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Chapter 11

Natalie woke before John; she showered and was waiting out in the hall when Jake walked up towards her from the stairs.

"You were out already today?" she asked him as he continued to walk towards her, he got even closer, very close, he was almost on top of her, he looked down at her and he smiled.

"Yep, did ya sleep well? I didn't hear any noise I guess you were alright" Jake told her purposely saying the words slowly to stream a long line of warm air on her. Natalie knew he was teasing, trying to get to her, trying to turn her on, she knew he remembered how she use to tell him being so close made her want to touch him and his muscular built but not anymore.

John admitted he loved her, admitted he was proud of her, he also admitted he was still afraid but he wasn't going to let that fear get in the way. She smiled as she remembered the cute little Baby talk, the cute little joking about making babies they had before bed.

Jake saw her smile and he snapped his fingers in front of her to get her attention.

"What's going on in that beautiful brain of yours?" he asked and she looked at him.

'Do you really want to know? It's about John"

"Yeah, you can tell me" he said in a pessimist tone

"No, that's alright, I know it's a sore subject and it wouldn't be very nice"

"No tell me really, what did the wonderful Brooding Lt Mcbain do or say to put that radiant smile on your face"

"Really? Alright, he admitted he loves me, he even told me he's proud of me, that he trusts me and my judgment, my work ability, he... he.. never mind"

"Just say it Nat"

"He said he'd give me babies if that was what I really wanted" she said beaming, all those words out of John, it was unbelievable, he had really said all those wonderful words to her, about her. He had even given her a sort of commitment, in his own way, he committed to her.

Jake looked at her beaming glow, any other man would be discouraged by it but he wasn't, he loved her, he wanted her and sooner or later she would have to come around to loving and wanting to be with him, he put up his hand near her hair, he pushed it back behind her ear. He saw her about to protest but he did it anyways, he laid one humdinger of a kiss on her lips that would have made any woman lose their bearings.

Natalie didn't know what to do; he kissed her with such force. It would have been one hell of a kiss if she weren't so freaking in love with John, if she wasn't still thinking about John's beautiful words to her.

John came out of his room and saw Jake's lips on hers, kissing her with some movie screen long kiss, he walked over quickly and pulled him off and away from her. John pushed him up against the wall

"I don't know what you think you are doing but don't ever put your lips on hers again" John told him not being so nice this time. John's rage was getting the best of him, Jake had finally crossed the line, all his comments were one thing but now he kissed her and like that, and when he knew she wanted to be with John, she had told him, she had told Jake she didn't love him and he still wouldn't cut his loses and leave it alone, leave them alone.

"John calm down, it's no big deal, it wasn't anything"

"Natalie stay out of this, it is a big deal, you've made you self clear to him and he can't go around just kissing you like that" John told her as he saw Jake getting angrier by the minute as John still had him pinned.

'Let go of him John, trust me I'll handle it" John looked at her, at her eye's he was so mad right now he couldn't breath, see straight but he looked into her eye's the eye's that he knew loved him and he had to trust them, trust her.

"Please John" she said softly as she saw him coming down from his rage. He let go of Jake, Jake pushed passed him cocky looking, but Jake didn't say a word, he smiled knowing he got to John again, knowing if he got to him enough he would eventually blow things with her and he could pick up the pieces and get her to Love him.

"Jake, we need to talk" Natalie told him and moved him to the side; John was still in hearing distance and was listening very intently.

"Don't do it again Jake, I mean it, it's not going to work John and I love each other, we have for a long time and there isn't anything that will come between us, we're committed to each other"

'Natalie babe" Jake purposely said as he looked at John, who was still watching intently never wavering his eye's.

"All I see is your commitment to him, he's not committed to you, if I loved you for that long, I would have asked to spend my life with me along time ago, he hasn't and he probably never will, you might wait for him forever, didn't you once tell me he takes forever to move on and for change to happen" Jake said and Natalie closed hr eye's, she knew this wasn't going to go over to well with John, she opened her eye's a few minutes later and didn't hear a word from him, she looked over, he was still there. She shook her head a bit shocked that he didn't interrupt; maybe he was trusting in her after all.

"Jake, just don't do it again, my lips are off limits to you and my relationship, my commitment with John is none of your business, now I'm heading back to Philly if anyone else would also like to head back, we have a killer to catch" she said firmly and walked over to JOHN.

"Thanks, for letting me handle that" she said and kissed him gently on the lips. They all walked down stairs, Natalie started towards her car, John followed.

"Hey, why don't we take my car?" he told her

"No, lets take mine, the killer obviously knows mine, we have no real way to know if he knows yours"

"Alright, but I'll drive" he said and she smiled at him

"Be my guest" she told him, she started to walk to the passenger side of the car to get in when Jake walked I front of her and got in the seat.

"Hey!" she told him loudly

"What the hell!" John said as he saw Jake in the front seat next to him

"I thought it best we all rode together. We can discuss the case as we drive," Jake told John as he closed the door, Natalie got in the back seat shaking her head and laughing.

The three of them arrived in Philly a few hours later, John pulled out in front to let Natalie out, Natalie jumped out and so did Jake. John drove the car around to the back parking lot and then proceeded to walk into the station a few feet behind them.

John walked into the Philly Police station and he looked around, he had been her several times before but not in almost two years. He walked behind Natalie and Jake as he saw all the passing officers smile hello to her. He smiled again feeling proud of her. She walked gracefully and confidently thru the station, she approached a room and then she turned to see him behind her, she smiled.

"You wanna meet the people I work with?" she asked him and he nodded a yes. She opened the door to the forensics room, in side was about ten people walking all around doing different projects, she guided him over to a small office, they went inside and she took off her jacket and thru it on the chair.

"So is this your office?" he asked with a smile, before she had a chance to answer him Jake came by the door and spoke.

"Yeah, it's all hers, it's small for now but it won't be long before she's got my old one" He told John with a smile. Jake moved his way into the office and sat next to John.

"I asked Brian to get us all the files on Bison, he's still in holding, we need to prove he didn't commit the murders here in Philly before we can officially rule out a copy catter."

"Jake, have someone do that, I want to put all my effort into finding this guy, my gut says Bison was a set up, for some reason, not quite sure, but I want to work on finding the guy."

"Who do you suggest I put on it?"

"Mattie, she's good, really good" Natalie told Jake and then she turned to John.

"Mattie and I started the tech progrom together, she a good firend"

"yeah, when Nat started the program there was atleast four others who started with her, but she was the best, the best out of the five"

"there was five of us? I thought there was only four. Anyways, jake is just being nice, I wasn't the smartest one, actually if that guy didn't have some sort of personal problem I wouldn't have been the top, he was way better than I was" Natalie told him and she started to get up and head towards the file cabinet crammed in the corner.

"It's funny, I can't remember that guys name"

"What guy?" Mattie asked as she walked by the office door.

"That guy, the one that was really good, the one that was always talking down to me like I was some sort of idiot, you know the one with the pocket protector" Natalie said to Mattie as she remember

"Yeah, I remember him, Jason Johnson, what ever happened to that guy?" Mattie asked

"Not sure, oh Mattie I'm sorry this is Lt John Mcbain from the Llanview Police department, he's here to help with the case, he's a fr--" Natalie was about to say friend when John jumped in.

"I'm her Boyfriend" John said and Natalie looked at him, that was weird she told herself as Mattie and John shook hands, Mattie knew Nat had been seeing Jake secretly, she was Nat's good friend, and now this guy, this guy must have been the one she had also told her about, the brooding cop she had been in Love with.

Jake heard John make reference to him being her boyfriend, he just smiled when he heard him call himself that, he looked at Natalie and she was beaming from ear to ear, she apparently loved that remark from John.

Mattie shook John's hand as he extended it out to shake and Mattie smiled, she went over to Natalie at her desk, she handed her the files she was bringing in to her, she went up close to Nat's ear and whispered into it.

"Last I spoke to you, you and our Lt were an item, I want to hear the whole juicy story later at O'Malley's for a beer." she told Natalie as she smiled, Natalie laughed.

"Okay, O'Malley's after work for a few beers" Natalie told her out loud and in front of the men. Mattie excused herself and headed back out into the other room.

"So" Natalie said taking a breath ready to get into this case again, and this times no interruptions.

"Lets walk thru it step by step and go over every little detail"