Monk and Natalie walked out to her car where he quickly got in the passenger's seat and buckled himself in. As she slipped into the driver's seat and began driving, he looked nervously out the window, his hand in his pocket stroking his ring inside. He was thinking of how he was going to approach the evening. It seemed ages since he had actually gone out with a woman, but now that he was beginning to return to the man he once was before his wife was murdered, he couldn't help but wonder if what Leland had said was true. Was it possible for lighting to strike the same place twice? His thoughts were interrupted by Natalie's voice ringing out in the car.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come over. I won't feel so alone." She said. "I was going to pull one of my chicken pot pies out of the freezer and then I made a delicious blackberry cobbler for dessert. I hope you'll like it."

Monk looked straight ahead determined that he didn't want her to do any work for them that evening. Instead, he wanted a quiet and somewhat romantic evening for two. So, as she turned on her blinkers to merge into the lane leading to her house, he decided he'd go ahead and take the plunge. "Um, Natalie." He said, nervously.

"Yes?"

"Could we…could we maybe go out to dinner tonight? I mean I appreciate the offer, but I'm not feeling like pot pie."

"You not feeling like pot pie? Are you not feeling well?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm just fine. And, really – I would hate for you to have to dirty up your kitchen making me dinner. So I thought maybe we could go out."

Natalie glanced over at him, surprised. "Uh…sure, I suppose. As long as I'm dressed okay. Where do you suggest?"

Monk looked over at her then up towards the street signs. "You look lovely...I mean, you look just great." He turned his head so she could not see him blush. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Um…turn right up at the next light." He directed. "You took me someplace that you and Mitch used to go, I'm going to take you somewhere that I used to take Trudy."

Pulling into the parking lot of Pasquale's Piazza, Natalie was immediately taken aback at his suggestion.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Mr. Monk?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "This is Pasquales'."

"Yes. But, here's the thing. I've heard they serve their food 'family style' and in groups."

"Yeah?" he said, confused.

"That means you'll have to share platters of food with strangers at one single table." She replied.

He smiled. "Yeah. I understand that. Unless you don't want to eat here."

"Oh, no. This is fine. I was just worried about..." she began.

"It's fine, Natalie. This is the place I wanted to take us. I know what we're getting into." He said, unbuckling his safety belt and opening the door. "Come on. It's not even seven o'clock yet. Maybe we can get a table in the back."

Walking into the restaurant they were greeted by an older Italian woman with salt and pepper black hair tied back in a bun. She was wearing a silk dress with a floral pattern and looked every bit the hostess.

"Two?" she said, as she reached down into a pedestal to pick up a couple of menus.

"Yes, Angelica. Two." Monk replied.

The woman lifted her head and squinted her eyes when he called her by her first name. Then, a broad smile came upon her face. "Adrian! Is that really you?" she said exuberantly, throwing her hands up into the air and giving him a huge bear hug and kiss on the cheek. Natalie immediately fetched a wipe from her purse but he looked over at her with a grin and waved her way.

"Gino! Gino!" the woman hollered towards the kitchen in a volume loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. "You won't guess who is here?"

Monk grinned and ducked his head a little, embarrassed over the attention as Natalie watched in amazed amusement.

"What? What is it Angelica?" a heavy-set man with white curly hair said coming from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a tomato-sauce stained white apron tied around his waist.

Monk adjusted his neck in discomfort as he looked at the messy apparel of the host.

"Don't you recognize him?" she said, her hands clasped in front of her. "It's Adrian! Our Adrian has come back to see us!" she smiled.

Gino's eyes crinkled up in laughter. "Adrian! Adrian Monk! Our old friend! How long has it been?" he said, shaking Monk's hand and patting him on the arm. Because the man had been making meatballs in back, his bear-like hands were also a bit greasy so when he was through, Monk placed his hands behind his back and wiggled his fingers. This time he would not refuse the wipe.

"Gino and Angelica. It's so good to see you." Monk smiled. "You look just the same."

"It is so good to see you as well, my friend." Gino said. "It's been what? Ten years?"

"Fifteen." Monk replied.

"Ah…" he said, glancing over at Natalie, suspiciously. "And how is Trudy?"

"Gino!" Angelica scolded.

"What?! Qual è il tuo problema?" he asked, waving his hands before she leaned over and whispered something in his ear. "Oh. Scusi! I forgot. Many pardons." He said looking down in embarrassment.

"It's okay, Gino. No harm done." Monk replied, shaking his head. "Gino and Angelica, I'd like for you to meet my partner-in-crime, Natalie Teeger. Natalie, this is Gino and Angelica Pasquale. They own the restaurant and have been in operation for, what? Thirty-two years?"

Angelica smiled proudly and pinched Monk's cheek. "That's my Adrian. Never forgets a thing!" she said, elbowing Gino in the belly. "It will be thirty-three years in September. So, will you and Natalie be sitting in your usual seat?"

"Is it open?" Monk asked.

"Assolutamente! I will take you there immediately! Gino. Go back in the back and pull together a nice antipasto plate for Adrian and Natalie." She said. "It's on the house. We must celebrate. Our friend has come home to us again!"

Angelica took Monk and Natalie back to the very back corner of the restaurant to a table seating six, two seats of which were already taken by an older couple that Natalie judged to be in their seventies. When they arrived, Adrian immediately pulled out a chair for Natalie to sit down in and then scooted her in before taking his own seat. Having at first been surprised by the choice in restaurants, she was equally surprised by their reception and that being hugged and touched by the Pasquales hardly seemed to bother Monk at all. Then, with him introducing her as his 'partner in crime' and being as considerate of her as he was being, and just how he was taking care of her – it all led her to begin wonder if Dr. Bell had given him some new drug or if they had switched out Adrian Monks.

But as she looked over at his face and saw its expression all of these thoughts faded and a happy curiosity seemed to take their place. He looked…happy? No. That wasn't it. More like a combination of happy and a little…nervous? Yes, that was it. But, what was he nervous over was the question. As she analyzed the situation, she realized that she too felt a little nervous. What was that all about? She was just having dinner with her boss and her friend like they had done literally hundreds of times. But this time felt different. This time was different. It almost felt like they were on a…

"Rolls?" he asked, holding a basketful of bread up in front of her.

She snapped out of her daydream at the sound of his voice and smiled. "Yes. Thank you." She replied, biting her lip a little out of nervousness as she reached up and retrieved a piece of bread with her bare hand. "Ooh! Hot!" she said.

Monk frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry, did it burn you?" he asked, reaching forth his hand and touching hers. She looked down. Where's his ring?! she wondered, but before she could pursue that line of thought she was brought back into the present by him turning her small hand face up as he held it underneath with his left hand and began caressing it with his right.

She swallowed, her eyes looking ardently up at his. "No. I'm okay." she smiled.

"I'm glad." He responded, releasing her hand and then reaching across the table for a pat of butter. Immediately, she got butterflies in her stomach as she watched his slender hand use his knife to cut through the soft butter and place a little on the edge of his dish. "Would you like some?" he asked, looking at her with the sweetest look in his eyes. She was transfixed and remained silent for several seconds until he spoke again. "Natalie? Are you alright?"

"Huh? What? Oh. Oh, yes. Um…" she said, looking down at the dish of butter.

"Butter? Did you want some butter?" he asked

"Oh. Sure. I'm sorry." She chuckled. "I, I just…I don't know where I went there for a minute. Out in the ozone I guess."

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"No. I'm fine. Just ignore me. So, you and Trudy really visited this place a lot?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah." He said, using his knife and placing a pat of butter on her saucer. "All the time. We would come here on a Thursday night when it wasn't so busy and she'd always order the Gnocchi and I'd get the Piccata. Every time. They make everything fresh here, and they are very reasonably priced. Super people." He said taking a bite of his bread.

As Monk told her his story, Natalie couldn't help but feel some of her old feelings coming back again, the ones she had tried to suppress for so many years. The truth was that she was in love with him and knew that she always would be. But after eleven years, she had completely given up hope that he would ever feel the same and so she had opted for the familiar companionship of Steven Albright. That's where she belonged now, or so she thought.

The way Monk was acting that evening, however, had thrown her a bit of a curve ball because it was so unusual. Nevertheless, she knew him well enough to withhold speculation on what might be going through his mind. While he was often predictable, sometimes he was not, and for all she knew he was simply getting his beloved wedding ring reinforced at a jeweler's someplace. She had noticed that it had worn down quite a bit in the years that she had known him and knew that the last thing that he would want to happen was to lose it. That had to be it, she said to herself. He's getting it repaired. This seemed to calm her. This was merely a nice dinner between friends and nothing more.

Nobody else joined them at the table which allowed the two to have a lot of time to chat and enjoy each other's company. And, as the evening progressed, Monk thought to himself how funny it was that his earlier apprehension had all but melted away. Being around Natalie often had that effect on him, and even more so since solving Trudy's murder in 2009.

As the Pasquales' observed the scene, they whispered to one another, wondering if Monk was dating Natalie. Watching their interaction, it certainly appeared that way. Over the years if Adrian would have heard such whispers he would have immediately denied it, using the excuse, as he often did, that he was a 'married man.' But tonight, he wasn't acting like a married man. Not at all.

Monk had toyed with the idea of dating through the years, at least a little. Their names were Monica, Michelle and Leyla. Three women whom he had gone on pseudo-dates with over the past fifteen years of which nothing had come. The reason for this was patently obvious. Aside from the fact he was still hopelessly devoted to his late wife, each of the women was a 'safe' bet for him. One was married. Another was a decent woman but ultimately not his type. And, the third a passing crush who would have him fundamentally change who he was at his core – something he would never be willing to do. Still, they were convenient relationships for him to refer to when people would ask him why he didn't date. He could point to each of them and say that he had tried dating after Trudy, but really, the whole dating scene and being with another woman wasn't for him. In reality, that was a lie. He hadn't tried at all.

Of course, there were a couple of instances where he served as Natalie's date. Once to her brother's wedding and once when he was undercover as hitman Frankie DePalma (oh, that dress!). But those weren't really 'dates', he told himself. They were part of the call to duty, each happening when he was in the middle of a criminal investigation. Aside from that, Natalie was his employee and therefore an 'unsafe' consideration when it came to a romantic relationship, or so he told himself. And yet, on this evening as he watched the sparkle in her eye and the crinkle in her nose and he felt the warmness in his heart that she engendered, Monk realized that of all of the women he had known since Trudy, Natalie was the one woman with whom he felt safest of all.

At around 7:30 PM, a small group of musicians walked into the room including an old man who Natalie guessed to be in his mid-eighties with a woman in her late forties on his arm. Slowly the woman led him to the piano where he sat down.

"Oh, I didn't know they had live music!" Natalie said, delighted.

"Oh, yes. Some of the best in the city. They have won…Wait!" Monk looked over at the piano and smiled. "Oh! I don't believe it. He's still here!"

"Who?" Natalie asked, leaning closer to Monk so that he didn't have to yell.

"George Seravante, Angelica's father. He's played piano here for years…mostly oldies from the forties and fifties, some light jazz too. He's with Desiree, Angelica's sister. She sings. And, I think the bass player might be a grandson. Don't know who the snare drummer is. George has to be getting close to ninety years old."

Natalie looked over at the pianist and his daughter with interest as the first chord rolled off of his fingertips. Immediately, she recognized the tune as I've Got You Under My Skin and began swaying and snapping to the song. Monk looked over at her with enjoyment.

"Oh, I love this music!" She said as the music played and Desiree started to sing. "It's one of my good memories growing up."

"Really? Tell me." Monk replied, leaning forward.

Natalie's face lit up as she began to describe a special time in her childhood. "My parents used to throw these big dinner parties when we were kids and play these songs, Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Ella, Nat King Cole.

Jonathan and I used to stand over to the side and dance our little hearts out while Bobby and Peggy were entertaining some of California's finest. Wow. Brings back a lot of memories." She stated wistfully.

Monk pursed his lips a little as his eyes shifted towards the musicians. Tapping his finger along with the rhythm of the song on the table top he decided to take a risk. Tilting his head to the side a little, he nervously glanced at her.

"Would you…perhaps…like to dance?" he asked, quickly looking back at the band as a lump formed in his throat.

Natalie's heart immediately skipped a beat and she wondered if she had heard him correctly. Surely, he didn't... She had to know. "Whuh…um…what did you say?" she asked.

Monk dropped his eyes and he took a deep breath then hesitantly repeated his words. "I…I asked if you would like to dance…with me. It's okay, though, if you don't want to. I was just thinking that perhaps…since you enjoyed dancing before, that maybe you and I could..."

"Really?" she said, smiling a little more broadly than she had planned and reaching out to touch his hand. "I…I would love to. But I didn't know that you could…you know, dance?"

He smirked slightly. "I've been known to cut a rug a time or two."

"This I've got to see!" she laughed, not knowing the next little secret that Adrian was about to reveal to her.

Unbeknownst to anyone up until this time, other than Trudy, Adrian had a carefully guarded side to himself that rarely came out. In fact, Trudy had been the only one to was able to pull it out of him and even then, he felt self-conscious about it. She called it his charm offensive and once he knew specifically what he was doing that made Trudy go weak in the knees, he could employ it at will – though usually, he'd feel a little silly doing it. After all, he had nothing to do with the color of his eyes or the dimple in his cheeks. Still, he wondered if it would work on Natalie.

Standing, he walked behind her, helping her scoot her chair out and then took her arm in his. They walked out to the small patch of floor in front of the piano where two other couples were already dancing. Placing one hand on her waist, he took hold of her other hand with his now-barren left hand and looked up at her, flashing those dimples and telling her to follow his lead, with a wink.

The effect was immediate as Natalie's butterflies went into overdrive. This is a dream she thought. It has to be a a really vivid yet wonderful dream! No way is this happening in real life. But it was happening, and as she was dealing with the cognitive dissonance of it all, the song continued to play. After a short time, she realized to her surprise that he really could 'cut a rug'.

"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked as he continued a basic swing step.

"Where do you think?" he asked with a smile.

"Trudy." She replied, softly.

"Yes, Trudy. It was my surprise for her at our wedding. I took lessons." He replied.

"Well, you learned very well." She responded.

"Thank you." He smiled. "Did you and Mitch…you know, dance much?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "A little. But, this wasn't his style."

"No?"

"No. He was more apt to take us to a sports bar and we'd dance to country and western. You know, Achy Breaky Heart. That kinda thing."

"Ah. Yes. I remember that one." He said.

"You do?" she asked, surprised as he swung her out and then back into himself.

"Yes, early nineties. I took Trudy to the State Fair in Sacramento where Willie Nelson was headlining. That guy who sang that song, Billy Bob or Billy Joe…"

"Billy Ray."

"Yeah, that's the guy. He was there and Trudy drug me into a group of people who were break dancing to his song."

Natalie covered her mouth to stop from laughing. "Line dancing, you mean?"

"Huh?"

"Line dancing. People dance in a line to a song. Break dancing is something else."

"I know what line dancing is." He replied. "But, I meant break dancing. I was at the end of the line and they ran me into a table leg. I broke a vase and also my toe." He replied.

She laughed. "Oh, my! That hurt!"

"Yeah. What a disaster that was! After that, we reserved dancing for nights like this." He said, dipping her, then pulling her back up, locking eyes with her as he drew her to himself. She swallowed, suddenly feeling a little warm but truly not wanting to miss a moment of this time. She smiled up at him, again biting her lip – which also had an effect on Monk.

Turns out he wasn't the only one with a charm offensive.

"Seriously though, you're just full of surprises tonight." She said, coyly, tracing an invisible pattern on his chest with her finger. She was dying to ask about his ring but deciding to refrain from that particular question in case her earlier assumption was correct.

"Well, I thought I might mix it up a little." He replied, clearing his throat. "That's okay, isn't it?"

Instinctively, she pulled him in a little closer and hugged him causing his heart to speed up a little. "It's more than okay." she whispered in his ear.

This was not good. He felt like he was being affected more by the evening than she was. Play it cool, Monk. You're Captain Cool. Remember that. He thought.

Almost immediately, as if on cue, George modulated his music to a much slower song, If I Had You. It was one of Adrian's favorite songs, and as he heard its sweet unhurried melody he pulled her even closer to himself and she found her cheek on his shoulder as they continued to sway.

Natalie closed her eyes, nearly melting into his arms as she heard his sweet baritone voice softly harmonize with Desiree.

I could show the world how to smile

I could be glad, all of the while

I could change the gray skies to blue

If I had you

I could leave the old days behind

Leave all my pals, I'd never mind

I could start my life anew

If I had you

The jazz band broke into an instrumental portion and Monk held Natalie's hand up near his chest, resting his cheek on her head and closing his eyes as the melody continued. For Natalie, who had carried unrequited love in her heart for this man for over a decade, the whole moment was surreal. She didn't want it to end.

Their interaction also wasn't lost on Gino and Angelica, the latter of which hurriedly whispered into her husband's ear to go make them his special dessert before going back and watching the beautiful display unfold on the dance floor.

When the song finally ended, Adrian held Natalie a few moments longer than necessary as the jazz band took a break. Finally, he pulled back a little and she looked up at him with glistening eyes. He looked at her tenderly, then raised his hand up towards her face, brushing some hair off of her cheek. She stood perfectly still, mesmerized by him and the moment. Then, he took her hand and suggested they go back to the table.

As the two quietly returned to their seats, Monk was about to suggest that he pay the bill so that they could go back to her place for cobbler and whatever movie it was she had picked out; but, he was circumvented by Angelica who brought out a single goblet full of Gino's special strawberry tiramisu.

"Oh, my!" Monk said, looking at the dessert. "What is this?"

Angelica smiled warmly as Gino joined her side, clasping her hand to her heart as she looked between Adrian and Natalie. "It is compliments of the house."

"Yeah." Gino added. "It's just so good to see you again, Adrian."

"Yes." Angelica agreed, again looking between the couple. "So good to see."

Natalie smiled and looked down bashfully before looking over at Adrian who was smiling at her. The Pasquales stepped away.

Monk raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Well…as long as it's free."

Natalie smiled, but then she watched him with a dream-like gaze as he reached down with his hand and picked up a fresh strawberry, dipped it in whipped cream and then lifted it to her mouth. Locking eyes with him, she reached up her hand and touched his as she took a bite. He swallowed.

Lowering their hands, she continued to hold onto his and then asked him softly. "Mr. Monk, what is this?"

"Adrian." He replied softly.

Her breathing became shallower as she felt his thumb gently caress her hand. Her lips parted.

"Okay." She smiled. "Adrian. What is this we're doing here tonight?"

He looked over at her. "We're having dinner together. Why do you ask?"

As he continued to stroke her hand with his she felt like she was about to come apart. Everything within her wanted to just jump up and kiss him in that moment, but she held back.

"I…Well, it's just that…" she looked at his deep brown eyes as they twinkled in the candlelight. "It's just that this feels like…It's almost like we're on a…" She didn't finish her sentence being so captivated by the way he was looking at her. He smiled softly then withdrew his hand.

"It has been a lovely evening." He said. "Did you still want to go back to your place and catch a movie?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'd like that." She replied. "I picked out an old movie with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn called The Philadelphia Story. There's no cussing or nudity or anything in it."

He just smiled, making her wonder what he was thinking. "I'll get the check." was all he said in response.

Twenty minutes later, the two arrived in Natalie's driveway, sitting in the car together and continuing their conversation for around five minutes, talking and laughing in a most relaxed manner.

"Shall we go in?" she asked. He asked her to lead the way.

Stepping out of the car, she walked up to him and looped her arm through his and the two smiled bashfully over at one another as they walked up her front sidewalk. As Natalie's foot hit the front sidewalk, from out of the shadows on her porch a figure emerged, holding a bouquet of flowers. It was Lieutenant Steven Albright.

"Well there's my girl! I was going to give up hope that you were coming home tonight." He said with a smile, then looking over at Adrian, he nodded. "Hello, Monk!"

Monk's smile faded as he looked up towards Albright and nodded. "Steven."

Natalie released Adrian's arm and looked nervously between the two men. "Steven! What a surprise!" she said, walking slowly up the stairs and hugging her boyfriend who gave her a kiss on the cheek. Natalie dropped her eyes for a moment but then looked back up at him. "Um…when did you get here? You should have called. I wasn't expecting you."

"Clearly not." Albright laughed. "I've been here for two hours. I was starting to get worried."

Natalie chuckled. "Oh, you don't need to worry. I was just out with Adri- um, Mr. Monk." She said, her eyes shifting again towards the floor.

Steven looked between the two and smiled. "I can see that. Should I be jealous?" he said, reaching out and punching Monk in the arm.

Adrian stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Natalie looked over at Monk guiltily, "He's just joking, Mr. Monk."

"He shouldn't joke like that. You're a lady." Monk replied, tersely.

Steven smiled again. "Hey look, I'm sorry. Nat's right. I was just kidding. I know there's nothing going on between the two of you. That's not even possible. But hey, glad to see you made it back safely."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds which was broken by Natalie finally getting her front door unlocked.

"Let's not just stand out here in the night air. Come on in,um...both of you." She suggested nervously as she walked through the door. "Steven, Mr. Monk just solved a big case involving that bank exec over across town. Mr. Monk, why don't you tell him about it while I make us some coffee." She said, moving quickly towards the kitchen.

Monk's eyes watched her as she walked briskly towards the cabinets, not turning around. She was clearly uncomfortable and hearing her call him "Mr. Monk" again left him feeling somewhat disappointed. But, as he looked over at Albright, the only thing he could think of was the words of Leland about letting happiness slip away. At long last, he was finally seeing Natalie for the remarkable woman she was. Was he deluding himself in thinking he had a chance with her?

"So, Adrian. What's this about a case?" Albright asked, sitting on the couch as Monk sat in the armchair across from him.

Monk paused for a moment trying to gather his thoughts.

"Case?" he said.

"Nat said you solved the bank exec case." Steven replied, leaning forward eagerly.

Monk looked back over towards Natalie who glanced at him and they locked eyes. As uncomfortable as he was at the moment, he would be careful so as to not embarrass her, and so he played the role he was supposed to play for that evening – but it wasn't one he would long be able to sustain.

"Ah yes, the case. I wouldn't say I solved it necessarily. I just knew the story the wife told wasn't true. She has since confessed as much. Apparently, it was the banker's step-daughter, and her mother was covering for her. The girl is a schizophrenic who has a history of blacking out. She apparently had an episode and killed her step-father. The mother has been very protective of her daughter and didn't want to see her institutionalized, so when we talked to her about elements of her story not adding up, she confessed to us that she lied when she said she did it." he replied, looking back over at Natalie who was pouring water into her coffee maker. She smiled softly in approval without looking up and Monk continued talking.

"Interesting. What happens now? Does the girl get a trial?" Albright replied.

"She is over at Cresthaven Psychiatric Hospital now being evaluated." he replied. "There will be a hearing of sorts after the doctors give their analysis, then maybe she will get some of the psychiatric help that she needs."

Albright nodded. "Well, congratulations on another case solved." he said, looking at Natalie and then noting specifically at how Monk was looking at Natalie. He twisted his mouth to the side but said nothing.

After eating desert, Monk made an excuse to leave, opting to call a cab rather than have Steven and Natalie drive him home. He needed the time to think anyway.

And, as he walked through his front door he never felt more lonely. It had been a lovely evening up until the end and had caused his heart to want more. As he walked past all of the Trudy pictures in the living room, he sat down in his chair, taking the ring out of his pocket and playing with it with his hands.

"What should I do? Trudy?" he asked in the empty room. He laid his ring down on the end table and stood up, walking to the bookcase and pulling out his senior year yearbook. Flipping through it, he found Trudy's photo. He also saw the photograph of the young man that Trudy was dating at the time. Trudy had signed it "Thank you for not giving up."

He smiled as he recalled the way he pursued Trudy and won her away from her then boyfriend.

Looking off to the side, he marveled. "I did it once before." He said, closing the yearbook and putting it back on the shelf. "Perhaps…" he said, his voice trailing off at the end. Looking over at Trudy's photo, he smiled. Once again, without saying a word, she had given him his answer. He reached over to the end table and picked up the ring and then laid it next to her photograph, then silently walked to the lamp, turned out the light and went to bed.