Timeline: Sometime after the non-February wedding. This one might be my favorite, and I wish it really had taken place on the show.


John looked up from the books to see Cristian walking in and over to him, "Hey. Your order should be out in a few."

"Thanks. John, I was sorry to hear about the wedding."

John shook his head, "It is what it is. She kept a pretty big secret from me, Cris."

"And we didn't from her?" he asked and was ready for John to take a swing at him. "Listen-I know it's not my place-."

"No, it's not," he said as he moved the books to the other side to give him a nonverbal cue that the conversation was over.

"We kept my being alive and in prison from her. We said it was for her own good-that it was better to think I was dead than to wait the rest of her life on me getting out."

"Not being dead and passing off someone else's child as mine is a big difference, Cris," he said as he turned back to him and went for a bottle.

"Yeah, it is. I know Natalie-and you do too. She thought you'd chosen Marty over her and made a mistake with Brody. One single mistake. She thought I chose Jenn over her and you know what she did-married Mitch Lawrence."

John scoffed at the comparison, "Still not in the same ballpark."

"The two biggest mistakes she's ever made are sleeping with Brody and marrying Mitch. Whether we want to admit it or not we are both the catalyst that put her down those paths."

"She should have told me. I would have-," he stopped his thoughts and shook his head.

"Natalie forgave us, John. She somehow found it in her heart to forgive the two men she trusted the most. If you get over your ego, I think you can do the same."

"It's more than a bruised ego. It's-."

"Trust. Like I said, we broke her trust before. If you didn't feel the way you felt for her it wouldn't hurt as bad. Remember what she said that first time she saw us outside of Statesville."

I don't want to see either of you lying bastards ever again.

"But she did. She was there for you after the plane crash, and there for me during the boxing match."

John didn't say anything, just took another swig of his beer, "It's not that easy."

"I never said it was easy for her to forgive and trust us again. But she has-and I think you can too. Life is short, John-you know that more than anybody. Don't let your ego keep you from your family. They'll be gone before you know it," he said as he food arrived and he walked out of Rodi's, leaving John to his thoughts.