Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own it.

Chapter 6—

"Hey Natty!" Rex exclaimed in his usual boisterous and over-the-top fashion. He shoved past his sister and strode into her apartment. "Wow! Nice place."

"Life is complete!" Natalie smiled. "Rex approves of my living situation. So, what are you doing here?"

"I can't come to visit my big sis?"

"Of course …" Natalie trailed off. "But you generally don't unless you want something. So what do you want?"

"Nothing, actually," Rex truthfully told her. "Although I did learn something utterly fascinating this afternoon. Something that you'll just sink your teeth into. You interested?"

"Depends what it is," Natalie almost wearily answered. "The last time you had fascinating news, it led to me humiliating myself once again."

"I can hardly be blamed for what you actually do with the information," Rex rolled his eyes. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Go ahead," Natalie gave him permission.

"I was at the hospital …"

"What were you doing at the hospital?"

"I was giving blood. Anyway—"

"You were not giving blood," she scoffed.

"Does it really matter why I was there? The point is that I was. And I happened to hear …"

"You mean you were eavesdropping," Natalie interrupted again to put in.

"Fine, yes, yes. I was eavesdropping. You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well, it's not what normal people consider a redeeming characteristic is it?"

"Then no one is Llanview is normal, because eavesdropping is the extracurricular activity of choice in this town." Natalie had to give him that one. Llanview citizens (herself included) did enjoy eavesdropping like no other. "Now, where was I? Oh—I was at the hospital and I just happened to chance upon McBain … "

"Wait a minute … which McBain? Idiot or Doctor? Although I don't know why John would be there …"

"Oh, we're still calling him McIdiot?" Rex proudly grinned at his sister. "I still like my name better."

"Rex, come on," Natalie whined. "Would you just get on with it?"

"Doctor. He was doing something or other … writing in charts … blah, blah, blah. Kind of boring really. But it got interesting when Idiot came around the corner."

"Ooooh! John showed up to talk to his brother," she sarcastically drawled. "That's hardly what I'd call fascinating news, Rex."

"No, the fascinating bit is what John said."

"Fine. I'll bite. What did John say?"

"Oh, something along the lines of Michael better not hurt you."

Despite the line being delivered in an off-hand and seemingly unimportant fashion, it hit Natalie like a ton of bricks right to the face. At first she was too stunned to do anything, let alone form words and express them.

"Whoa Natty, what did that bag do to you?"

She looked down at her handbag and realized that, somehow, she'd managed to pull the handle off. She raised her eyes back up to Rex and then discarded the now useless bag.

"What did Michael say?"

"Actually that was the interesting part," Rex admitted. "He launched into quite the impassioned speech. I think you might be rubbing off on him, Nat, because he turned it all around on John. Talked about how John was the one who had hurt you and that he had no right to play God in your life. I wish you could've seen McIdiot stalk away with his tail between his legs. We could've had one hell of an evil cackle together over that."

Natalie had to laugh at that scenario.

"Did either one of them see you?"

"Nah. But I have something else to say—"

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised."

"Are you playing at something here? Trying to pit brother against brother? Because if you are, I have to say … good plan. And it's working brilliantly so far."

"First of all, Rex," Natalie began, irked by his assumption, "I'm not pitting anyone against anyone. Least of all the McBain brothers. Michael, while he sometimes gives off the impression that he can't walk and chew gum at the same time, actually has a mind of his own and he doesn't need me to think for him. John … well, I don't know what's going on with him lately. He'd probably be better off if I did think for him, but that's beside the point. He's just … screwed up. And yeah, that's rich coming from the likes of me, but I can honestly say that I don't care anymore. And the fact that he had the nerve to try and butt into my life, when he bitched me out last week for … well, he can just go to Hell."

"Maybe you should go tell him that?" was Rex's suggestion.

"You know what?" Natalie said, her eyes lighting up. "You're right."

She grabbed her broken bag and marched over to the door. Rex watched with a wide smile on his face. She opened up the door, but then stopped and turned back around to face her brother.

"Promise me something, Rex?"

"What's that?"

"Bail me out if I end up getting booked for assault?"

"You can count on me, Natty," he saluted her.

"All right," she nodded. When he plopped down onto the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, making his self right at home, she just had to say something. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm waiting right here until you get back. I expect a blow-by-blow account. Metaphorically speaking, of course," he added.

"But …"

"Unless you want me to trail along after you?" he suggested. "Shadow you. You know, come to think of it, maybe you do need someone to protect you."

"I don't need you—or anyone—to protect me. Fine. You can stay here. But don't … burn down the place or anything. And don't touch anything that belongs to Michael—he's kind of touchy about that sort of thing. Also, don't eat all our food …"

"Would you go already?"

"Hey Natalie!" Michael called out as he flung the door open. "I brought you …" he trailed off when he saw a certain blond lounging on the sofa, "… something," he finished. "Rex, what are you doing here? And where's Natalie?"

"Oh, she's out taking care of something," Rex replied, without looking away from the television for one second.

"And she let you hang around here?"

"Why not? I'm family, after all."

"But … I …" Michael stumbled for words.

"Oh relax, I'm not putting down roots or anything. Just waiting until Natty gets back and fills me in."

"Fills you in on what?" Michael curiously asked, moving fully inside and closing the door behind him.

"Oh, nothing. She just wanted to make her feelings known on a certain matter."

"Well, that's never good is it?" Michael disapprovingly commented. "And I bet you encouraged her."

"That's what family does; we support one another."

"Mmm-huh. You encourage Natalie to pursue ridiculous plans that almost get her killed."

"Oh now, come on, this isn't 'attack Rex' day. As Natty has pointed out numerous times, she's got a mind of her own and use it she definitely does. Now," Rex said with a smile, "you got Natalie something? Is it a present? Because I love presents. I could accept on her behalf?"

"That's quite okay," Michael declined the offer. "You know what you could do on Natalie's behalf? Leave."

"Nah, she invited me to stay."

Michael loudly sighed, just to show how much the other man's presence was putting him out, but otherwise made no move to remove Rex. After all, he'd probably get a mouthful from Natalie for chucking her brother out on the street. The last thing he needed was a Natalie-induced headache.

Instead, Michael threw his various random items on the coffee table and had a seat on the couch next to Rex.

"Is that the supposed present?" Rex asked in horror. "Pudding? No offense, but that's a pretty pathetic attempt at wooing. You could have at least put a bow on it."

"A bow?" Michael repeated in near disbelief.

"Sure. Dress it up. Put a little pizzazz into it. Flash and glitz … girls really go for that kind of thing."

"And putting a bow on a pudding cup equals flash and pizzazz?"

"Not in the slightest," Rex shook his head. "But it's a step in the right direction."

"For the record," Michael said in a confidential tone, "I'm not attempting to woo Natalie."

"Glad to hear it. Now, if you don't mind, I'm trying to watch t.v."

And that was that. Apparently.

When Natalie came back home, she was prepared to find Rex still lounging around. She was even prepared to find an annoyed … possibly irate … Michael. What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the two of them sitting on the couch together, watching reruns on Nick at Nite.

"Hey Natty," Rex greeted her (again, without looking away from the television). "How did it go?"

"It didn't go," she informed her brother.

"You mean you refrained from telling off … well … anyone?" Michael asked disbelievingly.

"Don't sound so surprised, Mikey. I have some self-restraint."

"Since when?" Rex piped up.

"Don't make me hit you," she warned. "I can't believe you two are co-existing."

"We have self-restraint," Rex echoed her words. "By the way, Michael got you a present."

"Oh really?" Natalie arched an eyebrow. "I love presents!" She settled herself in between the two of them. "What did you get me?"

"Don't get too excited," Rex lazily drawled. "It's only …"

"Pudding!" Natalie happily exclaimed, clapping her hands together for effect. "Is this the hospital pudding?"

Michael nodded in the affirmative.

"Hospital pudding?" Rex asked in a state of sheer disbelief. "Is that a euphemism for …"

"No," Natalie cut his rambling off, "this stuff is amazing. You want some?"

"I'll pass," Rex waved her off.

"Suit yourself," Natalie mumbled, sinking further into the couch and opening up her pudding cup. "Thanks Mikey."

"Natty, I'm still waiting for you to tell me what happened. I'm not sure how much longer I can sit through …" he gestured to the apartment as a whole, "this. Whatever weird dynamic you two have going on—it's creeping me out. What happened?"

"I told you; nothing. I thought about it …"

"And you decided to do the supposed right thing," Rex interrupted, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I can't believe I waited around for this. You disappoint me, Natty. Now he's going to go around thinking he can just …"

"It's fine, Rex," she insisted. "Just leave it alone."

After Rex left, Michael asked Natalie what was going on.

"Who were going to tell off?"

"Your brother," she admitted. "See, Rex overheard what John said to you at the hospital today. And you know, it struck me as a tad hypocritical that he pounced on me last week for butting into his life and then turned around and did the same thing."

"So you went off to give him a piece of your mind?"

"Yes. But then I thought about it. And the way Rex tells it, you already did the job for me."

Michael shrugged. "He caught me at a bad time. Catching up on my charts puts me in a bad mood … I get irritated extremely quickly in such a …"

He didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence, as he was flabbergasted (to put it mildly) when Natalie scooted over and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mikey. For the pudding, I mean."

He swallowed. "You're welcome."

TBC