Disclaimer: I don't own Monk or any of the characters from the show…..yadda, yadda, yadda…..but they own my dreams, (thanks).

The following story, comes from a dream I had about the show Monk. It is looking

through the eyes of Natalie. It was a very weird dream for me because I'm usually Monk

not Natalie. I had this dream about Monk and Natalie in some strange place without walls and ceiling, but there was also no ground. So that's where the 1st idea started from. I started writing this a full steam Monday (12/7/09) night with somewhat of an outline and now it's almost finished. Well now on Tuesday (12/15/09) it's done.

Please read and review. I would like to know what you think of it. So if you don't like it tell me so. So if you see something that I missed let me know that too. I like to take the good and the bad reviews. It makes me a better writer; I love to write even though I was never good in the English/Lit classes that I took, in both high school and in college. I was more math/science kind of person.

So go figure. Why do I like it now? I have no idea. I have other stories in my head about Monk. I wrote one a long time ago but never finished it (that was a continuation of monk on the run) so I guess now I will have to finish that one too. So I hope you enjoy this story. I call it Mr. Monk and the Gift……

I made it though my first Friday night without a Monk, ok new Monk but I made it.

Mr. Monk and the gift

Chapter 1:

I got the phone call every parent especially a mother dreads. A phone call from the police, it wasn't the captain, Leland Stottlemeyer with a case for us either. No not this time, it was what I could tell from a young officer. Maybe even a local. That could only mean one thing. The thing I never wanted to hear again, but here I was listened for the message about….Julie.

"Is this Ms. Teeger," he asked me. Then that is when I knew that something was the matter, something was wrong, very wrong.

"Yes,….what?….Arrested for what?….I'm on my way." I slammed the phone down. What kind of trouble did she get herself into now? I told her those friends that she was hanging around were no good for her. Now she got her arrested and for what? "Ahhh." I screamed.

"Natalie what's wrong?" I heard Mr. Monk say from the kitchen, his voice was somewhat muted. That could only mean one thing, that he was raiding my fridge again.

"Mr. Monk, I have to go pick up Julie."

"Now," I looked over at the countertop, where there was a plate with a sandwich on it. "I just made lunch." He picked up his sandwich, "I hope that you don't mind."

"No," I shook my head, more to try to clear my thoughts then anything. "We have to go…"

"Can I finish this…." He looked down at his plate where his sandwich was. "Look it's perfectly square."

"Alright, but I can't wait."

"Then why don't you go get her and let me eat this."

"Are you sure you're going to be alright here? I mean alone?"

"I'm eating a sandwich what could go wrong?"

"Plenty knowing you." He gave me a sad, confused look. "It was a joke, Mr. Monk."

"Oh funny," I don't really think he got it though.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours, are you sure?"

"Go, I'll be fine." He looked up at me from his plate.

I hesitated to leave him alone, especially at my house but I couldn't waist any more time I had to go find out what happened to Julie. "Remember…."

"I'll call you, don't worry." Don't worry, was he kidding, that's all I ever do is worry about him. I worry when he doesn't call.

On the way to pick up my daughter Julie, I went over what I was going to say to her. I mean, I don't want her to hate me an all but I want to be firm with her. I bit those friends of hers set her up for something; she's not a bad kid. Sometimes, I wish that Mitch, my late husband, were here to get through to her cause everything I say to her, she seems not to listen to me. I mean I guess it could be those growing up years.

Once I got on the scene though, I wanted to kill her. There were a lot of cop cars, firemen and even an ambulance, in front of a house, that was engulfed in flames. Oh no what did she do? I walked up the first officer I saw.

"What's going on?" I asked looking at the house, shaking my head. God only knows what they were going in there. My first thought was a methlab blew up but that didn't seem to fit with her.

"A house fire, looks like arson." He looked at me, "Are you the owner of the house?"

"No, Natalie Teeger, I was called….."

"Oh, yeah. The mother of one of the suspects." He turned his head and yelled for Joey.

"He'll be right with you Ma'am." Then the officer walked away.

Joey, the officer in charge I suspected, shook my hand and went over what he thought happened here. He led me to where they had Julie, in the back of one of their police cursers. I shook my head a pond seeing her. She knew that I had my disappointed look on my face. The officer could see it too. I was sure that she was going to be charged with arson but Joey surprised me.

"I'll let you guys off when a warning, only cause the house is abandon, but." His voice got sterner. "If I catch you around here again, I will charge you for two accounts." He turned towards me. "Now, take her home and talk to her."

"Oh, you know I will. A nice and long one." I glared at her. She just hung her head. The officer took the handcuffs off her. "Remember I don't want to see you again, got it young lady."

"Yes, sir." She spoke softly. Joey just nodded at me.

"What am I going to do with you Julie," I took her by the arm and led her to my car. "Get in." I gave her a slight shove. She knew I meant business. She slowly got in the car. I sighed. "How could you? How could you hang out with these kind of people?"

"Cause they are my friends." She commented looking away from me.

"Oh great," I said as I started up the car. "What kind of friends, set houses on fire? Someone could have been in there."

"Noone was, they're abandon houses."

"You don't know that." My voice was rising, I had to clam it down. "A homeless person might be in there." I pulled away from the scene, watching the firefighters fight the blazes.

"They were just abandoned houses."

"But that's still a crime." I let out a long breath. How could she be so stupid? I told her that playing with fire was wrong not to mention dangerous." We sat in silence for a few minutes. "I don't want you to talk to them anymore."

"But mom they're my friends."

"Friends that I don't want you to see any more, not while you're in my house."

"That's not fair!" she shouted. "I…."

"If you don't like it then move out." I wasn't serious but she didn't know that. I moved my eyes towards her. I could tell that she was thinking some. "But till you decide on that, you are grounded."

"Grounded," she shot back.

"Yes, I have to get through to you some how, so no friends, no phone, no tv…nothing."

"You mean, no life."

"If that's how you see it then yes." She turned to face the passenger window.

"How long?"

"We will start with one month then see."

"Then see? What's that mean?"

"I've seen to much working for Mr. Monk and I just don't want you to get hurt or hurt someone or even go to jail. Next time these so called friends are going to go away to jail. I don't want one of them to be you. I love you too much, I want to help you….."

She just stayed silently looking out the window at the streets going by.