Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Audrey woke up and couldn’t feel Nathan’s sleeping form in the bed next to her. She hadn’t been surprised that he hadn’t wanted to go anywhere near the Wuornos house given Chief wouldn’t be there. If there’d been a call to go in though, surely, he would’ve. She lay there with her eyes closed. He was just as likely to be out on the balcony looking wistfully out towards Kick ‘Em as anything else. She felt the slight curve of her stomach and imagined the small golf ball-ish sized fetus in there.

He has just lost his father. Audrey pointed out to herself. That it would be just like him to head out alone out of care they wouldn’t potentially be affected by something.

As her brain became more functional, she realized the bed was unusually hard, and that she was getting progressively colder, and it wasn’t because she’d kicked the blanket off in the night.

There was no blanket.

She was on the floor.

She sat up and looked around the barren apartment, well, mostly barren, there was a large piece of netting with bollards on it hanging from the wall by the door to outside.

She was definitely on the floor.

All her furniture was definitely gone. It was a mostly empty room, and it was probably in the teens outside. She had no clothes to wear, no blankets to wrap up in, there was no fireplace anymore either. She was thankful to, whatever ruled over all this nonsense, that she’d taken a shower and put PJs on after she and Nathan had danced the semi-horizontal mambo last night.

“Please don’t let this be another bout of being trapped under a snow globe.” Audrey muttered as she pulled herself up off the floor and headed towards the door, cursing as she felt icy splinters hitting her bare feet, and then again when she got downstairs, and her car was as absent as her apartment.

All The Gull’s trimmings were gone. There was still an ocean theme, but it was a bait shop. A BAIT SHOP. She started walking down the coastal road towards the main town but moving around to look out across the bay she couldn’t see the Cape Rouge either. This Trouble had something against Duke?

Shit.

She didn’t even have a phone to get in touch with anyone and check in or call a cab.

Just as she was at the point of walking that she was debating if she could turn the lower parts of her pants into shoes, she was passed by a police…SUV? It drove slightly passed her and then back up passenger window rolling down, curiously, and was that…

“Duke?”

His hair was in similar style to how Regina had worn hers when they were in 1994. He was wearing dark pants and a white button-up shirt that looked as though it was verging on too tight. Though she was used to a Duke that was very thin around his pregnant belly, which this Duke did not have.

So—this was an alternate reality—had Stuart Mosely sent someone back in time and now Duke was a cop?

“Do I know you, Miss--?” he was waiting for her to fill in the blank. Even in Mosley’s screwed up time line people still knew who she was.

“Parker.” She said, “Audrey Parker…” she knew better than to press the narrative that she was a detective. Give Duke wasn’t in beat cop gear maybe he was too, “…it’s one of those mornings where we’ve had a Trouble.”

Duke set the car into park after his eyes flicked quietly down and up from her middle. It was then he apparently realized she was barefoot.

“What sort of trouble?” he asked, “Are you running away from somewhere unsafe? Did someone kick you out of the car on the side of the road?” he sounded incredulous. He climbed out of the car and got a blanket from the trunk which he offered her and then opened the back door of the SUV. She sat down on the edge of the seat with her feet hanging out of the door still.

“No.” she said, the gift of warm and cosy set in her lap, “No. A Trouble, you know, something weird and whacky happens and I’m the only one who notices some thing’s…different. Oh, no.” She realized at Duke’s expression of concern that it was the sort that preceded being dropped off at the Freddy, “That’s not—call up Nathan.” She amended.

“Nathan?” He took the blanket and draped it over her and then carefully nestled it around her feet before turning her into the car so he could close the door, “Nathan the one that left you barefoot and pregnant in pajamas on the side of the road in January?”

Audrey internally cursed that pre-pregnancy pajamas didn’t exactly help hide her news, “No.” she said, hotly, “Detective Nathan Wuornos.”

“Wuornos?” Duke arched a curious eyebrow at her from the rearview mirror, stroking his beard, “Nathan Wuornos?”

“If you’re just messing with me now is not the time.”

Duke shook his head, “I’ve been around the PD and cops since I was pretty young. If there was a Nathan anywhere there I’d know. Let’s get you to the hospital to get checked out.”

“I’m not crazy.” She started and then resigned herself, flopping back against the seat.

“You’re bleeding.” Duke remarked as he turned the SUV around and peeled back towards town. Well, he still drove like Duke, “from your feet. Hospital.”

“Oh.” She said, “do you know any Wuornoses?” she asked. Maybe they had different jobs or some different first name in this alternate universe, or…last name. She realized.

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye when he glanced up in the rearview mirror, “Why yes’m. I know quite a few.”

A slow realization sped up and smacked Audrey in the face. If this was a universe where Duke was a cop had he been adopted by the Chief and then joined up himself? Was Nathan some Dread Pirate Crocker? Oh, God. Had Nathan been killed by his bio-father? Max. Max, what? She couldn’t remember.

“Doing okay back there?” Duke’s voice broke her internal freakout and she gave him a rueful smile.

“You’re Wuornos, aren’t you? Garland Wuornos’ son.”

“You sure know some interesting things for someone who’s getting other things wildly wrong. Interesting name Nathan. I think there might have been a kid called Nathan at my school. Not exactly in my friend circle back then though.”

Because he was too damaged? Audrey wondered. Or because he was too much of a—wait—was Duke even still a trans man or had he been born male in this universe and Nathan a girl? Not exactly a question to bust right out and ask someone though. So, she kept quiet.

At one point Duke slowed down and stopped to a take a picture of a billboard that was fixed to one of the stone walls on the town ward side of the road. He tutted as he rolled back up the window. Audrey followed the look and saw the billboard had been vandalized one of the people’s faces was obliterated. Duke tutted as he rolled back up the window.

“There’s another one in town proper.” He remarked, “Two in one night. What is going on?”

“Vandalism?” Audrey remarked, “That’s a big concern for you?”

“Not usually. Plus, why that one and not the giant Haven sign right there?”

Audrey looked at the sign. Bright and huge with it’s Safest town in Maine 25 years running and Voted Best Tourist Destination since 1995.

“Safest town?” Audrey queried as Duke continued the SUV down the coastal road. It was a way to the hospital she didn’t recognize. It wouldn’t go to Haven Memorial or the Freddy at least not in her Haven, and she had to imagine everything was in the same spots. Right? Maybe she should stop with the assumptions.

“Yes.” Duke remarked, “Great place to settle down and raise a family, especially if you’re trying to get away from someone.”

Audrey sighed and leaned back against the seat. She was practically being offered witness protection even though he also seemed to be edging on the fact that she was crazy.

“No Troubles.”

“…for the rest of your days.” Duke sang a line from Hakuna Matata.

Audrey was very distracted then by the sight of the hospital. They were between Haven and Derry where the freestanding ER should be. It was now a three-story multi-wing hospital. Audrey wonder where, or if, Haven Memorial still existed. Maybe the safest town in Maine didn’t need it’s own hospital, or even the Freddy.

“You okay?” Duke asked as he parked under an awning in front of some double doors.

“It’s…this is a freestanding ER.”

“This is a hospital.” Duke was climbing back out of the SUV.

“No.” Audrey said, “In the other—”

“— time line?” he said, skeptically.

Someone was running towards the car with a wheelchair, “Is it--?” they started.

“—no, but a wheelchair is a good idea. The young woman I found was wandering barefoot. They’re bleeding pretty badly. You may want to keep the blanket.”

“—okay.”

Duke opened the back of the car and scooped Audrey out and into the wheelchair.

“Oh, Stan!” Audrey remarked without thinking upon seeing the man with the chair.

“Uh, yes?” Stan inquired, “Do I know you?”

“No.” Audrey replied, sadly.

“She’s been doing that.” Duke remarked, “Either the world’s suddenly got genuine psychics or she needs an eval.”

“My name is on my badge, Chief.” Stan remarked, though he had to flip it around to show the photo ID.

“Explain to me how you recognized, Stan.” Duke asked of Audrey.

She hesitated, “Why should I if you don’t believe me?”

“Maybe I will after you explain.”

“Stan is a cop at Haven PD where I work with the Nathan Wuornos I mentioned before.”

“Didn’t know you changed your name again.” Stan remarked towards Duke, teasingly.

Duke patted Stan on the shoulder, “See?”

“I did wonder about being a cop.” Stan countered, “but the way medicine helped with my nephew I decided to work here and train up.”

“Just call me when you’re ready to discharge her.” Duke called after them.

Audrey sighed, “Is your nephew named Mark?”

“Yes.” Stan said, sounding wary.

“A bit rude of me to ask but was he conceived by IVF, and has he had kidney problems?”

“Uh…no…kidney problems, but IVF, yes.”

“How did you--?” he started, but then trailed off.

Audrey leaned back in the wheelchair as they came to the check-in desk, “Don’t worry about it.”

Chapter Text

After the initial routine of registering, triage, vitals and a rudimentary assessment of her feet in order to see if they needed x-rays or anything. She was taken directly to a room but then left alone for a little while. She laid on the bed wondering what the best course of action would be, even if she found Nathan would he even be willing to help her? Would he even understand? Or would he, like Duke, just think she was some wildly intuitive crazy girl?

Then she saw him.

She recognized the profile instantly and couldn’t stop herself calling out, “Nathan!”

He turned and it, definitely, was him, wearing a white coat and a prim suit underneath. He had a stethoscope around his neck. So, Duke was Chief of Police and Nathan was a doctor? Doctor…Hansen his tag said. She almost slapped her forehead at not having remembered Max’s name.

Nathan was clearly looking around the room for someone else who was in there who had called him when she was the only one there, so she got the dreaded skeptical, “Do I know you, Miss?”

She couldn’t help but flop back against the bed with a sigh, “No. Apparently not.”

“Did we go to school together? I wasn’t exactly in the most popular of circles…” He pulled a stool over and after washing his hands sat down and examined her feet, “What happened?”

“I wound up walking a stretch of the coastal road without shoes.”

She got a confused eyebrow.

“It’s a longer story than you probably have time for. Maybe I could explain it to you later?” What is wrong with you Parker? She scolded herself.

He laughed, “I appreciate the compliment.” Then he shook his head, “but I think Hannah would have something to say about that.”

“Hannah Driscoll.” She murmured. With a lack of Troubles, the Rev would have less if not no reason to put a spanner in the relationship between the two of them. Without the Troubles Nathan Hansen might not have a murderer for a father, either. No Guard to go around recruiting people.

“So, you were at school with us.” Nathan reasoned out.

“Haven High—I have been there.” It wasn’t technically a lie, “I was at the most recent reunion too.” Also, not a lie.

“Ah.” He said, “I didn’t make that one. Hannah was in labor.”

“Good reason to miss it.” She acknowledged.

So, Nathan was happily married with at least one child. She couldn’t help but move a hand to her belly where the other Nathan…the “right” Nathan’s child was. It almost didn’t seem fair to rip this idyllic Haven away from them. Had Chief managed it after all? Surely, he wouldn’t have intended this? But then this isn’t the end of the Troubles—this is no Troubles ever or at least from long enough ago that no one remembered and she wasn’t recurring every 27 years. Maybe she could find Vince and Dave? And not with one of them killing the other and being in jail like when Julia, Duke and Nathan had been sent back in time.

The Barn had left with Chief and Howard, so no one could have gone back in time through it. Right? No someone had to have a different…Trouble that…got rid of Troubles? Why had no one used that before?

No…surely it had to have been Chief and the Barn, but she wasn’t affected—The Barn could affect her, after all she got sucked back to 1994.

She realized Nathan was checking she was okay, and she nodded, “It’s just a lot’s happened.”

He nodded in return, “Okay. I’m going to have the nurses come in and clean everything up and bandage them. It doesn’t seem like anything is broken or would have reason to be. I’m going to prescribe a pregnancy safe antibiotic too.”

“Oh!” A familiar voice came from behind him, “Doctor Hansen, you’re here already.”

“Shelley?” Of course, The Grey Gull didn’t exist.

“Do I know you?”

“Probably not.” Audrey said, “Everyone’s just so familiar.”

Nathan gave Shelley a knowing look that Audrey was afraid to interpret, “I happened by.” He said, “Got called in. I’m going to put the official orders in but it’s going to involve basic foot clean up, wound flush and bandage.”

Shelley nodded, “You got it, Boss Man. I’ll get the supplies.”

“I’m putting in an order for antibiotics too.” And he mentioned the name of the antibiotic to Shelley so she could get it ready.

There was small talk between her and Shelley which was just as surreal as talking to anyone else, so far, had been. Was everyone she knew working at the hospital now? Was she going to run into Tater or Tracy too? Some people had to be at the PD. It couldn’t just be Duke, right?

“Do you know a Tracy Garrick?” Audrey finally asked.

Shelley cocked her head to one side still holding gauze against Audrey’s feet, “I don’t think so.” She said, “Garrick name sounds familiar though but not Tracy. Oh! The coach of my kid brother’s—”

“—Little League Baseball team?”

Shelley nodded and continued wrapping bandages around her feet. She glanced around the floor.

“You don’t have any shoes at all?”

“This is it!” Audrey said, waving her hands around indicating the pajama pants and tank top.

Shelley’s expression became a glower probably directed at whoever it was she felt abandoned Audrey, “Okay. Let me check lost and found. What size shoes do you wear? Clothes wise you look like a 12 or a 14?”

“I think…still…” Audrey answered, “I’ve only just started showing, and these pants were a bit of a push.”

Shelley gave her a smile, “Well, if I can find something it’ll at least do you for a little while…until you can buy something.”

Much as she wanted to leave as quickly as possible, before she got committed, she decided to wait for clothes and shoes because it was practical, and walking around on bandages would probably wear through them quite quickly. She could hear a man’s voice out in the corridor that sounded vaguely familiar, but there’s been so many people lately that have been familiar. It didn’t sound like Duke coming back to check on her, it was the wrong pitch and way too smug.

“This way.” She heard more clearly, that was a woman’s voice, “You can’t be wandering around the halls. You have to go to the waiting room, and we can see if we can track down who you’re looking for.”

It was another half hour before Shelley returned with an assortment of clothing, in between Stan brought her some juice and a sandwich. There were a couple of pairs of sneakers. Some of the t-shirts looked suspiciously new and Shelley confessed with a little prompting that she’d gotten them from the hospital gift shop but there was an account for the needy which the hospital used as a tax write off. Audrey almost protested but then remembered a few hours ago she was literally barefoot and pregnant on the side of the road.

The second pair of sneakers combined with fluffy socks was the least painful for her feet, and Audrey thanked Shelley profusely for the assistance.

“Oh, wow. You can’t leave yet.” Shelley said, “Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten you shoes.” She gave a slight giggle, “Dr. Hansen ordered you a psych consult.”

“How long is that going to take?”

Shelley gave a rueful shrug, ‘As long as it takes unfortunately. I have no idea what the psych’s schedule looks like today.”

“Pretty clear.” Said a voice behind Shelley.

Audrey turned at the familiar voice which made her heartache given the last time she’d seen the woman she was a charred and skinless corpse. Don’t say her name, Audrey told herself, and definitely don’t hug her. Claire Callahan though, as red-haired as the last time Audrey’d seen her alive, carrying a clipboard and looking severe.

“So, Audrey.” Claire remarked sitting down on one of the visiting chairs, “How are you feeling?”

“You know me?”

“I looked at your admittedly thin file,” she waved the clipboard, “Some concerning remarks from the chief but overall, it’s my decision. Don’t let that worry you though…I like to get to the bottom of everything and not just go on other people's opinion.”

Audrey spun the tale she’d been working on during the downtime. She spoke about a strange dream that seemed almost like she was in the Wizard of Oz when she woke up. How she’s recognizing all these people she’s apparently never met, and things about them, throwing in a couple of facts about Claire for good measure and being about seventy percent correct, “It’s the same with Doctor Hansen and the Chief. In my mind Nathan Wuornos worked at the PD and Duke Miller owned a bar down by the harbor but it’s a bait shop. I went into the attic to sleep, last night, after Jeremy left me with nothing. Not even my phone, and it’s not like anyone remembers numbers anymore. Though I know 555-9991.”

“That’s the PD’s non-emergency number.” Claire said.

“And this other one has been in my head.” Audrey tried, “555-3151.”

Claire didn’t say anything to that, but it was hers, at least it should be, Audrey hoped, given the PD number was the same. She wanted back to that universe, desperately, to be with the Nathan she’d had such long heartfelt conversations with, and other long things as well, especially last night and with all the turmoil he was going through what if she’d just skipped over into another universe and he was there now wondering what had happened to her and their unborn baby.

“It was so real.” Audrey said, “So jarring to wake up as though I’d lived months of my life with all these people. I was so out of it when Du—Chief Wuornos found me. I must have sounded crazy.”

Claire patted her knee, comforting, “You’ve been through a lot of traumas the past day or so.” Claire said, “and I heard pregnancy hormone induced dreams can be absolutely, well, crazy, at times. I can’t really explain the knowing things, but you don’t seem as though you’re a danger to anyone or yourself. You’ve just had some unfortunate luck. I’m going to recommend a transport voucher to the local women’s shelter they can help you until you can get back on your feet.”

“Thank you.” Audrey said, and asked if she could give Claire a hug which was accepted. Audrey managed to contain herself as to remarking how glad she was the other woman was alive. It didn’t stop tears from pricking her eyes which Claire interpreted as Audrey being overwhelmed and reassured her that she wasn’t alone and if she was going to get left by an abusive controlling jerk anywhere this was about the best place she could get left.

Audrey had to laugh at that, especially remembering the abusive asshole who’d terrorized the poor women and spurred her Plague Trouble.

“Alright.” Claire said, “I just have to put a few things in the computer, then the social worker will be in, and we can get you out of here. I’ll see about them getting you guys a snack in the meantime.” And she was gone.

Audrey heard her talking to someone close to the door and moved so she could eavesdrop more easily. It was the woman she’d heard earlier talking about the waiting room.

“—aid his name was William not Jeremy.”

“I could say my name was Mona Lisa.” Claire protested, “This is exactly why the Chief said to list her as private. He knew something was likely to happen.”

“Okay.”

William? Audrey didn’t recognize the name. Maybe it was the person whose Trouble caused this—the guy did sound kinda pleased with himself, and a lot of people in town knew the name Audrey Parker. It didn’t hurt to investigate.

“Did I hear you mention ‘William’?” she asked the two of them, “I have a brother called William. I wouldn’t have expected him to be here from Ohio—but maybe Jeremy told him something.”

“I’ll let you look off the cardiac wing balcony.” The nurse, Audrey, thankfully didn’t recognize as Vickie Dutton or Gloria or someone else she knew said, “a person like Jeremy could easily use your brother’s name to trick you.”

Audrey nodded. She’d made Jeremy up and now had to live with that, but she followed the nurse to the elevator up, and then past several rooms, and a nurse’s station to a set of double doors. Then they were on a small balcony with its own set of elevators down to the lobby.

“He’s there, by the door.” The nurse said, softly.

This William had vaguely red blonde hair and was built like Nathan. He was wearing a long jacket over a suit and as she watched turned with a shit-eating grin and waved at her.

She didn’t recognize him but at the same time he felt familiar. Something deep in those strange, intermingled memories had seen him before but she couldn’t place it at all. So far, her memories had only touched as far back as the time before Sarah, which seemed to be Victoria, that was a horrifying memory, where a small boy with Down’s Syndrome was killed because he’s Trouble was killing people and there was nothing else, they could see to do given they’d been trying for weeks to teach him to control the Trouble but couldn’t.

Other bits and pieces were too jumbled to make sense.

Maybe William—he seemed way too eager to be someone with a Trouble, other than the fact he’d come for her by name there had to be something going on.

“You look too perplexed for that to be Jeremy.” The nurse remarked, “or your brother.”

“No. It’s not…” Audrey was moving towards the elevators though, “I have to admit I’m curious. These elevators go down there?”

“Yes, but—”

Audrey was already in one and on her way down, so she didn’t hear the “your funeral” remark.

Chapter Text

When the elevator doors opened Audrey barely had time to step out before William was in front of her, excitedly greeting her with a handshake and a hug. When she pulled back, uncomfortable he searched her face, particularly her eyes, deeply.

“Oh, damn. This world just takes the cake, doesn’t it? Not only are the Troubles gone but you’re trapped in one of your shells. I felt you the last time you went through The Barn. Do you know how rare that is? For me to feel anything in that Etherforsaken place?”

Audrey searched his face, “You were trapped in there?”

“Yes. Duh!” he smacked his forehead, “and I just got myself to rights out here and wham—everything goes sideways, because someone decides to use a Wish Trouble.”

“A…wish…Trouble?” Audrey queried.

“This is going to be very boring if you just repeat everything I say.” He snapped. She let him knock on her head with his knuckle a couple of times while she just dead stared him iin the face, “Why can’t you just see me?”

“I see you.” She answered, “I just don’t care beyond how you can exposition for me.”

He grumbles, “You don’t want the normal world back with you, Nathan and your friends? That’s what you want and that’s what I want. The Troubles need to be back for old time’s sake.”

“The world is better this way.”

“Oh, come on.” William said, “You don’t really believe that.”

She didn’t say anything.

“Well.” He said, leaning back a little before getting closer to her face, “you better find the guy with the Wish Trouble before I do because this means I have to take matters into my own hands.”

Now, Audrey felt that pit in her stomach drop several levels. Danger radiated off William and she went to grab his arm, but he whipped away from her and suddenly he was out the doors and she was having her arm tugged on by someone, who turned out to be Shelley.

“Miss—you don’t have your discharge papers or travel voucher. You looked like you were going to go running. Not the best idea on your feet.”

Audrey gave her a rueful smile, “The man I was just talking to he seems like he’s going to do something dangerous.”

“So you’re going to go after him? We could have called security.”

“Somehow I don’t think they’re equipped to handle him.”

“All the more reason to not go after him injured.”

Shelley did have a point. Audrey, also, didn’t have her service weapon, either which made things difficult as far as defense especially with the added concern about her belly and her feet throwing her off. She wasn’t nearly so bulky as Duke….yet. How was she going to do this? How did Sarah.

She was looking down at a large round belly under cover of a cable knit sweater that she didn’t recognize. Her belly had to be the size of Duke’s. She had one hand on it and the other hand she was using to push herself up out of the armchair she’d been sitting in. Then she put the hand she’d used as leverage into the small of her back and massaged the cramping there.

“Women have been having babies for centuries Vincent Teagues, working farms all the way up until they went into labor, even, tending animals. You are not going to tell me to stay home.”

“To be fair.” Dave’s voice said, “Troubles are a little different to picking vegetables and milking cows.”

Sarah made a poo-pooing noise, “Are you frightened of a small weather disturbance?”

She felt a hand on her arm, Shelley’s, bracing against her, “Maybe we should take you back inside?”

“No!” she said a little too sharply, “Just a moment of nausea. I’ll be fine.”

“Let me get you a sick bag.”

The nurse that had taken her upstairs appeared with a sheaf of papers, and someone else in a white coat. The papers were all standard size except for one postcard style page that had to be given to the taxi driver, the social worker explained, and then also explained the basics of the shelter she was being taken to, which was…Audrey looked at the black and white picture on one of the printed pages. The Holloway House was the battered women’s shelter? This place was getting more and more topsy-turvy, at least that meant they would have to drive through certain areas of town, and she could hopefully divert the location and get some help stopping William.

It took everything Audrey had to not pace while waiting for the cab to show up. She needed to conserve her feet’s ability to do anything. FINALLY, the taxi arrived, the driver was someone vaguely familiar, but she didn’t push. She had to stop looking for familiarity in people.

She could go to the PD, but if Duke wasn’t there she didn’t have any authority and could easily be looked at as though she was crazy. The Herald? What may or may not be the Wuornos house? Close to downtown she saw two police SUVs zipping as though speeding away from a fireball and going towards The Herald. If there was a William caused crime scene down that way showing up was probably not a good idea. So, that left…odds of Duke and Julia felt statistically high, and maybe she could talk some sense in everything.

She was lucky the driver was more than willing to take the voucher to be paid for a trip double the length of the one he actually made, but then what’s to say Julia wasn’t a top neurosurgeon or a high powered business woman somewhere in Derry or…Chief could answer the door.

Chief.

But then, of course, if William was telling the truth, about it being a Wish Trouble that removed the Troubles there was no need to go into The Barn he could just retire after installing his son to replace him—what’s a little bit of nepotism in the world’s safest town?

“Why, young lady, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He remarked, “Come in. Sit down. Let me—do you need help?”

“Thank you. Thank you. And yes, possibly.”

“Who you talking to Dad?” That was Julia’s voice from the kitchen.

“What are you doing up?” Chief replied, “You’re supposed to be on bed rest. My boy will straight kill me if something happens to you lot.”

“Walking to the kitchen won’t do us any damage.” Julia retorted, “Babies need to eat.” She appeared from that direction or rather her belly did. Perhaps it was her short stature that made it appear so massive, as if it was the size of her out as she was up. She could barely reach to brace one hand in front of her as she moved to the LaZBoy by the sofa and sat down with an ‘oof’ balancing a large bowl on the top of her bump as she shifted to try and found a comfortable position.

“Wow.” Audrey gulped and then apologized, “That’s—I mean.”

“It’s okay.” Julia said, moving the bowl towards her breasts for easier access, “Not many people got this far along with triplets, especially at my dimensions.”

“Triplets?” Audrey remarked, surprised but at the same time it would explain a lot.

“IVF will do that.” Julia replied.

Audrey nodded.

“Just the one for you?” Julia continued.

Audrey nodded again.

Garland cleared his throat.

Julia rolled her eyes.

“Now that we’re done with the baby talk.” He said with joking tones, “Let’s sort out why you showed up at our doorstep and what sort of help it is you need.”

Audrey chewed on her lip, “I’m going to sound crazy.” She said, and outlined a very Cliff’s Notes and hopefully acceptable version of events, “and in my dreams this was the Chief’s house and it was a closer walk than the PD—with no phone, I hoped someone might be here who could help me. William feels dangerous…he wasn’t in the dreams. He definitely feels like a threat, and somehow knows about my dream and thinks finding some person here can take us back there…I don’t know who that person is, but he didn’t seem to either, which is what’s making me really worried about what he might do, or have done already…”

“You’ll have to bear with me it sounds a might fanciful…” Garland remarked.

“I know.” Audrey said, “You don’t know me. I don’t know William, everything I know is a little bit off.”

“It’s like you fell into an alternate reality.” Julia said, apologizing for talking around a mouthful of fruit and ice cream, “Are Duke and I together where you’re from? Or where you had the dream about?”

Audrey had to laugh. Julia asking the important questions, still all about Duke.

“Yes. For a while you guys lived together on a converted trawler called the Cape Rouge and then moved on land because of the baby on the way.”

“Just the one?” Julia asked, “Other me having it easy.”

“Actually…” and then Audrey hesitated, “This is a bit delicate and I don’t…know if I should say, but there Duke is the one pregnant. He’s eight months along.”

“Is he now?” Garland was very stern all of a sudden.

Audrey continued feeling shitty for outing someone they might never even meet, “Yes. He was. He was born, um, Regina Crocker…Hernandez-Crocker, and taken away from a woman named Carolina and adopted by a couple with the last name Miller.”

Garland looked thoughtful, “Mitchell and Magda.”

“He generally just calls them M&M or Moms and Pops.”

Garland chuckled instead then, “I get Pops too.”

“Uh, what…” Julia was the one sounding concerned, “Do you know what your Duke’s father’s name is?”

“Simon Crocker.”

Julia nodded, slightly fretful, but then brushed it aside. IVF, Audrey realized then, though it didn’t mean this Duke was for sure.

Garland was shaking his head, “Either you’re a crazy psychic or…” he shook his head again.

Audrey realized Julia was on the phone, as she watched, the sleeve of Julia’s dress fell down towards her elbow and a turn of the arm revealed a very familiar tattoo, now she was shaking her head. She could almost start believing things were a dream except for the fact no one knew her here and then…William.

Julia’s face, however, had gone ashen.

“What’s wrong?” Chief asked her.

“A young woman was murdered earlier today, and Duke, Duke was just at The Herald, the Teagues…they’ve been…they’re dead too.”

Audrey clenched her fists. William was going to kills his way through the whole town, looking for the Troubled person, and well, probably just kill them too.

“No. I think we can help you with that. She’s here.” Julia said. Audrey heard Duke’s tone through the phone, “Over an hour.” Julia answered. Duke’s tone calmed, “Just do what you have to and get home, okay? We’ll sort it out.”

Julia tried to get up from the recliner then but Garland stopped her. It was a sketchbook and pencils she wanted. He brought her some juice and a bowl of cereal and a small glass of milk too, and whisked away the empty ice cream bowl. Julia handed the bowl and glass to Audrey, and had the other woman describe William for her to draw. Every once in a while the heavily pregnant woman shifted awkwardly in her seat as though she was in pain and Audrey could see Garland looking at the clock every time it happened, though it was only twice before Duke came rushing in.

Duke glanced quickly around the room. His eyes rested on Audrey who had just put a spoon full of cereal in her mouth. The pose Duke had ‘my brain crashed’ in was one that Audrey had seen more than a few times, one finger was up and he was about to say something but it just wasn’t there.

“It’s okay.” Julia said, which seemed to reset him back to a stressed and overwrought one, “We’re drawing your suspect.”

Duke flopped onto the couch next to Audrey muttering what was clearly curses in another language under his breath.

“It’ll be okay.” Julia repeated, checking some details with Audrey and making some tweaks.

“We’ve tried to contain it but three people dead—the town will be in an uproar.” He looked at Audrey, exasperated, as Julia finished up the drawing, “and you’re the only different thing. I don’t want a witch hunt either—the graffiti pales in comparison.”

“Graffiti?” Audrey queried and then remembered the sign he’d stopped and photographed while they were on the way to the hospital.

“Yes. I was looking into it before all hell broke loose.”

“Language.” Julia teased, “and in front of the children too.”

“Curly, Larry and Mo are coming in to a strange new world now.” Duke remarked, downcast, “We need to fix it.”

Julia held up the drawing of William that now had Audrey’s approval, “Does this help?”

“You think this man…?”

“William.” Audrey said, “He came looking for me at the hospital. He said this was the wrong Haven and he’d do anything to get back to the same one I’m apparently from…it was freaky what he knew of what I was beginning to think was a dream. He said anything and I felt it. He’s desperate to get back there and have me remember who he is.”

“Great.” Duke said, exasperated, “and the lovely old Teagues and Rebecca have done what to him exactly?”

“Nothing.” Audrey said, “He’s looking for the person whose Trouble it was brought us here. He thinks killing them will reset the world back to where you two own a bar and Dr. Hansen was adopted by Garland here.”

Duke pinched the bridge of his nose, “So, he has the same memories as you but you don’t remember him?”

“It’s a whole mess.”

“It sounds ridiculous.” Duke sighed.

Garland stood up and put a hand on Duke’s shoulder, “Not so ridiculous.” He said, “In her reality her Duke has transitioned.” He said, “She knows your birth name. Your mother and father’s name because the two of you are friends.”

“We live on a boat.” Julia said, with a wince.

Garland glanced at the clock, “Well, at least those are getting further apart.”

“It wasn’t contractions.” Julia said, at Duke’s panicked look, “We’re fine.” She waved a hand towards Duke to make him come over to her, “I promise we’re fine. I am going to cook these beans so long and get so round you’ll have to roll me into labor and delivery.”

“First. I’m going to roll you back to bed.” Duke remarked, though what he did do was scoop her, carefully, out of the chair, “and then you and I are going to investigate the graffiti.” He said to Audrey, “because I feel going without you will be impossible.”

Chapter Text

The graffiti wasn’t just on two real estate billboards it was two of the same company’s billboards and scrubbing out the same person. The husband of a married couple so Duke took Audrey with him to talk to the couple to see if her strange memories could help because at this point, he was running on fumes.

He’d sent a copy of the picture of William to the PD, but the officers were told not to approach because both Duke and Audrey feared feeding lambs to the lion. They wanted William corralled given he was the only other unknown quantity in everything. Except whoever had the Trouble, but Duke still wasn’t on board with that. He and Julia though. Overhearing their talk and goodbye as he was carrying her back to the room, and then the dynamic of him and Garland as father and son when Duke had confronted him about bed rest meaning “in bed” and Garland pointing out that Julia doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do and Julia also won’t do anything to put the babies at risk or herself before chiding Duke to go save the world.

I’ll settle for the town, Pops.

Same thing.

Audrey was studying the billboard photos trying to work out who the husband was and what warranted such harsh language to be sprayed over his face, the other billboard his eyes were blacked out and then almost all the rest of his face was scribbled through. The wife did look vaguely familiar but not enough that she could directly place face and name, and now they were at the house, and she was half listening to Duke interview the couple, because it seemed like there was movement behind the hedge, towards the trees. She could see someone but it wasn’t William, and she started walking towards the person, while she heard the woman saying, “—can I ask you about restraining orders if I don’t know who the person is?”

The guy started to walk away, and Audrey called out to him, “Please! Wait! Your life might be in danger.”

He snorted, “Oh? Really? Suddenly that doesn’t feel so bad.”

“What are you talking about?” Audrey asked, “I mean…you remember the other Haven, don’t you? Do you know who I am?”

“Officer Parker.” He remarked, “I’ve heard about you.”

“Okay, then. Have you heard that I can help people with Troubles? I have a feel—”

“No, shit I have a Trouble.” He said, “I should have listened to my Dad. He said it was like a monkey’s paw. You get what you want but you pay for it. I just—I didn’t even mean to exactly. I just didn’t want her to be dead, and it was—it was the Troubles, what the hell else causes meteors to come out of the sky?”

“Can’t you just wish us out of it? Or take it back?” Audrey was scrambling and she knew it. She was at least close to the man now and had his hands in hers.

“I wasn’t going to. I mean, at first, but then there she is married to someone else, and I got so mad and I didn’t want to hurt them, but I did—and the only thing I could think of was that stupid billboard when I saw his stupid face next to hers…thank God for laundry markers.” He pulled it out of his pocket, “Only thing I have left except for my clothes.”

Duke was walking closer and the guy looked like he was going to bolt.

“The only thing you have to worry about from him is questions about the graffiti.”

“Yeah.” The guy said, “No one else remembers a damn thing. Well, except you.”

Yeah, and the guy who wants you dead.

“What? Who else?” the guy said, “What else do I have to worry about? What’s that face for?”

“There’s someone else. Like I said first—your life is in danger. Someone is killing people in town, they’re after you because of your Trouble…they know someone wished this place into existence.”

“We can give you police protection while we track him down.” Duke remarked, hearing part of the conversation, “Don’t worry about the graffiti charges. We’re more worried about your safety.”

“Uh-huh.” The man said.

“What’s your name?” Duke asked, the man.

Audrey couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that simple connecting tool, nor could she believe how truly frantic she was feeling about the idea of this man being able to fix things.

“Cliff.” He admitted.

“Okay, Cliff.” Duke said, “Now I know that Miss Parker here is  talking about some scary and maybe crazy sounding things, but the danger is real, so just come with me, the both of you, to the squad car, and we’ll get you both somewhere safe.”

“At the PD?” Cliff said, skeptically, “You sure you’re not arresting me.”

“I will arrest you if I have to, but I don’t want to. I want the murders with the ‘not her’ ‘not him’ signs to stop.”

Audrey shuddered.

Cliff stared at Duke. Audrey wondered if he was having a blue screen moment at Duke being a police officer or just at the bullshit that was going on. Cliff had pulled one of his hands free of her grasp and she felt like he was going to bolt.

“Or…” she said, “You can try to wish things back.”

Duke rolled his eyes, and then stopped looking at Cliff, “Wait—you actually know who she is, and what she’s talking about?”

“What she’s talking about?” Cliff mused, “You mean, the Troubles, the world where Susie there is my wife, and Troubles run through our town, changing the weather, turning people into trees, raining meteors from the sky and killing people.”

“Susie’s dead.” Audrey realized, “There has to be a way to fix it and bring her back. Have her not in the path of the meteors…”

“It doesn’t work the way you think. I had no idea this was going to happen.” He sighed, “and I refuse to be arrested by the bartender.”

“From what I understand I own the bar.” Duke bristled.

It took all Audrey had not to laugh at that, but she had to keep her focus on Cliff so that he didn’t actually bolt. She reached for his free hand, “Let me guide you.” She said, “It’s what I do, right? I help Troubled people master their abilities. I helped Michael Garrick, so he doesn’t phase out of existence like his father did. I can help you with this.”

“James phased out of—” Cliff said, “maybe that’s what I should do.”

“No.” Duke said, “Let’s not do that. Let’s everyone stay alive.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” William’s voice rang out, and then he looked at Audrey jubilant, “See I knew you could do it.” There was a gun in his hand, and Duke quickly pulled his out and drew down on the smarmy bastard.

“Let’s just think about this.” Duke said, and the shot rang out before anyone else could do anything. Audrey winced. Cliff’s hands gripped hers more tightly. It was Duke who slumped though.

Audrey screamed.

“Oh, he’ll live…if we get him help soon enough. Just let me take him.” He waved the gun towards Cliff, “Or he’ll live if we get our world back.”

“Cliff…” Audrey said, carefully, “Think it through with me, but we need that quickly.”

“I don’t even know exactly how I—”

“You wanted it desperately, I’m sure. I know how desperately I want to be back with my friends and family. It hurts in your soul, down deep. Focus on that, and wish for everything to be back, for Susie to be back with you and—”

She heard William cough and start to say something derogatory and impatient, but then there was no William. She looked around. She was—she was downtown. Not where she’d been. Cliff’s hands weren’t in hers either, and William was nowhere to be seen. Had he been a product of that universe too? Maybe. Hopefully.

At least she had shoes.

There was that.

Oh, and that looked like Duke.

Chapter Text

“Duke!” she called. She was slightly concerned, because it looked like Duke was limping. Had William actually shot him in the leg, and it carried over? That would be…he wasn’t really moving with urgency though like someone who had discovered themselves suddenly shot would be. He was wearing more Duke-like clothes. A baggy cardigan, and jeans, “Duke!” She crossed the street towards him given he wasn’t stopping, it would be ironic if she was wrong, and then on her third call he turned around, and she stepped back.

This wasn’t her Duke either.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, lady? If someone isn’t answering maybe they don’t want to or don’t know who the fuck you are.” His mouth curled into a slight snarl, “Poppa said don’t talk to strangers.”

“No…” she couldn’t quite find the words. He was thin, but it was the more painful thin of Regina on the Cape in 1994 and he definitely wasn’t pregnant. This was not what she—monkey’s paw. Monkey’s damn shitty fucking paw.

“What?” he said, putting one hand against the window of the store they were standing next to, “What is so damned important? Spit it out.”

“I was hoping the world was back to rights…” she sighed, “There’s a Trouble and—”

“Oh.” He rolled his eyes, “The Guard needs to say when they have new messengers.”

“That’s not—” she sighed. So, there were Troubles here, but yet Duke didn’t know who she was, “No…I’m Audrey. I work with Nathan and Julia on the Troubles.”

Now his eyes narrowed, harshly and he whipped her up against the window, “Now, that I know is a mother-fucking lie, so who the hell are—” then he stopped looking at where her hand had moved. Which she realized was true. She hadn’t moved to stop his hands at her neck. She’d moved to protect James. He set her down, waved a hand in her direction dismissively, and stalked off in the opposite direction, “Tell your friend he can come arrest me for assault if he wants to.”

She coughed a couple of times and then her brain caught up with what Duke had said. He can come arrest me. Nathan was a cop here. She needed to reorient pronto and get to the PD. Maybe Duke was just in the wrong circles here, and that’s why he didn’t know who she was. She was clinging to that desperately given deep down she knew The Guard was well aware of Audrey Parker, Lucy Ripley and everyone else, and damn it. That must mean Duke was The Active Crocker here. That might explain how he looked. The Troubled Blood was addictive to them if they were killing people.

Then she felt it. The creeping cold slithering down her spine. She turned in the direction and there he was: William. He had that same smug expression and waved at her amiably.

“Now, this—” he said without greeting, “—this is amazing! This might be better than our place. Definitely better than the last one. Things are out of control. Spectacular.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe it will bring you back to yourself—this place.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Audrey admitted.

“You will.” William said, severely, “You’ll be begging me. When you find out the truth.” His grin widened, “best not be looking for Cliff to change things.” He ran off.

That sounded ominous but surely William couldn’t have killed Cliff because that would have ended everything. She couldn’t waste time speculating what the crazy man was doing. The important thing was finding out where the heck Cliff could be so she wasn’t walking all around Haven like a crazy person until the end of the world.

She realized as she was walking just how hungry and exhausted, she was. She’d had a turkey sandwich and a bowl of cereal all day, but it wasn’t like she had any money to go buy…she realized several businesses were boarded up, and a couple of buildings smelled as though they had recently been on fire, very recently, but there were no craters like meteor strikes had happened. It was just a regular, or probably Trouble fire. That kid from the drive in maybe?

In fact, so recently, an inspector was still walking around one of them and the Teagues were interviewing someone else from the Fire Department nearby. There were too many people not letting her approach but the look on Dave’s face told her that he was familiar with her. She might have to swing by The Herald later if things didn’t go well at the police department, because all she had to go on was “Cliff and Susie” which wasn’t really helpful.

The police department looked careworn and there were scorch marks on one side and the door on that side was full of bullet holes but boarded from the inside she could see, as she walked past and towards the front door.

She was stopped almost immediately by a very tired looking Stan.

“I’m just here to see Nathan—” she tried.

“Chief Wuornos is very busy.” Stan replied, tersely, “If there’s a problem, we have plenty of officers who can help take reports, investigate—”

“There’s a Trouble and—”

A couple of nearby officers snickered and snorted.

“Oh.” Stan said, “Well in that case we have plenty of officers who can take reports—”

She did see Nathan looking out of the Chief’s office door curiously. A woman with long dark hair was in the room with him, but she couldn’t see their face. Nathan looked like he was about to close the door.

“Okay.” Audrey said, “I was trying to deal with—the point is Duke--” She could see Nathan pause at the door hearing the name, “attacked me near what used to be Debbie’s and I—I want to press charges.”

That did it. Nathan was there, “What were you saying?” he asked.

“Duke Crocker.” She said, figuring there was no Miller here, “I was walking near Deb—well, what was Debbie’s Bakery and—”

“Come with me, Miss…” Nathan said.

“Parker.” She answered.

“Parker?’ Nathan was being short but amiable, “I used to know an Audrey Parker, FBI Agent. You’re not from Ohio, are you?”

Audrey gave a thin laugh, “Oh, sorry. No. I’m Parker. Parker Miller.”

“Oh.” Nathan said, “I see.” He closed the door behind them and offered her a spot to sit. The woman was already sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk stood up to vacate an additional one. She was as tall as Audrey and wearing slacks, either a tank top or camisole and a flannel shirt, partly buttoned over the top.

“Dr. Carr.” Nathan said, “You may want to stay. This involves Duke.”

Doctor…this wasn’t Eleanor. She was closer to their age than Vince’s. She was rather pinched in a severe and stressed-out way. Was she Eleanor’s biological daughter?

Dr. Carr sighed and moved to lean against the windowsill after pushing the door shut once more, “I don’t know why you even still—” but she didn’t finish the sentence.

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” Nathan remarked.

Dr. Carr rolled her eyes and folded her arms, “I understand you two have history, but…”

“History?” Nathan sounded, incredulous, but then took in a breath, “You’ve known him as long as I have.”

A tense look passed between the two of them but then Dr. Carr inclined her head towards Audrey and Nathan cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, Miss Miller.” He said, “Please. Explain what happened. I believe you said you were at Debbie’s.”

“Well, what’s left of it anyway.” Get to the point, Parker. It’s a different world. So, your favorite pastry shop is destroyed, “After the Wish Trouble reset the world from the one with no Troubles to this—which is still not the right one given none of you know me.”

“Wish Trouble?” Dr. Carr inquired, tossing her head.

“Reset the world?” Nathan echoed.

“Well, it did, and it didn’t.” Audrey said, “That’s when I ran into Duke, except not Duke because he had a limp and he’s not pregnant and—”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed, “Whoever put you up to this. It’s not funny.”

“No one. Nathan, I—”

“Did you say any of that nonsense to Duke?” Nathan inquired, icy.

“No. No. He thought I was from The Guard when I mentioned the Trouble.”

Dr. Carr walked out and pulled the door shut just short of slamming it.

“Nathan, please—” Audrey said, “I’m not lying. The world is wrong surely you know that.”

“There’s a lot wrong that’s happened in this town and in this world, but I would never suggest this was the wrong world.” He said, “How dare you?” and then he took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. If you’ve been affected by a Trouble-I-and Duke being involved it’s just—what did Duke do?”

Audrey cocked her head looking at Nathan. He sounded tired but compared to the Nathan she’d first met in her Haven whose attitude towards Duke was practically poisonous the reaction of this one was confusing given this Duke was working with The Guard, and was probably, more than likely, definitely an Active Crocker. And Dr. Carr—that was a whole other angle. She was still going by Carr for one, and too tall, and too…well, Julia could get angry but this was bitter.

“Where I come from.” Audrey said, gently, “You and I, and Julia Carver help fix Troubles. Duke sometimes helps, when he can,” probably best not to mention the pregnancy again with the reaction Nathan had, “around running The Grey Gull.”

“Who did you see last before you were affected by the Trouble?” Nathan asked, “Other than Duke.”

“A man called Cliff, like I said, he’s the one with the Wish Trouble. He was right with me, but then he wasn’t anywhere around.”

Nathan took a deep breath, perhaps wondering if Duke was the reason Cliff was gone.

“Do you know Cliff’s last name?”

“No, but there’s also a man called William…” and she realized that she didn’t have the picture Julia from the previous world had drawn, “in the last world he was killing his way around town to try and find the person with the Wish Trouble. He seems to like this world way better than one without Troubles though.” Oh, my God did she sound so insane. This universe was bound to have a Freddy and she was going to wind up there, “so I doubt he’s going to be trying to kill Cliff this time around, but if nothing else Cliff can get me home. I need to find him. That’s why I came here I thought—”

“—we’d what? Got a roster of everyone and their Troubles? Thank you. I’ll have Officer Tatum take your full statement.”

“If you’re going to arrest Duke I want to go with you.”

“You’ve not given me any indication he did anything that was worthy of him being arrested.” Nathan pointed out, moving towards the door, “but I will have you detained for trying to interfere with police business.”

“Where I’m from you and Duke used to date in high school but things didn’t go well because she was a self-proclaimed “ho” back then.”

“What did you say?” Nathan asked.

“Used to date?” Audrey queried.

“After ‘things didn’t go well’.” He said, with all the patience of a parent trying to find out just how their toddler got hands on a magic marker.

“Because he was a—”

“No.” Nathan said, parental tone continuing, “You said ‘she’.”

Audrey went for it, “I misspoke, given Duke isn’t Regina anymore.”

“No.” Nathan folded his arms leaning against the door, “He’s not, but here people think Regina died. They seem to have it in their heads Duke Crocker killed her to inherit the bar from his half-sister.” Nathan made a motion that might have turned into pinching the bridge of his nose, but stopped as if it was futile. It was a move she’d seen Duke doing from time to time, “Okay. Fine. You can come with me.”

Chapter Text

Audrey was glad to see the Bronco. This place was much closer to their world but yet worse, way worse than the one without the Troubles. Nathan didn’t talk again until the Bronco was on the road. Audrey was expecting them to go to the harbor, but they turned towards the outskirts of town, where some of the lower value properties and neighborhoods were. There was a small house with a postage stamp of a front yard on either side of a rickety path, and a screaming match was audible from the outside.

“Fuck you too!”

“Evi.” Audrey recognized with a shudder.

Nathan seemed about as distasteful towards her as her Nathan had been to Duke starting out or perhaps would if someone didn’t know him as intimately as she did. This seemed like acting for her benefit. Evi slammed out of the front of the house tossing things into the back of a truck before going back and locking the front door. Audrey reasoned this was as shady a neighborhood as she had felt if even in an angry temper tantrum Evi made a point of locking the door. She climbed into the driver’s seat before squealing past them, giving Nathan the finger the entire time she drove past. Nathan kept his face impassive, but probably didn’t realize he was white knuckling the steering wheel. Audrey instinctively put her hand on top of his closest hand to try and make him release the wheel and was successful, but Nathan also turned to stare at her.

“What?” Audrey asked, innocently.

Nathan tapped and knocked his hands across various surfaces of the car and then asked to shake her hand and pulled away again after staring, thoughtfully, for a moment.

Audrey climbed out of the Bronco, “Are we going or what, Chief?”

Nathan appeared not to be bringing it up. He rapped on the door of the small house. There was a privacy fence around the back, which given the size of the streets Audrey figured was also a fairly small yard, and the front was fairly overgrown, with weeds making great headway between the paving stones of the pathway, and also taking over parts of the yard. Nathan then banged on the door with his foot yelling, “Crocker! Open up! I know you’re in here!”

Audrey expected him to bash the door or try the fence to the back and go that way, but instead he blocked the view of his body between the house and Audrey and pulled out his keys, slipped one into the lock and turned it. Then he slammed his shoulder into the door as he unlocked it, shoving the keys back into his pocket and as Audrey followed him inside he kicked the door shut.

“Crocker!” he called.

“Enough, Nate.” Came a pained voice from a room to the left. The voice of someone who could have a migraine trying not to hurt themselves, “We both know we both hate that name.”

Nathan stashed his weapon and went into the bedroom. Audrey followed uncertainly. There was a lump under the covers that she guessed was Duke curled up wrapped in sheets and with his head under the pillow and then she remembered that her Duke slept naked and wondered if she should back away, especially as she was the unknown quantity that he’d attempted to choke out an hour or so ago. She backed away but then peeked around the door curiously when there was a noise she wasn’t expecting and saw that was the two men kissing with a decent amount of passion. Duke then had his hands on either side of Nathan’s face and was touching his forehead, but gripping Nathan like he was a life preserver while he was in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sharks.

Audrey slipped back around the corner.

“I miss you.” She heard Duke say, “How is she?”

“How do you think she is?” Nathan snapped, but softly, “That’s not important right now.”

“Not important?!?” Duke returned, angrily, “How dare you?”

“I’m not by myself.” Nathan explained.

“If you’re trying to tell me Julia came with you…” So, Dr. Carr was Julia, Audrey reasoned.

“I’m not.”

The noise must have been Duke flopping onto the bed and then groaning because the movement hurt his head. It also sounded like he buried himself in the bed again. He said something Audrey couldn’t make out.

“And what use would that be right now?” Nathan said, “Plus you know how I feel about that. Come on, Miss Miller. I know you’re back there.”

“Is everyone decent?”

Duke’s response was muffled until there was a thwap and he made a complaining pained noise, “That hurts you dick!”

Audrey was in the doorway now and saw a ‘what’re you going to do about it?’ look from Nathan to Duke who was lifting up one side of the pillow to glare at the other man. Audrey’s brain broke, again, for a moment. Sly looks between Duke and Julia or from Nathan directed at her were something she was fairly used to, especially learning the change in Nathan’s non-verbal language towards her as their relationship developed. Nathan readjusted himself into cop mode.

“Why are you--?” Duke said, “in front of—person I don’t know.” He was peering towards her blearily, and Audrey wondered if he couldn’t make out her features. There was barely any light in the room which definitely would help a migraine.

“We met earlier.” Audrey said.

Duke adjusted in the bed, eyes narrowed, “When—earlier?” The movement seemed off more…fluid, but yet wrong. All his dimensions were wrong anyway.

“At Debbie’s.” Audrey said.

“Oh.” Duke replied, she thought there might have been a mumbled apology but then he said, “So, you bring a liar who lies into Evi’s shitty house and expose a whole bunch of shit about our secret plans.”

“No.” Nathan said, reasonably considering.

“I’m not a liar.” Audrey protested.

“Really, so, you have been helping Nathan and Julia on a bunch of Troubles?” he turned, “Has she, Nathan?”

“No.” Nathan said, “but I can feel her touch. First thing I’ve felt since Hope was two.”

Duke burst into tears, continuing Audrey’s weirdest…24 hours and then clenched his fists into the covers and flailed for a moment in angry frustration. Audrey realized what was off. Duke had no legs from what was probably just above the knee on one side, and below on the other. It would explain the limp.

“So…what?” Duke said, after taking some deep breaths against Nathan’s chest, “Your Dad’s magical mystery person showed up, so everything gets to be hunky dory now?”

Dad’s magical…that could explain why Dave had looked at her so strangely. Lucy had been here. But something must have happened that…was Lucy killed?

“We need to help her find someone with a Wish Trouble.”

Duke was giving Nathan one of the more ‘Oh, is that all?’ type looks, or the ‘I’m too sober for this’ maybe both.

“I want to see Hope.” Was what he said, instead.

“Give us a minute please, Miss Miller.” Nathan said.

“Fucking forget it.” Duke snapped, “I know that tone. You can do this just fine without me. Let me get some fucking sleep and get over this.”

Nathan’s expression turned more frustrated and concerned.

“You don’t need me. Why did you even come here?” Duke continued, “You wouldn’t want me to—”

“I’ll…I’ll be in the family room.” Audrey said and scooted. She could hear pieces of the discussion through the thin walls, mostly Duke. He was upset about the world ending without him seeing Hope, who Audrey was realizing might be his and Nathan’s child. Then there were whiny noises and also him admitting having had ‘a job’ this morning, to which she heard Nathan say, “No, shit. Surely you see why it’s a bad idea for you to be around her.”

“Just let me get well enough to function then!” Duke snapped.

“Why do you even do this? They couldn’t possibly be willing to activate some sixteen-year-olds. Not even they would do that. They’re not Simon.”

“Your math is off.” Duke said, sounding miserable, “The twins would be around eighteen, and Bryce, you know how old I was--though he could have his father’s Trouble. He’s almost twenty.” Duke…or Regina had a kid when he was fifteen?

She didn’t make out what Nathan said, but it sounded very tense.

“He’s the one they threatened to activate. Though, like I said, he could have his father’s Trouble.”

Nathan didn’t say anything, but Duke continued.

“He’s yours, Nate! Jesus, God!”

The door slammed open, and Nathan stormed out, breathing heavily, apologized to Audrey, then turned around and went back into the other room.

“Why did you never say anything?”

“When?” Duke sounded pained again, “Simon had him taken away and then took me on the magical mystery tour!”

“There’s been, oh, any time in the past fifteen years since you were home.”

She didn’t hear what Duke said, but when she peeked around the corner the two of them were hugging and Duke was definitely crying. She couldn’t see Nathan’s face, but the way his shoulders were moving.  

Audrey backed away again and sat on the couch. She heard Nathan’s voice, and then Duke said, “They should be in the back of the Bronco.” Duke said, “Evi did her usually take them in ‘anger’ thing after our performance earlier.”

Nathan left after a kissing sound that Audrey felt was a forehead or cheek one, and he came back with what looked like a golf bag that had feet with shoes sticking out of the top rather than club heads. Audrey wondered, again, if something to do with the prosthetics caused the limp. Nathan knocked on the door, and there was no sound but he went in the room.

Nathan reappeared carrying a rather unconscious Duke out of the room towards the Bronco. Audrey followed and locked the door for Nathan. It clicked with Audrey what ‘get well’ meant. They dealt so little with the drug, domestic violence, etc. cases she was losing her grasp on slang terms, based on what she knew of Wade and the Crocker Trouble’s addictive tendencies and downside. Duke must have taken some kind of opiate to counteract the side effects, after a fashion, and would hopefully be functional after the initial high wound down.

Duke slumped against Nathan once the Bronco was in gear. His mouth was slightly open. Audrey realized she’d not seen Regina like that when they were in 1994, but then it wasn’t like Regina had shot up or snorted the heroin in front of them. She wondered then if Julia had seen her. On the one hand if Duke drooled Nathan wouldn’t notice. Duke woke up when the Bronco went over a bump, but was still a little out of it, like Regina was a few times, staring off and losing track of conversation.

“So, who we look for?” he asked, “Who has Wish Trouble?”

“Well, there’s also a man called William.” Audrey said, not regretting a copy of the drawing, “But the Troubled person who either caused this timeline or brought me here, his name is Cliff.”

“Not a lot to go on.” Duke slurred.

Audrey described Cliff. Nathan nudged Duke back awake, and Audrey explained, again, what Cliff looked like.

“Contrary to popular belief, at least, from high school. I don’t know the entire male population of Haven.”

Nathan rolled his eyes.

“Do you have the Crocker Journal? Someone with a Wish Trouble might be—”

“If only logs dead people.” Nathan remarked, “Dead by a Crocker means no Trouble for a descendent to use.”

Audrey smacked her forehead.

“He married?” Duke asked. He was becoming more with it and definitely didn’t sound pained any more. He shifted so he wasn’t leaning on Nathan.

“He…yes.” Audrey amended, “His wife died where I’m from, in a meteor impact, and then in the first timeline we went to she was a realtor.” Damn pregnancy brain what was she called? “Susie, so maybe Susan. She was alive but she wasn’t married to him.”

Duke sat up straighter, “She Troubled?” he Herambled for the pocket of his cardigan and pulled out the journal she’d mentioned. He flipped to the back where some papers were clipped to the pages. It was a dossier, presumably because she was Duke’s next target. The name was Susan Pearson, and the spouse was listed just as C. Pearson, male. The picture of her that had half of someone else’s face was definitely the couple. There was a comment about being caution of fire, which had Audrey thinking back to the burned out buildings in downtown that were being investigated.

“Does everyone have Troubles here?” Audrey remarked, hefting the Crocker Journal and waving the sheaf of papers that had been clipped in the back. The journal Duke had in her normal universe was definitely less written in and less bulky from use.

“My father went on a Trouble hunting world tour.” Duke said, “He was avoiding the Guard, except when he had to make…deliveries every year or so.” Whatever the deliveries were made him shudder, “Every once in a while I ‘got to’ participate.”

“He actually—” Audrey wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence, “—should I ask how old you were?”

“He activated me at fifteen. Made sure I was out in Derry so I was outside the Haven bubble.” There was a nastiness and sadness to Duke’s face, and he muttered about things being a buzz kill.

Nathan wrapped his arm around Duke’s shoulders and whispered to him about how he was safe now.

“He made sure they would take Bryce away.” Duke was saying, softly, “Shot me up at the hospital so he could carry me out without me fighting.” He hesitated then added, “The poor kid was in NICU for a long time I thought he might have died.”

Nathan squeezed Duke against himself more tightly. Audrey found herself wondering how he worked out how much motion was what type of pressure against someone else or even himself. She remembered how he had been when Ian’s Trouble had temporarily regained sensation for him. How long had Nathan been dealing with it in this world? He said Hope was two when he lost sensation. Were the Troubles on the same 27 year cycle here with Lucy potentially having been killed.  

“So, is it anything?” Nathan asked, tersely.

“Uh, yes. Sorry.” Audrey said, “That’s her and what I can see of the other person’s face looked like him.” She gave Nathan the street address.”

“Hold onto that.” Nathan said, and Audrey realized they were at Chief’s house and wondered if he alive in this universe, considering all the darkness.

Chapter Text

Nathan gave Duke a hoodie, and the other man hunkered down low and put it on, after taking the cardigan off. All in black now he looked more like a taller version of Jordan than himself.

“May I?” Audrey asked.

“Knock yourself out.” Duke said, slipping out of the car and following Nathan to a point. He unlocked the back gate by moving one of the panels and reaching through, and then went into the back yard. She realized he wasn’t limping. Maybe he put that on for effect so that he could disguise himself more easily. There was a privacy fence around the back yard here as well. Kids toys on the lawn and a barbecue on the covered patio. Duke opened the back door as Nathan unlocked it for the two of them and Audrey followed him inside.

She shouldn’t have been surprised that the little girl in Nathan’s arms looked like the two of them, or that she wriggled excitedly and stretched her arms out to Duke after he pulled the hood down. Though she looked skeptically at Audrey before turning back to her other father calling him ‘Marmaduke’ Audrey thought before Audrey realized it might be a combination of ‘Mama’ and ‘Duke’. He hugged her, then lifted up the t-shirt she was wearing to blow raspberries against her belly.

Audrey looked around the family room, while Nathan was talking to what sounded like Shelley in the kitchen. She saw with a slight pang of jealousy that there were a couple of wedding pictures on the wall. One of Nathan and Duke when he was still Regina and one which was a group picture. Nathan, his father and the McShaws in pale blue suits and Regina in a blue hued dress which looked more like a prom dress rather than a wedding dress, which went down to the ground. She had a bouquet of bluebells and freesia with baby’s breath. Dr. Carr was with Regina wearing a summer dress in blue, but it was shorter, and simpler in design, and was that Evi too?

Nathan disappeared into the room, in her universe, that was the spare bedroom before reappearing with a book with a very thick cover. A photo album?

On either side of the wedding picture, on the mantle were pictures. On one side was a collage picture, which was Hope at various ages, along with a pregnancy photo of Nathan with Regina. In front of the picture collage was a little sculpture with baby footprints on it, and then on the other side was a piece of stone which looked like it had fingers carved in it and above that was a picture of Chief.

Hope had apparently seen Audrey looking and said, “Pop-pop’s hand.” It wasn’t a whole hand though. There were three fingers and a thumb, and the side where the little finger would be was raw and rough, like someone had broken apart a piece of granite with a hammer and then carved the fingers into part of the surface.

“Yes, bug.” Nathan said.

Duke was hugging, what was probably Shelley, unless they had more than one person watching Hope when Nathan was at work. It made sense, based on how Shelley was in her universe, that she was someone they would trust to watch their child.

“So, who is this?” Shelley asks.

“This is Parker Miller.” Nathan said.

Audrey realized that he’d never, actually, introduced her to Duke, especially when Duke gave Nathan a ‘really?’ look, aside from explaining that Audrey could touch him and was therefore ‘Chief’s woman’. Nathan’s further answer was to flip through the photo album. There was a shot he stopped on which was Chief and Lucy with Cole and Gwen Glendower. Lucy, of course, the spitting image of Audrey, but with dark hair.

“Is that your mother?” Shelley asked, “I mean—she almost looks like your clone, but…”

“It’s me.” Audrey says, “Or your version of me.”

Shelley just mouthed ‘what?’ confused.

“It’s a Trouble thing.” Nathan explained, “Miss Miller—”

“Please just call me Parker.” Audrey interjected.

“Okay, Parker was affected by a Trouble of some sort, so did you travel through time? Or was it from another reality?”

“I’m…it’s hard to explain. In my universe, or timeline or memories or whatever it is. I disappear and reappear every 27 years, apparently in yours I didn’t. I came back to mine right around the time that Jonas Lester died. I met you when my car went off the road. I met Duke when a lightning strike was nearby, and he dove off the Cape Rouge to rescue me from the water.”

Duke looked appalled, but she had a feeling it was to do with the mention of the Cape more than him rescuing her in an alternate reality. There had been talk of the magical mystery tour that Simon took him on when he was a teenager. That would have had to have been on the Cape, right? She could see him not having fond memories of the boat, given Simon wasn’t someone Duke had fond memories of in her timeline.

“There was an event a little while later with food being tainted at the Second Chance bistro, and Bill McShaw gave the building to Duke, well tricked him in to taking it, and he rebranded it to the Grey Gull.”

“Wow.” Shelley remarked.

Nathan and Duke were looking at each other.

“That’s similar.” Nathan admitted, “I met a woman on the road, the Agent Audrey Parker, I spoke to you about when you showed up at the PD. She left after the situation was resolved. We convinced her that something else happened.”

“Dave did, you mean?” Audrey asked, “I know about the Founding Families and their abilities.”

“The who?” Duke said.

“The Founding Families: Teagues, Wuornos, whatever Dave’s birth name was, and Carver. In my place, Julia Carver was raised by Eleanor Carr, but was actually the child of Carver and someone else. She grew up thinking she was a Carr for a long time.”

“You’re talking about Julia Carr?” Duke said, skeptically.

“Yes. She looks completely different to your Julia Carr though.” Now, Audrey triply wished she had her phone, but it had disappeared somewhere in an alternate universe, “There are other things I don’t know if I should say, considering.” She looked at Nathan silently wishing she could remind him about his reaction to her mentioning Duke being pregnant.

“Nate and I aren’t together?” Duke inquired.

Audrey shook her head, “You were in high school, but you fell out, and well, you’re with our version of Julia and Nathan—”

“He’s with you?” Duke continued.

Audrey nodded.

Duke nodded too. It was a resigned nod, “Well, different worlds. Looks like you two are doing well together.”

Audrey nodded, “But that’s our world. Not here.”

Duke looked at Nathan and then nodded, “You’re right. Best not to ask.”

“About what?”

“Childhood.” He said.

“Duke doesn’t talk about his much. He refers to his parents as ‘bio-donors’ not family.”

“Makes sense.” Nathan said, “We should get on though.”

Duke went back over to where Hope had been playing with her toys by the TV that was playing some sort of educational show, “Okay, bug a lug.” Duke said, sadly, “We’ve got to get moving. Be good for, Auntie Shelley.”

Shelley followed them out in the back yard calling to Hope that she should be good and watch TV for a moment, “You never risk this sort of shit.” Shelley accused, “What’s going on? Am I going to have to listen to cops explain to that poor girl her parents are dead?”

“We’re going after someone with a Trouble.” Duke explained, “Both of us do that all day every day, almost.”

“It’s just more complicated with Parker here. The things that—” Nathan lost his way to explain it, “When my father was still alive he told me to watch for the woman who looked like Lucy—to see if she ever came back. He wasn’t sure she would. He said she would have a different name and look slightly different, but she—Troubles don’t affect her. I can feel her touch. Things are different. We just don’t know how so we wanted to—”

Shelley hugged them both.

“Dad said Lucy was working out how to stop the Troubles. So, maybe Parker here can help with that.”

“I don’t know.” Audrey said, “We had a whole to do where I’m from about a method to end the Troubles. We can’t—it was to kill the person I loved, and that would destroy everything including my emotional stability; but Julia found out that if I actually did that it would send out a shockwave that would kill everyone with a Trouble even one that wasn’t active yet. So, that was a bit of misinformation spread by…we don’t even know who.”

“Great.” Duke said.

“They were working on a way to use the Crocker Trouble without having to kill people, given the Haskill Trouble works similarly…but there are… medical factors hindering the continued experimentation with that. At least for a couple more months.”

“Other me is pregnant?” Duke surmised.

Audrey pulled a guilty face.

“Not that it matters for over here.” Duke went on, “I can’t believe we’re even entertaining this. Maybe she just got spit out from wherever she’s supposed to come from, and just has some of the information that this Lucy chick has.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Let’s just find this Wish Trouble person.” Nathan suggested, “and then whatever happens we’re absolutely coming home to our daughter.”

Shelley gave all of them a hug, even Audrey. Though she left Audrey with a warning, “If either of them or neither of them doesn’t come home. I’m going to find you wherever you are and make you wish you were never spat out into this world, or whatever the hell happened.”

“Understood.” Audrey said.

Chapter Text

Nathan turned the car onto the road the Pearson house was on, and Audrey felt it again, that sinking, crawling feeling that slithered down her spine and into her guts.

“Problem?” Duke asked, clearly watching her reactions.

“William is around but I can’t see him.”

“Huh.” Was Duke’s reply, “You have creep spidey sense.”

“Something like that.” Audrey said.

Nathan pulled the vehicle to a stop across the street from the address and a few houses down. They could smell smoke, already, but there was nothing that was obviously on fire. Duke verified the house number, and the group walked that way. Duke was still wearing the ‘Jordan hoodie’ as it had become in Audrey’s mind. Hood up over his head and sinking inside it. Audrey noticed he still wasn't limping. Maybe he'd just readjusted his legs, or, she thought, slightly sickened, it was a way to throw off targets. Limping person appears to be much less of a threat. 

“Go ahead.” Nathan said to Audrey when they got to the house. Duke slipped behind them, so that he would be partly hidden between Nathan and Audrey and the way he was wearing the clothing. He glanced up and down the street, and Audrey turned from watching him and Nathan to the door, took a deep breath and knocked.

“I’ll get it!” She heard Cliff’s voice, and a woman’s voice yelling back at him, but not what she was saying.

Cliff opened the door, and she was shocked that he seemed almost relieved to see Audrey.

“What’s going on?” Audrey asked.

“Sshh.” Cliff said.

“Who is that?” the woman’s voice asked. Audrey recognized hints of Susie’s speech from the other universe, but this was embittered and angry, “If that’s one of your bitches. I will show them what happens if they have the gall to show up to my house.”

“It’s Haven PD, honey.” Cliff said, hesitantly.

Audrey realized his clothes were singed and he had shrunk into himself.

“I’m so glad to see you.” He said, looking more hesitantly at Duke, “Things have been absolutely insane.”

“Tell me about it.” Audrey said, then when Cliff said nothing, she said, “No. Seriously. Tell me about it.”

“I can’t.” Cliff said, pulling the door shut and standing between everyone, “If I talk too long, she’ll freak out and she can set things on fire!”

Audrey realized Duke had disappeared.

“Problems with the missus?” It was William’s voice.

Nathan spun around, drawing his weapon.

“Ah-ah-ahh!” William remarked, pulling a knife from somewhere, “You don’t want to do that.” And he stuck the knife in his thumb.

Audrey winced and grabbed her hand. She was bleeding from her thumb too.

“What hits me. Sticks to you.” To emphasize the point, he jabbed the knife into one of her other fingers, before putting it back up his sleeve, “Isn’t it brilliant? See how closely we’re connected.”

“Wonderful.” Audrey muttered, trying to find something on her to put on her hand, but she didn’t really have anything to do except pull her sleeve up over it.

Duke had reappeared at the corner of the building, leaning against the wall, watching. Nathan lowered his gun.

“Why are you even here?” Audrey demanded of William, “I thought you liked this place.”

“I want to make sure you don’t do something foolish.” He said.

Duke pulled away from the wall, suddenly, yanking Nathan away and yelling at everyone else to move. Audrey realized the air was getting hot. The door and windows blew out and Susan appeared in the empty doorway.

“Get away from my man, you bitch!”

“I’m not.” Audrey tried, picking herself up off the floor. She must be related to West of drive-in movie theater infamy. Audrey vaguely wondered what happened to West in this version of things, and Vanessa for that matter, but it wasn’t exactly important to ask, right now. Clearly Duke hadn’t been the one to end West unless some people’s powers were different and stop thinking about it. William had ducked behind the car in their driveway and was laughing to himself.

“And you—” Susan said to Cliff, “You keep making a mockery of our relationship. Flaunting your affairs in front of my face. She came to my house!”

Cliff was crouched and had his hands up, “None of that is happening.”

Gouts of flame boiled up around them. William, apparently remembering if Audrey burned to death, he would too dragged her behind the car with him.

“You like living like this?” Duke was talking to Cliff Audrey realized, “Is she reasonable? Is she safe?”

“I don’t—I don’t understand.” Cliff answered.

Duke appeared to just decide ‘fuck it’ yanked Susan from behind and slit her throat. His eyes went white, and he dropped Susan to the ground.

“Oooh!” William said to Audrey, “I didn’t realize there was a Crocker. Nice.”

“You—you killed her.” Clint leapt to his feet.

“The abusive, destructive temper tantrum throwing, burning buildings full of people when she didn’t get her way bitch? Was that how you wanted her back?”

Nathan had moved close to Duke perhaps waiting for the high from the absorption to wear off and catch him.

William perhaps seeing that Duke was advancing on Cliff now pulled out a gun of his own, “Leave him be.” He warned, pointing the gun at Duke.

Duke pulled Nathan’s gun, “Sorry, Parker.” He said and took a shot at the person who was closest and not half hidden behind a car. Audrey winced preemptively and more so when her leg gave out. William dropped his gun, clutching his own leg. Audrey muttered and curse at the searing pain, whipping off the sweatshirt to wrap around, leaving herself just in the chilly pajama top. Nathan grabbed William’s dropped gun, cursing Duke out slightly about the two of them, and Audrey pulled away.

“How did you do this?” Duke demanded of Cliff, “You got you people here—you can get yourselves back.”

“You killed her!” Cliff repeated, “She was all I had. That one.” He pointed to William, “killed all these people in the other universe because of me, but at least Susie was alive back there—and she was nice—and she was—fucking monkey’s paw.”

“Put it back then.” Duke said, gun pointed at Cliff.

“Send me with her.” Cliff was approaching frantic and inconsolable.

“It doesn’t have to be that way.” Audrey told him.

“Duke—” Nathan had a warning, slightly afraid tone and was reaching for William’s gun he had put in his holster.

“You told me that last time!” Cliff accused Audrey, “’Wish us back, wish her back, wish it to be the old universe.’ But it wasn’t. You see that too.”

“Then leave it.” William said, pulling himself to his feet, “This place is brilliant, and you can always find a new woman. There’s plenty of them around.”

Nathan got his gun from Duke and held it.

“I don’t want someone else.” Cliff muttered.

Duke appeared to ‘fuck it’ again, pulled his knife back out and stabbed Cliff in the chest. His eyes had returned to their normal color but went white again and he dropped to the ground. Nathan slipped down beside him and cradled the other man as Duke breathed heavily.

William was cussing a blue streak a mile wide, but decided limping off in the confusion was the way to go. The world flickered to one with a different vehicle and a home that was intact. Then it was back to the one where Nathan was checking Duke’s breathing, and then leaned back with palpable relief which told Audrey that he was. He’d absorbed three Troubles in one day. That had to be dangerous. No wonder Nathan had been so afraid.

Everything flickered again. Audrey attempted to pull herself up on the car.

“I have a plan.” She thought was what Duke said. It was hard to tell given his voice was so slurry.

“Don’t worry ab—” Nathan was saying when the street flickered one last time and Audrey was there leaning on the red SUV rather than the blue sedan in the suburbs of downtown, and the body of Cliff Pearson, and still without a phone, car keys, and having a hole in her leg and a bloody hand.

She limped towards the door of the house, wondering if someone other than the Pearsons lived here in this universe. She cop-knocked on the door, calling for help, fortunately someone answered, saw her, and the body and screamed.

“I’m Detective Audrey Parker.” Audrey explained, the name seemed to give some kind of recognition, “Please let me use your phone or can you call—” the woman shoved a phone into her hand, and Audrey held down the emergency button until she could get to the operator.

Laverne answered, “Audrey?” she said, “Oh, thank God, darling. Nathan was just about to put out an APB for you.”

“Where are you?” Nathan’s voice cut in.

Audrey explained where she was and what happened and that she needed an ambulance for herself and as she looked towards Cliff she could swear…no…did his hand move?

“I need all the crews.” She said, “I thought Duke had killed him, but he might not be dead.”

“What are you--?” Nathan asked.

“Let me get off emergency. I’ll explain at the hospital.”

Chapter Text

Audrey felt like she’d been explaining everything for hours, but maybe it was just closer to one. She hadn’t fully explained everything, but enough for there to be humor as well as clarity as to how Duke had come to stab someone and that she had been through two different universes in one day and wasn’t sure if she had just popped in to visit places the existed or if they had only been brought into existence and now didn’t. It was too much to try and process along with the William of it all.

In the meantime, while they were waiting to be able to see Audrey, Duke and Julia had gone to check on Audrey-2, and met her fiancé Brad, who was thanking them for making sure nothing untoward had happened to Audrey-2 when she’d had the embolism, which was what the doctors had decided explained everything.

Now, Duke was in the bathroom down the hall and Nathan had gone to the cafeteria for sustenance for everybody, and Julia was alone with Audrey.

“Triplets?” Julia asked.

“Yes. You were very round. Probably because you were as far along with them as Duke is with the one.”

“Must have been bedrest.” Julia looked at Audrey, “You seem pensive about something else.”

“Seeing Duke and Nathan together was more jarring than seeing him as Chief and Nathan as Dr. Hansen. I feel sort bad for that.”

“Do you think it was just jarring or there was some jealousy?”

“Both, maybe?”

“I mean, they had a child…she was maybe five?”

“Look at it this way.” Julia said, “You weren’t there for him, and whoever this Dr. Carr is clearly was not me and not there for Duke. They didn’t have us. They had each other, at least. It sounded like Duke was playing at being with Evi for under cover purposes.”

“He was still an Active Crocker going out and killing people. Didn’t seem entirely too messed about that part. But they were definitely still involved, and it was an awful place.”

“It doesn’t—” Julia started, “Well, I’m sure there’s things you haven’t said.”

Audrey nodded. She’d left out the potential drug use and that Duke had absorbed at least two, maybe three Troubles in one day, given she didn’t fully understand the implications, and didn’t want to scare them making suppositions of potential overdose on Troubles, plus Cliff was in surgery. He’d died twice from what Nathan had found out, but he was still in surgery.

“I mean.” She continued, “They definitely—but like I said, there was Hope. The child. They’d also apparently had a kid when Duke was fifteen, who Simon had taken away from Regina, and then took Regina wherever he took her.”

“Simon took her?” Julia asked.

Audrey was about to explain the ‘magical mystery tour’ Duke had hinted at, but then their Duke waddled back into the room and sat down, bracing the small of his back when he did, and making complaining noises. Audrey watched apprehensively. She remembered what she’d seen and felt of Sarah moving in the opposite direction. Duke already looked drained and tired from moving around, and he had at least four weeks to go. She had four or five more months.

“You know.” Duke said, shifting positions, “No more of any of us getting shot, especially us pregnant people.”

“Here. Here.” Nathan said coming through the door.

“Like I said.” Audrey explained, “William gets hurt, I get hurt. I get hurt he does.”  

“Good thing other me only went for the leg, then.” Duke said.

Nathan made a scoffing noise, “Oh, sure. That makes it okay.”

“It sounds like he was in danger of getting shot instead. Shooting someone else in the leg and avoiding death seems rather practical.” Duke pointed out.

“Anyway.” Audrey said, “William. William is the problem. He’s super excited about the Troubles. He loved being in the world where they were basically out of control. I’d been there as Lucy, apparently, but I guess I was killed then. They didn’t know about the Founding Families, maybe there weren’t any in that world. I don’t know, but he hated the world without Troubles. He says that he and I have a connection, aside from the damage mirroring thing, and is upset I don’t remember him, but I will, according to him, at least. He must be the ‘Him’ from The Barn.” She shook her head, “He said the last time I went through The Barn was the first time he’d felt anything from me in ages, and I do seem to be able to sense when he’s close.”

“So, he’s someone like you?” Nathan asked, “However you—like you’re not human?”

“He knows about different Troubles. He recognized that Duke as a Crocker and was all excited about that until he essentially got shot by him.” She sighed, “So, I’m not sure if he knows what Trouble a person has, but he can at least tell who is Troubled, and he knew what a Crocker was…but yet he killed his way through the non-Troubled world because he knew there was a Wish Trouble used but not who had it.”

“Julia-2 drew a picture of him?” Julia asked.

“Yes, but I don’t have it. Chief Duke sent it to the rest of the PD for an APB and I didn’t think, at the time, to get it back from him because there was a lot going on. I can sit down with a sketch artist at the PD. Plus, right now he’ll be limping too.”

“He’s got to have a base of operations.” Duke said, “Any indications?”

“He had enough time—or came out of The Barn in a suit.” Audrey shook her head, “Other than his cocky shi—cr—no, shit eating attitude I don’t know much.”

“So, he could be related to you.” Nathan said, giving Duke the eye.

Duke rolled his eyes, “I’m not immune to Troubles. He was trapped in The Barn, right? Based on what Julia’s seen and what Howard said, and Audrey experienced, he’s probably immune like Audrey is. That makes things tricky, right? Especially given anything that hurts him hurts Audrey and puts your baby at risk too.”

Audrey put her hand on her stomach, thinking about what might have happened if William had been punched in the stomach. At least Duke had realized she was pregnant which is what stopped his attack early on.

“I just want to work out what he wants and why. Me and my memory doesn’t tell me anything. At first, I thought maybe he had flopped out of one of the different eras and was someone that Audrey version 20 had been with until I realized that, duh, he wasn’t affected by the Troubles.” She sighed, “I don’t know. It’s just terrifying that he seems to know so much. We got The Barn to go away and stopped the meteors, but it was at a huge sacrifice, and now he’s here, apparently excited about any time there’s mayhem.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Nathan reminded her moving to take her hand and squeeze it. She found herself wandering about Nathan and Duke in the other universe and how they were able to find solace, even though Nathan couldn’t feel him; but then Nathan had had that relationship with Jess despite not being able to feel. So, things could be stimulated even without that…unless he was celibate like a monk, and stop thinking about it, “You alright?” he asked.

“Yes.” She nodded, “I know we will; but it’s scary.”

That got Nathan to kiss her on the forehead and he rested one hand on her middle, “There’s lots of scary things right now, but we’ll get it through it together.” Then he gave a slight smirk, “Even with the peanut gallery.”

“Hey.” Duke countered, “The peanut gallery moves really slow right now. You think we aren’t trying to give you some privacy.”

Julia finished helping Duke up from the chair and they headed out of the door, which Nathan shut behind them before coming over to kiss Audrey more deeply, which she wasn’t upset about at all.