Chapter Seven

Natalie couldnt help but laugh as she listened to Gigi's ridiculous story, seriously not much had changed since they were kids..

"Its not funny Nat, I really think I am getting fired" Gigi shook her head as she looked at her friend..

"what made you think it would be ok to draw some wild picture of this guy, seriously Gigi this is stuff we did when we were kids not to mention the look on your face had to be priceless when he caught you" Natalie giggled..

"More like mortified" Gigi covered her head.."How was I suppose to know he was watching my every move, god im so screwed" she huffed..

"alright all joking aside, what did he say when he saw the picture" natalie tried to keep a straight face but if anyone was going to get themselves in this perdicament it was Gigi..

"I told you, he didnt say anything, he just glared at me and then kept talking, I bet he is talking to Bo right now about replacing me" she groaned..

"I think your over exagerating just a bit Gigi, plus your a good cop and if he knew that" natalie began..

"Nat I drew him as half bird half man, seriously gave him talens for feet" Gigi said quickly and then both girls began laughing hysterically.."Ok maybe it is a bit funny" Gigi admitted..

"Its hillarious" Natalie couldnt stop laughing but they both did as soon as they heard the commissoners voice..

"Oh god" Gigi quickly stood up.."hide me" she said to natalie..

"Im not hiding you Gigi" natalie said quickly..

"You have to, I cant get fired, I just cant" Gigi said quickly as she tried to hide behind natalie..

"Gigi stop it" natalie tried to move and Gigi held onto her back as she peeked her head out.."Oh lord" Natalie sighed as the commish stopped at the door..

"I knew I heard a commotion in here" Bo said as he stood at the door.."you both are having way too much fun" he said as he shook his head but there was a smile on his face..

"Bo I just want to say on Gigi's defense that she is really over tired" natalie began as Bo playfully rolled his eyes.."I mean she doesnt really think that man has talens" Natalie couldnt barely contain her laughter..

"You know commish she may be onto something here, I have been feeling a bit strange lately" a male voice said as he walked through the door, but it wasnt just any random person cause standing in front of natalie dressed in a pair of black slacks and a deep blue button down shirt was someone she honestly hadnt thought about in years, someone she thought she would never see, Infront of her was none other then a very much grown John McBain.."I should of known you were behind this" his smile made her gasp as she stood there.."Natalie"

Natalie was truly speechless for a moment as she stood there, she almost thought she was dreaming cause surely this couldnt be true but it was, he was there, John McBain was there..

"John?" her voice squeaked out with shock as she looked at the man she once knew, the one who still had the unruly long dark hair, those big blue eyes, hell he seemed even taller then she remembered not to mention his frame was definitely larger..

"natalie if I knew you ran with FBI" Bo smirked as Gigi came from around natalie..

"nat you know him?" Gigi said in shock but Natalie didnt respond to either of them, it really was him..

"she knew me before my talen days" John grinned as he looked at Bo.."its been a long time Natalie"

"wow, yes...i mean wow...your FBI now?" she had so many questions and she honestly didnt know where to start, she really was in shock..She inched toward him..

"well im gonna let you guys finish up here" Bo said as he looked at natalie then at John.."Its been a pleasure Agent, anytime your in town your welcome to stop by" Bo put his hand out and they shook quickly..

"we'll get drinks sometime Bo" John grinned back at him..

"Oh and uh Gigi, I do believe we have a small matter to discuss" Bo said to the equally shocked girl who stood there.."In my office"

"Yes sir" Gigi said quietly and then she looked at natalie and mouthed a call me before she left..

"she is quite an artist" John smirked as he stood there..

Natalie laughed a little.."I cant believe your actually here" she said in shock.."You look" she couldnt even find the words, he looked wonderful actually..

"like im getting old but you still look as amazing as ever" he smiled and she felt her face redden as she stood there, damn it he was still charming..

"You dont look old John...wow..." she said as she stood there and shook her head..The moment got awkward as they both stood there, they were close enough to hug but neither made a move.."You have got to tell me how you decided on FBI" she finally broke the silence, she really had so many questions..

"Just one of those things I suppose, I got an offer, I accepted" he shrugged his shoulders.."But you really did it, I always knew you would make a great forensic tech"

"I wouldnt say great but I work damn hard" she blushed..

"I talked to your boss, I know" he rolled his eyes playfully.."how has life treated you" he was genuinely curious, it had been ten years since he had seen her and the last memories of her werent exactlly what one would call good by any means..

"good, I mean great" she said quickly..."i never really made it out of AC though, what about you" she couldnt help but notice he didnt have a wedding ring on and she couldnt help but wonder what had happened with him and Cait..

The last time she had seen him was through the limo window as her uncle shipped her back to Lanview, it was a horrible time for her being accused of something she hadnt done intentionally and with no one to listen to her, it was heart breaking honestly..

"Oh you know, life is life" he said quickly as they were interupted by an officer coming into the room with more samples of the case she was working on..

"the commish would like an analysis by tonight" he said to natalie as he handed her the box..

"Listen I should get going" John said as he ran a hand through his hair but she wasnt nearly ready to see him go, she still had so many questions but she honestly didnt know where to begin..She suddenly felt like that young girl again standing in front of him...he turned from her.."here, take my number" he said as he pulled out a business card and handed it over to her..

"wow you have your own business card" she said with a shake of her head as she took it.."Here" she too pulled out her own business card and handed it to him..

"it was great seeing you natalie, maybe we can catch up sometime" he said as he held onto her card..

"defininitely" she said with a smile..

"Im in town for a few days" he said as he turned for the door again.."keep making that difference Natalie" he finished as he left and she stood there still in shock staring at his card, seriously it was a small world, a very small world..

Natalie could barely keep concentrated enough to work, she kept looking over at his card on the table as she tried to examine the specimens in front of her..She thought back to that horrific time in her life, I mean not all of it was bad, her mind drifted to the few kisses they had shared and she turned bright red with embarassment, my god what a child she was back then and then she thought of her aunt and uncle, even jessica.. She hadnt spoken to her family in lanview since she left, it took quite sometime for her to get over the bitterness and resentment of the situation but that was the same motivation she used to drive her to become a forensic tech..

She was twenty six years old now and in the prime of her life, soon to be married, her life was good, better then she had ever expected, well until now..

John paced the large hotel room he was staying in, part of him had jumped to the opportunity to take this quick trip into AC knowing that maybe just maybe she was still there.. He hadnt ever really forgotten about natalie over the years, he had always wondered how she was and if she was truly ok..

He was In the military for almost two years when he got recruited to the FBI, it was a chance of a lifetime and with his marriage to Cait put on hold well it was just the straw that broke the camels back but who was he kidding, he wasnt ready for marriage, neither was she. They had been children for god sake and so when he had took up the offer to work for the FBI, needless to say things fell apart quickly afterwards..

Cait had eventually moved on and married one of the CEO's of her father company much to his approval, she had three kids now and one on the way, the last time he had seen her abut five years ago she was happy and well he was happy for her..

And so John spent the majority of ten years alone which he wasnt complaining, his career came first and that meant a lot of sleepless nights in an empty bed going from place to place but a few days ago he heard about a meeting in AC and it brought back all sorts of memories, ones that at one time he could barely get himself to think about..

He was essentially a child when he met natalie, just a young kid who was trying to figure out this world but seeing her now, wow had she changed, no longer the young girl he remembered but a very beautiful woman, one that apparently was due to be married by the rock he spotted on her finger and he was happy for her, she had finally gotten everything she had wanted..

He glanced at her business card as he sipped a beer, he couldnt help but smile at the idea that she was indeed a forensic tech, he always knew she would do great things..

Natalie finally pushed away all of the memories floating in her head as she forced herself to get back to work, she had a deadline to meet and if she was anything, well she was punctual but that would be short lived..

"so are you gonna tell me how the hell you know that guy" Gigi said as she came into the room and natalie glanced up..

"gigi I have to finish this" she said quickly..

"and you will right after you spill" Gigi raised an eyebrow..

Natalie sighed.."There's nothing much to tell, I met him back when I had gone to my aunt and uncles place nearly ten years ago"

Gigi's eyes got wide as she looked at her friend.."hold up,...that isnt the same guy from the summer of hell" she said in shock..

"it wasnt a summer of hell" Natalie rolled her eyes..

"were talking about the summer that you got accused of using drugs, right?" Gigi leaned against the table and Natalie quickly looked back into the microscope.."Oh my god nat, that is the guy...like the guy guy" Gigi said in shock..

"I have to finish" Natalie said nervously, of course Gigi knew everything about him, Natalie couldnt keep her mouth shut back in those days even though right about now she was wishing she had..

"Oh no you dont" Gigi moved the microscope quickly..

"hey there are valuable samples there" natalie said quickly..

"thats the cowboy" Gigi said in shock as natalie rolled her eyes now..

"I never said he was a cowboy" she said sarcastically..

"whatever, he was the horse guy that you kissed, the older dude" Gigi said with a smirk..

"i was like 16, Gi" natalie felt her face becoming more and more red..

"Oh my god how freaking crazy is that and now he is an FBI agent" Gigi said in shock.."how the hell did that happen, did he ever marry that crazy bitch you told me about"

"seriously Gi you have too much time on your hands" natalie rolled her eyes as Gigi came in front of her..

"Holy crap Nat this is like one of those life altering moments in which you hit a cross roads" she began with wide eyes..

"You seriously need to stop watching all of those soap operas" natalie laughed loud.."I told you they were bad for you"

"hey I have learned everything I know from watching my shows" Gigi said quickly..

"My point exactlly" natalie rolled her eyes.."Now if you dont mind" she went to grab the microscope and Gigi put her hand on it..

"did you get the butterflies in your stomach moment or some kind of light bulb went off like the connection Bo and Hope had on Days of our lives" Gigi said with a huge grin..

"Seriously Gi,...no" Natalie laughed..

"well come Nat, give me something, what did you two talk about, did you tell him that you were getting married, did he proclaim his ever lasting love?" Gigi said as she blinked at her friend..

"Your out of your mind" Natalie laughed nervously.."I was a kid back then Gigi, we both were"

"actually he was the older dude who was trying to steal your innocence" Gigi smirked..

"he was not, I told you nothing happened between us" Natalie said quickly..

"But you two kissed, oh the forbidden fruit" Gigi sighed in a dreamy like voice..

"You need to get laid" Natalie laughed..

"Oh please dont try and turn this on me" Gigi laughed.."that was like a huge part of your life, I know, I mean shit you wouldnt stop talking about him for months and months"

"I was young, niave" natalie shook her head..

"and in love" Gigi grinned..

"what? No I wasnt" natalie said in shock but honestly was Gigi that far from the truth, had she been in love with John Mcbain back then?

"so when are you guys meeting up again" Gigi said quickly..

"what your crazy, im not meeting up with him" Natalie said maybe too defensively..

"Oh really then what is this" Gigi picked up the business card and waved it around..

"Gigi give that back and he only gave it to me to be nice" Natalie tried to grab for it but Gigi held onto it..

"John Mcbain, FBI agent and whats this...secret lover too" Gigi laughed..

"Your an idiot" natalie said as she snatched the card back from a laughing Gigi..

"Oh come on nat you have to atleast meet up with him" Gigi said seriously..

"No I dont, end of story" natalie said quickly..

"why cause your worried that sparks will fly?" Gigi raised an eyebrow..

"No...because I have a life that I value and im not about to start reminiscing about some childhood crush" natalie said sarcastically..

"Oh my god are you going to tell Cris" Gigi said with wide eyes..

"what?" Natalie shook her head.."seriously Gi you need to lay off the caffiene"

"that maybe true but still..how do you think cris will react to knowing you ran into an old fling" Gigi said quickly.

"he wasnt an old fling, god Gi, we kissed once.." natalie said quickly...

"twice on my account and almost three times if you count the pool" she grinned big..

"How do you even remember that" natalie shook her head again, damn it she really wished she hadnt gone into so much detail back then..

"You remember it too" Gigi smiled.."so?"

"so?...so nothing, im getting back to work, you should do the same" natalie leaned over her microscope..

"fine but im not dropping this, I mean honestly its not everyday you run into an old love" Gigi grinned.."or crush, whatever"

"goodbye Gigi" natalie kept looking at her sample..

"You'll kick yourself in the butt if you dont, just saying" Gigi smirked as she got to the door.."isnt there a saying that goes, save a horse ride a cowboy" she laughed..

"Gigi!" Natalie looked up now with wide eyes..

"Just some food for thought" Gigi laughed as she was leaving and natalie sighed, she looked back at the business card, Gigi was out of her mind, she wasnt going to call him, why would she, it would be silly and with that she continued to work..

It was just after eight when natalie's phone began to ring, she was so heavy in work that she barely heard it but once she did, she froze, my god what if he was calling her? She quickly pulled out her phone and then her heart dropped a bit, it was Cris and it was getting late..She answered quickly.."I am so sorry I got held up"

"Oh the life of AC's best forensic tech never ends" he said with a laugh.." figured as much"

"Im so sorry Cris, Bo threw a last minute thing on me" she began ramble.."Im gonna get out of here as soon as I can"

"thats ok, my brother asked me to come to his club so im just gonna head over there and have some drinks" he began..

"ok and I will be wrapping this up soon, you want me to meet you there" she said as her eyes darted to the card on the table..

"Nah, I wont be long, just finish up what you have to do and I will see you at home, we have a lot of catching up to do"

"yes we do" she couldnt help but smile..

"I cant believe your going to be Mrs natalie vega soon"

"I know, its crazy right" she laughed..

"Not crazy at all, dont work too hard babe, love you"

"Love you too and i'll be home soon, I promise" she said as they hung up and she sighed, so what if she didnt tell Cris about her run in, I mean seriously there was nothing to tell, nothing at all..

It was just after 930 when natalie finished off the samples she had, she was beyond exhausted as she began the short drive home, her mind kept on going to John, was he thinking about the summer they had spent together all those years ago? Just as she was thinking that she caught out of the corner of her eye a glimpse and she blinked in shock when she saw who that glimpse belonged to, it was none other then John Mcbain himself and he was heading into a local pub, as much as she knew she should just continue on home she found herself stopping the car as she pulled over..

Honestly it was harmless, just a quick conversation and she would be on her way., right?

"stop over thinking it, you were just a kid for god sake" she said outloud as she sat in the car and stared over at the pub that he had walked into.."I should just go home, cris will be waiting" she continued outloud as she sat there and even as she said the words she was opening her car door.."whats one little drink with an old friend" she said outloud as a passerby looked at her.."what? Havent you ever seen anyone talk to themselves" she said to the person who quickly looked away.."Nosey people" she huffed as she adjusted her coveralls, she was still in her work clothes and she sighed, she should of atleast gotten changed but still she headed across the street for the pub, one drink, thats all, just one little drink...