A/N: Sorry for the delay, but thank you all for the wonderful reads and reviews. Ya'll enjoy! Until next time-ya'll are the best-PCGirl.


John got in the car to go to the crime scene—he didn't have to go, he could have sent someone else, but he couldn't sit in his office right now. Not while he knew Natalie was on her way to Statesville to talk with one of the men that helped in her abduction. As he pulled out of the station he thought about last night when she dropped the announcement of her visit on him.

John sat there next to Natalie on the couch as the movie wrapped up. The past month and a half had flown by—they'd spend the evenings together and then he'd drive her back up the drive to Llanfair. He wasn't rushing anything—taking everything as slow as she felt was necessary.

This whole time she'd been meeting with Dr. Crosby on a daily basis—getting through the memories of her time with Mitch and other memories from before that she once again had to get through and understand. He never pressured her on what went on in the sessions—though she would bring up specific points that had to do with something in their relationship.

"I wanted you to know I'm going to Statesville tomorrow," said Natalie, nonchalantly as if it was something she did on a daily basis.

"What for?"

"To talk with Vincent Jones. There are questions I need answered and he's the only one I trust to give me the right answers."

"You trust him?"

"No, but I know he's remorseful—he wouldn't have come to you that night and confessed to everything if he wasn't. I have to at least try, John."

John just nodded—knowing that arguing with her would be useless at this point, "Ok."

"That's it? You aren't going to try and go with me?"

"Will you let me?"

"No."

"Then there's no use in trying. But I'll be here when you get back," he said as he brushed her hair out of her face. He wanted so badly to kiss her—to make love to her and he could feel his heart rate go up a little so quickly got off the couch and pretended to stretch his legs.

"I—I better get going," said Natalie as she got up herself and went for her coat. As she walked outside and waited on John behind her she once again thought about how awkward it was between them, but hopefully after her visit with Vincent tomorrow they could finally get back to where they were before.


"Go ahead and take a seat, the prisoner will be here shortly," said the guard as Natalie walked in through the door he held open, and heard him close it behind the two of them.

As she sat down and her hands ran across the cool metal table she started to second guess herself—she'd been so sure last night she wanted to do this, needed to do this on her own, and now she was almost wishing John had insisted on coming with her.

Placing a hand on her round stomach she took a deep breath and didn't look back up until she heard the door across from her open up. Watching Vincent Jones walk through the door and sit across from her she felt her confidence in what she was going to say rise again.

"Natalie—I—I wasn't expecting you to visit me," he said giving her a smug smile as he sat across from her and tried to take her hand. "But I'm glad you did—you being pregnant, it makes you look more ravishing then normal."

"Cut the compliments, Vincent—they don't work on me anymore," she said—her voice cool as she snatched her hand out of his grasp. "From everything I remember you seem like you were a good friend to me—so I can't understand why you thought it was a good idea to help in my kidnapping."

"I'm sorry," he said as he hung his head for a moment. "I thought I was doing the right thing. McBain—he wasn't treating you the way you should have been treated. I was sure it was the best thing for you to get out of that relationship."

"It wasn't your decision to make. If I had honestly thought John and I didn't stand a chance I would have walked away. Because of your decision I put both myself and my child through a horrible ordeal. If it hadn't been for John—," she said as she ran a hand over her face.

"Like I said—I'm sorry—hopefully one day you can forgive me."

At hearing his request she wanted to laugh at the absurdness of it all, "There's a lot of things I can forgive—but I keep thinking about my childhood—being kept from my real family courtesy of Mitch Laurence. What you did almost made my daughter's childhood mirror mine. Sorry, I can't forgive that," she said as she got up and without another word turned and left the room—ready for the next step.


John glanced at his watch as he walked through the station and to his office—Natalie's session with Dr. Crosby should have started ten minutes ago so he figured he had fifty minutes to finish up the day's work.

Walking in the office though he was surprised to see Crosby sitting at his desk and Natalie sitting across from him, "What's going on?"

"We're having our session—have a seat, John," said Crosby, motioning to the seat next to Natalie. John did so without question, though he was curious as to what was going on.

"Did everything go ok with Vincent? Did he upset you?" asked John as he looked at Natalie's face and could see in her eyes she was trying to decide to tell him something.

Natalie nodded softly, "He said everything I expected him to say—that he thought he was doing what was best for me. He actually asked for me to forgive him—I wanted to laugh in his face and tell him how absurd that idea was, but I couldn't."

"Good. He doesn't deserve it—not with what he put you through," said John as he reached out and touched her face gently.

"There's one more question I need answered though. Why were you so quick to forgive me for what I almost did?"

It was John's turn to nearly laugh at the absurdity of what she just said—and he was able to hold most of it in, but the humor quickly turned to anger as he looked at Crosby, "You set her up to ask this, didn't you? This is one of your weird shrink tactics where you try and make her dig deeper into her hurt. I really thought you were better than that—at least with Natalie."

"She brought up the question to me last week—I told her when she felt strong enough to ask you she should, that's all," he said as she stood up and walked towards the door.

John just sat there, looking towards the outside window of his office until he heard the door shut and Crosby's footsteps go down the hall, "Why are you asking this?" he said as he stood up and began to pace some.

Natalie stood herself and walked towards the window, remembering scenes that still were scattered, but speaking softly, "I remember other times—when I did something foolish and it would take you awhile to move on from it. But this time it didn't—you immediately were at my side and haven't really left it. Why is this time different, John?"

"I never believed for one second you would walk away from everyone you loved on purpose. Some wanted me to accept it as a possibility—or that it was you trying to make yourself the center of attention, but I couldn't.

"And when I saw you I knew I was right. Your eyes are always filled with this life Natalie—that night when I found you-they were cold and empty. I can't be mad at you for something you had no control over."

"What if you hadn't gotten there in time? What if Mitch had taken me somewhere already?" she asked, getting scared once again about the thought of Mitch touching her—and her letting him so easily.

"I would have kept searching for you—I don't care if it had taken six months or six years. I would have found you—and when I did I would be at your side the whole time, until you and our daughter came back to me," he said as he walked to her and placed his hand gently on her rounded belly.

"I'm glad to know that," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "I've got one more request," she said as John looked at her with bewilderment. She slipped her hand into her coat pocket and revealed her engagement ring.

John smirked at seeing it in her palm, "You sure? I don't want to push you into anything until you are ready."

"I'm ready—we're ready," she said as she took her free hand and placed it over his.


Six Months Later

John turned around and took the ring from Michael—trying to ignore the giant smile on his brother's face. As he turned back to Natalie—standing there he couldn't believe they'd actually gotten here.

His hands were shaking as he repeated the words the Priest said—his eyes completely fixed on Natalie's—blue eyes locked onto blue eyes.

Natalie repeated the exchanging of the rings and as they turned back to the Priest for the end of the ceremony neither could focus on the words he said—after everything they had been through—they'd made it.

As they kissed and walked down the aisle Natalie glanced over to Vicki who was holding their sleeping daughter-it was over. The past and whatever it contained vanished—all she could think of was her beautiful baby and her husband that stood by her through everything.