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Chapter 12

The three musketeers went thru every piece of evidence in the files, every thing, nothing new stood out to Jake or Natalie.

It had been hours, they had spent all day in her little office looking over files, reports, Natalie's brain was fried, she got up from her desk and walked into the other room, she started pacing around the room. She thought about the girl's bodies they had found here in Philly and then she thought long and hard about the man's dead body on the fire escape at the hotel in Llanview.

"The Note" she told herself, it was on Philly Pd stationary, not just ordinary stationary but forensics stationary, why hadn't she realized this earlier, the forensics stationary wasn't that common, as a matter of fact. It was discontinued a month or two after she started the Tech program. She turned and looked at Jake who was still at her desk with John.

"Jake, when did they discontinue the special forensics stationary?"

"What?" Jake asked not having a clue where she was going with this

"Follow me here, the note, it has the forensics dept wording on the bottom under the Philly Pd heading, we no longer use this stuff, I remember something about using it the first few weeks when I started the program but, it was discontinued, some budget thing so we use all the same paper. The only way anyone would have had that paper was if he was given it or stole it back when the program began."

"Okay, so we have somebody who, has the paper, he's good at murdering cause he hasn't left us any clues he obviously didn't want us to find, he wants me in Philly for some reason, he dislikes John cause the guy killed in Llanview had John's characteristics. Maybe this isn't about Love, but about me"

"Jake what ever happened to that guy, the one, the pocket protector guy who was better than me, the one that mysteriously dropped out of the program"

"I'll go find out" Jake told her as he to thought maybe she was on to something, John approached Natalie as she was still pacing and thinking things thru.

"Maybe this wasn't about Love, maybe he just wanted to prove he's better than me, that I couldn't catch him, like a score to settle cause maybe I did what he couldn't for some reason, what do ya think?" she asked him, he moved closer to her, he could tell she was becoming unraveled, it was getting late and she hadn't eaten all day either.

"I think it's possible, I think you are absolutely terrific at the way you work things out and think anybody trying for the same job would feel threatened by you, I also think you need to eat something, you've been at this all day and you need food, it's after dinner time"

"No John, I want to get this guys name and visit him tonight"

"No Natalie, listen to me, you can't go at this pace, you need to eat, you need sleep, you need me to cuddle with you, maybe make a little love" he said and he smiled widely at her as he pulled her in closer to him when he said the make love part.

"You aren't going to be able to talk with this guy tonight, come on take me to this O'Malley's place for a beer, then some dinner, then I'll let you take me back to your place and you can have your way with me" John told her and she couldn't help but smile, he was being cute, frisky, affectionate. She loved it, she loved him, she thought about him being right, it was late, she thought it best to Wait till morning to speak to this guy.

Natalie grabbed her purse and her coat, they were about to head out when she realized she hadn't told Jake they were leaving.

"Wait, I'll catch up, I've got to tell Jake we're leaving," she told him and he frowned

'Do you have to?" he asked her and she nodded her head

"Yeah, I should he is my boss"

'I know but.. but he might decide to tag along, I've had about enough of seeing that guy as I ever want to " he told her as she smiled and walked away, she went over to one of the officers and asked him to give Jake the message that she and John left for the night. John smiled when he heard her give an officer the message for Jake.

Natalie walked back over to John, she smiled at him, he put his arm around her and they walked out of the station. They walked across the street to the bar, once inside Natalie saw almost the whole Forensics crew there.

"This really isn't the place if you want me alone" she told John and she reached up with her lips and kissed him.

'It's okay, it seems to be a cool place,"

"It is, it even has a pool table," she told him and she pulled him towards the table

"Wanna play?" she asked him and his mouth got dry, he had to remind himself that she meant pool, he gave her his sexy grin that he knew she loved so much, she stared into his blue eye's.

"Instead maybe we should just go back to my place" she told him as he smiled and was about to say that was a better idea when they heard Jake come over to them and clear his throat, John rolled his eye's at Jake's timing, five minutes later and they would've been out the door and closer to making love.

"Hey" Jake said to Natalie, as she looked his way.

"Any luck with info on Jason Johnson?" Natalie asked him as she moved away from John towards Jake for a moment.

"No, not yet but Michele is suppose to give me a call when she gets what we need, hey, you up for a game of pool?" Jake asked her as he stared at her and ignored John.

"I know how it helps you to relieve tension," Jake added as he saw her look behind herself at John.

"We were Just leaving, it's not the only way Natalie relieves tension" john told Jake and Natalie made a face at him.

Jake heard his snide comment and ignored it, he was playing the calm and collective one again, the one she would come running to when John did something inexcusable and was uncontrollable.

Natalie walked closer to John after his comment, she looked into his blueness.

"That wasn't called for," she said softly for only him to hear.

"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry" John told her back softly and just as quietly as she told him.

"Don't tell me, tell him," Natalie told him and his face got defiant. He shook his head no, back and forth several times.

"John" she said sternly but with a sultry glare

"Okay, okay, then can we go back to your place" he said with a smirk, she nodded yes. John walked over to Jake, he looked into the beady eye's, or at least they looked beady to John to everyone else they were green and beautiful.

"I'm sorry about that comment, it was uncalled for, have a great night sleeping alone." John told him all serious like and he couldn't help himself with the last part.

"Come on Nat, you promised now, lets go relieve some tension," he told her and she couldn't help but smile at him, he was acting so light, and .. and in love, although he was being a bit obnoxious to Jake, he was seemed to be excited and happy with them. John took Nat's hand and led them out the door or the bar; Natalie briefly turned back and told Jake they'd see him at the station early tomorrow.

When John and Nat got outside Nat turned to John.

"Hey we didn't even eat anything, or even have a beer, you promised me food and drink Mcbain," she told him smiling

"Don't you have anything at your place?" he asked and she shook her head no.

"Stop at a convenience store for a six pack and a bag of chips" he told her as they got in the car.

"A little anxious are we?" she asked as he pulled out of the parking lot

"Yeah, I am"

"You really are, aren't you?" she asked and looked at him all curious like

"I am, I missed it so much Natalie, I missed Making Love to you so much, I missed you so much" he told her open and raw, as he drove to her directions.

Natalie heard him say how much he missed making Love to her and she thought she would melt, she might not have changed much but he did, not the major stuff, not for the worse but for the better, he said things now, he told her things now, she didn't have to second guess the way he felt about things, he was more honest and open, she looked over at him as he was driving, he briefly looked at her, he smiled and then turned his focus back on the road, she smiled again this time to herself almost like a love sick teenager and then she placed a hand on his knee as he drove.

He felt her hand on his knee and it sent chills up his spine, he placed his hand on top of hers and held it. No words were needed for the remainder of the drive and none were spoken, their hands stayed in place till they arrived at Nat's apartment building, they got out of the car still in silence and walked up to her floor and her apartment with joined hands.

Natalie opened her apartment door and before anything else John took out his gun and walked around it, searching to make sure there wasn't anybody there or any messages or presents from the killer, when the place was all clear he put his gun away in his jacket and laid his jacket on a table by the front door. He went into the living room with her and took a seat next to her on the couch. He looked at her and she looked... looked nervous. He reached over to her and took her hands in his.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" he asked her and she smiled

"Yeah, and I can't figure out why, you'd think it was our first time or something" she told him and he chuckled

"Well it has been almost a year since we made love last"

"Really, it has? Never realized it was that long ago"

"Well that's because you had Mr. stud muffin for the past six months" John called Jake a Stud muffin and Natalie couldn't help but laugh, she continued to laugh.

"Sorry to burst your bubble old man but no one uses that saying anymore"

"Old Man?" he questioned playfully and he started leaning towards her pushing her back against the couch cushions.

"I'll give you old man," he said smiling as he started to bring his lips to her collarbone.

"Do you promise?" she asked him playfully as she got caught up in the feeling of his lips slowly moving down her shoulders

"Oh baby, I'd promise you the moon right now if I had too" he told her and began his decent down towards the buttons on her shirt.