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Chapter 22

John walked into Finnegan's bar and tavern, it was lunch time and he had been out all morning running errands, he looked to the back of the bar, it the back corner was Kenny, they were suppose to meet today to discuss any info he had uncovered about The feds and Natalie's dead husband.

John sat with him and they exchanged in small talk till the topic of Natalie came up.

"So...you seem to be in a happier state of mind today then last time I saw you" Kenny asked and John smiled

"Yeah, I am"

"Wouldn't have anything to do with finding someone after all these years, would it?" he asked and he smiled back at John.

"So I should expect that invite soon then" Kenny asked as John smiled

"Yep, just have to set the date and give her the ring I bought her today" John said smiling. Kenny smiled back at him

"I'm happy for you Johnny, your dad, he'd be happy too, so now... so now that your going to have it all, lets go over the information I obtained thru a few sources, lets get this damn case and those other feds off her back."

"Yeah, lets get the Feds off Mine and My families back" John said and Kenny got a bit confused

"What aren't you telling me Johnny?"

"I quit today, told the boss man to take his job and shove it up his ass" John told him with a smile

"Really" Kenny said with a smile," whatcha gonna do for work?" Kenny asked smiling

"It doesn't really matter, what ever I've gotta do, I'll walk a beat again in Llanview if I have to" He told Kenny and Kenny's smile got wider. He shook his head," Your dad... He would be so proud of you kid, now lets make this right, lets see if we can before you before you marry the Red head" Kenny told John and it made him smile, the Red head he thought, that was what all started this, all of this, one of the things that first got his attention, her red hair as she conned that man out of his money in that bar all those years ago, Kenny was talking but for a minute John was back in that bar, back in his mom's house that they shared for just awhile, Kenny cleared his throat and got John's attention.

"John this is the important stuff, are you listening?" he asked and John shook his head yes.

"There's a agent, he's a bit corrupt, actually a lot corrupt, he's the big guys right hand man"

"Who's the big guy?"

"Haven't figured that out yet, he's involved with daily activates thru the corrupt Johnson, but he's never on the scene or around long enough, not even sure he's that far up the ladder or even still on that ladder, its a bit odd. and..."

"Wait a minute. Did you say Agent Johnson" John asked as he cut off Kenny's words, Kenny nodded yes. John smacked his fist down loudly on the table.

"Son of a Bitch, I should have known that Asshole was involved in this in more ways than one"

"John keep it together, we need to figure out who the other guy is, the main guy and why it's so important that what ever info Chris Vega obtained to doesn't get into the wrong hands." Kenny told John as he was about to ask something but stopped himself, john saw him and asked.

"What were you about to say? Just say it"

"Okay, but don't get mad at me, I'm quite fond of her myself but... but is there anyway she has it, what they are looking for"

"She doesn't"

"Well is it possible she doesn't know she has it"

"What?"

"Maybe it's hidden in there home, maybe somewhere she doesn't know about"

"Kenny the feds, Agent Johnson in particular has been trashing her house for the passed eighteen months, if it was there I think the would have found it by now"

"John, no offense cause you use to be one but some of these Feds are dumb as dirt sometimes and wouldn't know a snake if they saw one", just keep a look out for it, for anything weird when you are at her place, you never know, it could be right under everyone's noses, and all this time we would have never known it."

Kenny told John, John nodded and then John looked at his watch.

"Gotta go it's late, gotta pick up her ring," He told Kenny as he walked towards the door. Kenny followed him to the door with a smile on his face

"Don't forget the invite, and don't worry we'll get to the bottom of this" the older gentleman told him as he patted him on his back. John raced out of the door.

John was sitting in his car heading over nervously to the jewelers, he had an idea for her ring earlier when he was at the shop trying so desperately to pick one out for her and he wasn't having any luck. Then something he remembered hit him, he had remembered a type of stone that would be perfect for her, she had once showed him that type of stone in a book all those years ago, he remember what the stone looked like, how her face light up when she told him how much she liked it. He was so thankful that the Jeweler was an old friend of his dad's and that he actually had that stone, the man worked on it all day for John, he put the whole thing together for him and for that he would be forever thankful.

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Three Hours later sometime around six thirty that night John rang her door bell. He had a six-pack of beer under his arm and he waited for her to answer the door but she didn't. He wasn't able to call her today, he thought if he did he would want to give away the surprise, tell her about the ring he just had made for her, he knocked on the door this time and he was starting to worry as he pulled out his phone.

"Hey, what's going on your not home" he asked her as she answered her cell phone.

"I know" she said laughing, "I'm working late, but you would've known that if you would've called today like you said you were going to in your note" she said not mad but getting her point across.

"Sorry, when will you be home and where's my boy?" he asked her and she smiled

"He's at my mom's, and I should be leaving here in about fifteen minutes, did you eat?"

"Nope, why don't I get a pizza and meet you at your office, can your mom or someone over there and see if they can watch CJ a little longer, I need to talk to you about a few things" he asked her, she got nervous for a minute, what did he have to talk to her about, she shook it off, it must have something to do with the case.

"That should be fine, see you in a few, you do know how to get here don't you?" she asked realizing he might not know where the BE offices were.

"Yep, I can find it I'm sure" John told her as he raced to get a Pizza and meet her at BE.

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Natalie was just finishing up her last page of paperwork when she saw a piece of paper slide underneath her door, she got a curious face on and walked over to it.

"Meet me on the roof" was all it said and she laughed, she grabbed her light spring jacket off the chair and walked up to the roof. She opened the door and it was like De ja vu. He was up there standing near the edge looking down, watching the cars as she approached him he turned to her.

"Hey" he spoke softly as she to returned his soft gesture with one of her own.

"What's going on?" she asked as he came closer and took her hands, he looked into her eyes and leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Did you miss me today?" he asked her quietly and softly, knowing what she was going to say even before she knew her answer.

"Yeah, I missed waking up in your arms today" he smiled that was exactly what he wanted her to say.

"Well today will be the last time, I promise as a matter of fact..." he said and she was getting a bit suspicious as to what was going on. He walked her over to the bench that was in the corner of the roof, he made her sit and he kneeled in front of her. He took a small box out of his pocket and opened it in front of her.

"I think this is a more appropriate way to ask, you know, incase our grandchildren ever ask how I proposed." he said and he laughed, Natalie looked at the ring, she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe you remembered"

"Yeah, I did, I'm a little shocked I did too." he said and he smiled.

"Do you remember what it means, what all the colors mean?" she asked him as he looked at the ring still in the box sitting in front of her.

"Not all of it, why don't you tell me?" he asked her softly

"Its called Pietersite, its not ordinarily used for rings of this type but it's beautiful, each and every stone is different and unique, varying from bold colors of Gold to calming shades of blue."

"And lets not forget fires of red" he said laughing; she grinned at him too and laughed.

"Yeah, couldn't forget about those shades of Red, but... the meaning to it is this, the more colors in the stone, the stronger the love can be." she told him mesmerizing him with her bright smile, the ring was still in the box and john was getting caught up in her smile and her brightness.

"Oh, My Gosh John it really is beautiful, the two stones shaped into hearts and touching, I only wish..." John heard her words and got a bit nervous, what did she wish, she seem to really like the ring.

"What?" he asked quickly and urgently, what did he forget, what didn't he think of.

"I wish I could get a better look at it, maybe see how it looks on my finger" she told him joking as he came out of his trance, he smirked at her and took the ring out of the box, he started to push it on her finger.

"You're suppose to ask me now, now before you push it on my finger" she told him and he laughed.

"Hey, who's running the show here, I am, and I've already asked, the ring was just a technicality" he said and she smiled at him as she leaned in and kissed him.

"A beautiful technicality"