Note: See Part 1 for all pertinent info and the disclaimer.
Part 4
Saturday, November 8, 2003
Ultra Violet
Natalie sat in a sparsely populated area near the back of the dimly lit club, swirling a straw around in her drink. Rex Balsom had insisted that she come over and had tried to tempt her with the promise of free drinks for the entire night. Like drinking would solve any of her problems. Although the distraction of an alcohol induced haze might help her forget -- no matter how temporary -- that her world seemed like it was crumbling around her. It was one thing Natalie had witnessed many times, growing up with Roxy; getting drunk might not fix anything but it sure as hell made it easier to forget whatever was troubling you. So she sat there, half-listening to Midnight Logic perform, sipping her third screwdriver of the evening, content that no one seemed to notice her.
Well, no one aside from Rex and apparently her cousin Sarah "Flash" Roberts who made a bee line straight for her as soon as the band finished their set. "Hey, Natalie. Sorry I haven't been by much. I've been really busy with rehearsals and recordings, and Great Grandpa Asa has hired a personal tutor for me because if I don't work on getting my diploma, no singing with the band." Flash stopped her animated rambling and took a breath, "So…how've you been doing?"
"I've had better days. I've had worse."
Flash sort of bobbed her head a little, "Yeah, but you're hanging in there though, right?"
"I'm getting by."
"Um…is there going to be a funeral or a memorial service for Cristian?"
Funeral. Memorial service. For Cristian. Because he's dead. Cristian's dead. Natalie felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and took a gulp of her drink before she answered, "We're waiting for the FBI to release his body."
"Oh. Well, you know, if there's anything you need or if you want to hang out or something…"
"I'll give you a call."
"Okay." Flash stood there for a moment, fidgeting a little before she leaned down and gave Natalie a quick, awkward hug. The motive behind the hug was easily deciphered: I don't know you very well but you're family and this seems like the right thing to do at the moment.
Flash gave her a smile, which she politely returned, before making her way back over to the stage.
Natalie closed her eyes as she downed the rest of her drink then slowly exhaled. She stood and walked to the bar where Rex was waiting for her, drink in hand.
"I'd tell you to pace yourself but you definitely have the right to drink yourself into oblivion," he said, about to hand her the drink, "Just not into the hospital, or, God forbid, the morgue." He gave her the drink, "I'm keeping an eye on you, sis."
You and everyone else. She ran a finger around the rim of the glass, "I really appreciate this, Rex. You trying to help take my mind off of things."
"Hey, what are little brothers for? Besides, another drink and you'll probably be pleasantly blitzed. I mean, you've never been a heavy drinker, Natty." He glanced down the bar at a few impatient patrons. "I gotta --"
Natalie looked at the rowdy group at the other end of the bar. "Yeah, no, go, I'm fine. I'll just be back over there," she gestured at the area she'd just come from with her drink in hand.
She was pleased to find that no one had taken her seat and that there were even less people in the back than there had been before. She took a sip of her screwdriver and let her eyes roam around the club. When her eyes reached the door they stopped. John McBain stood at the entrance, scanning the crowd gathered at the stage. "Just what my night needed," Natalie grumbled, taking another drink. Maybe if I'm lucky, he won't see me. Yeah, right.
Natalie watched him move to the bar and noted Rex's hesitation to serve him. A feeling of dread passed over her when she saw Rex briefly glance at her then shake his head. Oh God, he's looking for me.
As Rex moved down the bar to serve another customer, John turned around and began surveying the entire room. Natalie quickly looked away and ducked her head, hoping that he wouldn't see her. She took a long drink.
If there's a God in Heaven, please, just let me spend the rest of this night in peace without being reminded again of the fact that I'm a widow. Please. Please. Pl --
The sound of John clearing his throat caused her to sigh, feeling defeated. She looked up, eyeing him wearily.
"I thought you should know that Flynn's dead."
She shook her head, trying to clear the cloud that seemed to be rapidly forming around her brain, "Are you sure?"
"Positive. There was a scuffle between him and Walker on the private elevator at Walker's penthouse. Walker knocked Flynn unconscious and managed to get off the elevator, however, he left Flynn in there. There was a malfunction and the elevator ended up crashing to the bottom floor. Fortunately for all of us, Flynn didn't survive."
Natalie lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to get her bearings. Was it really possible? Was Flynn actually dead?
As she opened her eyes she noticed that her glass was empty. "But you're sure that Flynn's dead? I mean, he and Walker are twins. Identical twins. Flynn could've --"
"It's Flynn," he said firmly. "You don't have to worry about him coming after you or your family."
"Well, I wouldn't have had to worry about that in the first place if it wasn't for you," Natalie hissed. She pushed herself up, hoping she wouldn't lose her balance, and turned, about to walk away, "If that's all --"
"There's something else."
She let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face him, "What?"
John glanced at the floor for a moment before attempting to look her in the eye, "Blair Manning said that Flynn told her that Cristian saved his life. That Cris pulled him out of the lake and then he killed him."
The words echoed in Natalie's mind as her vision blurred. Cristian saved Flynn. Flynn killed Cristian. Cristian was killed. Cristian is dead. The room began to spin and she blinked repeatedly in hopes that her vision would clear.
She heard John's voice, "Natalie, are you okay?"
She blinked again as she felt her legs start to give way beneath her. A pair arms caught her as she began to sway.
"I've got you," John said as he held her steady.
She allowed herself a moment to lean against him as her vision finally started to clear and her legs began to feel solid again.
"Hey, let's sit you down for a minute."
Natalie's eyes shot open and she jerked away from him, "I don't need your help. The only thing I need for you to do is to stay away from me. I'm not saying that I expect you to leave if we happen to both show up at the same place but you could at least be respectful enough of my wishes to keep your distance and not bother me."
He nodded, "I'll try my best."
She curtly replied, "Thank you."
"Least I can do now."
Natalie turned around and headed for the ladies' room, suddenly feeling queasy.
Never drink on an empty stomach. She remembered a drunken Roxy telling her that when she was little.
Natalie walked into the ladies' room. She stood in front of the sink and stared at her reflection as she braced herself, holding on to the edge of the sink. She swallowed and closed her eyes, praying that her stomach would stop churning.
When was the last time she'd eaten more than a couple bites of a sandwich or -- or anything for that matter?
From behind her, a catty voice asked, "You certainly didn't waste too much time mourning Cristian's death before you moved on, did you?"
I am in Hell. She opened her eyes and turned around to see Jennifer Rappaport Balsom Buchanan standing at the door. She narrowed her eyes at her, "Excuse me?"
Jen smirked as she sashayed over to the sink next to Natalie, "I saw you with that guy. You know, the one with the long dark hair. And don't try to deny that there's something going on between the two of you. I saw the way you just eased into his arms."
"I was dizzy, he caught me."
"Yeah, right."
"Not everyone drinks as much as you do, Jen. We don't all have your tolerance for alcohol and God knows what else," Natalie sneered.
Jen tossed her hair back, "Whatever. That whole 'dizzy spell' thing is, like, one of the oldest tricks in the book." The corners of her mouth curled up in a cruel smile as she turned to face Natalie, "So, how long did you wait until you hopped into bed with him? It's kind of funny, don't you think? Or is it ironic? Which ever. You're such a hypocrite, Natalie, you know that? You jumped all over me for marrying Joe, who I've loved since I first saw him, so soon after my divorce to Rex, who I never loved. And you," she snorted, "You claimed to have loved Cristian so much yet you're already fooling around with some guy and Cristian's body isn't even in the grou --"
Natalie slapped her hard across the face as the tears stung her eyes, "Don't you dare try to say that I don't love Cristian. Don't you dare assume that you know anything about what Cristian and I felt for each other. I love him more than you'll ever love anyone -- anyone other than yourself. And that 'guy' you saw me talking to is the man responsible for getting Cristian killed. I will never ever forgive him for that. So whatever you think you may have seen was all a figment of your sick imagination."
Jen just gawked at her, shocked that she had actually hit her.
Natalie turned on her heels and stormed out. After the door swung closed behind her, she paused, placing her hand on the wall, and took a deep breath, trying not to cry. She gathered herself and made her way to the bar, "Rex, I want to go home. Can you call me a cab? Please?"
Rex took one look into her eyes and saw the tears that were threatening to spill. He shook his head, "Uh-uh. No way. I'll take you."
"You have a club to run."
Rex walked out from behind the bar, "So? Family comes first. Always."
"Thank you," she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
He kissed her on the forehead and put an arm around her as he led her out. "I'm sorry this night turned out to be a bust."
"It's not your fault," she assured him as they walked to his car.
"You're gonna beat this, Natty."
"I hope so."