A/N: Please do not adjust your computer monitors. This is not a figment of your imaginiation--this is actually an update from me. WOO HOO! I apologize profusely at the delay of this story.

Apparently, the muse was living in the new house (we closed on it a month ago) and this is the product of it. Again--HUGE THANKS to Ice for reading this and calming my fears last night. I hope you all like it and I promise not to make you wait another 9 months for the next chapter.

Until next time--you all are truly the best--PCGirl

"Fine, just tell her I called," said John, exasperated at the situation that'd been going on for two weeks.

"I will," spoke Gigi.

John hung the receiver up and sighed--he should have followed his first instinct a month ago and gone straight to BE when she told him Marty was alive. But instead he'd decided to give her some time to cool down. He'd gone back to the station and wrapped things up--Antonio had even tried to escort him out of the place all together, telling him he'd take care of the rest of the case and the search for Marty. But like the idiot he was, he'd declined the offer--thought he might have some old contacts that could find Marty faster than Antonio. And he had--but it'd taken him two weeks to find her and reunite her with her son.

And now, for the past two weeks he'd been trying to connect back with Natalie, but kept having the proverbial door slammed in his face at whatever he tried--whether it was catching her in person at BE or over the phone and talking to Gigi he was told she was busy. The same went for going by Llanfair, though Mrs. Davidson seemed to be breaking some lately.

He was still unsure as to whether it was Natalie's request when Banks had shown up at his office door a few days ago--but he hadn't taken the threat he'd given him seriously--instead was ready to push further to get her to listen to him.

Glancing over to his computer screen he saw the icon in the bottom corner and double clicked it--she might ignore his presence once again, but she'd finally hear, or rather see, what he had to say.

"Gigi's getting really tired of taking my messages," he typed and clicked save. Even with no response he continued on, "Unless you walked out in the past minute I know you are reading this. How's our little girl? Roxy says she's a kicker."

When there was still nothing he took a deep breath--he wished he could see her face as he laid his heart out on the line, "It's not just the baby I want in my life, Natalie. It's you too.

"When you said Marty was alive I was shocked--mainly because I never felt she was. Not like with you--if I'd gotten to that pit too late I would have known. Just like you knew after the accident about me--despite what others told you, you could still feel me calling for you."

He took a deep breath, "Let me in Natalie--nothing else makes sense."

As he stared at the blank screen for a few minutes he wondered if she was even reading this--and then a smile appeared on his face as a single word popped up.

OK.

Natalie walked into Rodi's and paused in the doorway--the place was empty and she instinctively looked over towards the pool table and saw John leaning against the jukebox. As she walked towards him she felt de ja vu at the situation, remembering before when he'd booked Rodi's so they could have a serious conversation without being interrupted.

"Hey," she smiled as she reached him, placing her hand into his as he pulled her against him and his mouth found hers. A moan escaped through her parted lips and at looking up she had to blink away tears in order to see him clearly. "I missed that."

"Me too," he said as brushed a hand over her hair. He felt a slight kick and couldn't help but smile. "I missed you too--you probably don't know my voice, but I'm your daddy." As if in response the baby kicked again and both laughed.

"She does," said Natalie softly and John saw her eyes get suddenly serious. "So what's next John? Where do we go from here?"

John walked over to the wall and took a pool cue down, "You've given me time to think, Buchanan--and I think we should go back to a step that we missed in our whole relationship."

"I hope you aren't talking marriage--John,"

He cut her off, "I'm not--I'll tell you right now I will marry you. Soon. But first I want to date."

"You want to go on a date? What's this?" she asked, motioning to the pool table.

"This is the start--but I want more than just one. I want to sweep you off your feet--you deserve it, Natalie. So what do you think? Maybe?"

Looking into John's blue eyes she knew the truth—that this was where she wanted to be. If not just for now, but for always.

Natalie hummed to herself and she finished up her work for the day. John and her had been going through their "dating" phase for a month now—most of them being simple things like him picking up lunch for the both of them and eating in the park together.

When he'd left her a couple hours ago it felt different. Maybe she was expecting something that once again was not there, but she'd felt a nervousness from him when they'd kissed goodbye.

At the tap on her door she looked over to see Jared standing there and smiled a polite, yet business-like, smile. "Hi, Jared. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked, once again having a feeling that she'd have to tell this man to back off when it came to her and John.

"I saw you come back from lunch today—I just want to tell you to be careful."

Natalie couldn't help but let a slight laugh out of her mouth before responding "Of what? John?"

"He seems dangerous at times—I don't want you or the baby to be hurt," he said as he reached out to touch her stomach, but his intentions were swatted away by the slap of her hand.

"Thank you for your concern, but you don't know John the way I do. There are more times than I care to admit that I've opened my eyes from the dark and it's been John there to rescue me."

"Two months ago you told me that that's what he does—play the role of a white knight. What changed Natalie? What made you decide you want to be his damsel in the distress all the time?"

Natalie picked up a stack of files to keep her hands busy, "I was being stupid that night—I should have known John loved me—and he wasn't rescuing me just because I needed rescuing or that I was carrying his child.

"Instead I let my insecurities get the best of me and saw him running off to be with his one true love, Marty. The truth is—I'm his true love. One day you'll meet someone, Jared, who will make you feel that way and understand," she said as she walked past him and went to take the files to Gigi before leaving for the day.

John walked up to the doors of the Buchanan Mansion and never felt so nervous in his life--he'd knocked on doors before that destroyed families and broke hearts, but this simple act seemed so much larger than that.

As the door was answered he greeted Nigel, "Uhm--I'm here to see Clint. Is he in?"

"Yes--this was, Lieutenant McBain. Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked and John just shook his head no--his hands digging deep into his pockets.

Alone he looked around--while Llanfair had the lightness of practical royalty, this place had the harshness of a hard earned dollar--it was truly Asa and he wondered how Natalie had somehow easily slipped into the middle of the two worlds. What would she have been if she'd been raised by Clint and Vicki all along? Would she have been more Buchanan--or more Lord? As for his child--he wanted her to be just like her mother, strong minded and caring.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and straightened his back, ready to ask Clint for his daughter's hand in marriage. Taking a deep breath, he let part of it escape into a small gasp when he was it was Marty coming into the room instead of Clint, "Hey

"Hi" she smiled, "Were you waiting for me?"

"No--I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to Clint about something."

"Ahh. That's what I figured--you wouldn't want to speak to me about anything," she said as she walked past him and went towards the bar.

John took a quizzical look at her before speaking, "I'm sorry--did I do something wrong?"

Turning around, with the glass of sherry in her hand, he saw her eyes were hard, "Why did you search for me John?"

He laughed, he couldn't help it, but the question was completely absurd, "Oh--I'm sorry--did you want me to just forget about you and let you stay prisoner to a man that was already locked up and had no interest what-so-ever in telling us where you were?"

"But you could have sent Antonio to look for me--or anyone else. But instead it was you that rescued me--then we get back here and I've had to spend the past two months watching you fall back into love with Natalie."

John wasn't going to let her guilt him into saying something he didn't mean, something that could come back to haunt him later, so he just nodded, "You are right--it should have been someone else. And I'm sorry I never realized you were still alive out there--I saw that van blow up and assumed you were still in it. When no DNA came back we all thought it was because you were completely incinerated.

"As for falling back into love with Natalie--."

"And that's another thing," She said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "You think I'm dead and what do you do--you jumped right into the sack with her. I've done the math, John--it wasn't more than a few days after my 'death' that she became pregnant. And now here you are--doing the chivalrous thing to do and marrying her."

He let out a long sigh, walking around the room so the sofa was between the two of them, "I'm not explaining myself to you--I'm not required to by anyone, even you Marty. But you are wrong--the reason I want to marry Natalie has nothing to do with doing what is right--it has to do that I've loved this woman for years and nothing has ever stopped that. Not near-death experiences, not year long breaks, not keeping secrets from each other. I've wasted so much time loving her, but been too cowardly to say it--I want to do more than just say it to her every night, I want to show everyone that she is the one I love, the only one I will ever love.

"I'm sorry you are hurting--sorry for making you think whatever it is you think we were getting into before. But it was nothing--never could be anything compared to what Natalie and I share. It goes beyond the bond of a mother and father, it's the bond of soul mates."

At the end of his diatribe John saw that Marty was staring at the door and saw Clint standing there, and he wondered just how much the man had heard, "John."

"Mr. Buchanan," he said as he walked over and shook his hand. The two glanced as Marty walked into another room and gave them privacy. "I came here to tell you I'm planning on marrying Natalie. It's--."

"Stop, John. You've hurt my daughter in the past--and I know now that it won't just be her you hurt if something happens in the future, but my grandchild also. Before I would have been reluctant, but what you just said to Marty--that shows me that you've recognized your wrongs and are tired of playing the chasing game between the two of you. Welcome to the family, John," he said as he shook John's hand again. "Just remember--you hurt either of them and the entire Buchanan clan will be on your doorstep."

John sighed, a bit of it being relief and a bit being the fear Clint had just put in him, "I know. Thank you sir. I was wondering if you could help me with one thing," said John as he began to help Clint with his plan.