A/N: I was a little shocked that people are still into this fic after all the time away. Anyway, mostly a set up chapter. Try not to kill me.

Chapter Ten

John tossed down the papers, nothing concrete in the new report. Jenn was dead, another Killing Club attack. He had spent five day tirelessly working over every last clue, every piece of evidence might lead him to the bastard that hurt Natalie. He lived in his office, finding sustenance in coffee and justice. On the sixth day he had ventured back into the real world, going straight to the hospital, not even stopping at home for a shave.

Michael had looked at him like he was crazy, when John approached him, frantic, because Natalie was no longer in her room. The good doctor had a hard time not finding a bit of coarse pleasure in the fact that he knew something about Natalie that John didn't. Natalie had checked herself out AMA four days ago. Michael didn't mention how he had tried to reason with her to stay, or how he had stopped by Llandfair more than a handful of times to see her. Some things were best not shared between brothers.

So John found himself back at the station, rechecking every report. He tried not to admit to himself that the ache he felt was because she hadn't called, hadn't told him anything. And John was certain that the moments they had shared, the ones he had played over and over in his mind, were nothing more then a mistake to her. Still he couldn't help but worry. He wondered if she was eating, or sleeping, if Asa had finally talked her into personal guards or not. John found his eyes straining too hard against the tiny black and white print as his mind painted pictures about what she was wearing, and if she still had that sad lost look in her sapphire eyes. Finally tossing down the report with a sigh, he decided to go home; maybe a fifth of vodka would help him find some sleep.

Natalie looked at herself in the mirror, wondering for the millionth time why she even agreed in the first place. There was a line of frustration and a bit or perspiration dotting her forehead from the sheer effort of getting dressed. Her hair hung down in natural waves, lying against her alabaster shoulder, the bright blue of her tank top peeking out beneath them. Tilting her head to the side, Natalie wished she had asked Lois to help her pull it up in a ponytail before she left for the day. Jessica was home and for a moment she thought about asking her twin for some help.

She padded on bare feet down the hall, pausing outside Jessica's door. She found herself suddenly shy to ask for help. Once upon a time they had sat and helped each other with make up and hair, painted each other's nails, and giggled about life. Once upon a time they had been close, but lately there was a rift, something harsh and unnatural and Natalie knew it was her fault. She was so angry that biting comments often slipped out far more often than she would have liked. But still… maybe they could be those girls again.

"Hey." Natalie pushed the door open with her foot.

"Hey." Tess did not even bother to look up from her Cosmo, wondering what Natalie Boo Boo wanted now.

"You okay?" Natalie asked, lingering on the threshold.

Tess turned another page. "Peachy." She sounded anything but.

"Jess-" Natalie stopped, not knowing what to say. She hated this, the anger, how needy she had become; she hated how every morning she looked into the mirror and a stranger looked back at her.

Tess rolled her eyes before shutting the magazine and tossing it carelessly across the room. It wouldn't do to have little Natalie Boo Boo start yelling or crying again, then Vicki would insist on another 'girl's night'. Tess inwardly cringed as she remembered being forced to sit through Steel Magnolias two nights ago, not knowing that Natalie too had hated every moment. "You're dressed." She commented taking in Natalie's black pant and tank top, a departure from the pajamas she had been living in lately. "But Lois has the day off?"

"I know." Natalie replied bitterly. Originally Vicki had insisted on hiring a nurse for Natalie and only after much protest it was agreed that Lois could help Natalie with a few things and in Natalie's eyes the fewer, the better. "I did it myself."

For a brief moment, Tess felt a flicker of respect for Natalie. Maybe she wasn't such a whiner after all. "Anyway." Natalie stepped inside the room. "Could you help me tie up my hair?"

Or on second thought, Tess decided, she was such a baby. "Sure!" She exclaimed a little too enthusiastically and Natalie caught the slight sarcasm but allowed herself to be seated on the floral bed spread as her sister brushed her hair, hard. "So why are you dressed again?" Tess asked, yanking Natalie's hair with each brush stroke.

Natalie hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully. "Michael invited me to hang out with him tonight. He's gonna pick me up at seven."

"Oh so it's the good doctor now?" Tess pulled Natalie's hair through the hair tie. "And here I thought it was the cop." Natalie started to stand, anger washing over her but Tess pushed her back down, and continued to style her hair. "Hey, I don't blame you. He's got a killer bed side manner. I was wondering why he was over here so often."

Natalie waited until her sister let go of her hair and then stood. "Michael is my friend, nothing more."

Tess laughed. "If a man is picking you up, that's a date." She informed her sister, relishing the shocked look on Nat's face.

"No." Natalie protested, but there was something in the statement that rang true. Hesitantly she remembered how sweet Michael had been, how he had brought over stupid, funny DVD's to watch together the night before or how softly, gently he touched her wrists when he helped change her bandages, never flinching at the charred and oozing skin beneath. But he was also the guy who hated how she loved mustard with her fries and had been heartbroken when Marci broke up with him. No. Jessica couldn't be right. "We are just friends."

"Whatever you say."

The flippant attitude set Natalie on edge. "Look. We are just friends. I will just go ahead and take a cab over. Trust me it is no big deal." And she was so eager to make her point, to convince not only herself that she forgot to tell one person about the sudden change in plan- Michael.

"Natty, baby!" Roxy's boisterous voice rebounded off the dingy wall of the Angel Square Hotel. "Whatcha doin here, sweet cakes? Come to see Johnny boy?"

Natalie half heartedly returned her mom's embrace, careful to keep her bandaged hands from being squished. "Actually, I am here to see Michael."

"Doc Feel Good, huh? Way too go, baby! Ca-Ching, Ca-Ching. So that must have been what he was setting up all night."

Natalie let Roxy's insinuations pass by with comment. Her head was already messed up enough without letting Roxy's crazy thoughts in. "Setting what up?"

"On the roof. That man has been running up and down those stairs all night. I told him what he needed to get was a good bottle of hootch but I had thought it was for that Killy Club chick."

"Marcie." Natalie corrected automatically. "So where is Michael now?"

"I am pretty sure he went to pick up so liberations."

"Libations?" That didn't sound like Michael but Roxy often got her wires crossed. Taking a deep breath and feeling more than a little over whelmed she steeled to do something she never did, ask Roxy for help. "I would go wait for him up there but I need help with the door."

"Say no more, Natty baby, Momma's here." And feeling oddly comforted, Natalie followed Roxy up to the roof. Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad after all.

The night was going terribly for Michael. He had a flat tire on his way to pick up a bottle of wine, a sweetly romantic idea he had gotten from the unlikely source of Roxanne Balsom. He had tried to call Natalie three times to let her know he was running late but each time it had went directly to her voice mail, not the right way to start off what he had wanted to be a special evening. His feeling were very muddled when it came to Natalie, sometimes he wanted to choke her, especially when she teased him, and other times he wanted to kiss her senseless and he was pretty sure that his older brother would disapprove of either action.

He rang the bell at Llanfair, marveling not for the first time at the grandeur of the estate. It was beautiful to be sure, the type of home he had always wanted when he was growing up. He listened as the chimes rang through the home, wiping his suddenly sweaty hand on his pants, hoping Natalie wasn't too upset with him.

"What?" Tess opened the door, annoyance painted on her over made up face.

"Hey, Jessica." Michael smiled warmly. "Natalie ready?"

Tess appraised the doctor in a quick glance, he was no Nash but was very yummy. "Umm, she had to run out to do something important. Why don't you come inside and wait for her with me?" Her hand found its way to his arm.

"It's okay. I can just wait out here for her." And as soon as Michael spoke those words the sky opened up, rain coming down.

Tess grinned at this fortunate turn of events. "Come on. I won't bite, I promise."

John surveyed the empty bottle with interest; surely he hadn't been drinking that much lately. The bottle had been new less than a month ago. Tossing it in the trash can, he sighed, debating if he should just call her already, before deciding that was the worst thing he could do. If she wanted him in her life she would have let him know. Maybe she had finally seen that he wasn't worth it, and lump rose in his throat at that thought.

Grabbing two beers from his fridge he looked around his messy apartment with a grimace. He really should have let Michael hire him a cleaning lady. It was not the best place to relax, he kicked a pile of dirty clothes across the floor, gray and black shirts and pants scattering everywhere. Shit. The walls suddenly seemed too close, and the slot machine in the corner almost seemed mocking. He didn't gamble with her and he had still almost lost her. Swinging the door behind him with a loud bang he headed to the only place he was ever able to clear his head, the roof.

Natalie surveyed the scene with curiosity. Michael had gone all out. Throw pillows were covering the ground and she spotted more than a dozen unlit candles, there was a low table that had a vase with sunflowers and she wondered what else he knew about her. Even her father didn't seem to remember how much she loved the bright yellow flowers. There was a picnic basket sitting closed and just as she was about to try to sneak a peak the door to the roof opened with a loud thud, causing her to jump back, nearly tripping over the pillows. John caught her forearm without thinking, the door shutting with a slam behind him, a sound he barely registered over the thundering of his own heart. And they stood for a moment, in an awkward embrace, blue on blue, a world of flames burning away the rest of the world.

TBC