PART 2~ I Will Carry You

Antonio was right. It was starting to rain, threatening at any moment to come pouring down. John had no idea how Natalie had gotten so far. He just couldn't seem to find her. The fact that there was a killer on the loose didn't help in the slightest.

Natalie sat on a bench in Angel Square, her hair and clothing already soaked through, "Natalie!" John called, catching a glimpse of her. Natalie looked up, the tears on her face mixed with the raindrops, making it impossible to tell the two apart. She tried to ignore him. John approached her. "You're going to get pneumonia." he stood over her. "Come on back to Rodi's, will you?"

"Go away, John," Natalie cried. "I don't want to see you. Please just leave me alone."

"I know you're hurt, Natalie," John said, pulling the collar up on his coat. The rain was starting to slowly come down harder. "And I know that all you want right now is to be alone, but not out here in the rain, OK?"

"Just go away John." Natalie stood from her seat, walking forward, folding her arms across her chest. John was persistent, following behind her. He didn't touch her, but just stood there, making his presence known. "Why'd you have to follow me anyway?" Natalie said, turning back to face him. "I didn't ask you to come after me."

"Well... you didn't ask me not to either," John defended. She turned away again. He just couldn't seem to keep her attention. "It's not safe out here alone."

"You don't think I can take care of myself?"

"I didn't say that. There's a murderer on the loose. Nobody should be out here alone. Not at night."

"Not a woman at least, right?"

"Why are you making this some kind of crusade?" John said as the sky opened up completely. The rain poured down in buckets. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Will you just come back with me? Please, Nat."

"You're worried about me?" Natalie said breaking into a moment of sincerity, but quickly shaking out of it. "John."

"Can you not argue with me about this? You can hate me if you want, OK? I get that and I don't blame you. Just let me get you back to Rodi's. Let me get you out of the rain."

"Is that what it'll take to get you off my back?"

"That's all," he said.

Natalie was reluctant, looking at him. He was soaked through, but wouldn't back down. He didn't care if he had to stand out in the rain all night. He wasn't leaving her. This was something Cristian would have done. Stuck by her and not let her do something stupid like standing out in the rain out of spite. She was brought to tears at the mere thought. She shook her head.

"No?" John said. "No what?"

"I can't go anywhere with you," she said, "I can't go anywhere with you. You're not Cristian." Natalie tried to walk away, but John instinctively whipped his hand out, taking hold of her arm.

He held her loose, gentle, allowing her the ability to pull free. The ability to lift her hand and slap him across the face. That's what he was anticipating, so he braced himself for the sting. The sting which didn't come.

Natalie simply looked at him silently. Her eyes were pain filled, pleading, needing and John caught her gaze. The rain couldn't possibly pour down any harder, but neither moved. Not for a long time.

Natalie looked down at John's hand. "John...It's raining," she said as if her hadn't noticed. He dropped his hand from her arm, stepping back and running his fingers back through his hair. Flustered, she backed away from him slightly. "I um... I... I'm going back to Rodi's." she was flustered. John could see that, but didn't move any further. He was liable to force all the pain she was feeling back to the surface and that is not what he wanted to do. She had said he wasn't Cristian, and he wasn't. He wasn't trying to be. He knew she was still in love with Cristian Vega, that she always would be. But that couldn't stop him from trying to be there for her. He knew that she blamed him for her husband's death, he even blamed himself, but there was something about the girl that John couldn't get his mind off of. And, in that split second, even if it was only a second, he felt a connection. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt it and he knew she felt it to. But, the issue wasn't going to be pushed. He would give her the space she needed, the space she deserved.

John watched her slowly walk away from him. He took a deep breath, allowing her the distance before following behind her, the rain pelting down. She was safe. And she would stay that way. John would make sure of it.