A/N:As you will notice, I've taken several liberties with the timeline of this story so the events that happened on the show won't be in sync.

Adrian was hard at work doing an almost impossible task, but it had to be done. Cleaning behind the refrigerator was never easy and even though Natalie had

told him time and time again that no one was ever going to notice, Adrian knew better. A kitchen could never be considered clean if there was dust behind the

refrigerator. He secured the long attachment and moved as close as he could to the space between the wall and the refrigerator, smiling in satisfaction as the

vacuum worked its magic.

"MR. MONK!"

Slightly annoyed, he carefully climbed down from his step ladder and walked into his foyer. Natalie stood in the entryway, balancing two large paper bags filled

with groceries. Her expression told him that she wasn't happy.

"Mr. Monk where were you? I've been calling you for five minutes!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was vacuuming in the kitchen."

She scowled. "Let me guess; you were vacuuming behind the refrigerator again."

All Adrian could do was nod and shrug. She knew him too well.

"Mr. Monk, how many times do I have to tell you that no one cares if there's dirt behind the refrigerator?"

"I care."

"I meant no one cares but you! Now will you please help me with these? My arms are killing me!"

"Sure." Adrian graciously obliged by stepping aside, allowing Natalie to enter the kitchen. When she slammed the bags down on his island counter, he

shuddered. He hoped that his cans of peaches were still intact. Returning them to the store was always such a hassle.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Monk!"

"That doesn't sound very sincere." He pointed out.

"Well, maybe if you showed a little compassion every once in a while, you'd get more sincerity from people!" Angrily she began removing the items from the

bag, placing them on the counter with a little too much force. And worst of all, they were now haphazardly placed in the middle with no order whatsoever. He

had a bad feeling that she wasn't going to help him put away his groceries. He supposed he could threaten to fire her, but then he had another bad feeling that

she'd simply leave and never come back.

"Oh, and I brought your mail." As she'd done with the groceries, she dumped the pile of mail on the counter, sending the contents sliding in every direction.

Again he cringed, concerned about the state of his catalogs. No matter what Natalie said, a folded corner of a catalog definitely affected the product on the page.

But then again, she thought nothing of dust behind the refrigerator.

"Why are you so upset?"

"I don't know, Mr. Monk, you tell me!"

Her answer was definitely sarcastic… or was that sardonic?

"I don't know. That's why I asked." He admitted.

Natalie sighed loudly. "Never mind. Here's your mail. I'm going home."

Adrian began sorting through the many envelops until he came to a light blue one with his name and address neatly written in dark blue ink. He picked it up and

held it to the light.

"What's this?"

"It's a letter." She snapped.

"Well, throw it out."

Her eyes widened. "Throw it out? Why?"

"I don't know anyone who lives on… Chestnut Street."

"So? Maybe it's a fan letter."

"Who would be writing me a fan letter, except Marci Maven." He shuddered at the thought.

"Mr. Monk you have lots of fans! You're famous! Everyone in the state knows you're the best detective around!"

"That's true, but.. .I… I just can't."

"Well, I can."

"Natalie, wait! Don't-."

But she'd already snatched the letter out of his hand and tore open the envelope; an act that made him completely crazy.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm reading this letter, Mr. Monk."

"But-."

"You'll thank me later."

He watched helplessly as she removed a blue piece of paper, neatly folded in thirds. "I can't believe you, Mr. Monk! Someone went to a lot of trouble to write

this! The least you could do is read it!"

"I can't… it's in your hand."

"That's right."

She read silently, making him a little crazier. He didn't care what was in the letter or who had written it, but he did care. He cared a lot.

After what seemed like forever, she refolded the letter. When her eyes met his, he was shocked to see that she was crying. His heart raced.

"What is it? Is it about Trudy? The six fingered man? They found him?"

She handed him the letter. "Just read it. Please."

He held the crisp blue letter in his hands and walked into the living room, settling into his favorite chair.

"I'll be in the other room." Natalie announced.

Carefully he unfolded the blue paper and began to read.

Dear Mr. Monk,

I should have written a long time ago, but I didn't want to contact you until I was sure that I had the right person. However, it wasn't hard to track down the

famous Adrian Monk. Thank goodness for the internet, right?

We've met before, by accident, but at the time I was still learning to talk, so I honestly don't remember much about you or what the circumstances were. I know

it had something to do with a murder, but I can't imagine why a kid my age would be anywhere near a murder scene. Apparently I found a major clue to solving

the case. I happened to come across a news story on it a few years ago and my curiosity was peaked. The more I looked into it, the more I knew that I had to

contact you. My parents were hesitant at first but I told them that I don't want to bother you in any way. I just wanted to say thank you. My parents only met

you once, but they told me that you were upset when they took me home. Apparently you'd been taking care of me for a while. Like I said, I was only two when

we met so I have very little recollection of that time. However, I am grateful that you decided to take me in.

I'm eighteen now and I'm going to start college at Berkeley in the fall. I've decided that I want to become a police detective. My parents aren't thrilled with the

idea, but after reading what you did to solve that case, I feel like I should be giving back to society. I owe that to you.

I hope we can meet again someday, so that I can thank you in person. But until then I hope this letter finds you well.

Sincerely,

Tom (Tommy) Grazer

Adrian stared at the letter for a long time. Tom Grazer… Tommy… the little boy that Adrian had cared for in his home was now eighteen. How was that possible?

He laughed out loud. And then laughed some more.

"Mr. Monk?"

Natalie's voice startled him and he put down the letter. "It's from Tommy!"

"I know… it was sweet of him to contact you."

"He's going to Berkeley… Trudy went to Berkeley."

Natalie laughed. "Yes, she did! And so did you, Mr. Monk! Isn't that great?" Maybe he's going there because of you!"

Adrian couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Really?"

"I don't know for sure, but wouldn't that be wonderful? You really made an impact on him, Mr. Monk! You should be proud of yourself!"

"He doesn't even remember me."

"Of course he remembers you! It's just that the details are a little fuzzy."

"Should I write him back?"

"Of course you should write him back! Tell him you want to get together!"

Suddenly Adrian couldn't stop smiling. But then he felt Natalie's hand on his arm.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Monk, I'm sorry… about before. I didn't mean to get so upset. This is your apartment and you should be able to keep it as clean as you want. In fact, I

admire you."

" You do?"

"You wouldn't ever catch me vacuuming the back of my refrigerator!"

They both laughed, although he wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't making fun of him again. And he realized it didn't matter.

"Okay, Mr. Monk. I really do need to go. Julie will be home soon and I want to make sure she finishes her homework before bed."

"Tell her I said hello. And thank you."

"I will. Thank you? For what?"

"For helping me take care of Tommy."

"Oh, Mr. Monk Julie doesn't need to be thanked for that. She loved babysitting Tommy!"

Adrian smiled and glanced at the letter once again. "So did I." In his mind he was already writing the perfect letter to Tommy. And he looked forward to the day

that they could meet again.

THE END

A/N: I absolutely love "Mr. Monk and The Kid" and I have a feeling that Adrian and Tommy were destined to meet again. Despite Tommy only being two years old at the time, their bond was so strong.