Disclaimers: The usual apply.

Author's note: Huge thanks goes to Cru for her assistance on ideas for this chapter and the last chapter.

She was really mad this time, he thought as she yanked him forcibly through the "Employees Only" door. Even though he knew he was in trouble he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face; she was really sexy when she was like this.

"This isn't funny!" she said catching his smile. "I am serious John the next time you threaten one of my customers-"

"What?" he asked putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer.

"I'm trying to run a business here!" she insisted, trying to ignore the suggestive look in his eyes.

"And I'm trying to help," he said nuzzling her neck.

"Well you're not," she insisted, "If you don't get a job soon-" She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the sensation of his mouth against her skin, but only for a moment before saying, "It's not gonna work, John."

"I don't know," he said pulling her body tighter against him and nibbling at her ear, "seems to be."

"I'll still be mad," she assured him even as she felt her breath quicken slightly.

"That's okay," he murmured, "you're cute when you're mad."

Finally finding the resolve to push back from him she looked him in the eye and said, "Then I'll look real hot as I tell you that the next time you pull a stunt like that I am going to kill you."

"What?" he asked again, "I'm supposed to just stand there and let some guy hit on my fiancée?"

"He was a drunk college student, John," she said totally exasperated, "what did you think he was competition?"

"Oh, and if the next guy smacks you on the ass am I just supposed to stand there and watch that too?"

"No, if some creep ever smacks me on the ass you're supposed to stand and watch me break his wrist and then tell the cops he fell and broke it on his own," she said. "You're supposed to trust in my ability to defend myself."

"I trust you," he protested, "I just-"

She grabbed his chin so that she could force him to look at her. "One more time John, and you're dead."

"Okay but-"

"I will kill you and then Uncle Bo will come and arrest me and it will be very sad. And then your son will wind up being raised by Rex. By Rex, John. Do you want that?"

"All right," he finally conceded, "calm down."

But by her expression Natalie had moved on mentally to something else. "Rex," she repeated thoughtfully. She was making him nervous; he could tell from her expression she'd just had an idea and that didn't necessarily bode well for him.

"What about Rex?" he asked.

She patted him on the shoulder and said, "I have to make a phone call. You go out and apologize to my not-so-secret admirer and tell him the next round is on the house."

"Natalie!" he protested.

She pointed him back out towards the bar. "You owe me. I was merciful this time. Didn't even maim you."

He let her push him back out front. The offending frat boy had left already and he couldn't bring himself to be sorry about it. He smiled to himself; there was a time when he would have given everything he had to let drunk college boys be the worst she needed to be protected from. They'd come a long way.

She was right about something though, even if he wasn't quite ready to admit that to her; he needed a new job. All he'd cared about when he moved back to Llanview was being close to Natalie and Jonas—he hadn't even given serious thought to employment. He'd talked to Bo soon after arriving in town but his old job had, of course, long since been filled. He would have been willing to start over as a patrolmen in necessary, but after discussing it with Bo they'd decided it wasn't the best idea. A lot of the guys on the force had served under him, including his replacement. There was too much potential for it to confuse the chain of command.

Natalie hadn't seemed to care if he worked back then; she was just as excited to have him there as he was to be there. Money wasn't really a concern for her—not that he was comfortable living off of her but she assured him she could use his help at Rodi's. And not having a set work schedule gave him plenty of opportunity to spend time with Jonas. They'd gotten to know each other quite well and were close to having the kind of bond he'd always wanted with his kids.

But after more than a month of this it was becoming clear that he was not cut out for running a restaurant. Customer relations was hardly his strong suit and the job required too much of that. Plus, working together didn't necessarily make for domestic tranquility. But what else could he do?

Mentally he ran through nearby towns and what he knew about their police departments. He didn't relish in the idea of commuting, but it might be worth it if it helped preserve the peace.

"Rex please!" Natalie begged after pulling him into a back table.

"It's a bad idea Nattie," he said shaking his head.

"For your sister!" she pouted, "Who's helped your sorry ass out more times than-"

"It's for my sister that I'm saying 'no'," he said. "Have you thought about what this is going to mean for you? You're gonna be caught in between us constantly."

"No I won't," she insisted, "because I am going to explain to him that you are in charge and he has to listen to you."

Rex laughed out loud. "Yeah, that's gonna happen."

"And you are going to listen to his input because you value his expertise," she added with a firm smile.

"Nattie!" Rex exclaimed burying his face in his left hand.

"Just talk it over with him, Rex," she pleaded, "make him the offer and set your terms I won't even make you negotiate. Too much."

He sighed. She wasn't going to take 'No' for an answer. And it might not be the worst idea. Not that he felt like admitting that to her at the moment. "Go get him," he said with a wave of his hand.

Natalie grinned and practically skipped away returning a moment later tugging John by the arm. "Have a seat," she told him motioning to the seat across from Rex.

"What's going on?" John asked trying not to sound nervous.

Rex didn't say anything he just looked up at Natalie out of the corner of his eye. This was her idea; he was going to make her explain it. Taking the hint she spoke up. "Well you know how Rex has his own PI firm now?"

"Uh huh," John said wondering what kind of trouble Rex had gotten himself into now.

"It's been doing really well," she continued, "and so they're expanding and they have a position open and he has generously decided to offer it to you."

"He decided?" John asked knowing full well this wasn't Rex's idea.

"You'd be working for me," Rex said, "that means you'd have to listen to me."

"And you can do that, can't you?" Natalie asked leaning forward and propping herself up on the table with her elbows.

John looked back at her out the corner of his eye but said nothing. "And Rex is just going to be thrilled to have your input, since you have all that experience in law enforcement," she continued, kicking Rex under the table.

The two men looked at each other for a moment, both of them fully aware she was pulling both their strings at the moment. "I appreciate what you're trying to do," John said turning to her.

"What I'm trying to do?" she said in feigned confusion, "it was Rex's idea!"

He gave her half a smile, "Natalie I don't think any of us believes that."

"Well it's a good idea," she said straightening up and putting her hands on her hips.

"You've had better," John said.

"Yeah, like that time you decided to make yourself a decoy for the Killing Club Killer," Rex said. Natalie popped him on the back of the head and he winced.

"It would work if the two of you would just put your egos aside for one second," she insisted.

"Natalie-" John began taking her hand.

"It'll work, John. It's something you'll enjoy doing. I'm just trying to get everything sorted out so our family can start our life together," she said giving him the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could manage.

He let out a soft laugh, "Says the woman who keeps postponing our wedding."

Natalie looked at him in surprise, "What does that have to do with-?

"Well you say you want our family to start our life together. Shouldn't we be a family?"

She hadn't expected him to bring up this argument. "I didn't want us to rush into anything," she said meekly.

"Natalie," he laughed kissing her hand, "we have a son who's almost nine years old. I don't think we could be accused of rushing anything."

"Look John," she said exasperated, "I'll marry you tomorrow if you'll just take this job!"

He smiled slowly, "Tomorrow huh?"

Realization spread across her face. She hadn't expected him to take her literally. "Well, John, we can't possibly get everything arranged by tomorrow."

"We wanted something simple, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but-"

"And you said you have your dress already."

"Okay, but-" she tried to interject.

"And I have blackmail material on a justice of the peace so I can make him perform it," Rex offered. He knew he was going to wind up giving in to Natalie about hiring John and he fully enjoyed the opportunity to turn the tables on her. She'd thought she was holding all the cards.

Natalie sighed. Why had she been putting it off anyway? Maybe they were right, maybe this could work. It would save her all the headache of planning a wedding in advance. "You gonna take the job?" she asked John, her lips pursed.

John turned to Rex, "You really offering?"

Rex shrugged, "Well since you're going to be family…"

She took a deep breath. "Well I'll let you two talk. I guess I have some phone calls to make," she said, "and I should probably let our son know."

"Probably," John said with a smile.

"Speaking of which," she said before leaning close to John's ear, "You might want to negotiate some family leave around the beginning of March." With that she straightened and started to walk away.

"Wait," John called after her, "Did you just-? Family leave?"

Natalie turned back with a grin on her face. Had he really thought she didn't have one more ace up her sleeve? She winked at him and nodded as she disappeared into the back.

The End.