A/N: Firstly, I hugely, hugely apologise for this late update... I know it's been like 3 months plus since I first published this story. As a disclaimer, I will say now in advance to all readers that I update really slowly! So bear with me if you want to see what happens. Thank you SO much for reading. All your reviews are awesome and thanks to all of you who added this story to your story alerts and favourites. It means a lot. More reviews are always appreciated. Anyway enough of my rambling. Enjoy... and Happy 2012!

TWO

Surface

I can see you there with the city lights
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes
I can breathe you in

She wasn't sure what she was doing. Maybe, just maybe, she was being stupid. She contemplated every situation, every moment in her life, and other people's lives, so often, that she felt exhausted. She wanted to stop having to think so deeply about everything all the time. It wasn't just the fact that it was her career. It was her being. The person she had become, because of all that childhood difficulty, currently missing father figure... it made her steel herself against everyone who came face to face with her. Whether it was a stranger, a family member or a partner, she would never fail to put on that psychologist hat she so often wished would not be present. Then again, when she thought about it again, she was contradicting herself. If she so greatly wanted that part of her to switch off, it would. That could only mean there was still a part of her, that insecure part of her, which refused to let go. She always had difficulty letting go. Moving on was something she hated doing. Why did there have to be change? So much change? So many things which forced the phrase 'moving forward'? Forward? Was that even truth, or a lie?

Regardless, she carried on, being who she was. Or at least, who she thought she was. And whatever else she thought she felt. She kicked away all negative thoughts, let herself reach beyond imaginable heights, and nowadays she felt much freer. She didn't know whether it was all pretence (she'd much rather not delve too deep into herself), but she was certain that she happy where she was. Though there were times that she felt there was just this little thing inside her that made her question specific things in her life, she managed to be secure. Often, she wasn't that worried about most things. She wasn't one to do so. She would act on it, take precautions, and make ready for almost any situation. She was careful, and wise. She knew herself to not give in easily. That enabled her to keep even her emotions in check.

However, who was she to say that she never had a desire to be like any other woman – happily married, with kids and a loving husband? She wanted to have a normal life sometimes, not one of an FBI agent. She hated herself for having those desires sometimes, because that would mean her father was right about the fact that she made all the wrong decisions.

She sat back against her chair, sighing. Her dinner was on the table in front of her – soup with bread. She was barely hungry but she knew she had to eat. She was given the day off to recover, after literally almost dying after being poisoned. She felt she wasn't recovering on those terms, however, as she felt perfectly fine. Physically, that was. On the other hand, mentally, she felt as though someone had punched her right in the gut and she was trying to regain her mental stability.

As the events of the previous day ran through her mind, and she recalled her latest near-death experience, she then remembered how she kissed someone… Oscar Santos. It was not something she would normally have done, but he was there – and in the dim light, after the dark moments of that horrific turn of events, he was almost like her hero. Almost. But it seemed enough for her, as she turned and pressed her lips into his before she drove back home. She tried to recount the reasons why she decided to kiss him just last night – but she couldn't seem to pinpoint any specific trigger that caused her to react in such a manner.

I needed someone right there and then, and he was there, she decided. I was really stricken after the events of the night and just acted impulsively without thinking.

Who was Oscar Santos to her, really? She honestly didn't think that much of him before, but when he kept coming at her and making his advances, she was, admittedly, mildly swept away. He was handsome, really handsome, in that foreign and charming manner. He had a very muscular figure and lovely tanned skin, in a similar shade to hers. He had deep, dark brown eyes and that debonair aura. He looked sturdy, firm yet gentlemanly and kind. He fit the 'tall, dark and handsome' quota perfectly. Of course, if it was just a competition of looks, there were other men around who sometimes caught Natara's attention as well.

One of them, ever so often, would be Mal Fallon. He was handsome, just not in the same way as Oscar. He had a rugged and mysterious outlook to him, but he was indeed attractive, what with his oceanic blue eyes and sharp facial features. Even how his fringe sometimes fell near the front of his eyes was appealing at times. And there was no doubt that he had a strong, manly body. And when he did dress up, particularly during the time when he was going undercover at the charity event with her, he did impress her – she just didn't say it. Though Natara would still choose James Bond over him if there was a real choice and comparison, Mal did come up pretty close.

Of course, what was really oblivious to Natara was the fact that Mal, her partner, actually cared for her beyond a level of professionalism. It was bordering, not just on affectionate, but on passion. Natara would never know that while she was fighting for her life with Oscar by her side, Mal was fighting for her at the same time. She would also never know that Mal uttered four glass-shattering words that spelled out every single emotion that he felt for her –

"She is worth everything."

…

"Well, that was a good day. Baddies locked up, culprits exposed, no injuries on us, early night…" Mal trailed off as he walked out of the precinct towards the car park where his destiny back home to his empty flat awaited him. Or so he thought.

The sound of footsteps hitting the gravel on the road increased in volume as it neared him, but before Mal could turn around, a voice called his name.

"Mal! Wait up!" Natara called as she ran after him.

"Natara!" he exclaimed, after turning around to face her. "Aren't you supposed to be having dinner with that… that guy you're working with for a court case?"

"He cancelled on me. More work. Apparently DA's have to work overtime almost every single day at this time of the year," she explained. "But it's okay. Considering it's an early night, I'd like to get some rest anyway."

Mal shook his head. "That guy… doesn't he know what he's missing out on, not having a meal with you?"

Natara smiled. "Why, am I that nice a person to have a meal with?"

"Well of course you are," Mal said. "I get entertained every time, with all your crime-solving wit and childhood stories!"

She laughed out loud and looked at him. "Funny, Mal. Anyway, I actually wanted to ask you if I could catch a ride home with you. I need a lift. Is that alright? Oh, unless you have made plans to go somewhere right now, of course."

"Why of course I'm not going anywhere, milady – I'm a responsible man, heading home after a day's work," Mal joked. Then, after seeing Natara's mock-serious face, he added, "Okay, I'm serious. I am heading home, and I will give you a lift, so come on."

Natara then gave him a small smile of satisfaction in getting a proper answer out of him. He rolled his eyes and grinned back, and together they walked until they reached Mal's squad car. After a short 13 minutes of driving, they reached Natara's apartment block, and Mal parked his car in a spot right in front of the entrance to the lobby.

"Why are you switching off the engine? You don't have to come down, you know. I can walk up myself," Natara said the moment Mal turned the car key in its slot and removed it.

"Yes, and you're a grown woman, I know you can," Mal returned. "But it's customary for a gentleman and a good friend to walk a lady back to the door of her apartment."

"Okay, but you know it's completely unnecessary, right? Considering it's you and I. It's not like I'm going to think any less of you if you didn't walk me up to my apartment."

"I know you won't, because you know me well, but I will do it regardless of whether it's necessary or not."

"Why?" Natara asked inquisitively. She furrowed her eyebrows a bit, scrutinising Mal and his intentions.

"I just want to. There's nothing wrong with wanting to walk you up, is there?" he asked, persisting.

"No," she finally said. "It's just that you've never been so… so, so…"

"So… what?" he asked, genuinely curious to hear what she had to say.

"So… charming," she concluded.

"Charming, huh?" he echoed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes. Charming," she repeated.

"Well, we can all improve, can't we? Being Prince Charming isn't so bad," he remarked, grinning.

The mood having lightened among them, the tension slightly broken, she let out a snort, and allowed her face to break out into a smile. "Okay, Prince Charming. Can we go now, if you want to walk me up?"

"Yes, we can. Let's go."

And so they walked into the lobby, and took the elevator up to the 38th floor of the building. All the while, they conversed about the events that transpired that day, and of the coming week. The usual banter was at hand, Mal telling Natara more ridiculous hobbies of Kai's, and Natara telling Mal about some of Amy's untold phobias. They laughed along the way, until they finally walked to the door of Natara's apartment.

"Well, so you've walked me to my door," she said.

"It was good catching up with you for a while there," he said, changing the subject. "We haven't spoken much since… well, you know, since the whole thing happened with Shawn."

"Yeah, I know," she looked at him. "It was really nice being able to do that even just for a short while."

"See? I told you walking you up here would be a worthwhile journey."

"Ha ha. Well, fine, it was," she admitted.

"Hmm. You know I like it when you admit I'm right, don't you?"

"I do know that. I said it to make you happy."

"Oh, so you care about my feelings?"

"Of course I care. I've always cared. You know I care about you, Mal. We're partners."

He stopped there. "… Yes. Yes we are."

"Mal…" she began, and drifted off.

Her body was against the door of her apartment, and he was right in front of her, almost leaning into her. His face was a few inches above hers, and their lips were very close. She stared at him with an intensity he didn't know before, and for the first time, she looked deep into those enchanting eyes of his, and got caught. For the first time, she felt her heart racing a little when she looked at Mal Fallon. For the first time, she felt that he was too close, a bit too close for comfort. He gazed back into her brilliant brown eyes and saw that for the first time, Natara Williams was probably as caught up in the moment as he was.

He took in the look of her beautifully framed face, her lovely eyes, and her pink lips. And then he took a step back, suddenly realising what he was doing with her.

"Okay, um, I'll see you, okay, Natara?" Mal mumbled slightly, his hand in his hair, brushing it back.

She looked at him, clearly slightly dumbfounded at the intense moment that just passed between them. That was something, alright. Something. But given that her rational thoughts would soon kick in to explain everything that just occurred, she decided it was nothing, and regained her stance.

"Thanks, Mal, for the lift," Natara said. "I'll see you."

With that, she turned the key in the keyhole of her door, pushed it open, stepped inside and gave him a little wave before she closed it.

He returned the small wave of her hand with his own, and then he immediately spun on his heels and walked back to the elevator, slowly absorbing the depth of the moment between him and his partner. He had thought many thoughts of Natara, but suddenly one thought came crashing into his mind, for the first time –

Am I having feelings for her? Do I LIKE her?

And so, for the first time, Mal felt like collapsing somewhere and erasing all this from his memory. He couldn't handle this. No, no. This would not be happening to him.

…

Natara never knew what Mal thought that night, but she did recall that night to be the first time she ever thought Mal as someone worth considering as a partner… no, not just a partner in the police force or in the crime-solving team, but as a partner in real life – someone she could, maybe, possibly, consider as a boyfriend, or maybe, as someone more than just a friend.

And it was all because she actually looked at him, really looked at him, properly. And in a different perspective, not that of a profiler, but that of a girl – a woman. A female.

She recalled everything that happened that night, and she slapped herself for letting herself drift away, daydreaming about a past memory that could not be relived.

Get a grip on yourself, she thought.

Just then, her mobile phone rang. The ringtone sounded out loud, breaking the silence of her apartment, and she picked it up, looking at the caller ID.

It was District Chief Blaire.

"Good evening, Chief Blaire. How can I help you?"

"Natara, I hope this is a good time. We need to discuss a few things, as I need you back here at the FBI immediately."

"What? Immediately?"