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Chapter 2

"You know you don't need that thin piece of material you have draped over you right? I mean... I'm just going to remove it when you get into Bed" John told her with a smirk as he watched her finish up in their master bath and slowly walk to their bed.

Natalie walked slowly towards him, her life, her love, he was joking about her putting on her night gown, he was smirking, the same smirk he used when ever they went to bed and he was in the mood. She did what she did every night for the last Ten years, she grinned back and ignored him; she got into bed, under the covers with him.

They held each other as they faced the other, just talking with their eye's for a few minutes till she heard the words, the words he always said and that she loved to hear every night before they made love.

"I Love you," he told her as his hands reached down under the covers and started to pull her nightgown up and over her head. He threw it to the ground with her next words that always followed.

"Forever and Ever" she told him; he smiled almost shyly at first but then said the words himself as his mouth hovered on her neck.

"Forever and Ever"

Morning

" Connor... come on, you're going to miss the bus if you don't hurry and I don't have time this morning to drive you to school" Natalie screamed up to Connor who was dilly dalling again when he should be down stairs eating his breakfast before school.

Morgan and Madison sat at the kitchen table eating there cereal as John walked down the stairs and over to them.

"Good Morning Daddy's girls" he said as he kissed there foreheads, he then walked over to Natalie standing by the sink, he pulled her away from the sink by his arms and looked into her eye's.

"You look tired today, why don't you stay home from work? I'll clear it with the boss" he said smiling.

"Well maybe the boss is the reason I look so tired" she said joking and he laughed.

"I'm fine, I just need Connor to come down the stairs before he misses the bus for school" she said and he kissed her quickly and walked over to the stairs to call Connor himself.

"Hey Buddy. The bus will be here in ten minutes, get your bones down here" John called up to him; he started to walk towards Natalie again.

"I'll see ya at the station, Bo needs me in early, says he needs to talk to me about something" he told her, gave her a quick kiss Goodbye and walked over towards the girls.

"Have a good day at Nursery School today my girls, and no... I mean no playing tricks on the teachers" he said, kissed her heads and he smiled, John walked towards the kitchen door as he saw Connor come flying down the stairs now in a rush.

"Whoa! Slow down or you'll fall," he told him as he messed his hair a bit.

"Can't dad, I'll be late" Connor told him and walked over by the table started quickly drinking some juice as John and Natalie just watched him. John gave Natalie a look and shook his head as he went out the door.

"Connor, What seems to be taking you so long upstairs?" Natalie asked him as she handed her some toast.

"Just going thru my Baseball cards that's all, I got a few new ones," he told her and she looked at him. " You did Huh? Your dad said he wasn't buying you anymore till you cleaned your room" she said in a curious tone.

"He didn't buy them for me, some man gave me them" he told her and was about to run for the door when she stopped in front of him.

"Wait a minute"

"Not now mom, the bus will be here any minute," he said trying to get passed her and her stern look.

"Forget the Bus, I'll drive you, we need to talk" she told him.

"Girls go finish getting ready for school," she said to the grills as they ran off to get their stuff for Nursery school.

"Connor, who gave you those baseball cards?"

"I don't know, some man,"

"A stranger?" she asked and he looked down at the ground and shook his head yes.

"Connor JOhn McBain... how many times have your father and I told you never to talk to strangers none the less take something from them" she told him a bit harsh and he knew what was coming next.

"Where was this stranger when he spoke to you?"

"On the baseball field, after practice, I was waiting for Uncle Rex to stop flirting with Brian's mom"

"Had you ever seen this man before?" she asked him drilling him

"Once but he never spoke to me before, I never spoke to him before"

"And you won't ever again, now finish getting ready for school, I'll drive you and later when we go to practice, bring those cards and we'll return them to the man if he's there, Mommy wants to have a nice chat with him" she told him and he ran to get his stuff.

An hour later Natalie was walking into the station, she was still a bit bothered by what Connor had told her about a stranger talking to him and giving him Baseball cards... Natalie and John had, had the stranger talk with Connor and even the girls several times, he knew better, something about it was still weighing very heavily on Natalie's mind. Natalie knew it was probably nothing, but... but it was really bothering her.

John was in his office and saw Natalie walk into the station, she seem to be unraveled, upset even. John walked into the hall to meet her.

"Whats going on? Thought you'd be in an a bit earlier, whats wrong?" he asked as he saw her face.

"I had to take Connor to school" she told him not really wanting to get into family stuff out in the open in the station, they always tried so hard to keep things in its place. JOhn saw there was more and he led her to his office, closed the door.

"What is it?" he asked her

"Nothing really, just...well don't blow a gasket alright?" she told him and he nodded " some man, a stranger spoke to him at baseball practice the other day and gave him cards"

"What" john asked a bit calmly " he knows better, where was Rex?"

"He was there flirting with Brian's Mom... don't worry I spoke to him about it, he understood, can you pick the girls up at my moms after work so I can stay at his practice incase this guy shows, I told Connor he has to give the cards back"

"Yeah, but if I get off early enough I'll take him to practice" John told her and he grabbed her hand quick and held it. Natalie started to walk away when he called to her before she left his office.

"You get a babysitter yet?" He asked and she knew what he was talking about but she just grinned and played dumb.

"A sitter? For what? For when?" she asked and he smiled at her coy attitude, he walked closer to her, pulled her into his office more, he kicked the door shut.

John pulled her to him by her waist " Ten years, our anniversary... does that ring a bell? You know a sitter so we can spend all night together alone and the next morning all alone again in bed" he told her with a devilish grin and she laughed

"Oh... that's right our anniversary" she said, and it was his turn to laugh

"Yeah, and I have a surprise for you" he told her and she looked at him

"Really, I hate surprises... but... I have my own surprise too," she told him and he kissed her.

Later that night

"Connor, we need to talk, okay buddy?" JOhn told Connor as he drove him to Baseball Practice, John was able to get home early that night and he wanted to have a talk with his son and also to see this stranger who was now making his wife a bit nervous.