Nathan walked to Duke's boat. His shoes stomping on the wooden dock leading to the vessel. He crossed the dock onto the boat itself.

"Audrey told me about the tattoo." Duke's voice was heard somewhere on the boat, yet Duke was not in sight.

"How'd you know I was here?" Nathan asked, looking around the boat for the bearer of the voice.

"Heard your footsteps." Duke answered, appearing from behind a closed door.

"How'd you know it was me?" Nathan repeated his last question.

"Please, Nathan. I know you. After what happened, don't you think I-" Duke was interrupted

"You saw me coming and hid behind the door." Nathan deduced.

"Maybe… What do you want?" Duke leaned against the door.

"Well." Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… I'm glad you mentioned what happened because… Well… I talked to Audrey about it and she wanted me to talk with you."

"I know." Duke smugly smiled.

"You do?" Nathan asked, surprised.

"Yeah, she told me about the tattoo. She told me a lot of things." Duke told him.

"Oh… Okay then. Good." Nathan turned to go.

"But I want to hear it from you." Duke smirked.

Nathan sighed and looked back at Duke. "Your trouble… It does suck."

"Yours aint a bucket of sunshine either." Duke agreed.

"Yeah. And I wanted to say that… Um… Before, you were complaining about having to kill people and I thought you were just being a little… Loud-mouthed, sarcastic baby." Nathan replied.

"Oh, don't sugar-coat it Nathan. That hurt my feelings." Duke joked.

"See that? Right there. That's the reason I want to punch you in the face." Nathan told him.

"So, what? You're saying you don't want to punch me in the face?" Duke smiled.

"No, I still want to punch you in the face… Just… Less." Nathan admitted.

"Are you getting to a point?" Duke asked.

"Yeah… I'm… Uh…" Nathan mumbled.

"Spit it out." Duke chuckled.

"I'm sorry." Nathan finally told him. "I thought your trouble was a blessing. It's not."

"That's why it's called the 'Crocker Curse', Nathan." Duke responded.

"Yeah…. Yeah. I should have listened to you." Nathan said.

"Yeah, you should have." Duke added.

"Alright, well… That was it so…" Nathan turned to go yet again.

"Wait." Duke sighed. "If we're apologizing… I'm sorry for what happened in school."

Nathan stopped in place for a moment, just a moment. Without turning around Nathan replied "What?"

"You know, you were saying how I used to put knives and forks and pencils… And pens… In your back when we were in school. So I'm sorry for that." Duke told him.

"You're sorry?" Nathan double-checked.

"Yeah. I took advantage of your trouble as a kid and now after what happened I'm apologizing. Sorry, Nathan." Duke admitted.

"Little late, Duke. Where was this apology when we were actually in middle school?" Nathan replied.

"I didn't know then that—" Duke was interrupted.

"That my trouble is horrible? You didn't make anything easier. You didn't help with anything, Duke. You didn't take account the hardships I had to face without you sticking sharp objects in my back just because it was funny." Nathan vented.

"What can I do about that? I can't go back in time and reverse it. It was in the past. I was a kid." Duke explained.

"So was I." Nathan told him.

"Look, you're not going to hear me say it again, so I'm sorry. Accept it or not. Whatever." Duke limped to get a chair.

"How's your leg?" Nathan asked, trying to change the subject.

"What? It's just a scratch. I can't even feel it." Duke chuckled.

Nathan was not amused. "I'm not going to apologize for that."

"I know. It's okay. I was a douche-bag. I probably deserved it. Still do... There's one thing I miss about being you." Duke sighed, clutching his knee.

"What's that?" Nathan stood puzzled.

"The fact that I could be dying, taking my last breath, gone at any moment… And I could nonchalantly drink and hold a conversation." Duke explained.

"Yeah, and being you wasn't so bad. At least I could feel again." Nathan agreed.

"Why do you think he had that trouble anyways? The tattoo couldn't have been it." Duke commented.

"I don't know. 'Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes'… He said it was his family's motto." Nathan told him.

"Oh, that reminds me. Audrey phoned and told me some background info on him. Turns out his real name is Bartholomew Stills. Kids used to call him Barty. He was an orphan until about age 15 where he got adopted into a busy family. Dad was always working and mom was a drunk. They adopted him for the money…" Duke replied.

"Tough life." Nathan said.

"Yeah, I think the trouble started when he found out his girlfriend was pregnant." Duke suggested.

"Oh?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah. The trouble was supposed to bring people together. Help them walk a mile in someone else's shoes." Duke continued.

"And the eyes?" Nathan asked.

"Audrey had a suggestion." Duke answered. "Mirrors and eyes are a gateway to the soul. When they don't match up—"

"They explode. Yeah she told me." Nathan thought aloud.

"It's just a theory." Duke re-assured.

"Guess we'll never know." Nathan replied.

"Let's just forgive and forget. You forget what I did to you and I'll forgive that you screwed up my leg." Duke suggested.

"I can't just forget something like that." Nathan told him. "And your leg is only screwed up because I was trying to save your ass."

"Technically it was your ass." Duke joked.

"Forgive and forget… I like that. But not for what you did to me. I don't think I'll ever forgive you for that." Nathan admitted.

"Reasonable. So, forgive and forget what then?" Duke asked.

"The day. What happened to us. It never happened. It was forgiven and forgotten." Nathan ordered. "It never happened."

"What never happened?" Duke smiled.

Nathan nodded and turned to go "Gotta tell you though… If you didn't have that trouble, I don't know how you'd have gotten out."

"Yeah, well… My trouble sucks. I keep saying that and you never listen." Duke smirked.

"But the trouble to end troubles, I mean…" Nathan mumbled.

"Not as much fun as it sounds, huh?" Duke grinned.

Nathan chuckled and continued walking on the dock. " Don't think this means we're going to be nice to each other!"

Duke smiled and cuffed his hands over his mouth. "Wouldn't count on it!"

Nathan heard as he walked away. Not caring about what Duke would do next. Why would he? They're not friends. Why would they be? Nothing changed. Nothing happened. Everything was completely back to normal in this completely abnormal town.