Chapter One

Balloons floated towards the ceiling, an arrangement of reds, blues, greens and a pink just to add a bit of flare. Music played loudly in the background as she scurried about, moving last minute items and checking to make sure everything was perfect, it had to be, this was his day, their day, it was going to be perfect.

Everything finally in its place, cold beer in the fridge, a long sub piled high with all the extras, and a smile on her lips as she looked at her creations. She was damn proud of herself and what she had accomplished in no little more than five hours, Natalie Buchanan, party planner extraordinaire, she laughed to herself as she got caught up in the moment.

The sound of the door bell ringing snapped her quickly from her thoughts as a small yelp left her lips and she sprung to the door..

"Wow this is beautiful" Marty gleamed as she stepped inside, bags in hand. " You really outdone yourself this time girl" she beamed as she looked around. Marty was Natalie's best friend, like a sister, only better cause she wasn't family, needless to say the Buchanan's were far from normal., but they worked closely together at work, Natalie a Forensic Tech, Marty a therapist, and boy did she know how to psycho-analyze everyone, including Natalie..

"Why thank you, I think it's pretty darn good" Natalie smiled big and bowed dramatically..

"Any day now girls, I would love to get inside, …heavy, bags" a male voice grunted from the hallway..

"geez John, you big baby" Marty laughed as John made his way inside.."he complained the whole time, you would think I was murdering him"

"what may kill me are all these balloons" John put the bags down and looked around perplexed…"this is a super bowl party right, not some night at the Roxbury?"

"Don't be rude" Marty jabbed him in the side and he shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed a beer and swiftly moved to the couch and flopped on it..

"Don't mind him, its perfect Nat, Cris is going to love it" Marty reassured her as she shot John a disapproving look and he pretended not to see..

John and Cris were best friends, partners as well at the LPD for almost a year now, little get togethers like this was a ritual to them all..

"We do have enough alcohol, right?" John flicked a pink balloon away from his head as he drank his beer and Marty rolled her eyes at him.."What?"

"Any who Nat, the place looks great, I love the new couches" Marty took a seat as she rubbed her hand on it..

"well thanks, Cris and I picked it out together" Natalie began as John snorted some and mumbled under his breath and now Natalie rolled her eyes at him…"I wonder where he is, Cris should have been here by now"

"Maybe he is still looking for his balls" John laughed as the game started..

"cute John, very cute" Natalie shook her head, John definitely had the personality that you either loved or hated, lucky for him , he had grew on her.."Let me go give him a call and see what's taking so long" she finished as she headed to her bedroom where it was much quieter..

Just as she picked up her phone it began to ring and she smiled as she read the caller ID, Cristian Vega…"babe I was just going to call you" she sat down on the bed..

"I'm sorry I'm late, it's all this damn traffic, I had to head up to Lantano lake" Cris began, frustration in his voice, she knew he never liked to miss a game, definitely not the super bowl..

"That's alright, it just started, the gangs here" she began as he sighed deeply

"You tell John not to drink up all my beer" Cris laughed some..

"Of course, have some waiting on ice for you" she twirled her long red locks in her fingers…

"Alright well let me go, some idiot is beeping his horn" Cris grunted as a loud beeping could be heard..

"Ok babe" she barely got out before he hung up and she sighed deep..

Cris and Natalie had been officially dating now for almost two years, it was actually two years ago this very day that she had met him, at a party a few of her friends had invited her to.

Loud music emanated through the house as Natalie shuffled around, beer in hand, trying not to lose her balance as she weaved through people, people she didn't even know, she shouldn't be there, she really had studying to do, her forensic test was only in a few short days..

Making her way through the house she saw an escape, a door and she practically ran to it, only to sigh when she realized it was a balcony, no way out but the view was beautiful, overlooking Lantano Lake..

"Great view" a male voice said behind her and she jumped as she spun around, spilling her beer onto her jeans, new jeans for that matter.."oh crap"

"Damn it" she rubbed the liquid against her leg in frustration..

"I'm sorry" the voice said again, handing her a napkin as she looked up, ready to yell , only to smile some as she looked into soft brown eyes..

He was cute, not that she was looking cause she definitely wasn't, she had her fair share of dates and encounters, all turning out the same, now it was time to focus on school and her soon to be new job, but he was really cute, tall, short cropped brown hair, light brown eyes, definitely someone who worked out..

"Cris, Cristian Vega" he held his hand out and she sucked in a deep breath as she listened to his name, Cristian Vega?, the Cristian Vega who just moved to Lanview, Rookie cop who already made a name for himself by finding five years old Katie Jones who had been missing for 3 days, he was like a local celebrity, it made her nervous..

"Nat-talie" she stuttered abit then got composure as she shook his hand..

"Oh I know" he grinned some…"I know your uncle, I'm really sorry about your jeans"

"Oh please its fine" she tried to shake it off and she turned a bit red, was she flirting with him?

"let me at least get you another drink" he waited for her answer and even though everything was telling her to get back home and study, she just nodded her head and smiled, one beer won't hurt..

Natalie smiled at the memories, things turned out good for her and Cris, really good actually, he had made detective, she passed her forensics, they moved in together after 6 months and life was good, really good..

"Nat, you're missing the game" Marty called from the living room as Natalie shook the thoughts from her mind and headed out with her friends..

Almost 30 minutes later, Nat sat on the couch, engulfed in the game with her friends as John cell went off, making them all jump at the unexpected noise..

"Great" John sighed as he glanced at his phone and quickly answered it.."McBain, yep….on my way" he finished as he stood and Marty sighed loud..

"Were at a party" she grumbled in disapproval..

"and work never sleeps" John grabbed his keys…"I shouldn't be too long"

"Try not to" Marty sighed..

"Is it bad, do you think Cris is there?" Natalie began, it would make sense as to why he still wasn't home, she was use to this, she had to be, it wasn't easy dating a cop..

"Probably, I'll bring him back with me" John took another look at the TV and with a frustrated sigh he left as the girls sat there..

"Figures" Natalie huffed as she looked around..

"It ain't a total bust, we still have all this alcohol" Marty smiled as Natalie shrugged her shoulders, nothing ever went her way..

It seemed like hours had passed as the girls drank and talked, the game was eventually turned off as music played in the background..The sound of voices, male voices were heard from the hallway as both girls darted their eyes that way..

"It's about damn time" Marty began as Natalie got up and opened the door…

"We never thought you two were going to come back" she stopped in her tracks as she looked at her uncle Bo, standing there, a few police officers behind him.."Bo?"

"Natalie" Bo began as Marty came and joined her at the door, both girls feeling their hearts sank, Bo at the door, police officers with them, Natalie could barely speak as she looked on..

"Nat, sweetie, I need you to sit down" Bo placed a hand on her shoulder and fear filled her body..

"Bo, what's going on, where's Cris" Natalie's voice shook..

"Where's John" Marty interjected

"sweetie please" Bo said with a look in his eye that made a knot immediately form in Natalie's gut, her legs got weak, the room began to spin.."There was an accident" was all she heard as her vision got blurry, her knees buckled from under her and everything went black..

The days turned into nights, and the nights became endless, the darkness was overwhelming, in one short moment her life had been ripped out from underneath her, her happiness gone, her future gone, Cristian Vega was gone..

The next few days felt like eternity, it felt like a dream, no, a nightmare, one from which Natalie could not wake up from. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, she could barely function, and she had cried so much she was sure she may just die of a broken heart..

She stared blankly now at the hole in the ground, bag pipes playing in the background, she could barely hear the voices around her, the touch of her mother's hand on hers gave her little comfort and the sound of John's voice made her eyes close..

"He wasn't just an outstanding officer of the law, he was my friend, my best friend" his voice cracked some but he sucked it up.."today the world lost a great man, a man who I would be proud to call brother" his face remained that of stone as he spoke, his fists clenched by his sides, Natalie looked to the ground…

The beeping of the car that Natalie had heard on that last phone conversation with Cris was that of 55 yr Brian Lane having a seizure as they waited in traffic, Cris must have noticed cause what happened next could only be considered a horrific nightmare..In another vehicle drove 40 yr old Burt Jones, a truck driver, half asleep behind the wheel of a semi, not noticing that traffic was piling up, not seeing Cris as he plowed through the vehicles, ensuing a massive explosion..

Natalie squeezed her eyes tight as she replayed that last conversation in her head, she looked at the ring on her finger, the one found inside Cris's burnt SUV, the only thing remaining from that unimaginable night, he was going to propose, she would of said yes, they would have been married, but that was gone now and all she had left was the ring, that was all she had left of her beloved Cris.

"Sweetie,….sweetie it's time to go" her mother spoke softly as Natalie finally opened her eyes, not even realizing how long they had been closed, nearly everyone gone..

Natalie couldn't move, as if frozen in time…"I can bring her home Mrs. Buchanan" John spoke from behind her as Vicki looked on in tears, her heart breaking for her daughter..

Her mother seemed as though she was going to argue the fact but instead she shook her head, than planted a soft kiss on Natalie's forehead before walking away.

John took a seat next to Natalie, both of them sitting in silence, both mourning the loss of someone dear, the day quickly turned to night as they sat there, and it wasn't until Natalie felt a coat being put on her shoulders that she noticed she was shivering in the cold night, her eyes darted to Johns..

He could barely take in her sight, she looked broken, her eyes red, blurred with tears as she looked at him, all that escaped her mouth was a cracked "Cris is gone" as she cried upon his shoulder and his arm held her tight…

John held her as his thoughts went back to that fateful day, the day he arrived at the accident scene, one out of a horror story, smoke billowing everywhere and then he saw the SUV, but not just anyone, Cris's and it was up in flames.

John and Cris had met on John's first day at the LPD, Cris was still somewhat a rookie, and John being almost ten years older took him under his wing, he was like a big brother to Cris, and any other time they weren't working they could be found together, whether it be at Rodi's having a beer and playing pool or fishing down at the lake, and the fact that their girlfriends were friends made it all so much easier.

John shook the images from his head as he looked into the dark night sky, Natalie's sobbing had slowed down a bit and the chill in the air would make both of them sick if they stayed out any longer, so without giving her a chance to speak he lifted her up in his arms, cradling her almost like a child as he brought her to his car and placed her inside, glad that she didn't fight him.

Natalie didn't say anything as John began to drive her home, neither of them did until she saw the familiar fence surrounding her parent's house and her breathing quickened..

"please…not here" she whispered, she couldn't bear to be around her family any more today, the looks, the whispers, it was all too much..

John knew how she felt because he too wanted to be away from everyone, alone with his thoughts, so he continued to drive.."Where"

"Home, I want to go home" she stared out the window..

"Nat, I don't think" he began and she looked at him hard..

"Please,….not you too John" her voice pleaded with him and he couldn't deny her this, Natalie was a big girl, a tough cookie, not a child, he would respect her wishes, it was the least he could do..

Pulling up to the apartment complex made them both let out a sigh as Natalie opened her door and got out, John following her as she handed him the coat back…

"I'll be fine" she said with strength from deep down inside.."Thank you" she turned from him and he put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her but she didn't turn to face him…"Please…don't" she swallowed the lump in her throat and his hand fell from her shoulder and she walked inside, leaving him standing by his car as she made her way to the apartment, stopping at the door for a second before opening it..

The sight around her was too much to take, half deflated balloons, beer bottles, old food, her heart sank as quickly as her knees as she fell to them, sobbing uncontrollably..