Chapter Three: Fissure
Author's Note: YAY! Thanks SO much to those who've taken the time to leave reviews for this story, put it on author alerts and add it to their favorites list. Getting those notifications in my e-mail inbox always brightens my day, so keep 'em coming! As a brief side-note, the name Cady comes from the character Cady Longmire on the awesome TV series Longmire in case anyone is wondering!
By the way, SandraDee, you are definitely on the right track in picking up on Cady's intuition! YAY! I'm glad someone mentioned it. That will definitely be addressed in some way in the coming chapters.
I'd also like to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Ceci, one of my best friends and current scriptwriting partner in crime! Thank you SO much for your help with a good portion of the Cady story arc. I got really stuck and this chapter as well as upcoming chapters would not have been possible without the epic list of ideas you sent me. Love you, miss you and THANK YOU! *hugs*
Review replies from the previous chapter will be answered when I can. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!
The Grey Gull is bustling with people occupying every chair and barstool. Most of them, Duke notices, are chatting amicably and he finds himself silently thanking Buddha (or some mysterious higher power) that he doesn't have to break up any bar fights today.
"I'll have a beer. Whatever you have on tap is fine," a familiar voice cuts through the rambling chatter around him as Dwight takes a seat at the bar while Duke cleans a glass.
Duke flips the glass in his hand and catches it with ease. "Coming right up."
He fills the freshly washed glass with a generous amount of amber liquid before sliding it towards the burly man opposite him.
"It's on the house, Sasquatch," he says.
"Thanks," Dwight replies as he takes a sip.
"But somehow I get the feeling you didn't come here just for a drink," Duke adds, eying the other man suspiciously. "What's going on?"
"Just came by to see how Audrey's doing," Dwight replies, but his voice hints at some ulterior motive. He takes another sip of his beer.
"She's sleeping. Or at least she was when I checked on her an hour ago," Duke pauses briefly, then continues. "But I know that's not why you're here."
"We need to talk."
"So talk," Duke tells him. "I'm listening."
"You've been tense and edgy these past two months," Dwight observes.
"Yeah, that might have something to do with the fact that my friend is pregnant and it's up to me to protect her and her baby no matter what. Nathan trusts me to do this. Even if I never see him again, I'm not letting him down."
"What makes you think you won't see Nathan again?"
Duke licks his parched lips, studying the man across from him with unwavering intensity. "Let's just say I've considered the possibilities."
"Look, I'm not here to be your enemy, Duke," Dwight says with as much honesty as he can muster. "But we do need to talk. Somewhere a little more private is preferred."
"Why didn't you just say that to begin with?"
Dwight grins. "Because I wanted to enjoy my beer first."
After Duke leaves his bartender, Nora, with some additional instructions in case his early evening crowd becomes too rowdy, he heads out to a more secluded area of the Gull with Dwight following behind him.
"People in The Guard have been talking," Dwight begins. "Audrey has been a popular topic recently."
"Can't say I'm surprised. They just want Audrey to go into that damn Barn."
"It's deeper than that. Audrey's pregnancy… well, it… it complicates things," Dwight hesitates, choosing his words carefully.
"No shit."
"For starters, I don't want Audrey to go into the Barn either. She's my friend too, but…"
"But if you're her friend," Duke cuts in. "Wouldn't you be looking for another way to make her stay?"
"I would. I'm just not sure that's how it's supposed to be. What I am sure of is that The Guard is a threat to Audrey's daughter."
"What?" Duke asks incredulously. "What the hell does The Guard want with Audrey's daughter?"
"Not now," Dwight tells him. "But twenty-seven years from now when Audrey returns, her youngest offspring will be seen as a threat to Haven in the eyes of The Guard. They believe Audrey's youngest child will create a fissure in the grand design."
Duke folds his arms across his chest. "What does Vince say about all of this?"
"Vince and I are the ones trying to placate the rest of The Guard. We don't see Audrey's youngest as a threat. Far from it actually."
Duke takes in a sharp breath and thinks for a moment. "But The Guard won't go after Audrey or her baby right now. Not unless Vince tells them to."
Dwight nods affirmatively.
"Okay, so let's just say for kicks that it's twenty-seven years from now, what does Audrey's daughter ever do to this town except be born and grow up in it?"
"Her commitment to this town becomes rooted in intransience. A lot like her mother actually, but bigger in some ways. The Guard fears she will do more than just reunite with her parents and ensure that they remember her. They fear she will uncover a bigger mystery, something hidden. Something much more than she would be able to handle on her own. Something involving and changing Haven as we know it."
He pauses before he adds, "Permanently."
A few hours after his conversation with Dwight, Duke closes down the Gull for the night. It's a few hours earlier than usual, but as the hours pass the number of people dining at his fine establishment start to decrease. Finally, the last person leaves and he calls it a night.
He packs up some food for Audrey and shuts off all the lights, trudging up the stairs to her apartment.
"Audrey?" he calls out. "Audrey, open up. It's Duke."
He knocks on the door with his free hand. Once. Twice. No answer.
"Audrey?" His voice rises, panic bubbling inside of him suddenly.
He fuses for the extra set of keys he has for her apartment and lets himself in, closing the door behind him. He sets down the paper bag full of food on her dining room table.
"Audrey?" He tries again. But he's only answered by a long stretch of silence.
Carefully, he makes his way to her bedroom, noticing that the door is slightly ajar. It's in the same position he'd left it in hours earlier.
She hasn't gotten out of bed?
As Duke enters, he sees the blonde woman curled up on her bed asleep and a smile forms on his lips. She's been sleeping an excessive amount lately and hardly leaving her apartment since Nathan disappeared into the Barn nearly two months before.
But it is rare for her to sleep peacefully as nightmares plague her seemingly endless hours of slumber. Duke has been there through it all. He's been there to comfort her when the nightmares rouse her from an uneasy sleep. He's seen a significant change in her spirit, her fiery persona.
He'll never admit to her how much that scares him.
So whenever he sees her sleeping peacefully, it puts him at ease. There's a glimmer of hope, of burgeoning reassurance that rises to the surface.
She's gonna get through this. She has to.
"Audrey. Audrey, wake up."
He gently shakes her awake and her eyes flutter open after a few moments.
"Hey," she murmurs, eyes still heavy with sleep. "What time is it?"
"It's past 8 PM. I closed the Gull down a bit early tonight."
"How long have I been asleep?" Audrey asks, glancing at the clock beside her bed.
"Quite awhile," Duke tells her. "I didn't want to wake you because you were out like a light, too. Didn't even hear me knock or come in."
"Sorry," she apologizes softly, casting her eyes downward as her left hand clenches the thick blanket covering her.
"It's okay," Duke replies. "I can take a hint."
He shoots her a charming, roguish grin and Audrey smiles slightly, pulling herself up and leaning against the headboard of her bed.
"You want to try and eat something? I brought dinner."
"The nausea…" Audrey shakes her head. "I can't. You know how bad it's been these last few days. I'd just be wasting your delicious food if my stomach decided it didn't want to cooperate."
"Need I remind you that you need to eat for two now?" Duke prods gently. "Come on. I made my specialty. I call it 'Chef Salad a la Duke' and the Soup of the Day was chili, so I have some of that and a few slices of cornbread."
Audrey wrinkles her nose. "There aren't any eggs in that chef's salad, are there?"
"Lesson learned last time," Duke notes. "No eggs. One eggless chef's salad waiting for one very special mother-to-be Audrey Parker."
"You won't give up, will you?"
"I wasn't planning on it," Duke chuckles. "So I guess that means you better at least try my cooking. Buddha knows I spent most of the day in the kitchen just making sure-…"
"Okay, okay!" Audrey exclaims. "I get it. Let's eat."
Duke grins triumphantly, satisfied that he's won this round, but somehow in the back of his mind, he knows it won't be his last. He helps Audrey out of bed and leads her to the dining room table where a delicious meal awaits her.
He pushes Dwight's words out of his head. There is no time for those thoughts despite his words leaving an indelible mark in the deep crevices of his mind. There is no time to think about such things.
For now, his focus is solely on taking care of Audrey. For now, he hopes that it's enough.
She's running. Running from what she doesn't know. But she keeps running.
Everything around her is white as if she's trapped in a never-ending immaculate white space. There are no windows or doors that she can see. Only endless floors and walls of stark white.
Finally starting to run out of breath, she slows down. She waits a few moments, breathing slowing to a more steady rhythm. The sound of her breathing pulsates and a reverberating echo strikes her eardrums, even when her body comes to a screeching halt.
"Audrey," a voice whispers softly from behind her.
Her body stills, frozen for a moment in time in this seemingly immaculate space. The voice she aches to hear again. The monosyllabic timbre of a voice that sends shivers spilling from inside her. The voice of the man she loves.
No. No. He can't… Her mind tries to grapple with thoughts of denial. Her mind tries to make sense of the word that was spoken from behind her.
"Audrey…" the voice calls, closer now.
She turns around and he's there. The denial of his presence starts to slip away as disbelief clouds her tone of voice. The scent of his peppermint aftershave and the powerful aroma of his musky cologne fill her senses.
"…Nathan?"
Duke holds Cady's gaze for a moment, eager curiosity gleaming in her warm brown eyes.
"Yeah," he finally replies. "Yeah, your Mom's coming back soon."
"But she won't remember us, right? Any of us?"
"Probably not."
Cady believes the blatant honesty in her uncle's simple words.
"What about Dad? Will he come back, too? With her?"
Duke sighs, running his hand over his face as he admires the steadfast curiosity of his niece's questions.
"I don't know, Cady."
He is thankful there aren't any more people coming in. At least not right now. While he's in no hurry to shut down the Gull for the night, the lull in traffic is a welcome break from the usual hectic influx of Haven residents.
Right now, he just wants to spend time with his niece. Though he keeps up with running the Gull on a day-to-day basis and partakes in the occasional poker game or takes adventures into the sparkling blue Maine waters while aboard the Cape Rouge, a part of him isn't the same when she's not around. A part of him isn't the same without Cady's infectious presence and beautiful smile.
He finds himself thinking of her often and missing her.
She's become such an integral part of his life and so inextricably connected to the town of Haven.
He's happy she's finally returned home, though a part of him can't help but wonder: Will she stay for good?
He moves a cloth across the bar's tabletop, wiping the surface clean. Or at least cleaner than it had been five minutes before.
"Hey," he says, startling Cady out of whatever reverie she'd suddenly sunk into. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? I'll make you something."
"That'd be great. I haven't eaten anything since before I left Berkeley this morning."
Her stomach rumbles in response. "Can you make some chicken and waffles?"
"One order of chicken and waffles for my favorite niece who-…"
Cady rolls her eyes. "Very funny, Uncle Duke. Especially because I'm your only niece."
"Which automatically qualifies you as my favorite," Duke counters playfully.
She shakes her head and laughs it off.
Duke busies himself preparing Cady's meal as she watches carefully. Always the observer. The curious observer, but observer nonetheless.
"Are you upset that I left Haven?" she asks suddenly, her expression suddenly turning serious.
"Cady…"
"Come on, I know it was hard for you. And Dwight. Were you… Are you mad?"
"I might've gotten a bit lonely," he admits. "But I was never mad. Neither is Dwight. Why do you think we'd be mad?"
"Just a feeling I have. Maybe it isn't anger, though. Maybe it's just… confusion. Uncertainty."
"I can't stop you from following your dreams, Cady. Dreams often dictate our life path. Who am I to tell you not to follow it? Besides, eventually you would've found a way to get to California anyway. Berkeley seems like a great fit for you. And you're tenacious. Once you put your mind on something, you make sure to see it through. Stubborn as hell."
Cady beams at her uncle, turning his words over in her mind as she embraces his compliments and words of wisdom.
Then quietly, "Your Mom was a lot like that, too. She was always searching for answers. Never liked to be told 'no.' I… well, I admired that about her. She helped me see who I…"
His voice drifts off just then as he finishes preparing Cady's meal and sets it in front of her.
"You know what? Nevermind. Just enjoy your meal, okay?"
Cady studies him again, noticing how age creases the skin of his work-worn features.
"You were in love with her, weren't you?" she observes quietly and eats a forkful of chicken and waffle.
"Cady, we've talked about this."
"So let's talk about it again," she says between mouthfuls.
"There's nothing too talk about. It's pretty clear that she only had eyes for your father."
"Did she know?" Cady asks.
"I think…" Duke draws a breath before continuing. "I think she sensed it when she was pregnant with you. She never said anything, but I think she started figuring it out during all those months I spent taking care of her."
"And you two never talked about it?"
Duke shook his head. "Not directly, no."
Cady finishes her food and pushes the plate towards Duke. She decides to let the other questions she has go for now. There would be more time later.
Sighing, she pulls her crutches to her and turns slightly on the bar stool.
"Hey, I think I'm gonna head upstairs. Uncle Dwight left my luggage in my room."
"You think you need anything else?"
Cady considers this for a moment. "No, I think I'm okay for now."
But something else stops her. A thought. A memory.
She draws a deep, slow breath before speaking up again.
"Uncle Duke, I…" she swallows hesitantly. "I need to talk to you about something."
Duke senses her shift in tone, her hesitancy. "Sure. Is something wrong?"
"Do you remember that really bad fall I had when I was six years old? The one that gave me that concussion?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"When I was unconscious… or at least I think I was unconscious. I don't even know any more. But I just know I was… I was somewhere else. And I felt so light. I felt free. And that's… that's when I saw her."
Tears glisten along the rims of Cady's eyes and start to slowly descend down her cheeks.
"I saw Mom."
To be continued…
Author's Note: For the purposes of this story, I will NOT be including Jordan or Arla. I just can't fit either of them in my story with what I want to do, so just assume they're dead. Anyway, that's all for this chapter! Thank you ALL again SO much for reading! Feedback only motivates me to want to write more, so please review! I never know when my next update will be because it all depends on my schoolwork (which is ALL writing ironically), but I will try to update every few weeks if I can. I don't know all the twists and turns of this story yet myself, but I can promise you… It'll be an interesting ride! Stay tuned!
