A/N I do not own these Characters. I have enough stress in my life so I don't want them. Don't sue me for using them as I am not getting any monetary profit for writing better stories then the writers on OLTL.

This is a sequel to Birthday Wishes. It takes place about 10 months after both Natalie & John and Rex & Willow got married. It will be as much Willow/Rex as John/Natalie.

Chapter 1

Willow was deep into a file when John stomped into the room and slammed the door behind him. Willow jerked her head up in surprise. Looking at him Willow noticed the vein in his neck was sticking out indicating that he was furious.

"What the hell were you thinking, Willow!" John shouted at Willow. Stomping over to her desk he stood in front of it just glaring at her.

"Excuse me? What did I do?" Willow asked puzzled. Wondering why John was so angry she thought back to the past week and tried to think of what she could have done to set him off this time.

"You know what I'm talking about. Why the hell did you take Todd Manning's case. He is a baby killer!" John raged at her. He had a soft spot for children so this was a little personal to him. It was also a bit perturbing to have his little sister on the opposite side as him. He knew it would come but he hadn't expected it to be over Todd Manning!

"Because I believe he is innocent! I don't believe he killed Margaret or her unborn child. I just don't think he has it in him." Willow explained calmly though she was just as angry at him as John was at her. This was her business and she would take any case she wanted.

"Ok, I get that you think he is innocent but why did YOU have to take the case. Why not Rex?" John asked, more angry that Willow herself had taken the case than the fact that her company had.

"Because Jessica is going through a rough break up with Antonio and Rex is working on another case. Everyone else was busy so I took it. Besides I don't have to explain my self to you John. This is my business and I will take any case I choose!" Willow flung at him. "I don't interfere with your work do I?"

"No you don't, but I believe Manning is guilty. He tried to strangle Margaret in the hallway of a motel for godsake Will. You don't think he could have done it again? What's the matter with you?" John asked frustrated. Running his hand through his hair in a agitated manner he blew out a breath and sighed. "Would you drop this case if I asked you to?"

It was Willow's turn to sigh, "John don't make me do this. You know I won't. I believe Todd and I am going to help him prove his innocence."

Both were so deep in conversation that they didn't hear Rex come in. "What's with all the yelling?" He demanded. Seeing the way they were glaring at each other Rex came into the middle of the room and said, "this is about the Manning case isn't it?"

"Yes!" Both said.

Rex looked at John and said, "John I know you believe Todd did this but Willow and I don't agree. When Willow took the case we knew you wouldn't like it but she decided that she would take the case anyway. If it were you and you believed someone was innocent wouldn't you fight for them?"

John sighed, Rex had a point. That didn't mean he had to like it though. "Ok I get it. But I still think your wasting your time. He killed that woman." John said then turned around and stalked out of the room.

Rex and Willow looked at each other then burst out laughing. They had known that when John found out about Willow taking the case it wouldn't be pretty. He was convinced that Todd killed Margaret. So it was relieved laughter, relief that they had gotten the confrontation over with.

"So, Mrs. Balsom, How does it feel at to be on the opposite side as your brother?" Rex asked grinning. He loved when Willow got her hackles up. She was so beautiful when she was angry.

Willow slammed a file down on her desk, "He just makes me so mad sometimes! He always thinks he's right!"

Meanwhile at the LVPD John had arrived back at his office and was slamming papers around his desk. Much like his sister was doing. Fuming at Willow's inability to see things his way he didn't notice Bo standing at his doorway looking at him in amusement.

Bo knew that it was either Natalie or Willow that John was irritated with. No one else could make him that mad. "So which is it?" Bo asked, "Natalie or Willow?"

John looked up from the stapler he was manhandling, "What?" he asked not hearing what Bo had asked him.

"Just wondering which woman you were pretending that stapler was." Bo said trying to hide his grin.

"How did you know it was a woman?" John asked.

"Because only Natalie or Willow could make you this crazy." Bo said laughing openly now.

"Well it wasn't me." Natalie said coming into the room. Giving John a kiss and Bo a hug she said, "Man am I glad to be back!" She had been away for a week to help an old friend in A.C. She had been having a problem with their landlord and Natalie had helped her out. Since Natalie was studying to be a lawyer it had been good practice.

"Welcome back! It's been nuts here with out you." Bo said giving her an extra tight squeeze. He was so glad that Natalie was going back to college but he (and the entire department) would miss her once she got her degree.

John pulled her to him, so that she was leaning back against him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I missed you" He said into her hair.

Bo smiled then deciding that John and Natalie needed some privacy he left the room. Once Bo left John turned Natalie around and kissed her deeply. "I missed you." he said again, bringing his hands to her butt and pulling her to his rigid erection. Clapping from outside John's office made them look up from their kiss. Natalie blushed when they realized that the blinds were open and the entire department had witnessed their kiss.

Not that them kissing was unusual. After almost a year of marriage they still wanted each other passionately. They didn't however want to put on a show for the entire department. Giving their audience a wave John closed the blinds and kissed Natalie again.

Natalie pulled away from him smiling. "Not that I'm not enjoying my self I really think we should save this for home" Natalie said. "So why were you so angry when I got here?" she asked.

John sighed, pulling her over to the couch against the wall, "Willow took the Manning case. She is trying to get him off," he said frustrated. "As good as she is she can probably find something to give him reasonable doubt!"

Natalie nodded in understanding. As much as she liked and trusted Willow she was with John on this one. Natalie knew what Todd was capable of. After all he had tried to cut out her heart. Natalie didn't know whether he had killed Margaret or not but she certainly thought he had it in him to do it. But if Willow found proof that he didn't do it then that was fine with her too. She didn't care either way. She just wanted the guilty one to pay.

"Come on John. You know as well as I do that its a slam dunk case. There is no way that Willow is gonna get him off. And if by some miracle she does find evidence that Todd is innocent isn't that a good thing? I mean if she finds proof that Todd is innocent that means that somewhere out there is a murderer running around thinking he committed the perfect crime." Natalie reasoned.

"I know, honey." John sighed. He hated feeling this way. Doubting whether they had the right guy. He had been wrong before, he had been very wrong on Caitlyn's murder. What if Willow was right and there was a killer out there thinking he had committed the perfect murder?