as much of a loss for answers as he was. "I don't know. William thinks I can." Giving him a sad smile, she continued. "But, it gets worse."
Nathan found that hard to believe, but he let her go on.
"William said that if I give someone a trouble…" She trailed off and glanced down at their intertwined hands. That frightened look returned to her face, and Nathan was unsure of what to do. He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, hoping the comforting gesture would reassure her.
After a few seconds she cleared her throat, looking back up at him. "He said that if I gave someone a trouble, I'd…. return to who I was. My original self."
He swallowed hard, his grip on her hands tightening. He didn't want her to fear his response to this information; this wasn't his choice, he knew. It was hers.
"Do you think that'll happen?"
Audrey sighed. "I don't know. I'm worried it might."
There wasn't a clear answer, and they both knew it. They'd faced plenty of difficult troubled cases before, but this was one without a good solution.
Nathan hated seeing Audrey like this, so worried about the consequences of her own actions. She'd always been an act first, talk later kind of person, and seeing her agonize of what to do was almost painful. He couldn't offer her much comfort, but he could at least tell her the truth.
"I think you should do it."
She gave him a quizzical look, her eyebrows knitting together.
"Whatever happens…. I don't think you'll go back to who you were. You're Audrey Parker now, and you're a good person." He dropped her hand, reaching up to cup her cheeks in his hands as he spoke. "I don't think anything's gonna change that."
She leaned forward suddenly, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. He relaxed into her grip, burying his head in her shoulder as he felt her hold him close.
"We're gonna be okay." He whispered into her ear, although he wasn't sure which of them the reassurance was really for.