Chapter 2

Looking in Liam's room, she found it empty. She went to Laney's room and it too was empty. She turned and noticed Sean's door closed. When she went to open the door she found that it was blocked by something. Giving a hard shove she found the block was the wooden rocking chair, piled high with toys and books.

"Liam?" She called out, poking her head in the room and looking around she couldn't see either of her older children. She was starting to worry. Sean was just stirring in his crib so she went over and picked him up, carefully stepping over the toys and books that had fallen out of the chair when she moved it.

"Liam, Laney….where are you guys? Are you hiding?" A feeling of panic was welling up inside her but, she willed her voice to stay steady. The closet door started to creep open and she saw two little faces peak out.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked them softly, relieved to see them.

"Hiding from the bad people", Liam whispered, "I couldn't lift Seany and I couldn't lock the door." John had turned the door knobs around so the locks were on the outside of the doors, so the kids couldn't accidentally lock themselves in.

"The bad people?" Natalie asked him crouching down to his level to talk to him. She could see Laney standing behind her brother taking in the look on Natalie's face, so she tried hard to keep it neutral.

"The bad people downstairs", he replied. Natalie took a deep breath and tried to smile.

"There are no bad people downstairs, daddy just needs to talk to them about grown up stuff, ok? Now why don't you help me clean up Sean's room and we will go downstairs in a little bit and have some dinner, alright? Are you guys hungry?" Natalie asked standing back up and setting Sean in the crib so she could move the chair back across the room. Natalie hated that her children were scared in their own home.

What was John thinking bringing that woman into their house? Resisting the urge to grab all three of her children and escape out the window she straighten out the baby's room and took the kids to her bedroom. She sat down them down on the bed to watch cartoons and waited for her husband to come upstairs. Letting the anger at John finally take over. How could he let that woman into their home and so close to their children?

Once Natalie was safety out of sight upstairs John began to question Patrick again.

"I don't understand what the government would want with everyday civilians, with no special training for any kind of tactical procedures or operations", John was talking to Patrick but, watching Marty. He was closer to the front door and she was very close to the stairs. He needed to move himself between the her and the stairs just to make himself feel better. He rubbed a hand over his chin as he started to move around the room.

"She won't go up there, you have my word", Patrick said, he wasn't fooled by John's maneuvering about.

"Surely you can understand why I don't trust her", John replied. Patrick nodded once at him but, it was Marty who spoke.

" 'She' is right here and I wouldn't hurt your children John. God! You know me. I can't even believe that you would think that", she sounded so hurt. She was still acting strangely in his opinion.

"You tried to kill Natalie…and Kelly and you did kill your doctor. Marty you kidnapped my son. You purposefully keep Liam away from me when you changed those paternity results. I don't know that I ever knew you. I would have never thought you capable of any of those things but, you did them", John had moved himself around to the other side of the room so that Marty now stood between he and Patrick.

"Natalie deserved everything she got and so much more", Marty said quietly looking directly at John with tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, she didn't and she doesn't. You knew exactly what happened between Natalie and I. You knew that I wasn't over her, that I would never be over her and you also knew…that you and I didn't belong together", he sighed, dismissing her, he addressed Patrick, "is there anything else you can tell me about who is running this organization now?"

Patrick took a deep breath, clearly uncomfortable with Marty and John's conversation. "When Irene died the area, they call them divisions, she was in charge of was reassigned. We are not in this guys division but, he did help us with an…..issue a couple of years ago. Seemed like an ok guy", Patrick said.

"What was your issue?" John asked.

"Well Cole and Hope of course", Marty answered, speaking brightly again, "and no Cole doesn't work for the agency but, since he is still a fugitive he and Hope were allowed to stay with us."

"Cole and Hope are alive?" John was stunned. He had seen Starr in Port Charles when he was working there undercover, around the same time Cole and Hope had supposedly died. She was devastated.

"Yes of course they are", Marty said and laughed a little, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Does Starr know?" John asked, not knowing how he was going to tell Natalie. Natalie took care of Hope when they thought she was Chloe, Jessica's daughter. She was really attached to that little girl for a while and she was heartbroken to have heard she died.

"No," Marty scoffed, "she never cared about Cole. Hell she didn't even grieve for him when he died. He keeps tabs on her, he knows where she is and that she has moved on with the son of that mobster that you were investigating a couple of years ago", Marty said with venom in her voice when she talked about Starr. He had thought they had always got a long but, clearly Marty didn't care for Starr's choices since Cole and Hope's supposed deaths.

John just looked at this woman he thought he knew so well, he never really knew her at all, or was it some sort of mental illness. Patrick said she was sick. She was definitely not the same woman he knew she was completely out of character. She seemed almost manic. Or maybe heavily medicated? Looking up at Patrick he asked, "is there anything else you can tell me about any of this?"

"Not really. You see why you have to let this go?" Patrick asked him, "you won't get anywhere with this investigation."

"I see that", John conceded giving him a nod but, having no intention of letting anything go.

Patrick reached out to grab Marty by the forearm, "let's go", he said to her softly, almost like he was talking to a child. She smiled at him, John started to wonder about their relationship…he shook his head mentally, 'nope don't care, she is his problem', he thought to himself as he followed them to the door.

"By the way, Natalie was right, there is a current warrant out for Marty's arrest for the murder of Dr. Bahri, the attempted murder of Natalie and Kelly Cramer, along with the kidnapping of Liam. Keep her away from here, away from Natalie and away from my children or I will enforce it", John told Patrick in a non threatening manner. He needed the man to understand that he would protect his family and Patrick seemed to, with a nod they continued to the door.

"Oh and what did you say is the name of the man that runs the division now?" John asked Patrick as they reached the door and opened it.

Patrick turned in the doorway to answer and gave him a smile, "I didn't….. but, he was some high class lawyer from the New Jersey area. Runs it with his two daughters as sort of assistants. The name's Kenneth Fitzgerald. That is all I really know about him. It was nice meeting you."

John felt the world spinning, he had lost all conscience thought. He was standing, staring out into the evening with the door wide open. He never noticed Marty and Patrick leaving. He knew a lawyer from New Jersey by the name of Kenneth Fitzgerald…..and his two daughters, Katherine and Kaitlin.

From the window seat in her bedroom, Natalie had noticed Marty and Patrick climb into the black sedan and leave. She wasn't sure she was ready to go downstairs yet and she wasn't sure how much time had passed since they left. Seemed like it had been quite a while. The kids seemed content so she let them stay where they were. She sat in the chair next to the window and let her mind wander through all of the terrible things that could have happened if Marty had gotten her hands on any of the kids.

She gazed down into Sean's face. He didn't really look like either John or herself, she thought. His hair wasn't as dark as Liam's or as light as Laney's. There was the slightest tinge of red in it but, that was it. Sean was a more laid back baby, he just went with the flow. Hardly cried, always seemed happy to be where ever he was.

Lighter hair, fuller face and even though he was only five months old, he was neither as intense as John and Laney or as excitable and her and Liam. If she had to equate him to anyone, it would be Michael.

"Oh….won't your daddy be happy about that", she smiled, muttering to the baby.

"Be happy about what?" She heard John say. Looking up she saw him leaning on the doorframe of the room. An unreadable expression on his face. She hoped she pulled one off back at him.

"Nothing", she mumbled looking away.

"Dad! Did the bad people leave?" Liam asked getting up off the bed. Laney, knowing she couldn't get down by herself just held her arms up to him.

"Bad people?" John asked confused, picking his little girl up, "hey darling," he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah the bad people downstairs", Liam said looking up at his father for an answer.

John looked at Natalie and she was purposefully not looking at him. He knew she would be angry. Hell, he was furious at himself but, he hadn't seen a choice before. He couldn't have them standing in the drive way either.

"They weren't bad people buddy, just someone I needed to talk to", John answered him.

"Yeah well, your children barricaded themselves in Sean's room and hid in the closet because they were scared so….yeah, you need to deal with that", Natalie said, not even bothering to hide her anger at him, as she stood up and made her way to the door. Heading downstairs to feed Sean, she could hear John trying to reassure Liam that he was safe in the house and no bad people could get in. She stopped by the front door on her way to the kitchen, to make sure John had set the alarm and lucky for him, he had.

John and Natalie had eaten supper in silence listening to Liam go on about anything and everything. What he did in pre-school, the neighbor's dog, something grandma Roxie taught him. Natalie was thankful her boy was like her and could talk, it filled the silence. Also in silent agreement, John took Liam up and started his bath while Natalie cleaned the kitchen. She was about halfway done with John came back for Laney and disappeared upstairs to what Natalie rightly guessed was her bath also.

Once the kitchen was clean enough for the night, Natalie picked up Sean and they made their way upstairs also. As Natalie bathed Sean she could hear John reading to the other children in Laney's room. She couldn't wrap her mind around whether or not she was more angry or more hurt.

After getting Sean down, Natalie went to take her own bath. Not only to prolong the conversation that was inevitable but, to try and help her relax. Walking into their bedroom she didn't see any sign of John. She pinned up her hair and ran herself a bath. She dimmed the lights, lit a candle and slid into the hot water. That damn dimmer she insisted he install on the lights in the bathroom was, besides this over sized tub, one of her favorite features in the bathroom.

After a few moments, she felt herself begin to relax. She took a deep breath and sighed. 'There is nothing better than a hot bath', just as she completed that thought she felt his eyes on her. There was no way she was going to look up. She could hear him moving around inside the bathroom, she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. And even though she knew he was there, she jumped when he ran his hand slowly up the exposed skin her leg, that was bent at the knee in the water. Down her thigh, up to her knee and down her calf and back up to her knee. Up and down, never wandering beneath the water, he stroked her leg.

"Natalie", he whispered roughly.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yeah", she whispered back.

"Look at me", he commanded softly. She swallowed thickly and took another deep breath before opening her eyes, she looked up at him.

Still speaking softly, he said, "the waters hot."

She couldn't look away from his eyes and she hated the fact that she couldn't resist him, "do you want to get in?" 'Damn it', she thought, she wanted him.

Standing up, he took off his t-shirt. After he'd slid his pants off, she scooted forward so he could get in behind her. His arms came up to wrap around her as she leaned back. He stroked her arms softly for a moment before kissing her neck and shoulder. His hands roamed her body softly, stopping to linger in certain places.

He'd teased her breasts until they were painfully hard, then ran one had under the water to see if she was ready for him.

"Natalie," he purred softly in her ear, "turn around."

She knew what he meant, they'd done this before. He held her hips as she slowly turned her body around, her legs falling one on either side of his hips. Never breaking eye contact with each other, he pulled her to him. One wet hand at the small of her back and the other at the back of her head.

They kisses so slowly for so long that Natalie thought she might faint from the lack of oxygen. When they finally came up for air, he attacked her neck. Finding the place behind her ear that made her melt.

She arched her back and threw back her head giving me all the access he wanted.

"I want you," she whispered.

"You have me," he said back, bringing his hands to her hips while she placed him so he could slide inside her.

"I love you," he said as he leaned back against the tub and watched while she moved above him.

"I love you , too" she closed her eyes and bit her lip, "Oh John, I love you," she finished in a whisper,

falling forward to place her forehead against his and wrapping their arms around each other.

Later he helped her turn back around so he could hold her when they were finished. He caressed her skin as they came down from the high.

"You know that I would never intentionally hurt our kids or put them in harm's way….never", he rasped in her ear.

She couldn't help it, the hurt from earlier was back.

"And yet, Marty was in our house….because, you invited her in", she said, as a few tears slipped from her eyes. She threw out Marty's words from earlier.

She abruptly stood up, he watched the water rolling down her body as she reached for a towel hanging next to the tub and wrapped it around herself as she stepped out. He watched as she unwrapped the towel, patted her legs dry and rewrapped herself before he answered.

"You're right", he said, leaning his arms over the side of the tub, "but, they were standing in the driveway, what was I supposed to do?"

"You should have arrested her, John," Natalie argued, "put her in jail, that's where she belongs", she answered back, spinning around, starting to get mad again.

"You're right…again but, I needed the information that Patrick had and there was no way he was going to let me take her in and even if I did, he'd have had her out so fast…..besides, I saw out in the driveway that he was armed It could have been so much worse Natalie", he told her, standing up and stepping out of the tub himself.

He stood there letting the water drip down onto the floor. It was her turn to watch as the water ran down his body. Still at his age, he was magnificent to look at. She looked down at the floor, then up into his face. He just smirk at her, and placed his hands on his naked hips.

Knowing she'd been caught staring, she rolled her eyes and handed him the towel she had wrapped around herself now that she was mostly dry. He watched her naked form walk away as he dried off. There was no way they could have a serious conversation when either or both of them were in this state of undress.

He didn't think it was possible for her to be more beautiful now but, she was. He'd always been attracted to her, her body had always been amazing but, having the children had actually been very kind to her body. Her breasts which were always voluptuous, were still perfect. Her hips were a little more rounded but, her waist was actually smaller than ever before. Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she had three children.

After drying off, he stepped into the bedroom at the same time she was coming out of the walk in closet dressed in her pajamas. A tank top and sleep shorts.

"We're wearing clothes to bed tonight?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her, trying to lighten the mood. He knew by the way she lightly smacked him on the arm, with the back of her hand as she passed that if she wasn't so angry with him, she would have laughed at that comment. Deciding not to push his luck, he stepped into the walk in closet to throw on his own clothes, which actually only consisted of his boxer briefs. Coming back into the bedroom, she had left the lamp on his bedside table on but, hers was off and she was facing the wall buried beneath the covers. Climbing into bed himself, he wrapped an arm around her waist, nuzzled his face into the back of her shoulder and held her tightly.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair.

"I love you, too," she whispered back before she drifted off.

John laid awake all night and for many nights after running what Patrick had told him over and over in his head. Both Katherine and Kaitlin were alive. How was this possible? He thought Kaitlin loved him, how could she have tricked him, left him like that and let him morn her? Was anything that happened the day that Haver supposedly killed her and shot him true? How could she live with herself, doing this to him putting him through what he went through for all those years? How could she? Her death broke him in so many ways. He pulled away from his family. He couldn't sustain relationships until he'd come to Llanview. How was he going to deal with this? And how the hell was he going to tell Natalie?