Author's Note: Sorry if you guys are expecting longer chapters! I figure if the chapters are shorter I'll be able to update faster! And from all the rushing that people are imposing upon me...I figure faster is better. This chapter is setting up something in the grand picture of things and gives a little tid bit of the hot and steamy action that occured...without going into REAL detail. Hope you like!

Natalie continued to hit her head against the top of the steering wheel over and over.

Why on EARTH didn't I stop myself?

The obvious answer… she didn't want to.

Pulling herself upright once more as she sat and waited for the light to turn green, she knew she hadn't wanted to stop. If anything…she had wanted more. Way more!

They had been getting closer in the past few months. Things had happened that had broke them apart and then brought them back together stronger.

Relationships in general are complicated and hard to understand or define, and it was no different for the two of them.

Her eyes closed again as she remembered how his lips had felt against hers. How she had opened her mouth almost instantly, and how he had stiffened at the act.

She had pressed on not thinking at all about his phobias or the fact that he might not want to do this with her. It had been too late for her. The second his lips had touched her she no longer listened to her brain, instincts taking over completely.

Opening the kiss she had very quickly built up the kiss and had managed to put her tongue in his mouth, which made Monk try to pull away, but Natalie hadn't thought that he had been pulling away from her. Instead she followed him, pressing her body to his and wrapping her arms around his neck as she let herself feel his frame against her own, heightening every tingle and sensation her body experienced. Slowly as the kiss had continued she had managed to sit in his lap.

Again she opened her eyes as the stupid light continued to stay red.

Squeezing her eyes shut she rubbed both of her hands over her face and to the side. Her cheeks were flushed just from the memory. Remembering the feel of him against her, it was too much.

The car in front of her moved and she quickly shook herself and began to drive once more, the whole time trying not to remember the night before…and failing miserably.

What else could possibly go wrong?!

A few days would pass….before she would regret asking herself that question.

Monk kept moving his shoulder up and down as he continued or tried to continue to survey the scene. Monk was distracted. Everyone knows that a distracted Monk can not work.

He kept walking around the body. Around and around and around. Stottlemeyer was not liking it one bit. It had been since Monk's suicide watch that he had been this worried about him.

Staring at Monk he realized just how white and ashen he seemed. Whatever had happened to cause what he was seeing…it had been big.

"Randy!"

Randy turned around from talking with one of the officers. "Yah Chief?"

"Has Natalie called back yet?" Stottlemeyer said as he stared at Monk. Currently Monk was leaning against the tree crying again.

"No Chief….why?"

Stottlemeyer took a hard look at Monk, he needed to solve this murder…and he hadn't found a damn clue. Monk was his only chance of seeing something important. Instinct was telling him that Natalie had something to do with Monk's current condition. And if he was right…he had a feeling that he wasn't going to be getting a good night's sleep for weeks.

"Keep trying her cell."

As Randy pulled out his cell phone to call Natalie once more his phone rang. Randy looked at his phone.

"It's her."

Stottlemeyer turned and rolled his eyes. "Well pick it up!"

Randy opened his phone. Before he could get out a word Natalie spoke.

"Tell me he's alright!"

"Um…well…" Randy stuttered as he looked at Monk who was again leaning up against the tree next to the victim, weeping again.

"What happened?! Is he hurt?!" Natalie's fear skyrocketing within the few seconds that Randy had not spoken up.

"NoNo…he ah…he's not hurt…it's just that…" looking up at Monk once more, "I think he lost it Natalie." The words whispered as he stared at Monk. It wasn't often that Randy actually looked beyond what was right in front of him…but he couldn't miss the fact that Monk…was not Monk.

"I've never seen him like this." Randy had whispered the words as he continued to stare at Monk, worry for his friend apparent in the way he spoke.

Natalie leaned her head on the head rest and screwed her eyes shut as tears once more fell down her cheeks. Relief and fear intermingling with each other as she listened to Randy explain to her how Monk looked at the moment as he was looking over the scene.

Natalie tried to pull it together as she held the phone up to her ear and continued to cry. Once Randy stopped talking she sniffled as she tried to reign in her emotions, only succeeding in letting Randy know she was crying.

Randy stepped over to a more private place and stuck his hand in his pant pocket.

"Are ah….are you ok?" He asked concerned.

Natalie opened her eyes as she stared at the traffic in front of her.

If you only knew…

"Yeah I ah…I just got scared when he didn't pick up his phone this morning…" She lied ad she fought the clog in her throat. She had to. How could she possibly tell or even explain what had happened to make Monk regress back to what he had fought soo hard to overcome.

Randy had told her where they were, and it hadn't taken a second before Natalie had said that she'd be there.

This was her fault. Adrian Monk was regressing once more and it was her fault. But no matter how horrible she felt…she still felt his touch on her body.

As she neared the crime scene, one question plagued her.

How are we going to get through this?!

Author's Note: I have a curve ball planned for this story and its going to take me a while to get there...but it's a doozey! So how do you think Monk and Natalie are going to react to each other? Let me know!