Disclaimer: Of course ABC owns the characters.

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Chapter 5

Natalie and John ate their meal in silence. When they were done, he led her to the pool table. Natalie picked up a cue stick and held it for a moment, enjoying the way that the smooth wood felt in her hand. Pool was the one thing that she still had control of in her life.

John felt his heart lift when he saw her eyes light up like a jukebox. He knew that it had been a good idea to bring her here. He watched her set the balls up on the table.

"Do you want to break?" she asked, trying to be fair to him.

"No, you go ahead and do it," John said, knowing that if she broke, she'd win the game. She always did.

Sure enough, when she broke, three balls went into the pockets. She moved around the table and cleared the table without much effort. Pool came to her naturally. She laughed at the expression on John's face.

"Something wrong, John?" she asked innocently.

Her laugh was infectious and soon John found himself laughing along with her. She was too much.

"Let's try something different," John said. "You're going to make a shot with me guiding you through it. It's probably a shot you've never seen before. I sort of made it up."

Natalie nodded. It felt like he was her coach again.

"Close your eyes so that you're relying on your sense of touch--your feelings," John said.

Natalie closed her eyes. She felt John behind her. His chest was against her back. He lifted her hands and positioned them on the stick. "Concentrate," he whispered. His warm breath caressed her cheek. "Keep your eyes closed." He slowly backed away from her. Natalie concentrated, imagining the pool table in her head. She gave the stick a sharp push and felt it connect with the ball. Her eyes flew open.

"I did it, John!"

John hugged her. "I knew you could. Pool is in your blood, Vega."

Natalie froze at the mention of her last name--Christian's last name. "Could you not call me that, please? I just filed to have my name changed back to Buchanan. I loved Chris, but having his last name is a reminder that I lost him twice."

"Okay," John said. He saw her eyes starting to water again.

Natalie blinked away the tears. "Wow, I never realized how bright the lights are in here."

"They are bright, aren't they?" John said. "They're making my eyes water." He knew how much Natalie hated to cry in front of people. He knew that it was best to pretend that he didn't see the tears in her eyes. "Look, I have to make a phone call. You gonna be okay alone for a few minutes? Should I get Antonio to stay with you until I get back."

"I'll be okay. Go. Make your call."

John rubbed her arm affectionately. "Hang in there. I'll be right back." He hurried off to make his call.

"Hi."

Natalie bit her lip and turned to face the person who had spoken. "Hi, Evangeline."

"Listen Natalie, I imagine that you're going through a lot right now. I understand and I even sympathize," Evangeline said, "but..."

"You can't imagine what I'm going through," Natalie said, cutting her off. Have you ever loved someone so much and had to lose that person more than once. Believe me, you couldn't possibly understand." She drummed on the pool table with her fingers, hoping that the lawyer would take the hint that she did not need her sympathy and leave. Of course that's asking for too much Natalie thought when the woman opened her mouth to speak again.

"But John understands, doesn't he?" Evangeline said. "What John and I have--it's good. I love him, and I think that he can find it in his heart to love me back. But you keep making our relationship complicated. You keep showing up. You can't keep running to him every time that you have a problem. You're not his responsibility. You're a Buchanan. You can buy a shoulder to cry on or someone other than John to run to."

Natalie's eyes flashed with anger. "For your information, I don't keep turning to John. He came to ME last night. I told him to go to you, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on bringing me to Rodi's today. So maybe your relationship with him isn't all peaches and cream like you think. Maybe you're the problem. And by the way, me being a Buchanan doesn't mean a thing. Money won't bring my husband back." Natalie shoved her cue stick on the table and pushed past Evangeline almost knocking her down. She stormed out of Rodi's.

Antonio had seen the whole thing, as had every one else there. He stalked up to Evangeline. "You were way out of line, Evangeline. Don't you EVER speak to Natalie like that again. Ever."

"Antonio..."

"If the Buchanans ever heard you talk like that to her--if they even found out, you'd never have another job in Llanview," Antonio said angrily.

"Why do you do that? Why do you stick up for them? People like you and I have to work for what we want. You're not one of them. They're born with more money than we'll ever have," Evangeline said.

"I don't care about that. The Buchanans are not bad people. They're not the enemy. I love Jessica and Natalie, and I don't like to see anyone hurting them."

Evangeline shook her head in disbelief. "It's us against them. Wake up, Antonio." She left Rodi's in a huff.

"Hey, where's Natalie?" John asked Antonio as he came back to the pool table.

"She left."

"Why? I told her to.." John grabbed his leather jacket and started to leave, but his friend grabbed his arm.

"Wait, John," he said. He wasn't sure if he should say anything. "Natalie's really upset right now. Evangeline was here, and she said some things."

John paled. "What did she say?"

"It's not really my place to say. You should ask one of them."

"Come on, Antonio. I need to know."

Antonio reluctantly recounted the conversation.

John was so angry that he couldn't even think straight. How dare she? If he had ever had feelings for Evangeline, they had completely evaporated now. "I'm going to the station first, and then I'm going to go find Natalie."

Antonio nodded. He understood the unspoken words. There was no more John and Evangeline.

Evangeline, Nora, Bo, and Daniel were in Bo's office drinking coffee and discussing Paul Cramer's murder. Now that Tico Santi's murder case had come to a close, they could focus on Cramer's.

"I want this case to be over with so that my niece is completely exonerated," Bo said.

"I know," Nora said. "We all know that Natalie couldn't have done it despite with the evidence that we have."

Evangeline stopped herself from saying 'because she's a Buchanan?'

"Excuse me."

Everyone looked up from their work and looked toward the doorway where John stood expressionless.

"Do you mind if I borrow Evangeline for a few minutes?"

Evangeline stood up and followed John to his office. He shut the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. She couldn't read him at all when he was like this.

"What's wrong?" John shoved his hand through his hair. He laughed. "I didn't bring the list. All you need to know is that you're a the top of that list."

Evangeline's eyes darkened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I liked what we had. It was special. I told you that Natalie and I were just friends. How can we have a relationship if you can't trust me?"

"I DO trust you. I just don't trust her. I think she still has feelings for you," Evangeline said. She tried to touch John, but he pulled away from her as if she were poisonous.

I never stopped loving you Natalie's voice echoed in John's mind. From time to time, that night in his hotel room played out in his head.

Evangeline was silent for a minute. She watched emotions dance across John's face. "And you can't love me like I want you to because...you still have feelings for her, too, don't you?"

John expertly evaded the question. "What you did today opened my eyes. You had no right to say what you said to Natalie. I knew that you were determined, but not heartless. Stay away from her and stay away from me."

Evangeline could barely contain her fury. "It's amazing how the Buchanans seem to buy everyone's loyalty around here."

"Natalie has never tried to buy anyone's loyalty or friendship. She earned it. She spent most of her life just like you and me--at the bottom," John said. "Even when she became an heiress, she didn't let it change her, and I love her for that." The words were out before he could stop himself.

" I knew it! I knew you still had feelings for her. I just didn't know that you...loved her. Natalie is nothing like you and me, John. She may be a Buchanan by birth, but she's still white trash. She could never love you the way that I love you."

"Get out!" John yelled.

Evangeline had never seen him so angry. She turned to leave only to see that at some point during her and John's argument, Bo, Nora, and Daniel had come in. From the look on their faces, they had heard every word that had been said.

"I don't care what's going on between you and John, but I won't have you talking about my niece that way. John's right. I think it's best if you leave. I'm sure that my family can find a lawyer worthy of our money and friendship," Bo said.

Nora, who had been Evangeline's best friend up until a few minutes ago, refused to look at her.

"I have to go," John said. He left without giving anyone a second glance. Now that that had been taken care of, he could turn all of his attention to Natalie.