Seeing Red

A/N: Another timeline change I should mention - John never opened the DNA results on John Doe and the person in prison never remembered who he is.

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Part 3
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Natalie walked into Llanfair hoping that someone was home and had news on how Jess was doing at St. Anne's. She and John were supposed to be spending this Sunday together, but since the murder last night behind the old Crossroads building, which he would only describe as violent, he had to go into the office today. She had offered to come in, but both John and Bo had told her to keep her day off since she would be plenty busy tomorrow as they got deeper into the background checks and interviews. So, here she was at Llanfair feeling at loose ends.

"Darling, I didn't know you were coming over." Vicki was sitting in the sun room drinking coffee and reading the Sunday Banner, which she folded up neatly and put next to her plate of breakfast.

"John had to work so I thought I'd visit. Where's Dad?"

"Your father went to BE. Another fire to put out." Vicki put her cup down delicately and lifted the silver coffeepot and poured Natalie a cup. "I just don't know how Asa and Kevin survived without him."

"I think Grandpa's trying to convince Dad to stay," Natalie said.

"I think you got Asa's number." Vicki laughed. "Well, how about you and I spend the day together?"

"I'd like that. Is there any news on Jessica? They won't let me speak to her yet." Natalie's expression betrayed her worry and frustration.

"It's going to be a slow process to integrate the personalities. I want to see and talk to her myself too, but I understand that she's not ready yet."

"But you could be of so much help to her!" Natalie protested.

"Or harm. I believe that whatever happened to Jessica one of my other personalities was involved. Probably Nikki."

"She doesn't like your kids much does she?" Natalie asked as a chill ran down her spine, her own run-ins with her mother's alter still a vivid memory.

"Not very much at'tall," Vicki confirmed. "Enough about that, how are you doing? You and John?"

"We're great." Natalie beamed. "I never thought I could be this happy again. Oh, Mom, he loves me."

"That's wonderful, Sweetheart. I'm so happy for you. John is a good man. I never doubted that he cared for you."

"But you were worried, that he couldn't open up to me. Like he was with Evangeline, but she just wasn't the right woman for him. I just wish…"

"You wish what?"

Natalie frowned down at her coffee. She wanted to choose her words carefully. She didn't want her mother to think she was a jealous shrew. "It's Evangeline. She won't leave John and me alone. She's always there."

"She loved John, she has a broken heart. And not too long ago you were the one always showing up where they were," Vicki reminded her.

"But with me and John it was always different. When I tried to keep away he wouldn't let me. He couldn't keep his eyes off me. Evangeline's always watching us, showing up at work, at Rodi's and even at the hotel a couple of times. It's kind of creepy," Natalie said.

"As a defense attorney she does have business with the police and the other two places…"

"Mom, I know you're trying to see the best in Evangeline and I love how you do that with everyone, but I'm not imagining it. No other defense attorney hangs out at the police station. And when she's at the hotel she says it's to visit John's own brother or Marcie. It's strange, trust me."

"I do, Honey. If it's really a problem I think John is the one who needs to deal with it. Evangeline is a successful woman and she's probably not used to losing."

"Yeah, well, I wish she'd lose far away from me and John." Natalie took a bracing sip of the hot coffee.

"Oh, I didn't think you were going to be here today," Evangeline said as she steadied herself with a hand on John's bicep, stroking it lightly.

"Working on a Sunday, just like you." John cleared his throat. He stepped back out of her reach to let her pass down the hallway they were both walking down in opposite directions when they collided. He'd had his head buried in the case file and hadn't seen her until it was too late.

"Oh my!" Evangeline gasped and put her hands against her chest as she caught site of the grisly crime scene photos in his hand. "Is that what called you away from the wedding last night?"

"Yeah." John closed the file. "I need to get back to work. Have a good day." He started to walk past her when he suddenly had an impulse. "Actually, would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?"

"Oh, yes, John. I'd love that. We said we were going to remain friends, after all." She batted her eyelashes and smiled seductively at him.

John's eyes narrowed. "I'm just going to lock this up in my office. I'll meet you out front. You need longer to finish your business?" he asked.

"My…oh, no, I was just leaving."

The exit was in the opposite direction from the one she was heading in when she bumped into him. John refrained from commenting, but it confirmed that he needed to have the dreaded talk with her sooner rather than later.

John put his hands on his hips and watched Evangeline stalk out of the coffee shop, mowing down a couple of hapless customers in her path. With a frustrated sigh he picked up and tossed her forgotten drink into the trash and carried his out with him. That had not gone as well as he had hoped, but about as bad as he expected. He had taken her to Hallowed Grounds with the usual futile-man-hope that she would not make a scene in a public place.

As they stood in line waiting to order their drinks, Evangeline had refused to leave his side to get a table, he noticed that she kept touching him and making references to things they had done in the
past. She also kept brushing her breast against his arm in that way she used to. Except now, instead of being turned on by the tease it pissed him off.

He had tried to be compassionate all these months, even going so far to excuse some of the backhanded comments she made about and to Natalie. Although, if he was honest, he usually let those pass to keep the peace and because she seemed to think he was too stupid to realize
what she really meant. He'd even felt guilty for a while as he came to realize he had just been biding his time with Evangeline, hiding out with her to avoid Natalie even while he knew Evangeline was falling in love with him. His patience, however, was wearing thin.

They took a small round table off to the side and made small talk as they started their drinks. Then he took a deep breath and decided to get to the point.

"Listen, Evangeline, I asked you here to talk about something. Something about us."

"I knew it!" Evangeline leaned forward.

John squirmed as he saw her movements not only gave him a bird's eye view of her cleavage, but she had moved her crossed, bare legs closer to him.

"Oh, John." She clasped his hand on the table. "I knew you'd come around if I was just patient."

"Ahem, Evangeline. I don't know what you think I came around to, I wanted to talk to you about Natalie."

"Natalie!" Evangeline's eyes widened further. "Oh. Of course, you're worried about how to let her down and tell her about us. I totally understand your concern for her feelings. I was in the same position, after all. We must be delicate and present a united front."

John's face reddened as she kept talking, not letting him interrupt. At the same time, she was sliding her hand suggestively up his thigh. Finally, he grabbed her hand and took it off his thigh. "You're misunderstanding me, Evangeline," he said firmly.

"What am I misunderstanding, John?" she asked in that censorious tone that made him want to stamp his foot and pout.

"I wanted to talk to you about…I love Natalie, Evangeline. I wanted to make sure that you knew that. That I am with her and I plan to stay with her for…for…a long time. I never intended to hurt you and I'm sorry if I led you on in any way."

"You…you…LOVE her?" Evangeline shrieked the word love. "I thought you couldn't say the word!" She stood up in a huff.

"I couldn't say it to you, because I was never in love with you." John too stood up.

"You bastard! You used me. You always wanted her, that stupid little girl who is nothing, nothing compared to me!" She stood up. "You'll be sorry John McBain and so will your little slut!" She smacked him across the face and stormed out.

No, John rubbed his cheek as he walked into the police station. That had not gone well, but at least there could no longer be any misunderstanding. And he was sure once he told Natalie how he was manhandled she would make it all better. Grinning now he went to Bo's office to see if they had gotten an identity yet on the poor woman who had been so brutally murdered the night before.