Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own it.

Chapter 7—

Natalie wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She felt sticky, grimy, and all around miserable. It was too damn hot to be having "issues" with your air-conditioner. It tended to make a person a touch on the grouchy side when the summer heat was enough to practically broil you alive.

Michael had likened her 'touch of grouchiness' to her resembling that of a feral animal. She'd ceased her choke hold on the building Super and turned to give Michael an innocent look. He'd cracked a smile (despite obviously trying to do no such thing) and sent her back to the apartment while he had a talk with said Super, who had backed up several feet from Natalie once she'd released her death grip on his throat.

So she currently found herself hanging around the inferno that had become her apartment, waiting for Michael to get back. To think—she'd potentially have to suffer though this stifling heat the old fashioned way (meaning sans air conditioning) for three days. That was the projected amount of time it would take for the broken part to be ordered and shipped to them. That news was the reason the now terrified building Super had found himself on the bad side of Natalie Vega.

She'd lived through plenty of harrowing experiences in her lifetime, but no AC during a record setting hot summer was her breaking point. It simply wasn't going to work.

Michael opened the door and trudged inside.

"So that didn't go well, I gather," she surmised.

"It'll be three days," he confirmed.

"You're too big of a softy. Just let me at him again—I'm sure he'll be able to work something out if his very life depends on it."

"You stay away from him," Michael put an arm out to restrain her. He then broke out into a large grin. "It might not be that bad. People used to live without AC all the time."

"Yes, but we're not in pre-historic times, are we?" she sullenly muttered.

"No." He paused. "We're not."

"You say that as though you had to think about it," she laughed at his giant pause. Michael colored slightly at her teasing.

Then he broke out into a huge smile.

"Swimming! Let's go swimming!" he exclaimed, far too jubilant for Natalie's taste.

She thought about it for a few moments. "All right. Let's go swimming. But we have to figure out what to do about this situation—it's far too hot to stay here without any air conditioning."

"Okay, okay," he waved it off. "Just go get ready."

"See, I told you this would be the perfect place!" Natalie triumphantly declared once at the country club. "Not a single soul to be found."

"Why is that?" Michael asked, scratching his head absently. "I thought this place was pretty popular."

"Eh, there's some new hot-spot on the other side of town," she shrugged. "Works for me though."

She threw her things down on a nearby lounge chair and was soon heading over towards the pool. Before she could take more than two steps, Michael caught her wrist and spun her around. Her hair fell into her face and she struggled to flick it away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, in an even voice.

"You can't just dive in like that," Michael protested.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why not? We came here to swim and … oh look … there's a pool right there. Diving in sounds like a fantastic option at this point in time."

"Well …" he dropped her wrist from his grasp, "while that's true—don't you think getting burnt to a crisp by the hot sun would only increase your misery and suffering?"

He held up a bottle of sunscreen with a cheesy smile firmly planted on his face.

"You just think you're so clever," was her sarcastic reply. "Hand it over—I'm tired of standing around and conversing with you."

He surrendered the sunscreen and watched as she hastily rubbed it into her skin.

When she got to her back, she found that was a bit of a problem.

"Need some help?" Michael offered, obviously amused by this fact.

Natalie's eyes narrowed and she jerked away from him and crisply informed him that she could handle it by herself. He shrugged, crossed his arms over his bare chest, and watched her attempt this feat.

When she near twisted her arm out of its socket, she finally conceded that she needed help. Michael wisely opted to keep his mouth shut on the matter. He'd likely get a verbal beatdown, or—with the mood she was in today—a literal beatdown.

When he was finished, he announced, "Okay, all done."

It took a half second before Natalie was, once again, heading off toward the pool.

And once again, she was thwarted.

"What now, Michael?" she groaned.

"Now you can return the favor," he said, while gesturing to the bottle of sunscreen and turning around.

Natalie stared at his broad back for a moment or two, seemingly in some kind of trance. Then she shook her head and slapped sunscreen over him in a very haphazard and rushed fashion.

"Think you can handle the rest by yourself, Mikey?" she sweetly inquired, already jumping into the pool before he had a chance to answer.

Amusing girl, that one, Michael laughed to himself.

Natalie laughed somewhat maniacally after she'd managed to dunk Michael under the water for about the fifth time in a fairly short interval. He rose to the surface sputtering and looking suitably irked. She offered a mere shrug of her shoulders before splashing him in the face and darting off under the water.

Michael, for his part, felt as though he should … oh, say … ignore her antics. The problem with Natalie was that, no matter what she did, she wasn't a person that could be easily ignored. Everything she did seemed to warrant attention. There wasn't a person who met Natalie that turned around and forgot her.

"You're no fun," she pouted. "Are you just going to sit there and let me abuse you all day?"

"I hardly think dunking a person qualifies as abuse," he flippantly answered.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Especially if one does it repeatedly. Which I have. You should be angry."

"Are you trying to talk me into being angry with you?"

She didn't bother to answer and instead shot him an impish smile. Then she splashed him. Again. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Ignore. Natalie. Vega. Do. Not. Maim. Violence, bad.

"It's getting kind of late," he opted to inform his red-headed swimming companion.

She swam closer to him. "Yes, Michael. It is. What's your point?"

"Maybe we should figure out what we're going to do. You said that you didn't want to stay in the apartment without any AC. You planning on staying with your mom or something?"

"Yeah, I think so," she nodded. "She'd feel highly insulted if I didn't."

"Does Vicki Davidson get insulted?" Michael mused. Somehow he couldn't imagine Vicki throwing a temper tantrum over being slighted or 'insulted'.

"What do you mean does she get insulted? That's not an emotion exclusive to us mere plebeians," Natalie laughed at his ridiculous question.

"I just meant …" he started to clarify, but then gave up. "… just, nevermind."

She laughed again. "What about you? You could come stay at Llanfair too, if you want? There's certainly enough room and I doubt Mom would mind. I'm not quite sure why, but she actually seems to like you."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Eh," Natalie answered. "I suppose not. You're not really that bad."

"Gee, thanks," he sarcastically said.

"Do you want to stay at Llanfair or not?" she extended the invitation again. "Seriously, I'm sure that you'll be more than welcome."

"That's really nice," Michael admitted, somewhat flattered that she'd invite him. "But I think I'll just get a room at the hotel. I'm sure Roxy wouldn't mind having me back for a couple of days."

"Roxy likes you too," Natalie nodded. "Your life isn't complete until you've gotten a commentary from Roxy on the hot-man-flesh living at her hotel. You made the list quite a bit, I seem to recall."

Michael's cheeks colored at her playful jabbing.

"Hot man flesh?" he repeated in near disbelief.

"What's the matter? You don't like the idea of Roxy oogling you?"

"No, it's kind of …"

"Scary?" she offered.

"That would be one way to describe it."

At Natalie's mega-watt smile, Michael splashed water right in her face.

"Finally!" she happily exclaimed. "He stoops to my level! Took you long enough, McBain."

She launched herself at him and gave him an impulsive hug.

Then she promptly dunked him for the sixth time that afternoon.

TBC