Chapter Eighteen

"Need some help?"

Natalie was just about to open her mouth and scream when she felt the cold metal barrel of a gun being pressed to the back of her head. "Stand up very slowly and do not make a scene."

Knowing she had no choice, Natalie did as he said and rose to her feet. Once she was in a standing position she felt Cristian grab her arm and roughly yank her around so she was facing him the gun now pointing at her. "Hello, Natalie."

Shaking with panic, Natalie remained silent. As she stood there looking at him she was shocked at how much he had changed. Eve had been right, with the weight gain, the hair growth and the beard he was scary looking, but what Natalie noticed the most were his eyes. Those brown eyes that once looked at her with love and hope were now cold and angry.

"Have you missed me?" Cristian asked as he started to run his free hand up and down her arm. But when Natalie cringed and disgust, he suddenly lost it and roughly pushed her backwards and Natalie fell to the ground. "Still the same cold bitch you always were. With McBain back in town and living in your house, I bet you're spreading your legs for him every chance you get. It was always him wasn't it Natalie? I mean all the way back to the second he walked into Crossroads you wanted him. It didn't matter that you were wearing my ring, or that we were about to get married, you wanted him. DIDN'T YOU? ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION."

"That's not true Cris…" But Cristian stormed over and slapped hard her across the face. "YES IT IS, ADMIT IT."

"Fine, I wanted him." Natalie choked out through her tears. "It's always been him,"

Seeming satisfied with this answer, Cristian walked back to where he had been standing and kept the gun trained on a cowering Natalie. "Of course it's always been him. That's why you kept his brats. The thought of you having even one spawn of him was bad enough, but you had two. THOSE WERE SUPPOSED TO MY KIDS! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A FAMILY. YOU RUINED THAT NATALIE. YOU AND HIM AND THOSE BRATS RUINED IT."

"Sydney and Eve had nothing to do with that." Natalie said keeping her voice steady. "My daughters never did anything to you."

"Oh, they didn't?" Cristian eye's flashed. "They are all I ever heard about when I called my mother. MY OWN FUCKING MOTHER NATALIE. THE WOMAN THAT GAVE BIRTH TO ME AND ALL SHE CAN TALK ABOUT IS MCBAINS BASTARD CHILDREN." He laughed dangerously. "But that didn't get to me. I could deal with that. Do you want to know what really got to me Natalie? What really made my blood boil?" When Natalie stayed silent he got right into her face. "DO YOU?"

"What?" she asked weakly.

"The day I walked into my mother's funeral only to find HIS CHILDREN CALLING HER NANA! SHE WAS MY MOTHER NATALIE."

"The girls loved Carlotta…."

"THEY HAD NO RIGHT TO." Cristian began pacing back and forth. "That was when I realized you all needed to pay. You for not getting rid of those brats when you had the chance, them for being born and HIM FOR RUINING MY LIFE AND TAKING WHAT BELONGED TO ME."

"I never belonged to you, Cristian," Natalie said trying to reason with him.

"YES YOU DID. YOU WERE MY WIFE AND HE LOCKED ME AWAY IN PRISON AND TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME. He had no right to do that Natalie. You were mine."

Seeing the crazed look in her ex-husbands eyes, Natalie knew she needed to control both her anger and fear. "I'm sorry Cris…" she tried, but he just burst into peals of crazed laughter that had Natalie freezing in panic.

The laughter abruptly stopped and he looked at her with a terrifyingly evil smile. "But it's okay Natalie, I'm here now and once again you are all mine."

After speeding to the hospital, John illegally parked his car at the front of the building and ran through the hospital hallways ignoring the protests of the countless nurses that yelled after him. Holding up his badge at a nearby orderly, he frantically yelled "What room do they take off casts in?"

Both shaken and confused, the orderly pointed down the hall. "Room 300, Lieutenant."

Without even bothering to thank him, John sprinted toward it and burst through the doors keeping one hand lightly clutching his gun. He was met by the shocked faces and Eve and Michael who turned to stare at him.

"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Eve asked oblivious to her father's worry.

Looking around and not seeing Natalie. John was filled with a feeling of panic. "I just decided to come say hi to Uncle Mike," He turned to Michael with a desperate look. "Has Natalie been in here?" His voice may have been calm but Michael could easily tell John was shaken.

"Not since she dropped Eve off here. She said she had to make a phone call…."

"She never came back?" John interrupted.

Michael shook his head and walked closer to his brother. "What's going on, John?"

"Does this door lock?"

"Yes, why?"

"I need you to lock this door behind me and stay with Eve until I get back."

Michael opened his mouth to question it, but John waved him off. "I don't have time to answer questions." He forced a reassuring smile at Eve. "I think Mommy went down to the cafeteria so I am going to go get her. You stay here with Uncle Mike okay?"

Satisfied that Eve and Michael were safe, John rushed from the room and toward the parking lot Natalie had called from praying he wasn't too late.

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked her voice shaking.

"Exactly what I said, I am here now so you're all mine again."

Natalie backed further against the brick wall as Cristian kept the gun trained on her. "Cristian, my daughters need me…" she tried to reason, but that just seemed to make him angrier.

"YOU ARE MINE NATALIE, NOT HIS."

"Drop the gun, Cris." John's steady voice demanded from the side. Looking over Natalie saw him standing there with his gun trained on Cristian.

Cristian also looked over and his eyes narrowed as he took in John. "I should have figured MCBAIN HERE WOULD SHOW UP."

"There is no need for this to get ugly. Just put the gun down Cris and we can talk about this."

"TALK?" Cristian once again laughed hysterically. "There is no need for talking. I've gotten what I came for."

"And what's that?" John asked calmly thought he had an idea what the answer would be.

"Natalie."

"Cris you know that's not gong to happen. You're not going anywhere with Natalie so just put the gun down."

Suddenly Cristian's face contorted into a crazed smile. "If I can't have her, no one will."

As soon as the words were out, John knew what the other man was thinking. With a yell of "No," John rushed out in front of Cristian just as the gun went off.

Natalie screamed at John fell to the ground in front of her and she fell to her knees in front of him.

"John," she cried as she watched the blood begin to seep from his stomach.

"Get up." Cristian demanded coldly.

Noticing John's gun lying in front of her Natalie made a grab for it and fired. Despite never having shot a gun in her life, she managed to empty the entire clip into Cristian. She watched as he fell backward on to the pavement and did not move. Throwing the gun to the ground the tears began to fall as she looked back at John.

"John," Natalie cried as she pressed her hands to his stomach and applied pressure to where the bullet had hit. "John you have to hold on. HELP, SOMEBODY HELP ME." Natalie screamed through her tears.

"Natalie…" John tried to gasp out.

"Shhh." Natalie said with a forced smile. "Help will be here soon. HELP ME PLEASE," she screamed again.

"Natalie… tell…. Tell the girls… tell them… that I love them…"

"John you're going to tell them yourself once your all better," Natalie said as her body began to shake with sobs.

"Nat…Natalie..."

"Shhh, John you're going to be okay. You have to be. The girls need you…. I need you…" She whispered through the tears.

"You… you need to know…." John choked out, "I…. al..always…. lov..loved… you." Once the words were finally out, John's head slumped back and his eyes closed.