Audrey's first weeks back at work, with her complete personality, were almost unbearably frustrating. The Troubles were simple enough, and they repaired as many as they could each day, but she was having to go through dozens of old case files every day, tracing each misstep, every hint that One had been mucking around in Haven. With her entire personality, the patterns were so obvious she wondered how they had missed them the first time.
They decided together that the only way to explain Lizzy's resurrection was by saying she'd been abducted and the body misidentified- a story so ridiculous that Vince and Dave should have made it up- and they created a case file so full of lies that it would have been more at home in Washington, D.C. than Haven, Maine. It was sloppy, but they couldn't think of anything better, and that alone frustrated her.
The orb she had sent to Duke's mother still hadn't returned, and between the hormones and the constant worry checking on everyone she cared about, she felt more like a nanny than a cop.
It was Friday, and she was actually looking forward to a day off, which increased her natural fear of her day off. She was hungry and tired and honestly a little cranky. She finally had her actual self back, and the pregnancy was making her feel out of control again.
Nathan sighed as he rolled his chair over to hers. "What's wrong, Parker? You've been scowling at that same file for 20 minutes without moving. Something is obviously bugging you."
She set her pen down, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm hungry and I'm tired, and I feel like I'm chasing my own tail over here."
"Last I checked, you don't have a tail."
"Funny, Wuornos."
He put a hand on each of her knees, pulling her chair away from the desk. "It's been 10 weeks, Parker. You've been working non-stop, you're barely sleeping and you're trying to grow a whole person. Maybe you should cut yourself some slack."
She sat back in her chair, smiling faintly. She was still wearing Lexie's jewelry, but her mannerisms had bits of all the personalities and she still had Audrey's smile. Her gaze was a little darker, more piercing than it had been before and she had a little more of an edge than she had before the Barn. "Is that right? And what do you suggest I do with all the extra time this slack-cutting will give me?"
He grinned the way he only did when he knew he was breaking a rule- fraternizing at work, this time- and leaned in closer. "I can think of a few things."
"Oh really? And do any of these have to do with you working too hard?"
His eyes sparkled, trying not to laugh as he pressed his lips to hers. "Maybe a few."
She reached to wrap her arms around his neck, her black tank top riding up just a bit and kissed him back, tilting her head a little and smiling as she murmured, "We shouldn't be doing this here." against his lips.
He didn't pull back but widened his eyes, feigning surprise. "Oh? Where should we be doing this? Because I don't really feel like doing anything else."
She laughed low in her chest. "You are a bad, bad man."
He shrugged, humming a little. "I've learned that 'good' can make you complacent. Make you take the most important things for granted."
"Like what things?"
"This. You and me. Duke. The things that really matter."
"You're learning. Very good, Detective." She kissed him again, smiling.
They jerked apart as the doorknob turned, just getting their arms back to themselves, their chairs still much too close, as the door swung open, relaxing a little as Duke strode into their office, bags in his hand.
"Hey! Is this what my tax money is going toward? You two... canoodling instead of solving crimes? As a citizen, I have to say, I'm personally offended." He set the bags down on Nathan's desk, wagging a finger at them as he started unpacking styrofoam boxes that Audrey suspected- and hoped- had food in them.
She leaned back in her seat, grinning. "Actually, we were just discussing you, smartass. Is that food?" She was already rolling Nathan toward his desk, eager to see what Duke had brought.
"Hands off, Grabby McGrabberson. Watch the master at work." Duke waved her off and she laughed, hands up in the air.
"Okay, okay! Jeeze, Duke, don't get your knickers in a twist."
"I don't wear knickers, thank you very much."
"I know that. Half of Haven knows that, just like we all know you leave the top button of your fly open on purpose."
Nathan laughed, but Duke retorted, "That's for easy access and I have yet to hear you complain."
"I don't have any complaints, I just thought we were taking turns stating the obvious."
He looked at Nathan, expression concerned. "Has she been this lit up all morning, because if she has, you and I need to have another talk about making sure she's fed."
"She was perfectly normal until just a few minutes before you showed up. Don't blame me."
"She is right here and can speak for herself, thank you both. And I'm still just fine. I'm just a little tired and really hungry, so either feed me or give me sex, but I swear if you keep teasing me you're both sleeping in the hold of the ship. Without me."
Duke shook his head, his voice riding defensively. "Alright! A little patience, I'm trying to be dramatic and romantic. Aren't women supposed to like that?"
"I like romance just fine, but I'm pregnant and hungry. Right now a peanut butter sandwich sounds romantic! Plus, while referring to me as 'women' is technically accurate, since I'm more than one person- kind of- most women don't like being lumped into generalized gender stereotypes. I can give birth and carry a gun." She shot Nathan a 'Lexie' look. "I even passed my recertification. I beat Nathan's score."
Nathan gave a deep, morose sigh. "You're really not going to forget about that, are you? I thought you were someone new!"
She smiled brightly. "Nope. I don't forget things. I forgive, but up here?" She tapped her head, "It's like Area 51 or a roach motel. Things go in, but they never come out again."
Duke laughed loudly, grabbing an extra chair and moving Audrey and Nathan to their own spots around the desk. He set drinks in front of them, sitting in the extra chair with his own box. "Enjoy. The station has to give you an hour for lunch anyway, so you can eat with me."
Audrey grinned, wiggling in her seat. She opened her box, squealing happily. "Sushi! Oh gods, this is why I love you, You're brilliant and you don't listen to stupid rules that don't even apply to me." She stuffed a piece of salmon in her mouth, groaning. "When I stopped for coffee this morning, the barista tried to talk me into decaf. Repeatedly. I was seconds from going over that counter or unholstering my weapon. I'm not that big! 28 weeks- I have another 3 months to go!"
Nathan and Duke exchanged amused looks. Duke tried diplomacy. "Maybe it's because you're glowing, beautiful. And you're showing. You're definitely showing. You know that, you're the one who tried to throw out half your clothes this morning because they didn't fit."
She shrugged, swallowing another bite. "I'm allowed something like four hormonal rants per day. The internet said so, so it must be true, right? Just like the Herald prints nothing but facts."
Nathan and Duke laughed so hard Duke snorted, and then Audrey was in hysterics. "You snorted!"
Duke coughed into his napkin, trying to explain away his mirth by saying, "I did not, I just had wasabi in my mouth, and when you made me laugh it made my nose burn!"
She looked at him appraisingly while she chewed. "Liar. You heard him snort, Nathan, right?"
Nathan nodded agreeably. "He snorted. Sorry, you snorted, Duke. I'm not incurring her wrath by lying about something that trivial." He popped a piece of tuna in his mouth, shrugging.
"Fine, I snorted, once. But Nathan snores. Every single night he snores."
Audrey shook her head. "We knew that. We knew that the first night, because I had to tell you that he was snoring so you'd still want me to move in. That's not the point."
Duke stared at her innocently as he chewed. "What was the point again?"
Son of a bitch. He knew how her mind was functioning the last few days, he had been counting on her losing her train of thought and he had been right. She glared a little as she replied, "I don't have to have a point, I have a badge. And a gun!" she added as an aside to Nathan, who groaned theatrically.
Duke laughed at Nathan, and then they were all laughing again.
They finished their lunch, talking together and enjoying each other's company. Audrey had just eaten her last piece- toro, her absolute favorite- when her phone buzzed. She answered with a brisk, "Parker" and her eyebrows furrowed as she listened. "On our way. We're bringing Duke."
She hung up, jaw clenched in frustration. These. These were the worst cases they got, and they never stopped bothering her.
"We're going to the morgue. They got a body."
Gloria met them in the lobby, pacing a little. That alone was strange. The woman just wasn't anxious, as a rule. Duke was being towed along by Audrey's finger in his belt loop. Nobody liked going to the morgue, but Duke wasn't even being paid to, so he was only there, under protest, because Audrey had repeated the message she'd gotten- that the body concerned her directly.
"Oh am I ever glad you've here. I'm not paid enough to do the kind of paperwork this case requires." Audrey looked at her men curiously as the doctor led them down the hall.
"So this body was brought in about an hour ago. He looked pretty normal except for the tag tied around his left wrist, no visible cause of death or sign of a struggle. Things started to go a little haywire about five minutes before I called you."
"What does the tag say?" Audrey asked immediately.
Gloria handed her an evidence bag containing an index card that just said "To: Audrey Parker, Haven Police Department" in elegant, flowing calligraphy. She showed it to the men as Nathan asked, "What do you mean about going haywire?"
She stopped them outside a door. "Oh, you can see that for yourselves and go from there- just remember this body looked normal an hour ago. Except for being dead, of course. No defensive wounds, no petechial hemorrhaging, no ligature marks, no bleeding, no sign of a struggle. All zip. His eyes looked a little weird, the sclera were discolored, but he was unmarked. I pulled a tox screen, obviously that's not back yet, but I hadn't gotten around to the autopsy when I noticed things were changing." She opened the door and led them in.
The body looked like a fresh floral bouquet. He was sprouting flowers from everywhere, some of them starting to bloom. Audrey stared in morbid fascination, noting the types of flowers; all of Mara's- the original's- favorites. Violets, lilies, daffodils, roses- flowers that didn't even bloom in the same months. This was certainly a Trouble, but something felt off about it. She squinted, feeling around the body with her mind.
She stepped closer, using the back of one knuckle to touch the skin of the corpse. As she did, a discordant wailing filled the room, finally settling into a voice she hadn't heard in ages, but remembered clearly. He sounded so jovial, singing an old song that she recognized.
"Come with me
My love to the sea
The sea of love
I wanna tell you
How much
I love you
Do you remember
When we met, that's the day
I knew you were my pet.
I wanna tell you
How much
I love you"
The singing stopped, but the sound continued, cheery voice holding a note of warning.
"Oh, Audrey. The things a guy has to do to get a girl's attention. You have something that belongs to me. A girl, a real girl under all that personality that you already know is fake. Let her out. Numbnuts isn't the only one who can't feel anyone but you. Numbnuts, you see what I did there? You're all I feel, all I see. We belong together. Well, not necessarily you, but the real you, the one you've got locked up inside you. I'm gonna wake her up, and we'll show this town a real party. I'll keep in touch."
The voice faded away and she removed her hand. She just stared in silence, it wasn't until Nathan touched her back that she realized she was shaking.
"Parker, are you..." Nathan trailed off, unsure what to say. She just nodded, unable to tear her eyes from the body in front of her.
Duke's hand joined Nathan's on her back and she exhaled loudly. "That's One's voice. He killed this poor man just to send me a message. How retro of him." She murmured the words softly.
"What do you want me to do with him?" Gloria asked.
"He died from one twisting his Trouble. From the amount of flowers here, I'd guess the roots grew into his organs and stopped his heart. Painful and showy. That's how he operates." She sighed, rubbing her temple. "See if his family will agree to cremation and write it up as a heart attack. Does the victim have a next of kin on file?"
"Not that we've found. Seems like a loner. I'll see what I can get arranged. If people start asking questions, do you have a way to... de-foliate him?"
Nodding, Audrey said, "I can use Aether. It wouldn't remove the Trouble, obviously, but it would at least make him look normal." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small pouch of orbs and crushing one, removing the flowers. When the victim looked normal again, she grimaced. "Let me know if they find any family. I'll handle informing them. Thank you, Gloria. I'll talk to Dwight. If you need anything, let me know."
She patted the doctor's shoulder on the way out, quiet and lost in her thoughts. Duke caught her hand as they walked down the hall. "Hey. You know that wasn't your fault, right? Because it's not your fault."
"Duke is right, Audrey. He's stalking you, and you know as well as I do that he chose to kill. Not your fault."
"I know, logically, that it's not my fault. I didn't hurt that man. But it's hard knowing that the only reason he's dead is because his killer is trying to get my attention. And I feel bad- I feel terrible, because all I could think was, 'He doesn't know I'm whole'. I feel bad for being that selfish."
"It's not selfish." Nathan insisted. "It was what we wanted him to think. We're trying to get him off-guard, and he might kill more if he knows you're whole and still aren't responding to him. It was the right choice. I know it's hard, I know, but you have to distance yourself and approach it like any case. You have to think about it like a cop, not the victim."
"I'm not the victim." Audrey snapped. "I'm a lot of things, 'victim' isn't one of them." She rolled her neck on the way to Dwight's office, and Duke walked behind her, massaging the stiff muscles.
"It's okay, sweetheart, and you know that's not what Nate meant. We know how strong you are. But there's a difference between Target and Hunter- right now you're both. We just want you to feel less like the target and more like the cop. Less strain on you and the baby."
She stopped outside Dwight's office, turning to hug Duke and Nathan, one in each arm. "I get it, and I'm sorry I snapped at you guys. I'm just frustrated. Honestly, if Dwight doesn't need us, until they find the next of kin on the vic for notification, I want to go home. I'm just- done. I'm actually looking forward to a day off, and that freaks me out more than everything else!"
Duke and Nathan laughed, and Nathan murmured, "I'll make sure you have a great day off. Just us and Duke, and we don't have to step outside at all if you don't want to."
She smiled, quickly kissing each of them. "Sounds like exactly what we need." She tuned to the door, straightening her shoulders as she knocked and Dwight called for them to come in.
"Hey Dwight. You happen to talk to Gloria yet?" Audrey asked, easing into a chair.
"She said we got a body, and that you were already on the way. From the looks on your faces, I'm not expecting anything cheery. What's up?"
Audrey handed over the note in the evidence bag, then held her hand up, letting the image of the body and the recording play out for Dwight. "It's One. He did this, he's trying to get my attention."
Dwight stood to sit on the edge of the desk in front of Audrey. Since Lizzy had come back, they'd gotten a lot closer- more than she ever would have expected, even from the sweet giant. He treated her like a beloved sister, giving her daily hugs and making sure she was feeling alright, and Lizzy called her every night before bedtime.
For someone who had grown up without a family, it was immensely gratifying to feel so wanted.
"How are you feeling? I understand you're shocked and upset, but physically, are you and the baby doing alright?"
Audrey nodded, reaching out to squeeze his fingers. "She's dancing, if you want to feel."
That was all the invitation Dwight ever needed- he absolutely loved feeling the baby move under his hands. He smiled fondly as he felt her wiggling and rolling under his hands. "It's so amazing. One of my favorite things when Lizzy's mom was pregnant was being able to see Lizzy move through the skin on her belly. Is the baby doing that yet?"
"She's starting to. She was stretching the other night when they were talking to her and you should have seem the look on their faces when she pressed her feet up, making a big lump through my belly. I've had a child before, but this is so different, having Nathan and Duke with me. More soothing and homey. It's kind of amazing. It's what gets me through some days, honestly, the knowledge that I'll be going home to put my feet up and we can play with the baby and just be happy together. How is Lizzy?"
Dwight smiled, his eyes crinkling. "She's so happy, and she adores Jennifer. It's a different relationship than she has with you, but she's kind of been suggesting that she'd like to have a stepmother. As tricky as a nine year old can, at least. She's not exactly smooth with her hints, but I'm glad- I want her to be a bad liar as long as possible, because if she starts outsmarting me, I'm in a lot of trouble." He took his hands off Audrey's belly with a soft pat, sitting back on the desk again.
He sighed deeply. "You warned us he'd show up. We've been expecting this. I can't think of anything we could have done differently. You've been constantly updating that new system for indexing the Troubles and cures, we've got his picture and BOLO to everyone we can, the Guard has been tripling patrols..."
"And yet he did this. He managed to kill and plant all that evidence, stage the whole crime scene so that it was obviously him. I have sentinel orbs all over town, yet there was no alarm. Oh, by the way; I went over the file you gave me on Lizzy's shooting." She sat forward, intent focus around her eyes.
"I decided to compare ballistics reports and suspect sketches with the DNA sample and suspect sketch from Jordan's case. I had to piss off several people just about that- it turns out they hadn't even completed running her rape kit and nobody can say why. 'It just got erroneously backlogged in the hustle of big city life that this poor, bored, backwater P.D. can't possibly understand.' I had to name-drop on at least five different people before they would even listen to me. Anyway, they'll be sending results over as soon as they come in. It might be nothing, but it might give us something."
Dwight crossed his arms, nodding. "You think you have an idea how this guy got past our guards and your sentinels without either of us noticing."
"Yeah, I'm working on a theory, at least. Someone has to be helping him. They'd need to know where the cops were, what areas had the time to set the crime scene for us to find the body at the right time, who to target- there's a lot of information he'd need to know and that would require him or someone working for him to need to spend a decent amount of time here. Enough that an alarm or I should have sensed One or an Aetherling. It has to be a human working for him."
"Well, let me know what you find about the new case and anything you hear about the other two cases. If there's trouble, I'd rather know sooner."
"Uh, Dwight, about that. Seeing as we're waiting on reports from all of those cases and we really haven't taken any time off lately..."
Dwight smiled. "Go ahead. At this rate you're so far over the limit on sick and annual that I won't even discuss you with HR. Get out, we'll call if we need anything."
"Thank you, Dwight. I really appreciate it." He leaned over and helped pull her up rather than watch her try to shove up from the seat. She wean't huge, she wasn't even big, really, but the baby was adjusting her balance and she grudgingly admitted she was a little awkward. Like Nathan pre-cure, most movement was carefully planned out. She hugged him when he was up, and he nodded at Duke and Nathan as they left his office.
They stopped by their office to get their things, and Audrey said, "Duke, did you walk or drive here? I'm just a little... anxious, and I'd rather the three of us not split up right now, even just for the ride home. Until I figure out how he's getting past the Sentinel orbs, I can't safely scan your cars for things that night be dangerous. I'd rather we stick together right now."
Duke heard the silent words; 'I'm feeling vulnerable and I need you to help me feel safe', and he nodded his understanding. "I left the Land Rover at the Gull. It seems like I can't park anywhere around this area without getting ticketed. It's almost like someone purposely told other cops to watch for my vehicle."
Audrey laughed, looking at Nathan in surprise. "Still? I thought you stopped that when we came back!"
Nathan didn't even try to look apologetic. in fact, he looked a little cocky, smirking as he shrugged. "He gets a ticket, he has to come by and have one of us fix it."
Audrey shrugged into her jacket, still laughing. "Devious looks good on you. But then, Duke looks good on you too."
Duke laughed and Nathan blushed, following Audrey out of the station.
Safely back on the Rouge, Audrey was hanging up her coat and bag, slipping her shoes off her aching feet when Duke announced, "Mandatory massage for the pregnant woman."
She laughed. "Is that a thing? If it is, how did I not know about this? If I'd have know, I'd have started cashing in on those weeks ago!"
"Hey, don't blame me if you didn't do your research. I've never lied to you."
She followed him to the couch where he nestled into a corner, laying one leg cross the back of the couch and patting the seat between his legs. Hmm. That top button was still unbuttoned... She sat, his hands coming up to her hips to help ease her down. Nathan sat on the other end, handing Duke and Audrey each a cup of tea. He pulled her feet into his lap and she decided to lay back against Duke. If she was going to get a foot massage, she was going to relax and enjoy it.
"So what did I do to earn the special treatment? You have to tell me so I can do it again."
Duke clasped his arms around her, hands spread over her belly. He kissed her neck, his facial hair giving her goosebumps. "Nothing special. I'm pretty sure we told you we'd do whatever you needed, whenever you need it."
"You did. I think that maybe this has something to do with that body, though."
Nathan cut in before Duke could speak. "We don't have to have a reason to be good to the people we love."
"Exactly what he said." Duke affirmed.
"You guys are the best. Thank you. I promise to drop the whole 'house arrest' thing soon. I just- he was just here, and it strikes me that if he's trying to scare or unseat the 'Audrey' personality, all he really has to do is threaten one of you. I don't know anymore if you're safer with me pretending I'm just Audrey or admitting I know who I am."
Duke hugged her tighter. "We're here if you need help deciding, but you need to understand that we're with you either way. If you want to stay Audrey forever, we'll have your back. If you want to come out as Mara tomorrow, that's fine, too. We're together, and that's what matters."
She was about to answer when her muscles clenched and she sat up straight, feet still in Nathan's lap. Her heart thudded erratically and she held her breath.
Her orb was back.