Disclaimer: I don't own, or have anything to do with MONK. This is just a hobby for fun only!

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, added this story to their favorites, and to anyone who is following the story in general. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts! I know I'm a little late to MONK fandom, but I hope everyone is still interested! Anyway, I have also started working on a new Monk fanfic called "Mr. Monk Visits Dixieland" where Mr. Monk and Natalie visit a small Southern town to help Mitch Teeger's parents solve a murder. That story will also take place in this same timeline (and will be briefly mentioned in a few chapters, just to tie the two together) hopefully I will be posting that one soon! Also, just a quick note to MonkNat08... Don't worry! Chapter two (the kiss) is as outlandish as Monk's character is going to get. I know he goes slightly out of character, but I wanted to make that moment very special. I am also trying to write Monk more laid-back and happy as he was in the last few scenes of the finale' episode (which I just saw last night *tear*) But I do appreciate the concern! Monk is such a wonderful character, any changes I do to his personality will be minimal. To all my reviewers: Thanks so much for the notes, please let me know how I'm doing! Now without further ado... Here's the story!

As Natalie snuggled up with Adrian on the sofa in their home, one year later, more memories poured into her head. They had both been so intertwined in each others thoughts and memories, they didn't notice that the Christmas record had ended, and the needle was skipping over and over making scratching sounds from the horn.

"Hold on a sec, let me fix that record…" Natalie leaped up and scurried over to the record player where she flipped the record and began playing the other side. "Blue Christmas" began playing through the horn, along with all of its hissing and popping, compliments of a record that was as old as she was. She headed back to the sofa, eager to reflect on warm memories. Her and Adrian were in a reminiscing mood that day as they laughed and cried and poured out their fondest memories to each other. They had both grown so much the past two years as people, and they had both learned so much from each other. About four months after Christmas 2010, Adrian finally decided to leave the apartment. With Natalie's help, he purchased a large Victorian home on the outskirts of town near Tewksbury so he could be closer to Ambrose. He grew up in a craftsman-style home, but the giant blue Queen Anne captivated him ever since he saw it's tiny black and white photo in the real estate ads. Perhaps the house was a bit more than he needed being almost three thousand square feet and having five bedrooms, but he had something else up his sleeve.

"This house is amazing…" Natalie said as her and Adrian pulled up in the driveway of the light blue Victorian home.

"It is, isn't it? Trudy would have loved it." Adrian said staring up at the house.

"Well, I definitely love it. It's elegant… Like you." Natalie said with a smirk. Adrian smiled and they both got out of the car and met with the real estate agent on the porch. Natalie took Adrian by the hand as they admired the front of the home.

"Will this be your first house together Mr. And Mrs. Monk?" The agent asked them as they walked onto the front porch. They both laughed and Natalie spoke up.

"Oh we're not married, I already own a home… I'm actually not sure why he wants a house so big!" She said to the agent. There was a silence.

"Ma'am would you mind waiting inside for us for a moment, please?" Adrian asked the woman, she stepped into the house and softly shut the door. Adrian took Natalie aside to the corner of the house's wrap-around porch.

"Natalie… There has been something I have wanted to ask you." Adrian said holding both of her hands.

"Okay, Adrian." She said nodding.

"I love you so much, Natalie." Adrian said softly.

"I love you too… Is everything okay?" Natalie said, her smile fading.

"Absolutely. I—I wanted to tell you that… Every day that we have been together has been a gift. I want to move on from my old apartment. I want to settle down into life a bit…" Adrian said, obviously anxious. Natalie nodded for him to continue.

"I want you to live with me, Natalie. Here. We can have a room for Julie, and Molly, and we'll have rooms for visitors and we would have all of the space we could ever need or want!" Adrian said excitedly.

"Wow!" Natalie said with a big gasp of air.

"You don't like it." Adrian immediately said, his smile dropping.

"No, no, no! It's just… I am completely stunned right now, Adrian! It's not like I don't love the idea of sharing a home together it's just…" She motioned toward the home. "This is a huge responsibility… Remember last time you bought a house?" She said looking around nervously.

"Absolutely… But back then I was different. I didn't have as much common sense. I mean, I practically bought the house on the spot! I have been thinking about this a long time…" He said. … Natalie believed him.

"I think that this is a wonderful idea. But we really need to talk about this together. I know you were being romantic and surprising me, which I appreciate so much, I really do… but I really would like to sit down and talk about this before we make such a huge change in our lives. We need to talk to Julie, too… and Molly." Natalie said reassuringly. Adrian nodded, seeming a bit like the wind was taken from his sails. Natalie picked up on this right away.

"That doesn't mean we can't look at this beauty while we're here, right? I mean, we may end up living here, so let's take a look!" Natalie suggested. Adrian's big smile came back and they walked, arm in arm, into the stately old home.

Now, eight months later they were living in that big blue house, settled in, together. The grandfather clock in the parlor chimed on the hour, and it's deep serene tone echoed throughout the house. It was a housewarming gift from Leland.

"It's Nine O'clock, is there anything left to do before everyone arrives?" Natalie asked.

"I don't think so… The presents are under the tree, stocking stuffers in… stockings, the food will be ready to go at around eleven… I think we're fine except for some light dusting which we can do later." Adrian said.

"I just dusted yesterday, hun." Natalie said.

"I know but… I think I'll do it again." He said. Natalie shot him a look. "I mean, you did a great job but… Everyone's going to be here and I want our house to look the best it can" He finished, Natalie raised her eyebrows. She wasn't angry, she was used to it. And at least she always had a house that was impeccably clean. All she had to do was remember back to Steven, her ex-boyfriend, and how he would always leave his stuff lying around and that was all it would take to make her thankful again. Plus, he was very helpful whenever something was lost… he always found it.

"Remember the look on Leland's face when we told him about… us!" Adrian said laughing with a slight blush. He was back in the nostalgic mood, so was Natalie. She tilted her head back and gave out a hearty belly laugh at the thought.

"I wish I would have had a camera, that picture would have gone straight in the scrapbook!" Natalie said.

"Well, as you know… I don't need a scrapbook to remember that look on his face." Adrian bragged. Natalie gave him a little love tap.

"Oh you!" She laughed.
"Hey it's a gift!" He said with a shrug. "And… A curse." He narrowed his eyes and smirked down at her.
"I think we can drop the 'curse' part… Don't you think?" Natalie asked. Adrian shrugged.
"For now…" He said, thinking back to Valentines night, 2011. It wasn't a curse when it came to remembering his moments with Natalie… Definitely a gift, a blessing even!

It was a quarter to six, Valentines night 2011. Adrian was straightening his tie in the mirror. Natalie had bought it for him for the special event. It was Purple with little red and pink hearts on it… It was also symmetrical. He stood in the bathroom wearing a black pinstripe suit, red shirt, and the festive tie he was fidgeting with. It was rare he wore a tie. Meanwhile, Natalie was slipping on her dress in her bedroom.

"He's not gonna believe it!" Adrian shouted down the hall, grinning.

"Well, if he doesn't I'll just lean over and give you a big fat kiss!" Natalie said with a sassy smile. Adrian turned around suddenly, and walked out of the bathroom.

"You won't… Actually do that, will you?" He said nervously.

"Of course I'm only kidding!" Natalie replied, he smiled in relief.

"But what would be so bad if I did?" She added. Adrian turned around frowning again.

"Natalie… If I were to kiss you in public, you know, in front of people… It would be like… using a public restroom urinal. Just wrong!" Adrian said emphasizing the word 'wrong'.

"Are you seriously comparing kissing me to using a… urinal?" Natalie said shaking her head, hands on her hips.

"Well, yes." Adrian said. Natalie knew better than to feel angry. She had had similar conversations like this with him ever since she knew him. These stubborn little sayings he had would never go away and that's just the way it would be.

"Someday you are going to kiss me in public. You know that, don't you?" She said very matter-of-factly.

"Someday… maybe…" He said slowly. That was good enough for her. They were both getting ready for the Valentines day party down at the station that night. After the party, they both had reservations at an Italian restaurant. But a few days prior, they made a promise to each other. Tonight will be the night that they tell everyone about their relationship. They had been seeing each other for several weeks now. Ever since the end of December, actually. It was still sinking into the both of them that, yes, they were in a relationship…with each other. Every time they thought of it, their hearts would flutter, and that same warm feeling they shared on Christmas night was ever present. It had been hard to keep it a secret as long as they did, but they managed to hide their relationship well…Very well. The only person who knew was Julie. In fact, she had pretty much known since the day after Christmas when Natalie tip-toed through the back door of her house in the early morning before crashing in bed until noon the same day. By the time Natalie had gotten out of bed, Julie was waiting patiently in the living room for her.

"Mom… Is there something about you and Mr. Monk that I should know about?" She asked… And of course, Natalie being the honest woman she is, told her daughter the truth. Now, almost two months later, she was giddy to tell everyone that the mysterious stranger in her life was Adrian.

"Ready to go, sweetheart?" Adrian said gently to his love. Natalie slipped on her heels and grabbed her handbag. They matched wonderfully, Adrian with his suit looked sharp and handsome. They could both hardly wait for the party. Well, Adrian could but… he was getting better about parties.

"Look at us…" Natalie threw an arm around him as they both stood in front of the giant picture mirror on her closet.

"Someday when we're both really old… We'll be able to look back on this moment. We'll never be this young again." Natalie said, a blank stare was making it's wary on her face.

"That's a little… morbid." Adrian said with a small smile.

"No I mean it… We should have been together years ago…" She said, rubbing his back.

"Well, the important thing is, we're together now." Adrian said, looking down at her. Natalie couldn't help but smile back as she saw looked into his smiling brown eyes. For years, Natalie had always been there to cheer up Adrian. Now he was here for her. Adrian had pinned a red corsage onto his suit and they looked like a couple worthy of the red carpet.

"Really, Natalie… You don't think we're… overdoing it?" Adrian asked her.

"Of course not! It's Valentines day… You're supposed to be lovey-dovey and romantic!" Natalie said, her chipper mood returning.

"Are you ready to go?" Adrian asked.

"Let's hit the road!" Natalie said while throwing on her coat. They made their way down the stairs and he opened the front door, holding out his hand to escort Natalie. She picked up a large tin of heart-shaped cookies and stepped outside, Adrian took Natalie's arm and they walked out to her car…there was definitely a nip in the air the night. He opened the passenger door for Natalie, and took the drivers seat. He had been driving for a long time now, and surprisingly, it didn't take him long behind the wheel of a car again to get the hang of it. To anyone else he would seem like a seasoned driver. They arrived at the station, and Adrian parked the car, shutting it off. They sat in silence for a moment, and Natalie could tell he was nervous.

"Nervous about the big reveal?" Natalie asked, rubbing her hands together to warm them up.

"Yes." Was Adrian's honest answer.

"This is a big step for you, Adrian. I know that… But I'm happy you're doing this." Natalie added. he nodded.

"You're right. Whether I tell them or not, you and I are together. Might as well just tell the truth." He said rubbing his eyebrow.

"Exactly. And these are our friends… Don't they deserve to know?" She said.

"They do." He responded.

"Let's crash this party." She said with a big fat grin. They got out of the car, and made their way in.

"And here's the man of the hour!" Leland yelled as Adrian opened the door for Natalie. He raised his glass of champagne.

"Maybe the man of the minute." Adrian said with a smirk, rubbing his eyebrow. Leland leaned back and let out a loud guffaw.
"Looks like you're having a good time, Captain!" She interjected.

"Natalie… You do look beautiful tonight." He said right before kissing her hand.

"Thank you, captain…" She said, flattered. His attention turned to Adrian.

"Monk! Buddy… I like the suit!" He then glanced downward. "…And the tie is very un-Monk, I like it!" He said with a laugh. Leland loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt a bit. It was pretty obvious this wasn't his first drink of the night.

"There's cookies and snacks on the table, Champagne, soft drinks… You guys make yourselves at home." Leland said giving a single hard pat on Monk's back before walking back toward the group.

"When do you want to tell them?" Natalie asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know… It's you're call." Adrian whispered back.

"Let's wait a little bit." She suggested much to his relief.

"Okay." He said quickly. They joined the rest of the group for snacks and refreshments.

After an hour or so of mingling with the officers and their wives/girlfriends, Officer Joe Christie piped up.

"Hey Natalie! So who is this tall, dark, mysterious stranger you're dating… And why ain't he here?" He said laughing with the guys.

"He is here, actually." Natalie said coyly. Adrian looked up from the plate of cookies he was trying to clean the crumbs off of. The guys quieted down a bit and looked around. Leland furrowed his brow with a puzzled look. Natalie walked up to Adrian who had gone rigid, but tried to relax. She put her arm around him, and nudged him to do the same. He slipped an arm around her waist.

"Adrian and I… are seeing each other…" She said smiling, leaning her head on his shoulder. The guys burst out into laughter, and 'awws' including Leland.

"That's a good one, Monk! How did you let her talk you into going along with that one!" He said while turning around.

"Leland!" Natalie barked. He stopped and turned back around.

"We're not joking…" Natalie reassured him. Leland's smile dropped and his eyebrows furrowed again.

"Who is this guy and what has he done with Monk! …Monk, if it is you, blink once if you're okay, and blink twice if you need help, buddy…" He said with a grin giving him another hard slap on the back.

"It's true." Adrian piped up, immediately wincing with regret. Now Leland was listening.

"…Monk?" Was all he could muster, he looked very confused.

"Leland… These past few weeks… Natalie and I-I mean I… Natalie's right." Adrian said grinning, cheeks red.

"Just look at him!" Natalie chimed in.

"I never thought I would be able to… You know, since Trudy… But I never realized that the perfect woman was really… right in front of me the whole time!" Adrian said. Leland just looked at him for a second.

"You're starting to freak me out, Monk." He said flatly.

"Oh, here!" Natalie said in frustration right before planting a huge kiss right on Adrian's lips. It was absolutely terrible. He tried his hardest to fight himself from going rigid. He knew that this really would be the only way to get Leland to actually believe him, so he decided not to fight it. They both pulled apart fidgeting and looking embarrassed.

"…Oh. My. God." Leland said, the shocked expression not leaving his face. He turned around to see the rest of the department staring in shock as well.

"You two… come with me." Leland said opening the door to his office and waving them in. He shut the door behind him as the party continued outside. He walked behind his desk and propped himself over the desk with his arms. He looked up at them for a moment in silence.

"So you're really serious?" He finally said.

"Uh yeah! Do you think I would just kiss him for my health!" Natalie said.

"Same here." Adrian added. Leland looked down for a while. A small smile made it's way across his face.

"Natalie… Monk… Out of all of my wildest speculations, I never imagined you two…" He said. Natalie and Adrian looked at each other both giving a nervous laugh.

"Well… Maybe in my wildest speculations, but anyway! When did this happen?" Leland asked in amazement.

"Here's the thing…" He glanced at a nervous Natalie making sure he could go on. "Well, the night of the Christmas party when everyone was gone… she then told me that… You know … I told her that I did also… We… we… she fell asleep on my lap—" Adrian was suddenly cut off.

"I think he gets the idea!" Natalie said through clenched teeth.

"Anyway… never mind all of that but…It's been on our minds for a long time. Long before Christmas..." Adrian finished by joining his hands together. Leland still stared.

"I'm sorry… You're gonna have to give me a minute—I'm still just a little freaked out. But don't get me wrong… I'm happy for you guys, thrilled for you. But you have to realize… This is quite a surprise for me…" He admitted.

"Absolutely, captain… But we really didn't want to keep it a secret anymore. We thought everyone should know." Natalie said.

"Natalie… I have to ask." Leland said.

"Sure, what?" Natalie responded.

"Does Monk still vacuum at five thirty in the morning, and does it have to be in a grid?" He asked. Natalie laughed, while Monk let out a small chuckle.

"No, no. He only vacuums every other day… Sometimes every two days." Natalie began.

"And the grid thing? I didn't even remember that until you brought it up… Pretty ridiculous really…" Monk said rubbing his nose.

"Don't let him fool you, Captain… He still does the grid." She said.

"I knew it… Well, congratulations you guys… I really mean it, this is a new step in your lives. Especially for you Monk…" Leland said. Monk nodded. Natalie looked out of the blinds in the Captain's office.

"I'm going to go replenish the cookie plate… I'll be right back." Natalie said stepping out of the room, Leland knew it was no accident. Now it was just the guys.

"Monk… How you holdin' up, buddy. Is this whole thing strange to you?" Leland asked.

"Well yes… and no. There are so many things to remember when you're suddenly sharing your life with another person again." Adrian said.

"Like putting the seat down…" Leland mumbled.

"No… Why would that be a problem?" Adrian asked.

"Of course it's not a problem… Monk-You realize you've got a great gal, here. You're a lucky man… Very lucky. And I'm not just sayin' that." Leland said.

"I know I am, Leland, I… Love her." He shook his head. "God, it's been so long since I've used that phrase... I could never imagine living without her…" Adrian confessed. Leland nodded in understanding.

"I have to ask you this, Monk, because I'm your friend. Where does Trudy stand in all of this?" He asked.

"Trudy…" Monk said to himself looking down. "I still love Trudy." Monk began, Leland felt a pit in his stomach, but Adrian continued.

"I still love Trudy… I miss her every day. But I love Natalie. Natalie is my life now…I know she's not Trudy, and I know no one will ever replace her." Adrian said. The pit in Leland's stomach was starting to go away. He paused for a moment before continuing.

"What I'm trying to say is… Natalie is here now. I love her with all of my heart. Leland, the first time Natalie stayed the night with me, I put Trudy's picture in a drawer beside the bed. I have kept it there ever since… I still look at it, but Natalie is the woman I love now… I have a picture of her on my dresser now." Adrian finished. Leland smiled with pride, though Adrian's last statement raised a sneaking suspicion he knew he would have to keep to himself.

"I'm glad you two found each other." Leland said. Adrian nodded with a smile.
"What does Dr. Bell have to say about this?" Leland asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Dr. Bell is… Just as happy as I am. He says this is a big step, a really, really big step. Possibly, one of the biggest steps in my life!" Adrian said back, excitedly.

"Well good… I'm also glad that you told me about all of this." He added.

"Of course I would tell you, Leland, I consider you one of my closest friends." Adrian said softly. Leland just nodded, trying not to get emotional.

"Are you going to tell Randy?" Adrian said changing the subject.

"If it's okay with you, buddy!" Leland said back with a smile.

"Sure it is… Anyway, Leland… I feel bad for not asking before—How are you and T.K. doing?" Adrian said sweetly.

"T.K and I… Never been better." Leland said with his smile turning into a grin.

"Good!" Adrian said. "She looks beautiful tonight." He added.

"You bet she does." Leland said. Natalie opened the door and the loud laughter and music from the party came flooding in.

"Hey, the guys have set up a ping-pong table out there, wanna play?" Natalie said sticking her head in.

"I'll watch. I'm a better spectator than actual ping-pong athlete." Adrian said following Natalie out.

"I'll join you guys in just a minute." Leland said. The happy couple smiled and made their way out of the room. Leland just sat there for a moment in silence. He reached for the phone and dialed a number waiting anxiously for an answer.

"Hey is this Benjy? It's Leland Stottlemeyer. How's it goin', buddy!" Leland said.

"Well that's great. Is your mother or Randy around? … Ok." Leland waited for a moment tapping his fingers.

"Hey Randy!" Leland held the phone away a bit as Randy excitedly responded to his phone call.

"I'm glad to talk to you, too… Man, Benjy sounds older! Anyway… Randy, I've gotta tell you something you're not going to believe … Are you sitting down?"