If I owned anything, Audrey and Nathan would get to be happy a lot more. Like, 25% of the time. Maybe even 30%.

Some feedback would be greatly appreciated. :)

The woods were dark as she followed the well-know path, but she didn't fear whatever might be lurking behind the trees. Leaves crunched under her feet, freshly fallen in the first few weeks of autumn. Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned, the lamp she held high in her hand swinging with the movement.

There was no one there, and she stared into the group of trees she'd passed. She pressed her lips together, turning back to continue on her way.

Another noise rang through the forest, a clanging of sorts, followed by the shuffle of footsteps once again. This time she stopped, refusing to turn around to meet empty air again.

"I haven't got time for your tricks." She called out, but there was no response.

With a sigh she kept walking. The light from the lantern covered only a few feet in front of her, but she had travelled the path enough to know what was coming up ahead.

Or so she thought. A few feet ahead of her a figure stepped out of the shadows of the trees, his face still shrouded partially in the darkness.

She breathed a sigh of relief, lowering the light as she recognized the familiar outline.

"Am I worth your little games?" She placed the lantern on the ground and they both were covered in the dark. She blinked a few times, her eyes struggling to see clearly. Still, she was unconcerned; she knew what the figure wanted, and it wasn't her.

"You never know who else ventures out here."

She smirked, taking a few steps closer to him.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. Not after what you did to that poor woman…"

The voices faded out slowly, replaced by a louder, more urgent sounding one.

"Audrey!"

Something, or someone more rather, was shaking her. Audrey realized she was laying down on a hard surface, and she no longer felt the cool night air of the forest. She opened her eyes slowly, finding herself looking up at Nathan's concerned face as he knelt over her.

"Are you alright?" He spit out the question so fast it took her a moment to process it.

She nodded, and her hand came up to her nose on reflex. There was no blood, surprisingly, and she wasn't sure how to classify what had just happened. She'd passed out, but had that been some sort of buried memory? If so, why didn't it cause the same reaction as Lucy's memories? Surely it had to be much further down than anything that occurred in 1983.

"Did it work?" She tried to sit up but Nathan pushed her back down as gently as he could, shaking his head quickly.

"I'm fine." She protested, eyes traveling around the room until she spotted what she was looking for. Lincoln was kneeling a little behind Nathan, and as he moved to stand up, the black handprint was clear on his arm.

Audrey let out a sigh of relief before she caught herself; did that even mean anything? What if she'd messed up somehow and gave him the wrong trouble? They were out of options at this point.

Gloria knelt down on her other side and pressed a hand to Audrey's forehead, the other reaching out to grasp her wrist, fingers finding her pulse.

Audrey gave Nathan an exasperated look but he shook his head again, looking over at the medical examiner. Gloria shown a light into her eyes and Audrey blinked rapidly, turning her head away.

"You're supposed to follow it." The older woman heaved a sigh and tried again, placing a hand on top of Audrey's head to keep her from moving. A few seconds of trailing the light with her eyes and she let her go, flicking off the light.

"She's alright." Gloria turned to Nathan with a shrug, standing up and going back to help her husband.

Nathan extended a hand and helped her up, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist even as she landed on her feet. Audrey gently slipped from his grasp, giving him another pressing look. She had a bit of a headache, but other than that she felt fine.

"Lincoln." She stepped towards the man, and the pounding in her head only grew with her movement. Maybe it wasn't bad enough for a nosebleed, but this memory seemed to have taken it's toll as well.

Nathan followed a step behind her, hand lingering on her waist, as if he was concerned she might collapse again.

Lincoln ran his fingers over the invisible mark on his forearm, his face wrinkled in confusion.

"Do you feel different?" Audrey grabbed his wrist lightly, inspecting the handprint more closely. It looked the same as the ones William had created, if that meant anything at all.

"Not really." Gloria rubbed a hand along her husband's shoulder, and Audrey once again felt remorse over what she'd had to do to this family.

"How do we know if it worked?" Ben piped up from the other side of the room, and Audrey turned to see him and his wife, still rocking the sleeping baby.

"I guess we just wait and see." She hated that she didn't have a better answer for them, but at this point there was nothing more they could do. Her trouble had either worked or it hadn't, but there was no going back now.

"Aaron won't wake for another half hour or so." Ben looked nervous, and Audrey supposed he had a reason to be. None of them knew what Aaron's next cry would do.

"Well, no point in waiting around in misery." Gloria clapped her hands together, and the others turned to face her. "Alcohol?"

Lincoln smiled broadly and leaned in to whisper something to her, and Audrey saw a chance to have a quick moment alone.

"Hey." She nudged Nathan gently, nodding off towards the adjoining room then looking back up at him.

He took her hand and let her lead them out into the hall. At the last moment she changed direction and pushed open the door out to the porch, assuming they'd have more privacy out there. The last thing she wanted was someone interrupting her trying to tell Nathan what she'd seen.

"What the hell just happened?" As soon as the door swung shut he released her hand and cupped her cheeks instead, forcing her to a stop as he peered at her intently. She wasn't sure what he was checking for, but whatever it was he seemed to find it, because he dropped her hands and took a small step back.

"I saw... Something. I remembered something." That had to be the only explanation. William had said she'd return to her original self when she troubled someone, but she was relieved to see he had been wrong. Yet something major had clearly happened, and creating a trouble seemed to have been the key to unlocking some part of her subconscious.

She struggled to begin. She didn't fully understand what she'd just experienced, and she was at a loss as to how to relay it to Nathan.

One word popped into her head, and she knew what it was instantly.

"Mara." She said reflexively, and the name felt as natural on her lips as anything else.

Nathan frowned.

"That was my name. My real name. Mara." She took a moment to savor it; finally, a real answer. A solid piece of the puzzle that was her past.

Unfortunately, the other information she'd remembered only seemed to give her more questions. Why was she out in the woods? Who was she meeting with? Was she even in Haven?

"I'm lost." Nathan crossed his arms, his brow furrowing. "You remembered your... Original self? Like William said?"

"No!" She was quick to dispute him, not wanting him to think the worst."No, I'm still me. I think, anyway." Audrey offered a weak smile, but he didn't seem to buy it.

"What happened then?" His tone was steely, but she recognized the edge of fear in it. He was scared for her, no doubt. Scared that she'd come out of this as someone else.

"I had a flashback, kind of. Like with Lucy's memories, but... Different somehow." She took a deep breath trying to recall everything she could about the memory, but it already seemed to be fading from her mind. "I was in the forest. It was nighttime. I was alone, at first, but I think... I think someone else came along."

Nathan nodded slowly, but his face still showed concern. Audrey reached out and rested a hand on top of his.

"This is good, right?" She gripped his fingers, hoping the contact would comfort him. "I mean, it's a start."

"Do you think it's real?"

His words took her by surprise. Now she was the one who was lost. "What?"

Nathan uncrossed his arms and she pulled back her hand, almost self-conscious, before he snatched it again, holding it tight within both of his.

"William said the two of you have this... Connection. So what if he's using it? Manipulating it? What it that memory's not even real?"

Audrey faltered. She hadn't even considered that William could do something like that, but she had to admit it made sense.

And yet, that would be an odd memory to fake. If he was trying to convince her to return to who she once was, why wouldn't he force a memory of the two of them on her? Wouldn't that be more in line with his agenda?

Still, she couldn't dismiss the idea. Perhaps this was just the jumping off point, a stepping stone to things to come. Maybe William knew exactly what troubling someone would do to her. Maybe she'd already been set on the path to returning to that horrible person.

She felt a shudder run through her, and Nathan squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, about to speak when a shrill cry rang through the air.

She froze automatically, her blood suddenly running cold. But as the crying sounded again, Audrey realized Nathan wasn't even reacting. He ran his thumb over her palm, his gaze still firmly fixed on her.

"Can't you hear that?" She turned to him, her heart beating frantically.

Nathan only shrugged. "What?"

She quickly glanced behind her at the house, and as suddenly as it had started the shrieking stopped. Audrey pulled open the porch door, tugging Nathan along behind her, and reentered the Harker's living room.

Lincoln stood in the center, cradling little Aaron close in his arms. The baby was settling down again, his eyes beginning to drift closed, and to her immediate the relief the three other adults in the room were still standing.

"It worked." Ben's voice was a whisper from the side of the room as he shook his head in disbelief.

Audrey took a tentative step forward, watching as Lincoln rocked the baby back and forth. "You didn't hear anything?" She questioned, waiting for the inevitable buzzing of her phone.

"Not at all." Gloria was smiling down at the child, looking far more jovial than Audrey had ever seen her. "It was like somebody pressed mute. He was squirming and crying, but there was nothing. No noise."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Audrey turned back to Nathan. Of course she had still been able to hear the cries; Lincoln's trouble wouldn't effect her. And luckily, neither would Aaron's cries.

Nathan smiled at the family as Ben gently took Aaron from Lincoln's arms, holding him tight against his chest. Audrey watched his smile drop as mother and father delightfully cooed over their child, and she felt a pang of regret. She'd bet anything he was thinking of the child they'd never get to raise, or perhaps even see again.

Thinking of James made her stomach clench and her heart hurt, and she suspected that was why she and Nathan had been so reluctant to broach the topic. Still, sooner or later she'd have to face it.

"Hey."

Nathan nudged her side, then nodded towards the small group huddled in the middle of the room. "We should probably go."

She knew he was right, they still had plenty of problems to deal with, but part of her wanted to savor this small victory for just a few moments. From here on out these happy moments would be far and few between, she feared.

Gloria looked up and met their eyes, giving them a genuine smile. She sidestepped her family, coming up to meet the detectives as they edged towards the door.

"Thank you." Audrey had only known the M.E a short time, but she was still taken aback by the emotion in her voice. "I can't say that enough, what you've done for us. For Aaron."

Audrey nodded, at a loss for what to say. She knew it still wouldn't be easy for them; for starters, Lincoln would have to be at the house all the time, ready to take care of Aaron when he was needed. But it was certainly preferably to the alternative.

"You're welcome." She smiled at the older woman. Gloria turned back to the small huddle, and Audrey felt Nathan's hand press on her back, and the two left the joyful family to celebrate.

"Well," Audrey slipped into the front seat of the Bronco, unable to stop the wide smile from crossing her face. "I'd say that was a success."

Nathan turned the car on, slowing backing out the driveway before turning to her. "Yeah, I'd definitely say that." He had been so worried about what would come of Audrey giving someone a trouble, although he'd tried his best not to show it. He couldn't imagine what this was like for her. Suddenly William had all the answers she'd needed, but the information he gave her only made her feel worse. As much as he'd told himself it wouldn't happen, he had feared William would be right, and that giving someone else a trouble would result in some horrific transformation in Audrey.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, watching as she slumped down in the seat, hair falling in her flushed face, but her eyes still beamed with her accomplishment. William had been wrong, that much was clear.

He was still concerned about why she'd fainted, but she seemed to have bounced back from that quickly. He didn't know how her memory flashbacks had worked with Lucy. Regrettably they had occurred during a time where their relationship was at it's weakest, and he'd left her to deal with that on her own.

He couldn't change the times he'd left her alone, but he could make up for it now.

"You wanna go home?" Nathan relished the fact that he could call her apartment home. He'd spent nearly every night there since they'd started sleeping together, and she certainly didn't appear to mind.

"Yeah." Audrey nodded eagerly, leaning her head against the window. "I'm exhausted."

He didn't know if giving someone a trouble was a particularly intensive exercise, but he figured she definitely deserved some rest.

They reached her apartment soon enough, and as he pulled into the space in front of the Gull, Nathan let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Everything with the Harkers had happened so fast, but somehow it felt like weeks since he'd been woken up by Audrey this morning.

Audrey turned and gave him a tired smile, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Ready?" She asked, and he merely nodded.

The two trekked up the stairs slowly, Audrey leaning into him as the wind ran through them. She shivered, and he quickly ushered her inside, the door swinging shut behind them.

She had her jacket off in a flash, making her way toward the bed as her shirt quickly followed her jacket, falling on the ground. Nathan tried to avoid staring, but as she pulled on a tank top and changed out of her jeans, she caught him sneaking several looks at her legs.

"You're so predictable, Wournos." Audrey sent him a smirk, collapsing onto her back on the bed. "C'mere."

Nathan chuckled lightly. "It's 6:30."

She propped herself up on her elbows, frowning. "Really? I thought like eleven, for sure."

He crept closer to the bed, tucking his hands into his pockets as he assumed an awkward stance, hovering over her. "You wanna talk?"

She shut her eyes firmly. "I want to sleep."

He sighed, but sat down carefully on the edge of the bed anyway. Audrey leaned back once more, curling her legs up against her body. She looked so small laying there, and he couldn't resist reaching out to brush some of her hair away from her face. She blinked up at him sleepily.

"You sure you're feeling alright?" He whispered, his hand trailing down to rest on her hip.

"Yes." She stifled a yawn, closing her eyes once more.

"Okay." Nathan leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, pushing off the bed as he stood up. He turned to the dresser to grab the sweatpants she'd allowed him to store there. After redressing he began to lift up the edge of the blanket to join her, but saw that Audrey was already out, her breathing constant and steady as she remained curled up in the middle of the mattress.

He knew better than to try and move her, as small as she was she refused to be budged when she was sleeping, so he simply laid down beside her. It was stiff and uncomfortable as he stretched out, but Audrey nestled closer and he wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his head on top of hers.

He didn't feel particularly tired, but even as he heard the muffled sounds from the restaurant below, and the familiarity of Audrey's breathing, he found himself drifting off.

The sun shown down on the open meadow, the grass soft beneath her head. Her eyes were closed, and someone's strong voice rang through the open air. They were reading a story, but she wasn't really listening, instead content to doze off in the calm summer air. However, her tutor didn't seem to agree.

"Are you listening to me?"

She shook her head stiffly, keeping her eyes closed.

He sighed and shut the book with a bang, startling her into sitting up. She glanced over at him, meeting his disapproving eyes with a smirk.

"Well, I'm sorry your book is so boring."

"The Bible, Mara. It's called the Bible." He feigned annoyance but she knew he wasn't truly upset, his eyes still shown with amusement despite the hard line of his mouth.

"Why don't you read me something interesting?" She reclined back on her elbows, tilting her head as she surveyed their surroundings. A group of trees started a few yards away from where they'd set up camp, and soon enough that turned into the first line of the woods. She squinted into the forest but couldn't see anything clearly through the thick trees.

"You're lucky you're beautiful, you know." His voice broke through her studies, and she turned to watch him bury his nose in the book again, refusing to meet her gaze.

She settled back down in the grass with a smile. "That's what they tell me."

He continued reading anyway, picking up wherever he'd left off. She let his words wash over her but didn't take any of them in, focusing instead on the sudden feeling swelling inside of her. She felt good, warm, happy. Loved.

Audrey woke up to a loud crashing and reached out for her gun, scrambling on her bedside table for a second before realizing where the noise had originated from.

Nathan guiltily sunk to his knees in the kitchen, picking up the pot he'd knocked over from the counter. Her eyes flitted to the windows, noting how dark it had become since she'd fallen asleep. She felt a bit disorientated, whether from her odd dream or from being woken up so jarringly, she couldn't tell.

"What happened?" She whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"Duke called." Nathan crossed the room, coming to a stop in front of her. "He said Jennifer found something new with that book, they need to meet us."

Audrey groaned, rubbing at her eyes. "Right now?"

He shrugged. "Sounds like it."

She pushed herself to sit up, crossed her arms in a childish pout. "Fine. But as soon as we figure out that magic book, we're coming right back here to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." Nathan grinned, bending over to give her a quick kiss. He stroked her cheek gently then he moved away, turning to the dresser. She started to pat down what was surely a complete mess of her hair, and he snickered. "You're beautiful, you know." He offered, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly before his words struck something inside of her. She closed her eyes suddenly, trying to hold onto what remained of her dream.

But of course it wasn't a dream, it was much more than that.

Had giving Lincoln Harker a trouble somehow triggered something inside of her? Somehow she knew, she felt it, deep down inside, that that dream had been another memory. One of Mara's, obviously.

She tried to conjure up the scene again, but found she couldn't. The images had faded but that feeling remained, that sense of happiness that had seemed so foreign in her memory.

"Audrey?" Nathan turned back to her and she nodded weakly, trying to wave away his concerns.

"I had a… Weird dream." She didn't really know what else to tell him, not when she was having so much trouble figuring it out herself.

There had been someone else in the dream, of that she was sure. A man. His face had disappeared from her mind, and he was nothing more than a figure. Not William, though, she surely would have recognized him. And something in her said it wasn't the same man from the forest either. Which meant she now had two mystery men to look into. Mara had been a busy girl, apparently.

Nathan looked at a loss for words too. "You wanna talk about it?" He offered, reaching out for her hand.

"No." Her answer came too quickly, and she regretted it. "I mean- Not now. We should go meet Duke and Jennifer." She slid off the bed, stretching out her arms even as she felt Nathan's gaze on her back.

"You okay?"

God, it seemed like he never stopped asking that. No, she wasn't okay. She'd allowed herself to bask in the victory of saving the Harkers for a little bit, but she still knew they had dozens of other problems to face. William was still out there, and since this hadn't gone his way, she feared to think of what he would do next.

And, of course, there was Jennifer and this book, her mysterious connection to the barn. Audrey couldn't figure out her role in all of this, how she fit into the puzzle.

But she knew Duke, she knew he wouldn't have called this late if it wasn't something important. Perhaps this would finally give her a real answer, instead of fifty more questions.

"I'm fine." She gave a tight smile, turning away from him. "Let's go."