Audrey opened her hand, inviting the orb home. She stretched out, absorbing the information as she changed into cotton lounge pants and a tank top, letting her hair hang down her back.
She had to put some thought into this. Bringing a spirit back was the easy part. Explaining a little girl being alive when the people responsible for her murder might still be around- that was the tricky bit. She had to be able to keep her safe, and telling friend from foe in this town was a serious challenge.
She went back to the living room, sitting with her backpack of Aether in her lap. She set 4 sentinel orbs as a security precaution, rolling a fifth thoughtfully between her hands. She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jordan. It's- uh, Audrey. Gods, sorry, too many names. I think we're set on Audrey for now. Do you have time to talk a little?"
Jordan sounded surprised. "Sure, of course. What's up?"
"Do you know much about when Dwight joined the Guard?"
"Oh, wow. Not really. I know he'd been approached before, but a personal tragedy made him join. Kind of like the rest of us."
"Have you heard anything, I don't know, odd or suspicious? Is there anyone you just- don't trust?"
Jordan's voice dropped- she knew Audrey was fishing. "You going to tell me what's going on?"
"If you want me to, absolutely. But I don't want to put you in a bad position. I know these are your friends."
"I can't help you if you don't talk to me."
Audrey sighed. "I know, I'm just- I hate putting you in the middle. I don't want it to seem like I expect you to tell me things just because you're better now. That's not why we helped you."
"Messaged received. But I'm offering. Is Dwight in some kind of trouble?"
"Not Dwight, per se. But... I think someone may have manipulated things, set up the situation that drove him to join the Guard."
"Just tell me. It'll stay between us."
"I think someone triggered his daughter's Trouble to activate, and then arranged the 'accidental shooting' so she'd die and he'd join the Guard." Audrey blurted.
Nothing but stunned silence.
"Jordan?"
"I heard you. I- is this something you think has happened before?"
Audrey heard the unasked question; was this something that had happened to Jordan? But it was a very, very good question.
"I don't know anything for sure, but it seems like when someone turns up with a gift that would benefit the Guard, eventually something happens that brings that individual in. I'm sure you can understand from my experience why I don't believe in coincidence."
"I'll keep my ears open, but I don't know anything offhand. But if I hear something, I'll let you know."
"Jordan, be careful. Don't do anything that could draw attention. You're got to keep yourself safe. "
"I will be, don't worry."
"Oh! I do have some news. I'm pregnant. Just found out today."
"I... how... I mean, congratulations, obviously. How, though? How far along are you?"
She stretched out on the couch to look at her belly as they talked. If she paid attention, she could see the roundness pushing against her abdominal muscles. She remembered this from James. Staying small and inconspicuous until she'd woken up one day in her fifth month to see her muscles had given up and she was suddenly nothing but belly.
"I got pregnant in the Barn. We're guessing that I'm about 18 weeks, but there's no way to be sure."
"Wow. That's amazing. Congratulations. Are you excited?"
"Scared. I had a kind of meltdown when I found out. I don't have much experience with maternal... well, anything, really. None at all."
If anyone had told her a month ago that she'd be talking to Jordan like old friends, she'd have been certain a Trouble was to blame. Of course, she also wouldn't have believed she was planning to bring someone back to life.
"You'll be great, Audrey. Isn't your job basically parenting this whole town?"
"You have a point."
"How is Duke taking it?"
Audrey laughed. "He figured it out before me. I think he had an easier time dealing with the actual pregnancy than with trying to get up the nerve to tell me. He honest to gods tried to trick me with non-alcoholic beer when we ate last night. And protective! He actually lifted a man off me at the station because he was hugging me too hard after we cured his Trouble. And he tried to send me to bed because of morning sickness. Someone is going to get hurt at this rate. Probably him."
Jordan was laughing, and the sound made Audrey smile. She'd never gotten to hear Jordan laugh much- she hadn't had much to laugh about- and it was a lovely sound. For a moment, she felt immensely proud. She and Duke had saved Jordan, they were the reason she was finally able to laugh. To touch. It was a huge win. Huge.
Of course, if it wasn't for her connection with One, she never would have been Troubled to begin with.
That was the problem with Haven. Every win came with two more losses. One was still out there, and they didn't know where. Two- Illeana- was either dead or in hiding. They had to find her. And she was fairly certain that someone in the Guard was worse than Troubled- he was willing to murder children to make his group stronger. Just like her and the Cause. It was all history repeating.
She shook her head, focusing on Jordan. "I gave Dwight sketches of a guy I need you guys to keep watch for. We don't know when he's coming, but he will come, that's one thing I know. So please, please be careful. If there's someone in the Guard who's willing to do these things, we don't know how they'll react to people getting cured. If you notice anyone who seems really upset about the cure, and about the Guard members choosing to be cured, let me know."
Jordan got quiet, her voice serious. "You don't think it's Vince, do you?"
"I don't want to. But I can't do my job if I automatically just exclude people because of our friendship. We've all learned that lesson the hard way. No, I don't think it's him, but I have to watch him. To be fair and to keep everyone safe, I have to watch as many people as possible. The only people I can be certain it's not are Duke, Nathan, Dave, you and Dwight."
Jordan didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "You believe it's not me?"
"I know it's not you. I don't have a doubt in my mind."
There were tears in Jordan's voice when she spoke. "Why? Why do you believe me? What reason do you have to trust me?"
"We may not have been best friends, but you're a good person. You were cut off by something beyond your control and yeah, you were angry- you had a right to be. But even at your angriest or most desperate, I know you would never trigger a child and I know you're not a murderer. We don't have to stay mired in the past. We can choose to move past where we were."
"Yeah. That sounds good. You fix Nathan yet?"
"We did. We're going to all stay together. He was with Duke before I came along anyway."
"Really? How did I not know this? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me the interesting gossip?"
"Seriously! No one told me, either. I had to figure it out and listen to them both tap-dance about how it was a long time ago and the other one couldn't possibly love them anymore. I feel for them, I do, but I just wanted to smack them both upside the head."
"That's an adjustment period that I don't envy you. Do you need anything I can help with?"
"No thanks. I sent the guys to go grocery shopping. We have set hours at the station again tomorrow. I told Dwight that Duke can't process more than 30 Troubles a day, so it's going to be a lot of arguing and getting people to wait their turns. Aside from deadly Troubles, we can't just act like any one Trouble is more important than another.
"Will you do me a favor? If you run into trouble- either you see One or you get an idea about who the person working within the Guard is- text me something innocuous, like a picture of a cat or something. I'll know you're in trouble and we'll trace your phone. That way if someone sees your phone, they'll have no reason to be suspicious."
"That's- a pretty good idea. Yeah, I'll do that. I'll let you know if I see or hear anything. I don't want to think that anyone I know would do something like that."
"Neither do I, but I don't think I'm wrong. Just take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call for anything. Even if you just have a bad feeling. Okay?"
"Yes, mom." Jordan teased.
Audrey chuckled. "I'll talk to you soon."
She hung up, pressing both palms against the slight swell of her abdomen.
Dear gods, there was a baby Crocker in there. A part of Duke that had combined with a part of her and started growing, creating something bigger and more special that the sum of it's parts. This tiny portion of Duke had stayed, refusing to leave her.
He was really, truly in love with her.
Audrey had entertained the thought of being with Duke, of course. But she'd never imagined that she could be enough- enough to hold his attention, enough to make living with all the weirdness that permeated her daily life worth the hassle. But she'd been honest and he'd still wanted her. He'd wanted her enough that she'd conceived a child in the Void. Something that, if she believed the reports, had never happened.
Duke made his own path everywhere he went. She was pretty damned lucky to be with him for the ride.
She was starting to doze when another orb came zipping in, dancing excitedly around her head. She held her hand out without opening her eyes.
She sat straight up, blank eyes watching pictures playing inside her head, and she was still frozen in place when Duke and Nathan brought the groceries in, setting bags on the counters.
"Hey beautiful! We got you- Audrey, sweetheart, what happened?" Duke ran to her side, Nathan just a step behind. Audrey's eyes moved, zipping around like she was watching rapid movement. She didn't seem to be at all aware of their presence.
"Audrey, please, talk to us. What's going on?" Duke's eyes narrowed, and he urgently said, "Mara! Listen to me!"
She jerked, and her head turned toward Duke, her eyes still scanning. "The orb came back."
"From this morning?" Duke was trying to act calm, but she heard the strain in his voice. She nodded. "What did it say?"
"That- that's the part I'm trying to understand! The pictures don't make sense. It's got to be a test. One undoubtedly tried to track her this way at some point. It's not a big deal- if the orb makes contact, she wouldn't have to let it return to him. The fact that it came back with anything at all- Duke, someone sent this back to me. I think it was your mom."
Nathan put his hand on Duke's shoulder, squeezing. "Duke explained what he could while we were out. You're saying she's alive?"
"I didn't see or hear her directly, but there aren't many people who could have sent this back to me, and I know it feels nothing like One. So unless Dave somehow figured out how to control Aether, this came from Two. Sorry, Illeana." Audrey stood and started pacing. "She's being careful, of course she is. She's spent Duke's entire life hiding. The only way for her to know it's a clean message from me is for her to see us, Duke. Come here, stand with me."
Audrey let go of the orb and it hovered it mid-air as she stood next to Duke. She reached to pull his hand over, set it on her belly and raised her wrist with the flaming Maze in front of her. She let the orb scan and record them, then she stepped back to take it in her hand. "This should be enough. let her see you, see me, see that the image isn't faked." She crushed the orb and blew, and it flew off again.
"I'm sorry, Duke, I didn't mean to scare you. I had just gotten the orb and I was trying to process the information from it. I had the sentinels set, but they aren't set to go off just from your presence."
Duke folded her up in a hug, squeezing her against him. "It's fine. We're fine. Just scared us a little. It's been a busy week."
When he let go, she followed the boys to the kitchen so she could help put things away. "Speaking of orbs and busy weeks, there's something I want to discuss with you. I talked to Jordan while you were gone. She's going to keep an eye out- carefully, I told her not to draw any attention to herself- but the more I hear, the more certain I am that someone related to the Guard is arranging to get the recruits they want. They may have even purposely triggered Jordan."
"Parker, you realize what you're saying?"
"Yes, Nathan. I'm saying that someone is triggering activation, killing kids and maybe even committing rape to get stronger members."
That shut them all up for a long moment as they continued to put things away. "And no," she said softly, "I haven't ruled Vince himself out. I want to, but as the leader of the Guard, he's been in a position to have that kind of power. The only ones I know it isn't are you two, Dave, Jordan and Dwight. It could be anyone else."
"What did Jordan say?" Nathan asked.
"She's going to watch, but she understands where I'm coming from. She's nervous, but so am I. We worked out a code- if she sends any of us cat pictures, we get to her right away. There's not much else I can do just yet. If I can get all the members in one spot and have active Aether? I could have them sniffed out pretty quick. But they're never in one place all at once. I need to talk to Dwight. I need to make sure I can bring her back first, and I wanted you two here when I did that. I know the science behind it, but it's nothing I've ever done myself."
Duke closed the freezer and leaned back against it, staring. "Are you telling me right now that you're going to bring Dwight's daughter back from the dead? Is that what's happening here?"
Audrey gave him a pained half-smile. "Yes."
"And why is it you never told me you could do this?"
"Because I never have, Duke. And because I didn't think I'd have call to. If she'd died of natural causes, or if she'd been grown- it wouldn't have even crossed my mind. But the only reason that child is dead is because someone purposely triggered her Trouble, knowing what would happen. A Trouble that wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me and One's warped obsession with me.
"So I sent an orb to check and see if she'd moved on or if her spirit was still hanging around here, watching Dwight. She hasn't moved on. With my education and access to Aether, I can help her. I have to. She was just a little girl."
"You're right, you're right. I get it. It's just a lot to absorb. For all of us."
"Do you guys mind if I have him over tonight? I don't feel right relaxing when I know I could be giving him his baby back."
Duke smiled, brushing her hair back and kissing her bruised face gently. "Go for it. I'm going to start dinner anyway."
She hugged him and turned to Nathan. "What about you?"
"It's the right thing to do. Of course you should."
She hugged him too, and he caught her in a kiss that tightened all her muscles and made her toes curl. "We still have plans, so you better call him."
"I. Uh. Right. I was calling. Calling Dwight." It took a moment to gather her scattered thoughts, and she tripped a little as she stepped backwards, gesturing to the phone.
Nathan looked ridiculously pleased with himself as he watched her stammer and blush.
As soon as she turned the corner, out of his line of sight, she leaned against the wall, covering her mouth to hide her embarrassed giggle. Something about kissing Nathan; knowing he wanted her even though he was aware how very NotNormal she was, and about him knowing she was having dirty thoughts about him and her and Duke and the possibilities... it all just made her feel shy and inexperienced. It was that first-time bout of nerves. Knowing you're going to be having naked time with someone was perfectly adult and rational. That first time, though, and the hours leading up to it? The feelings about them were neither adult nor rational.
Audrey took a deep breath and shook it off. Duke had been spoiling her; it was barely early evening and she was already mentally whining that she hadn't had sex in forever.
She blamed the hormones.
Dwight answered on the first ring.
"Hendrickson."
"Handy, since that's who I dialed."
"Funny."
"Sorry, it's a Lexie thing. Hey, do you think you- or you and Jennifer, depending on if you want her involved- could come over? I want to discuss some things with you. About the Guard and... and your daughter."
There was only a brief hesitation. "Sure, when do you want me there? The boat?"
"Yes, we're on the Rouge, and whenever you can get here. The sooner the better."
"On my way."
She wandered back into the kitchen, leaning on a counter near Nathan.
The exact same spot where she'd had sex with Duke yesterday. She hopped up to sit, swinging her legs.
The look on Duke's face made her wish she'd had a camera. He had a dishrag over one shoulder, a wooden spoon in his hand, but the moment he saw her sitting there watching him with a telltale glint in her eye and that smile on her face, he had frozen.
His mouth was partway open, having trailed off mid-word, and a lock of hair was in his eyes. It was like his body was trying to do two things at once. She could practically hear the internal dialogue.
"So now we need to turn down to a simmer and let it reduce before adding the sherry and-"
"Hey, sex!"
"What do you mean, Audrey's just sitting on the counter and this is her first official meal since she moved in..."
"No, sex. Look, she's in that spot. Look at the eyes! The smile!"
"Oh. Well sex does sound pretty good."
He stalked toward her, looking dangerous. As dangerous as a man can, with a wooden spoon. "You like the show?"
She smiled and shrugged. "I prefer the audience-participation ones, personally. But we don't have much time, so I'll take what I can get." She reached out and grabbed his shirt, tugging him close for a kiss. She couldn't be blamed that her legs locked around his waist the second he was close enough. It must have been a muscle-memory issue. Duke growled and she groaned as their bodies pressed together.
"I don't know what you're growling at. I feel like I haven't had sex in years." Audrey mumbled between kisses.
"I could fix that right now."
"But then your lovely dinner would burn. And we can't very well have a quickie right now, we still haven't even figured out the logistics of our current situation yet."
"Oh, I have that all taken care of. I have a dozen different ideas."
"Of course you do. You're like a black-market boy scout. You know all the sex positions and bondage knots and how to smuggle anything anywhere. You have guns everywhere so you're always prepared. Isn't that even their motto?"
She kissed away his indignant protest.
Nathan placed a hand on her back, fingertips just tickling at the skin of her back above her waistband. His touch gave her chills and left goosebumps. He leaned forward, tilting his head to kiss her neck, and Audrey was suddenly stuck by what a beautiful fucking idea this was. She could have both their hearts and she got their bodies, too? What had she possibly done to deserve a karmic reward of these proportions?
Whatever it had been, it had been worth it.
Audrey had to break it off, pushing them both back. "As much as I do not want to stop right now, Dwight is on his way and the stove is on. Jennifer may be with him. We've already scarred her poor ears, let's try to leave her eyes alone." She groaned and pouted. "You have no idea how hard that was." She grumbled as she slid off the counter.
"Oh, I have an idea." Duke replied, equally frustrated.
Nathan smiled, speaking in a purposely low voice, watching the shiver that traveled up her spine. "I'll make it up to you both."
He might make her weak-kneed, but he didn't have all the power in the relationship. She stroked her fingertips over his hand and up his arm, placing her palm against his face as she leaned up to brush her lips against his. "I look forward to learning what you like. And teaching you what I like." She kissed him, smiling as she backed away licking her lips.
The sentries sounded several seconds before Dwight's knock, and Nathan was still rubbing his ears as Dwight walked in. "I told you you'd know when a sentry went off. Now you know. Sorry Dwight, Jennifer. New security system, Nathan hadn't seen it work yet. Can I get you guys some water or a beer?"
"Sure, a beer would be good, thanks."
Audrey had handed everyone a drink and was reaching for herself when Duke reached into her way. "Nope. Water or juice or tea. We got you plenty of both."
"Oh, right. I'll just stay with the water. But you shouldn't worry so much. My species isn't generally as fragile as humans. Alcohol isn't a danger to the baby. Very little crosses the placental barrier, actually. But water is fine." Audrey kissed his cheek, returning to sit diagonally from Dwight and Jennifer.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, but once I knew I couldn't relax until I talked to you. First, I want you to know that nobody told me- When we told you about the baby earlier I felt you reaching, and I realized you-" Audrey trailed off, not knowing how much he'd told Jennifer.
"It's fine Audrey. I told her. She knows everything."
"Oh, good. That's easier. Dwight, do you think there's any chance that someone in the Guard might have had something to do with how you joined?"
His eyes moved to her quickly, narrowing. "I thought about it briefly, but there was no evidence it was anything premeditated. Just another crime."
"You could be right. I don't think so, though. I'm not in on all the Guard secrets, but I know more than I used to. I know that when they find someone with a Trouble and they think that person is useful, it's usually just a matter of time before they get them. And not just you, Dwight. Jordan, for one. Another 'random crime' that just happened to be ideal to activate her Trouble. Depending on their Trouble, they could even be affecting the actions of the criminals in each case. We've seen Troubles that let the person control others. We can talk about that and fix it in a little bit, but there's something else. Your daughter's spirit stayed with you instead of choosing to move on. I... I can bring her back, Dwight."
He was stunned, eyes wide and confused as he stared at her. "What do you mean? Like talking to a ghost?"
"No, Dwight. She already is a ghost. I mean I can bring her back to life. The Aether can create a body, an ideal replica of her body, and her spirit can take over. It will be her, just her. She'll grow and age just like she should, the only real difference is that she'd be immune to the Troubles, like me."
"Would that make her your daughter?"
Audrey smiled. "I'm sure I'll love her like one, but no. She'll be your daughter, just like before. She'll just be made of stardust that's a bit more like mine. I'm just a conduit for the Aether, Dwight. Some people call Aether 'The Breath of Life' because it is. It creates life. If a person can learn to work with it, to help direct it- anything is possible."
"What do you want? What do you need? What do I have to do to get her back? I'll do anything."
She'd never seen Dwight frantic or desperate, no matter how bad things had gotten. It was a shock. "Nothing, Dwight. Of course I don't want anything from you. I just needed your permission. If you want this, I'm happy to help,"
"Will she come back normal, or will it be like Pet Sematary or something? I don't want her to be bad or dangerous."
"No, Dwight. This isn't a Stephen King book. She'll come back whole, and you're not making any deals with the Devil. I give you my word. I will never purposely hurt anyone in this room."
"Please, Audrey."
She nodded, reaching for her backpack. She took out several orbs, including the one they'd removed from Jordan, and lined them up on the table. She stretched as the Maze burned on her wrist and she knelt on the floor, whispering quietly in words that sounded nothing like English as she crushed several orbs, sprinkling them over the floor.
After the fifth one, it became obvious they were taking on human form, the glowing dust outlining what appeared to be a small, invisible girl. Dwight slid to the floor near Audrey, Jennifer's hand resting on his head, petting his hair.
"Dwight, take your overshirt off, I forgot to get her something to wear."
Audrey lifted the mostly-invisible form, adjusting her position to cradle the child in her lap. Still whispering, she took Jordan's orb from the table, crushing it and pressing her hand to the figure's chest.
A blinding light surrounded her, and the only thing glowing brighter were Audrey's eyes. They burned reddish-gold like the Maze on her wrist. Like she was a living fire, carefully hidden in the body of a human.
There was movement in the light, and a quiet wail, the sound he was certain he remembered from Lizzy's first cry. The cry faded with the light, and then Audrey was on the floor, holding a thin, naked girl in her lap. Dwight stopped breathing completely. He held open his shirt on autopilot, and Audrey pulled it around the girl, but it wasn't until Audrey reached out to hand him his daughter that he moved with any purpose.
He took the unconscious girl gently. She looked and felt just as he remembered, and when he bent forward to sniff her hair, he sobbed. She smelled exactly the same.
She stirred, whining a little. Her eyes fluttered. "Daddy? Did she make me better? She said she could, so that I could live with you again. Can I?"
"Yeah, baby. Yes. I'll never leave you again."
Lizzy smiled sleepily. "I watched over you. I like your friends and Miss Jennifer. Audrey said we would be friends."
Now Jennifer was crying with Dwight, and Audrey leaned against Nathan's legs, exhausted but smiling.
She'd built a town, she'd built a family and she'd saved another family. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Duke came to sit next to her against Nathan's legs, and she reached out to curl her fingers around his.
"You really did it. I didn't doubt you, but it's..."
"Amazing." Nathan finished. "We just witnessed a real miracle. You brought someone back from the dead. Not just resuscitation. You made her a whole new body."
"The Aether did that. I'm just a conduit. The hands and head that direct the Aether."
Duke shook his head. "Sweetheart, you tell yourself whatever you want to. I know what we saw. The Aether chooses to work with you. You brought that girl back. You're modest enough. You made this happen. We're both proud of you, and I love that you still somehow surprise me every day. Thank you."
Dwight wiped his eyes, chuckling. "Thank you, Audrey. Thank you so much. I didn't think I'd ever be happy again, and now you've brought me Jennifer and brought my little girl back to me. I can't ever repay you."
"I don't want to be repaid. I just want you to be happy. I want to make this town what it was supposed to be. A Haven. And Lizzy belonged with her dad."
"Thank you for helping me, Audrey. I didn't think you could really do it; I'm sorry I didn't believe you. At school, the teachers said magic isn't real."
"No, Lizzy, you don't have to be sorry. Most magic is just science we don't understand yet, but the world is a big place. As a general rule, it's a good idea not to trust anyone whose promises are too big. It just so happened that your spirit is super strong, just like your daddy. Because of that, I could find you, and since I knew how to use the Aether-"
"Is that the stardust you told me about?
"Yes. It can do anything, given the right direction. There aren't very many people who can use it very well, so I'm glad I was here to help. I wish I could have helped you sooner."
The answering smile was dazzling. "I'm just glad Daddy can see me. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure, kitten."
"Wow, I guess we better go get you home, bug. Start getting a room set up for you. Audrey..."
"She's protected. The Aether keeps her alive, but it's also programmed to protect her. I know it'll take you time, but they can't hurt her. I made sure, since we don't know who we're fighting."
"I was going to say 'Thank you'."
"You already did. and I told you, I'm just happy I could help. I'm the same person I was this morning, Dwight. I'm just your friend."
"There's no such thing as 'just' a friend, Audrey. Not in this town. "
"Alright, you have a point. I have some ideas for cleaning up the Guard, but they can wait. Go home. Be happy."
Everyone stood, and of course Duke noticed that Audrey stayed on the floor. He gave her the look, and she sullenly replied, "Okay, will you please help me up, Duke?"
He reached down and picked her up, her arms wrapping around his neck as he held her. "You overdid it, didn't you?"
"A little. It's worth it."
They walked their friends to the door and Audrey and Lizzy each leaned out of the arms that held them to hug each other. "My number is in your dad's phone, you call me whenever you need to."
Lizzy smiled shyly, nodding, and they let them out, Nathan closing the door behind them.