Disclaimer:Monk is not mine; this story is mere fantasy.

Starting Over

Chapter 1 Day One

He was amazed that he woke up feeling so invigorated. Adrian stared at the ceiling replaying every word said yesterday in Leland's office, a smile on his lips. 'I'm not the man I use to be…' He had voluntarily returned his badge and was overjoyed because of it! Proud of himself and his courage to accept change. Today he was more than happy; he felt downright giddy. Monk looked up at the ceiling and burrowed back under his blankets with elation.

'It's been such a long time since I looked forward to a new day. I have a new attitude.' As he noticed a small crack in the ceiling, Monk momentarily frowned in puzzlement, 'that wasn't there last night…I need to get that fixed…wait, I'm in the middle of the bed!' He rose on his elbows to survey his bedroom and appreciated this new view. The smile returned to his lips as he lay back down, pondering how to celebrate. Here was yet another milestone in his journey forward and he wanted to commemorate it in an extra special way. 'I'm not going to dust this morning!' he resolved, delighted in the 'new dawn' of Adrian Monk.

Monk expectantly paced his apartment and could barely wait until 8am. After several weeks apart, Natalie was coming back as his assistant but, more importantly, was coming back 'to him'. He had spoken to her several times during their 'separation' and he had to make a confession. He had not missed her solely as an assistant; he had missed her, Natalie .He couldn't explain why, but it just felt wrong not having her around.

Now 7:45, Adrian began to feel nervous and lightheaded and wondered aloud "What's wrong with me, it's only Natalie…Why can't she be a little early today? Just because she knows I like her to arrive exactly at 8am doesn't mean she can't come early or late...Oh, I hope she's not late, maybe I should call her…" He started to reach for the phone but was startled when it started to ring. Checking the caller id, he relaxed when he saw it was Natalie. He answered the phone with a cheerful "Good morning!"

"Hey boss! I'm almost to your house and was wondering if I needed to stop and pick anything up?" Natalie was bubbly this morning. She was so relieved to be back with Mr. Monk and away from that arrogant concert promoter. Natalie's friends thought she was crazy to quit a job that had so many glamorous perks, but she hadn't been happy. Bored with making dinner reservations for spoiled musicians, she felt overjoyed that Mr. Monk had resigned and returned his badge. Natalie was thrilled he was content to remain a private consultant because she finally knew her calling in life; she was destined to be his assistant.

"Natalie! You don't need to stop anywhere…Just get yourself over here, we…" Adrian's mind drew a blank, as their daily routine suddenly seemed alien. There really was no reason for her to hurry over; they didn't have a case to work on or any errands to run or even chores around his apartment. Anxiety stirred in his gut as he began to fret over what they should do when she finally arrived...

"Hello? Are you still there, boss? Natalie noticed his distraction and became concerned.

"Yes, sorry….I just, hmm, saw some dust on the mantel…" Adrian stood at his window and looked up the street for her car."I'll see you soon."

"Okay, see you in a jiff."Natalie closed her phone and felt a twinge of worry. It was never a good thing when he sounded so distracted. Maybe he really was disappointed in not keeping his badge? They had talked about his 'changing' and how it was a major turning point, but she knew he was often plagued by self-doubt. Determined to be extra reassuring today, Natalie parked in front of his building and hurriedly rushed upstairs.

Natalie's concern grew as she arrived at his door and found it wide open. Pausing in the doorway, she heard a noise in the living room and quickly walked down the hallway. "Mr. Monk, I'm here! Why did you leave the door open? I still have my key …" Surprised by what she saw, she stopped talking. Natalie found Mr. Monk rearranging his bookcase, which was normal, but the top button of his shirt was undone! Her hand touching her own collar, she immediately approached him with a look of amusement on her face.

"Hey, what's going on? Is that on purpose?" Natalie released her own collar and playfully tugged at his.

Adrian swatted Natalie's hand away. "Can't a person try something new? I swear, Natalie, you need to loosen up." He straightened his collar but left the top button undone.

"Loosen up?" Natalie sputtered in disbelief, amazed at his audacity."You're the …" She was stunned into silence when she noticed a small sly grin creeping across his face. Natalie joined him in a smile "What I meant to say was... I like it very much…You look very GQ."

"GQ? …I have no idea what you're saying…Is that some sort of slang?" Adrian was genuinely puzzled. "No, forget I asked, don't tell me. I think I'm too old to learn another language."

Natalie was taken aback by the changes in her boss. He was dressing more casually, but, more importantly, he was very upbeat and jovial. "Mr. Monk! You are too funny…too old to learn, indeed! I am amazed at how happy you are today. You really are glad you resigned, aren't you?"

"Best thing I ever did…" Hearing Natalie cough, he continued,"…Except for my hiring you, of course! But I guess everything in life changes and, even though we don't notice it, we change as well." Adrian hesitated before continuing. "Natalie, I've been thinking, you know, about things have changed …between us, I mean. We are partners, after all, so I thought maybe you could call me by my first name?"

"Thank you…Adrian…partner. It's going to take a little getting used to, Adrian, but I like it." Natalie put her hand out to Monk, "Can we shake on it?" She knew she was really pushing her luck but was curious as to how much he had changed."I have a wipe in my bag if you need one, partner."

With only a second of hesitation, Adrian took Natalie's hand."Thanks but I don't need a wipe. I think I've built up a tolerance to your germs….Partner." He was not prepared, however, for what she did next. Natalie mischievously put her other hand on top of his, making it a three- handed handshake! Determined not to be unnerved by her shenanigans, he put his free hand on top of her hand and snickered."It'll take more than this to freak me out, Teeger!"

Natalie laughed in delight. "Good to know! I guess I'll have to refer to your phobia list…Maybe something to do with Milk?"

Adrian made a gagging sound and stepped back, releasing her hands. "There's no reason to be so evil, Natalie!"

"I'm sorry, Adrian, that wasn't very nice of me." She advanced towards Adrian, capturing his hand once again."I swear I won't mention the 'M' word unless absolutely necessary…" Natalie stopped in mid-sentence and let go of Monk's hand, sensing another presence in the room. Turning towards the living room entrance way, Natalie saw a shapely, curvy woman standing in the doorway. Hand raised to knock on the door jam, the stranger lowered her arm and strode across the room directly toward Monk, her eyes full of tears.

"I desperately need your help, Adrian!" She wrapped her arms around him and started to cry. Natalie was dumbfounded when Adrian put his arms around this sexy woman and stroked her back to comfort her. Natalie realized was also a little jealous.