Adrian Monk stood in front of the bathroom mirror straightening his tie, making sure that he looked exactly right for his and Natalie's second date. Their first date had started out so well but ended so horribly. In fact, he was certain that the only way that their date could have ended any worse than them both almost being murdered by her psychotic ex-boyfriend, was if Steven Albright had actually succeeded.
Adrian begged her for a "do-over" date, and she kissed him and told him yes, she would love to go out with him again; but she wouldn't count it as a do-over. Up until the part where Steven had tried to kill them, their first date was practically perfect and included wonderful memories of their dance together at the Policeman's Ball and their first kiss. In no way did she ever want to forget those things or pretend they didn't happen as one would with a 'do-over.' Nevertheless, whether they called it a 'do-over' date or not, Natalie had said yes to going out with Adrian a second time, and that was good enough for him.
He excitedly worked out a plan for exactly what they would do that evening. First, they would have a romantic dinner for two at the one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco and then an evening in the park where one of Natalie's favorite bands would be performing. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, aside from the distinction of this being their second official date. In the past month, their relationship had progressed way past being "just friends." In fact, the transition from friendship to a dating relationship had happened much more smoothly than Adrian had anticipated and while a change that significant would normally have frightened him, he generally felt no fear when he was with Natalie – especially when he was kissing her.
For Adrian Monk, that had been one of the most surprising things about growing closer to Natalie in that way. He had always felt a sense of comfort around her, but once they had turned that corner and actually (finally!) kissed, he discovered that he really enjoyed it. And, wonder of wonders, Natalie seemed to enjoy it too. Amazing! Natalie Teeger seemed to enjoy kissing him! Adrian Monk! Be that as it may, they wouldn't dare give one another much more than a peck on the cheek when they were around other people, even Leland and Randy, and especially not around Julie. Privately, Natalie wasn't at all surprised by this. She was still Adrian's assistant and whether it was at work or around her daughter, she would have expected a certain level of decorum. So, while there might be a time where public displays of affection would happen, she certainly didn't expect them to happen now. The Policeman's Ball had been an exception not the rule, and, he was still Adrian Monk. And she loved him for who he was.
But all of this was his public persona. In the privacy of 'their' home, he was very different. In fact, in the month since Steven's incarceration and the rebuilding of the life and relationship they had together before Albright arrived, she had witnessed an utter metamorphosis in Adrian's personality. He was happier and more demonstrative and had developed this thing with her that she secretly referred to as "their nightly ritual."
It went like this.
Julie consistently went upstairs every night around eleven and Adrian would wait fifteen minutes before leaving his downstairs bedroom and texting Natalie to join him in the living room. From there, he would meet her at the bottom of the stairs and lead her to the couch where they would make out like teenagers to the sounds of late-night television for the next couple of hours. His hands never wandered where they shouldn't go, and she never pushed for more than what she felt he was comfortable with. It was all quite romantic, but Monk also considered it quite safe since they obviously couldn't do anything more than 'neck' given that Natalie's daughter was never more than a floor away from where they were and could come down the stairs at any moment and see them doing whatever it was they might be doing. As such, he felt confident they would 'keep it clean' and was able to relax into this activity that both he and his girlfriend so obviously enjoyed.
For her part, Natalie loved him and was content for now with the whole arrangement. She loved the thrill of sneaking out of her room every night and meeting up with Adrian on the couch as though they were doing something naughty. In the days following the trip to San Antonio, she and Julie cleaned out the storage room in the back of her house and moved Adrian's bed and personal items in there. She thought more and more of her home as now 'theirs' and steadfastly refused to consider the idea that he would leave. She refused to talk about it with anyone. Having Adrian as a part of their home and their family was exactly what she and Julie had needed since the day they met him. She wanted him to stay - forever.
As her boyfriend, in the bedroom downstairs, it didn't matter -she would take him in whatever capacity he was willing to give her.
Adrian checked his watch for the tenth time - it was five fifty-eight and he told Natalie he would pick her up at six. He rolled his shoulder and straightened his jacket, smoothing down the sides of his hair with his hands as he took one last look in the mirror. He didn't have much raw material to work with, he thought, so he hoped that he could at least look as nice as was possible for his Natalie. Little did he know that Natalie did not share his view as to his physical attractiveness and would be more than willing to share that opinion with him frequently.
Monk reached for his cane and a small bouquet of flowers, ones he knew were Natalie's favorites, then he went out the back door. He didn't need the cane anymore for walking, but he still used it as support whenever he went up or down stairs. He worked hard to avoid getting mud and dirt on his navy-blue suit, as he made his way carefully through Natalie's side yard. Checking his watch once more, he used both his cane and the handrail to slowly climb the stairs to her front porch. At precisely six o'clock on the dot Natalie's doorbell rang. Monk couldn't stop himself from smiling when he heard footsteps from inside the house and heard Natalie fumbling with the latch on the front door.
As the door swung open, there she was, smiling at him, and for a good thirty seconds he was unable to say or do anything but stared with what he was uncomfortably certain was a stupid, frozen grin on his face - not that anyone alive could blame him for being a bit blown away by what he saw. It wasn't that Natalie wasn't beautiful to him all the time, but as she stood there that evening in her navy-blue satin and lace dress and her matching diamond and sapphire earrings, she simply took his breath away.
"Well, don't you clean up nice?" was the first thing she said, her eyes sparkling with an emotion that he couldn't quite pinpoint. "Adrian, you look so handsome," she purred as she showed him in.
He blushed and then his eyes shot up to hers at the seductive tone in her voice, and she grinned at the way he looked at her. Score one for team Teeger, she thought excitedly.
"I just have to tell my lovely daughter that my date is here and then I'll be ready to go."
Adrian finally found his voice and thrust the flowers into her outstretched hand, considering what would be the proper next move before bringing her free hand to his mouth for a soft kiss. "You're exquisite, my Natalie. So very, very beautiful." His eyes twinkled with laughter. "I can't believe you ever agreed to date me."
"Best decision I've made in a long, long time," she assured him, taking a step towards him and fully intending to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him until they were interrupted by Julie who walked into the room and gave both Adrian and Natalie a wolf-whistle the minute she saw them.
"Look at you two, all dressed up for your second date! Both of you look fantastic!"
Monk and Natalie simultaneously gave a frustrated sigh and then, mirroring each other, they grinned and shook their heads, laughing to themselves at Julie's impeccable sense of timing.
"Don't worry," Natalie murmured, absently running her hand up his arm. "We'll have plenty of time for kissing later tonight."
Adrian smiled and closed his eyes at the simple way Natalie touching his arm affected him, but then acted a little self-conscious when Julie came over and straightened his lapel. "Behave yourself with my mother tonight, Adrian Monk," she told him with a wink. "Be a gentleman. And don't keep her out too late. You know what the curfew is in this house, mister."
Before Adrian could even open his mouth to retort that he had no intention of not being anything but a gentleman with her lovely mother, Natalie was back with a shawl covering her arms and shoulders and in her hand was a clutch handbag that went with the colors of her dress. He hadn't even known she'd gone.
Natalie returned to his side and reminded Julie there was dinner in the refrigerator for her and her phone was on if there were any problems. Julie waved off her mom's over-protectiveness. She didn't anticipate needing either of them for anything, and just wanted them to have fun on their date.
Throughout the evening at the restaurant and then later at the concert, Adrian and Natalie were both very attentive to each other, but internally their thoughts were in two completely different places.
Adrian's mind was focused on ensuring their date was a good one and that meant doing and giving her anything that he thought would make her happy. The only reward he hoped to have in the end was simply to see her smile and to look at him the way she was looking at him right then. It had been almost thirty years since he had dated anyone and frankly it would be mortifying to have to ask Leland for advice on this subject, so he was hyper-diligent to make sure that everything would be just right.
Natalie's thoughts, on the other hand, had drifted ahead to what would happen between them after the date. Would he retreat to his bedroom at the end of their date, or would he stay with her in the living room? She loved the romantic candlelight dinner, the concert, the park and the slow dancing; and, everything he was doing to ensure this date was successful was not lost on her. In fact, just this one date counted for at least a hundred karma chips, she was sure. But what she loved even more than their date was just being with him. He was her best friend for so long, and now they were so much more - so much wonderfully more. She very much wanted to demonstrate to him, in a meaningful way, how much she loved him and how much she wanted him to be a permanent part of her life and her home.
The hours passed in a blur of happiness as they laughed and held hands and enjoying being in each other's company. Occasionally, when no one was watching and they were standing close together at the park, she felt his arms wrap around her from behind and felt him nuzzle into her neck. Natalie could practically see and feel him relaxing as the date went on.
For his part, he couldn't imagine feeling happier than he did when he was with her. Dating Natalie was a euphoric and completely new experience for him that he never wanted it to end. He'd finally started to live again after so long, and like he'd told her right before he'd almost kissed her in her living room so long ago, there was no going back from this - not that he would ever want to go back to being simply friends with this woman. But this - loving Natalie - this was for keeps. He wanted to keep this feeling and keep her this happy for the rest of their lives.
As the concert ended, Natalie's head drooped to his shoulder and she gazed at him through sleepy half-opened eyes. Monk wrapped her shawl around her, kissed her forehead and suggested that they head home. It was getting late and the temperature was dropping. She readily agreed and reached for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
When they returned home at around 9:30 PM, Monk was surprised to see Julie rushing through the house with a blue-jean jacket draped over her arm and her purse wrapped around her wrist. She frantically moved through the house, throwing the purse on the dining room table, and began looking under each and every chair. As they watched the spectacle, Monk gently took Natalie's shawl from off her shoulders and folded it as neatly and precisely as he could. The shawl had not been stitched correctly leaving it slightly asymmetrical, and Adrian wasn't quite sure how Natalie could even stand to wear it. Natalie sensed his displeasure at the seamstress' workmanship as he was folding it and took the shawl back from him with an amused grin.
"Hi honey, did you lose something?" Natalie asked as Julie continued her search. Julie had barely recognized they had come in and only looked up when she wanted to see what time it was according to the clock on the kitchen wall.
"Cell phone…cell phone…cell phone," Julie mumbled, her eyes now busily searching the living room furniture for any sign of her phone. Finding her phone in between two cushions of the couch, she let out a triumphant yell and tucked it into her pocket, then rushed to the table and grabbed her purse before running over to the window, apparently looking for her ride.
Seeing nobody was there yet, Julie let out a relieved sigh and immediately apologized for not greeting them properly when they returned home. "Sorry! I, uh, couldn't find my phone and my friends are going to be here soon. How was your date?"
"We had a wonderful time," Natalie admitted to her daughter, blushing and leaning back against Adrian when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek in front of Julie.
"Julie, you and Amy and Bethany have to be careful at the concert tonight," Natalie said. "I don't like the idea of you three out there by yourselves at night all alone."
"Mom, I'm eighteen, I'll be - "
Adrian's arms tightened around his Natalie's waist and he held her close, looking disapprovingly at Julie. "A concert? Neither of you said anything about a concert. Isn't it a little late for that?"
Julie blinked and did her very utmost to look innocent. "Didn't I? Must have slipped my mind. Mom said I could. Some friends from school and I are going to a Green Day down at the Independent tonight."
"Friends from school?" Adrian asked suspiciously.
"Yes. Amy and Bethany. You've seen them here before," she replied.
He still didn't look convinced, or any happier. "And you're going by yourselves, the three of you? There won't be any boys with you?" he asked.
Julie grinned. She hadn't seen Adrian ever acting so parental before. It was interesting, very interesting, and very eye-opening to where her mom and Adrian's relationship was heading even at this early stage.
"No, Adrian," she assured him, winking at her mom as she walked closer to the two of them. "No boys, I promise. So, no…you know..."
Adrian looked confused. Clearly he didn't know to what she was referring. So Julie whispered the words in his ear and Adrian flinched away from her, shooting her a look that had Natalie's shoulders shaking in her attempts not to laugh.
"Thank you, but that's not what I meant. Your mother is right to be concerned about three young women out by themselves in this big city at night. All sorts of bad stuff happens, all the time. Natalie," he whined, looking at his girlfriend. "Are you okay with this? You told her she could go?"
Natalie nodded. "Amy and Bethany have been Julie's best friends since she was twelve. You've met them. They're all responsible girls and they've had this planned for almost a month. They will be fine. Julie will be fine."
"I'm an adult now, Adrian. I remember everything that you two taught me about how to be careful and not to take chances and how to be aware of my surroundings. I'm not by myself. We'll be in a group. It'll be fine. Really," she told him. "I'll even tell you all about the concert tomorrow."
He furrowed his brow. "When are you going to be home?"
Julie's amused smile suddenly became mischievous, as for the second time that night, she straightened his lapel. She patted him on the chest. "I won't be coming home tonight. We're staying at Amy's for a study sleep-over."
Adrian's eyes grew wide and he swallowed nervously as the implication of Julie's words ran over and over again in his brain like a freight train barreling down the tracks. Julie wouldn't be back until the next morning, sometime. This would be the first night since their relationship had officially turned romantic that he and Natalie would be alone in the same house together all night. He knew how well things had been going and how much he and Natalie had enjoyed peeling back this new layer in their relationship, but he also knew the passions that had been stirred up ever since the dance, and suddenly became extremely nervous and uncomfortable. He sat down in a chair and rolled his neck and then looked up at Natalie who stood there in her beautiful dress looking stunning and wearing a flirtatious smile.
He closed his eyes. "M-maybe you could study here," he mumbled, but Julie had already left the room.
Natalie walked behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, resting her cheek against his. Her breath soft and warm in his ear, she whispered with emotion, "Thank you for worrying so much about my little girl. I am so, so grateful to have had you in her life all of these years, and I'm happy you're here now." She dared to take the chance. "I'm also happy she's leaving. We'll have some time to be alone."
As he sat still in his chair she nipped at his earlobe, slowly moving down to his neck and collarbone, continuing to kiss him. All too soon she stopped, and he thought perhaps he could begin to breathe somewhat normally again. But she started to massage his shoulders, murmuring something about how tense he was, all of a sudden, and he needed to relax. How were they supposed to have a nice night together if he didn't relax?
"I…I…I'm fine," he stammered in response, instinctively melting into her the more she touched him. "Natalie, please, I..."
A horn honking from outside interrupted them and Adrian silently blessed the obnoxiously loud noise. Julie came back into the room and glanced at Adrian and Natalie suspiciously. "Mom, before I leave, do you mind leaving Adrian and I alone for a minute?" She smiled at Adrian, a devilish masked-as-innocent smile that reminded him entirely of her mother when Natalie inevitably would convince him to do something he in no way wanted to do.
Natalie looked back and forth between her boyfriend and her daughter, cocking her head in confusion, before ultimately shrugging and telling Adrian she'd be right back after she changed out of her dress into something more conducive to couch-sitting.
The minute her mother was gone, Julie went to the front door and yelled to her friends that she'd be there in a minute and came back to sit by Adrian in the kitchen. She looked him up and down and grinned.
"As you know, I'm going to be leaving for the night." she began. "You and my mother will be alone all night for the first time since you started dating, and I just wanted to take a few minutes to see if you had any questions."
Adrian looked perplexed. "Questions? I..."
She put her hand on his arm in a way he was sure was supposed to be reassuring, but it only made him more nervous and confused.
She continued. "Just in case you wanted to...talk...You see, the years between fourteen and um...fifty-two are a very confusing time for a man, and you know...your body's changing..."
Adrian turned red and bowed his head so he wouldn't be able to look at her. He immediately understood the role reversal and his mind flashed back that weekend four years ago, to the embarrassment of giving a fourteen-year-old Julie the talk. He still didn't know who that had been more humiliating for - him or her. "Julie, stop..."
Her wide smile seemed to get even wider. She was enjoying this entirely too much. "You're going to start feeling things - new things - things you haven't felt before, and it might be confusing for you...you're going to wonder how to act and what to do..."
If it was possible for him to turn even more red, he would have. "Okay, Julie...I...your friends are waiting for you. It might be good for you to go now."
Julie giggled, watching his face carefully to make sure he was only embarrassed and mildly irritated with her and not genuinely upset. She saw how he struggled to maintain a straight face and relaxed. But she couldn't resist getting one last dig in. "I can call Commander Stottlemeyer if you'd rather talk to a boy about this."
He shot her a mock-glare and shooed her away. "No...no thank you. You go on and have a good evening with your friends. Be safe. We'll be here if you need anything and we'll come get you if you want us to, no questions asked."
Julie stood and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "If we have any trouble, which we won't, I have Commander Stottlemeyer's number and his wife's, too. I'll call them - so the two of you won't be disturbed." Julie winked. Then, she smiled and waved when he told her to call him or Natalie no matter what, and when she reached the front door she turned back for one last time and one last comment. "Adrian, for the record...I'm really happy for you and mom. I couldn't think of anyone better than you that I'd want her to date."