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Chapter 7

A few minutes after Ron made his big announcement about no longer seeing Natalie he excused himself. John and Eve again started towards the Cafeteria for Coffee.

"So... Natalie and her boyfriend, they aren't together any longer. I take it this is news to you?" Eve asked John, who was still deep in thought.

"What?" he asked, confused cause he was only half listening to her. He had been too caught up in thoughts of Natalie breaking things off with Ron Walsh and she must have realized that. That kiss last night was something, meant something. To him it meant they were still connected.

"Johnny, I could tell by the look on your face when Ron said he and Natalie were no longer that it took you be surprise. Why?" Eve asked

"I just didn't know. They were together last night after we kissed and I---"

"The two of you kissed?" Eve asked casually, cutting off his words, a huge smirk on her face.

"Mom, don't read to much into it. The kiss between Nat and I... I'm sure it meant nothing. It probably had nothing to do with why Nat broke up with Ron," he told her, but he wasn't that sure that it wasn't the truth. He also hadn't realized that Natalie was standing behind them as they entered the cafeteria.

"You're perfectly right John. That kiss we shared had nothing to do with why Ron and I are taking a break from each other" she told him sternly as he turned at the first sound of her voice.

"Nice to see you Eve" she said, kissing Eve's cheek

"Nice to see you too, Natalie. It's been a long time. How's tricks?" she asked. She couldn't help but smile at Natalie, Natalie smiled back.

"Things are good, thank you. How's Michael today?" she asked, not surprised Eve answered no change.

"Well, I've gotta get to work. Just had to check my crime scene today, I'll be by to check in again on Michael later. Eve, it was good seeing you again" she told them and she started to walk away quickly, John watched her walk away as Eve leaned into his ear.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Huh?"

"Go after her, don't let her get away this time. You probably wont be getting another chance" Eve told him and he wasted no time running after her.

"Natalie" he said, finally catching up to her and she turned to see him a bit out of breath.

"What do you want John?" she asked, Not stopping. He put his hand out and stopped her from walking and she became slightly annoyed.

"I don't have time for this John. I have to get my shit together so we can catch this bastard that almost killed your brother," she told him, trying desperately to get around him. He wouldn't let her and she was got mad. Not only did he just come back to town, bring up all these old feeling she had for him, but he just cost her a good man that Loved her. A man that expressed his love to her verbally, which was a hell of a lot more then John had done for her. The thought just made her more and more angry with him.

"John...I really need t--" she started, but was cut off when he claimed her lips with his own. He was kissing her! At first she was shocked, standing completely frozen as he moved his lips gently over hers then she started kissing him back. They kissed for a minute then the warning voice in her head went off, screaming about all he had cost her, about all the pain he caused her. She jerked away from him violently and slapped him in the face, hard.

The minute John felt her lips under his he wanted her, badly. He wasn't thinking, he just knew she wasn't another mans now; she could maybe be his again. He wanted her to be his again. He felt the stinging slap a second after she pulled away, put his hand to his face, and winced in pain.

"Still have a mean slap I see," he told her as he looked at her. She wasn't speaking for a moment

"I told you last night not to do that again and I meant it. Next time I'll have you arrested," she told him. He just looked at her and smirked. She always was so beautiful when she was mad, usually at him.

"Get that Fucking smirk off your face McBain! Take care of your brother and leave me alone" she told him, storming off.

John watched her walk out to her car and get in. he was still holding his face and smirking. He shook his head knowing he could still get to her and walked back towards Michael's room in the hospital.

Natalie walked into her office at the station, still pissed. Who the hell was he to kiss her like that? To kiss her after he knew Ron and her broke up? How did he even know? She asked herself, she heard someone clear there throat as she tried desperately to concentrate on helping find the killer.

"Natalie, the Chief said to give you these reports. He said that he'd be here in a few minutes to go over things with you" Ann, her uncle's assistant, told her. Natalie nodded and Ann left after handing her the reports.

Natalie started going over the reports, looking at pictures. There has got to be something they missed. Something to find this guy. And they really needed find it quick. The killer's pattern, so far, had him killing at random times. She told herself. After a few minutes Carl walked into Nat's office.

"So Ms. Buchanan, you find anything for my guys to go on in those reports there?" Carl asked her, a bit abruptly. Carl was an ass and no one liked him. He had taken over John's job when he left and John's shoes were very hard to fill. Actually Carl wasn't half the Chief John was. He was lazy, obnoxious, he wanted Forensics, particularly her, to do most of the shit that his department should be doing.

"You know what Chief, I've told you before, it's technically not my job to walk you thru this. Coming up with things, and finding the killer is your job. Forensics is supposed to gather and analyze the evidence and give scenarios not solve the crime for you. In this particular case I want this guy found and put away ASAP for personal reasons so I'll do everything I have too to see to it he is. But... after this case you and I... We will be having a sit down with the commissioner to discuss things." Natalie told him and he just smiled a bit, Natalie however didn't break her serious face.

"Now Chief since I just got these reports a few minutes ago, if you give me a little time with them I'll get back to you if I find anything of importance" she told him and he just smiled and walked out of her office.

Natalie again started looking over the reports. She spent the whole day looking over the reports, barely taking time for lunch or dinner. She did however call the Hospital to find out about Michael. He was the same, in a coma. If he didn't come out of it soon the Dr's said he might errantly be in one and that he could even die from some type of compilations.

Natalie started to feel tired. It was now almost ten o'clock and she still hadn't found anything in those damn reports. No leads, no nothing, and she laid her head down on her desk not looking up when she heard Carl's voice.

"Natalie... I'm leaving. I have a few days off, call me with anything you need... are you awake?" he asked and she nodded, still keeping her head down on the desk.

"You're exhausted, go home or at least go get some rest on the couch in my office" he told her and then was out the door. Natalie looked up after he left. She wondered why and how he could just take off now. Now, just when they had an important case on their hands. "Asshole" she said as she got up and walked toward his office to go rest on the couch.

Natalie walked into his office and she looked around. A wave of nostalgia ran thru her body; she used to spend so much time in this office, John's office. Not only working on cases for that one year that they were together but. She thought as she smiled and lay on the couch they had even made love a few times in this office. On the desk, the couch, hell even the chair. She closed her eye's almost remembering the happier times with John.

John walked into the station, wanting to see her. He had spent the whole day with his family at the hospital waiting for Michael to wake up and it wasn't happening, he was getting more and more upset with things, with Michael being hurt and with the way things were left with her earlier. John figured he'd use the excuse of wanting to know what was going on in the case for the visit, so he wouldn't piss her off more. He knew Natalie and he knew she'd still be here at this hour.

John started passed his old office when he stopped by the door. He saw the light was off and he walked in turning the light on and looked around. It depressed him more as he walked towards the desk, his old desk. There were someone else's pictures on his desk, right in the spot where he used to have a picture of Natalie and a picture of him and Michael. He shook his head, disgusted with himself for making the mistake of throwing this away. He had thrown a job he loved away. He would forever regret throwing them away, the two people he loved most in this world, Michael and Natalie.

He laughed a low bitter laugh as he remembered her words to him once.

'Someone took your dads life but you're just throwing yours away with both hands'

'She was so damn smart, wasn't she?' he asked himself, case that was exactly what he did, he threw his life away, he threw away his job, his relationship with his brother, her. He could almost feel the tears build up a bit in his eye's as he pushed them away. He skimmed his fingers over the desk as he closed his eyes and could almost feel her, feel her skin. He remembered how they made love on this very desk a few times, he opened his eyes, he looked at the chair, and even that chair he told himself. Then he thought about them making love on his couch and how they would just hold each other afterwards till the morning. He looked over towards the couch and he blinked a few times.

John saw her sleeping so peacefully on the couch, curled up with her head resting on her hands as she slept on her side, her legs pulled up into her stomach. She was on the very edge of the oversized couch, the way he remembered her always sleeping as he held her from behind. She seemed to be in a deep sleep. He needed to hold her, to feel the way she made him feel, the feeling of peacefulness and safeness that he hadn't even realized he felt with her till he left.

John walked over towards the light switch, turned it off, and then walked back to the couch. He gently laid himself behind her on the couch trying not to wake her, gently placed his hands around her waist, and pulled her to him. John fell asleep, content for the first time in the year since he had left Llanview.