Natalie wordlessly got in to John's car but spoke once he had pulled out of the parking lot. "I live around the corner from the old movie theater. Do you know where that is?"
John nodded. "I know it." He drive toward it trying not to think of the summers he had spent there as teen, running around town with Matt and Dan, Michael trailing at his heels.
Natalie turned towards the passenger side window and watched as small snowflakes began to fall. After a few minutes of silence she spoke, needing to know. "So who was it? My interfering brother or your clueless one?"
John glanced at her puzzled. "What?"
Natalie gave him an incredulous look. "Who told you? Rex or Michael?"
"Michael knew you were here?" John asked unable to keep the hint of jealously out of his voice.
Natalie ignored his tone, suddenly confused. "You are here because one of them told you right?"
John starred at her intently, "Natalie, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing," Natalie replied leaning back in her seat, a thousand thoughts running though her mind. When she had first spotted him in the bar she assumed he had somehow found out and come to confront her about it. But now, she began to worry. Why was he here?
"Make a left here. It's the third house on your right, Rob's out of town for the weekend so you can pull in to the driveway."
"Rob?" John asked, once again jealous.
Natalie ignored his tone and question as she got out of the car. John followed her up the walkway and waited as she got her keys out and unlocked the front door. Once inside the small house, John looked around curiously. Overall, it wasn't much, just a few scarce furnishings with hardly any pictures of mementos anywhere.
"Do you want anything? Tea? Coffee?" Natalie's voice was still strained, making it obvious that she wasn't happy about his unannounced arrival.
"Coffee's fine."
Natalie made her way down the narrow hallway and in to the kitchen, motioning for him to take a seat. John did so wordlessly and put the two large manila envelopes he had been carrying on the table.
As the coffee was brewing Natalie reached over and pressed play on the answering machine, wanting to stall whatever conversation they were about to have.
"Hi, You've reached Robert Smythe and Natalie Balsom, neither of us is here at the moment, please leave a message and someone will get back to you."
John looked up. Even though he had been the one to track her down and had found out she was back to using the name Balsom hearing her say it sounded strange. To him she had always been Natalie Vega.
"Hey Nat, Its Michael. I just wanted to warn you that my idiot brother somehow found out where you were and is on his way there. I swear I had nothing to do with it. Also, Marcie and I have cleared her stuff out of the cottage so it's ready for you. See you soon."
"Thanks for nothing Mikey." Natalie muttered under her breath as she deleted his message and started to pour the now- brewed coffee.
"You're coming back to Llanview?" John asked as Natalie handed him his coffee and sat across from him.
She nodded. "I promised Mom I would come home for Christmas. I'm going back to L.U in January to finish up my degree." Natalie took a small sip of her coffee. "Why are you here John?" she finally asked, sick of all the fake pleasantries.
John's face turned grim and he ran his fingers through his hair roughly. "About a week ago I started getting things delivered to me." John pushed one of the manila envelopes toward her. "Pictures of you."
Natalie's expression turned to shock as she slowly took the photos out and began to skim through them. There were pictures of her at work, out shopping, with Rob, and even some of her at home, sleeping, obviously taken outside her window.
Natalie looked up at John in terror, her discomfort at seeing him gone. "Was there a note? Do you have any leads?" she asked once she was able to find her voice.
John took a deep breath and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and silently handed it toward her. Natalie unfolded the simple, typed note and skimmed it,
"I see her when she's sleeping.
I know when she's awake.
I know if she's been bad or good…
I've got my eyes on her John and not even you can stop me."
Natalie remained quiet, feeling sick to her stomach. Noticing this John continued to talk. "We tested for finger prints and had forensics do other tests on it but they all came back with nothing. So no, we don't have an leads." John looked down at the table ashamed that he wasn't able to give her anything else. "The assumption at the station is that whoever this guy is, he's after me… and just using our history to goad me into reacting."
"But?" Natalie asked, knowing John well enough to know something else was coming.
"But then we got these." John hesitantly pushed the other envelope toward her unable to meet her eyes.
Natalie quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out a few more pictures, gasping as she saw the first one.
Her face turning bright red she looked down at the table horrified. "Who else saw these?" she finally asked, unable to meet Johns eyes.
"No one."
Natalie looked up at him quizzically, her face still flaming. "They were never logged as evidence." He explained, still unable to meet her eyes.
Natalie once again picked up the pictures of herself and stared at them. In all three of them she was completely naked. One was taken as she was coming out of the shower, and the other two as she was getting dressed.
"He… he was… this close to my house?" she stammered.
John nodded trying to remain calm, even though deep down he was seething hating the fact that someone had violated her this way.
"You can destroy them, I just thought you needed to see them."
Natalie nodded, putting the pictures back in the envelope and looking down at her untouched coffee. Knowing that she couldn't let him see her fear and how bothered she was by this, Natalie raised her chin and stared coolly at him.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll be back in Llanview sometime this week, so you can update me on any progress then." Natalie stood up and took both coffee mugs to the sink, turning her back on John.
He stared at her back, knowing that the wall he had worked so hard to break down, had yet again been raised. Defeated, he stood getting ready to leave. "Natalie, about what happened before…."
"Please just go."
John sighed in frustration and made his way back towards the front door but hesitated once Natalie opened the door motioning for him to leave. "I can't let you stay here alone."
"I'll be fine. Just go."
"I can't."
Natalie raised her eyebrows, not only exhausted but also exasperated. "What the hell do you plan to do John? Stay in your car all night?"
John flashed her his trademark smirk, "that's not a bad idea."
Her blue eyes flashing with anger Natalie slammed the door, shutting out John and trying to shut out the emotions which were rising in her.