This is a long chapter, but I didn't want to break it up, so you get it all in one fell swoop. Thanks for the reviews so far!


Natalie Teeger was nervous.

It was absurd, really, that she was as nervous as she was. Tonight was merely dinner with her boyfriend, Adrian Monk – although "boyfriend" seemed like such a silly term for him. She didn't know what else to call him, though. They were much more than friends, but not really partners. "Significant other" was more accurate, but too cumbersome. She couldn't even say they were lovers, because that wasn't true.

Yet.

But it was part of the reason she was so nervous for tonight. She'd finally decided that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship, one that he'd wanted to take since the first day of their official relationship as — whatever they were. A couple.

She still felt a little dazed, sometimes, when she thought about how fast her life had changed – how their lives had changed – in only one week's time; specifically, from Christmas Day to New Year's Day. In the span of those seven days, they'd found out that her late husband Mitch hadn't been a casualty of war, but rather a victim of homicide; that Trudy Monk, in her capacity as a journalist, had been working with him to expose senior Navy officials involved in a child sex-trafficking ring based in Kosovo; and that both Mitch and Trudy had been murdered on orders from the ringleader of the whole operation: Dale "the Whale" Biederbeck.

Also in the span of those seven days, Natalie and Adrian had, somehow, fallen in love.

They both admitted that, in hindsight, they'd felt attraction for one another before the events of that tumultuous week. The sudden revelations about Mitch and Trudy, however, had the unexpected consequence of bringing their mutual, if tentative, feelings to the forefront, and from there they had rapidly blossomed into love.

And love had transformed Adrian Monk. For one thing, his OCD had calmed down enormously – he was using only half the amount of wipes he normally did, he spent significantly less time cleaning, and the other day Natalie had pointed out a tiny stain on his shirt that he hadn't yet noticed himself. It was astonishing, really.

His personality had changed, too. In all the years she'd worked with him, he'd been very self-absorbed, to the point of occasional callousness and sometimes even unintentional cruelty (such as after he'd been shot by John Kuramoto and had made her life a living hell for a few weeks).

He'd occasionally surprised her with considerate gestures or kind words, and more rarely with astounding acts of bravery, usually related to a case (such as when he had saved Mr. Henry for Julie, shortly after they'd met), but for the most part, he'd been too preoccupied with his own grief to really connect with her, or anyone.

Now, however, he showered her with affection – loving words, little gifts, thoughtful actions, hugs and kisses and touches – on a constant basis. In the last six weeks, she finally, and completely, understood why Trudy Monk had been so devoted to him. She'd never really understood it before, but she did now. Adrian treated her, Natalie, like a queen – and she both loved and was amazed by it, which was no doubt the way Trudy had felt.

Adrian Monk in love was an entirely different person than Adrian Monk shackled by grief and sorrow and crippled by OCD. She could see, now, that the "Mr. Monk" she had known and worked with for so many years hadn't been the authentic Adrian Monk, but more like a weak imitation. The man in love with her was the real Adrian, and she felt fortunate to know him at last.

What astounded her most about their newfound relationship was that she could hardly keep up with his physical expressions of love. In the very beginning stages of their relationship, before they'd even kissed one another for the first time, she'd worried about that very issue. She didn't think she would last long in a relationship that didn't include physical affection, and she hadn't known if he was capable, due to his OCD, of offering what she needed.

But he'd proven her fears unfounded on New Year's Eve, when, after she'd finally confessed her feelings for him, they'd spent over two hours making out — which was such a juvenile term, but there really was no other way to describe it — on the secluded terrace of the San Francisco Four Seasons, during the SFPD Charity Gala.

Even more incredible, he'd wanted to do more than kissing, both when they were on the terrace and after they'd returned to her house that night, but she'd been the one to put the brakes on anything further. It wasn't because she didn't want to – on the contrary, she was incredibly attracted to him, and often found it difficult to restrain herself around him these days – but more because she wanted to take that part of the relationship a little slower, and give them both time to adjust to their new circumstances before they rushed headlong into sexual intimacy. She didn't know about him, but she needed a little breathing room to make the mental adjustment.

He'd behaved admirably over the last six weeks. There'd been plenty of kissing and even some heavy petting, but he'd always backed off when she asked him to — even when, she could tell, it was a serious effort for him. He hadn't pushed, hadn't acted impatient. He'd been a perfect gentleman.

But, now, Natalie felt ready.

She'd actually felt ready a little over two weeks ago, the evening of the first major case — a murder/robbery at an upscale jewelry store — that he'd solved since they'd begun their romantic relationship. They'd both been keyed up and excited that night, still on an adrenaline high after the dramatic "here's what happened" denouement, and her exhilaration at solving the case as well as her pride in him had the unexpected effect of cementing her decision to take the next step in their relationship.

Unfortunately, the arrival of her menstrual flow had put a damper on the evening. She hadn't said a word to him about it — he'd improved a lot but she doubted he'd be able to handle hearing about her period. So she'd said she was just tired after the eventful day, and they'd made it an early evening. Thankfully, he'd seemed rather preoccupied and hadn't objected.

A week later he'd told her of his plan to cook a fancy dinner for her on Valentine's Day, and she'd decided she'd give him a special evening in return. It would be a fitting way to celebrate a holiday devoted to love.

Natalie wondered if he suspected anything. He'd seemed very distracted and secretive the last two weeks or so. She had no doubt it was due to the plans for the fancy dinner, but it'd made her feel just a little lonely and left out.

To cheer herself up, she'd bought a new dress for the occasion. It was a bit more daring than what she usually wore, but appropriate for Valentine's Day. She'd modeled it for Julie, who had enthusiastically approved.

She hadn't told Julie that there was matching lingerie, which she hoped Adrian would appreciate.

She hadn't seen him at all today, as he'd said he'd need the entire day for dinner preparations. But that was okay — she'd indulged in a facial and a long bubble bath, and then she'd gotten her hair cut and styled.

Natalie had strict instructions to arrive at his place at seven p.m. sharp, and as she pulled up to his apartment, it was 6:58. She took a minute to smooth her hair and check her make-up one last time. Satisfied, she locked her car and carefully made her way to his door — her heels were high and the ground was wet from recent rain. It was precisely seven p.m. as she unlocked his door and stepped inside.

She'd barely eaten a thing all day — too nervous — so the delectable smells that bombarded her nose nearly made her weep with hunger. She had no idea what he had on the menu, but it smelled marvelous. The lighting was dim, and there was music playing, something soft and classical with gorgeous violin harmonies. She carefully removed her coat, gloves, and scarf and hung them on the coatrack, along with her purse, before wandering over to the dining room.

She gasped and then sighed at the scene that greeted her eyes. He'd pulled out all the stops. The table was beautifully set with two place settings of gleaming china, glittering crystal, and heavy silver. Two long white candles flickered romantically in silver candlesticks, flanking a centerpiece of long-stemmed white roses in a clear glass vase. And Adrian was there, pouring champagne into crystal flutes.

The elegant decor wasn't the only reason for her gasp. He was wearing different clothes. Instead of his standard brown pants, plaid shirt, brown sport coat ensemble, he was dressed in slate gray pants and a dark red shirt, and a necktie of striped red and gray. She hardly recognized him, but found the outfit very attractive.

"Right on time," he said as he carefully set the champagne bottle on the table. "Dinner is — " As he spoke, he looked up. But when he saw her, he suddenly lost the ability to talk.

She shimmered in a sleek red dress nearly the same color as his shirt. It fit snugly and stopped teasingly high on her thighs. Her arms were bare, and the neckline plunged alluringly. Red heels made her bare legs look a mile high. Her hair was styled differently than usual, pulled back a bit in the front, the back all sleek and smooth with a slightly sassy flip at the ends. Carefully applied make-up made her eyes look enormous, and the bold slash of her red lipstick matched her dress. On her neck glittered the diamond pendant he'd given her at Christmas.

For a moment, Adrian could only stare at her in awe. How was it possible that this stunning creature loved him? He felt like dropping to his knees and begging pardon for presuming to be worthy of her.

He tried to speak as she walked toward him, but even though his mouth moved, he couldn't make any sounds come out.

She took his face in her hands and kissed him, gently, and her touch was enough to get the blood flowing to his head again. "Holy God, Natalie," he breathed, once she had ended the kiss. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"No," she all but purred. "You need to be alive for what I have in mind."

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had big plans for the evening.

He swallowed hard, trying to think if their meal could be delayed for an hour. Or two. Or maybe he could save the food for tomorrow's breakfast. People ate roast chicken and steamed vegetables for breakfast all the time, didn't they?

Natalie could almost see the thoughts whirring in his head. "It smells great in here," she said, running a finger down his tie. "What's for dinner?"

"Dinner. Right," he muttered, forcing himself to turn his attention back to the meal. "Um. Have a seat. I-I'll bring it out."

He pulled out a chair for her and she gracefully sat, spreading the white linen napkin in her lap and reaching for the champagne flute. She sipped, and murmured approvingly.

Dinner turned out to be a dish he called "Chicken and Forty Cloves" — essentially, chicken roasted with forty cloves of garlic. There were also dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, and steamed mixed vegetables.

"You made all this?" Natalie said, marveling at the array of dishes before her.

"Sort of," he said, carefully spooning vegetables on her plate. "I bought the vegetables already washed and cut, so all I had to do was steam them. The potatoes were pre-made; I bought them at the deli. The rolls are from the bakery. I did cook the chicken myself, although I bought it already cut up." He shuddered at the thought of cutting up a chicken in his pristine kitchen.

"I am impressed," Natalie said sincerely. She took a bite of chicken and sighed, chewing ecstatically. "This is amazing. I need the get the recipe."

"It is a great recipe," he said as he carefully and precisely cut his meat. "Eight pieces of chicken, forty cloves of garlic, ten sprigs of thyme. All even numbers. Really quite numerically beautiful."

Natalie hid a smile behind her water glass.

"Julie found it on 'Food Network dot com,'" Adrian continued, taking a bite himself. "She can send it to you."

"Julie?" Natalie shook her head, smiling. "Was she in on this?" That explained more than a few self-satisfied glances her daughter had given her whenever they'd seen each other over the past few weeks.

"She helped me plan it," Adrian admitted. "It's been a long time since I've done a meal like this, so I brought in reinforcements."

"I bet she got a kick out of it," Natalie said, sipping again of the excellent champagne.

"She did seem in her element." Adrian sipped a bit of the champagne too, hoping the alcohol would give him some liquid courage for what was ahead. He felt discreetly in his pocket, making sure the burgundy velvet ring box was still there.

Natalie ate until she was stuffed, wishing her dress was not quite so snug. Then again, if all went well, she wouldn't be wearing it much longer.

"That was wonderful," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"No room for dessert?" he asked, eating his last bite of chicken. "I bought cheesecake at the bakery too."

She groaned. "It sounds great, but I'm too full. I think you're going to have to roll me out of here."

"You can sit there and let things settle while I clean up," he said, rising as he carefully stacked their plates together.

"Not a chance!" she protested. "I'll help you."

"Natalie, you're my guest. This night is for you. I can't let you help clean up," he returned, even as she got to her feet and began placing lids on serving dishes.

"Let me put it this way, Adrian," she said, moving to stand by his side. "The sooner we get the clean-up out of the way, the sooner we can... enjoy ourselves." She reached up and ran a finger down his cheek. "I don't want to wait too long."

His throat went dry and his pulse raced at her suggestive tone. He couldn't help himself – he seized her arms and hauled her up against him, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. He groaned in pleasure as she deliberately rubbed against him, and for the first time in his life he considered leaving the dishes until later. But part of his brain vehemently protested at the thought of leaving a sink full of dirty dishes to fester in the kitchen, and with great reluctance he broke the kiss.

"Okay, you can help," he said hoarsely.

She smiled. "I knew you'd see it my way."

Natalie took care of putting the leftover food in his refrigerator, along with the remnants of the bottle of champagne, as Adrian carefully hand-washed the delicate dishes.

"Those dishes are beautiful," Natalie remarked. "I've never seen them before. Are they yours?"

Adrian nodded. "They were wedding gifts. They've been in storage for a while." He suddenly looked guilty. "I... hope it's okay that I used these."

She hugged him from behind. "Adrian, you know I don't expect you to pretend that your marriage to Trudy never existed. Same goes with my marriage."

He would have kissed her if he hadn't been elbow-deep in dirty dishwater. "Thank you," he said instead.

She gave him another squeeze and went to load the non-delicate dishes into his dishwasher.

Sooner than would have been possible without her help, the clean-up was done. He finished scrubbing and rinsing his rubber gloves and then stripped them off to air dry. He removed his white apron, neatly folded it, and put it in the kitchen laundry bin. He glanced around the kitchen, making sure everything was put away and scrubbed clean. It was.

"By the way," Natalie said from the kitchen doorway, "I love the new look."

He blinked, momentarily confused, but quickly realized she was referring to his clothing.

"Oh," he said with a self-conscious chuckle, moving over to her. "Julie's idea. She, uh, kind of insisted on taking me shopping." And he'd been so euphoric after the purchase of the ring that he'd let her pick out his current clothing for him with hardly a word of protest. "The tie has ten gray stripes and ten red stripes." The salesman had been very confused when that particular selling point had been the deciding factor.

Natalie gently fingered the necktie, absently wondering if Julie had encouraged her to buy the red dress because it coordinated with his shirt and tie, or if she'd encouraged Adrian to buy the shirt and tie because they coordinated with her dress.

"You look very debonair," she said. "And very sexy." Her hand fisted around his tie and she tugged his head down to meet hers for a long, deep kiss.

At its conclusion, she trailed the tie through her fingers and tugged it again, this time in the direction of the doorway. "Come on," she whispered. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" he asked dumbly, his brain still reeling from the intensity of the kiss.

"To your bedroom." She took a step in that direction, but he didn't follow her. "What's wrong?" She bit her bottom lip. "You don't want to?" Her voice held confusion but also a note of hurt.

His mind was starting to work again. "I do! God, yes, I do, but… could we, ah, go into the living room for a little while, first?" He wanted to ask her in the room where they had first met.

She still looked confused, but less worried. "All right."

When they entered the living room, he gently took her shoulders and guided her to a specific spot near the doorway. "There. Stand right there."

"What's so special about right here?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

He smiled. "That's exactly where you were standing the first time I ever saw you." He walked over to a spot nearer the fireplace. "And this is where I was standing."

"With a fire extinguisher in your hands, counting off the steps from the flaming wastepaper basket," she added, laughing at the memory. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "If you'd told me that day that we'd end up where we are now, I would have said you were even crazier than I already thought you were."

"I probably would have thought the same," he agreed ruefully.

"You thought I was crazy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought everyone else was crazy, and that I was the only normal one," he explained. "Sometimes I still do."

She smiled. "I think we've all had that feeling." She shifted on her feet and waved her arms in a questioning gesture. "So, why am I standing where you first saw me?"

"Because I want to ask you a question." It was time, and his stomach was churning violently. The chicken suddenly seemed like a bad idea. He swallowed hard, desperate to quell his anxiety.

She shook her head, still puzzled, and a little annoyed, too. "Ask me what?"

"Here's the thing…" Adrian began, then stopped. Although he had thought up speech after speech in the preceding weeks, right now he couldn't remember a single word of any of them. He decided to keep it short and simple.

He approached her, slowly. She watched him come nearer, growing more and more confused by the second.

To her utter shock, he sank down on one knee, taking the ring box out of his pocket and opening it as he knelt. He held it up to her. "Natalie, will you marry me?"

Natalie gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, the blood draining from her face. For a long moment she stood, frozen in astonishment, unable to say a word.

Adrian was proposing to her.

She'd never expected that he would do this, not for a single minute. It had only been six weeks, give or take a few days, that they'd even admitted their mutual love for one another. But she'd have felt equally as flabbergasted if it had been six years. She'd tacitly acknowledged that despite their love, and despite the fact that he'd stopped wearing his wedding ring, he'd always be Trudy's husband and would never want to be anyone else's, no matter what he felt for her.

In a single instant, and not for the first time in the years she'd known him, he had turned her assumptions upside down.

She realized, belatedly, that he was still down on one knee, waiting for her to answer, but as she opened her mouth the room started spinning.

"I need to sit down," she managed, right before her knees buckled.

"Natalie!" He sprang forward, ring box and all, and caught her in his arms before she hit the floor.

He steered her over to his brown leather recliner, and he shoved the ring box back in his pocket at the same time he pushed her head between her knees. "I'll be right back," he told her even as he rushed to the kitchen for a glass of water.

She still had her head between her knees when he returned a minute later, and he eased her up and put the glass in her hands. "Here, drink this," he said anxiously, kneeling next to the chair.

Natalie drained the glass, her hands trembling slightly as she lowered it from her mouth. He took it from her and set it on the end table, then covered her hands with his own. The distress on his face tore at her heart.

"Yes," she blurted, startling them both.

He caught his breath, desperately hoping that he hadn't just imagined her response. "You're saying yes?" he asked cautiously, his heart hammering in his chest.

"I'm saying yes," she confirmed, laughing a little. Her eyes filled with tears at the expression of utter joy that suffused his face.

He leaned forward, his eyes bright and eager, and they spent the next few minutes locked in a long, tender kiss.

"Can I see that ring again?" she asked, once they were forced to come up for air. She'd been so overwhelmed at the proposal itself that she'd barely glanced at the ring.

He fumbled in his pocket and gingerly placed the little velvet box in her hand. She opened it and sighed. "Oh, Adrian… it's beautiful."

The ring was stunning. It was white gold and had an intricately wrought, lovely halo setting with trillion diamond accents and a perfectly round cut center diamond, which looked flawless to her untrained eye. As it sparkled brilliantly in the soft light of the living room, she suddenly realized that it looked somewhat familiar, as did the logo stamped on the inside top of the box – Faddis Fine Jewelers.

"This is from the store we were at a few weeks ago," she said, with dawning realization. "The murder/robbery case that you solved."

"We solved," he corrected. "Mr. Faddis said he thought he saw you admiring this one." He took it from its box and slid it onto her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. She wasn't surprised that he'd been able to accurately guess her ring size.

"In fact," he continued, his fingers caressing hers, "the diamond is one of the jewels you helped recover. He wanted you — us — to have it."

"He gave it to you?" She felt like she might pass out in earnest this time.

Adrian nodded, pocketing the ring box. "I paid for the setting, but the stone was his gift." He ran his fingers over the shimmering diamond. "I thought it was fitting, given that we met because of a case."

He looked up at her, then, and saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. He smoothed her hair back from her face. "Why are you crying?" he asked, a little bewildered.

"They're happy tears," she sniffed, admiring her gorgeous new ring. "I never thought — never dared hope — " She half-laughed, half-sobbed. "I can't wait to tell Julie. I think she'll be even more surprised than I am."

"Well — probably not, actually."

She looked up quickly at that, and saw his self-deprecating grin. "She helped plan the proposal, too?"

"No, but she knew it was going to happen. And she helped me pick out the ring. But I asked her first," Adrian added quickly. "I mean, I asked her permission to ask you."

"You asked her permission," Natalie repeated slowly, in an odd tone of voice.

"I thought I should, since it's just been the two of you for so long," he said uncertainly. Was she offended? He couldn't tell. "She said that it was fine with her as long as it was what you wanted, so — "

The force of her sudden embrace took him by surprise and he nearly fell backwards onto the floor, but recovered admirably, staggering to his feet while clutching her against his chest like a lifeline.

Natalie was overcome with emotion. He had asked her daughter for permission to propose. Ever since she'd started dating again, she'd yearned to find a man who would not only love her, but who would also accept her daughter and involve her in their lives as if she was their own. It turned out that man had been in front of her the entire time.

She'd instinctively known that the day he'd saved Mr. Henry, which was why she'd taken the job as his assistant in the first place, but she had just now realized that she hadn't merely agreed to marry the man she loved, she'd also agreed to marry the man who would become a substitute father for her daughter – and one who had just shown her, in the most perfect way, that he had every intention of being that father.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" she said, her voice muffled against his neck.

"Hopefully just as much as I love you," he said, burying his face in her hair.

She angled her face up and found his mouth. Suddenly, all of the emotion, all of the uncertainty and anxiety and tears that had punctuated the night coalesced into hot, blinding need.

They devoured each other's mouths frantically, mindlessly, as if their mutual survival depended on it. After several passionate minutes, Natalie pulled back. "We really need to go to your bedroom, right now," she said, gulping for air as she clutched at his shirt.

"Yes," he agreed emphatically, and they began stumbling down the hall, still locked in an embrace and unwilling to let go.