19
William came back into the house, and went into the room where Duke was being held.
Duke was drifting in and out of consciousness; he figured William had probably given him a concussion, and he struggled to stay awake.
"Hey there," William said cheerfully, patting Duke's face harder than Duke would have liked. "Still with me? You don't wanna miss all the fun, do you?"
Duke mumbled an obscenity involving William's parentage through his gag.
"You know, if you keep this attitude up, it's only going to hurt you worse," William informed him. "Now, from what I've been able to piece together, Mara rigged you to blow out all those Troubles your family's been building up. I bet that was glorious when you finally did let go," he grinned. "You gotta hand it to my girl, she does nice work."
Duke merely glared at him. His head was throbbing painfully and he was afraid he was going to be sick for a moment, but it passed.
"Damn, I must've hit you harder than I thought," William remarked, examining Duke's eyes. "Not to worry though, Crocker," he went on, reaching into his pocket. "I got just the thing to fix you right up."
Duke didn't need to be fully conscious to see what William had in his hand. It was an aether ball; and God only knew what type of twisted Trouble he was about to be infected with.
William crushed it, and advanced on Duke, who was trying to pull away, when William noticed the sky outside was rapidly darkening, thunder rumbling overhead.
He paused, looking out of the window, a slow smile creeping across his face.
"Looks like we're going to have company," he smiled, and curled his hand up, the aether once again coiled into a ball. He tucked it back into his pocket, and after he jerked the gag from Duke's mouth and untied him, dragged him along by his handcuffs as they went outside on the porch.
Nathan's Bronco pulled into sight, parking a short distance away from the house.
"Aw, not him again," William groaned at the sight of Nathan's angry face through the windshield. "You two really are a pain in my ass, still holding onto hope you'll get your precious little Audrey back somehow," he mocked Duke. "She's done for, get over it."
"Make it look good, Nathan," Audrey whispered from behind the driver's seat.
"I just hope you know what you're doing," he answered back, and climbed out of the Bronco, slamming the door.
"Detective Wuornos," William called. "Long time no see. How are you enjoying Mara's company?"
"You and that bitch can both go crawl back under your rocks," Nathan answered heatedly.
"Where is she?"
"Here," Nathan snapped, jerking the back door open, and hauling Audrey out. She was in chains, just as she had been when she was Mara. She'd even thought to change her clothes into attire more suitable. She forced a smile at William, hoping her expression looked happy to see him.
Charlotte climbed out of the other side of the Bronco, and William's gleeful grin soured immediately.
"Well, if it isn't Mommy Dearest," William toned.
"William, let Duke go," Charlotte ordered.
"Not on your Nelly. Let Mara go and we'll think about it. You see, Duke's important. He can open the door."
"Duke can't open the Axiom, he doesn't have the strength to do it," Charlotte told him.
"He will before we're done with him," William informed her. "That key's been found. We rig him just right, he should be able to track it down in nothing flat. Sweetheart," William called to Audrey. "You just head on over here and-" he trailed off as the skies grew ever darker, lightning crackling through the skies.
"You wanna cancel the dramatics there, Charlotte?" William asked in mock seriousness, and then looked at Audrey. "Or is that you, honey?"
"Not me," Audrey said, trying to make her voice sound as hard as she could, but William's eyes narrowed marginally.
"You sound different, sweetheart," he said cagily.
"Mommy here's been trying to cure me," Audrey ground out, jerking her head at Charlotte. "Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes keeps trying to pop back up."
William tensed up. He knew very well that if that were the case, Charlotte and Audrey could make Mara forget all over again.
"Let Mara go," he ordered, crushing the aether ball in his hand again, this time hovering his palm next to Duke's face. "Or he'll be dead before he hits the ground."
The lightning crashed to the ground all around them, a chill wind picking up through the trees as a form emerged from the forest, dressed all in black.
The two aether-men stepped forward, and the figure raised an arm, sending the lightning crashing into them, both screaming before they disintegrated back into aether-balls, retreating toward William and reforming behind him.
"Wow," William said. "That's a hell of a trick-whoever you are."
"Thou knowest me, William," Prudence said, raising her head. "Thee knows me quite well, as I recall."
"Ho-lee Cow," William answered, aghast. "Prudence Stillwater, in the flesh. Still alive and kicking, I see," he went on. "Well, you kind of didn't have a lot of choice, did you, with that Eternity Trouble we gave you."
"Troubles can be ended," Prudence remarked. "So can you."
"That's what you think, lady," William retorted, but Prudence held up her hand, and the aether-men hesitated.
"I have not come back to fight with you and Mara, William," Prudence told him, taking her hood down.
"Oh?" William said. "Then why are you here?"
"I've reconsidered," Prudence replied.
"You-you've reconsidered?" William perked up, interested. "You hear that, Mara? She's reconsidered. Then let's have that key, Prue."
"Release my great-grandson first," Prudence said, her voice deadly calm.
"Bet you didn't know that's your great-grandma, did you?" William poked Duke in the ribs. He smiled at Prudence, who gazed back, her expression neutral. "That Trouble-Killer curse of yours? That's all from her-she's Crocker Zero, you might say."
"Prudence, don't do it," Duke urged.
"No, Prudence, don't," Charlotte begged. "You know what will happen when you open the Axiom."
"If I do this for you," Prudence replied carefully, ignoring Charlotte and Duke's pleas. "I want your solemn vow that you and she will leave not only Haven, but this realm as well, for all of eternity," she finished.
"Honey, you give me that key, and we are so gone from this hellhole," William promised. "Right, Mar?"
"Right," Audrey answered. "We're gonna blow this pop stand."
"In more ways than one, William answered. "All right, Prudence," he said, letting go of Duke's handcuffs. "You have a deal. Now send Mara over."
Nathan grudgingly undid the handcuffs, and Audrey rubbed her wrists as she shoved past him.
"Just remember what I told you," Charlotte whispered as she walked by her.
"Audrey, don't do this," Duke urged softly as they passed one another. "If I know it's you, then he definitely knows it's you."
"Listen, Duke," Audrey whispered. "When you get over there, turn back and plead with Mara not to leave you."
"What?"
"Trust me."
"I do-it's him I don't trust," he replied as he joined Nathan, Prudence and Charlotte. "But all right."
Audrey drew closer and closer to William, and he opened his arms to embrace her, when they heard Duke behind them.
"Mara-after everything we've meant to each other, you're just going to-leave me?" Duke said, a voice full of emotion. "Even-even after-Colorado? A-and the boathouse? You told me you loved me, that you were over William. You told me you'd take me with you."
William paused, squinting at Mara.
"What's he on about?" he asked.
"It's nothing," Audrey answered, pretending to squirm uncomfortably. "The aether's made him crazy."
"Mara," Duke pleaded, even managing to produce tears in his eyes. Audrey had to hand it to him-he might have gone relatively straight, but Duke Crocker could still run a great con.
"Did you-and he-" William accused.
"It was magical," Duke sighed. Nathan glared angrily at him, but Duke didn't break.
"It didn't mean anything," Audrey shrugged, still trying to play it off nonchalantly, but she could see the hurt in William's face.
"You slept with him?"
"Oh, and I suppose you've been faithful for 500 years," Audrey shot back in her best Mara imitation.
"Honey, I was," William protested. "It's only been you, Mara. Only you. They're trying to break us apart," he went on, stepping closer to Audrey. "But it's not going to work, is it angel?"
Charlotte stepped forward.
"What about Deidre, William?" she asked. "Or didn't she mean anything either?"
Audrey glanced back over her shoulder at Charlotte, who gave her an imperceptible nod, and she turned back to William.
"Deidre?" she shrilled. "You and Deidre? That tramp?"
"Mara, honey, it was just a-a-fling," William placated, advancing on Audrey once more, who jerked away from him.
"Don't you touch me!" she glared at him, her teeth clenched and angry.
William looked frustrated, but relented.
"Mara, honey. We can sort all this out later-after Prudence opens the Axiom," he said soothingly.
"Yeah, well, till then, you keep your mitts off me!" Audrey yelled back in a voice so like Mara's Nathan actually looked afraid.
Suspicion flared in William's eyes, but he nodded, and backed off, his hands raised.
"All right, angel. We've both made mistakes, you made one with-that," he flapped a hand at Duke, who returned his gesture rudely. "And I made one with Deidre."
"But it wasn't just Deidre, though, was it, William?" Charlotte said derisively, and Audrey glared him down again before stalking off towards the woods, her legs trembling with relief.
"All right, Prudence," William called, squaring his shoulders. "Let's do this thing."
"Prudence-don't," Charlotte urged.
For answer, Prudence gestured at the ground, and the roots sprang to life, enmeshing Charlotte, Nathan and Duke in them before forming a cage around them.
Audrey was shocked, but quickly recovered.
"Looks like you really have changed your mind," she smiled, trying to mask her worry.
"Well, good," William beamed. "That takes care of one headache, at least. Don't have to worry about interference from you lot this time."
"Prudence," Duke pleaded, his eyes on hers.
She drew near to them.
"I must," she whispered. "I know now what I must do. Have a little faith in me, great-grandson."
She placed her hand on his face where it was cut and bruised. He winced as he felt her press against the cut on his cheek, and she blew gently on his face.
The bruising faded beneath her hand, and Duke's headache vanished.
"It will be well," she murmured, and walked toward the woods.
"I cannot open it until sundown," she told William.
"Well, that's gonna be in an hour," William commented, glancing at his watch. "What's another hour after 500 years of waiting?"
"What indeed," Prudence answered.