Disclaimer: I do not own, or have anything to do with MONK. I am only a loyal fan of the show, and this is just for fun.

Author's Note: I have written many original stories, but this is my very first Fan-Fiction! I was greatly inspired to write this MONK 'Epilogue' after the show was over. The show and characters have truly touched my heart, and this is what I imagine had taken place in their lives sometime after the show has ended. This is not a typical Monk mystery/thriller. This is an Epilogue, Character study, and yes... Romance. Parts of this story are comical, but other parts are much more serious than the show. You may also notice that I write Adrian Monk slightly out of character... This is intentional as I imagined his personality changes after the finale. I'm not going to lie... I would absolutely love if I could get a few reviews! I welcome constructive criticism as well. This story is already finished, so I will upload a chapter every week or so. Enjoy, and thank you for reading.

The sounds of a cold wind quietly whistling through the walls mixed with images from a dream. Whatever he had been dreaming, it was now becoming a faint memory with every passing second. Within moments, Adrian Monk's eyes slowly blinked awake and whatever images were dancing in his head were now not even a memory. His eyes adjusted to the shapes of the furniture surrounding him. The dark room was cast with a colorful hue from the Christmas lights he had strung around the mirror in his bathroom. Pools of cold air rested on his cheeks, yet he remained toasty and dry under layers of blankets in his soft bed. As comfortable as Adrian was, he decided to rise immediately. He hadn't been this excited for Christmas since, well… Last year. But besides that, never! Christmas was now his favorite holiday. He could imagine Trudy looking down on him, smiling, knowing that her beloved husband was finally happy and at peace during the holiday season. After a deep yawn, a quick stretch, he slid his warm feet into the chilly slippers beside his bed while clicking on his lamp. He slowly slid open the drawer to his nightstand, revealing a photograph of Trudy. Her smile captured forever on film… He touched it softly.

"Merry Christmas, Trudy." He said smiling down at her memory before taking the photograph out and kissing it softly.

He descended the stairway while tying his bathrobe over his pajamas to hear whom he assumed was Natalie causing a bit of a racket. The sounds of a wooden spoon scraping against a skillet and bacon crackling became louder as he neared the kitchen. He was happily surprised and smiled to greet her.

"Merry Christmas, Adrian!" She smiled and turned around in her apron. She was frying up breakfast for the both of them.

"You're up early!" Adrian said still smiling. He rubbed the back of his neck, and sat down at the breakfast table.

"Well, I was so excited to come down here and make you your Christmas breakfast… I couldn't sleep any longer!" Natalie exclaimed. Adrian looked at the clock. It was 7:15 AM

"Plus… You wouldn't stop snoring!" Natalie said with a laugh as she stirred the sizzling hash browns. A puzzled look came over Adrian's face.

"Snoring?" He asked looking up at her, rubbing his hands on his knees.

"Oh, you know I'm just kidding!" Natalie reached over and touched his hand affectionately.

"Here. The eggs are ready. I'll get the hash browns to you in a second…" Natalie scooped the fluffy eggs onto his plate, still steaming hot. The plate was decorated with little red candy-canes and Christmas trees around the edge. Now that Adrian was more festive for Christmas, he had taken it upon himself to decorate his whole house this year. There were wreathes and bows on the doors, garland hanging in the doorways, little villages sitting in fake snow that would light up at night, lights strung around the windows and a grand Christmas tree. He even, with Natalie's help, took it upon himself to decorate the outside of his new home including stringing lights around the front porch! He was happy, genuinely happy. He made no effort to hide it, and everyone around him knew it.

"Be careful, hot pan!" Natalie rushed over and served him some hash-browns and bacon on the same plate as the eggs. Adrian gave the eggs a little shove away from the hash-browns, but other than that, he didn't fuss over them touching too much.

"These hash-browns… Are really good, Natalie!" Adrian said between bites, a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye. There was no hiding the Holiday spirit in him.

"Well, they are actually my specialty. I just never get a chance to make them-Oh Adrian!" She said looking into the living room at the Christmas tree.

"I didn't see that last night! Who is that for?" Natalie said with a grin. She was eyeing the very large present that had just appeared under the tree sometime between last night and this morning.

"It's for you…" He stated in mid-bite before laying the fork down and wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "But don't open it until everyone arrives. I want everyone to be here." Adrian said looking right at Natalie, his eyes smiling even more than the grin on his face…

"Of course, we'll open all of our presents then… What time will they be here?" Natalie asked.

"Well…they should be here between twelve and twelve thirty…I was hoping more like twelve—Anyway, look… Are you sure everyone will like their stockings?" He motioned toward the fireplace and Natalie saw all of the stockings Adrian had made for everyone visiting today. For the past two years, He hadn't felt inclined to clean so much. In fact, he was almost cleaning like a normal person now! (Well, at least a very clean normal person.) He would do a few chores every day, and deep clean about once a week. But other than that and his work, he had an incredible amount of free time. At least… compared to before. He had taken it upon himself to hand-make a Christmas stocking for all of his friends. Of course, with his attention to detail, they looked quite nice.

After breakfast, Adrian retired to the parlor and pulled out an old vinyl album. He cranked up his old Victrola and let it play. He never appreciated Christmas music before, but now he loved it. A classic piano rendition of 'O Holy Night' wavered through the horn, and Adrian relaxed on the couch. Natalie untied her apron and hung it in the pantry before joining him in the parlor. She went over to the fireplace and stoked the fire. She stretched out on the brick in front of the fireplace, holding her cold feet up the to the flames. Adrian perched his head in his hand, admiring her deeply. Shortly after, she sat next to him and leaned against his chest propping her feet up on the arm of the couch. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She turned around and gave him a warm kiss on the neck.

"We've come a long way since last Christmas…" Natalie said looking into his silky brown eyes. Adrian held her tighter.

"I'm so happy we have." He responded closing his eyes. Natalie thought back to Christmas last year. Exactly one year ago, she told him how she really felt. Their feelings for each other had been building immensely ever since Adrian had his breakthrough in finding Trudy's killer and meeting Molly. His life had changed… he had changed. Natalie smiled as she reflected back on that ice-cold Christmas night of 2010, spending it warm and toasty in Adrian's old apartment. She had told him everything, and to her surprise he confessed his feelings for her as well. They also shared their first kiss that night, one that was a long time coming, and one that would never be forgotten…