Natalie opened the door seconds after he pounded on it and could tell immediately that something was wrong; something had happened since the last time she'd seen him a few hours ago. She stepped mutely aside to let him enter which he did, silently, using all of his strength to keep himself under control, knowing if he didn't that he would completely explode.
"John?" she finally asked after they stared at each other in silence for what seemed like hours.
Without saying anything he handed her the photograph he was still holding. She stared at the picture and took a deep breath as realization hit her. "Where did you get this?" she asked quietly.
"I'm borrowing Michael's car," he said in a cold but even voice, "I opened the glove compartment and it fell out."
"Okay," she said taking another deep breath.
He could tell she wanted to say something else but before she had a chance he said, "I can't believe I didn't notice it before. Maybe it was denial. Maybe I just didn't want to see it."
"Don't," she pleaded closing her eyes.
"Because I of all people should have been able to see it," he continued, talking to himself as much as to her, "they look so much alike. They have the exact same eyes for God's sake."
"John-" she tried to interject but now that he was talking he found he couldn't stop.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asked.
"Yes," she said fire starting to rise behind her eyes, "that's what-"
"That's right," he said, "that's right that was why I was coming over tonight. You don't think maybe you should have told me before?"
"Yes," she said again taking a hesitant step towards him, "I should have-" He backed away.
"You don't think maybe before we made love on Wednesday night you should have mentioned you'd done the same thing with my brother? Tell me, did it work the same way? Did you just show up at his place with a couple of beers and condoms in your purse?"
The fire behind her eyes flashed and they narrowed in response to his accusation. "John!" she said a warning tone creeping into her voice.
"Because I would have thought that somewhere in one of those conversations we had about Jonas you could have mentioned that the kid was my nephew!"
Natalie stared at him for a moment in disbelief and then did the last thing he would have expected her to do—she laughed. It wasn't anything like her normal laugh; it was harsh and angry sounding and while she was still laughing there was a knock at the door.
She stepped over to the door and flung it open, looking only halfway surprised to see Michael standing there. Michael looked at John's angry face and Natalie who still had a dark smile on her face, "What's going on?" he asked his voice full of trepidation.
"Ask him," Natalie said motioning towards John.
Michael turned questioning eyes to his brother and John stared at those eyes. Those eyes that had stared up at him that morning from the face of an eight-year-old boy. John felt another surge of anger. "Tell me," he said, "does Marcie know?"
"Know what?" Michael asked.
"Of course she doesn't," he said answering his own question, "because Marcie would never be okay with this."
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.
Natalie handed him the photograph and Michael looked at it but clearly still didn't understand. "He found this in your car," Natalie explained, "and he noticed that you and Jonas have the same eyes."
"Oh God!" Michael said breathlessly.
"So your brother the genius detective put the pieces together and figured out that Jonas is your son."
"John-" Michael said turning to his brother.
"It all makes sense now," John said narrowing his eyes at the two of them.
"Well thank goodness!" Natalie said. Michael, who looked totally stunned, turned to her and shook his head.
"I saw her at your place on Thanksgiving," John said.
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.
"She was pulling out of the parking lot as I was pulling in," he explained, "I thought it was my imagination… Well I guess I know why you were only half dressed when I got there."
"Yes," Michael admitted, "she was there on Thanksgiving, okay? She came to talk to me which held me up which is why I was-"
"Stop denying it!" John said raising his voice.
"Okay!" Natalie shouted back, "The jig is up Michael, we might as well admit it."
"Natalie-" Michael pleaded.
Natalie snorted with that harsh laughter again and continued, "You're absolutely right, John. Your brother and I have been having a torrid affair for the past nine years. I zipped over to his place on Thanksgiving for a quick roll in the sheets before dinner. And yes, he is, in fact the father of my child."
"Natalie, stop it!" Michael said raising his voice to match hers.
"Oh come on!" she laughed, "You have to think this is funny."
"Funny?" John asked.
"Yeah," she said, "because I have to tell you, I always thought you were good at your job."
John stared at the half crazed woman before him. "What does that have to do with-?"
"Great detective skills, John," she said. "Tell me, do you even own a mirror?"
"A mirror?" he asked.
"Um hmm," she said through a tight smile.
"Why-?"
"Because those aren't Michael's eyes John," Natalie shouted at him, "they're yours."
To be continued.
Author's note: So yeah… it was a cheap trick that chapter 6 ending. And there have been quite a few in this story. I tell myself you're soap fans and all I've done is use the same tricks soap writers have been using for ages and that on some masochistic level you all must enjoy this kind of thing (I do, I admit it)… but I feel compelled to explain some of the process on this.
For me most of my stories start with a particular image or line that pops into my head that I build the whole story around. In this case there were actually two lines: the first line of chapter 1 "The second year after his mother died…" and the last line of this chapter. To get to that last line I had to create a set up in which John would honestly believe that the child belonged to his brother and because I was generally telling the story from his POV I needed to make you all take the journey too. I hope it's been fun, not annoying.
Creating all of the confusion, all of those other possibilities almost convinced me. I almost changed the story entirely. And I have to say I'm really intrigued by an ending whereby the child isn't John's… so depending on the muse their might be an alternate ending or two in the works, but I'm going to finish up the one that gave me the initial inspiration first.