AN: Takes place between 411 and 412. Spoilers for the season 4 finale.

Jennifer shivered at the cool breeze that hit her as Duke lifted the covers to climb into bed behind her. A small smile crept over her face as he fit himself around her like a puzzle piece. The smile widened as she went to press her toes, which were ice cold as always, against his bare legs.

"Jeez!" he exclaimed and jerked back from her briefly, shocked by the extreme difference of temperature, before returning to his position right up against her and burying her toes between his calves. He wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her hands, rubbing her also cold fingers between his palms. He brought both sets of hands to his mouth, warming hers further with his breath and lips. "You know, for someone with such a big heart and tiny body, your circulation sucks."

She knew. Her toes and fingers, and to be honest pretty much the rest of her as well, were always cold. That was one of the things that made her and Duke such a good match. She ran on the cold side, and he ran on the hot side. When they were in each other's arms, they were both comfortable.

Jennifer sighed and closed her eyes as Duke started placing his lips lightly over her neck and back. She opened her eyes and caught sight of Unstake My Heart resting on her bedside table. She breathed a different kind of sigh, a more stressed and frustrated one, as she contemplated the book in front of her.

Duke placed a final kiss just behind her ear as he felt the tension increase within her. "Penny for your thoughts?" She could hear the smile in his voice as she felt the vibrations of his question against her skin.

She turned towards him to look into his eyes. "If we keep asking each other that were both going to go broke."

"The way I see it, if we keep asking each other that we're going to replenish the other's penny supplies, so no real harm done." He tucked a curl behind her ear. "Now, stop evading and tell me what's on that pretty little mind of yours."

Her smile slowly faded as she fixated her gaze at a point on the wall just behind Duke. "What do you think it means?"

"What do I think what means?"

"This." She reached behind her and grabbed the book, holding it between them. "The child of ruin," she quoted. "We all know it has to mean me since I'm the only one who can see the thing. But what does it mean? The child of ruin," she emphasized the words that had been bouncing around her mind ever since they had first appeared. "Does it mean that I come from a time or a place of ruin? Were my parents people who caused ruin? Or," she hesitated and swallowed hard. "Or will I be the cause of some horrible destruction here in Haven?"

Duke placed his hand on the side of her neck and leaned in to kiss her. As he pulled away he took the book out of her hands. "You know what I think?" She shook her head. "I think," he reached over her and placed the book back on the table, "that is something to worry about another night." He rested his head on his pillow, eyes even with and looking into hers. His hand had found its way back to her neck. His thumb stroked her cheek. "You've had a long day. Between what happened at the Herald and then defeating that creature." He kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. We can worry about the rest of it in the morning."

He was right. She did feel exhausted. But she wasn't sure she could sleep. She gave him a look that said as much.

He reached out an arm to her. "Come here."

She slid across the bed until she was flush up against his chest. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt his warmth rush over her, adding to her exhaustion. She relaxed even further into him.

He started lightly tracing his fingers across her back. "Just close your eyes and lets everything slip from your mind." She obliged. She focused on the feeling of his fingers on her back and the soft tune he had started humming. She wanted to ask him what it was, but she never got the chance before sleep overcame her.

She now knew what it meant. 'Child of ruin'. She knew as soon as she held the book out to open the door. And it was exactly as she had feared.

She had never been one to trust her instincts. They had led her down the wrong path far too many times before. But she did trust Duke. So when he had asked her what it was they were supposed to do next, she did what her instincts told her. She had everyone from this other world, whatever and wherever it was, stand in the necessary positions, and she held the book out in front of her.

When the door opened up to reveal the pit of fog between them, she knew something was not right. But it wasn't until Audrey and William touched that she realized just how wrong everything was. She was overcome with feelings of terror and foreboding. However, she was too concerned with what was happening with Duke to think much of it. He was not okay and it scared her like nothing else had ever scared her before.

But then she closed the door and what she felt was ten times worse than the thought of losing Duke. Her mind was overrun with visions of what she had just unleashed onto Haven. She saw the pain they would suffer and the terror they would have to endure. She was overcome with feelings of sorrow and guilt that she was the person who will have caused all of this.

When the doors closed and the visions subsided, she stumbled backwards. She was only vaguely aware of the pair of arms that caught her and slowly sat her on the ground. She saw Duke's form, blurry in front of her.

"Dave was right," she managed to get out. "We never should have opened that door."

Her eyelids felt heavy. Surely now wasn't the time to sleep. But she was exhausted. Could it really hurt anything to take a short nap?

Besides. Maybe she'd have a good sleep now that the question haunting her mind had been answered. It was one of the answers she had come up with, but it was also the answer she really didn't want to be the right one.

She had brought ruin to Haven.

She had just seen what had just been unleashed on the town. What they were about to go through was something she could never wish on anyone. And yet, in a way, she had done just that. She had wanted to open that door. She had never considered the consequences of such an action. Maybe if she had just spoken about it with Dave first…

She felt a heaviness in her chest and her limbs were beginning to numb. She heard Duke calling her name. She wanted to call back to him. Tell him it was okay. She was just tired and was going to take a nap. Afterwards they'd have their coffee commercial. Wouldn't that be nice?

She never got the words out before his voice and the other sounds in the cave faded and the numbness consumed the rest of her body.

AN: So all I can say is that this show better be renewed because they CANNOT leave us with that ending. As for this story, I'm out of show to follow. If people want me to continue, I do have some ideas and maybe even a chapter written up for Duke and Jennifer's future after everything gets worked out and Jennifer's past comes back to haunt her. And will be full of fluff and angst and drama and pain. So if people are interested in that, just let me know and I will start working on it!