seaoftroubles | Season four preplay: Lay Me Down

Season four preplay: Lay Me Down

1. Duke gets a call from Nathan to say "Duke get your ass back here Wade's activated." -- Also feat. Lucifer and Octavia

2. Duke, Octavia, and Lucifer arrive in Haven, find out only [wild handwaving because Haven is terrible at timelines] number of days has passed even though it's been months for them. Jennifer says she's settling in okay on the Sanguine Moon and is applying for a job at the Haven Herald. Duke is all "uhhhhh. . . . 'kay, that's a choice that I support I guess". Jennifer is adorkably awkward about being nervous for the interview. Wade arrives at the Gull to grab cleaning products and is cagey about the reasons. "Soda spilled in my car." He claims that he understand the trouble is terrible and isn't going to let it take over. Duke tries to talk him through it, but Wade just shoves him off and promises to head out of town. Duke tries to pretend he believes that this trip might be an easy one. Also there is a day-time drunk sleeping on the bench outside the Gull. FOR PLOT REASONS.

3. Later that day, Dwight comes by the marina to tell Duke that the drunk died mysteriously at the police station. Duke remembers Freddie, the drunk, was into watching bear documentaries at the Gull. Dwight asks about Jordan, wonders aloud if Wade's involved. Duke says no way. -- Lucifer and Octavia are welcome to join in or not

4. Duke dreams about trying to talk to Wade about their trouble and getting attacked when he gets a papercut. Wakes up when dream!Wade slashes him with a knife to discover GIANT KNIFE WOUND ON HIS ARM! Octavia has her own injurious dream. Lucifer freaks out/fusses over them.

5. Lucifer tries to insure Duke and Octavia stay awake. Audrey decides to compare Nathan and Duke's activities the day before since they both got hit by the trouble and survived. They make the connection to the Herald and call Dwight -- too late, he gets shot in a dream. We can also have Nathan fill the OT3 in on the non-dream murders at the same time.

6. Duke takes advantage of Dwight being sedated in the hospital to check what he's looking into, finds info on the murder with the broken knife. Puts two and two together and figures out it's Wade. This can happen off screen. He and Lucifer (and maybe Octavia?) head to the local boat rental he knows Wade used and gets access to the boat he used. He follows the GPS along the coast and finds Wade's dumping grounds, including Jordan's remains.

7. While Audrey and Nathan defuse the trouble, Duke, Lucifer, and Octavia go after Wade, stop him from offing a guy at a local bar. Wade goes all high and mighty, Duke yells at him. Wade tries to pull the "brothers" card to keep from being turned in. "You killed all those people, Wade. That's on me now, too." Wade threatens to expose Lexie's secret so the Guard tries to make Audrey kill Nathan. Lucifer knocks Wade out so they can lock him up on the Sanguine Moon.

8. Octavia guards Wade on the Moon while Lucifer and Duke try to figure out where to stick him and arrange their travel back to Fandom. Wade escapes and he and Octavia fight. Octavia is winning until Wade manages to draw blood and gets the upper hand. Enter Duke and Lucifer. Lucifer goes to Octavia to try to staunch her bleeding while Duke takes on Wade? (Since Duke can't interact with Octavia's blood and all. Maybe Wade managed to open her dream wound and it's worse than just a little cut.) Wade throws himself on Duke's knife and dies. The Crocker trouble dies too.

9. Duke wraps Wade's body in a tarp. When Duke reaches for Octavia's wound, she flinches back. Duke internalizes the SHIT out of that even though it's a natural move if they've been used to trying to keep their blood off him. Lucifer suggests they clear out, Duke agrees, so long as he can bury Wade first. He asks them not to tell anyone about the murder. Luce and Tavi are probably like "whatever, we don't want to talk to any of these people anyway."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Shit--

"No," Lucifer roared, twisting away from Octavia. He was ready to go, ready to move, lurching forward to try and knock Wade out again.

No need. Wade jerked to a stop as the knife slid between his ribs. Duke let the knife go, too late to do more than grab his brother and keep him from just crumpling to the floor. He set him down carefully instead, dropping to his knees as he went.

He barely noticed the rush as his trouble absorbed Wade’s blood.

Until, abruptly, it stopped.

Too fast.

Everything just -- too fast.

Octavia had jerked forward right along with Lucifer, and then frozen in place because she was bleeding and needed to keep a distance, and now, well.

Now, staring down at Wade and Duke, all she could think was I should've done it when I had the chance.

No. No no no no no. Not again. Not to Duke. No.

"Duke!" Lucifer yelled, grabbing hold of the man, dropping down to his knees. "Duke--"

Duke swayed with that grab, but didn't otherwise react. He was busy staring down at his brother.

He reached out, hand shaking, and pressed his finger into the blood on Wade's chest. Stared at it sitting on his fingertip, glistening wet and red.

Not absorbing. Not disappearing.

Of course. The only thing that could kill the Crocker curse was the Crocker curse.

Octavia watched his hand, but only saw the way it shook, nothing else registered.

"Duke?"

"Duke," Lucifer whispered. His voice was much softer this time.

His arms slid around Duke's chest. Pulling him back. "Duke."

Eventually, someone would remember to say anything esle.

Duke let himself be maneuvered without saying anything. His whole body was tense, his hand still shaking. He closed it into a fist, tucking the bloody tip of his finger away.

"He's dead," he said. Blankly.

Pointlessly.

"Yeah," Octavia breathed.

Also pointlessly.

She was still frozen in place.

"I didn't want this," Lucifer said helplessly.

Like it had somehow been up to him at any point.

He didn't loosen his grip on Duke.

He did, Duke thought, staring down at his brother's face. He opened his hand again.

The blood was still there. Smeared a bit. Drying.

It was over.

Octavia felt like she was seeing it for the first time.

She blinked. "Is that --" It was. "Oh."

"Oh?" Lucifer said, sounding a little panicked.

Why were they oh-ing? Why was Duke staring at his hand like that? Had he gotten cut or was that--

"Oh."

Duke expected a laugh. That was what he did, after all, smiled and laughed even when things were bad. It should have been bubbling up in his throat.

His throat was empty though. He was empty.

“It’s over,” he said. Voice empty too. “It’s all over.”

"Your trouble's gone," Octavia muttered, at a loss for anything she really, truly wanted to say.

Duke's trouble was gone. And yet. The circumstances.

"Your brother..." Lucifer whispered, as if his heart had broken a little bit.

Duke looked at Wade’s impossibly still face again.

“We should cover him. Bury him. Then — I guess we go home.”

He was done. Haven had no more use for him.

"If that's what you want," Octavia said, but it was hardly louder than a whisper.

She would be furious with Haven again, later. Right now, she was... a little numb.

"Of course," Lucifer said, with a small nod. "I-- of course."

Duke slowly pulled away from Lucifer so he could get a tarp. He stopped when he saw Octavia.

“Your arm.”

He reached for her, wanting to check her wound. (He never should have left her alone with Wade. Then she wouldn’t be hurt and Wade wouldn’t be —)

Octavia flinched away from his reaching hand.

Pure reflex.

Lucifer rose to his feet just in time to watch that exchange.

He had no idea what to do with it.

Duke’s hand froze in the air, then he slowly pulled it back.

Well. At least he didn’t feel empty anymore.

He moved carefully around her instead to get the tarp.

Octavia didn't even manage to put two and two together, there, at least not just yet. Her attention was pulled back down to her arm, blood still slowly seeping from the wound.

"I -- I need to bandage this up."

Lucifer's eyes flicked from one to the other and back again. "I'll... get the bandages," he said.

But as he moved, he took a deliberate moment to reach out for Duke's shoulder as he tried to pass by.

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!

Re: 8. Showdown!