Chapter Six

Luckily Natalie was saved from explaining herself to Eve as the other woman realized how late it was getting and told them she needed to get to the club where she sang. After making them both promise they would be back soon, Eve rushed from the house asking John if he could lock up before they left. Somewhat happy that his mother left, John immediately turned his attention to Natalie.

"Who is Alison Perkins and how do you know her?" he asked as he wondered why every lead was pointing back to Natalie.

Although she hated talking about it, Natalie took a deep breath and told him the story of her birth. Despite the fact that John knew the basics – that she had been kidnapped at birth, Natalie started at the beginning figuring he needed to know the whole story. So she started with how Mitch Laurence had raped Vicki, then separated her and Jessica and birth, and how because she was Clint's daughter he had given her to Walter Balsom. She also filled him in on the small details, like how Alison was a follower of Mitch and Walter's nurse, and how she had been the one to kidnap her and bring Jessica back. Natalie then got into how Alison had tracked her down and schemed with her to claim the Buchanan money. Natalie then ended the story by explaining how she had been conned into her marriage to Mitch and its almost disastrous outcome. Once she was finished she leaned back and gave John a few minutes to process everything.

Finally he spoke. "Wow," he managed, still trying to absorb everything Natalie had just told him. Suddenly it was clear to him just how much Natalie had gone through since her arrival in Llanview. Although he found himself frequently saving her life, it was then that John realized just how strong the woman sitting in front of him really was.

Assuming his silence was still a result of disbelief, Natalie tried to lighten the mood. "I know, it sounds like the plot of a really bad made for TV movie. Well that's the story of my life."

Finally able to get over it all, John also leaned back and thought everything over. "Okay, so this woman who helped kidnap you, gets upset and calls my father. Then less then a week later you witness my father's shooting. How is this connected?"

Also puzzled in terms of the newest development, Natalie shook her head. "I have no idea why everything keeps coming back to me. The one thing I know about Alison is that when she wasn't following the orders of Mitch, all she cared about was money." Natalie also thought it out for a couple seconds, then looked up quickly. "Money, that's it. John you need to check your parent's bank statements from that time… I'll bet you anything that there were suspicious withdrawals at that time going to Alison."

"You think she was blackmailing my father?"

Natalie shrugged. "I honestly don't know… but I do know Alison. Whether she was blackmailing him, running a scam or feeding him information, Allison had to be collecting something from it."

"Where is she now?"

"Last I knew she was in prison."

"We're going to need to talk to her."

"Let me do it." Seeing that John was just about to argue with her, Natalie held up her hand to stop him. "I have the history with this woman, she knows me and I know how she works. This is a woman who likes to play mind games, she knows how to skirt around the issue and unless you know how to handle that, you won't get anything out of her."

"Natalie I have been a cop for over 10 years, I think I know how to handle myself." John remarked dryly, trying not to take offence to what she had just said.

Remembering how useless and unloved Alison had made her feel, especially on the day of Asa's supposed funeral, Natalie spoke from experience. "Not Allison you don't. The second you go in there and introduce yourself as John McBain, Allison is going to jump into talking about your father, and saying something you don't want to hear."

Knowing that he needed to trust her on this, John nodded. "All right, but I want to be able to watch that interview. I should be able to swing a deal with the Warden, as long as we agree not to go after her for anything incriminating she says."

"That won't be a problem… Allison is already serving a life sentence for her role in the kidnapping and accessory to Mitch's crimes. Even if she played a role in this, she's never getting out of Prison anyways."

They made it back to Llanview way past midnight after John was able to set up a meeting between Natalie and Allison for the following afternoon. Knowing how meticulous and organized Eve was, John was able to find his parents bank statements going back almost to the time they had married. Natalie's hunch had been right, and John found several withdrawals, almost totaling $50,000 that was gone. Knowing his parents were never well-off, and that his mother would definitely know about this, John and Natalie stopped by the club where she sang and met with her during her break.

Eve went over the statements and seemed just as shocked by the withdrawals. She told them that she knew Thomas had been taking some money for what he described as a "side investment," but never had any idea that the total ran so high. John found this easy to believe as he remembered how grief stricken she was at this time. Once again, bidding Eve farewell, John and Natalie made their way over to the alley where Thomas McBain had been shot.

Being there wasn't easy for John, but he pushed it away and focused on Natalie, hoping something would come to mind. However, nothing did as in twenty-two years the alley and its surrounding buildings had changed. But the trip wasn't a waste, as Natalie was able to point out where a surveillance camera had previously been. John made a mental note to find out what company used to be located here, and track them down.

Once again the ride was silent, this time because Natalie fell asleep half way into it. Knowing that the past few days had been stressful on her, John didn't bother waking her up until they pulled up to Llanfair. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Natalie started to get out of the car but stopped when she remembered something.

"I'm not going to be able to get into the station until tomorrow afternoon, but to save time, do you just think you can pick me up at the cottage and we can go straight from there?"

John just nodded his mind still on the case. It wasn't until Natalie was unlocking front door that he began to wonder what she was doing at the cottage.

"Well that was a lot easier then I expected," Cristian remarked as he loaded up the final box of his stuff into the moving van he had rented.

"I know. I mean I knew Marcie and Michael really liked the place, but I never imagined they would actually buy it."

Looking up at the house they had once shared and seeing the SOLD sign dug into the lawn, Natalie couldn't help but feel a little wistful. Although they hadn't lived there long, it was the only place Natalie had really felt was hers.

"Hey, you okay?" Cristian asked gently, seeing how sad his ex-wife looked. Natalie offered him a small smile, and nodded. "I'm fine. This was just my first home you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Listen if you aren't sure it's not too late to stop the sale."

Taking on final look at the cottage, Natalie shook her head. "No, this is the right choice."

"Do you need a drive back to the police station?" Cristian asked, remembering that she had had her father drop her off before he headed into The Banner.

"Actually John's picking me up." Seeing how his face seemed to drop at the news, Natalie tried to explain. "It's not like that Cris; John finally agreed to let me work with him on his father's case so I could get those hours I need."

Knowing that this issue had to be addressed once and for all, Cristian closed up the van and looked down at her. "Listen Natalie, as much as you try to convince yourself that you're moving on and not picking either one of us, it's clear you've made a decision."

"Cris, that's not true…" Natalie said beginning to protest. But Cristian cut her off.

"It is true Natalie. I see the way you look at him, talk about him and your insistence to help him with this case."

"He's helped me so many times; I'm just trying to return the favor."

Cristian smiled sadly. "You're still in love with him Natalie. And I can't blame you for that. I screwed up when I pretended to be John Doe… I wanted you to have a chance at love and happiness and when you finally do, I come back. There's always been something between you and John, right from the first day he walked into Crossroads, and I've finally realized that I have to face that."

"Cris…" Natalie tried again, but Cristian help up his hand to stop her.

"We were married, and I loved you with all my heart, and a part of me will probably always love you, but it's obvious how you feel… and the sooner I accept that, the sooner I can move on."

Knowing that there was some truth in her ex-husbands words, Natalie stopped protesting and just nodded. "I'm sorry Cris," she said softly, even though she knew words wouldn't help right now.

But, Cristian forced a smile and drew her in for a hug. "I know. I'm sorry too."

Just as they were pulling apart, John pulled into the driveway. Seeing him, Natalie looked one more time at Cristian, "I'll see you around?" she asked her voice hopeful.

Cristian smiled again. "I'm always going to be here for you Natalie, no matter what happens or who we end up with."

Unable to help herself, Natalie felt a few tears well up in the corners of her eyes. Her and Cristian were completely over, and that chapter of her life was now closed. Blinking back the tears, she turned and walked down the driveway and quickly got into John's car.

Seeing that Natalie was slightly upset, John hesitated before pulling out. "Are you okay?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to brooch the topic of the hug he had just witnessed.

Turning to face him, she smiled. "We just sold the Cottage."

A look of surprise fluttered over John's face. Even with the divorce and Natalie's insistence that she and Cristian weren't getting back together, the act of selling what had once been their home made everything seem final. Not wanting to press it, John pulled out of the driveway and began the drive towards Statesville Women's Prison.

Though he had enough on his mind with his father's case, John spent most of the ride wondering if he had just witnessed the end of Cristian and Natalie or if there was still a chance for them.

Whatever it was, John knew that he had to make a decision about his future soon or else, he could be the one losing Natalie forever.

Because for the first time Michael had been right – this case wasn't just about getting closure, it was about fixing himself for her.