Chapter Thirty One

John poured himself a glass of the scotch, it wasnt like him to have his nerves riled up, honestly he couldnt remember the last time he felt such a way but now, being in that house and being hated by all those people, well it did something to him. An uncomfortable aura surrounded him even though he didnt show it on his outward appearance, seriously what was happening to him?

"explain to me how you think that by being here is going to somehow help in getting Victoria back" Bo said to John as he kept his distance.. "he is an angel, its not like he took her across the country or something" he said a bit dryly..

"i wish he would have because then atleast we would have a chance" Natalie said honestly..

"explain to me exactlly how it happened" John said as he ignored Bo's sarcasm..

"it was just like I told natalie, he came and asked to see her, I didnt think much of it" Bo said with a shake of his head..

"Bo its ok, really" Natalie looked at her uncle, she could see he was riddled with guilt..

"and than I left him alone with her, it was only a minute" Bo walked over to his desk and proceeded in pouring himself a drink..

"i want to see the room" john said as he downed the rest of his drink..

"i'll show you" Natalie said quickly and than she looked at her uncle.."im gonna get her back"

"Im going to call around some more, someone has to know something" Bo said as he picked up his phone but his eyes didnt leave John.."be careful" he added quickly as he than looked at Natalie..

Natalie tried to ignore the feeling of uneasiness as they left the office. She could feel the stares and hear the whispers as they passed by the large livingroom. Rex in particular was shaking his head. She knew he was upset about all of this but she hoped that in time he would understand, maybe they all would.. She forced her legs to keep moving as they began to head up the stairs, John hadnt said a word and the awkwardness between them was not only thick but extremly evident.

The walk to Victoria's nursery was not only surreal but Natalie also felt her stomach begin to tighten. The reality that her daughter was indeed missing was weighing heavy on her and she almost dreaded going in the room. She stopped at the door that had a brightly colored name on it, Victoria. She slowly backed away from the door as she swallowed the huge lump in her throat.

"I'll just wait out here" she managed to say as she finally looked at John. He immediately went to the door and opened it, he looked determined and focused, soon he was inside as Natalie inhaled deeply..

The sight of the nursery took John by surprise. He never was one to be around children but now here he was not only in a child's room but his child, one he had never even gotten to meet. It was an odd feeling, one he didnt quite understand. He glanced around at the large white crib that had a very sheen curtain hanging from the canopy. Everything was in soft pastels of pink and blue. The walls had dancing teddy bears on it. An emotion hit him hard, one that it took him a while to understand, was it sadness? He never got sad.

He walked over to the crib and slowly touched the white wood, running his fingers over it as he stood there. He tried to concentrate as his eyes closed..

"You are so beautiful" Michael said as he picked up the now half awake baby.."Your not safe here little one" he continued as Victoria began to fuss and he held her close.."everything will be ok, I promise" he whispered softly and then just like that he was gone..

Johns hand fell from the crib as he stood there, breathing heavy as the images continued to dance in his head. Michael, his brother had taken Victoria, and to keep her safe?.. Safe from what? Him? The idea almost made him feel sick, was Michael doing this to protect her?

Natalie kept her back turned from the bedroom, it was just too painful for her to enter. She felt so guilty, so helpless, what if they never got Victoria back?

"You Ok?" her brother Rex's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked at him and just nodded her head no..He glanced at the door and than back at her.."do you really think he can get her back?" he asked softly..

"its the only option we have left" she said honestly..

Rex glanced at the door again and sighed heavily.."Im sorry I overreacted before, I know your going through alot" he said apologetically. She was a bit surprised at his understanding tone.."I mean if you trust the guy" he continued.."then well, i'll back you up"

"I just want to get her home Rex" she said with a shake of her head, she was seconds away from losing it once more and she didnt want to do that, not now. Her daughter needed her strong, she needed her with a calm head..

John stepped out of the room and looked at them. Rex shifted some as he looked at John.."so?" rex began as he looked at John..

"he's trying to protect her" John finally said as he looked at them..

"Protect her? From what?" Natalie said a bit in shock. Victoria was absolutely safe there with all of them, this made no sense..

John didnt say anything for a moment and Rex finally spoke.."from you, thats why he took her, to protect her from you" Rex said as Natalie's eyes got wide..

"what? no...he wouldnt" natalie began with a shake of her head..

"Your brother is right, he did this because of me" John said honestly as Natalie shook her head in confusion..

"Im gonna see if Bo found out anything yet" Rex said as he quickly spun from them..

"why would he want to protect her from you" Natalie said to John, confusion still raking her body..

"The obvious I suppose" John said dryly and Natalie finally got it. It somewhat made sense. Maybe Michael was protecting Victoria, maybe he had been worried about what John would do to her. I mean its not everyday a child has a fallen angel as a father.."there is only one thing we can do now" John continued..Natalie honestly didnt know what to say.."Im gonna have to go there myself"

"go there, as in heaven?" Natalie said in shock.."How do you expect to do that, its not like you can just take some stairway leading there"

"actually there is a way" John began as his tone got low.."heaven and hell, they all have portals, ways to get there"

"Portals? Im not following you, you cant just go to heaven" Natalie said with a shake of her head..

"actually you can, theres a guy" he began..

"a what? This is crazy" natalie said in disbelief..

"maybe to you but I am still part angel" John said quickly..

"Fallen angel" natalie interjected and he just looked at her as she swallowed hard.."its true"

"yeah well fallen angel or not there is a way, a reaper can bring me there" he said nonchalantly..

"a reaper, as in a grim reaper?" she said in shock, she felt like she was in the twilight zone or something and considering the things she had seen,well that was saying something.

"How is that so hard to believe, I mean if vampires, werewolves and demons exsist" John began as he paced..

"Your being serious" she said as she looked at him.."there are reapers out there?" she said in shock..

"someone has to lead the souls back to heaven, or in my case it would be me, souless and all" John said quickly..

"Ok so say I humor you" she said quickly.."how exactlly do you expect to find a reaper, arent they invisible or something" she said as she stood there, this sounded insane and yet if it could work he could get to heaven and get Victoria.."I hate to break it to you John but I mean, your not exactlly what one would call saint like"

"yeah well everyone has a price" he began as he quickly dialed his phone and she watched as he spoke.."Hey its me, I need a favor" he began as Natalie just stared in shock, was this actually happening. Was he going to find a reaper to bring him to heaven? He walked down the hall some where she couldnt hear him, he spoke for a few more seconds and than hung up his phone. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood there.."theres a guy who goes by the name Alexander" John began as he turned and looked at Natalie now.."and lets just say that for the right price he can do just about anything"

"what sort of price" Natalie said with worry now in her voice,she didnt like this one bit. I mean how could they just trust some guy that they didnt even know.

"You dont need to worry about that" John said seriously.."Zach is trying to locate him now"

"Your demon buddy?" natalie said in shock..

"Yeah well he has connections" John shrugged his shoulders.."but now we wait"

"so just like that he can give you the location to this reaper guy and then this guy is just going to help you" Natalie said with a shake of her head..

"I can be very persuassive" John said dryly..."so what exactlly is there to drink around here" he added quickly..

"i dont know but I need one" she said honestly and they headed back downstairs.

Natalie had expected the welcoming to be less than inviting and she was absolutely right as they headed into the packed kitchen. All eyes were on them, or John to be exact. She tried to ignore it as went to the fridge. Gigi was the first one to come over.."Hows it going nat" she said with a half smile, Natalie could tell she was trying to be the better person here and she was actually grateful for it because the stares or better yet glares she was getting from everyone else was unnerving to say the least.."hello John" Gigi continued as she looked at him and then back at Natalie..

"Just trying to get by" natalie said quickly as she grabbed two beers and quickly handed on to John, he didnt waste any time in opening it and downing it fast..

"were about to throw some burgers on the grill" Gigi said somewhat nervously..

"yeah well last time I checked no demons allowed" Steele interjected as a few of them laughed..Natalie again ignored them as she looked at Gigi..

"dont mind them Nat" Gigi said quickly..

"actually I think she should mind us, ya know since we all live here" Steele said as he put his drink down and walked over, he eyed John up and down..

"why dont you tell me how you really feel" John said sarcastically as he eyed steele..

"Can we just all drop the bullshit for a second" Natalie finally stopped as the laughing ceased and Steele looked at her.."I really dont care what any of you think right now ok, this was my house first, my parents place" she snapped as some of them quickly looked away..

"Natalie's right" Rex said as he came into the room and they all looked at him.."what my sister says goes and if she wants...him... to stay then so be it and if you dont like it then you can get out" he said seriously as they looked at him..

"Your really gonna go out on a limb for this piece of" Steele began as he looked at John and then Rex..

Rex cut him off.."Im doing this for my sister and for Victoria or have we all forgotten what is at stake here"

"you dont have to stick up for me, I can take care of myself" John finally snapped a bit rudely at rex and then he grabbed another beer and pushed his way past everyone as he headed outside..Natalie waited a second and then huffed..

"thanks Rex, I really do appreciate it" she said softly to him and then quickly pushed past everyone as she followed John outside.."You know you didnt have to be so rude to him" she snapped as she got outside and John quickly turned to look at her..

"i dont need someone to back me up" John snapped..

"yeah well when your in a house full of people who would rather see you dead" she said with a shake of her head..

"You think I really care what they think?" John said sarcastically as he began to down his beer..

"your gonna make this harder then it has to be, why cant you just...just" she couldnt even find the words as he finished his beer and looked at her..

"be forgiving? Be socialable?" he said sarcastically.."I hate to break it to you but thats not me"

"I wasnt going to say that but I mean it wouldnt kill you to just be nice" she huffed..

"Im not a nice guy" he said with a roll of his eyes..

"Yeah well your not a monster either" she snapped and he looked genuinely surprised and she wondered if she had said too much.."right now those people inside are all you got so you could either make this bad or make it tolerable" she added quickly..

"those people inside mean nothing to me, hell I could give a rats ass about any of them" he said angrily..

"Yeah well those people helped to raise your daughter" she snapped at him, she was getting so mad that her hands were shaking now as she held onto her beer.."so whether you like it or not, thats the truth, so maybe be a bit more grateful" she spun from him and began to storm back over to the door..

"I dont do well with people" he finally said in a somewhat low voice as she got to the door and she stopped.."I never have or atleast I dont think I ever have" he continued as she stopped and turned now..

"everyone is stressed out right now, in time they will see" she said quietly..

He laughed a little now, a sarcastic laugh.."they will see what exactlly natalie?, a saint?" he shook his head.."You know exactlly what I am and if it wasnt for the fact that we share a daughter" he began..

"then what? You would just push me aside to?" she hated how much that statement hurt her to say but was he right, was Victoria the only thing that was keeping them in such close quarters?

"You said yourself natalie, I wasnt really a stand up guy before, hell from what I see it looks like I just used you for sex" he said dryly..Natalie honestly didnt know what to say, she was hurt, shocked and maybe a bit more than confused right now because what if he was right, what if that was all there was to it..She wanted to say something, to say anything but she just couldnt find the words and so she turned from him and stormed back inside..

John stood there with his now almost empty beer. He had seen a look cross over her face, she looked hurt by his words but why? Hell as far as he knew all they did was have sex, no feelings involved, or was there something..The sight of Rex walking outside made him sigh heavily..

"I didnt come out here to fight with you" Rex said quickly as he began to walk over..

"well im sure you didnt come out to play checkers" John said sarcastically as he finished off his beer now..

"Here" Rex handed him another one as John looked at him a bit surprised.."You look like you could use it" Rex said as he held out the bottle to John..John looked at it cautiously and then grabbed it, quickly opening it he took a swig.."My sister really thinks that you can help to get Victoria back, can you?" he asked as John looked at him..

As natalie got back into the kitchen a lot of the people had disapated now and went off to different rooms, Gigi was still in there preparing a large salad as she looked up at natalie.."the guys are always happier when their stomachs are full" Gigi said with a shrug of her shoulders as Natalie grabbed another beer..

"Yeah well I dont think any amount of food is going to change their minds" Natalie said dryly as she took a big swig..

"You trust him right?" Gigi said as she continued to make the salad and then she glanced at natalie.."if you trust him then that is all I need" Gigi smiled softly..

"thanks Gigi" natalie said softly even though she really wasnt sure anymore what to trust..

John walked across the large yard as Rex stood there.."You know It probably doesnt mean anything to you but my sister was really torn up over everything that happened, she almost didnt even keep the baby" Rex said as John stopped walking now but he didnt turn to face him.."Not that I blamed her or anything but your death" rex began as he sighed.."I never saw her like that, not with anyone"

"Yeah well she was able to move on quick" John said with a bit of annoyance as he thought about her and Victor, apparently Victor was able to bring some life back into her. The thought made him feel angry and bitter, most of all uncomfortable..

"Move on?" Rex said as John now turned and faced him.."If You mean turning into a one woman destructive team" Rex said sarcastically..

"Listen, Rex is it, we dont have to do this ok, the only reason your even out here talking to me is because" John began sarcasm..

"You know nothing about me ok, nothing at all but I know my sister and I know when she is hurting and you hurt her once, I wont let you do it again.." Rex said honestly..

John began to laugh once more as Rex narrowed his eyes.."You know this amuses me, I mean you can sit here and judge me and yet your sister lies in bed with the monster who killed your parents and im the bad one"

Rex blinked his eyes at John.."what?"

"oh come on I know all of the gory details, not that I really care, what I do care about is that you all allowed that blood sucker to be around my daughter, and for what?" John said with a bit of anger as he swigged back the rest of his beer..

"Thats what you think huh, maybe your a bit more delusional then I already thought" Rex snapped..

"hey listen alright kid, your sister can do whatever the hell she wants and whoever she wants" John snapped back at him as he went to walk past him but Rex grabbed his arm as John spun around..

"My sister spent the last year after your death trying to hunt down that son of a bitch, she nearly lost Victoria because of her need for revenge" Rex yelled at him as he let go of his arm..John looked at him a bit puzzled and he went to say something but Rex began first.."Victor was a self absorbed, manipulating asshole but than again you should be familiar with those traits" Rex huffed.." she hated Victor, hell she had almost killed him if it wasnt for him speaking your name, so dont try and act like you know what was going on, because you dont know a damn thing!"

"let me help you with that" Natalie said to Gigi as she began to grab burgers out of the fridge.."im sorry I havent been around" she finally said as she placed items on the counter and Gigi looked at her..

"You did what you had to Nat" Gigi said with a soft smile..

"yeah well im starting to think that I should of just stayed here, I was needed here" Natalie said honestly..

"well then you wouldnt be the natalie that we know and love, and we do love you Nat" Gigi said with a half smile..

"I just feel like I made everything so much more complicated" Natalie sighed.."he's not even the same person anymore Gigi and im starting to think that I didnt even know him at all" she said honestly..

Gigi walked over to her now.."you loved him Natalie and there is nothing wrong with that"

"i barely knew him then" Natalie rolled her eyes..

"your too hard on yourself" Gigi said honestly.."i see the way he looks at you, there is something there Nat and you wouldnt of went across the country if there wasnt"

John stared at Rex as he continued.."Victor knew his days were numbered, I was there, I saw it all" he continued.."the only reason she didnt kill him was because he said he would bring her to you and he did, not that it did much good" Rex said sarcastically..

"Natalie said" John began as Rex looked at him.."I saw them together" he added quickly..

"you seriously thought that Nat could even stomach the idea of being with him, he was a god damn monster" Rex said angrily.."and why would you even care, I mean dont the souless not give a shit" rex said quickly as John just stood there, now it all suddenly made sense. She had been lying about being with Victor, maybe to keep herself safe. He suddenly had a overwhelming feeling come over him, did he feel bad now? Had he judged her without even knowing the truth.."or maybe you do care" John turned from him quickly.."she doesnt deserve to be hurt again and I swear if you do anything at all" Rex began as the door opened and people began piling out, Natalie was one of them, she held a tray of meat in her hand.

John turned slightly and glanced at her as she looked at him for a second and then quickly went over to the grill.. Rex walked away from him as John stood there. Had he been wrong this whole time?