The first few days following Julie's exoneration were largely an exercise in avoidance - avoidance of phone calls, avoidance of visits, and particularly avoidance of the Press. The media circus was in full force that week, each tripping over the other trying to get that exclusive scoop; but, true to his word, Adrian Monk made sure that the honors went to Sam Scottsdale, who was permitted ten minutes with Julie and Powell and an exclusive photograph of the Teegers and Monk together. After that, the reporters seemed to dissipate, and Julie no longer made the headlines.
The news of her innocence spread quickly throughout Berkeley and the shocking story of Melody's efforts to frame her was the talk of the campus for around two weeks. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be Julie's friend. But Julie knew who her true friends were, and some of those friends wanted to throw her a party once she was free.
Knowing the dire straits that Leland was in at the time, Natalie asked them to postpone any festivities and suggested that they try back in a few weeks - a request that they complied with. But, once Leland was out of the woods and things had settled down, they renewed their call for a celebration and Natalie asked Adrian, who reluctantly agreed. It wasn't that he didn't want a celebration. He was ecstatic that the teen was free. It was the fact the party was going to be in his apartment that he objected to. Nevertheless, money was tight, particularly for the Teegers, and Julie still did not feel comfortable being out in public in a way that she would be the center of attention.
It had been five weeks since the events in the theater and the Teegers and Monk were slipping into their normal routine. Monk would wake up first and start the coffee then, in an example of his largesse, he would allow both of the girls to get their showers first. This was an inconvenience for two reasons. First, it required Monk to disinfect the shower twice before he would use it and second, because it assured the fact that there wouldn't be enough hot water left over for him to take one of his notoriously-long morning showers.
Monk wasn't the only one who had to adjust. During the first few weeks, Adrian would walk into the bathroom first thing in the morning and find women's lingerie hanging from his shower rod. Adrian, being who he was, couldn't think about such dainties existing much less talk about them; so, he would say nothing, but his overall demeanor told the tale. Soon, Natalie figured it out and coaxed the truth out of him, so they went and bought a portable drying rack and stored it in the bedroom and away from his gaze.
Unfortunately, this method of conflict avoidance was becoming the habit in their home. They'd run into an issue. He'd sulk for a while. Natalie would realize he was upset and would coax the truth out and then they'd make changes and adapt. Rinse. Repeat. They did this for as long as they could, which didn't end up being long at all.
It all began the night before the party. Julie was busy at a party supply store with her friends, Amy and Bethany, while Monk had gone to the grocery by himself leaving Natalie at home alone. Believing that she would have around an hour to herself before either Julie or Adrian came home, Natalie decided to alleviate a little the pressure on what she knew was going to be a busy morning the next day and drew herself a bath. If she timed it right, she would have a good half hour of relaxation before anyone else arrived back - that was, if she timed it right.
Unfortunately for Monk, she did not time it right.
She hadn't counted on Adrian making his way through the store in record time. He wanted to get home to vacuum and dust and knew he needed to get all of that done before the girls needed to get some sleep, so he practically ran through the store. What normally would have taken a half hour only took him twenty minutes and he was on his way home before anyone would have guessed.
When he arrived at the house, he honestly thought that the apartment was empty and that the girls were all busy picking up party supplies, so he went about his merry way emptying his grocery bags and restocking his shelves. He truly had no idea when he went into the bathroom to put away some cleaning supplies that he would not be alone.
Oblivious, he opened the bathroom door, making a mental note to tell Natalie and Julie to turn off the light when they were done so that they could save on electricity. Then he set a plastic bag on top of the sink and bent down and opened the cabinet. He filed everything away according to his set system and had just turned to throw away an empty plastic wrapper when he saw her. He didn't see all of her, thankfully, since she was covered in bubbles, but he saw enough of her that he almost hurt himself trying to back out of the bathroom with his eyes clamped shut.
Natalie had no idea that he had come in nor did she hear him leave. She had a beauty mask on her eyes and Julie's waterproof earbuds in her ears, so she was none the wiser. Once she came out of the bathroom and dressed, she was left with a few clues that something was off though, particularly when he would not make eye contact throughout the night. She tried to get him to talk about it but gave up when it was clear he wasn't budging. And, a couple of hours later, she went to bed without the question ever having been answered.
When the alarm went off in the morning, everything seemed back to normal. Julie was on the phone with Jared inviting him to her party and Adrian was busy cubing boiled potatoes for the potato salad he was making for the party. Natalie came into the kitchen, wrapped up in her bathrobe, and threw her arms around his waist. He was a little but surprised, but turned and greeted her with a smile and a kiss.
"Good morning, lovely lady." he said, as he continued to dice.
"Good morning fine gentleman. Are you feeling better today?"
He sloughed off the comment. "What? Why would you ask that? I'm fine..."
"Oh, I don't know. You seemed distracted yesterday." she responded.
Monk grinned at her and gently touched the tip of her nose with his fingertip. "That's my diligent business partner. Always trying to sniff out when something's wrong. But really, sweetheart, I'm fine."
"Okay." she answered incredulously. "If you say so. You were just really quiet."
"I wasn't quiet." he denied. "Julie, was I quiet last night?"
Julie told Jared to hold on. "Yeah, Adrian. You were a bit quiet. Except for that high pitched squeal you made every so often."
Monk laughed. "Squeal? I didn't squeal. Natalie, did I squeal? I didn't squeal."
Natalie simply poured herself a cup of coffee and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you're feeling better." she said as she walked into the dining room.
Julie hung up the phone and walked over and hugged her mom with a big smile on her face.
"You're an awfully happy girl this morning." Natalie said.
Julie bounced on her heels. "I guess I'm just excited. So many people are coming tonight. Amy and Bethany and Lindsay and the other Julie, and..."
"Jared?" Natalie asked.
Julie paused and smiled a bashful smile. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with him. He is coming over with Max."
"Are we certain of that young man's intentions?" Adrian asked.
"Who? Jared?" Julie responded. "Listen, he's been nothing but a gentleman to me. And, we're just friends."
"Okay…I only ask because, believe it or not, I was a young man once and I remember how it was. Hormones raging. You're just not thinking straight. I remember I was out on a date with a girl when I was around seventeen."
"You dated someone besides Trudy?" Julie asked as Natalie listened in.
"Oh...oh yeah. I dated a few girls aside from Trudy. Several, actually...well, two...actually, one, and that one was set up by..." he put his hand over his mouth and almost whispered "my mother..." Julie and Natalie gave knowing glances at one another.
"So, what happened on your date due to your hormones raging?" Natalie asked.
Monk laughed. "I'm glad you asked." he snickered. "We were at a carnival down near Harbor Point, and I was playing the memory game, which, of course, I won. And I won her a big stuffed dog, or was it a moose? It was brown, whatever it was. It may have been a squirrel."
"And what happened?" Julie asked.
"Oh, we had such a great time that afternoon that I almost didn't get her back to the bus on time to go home." he replied.
Natalie and Julie looked at one another.
"Why was that?" Natalie asked.
He stopped dicing potatoes. "Well, duh! Hormones! It is a scientifically proven fact that when young men are coming of age that they become more forgetful. I totally forgot to check my watch."
Julie bit her lip as Natalie asked "That was it? You lost track of time? That's your big hormonal story?"
"Yeah." Monk replied. "What did you think?"
Natalie shook her head. "I don't know, honey. You and I had drastically different childhoods. That's for sure."
"Did you ever date her again?" Julie asked.
Adrian moved the cutting board to the sink and began to rinse it with hot water. "No. Never did. Within a week, she moved to Spain."
"She moved to another country?! What did you do to her?" she asked.
"Julie!" Natalie scolded.
"Well, Mom. That's what he said. One date with him and she's off on a plane or boat to another continent!" Julie teased.
Monk grinned. "That's not exactly how it went. Actually, it was me who didn't want to go out with her any more. "
"Oh?" Julie asked. "Did she try to hold your hand or something?"
"No. Julie. She didn't." Adrian replied, reaching into the refrigerator for a jar of mayonnaise and taking it back to the counter. "I wasn't one of these guys who just had to date. I mean, not that I could have if I wanted to, but I always felt like I had seen too many people just flop in and out of relationships, swearing that each one was 'the one' and ending up heartbroken. I figured I would wait, and that philosophy has served me well, I think. I waited for Trudy and then after I lost her, I never really expected to find love again. But even though it was a little less voluntary because I wasn't really ready for a long time, you could say I waited for your Mom too. And I'm not the least bit sorry about either decision."
Natalie smiled. "Awe...I am not sorry either, sweetheart. I love you."
"I love you more." he replied.
Julie rolled her eyes. "I'd say get a room, but I'd get scolded again. In all the time that I've seen you with Mom, I've never seen you pursued or pursue another woman."
"He's had opportunities." Natalie replied.
"Like who?" Monk asked, stirring the potato salad.
"Marci Maven." she smiled causing Monk to frown. "Or, Cora…"
Monk cringed.
"Those women were not opportunities. They were flat out crazy! And I don't use that label lightly! Flat out nuts!"
"True…then there was… Leyla."
"Leyla Zlatavich. There's a name I haven't heard in a while. That was just me being lonely. I shut down so long that she was a nice safe option to pursue for a bit, but she never would have worked out." he replied.
"But you liked her." Natalie replied.
"I did." he said. "But I love you. Just couldn't take that step at the time, nor could I admit it. You...you were not a safe option. You had my heart."
At six-fifteen, the doorbell rang and Julie ran to the door and let Amy and Bethany in. Adrian was by the coat closet grabbing Natalie's jacket because he planned on taking her out for a night on the town. It had been about five months since they had experienced a nice stress-free date, and since Julie was going to have his apartment busy with friends, he could think of no better timing than the present to show his girl his love in some tangible way.
"We're here! The others should be here shortly. I was talking with Derrick and he is going to bring Sarah too." Amy said.
Julie smiled. "Great! I ordered the pizza and the driver should be here about seven. This is going to be great."
"Jared coming?" Bethany giggled, catching both Natalie and Adrian's attention.
"Yeah." Julie said shyly. "He'll be here."
Natalie walked into the living room and slipped her arms through her coat sleeves as Adrian held the coat.
"You all have a good time tonight." she said. "And, if you all need anything, just call me or Adrian while we're out."
Julie grinned. "Mom, I'm almost nineteen. Everything will be fine, and there will be no need to call you. Besides, don't you and Adrian have a snogging deficit that you have to alleviate?" She elbowed her Mom in the arm.
Natalie blushed when Monk simply raised his eyebrows up and down and stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Your mother and I are going to dinner and a show. What we do afterwards…who can tell?"
Natalie's mouth gaped and Julie laughed, giving them both a hug. "Well, whatever it is, have fun - and remember, she needs to be home by eleven o'clock. I know how you hormonal men get, so don't forget."
Natalie laughed out loud as an embarrassed Adrian walked out the door, passing Jared and Max Stottlemeyer as they came the other way. The party was on.
After a beautiful evening having filet mignon and watching a symphony orchestra play oldies that both of them knew and loved, Monk and Natalie walked hand in hand along the bridge next to the bay. She stayed on the inside and he stayed closer to the water so that he could reach out and touch every single lamp post while they walked and enjoyed one another's company. After a while, the two sat down on a park bench and Natalie leaned her head against Monk's shoulder, and he listened contentedly as she hummed some of the songs. Soon, he stood up and extended his hand, asking her if she wanted to dance.
"But there's no music." she said, standing but confused.
"There isn't?" he asked, taking her by the hand and pulling her to him, swaying in the silence. "I guess you're right. That must be my heart I'm hearing." he said, dipping her low then bring her back to him where he nuzzled his face into her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his shoulder, gently caressing his back as a tear slid down her face. Monk heard her sniffle and pulled back, worried that he had done something wrong.
"Is it something I did?" he asked, stopping his dance.
She smiled softly and looked up in his eyes. "No, Adrian. Nothing's wrong at all. I was just standing here thinking about how finally, after all we've been through, everything is oh so right."
Adrian's lips curved into a smile and he leaned down and kissed her. "I couldn't agree more." he replied, just as it started to drizzle rain.
Natalie looked up at the sky. "Really? You ordered rain?" she laughed.
"Don't look at me." he said. "It was probably your mother."
"Oh, stop!" she said, smacking him lightly on the chest. "She's got nothing to do with us anymore."
He kissed her again. "That's just as well." he replied. "She'd do her best to try to interfere in your life and our relationship if she were...uh...hey, Natalie..." he said as it began to rain harder.
"What?" she asked, raising her clutch above her head.
Monk took off his jacket and held it over her head and elicited a snort and a laugh when he asked, "You wanna go back to the car and do some necking?"
"Adrian Monk!" she said, feigning shock, but when he ducked his eyes giving her his best attempt at a seductive look, she bit her lip, grabbed his jacket, took off running and winked at him, yelling, "Race ya!" as the rains came down.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when a drenched Adrian and Natalie made their way back to the apartment, surprised to see the crowd still there. Julie and her friends had turned Monk's living room into a makeshift game-room/dance-hall with loud music and louder laughter permeating the air the moment they walked through the door. Natalie had to grab Adrian's hand when she saw him roll his shoulder over a couple making out on his living room couch, and she intervened immediately when they walked into the kitchen and saw a teen girl laying on her back on top of his kitchen island while her friends made a game of trying to lob cubes of Jello from Monk's kitchen spoons into her mouth from the other end of the counter.
"Butts off the counter!" she commanded, shooing the teens away. She let go of Monk's hand to grab some paper towels to clean up their mess but was a second too late when Adrian slipped on something they had spilled on his floor and flopped down upon the tile.
"Oh gosh!" she exclaimed, running around the corner and finding Monk shaking his hands in mid-air and asking for a wipe. Whatever he had landed in was a sticky and slimy mess. Natalie cleaned him up and helped him up then suggested he go back in the back and change into something clean and more comfortable while she tried to get rid of the kids. Adrian quietly nodded and squeezed past the kids to his clothes rack, only to shrink back in horror as he found someone had laid their pizza slice right on top of his clothes hangers. He found something clean and then squeezed back towards his bathroom only to find that someone had recently used it who evidently had dinner than had not agreed with their system. The stench made him nauseous.
Loud music. Laughing kids. Swapping spit. Ugly smells. Laying on counters. Food on floor. It was all more than Monk could take and without Natalie or Julie realizing, he took his keys and one of his umbrellas and quietly left his own apartment, taking a walk in the rain until the last person had left.
Natalie and Julie sat on the couch in the quietness of Monk's home, waiting and worrying about where he had gone and what shape he would be in when he returned. At ten minutes after twelve, they both tensed when they heard his keys slip into the lock and the front door opened. He placed his umbrella on the hook and turned it the appropriate direction, then slipped his jacket off his shoulders revealing that somewhere along the way he had been to a store and had purchased a new pair of pants and a pullover and had changed. Since he didn't have the old clothes with him, Natalie assumed he had thrown them away.
He walked down the hall and to the living room door, looking in at the girls who sat in the tense stance as if they were both in trouble and had been sent to the principal's office. Julie expected a lecture and Natalie expected a melt-down but both women were pleasantly surprised when he walked into his living room, seeming to take everything in stride.
"You're both still up?" he asked, setting his keys down on the end table.
Natalie looked at him. "Yeah. We were concerned. You left. Are you okay?"
"We tried to clean up a bit." Julie added.
Monk looked around his apartment and things had definitely been straightened up, though he knew in his head that he would need to scrub the room from ceiling to floor the next day to be satisfied, but rather than complain, he just shook his head and said "Looks good. We'll get the rest tomorrow."
Natalie and Julie looked at one another and then back at Monk. "You sure you're okay?" Julie asked.
Adrian sat down in his chair and looked over at them. "I'm fine. Really. Just a little tired."
Natalie took that as a hint and touched Julie on the leg and nodded for her to get up. Julie walked over to Adrian and gave him a hug.
"Thank you for letting me have the party here tonight. It was a lot of fun. Sorry about the mess." she said.
"That's okay, Julie. I'm just happy you had a good time. Have a good night's sleep." he replied.
As Julie disappeared into the bedroom, Natalie brought Adrian a bottle of Summit Creek and got on her knees in front of him in front of the chair.
"I know you're about to burst right now, so please, don't hold it in for my sake. I want you to get it all out. Feel free to say what you think." she said, closing her eyes.
The next thing she felt were his lips pressed to hers, and then his hands reaching under her arms and pulling her up onto his lap. He finished with the kiss and she sat there with his arms around her waist and her arms around his neck.
"What I think is that I love you. And I'm happy that Julie was happy tonight and I got to spend the night with the prettiest girl in town." he said.
She smiled and kissed him back. "Well, I hate we inconvenienced you."
"Noooo...you didn't inconvenience anyone. Julie just acted like this is her home, which it is. She and her friends did exactly as I had hoped they would...minus a bit of mess. Hey gorgeous, no worrying tonight. Today was a day for everyone to just relax and not worry about anything. Besides, we can clean up real good tomorrow and I've got everything handled, so no worries here at all."
She looked lovingly into his beautiful browns and said "You never cease to amaze me, Adrian Monk. Just when I think I've got you figured out, you surprise me."
Monk smiled, "Good. I was afraid I was boring you."
"Boring me? Are you kidding?"
"No. Do I kid?"
She leaned in and kissed him tenderly, placing her hand just under his collar onto his chest. Soon, their soft kiss became more passionate to the degree that Adrian had to break the kiss. Breathlessly he looked her in the eyes.
"It's getting late, sweetheart, and we have a busy day tomorrow. I think it's time to go to b...to sleep." he said.
She looked him in the eyes and a soft grin appeared. "Okay, Mr. Monk. You're probably right." she said, standing. "Time for both of us to go to sleep."
He stood up and wrapped his arms around her kissing the top of her head. "Sleep well my love." he said, to which she kissed him one more time. "You too, love you."
"Love you more. Good night." he said, kissing her forehead and sending her off to bed.
When the morning alarm went off, Natalie got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Adrian was nowhere in sight. She was about to call his cell phone when the door swung open. He was up and shaved and energetic with a smile on his face.
"Good morning, gorgeous!" he said, coming into the kitchen, laying the newspaper on the counter and wrapping his arm around her waist, planting several kisses on her neck.
"Well, good morning!" she replied. "You were out early."
"I picked up the paper." he stated, "and went down the street to fill up the gas tank. It was almost below half a tank."
"Sounds like you've been busy. I didn't even hear the shower come on." she replied.
He paused for a moment. "I tried to be quiet. Are you hungry?"
"A little. But you don't have to wait on me, really." she said.
"Nonsense." he replied. "Just sit down and read me the paper, and I will treat my queen to some bacon and eggs."
"Sounds delicious!" she responded.
While Adrian pulled a carton of eggs out of the freezer, Natalie poured through the paper, reading to him snippets of stories that she thought he would find interesting. After a while, he laid her plate down on the counter in front of her chair then went to make himself something to eat as well. He continued to listen as she read, then after a while he sat down and they read various sections separately and silently to themselves.
Natalie took a peek at the classifieds and was thrilled to discover that their late friend Keven Dorfman's apartment directly above Adrian's was once again for rent. Because she had felt for a while that she and Julie were being too much of an imposition upon him in his tiny apartment, she had secretly been looking for an apartment of their own close to him for a couple of weeks. She honestly didn't want to move out at all, but she knew living with them was a daily challenge and she felt the tension it caused. This would be perfect. She could have her cake and eat it too. She would surprise him by announcing she was moving out, only to let him know it would be just upstairs.
