Chapter 15: Betrayal and Closure

See Part 1 for disclaimers

Hey guys. Okay, I have been getting FAR too much Jolie for my own good these past few weeks, and I've been afraid to write more because I thought it might come out. Yesterday's episode was so amazing that I wanted to write and kind of bring out John's sweet, protective side since he's been such an ass throughout this story. Enjoy!

Honestly I don't know where the end of this chapter came from… I'm sooooo sorry but SQUEE! (Actually I do know where it came from it's all because of yesterday's episode. Sorry guys!)

Manda

Two months later, John had arranged around-the-clock police protection for Michael, Natalie, and Shane, but it was getting harder and harder to justify all the manpower since Jenkins was still sitting in a prison cell. He had warned Natalie that if Jenkins didn't make a move within a week or so, he was going to be ordered to pull the officers. She hadn't been happy, but she had understood.

John was currently sitting at home on his bed staring at a picture of Natalie that had been taken shortly before she'd left Llanview trying to figure out how he had gotten so angry with her. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Natalie walked in, closing the door behind her. "I think we have a little unfinished business between us." He raised an eyebrow. "We do?" She smirked at him. "Don't play dumb, John. I know that you're still angry with Michael for winning my heart, and I know that you still blame Shane for what Jenkins did, no matter how subconsciously."

John nodded silently, not trusting himself to say anything at that moment, and Natalie continued. "I told you that I love Michael and Shane more than life itself, yet you continue to act like they're inconveniences to you." She paused and waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say, Natalie? That I love you so much that when you left Llanview I threw myself into my work to forget about you, but it didn't work? Or maybe it's that I still love you and every time I see you with Michael it's like someone's shot me, only more painful. Or could it be that when I see you with Shane I think that he should have been our son?" His voice was raw with emotion, and Natalie's eyes filled with sorrow and compassion as he hit the desk.

"Damn it, I didn't want to let you see me do this." She went to his side and placed a gentle, understanding hand on his shoulder. "John, I loved you once. You broke my heart over and over again, and I knew that if you did it one more time that I would never recover. That's why I left, and I wish that you had told me all of this when I first came home from Mesquite. Then we could have possibly had a chance. Instead you let me move on at long last and fall for Michael."

"You made your feelings about me perfectly clear the last time I talked to you," John said, refusing to meet her gaze. She sighed. "For such a "show not tell" guy you sure don't know anything about women's signals, do you?" He laughed bitterly. "I guess not." "I still loved you when I left Llanview. It wasn't until I was raped and came home that I moved on, and that was because Michael was the one who was there for me. He was the one who gave me what I needed, John. You avoided me like the plague."

"I was terrified." She looked surprised. "Of what?" "I was terrified that I would see pain in your eyes," he admitted. "John—" "Let me finish." She nodded and pressed her lips together. "I was terrified of the pain I knew would be in your eyes, and I was terrified that if I tried to comfort you I'd make it worse." He looked up into her eyes. "But I made it worse anyway by staying away, didn't I?" She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek.

"All that I know is that you're finally being straight with me John. It's light years too late for us, but you're helping yourself so much by telling me this." He smiled sadly. "I don't want to help myself if I can't have you." He leaned in and kissed her. She couldn't help kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She allowed herself to forget about Michael, to forget about everything except that she and John were going to get their one time together at long last. She fell backwards onto the bed, and John followed. As the kisses deepened, she knew that all the things she had ever felt about John were about to be resolved permanently…

TO BE CONTINUED