Here's another update! Sorry it took so long. Hopefully there's enough here to keep you entertained:)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 9 - Time Is Running Out

Morning arrived far too quickly. Natalie woke before Keith and lay next to him for a few precious moments, watching him sleep. His breathing was deep and easy. She could have stayed there for hours in that peaceful setting. He stirred and cracked one eye open. "What are you looking at?" he croaked out sleepily.

"You," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. He reached out, captured her hand and kissed it.

"I need to go. My best friend will realize I'm gone and throw a fit." Her heart grew heavy at his words.

"I know. Just a few more minutes?" she begged. He squinted at the clock.

"Okay," he conceded, not unwillingly.

Due to fear of being caught, they were forced to sneak out of the dorm at 5 am before anyone else was awake. Natalie went outside first to make sure that the coast was clear before motioning for Keith to follow her. His truck was parked towards the back of the parking lot. As they neared the vehicle, Natalie had the sudden urge to grab onto him and not let him go. "I wish you could stay," she told him, trying to keep her tone cheerful.

"I know," he sighed, "It's not very fair, is it?"

"You will come back to me?" Natalie asked. She studied his face. He looked exhausted; dark circles lined his eyes and his hands were shaking.

"Always," he breathed. A feeling of dread gripped her.

"Keith, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I've been working a lot of extra shifts lately. The day before yesterday, I worked three shifts," he explained. She mentally calculated the numbers.

"Wait, does that mean you've only gotten," Natalie paused before continuing, "eight hours of sleep in the past three days?"

"Close, I think it's been nine hours."

"Keith!"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure and sleep a lot. There's a lot to do on the days off. Sleep, watch the Speed channel, play Parcheesi with the guys. Lots of fun."

"Parcheesi?"

"Yeah, my main bodyguard, Mitch, really likes it. It's a real thrill."

"I see," she laughed.

"You're just trying to stretch this out for a long as possible, aren't you," he guessed correctly. The smile immediately died from her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you."

"It'll get better, honest."

"I'll be back soon. This little arrangement doesn't have to stop anytime soon."

"What happens if they find out?" she asked.

"I'll probably get moved to a new location." He smiled mischievously. "That's why we can't get caught."

"You'd better get going then," she sighed dejectedly. Keith cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her.

"I'll be back before you even have a chance to miss me. Just like a bad penny."

"Speaking of pennies, I almost forgot to tell you how much I love all the pennies that you left for me." Keith's face turned a dull red color.

"You're welcome. It wasn't exactly my best idea, but I guess it worked. And you're welcome, by the way," he added.

"I know you'll be back, I just don't want you to leave in the first place," Natalie said mournfully. He smiled encouragingly at her.

"Keep your chin up, okay? I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"Okay. Be careful, Keith," she cautioned.

"I will," he said, throwing her one of his lopsided grins. "Bye, partner." He got into his truck and started the engine. She watched him back out of the space and pull out onto the street. A brisk breeze began to blow, and she shivered, whether it was due to the wind or Keith's departure. The familiar hollow feeling filled her. How was she going to make it through the next couple weeks? Being apart from Keith was practically unbearable.

The next several days were just like the weather, cold and bleak. She hated the way his absence made her feel, but she couldn't help herself. Nothing seemed quite right without him around. Anxiously, she waited for him to get in touch with her. His next communication came through the mail, a letter disguised as junk mail. True to his word, they continued to sneak around the town and spend precious time together. Every secret rendezvous was far too short for her liking, but it was better than not seeing him at all, she reasoned. On one of their many nighttime walks, she made a comment about their getting caught. "You don't ever worry about that?" she asked. "What if they catch on?"

"It's kind of fun, don't you think?" he said.

"We need to be careful," she insisted. "The day they find out…."

"Don't worry, partner. Everything's going to be okay," he reassured her. "Nothing's going to happen."

If only she believed him.

----------

Three weeks passed with no sign from him, Natalie began to get worried. While sitting in the cafeteria on one particularly foul day, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, half-expecting to see Crystal or Garrett. To her surprise, a tall, broad-shouldered man was standing behind her. "Um, hi," she said cautiously.

"Are you Natalie Anderson?" he asked, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine, and not necessarily in a good way. Her mind worked wildly trying to decide if this man could be trusted. What if he was one of the guys who wanted to get to Keith?

Natalie stared at the man. "Why do you need to know?"

"I'm Mitch," he introduced himself by way of explanation. She had to suppress a giggle. This big hulk of a man liked playing Parcheesi?

"Then, yes, I'm Natalie." She could barely keep the sarcasm out of her voice. He scowled.

"You need to come with me." He motioned for her to get up.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. I need to have a word with you."

"Why should I go with you? Whatever you have to say, say it to me right here."

"I can't tell you here. It's about you-know-who."

"Wait, how do you know about us?" she asked in surprise and a little fear.

"He told us. After we pried the truth out of him. I'm supposed to take you to see him. Now, will you come with me or what?"

"Okay, okay." She gathered her textbooks and followed him out of the building. He walked towards a dark, unmarked car that was illegally parked by a fire hydrant. Just as Natalie got close, a campus security guard placed a white envelope under the windshield wiper. Mitch muttered something unintelligible and swiped the envelope.

"I can't believe it. All the trouble I've gone to for this kid. Now this."

"With all the things he's gone through, you're mad about a parking ticket?" she said incredulously. Natalie's opinion of the man fell even lower.

"Just get in the car," he ordered. She obeyed without another word. They drove silently for quite some time.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to see Keith," he said stonily. "This goes against every protocol I've been taught." Natalie felt slightly sorry for being difficult.

"I'm sorry, Mr…." she tried her best at an apology.

"Just call me Mitch," he said. "Don't worry about it."

"Is there something wrong with Keith?" she asked, her worry getting the best of her.

"Not unless you count him just being himself," the man said good-naturedly. Natalie smiled. This man had definitely spent a lot of time with Keith.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"We've been following you for a long time. As smart as Keith thinks he is, it's nothing we haven't seen before."

"So, you've known since the beginning?"

"Yep."

"So much for going into the espionage business," she said with a straight face. He coughed. Whether it was real or to hide a laugh, she didn't know.

"So, why now? Why did you come for me?"

"That boy's been at me for the past week to get me to come get you. He's been on complete house arrest."

"So that's why he couldn't get to me," she mumbled.

"You don't get how dangerous this is, do you?" he asked. Everything hinges on this trial." He pulled into the driveway of a small, nondescript, cream-colored house. Natalie followed him up the steps and into the dimly lit living room.

"Natalie," Keith's voice broke out of the darkness.

"Keith? What's with all the secrecy?"

"Oh, you know me, I like all the cloak and dagger stuff," he joked, stepping into the light. He looked even more tired than the last time she had seen him. She went to him and hugged him; he even felt thinner than normal.

"I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, partner," he whispered. "Sorry about all the secrecy. Mitch offered to kidnap you, but I thought that might be a little overkill." She playfully punched him in the arm.

"You know that would have freaked me out."

"That's why I decided that nicely asking sounded like a better idea."

"Good thinking," she pulled back and looked around the sparsely decorated room. "So, why am I here? Why now?"

"The trial is starting soon. That means, I, the lonely prisoner should be able to finally get on with my life."

"I'm so excited for you!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," his eyes gleamed. "I can't believe it. It's almost over." He looked so hopeful, and Natalie couldn't help but smile.

"I still don't get why I'm here."

"Well, I'm going to be moved soon. The trial is in Chicago, so we're going to have to pack up here and set up there."

"So, this is the beginning of good-bye," Natalie said quietly.

"No, partner, this isn't goodbye. Think of it as an extended vacation. I just have to go and say my piece. Then, we can go anywhere we want," Keith said. Natalie stole a glance at Mitch. He was still standing there silently observing the two of them.

"Is that how it work? Once the danger's over, you can just go?"

Mitch spoke up. "Since this is the Illinois witness protection program and not federal, things are run a little differently, which is why you are actually able to contact Keith."

"And that means?"

"He'll be able to live as normal a life as possible," Mitch said before going into the other room and leaving the two of them alone.

"Hopefully by the beginning of the year, I'll be a free man," Keith told her. He sat on the couch and she went to sit beside him. His head rested on her shoulder. When he spoke again, he sounded more subdued. "Last week, when I was trying to send you a note, Mitch found out. He had to call the higher up people and got royally chewed out. Apparently, they spotted one of the counterfeiter's henchmen wandering around campus. If I got caught, things would go downhill from there. So, I haven't been allowed to go anywhere."

"It's okay, Keith. I didn't understand at first, but now it makes sense. I'd rather have you safe, anyways." She adjusted her shoulder so it was easier for him to rest his head. "I'm just glad that nothing bad has happened."

"I didn't mean to worry you," he said tiredly. "But good, old Mitch didn't want to leave me here alone. My other 'friend' has been busy with another case, so he's been the only one here."

"For witness protection, don't they usually let the people live normal lives and not have bodyguards all the time?" she asked curiously.

"My case is a little…different."

"What does that mean?"

"The people after me are pretty good at getting to me," he said, instinctively rubbing his wrists. Although the scars were covered by his sweater, Natalie could still see where the ridges were. "That's where these came from. The ropes left a mark"

"I'm so sorry," she said, pain thickening her voice. He slowly rolled up his sleeves so she could see his arm.

"This is what happens when you're tied up for three days," he told her. She lightly ran her fingertips over the scars.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He shook his head.

"Maybe not now," Keith got up from the couch and abruptly changed the subject. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Water sounds good." Natalie said. She listened to him move around the kitchen. A loud crash followed by muffled words caused her to jump. She jumped up and went into the kitchen. The pieces of the dropped glass were scattered across the tile. Keith was using a towel to stop the bleeding from a cut on his hand.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Natalie started gingerly picking up the pieces.

"My hands were wet, and it just slipped out."

"Is everything okay?" Mitch asked, poking his head around the corner. "I thought I heard something."
"Keith cut himself," Natalie explained. Mitch immediately ordered Keith to sit in a chair while he went for a first-aid kit.

"I'm fine, I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a scratch," Keith protested. The stain on the towel only grew bigger. Even just sitting there, he was quite pale looking. Mitch returned with the kit and removed the towel. He checked the wound for glass and then put a wad of gauze over the area. Even with pressure, it kept oozing blood.

"Keith…." Natalie came and knelt by him. A lump began to grow in her throat. "Maybe we should go see a doctor."

"Don't say it," his voice was low and harsh.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"This isn't the first time this has happened," he muttered. Natalie immediately caught onto his meaning. It couldn't be. Not again. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"No."

"This is kind of how I found out the first time. It's back," he said, his eyes filling with fear.

Natalie couldn't breathe. After all they'd been through, it wasn't supposed to be like this.

She couldn't lose him again.

Okay, so don't kill me. I just thought that it would add a bit of a twist to the story. Plus, I get to throw in some fun medical stuff:)

On another note, I don't know much about the witness protection program, so don't quote me on my improbable scenes.

Thanks for reading!