The Switch

Natalie Baldwin sat staring at out the window of the Penthouse she shared with her husband, Michael and step-son, Fen, emptiness overwhelming her, as it often times did. She listened to the laughter around her as the countdown to New Year's rang out, and forced a smile as Michael wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, knowing it was what was expected of her.

Like usual, she played her role well on this night. She wouldn't let the memories of five years ago haunt her or detract from what she now had.

She wouldn't remember that she should be celebrating her fifth anniversary to John McBain tonight and that she should be wishing their child a happy fifth birthday along with her nephew tomorrow.

That child had died with her dreams.

Her nephew would receive his gift in the mail as usual with no return address thanks to one RJ Gannon, who was now running Gloworm and keeping Gloria and Jeffrey on very short leashes thanks to the money they didn't know she had put into their business to keep it afloat, as well as the money she had used to get Kevin out of trouble with Jeffrey's bookie friend so he could keep his niece, Kathleen, and turn his marriage of connivance to Chloe into a real one.

A real marriage- that's what she and Michael were supposed to have.

One made on mutual respect and caring and maybe even love. One made on understanding the other's shortcomings and that neither would ever be the other's first true love since Michael's wife, Lauren, had disappeared in a fit paranoia and apparently killed herself by driving off a bridge a few towns over.

They were comfortable with each other.
Partners in the office and at home.
They didn't ask for more than the other could give, and with him she didn't dream.
She didn't have to.

Natalie Baldwin just moved through life, a shell of the woman she once was. An AC girl/shark in the courtroom. Loving aunt to Jamie and Kathleen and DD in public. Good wife and stepmother. However, she knew she'd never measure up to Lauren and didn't care.

What good would it do?
She was just a replacement?
A fill in…. disposable, just like she had been in Landview.

She'd learned that when she became Mrs. McBain.

Learned that when Jude had died and John had left her to grieve alone while her sister got to be giddy with happiness with her boyfriend and son, Reilly, almost throwing her happiness in her face, especially after she had to move back to Landfair with nothing but a broken heart and empty arms to a nursery that would never hold her child…

Jessica looked at the pediatrician confusion on her face, her big blue eyes filled with tears and lips pursed: "but that's impossible!" she cried out.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lovett, but that's what the tests say," the doctor replied gently.

"Then run them again!" Brody demanded.

"We ran them three times," the doctor admitted. "Mrs. Lovett, you are related to the child; however there's no way you can be his mother. And Detective Lovett, it's impossible for you to be the father."

"No. This isn't happening," Jessica said as Kevin led her to a nearby chair. "How can this be happening?"

Todd looked over to an emotional Marty who was holding onto John's arm with one hand, the other digging into the arm of the chair she was sitting in for dear life: "Yeah, Marty, how could this be happening? You and that vindictive streak of yours dream something up?"

"Todd!" Tea said through gritted teeth as Marty stiffened.

Todd just shrugged: "Hey, she's the one who delivered Natalie's baby. Who threatened her on more than one occasion."

"Who switched her medical records," Rex put in. "Switched her medical records… dmn it, why didn't we… you changed the results of that test so you could blackmail her. You wanted her and John broken up. Then you wanted her baby, only John showed up."

Marty snorted: "You're both crazy. She slept with Brody and he was the father not John…"she slipped.

"Apparently not according to these tests," Todd put in.

"I also wouldn't have stolen a baby. Don't you think it would've been a little hard for me to pull that off?" she wondered.

"But apparently not too hard to switch my sister's with Jessica's," Rex put in. "You did to her what Jessica did to Cole and Star. You kept saying how she didn't deserve to be a mother and you made sure she couldn't be one. You gave her the sick baby. The dying one as payback for her doing her job."

"Her job?" Marty scoffed. "Her job was to put my son in jail for TEN years?"

"He killed a man Marty," John said softly. "And it was me who put him there. Me who keeps getting him moved every time he gets 'caught' in a fight. Me who protects him.

It was me who covered for him when he shot Miles. Me who stood up for him when he helped Miles keep Todd hidden. Me who got him the deal on the drug bust that almost got Sean, Star, and Hope killed. Me who choose Natalie over you."

"And it was me who left Eli handcuffed to that car," Brody added quietly.

"It wasn't just Natalie you were out to hurt," Jessica put in, coming round. "She was your main target, but we were all collateral damage, weren't we?

"No," Marty said. "Don't you see, Jessica? You got to have your baby.
I gave you that.
She didn't deserve to be a mother.
Didn't know what it meant to be one.
You did- do.
Your baby was dying. I switched them.
I gave you a healthy baby so you wouldn't lose yours again.
I gave you your son the way she took mine from me and I got to take hers away from her.
Don't you see? She didn't deserve him.
Love him.
You DO."

"And what about me, Marty?" John wondered. "What did I deserve?"

"The truth," she said. "But how could I give you that when you lost your son. Another child because of that tramp? So when she left I gave you back what I could. I gave you back us. Our family. You and me and Cole. You're a father to him. A grandfather to Hope…"

"And for five years my son has been calling someone else Daddy. Someone else Mommy. Been going by a name someone else picked out for him. Now he may die because of the choices YOU made. You might have killed two babies. Two innocent children. Do you get that?" he demanded.

"No…"

"My son- my real one- might have lived, Marty, "Jessica told her. "With the right treatments. He HAD a CHANCE. You took that from him because of the fact that Natalie and John aren't matches for me and Brody. Hell, I could've called Antonio. My mom's a match for me. But Natalie…"

"She and I are matches," Kevin said softly. "I'll talk to the doctor. See if it helps."

"And Mikey a match for me," John said as he walked away from Marty.

"John…"

"I'm going to save my son and then I'm going to see about finding my wife and putting my life back together."

"What about our life?"

"Going to be hard living it from inside a prison cell," Brody commented.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Wrong no," Nora commented. "Illegal, yes," she continued as Bo walked over to the blonde, "And I'm not helping you out of this one. I don't think many people will be willing to."

Looking wide eyed at Rex, Jessica sighed: "how do we even start to look for Natalie to tell her the truth? To repair this damage?" she wondered.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"Maybe I do," Clint admitted as he looked to Kevin's newest girlfriend, attorney Heather Stevens. "I just don't know what the reception will be."