AN: I wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful support of this story. I had a blast writing it and I hope you enjoyed it. Becca

Part Five

Ten minutes later John was dry or at least his hair wasn't still dripping. He watched as Natalie tiptoed from Matthew's room. "Still asleep?" He asked.

"Yeah." Natalie replied quietly. "I'm surprised we didn't wake the whole house up." As if tempting fate there came a small creaking sound. "Come on." Natalie ushered John inside her room, shutting the door behind them.

John looked around her room; he had seen it before but just in brief glimpses, when his mind was too preoccupied to take in the details. On her dresser sat a magic eight ball, causing him to smile to himself, something so childlike but so perfectly Natalie. She had a small jewelry box with a butterfly carved into the wood, and also a bottle of purple lotion but it was the pictures that caught his attention. Ones of Roxy, of Mrs. Davison, several of Jessica some taken with Natalie and a few of her and Antonio, one of Cristian with Antonio and Carlotta, and one of Rex. There was a photo of Natalie at her wedding with Cristian, and another of her with whom John assumed must be Clint. On a ribbon board there were more, one of the Mannings and another of Kevin and Kelly, one of Asa and Renee and still another of Joey. So many people that John felt oddly insignificant.

"Hey. I'm gonna put on a dry top." Natalie interrupted his musings as she pulled a dry tank top from her dresser. "I'll be right back." And she stepped into the bathroom.

John didn't mind- it gave him more time to peruse her room. There was a stereo in the corner and CD case on her nightstand. He picked it up, flipping through it, Bruce, Bon Jovi- typical Jersey stuff, the same CD's he had in his collection. He sat the case back down, knocking two frames to the ground. John quickly scrambled to pick them up as Natalie emerged from the bathroom in a dry white tank top.

"I heard a crash." She commented, walking over to him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just dropped these." He held out the frames, one stacked on top of each other.

"It's okay." Natalie smiled at the photo and John encouraged, looked down at the picture. A little red head girl and a blonde toddler in front of a pink vinyl Christmas tree.

"Is that you?" John asked, amazed. Even back then she had the most amazing eyes.

"That's me." Natalie confirmed, and then pointed to the toddler. "And that's Rex."

"You're so young. I've never seen any pictures of you growing up."

"Yeah." Natalie sighed, taking the frame from John's hand. "Roxy wasn't really good about the whole picture thing when I was growing up." She sat the photo back on her nightstand.

John looked down, feeling uncomfortable; someone should have saved her back then. He didn't mean to but he found himself looking at the photo in his hand. One of him and Natalie, taken at Christmas time. She was dressed in a green top with a bow, looking like a present just waiting to be unwrapped. And he remembered Roxy insisting, and that he had stopped in to find Bo and how Natalie had invited him to stay. And he remembered why he loved her so much.

"Oh." Natalie glanced down at the picture in John's strong hand. "Yeah." She carefully took it from him. "Roxy gave it to me."

"It's a good picture." John commented.

"Thanks." Natalie smiled, setting the frame back down, feeling embarrassed that John knew she had a picture of them together in her room. She stood fiddling with her fingers for a moment before speaking again. "I better be getting to bed."

"Yeah." John replied, not moving- something making him want to linger.

Natalie pulled back her floral bedspread and sat on the bed, wondering why John was still there. "In case I forget to tell you, I had a really great time tonight."

"Pretty Woman." John beamed down at her.

Natalie blushed slightly, her ears flaming pink. How had he known that? "You know Pretty Woman?"

John shrugged. "It's my mom's favorite movie."

"Roxy's too." Natalie's slender fingers smoothed out the lines on her sheets, before admitting quietly. "And mine."

He knew that. He paid attention even if she didn't see it. "So what's your dream?" John asked, ripping off the closing line.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "To be a hooker that gets rescued by Richard Gere." John sat next to her, his eyes burning into hers and she knew he wanted a real answer. "I dunno... I guess I want what everyone wants. A family, a home, a few kids, maybe even a dog."

John listened but his ears picked up one word. "A home?" Most people would have said a house.

"Yeah," Natalie softened, drifting into her dream world. "Nothing too big, but with a nice backyard so the kids can have a swing set."

"Kids?"

Natalie blushed slightly. "Yeah. Cris and I used to talk about having a dozen."

"Talk about busy." John said, trying to force Cristian from his mind. He didn't belong here, this ghost of a man sitting in Statesville that hurt Natalie. He should be intruding on their moment.

Natalie laughed. "Yeah. I think we were a little over ambitious with that one. Still I would like a couple. Maybe a boy and a girl, Rex and I always had fun."

"With some help from Mrs. Beasley." John cut in.

"With some help from Mrs. Beasley." Natalie confirmed. "What- what about you? See any kids in your and Evangeline's future?" She hated to bring her up but she was slipping. Already she was picturing John and her, playing with two children, arguing about who needed to take the dog out for a walk, falling asleep together in each others arms.

"Evangeline and me?" For a moment he had forgotten about her. "Talk about over ambitious."

"What?" Natalie grinned. "Can't see driving car pool?"

What he couldn't see was Evangeline as a mother, her designer suits were not made for babies to throw up on. If hadn't had been so easy for him to picture Natalie smudged with baby food and still smiling, he would have told her so. But the image was clear and unwavering. "I don't think I'm dad material."

Natalie looked at him with a start. Was he kidding? "You're kidding me right? You're great with kids."

"Other people's kids." John corrected.

"And so with your own you would... what? Hang them by their toes?" Natalie questioned, disbelieving.

"I just don't see kids in the cards." He answered shortly.

"Sorry." Natalie apologized, backing off. "I didn't mean anything. I just think you would make a good father, that's all."

John ran a hand through his damp hair. "Thanks. You should get to sleep."

Natalie snuggled under the covers. "You too."

"No sleep for the wicked."

Natalie laughed. "Don't I know it." John stood as she went to turn off her light. "Night, John."

"Night, Natalie." He hesitated at the door. "And for what its worth, that dream you have? I think you'll get it."

"My very own happily ever after?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah." John spotted the magic eight ball. "Hey mind if I take this downstairs? Something to keep me awake."

"Go ahead." She offered.

"Thanks." He said pocketing it. "And good night."

She clicked off her light. "Good night, John."

John quietly shut the door behind him, standing in the hallway he looked at the magic eight ball. It was just a toy really- but he shook it. "Will I get my happily ever after?" He asked it quietly.

John smiled as he turned it over- 'signs point to yes'. For now that was close enough.

End-