A/N: And the black lash starts! Just kidding. I know some of you are a little upset with me, rooting for Bobby and all that. But like I said, this isn't a Bobby fic and Natalie is my Mary Sue invention I love to play with. It's hard to explain about the choice I made to want her with Jack but when I look at her and how she is, she just seems more compatible with him. Just keep in mind… Love is a strong thing, you can connect to so many people in the world, I'm not one that believes in one true soul mate. I think you can love countless people but there's just one that fits you better than anyone. Bobby would feel connected to Natalie cause of her caring nature towards someone he loves, he would be attracted to her because of her qualities, but that doesn't mean he'd love her or that she wouldn't feel some sort of connection with Jack. I'll stop blabbering but I hope that you still enjoy what you read, don't get too angry with me. It's just a ride, enjoy it. Bobby fic coming up very soon. I promise to post the first chapter to it before I post 10 of this one. Enjoy.
Chapter Eight
Bobby reached out for Natalie but his search came up empty; cool sheets drifting under his fingertips. He was immediately awake and sat up rubbing at his head before he swung his legs off the bed. Scratching, he grabbed a pair of worn out jeans from the floor and stumbled to the stairs.
He found Angel and Sofi in the living room, the television on though it was obvious they weren't paying any attention to it.
Bobby scratched at his stomach, yawning. "You guys seen Natalie?"
They ignored him. He turned as he heard the back door of the house open, Natalie entering as she shook the snow off her coat. "Hey," Bobby greeted, "I woke up and you were gone. You had me worried."
She flashed him an uneasily smile as she slid her jacket off her shoulders and walked into the foyer to put it on the coat rack, Bobby following close behind. "Sorry Bobby, it just looked so nice outside I wanted to go walking you know?"
"Nice, my ass!" Angel yelled from the living room. "Girl, you probably froze your titties off." There was the sound of a loud slap and Angel grunted as Sofi began ranting at him in Spanish.
Bobby shook his head with a smile. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
"No. I mean, I'm not very hungry at the moment but I'm sure in an hour or so I might be. Besides, it's almost lunch."
Bobby reached out to pull her close to him and he frowned noticing she was stiff against him. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Natalie sent him another small smile as she backed away. "You mentioned food. If you and Angel are hungry, I can make you something to eat."
He cocked an eyebrow but nodded as he followed her into the kitchen. "Yeah, that sounds good but you forgot the Fairy Queen. Jack will probably take a sandwich too."
"Oh, right… Jack, I didn't mean to forget him." Natalie muttered nodding. She concentrated on gathering things in the kitchen, smiling as she noticed Sofi join her to help.
Bobby stretched again. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower and see if Cracker Jack is up yet. Maybe I can even get his ass downstairs in one non-cranky piece."
"Okay."
The kitchen was silent as Natalie retrieved plates from the cabinet, Sofi moving to get the bread, meat, and other condiments from the fridge. The sound of Angel watching the hockey game filled the house and Natalie smiled when he cursed as the other team scored, the sound of something hitting the television following.
Sofi moved to stand beside her opening the bread bag but Natalie was aware that the Hispanic woman was concentrating on more than just that.
"You've done a lot for Jackie-Boy."
She shrugged accepting the bread handed to her and gripped her knife, dipping it into the jar of mustard on the counter. "I was his nurse. Like I keep saying, it was my job."
Sofi nodded as she continued to watch. "He thinks a lot of you, you know."
"Who, Bobby?" Natalie wiggled her nose, placing the bread on the plate.
Sofi didn't extend the piece of bread in her hand right away and she shook her head. "No, Jack. Jack thinks a lot of you." She thrust the bread out. "This conversation is about you and Jackie."
Natalie slathered the next piece with a glob of mustard. "There is no me and Jack."
There was an amused chuckle beside her as Sofi shook her head. "I see the way he looks at you chica. Last night, it was plain as day. You should have seen his face, the way he watched you with Bobby, the way he looked at you when you helped him from the couch. No wait," She tapped at her chin, "You did see that, didn't you?"
"Sofi…" Natalie placed down the knife. She exhaled at the look Sofi was giving her, not one of hostility or anger but one of sympathy and understanding. "Please don't tell Bobby. Jack's just-"
"In love with you."
Natalie turned to lean against the counter, rubbing at her forehead. "I don't know how this happened. I haven't… To my knowledge I haven't done anything that would make Jack feel that way… Have I?"
"Feel what way?"
Her eyes swung to the doorway to see Angel leaning against it with a frown. He glanced between her and Sofi.
"What are you talking about?"
"The king of the crank Angel, ay!" Sofi threw her hands up, shooting a glance at Natalie as she turned back to the counter. "It's like you men have no ears. Natalie's upset because Jack has been rude to her lately."
"He's just adjusting to the new medication." Natalie fidgeted. "And I'm sure having your nurse follow you home and constantly hover is enough to make anyone feel irritated after a while."
"I reckon." Angel nodded slowly. He sniffed at the air. "I don't smell no ham cooking. I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry Papi."
"Only for you baby."
Natalie turned back around taking another piece of bread from Sofi. Sofi set down her things and raced at Angel, jumping with a squeal as he caught her, her legs going around his waist. Natalie kept her head down busying herself in making the sandwiches as the two disappeared, and she heard them running up the stairs.
"Hey! Watch it, injured man coming through!"
Her back stiffened at the sound of Bobby's voice followed by the occasional grunts, heavy footsteps, and a shower of sarcastic insults.
Natalie sat down her knife, replacing the cap back on the mustard.
"You not done with those sandwiches yet?"
She turned slowly, her eyes catching site of Bobby in the doorway, Jack's tall form lingering behind him. Bobby was smiling and she weakly shot a smile back, her eyes catching Jack's. He said nothing, merely staring and after a moment, Natalie cleared her throat as she looked away and motioned at the sandwiches.
"I wasn't sure what else other than mustard you guys might want on the bread."
Jack shoved past Bobby, limping but at a good pace, and she watched under her eyelashes as he began to dig through his coat on the rack. Natalie spotted the cigarettes in his hand as he put the coat back.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Excuse me?"
Her mouth dropped open as she watched him stick a cigarette in his mouth. She shot a glance at Bobby as Jack pulled his lighter from his jeans pocket. "You're just gonna stand there and let him start smoking again?"
Bobby shrugged moving to the fridge. "He's a grown man baby, I can't tell him what to do."
"You're gonna smoke, seriously?" She placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Jack, her nervousness and anxiety gone to be replaced by surprised disappointment and concern. "You've gone two months without one!"
"What are you, my mother?"
Bobby noticeable stiffened as he pulled back from the fridge with a jar of Mayo. "Jack…"
"Sorry."
She didn't fail to notice he only shot Bobby the apologetic look. "Bobby may not want to stand up to you about this but I do." Natalie stepped up to Jack, ripping the cigarette out of his mouth, and she snapped it in half. "It's disgusting, it's bad for your health, and with your daily high dose of medication I don't think it's entirely such a good idea to smoke or drink."
Jack growled down at her. "Don't do that again."
"Why? What are you gonna do Mr. Big Shot?"
Jack stepped closer to her, his eyes flashing hot with sudden anger. "I mean it, don't do that again."
"Guys, whoa." Bobby stepped in between them, pushing each back on the shoulder gently. "What the hell has gotten into you two?"
Jack stepped back even more as Natalie shook her head. She watched as he growled again, suddenly flinging the cigarettes, and the pack bounced harmlessly against the wall to fall to the floor. The kitchen was silent as he limped towards the dining room.
"I'm sorry Bobby." She looked to him nervously. "I get… I get rather uptight about smoking." Natalie turned back to the counter. "My father used to smoke cigars all the time and he thought it was funny to blow the smoke in my face."
"I'm sorry baby." He moved next to her and reached out, cupping her face with his hand. "You two had me worried for a second. Thought you had some private war going on I didn't know about."
She bit the inside of her mouth. "I don't think he likes me very much."
"Nonsense. Jack adores you!" Bobby argued. "You're like the little sister he never had that hovers around a lot with a bucket of pills."
Natalie blinked, her gaze wide as she glanced at Bobby. "I don't think that's it."
"Then what is it?"
She scrambled her brain for a quick answer. "It's more like wicked stepsister."
"Don't be ridiculous." He piled the sandwiches onto a plate. "Trust me, you guys spend some alone time together, I promise you that you won't want to stop playing dolls with him. It'll do him good, he needs more friends."
&&&&&&&&
Angel and Sofi managed to untangle themselves to return to the table and Natalie shifted nervously in her seat as silence filled the room. It wasn't uncomfortable… for the most part.
Just as they had sat down, Jerry had swung by to see Jack, taking a seat next to Angel and Sofi. Bobby had insisted she sit between him and Jack.
It was amazing to see them together, conversation eventually picking up as they passed the bowls and plates around. Natalie had insisted on making more than just sandwiches and had added soup and random vegetables she could find in their pantry. Days like this she wished it was possible to eat up guilt or make it disappear by cooking more than humanly needed.
She took the sandwich plate from Bobby, picking up one to place it on her own plate, and then handed it to Jack. He took it without a sound, not looking at her but the feeling of his fingers sliding against hers as he accepted the plate made her eyes dart to his face. He didn't look up, merely taking a sandwich as well, and he passed the plate to Jerry.
"Babe, you okay?"
Natalie's head snapped towards Bobby and she nodded. "Yes, sorry; I got caught up thinking about something."
"Not work I hope. You have a full week off from that place."
"You caught me." Natalie shrugged nonchalantly. "I just hope they're okay while I'm gone. That place can get hectic." She muttered taking a vegetable bowl from him next. She dipped out some green beans then passed the bowl to Jack without looking at him, jerking her hand away quickly as she felt him grip the side of it.
Natalie picked up her fork, stabbing a green bean without remorse. She scolded herself for acting so immature. This wasn't her, what was this proving?
Someone cleared their throat and she looked up to find Angel watching her as he took a sip from his glass. Immediately she looked down and placed the bean into her mouth. She shifted in her seat, feeling her leg hit Jack's cast, and Natalie forgot her newly sworn vow of silence.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to…"
"I'm fine." He nodded. "Pass me the corn."
"You don't like corn." Angel spat. "When'd you start eating corn?"
"Probably around the same time you started dating stupid chicks." Bobby wiped at his mouth, barely moving his head in time to duck the wadded up napkin Sofi threw at him. He lifted the bowl giving it to Natalie. "There you go, make Jackie happy."
It slipped from her fingers, crashing on the table and Natalie swore as she shoved her chair back, grabbing her napkin. Bobby and Sofi rose as well, each patting at the small mess.
"I'm so sorry. My fingers slipped." She patted at the table, lifting the bowl that still contained a good amount of corn. "There Jack, sorry." Natalie shoved it at him without looking and let go as she felt him take it.
"It's no big deal." Bobby shrugged. "Sit down. I'll get some more napkins."
She sat down again as he ventured into the kitchen, Sofi collecting the soaked napkins and following after him. Natalie cleared her throat and looked up at hearing Angel's soft chuckle.
He was watching her again, a small smile on his face and as she watched, his eyes darted between her and Jack. He kept smiling, lifting his glass back up to his mouth.
She directed her gaze down again, her plate suddenly the most interesting thing she had ever seen her entire life.
&&&&&&&&
"I want to see tight passes too!" Bobby exclaimed in the living room. "Now let's go."
"I ain't playing hockey man, and there's no way Jack can play."
"Jack can cheerlead. He'd love that, right Cracker Jack? Give you a chance to put on your outfit again."
"You guys go ahead." Jack's deep voice rumbled emotionless from his seat on the couch. "I need to take some medication anyway, maybe take a nap too."
Sofi snapped the dishrag down on the counter from beside Natalie and turned, marching into the living room.
Natalie continued to wash the dishes at the sink listening as Sofi joined in loudly to the conversation.
"Angel, I remember us having a conversation about spending time together! Shopping remember? You promised!"
"Baby, I…"
"No! We're going and that's final. Today. Ahora."
Bobby chuckled. "Aw, La Vida Loca wants to charge something else on Angel's card. I'm so surprised. I'm sorry but Mr. Wong's all maxed out at the moment."
"Shut the hell up Bobby!" Sofi snapped. "I don't remember anyone ever asking your opinion on anything!"
Natalie shook her head and placed the now final dry dish into the rack on the counter. She dried her hands with the towel and turned towards the doorway to find Bobby standing there.
"Hey."
"Hey back." She smiled and tossed the rag back on the counter. "Are you guys going out to play hockey?"
"Nah," He rolled his eyes. "La Vida Loca has Angel on a leash right now so I'm gonna go with Jerry to see his kids. Wanna go?"
"Someone needs to look after your brother."
"I'm sure he'll be-"
"You did say you wanted me to get to know him better didn't you?" She shrugged as she slid her hands into her pockets. "No better time than this."
"You're right." Bobby nodded stepping forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "We'll be back shortly."
"I'll be here."
&&&&&&&&
It was quiet in the house except for the sound of the television playing loudly in the living room. Natalie tapped her fingers on the kitchen table and glanced at the clock. The boys had only been gone 20 minutes and she had yet to hear one word or sound from Jack. It was getting close to the time for him to take his medication and she knew for a fact it was still upstairs on the bathroom sink.
Natalie rose from the table, moving into the living room to find Jack lying on his back with the remote in his hand as he stared at the screen.
"It's about time for your medication."
He didn't shift his head away from the television. "Then go get it."
"I don't think that's how you ask someone nicely."
"Fine." Jack shrugged still not looking at her. "Please go get my medication for me before I fucking die. Thanks."
"Okay, that's enough." Natalie marched around the couch, bending to tear the remote from his hand and she hit the off button, watching in satisfaction as the TV went black. She tossed the remote on the table. "It's time to end the pity party and the Crank Fest Of Life you've got going. You're being worse than children at the hospital I swear."
"Give me the remote back Natalie."
"Why? So you can rot your brain even more with that crap?" She shook her head. "There's nothing good on anyway."
"I said give it back." He shoved himself up on his elbows, turning so that his back rested against the couch cushions. "Now."
"Or what Gimpy?" Natalie chuckled. "You'll attack me with witty sarcasm?"
"No," Jack was up on his feet a lot faster than she thought would be possible, glaring down at her, the coffee table the only thing separating them. "I'll kiss that loud mouth of yours and shut you up for good."
She took a step back at the serious tone of his voice. "Jack…"
"Yes Natalie?" He was edging around the table, keeping his eyes on hers.
"Stop. Right there." Natalie pointed out at him. "This has gone too far."
"What has?" Jack paused on the other side of the coffee table, slouching causally as she debated between staying to argue and bolting for the door. "I don't know if I'm sure what you're talking about."
Her hand began to shake and she lowered it quickly. "We can't do this Jack. I'm… I'm dating your brother and you're not yourself, you're sick and the medication is…"
"We're not doing anything…" Jack took another step forward. "…yet."
"Last night was a mistake on my part." Natalie sputtered backing up. "I let concern for you pass a line that I shouldn't have crossed. You were dazed, heavily medicated and had just come out of sleep. You didn't know what you were doing."
"That's bullshit and you know it."
"No, it's not." She squeaked as he took more calm steps towards her and she felt the firmness of the wall come in contact with her backside. "Jack, please…"
"Please what?" He trapped her there, his left arm rising to cut off her exit as the corner of the wall boxed her in from the left. He remained inches away, gazing down with dark, playful eyes. "What Natalie?"
"Don't…" She felt the whisper slip from her lips without force. "Don't do this."
"It's not me Natalie, it's you. You've done this to me." Jack reached out, bringing his free arm up so that his fingers could play with the silky strands of her hair as it hung around her shoulders. "I heard your voice Natalie and I knew. I just knew that you were waiting for me when I was ready to open my eyes. Bobby, Angel, they don't understand the connection we have, no one does, but we have it and you know it." His fingers released her hair, hand hovering over the skin of her arm and he allowed his hand to cup the side of her face, fingers lightly brushing the skin of her neck. "I know you feel it every time we're in the room together. Everyone sees it but you; you refuse to because of Bobby."
"Bobby and I…"
"Bobby and you?" Jack spat, lips twisting. "Tell me Natalie, after two months of being with Bobby have you slept with him yet? Have you done anything but heavy petting and the occasional kiss?" He chuckled as he trailed a finger along her jaw. "He kisses you more on the face than anywhere on your body. Admit it."
"I can't hurt him." She whispered. "I won't."
"Then end it with him before you do. Bobby's strong; he'll get over it and move onto the next girl in no time, he always does. Trust me. He's not in love with you."
"Stop." Her eyes flashed. "Why are you saying these things to me? Why are you doing this? He's your brother."
"This doesn't change the fact that I love him as a brother." Jack's gaze lowered as he shifted his attention past her face, his fingers brushing against the top of her low-neck sweater. "It doesn't change how I feel about you."
Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him snap loose the top button with a flick of his thumb. She clawed at the wall as if afraid any minute she'd slip; the sound of his breathing and the feeling of the warmth that radiated off him making her light-headed.
"It doesn't change how you feel about me."
"I don't-"
"Yes." He shifted to cup her face with both hands. "You do."
Jack covered her mouth with his own, drawing them close to where he flattened her comfortably against the wall. Her hands clutched at his black hoodie as he deepened the kiss without resistance. Jack titled her head to gain more access to her mouth, tongue sliding against hers and he moaned against her mouth as he tasted her warmth.
Natalie was lost, delicious shivers sparking down her spine as her hands slipped under his hoodie. She gasped as Jack bit her lower lip, growling at the feeling of her fingernails scraping the abs of his stomach.
He pressed his hips into her, releasing her face to shove his hands under her own shirt, hands cupping her breasts through the lacy texture of her bra.
Jack tore his mouth from hers; breathing hard as he stared down at her, lust swirling in his dark orbs. "I want you upstairs in my room."
"Jack, we-"
"God Natalie, for once, don't fight me on this." He groped her roughly with both hands, slipping his fingers into the cups of her bra and he chuckled as her hips jerked involuntarily, eyelids threatening to snap shut. "Don't make me beg Natalie."
"No." The rejection tore from her lips and she panicked throwing out her arm to separate them. "No!" Natalie shoved him away, hands shaking as she straightened at her clothing. She was mortified as the tears began to stream down her face. "I have to go. I have to get out of here."
"Go?" Jack snarled. "Go where?"
"Away from you." She started for the door but he grabbed her arm, swinging her back to face him. "Jack, let go!"
"Go where?" He repeated. "You're not just walking out of here away from this house, away from me Natalie."
"I said let go of me!"
"What the hell is going on here?"
Natalie twisted her arm free, almost falling into the wall as she did, and her wide eyes swung to see Angel standing in the doorway of the kitchen.