"Dwight will be there."

"I should still come in." Nathan protested, sipping his coffee from the table.

"No way," she argued from the kitchen. "This is your Saturday off. Besides, I'm only scheduled for half a day and I'm even leaving early from that for physical therapy."

Nathan sighed and stared at the mug in his hands. It was hard to think of her being on the job without him there to protect her. She'd only returned to active duty a few weeks ago. He knew that his fears were foolish. Audrey was the most capable person he'd ever worked with. If she knew how many of his thoughts tended towards how to keep her safe, she'd be angry. Independence should have been her middle name. Hence her moving back into her apartment once his "I'm the only one with two working arms" reasoning had been resolved. Having her own space grounded her. While it wasn't how he'd prefer to set up their living arrangements, he understood.

At least it didn't prevent them from spending every night together.

She sensed his unease as she came over to the table with their breakfast. Cupping his chin gently, she drew his eyes to meet hers. Beautiful grey-blue eyes lit up at the contact, making her smile. Audrey was certain she'd never get tired of his reaction to her. It was one of the many things about Nathan that made her fall in love with him, all over again, every day.

"I'll be fine." She told him, moving her hand to stroke his face.

"I know." Nathan agreed, nuzzling into her hand.

"Then relax already!" She ordered, tapping his cheek playfully.

"Why don't you help me with that?" He teased with a smirk. Before she could respond, arms snaked around her waist. A very un-Audrey like squeak came from her as he pulled her into his lap. Any further protest was silenced by a deep kiss.

"Better?" Audrey giggled when they finally broke away for air.

"Much." He replied, kissing her again. A knock on the door made him groan. "Of all the times for Dwight to be early!"

Audrey smiled as she wriggled out of his grasp to answer the door. While he knew he was grinning like an idiot, he didn't care. The look on her face as she got away promised that they would pick things up in the same spot later that afternoon. Unfortunately, the grin dropped from his face in a snap at the sound of the voice in the doorway.

"Okay, Audrey, where is this leak you ...oh." Duke's question froze mid sentence when he saw that Audrey wasn't alone. "Sorry, I can come back later."

"No, you're staying." Audrey responded firmly, taking him by the elbow and guiding him to the table. "Sit down."

"Aud-"

"Did it sound like a suggestion?" She asked in a tone that left no space for an argument. Duke glared but took the chair across from Nathan without further protest.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Nathan growled. Before he could get up, Audrey gave him a look that froze him in place.

"Now that I have your attention," she began, "I think it's time that you two worked a few things out."

"There's nothing to-" Duke started to protest before she turned her glare back to him. His mouth shut with a snap.

"Now, as I was saying, I'm sick and tired of you two circling each other like two cats down at the wharf. Whatever happened that night-which you still won't tell me about-isn't going to be resolved with glares, snarls, and silence."

"Why do we need to resolve it?" Asked Nathan in a hard tone. He was surprised to see Duke's shoulders slump just a bit as if the question had hurt him. It was even more surprising to feel the same pain inside. Audrey noted the reactions and took it as a hopeful sign.

"Because I need you, both of you, if we are ever going to fix things around here." She explained as calmly as possible. "I can't even think of solving the Troubles if my two go-to guys can't even be in the same room together. Like it or not, we need to work together if we're going to survive."

Her phone buzzed signaling a text. A quick look told her that Dwight was downstairs waiting for her. She walked over to Nathan's side of the table and cupped his face again. The love he saw in her eyes, and the sheer perfection of her touch, softened his angry frown.

"You can be as angry with me as you want later." She promised, kissing him softly on the lips. As she passed by Duke on the way to the door, Audrey paused long enough to kiss him on the cheek. "That goes for you as well."

"Dwight and I are going to see if he can "fix" the damage from the homecoming float incident. Work it out, or, I'm sending him to "fix" you two next." She called as she stepped out. As the door closed, Duke shook his head feeling a mixture of exasperation, and, if he was totally honest with himself, pride.

"Well, this is…awkward." He ventured, breaking the silence first.

"You're telling me?" Nathan grumbled, adding a few pancakes to his plate.

After a brief silent conversation was exchanged across the table. Deep down, both men knew the other one loved Audrey: One like a cherished sister and the other like she was the sun, moon, and stars combined. Both also knew that they'd do anything for her; even if it meant swallowing a huge chunk of pride. Finally, Nathan passed the pancakes over to Duke with a resigned sigh. Duke took it as the olive branch it was and added some of the stack to the plate in front of him.

"Do you think she meant it about having Dwight fix us?" He asked, passing over the syrup.

"I think it's probably better that we never find out."

Right." Duke agreed with a nod. "You know, the funny thing is, I'm not even mad at her. You?"

"Nope."

"Just how long has she had us wrapped around her fingers?" Duke mused scratching at his chin. Nathan considered the question a moment. Another silent understanding was exchanged between the two. They smiled in agreement and continued the meal in comfortable silence. The answer had come to both of them at the same time.

Since day one.