Disclaimer: I do not own the USA show Monk. That belongs to USA.

Samantha Mayfield is a made up character of my own design.

Chapter 1

Adrian Monk sat uncomfortably in the Lieutenant's chair, trying to understand the course of events that had happened. Natalie had finally had enough. She had called the Lieutenant to inform him to tell Monk that she could no longer work for him. All his fears were finally getting to her and she wanted a different life than the one that she was currently leading. However, that didn't soften the blow. As much as she annoyed him with her insistent he had been grateful for her company.

"So she's gone," he stated softly, looking down at his hands. Leighland nodded slowly as he came around to the door, opening it slowly.

"Yes. Natalie's gone, but I do have someone that would be more than willing to take her place," he said in his gruff voice. Leighland opened the door to reveal a small woman with red hair and brilliant hazel eyes. She wore a soft blue dress suit that was perfectly buttoned into place.

"This is my neice, Samantha Mayfield. Sam, I'd like to introduce you to Adrian Monk," he said, allowing her to come into the room. She reached into her purse and pulled out a wet towel packet. She handed it to him and smiled softly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Adrian," she said softly in the most pure voice that he had ever heard in his life. It reminded him so much of his beloved Trudy who had been deceased for ten years. He took the wet towel packet slowly and smiled. She smiled back, bringing back memories of Trudy. He pulled his hand away and shook his head. He got up and walked over to Leighland, turning his back upon Samantha.

"I can't. She's. . . ." Monk trailed off. Leighland gave him a knowing look.

"Too much like Trudy. I think you'll find that she is nothing like Trudy. Give her a chance. She wants to work with a real private eye and you are the best person for her to work with," Leighland pointed out. Adrian looked over his shoulder at the girl. She gave him a small smile. He swallowed hard and looked back over at his long time friend. Leighland nodded for him to turn to her. He sighed softly and turned around.

"I have a lot of fears. Do you think you can handle that?" He asked her. Sam nodded.

"Uncle Leighland has told me all about your fears. He even gave me a list. I can handle them. Just give me a chance to prove myself," she replied. He took a deep breath and pushed away his fears of her being just like his beloved Trudy and gave her a forced smile.

"You're hired."

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Adrian couldn't believe just how much Samantha knew. She was always on time with the much needed wet towels and ensuring that he never had to encounter any of his fears. It was like she knew just what he needed before he needed it. However, he could see the strain it was putting on the woman. They had only been working together for two months and already she was a very important person in his life.

He couldn't understand why her opinion had become so important to him. No one's opinion had ever mattered to him before, except for Trudy. Deep within his heart, Adrian didn't want her to become more important than Trudy. Trudy had been the only person in the world to truly understand and love him as he was. There would never be another woman like her.

And Samantha was nothing like Trudy. She was understanding and would get him what he needed before he needed it - at the expense of her own private time. She was always caring about him and fixing him food that was perfectly numbered and cut. In the two months that they had been together she hadn't made one mistake. He figured her anger at him now had been coming.

"I have a lot of fears. That's just who I am," Adrian tried to explain as she tried to fix the table - the only thing that was crooked in his house. He put it back and watched as she threw her arms into the air.

"That's not who you are Adrian! You can't possibly like living like this! You live in constant fear that something may be out of line or hurt you or kill you or whatever else!" Samantha argued. He looked up at her and noticed that her hazel eyes were blazing with a fire that he hadn't seen before. His breath quickened unexpectedly.

"I . . . I like living like this," Adrian argued back weakly, looking around. It was like he was noticing his home for the first time. It was true that there was nothing out of line. It was unnervingly perfect. He turned back to Samantha, who was shaking her head.

"Look at your life, Adrian. You don't go out. You don't go to the beach and enjoy the sunset. You don't go out for fear that someone might become close to you once more. You just freak out about the world, which you can't change, and stay hidden in here. You can't tell me that you love your life," Samantha pointed out. He looked down at his hands and sighed deeply as he fell upon his couch. He licked his lips slowly as he looked around the room once more. What had he become since Trudy died?

His thoughts fell to Trudy once more, as they often did. They hadn't lived this way. Yes, he still had been compulsive about somethings, but he had never been so obsessive before. He had had fears that were real, like heights. Yet she had been there to allow him to be who he was. If she was here now would she even know him?

He could feel Samantha sit down beside him. He looked up at her, tears brimmed in his eyes. Never before had he felt like he was betraying his beloved Trudy by being the way he was. Samantha put a hand upon his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I wasn't like this," Adrian said softly. He sighed. There was this need to explain to her everything that had happened that he had only known once before, when Trudy was alive.

"You weren't?" She asked him gently. He nodded slowly.

"I had fears and I am a little complusive, but it was better with Trudy. She understood that I had been abused by my mother. She was a cold, mean woman. She made sure that I understood just how much she didn't like me. She soothed that part of me and when she died. . . ." he trailed off.

"You lost your confidence," she whispered. He nodded, closing his eyes against the bitter tears that were threatening to flow down his face. He felt her hand take his gently. He looked down to see her fingers intertwined with his.

"Let me help bring back your confidence, Adrian." He looked up at her and saw that she really did care about what he was going through. A shred of hope made its way into his heart and he nodded, truly smiling for the first time in ten years. He nodded and Samantha smiled happily back.