Like a Son
Natalie Banks was pissed.
It wasn't like she hadn't known the information the smug little man had told her over dinner.
She had heard John break the news of Cole's second death to the Thornhart's over the phone with him commenting on how the boy was 'like a son to him' from their bedroom after she had put their own son down, justifying that the words were just a way to keep Marty from taking another ride on the crazy train and to help a grieving Patrick, who hadn't been there to see his son into adulthood or meet his granddaughter.
She had ignored it when her 'uncle' had taunted her with the same words. That was just some that Todd, or rather this version of Todd would do to get off, especially if he also thought it had the added benefit of distracting her before her testimony against him in the murder trial of his brother. After all, this was Todd.01, the bastard who had tried to have her heart cut out along side Mitch and Victor Lord Sr. No, Victor Jr. was more subtle in his taunts and would have waited to bait her with this information to a time more opportune for his kids.
But it was this other man- Sonny Corinthos- Mobster, ex target of her fiancé, who had done enough research to know how much the words would hurt and how deep they would cut.
He had sat across from her at a nice table at the Palace.
Drank a nice glass of wine as he laid out the scenario of how John had repeatedly spoken so kindly of Cole- and wasn't it odd that a man who had walked away from his own son when his DNA was in question would do so? Corinthos had smirked.
Natalie had kept her composure, knowing full well what the mobster was after and the game he was playing.
She wasn't going to let him think he had gotten into her head.
She had smiled politely at the end of dinner, gotten up, shaken his hand and thanked him on his unnecessary update on her fiancé.
She had left and headed for her.
It was there, that once behind closed doors that she had finally broken down.
There that the words finally hit home as they repeated in the different men's different voices in her head.
It was true.
John had acted as more of a father to other children than to their son in the first few months of his life, and now he had taken off to seek vengeance for one who was like a son to him and a sister who didn't want it.
Well, she was done with it.
Done with the ghosts he chased.
Done with waiting for him to come back to her.
If he couldn't act like a husband to her or a father to Liam and the baby he didn't know she was carrying because he was too busy chasing ghosts than they didn't need him.
She'd pack up in the morning and they'd be gone.
If he really cared he'd find them.
Chase them for once- and if he didn't, well, she supposed that at least she'd finally know where she stood when it came to one John Thomas McBain and she'd never have to lie to her children about how much or how little they meant to him…
To be continued in a follow up x-over where Natalie has a secret family of her own….