A/N: Apologies for the lateness of this update. I haven't given up on this story. I appreciate your patience

Chap 10

Blair couldn't help but shake her head at how she and Nat were getting along in the kitchen, especially after the less than stellar afternoon they'd had. From the moment Blair had walked through the apartment door with Jo, Natalie had a combative attitude - something the blonde still didn't understand – which immediately led to a fight. Then there was the argument they'd just had over Blair's 'eavesdropping', both of which were, surprisingly, stopped by Jo. Blair sighed sadly, softly to herself. There had been a time when the fights would have been between herself and the dark haired, Bronx native and it would be Mrs. Garrett who would have intervened to end them. A melancholy feeling passed over Blair. She hadn't talked with the older woman in a while and wondered how she was doing. She really should call her.

Blair returned her gaze to her former roommate and nodded idly at something that Nat had said. Same old Natalie. Mad one minute-happy the next. Blair thought. However, as she focused on what Nat was saying, Blair realized that view wasn't entirely true. Although Nat appeared fairly lighthearted, there was an edge to her younger friend that hadn't been there when they were teenagers. Though it saddened her, Blair decided it made sense after listening to some of the, what she was sure were edited versions, stories that Natalie had covered as a reporter. The blonde smiled at Nat's animated story telling. It was a relief to see that, despite all she'd seen, there still seemed to be a hint of light in Nat's eyes. A trace of hopefulness still remained, even if it had been dulled. The same could not be said for Jo.

Blair's mood fell once again. The fire that had once shone in dazzling green eyes was gone. It had been replaced by a dark, lingering sadness. Had the things Jo seen in her career as a cop really extinguished that spark? she wondered. Blair had thought she'd caught a glimmer of the passion that she remembered once or twice, especially when Jo had been talking to Bailey. She even believed the spark was there the couple of times that the brunette had looked at her earlier that day - particularly when Blair had stepped out from hiding in the hallway wearing Jo's sweats. However, it wasn't anywhere near the intensity the blonde remembered it to be and it passed as quickly as it came, troubling the heiress deeply.

"Blair?" Nat said lightly but firmly, rousing the blonde from her thoughts. "Are you done with the salad yet?" she asked with a raised brow.

"What?" Blair asked confused, before looking down at the bowl of greens and veggies she was supposed to be tossing. "Yes...yes," she quickly nodded. "It's ready," she added giving the salad another couple of tosses.

Nat frowned slightly as she nodded in approval. "Okay, I'll get the dishes," she said a bit stiffly. She had a feeling of where Blair's mind had drifted and wasn't thrilled about it. If the situation was different, if the events of ten years ago hadn't happened, then maybe Nat could be happy but, that wasn't the case. Relax. Jo will solve this case and then things will go back to normal, she told herself, feeling agitated as she opened the cupboard and grabbed the plates.

Noting that Natalie had only pulled out settings for two, Blair's heart sank a little. "What about Jo?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as desperate as she feared it did.

Natalie, though, had heard the inflection, but chose to ignore it. "Oh, don't worry about Jo. She'll probably be gone for awhile," she replied airily. "When she gets tooling around in the garage, we never know when she'll be back," Nat added, as she stressed the word. "We'll save her some salad and she can nuke a piece of lasagna later. What would you like to drink?" she asked, turning to open the fridge. With her back to Blair, Nat let out a silent sigh. Despite Jo's assurance that guarding Blair was all work with no personal feelings involved, Natalie wasn't entirely convinced, which is why she didn't feel too bad about the exaggerated 'we'part of her comment about waiting on Jo. Besides, she hadn't lied about Jo losing track of time while in the garage, especially when Jo had a lot on her mind. Nat believed that this was definitely one of those times. So she was glad that the lasagna needed only to be reheated and not baked. It left little chance that Jo would possibly return in time to eat with them.

"Oh, okay," Blair replied, still a bit disheartened. She then told Natalie she'd have whatever she was having to drink.

Natalie decided on a Zinfandel and both women opted to sit at the counter rather than the large dining room table. They ate in silence for a few moments before Blair spoke.

"Natalie? Can I ask you something?" she asked.

The nervous hesitancy in the blonde's voice had the younger woman a bit leery, but she nodded. "Yea, sure," she answered with a slight shrug.

"When...when Jo mentioned 'contracts' and you talked about the enemies she had..." Blair paused.

Nat nodded for her to go on.

"How many enemies were you talking about? And, why Frank Reynolds?" Blair asked both concerned and confused.

"You're kidding right?" Nat replied with a grin, believing that Blair was pulling her leg. That belief faded as she noted the serious look on the blonde's face as Blair shook her head. Stunned, Natalie's eyes went wide. "Don't you read the papers, watch the news, anything?" she asked loudly and with a harsh accusatory tone that caused Blair to recoil a bit. Natalie immediately felt guilty at not only the other woman's reaction, but the hint of fear that was in her eyes.

"There's no reason to yell at me," Blair responded quickly, trying to sound defiant. "The answer is yes...and no," she added a few seconds later as Natalie just stared at her. "I usually only see the business and fashion sections of the paper," Blair offered. "They're always on my desk when I get to the office," she further explained in response to the skeptical expression on Natalie's face.

Natalie was taken back a bit. "Sooo…what about the news? You must watch that?" she questioned.

Blair shrugged as she replied. "Not really. The TV's at work are tuned to business channels – foreign and domestic markets. Nights are spent out at business dinners or charity functions. Even when I am home, I tend to watch something light or I'm going over business papers before turning in for the night around ten or eleven. I really don't have time."

Natalie couldn't comprehend what she was hearing. Someone NOT having time for the news made no sense to her. "Okay, so I get 'Warner vision' at work," she finally replied. "But not watching any news at home? That I don't get. How do you know what's going on in the world?" she asked dumbfounded, as she shook her head.

Blair had smiled slightly at Natalie's Warner vision comment, but quickly started feeling uneasy. It was bad enough that Blair had no idea what had gone on with Jo for the past ten years, but now she'd admitted - to Natalie Green of all people – that she didn't watch the news. Without thinking, she went in to her standard reply. "I see the Headlines, only father and Justin tell me the news is depressing. So why waste..." Blair got no further.

"It's depressing!" Natalie angrily burst out, interrupting her. "The news is depressing? You're talking about my job!" she fumed. Yea, sure the news can be a downer, but come on! Nat thought.

"Please stop yelling at me!" Blair fired back firmly. She hadn't meant to offend her friend, she regretted it in fact, but Blair was tired of being yelled at by Natalie as well.

Nat stared at Blair a moment, then closed her eyes and sighed. Blair was right. She shouldn't have yelled at her. "Ok, I'm sorry," Nat said calmly as she opened her eyes. "But the news is my livelihood you know," she offered in self defense. "I guess I just don't get someone not watching the news," Nat added with a slightly baffled expression on her face.

Blair nodded. "I get that Natalie, and I honestly didn't mean to insult you either. I'm sorry too," she said with a small smile that, for a brief second, had Nat blushing slightly.

Man, Tootie wasn't kidding about 'the look' Blair can give, Natalie thought to herself as a quiet moment passed between them. Then, something Blair had said started echoing in her brain. "Blair?" Nat started, her brow furrowed in thought. "I get work and all, but – and don't take this wrong – your dad and husband actually tell you what to watch?" She asked a bit bewildered. Tootie had mentioned that Blair had seemed different the last few years, but Natalie just couldn't believe that the opinionated woman she once knew would let anyone tell 'Blair Warner' what she should or shouldn't do.

"No, no. It's not like that," Blair replied hastily, a mix of anger and embarrassment in her voice. "They just feel my time would be better spent on..on other things," she added haughtily. Mentally, Blair cursed herself for not having been more careful with her response. High society ladies barely pay attention to what's said to them, but that's not Natalie Green.

"Uh-huh. Other things," Nat replied thoughtfully as she stared at the blonde. The uneasiness she saw in Blair's body language and lack of weight behind her denial did little to convince Natalie that both men didn't influence her actions. It actually made sense to Nat. David Warner, being as controlling as he was, likely did anything and everything he could to make sure that Jo Polniaczek had been erased from his daughter's life, never to be seen or heard from again. Especially since Jo had been one of the few people who had been able to encourage Blair to think for herself. And now? David must have felt so smug as he walked into the police station and, more than likely, demanded Jo's help believing she'd give in, only to have her turn him down flat. It must be killing him knowing Blair is now staying with Jo, Nat thought, almost wanting to laugh at the situation. For a brief moment, Natalie almost felt sorry for Blair being under her father's thumb, but that didn't last long. If events had not transpired like they had ten years ago, things today would be so different. No, Blair made a choice, Nat thought, becoming irritated.

Blair could see the wheels working in the red-head's mind and recognized the look of disappointment that returned to Natalie's face after a moment. She began to feel uncomfortable under Nat's hard gaze. Blair hated that she had to admit that she wasn't 'up to date' on the news but it was even worse that she knew nothing about Jo's life. What was she supposed to do? Jo had walked away back then; had just disappeared. So why does Nat keep looking at me like that? Like it was my fault? Blair wondered getting a little angry. She straightened up and focused her gaze on Natalie. "You were going to tell me about Jo," she said in a strong business tone.

Whoa! Where'd that come from? Nat thought as she blinked, surprised and impressed at the sudden change in Blair's demeanor. Nat had questions of her own for Blair, but decided they could wait. Maybe it was better that the blonde knew what Jo had made of herself. At least some of it anyway. She thought. "Right. Well, Jo's a Detective – obviously – and a damn good one too. She's one of the youngest cops to ever make the grade so quickly," Nat said proudly. "That being said, Jo busted some really bad guys, I'm talking 'scum of the earth' kinda guys, most of them while she was doing undercover work," Nat paused, a bit of a dark look crossed her face. "You know, we used to kid her about being in the Young Diablos, but if it hadn't been for her time in that gang, I don't know that she would have survived doing that work. As it is, she still has scars from then," Nat added in a somber tone.

The small shiver that she saw run through Natalie had Blair wondering what exactly Jo had been through and what kind of scars she carried.

Nat shook her head a bit to brush away the thoughts that crept into her mind. "So, needless to say there's no shortage of people who, shall we say, are not fans of Jo's and wouldn't be upset if she wasn't around anymore," Nat's tone and expression conveyed the gravity of her statement.

"How..." Blair's voice and facade cracked slightly and she paused to swallow. "How do you..?" she started to ask but a thought struck her. "You've been with – er, around her – this whole time?" Blair stated more than asked, a mix of hurt and betrayal evident in her voice. "I – I had no idea," she said softly. "I thought Mrs. Garrett was the only one who.." Blair didn't finish the thought. It pained her to realize just how involved Natalie had been in Jo's life these past years. It should have been me, she thought sadly.

Again, the irony of the situation struck Natalie. Back in the day, although the four girls were friends and roomed together under Edna Garrett's watchful eye, it was always Nat and Tootie and Blair and Jo. Now, while she and Tootie still had their 'soul sister' bond, Nat was not only the one closest to Jo, but also lived with her. It was something the young Natalie would never have imagined. The teenager in Natalie wanted to gloat at the fact that she had replaced Blair as Jo's confidante, but she was adult enough to keep from acting on her urges.

"To be honest?" Nat asked and waited for Blair to look at her. "I really haven't." The blonde's confused expression prompted her to further explain. "I haven't been in contact with Jo this whole time."

"Really?" Blair asked doubtfully, but secretly hoped it was true.

"Really," Nat said sincerely. "I do think Mrs. G. is the only one that maybe has. Even then, I'm not so sure. After Jo left, I had very little contact with her, maybe a call once or twice a year, if that. I should have tried harder," A touch of sadness crept over Nat as she thought of those years. She had tried to stay in touch with Jo, but the brunette had retreated back to the Bronx and Nat's own career had begun to take off around that time. Natalie shook off the feeling and continued, "Anyway, fate brought us together again when Jo was involved in a story I was assigned to cover. It hadn't been long after her work undercover and she stayed pretty distant at first. She kept everything strictly professional. It took quite some time, but she eventually began to let some of her guard down and, well, it just sort of grew from there," Nat explained.

"I see. So she trusts you enough to tell you everything now," Blair responded in a low resigned voice. That's it then. It's true. I've been replaced, she thought until she heard Natalie let out the softest of sighs.

Nat had looked away. "Not exactly," she muttered under her breath, but Blair had heard her.

Blair was taken back a bit. "B-but you live with her and…"

Crap! Nat mentally cursed herself. She hadn't realized she spoke out loud. "Yea, I know," she said cutting Blair off. "But, I guess she's still afraid of getting burned again," Nat added with bite in her tone. She had to admit that, even with how close they'd become, there were still parts of Jo that were unreachable. And that's on you. Nat thought staring hard at Blair.

Blair didn't flinch. She knew the comment was an attempt at a dig at her, but she didn't understand why, so she chose to ignore it. There was so much she needed to talk to Jo about. "What about Frank Reynolds? What does he have against Jo?" Blair asked, her look just as hard as Natalie's.

There was a momentary stare down, before Nat gave in. "What do you know about him anyway? Reynolds, I mean?" she asked. "I know he runs in the same circles as your dad, more or less, but what do you really know about him?" she pressed.

Blair considered the seriousness with which Natalie asked the question and became even more concerned. "I know he started out on Wall Street in the financial sector and from there he started his own firm. I've heard he had – has - a rather charming personality and was able to draw in quite a lot of investors. You know, the type with deep pockets. Is that what you meant?" Blair responded warily, not sure what sort of answer Natalie was looking for.

"And was your father one of those…" Nat started to ask, a bit derisively, but was cut off by the blonde.

"No!" Blair said firmly. "My father never had any business dealings with him. He.."

"What about on a personal level?" Nat shot back before Blair could say more. "Did he have a personal relationship with him?"

The tone of Natalie's voice bothered Blair. "N-no," she stammered slightly. "I don't know what you're getting at, but my parents were..." Blair hesitated slightly as her mind flashed over the interactions she witnessed, but the memories served to settle her nerves. "Very careful not to be overly friendly with him. I was at some of the social events he and my parents attended and they always kept their distance," Blair answered truthfully.

"I see. So they had no idea of his interest in younger girls then?" Natalie asked a bit skeptically.

"A lot of men date younger women, Natalie," Blair offered, starting to feel uncomfortable again. "This is especially true when older, successful men want to be seen with a young beautiful woman on their arm. So, yes, I've seen him with girls...women...our age or somewhat younger," she added.

"I'm not talking women, Blair," Nat said harshly. "I'm talking girls! Young girls! Like Tootie in pigtails riding around on roller skates young!"

The blonde's mouth fell agape and her eyes widened in shock as an image of a twelve-year old Tootie flashed through her mind.

"Blair, Frank Reynolds is a sick pervert!" she said angrily, the disgust she felt for the man evident in her voice.

Struck by the intensity of Natalie's tone, Blair sat stunned for a moment. She wanted to tell the younger woman she was lying but, she had heard the rumors. Also the image of her father standing next to her, almost shielding her from Reynolds when he was near, returned. Blair closed her eyes and shivered slightly as she remembered how she felt when the older man had looked at her and how she had moved even closer to her father.

"H-how do you know?" Blair finally asked softly. She felt sick to her stomach and feared what might happen if she spoke any louder.

Natalie noted the change in Blair's demeanor and it softened her hostility towards the blonde. Could she have been one of his early victims? Nat wondered. Jo had said that the guy had been preying on young girls for quite a while. It took only a moment before she answered with one word. "Jo." When Blair looked at her confused, Nat explained. "While Jo was doing her undercover work, she started hearing stories about him and did some subtle investigating. At least she thought," Nat looked down as she muttered the last line, then looked back up. "Apparently his sick behavior has been going on for more than twenty years and recently it's become more...depraved," She eyed Blair carefully as she spoke, trying to gauge her reaction and didn't miss the haunted look that passed over the blonde's face.

"Blair? Is there anything…? I mean, did Reynolds ever…?" Nat asked haltingly, not able to fully voice the question, for fear of what her answer might be.

"What?" Blair responded slightly confused. "No! Never!" she quickly added though when she realized what Nat had been asking. "Honest, Natalie," she said firmly in response to the girl's dubious gaze. "My parents never left me alone with him. I will tell you, he definitely creeped me out more than once though," Blair added with a look of disgust on her face.

Natalie let out a small sigh of relief. Even if she wasn't thrilled with Jo's involvement in Blair's life, Nat would have felt horrible if the heiress had been one of his victims. Besides, she could only imagine what Jo would do if she found out Reynolds had done something to Blair. "So, you really had no idea about him?" she asked Blair after a moment.

It was Blair's turn to sigh. "I'll be honest, Nat. I'd heard snippets of gossip, but nothing specific and my parents never said anything. They just steered clear of him," she said with a small shrug. "But, I want to know what Jo's involvement with him is. You said she did some investigating and from your tone, it didn't turn out well," she added with a worried expression.

Nat shook her head slightly. "Once Jo knew what the guy was doing, she wanted to go after him and make sure he never hurt anyone again," she began with a quiet intensity. "But, she couldn't risk blowing her cover at the time. So she worked on gathering as much information on him as possible from those who were willing to talk to her. It came at a price though, when certain people felt she'd been asking too many questions." Thinking of the risk Jo had taken then and what she went through because of it, Nat wondered how the brunette was still alive.

Blair noticed the way Natalie had shuddered at the last comment and it only reinforced her disappointment at not having been a part of Jo's life these past years. The more she heard of the brunette's life the more she wanted to talk, really talk, to Jo. Reaching out she placed her hand on Nat's arm giving it a slight squeeze and a reassuring smile.

Appreciating the gesture, Natalie returned the smile with a small one of her own. "After Jo's stint undercover ended, with a major bust by the way, she focused her energies on Reynolds. The problem was, she started running into road blocks within the Department and the DA's office. They claimed the 'Thugs and lowlife's' the info came from weren't credible witnesses, even though a lot of the people she spoke to had little to no criminal history," Natalie said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Jo didn't give up. She stuck with her gut and kept pursuing the issue and a lot of the people she had spoken to appreciated her effort in not letting it go."

Blair couldn't help but smile. Not only was the Jo she remembered determined when she set her mind on something but, she also had a way of earning people's respect.

"Despite the evidence she gathered from the contacts she'd made, Jo still needed proof. An eyewitness," Nat paused and took a deep breath before she went on. "One night, Jo got an anonymous tip. A little girl – Maria – had been brought into the hospital by her parents. It – it was horrible. Maria, she was so young. He had...she had been..." Nat's voice broke. "The doctors...they, they didn't know if she'd make it. Her injuries were so, so..." The redhead stopped and ran her hands over her face, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

Blair knew immediately that Natalie wouldn't be sharing any details and for that, Blair was grateful. She immediately thought of Bailey and started to feel sick to her stomach.

Natalie gathered herself, then looked at Blair. "The parents, the Garcias, wanted nothing to do with Jo when she got there. They pushed her away and refused to talk to her."

"I don't understand. How could they not talk to her. Not want her help?" Blair asked confused.

"The Garcias are illegals. In their country, the police are corrupt and easily bought," Nat explained. "So they were terribly afraid and extremely distrustful. Jo didn't give up though. She stayed, spending hours just sitting with them. She helped with the exchange of information between them and the doctors. The Garcias finally started to trust her and eventually shared their story with her. They told her that they had been working for Reynolds for the past couple of years. He told them that, not only would he help them with their citizenship, but that he would 'take care' of Maria. When they realized what he meant and what he was really doing, they tried to get away from him. Only, he threatened them to keep quiet. If they didn't cooperate, he'd go to the police and have them deported, and they'd lose custody of their daughter," Natalie said with disgust.

Blair was shocked and horrified. How could the man be so vile?

"Granted, the Garcias finally did the right thing, but if they had acted sooner…." Nat let the words drop off and shook her head. "I need to stop. Jo told me I have no idea what it's like for them," she said checking herself and refocused on Blair. "Jo took control after that. She promised the Garcias she would protect them and their daughter. They wouldn't be deported or lose custody of Maria. She would make sure of it. Then – she went after Reynolds," Nat said firmly, her eyes full of admiration. "When Jo brought him in to the station, she made sure that the press was there to see it, and let me tell you, he didn't look so polished. If you get my drift?" Nat finished with a small satisfied smile and a wink.

Blair felt her heart swell with pride at what Jo had done, but just as quickly a feeling of dread spread over her. "Natalie?" she started, her voice heavy with concern. "I'm worried for Jo. Frank Reynolds is a well connected man. I mean very well connected. I've heard he's ruined people who have crossed him. Natalie, Jo could be in serious – serious trouble."

At the tone and gravity of Blair's statement, reality started to set in and Natalie's smile faded