You know when you run into someone who isn't you're closest friend…and it's been just months since you've even tried talking to them...Awkward, isn't it?

[Nine]

"It's Saturday morning."

Natalie looked comfortable — it wasn't just the linen sweater and denim, clothing selections that typically marked a subdued day in her lab — in his office doorway. If it weren't for her posture as she leaned a shoulder against the frame, he would have bristled at the image of her crossed arms. Instead, she was very nearly smiling and despite the fact that yes, it was a Saturday morning and she was haunting the halls of the NIH, she had only a very faint trace of shadows under her eyes. She genuinely looked happy to see him.

(There was, of course, a list of reasons he could think of for why she wouldn't be happy to see him. For instance, Lisa had once informed him that his general demeanor could sour fresh milk. Also, the last time he'd seen Natalie, he'd been three days without sleep and had refused to answer any of her questions with more than a grunt).

While he wasn't always a graceful man, the open-mouthed expression mixed with a faint squint was a new look for Stephen. He knew this; he also knew she was probably amused by this. But he hadn't been expecting the company. It wasn't unwelcome necessarily. Just unexpected.

Slowly, he drew his hands from the drawer he'd been methodically searching through and set them limply on his desk, "Huh?"

At this, she did smile, and stepped into his office uninvited. This wasn't uncharacteristic, as she'd invited herself into his workspace before with little regard for his mood, but the fact that she was doing it when they weren't arguing over his behavior was.

"I thought you were on sabbatical?" She tried a different angle, taking a seat across from him.

Stephen regained control of his face, "I've got a conference at SUNY in a week. I left all my files here."

Natalie looked like she understood — of course she did, her primary role here had used to be research — "You put off writing the working paper?"

"Who doesn't?" He deadpanned, not quite finding the equilibrium that had once existed in their relationship but getting close.

"I almost sent a proposal to SUNY," Natalie mused, "but I was in Colima during the deadline…" her words trailed off, as if she realized that line of conversation might not be the best, given that he originally hadn't been in Colima and was thus able to send his proposal, "…it doesn't matter. I've had to scale back my time in the trial anyway. I have no business presenting any findings."

(Later, Stephen would delete the draft that had been sitting in his email for the last week and a half addressed to her, asking if she'd be at the neurofibromatosis panel. He'd frown while doing so, not wondering why he'd been so quick to think of her when he saw it in the program).

Natalie clearly understood that she'd be carrying the bulk of this conversation, but didn't seem to mind. It wasn't as if she'd come to the NIH today expecting to see him, so her expectations were probably very low, "It's been awhile."

(Seven months.)

"Seven months?"

They'd been a good seven months — That wasn't to say he wasn't going out of his mind looking for ways to pass the time. He could only do so much to repair his relationship with Jack while still respecting the custody arrangement. The other four days of the week? He was on his own — he'd be ready to lead the charge again in seven months at this rate, no problem.

"That seems right," She flashed him a smile (Stephen had now been divorced long enough to know which smiles reached the eyes and which didn't — this didn't).

He cleared his throat, painfully aware now that he'd left Kate to give Natalie the news of her temporary promotion, "How has it gone?"

(To be honest, Stephen had already gotten a pretty clear picture from Frank, who lately seemed seconds away from writing sonnets about her virtues. Well. Very well. Apparently Natalie was a born leader, as he'd suspected, even if the news still surprised him.)

"Great, actually," this time the smile was real, "It took us a month to get over the growing pains, I think. But beyond that, everything's been running smoothly. I've been having Frank take on a lot of the cases closer to DC, so he ends up working with Al from 3. I have a suspicion that 2 wants to take Miles on after Johansson and Fields retire. I think he'd be a good fit there, given that Johansson's replacement supposedly has a soft spot for him."

(Later, Stephen will look through his inbox, wondering if he'd missed the email somewhere from Kate. He'd realize that he hadn't; she just didn't send him one.)

It took him a moment, but he began to understand what she might be hinting at there, "Congrats" it came out like he was pushing it through a metal sieve, "Has it been finalized?"

"Thanks! Johansson is leaving at the end of the month. Fields is stepping in until he retires. The rest of the team will work with us until I can make the shift over, but, yeah, everything was finalized last week."

His frown confused her, Stephen could tell.

(To be fair, he hadn't ever considered that this might happen. He never considered that Natalie Durant would sit across from him on a Saturday and tell him that she intended to take half his team up to floor three, as if that didn't mean she also intended to never work with him again).

He forced it into a smile instead, "I'll adjust."

Natalie laughed, "Good! You better not hog the case-load!"

(Seven months, he thought, bewildered by the change, it's only been seven months.)