Well, it's been a long time, but I finally updated! Hope you enjoy this! Thank you for all of your messages telling me to keep updating, or else it might have been a lot longer....

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 6 - Uncanny

Natalie raised her head from its resting place on Keith's shoulder. She turned towards him and let her eyes trace his face again. It was a miracle, nothing short of a miracle that he was here with her. What horrors had he faced in the past few years? Her face burned with shame at her earlier reaction. Yes, it had been understandable, but once she had seen how much it had affected him, she had to just push her own hurt away. He was here with her and needed her to be strong for him, especially now.

Keith's face was angled away from her; he was staring at some far-off place. His expression was inscrutable and she wondered what was on his mind. "Can I ask you a question?" Natalie asked quietly. He turned towards her, waiting expectantly.

"Why now? Why can you all of the sudden show up out of nowhere?"

"It's a long story."

"I don't have to be back to school until Monday. I've got time." At the mention of school, a wave of sadness briefly crossed his face, but he managed to push it away.

"Then, you can wait?" Keith watched her carefully. She hid the wave of curiosity that hit her. Obviously, there were so many things that needed to be said.

"I can wait."

"They said I could come see you, especially since the court date is coming up soon. Not that they're letting me out of their sight," he said, jerking his head towards the weeds down below their cliff. "I'm 'on my own', but on their terms."

"They're actually watching you all the time?"

"Pretty much always. Trying to ditch them doesn't always work out very well." He scowled briefly, but then relaxed again. "But right now I'm not in hiding, so they don't smother me as much." Natalie remembered the strange car that had been following her, and everything connected.

"By any chance, have they been following me around too?"

"That's their job. It took me hours to convince them that you weren't a Russian hitman, I mean woman."

"They really thought I was a threat?" The idea was so ridiculous that she laughed.

"These people are crazy paranoid. I can barely sneeze without them thinking their star witness is about to die of pneumonia."

"Do you have to testify?"

"That's a part of my deal. I testify, they go to jail, and I get to live my life again."

"Is it really that easy?" she asked. It sounded way too good to be true. He laughed, a short, cynical laugh.

"Nothing's ever that easy, partner. Trust me."

"What does that mean?" Natalie asked him. There was something he wasn't really telling her. Wild images of him being hurt raced through her mind, and she could feel herself clenching her fists at those thoughts. But, he would tell her such things, wouldn't he?

"It means nothing," Keith brushed her words away. She could feel him drawing away from her, as if to protect himself. This side of Keith, the broken, fragile part of him was something completely foreign to her. Before, he had been able to control his feelings much easier, but now, it was as if all his carefully built walls were coming down. It was slightly disconcerting to see.

"Keith, I didn't mean to pry. If you don't want to tell me, then that's okay. We've got all the time in the world."
"Do we?" His words caused her to lapse into silence. He was right. After all, a few hours ago, he had been dead to her. Natalie grasped his hand in hers and interlaced her fingers with his. The simple gesture worked. The tension in his face lessened, and he relaxed somewhat.

"It doesn't matter. I thought you were dead and here you are. That's more than I ever hoped for," she said earnestly. "I just want to be with you." The words were strikingly similar to their last conversation before he had disappeared, and only made her heart ache. Keith sighed heavily and rested his head on the large boulder that he was propped against.

"Huh, I think you've said that before," he muttered, almost cracking a smile. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and offered her a hand. "Come on, let's get out of here." She took his hand and stood.

"What? Where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know. Let's just see where the road takes us." He sounded so confident that she was suddenly suspicious.

"Keith, what are you thinking?" An ever-familiar enigmatic smile crossed his face.

"Have I ever led you astray before?" he said in his most charming manner. They burst out laughing, both remembering all the mischief he had instigated during the beginning of their relationship.

"All right, but I've got homework to do for next week," she said in her best grown-up voice. He dropped to one knee and grabbed her hand.

"Natalie Anderson, my long-lost lab partner, would you please do me the favor of taking a few hours away from your hectic life and humor me?" She blushed and her heart skipped a beat.

"I would love to spend the day with you, Keith Zetterstrom." The buzzing of her phone stopped her. It was a text from Garrett, of all people. She was about to look at it, when Keith neatly swiped the phone from her hand, turned it off, and put it in his pocket.

"You won't be needing this for awhile."

"Well, m'lady, your fine carriage awaits," he said with a flourish of his hand as he ushered her around a bend in the road. Her jaw dropped with surprise as she recognized the waiting vehicle.

"What? How did you find this?" Natalie said in amazement. The truck was in shabby condition, even after all the work she had done on it after Keith's apparent death. She recalled the day when the truck had been sold, almost two years to the day of their first true meeting. Initially, she had wanted to keep the truck, but as time passed, its presence only increased the pain rather than to help lessen it. The buyer had promised to take good care of it, but she could see that hadn't happened.

"I had to search a long time to find it, but she's back with me again," Keith said proudly. "Since I have extra time on my hands, I figured I can get her in top condition again." He turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Now, here's the deal, partner. I need you to take the wheel for a little while. Natalie began to drive down the road, while Keith lay flat on the seat beside her.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Shhh," he pressed a finger to his lips. "They'll see you. I don't want them to see me."

"But, why?"

"Don't look at me. Pretend I'm not here." Natalie shook her head slightly as she maneuvered onto the road.

"Well, Mr. Invisible, where are we headed?"

"Just pick a place and start driving." He closed his eyes and lay still. After several miles, she pulled onto the freeway and began to drive north.

"Is there anyone following us?" Keith asked in an exaggerated whisper.

"No," Natalie said after checking the rearview mirror. "You can sit up now." They kept driving, passing by fields, pastures, and plenty of trees. After an hour, Keith finally stopped checking the road behind him every two minutes.

"Turn here," he said at last, pointing towards an exit.

"You've had something in mind all along," she guessed correctly. He only smiled.

"Pull in here." They were soon parked in the lot behind a small diner.

"What town is this?" she asked, trying not to stare at her surroundings. The town was tiny. Even from her point of view, she could see all of the main streets.

"It's called Green Bluff or something like that."

"Sounds…rustic."

"I like it here." Keith said, his voice turning reflective. There was something significant about this place, she realized. Hidden undercurrents flowed behind his words. Then, it was as if a cloud lifted from his face, and he smiled. "But enough of that, let's eat something. I'm starving." They walked to the front of the diner, which was fittingly named Martha's Diner. Soon, Natalie and Keith had a small table in the corner of the dimly lit room. A waitress came with their drinks, and they ordered. Keith rested his head on his hand and stared at her across the table.

"So. How are you doing? What have you been up to since…you know."

"Things are going well. I'm in my junior year at Eastern Illinois University. So far, I've narrowed my choices down to being an English teacher or doing something in the healthcare field. Ummm, I still live on campus in one of the dorms. My job consists of watering plants in the school greenhouse. I volunteer at the library. Yep, that's about it."

"You stopped playing tennis?"

"After you…disappeared. I just didn't have the heart to play anymore. My rankings dropped anyways, so there was no point in trying for a scholarship," she said matter-of-factly. "My dad was not happy, but he got over it, I think. He still helps pay for college, if that means anything."

"But, you're having a good life?"

"For the most part, yes," she nodded. His eyes took on a far-off look.

"I was in the hospital the day they came. When they told me I had to go, I was furious. Just when it seemed like the best thing I ever had was right within my reach, I had to leave. Plus, with the way the cancer was progressing, I didn't think had that much time. That was the worst, knowing I didn't have that much time left and the one person I wanted to spend it with was going to be thousands of miles away from me. There's so much I wanted to say…." His voice trailed off. There was so much pain in his face. Natalie felt her heart clench.

"Keith. I don't understand everything that's happened and maybe I never will, but it's okay." He seemed relieved at her words.

"I was there at the funeral," he said in a low voice. "It about killed me to see you and my dad hurting so much. But the marshals told me I couldn't see you. Not even to say good-bye. So, I got to stand behind a tree way back in the cemetery and watch the service. Everyone said such nice things about me," Keith said, with a crooked grin. "I had no idea that I'd be missed that much."

"Of course we missed you!" Natalie said emphatically. "You were more well-known than you thought."

"I keep thinking about what everyone's going to say when they find out that I'm not really dead. I mean, it's kind of weird to attend your own funeral and then go back and say 'Hey guys, I was just in hiding for three years. Sorry to make things so complicated for you.'" The food arrived at that moment, and they fell into a comfortable silence with they ate.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Natalie asked. "You can say no."

"Ask away, and maybe I can answer."

"Your cancer. How did they cure it?"

"Well, some big-time corporations or something got the money together for me to get the treatment. They needed me to stay alive for the trials. I went to a private hospital every week for about a year, I guess. I'm not quite sure exactly how it worked. They took some bone marrow from a donor and infused it into me. It was kind of like the treatment I had before, but this time the chemo wasn't as bad, and I didn't reject the transplant. The doctors treated the marrow before I got it to make sure that there wouldn't be too severe of a reaction. My doctor told me it's an experimental treatment, but they got special permission for me to try it. The government really wanted me to stay alive."

"Wow. I can't believe it. I remember you telling me how there were no more treatments available for you to have."

"No more legal ones," he laughed. "They found a loophole somewhere."

"I'm glad. 'Cause that means I get to have you around for a long time." Natalie smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Keith said. "There's some things I want to tell you." He paid the bill and they exited the restaurant. The main street was rather short, and it didn't take long for them to reach the end of it. There was a small park with a playground and several tables and benches scattered throughout. They continued walking through the park.

"I came to this place a lot after I was taken into hiding," Keith explained. "I can't tell you about a lot of it, but it's because of you that I made it through most of the different situations I was in the past three years." Natalie touched his face, feeling the roughness of scars that had been etched into his skin. Scars that she had noticed but never really considered, until now.

"Did it hurt much?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Some of the worst pain I ever felt." He grasped her hand, trapping it against his face. "Maybe someday I can tell you." She could feel him trembling.

"Keith, I'm so sorry."

"One time especially, I thought that I was going to die for sure. But then I thought of you. I knew I could hold on because it was almost as if I could feel you next to me. So, every time…" he stopped. "Every time, I thought of you."

"Keith," Natalie began to speak, but he stopped her.

"I just want to say...just in case...I love you. I've loved you for a long time. And during the darkest hours of the past three years, it's only been you that has kept me breathing. There's no other way to explain it."

Natalie felt like she was going to burst with all the emotions that were welling up inside of her.

"I love you too. I wish I would have realized it sooner and we could have had more time together," she said in a halting voice. He only reached forward and pulled her towards him.

"I have to go soon," he whispered quietly. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"What?"

"They want me to stay in a safe place until this whole mess gets taken care of. I just wanted you to know without a bunch of people watching our every move."

"When will you come back?" Natalie asked the question she dreaded. He bit his lip and looked away from her.

"I don't know," Keith said finally. "It might be awhile." The words pierced her heart. Did he know the effect he had on her?

"So you come just to leave again," she said, trying to not let the hurt show, but he knew anyways.

"No, I came to be with you. To have something to keep me going through whatever happens next," he said softly. "Will you wait for me? And not go running off with some other guy?" So he had figured out about Garrett, she thought.

"I'll wait. There's no one else like out." Natalie struggled to get the words out without breaking down. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Then he reached into his pocket and gave her a folded piece of paper.

"This is for you. For later." She nodded, without speaking. He kissed her gently on the forehead and hugged her to him. She blinked back hot, scalding tears as she worked to memorize his face again, every scar, the curve of his jaw. Oh, it was so hard to say good-bye. Natalie recalled how her mom had told her that absence makes the heart grow fonder. They were wrong. There was no way that could happen. Because when Keith was gone, her heart went with him.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.