A/N: Here you go Jess and Laura--something else for you to read. I think ya'll are the only ones that still read my stories here at LOL! And thank you to all the other non-Yahoo'ers that read it here too. Ya'll enjoy this! Until next time--Ya'll are the best--PCGirl.

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It was his touch that woke her up, a finger gliding over her curves from shoulder blade and continuing well below where the covers began. "John—stop that," she sighed as she felt the goose bumps continue to form.

"That's not what you were saying over and over last night," he whispered into her ear, his voice thick with sleep.

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind," she said as she rolled over and finally opened her eyes to see she was staring right back into his. "Good morning, McBain."

"Good morning to you too, Buchanan," he said as he took her mouth with his. "Sleep well?" he asked as he pushed her hair out of her face so he could take in all her beauty.

Natalie nodded quietly as she ran a finger down his chest, "Do you need to go into the station?"

"Not planning on it unless something comes up. Today is supposed to be a day of rest and I'm thinking of staying in bed all day," said John with a wicked grin as he suddenly rolled over onto Natalie and began devouring her, starting with her neck and moving southward.

As he began to dip below her collar bone Natalie could hear a ringing sound in the distance and it took her a moment before she realized it was her phone—John's movements pulled her under and away from any realization that she should answer the phone.

She felt his lips on her skin and a hand inching its way up the inside of her thigh, pulling her under John's spell with once again when suddenly the touching and movement stopped and a buzzing sound took it's place. She opened her eyes to see John's head looking towards the buzzing sound—his cell phone that he had put on the nightstand the night before.

"John—don't," she begged, but she knew they needed to answer it. There was a break in the case that apparently needed both of their attention.

He reached for the phone and looked at the number, telling her it was Damon before answering it, "Hello?"

"Hey—did I interrupt something?" he asked, laughter filling his voice.

"What do you think?" yelled Natalie as John got up off of her and out of the bed.

"Tell her I wouldn't call if it wasn't important, but I have another crime scene that needs processing."

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"He's all yours," said Natalie to the coroner as she finished taking photos of photographer Eric Lansing's body—a single, self-inflicted gun shot to the right temple had killed him and it was her job to figure out what set him off.

As his body was bagged and taken away she once again took note of the cordless phone that had been lying next to his phone—as she bagged it she realized the battery was dead, it had been on all night, indicating he'd been on the phone when he took his own life.

It seemed odd—to be talking on the phone and calmly pulling a gun out of a drawer and just shooting yourself. But then—this whole case was getting more bizarre by the moment and all Natalie could think of was finishing it up.

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She looked up from her desk in the lab to see John enter the room and towards her—handing him a piece of rope that was now locked in an evidence bag, "I got it from Lansing's dark room—it had blonde hairs on it, when the tests are done they'll probably connect him to the second murder—she was a blonde," she answered when he looked at her quizzically. She paused for a moment and looked down before back at John, "Maybe he knew we were closing in on him. Someone tipped him off—so he decided to end it the easy way."

"Someone knew he was the killer then," he answered casually—knowing what him and Damon had just decided upstairs was about to make her angry enough to get into harms way.

"We'll figure out who it was, John."

"Yeah—listen—Damon and I—we want you to work from home for the week."

"What?" she asked as her head shot up.

"You said it yourself—we're getting close—and this guy is getting nervous, so just work from home or be near one of us at all times."

"I knew this was going to happen," she yelled.

"It's not like that, Natalie."

"Then what is it like? Please explain to me why you want me to be locked up in my own house all day."

"Well, because then I can come by and be your bodyguard anytime I want," grinned John as he walked over to Natalie and took her in his arms.

"That was really corny, John," she said, unable to keep in the laugh.

"Yeah—I know—but you already know I can't lose you," he said softly as he kissed the top of her head.

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Natalie kept going over the reports that were on her screen—she hadn't been back to the station for two days now—and wished she could sneak away right now. Being hands on with the evidence and reports was so much easier than this. As she closed out the last screen and stretched her business phone rang and she answered it casually, "Hello?"

"Hey, we're on three way right now," spoke Damon.

"Go home Damon—take Jenn somewhere nice for once," laughed Natalie.

"Just found out some interesting information—figured this would be the fastest way to share."

"Are we still going out for dinner?" asked John as he walked around his hotel room.

"Yeah. Pick me up in 30?"

"I think I liked it when you two were fighting—we got more work done," laughed Damon.

"Will you just spill?"

"Be right back—someone is at the door," spoke John as he put his phone on speaker phone and walked across the small room.

"I got the last phone call that Eric Lansing received traced. It's registered to a business called Lars Sheers Company."

"What?—that's the company that owns Cristian's gallery. John, are you there?"

"I'm here," he called as he opened the door to see Cristian on the other side. "Cris—hey—is everything ok?" he said loudly so they could hear him on the phone.

Both Natalie and Damon got quiet as they heard the conversation unfold.

"No—I—I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm hurting Alicia—she's scared of me—doesn't want to be around me anymore. Of course—who would want to be around a murderer? Natalie didn't."

"Murderer?" said Natalie soft enough for just Damon to hear. Suddenly she jumped in her seat as the sound of a gunshot rippled through the telephone receiver. "John! John—answer me!" she screamed, but knew it was useless. "Damon—why isn't he answering?"

"Calm down, tiger—I'm sending help right now. Stay in your office—do not leave it under any circumstances," said Damon as he ended the phone conversation.

Natalie froze—that wasn't Cristian—that wasn't the Cristian she knew that had pulled the trigger. She'd seen it the other day—saw the signs and didn't want to think the worse. Suddenly something hit her and she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote two names down on it,

LARS SHEERS CO.

CHARLES ROSE

"Oh my God—why didn't I see it before," she said as she rearranged the letters in both names and was able to come up with the same name for both

CARLO HESSER