A/N I do not own these characters. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement, and hopefully that of my readers. I mean no harm and am gaining no profit from the use of these characters so please, please don't take me to court! Thanks Ya'll...

Chapter 7

That night Natalie was making dinner for herself and John when she heard someone knocking at the front door. Frowning she tried to think of who it could be as she went to answer it. Remembering Bo's warning about a stranger in town she grabbed a gun and tucked it in her waistband behind her back. Pulling her shirt over it she opened the door. Seeing an unsavory looking man she put her foot behind the door in case he tried to force his way in and then spoke.

"Can I help you?" She asked him

"Yeah, Have you seen this man around?" Fritz asked the beautiful redhead. Young and innocent he figured she would tell him if she had seen an injured man. "He is my brother; he is missing." He put on his poor, poor, pitiful, me face and hoped she bought it.

Natalie saw his expression and knew he was faking it. She looked at the picture and saw that it was John. She swallowed back her fear. This was obviously one of the men that shot him and beat him up! Not that she knew how many of them there were but she was sure he was one of them! She looked back up at him, shaking her head. "No, sorry. I haven't seen anyone in days."

Fritz saw no reason to not believe her, after all the chances of McBain making it this far up the mountain were slim. He thanked her and then went on his way back down the mountain. This cabin was the last he had to check out and he was glad of it.

As the man left Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. She went around checking all the locks on the windows and doors and then made sure the alarm system was on. She wanted to be prepared in case the man came back. Then, remembering the video camera that Asa had installed at the front door so he would know just who came and went, she went to the computer which controlled it. She rewound the footage and stilled it on a good image of the man's face. John might remember the guy if he saw a picture,' she thought to herself. She printed out the picture on her laptop printer and then went on the internet to check her e-mail and such.

After she finished she remembered that she had been making dinner. Shaking her head at her forgetfulness and glad that she had only gotten to getting out the supplies she went in to finish the meal.

John as she was about to go wake up John for dinner she heard him call out in his sleep, "NO! Caitlyn! Please! NO!" She rushed into the room to see him writhing on the bed, obviously reliving a terrible experience. Her heart went out to him at the loss in his voice. Whoever this Caitlyn was she must have meant a lot to him.

Hesitantly she touched his shoulder to wake him from the painful nightmare. He jerked awake and looked around in confusion.

"What?" John said, his heart still pounding in horror from his dream. He frowned as he remembered it. Caitlyn had been on the bed and he hadn't been able to save her... Guilt and pain ran through him but he shook it off. Looking at Natalie he saw that she was looking at him in concern. He didn't know what to say to her so he simply looked at her silently, questioningly.

"Dinner is ready." Natalie told him, not sure whether to say anything about the words he had spoken in his sleep. She immediately knew she made the right choice when she saw him slowly nod and look relieved. She kept her hand on his shoulder a minute longer then retreated to the kitchen to get the dinner.

John was relieved when she left. He needed to think, to get his bearings back. That dream about Caitlyn always made him falter. Plus his shoulder tingled where she had touched him. Her hand on his bare flesh had sent sensations all the way down his arm and straight to his groin. He felt guilty for feeling anything from her touch, especially after he had just been dreaming about Caitlyn. It didn't matter that she had been gone for over five years, to him the attraction he felt to Natalie Buchanan somehow seemed disloyal. Oh he had had affairs after Caitlyn had died but this was different. None of those other women had been able to touch his heard like he suspected Natalie could do.

Natalie came back with the food and they ate silently. John was grateful for the silence. The more he talked to Natalie the more he was attracted to her, not just as a warm body but also as a woman, a person.

Finally after they finished Natalie couldn't take it anymore. Setting aside her dish she asked, "Who's Caitlyn?"

John was startled by her question at first and wasn't going to answer. After a minute he found himself talking despite his decision not to answer, she just had that affect on him. "She was my fiancé." He said softly.

Natalie already had an idea that she was either dead or out of his life but said anyway, "Was?"

John set down his dish as well and looked Natalie in the eye, "She is dead." He thought back remembering her death. The pain in his chest worsened at the memory. "She was murdered," he explained.

Natalie had suspected as much but hearing him say it made her even sadder for him. She stayed silent for a minute but sensed that John needed to talk about it. She knew how keeping the pain inside made it worse; she had done that a lot before she had learned talking helped. "Do you want to talk about it?"

John nodded; surprisingly he did want to talk. He had never opened up to anyone about it before but somehow he was compelled to do so with Natalie. "Caitlyn and I had just moved in together, we were getting married soon. I was on a case and she understood why I was away a lot. Finally I thought we caught a break in the case and I decided to take her out to celebrate." He looked down at his hands. Tears formed in his eyes but didn't fall as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

Natalie saw his struggle and put her hand on top of his, offering comfort, strength. When he intertwined their fingers and clasped them tightly she squeezed back and waited for him to continue.

Taking a deep breath John continued. "When we came home he was already in the house. He shot her first, on her way to the bathroom. She fell on the bed. When I came running in I saw her, lying there." The tears fell down his cheeks now but he paid them no mind. "Then he shot me. I tried to save her. I really did, but it was too late." He choked back a sob and was surprised when Natalie sat next to him and drew him into a gentle embrace. He was even more surprised that he let her. He sobbed into her, releasing all the built up pain he had been holding for 5 years.

Natalie stroked his hair reassuringly as he finally released his emotions. After a few minutes he quieted but stayed in her embrace. Natalie felt like a bond had just been forged between them. She had shared her past with him and now he had shared with her. She wasn't sure how she felt about it however. She knew that the more she found out about John the more she liked him. He really was an amazing man.

John got himself back under control. He was suddenly embarrassed by his actions. He had just cried his eyes out in front of a woman and not just any woman but the one who had saved his life. He drew back, not meeting her gaze.

Natalie saw his embarrassment and took his face in her hands. With out words she forced him to look at her and then, before she could think better of it, she kissed his lips gently.

John felt her lips on his and all thought left his head except for the gentle pressure of her lips. He brought his own hands up to her face and drew her closer, gently tracing his tongue around her lips. When they parted for him he slipped his tongue inside and tasted her. He moaned; she was so sweet, so hot. He traced the inside of her mouth; learning her.

Natalie heard him moan and let out an answering one. What had started out as simply a comforting gesture had quickly turned into a tender exploration of pleasure. She slid her hands to his shoulders and held on as he took control of the kiss. When his tongue left her mouth she followed it with her own, making him moan again. After a minute they drew away from each other, breathing labored. She was shocked at the sensations running riot in her body, never before had a simple kiss brought this kind of reaction.

John struggled for breath as he himself tried to deal with his wayward hormones. He was hard and aching, ready to go further. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. After a minute he finally spoke, "Uhh... that was..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Natalie shared his confusion; she hadn't meant for it to go that far. Heck she hadn't even consciously intended to kiss him at all! "I'm sorry," she apologized finally. "I uhh... didn't mean to do that." She flushed under his gaze and quickly got of the bed and left the room.

To be continued...