Misconceptions pt. 33

I have to be dreaming? Rex thought, sinking further into the soft pillow below. He bit his lip lightly, trying to remember to breathe, but it was hard when she was sending him out of his head with lust. "..oh, mm.." Her lush red lips were sucking him closer to nirvana, coaxing him higher with a firm, wet tongue. Gawwwd!

She was different tonight, more aggressive and free. Not that their sex life wasn't amazing anyway, but she still carried that shy streak. The side of herself that was raised in a convent, and sheltered from the world that continued on without her. But now she was taking the lead, guiding him wherever she wanted to go, and he was a willing participant. He felt as though he were experiencing every fantasy he ever had in life, and that was her doing. The way she loved him and touched him. He burned, beginning to sweat a little from her ministrations.

Her slender fingers slipped beneath his ass and squeezed his cheeks with surprising strength, and he opened his mouth but no sound came out. He heard his heart clearly, and if anyone else were in the room, they probably would too? It was so loud, so fierce. He blinked and tried to focus on the white plaster over his head, but everything was starting to fog a little.

"Oh!" He swallowed, sucking in large gasps of air and feeling it dry the tight passage to his lungs. She sucked again, placing the end of her warm tongue at the head of his engorged penis. He felt his muscles begin to shake, and heard a strange sound. It was a deep thundering, and it rumbled through his chest, exploding from his throat sharply. "..UUghhh..baby!" He released hard, aware of exactly two things: the pleasure that was consuming him as he shot into her hot mouth, and the lips and tongue that were working overtime to devour all of him. Every last drop.

She licked him repeatedly, sliding her gentle tastebuds over his throbbing flesh. It elicited another deep moan, as he died from the friction between his trembling legs. "Don't...you dare stop," he breathed, holding her over his groin.

She was out of breath, and smiled easily. "Stop?" she teased, kissing his still hard shaft. "I don't stop, Rex." She felt a shiver pass from him and into her, and then she took hold of him again. His orgasm was slowing and his erection was softening, but she took her time and tasted him until his hands found their way back into her hair.

Eventually, the urgency ended. She kissed and tasted his hot skin, even as his body slipped into a languid, relaxed state. She climbed his perfect form, licking and sucking as she moved, and she looked into his cloudy blue eyes. His lids were half-closed, and there was a lopsided smile on his lips.

"I love you," she confessed, petting his cheek softly. Her heart thumped when he focussed on her with a steady gaze. She thought about how he finally opened up to her tonight and let her in, and it was better than she hoped it would be. That he would trust her and love her as completely as she loved him. "I love you, Rex," she said again.

Her feelings washed over him and he lifted from the mattress, propping higher onto his elbow. "Say it again," he urged, placing a shaky hand to her face.

She chuckled. "I love y..."

He kissed her heatedly, gingerly climbing between her sweet legs. Then he thrust inside her warmth and worked to show her as much pleasure as she just gave him. He wanted her to always know what this night would mean for both of them.

Natalie sat in the backseat of the cruiser and stared out the window as they made their way toward the loft. She was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Adrianna Cramer managed to fool her...fool everyone. It was astounding and upsetting, and her blood began to boil when she thought of John in a cell, while that little witch was digging her claws into her baby brother! How could she be so stupid? How in the hell did that idiot orchestrate such a coup? She was so lost in her anger, that it took awhile to realize that Agent Rowland was using the rearview mirror to watch her.

She frowned. "What?"

Gina sat in the passenger seat of the car, trying to embrace the tension that flooded the vehicle. McBain was stiff as a board, and silent as he drove. He was obviously struggling with his own turmoil over the days whirlwind events. The redhead was fuming. She practically saw smoke leak from her ears, and she couldn't really blame the woman. Not when someone she knew was hell-bent on destroying her, but that wasn't the reason she found herself so fascinated with Natalie Buchanan.

She managed to successfully do what so many have tried and failed. She stole John McBain's heart. How the hell did she do it?

Natalie's eyes narrowed. "What?" she repeated coldly.

Gina sighed, turning to face the woman head on. "John McBain is the most dedicated agent I've ever worked with in the bureau. He's tireless and focussed and professional." She couldn't help but notice that the woman was cool. She was waiting for her to get to the point. "Now he's in jail, and he's there because of you."

She scanned the agent slowly, noting her crisp appearance in that suit. It was a look she knew well. She had adorned it on a regular basis, because that's what women did when they worked in a man's world and business was very male-centric. Natalie sighed. So was law enforcement. She smiled. "I get it. You have a thing for John."

Gina smiled also, amused by her directness. "Who the hell doesn't, the man's gorgeous!"

She hadn't really expected the truth to come out of the blonde's mouth, and despite her irritation, she respected her candor. "Well, he's off the market so you're just going to have to get over it." There was no point in pretending otherwise. The woman wasn't going anywhere near him, and that was just how things were.

"You're a criminal." She continued to stare into the large, blue eyes that were glaring her way with intensity. She didn't actually mean to be a bitch, but it was just all so amazing! That John would fall for someone like her? He ate, slept and breathed the law, and she...well, she broke it.

Natalie was tired of this already. "Whether you like it or not he's...," she pondered her choice of words carefully, "...unavailable."

Gina chuckled and spun back around in her seat. She glanced over at the cop, who was looking rather stressed out. "Relax Mike," she teased, "there isn't going to be a brawl."

Natalie took a smooth breath and returned to her thoughts. She stared through the glass, feeling very nervous as their destination approached. She wasn't looking forward to seeing the look on Rex's face, because he was head over heels in love with Cramer, but he would be better off in the long run.

And that bitch was going to rot for what she's done.

Adrianna took her time while setting the table, smiling and humming softly into the air. She could hear the water running in the bathroom, and was half-tempted to slip into the shower and join Rex, but the food would be here any minute. The grumble in her stomach told her how important that really was for them.

She took an even breath and sat in the closest chair, overwhelmed by the happiness that was beginning to feel familiar. She was in love with an amazing guy, who finally loved her back completely. It was perfect, and things would only get better. She'd see to it.

Her body temperature began to rise as the past few hours replayed through her mind. Her grin widened. They were insatiable together, and even now, she longed to be under the gentle spray with him. His body was something else, but when he was wet...

An abrupt knock on the door snapped her from her pleasant fantasy, and she frowned, standing. There was another sharp rap. Her irritation slammed to the forefront, and her fingers pulled on the silk belt that held her half-robe together at her waist. The cool pink material covered her nakedness, and so she strode to the door and yanked on the heavy metal. It slid across the track, but it wasn't the food waiting for her on the otherside, it was Natalie. "What?"

Nat stared into the wide, dark eyes that belonged to her newfound enemy. A woman whom she always thought of as an annoying mosquito and nothing more. Her rage burned to an entirely different level now that they were face to face, and she reacted accordingly. Her fist cut through the air and connected to her cheek with a loud crack. She smiled as she watched her stumble backward into the loft, and quickly let herself into the room. There was no sign of her brother anywhere.

"You BITCH!" Adrianna screamed, as she held her throbbing jaw with one hand. That was going to leave a mark and she had a photoshoot in the morning. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She didn't answer right away. She couldn't, she was too over-wrought with emotion. Michael and Gina both entered the apartment, but they stayed near the doorway and she sighed. They were giving her some time before the arrest, and that was one hell of a gesture on their part.

Natalie refocussed on the task at hand. She was here, across from the woman who set her up for embezzlement and had her beaten like a dog. She tried to have her killed, and now John's life was up in the air! She stalked forward and grabbed her hair with a fist, and then threw her across the kitchen. The counter stopped her from going very far, but it felt really, really good. "You almost got away with it!" she snapped, lifting her hands to her hips.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She used the edge of the counter to straighten up, and then turned to the two officers who were just standing there. They obviously had no problem with what was happening here. "You're crazy! Get out of my house!"

Natalie reached out and slapped her hard, enjoying the sound as it echoed through the space. "Shut up!" She leaned very close, glaring at the little twit with all the anger that was inside of her. "I underestimated you, but that won't happen again. You almost had me, but now my eyes are wide open little girl. You're going to jail and that's just the start. I'm going to make sure that you suffer."

Adrianna shifted slightly, glancing slowly toward the cops at the door. They were glaring, but that was the extent of their involvement. She looked at Natalie, accepting the situation for what it was, and then she smiled. "It was fun watching you flounder around like a lost child in the dark."

Natalie slapped her again, happy to wipe the expression from her face. "I hope you enjoyed your last night of freedom, you bitch!"

Rex stepped into the doorway of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He was dripping all over the linoleum floor, but that was the least of his problems at the moment. His sister was here, and she was fighting with Adrianna again...and the Chief and a woman cop were stoic in the corner. "Natalie?" he shouted, getting her attention. "What are you doing?" He walked closer to the pair, feeling a tension in his strong shoulders. His eyes softened a little when he met her stare. "What's going on?" She wasn't shackled, but she had two escorts, so what the hell did that mean?

"Rex...?" Adrianna tried to talk to him, but her cheek was flaming when another sudden blow struck her hard.

"I said, shut up!" Natalie yelled, aware that her brother was confused and angry. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her away with force.

"Stop it!" he ordered, harshly. "What's wrong with you?" It wasn't like her to lose control like this, and now she was slapping his girlfriend? "Where's McBain?"

She took a quick breath. "He's in jail, and it's all that little bitch's fault!"

His head was spinning. "What are you talking about? You're not making any sense?"

Natalie could hear her heart beat in her ears as it continued to pound eratically. She stretched out a hand and grabbed Rex's tightly. "Listen to me, okay?" she pleaded, dreading this moment with everything in her. "The computer trace found the real embezzler." She licked her dry lips. "It was Adrianna, Rex."

He didn't react. This was wrong, or it was a joke. "No, it isn't her."

"Yes!" Nat insisted evenly.

He shook his head. "If it was her name, then she's being set up like you. Probably by the same person?"

Her heart was somehow beating faster, though she couldn't understand it? "No, she wasn't set up like me. She's the one behind it."

He chuckled. "You're crazy, it's not her Nat."

Cramer stepped away from the cupboard and wrapped her hands around his waist tightly. "Of course, she blames me! She blames me for everything, and you know that!"

Natalie tried to lunge at her, but was quickly blocked by her brother. He was pissed off and it made her heart break all over again. It was directed at the wrong person. "She's playing you!" she yelled, unable to control her temper. "She's been playing you for awhile now! You need to listen to me!"

"No, you need to get the hell out of my house!" He wasn't going to stand here and let her do this, not when she was wrong! She was so very wrong. "I mean it, Natty. Get out! Take your entourage with you." He turned to Adrianna. "Babe, go get some clothes on alright? They'll be gone when you get back."

Natalie watched her saunter into the bathroom, following the gentle order, and it made her head spin. She stared into the challenging eyes of her family and met it head on. She wasn't going anywhere, other than back to the station to toss that garbage into her new home. A cell beside John. She felt her anger again. "Rex.."

"I said, get out!"

She stiffened, wishing there was an easier way, but there wasn't. She knew before they had arrived that this would be difficult, but even she didn't know the half of it. "She set me up, damn it, and she paid Max Carpenter to beat me up in that alley! Please don't tell me that you're okay with all of that?"

He couldn't believe this was happening? "It's not her, Nat. She would never hurt anyone. You don't know her like I do, and you never liked her! That's why it's so easy for you to blame her now, but she's as innocent as you."

"NO SHE'S NOT!" she screamed in frustration. "John is in a cell right now for helping me, and your little whore girlfriend is responsible!"

He wanted to hit her, and he's never felt that before, not ever. "Get out right now!" He moved toward the cops and glared hard. "All of you, get the hell out or I'll throw you out!" Nobody moved, and he began to feel a little desperate. The Chief was looking at him with pity in his eyes, and the blonde, she looked just as sad and as sorry. None of them knew Adrianna. She isn't capable of this, of doing any of this! "Get out," he said again, once again facing his stubborn sister. She wasn't moving either. His heart thundered in his chest.

"No, Rex. You're going to listen to me now." She stepped closer, holding his cold stare. "She wanted revenge for Craze, and so she set me up to take the fall for the embezzlement. When things didn't progress as quickly as she had expected, she paid Max to beat me up so that I'd cast more doubt over the case. She knew that I'd stick up for myself, and it happened just like she expected. Cameron thought it was all just one big game, a con."

He shook his head and stalked over to his bed, slipping into his jeans while she praddled on and on about what Adrianna did, only she was wrong. It wasn't her.

Natalie followed, refusing to back down. It was time to end this, to finally end this. "She didn't count on John though, or his interference, and so she had to escalate. She had to do something, because you and I got away with the computer and she knew that the real answers were on it. So she crossed the line even further."

"You DON'T KNOW what you're talking about, Nat! She is being set up, and I'm going to help her." She just looked at him with sorrow in her wide eyes. Why was everyone looking at him like that? "You're wrong, damn it!"

"She tried to have me killed, Rex!"

He froze, feeling a sickness squeeze at his gut. No! "What are you talking about? You're a free woman, right?"

She sighed, attempting to take his hand again but he was having none of it. "John found me at the trainyards." She saw him begin to put the pieces together. "He found me with your help, but there was someone else who found me too, Rex. A man showed up dressed in a security guard uniform and tried to kill me."

"Are you alright?" he asked, involuntarily stepping closer to her. He grabbed her arms, needing to feel for himself that she was okay and not hurt.

Natalie felt a tremendous tug on her heart. He was worried about her, even though she was standing in his livingroom and blowing his world apart. She smiled softly. "Yes, I'm fine. John saved me. A cop saved me."

He blinked, releasing his hold. "A cop? What cop?"

She felt a chill as she remembered everything. "I was hiding out in a train car while John went to look for a way off the grounds. The fake guard pointed a gun at me and told me that he was there to kill me, but a cop stumbled upon us. They struggled for the gun and he was shot by the man." Her eyes fought back the tears that wanted to fall. "He died Rex, the cop...it could have been me. It almost was me."

He swallowed, noting how numb he felt from head to toe. "But he didn't shoot you?"

"John came back and he took off. We called the police and I was taken into custody. We had to call or he would have bled to death right there." She paused, glancing quickly at the closed door to the bathroom. "He didn't make it though. He died anyway, later in the hospital."

"Maybe this man, this assassin followed McBain?" He felt a crack right through his heart, and was clinging to anything at this point, but he knew now. He knew because she had coaxed it out of him earlier this evening and he had fallen for it. His anger was brewing as he remembered the fight they had when he came home. She wanted his trust, his love, and made it clear that she wouldn't settle for anything less. He wanted to give it to her because he loved her, and so he talked about all of it, about Natalie. Why did he do it?

Natalie walked up to him and put a hand on his arm, but he flinched, walking the space slowly. He was processing, she could see it, and she could also see his anger. That was a good sign. "You and John were the only two people who knew where to look for me, and John wasn't followed." He stopped moving and looked right through her, and she shivered. "He wasn't followed, Rex."

"No." He knew that. There was no way that man would be so sloppy when it came to Natalie's life. He went to the large window that overlooked the street and he stared out into the night. "It's my fault," he finally confessed. His voice was barely audible.

She frowned. "No, it isn't. It's her fault."

He spun quickly. "I fucking told her where you were, Natalie! I told her and she...," he stopped, remembering everything with perfect clarity, "...she slept with me and then she got a phone call."

Mike stepped forward. "What phone call?"

Rex looked at him. "She said it was Layla, and that she had to email some notes for a meeting they had sometime today?" He felt like a complete idiot! He looked at Natalie with shame in his eyes. "I watched her as she went to the damn computer and sent away the information about you. She sent a hitman out after you," he swallowed roughly, "and then she crawled back into our bed and I fucked her again." He sat on his couch, feeling more lost than ever before. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to him? He grew up on the streets. He was the one that people watched out for.

The bathroom door opened, and Adrianna rejoined the party with a large scowl on her face. "I thought you said they'd be gone, Rex?" She froze on the spot when he stood from the sofa and turned her way. The look in his eyes. No, not you! She stared at Buchanan with an icy glare. "What did you say to him?" She set out to walk over to him, but found herself stopped almost instantly.

Michael held a pair of handcuffs in his hands. "Don't move a muscle." She didn't.

Gina walked up to the kitchen countertop. "Rex, did she use this computer?"

He watched Adrianna and saw her confusion and hurt, and it made his heart constrict in his chest. Even now, she was playing him, and he didn't know what to do? How to be? There were so many conflicting emotions swirling around and controlling him. He felt raw, and broken. He felt an unbelievable amount of pain. He wanted to believe her, and have all of this turn out to be some bad misunderstanding, but there was no longer room for denial. His sister almost died, and that overruled anything and everything else, even his love. He tried to answer the agent, but wasn't sure he could speak over the lump in his throat, so he nodded. He saw her open the laptop and search for the final piece to the puzzle.

"Wait, you can't..." Adrianna didn't understand what was happening? "Rex?" He wasn't moving, and he certainly wasn't helping her. He was helping them. "You can't do that! I want to see a warrant!"

"They don't need a warrant." He moved away from his couch and walked slowly toward the woman who, only moments ago, had her head between his legs. "You have my permission to search anything in the apartment."

She narrowed her eyes, furious at this blatant betrayal. "This is my house too, damn it, and I say no!"

He grinned. "It's my name on the lease." He looked at Michael. "Go ahead."

Adrianna watched the blonde Fed type instructions into her keyboard and she felt fear. She went to Rex and touched his broad chest with her tiny hands. His heart was beating wildly. "Babe? Whatever she told you, it's a lie. I know how much you love her, but..."

He couldn't take it anymore. Who was this woman? Not who he thought she was all this time. His fingers pulled her away. He didn't want her touching him. "You tried to have my sister killed." There was his heartbeat again. "How could you do that? Any of it? How could you order her death as though it were just another business decision?" He tossed her away, no longer interested in having any contact at all.

She swallowed, staring wide-eyed. "I didn't, I wouldn't..."

"STOP LYING!" he thundered, hurting everywhere. "I told you where she was, and then she was almost killed! I watched you walk from our bed and send Layla important documents, remember? Then you came back to bed and had sex with me, knowing that Natalie was in danger! You wanted her to die! Why?"

She straightened. "Why is it always about Natalie?"

"What?" He was perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

She felt her own anger. "Why does that bitch always come first? It was never me, always her! Tell me that, Rex? Whenever she needs you, you go running without any regard to our life together."

He stood in shock. Was she completely crazy? Is that what this was?

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger and you don't even realize it. When are you going to be a man and cut the cord?"

Natalie had enough. "Agent Rowland, can we take that with us? I think it's time to treat Miss. Cramer how she deserves to be treated."

"Now that would be my pleasure." Mike took that as his cue, and handcuffed her in the middle of her own kitchen. "You have the right to remain silent..." He read her rights and walked her from the room, and he wondered if any of them would ever have a normal day again?

Gina took the computer, and nodded in their direction before she left.

Natalie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, concerned about his state of mind. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly.

He took a long, hard breath into his lungs before facing her. "Let's get to the station."

She blinked in surprise. "What? You want to go?"

He frowned. "I need to go. So you comin' or not?" He grabbed a shirt from the dresser and left the apartment, leaving the door open.

She followed in silence. They both let their guards down around that woman and it caused a lot of damage, but this nightmare was coming to an abrupt end. She knew her brother would take a long, long time to recover from this, but he would recover. She had to think about John now. His life was crumbling around him and that had to stop. She was going to get him out of that cell, and she already knew exactly how she was going to do it.

Thomas stopped at the door. He took a deep breath, trying to will his feet to keep moving, but he was afraid. It was a strange feeling, and one that he hasn't felt in a very long time. He sighed and took another quick breath, and finally pushed on the steel. It groaned loudly, protesting its age like an old pair of bones.

His legs carried him closer, until he was staring into the angry eyes of his son. "So? Buchanan is a free woman." He swallowed nervously.

John heard him before he saw him, and he hoped that it would be Natalie, but the thought was quickly dashed when his father strode across the marble floor. He looked uncomfortable, and the realization gave him a small satisfaction. He stood, and went to the bars of his cell to visit with the man who put him here. "What do you want?"

Tom frowned, holding up a paper cup full of coffee. It had a Starbucks logo on it. It was lame to think that a cup of decent coffee could be considered a peace offering, but he couldn't help but hope. "I wanted to see how you were holding up?"

John reached out and took the hot beverage. He saw no reason to turn down a good thing, just because he was pissed off at his dad. "Well, I'm great, pop! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were right. The whole time, you were right."

He dropped his eyes to the floor, needing a reprieve from the intensity of his father. "Yeah. I told you that. You didn't listen." He slowly regained his composure. "What do you want?" he asked again.

Tom took a few steps back and propped himself up against the opposing cell door. "To say I'm sorry. To talk to you. Maybe we can just have a cup of coffee, John?"

His chest felt heavy. What was it about this man, that could push his buttons so effectively? He didn't know, but he really wished he could just sever the connection? The LPD had pursued Natalie, hell-bent on making her pay for a crime that she didn't commit. His family lead the investigation every step of the way, and now, after everything, he was expected to roll over and forgive them. Well, he couldn't do that. "We have nothing to say to each other. You should go." His heart hurt, but he held his ground, staring hard.

"I know we screwed up," he began, "your mother and I made all the wrong decisions with you, but..."

John ran a palm over his face and went back to his cot, sitting and spinning the cup in his tight grip. "Listen," he snapped, "we don't need to do this, alright? I know that you never meant for any of this to happen."

He frowned, confused. If he knew then why was he so hostile? "Talk to me."

John chuckled, he couldn't help it. "Talk? Why start now, dad?" He placed the warm cup on the ground and made his way back to the door. His fingers gripped the bars tightly, while he looked at the man who turned out to be very different from the father in his head. "We're all making the same mistake over and over, and I'm sick of it!"

"What mistake?" He bit his lip lightly, fairly certain that he didn't want to know the answer.

John sighed, feeling tired. "Of thinking that we're a family." He could see the surprise and hurt on his face, but that didn't matter now. It was time to accept things for how they really were. "We haven't been a real family for a very long time, and you know it? And I'm tired, dad. I don't want to keep trying to grab for something that isn't really there." He swallowed, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten with every harsh word that he pushed out of his mouth. It had to be said. "It's time to let go, pop."

Thomas was angry. "You're upset, but when you get out of here..."

"...if I get out of here I'll feel exactly the same way." Why did it feel like something was taking away all the oxygen? "I want you to leave. I don't need to hear about how wonderful everything will be when I get out of jail, because it's all lies, and I really don't need one more person explaining how wrong Natalie is for me or how we don't fit!"

"You're talking about your mother. There are things you don't understand, John. That you don't know."

He held up his hand, needing for this whole day to be done with. "You don't get it!" He felt his blood run cold. "I don't care." Then he turned his back and went to his bunk, where he slowly sipped the coffee that was meant as a kind gesture. He didn't look at his father again.

It felt like forever before the sound of his retreat echoed between the cold walls, and John sighed, closing his eyes tightly. He wished for a completely different reality, but that's not what he had to deal with. And he wished that his heart didn't feel as cool as the cement that surrounded him.

Where are you, Natalie? he wondered, laying on his back. He was worried for her and wanted to be at her side through this ordeal. He wanted her to be with him through his.

Where are you?