Disclaimer: All characters are owned by ABC/Disney. I'm using them to fuel my creative process and will put them back when I'm done.

A/N: This story has been in the works for at least six months-if not more. I finally got over the hump on a part that was bothering me so I figured I'd go ahead and post to give you something to read. Until next time-ya'll are the best-PCGirl.

April 2014

John sat at his desk at the LPD and finished looking over the witness statements that had been given to him earlier. He'd been back to Llanview now for six months and was finally getting back into the rhythm of it all.

A part of him had enjoyed being undercover once more. The rush he used to have to get the job done. But a larger part had missed this. The slowness of it. The relationships he had made in the ten years since he'd first come. What he'd missed most was his family-Natalie and Liam.

The first time he saw Liam after over a year he had started to cry-it had just been Natalie there, but he hadn't cared if it was the entire town of Llanview at that moment. His relationship with his son was growing stronger every day. He hadn't let a day go by yet without seeing him, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Natalie was another story-working again in the same building, and side by side on cases, they couldn't avoid each other, but there had been a lot of hurt involved on both sides when it came to their relationship. So far there had been no conversation regarding them wanting to start anything again-focusing on work and raising Liam seemed to be the only conversations either of them were willing to have.

Hearing a knock on his door he called for them to come in and watched her walk in, "Is that the forensics report?"

"Yeah," she said as she felt some nerves ball up at what she wanted to talk about. "Hey-I was wondering if you would want to keep Liam overnight on Friday."

"Of course-got big plans?" he asked casually.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm going on a date," she said with a slight smile.

John paused, he hadn't been expecting her to say that, "Oh. Anyone I know?"

"No, you wouldn't know him," she said with a shake of her head.

"Try me-what's his name?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Natalie pursed her lips together and crossed her arms ready for a fight, "He works at B.E. He's new to town and my dad asked me to show him around some."

"Oh, so your daddy is picking out your boyfriends now?" he snarked.

"You can be a real ass-you know that? I'm not so above myself that I'm not willing to make a new friend and show them around. I remember what it was like to be the new person in town and know nobody. And for the record-we've already met up a few times for lunch-I just thought this time I'd see if you wanted to watch your son for the evening. I'll drop Liam off at the hotel after work Friday."

"Natalie-wait-," he said as he stood up and tried to begin to explain himself.

"No, I don't want to hear whatever half-hearted apology you are going to give me. I will work with you here to bring criminals to justice. I will never keep you from having a relationship with your son. What I will not do is stand here and be put in interrogation by you over my personal life," she shouted, her hand on the door before he could stop her from marching out.

John walked into the diner glad at the chance to talk with Cristian Vega. He'd been trying to not let Natalie's date bother him-but when she'd refused to drop Liam off at his door and instead sent him up via Roxy it had more than irked him. He kept trying to tell himself that as Liam's father he deserved to know who the guy was.

He'd gone by and seen Blair yesterday after work. She had confirmed they'd been at Capricorn, but did not catch the guy's name. Cris had been helping out that night and she figured they probably chatted with him.

"Cris, hey."

"Hey," said Cristian as he looked over to John while taking a sip of coffee.

"The other day when you saw Natalie at Capricorn-did you get the name of the guy she was with?"

Cristian paused, unsure what to think of that question, "What does it matter? Is he a suspect in something?"

"No, I just think if he is going to be around Liam I have a right to know who the guy is. Is that too much to ask as a father?"

"You don't actually believe what you are saying, do you? Natalie has told you the same stories that she told me about Roxy. About the men that she brought into the house growing up. You really think that she would ever bring anyone around Liam that she thought was a threat to him?"

"On purpose? No, but-."

"No, there's no excuse, John. I came back to town before you did, and Natalie told me what happened. You screwed up and chose someone else over your family."

"That's not exactly how it happened," he said, ready to correct the story.

"Did you kiss another woman or not?" he asked and got silence in response. "You screwed up-it doesn't matter how or why-but you did. And Natalie is trying to find some sort of happiness now. The thought of it not being you is driving you crazy. So maybe-instead of figuring out who a mystery man that means nothing is-maybe you should be trying to figure out why it bothers you so much."

Cristian finished his coffee and threw a few dollars on the counter before speaking again, "You know it's been awhile since I've seen this version of you, John."

John laughed, "And what version would that be?"

"The jealous one."

Natalie sat on a bench at the park watching Liam run around. She looked over and saw Erin Vega coming towards her after giving her daughter a diaper change. When Cristian had moved back to Llanview with his new family he had asked her to befriend his wife. At first she'd been apprehensive to have a friendship with her. The idea of being friends with your ex-husband's new spouse seemed strange.

But Cristian must have seen something similar in them because all it took was one playdate between Liam and their daughter Charlotte before they became fast friends.

Getting Charlotte settled back onto her blanket Erin sat back up with a look on her face like she was trying to decide to tell Natalie something, "So, Cris told me not to tell you this-"

Natalie laughed, "Obviously you want to you. So go ahead-what is it?"

"He ran into John this week at the diner. And John started asking about the guy you went on a date with."

"It honestly wasn't a date," she said with an eye roll.

"That's not what John thinks. So what was it?"

"It really was just me taking the guy out to show him around. But John-he suggested that my dad was picking out my boyfriends now, so I didn't feel like fully correcting him. What did Cris tell John?"

"That it wasn't his business who you dated. And that maybe he should admit to himself that he's not over you if the idea of you dating someone bothers him that much."

Natalie gave a slight laugh, "I'm sure that John loved that." Her next thought was interrupted when Liam came running over. "Hey buddy-what's up?"

"Where's Daddy?"

Natalie looked at her watch, trying to figure out if John would be at Rodi's this early, "I'm not sure-why?"

"That man asked me where he was," he said as he turned and pointed across the playground where a man stood watching them.

Natalie looked at Erin uneasily before getting up and marching over, "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for John McBain-do you know where I can find him?"

"And you are?"

"An associate."

Natalie looked the man up and down, he didn't look like anyone she could see John associating with, "Listen. I've known John a long time-I don't think we've ever met. But I also don't believe he would be happy with you having any conversation with our son."

"You're Natalie?"

"Yes," she said with her arms crossed, ready to have a fight.

"Good," he said as he grabbed her and she heard Erin scream across the playground and looked back to see another person had grabbed her as well while their children stood there terrified.