A/N - thanks for all the love! The facts about NJ in here are accurate.

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Natalie waited while John spoke to the FBI agents through the window of the ostentatiously obvious bureau car. She smirked as she remembered the agents in the "The Matrix," one of her favorite movies. She had a feeling these agents liked it too, what with their dark suits and dark sunglasses. She adjusted her own glasses and the cap she was wearing to cover her red hair.

"Everything all right, Mr. Anderson?" she asked John as he came to stand in front of her.

John laughed at her poor imitation and shook his head. "The next ferry leaves in ten minutes. We have to rush."

"Where are we going?"

"We'll talk on board."

In unison they turned towards the Delaware side terminal of what Jersey kids called the Cape May Ferry, and what the Delaware kids called the Lewes Ferry.

"I've never been on the ferry," Natalie admitted as John waited for the ticket agent to slip the tickets under the modern glass booth window.

"Really?" John looked at her in surprise.

"I mean, I've seen it. I got to go to Wildwood quite a bit one summer when I lived on my own during high school. But we didn't have much money for things like that."

"Well, now you're going to have a chance. We used to ride it all the time. Bunch of drunken hooligans we were." John whispered the last part and put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the boarding boat.

"How long does it take?"

"Eighty minutes. What's wrong?" John asked when Natalie looked worried.

"Where's Cristian? If anything happens to him again, I don't know if I can forgive myself."

"Forgive yourself for what? It's not your fault." John asked as he led her to the furthest end of the boat away from the dock, and anyone who might be watching for them.

Natalie leaned on the railing and looked out over the water.

"Hey, you can tell me anything."

Natalie sighed and rested her chin on her hands. She thought for a moment, acknowledging to herself that this was exactly the problem. She could tell John anything and never be fearful of being judged, though often hurt. It had never been the same way with Cristian. He had expected her to be a certain way, a certain kind of person.

John watched as Natalie slipped away into her thoughts. He wished there was something he could to make her feel better.

"It was surreal seeing him again. Him being him." A spark of anger shot through her shaded eyes, John couldn't see it, but he heard it in her voice.

"Yeah?" John cleared his throat.

"I couldn't just go back to being his wife, like no time had passed. That's what he wanted. And now he might be…"

"We'll find him. Bo or the Bureau. He'll be all right."

"You can't promise me that." Natalie turned sideways and faced him. "Just like you can't promise me I'm safe and just like you can't promise yourself you won't get hurt."

John's eyes went blank and he looked out to sea.

"I hate when you do that."

"I am who I am, Natalie."

"Who are you, John? Because I'd really like to know."

"What you see is what you get."

"Bullshit! An open book is not who kept the secret about the DNA results!"

"You're right. There are a lot of things I haven't told you. Some of it I don't have the right to tell you, some of it you have the right to know." John turned and faced her, his face in the shadows from the sun setting behind him.

"But first we have some things to take care of. Then I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Anything?" Natalie sounded dubious.

"Anything." John's voice was dead serious.

Natalie took the box with a pained expression and then walked into the ladies room. She put it down on the counter along with the cheap towels John had also pulled out of his rucksack.

"Goodbye red. Hello." She glanced down at the box of hair dye. "Oh man, leave it to a guy to get permanent. L'Oreal Feria, Expresso." Natalie sighed and turned on the water.

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Done, Natalie dumped the dirty towels into the garbage and scowled at her hair. She took the comb John had handed her, also the wrong kind, and attempted to sort it all out. Ten minutes later she had done the best she could. At least she now had wet, knot free hair. Even if the color was rather startling with her fair skin and blue eyes.

"Standing on deck should take care of that." She took the cap and sunglasses and walked outside.

John wolf whistled. He had used the time to shave down his usual goatee.

"Can we go on deck and let the wind dry my hair? The hand dryer wasn't going to cut it."

"First, let's go do something else."

"What?"

"You've never taken the ferry, let me show you something."

A minute later they were walking into a full-blown, floating arcade. Flashing lights and beeps and buzzes surrounded them.

"It's almost like being back home." Natalie's eyes were wide with wonder. "Do we have any quarters? Can we afford it?"

"We can spare a few dollars. Come on." John pulled out his wallet and went to the coin exchange machine. "I don't even recognize half of these games."

"That's because you're old. Maybe we can find some Donkey Kong for you. Or Galaga. I love Galaga."

"Hey." John pushed her further into the play room.

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"You suck at video games. Except the target ones."

John just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. The sun was heading quickly for the horizon. They would make land at nightfall. A good time to travel. While Natalie was in the bathroom he had called an old friend and there would be a car waiting for them. An untraceable one.

"What is the plan?" Natalie asked.

"We're going to head to AC to meet up with some old friends of mine. Then we'll figure something out from there."

"Do you really think they're looking for me?"

John reached out and pushed a fly away strand of hair off Natalie's cheek. "You know, in the sunset you look like golden fire."

Natalie's heart skipped a beat and then sped up. She hated how breathless she felt. He had lied to her. He had let her believe she had slept with an imposter, that her husband was dead. But dammit, she still felt so much for this man and she obviously trusted him since she had agreed to go with him no questions asked. Not that he gave her much of a choice, she remembered back to his commands at the safe house. Everyone listened, including her.

"You're not supposed to say things like that to me."

"Because I lied to you about Cristian's DNA test?" John's voice and face were bleak.

"No, because we're just friends."

"Are we?"

"Are we what?" Natalie's mouth was dry.

"Friends. Are we friends?" John's eyes said something different from his mouth.

Natalie let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding and looking out at the choppy waters.

"I don't know," she finally whispered. "I don't know what we are."

John couldn't stop himself, he reached out and turned her face towards him and placed his hands on her cheeks. He caressed one cheek with the back of his knuckles. "We're John McBain and Natalie Vega. Two kids from Atlantic City who made good." They just looked into each other's eyes for an endless moment.

"I shouldn't feel this way." Natalie's eyes filled with tears.

"Then we're even, because I shouldn't either." Their open mouths met in a kiss sweeter than any that had gone between them before. The passion that always sparked when they touched was still there, but it was overlaid with something different. The sense of urgency was missing and in its place was a slow acknowledgement of unspoken emotions.

After long minutes, Natalie pulled back and they looked at each other, shock evident in their expression. Without a word John dove back in for another kiss. A voice in his head was screaming at him that this was wrong, that this was a married woman, but he chose to ignore it as he deliberately raised the heat by sliding his fingers down the curve of her breast.

Her felt her breath hitch and pressed closer.

Then the fire started. The burn that was so familiar whenever he tasted her, whenever their breaths merged. He tasted his way down her neck. He felt a jolt of satisfaction when she arched her neck and threw her head back with a groan. His fingertips teased her aching aureole.

Suddenly he heard the sound of people talking. Other people were leaving the safety of the cabin to stand on deck and watch the sunset. Panting, John pulled back and gripped Natalie by the shoulders.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Her words were breathless.

John's eyes burned with passion too long repressed. He wanted to do nothing more than press her down and bury himself within her. He wanted to do nothing but protect her. Love her.

The words hovered on his tongue.

Sensing his struggle, which was much akin to her own, Natalie pressed her fingertips to his lips and shook her head.

"Do you know how much I want to make love to you?" he asked despite her barrier. She was so beautiful. Her hair was still half wet. Her lips were swollen from his, there was red from his fresh stubble on her cheeks and neck and her nipples were pressing against her green "Delaware" t-shirt. "Whoever put the logo on the shirt had to imagine it on your body."

"You're leering at me!" Natalie laughed.

John smiled at having lightened her mood, though her laughter only tightened the fist in his gut. "Come on." He opened his arms and welcomed her body against his. Natalie took a deep breath, he was pleased to note, and turned and leaned against him. Together they watched the sun set over the land to the west of them.