Author's Note: I wrote this in 2008. Enjoy and be advised there's a lot of triggers in here. Please review and leave comments. Keeps me going. I don't own Monk.

Mr. Monk And The Imposter

4th in series
Author's Note:

CH. 1

Not What It Seems

Natalie Teeger eagerly drove to Adrian's apartment to pick him up for his various appointments. Fueled now by their engagement, she relished every minute with him. She smiled as she recounted in her mind the moment he had asked her. It was well thought out but even then, he'd fumbled a little, which made the memory all the more endearing to her heart.

She came to a stop sign and noticed a transient across the street being harassed by a woman of some self-supposed stature. This annoyed Natalie and she pulled over to the curb. She shut the engine off and got out of the car. "Hey!" she shouted from across the street. The neighborhood she was in was not a busy one, so she didn't even bother to look before crossing to the woman. "Leave this poor man alone!" she said. The woman looked at her with a grin as a dark blue van pulled up behind Natalie. Two men jumped out, grabbing her. A hand put a cloth over her nose and mouth as they pulled her into the van. She tried to struggle as they pulled her engagement ring from her finger. The transient and the woman climb in with them. The last thing she saw as her mind clouded was herself with a black eye, getting out of the van, slipping her ring onto her finger.

The imposter walked over to Natalie's car, got in and drove the rest of the way to Adrian's.

"Adrian!" the Natalie double called out, letting herself into his apartment.

Adrian Monk greeted the love of his new life at the door happily but stopped short when he saw the black eye.

"Natalie, what happened to your eye?" he asked, putting his hand gently to her face with concern.

She waved him off. "Oh, nothing. I got up in the middle of the night and tripped," she chortled, walking into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He followed her, partially bewildered. She poured her coffee then leaned against the counter to sip it. Adrian stood in front of her and leaned in to kiss the bruise.

"Ow!" She jumped more than was necessary and spilled the coffee on the front of Adrian's shirt.

"Ow!" He backed up quickly pulling his shirt way from himself, trying to avoid the hot stain. He looked at her and felt her pain more than his own. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"No, I'm sorry about the coffee. Why don't you go change?"

Adrian nodded and went to his room. When she was sure he was out of earshot, she opened her cell phone and called Captain Stottlemeyer.

"Stottlemeyer."

"Captain, it's Natalie." She broke into sobs.

"Natalie, how are-" but then he detected how she was. "What's the matter?" He leaned forward in his chair with concern.

"It's Adrian, He's going crazy, and I don't know what to do. He's trying to get me to sleep with him." She checked the hall to make sure he was still in his room then continued. "I just came in and he was all over me," she whispered urgently.

"A dissassociative episode," Stottlemeyer ventured. He remembered the last one and was afraid for Natalie.

"I think so. Please hurry!" Natalie sounded frantic and frightened from his end of the phone.

"Natalie, just leave!"

"No, I'm afraid to leave him alone."

Stottlemeyer remembered that part too. "Right, look Randy and I will be there in ten minutes."

"Oh my God, No Adrian, please!" She cried into the phone with a muffled noise and snapped the phone closed.

Stottlemeyer was in a panic now. "Randy, we're rolling, Let's go!"

"Where to?"

"Monk's! Joe, why don't you come along," he offered.

Joe Christie was eager to come along if Adrian needed help, so he quickly followed.

Natalie casually walked to Adrian's room and found him putting a fresh shirt on. He turned away from her as she came in. "I'm almost done."

Natalie walked around him. "Who are you hiding from?" she asked curiously. "I've seen your chest before remember?" He nodded with a nervous smile. "Did the coffee burn you?"

"Only a little, it's no big deal. I turned away because I didn't want you to worry," he said, kissing her forehead as she opened his shirt to examine the red blotch on his torso.

"I am so sorry. I've been really clumsy lately," she smiled. "Where's that liniment?"

"In the drawer." He pointed to his nightstand. She sat him on the bed and pulled out the liniment. She then knelt in front of him and pushed his shirt aside.

"No fresh stuff," he warned. "I've got some appointments I need to get to."

She looked into his deep brown eyes and, for a moment she felt sorry for him. "Not even a little?" she asked, a flirting look in her eyes, moving as close as possible to him and kissing him slowly. She dipped her fingers in the liniment and rubbed it on the burns. Then, she sat next to him, putting the liniment away.

He stared at the beautiful woman before him. But he had a strange feeling. "Are you okay?" he asked her with concern, his eyes again studying the black eye.

"Of course, silly," she assured with her chuckle he loved, kissing him again. She put her hands around his neck and pulled him back on the bed.

"Natalie," he protested only slightly, with a kiss for every word, "We. Need. To. Stop."

"No, not this time, we're so close," Natalie moaned breathlessly.

Adrian wrapped his arms around her in a deep kiss. He stopped after a moment. He couldn't shake that feeling that something was wrong.

"What?" she asked and pulled him back to her, her hands playing with his hair. Adrian wanted to get up, but she wouldn't let him. Natalie then noticed the clock and suddenly let out a scream of distress. "Adrian stop!" she cried, slapping him in the face. She could hear a car screech to a halt out front. She suddenly reached up and clawed his face and neck.

Adrian rolled away and jumped from the bed in surprise and terror. Hand to his face, he pulled his hand back and saw blood. "Nat-"

"Let me go Adrian!" She yelled loud enough for the entire building to hear. Adrian stood shocked, holding his face again. Natalie then ripped her shirt open and tore one of her sleeves.

Adrian, in a panic, ran out of his apartment and down the stairs. He exited the building just as Stottlemeyer, Randy and Joe were getting out of their cars. There were two plain clothes police officers as well and they pulled their guns on the man in front of them. He froze where he was, gasping for breath, disoriented, and blinking his eyes several times as if seeing a hallucination. The three detectives stared at Adrian Monk, who appeared to have just been in a fight.

Above them, Natalie opened the living room window, with reddened face and tears streaking her cheeks, she cried to the men below.

"Captain, help me!"

Adrian Monk stood shaking his head no with pleading eyes. He knew what it looked like, and he was begging them with his eyes not to believe what they were seeing. Stottlemeyer grabbed Monk and shoved him at Randy. "Cuff him!"

"What?"

"You heard me!" was all Stottlemeyer answered as he and Joe Christie ran into the building.

Randy pulled out his cuffs and carefully put them on his friend.

"I'm sorry."

"Randy, I, I, I didn't do anything," Adrian stammered with tears streaming down his face in total confusion. He glanced up at the window where Natalie had been. There was something terribly wrong.