The suspense is killing me. Next week is going to be so flipping awesome. The new CoD looks awesome, the new White Collar episode looks awesome, and I start band for school on Wednesday. The awesomeness is too much.

Just to clarify, last chapter was what Mal and Natara were talking about. They were explaining everything to each other, but I put it in flashback form to make it easier to understand.

I hope you like this chapter and please review!

It was silent for a while, with the exception of the quiet sounds of Kate and Gina in the next room. They both needed a moment to absorb everything between them. Natara was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it would hurt you so much to leave without saying goodbye. I thought it would be better for you-"

"It was better for you," Mal snapped. "Not me, and you know that."

"I was selfish. I didn't even say why I was leaving, let alone a goodbye."

"Didn't you realize that I loved you?" The hurt and sadness was clear in his eyes, even though his face was blank.

She was silent.

"I loved you. More than you even knew. On the day of your wedding, it took every part of me not to stand up and object. I knew you weren't happy with him. When you left, I was just so... I don't know. It was like you died. I didn't go to work for days, I just sat at home all day doing nothing.

"But after a while, I got over it. It was hard, but I got up and got back to work. I was promoted to captain. Amy came back. I met Kate. Life was good. I was happy. That was when I realized that I didn't need you. I guess that made it better. I stopped blaming myself for letting you go."

Natara didn't say anything. She couldn't, really. What do you say to that?

When Mal saw that she wasn't going to say anything, he continued. "Then you came back. I saw you again. It should've made me happier or something, but it didn't. It just felt normal. That's how I realized something."

"You dont love me anymore," she finished. He sighed and nodded slightly. "It's okay, you know. You have Kate. I left you for Oscar. I'll get it right eventually. Love." Mal nodded. "I'm going to go upstairs. Take a nap or something." She didn't wait for a response before she went upstairs.

In the guest bedroom, she pulled her knees up to her chest. She meant every word she said. It wasn't even that surprising for her. He didn't love her and honestly, even though she loved him, she would be okay.

-CoD-

Oscar opened his eyes, and, to his dismay, the room was the same as it was before he fell asleep. His hands were still tied behind his back and his feet were bound to the legs of the chair. A bare bulb hung from the ceiling, casting a dim glow across the room. As far as he could tell, the only way out was a door that he knew was being guarded.

He sighed as a memory came back to him, the memory of his capture.

The doorbell rang, and Oscar glanced over at his daughter, who was watching some tv show, before answering. There were two people, a man who looked to be about twenty, and a woman, who looked slightly older. He didn't recognize either of them.

The woman leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Let us in or I'll kill you and your daugter. He's the 'babysitter.' Act natural." He slowly turned away to face Gina.

"Gina?" He called. "I'm going to go with a friend of mine somewhere. This is... Uh..."

"It's Peter," hissed the man.

"This is Peter, he's going to watch you while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yeah!" she shouted back.

He turned to the man. "I'll do whatever you want, but if you touch her, I'll kill you."

"Sounds good," said the man with a bit more happieness than Oscar liked.

"Come on, we're taking too long," said the woman impaitently. She yanked Oscar by the arm and wrapped her arm around his waist. "If any one asks, we're dating."

"I think that if we're dating, I should at least know your name."

She paused, thinking. "Alex. It's Alex."

Oscar didn't trust her, obviously. But he had no idea it would end up like this. He could still feel his wrists burning from earlier when he had tried to get out of the restraints.

Suddenly, the door opened. His eyes lit up, but he sighed when he realized that it was only Alex. "What?" he snapped.

"My partner's been taken in to custody. Call your wife, or ex wife, or whatever the hell she is, and tell her to let him go."

"And why would I do that?" Within a second, her hand had connected with his face.

"That's why."

"I think you're forgetting something," Oscar said, waving his arms as much as he could. Alex scowled as she untied his wrists and placed his cell phone in his hand.

"Call her. Now."

-CoD-

Natara went down the stairs. She had barely set foot in the kitchen before the phone started to ring.

"Hey, could you get that, Natara?" Kate yelled from the other room.

"Sure." She picked up the phone, not checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"It's Amy. We have a lead."

It's a bit shorter than some of the past chapters, but oh well. Review?