Ahem. Heyyyy. I'm so so so so so so so so so soooooo sorry I haven't updated this in a few months! I know I'm an awful person! I was so busy with Natara's Song and What You'll Do For the One You Love,I kind of forgot about this one! Not literally forgot about it, just honestly didn't feel like typing it. I have SERIOUS writer's block with this story. Like, I have the next chapter planned and the ending planned, but nowhere in the middle. So, if this story isn't updated in a few months, just don't disown me…
This chapter… Like… Oh my gosh, right?! It's 5 months late and it's sooo crappy! Well, I'm sorry. I'm trying my hardest with this story… This chapter is just in Mal's P.O.V. in the last chapter…
Please review! It'd help me to know that this story isn't as awful as I think it is!
Review Replies:
Crimson Endings: Thank you! I love the name Bella. I think it's a gorgeous name! Hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter!
The Beautiful Filth: Hee hee! I know right? I make Oscar sound so awful in this story! I'm so mean to him… Oh well. Thank you for reviewing!
BreezyFan: Ha ha. You might have to re-read it all again. You all probably forgot what the heck has happened because it's been so long since I've updated! I'm super sorry! Thank you! And my pleasure. Thanks for reviewing! I love your reviews!
HopelessRomantic1994: Thank you so much! Haha! I don't know… You'll just have to find out later!
DizzyRedhead: I don't know… You'll just have to find out… Thank you for reviewing!
NiekaWow: Sorry it took so long to update! Thank you!
Mozzi-Girl: Thank youuu! I adore the name Bella!
Diamondsintheroughhhh: Haha. It's okay. We all get too lazy to log in sometimes. It's alright! I don't know if it is Mal's daughter… Actually, I do know if she is but I'm going to be a meanie and not tell you. A lot of people are asking it to be Mal's daughter… You'll just have to find out soon! (Maybe…) I understand how you feel. I don't like Oscar either…
Silent Reader/YOU: Ha ha. That's alright. I know who you are! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me!
Omg: Well, I finally updated… Lol. Sorry it took so long! Hope you enjoy it!
Juliette: Is that your name? Because Juliette is a pretty name. Really? One of your favorite stories? Awww, don't make me blush! Thank you! I know. I'm a bad updater! I'm sorry! Thank you for reviewing!
Justine: Hi! One of the best? Geez! You all are just making me blush so hard! I'm sorry it took so long to update! I actually remember reading your review. It was in December and I remember being SUPER sick the day before and not feeling good, but when I read your review, my day instantly brightened up. So thanks for reviewing!
AKgal2001: I guess I can forgive you this tiiiiime… No, I'm just kidding! Of course I forgive you! Don't worry about it! Thanks for reviewing this time though! Maybe you can review for this chapter? Maybe? Hopefully? Haha.
Okay, okay, I'm done blabbering now. Enjoy the chapter. It may be the only one you'll get for another 5 months… (I'm just kidding.)
Drifted Apart 6
(This chapter is Mal's P.O.V. from the last chapter…)
*Mal's P.O.V.*
"So, are you going to tell me what's been happening these past 5 years or not?" I asked, suddenly, looking over at her calm face. I didn't want to interrupt her out of her thoughts, but I just had to know what has happened.
I saw her look over at me from the corner of my eye.
"I told you… I'll tell you at the restaurant," she rolled her eyes, smiling.
"But, I can't wait that long!" I whined, pouting. I know I was acting like a 5 year old, but I couldn't help it! I was just so curious!
I saw her roll her eyes again and respond with, "Yes, you can. It's only a few minutes until we reach the restaurant anyways."
"You're mean," I stuck my tongue out at her, childishly.
"Good," she replied, grinning. I furrowed my eyebrows in frustration. What was she keeping from me?!
I cleared my throat after a few seconds of silence and asked, out of the blue, "…Got any pets?"
"I'm not telling you!" she exclaimed shrilly, making my heart jump. I still could not believe that she was actually back.
"…Got a big, glorious house?" I teased, just wanting to hear her speak.
"Not telling," she said, keeping her eyes on the road, where my eyes should be… Whoops!
"…Met any famous lawyers?" I asked, trying to keep the grin off of my face.
"I'm keeping my mouth shut for the rest of the ride," she told me, before she pressed her lips together, tightly.
"…Got any new scars?" I asked, just trying to keep up the conversation.
I was only met with silence.
"…Talked to Neha?"
"…"
"…To Amy?"
Nothing.
"…Any new jobs?"
"…"
"…Any new friends?" I kept on, hoping she would answer.
"…"
"Ya killin' me, smalls!"
"…"
"Ugh, fine," I gave up, reaching out to turn the radio on.
I saw her grin out of the corner of my eye. I kept my body facing the road and rolled my eyes at her sudden cheekiness.
"So, Amy is back?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
"Not telling!" I mimicked her from earlier, smirking.
She let out a big huff, crossed her arms, and looked out of her window, facing away from me.
My eyes darted over to her nervously, watching her mad face in the reflection of the window. I gulped, looked back towards the road to avoid wrecking, and glanced over at her again. I bit my lip, nervously watching if she would change expression, but she didn't.
Was she really mad at me for not telling her this? What if she started to hate me? What if she would never talk to me again? What if she moved away?
"Okay, I'm sorry! Yes, she came back a couple of years ago!" I spilled out in one breath. I let out a huge exhale and glanced at her once again. This time she had a victorious smile on her face. I blushed a little, feeling very embarrassed.
"Shut up. That was mean…" I murmured under my breath.
"You're just so easy!" she giggled.
"Hush," I said, rolling my eyes.
It was quiet for a few minutes as we sat, thinking to ourselves. It was the bad, awkward kind of quiet, though. It was the good kind. But that's just how Natara and I are… We can have quiet moment and it not be awkward.
She cleared her throat, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Thanks for doing that for me by the way…" she murmured low enough, where I could barely hear her. I raised my eyebrow, mentally telling her to explain.
"You know. Sticking up for me. Helping me get my job back. Saying that you were going to quit if he wouldn't rehire me. I really appreciate it," she said, smiling up at me.
I shrugged, smiling back at her. "No problem. It was the least I could do. He'd be a complete idiot not to hire you again."
Her cheeks started flaming, so she tried to cover it up by directing her head towards the floorboard.
"Plus, he's not going to want to lose his best detective anyways," I said, smirking cockily. Hopefully, I would get some kind of cute reaction from her.
Much to my enjoyment, she scowled, punched me in the arm, and rolled her eyes, making me burst out with laughter.
"Hey, hey now! No abusing the driver!" I scolded, while trying not to laugh.
She just rolled her eyes and tried to keep from smiling…
But of course, it didn't work.
A few minutes later, I pulled up to Rip Van Winkles and parked my car. We both got out and started heading up the path towards the restaurant, me leading the way.
I looked back to see that Natara had stopped walking and closed her eyes, obviously breathing in the salty air. A small smile spread across my face at her calm expression. That's right, Natara. Keep breathing it in. Hopefully, being here will make her realize that she's missed it here and that she wants to stay, for good.
"You coming?" I asked, snapping her out of her reverie.
Her eyes slowly opened and a wide smile spread across her face.
"Yeah… Yeah, I am," she said, nodding, before jogging to catch up with me.
We walked in a few seconds later and waited to be seated.
A very familiar waiter speed-walked up to us and introduced himself in his heavy Italian accent, "Hello, welcome to Rip Van Winkles, the most famous seafood restaurant in all of-" he started.
I barely managed to suppress a groan. Here we go again. Every single time I come to this place, this guy acts all peppy and happy and crap. It gets on my last nerves! No one is ever that peppy. No one.
I swear he's almost as worse as Kai… Almost.
"Antonio, it's just me. You don't have to go on with all that 'most famous food in the world' crap," I muttered, shaking my head, and rolling my eyes. Boy, did Sean have his workers trained well.
"Oh, it's you! Welcome back, Mr. Fallon! How have you been?" he asked, eyes lighting up in excitement.
"Better if we could get some food," I hinted, nodding towards the tables behind him.
"Forgive me, Mr. Fallon!"
Come on, man. I just want a table!
His eyes slid over to Natara and widened. He then looked at me, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking. "Is this date night?"
"No, she's-" I started.
"Is she…" he cut me off, furrowing his eyebrows, trying to think. "What do you Americans call it? …Your boo thing?"
"My what?!" I exclaimed, caught off-guard.
"Your boo thing. You know. Girlfriend. Sweetie Pie. Honey Boo. Cupcake. Tunnel-o-Love. Love Muffin. The one you are courting, yes?" he asked.
"No, nothing like that," I said, sighing tiredly. How hard is it for a man to get a damn table around here?!
"Mmmmhm. I'll believe you for now," he said, eyeing me skeptically.
I just rolled my eyes.
"Here! Look at me, standing here, being all distracted! Let me seat you!" he exclaimed all of a sudden. He started to walk away. Natara and I had to basically jog to catch up with his fast pace.
"Will this be okay?" he asked, gesturing to a small table with two chairs.
I walked up to him and put my lips close to his ear.
"How about a table at the back for the lady?" I whispered, pulling away and nodding towards the back of the restaurant.
Antonio's eyes lit up in amusement.
"Well, of course. Anything for the new couple!" he exclaimed.
Natara's confused eyes met mine. I simply smiled back at her and followed Antonio to the balcony part of the building.
As soon as we got back there, Antonio not-so-secretively mouthed to me, "Is this the table?"
I mouthed back, "No," and nodded towards the correct booth. Our booth.
"Why, of course!" he exclaimed, speed-walking towards it.
"Will this be alright?" he asked, hoping he had gotten the right table this time.
I nodded silently and gave him a thumbs-up. I saw Natara's eyes light up in recognition as we both sat down on opposite sides of the booth that we used to always sit at.
Antonio laid down our menus and silverware, took our drink orders, and excused himself to go do whatever it is that waiters do.
Natara took the few seconds of silence to look around the restaurant, searching for anything new that had appeared over the past few years.
Meanwhile, I found myself just simply staring at her. I'd spent half of a day with her and I still couldn't believe that she was here. As in, for real. This wasn't in my dreams or one of my daydream fantasies. She was really here. Sitting in front of me was Natara Williams, in the flesh.
Her eyes drifted to mine and I realized that she had caught me staring. I quickly shifted my gaze to the front of my menu, frowning. Oh great. Now she thinks I'm a creep…
I felt her eyes boring holes into my forehead and my eyes unwillingly slid up to meet her gaze.
"What?" I asked, innocently.
"Did you really just do all of that to get us our old table?" she smiled, disbelief across her features.
"Well, it is our table," I said, smiling right back at her. I just couldn't help not smiling back. Her smile was just so… Infectious.
She smiled one last time and looked down at the menu, studying it. I didn't want to look like a freak, just sitting there watching her, so I decided to mimic her actions.
My eyes immediately drifted over to my usual order. I then looked over the top of my menu, watching her studying the menu while biting her lip.
"You want to split the-?" I started to ask before she cut me off with a, "Yep."
I smirked in amusement. "What if I was going to say the Octopus dish?"
Her nose immediately wrinkled in disgust. "Then never mind," she teased, lifting her menu up once again, covering her face. For some odd reason, this movement scared me. I couldn't see her face. It felt like she disappeared… Like she left again. Like she was gone and I was alone.
"I was just kidding!" I exclaimed hurriedly, reaching over the table to take away her menu so I could see her face. I let out a small sigh of relief as soon as I saw her face again.
'Come on, Fallon. She was just looking at her menu. Don't get so paranoid. You're just being stupid…' I thought to myself, mentally shaking my head.
She gave me a curious glance as to why I was behaving so strangely. I opened my mouth to explain when Antonio came up to our table once again.
Whoo, boy. Saved by the waiter.
After placing down our drinks and taking our food order, he replied with a, "Anything for you, Mr. Fallon!" before happily skipping away towards the kitchen.
I rolled my eyes at his cheeriness, watching him skip away.
"Do you know him?" I heard Natara ask.
I turned my body to face her once again. "Who, Antonio?"
"Yeah. The peppy waiter dude," she nodded towards his retreating figure.
"Yeah, he just started working here last month. He gets a little…" I wracked my brain, thinking for the right word. "Overexcited at times."
"Well, you seem to like him," she responded, jokingly.
"He talks way too much. He could talk a person's head off. Literally. He's just… He's so annoying!" I stammered, trying to get her to understand my frustration.
She let out a hearty laugh and replied, "Worse than Kai?"
"Eh… I don't know about that… Kai is pretty awful himself."
Her hand shot up to cover the giggle that came out of her mouth.
Now why would she try to suppress something as cute as that? I thought it was adorable.
"Well, if it isn't my two favorite customers! And look who it is! Agent Foxy is back in town!" I heard Sean before I saw him. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop the amused smile from forming on my lips. Here we go…
Natara looked up at the man in the bright blue shirt. A smile immediately spread across her face. Not one of those fake, 'I'm going to act like I like this person' smiles, but a true, genuine, smile. One that shows, 'I really like talking to this person.'
"Hi Sean. How've you been?" she asked.
I simply stared at her in adoration, a small, loving smile plastered on my face. Boy, was she quite the woman. Sean was probably having a field day in his mind right now. Not many people visit his restaurant and take the time to actually talk to him and ask him about himself.
Natara looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "What?" she mouthed as Sean was babbling on about his work day.
I leaned my head against my fist that was resting on the table. "Nothing… Nothing at all," I mouthed back. I was vaguely aware of the dreamy smile that was still on my face. She simply shrugged and turned her attention back to Sean. I picked up my drink and started to sip, trying to calm myself down.
"So, why are you back in San Francisco? What happened? Mal finally confess about how he feels towards you so you came back to marry him? Are you two finally together?" Sean asked, hopeful.
Well, that was unexpected.
I inhaled sharply, immediately choking on my drink that I had been sipping. I held my neck as I began to cough violently. Natara and Sean glanced at me worriedly.
"Wh…What?" I asked hoarsely, trying to clear my throat.
"Did you tell her how you felt? Turn on the Fallon charm? Finally get your groove on with her?" he asked, raising a thick eyebrow.
I began to blush darkly. Sean… SHUT UP!
"No!" I exclaimed defensively, my voice louder than I expected. I tried not to look at Natara. This was so awkward!
"No need to get embarrassed, little lady. He's a charmer," Sean told Natara, patting me on the shoulder. I snuck a peek at Natara to see that she was blushing just as much as I was.
"Sean! No! We're not… I didn't… We… I… Uh…" I stuttered, not sure what to say. Why was I embarrassed anyways? What happened to the confident, smirking Mal Fallon? He would've been laughing his ass off right now at the blushing girl in front of him…
Oh yeah. The girl that just so happened to be blushing in front of him is the one that he's loved for years and years. She changed him.
Sean grinned down at me knowingly. "Look at him stammering. Isn't he just the cutest thing alive?" he asked her, placing a hand over his heart. God, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die right now.
She let out a nervous, shaky laugh. "Sure is…" she said, looking over at me.
"Can… Can we just get our food now?" I muttered, ducking my head away. Natara giggled.
Sean let out a loud, hearty laugh.
"Aw, c'mon Mal! You know I was just-a kidding! You're girlfriend seems to think it was funny," he said, nodding at Natara. Please, Sean. Please stop with the teasing! She was going to get freaked out and leave again! I definitely didn't want that to happen! I heard a small giggle come from across the table. I looked up to see Natara smiling brightly, amused. I breathed out a small sigh of relief. Thank God. She wasn't getting freaked out…
"She's… She's not my girlfriend," I mumbled, looking at the table.
"And why not?" he looked back at Natara, eyebrows furrowing. "I mean, come on! Look at his wittle handsome face! What's not to like?" Sean asked her, grabbing my face and aiming it towards her. She was just sitting there, smirking at me.
Aw now, come on! Who said that she could be the smirking, confident one? Talk about roles being reversed!
I scowled, furrowed my own eyebrows, and jerked away from Sean's grasp. Sean just laughed loudly at my reaction.
"Wow, you two are hilarious! I haven't had this much fun in a month! Sadly though, I've got to go boss people around. See you two love birds later!" he exclaimed, walking off.
"Thank God…" I muttered, looking straight up at the ceiling. Just anywhere but at her right now…
I heard a soft giggle. "What? You didn't think that was funny?" she asked.
My head snapped back down as I glared at her. "You… You're just… You're horrible sometimes, you know that?" I accused.
She burst out laughing just as Antonio came up to our table with our food.
"Ah, you have made her laugh! Romance is blooming in the air, yes?" he asked me, setting down our food.
I just rolled my eyes as Natara laughed nervously.
"Heh heh…"
A few seconds had passed by as I watched her just sitting there, staring at her bowl of clam chowder with a wide smile across her face.
"God, I've missed this so much. I haven't eaten this stuff in forever! I feel as if I had forgotten what it tastes like!" she exclaimed.
I just smiled in response.
She dipped her spoon in and took a bite. Her reaction was priceless…
"Oh my God. This stuff is still amazing!" she exclaimed, mouth still full.
I laughed at her excited expression. God, she looked so cute.
I watched her eat in amusement as she took bite after bite, exclaiming something after every mouth full.
"I haven't eaten this in forever!"
"Oh my God!"
"I'm in love with this food!"
"I want to marry it!"
"Holy crap!"
Dang. You'd think that she hadn't eaten in days…
I laughed and cut her off before she made another exclamation about the food. "Before you marry your food, let's talk." I leaned forward in my chair, elbows propped on the table.
"Okay…" she said, suddenly sounding nervous.
I waited for a few seconds patiently. She just looked at me with a blank expression.
"Well?" I asked.
"Well what?"
"Talk!" I exclaimed.
"You're the one who suggested talking!"
"You go first."
"No, you go first."
"Natara, you said you'd tell me when we got to the restaurant." I said, looking at her sternly.
"I didn't say the exact moment that we got here."
"I want to know what has happened to you in the past 5 years." Why wouldn't she just tell me? Is it really that bad?!
"You go first. I wanna know what has happened to San Francisco."
I sighed and leaned back in my chair, slouching a little.
"Are you really going to make me go first?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I sure am," she said, flashing me a bright smile that had me dazed for a few seconds.
I sighed again before saying, "Fine. But after this, you promise to tell me?"
"Promise." She nodded enthusiastically.
One of my eyebrows rose as I looked at her, determining if she was lying or not. She just smirked at me in return. I exhaled before shaking my head and sitting up a little. I cleared my throat.
"Alright… What would you like to know?"
She grinned and put her elbows on the table, resting her head in her fists. The pose kind of reminded me of an anxious puppy waiting for its owner to play with it.
"…Everything."
"Well… I guess I'll start with the people at the station."
She nodded her head urgently, eyes lighting up in excitement.
"Well… Um," I wracked my brain, trying to remember exciting details from 5 years ago. "Jeremy and Blaise are a couple now."
Shock and confusion flittered across her face.
"Yeah, none of us saw that one coming. No one knew they were a couple until about a year ago. They're engaged but still haven't decided on a date yet. They're holding it off right now because Blaise's mother has been real sick lately…"
"Oh…" she trailed off.
"And yes, Amy came back a little while after you left. She got tired of running away all the time and just decided to come back," I shrugged, tasting some of my food.
"Hmm," she murmured.
"Believe it or not, Kai has actually gotten no better. If anything, he's gotten worse," I said, shaking my head. She giggled.
"So Anders is the permanent captain?" she asked, raising one of her thin eyebrows.
"So far… No one else has come up to take his place so he currently resides as captain… For now," I hinted. One day, I would become Captain. But right now, I was perfectly happy with my status as a Detective because when you are Captain, you don't get much time out in the field. You just have to stay in the office and work on paperwork and stuff. That was already boring enough as it is for me right now. I didn't want to have to do that full time until I was old enough where I couldn't work out in the field…
"Well, he seemed really nice to you. Nicer than he's ever been."
"It's probably because you were there," I teased, smiling widely.
She giggled and blushed slightly. "Yeah, right."
"Hey, you never know. He might've missed you too."
I actually wasn't kidding. He did seem nicer when Natara was present. Any other time, he's a dick.
She rolled her eyes playfully and dipped her spoon into the bowl.
"So… What's with you and that Special Agent?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We're engaged," I replied, nonchalantly. I made sure to hide my left hand under the table so she wouldn't find out that I was lying.
She suddenly began to choke.
"What?!"
"Yep."
"Mal… I… I didn't know that you were…" she trailed off, speechless. Her cheeks started to turn the faintest tint of red.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. I just started laughing, holding my stomach.
"What?" she asked.
"I can't believe you actually believe that!" I exclaimed, bending over the table and holding my stomach, laughing.
"But, you… And I… And you said!" She stammered, cheeks heating up even more.
"Oh, that was priceless!"
"Wait, you're not…?" she asked, looking confused.
I chuckled and leaned across the table, grasping her tiny hands in mine. I looked into her eyes, grinning widely, and said, "Natara, let me reassure you. I'm not gay."
Her mouth popped open. She yanked her hands away from mine, reached down, grabbed her napkin, and threw it at my face. Thinking fast, I swiftly caught it right before it even touched me.
"That wasn't funny," she furrowed her eyebrows in fake anger.
"I thought it was," I smirked.
"Go die." She crossed her arms across her chest.
"Ouch, that's harsh."
"You're mean." She narrowed her eyes at me.
"And you're gullible." I put on my best innocent look.
After a few seconds of an eye contact stare-down, she sighed in defeat, releasing her mad façade.
"So, what's really up with you and Winters?"
I shrugged. "Oh, he hates me."
"Why?"
"Cause I can never get his damn name right." I grinned, leaning back in my chair, and folded my hands behind my head.
"Why would he hate you for that?" she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"I don't know? Cause he's an asshole!"
She shook her head, but I could just faintly hear a small giggle come out of her mouth.
I grinned in victory. Yes! I made her laugh.
I continued telling her all about the San Francisco stories from the last 5 years as we ate. During them, she laughed, her eyes welled up in tears, and some had her speechless. She would probably doubt it if you asked her, but during these stories she had a sad look in her eye. I couldn't quite explain it…
Soon, we were done eating and Sean had come back to our table.
"Did you two enjoy?" he asked, wiggling his thick eyebrows.
"Yes," we both replied, grinning at each other like little kids.
"Good, because this one if on the house!" he exclaimed. We both grinned even wider. Great! That meant I didn't have to pay!
"…except for yours. You still have to pay, my friend," Sean added, looking at me.
I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance, scowled, and cursed under my breath. Sean, you cheap little bastard!
He chuckled and responded with, "I'm just kidding! Calm down, you cheapskate! Both meals are on the house just for the foxy agent returning to the beautiful city of San Francisco!" he exclaimed. I sighed in relief.
She blushed a little and looked down at her shoes. I sent a scowl up at Sean. He responded by nodding towards Natara. My eyes furrowed in confusion as I looked down to her. My face softened as my gaze turned on her. The way she had her head tilted down where her hair was covering up part of her face… The way she blushed slightly in embarrassment… God, she was beautiful.
Completely ignoring everything around me, I simply stared at her in awe, eyes widened, that same dreamy look on my face. She looked up and met my gaze. I immediately got lost in her eyes, as she did with mine. We held gazes, completely ignoring Sean's smirk aimed right at us.
After a few seconds, he awkwardly cleared his throat, trying to tell us that he was still here. For some odd reason, I didn't even hear him. Heck, I couldn't hear him. All I could focus on was those big brown eyes.
Sean chuckled, realizing that he wasn't going to get our attention anytime soon and said, "Adios amigos. Have a wonderful night," before walking back towards the front of the restaurant.
His voice seemed to snap Natara out of her trance. She blinked before looking behind her to see Sean leaving. Not wanting to lose this moment, I reached across the table, gently grabbed her hand, and led her towards the balcony that was overlooking the beach. The place where we had one of our first heart-to-heart talks.
I stopped and watched her as she let out a small sigh and leant against the railing, a dreamy look on her face. The sun was sinking below the water as it set. Orange and pink colors streaked across the sky, creating a colorful glow. Not that I was paying attention to it or anything. I was too busy looking at her.
I walked up beside her and leant against the railing, my shoulder just barely touching hers.
After a few seconds of peaceful silence, I turned to face her.
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, looking expectant, wondering what I was going to say.
I bit my lip and hesitated. I didn't want to push her too much… But I had to know!
"So… What happened? Why'd you decide to come back?" I asked slowly, hoping she wouldn't get mad at me for bugging her about it.
She seemed to debate herself on whether or not she could tell me.
I gently placed my hand on top of her hand, mentally telling her that she could trust me.
She sighed and let her eyes drift closed, facing towards the sunset. I readjusted my grip from her hand to the railing, while looking at her expectantly.
"Well, I guess it all happened 5 years ago. Oscar and I moved to Monterey a few months after we married, as you already know. We moved into this huge house and were happily married."
Jealousy panged inside of me. I had a really bad feeling about this.
"And then the phone calls started. At first, I thought that they were business calls, but they were arriving in the middle of the night, sometimes at 2 or 3 in the morning and Oscar would run to get them. He started acting… Weird. But I never said a word about it to anyone. I know that you tried to call, Amy, even Blaise kept calling. But I didn't answer. Partly because Oscar didn't allow me to. Other part was because I… I was scared. I was scared that if I talked to one of you or even thought about San Francisco, I'd go running back. I felt so homesick, it was crazy. So I never answered your phone calls, or your text messages, or your emails. Oscar convinced me that I had to forget about San Francisco in order to move on."
A wave of sadness flooded over me. I looked at her in sympathy, but her eyes were still closed. God, Oscar was a douche.
"And then, I…" she hesitated, biting her lip. A nervous look came across her face. She gripped the railing hard and exhaled.
"I got pregnant." She paused, peeking an eye open to see my reaction.
She… She got pregnant?! My eyes widened and I had a shocked look on my face. I stared at her in disbelief. She opened both eyes and looked straight ahead of her, avoiding eye contact with me. Even though she and Oscar were married, I still felt a throb of pain and anger deep inside of me. Honestly, it hurt like hell. Just the thought of him doing it with her just…Ugh, I hated this. I bet he hurt her while doing it… He probably gave her bruises or scratched her or something. He probably forced her into it. He was probably too rough with her… NO. Don't even think like that, Mal. You'll just get mad and punch something.
A million questions ran through my head.
'What happened next?'
'Was it a boy or girl?'
'Why didn't you call me?'
'What was wrong with Oscar?'
'Who were the phone calls from?'
'What did he do to you?'
'Were you just too embarrassed to talk to me?'
And most importantly…
'Why am I just now hearing about this?'
I was about to ask her one of these questions when she cut me off, resuming her story.
"I was terrified because Oscar had never been a big fan of children. When I finally racked up the courage and told him, he didn't say anything. Literally. He was just… emotionless. He didn't act happy, sad, excited, or angry. I had to go to all of the doctor appointments by myself because he was supposedly 'working.'"
Supposedly working?! Oh God. Don't tell me…
"He wasn't even there when I was in labor," she looked down at the sand below her feet.
He was her freaking husband and he wasn't there for her in labor?! What a sick, twisted idiot.
"I had a girl by the way. During those 5 years, I stayed home to raise our child-"
My face softened at this part. She had a little girl? A mini Natara? I smiled slightly at the thought of a little girl cuddling up with Natara in her pajamas, getting ready for bed.
"-while Oscar worked from early morning to late at night, all the while the phone calls began to get even more suspicious."
There was my girl. Wondering about suspicious phone calls. I knew the profiler in her hadn't left for good!
"I basically watched our daughter grow up on my own, while Oscar was at work more than half of the time. He was never there. So one night, about a year ago, while Oscar was asleep, his phone started ringing. It was an unknown number so I answered it, thinking it would be something from work. A woman was on the phone," her voice cracked on the last word. I glanced at her worriedly. She looked like she was having a hard time telling me this, so I tenderly placed my hand on top of her, comfortingly. She kept her gaze away from me, cleared her throat, and continued.
"She asked me if I had seen Oscar. I asked her who she was and she told me her name was Janelle. Then she asked me who I was, so naturally I told her that I was Oscar's wife. She didn't believe me, saying that she was his…" she choked up, tears welling up in her eyes. My thumb started to stroke the top of her hand gently, trying to comfort her. She quickly wiped away her tears with the hand that wasn't under mine.
"That she was his girlfriend."
That son of a bitch!
"I told her that I really was his wife and after a while, she believed me and told me that she had no idea that he was married. She said he never had on a wedding ring. She apologized over and over again. The next day, I confronted Oscar about it, but of course he denied it, saying I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about. I informed him of Janelle and he froze, knowing that I had caught him. He begged over and over to forgive him."
That bastard! That little piece of shit! I knew he was a scumbag!
"I guess I always suspected that he was cheating, but just didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to be with a cheater. But where would I live?" she shrugged.
'With me! You'd live with me!' I wanted to scream at her, but I bit my tongue, deciding to let her finish.
"I didn't want our child to grow up with divorced parents, so I forgave him. But the thing is, he never promised not to cheat again."
Oh, God no. Please. No…
"So the suspicious phone calls continued and I knew who they were. Sometimes during dinner, Oscar would get a text and just walk out, not even trying to hide it anymore. I knew that he was going over to some other woman's house but I didn't do anything about it… I was too scared."
I felt as if I was going to be sick. If she wasn't standing right there, I would have run to the nearest garbage can and puked my guts out. I HATED guys that treated their women like shit. Especially if his 'woman' was the woman that I've been in love with for over 7 years…
"I didn't want to leave or I'd have nowhere else to go. I know I should've come back sooner but I … I don't know why I didn't. I just figured since I hadn't had any contact with any of you for 4 years, that you'd want nothing to do with me. So I stayed with Oscar," she sighed. I squeezed her hand tightly as I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose. He was openly cheating on her and she still stayed with him?!
I felt as if I was about to explode with anger. All that time that I've spent pining away for her, she's been with a no-good cheating bastard?! It just wasn't right!
"A couple of months ago, I came home from picking my daughter up at day care. I went into our room and saw that Oscar had left a note saying that he needed 'space' and that he was leaving."
My gut dropped. My mind was telling me to stop listening, but my heart was telling me to hear the rest of her story and to help her.
"I thought he meant only for a couple of days, but after a few months, I began to get worried. I call him, texted him, emailed him, left voicemail after voicemail, but he never did answer."
Kind of like what we did to her… We worried to death and called her and texted her and left voicemails, but she never answered. Although, honestly, I don't blame her. Oscar wouldn't even let her call us back. The little shit…
"A few weeks ago, I received the divorce papers in the mail. I knew that I had to have some way to support my daughter and myself, so I packed up everything and moved back here, hoping to get my job back," she finished, wiping a few tears away from her face.
Anger pulsed through my veins. My fists clenched and unclenched. My jaw was tight. How could he be such a freaking douchebag?! My breathing became fast. I gripped the hand railing hard with both hands and looked out at the ocean, trying to control some of my anger.
He cheated on her… She finds out and he still continues to cheat on her?! That insensitive prick! And to make matters worse, he does this all in front of his daughter! He gets her pregnant and basically abandons her! That coward! He can't even take care of his family like a real man! He just runs away! If you're going to make a family, you've got to stick with them!
My fist clenched even harder now. My nostrils flared as my breathing rapidly increased. I really wanted to punch something right about now.
My mind raced as it tried to process all this new information. As soon as it all processed, it came up with one thing… If I ever saw Oscar Santos again, I was going to kill him.
You see, if Natara was my wife, she would be treated like a princess. I would never cheat on her because I know what it feels like to be cheated on, first hand. It feels like shit. It sucks. It breaks your heart to know that you weren't good enough for them so they had to resolve to someone else to fulfill their needs. The fact that they left you for them, kills you. It's enough to make a person go insane… I would know.
She finally looked up at me, watching as I tried to get myself under control.
"So, Mr. Perfect… He cheated on you, then just up and left?!" I asked slowly, through gritted teeth, using the douchebag's old nickname.
"Turns out he wasn't so perfect, after all," she shrugged.
My eyes hardened. "I'll kill him. I'll hunt him down and make him beg for forgiveness. I swear if I ever get my hands on that son-of-a-"I started to threaten.
Her hand gently placed itself on my shoulder. I instantly relaxed a little bit at her touch.
"Mal, calm down. I'm better off without him," she said, smiling sadly.
I turned my head and look at her heartbroken expression. My emotions went from anger to sadness as soon as I saw her. Now wasn't the time to be pissed. Now was the time to comfort and help her.
"Nat, I'm so sorry," I said, quickly wrapping her in a tight embrace. One arm snaked around her waist while the other went across her shoulder blades.
After a second, she hugged me back just as tightly, never seeming to want to let go.
"Don't worry about it. I'm happy," she murmured against my shoulder.
As much as I didn't want to, I pulled away, for fear that I was suffocating her. I locked gazes with her, my blue eyes burning into her soft, brown ones.
"If you ever need any help at all, whatsoever-" I started seriously.
"Thanks Mal," she said, smiling.
I smirked, feeling as if I should lighten up the situation a little.
"I was about to say call Amy, but yeah, I guess I could help too."
She burst out laughing and smacked me in the chest.
"Always the charmer," she said, an amused smile on her perfect lips.
"Only for you," I replied, smiling brightly at her.
She smiled back and looked out towards the ocean, leaning against the railing.
"Just always remember, Nat," I started, coming up close behind her and putting my hand over her small one. Her head tilted up and her eyes met mine. I stared at her seriously, an intent and determined expression on my face. "I'm here for you. No matter what." I flashed her the trademark Fallon-grin that she used to tease me about saying that I used to 'woo' all of the girls with that one grin.
She looked momentarily stunned, before grinned back slightly, and saying, "Thanks Mal. I know I can count on you."
After a few quiet moments, she cleared her throat and broke the silence.
"Soooo, now that I've told you my life story, it's your turn, bud. What's happened to you in the past 5 years?" she asked conversationally, looking very interested.
I shrugged easily. "Nothing much."
She looked shocked. "Nothing much? Are you sure? Nothing has happened in 5 years?!"
I shook my head. "Nope." To tell the truth, I really wasn't lying. Life was boring without her here to entertain me…
"Ugh! Mal!" she whined, pouting up at me. I simply smirked at her adorable puppy dog expression.
"I'm telling you, Natara. Nothing exciting has gone on for the past 5 years."
"Well, how are you and Selene doing?" she asked, curiously.
…Who? Selene? …Ooooh, yeah. That crazy chick!
"We aren't."
She raised her eyebrow at me, mentally telling me to explain.
"We broke up a long time ago."
"Well, who's the lucky Mrs. Fallon?" she nudged me teasingly.
"Doesn't exist yet," I answered boredly, as if this was a casual conversation about the weather or the new basketball game.
"Who are you dating?"
"No one."
"What about in the past 5 years?"
"…nope."
She looked at me in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. You haven't had a girlfriend in 5 years?"
"Nope. Well, not technically a girlfriend. None have been too serious. Only a few dates here and there." And those occasional times that I just slept with a random girl to forget about my broken heart… But I wouldn't dare tell her that.
"Come on. Guy as handsome as you? You can't tell me that you haven't found one girl in 5 years." I would be lying if I said that my heart didn't just thump a little faster than normal when she called me handsome…
"It's not that I couldn't get one, it's just that I always turned them down." If I couldn't have Natara, then I'd rather just be happier, alone. By myself. Single. Not tied down to someone that I didn't even love. Trust me; I tried to love them… But I just couldn't. I couldn't love them. My heart was reserved for someone else.
"Why?"
"…I had my sights set on someone else." I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"Who is it?"
"Can't tell."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"You might know them."
"So? Mallll please?!"
"…no."
"Well, do they like you?"
I bit my lip, studying her, trying to figure out the best way to put it.
"I dunno," was the only thing I could come up with.
"You should make a move on her!"
"I can't… It's complicated," I ran a hand through my hair frustratingly.
"It shouldn't be that hard. Any girl would be lucky to have a man like you to be crushing on her. She'd have to be an idiot not to like you!" she cried, desperately.
I smiled bitterly. If only she knew. Oh, the irony of this situation… "You have no idea."
"Why don't you make a move on her?"
"I can't. She… just got out of a bad relationship." There. Now it could be almost anybody.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry. Good luck with her, Mal! I hope she'll come to her senses and realize that you're the right man for her…"
"So do I…" I said, sarcastically. She literally had no idea that she was just talking about herself.
After a few slightly awkward minutes of silence, I cleared my throat.
I wanted to ask her about her kid, but…What if I was pushing it too far? What if she'd get mad at me? What if she doesn't want me to meet her daughter?
I sighed. Oh well. It wouldn't hurt to ask, I guess.
"Didn't you say that you got pregnant? I mean, like, five years ago?" I asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.
"Yes?"
"Well… Can I, um. If it's not a bother… May I-?"
"Spit it out, Mal."
"Can I meet your daughter?" I blurted, eyes pleading.
She looked at me, a shocked expression on her face.
Oh, good job, Fallon. You pushed it WAY too far, this time.
I was about to apologize when she cut me off.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. I mean, if it isn't too much to ask or anything," I looked at the ground, shyly, watching my feet scuffle in the sand.
"No, no, no."
My heart sank. Well, damn.
"It's…" she looked at the ground for a second. Finally, she looked back up at me, a wide smile on her face. "It's fine. Sure, you can meet her."
My head jerked up to meet hers. I grinned widely in approval.
"Awesome! Thank you thank you thank you! I can't wait! I bet she looks just like you, Natara! Like a mini-Natara! I bet she's beautiful!" I ranted on and on to myself. I couldn't help it. I was going to meet a tiny Natara? It just made my day! This was amazing! I just couldn't wait to see what Natara had created…
Twenty minutes later, we arrived back at the precinct.
I paced in the front of the bullpen, anxiously waiting for Tiny 'Tara. I steadily speed-walked back and forth, every now and then nervously chewing on my nails. I looked over at Natara to see that she was leaning against my desk, looking lost in her own thoughts. How could she be so calm while I was over here freaking out?!
What if her little girl didn't like me? What if she thought I was a pervert? What if she started screaming and yelling that she wanted to go home and Natara would leave? What if she started crying? What if she asked me who I was? What would I say to her? What if she looked just like Oscar? What if she looked just like Natara? I seriously hoped that she got more of Natara's genes and looked just like Natara. One Natara is amazing, but two?! That's a miracle…
Just as I finished thinking this, the doors to the station swung open and all I saw was a coffee-colored blur sweep past me and towards Natara. They were running so fast, I couldn't tell who, or what, it was.
I instantly froze, unsure of what to do. My eyes widened and I watched the blur still faced away from me, run deeper into the precinct.
"Mommie, mommie, mommie!" the little girl squealed adorably. My heart instantly melted. That was the cutest voice I had ever heard… I saw her run over to Natara and jump into her waiting arms. Natara spun the girl around a couple of times, hugging her tightly. Natara gently sat her down and crouched down to her level as the little girl began talking. I still couldn't see her because her back was faced towards me.
"Mommie missed you today! Did you have fun with Aunt Neha?" I barely heard Natara ask her.
After that, I really couldn't hear because they were mumbling. I saw Natara roll her eyes and then tickle the little girl, who giggled and swatted Natara's hand away.
"Here, I want to introduce you to someone important, okay?" I heard Natara tell her, taking her by the hand, and leading her towards the front of the bullpen.
I just stood there in shock, mouth hanging slightly open. Here's my moment… Oh God. What if she hated me? What was I going to say to her? What if she started crying? I don't know how to act around kids!
Natara faced me and gave me a reassuring smile. She stopped a few feet ahead of me and brought the kid out from hiding behind her back.
"Mal, I want to introduce you to someone important, okay?" she asked.
I just nodded in response.
She cleared her throat. I looked down at the little girl who was shyly looking up at me through her long eyelashes.
"Mal… This is Bella, my daughter."
I still stood there, frozen, unsure of what to say. The little girl, Bella, looked up at me and smiled widely.
As I took the few seconds of silence to my advantage, I began to study her. I couldn't help but notice just one thing… She looked exactly like Natara.
Her hair was the exact same shade of Natara's and went down to the middle of her back. Her skin was the same shade as Natara's. She was normal height… For a 5-year old, that is. Her smile was infectious, just like her mother's. When she smiled, it made you want to smile. She still had all of her baby teeth, forming a straight little row on her gums. Basically the only thing on her that didn't look like Natara was her eyes. Instead of having soft, hazel eyes like her mother, she had electric, shining blue eyes that made anyone just want to stare even longer into them. I couldn't quite place where, but they looked very familiar.
Something nagged in my mind. This kid looked very familiar. Suddenly, it hit… I've seen this kid before! My eyes widened in realization. The kid in the park! The kid in the park is actually this kid!
I was about to exclaim something about the park when Bella gave me a stern look, telling me not to mention that.
I shook my head and decided to just let it go.
I grinned down at her then up at Natara.
"Nat, she's beautiful," I whispered, staring at Bella.
"I know," she smiles, looking at her daughter lovingly.
I bent down to Bella's height and stuck out my hand.
"Detective Malachi Fallon. But, I prefer Mal," I told her, grinning at her knowingly.
She grinned right back at me. "Isabella Santos. But, I prefer Bella," she took my hand in her small one and shook it before letting go.
I heard Nat breathe a sigh of relief above me.
"So, Bella, how old are you?" I asked.
"I'm five…" she said, starting to get a little shy.
"Five? Wow! I would've never guessed! I thought you'd at least be fifteen!" I pretended, hoping to earn a laugh. Much to my delight, she giggled.
"Noooo, I'm only five!" she exclaimed.
"Well, darn! I thought for sure you were fifteen!"
She giggled and shook her head.
"So, how are you liking this town so far?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and propping my chin on my fist, which rested on my knee.
"It's different…" she paused. Oh, God. Here it comes. She's going to start crying and begging to go back to Monterey… Good job, Fallon. Might as well say goodbye to Natara!
"But I like it," she finished with a smile. "They have ice cream almost everywhere and a HUGE park!" she looked at me, knowingly. I guess Natara's not going anywhere…
"Oh, really? That sounds like a lot of fun!"
"Mmmhm!" she agreed.
"Bella, honey, why don't you go find Aunt Neha and bring her over here towards us? Hmmm?" I heard Natara ask.
"Sure! Buh-bye, Mr. Mal!" Bella exclaimed, before skipping off.
I stood up to full height and went to stand by Natara once again.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Natara asked me, smirking.
Dang it. I knew she could tell that I was nervous.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" I said, rolling my eyes.
I watched as Bella skipped around the precinct, saying hello to random people, and tried to find Neha.
"She really is beautiful, Nat. Gosh… And super outgoing," I nodded towards where she was shaking hands with Joe.
"I know. She sure is a handful…" she chuckled. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."
I smiled, leaned back against my desk, and watched as Natara watched her daughter.
She had a peaceful look on her face as she watched Bella socialize with the officers, yet her eyes were constantly darting around, worriedly, like a good mother's would.
"She looks just like you…"
"Yeah, she does." There was that small, adoring smile again.
"So… Does she know?" I asked.
"About what?"
"About the Oscar thing."
She just shook her head. "No, not yet. She thinks that he's working a lot. That's the only thing I could come up with. I don't want her to have to face something as cruel as divorce at such a young age, you know?"
"Yeah…"
It was silent for a few moments while we watched her.
"So, now that you are back in San Francisco, where are you planning to stay?" I asked, conversationally, raising an eyebrow.
"Right now?" she asked.
I nodded.
She shrugged. "A hotel room. But, honestly I don't know how long that's going to last. What with paying for my food, Bella's food, paying for her to go to Kindergarten, paying bills, paying for gas, and paying for the hotel room. I just… I don't know. That's why I needed this job so badly. I hope I'll have enough to cover first month's rent . Then, when I save enough, hopefully, I will be able to find a cheap, suitable apartment to live in," she sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily, sounding kind of embarrassed.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But you're parents are loaded. Why don't you let them help you?"
"Because I'm too prideful, Mal. I can't just ask people for money! "she rolled her eyes and cringed.
"This isn't just any people, Natara. It's your parents! I'm sure they'd be glad to help you out!"
"I can't. I refuse to accept money from them."
I gave her a curious look. She gave me a blank stare in return.
"Oh, come on! You're still not over that whole father pride thing?" I raised one of my eyebrows.
"No, I am, but I just don't want to borrow money from them. I want to show them that I can make it on my own in the world without it being handed to me on a gold platter," she looked up into my eyes, pleading for me to understand. And for some odd reason, I did understand. I knew she wasn't just talking about her parents when she said she wanted to show 'them.' I knew that Oscar was a part of 'them.' She wanted to show him that she could live perfectly fine without him to take care of her. Which, I completely believed that she could. Natara was a strong woman… She'd make it. I was just worried about how Oscar would make it without her…
"Alright, alright. But you shouldn't stay in a hotel. The places are dingy and very uncomfortable…" I complained, wrinkling my nose.
"Then where am I gonna stay, Mal?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious? With me, of course!"
She gave me a dumb look. "Mal, I can't stay at your apartment."
"And why not? I don't see a problem with it! I've got two extra bedrooms… "I cleared my throat. "At the Fallon Inn, you get free food, you don't have to pay the bills, and you don't have to pay for a stupid hotel room. That takes 3 things off of your worry list. Now you just have two!" I said, shrugging.
"Come on, Mal. I can't ask you to do that. You really don't want a 5- year old running around your house…" she rolled her eyes.
"I think I actually do. She seems pretty funny and friendly… I think I'm gonna like her. I've even got an extra bedroom that she could sleep in!" I exclaimed, nudging her.
"I dunno…" she said, sounding skeptical.
"Come on. At least let me help you out until you get back on your feet! It's for the 'Foxy Agent' coming back into town. The least I could do is offer you a place to stay while you get back into your usual routine," I teased, using Sean's nickname for her.
"Ummmmm…"
"Pleeeeaaaasssseeee Nat?! Please?" I gave her my best puppy dog look, clasping my hands together.
She seemed to battle with herself for a few moments before sighing and giving up.
"Fiiiiine. But only until I get back on my feet!"
I grinned excitedly. "Great! You move in tomorrow!"
"Fine. But you're helping me move all of my stuff. Your apartment is definitely not on the ground floor…"
"You would know…" I winked at her flirtily, smirking.
She swiftly punched me in the arm. "I have a child!" she nodded towards Bella.
"Alright, alright… I'll help you move in," I rolled my eyes but grinned anyways.
"And I'm helping you pay the bills," she said quickly, hoping I wouldn't notice. But I did.
My grin instantly disappeared as I stared her down, narrowing my eyes.
"No."
"Yes!"
"No, Nat."
"Yes! Mal, if I'm going to live with you I have to help out in some way!"
"No, you don't. You'll be a guest. Guests don't have to pay."
"Apparently I'm a temporary resident so I will pay."
"No. You. Won't."
"Yes, I will! I can't make you pay everything by yourself!"
"Yes you can!"
"No, I can't! I'm helping you pay, Mal. That's it!"
"No. You're not paying. At all. You just got here! Don't worry about paying right now! Worry about your job, Bella, and yourself before you worry about that other stuff."
"No! You're letting me and my daughter stay in your home! I'm helping you whether you like it or not!"
"No! I won't take it! You take care of yourself and Bella. I'll worry about the bills. Discussion ended." I stated, before walking away.
I heard her huff behind me and run to catch up with me.
Oh yes. This was going to be fun…
There was no way I was letting her leave this time. Since she was going to be living with me for a while now, maybe… Just maybe, I would finally get her to fall in love with me.
This time around, she was staying with me. No one else. Not by herself, not with some stupid boyfriend, not in some crappy hotel room…
With me.
Suck it, Oscar!
Okay, that's it for this chapter! Don't forget to review! Once again, I'm sorry this is so late! I LOVE YOU ALL!