Chicken pot pie night was a weekly tradition for as long as Monk could remember. His mother used to make the meal when he was a child and Trudy used her recipe. This in turn was passed on to Sharona who made the meal in order to provide something familiar and comforting during a time where nothing was comforting or familiar. Finally, it was passed on to Natalie who picked up the custom. Julie was not a big fan of chicken pot pie, but she tolerated it because she knew how much Adrian loved it. And, on this particular day, she decided to surprise him by making it for him herself, from scratch.
Monk was a creature of habit who was resistant to change, so Natalie stiffened a bit when she cut through the crust and saw asparagus tips mixed in with the vegetables; but she was impressed when he ate it all. She was amazed that he did so without complaint and knew that the reason he was able to do this was his fervent desire to have things go well between himself and his soon-to-be-official step daughter. Despite the fact that Julie adored Monk as a father, he still wanted things to run smoothly between them, particularly with a wedding coming up. And, they were. Unfortunately, they had not been running as smoothly between the bride and groom, at least for a couple of days.
It all started on Monday morning. Adrian got up earlier than usual, beginning his routine before the girls got up. He slipped out of bed, left the apartment to do his rounds, and came home just in time to brew some coffee before Natalie's alarm clock was scheduled to go off. What he didn't expect was that when he walked through the door, Natalie would be sitting in the dining room in her bathrobe waiting to pounce the moment he came home.
"Well, good morning, sweetheart!" he said, smiling as walked over and gave her a good morning kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I'd like to ask the same of you." She replied, arms crossed and drumming her fingers on the outside of her arms. "I'm up because I know you've not been using our shower for the past several weeks and I want to know where it is you've been running off to at five-thirty every morning."
Monk said nothing and only turned his head, walking over to hang up his jacket as Natalie watched. Next, he walked into the kitchen to the coffee pot. Filling the carafe with a bottle of water he had waiting on the counter, he shrugged. "That's actually funny. Me, not shower? You're quite the comedian oh fiancée of mine! Hilarious, really."
"Don't try to obfuscate the facts, Adrian Monk. I didn't say you weren't showering. I said you weren't showering here. I placed a used toothbrush in between your towels in your cubby three days ago and those towels haven't moved an inch. You haven't complained. The hamper has remained empty. You are not showering here, and I want to know where it is you are going."
Monk grimaced at the toothbrush remark, making note he would now need to incinerate those towels, but then looked up at her with innocent eyes. "You know, you're beautiful when you're angry."
"Don't change the subject." She frowned with one eyebrow raised.
Monk placed the carafe onto the coffeemaker stand and pressed the on button, then turned to her and shrugged. "Natalie, you're just going to have to trust me. I'm not doing anything bad. Just let me do my thing and don't worry about it."
"Do your thing.? Adrian, we're engaged now. Your thing is my thing and I'm not letting you off the hook. You need to tell..."
"Hey, what's going on?" Julie's groggy voice interrupted, coming from out of the bedroom. "Are you two fighting?"
Natalie and Monk looked at each other and then apologized for waking her and told her no, they weren't fighting, they were just talking. That ended the discussion for the time being. But the tension remained between them throughout the rest of the day.
Tuesday morning, things were so strained that Monk had to pull Natalie aside to ask her to table her anger. If she was upset, it would make it hard for him to concentrate and if he couldn't concentrate, then the crime likely wouldn't be solved and they wouldn't be paid. She retorted that he could just tell her where he had been going and their stress would cease, but when he was not forthcoming, she did her best to remain professional and then barely talked to him until afternoon.
It was the second day of the standoff and it was clear to her that he was not going to tell her what was going on. So, when he ducked out of the house for a few minutes after lunch, she tried to follow him. She was surprised to see that he went to the gym. The gym seemed like the last place he would go, not only because of the germs therein but also because he was already in pretty good shape. She sat in the car perplexed, watching and waiting for him to return. He, in turn, walked in one door and walked back out a different door on the opposite side of the building. It made her jump when he knocked on her window. She rolled it down and put her hand on her forehead in embarrassment.
"If you're going to follow me, sweetheart, you'll have to develop better methods than that." He said. "Remember what I told you about reflective surfaces when we were tailing Karen Stottlemeyer?"
She nodded. She remembered.
"I'll have to teach you some better techniques whenever I get the chance." He continued. "But for now, please don't follow me. We'll talk soon. I promise. But not just now. Let me have this little space, and eventually, I'll fill you in."
Driving back to his apartment, she parked the car and went back inside, and around forty minutes later he came back in looking refreshed and ready to start again.
All of this concealment of what he was doing left her frustrated, confused, and feeling like he didn't trust her; and, it made for another unpleasant day between her and her fiancé.
By the time they got home that evening, she was tired and cranky and defeated and no longer wanted to talk about anything at all; but she put up the front for Julie's sake and Adrian knew that was precisely what she was doing. He looked at her as the family sat there and conversed over dinner. Even perturbed at him, she was just so cute. Still, he didn't want to press his luck. She was mad at him, he knew, and though he had resisted telling her what he was doing because of the hornets' nest he was afraid it would stir up, he knew not telling her was escalating into something worse, so he determined to tell her everything once Julie had gone to bed.
The three finished eating and Adrian and Julie enjoyed a little additional time together cleaning up the dishes and talking about what options Julie was considering for furthering her education. His advice to her was to do what she loved and to not let fear get in her way. He loved doing detective work and it was the one thing in life that he felt he was good at. It was one decision in life, he said, he never regretted.
With those words, Natalie began to withdraw as her paranoia and imagination began to work against her. Did Adrian regret her? she wondered. He had asked her to marry him. Was he having second thoughts?
For the past several months, she had been decidedly high maintenance and he had been a prince. Now that everything was over, they had begun to drop back into their old patterns where she was more of his rock while he solved the crimes. Maybe he grew weary of supporting her, she thought. But just as soon as that thought made its way into her brain, she dismissed it. He wouldn't have asked her to marry him if he wasn't 100% sure about them. Not Adrian Monk. So, there had to be another explanation. If he would only open up.
Monk perceived the shift in Natalie's demeanor, but he said nothing until Julie went to bed. At that point, he decided it was time to talk.
He waited for the door to his bedroom to shut and then took Natalie by the hands, pulling her to her feet and wordlessly caused her to walk with him into the living room, motioning for her to sit on the couch. She wasn't sure what he was going to say, so she nervously obliged. He then took both of her hands in his and kissed them and sat beside her.
"Okay. I don't think we finished our conversation in the car, and we need to get it all out in the open. I know you're feeling suspicious of me and something's going on up in that head of yours that's causing you to doubt me, and I don't want you going to bed unhappy. So, now, I'm ready to talk. Ask me anything." he started.
She was quiet for a little while as she studied his features. There was no deception in his eyes, only love and concern. This made her feel guilty. Why on earth would she ever doubt this man?
She sighed. "I guess I'm just tired, and worried, and maybe...a tad, hormonal"
Monk's face did not betray any discomfort at her mention of hormones because he knew his one job was to set her mind at ease, but inside all sorts of things were going on in his head. He quickly pushed them back and focused on his love. "Okay, getting a good night's sleep will help the first part, but what about that second part? What are you worried about? I know you've been wanting to know where I've been going, and I'll tell you, but first I want to know why it has you so upset." he asked.
She looked up at him and sniffed. "It's about us. I guess I am worried about us. I'm afraid that all of this has been too much. I mean it's one thing for you to support us when Julie was going through what she was going through, but it's another thing to have us move in here and take over your life. And now, with a wedding…I know how you're resistant to change, and I'm afraid maybe you may have leapt too soon and bit off more than you could chew. Maybe ten months wasn't long enough to get used to the idea of - us."
Adrian smiled softly and gently caressed her arm. "Natalie. I would have asked you at ten days, but I wasn't sure of what you would think." he said. "Are you sure this isn't about something else?"
"No, Adrian. Well, not really. I mean, you've been so gracious in making us feel comfortable, but I have felt bad about imposing upon you for a while. I- I didn't want to tell you, but I've been looking for another place for Julie and I to live. I saw an apartment for rent in this building but when I called, it was already gone, so I've been looking elsewhere, but still nearby. I really think, maybe, it's time for us to move out."
Monk's demeanor grew serious. "Are you unhappy with me? Are you having second thoughts about us getting married?" he said with an innocence and hurt in his eyes that broke her heart.
"Oh gosh, Adrian. No. Sweetheart." She said, grabbing his hand. "I'm worried that you're unhappy with me. We've been bickering all week, and that's not healthy. And, I think, I know what you're doing when you leave and go on your morning walks."
"You do?" Monk asked.
"Yes. And don't deny it." she said. "Having us move in with you has been a lot harder than you anticipated. We're in your space all the time and you've been alone for so many years. I am afraid you're regretting this arrangement, and maybe even regretting a little of us. You're leaving in the morning just to get some space away from us."
Monk looked her in the eyes, opened his mouth and then said nothing, only shook his head.
"What? Am I right?" she asked, a little frightened that she may have hit the nail on the head.
Monk closed his mouth and a small smile crept up on his lips. "Natalie, what on earth put that thought into your head? Sweetheart, I have zero regrets regarding us and I absolutely LOVE having you and Julie living here with me. It is the highlight of my life right now. I don't want you ever to think that I'm unhappy with you or us or having you and Julie with me. I love you both and each day that passes I love you even more, so please, never doubt that."
"But you still have to get away from me. You are leaving in the morning to get as far away from me as you can." she sniffed, still unconvinced.
Adrian laughed. "Yeah, I'm getting up early in the morning to leave. I need to - to go do my business!"
Natalie looked over at him and started to speak, but her words halted when his statement caught up to her brain. "See. It's the tru...Huh? Would you repeat that?"
He smiled. "I leave the house every morning so I can go do my business, then I come back so I can be with you."
"What do you mean? What business do you have to do at five-thirty in the morning? Nothing is open."
Monk sighed and shook his head but did not immediately answer. Instead, he stood up and walked over to his closet, opened the door and reached in his jacket pocket. He retrieved his key chain and then silently walked over to her, taking her by the hand and dragging her up from her seat and over and out the door.
"Where are we going?" she asked. "I'm in my bathrobe."
"You look beautiful." He replied. "Come, follow me."
They walked down the hall and to the stairwell then up one flight of stairs. Adrian held her hand as he then walked her to apartment 3G. She recognized it as Kevin Dorfman's old apartment, the one that had recently been advertised but went very quickly. She gaped at him and her eyes grew wide in disbelief.
"You…?" She wasn't really sure what to say after that because she truly had no clue what he was doing or why they were going up to Kevin's old apartment. So, she just closed her mouth and followed his lead.
Unlocking the door, he stretched out his arm inviting her to enter first. As he flipped on the lights, she walked into a nearly identical apartment as the one below, only this one appeared completely unfurnished.
"This, my lovely lady, is where I've been going at five-thirty every morning and several times during the day."
Standing in hallway in the apartment outside the living room she turned and looked at him. "You're going here? I don't understand."
Monk smiled knowingly, as if he had some obvious secret that she was going to kick herself for, for not figuring out. Of course, that was assuming too much because only the mind of Adrian Monk would have cooked up a scheme like this.
"Think!" he replied, staring at her as if she should know. When she remained silent, he shook his head and took her by the hand, walking down to the end of the hallway and turning on the light to what was obviously the bathroom. He motioned for her to come in.
She entered the brightly lit room and saw inside that the bathroom was fully stocked with all of Adrian's personal items as well as fresh towels and a few of his signature brown bathrobes hanging on hooks. As she took in the scene, she couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked several times as she tried to figure out why things were as they were. Finally, she said to herself think like Adrian and then it dawned on her what exactly he had been doing. She even figured out why.
"Excuse me. You're renting an apartment so that you can have your own bathroom?!" she asked, incredulously.
Adrian stood in front of her with his head held high and a proud smile on his face. "Yes, ma'am. Dr. Bell has always encouraged me to find more constructive and creative ways than sulking to deal with conflict so I thought of this."
"Conflict? Who was having conflict?" she asked.
"Well, you and Julie always wanted to have the bathroom to yourselves and a place to hang your lady things and hang out, and I had my way of doing things that wasn't really working with yours, so I thought of this." He replied.
"We moved our lady things out of the bathroom several weeks ago and were very careful to try not to disrupt your way of doing things. Try again." She replied.
"Well, there were other things. The schedule for showering, for instance." He said.
"Which we could have changed." She replied.
"I know, but I didn't want you to have to. And, then, there's the times where you might want to just go relax in the tub that wasn't in the schedule." He replied.
"We never did tha…well, I did, but only once. When you weren't home." She replied, almost immediately seeing him blush red. "You weren't home…were you?"
Monk didn't answer.
"Adrian? Did you come home early the day I took that bath?" she asked.
"The landlord gave me a really good deal." He replied, looking around the bathroom and towards the ceiling.
"That wasn't my question. You didn't…you didn't see me, did you?" she asked. "Adrian Monk?"
He closed his eyes and winced. Looking pathetically at his fiancée he replied, "I saw…lots of… bubbles."
"Bubbles?" she asked, as he blushed even more. Tilting her head, she stepped a step closer to him. "And what else did you see?"
Monk raised his eyebrows defensively. "N-nothing! I swear!" he stammered. "I w-wasn't looking a-and y-you were c-covered, at least most of the way, a-and…"
"Adrian, it's okay. You're going to see it all someday anyway." She replied, reaching forward her hand to touch him on the cheek as he closed his eyes and swallowed.
Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "Anywayyyyy….um…where was I?"
"Bubbles." She grinned, suppressing the laugh that threatened to escape as she took pleasure in his discomfort.
"Yeah. Bubbles. And, maybe a little skin."
"Ohhhh…skin?" she teased, running one finger under his collar against his neck. He rolled his neck and twitched.
"Yeah" he said nervously, motioning with his hands across the top of his chest and shoulders. "Just a little…b…b- but nothing too revealing! I promise."
"I see…" she answered, coyly.
"Natalie, I invaded your privacy, even though I didn't mean to, really, I promise, and I wasn't looking…"
"You said that." She grinned.
"Yeah, but I really want you to know I wasn't trying to look…much…but I'm sorry, and I knew right then that I had to take the initiative to do something about the bathroom situation, so I thought it through and, anyway, I thought that this was a win-win solution."
She laughed out loud. "Spending twice the rent every month to use one room is a win-win? These bubbles must have gone to your brain! What did you do with my fiancé?" she asked, reaching up and stroking his face.
He looked up at her to see if she was angry, and when he only saw a loving smile he relaxed.
"So, you're not mad?" he asked.
She chortled, "Why would I be? You didn't do it on purpose."
Monk shook his head vigorously, no, he didn't and Natalie told him all was okay.
Relaxing a bit, he took her by the hand and led her out of the bathroom, flicking off the light behind them. "Thank you. I'm glad you're not mad. That…that wouldn't be good. Oh, and it's not as silly as you think. In fact, I don't just use one room." he reasoned, walking her into the empty kitchen and opening the pantry.
"I store extra soap and some bottles of water here in the closet."
"Unbelievable!" she murmured. She shook her head in amazement and sighed as she thought about what he had done, of what them living with him had caused him to do. Finally, in exasperation she exclaimed, "Adrian! Don't you see? We've pushed you out of your bedroom and now out of your bathroom too! I can't believe you'd go and do something like this. I can't believe you'd waste all that money when you could just ask us to leave. I mean, your apartment is nice, but it's really not big enough for three adults. We would have fully understood." she replied.
Monk looked at her very seriously and took her by the hand with his right hand. He then took his left hand and brushed a little hair away from her cheek. "Sweetheart. I know things are a bit cramped, and really, you're the one who has had to adjust. You're used to having a whole house to the two of you and even had room for me to stay in. Now, we're having to make do with this one-bedroom apartment that, you're right, is not quite big enough. But you know, as tight as things are, I don't want you to move. You both have brought such life and joy into that place. You've made it into a home, and I can't bear the thought of it just being me in there alone again."
The sadness in his eyes and his sincerity melted her heart, even as her mind struggled with the thought that her brilliant boyfriend hadn't even considered the obvious solution to their overcrowding problem.
"Adrian. Honey." she spoke slowly, determined not to insult him. "I appreciate what you're saying and all, I really do, and you're really sweet. But, did you happen to think before you rented this apartment so you could have your own bathroom, that maybe Julie and I could move in here and you could live one floor below?"
Monk furrowed his brow. "Of course, I did, Nat-lee. I'm not dumb. But, here's the thing…that would mean you would have to move out and I don't want you to move out. I love our family dinners and movie night and playing games and cleaning the apartment together and folding clothes and…well, I really don't want to miss seeing your beautiful face first thing every morning."
She smiled and leaned forward, kissing him on the lips. "Oh, you beautiful, beautiful man of mine. Honey, that's why we're getting married." She smiled and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled, letting his imagination transport him to that day - then he looked sad as he thought of the time.
"But, that's not for another four months." He said.
Natalie paused, for a moment considering his frame of mind. "True." She responded. "But…I really think you're thinking about this all wrong. Here. Come with me."
She took Adrian by the hand and led him over by the window. Unlocking the window, she then raised it and began to climb to the fire escape just outside.
"Wh-what...what are you doing?!" he asked, alarmed. "D-Don't do that. You'll fall and get hurt or killed or something."
Natalie shook her head. "I'm not going to fall. There's a railing." she said, tugging on the metal barrier.
"No! Don't shake that. It might c-collapse on you." he said.
"You worry too much." She said as she started climbing down the stairs towards the floor below. A frightened Monk stood in the window looking down at her and tried to avoid looking at the ground.
"Natalie! Come back up here this instant!" he demanded.
"See! I'm down at your apartment!" she said.
"Natalie. Okay. Yeah, that's good. That's fine. I know where I live. Now...c-come b-back up here and get inside." he begged.
"Think of it as our personal balcony!" she mused.
"Romeo and Juliet had a balcony and you know how that ended up for them! Now, get back up here!" he said.
"Or you'll what?" she teased. He did not laugh and she realized he really starting to feel anxious. Quickly, she climbed back up the ladder and through the window and barely had a moment to do anything else before he had grabbed her with both arms, holding her tightly and burying his face in her shoulder. He was literally shaking.
"Honey. It's okay." She said, giving him a comforting hug and patting his back as she calmed him down. "I'm sorry that I scared you."
"Don't ever do that again." he said. "I could have lost you."
"You weren't going to lose me." she said. "I just wanted to show you that if we moved up here, it would be kinda like when you were living at my house. You were downstairs and we were upstairs, but it was the same place. Now obviously, if you wanted to, I would give Julie this apartment and move in with you, but I respect your standards and suspect you would say no for the same reasons that you said no to staying in my house before. I know you're afraid of us going too far."
He didn't say anything at first and she wondered what he was thinking until she felt a tear fall on her shoulder. She pushed him forward a bit to look at his face and then pulled him in again for a hug. "Honey, what's wrong?"
He stood up and wiped his face, "Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Everything is right."
He took her hand and led her away from the window, then shut it with both hands. Taking her into the kitchen he picked her up and sat her on the kitchen counter then lifted himself up and sat right beside her.
"Sorry. I don't have any chairs." He explained. "Now that we're engaged, I think there is something I need to explain. It's about us…well, being intimate."
Natalie's attention was immediately in his grasp. For Adrian Monk to volunteer his feelings about intimacy was huge. It said how much he trusted her. It also said how much he had improved since she met him.
"I…I would love for us just to move in together but we can't because of several things. One, you're right, you're just too much of a temptation for me. Just the least little thing, a look a smile, a wink – and I'm yours. I don't think you realize the um...what was it you called it? The superpower you have over me."
She smiled.
"Yeah. That smile. That's your superpower. But second, I couldn't tell you this that night, but a big reason I decided to move out was that when we…um…" he closed his eyes and was quiet for a second, and she patiently waited for him to continue. "When, we um... make it around all four plates…"
Natalie grinned. "Oh, we're going to play baseball?"
He smirked slightly then bowed his head, playing with his fingers. "No. Nat-leeeee…." He looked down at the ground, bashfully. "I -I know you want me to be able to talk openly about all of this...you know. And, for you, I'm trying. But, if I can just say it in my own way, I would feel more comfortable."
"Of course, honey. I interrupted. I'm sorry. Please continue."
He paused for a moment for courage. "Well, as I was saying...um...when we...you know...um...you know, g-go...all the way- I want it very much to be on our wedding night. You may think it's old fashioned or weird, but…"
"No, Adrian, I don't. If you think that's the right time, then it's the right time. I'm willing to wait for you, because you're worth it." She said.
"Well, I don't know about that." He blushed. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I have next to no experience."
"Sweetheart, I'm not going to be disappointed." she replied. "I'm so looking forward to being your wife and for us to finally be joined together, but we're going to have the rest of our lives to grow in our relationship and get to know each other in every way. I'm not expecting anything in particular because it is all so new, for both of us. When we come together, this is going to put a whole new spin on how we view each other. It really is exciting when you think about it."
He laid his head against hers and smiled. "It is."
After several minutes of just sitting in the quiet apartment together, she continued their earlier conversation. "So, I think that is our solution. Julie and I take over renting this place and you get your apartment back.
"C-could I come visit you whenever I wanted?" he asked.
"Absolutely." she said.
Then he got a devilish grin on his face.
"What? What are you thinking?" she asked.
"Would you come downstairs and snog with me while the late shows are playing like we did when I lived at your house?" he asked.
She laughed. "Most definitely. But remember, we have our goals to watch out for."
He grinned. "I will be on my best-isshhh behavior."
She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then welcome to my home, neighbor."
"Welcome home." He replied, kissing her. "But, only for the next four months. Your real home is with me. And when that happens, I'll even let you share my sink."
