There was a concussive blast as they hit the doorway, blowing Duke and Lexie- and the group waiting on the other side- apart as they slammed into the ground.

She was curled up, not breathing.

Nathan saw Duke first, and he ran for him, skidding to a stop on his knees, pulling Duke up against him, into his arms.

It took Duke a second to realize Nathan was crying, smiling and hugging him like he'd never let go. Duke's eyes met Nathan's.

"Nate? Jesus, Nate, it's good to see you." He hugged him hard, grasped his jaw in both hands as he stared. "What the fuck, Nate? Why are you so thin? Why are you all marked up?"

That's when he noticed the Guard members. Jack-booted thugs already had weapons drawn. Duke was murderously angry.

"Did they do this to you?"

"No, no Duke. They didn't. I did. It was stupid, I'm fine."

"I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?"

"No. I'd rather you didn't. Did... Audrey?"

Duke looked around urgently. He couldn't see her. Still holding Nathan's arm, he stood, finally spotting her several yards away. She wasn't moving.

"Here, Nate, hurry!"

They ran for her, both dropping to their knees next to her, rolling her urgently as Duke muttered, "She's not breathing."

He tilted her head back, opening her airway before he pinched her nostrils shut and breathed into her, immediately moving to start chest compressions. Over and over he repeated the cycle, a full seven rounds of CPR.

After the seventh breath she coughed, gasping for oxygen. Her chest hurt inside and out.

Her head was spinning, she stayed silent as she stared back at Nathan. His hand came up to stroke her long hair, curved around her cheek in a loving gesture. His smile was beautiful and adoring, she wanted to get lost in it.

She wasn't sure why she was surprised when he pressed a pistol into her hand, pointing it at his heart. She didn't have to fake the shocked look on her face.

"Audrey, the Troubles didn't stop. There's only one way to stop it now- stop it for good." Nathan kissed her for a long moment. "You have to kill me. It's the only way to save them."

She was herself, her whole self, but Lexie was at the forefront, and she reacted violently to his words, dropping the gun and crawling away to vomit, shaking.

"Shit." Duke muttered, going after her. He wrapped his arm around her, holding back her hair.

She was shaking, and she gasped, "I can't kill again, Duke."

"You don't have to sweetheart. It's okay."

She calmed herself, straightening to gaze with wide eyes at the people around her. She saw Vince staring at her and she was very, very tempted to hit him.

"I'm not killing anyone. I don't even know you people." She gave Jordan a look up and down, walking toward her. "You, I wouldn't mind getting to know. You're gorgeous." She raised a hand to Jordan's face before the other woman could move, and the contact had the desired effect. Jordan pressed her face into Lexie's hand.

"I'm Lexie. What's your name?"

Everyone else was standing shocked- even Duke.

"I- Jordan. My name is Jordan."

"Who are the rest of your well-armed associates, boss? Maybe if we introduce ourselves they'll lose the artillery?"

She looked back at Jordan, hand still touching her face. "I don't like guns. Boss makes me keep a revolver at work in case someone gets too rowdy, but they make me uncomfortable." Jordan just stared at her, mind overloaded by sensation.

"Uh, sure. Everyone, this is Lexie DeWitt. Lexie, this is Nathan, that's Dwight, Dave, Vince, Jordan... and I don't remember the other's names. Guys, lower the damn guns, you're freaking her out."

"Not Audrey?" Nathan whispered.

"She was already different by the time I got to her. I... it was weird, it felt normal. I thought I worked at this bar, and she worked for me. I didn't remember until I saw you, Nate."

Vince finally spoke up. "She's not in love with Nathan. It won't work. The Troubles won't end unless she's in love with him."

Jordan snapped out of it, staring at Vince. "We should still try! We can't just give up!"

Lexie shot Duke a look.

"Wait, wait. I think I have an idea. Vince, can we talk, one on one?"

Vince nodded and they walked a few yards away, heads bent together.

Lexie leaned in a little to whisper to Jordan, her fingers touching the skin on her back at her waist, just under her shirt. "Any trouble you've got I'm happy to help. You should have a drink with me sometime."

"...okay. Maybe once this is figured out." Lexie only felt a little guilty, using her desperation against her. But she had shot Nathan. And Lexie would make sure Jordan was one of the first to be cured.

In the meantime, she'd play the hand she'd been dealt to the best of her ability.

Nathan came up to her, pulling her a few feet away.

"Jeeze, manhandle much? You could've just asked to talk to me. Oh! Unless Jordan's your girlfriend, in which case I'm sorry for poaching." She couldn't help the tightening around her eyes as she mentioned Nathan's history with Jordan.

"Look at me. You really don't remember me?"

She tilted her head, squinting. She was careful not to actually lie. "I'm pretty good with faces. I doubt I'd forget meeting you. Not many people ask me to fucking shoot them 3 minutes after I died, you know."

Nathan recoiled visibly. Good, that looked good.

"So. You're Nate?"

"Nathan. Wuornos."

"Okay. Next time, lead with that instead of the gun thingie. The chicks who go for that kind of pick-up aren't the kind of people you want knowing where you sleep, 'kay?" She rubbed her chest absently, wondering if any of her ribs were cracked.

"We need to talk."

"Still not a great pick-up line. The whole 'rumbly, threatening' voice only works for Batman." She raised an eyebrow, looking speculative. "Are you Batman? You can tell me. I wouldn't tell."

She walked away, back to Jordan. "I think I made the scarecrow jealous. Jeeze, is everyone in this town so... uptight?"

"We've been having a bad year. A really bad year. Can... can I try something? There's a chance it could hurt, but it won't maim you or anything."

Lexie bounced on her toes. "That sounds exciting. Go for it."

Jordan pulled off a glove, carefully bringing her hand to Lexie's arm. Her fingers stroked Lexie's skin gently, like she hadn't touched soft skin in years. But she hadn't, Lexie remembered, her heart hurting for Jordan.

"That certainly doesn't hurt. You really are beautiful. One day very soon... I'm going to take that sadness out of your eyes." She remembered Jordan's story, how her Trouble had activated, and the comparison to her own history made her hurt, hurt bad.

Of course Jordan was prepared to kill. How different were they, really? Jordan had been raped, left in a body that nobody could touch. She couldn't even just be held safely.

Lexie had been raped, and if she hadn't struck first, she'd be in much the same position, if she'd even still be alive.

Their eyes- survivor's eyes- met, and they recognized the shared pain, a look that only other survivors wore. Lexie's shoulders slumped, and she hugged Jordan, letting the other woman rest her face against her neck. "I understand, and I'm sorry. How can I help?"

"I just want to feel again. I can't erase his touch when it's the last time normal people could touch me. I hate it, and the longer it goes on, I hate myself more. I really thought you could fix it."

She held Jordan, rubbing circles on the skin of her back. "If I learned anything from my own experience, it's that killing doesn't fix anything, it just breaks you in more places. But give me a chance, Jordan. Give me three days. I'll find a way to help you. You can touch me anytime, and I'm giving you free hugs for life." Lexie squeezed Jordan and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah. Alright. You think you can help me?"

"I won't quit until I do. I... I swear."

They broke apart and Jordan slipped the glove back on, looking down.

Lexie wasn't surprised to see everyone staring at her, but she stood straight, asking, "What? You don't get new people in town much, or are you perving out on watching two girls hug?"

Most of them looked away, embarrassed.

Duke approached her with Vince, a warning in his eyes. Crap, what had he gotten her into this time?

"Lexie, at least until I figure out what's going on with my bar, we're hoping you would go on a kind of... extended ride-along. The people here think you're a cop, it would be good for morale to see you working again."

She laughed, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Right. Because I could pass for a cop. Seriously, Duke, did you get a concussion?"

"Lexie, please. They're reinstating Nate, but you need to go along for awhile. I'll stick with you as much as possible. The people in town think you're a police detective. Audrey Parker. It's really best if we let them think that."

She was searching Duke's eyes. He was begging her to play along. But why? They were supposed to be just Lexie, that was the plan. Not Lexie-playing-Audrey. How could she behave appropriately if she was just shoved back into her old role?

But his eyes were begging her to trust him. He obviously had some kind of plan.

She finally shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. But since it's your request, you're paying me and they're paying me. A girl's gotta eat. Um, speaking of which, I need a place to stay, clothes..."

"I have to find out what's up with my stuff. But we'll figure it out."

Vince spoke up. "Your things are safe. Dave and I have been taking care of them. I'll get the keys for you. We had to step in to keep your brother away."

"How many bars do you own, Duke? I'd have demanded a raise if I knew you had more." She punched his arm playfully.

"Exactly how well do you know Duke, Miss DeWitt? Intimately? His family has rather a checkered past in Haven." He was watching her carefully, speculation in his eyes. She didn't like his tone. She glared back, not even glancing at Duke as she got up in Vince's face, mere inches between them.

"Duke is my boss, and he's a good guy. What's it to you, anyway? All the pervs with guns are looking at you, which in my book makes you the dangerous one. So how about this- you back the fuck off, and I'll play cop for you. Vince, is it?"

She wracked her brain, thinking about her Sarah days, how best to manipulate him.

She found the old conversation, repeating it in her new voice. "You may push everyone else around, Vincent, but I. Don't. Work for you. You don't order me around, are we perfectly clear?"

The blood drained from his face as he stared at her, and he nodded. "My apologies. I got ahead of myself, I meant no offense."

She smiled, reaching up to pat his cheek. "That's better. We'll get on fine, won't we, Vince?"

Someone approached on her left, she looked to see Dave next to her, love shining in his eyes and hat in his hand. How had Audrey never noticed the blind adoration in his gaze? Her heart squeezed painfully, and she gave him a geniune, sweet smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, I'm Dave. Duke pointed me out. I noticed you were giving out hugs, wondered if you might have one for an old man." He was shaking, his voice nervous.

She remembered every time he'd gone to bat for her. How he'd never stopped trying to protect her, even against his own brother.

She stepped into his arms, hugging him. She turned her face so her mouth was against his ear.

"Davey, it's me. You can't tell Vince. He doesn't understand what's happening, but I can fix the Troubles, without more death. Please, please keep it secret. I know I can trust you."

She straightened, smiling though there was a lump in her throat. "You, I like. Once I have a place to stay you should come by and talk." She looked around at the other men around her. "So far, you've been the only one besides Duke who's had any manners at all." She traced the shape of a heart on his arm where no one could see. One of his old codes with Lucy. His answering smile lit up his whole face, and he traced a star on her lower back.

"So, are we gonna stand here all day or is someone going to show me a place to stay? I really have to pee."