Lexie had been watching the show in rapt fascination. She'd never known watching two grown men make out was so hot.

But it really, really was.

Nathan had gone without feeling anything for so long, and Duke was an expert in all manner of non-verbal communication. She was learning a lot, actually. She was being very quiet, watching these men get lost in each other.

Nathan liked to give hickeys.

At some point, he and Duke had developed some kind of touch-shorthand, because every time Duke touched him certain ways, Nathan would respond. A fingertip across the top of his spine, and Nathan's head fell back, making room for Duke to kiss and nibble his way up Nathan's throat. When Duke stroked Nathan's belly button, Nathan pulled his shirt off.

It was very complex, but they understood each other perfectly.

Now, Lexie was torn. Half of her was a kid in a candy shop- she wanted to dive in and touch and taste and play with everything. Which is why she was at war with her other half. The Good Half. The one who always waited patiently, who made sure everyone was taken care of before she took care of herself. The problem wasn't the different personalities she'd had, the problem was that they were all still her.

So she watched as she knelt on the floor, trying to give them time to get reacquainted.

When Nathan positioned Duke, she bit her lip.

'Nathan who could feel' was pretty take-charge. Duke responded to his commands, moving himself just so, and Lexie held her breath, watching Duke's face as Nathan pushed into him.

Oh dear gods.

Duke's eye rolled, his face turning red , and she could see him whispering curses, watched the way his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks.

Nathan was kissing his shoulder, moving with single-minded intensity. He looked serious, but she knew him well- these were looks saved for something precious. His hands roamed over Duke's back and chest, and Duke melted into each touch.

So the conundrum here was; did she wait patiently or did she give in to the hormones and jump in?

The generous, selfless thing would be to let them have their time together, wait for them to be ready for her. Maybe even make them breakfast.

There was a way to do both. She could give them their time, remind Duke that she was still his last and still be thoughtful.

Smiling deviously, still wearing nothing but Duke's t-shirt, she crawled toward them where Duke was kneeling on the couch, gripping the arm with one hand, the back with the other. She reached and wrapped her hand around him, stroking him confidently.

His eyes popped wide with surprise as he looked at her, his pupils dilated with lust. She gave him a look that clearly said 'Is this okay?' and he nodded slowly, eyes locked on hers. She stared up, never breaking eye contact as she rubbed him, stroking the other hand up his chest.

Lexie could feel and hear when Nathan was close; Duke's breath stuttered and she wrapped both hands around him, squeezing and pulling. The sounds they made when they came together- she'd never heard such beautiful music.

Lexie slipped away to wash her hands, watching Nathan whisper to Duke.

Now she should make them breakfast, she thought. But there was no food to cook. They hadn't gone shopping. And all of Audrey's things, what had they done with those? Everything from her apartment had been safe because technically Duke owned the apartment. But what about her bank account? Had she been reported dead? Was she going to have to live as Lexie on paper?

She absolutely had to find out how far along she was. How long before the pregnancy wasn't able to be hidden.

And, like it or not, she had to figure out where she belonged with Duke and Nathan. With his Trouble cured, there was a distinct chance that Nathan wouldn't be drawn to her anymore. If that was the case, they'd have to figure out how to share Duke, because while Lexie understood they had history, she wasn't so selfless that she'd just bow out, especially when she was pregnant.

Which she was also trying to wrap her head around.

She finally just grabbed a couple bottles of water and brought them to the living room. Duke was lying back on the couch, looking exhausted. Nathan was nowhere to be seen.

"Shower?" Lexie guessed.

Duke nodded

"You okay?"

"I don't even know where the fuck I am. It's like the last few days have been one thing after another with no time to reset in between."

Lexie barked a laugh. "That's because it has. Literally. I'm just glad they didn't do something really stupid like report you dead or missing. I don't know what the hell they did with me. I'm afraid to try and use my bank account, because if they reported me dead- and they had no reason not to, no reason to think I'd come back myself- there will be security flags on my stuff. If I'm stuck here as just Lexie, then we're going to have to go on a scavenger hunt to find my hidden caches."

Duke looked interested. "You have hidden caches?"

"All over Haven. Every lifetime, I always had some bizarre hope that I'd find a way to come back. So I left things for myself. Money, mementos. Obviously I never came back for any, so they're still here."

"Did Audrey leave one?"

She nodded. "In the Gull, where you'd be the only one who might find it."

"Wait, where'd you find a hiding place there? I know all the hiding spots there."

"Loose floorboard next to the bar."

"You little minx."

"Duke... are we okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nathan is fixed, Duke. If you think it's not a big deal that you're the first person he reached for, you're blind. He's in love with you, and now that he's not Troubled, there's a distinct possibility that he won't be interested in me the same way anymore. Obviously I can share, but we'll have to figure a lot out. I don't want you afraid that I'll freak out if you don't want me to stay here. As soon as I know where my money is, I have an apartment."

"Whoa, hold up. No way, you agreed to move in. No take-backs."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not a take-back, Duke. I'm just saying you might want some breathing room to think about your options."

"Well I don't. In fact, you're too far away, over there. Come here and let me put my head in your lap."

She shook her head, but laughed and came over anyway, slipping under him when he sat up. When he lay back again, she ran her fingers through his hair, thinking of the little Aetherling. She wondered if that was exactly how their child would look. Aether didn't make a habit of guessing, so probably.

"We need to talk about the baby, Duke."

He turned his head and kissed her stomach. "What about?"

"We're not going to be able to hide this for long. We need to get Vince on our side. Fast."

"Well, he seemed pretty okay with your demands last night. We'll talk to him."

They heard Nathan whistling as he came down the hall and they rolled their eyes at each other, smiling.

Nathan was wearing his jeans and a t-shirt he must have stolen from Duke. It somehow struck Lexie as humorous that she and Nathan were both wearing Duke's shirts; hormones and the sheer absurdity of the situation first made her giggle, and then she was laughing hysterically, gripping her ribs as her eyes watered.

The boys were looking at her for an explanation, and she tried, she really did. But every time she opened her mouth she would just laugh helplessly again.

"You broke her." Nathan accused Duke dryly.

"Oh no, you cannot blame this on me. She was like this when I got her." Duke gestured at himself and Lexie realized he was shirtless. Which, of course, made her laugh harder.

She pointed at each of them, trying to control her breathing. "Everyone is wearing Duke's shirts... but him." Lexie managed to get out, still laughing. "Sorry Duke, you can only have as many partners as you have clothes for. You'll have to vote someone off the ship." She laughed loudly and was cut off by a sharp jab- coming from inside her. Her eyed went very wide.

"Did you feel that, Duke?" The question was foolish- he was staring at her stomach and rubbing his cheek in wonder.

"I felt it." He whispered. "Was that..."

"Yeah. Yes. So. First time."

"Did- did the baby move?" Nathan asked hesitantly.

"Come here, Nathan." She held her hand out for his, pressing it to her stomach and then laughing loudly again. The little jab was very apparent. Nathan looked awestruck, he and Duke staring and touching her stomach like it was the most amazing thing on earth. She let them poke and prod and coo for awhile before she shooed them off, laughing.

"I need to get the stuff from my apartment, we have to find out what happened to my accounts, and we need groceries." Lexie declared.

Nathan blushed, looking down. "Your accounts are active. I kept them up. They're fine. Here." He reached into his pocket, pulling out her old wallet. She smiled, looking through it. Everything exactly the same, right down to the $1.47 in cash she had and the receipt for the latte that had eaten up the rest of the $5.00. Her stomach rolled with the remembered anxiety.

"I... I don't have to be afraid of the Barn anymore." Mara looked up, the overriding consciousness that held all the others, her eyes shining. "They can't just take me anymore. it doesn't take away all the other fears, but... wow." She took a long moment to just think about it. No more losses. No more false personalities. No more paying for someone else's mistake. No deadline.

It didn't remove her fear of One, of the Guard, of the simple humans in this town who were often more distressing than all the paranormal crap put together. But there had been a shift in power, an obvious one. With Duke being more than human, and them being able to remove Troubles, they had a little extra protection- add in her access to Aether and having her memory back?

Look out Haven. There's a new sheriff in town.

"We need to see Dwight. And we should go soon. Word will have spread about Jordan, and people will be looking to Dwight for answers."

"I washed your clothes for you, Lexie."

"Duke, I'm starting to think you have a laundry fetish. You'll make us a fabulous house husband." She kissed Duke's forehead and slid out from under him. He muttered sourly as his pillow walked away.

"And I'm hungry." Lexie called back as she went to get dressed.

She was happy to hear them rushing after her.

She was redressed in her outfit from yesterday- still commando- as they climbed into the Bronco with Nathan. She called Dwight from her cell.

"Hendrickson."

"Hi boss."

"Oh thank goodness. I was trying to give you some time to acclimate, but after what happened with Jordan, my phone has been ringing off the hook. Are you going to be coming by?" He sounded hopeful, not demanding, and Lexie took pity.

"Of course, Dwight. I knew this would happen, I just thought it might take them closer to 24 hours. Can you promise me that Nathan and Duke will be protected? I already told Vince, anyone gets hurt and I'm out. And you need Duke to remove the Troubles."

"No, I get it, and nobody is getting hurt, you have my word, Lexie."

Right, see- this is why Mara didn't like to lie, as a rule. When you lied, you had to remember which lie you've told which person, and it gets confusing. She'd told Vince and Dave, not Dwight.

"We'll have to talk first. I'll come in the back, just in case."

"Thanks Lexie, we really owe you for stepping in like this."

Okay, she felt a little guilty. "It's nothing. Talk to you soon."

"Hell, I have to tell Dwight. He's getting mobbed and he doesn't even have a clue who I am. Poor guy."

Duke nudged her. "Hey, relax. We can only un-Trouble them one at a time anyway, right?"

"Yeah. And you do most of the work."

They turned the corner and saw the crowd outside the station, and Duke lost his 'devil-may-care' attitude, his jaw falling open as he tried to take in the sheer numbers.

"Back entrance may not be as big a help as we'd thought." Nathan muttered.

"Maybe Dwight's just having a hot-stove meeting?" Lexie asked hopefully.

Duke's careful eyes were taking in every detail. "Nate, you should stay between me and Lexie."

"I agree with Duke, but we're walking in there side-by-side. You can't show fear, got it? Heads high. Trust me, we belong here. Walk quickly, don't run." She kept a hand on Duke as he slid out, pulling him until they could put Nathan between them. Lexie wanted to put her hands over her belly, but didn't want to draw attention. She pulled her best Lexie look out- both bored and impressed, like a New York night life girl at the Grand Ol' Opry- and pulled them forward.

The moment they came into view, the murmuring hit them like a wave. These were people who wanted to believe, clearly, and seeing that familiar face, back early but different, just like the stories they thought were fairy tales- it was the closest to a miracle most of them had ever come. Here was Audrey back from the dead, yet she was a different person, if you believed the whispers. Nobody seemed to buy the official 'amnesia' excuse, and she nodded politely at everyone who waved or called her name.

They made it through the crowd and in without incident, and Mara stretched her neck, trying to relax. Now it was time to be the strongest version of herself. Her original self. Lexie had brought them as far as she could. It was up to Mara and Audrey to take the next lap.

They headed for Dwight's office, and continued to smile and nod to everyone who greeted them. They hustled into Dwight's office and she closed the door behind her with a relieved sigh. "Was it that bad? I haven't been out there in an hour, it may have gotten worse." Dwight's worried voice greeted them, and Mara took a deep breath.

She turned to Dwight with her familiar smile. "It's a crowd the Rev would have given a lot to get." She agreed with him as she moved forward to give him a hug. "I'm sorry, Dwight, I had to think fast to avoid bloodshed. It's okay. I already talked to Vince. I didn't forget this time, I got the rest of me back."

Dwight lifted her as he returned her hug, holding her gratefully close. "Scared the hell out of us this time, Detective. Can we not do that again?"

She kissed his cheek as he gently set her down. "I have no intention of leaving, but we do have a bad guy we should set a BOLO on, unfortunately. I drew you a sketch, here. Some people know him as 'One', some 'The Hunter' and a few by his birth name; William. He's very gregarious, very friendly. He seems harmless. So did Gacy. This guy is just as bad. I should have some advance notice, but I can't promise if and how much. I'll try though."

Dwight nodded. "And you can fix the Troubles?"

She squeezed Duke's hand. "Yes, we can. Well, Duke can. I'm just an assistant. We can only do one at a time, and he can't process an unlimited amount. Maybe 30 a day. More is dangerous. I know, there's no way we're going to take care of them quickly or fairly. I can't think of a fair way honestly. We can do who's here. We'll make time to go to people who can't get to us. There is no way to make it 'fair'. I'll try to explain, just back me up.

"You know I'll have your back. What's your play?"

"We're going to try honesty. Should be novel."

It was novel, at least. They heard and rejected a dozen plans to make the Trouble Cure 'fair'. No matter what they did, they truly couldn't find a way without directly classifying one Trouble as 'better' or 'worse' than another. Every idea they tried came back to one thing- if you're here, you get first treatment. They set aside time for house calls, especially for deadly Troubles.

They managed to actually un-Trouble two dozen of the people who came to the station. Dwight was one of them. They set hours for the next day and most of the crowd dispersed. She saw several people taking pictures of her, and decided that she could happily do without the fame and notoriety.

Duke liked it even less. He hated being in a crowd when he was on guard, and knowing that the woman all these people were drooling over was pregnant was making him more uptight. His voice got a little snappy occasionally, and Mara would place a gentle hand on his arm, trying to keep him calm. They stopped for the day after they cured Trouble #26 and the grateful man was a little overenthusiastic in his thanks, grabbing her to hug her. Duke must have been overtired, because he pulled the man away, eyes glowing silver, with a muttered "Hands off the merchandise, buddy."

Dwight had officers clearing the crowd out, and Mara rubbed Duke's shoulders. "Calm, Duke. He was just... excited."

"You were turning blue!"

"He was really excited." Mara allowed, squeezing his tense muscles until he growled and relaxed.

Nathan was just as vigilant, reminding her of an owl as his head swivelled, constantly looking for a threat. "Seriously, will you guys calm down? I set a sentinel orb two seconds after we walked in, I will know if something is dangerous." She poked Nathan in the ribs, trying to get him to relax just a little.

"I know you did, but it just keeps floating there, it's not doing anything."

"That's a good thing. When it starts doing something, then someone wants to cause trouble."

"I don't want trouble, I just wish I knew what to look for if it reacts."

"You won't have to look, I'll hear it."

There was a new (to her) doctor in town, though she obviously knew Nathan and Duke. Mara watched as she talked to the boys, still shaking her hands out. She stilled as the doctor eyed her and gave her a polite smile as she tried to feel her out. Gloria. She was the kind of person who saw too much, and she knew how to manipulate people. If Mara could learn to trust Gloria, they'd probably make good friends.

Sure enough, as Mara was shaking her hand, Gloria said, "So how far along are you?" The men froze visibly, but the crowd had dispersed, Mara knew there was no nearby danger- she was just trying to shake them up and see what information fell out.

Mara didn't blink- this was 'Manipulation 101'. She'd gotten beyond that before she was even given to the Cause. She just gave a friendly smile and an off-hand "About 18 weeks, I'm guessing. I don't know for sure. You study kinesthesiology?"

Gloria's return smile was appraising. Mara could only guess what she'd been told about Lexie, but she was fairly certain none of it was very complimentary of her mental capacity, so Gloria was testing her- and she was testing Gloria right back. "Oh, just a hobby. Makes my job easier if I understand how people moved before they croaked."

"Makes sense to me. Same with my work. It's easier to repair a Trouble if I know how it works first."

"So we understand each other. Let's cut the crap and just be honest. How'd you come back pregnant?"

Oh thank gods. She much preferred doing without the games. "I'm assuming that you understand the need for discretion here? I haven't told anyone yet."

"I won't say a word. It'll be a nice change, not being the last to know something."

Mara met her eyes without blinking. "I got pregnant in the Barn. I've never come back pregnant because there's never been anyone in the Barn with me."

Gloria gestured between her and Duke. "So, Duke followed you in, and... Duke Junior followed you out?"

Mara laughed, startling the baby again. "An appropriate way to put it, yes."

"When are you going to tell Vince and Dave and Dwight?"

"I can't really put it off. I'd rather they hear it from me and not through random gossip. Probably today."

"Well, congratulations. Don't let them push you around."

"Never have before, why would I start now?"

They laughed as Nathan and Duke stared at each other in confusion. Gloria patted them each on the cheek, making her way to talk to someone else.

"Wait, so- what the hell just happened?" Duke asked, gesturing wildly.

"She was trying to shake me up, see if I would slip and reveal something. I think she might be someone we want on our side, and there was no point in lying- she already knew I was pregnant. This way, having told her the truth, she'll be more likely to watch out for us if something goes wrong."

Nathan put a hand on Duke's arm to calm him down. "But what are you going to say about everything else?"

"Vince and Dave already know I'm not just Lexie. Not much point trying to keep the rest secret. Are you two prepared to be outed? Because people are going to want to know who I'm with, and unless one of you has changed their minds, I intend to tell the truth." She looked at them both seriously. Have either of you changed your minds? Nathan, if fixing you altered the way you felt about me, please just be honest." She was fidgeting with her rings, but trying to appear calm.

"I- have I changed my mind? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. I'm not the only thing you can feel anymore, Nathan."

He closed the gap between them, his hands strong where they grasped her arms. "I don't care if you fixed me. You and Duke are still all I feel. You're all I want to feel. No, I haven't changed my mind. If you want to tell everyone today, that just gives Duke less time to change his mind, so I think it's a good idea."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Fine."

She headed for Dwight, where he was talking to Vince and Dave in one corner. "Everything okay, gentlemen?"

"Just trying to make a list of the most dangerous cases, get an idea how many people we want to get to as priority cases. Are you guys feeling okay? Will you have any issues from fixing those Troubles?" Dwight looked concerned, and she felt an unusual pain from him. Something Audrey hadn't had the ability to follow, but Mara did.

A daughter. A lost daughter. Lost because of One's tainted gift.

Audrey was momentarily enraged- there had been so many deaths from One's stupid games, but how had she never known Dwight had lost a daughter?

And was there a way to bring her back? She considered. If the spirit had gone on, there was no chance. But if, like so many spirits in Haven, she was sticking around, watching out for her father... the science was sound, but she didn't want to say anything unless she absolutely knew if she could pull it off.

Mara pulled out an orb, crushed it and blew, sending it off to see if Lizzy Hendrickson was still within reach, then settled her expression and addressed the men around her.

"We're fine. Duke does most of the work. It just makes my fingers feel funny. But we wanted to tell you something. A couple of things, really. First, although I haven't had any real preference between my names, I think it's important that nobody gets used to calling me 'Mara'. If One shows up- The Hunter, the bad guy I warned you about, he'll do recon on the town before he lets me know he's here. If he hears people using my real name, he'll know I'm whole. It's better to avoid that. Audrey or Lexie unless we're alone, okay?"

Dave rested a hand on her back as he asked her, "What would he do if he knew you were whole?" He traced an inverted cross on her back and a question mark. She traced a figure-8 on him in return.

"He'd increase the stakes. As long as be believes another personality is in control, he won't be on guard, he won't be afraid."

Dwight looked thoughtful. "So, since we asked you to play Audrey for the town, we should call you Audrey?"

"Yeah, may as well. Make like easier for everyone. Just remember that I'm still different- I won't always act the way you expect me to. I'm still affected by Lexie's personality. But you should also know- I'm pregnant. Somewhere around 18 weeks. I wouldn't dump everything on you like this, but it's not something I can hide for long."

"Congratulations!" Dwight picked her up in another bear hug, and she laughed, clinging to him. Who'd have guessed that Dwight would be the baby-crazy one? Dave and Vince were still spluttering, eyes round as saucers.

"18 weeks? So you conceived in the Barn? I didn't think that was possible." Vince uttered in astonishment.

"We had no way of knowing. Nobody's ever come in with me before. I was always kept solitary. I don't know if anyone has ever been conceived in the Void before. But, you know what happens when the world tells Duke he can't do something." She straightened her shirt as Dwight set her down.

"He does it anyway." Dave nodded.

"Exactly."

"People, I'm right here, come on."

She rubbed his back gently. "Sorry, but it's true. The quickest way to get anything done is to tell you it can't be done. You've made a habit of flipping the universe the middle finger, love."

He looked slightly mollified, laying his hand on her hip. "It doesn't sound so bad when you say it like that. It actually sounds pretty good."

Dwight was looking between Nathan and Duke, obviously wondering but hesitant to ask.

"We're going to all stay together. It's the only thing that makes sense." Audrey said firmly.

She saw Dwight's shoulders relax. "Oh, good. I'm really happy for you guys."

"So are we." Dave said sternly. "This is wonderful news. You deserve to enjoy some happiness."

She smiled at them, the hormones making her lean towards tears. She wasn't okay with tears. "So, okay, I'm moving to the Rouge. Considering the turn-out today, I'd appreciate if you keep that quiet. I don't want to accidentally shoot someone because they don't want to deal with the line. We'll be back tomorrow to deal with the next group."

There was a surge of energy around them, and for a moment Audrey thought her orb had come back to her. Then Jennifer appeared at Dwight's side, bouncing up to kiss his cheek. "Did I miss anything? That was crazy, it reminded me of the old tent revivals the churches threw when I was growing up."

"Just telling the guys that we're expecting."

Jennifer squealed, and Audrey pressed a hand to her belly when the baby startled.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you! Is everything good, are you happy? You're happy, right? And you're all together, right? Because you should be."

Audrey held her hands up. "Calm down, Jennifer. We're together, everything is fine. And go ahead and call me Audrey. That's what everyone else is going to do. You remember hearing about One? We need to watch out for him. He could show up anywhere, at any time. If you happen to hear anything over Void-radio, please call me immediately. Doesn't matter what time. We need clothes and groceries, though, so if you guys need us, just call."

"Why don't we walk you out? Until we know a little more about what's going on. I know, you don't want special treatment. But I would feel better if you let me keep an extra eye on you. Good news can make people just as crazed as bad news."

"Sure, Dwight. If you feel better, of course. We'll be extra cautious."

She had to give out several hugs, and they finally broke for the door, Dwight walking them all the way to the Bronco and then checking it over as Audrey let the Aether check it out too.

Audrey insisted on sitting against the door, giving Duke the middle. Her stomach was wheeling madly, and she leaned her head out the window. "Can we grab some clothes from the apartment and just drop me at the Rouge please? I don't think a grocery store is somewhere I belong right now." She leaned forward, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Duke took her hand, deft fingers pressing acupressure spots to help nausea. "You can't let your stomach get so empty. It'll make the morning sickness worse."

She held her ribs tight, gagging every few seconds. They made it to the apartment in record time, and each man took armloads of hung clothes from the closet while Audrey bagged up everything else. She still lived efficiently- everything she owned could be transported anywhere in a single trip. She had to pull out one extra box for the framed photos and the mementos she'd collected, but they had all her things in one trip.

They got back to the Rouge and she unpacked just as quickly, hanging her clothes next to Duke's and tossing her delicate items in a drawer he'd cleared out for her. She put a framed picture of the three of them on the bedside table as she sat, looking around. "This is a first. I've never lived with someone. Not since the lab, at least. I'm worried you don't know what you've gotten yourself into."

Duke sat next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. She rested her head against his shoulder. "I know exactly what I'm doing. I want you here. I've wanted you here for a long time. You're the one who should be worried. You can't get rid of me now."

Nathan came in, writing on a pad of paper with the pen cap in his mouth and his forehead furrowed.

Somehow, he made making a grocery list look kind of adorable.

"Did either of you know Dwight had a daughter?" Audrey asked quietly.

Nathan nodded. "That's what brought him to Haven, really. Her Trouble activated and they couldn't save her. After that, Dwight had no reason not to join."

Audrey shot him a suspicious look. "They wanted him to join the Guard, and he had refused because of his daughter?"

"As far as I understand it, yes."

"Did anyone find that the least bit convenient? The Guard wants someone, suddenly his daughter's Trouble activates and there just happens to be a shooting near her?"

Duke looked at her, surprised. "Usually I'm the suspicious one. You think the Guard has something to do with shooting a kid?"

"Last week, I would have doubted it. Now? Yeah, I do. Something has gone very wrong in the Guard. It could be the human factor or it could be that One interfered at some point. Either way, that child was taken before her time, and I'm going to fix it if I can."

"Fix it?" Nathan asked. "Fix it how, Parker? She's dead. I wish like hell that wasn't so, but it is."

"That really depends. If her spirit has moved on, then no, I can't do anything. But if she's hanging around Dwight? Aether can do a lot of amazing things."

"You know, I'm going to just not worry about it until you're actively bringing things back to life." Duke said it like it was the most normal thing in the world, and again it was the absurdity of the situation that made her laugh.

"Okay, beautiful, get in bed."

"Why?"

"Because you're sick and you need to lie down. We'll do the grocery shopping."

"I'm not sick, I'm pregnant. Morning sickness can happen at any hour. I don't need to go to bed."

"I'd feel better if you did."

She stared at him mutinously. "I'll change my clothes, but I'm not an invalid and there is zero chance I'm letting you set this precedent. Now go. Make sure nobody gets shot at the grocery store."

They stared each other down, and Duke finally threw his hands in the air, muttering about her being stubborn. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

Nathan closed in on her and she eyed him curiously. "We didn't have much time earlier, but I wanted to give you something."

She cocked her head and watched him curiously. She honestly wasn't completely sure where she stood with him now.

So when he moved forward, pulling him tight against him to kiss her, she was surprised and relieved.

And oh, the kiss! It was amazing, leaving even that last, amazing kiss in the dust. Even with his feeling restored, he still loved her and he still wanted her. It was a huge relief, and she wrapped her arms up around his neck, pulling him closer.

Duke had to clear his throat three times and warn them that Audrey would get dangerous when she got hungry again before they each stepped back, blushing. She gave them each a chaste kiss of the cheek before she locked the door behind them.

Right on time for her orb to come zooming back.