John & Natalie #10 July 19 - September 28, 2005: 8 hour original edit

A report of a breaking and entering on Fuller Street comes into the station. John is sending a couple of officers to check it out when he realizes the address is that of Evangeline's building. He joins the officers and finds Van's apartment has been ransacked. There is also a note left by the killer, taunting John with a lock of Natalie's hair.

7/20 Evangeline shows John the note that the killer left after breaking into her apartment. It says, "You want her but I've got her." He tries to apologize for everything but she doesn't blame him for any of it, she responds. She reassures him that Natalie will be found safe and sound. The police have located Scott Randall, a former original member of the Killing Club and bring him in. To everyone's surprise, he's now a priest, which doesn't faze John at all.

Scott has an alibi and Evangeline doesn't recognize him but John wants him held for further questioning. He gives John a bit of the Killing Club history and mentions the fact that Marcie has a "loser's log," a list of all of the people excluded from membership. John is quite interested in this and immediately wants to find out more about it. He also learns that the lock of hair, inside the envelope with the note, definitely belongs to Natalie. Evangeline refuses to leave the station as she wants to do what she can to help out. Natalie tries to break free when the killer returns, knife in hand. He cuts off her gag but when she refuses to eat anything, he puts it back on. He has something in store for her anyway, he snarls. Once she's locked up again, he removes his mask. It's Hayes!

7/21 John is wary about Evangeline going back to her home and asks that she stay with him. Though John feels it's the best way to protect her, Evangeline turns down the offer. John asks Marcie about the list of people who were rejected from the Killing Club. She remembers someone who may be a perfect fit for the killer, Ivan Potter. John gives Nora a call to get some information on Ivan, when she gets back to him she informs him any information he needs on Ivan is his. After doing some digging, John finds that after high school Ivan checked him self into Garvey Clinic in Baltimore which specializes in cosmetic surgery. Hayes and the group of mystery people discuss Natalie's fate. It is decided that she will be used in their final "triumph" and killed. The next morning, Marcie goes to the police station and meets with John.

7/22 John and Bo work against time with the latest technology to see who Ivan Potter turned himself into at the Garvey Clinic. Meanwhile, Hayes (a.k.a Ivan Potter) has words with Rex and Marcie at Capricorn, revealing a bit more of his dark side in the process. Rex threatens to punch the agent; the threat causes Hayes to realize that Rex's concern and love for Natalie is actually his major weakness. He phones his cohorts with a new scheme, then leaves Marcie with a cryptic comment about always wanting to be her friend. As Rex walks outside, Hayes steps behind Rex with a chloroformed rag, bringing Balsom to his knees in a matter of seconds.

7/25 As Hayes and Marcie enter her apartment, he points out what a good form of revenge winning the award would be. Marcie informs him that she doesn't really care about revenge and the two get into another argument. Hayes then points out that Marcie never liked him. She never liked the way he dissected frogs and never let him in the Killing Club.

Marcie realizes then that Hayes is actually Ivan. He blames her for turning him into what he is because she rejected him. He informs her of the measures he's taken to become Hayes and get where he is today. He tells Marcie to come with him peacefully and she might get to see Natalie alive, but he will not make any guarantees. He only guarantees that if she does not, he will kill others. She decides to go with him and when they arrive Natalie, Rex, and another figure clothed in white are visible. Bo and John work on finding the identity of Ivan Potter. After the system crashes they finally find that Ivan is actually Hayes Barber. The squad works as hard as possible at finding Hayes. They track down a flight heading to Chicago, which Hayes is supposed to be on. However, after digging further they find that Hayes is not on the plane. Bo decides to have a few cops search Hayes' room at the Palace. Evangeline gets a call from John, who wants to know if Hayes is at Roadies. Evangeline informs him that he just left with Marcie. while John calls Evangeline to see how she is. He also asks if she's seen Hayes. After learning that Hayes had just left with Marcie, John fears that Hayes may have taken Marcie.

7/26 As Evangeline and her police escort leave Rodi's, Van notices a red rag on the ground. She struggles to remember where she has seen the rag before, and suddenly recalls that the killer used it to chloroform her before the kidnapping. A police officer spots Rex's watch on the ground. Realizing that Rex may have been kidnapped, Evangeline orders her police escort to call John McBain. Bo and John are racing against time to locate the theater where they believe Hayes may have taken Marcie. As they search, Ron shows up at the station and receives the news of his sister's abduction. He blasts Bo and John for pulling the police protection off of his sister, and Bo reminds him that those orders came from the mayor. John and Bo also question Hugh Hughes, but immediately rule him out as the killer's accomplice. As the police search for Marcie, Hayes leads her into a theater where he has set up a circle of dummies representing the Killing Club victims. There is one real human being amongst the dummies: Rex! Marcie begs Hayes to turn himself in, but he taunts her by removing Rex's blind fold. As Rex comes to, Marcie knocks Hayes over the head with the arm from one of the dummies. She then unties Rex, but he refuses to leave the theater without searching for Natalie. Hayes comes to and zaps Rex with a tazer, then chases Marcie and threatens to strangle her. Just then, Nick Messina steps out from behind the curtain, and Marcie begs him to help her escape. To her horror, though, she realizes that Nick is Hayes's partner in the murders! Hayes reveals that he tricked Nick into killing Julie, then blackmailed him into assisting with the kidnapping of Natalie and Evangeline. Marcie tries to persuade Nick to help her, but he believes he is in too deep to turn back now. Hayes sends him off to do some more dirty work, and forces Marcie into a chair. He tells her that it's time for her induction into the all new Killing Club.

7/27 As Viki wills Natalie to be strong, a scared and upset Roxy pays her a visit. The women bond further over their daughter. Roxy receives a suspicious call requesting that she bring Rex's toothbrush to the police station. John calls Michael to advise him that Marcie is missing and was last seen leaving Rodi's with Hayes. Evangeline and Adriana accompany the possible evidence picked up at Rodi's to the police station and confirm that it's Rex's watch along with a chloroformed scarf. They convince John and Bo that Rex is missing and probably taken by the killer. Roxy arrives with the toothbrush and learns the worst; the killer has possibly taken both of her kids. The toothbrush is wanted for DNA. Bo promises that Rex will be fine as John blames himself for not figuring the killer out ahead of time. Nick pulls out his gun and points it at Michael, explaining that he will have to go with him. Michael can't believe that Nick is Hayes' accomplice even as Nick explains how he became involved. Michael tries to get Nick to give himself up but as he tries to convince him, he dials John on his cell phone behind his back. John is able to hear enough of the conversation to dispatch a team to Rodi's as Michael ID's the spot. Unfortunately, Nick catches on to what he's done and becomes frantic. Hayes wants Marcie to commit a murder so that she can be a member of his club. He wants Rex killed and Marcie should be happy that he picked someone who she hates. He further explains that she'll die inside when she kills him and that will be like him killing her too and that will give him pleasure. He hands her a knife. Marcie refuses to obey and shouts that Hayes is still the same ugly and sick Ivan from school, that he's not a better person with the physical changes. When she tries to leave for help Hayes declares that if she doesn't kill Rex, then he will have Michael killed. Stalling Hayes, a crying Marcie states that she will have to know that Michael is all right before she does anything. Hayes agrees but as he's about to call Nick, Nick calls instead. As Nick is giving Michael hell for the move that he's made, Hayes hears that the cops are on the way. He is irate, immediately blames Marcie and orders Nick to kill Michael. Nick just falls apart and when the cops burst through Rodi's to the alley, he feels trapped. As Rex begins to awaken and as Hayes screams, they hear a shot over the phone. Marcie becomes hysterical while Hayes is ecstatic.

7/28 Marcie sinks to her knees when she hears the shots ring out over the phone while Hayes basks in the glory of his deeds. He informs Marcie that since she could not do as she was told he has to eliminate her. While the two are talking Rex is untying himself. After tying Marcie to a chair he approaches Rex. Rex takes the chance and punches Hayes knocking him unconscious. He tries to untie Marcie but is not fast enough and Hayes comes to and pulls him away. He then ties the two up and attaches a pulley of 300 pounds of sandbags to a rope tied around their necks. He figures he'll kill the two at the same time.

The shot that Marcie, Rex, and Hayes heard on the phone actually hit Nick. Michael works his hardest to revive him when the ambulance arrives. The EMT begins working on him and John grabs him trying to shake an answer out of him. Michael and Bo warn him to stop or he'll kill Nick. Michael asks the EMT to administer ammonium pentathol after doing so Nick informs them that Rex and Marcie are at an abandoned warehouse that he's turned into a theater. Bo calls for back up as John races to the scene.

Meanwhile, as the nooses around Rex and Marcie's necks tighten the police rush to the warehouse to save them. Considering Marcie is so much shorter than Rex she starts to go unconscious earlier on. Marcie is not doing to well when John finally busts in. He scrambles to find a way to give them some slack in the rope when he finally shoots at the rope and snaps it letting the two down. John then frantically asks Rex where Natalie is.

7/29 Bo congratulates Rex on a job well done. Rex insists that he's no hero, but Bo tells him that leaving his watch behind was a really smart move. Rex says that he simply asked himself, "what would Bo do?" The commissioner is touched. Marcie also tells Bo that Hayes kept looking in the direction of the front of the stage, where there was a stack of crates and a lot of scenery. Bo phones this information into John.

At the theater, John tries to physically force the truth of Natalie's whereabouts out of Hayes. Barber isn't talking, though, and he taunts John, sending him on a futile search around the theater. John takes a call from Bo and investigates the front of the stage as Marcie suggested. He opens one large crate and finds a red wig over a skull. Hayes finds this hilarious, but John is just about to go over the edge.

Once again, he physically assaults Hayes (pushing his chair across the stage), but holds back from doing too much damage. Exhausted and running out of options, John orders Hayes to be taken to the station and thrown into a cell. Before leaving the theater in cuffs, Hayes asks John how much Natalie means to him. He offers to tell him where Natalie is in exchange for a favor.

8/1 John demands Hayes to tell him where Natalie is. Hayes refuses unless John will cut a deal with him. John turns him down and refuses any deals. After Hayes baits John, John loses his cool and starts to strangle him. He tells Hayes that if he doesn't tell where Natalie is, he'll kill him. Hayes still holds out on the truth and John continues to choke him until it looks as though John has killed him. Hayes collapses and the other officers walk in and ask what has happened. John tells him he's killed Hayes but Hayes comes to and as they carry him out to the squad car Hayes admits to John that it was a good bluff and mentioning he could have made it into Marcie's book. John surprises Vicki when he shows up at her door. He came by to give her a quick report on all that is going on. He admits that he nearly killed Hayes and how he feels like he is just like him for wanting to do it. Viki tells him that he is nothing like Hayes. John admits though that Hayes refuses to give any information on Natalie's whereabouts. John tries his best to comfort Viki after giving her the news and informs her that he thinks she is still alive wherever she is and he will do whatever it takes to find her.

8/4 Rex goes to the police station to try to get the files on Hayes when John catches him and tells him to put them back. Rex figures it's not a big deal and tells John it's just him, but John is not on the same page as Rex. He informs Rex that since he's not on the force he's not privileged to those files. Rex is very upset by that and tells John it's his fault Natalie's missing anyways because all she wanted was some of his attention and now she's paying the price for it. J

ohn loses his cool with him and in the middle of attacking him Bo and Matthew walk in. The two back off of each other and Bo asks Matthew to go talk to another officer while he straightens things out between Rex and John. John fills Bo in on the situation. Bo tries to sincerely tell Rex that he can't be intervening on the investigation, Rex gets angry and points out that without him they never would have figured out the Colson case. He tells Bo that he figured that out on his own and he'll find Natalie on his own and leaves.

After Rex leaves, Bo asks John how he's doing even though Bo knows it's not going very well for him. He figures John hasn't slept in days and clues him in on what he does to get himself calmed down. He calls Matthew and plays Alien Attack until he's got his head cleared. John sadly points out he has no son and Bo says he needs to take the night off and try to do something normal, go watch a game, catch a few drinks or something. After realizing that Bo will not take no for an answer he leaves the station.

John decides to spend his night off at Capricorn and takes in a number of double shots of whiskey. Antonio asks about the case and how he's doing. John informs him that Bo wants him to try to have a normal night and then says he doesn't know how he's supposed to have a normal night when Evangeline finishes the sentence with "without Natalie." John says it was her words not his. The two have a small argument about their breakup and Evangeline leaves. John returns to his drink and asks for another double shot. Antonio expresses his concern for his friend and John brushes it off. He decides to leave but Antonio takes his keys. He says it doesn't matter and as he's leaving he keeps saying he has to find her. Evangeline is trying to sleep when she is woke up by knocking at the door. She figures Layla's lost her key but when she answers the door it's John. She asks why he's there and he tells her that he needs to talk to her, and lets himself in. He says how he had been living at the police station and hiding himself there, until Evangeline came along. He doesn't know how to thank her. She points out that he saved her life. After that he informs her that it was actually she who saved him. The two begin to kiss then.

8/5 A drunken John shows up at Evangeline's apartment, seeking comfort. He struggles to articulate his feelings, but can't get the words out. Evangeline leaves the room to make coffee, and John begins talking to one of her stuffed animals; he grows emotional, yelling at the animal and venting his frustrations towards the criminals that he has apprehended in the past. Evangeline comes back and overhears him, then the two of them share a passionate kiss. Van pulls away, and John finally opens up to her for the first time. He says that she doesn't need him like Natalie does, and that being needed is the only thing he's really good at. Van insists that he has it in him to be the man he wants to be, but she also feels that he really wants to be sharing his innermost thoughts with Natalie, not her. John leaves the apartment and sinks to his knees in the corridor, a broken man. Natalie is finally revealed, hidden in a deep, dark pit. She screams for help, but her plea goes unheard.

8/8 John is unpleasantly wakened by Michael, who has come to find out what John's been up to on his night off. He admits he went to check on him when Bo told him that he forced him to take the night off. Michael admits that he's worried about John and how he is taking on the problems of the world and taking everything so seriously. John shuts himself off from him and Michael admits that with all of issues John has that dumping John was Evangeline's best move. John gets angry with him and kicks Michael out as he heads to clean up and freshen himself up from his hangover. When he comes back into the room, Michael is still there and is helping himself to John's cereal. He asks why John is not at the arraignment and John dodges the question. After Michael presses John, he admits that he doesn't want to go because he's afraid he would kill Hayes. He also admits that he had already nearly killed him when he found him. In the confessing mood, he also confesses that he went to Evangeline's the night before. Michael admits that it was a rather pathetic move on John's part. John admits they did not do anything other than talk but he cannot remember exactly all that was said. Michael talks John in to going to the arraignment.

At the arraignment, Hayes arrives with his lawyer and Hugh Hughes enters the room as well. Roxy has an outburst and yells for Hayes to tell where her daughter is! Hayes also pulls something right before the judge arrives. While Marcie and Evangeline are talking he looks behind him at the two and winks, just showing that he really is not as mentally incompetent as he is trying to convince the judge he is. Judge Howard Lee enters the courtroom and Hayes' lawyer enters a plea of not guilty by means of insanity for his client. The courtroom erupts in protests and Hughes attempts to offer a plea for the safe return of Natalie but the plea is turned down by the lawyer who insists that Hayes may not even understand exactly what is being said let alone be competent enough to assist in finding Natalie.

After Hughes informs the judge of all of the other charges pending, Roxy stands up. Rex tries to calm her down and get her to sit back down but the judge allows her to talk. She informs the court that right now her daughter is missing and the only person with knowledge as to her whereabouts is the defendant. She gives the court a background on Natalie and what a good person she is, as well as how much she means to everyone near her.

When she finishes Hayes still stands unaffected by the speech. The Judge admits right now his hands are tied and offers his prayers to the family of "the missing girl", Natalie. He orders that Hayes be checked out by the psychiatrist and tested for mental capabilities and that the trial will convene in ten days. As Hayes' lawyer walks him out of the courtroom he passes each person he's hurt with a stoic look on his face until he finds John and mutters to him, "You'll never find her."

After the arraignment, Bo informs John that Evangeline has been looking for him. John admits that he went to her house the night before. John finds Evangeline who is worried about Natalie. She tells John to find her no matter what he has to do.

8/11 Evangeline approaches Bo with her idea to be hypnotized to see if she can remember anything from the time that she was in the car and barely conscious. Bo pitches the idea to John who is reluctant to allow the hypnosis. He agrees to try to get information on Natalie from Ivan before allowing anything of the sort to take place. When he goes down to the holding cell he finds Ivan whimpering and begging for his grandfather to let him out. Unfortunately, Rex and Marcie rehashed too many unpleasant memories and now he's possibly crazy for real. This leaves John with no choice but to allow Evangeline to have herself hypnotized.

By the time he makes it back upstairs, she's already made the call. Dr. Thomas Fox, an expert in the field of hypnosis, is on his way over. When he arrives he takes Evangeline back to the night of her abduction right before she was taken. She remembers standing backstage listening to Nora's "beautiful introduction." She remembers that she is trying to clear her head of John and all of the heartache she was feeling from the breakup, when she is grabbed from behind. She admits that initially she though it was John but quickly realized it was not when she smelled the cloth with the chloroform on it. The doctor has her close her eyes to sharpen her memory. She then remembers being in the car and feeling as she did when she was little and fell asleep in the car, but she knows that she is not safe. She tries to get her bearings she sees the driver but does not recognize him due to the ski mask he is wearing. She then hears a song on the radio that John really likes. She admits that she can't stop thinking about John even though she is clearly in danger.

After the doctor guiders her a bit she remembers forcing herself to focus and telling herself that John is not going to rescue her. He was only at the Palace for Natalie. She then remembers noticing a map with, but that there was something different about it. At this point though she begins screaming and breaking down. John asks the doctor to bring her out of the hypnosis.

Natalie is still stuck in the cold wet pit and recalls her memories of John; beginning with their original encounters and how angry he used to make her. She wishes she could get angry enough to get herself out of where she is. She then reminisces about the good times they shared. She thinks aloud that maybe that's all she gets and that maybe she should just let go.

8/12 In the Task Force room, John watches as Dr. Fox continues to hypnotize Evangeline. Slowly but steadily, Dr. Fox draws crucial information out of Evangeline. It seems that she did get a good glimpse of the map that was tucked into the back of the driver's seat as she was being transported to the basement. The map showed a big X on the right side of Llantano Mountain, and written next to the X were the words "This is where whoever McBain chooses dies."

Evangeline grows terrified as she enters the basement in her hypnotic state. Dr. Fox brings her out of the trance, and John is grateful for the information his ex was able to provide. He gathers a task force and prepares them to search every inch of Llantano Mountain. As he is about to take off to rescue Natalie, Evangeline approaches him. John thanks her once again, and she gives him her blessing to bring Natalie home.

Meanwhile, deep in the dark pit, Natalie continues to lose strength. She finds an old rod of some sort in one of the puddles and uses it to write a farewell message in the dirt wall of the pit. She carves the names Mom, Roxy, Rex, Jess, and largest of all, John, followed by the word "Good-bye." Téarfully, she begins to lose consciousness.

8/16 As Bo and the officers comb the mountain, Rex informs John to look for an area covered with red clay or mud. John asks one of the veteran task force members if there is such a place, and the guy directs him to an area known as Red Rock. John races there and discovers the mine shaft in which Natalie is trapped.

During this time, Natalie has lasped into unconsciousnes and dreams that John and Evangeline are getting married. In the dream, John acts as though he would have married Natalie if she had only survived her kidnapping ordeal. The dream causes Natalie to regain consciousness and fight to get out alive. She takes the rod that she found in the puddle and begins to carve out foot holds from the bricks in the wall of the mine shaft.

She musters her strength and starts climbing to the top, but is dismayed to find that the grate covering the shaft is sealed with a pad lock. She falls all the way down into the wet bottom just as John arrives at the shaft. He stares through the grate and sees Natalie, but at that very moment the shaft collapses inward, burying Natalie under several feet of dirt and rock!

8/17 John watches in horror as a cave-in suddenly buries Natalie under a mound of rocks and dirt. Bo coaxes a devastated John over to the sidelines in order to allow the rescue workers to do their job.

8/18 An anxious family waits at Viki's to hear whether Natalie, who has been found, is alive. Evangeline and Rex watch tensely as the police gather around the pit where Natalie has been kept. Although they fear another cave-in. John insists on being lowered into the pit, where he kisses the hand of an unconscious Natalie and tells her she will be fine.

Tense with the anticipation of further cave-ins, police lower a backboard to retrieve Natalie, and after carefully raising her to the surface, they watch anxiously as John is also brought up from the pit. Evangeline and Rex watch as John rides off with Natalie in the ambulance. At the hospital, Michael takes charge of Natalie's care. John thanks Evangeline for her role in saving Natalie, and after John has gone into Natalie's room, Michael tells Evangeline that she had saved Natalie. Evangeline replies that John had saved Natalie through the force of sheer will.

Viki and Roxy arrive in time to learn that Natalie's fluid deprivation had caused her blood pressure to be lowered and there is a danger of seizures and brain damage. Evangeline watches with mixed emotions as Natalie slowly regains consciousness and finds John sitting at her side, stroking her hair.

8/19 Natalie's loved ones wait at the hospital for Michael to give them news on her health. When he emerges from Nat's room, it's to tell them that she is going to be fine. One by one, the relatives go in to visit the newly returned Ms. Vega. Viki tearfully tells Natalie that she never gave up on her. Bo informs his niece that Matthew is going to be thrilled to have her back safe and sound. Michael informs Natalie that Evangeline played just as big a role in saving her life as John did. Nat requests that Van come in to see her, and the two women agree to a cease fire over John. Evangeline tells Natalie that John is no longer a part of her life, but when Natalie asks her if she's sure about that, Van cannot confirm.

Van leaves the hospital, and John finally goes in to see Natalie. She grabs his hand and tells him that he gave her the will to survive when she was in the pit. As John and Natalie bond in the hospital, somebody in Statesville Prison reads the headlines about Nat's rescue. Taped up inside his prison cell is a portrait of Natalie on her wedding day.

8/22 Natalie shares her experiences in the well with John. She admits that she had a dream in which he and Evangeline got married and that dream helped her keep going. John admits how worried about Natalie he was and the two share some very close moments. The two are talking about their feelings when a nurse comes in to let Natalie know that her room is ready for her. John talks the nurse into letting him take her to the room and in the elevator on the way up he agrees to take Natalie dancing and that he made quite a few personal deals while waiting for her to come back. When the two arrive at her room, she calls Viki to give her some reassuring news on how she's feeling. Viki offers to come up and keep her company but Natalie declines insisting that she is in good hands with John. After Vicki leaves, the two share a passionate kiss.

8/23 John and Natalie share a steamy kiss in her hospital bed. John tells Nat that after all they've been through, they have earned a moment like this. He can't tell her where they will go from here, but she is content with the kiss for now. When John starts to bid her goodnight, Natalie tells him that she's not ready to spend a night alone in the dark. He asks her if he should stay, and she tells him that would be nice. John pulls up a chair and settles in for the night, as Natalie drifts to sleep with a smile on her face.

8/25 While Natalie sleeps, Michael tells Viki and John that the patient's blood work had returned normal and that Natalie could go home that day. The three hear a scream and run to Natalie’s room.

Dvd #10B They rush into Natalie's room, where they find a reporter from the Sun. The reporter is forced to leave, and Viki tells Natalie that she will get security to make sure reporters don't bother her at home. Michael confirms that Natalie will go home that day and won't have to look at his and John's "ugly mugs." Viki and Michael leave the room, and Natalie tells John she was hoping she would go on seeing his "ugly mug" when he took her home and tucked her in. John says she should spend the day with her family. Natalie agrees, asking him to turn his back while she dressed.

While she's dressing, she says she knows she did some stupid things before Hayes kidnapped her, but she promises that the games are over. She says they both know how they feel about each other and that they have time to explore that with nothing standing in their way. Natalie doesn't see that her remarks are making John uncomfortable because when he turns around, he strokes her hair and tells her to get some rest. He then leaves and goes to the diner to pick up food he had ordered.

After John leaves, Michael comes in to talk to Natalie. She tells him her ankle hurts, but otherwise, she is getting better. She says she will never take life for granted again, and Michael asks where John fits into that life. She says that now that there are no murder investigations and no Evangeline standing in the way, she and John are starting over. Michael reminds her that John is still John.

After Michael leaves, Viki comes to Natalie's room and tells her she has been considering going to London to see a heart specialist who might be able to prevent her medical difficulties from recurring, but she is worried about leaving Natalie and Jessica. Natalie encourages her to go. Viki then expresses concern about Natalie becoming involved with John because she had been through so much and needed time to regroup.

John arrives at the diner, where Evangeline and Layla see him. He admits to Evangeline that he had stayed at the hospital with Natalie and then goes to the cash register to pick up his order. Carlotta tells John that she is glad that he had ignored her when she asked him to stay out of Natalie's life because he saved her and Natalie considers him a hero. John is very uncomfortable and says that he had just been doing his job. "I'm not the man everybody thinks I am," he tells Carlotta, and Layla, who is standing nearby, overhears.

After leaving the diner, John goes to the station. Bo asks him why he is there, suggesting he take the day off. After John explains that he came in to do paperwork, Bo tells him his choices are to go home or to stay at the station and explain what's been bothering him. John leaves for home. As he arrives home, we hear Natalie telling Viki that for the first time, nothing is standing in the way of her being with John. But John is looking at a file marked "Cristian Vega."

8/26 Natalie's homecoming at Llanfair, along with Renee, Asa, Viki, Duke, Kevin, Kelly, Roxy, and Rex. Nat is touched to see all of her relatives gathered on her behalf, and she makes sure to talk to each of them individually. Kevin makes a beautiful toast to his newly returned sister. Viki is suspicious as to why Jessica isn't at the party, and even more so when she finds that Jess left a message on the answering machine instead of calling Viki directly on her cell phone.

Rex takes Natalie out into the foyer for a moment of privacy, in which he tells her that she should send John back to Evangeline. He believes that John is only going to hurt Natalie, but Kelly overhears his words and interrupts the conversation. She tells Natalie that she is living proof that love can survive, as Kevin quietly listens in on the conversation. Roxy drops by, drunk from the party at Llanfair. Roxy informs Van that Natalie took off from her own party, which causes Evangeline to fantasize about John and Natalie making out.

Over at John's place, the cop broods over Cristian Vega's case file. Michael drops by to check on his brother and manages to get John to admit that Cristian Vega is bothering him. Michael wants to know how a dead man could possibly come between John and Natalie, but he doesn't get any further in his prodding. When he leaves, John continues to dwell on the case file. Suddenly, there is a knock on his door, it's Natalie.

8/29 After her surprise party, Natalie shows up at John's. She informs him of all of the revelations she had while stuck in the pit. She mentions that she's lost Cristian and so much and that she doesn't want to lose him either. She does admit though that she is not sure they will be able to make it as a couple under normal circumstances. She continues on with her doubts and fears when John decides just to go for it and kisses her. She kisses him back, and then he remembers Cristian being stuck in his jail cell and that he is hiding something from her. He forces it to the back of his mind and then continues to kiss her.

8/30 Natalie is about to make love with John McBain. John stops himself, telling Natalie that he has something he must tell her. He says that it's about Cristian. Nat declares that there is nothing he can tell her about Cristian that will change how she feels about him.

John says that Cristian is alive, but Natalie thinks he is referring to the impostor. She tells John that she doesn't want to think about that man ever again. She also says that nothing will ever change the love she had for Cristian before his death, but that she can't live in the past forever. She insists that it was John who kept her going in the pit, not memories of Cris.

They start to make love once again, but Natalie is the one who stops things this time. Although it's the thing she wants most, she is still fragile from the kidnapping and thinks that making love might be too much for her emotional state at this time. The episode ends with a montage of Kelly and Kevin, Nash and Tess, and Natalie and John set to the song "You and Me" by Lifehouse.

8/31 John and Natalie wake up in his others arms. He leans in and kisses her sweetly. She asks him if anything is wrong? He says not a thing, she is really there and really safe! They decide to take it slowly. John agrees that he doesn't care about the opinions of others except for Cristian. Natalie thinks that now that she's with John, she can safely put Cris into her past. An uncomfortable John rips the DNA test page from the file on Cris after Nat goes to take a shower. She's decided to go into work to keep busy, plus she'll be near John. Nat and John arrive, share a kiss and are spotted by Evangeline. It's awkward as Evangeline drops off something to be given to Bo. John goes after her to talk but she speaks for him. She advises him that he'll never have to worry about how she feels, ever again. Bo welcomes Nat back and offers to hang out with her. He refuses to be pulled into any disagreement over his feelings about her new relationship with John. John takes his frustrations out on a punching bag. Later, he makes arrangements to visit Cristian in prison. Evangeline confides in Layla that she saw Nat wearing John's jacket so she knows they spent the night together. She still has a spare key to his place and wants to toss it. Layla offers to take care of it and she does by letting herself into John's apartment.

9/1 Layla rummages through John's closet and finds his box of files while Natalie asks Roxy to let her into John's room so she can wait for him. When Roxy and Natalie enter John's room, Layla hides behind the door, but Roxy remarks that she smells flowers. Layla sneaks out before she is discovered, but Roxy catches her in the hall a few moments later as she starts to knock on his door. Thinking quickly, Layla says she's looking for her girlfriend, and after Roxy leaves knocks and introduces herself to Natalie. She berates Natalie, telling her that if it weren't for her, Evangeline would still be happy with John. Natalie then realizes that Layla had come to John's room without knowing Natalie would be there, and she asks her what she is really doing there. John pressures the prison warden to let him see Cristian, even though the inmate is in solitary because he lost control after learning that Nat had been kidnapped. Later, John spars with a fellow boxer and is distressed when he sees him as Cristian. After "Cristian" lands a punch on John's mouth, John pommels his sparring partner. Catching another punch, John sees an image of his father, who asks, "You aren't mad at me, are you, son?" He gives John, who is still sparring with "Cristian," boxing advice, saying John had called him there. But John becomes angry, saying that his father had lost his right to tell him what to do when he died. John's father observes that his son is mad, and after John knocks "Cristian" down, his father advises him to make sure he knows whom he is really angry at. A vision of Cristian stands by John's father and meets John's eyes levelly. After his sparring partner leaves, John's father points out that Cristian had gotten himself put in solitary confinement by tearing up his cell after hearing about Natalie's kidnapping and may have changed his mind about wanting her to think he's dead. John questions how he knows anything since he's been gone since John was a child.

When John's father replies that he has always been there for him, John tells him that he and Mike have been on their own since his death, and that he has been angry since the day his father died. He told his father that his death had messed him up and that everyone he gets close to gets hurt. Protesting, his father points out that he hasn't lost Natalie, but Cristian had. John turns to his vision of Cristian and asks him why he won't talk. John's father answered, saying that Cristian won't answer because John doesn't know what he would say if he found out he and Natalie were embarking on a relationship.

9/2 Natalie shows up at the gallery to sign off on some papers concerning Cristian's art. Natalie and Evangeline have words about John, but agree that fighting over a man seems petty in the wake of the tragedy they endured together. At Capricorn, Antonio and Layla embrace, just as Natalie walks into Capricorn and spots them together! Cristian Vega, still known as John Doe to the state, is removed from solitary confinement in order to receive a visitor. He reads an issue of "The Sun" that details Natalie's ordeal and subsequent rescue by Lieutenant John McBain. The warden informs Cristian that McBain is on his way to visit him.

9/6 When Natalie stumbles upon Antonio and Layla in a clinch, she unleashes her fury on behalf of her sister. "How could you do this to Jessica?" she demands. Layla informs Natalie that while she was busy stealing John from Evangeline, Jessica and Antonio broke up. Natalie finally gets Layla to be quiet, but Antonio knows he has to play along with the ruse if he wants to win custody of Jamie. He tells Natalie that Jessica has split town, and that he couldn't take it any more. When Natalie expresses disbelief, Antonio points out that Jessica didn't visit her in the hospital. Natalie finally accepts that Layla and Antonio are a couple, then she remembers why she came to Capricorn in the first place. She informs Antonio that Lindsay found a buyer for Cristian's art. She also insists to Antonio that his brother will always be a part of her, no matter what happens between she and John. After she leaves, Antonio rips into Layla, who stands firm in her belief that they must pose as a couple in order to win him custody of Jamie.

John visits Cristian in jail and calls him by name. Cris tells him that no one is supposed to know who he is, and John promises they won't find out the truth from him. He does think it's time that Natalie knows the truth, but he says he will wait for Cris to give him permission to tell her. Cris tells John that he wants Natalie to find happiness with another man, but his tune changes when John tells him that she is already on her way to finding it with him. Cris says that he won't give McBain his blessing. After John takes off, Cris trashes his cell. John rushes back to his room and prepares a romantic setting on the roof of the hotel. He summons Natalie to his chambers, and when she arrives, he takes her up to the roof. She asks him what this is all about, and John says that he was hoping she would spend the night with him.

9/7 Up on the roof, Nat is confused as to why John is suddenly not as distant as he was previous to his phone call (regarding Hayes she thinks). He asks to be trusted, that he had something to deal with. He claims that he will be able to accept her being secretive in answer to her question, just as he expects her to accept his keeping things from her because he has to. They shake hands on it and end up making love. Layla has let herself into John's room, she reads the file he has on Cristian. She's able to piece together the fact that John Doe is Cristian Vega and he's alive. Cris has a new cellmate and it's Hayes Barber, who loses it when he sees Cris' painting of Natalie. Introducing himself as John Doe, Cris grabs Hayes and pushes him up against the bars. Hayes immediately denies having done anything and pins all blame on Nick Messina and John, offering to help out and go after Nick since he's elsewhere in the prison. Cris beats up on Hayes and is dragged off to solitary again, but states that it was worth it.

9/9 Michael and Natalie have a conversation at Capricorn, in which she tells him that she knows how he really feels about her. Michael denies having any feelings beyond friendship, and things become slightly awkward.

Meanwhile, Layla shows Evangeline the file on Cristian Vega that she stole from John's closet. Van is horrified that Layla used the key she gave her to break into John's room, but she is intrigued by the DNA report in the file. Because the report is missing the cover letter, Van tells Layla that she'll need to get a doctor to translate the report. Her eyes fall on Michael, but before she can ask him for help, Natalie comes over and blasts Evangeline for having Layla do her dirty work for her.

In Statesville Prison, Cristian is locked in solitary confinement. In the cell next to him resides a familiar face: Carlo Hesser! Hesser taunts Cristian from the other side of the bars, asking him why a John Doe would be so interested in taking revenge on Natalie's kidnapper. Why, Carlo asks, does Cristian care so much about Natalie if he's not really Cristian? As Cris is brought to his knees by a painful headache, it becomes evident that Carlo Hesser knows that the "John Doe" is actually Cristian but just how does he know this?

9/12 John sits in on a stakeout when he realizes he can see into Natalie's room, so he decides to give her a call. She is surprised and a bit shocked that he can see what she is doing and even wearing at the time. While talking Natalie expresses how happy she is that they have found their way to each other finally. Though he finds it hard to really put his feelings into words he does call her his girlfriend. Even with that admonition she still is curious about his feelings for Evangeline. She asks if he still thinks about her and admits that she still thinks about Cristian. John tries to avoid the subject of Evangeline and after leaving the window for a while Natalie returns in a little more revealing sleep wear.

Meanwhile, Cristian sits in solitary and remembers the good times he had with Natalie. The trip down memory lane prompts him to write her a letter telling her the truth. In it he admits that he hid the truth from her as a way to keep her happy. He admits that he wanted her to have more than what he could offer from behind bars and hopes that she finds love with someone else. However after remembering her reaction to his telling her he was a fake he decides against sending it and tears it up. Evangeline is fixated on the DNA test. Paul asks why exactly she is worried about it and she insists that it is mainly for curiosity. After discussing John's motive for hiding a secret of this magnitude he decides that he will help her get the results interpreted. She confides that she keeps thinking what if, what if Cristian had been Cristian and wasn’t an imposter and if Natalie had stayed with him maybe then Evangeline would have had a chance with John. She thinks if Natalie knew about Cristian that she would go running back to him. She determines she has to know if he is really Cristian Vega?

9/14 Cristian dreams about Natalie and is taunted by Carlo who says he was saying her name. He denies talking in his sleep as he denies even being Cris. Carlo manages to get him riled up which brings up the question that if he's not Cris, why is he upset when Natalie is mentioned? Cris does everything to get Natalie out of his head but only ends up encouraging Carlo's mockery. Nat joins John at the diner which meets with Carlotta's disapproval, citing the fact that Nat is betraying Cris' memory. She apologizes though and admits that she still sees Nat with Cris in her mind. She really does approve of John. Layla is quick to express her condemnation of John's dating Nat over Evangeline to Natalie when she runs into her at the diner. Natalie has her own say regarding Layla stealing Antonio from Jessica and the two bare their fangs. When Layla states that she'll be with Antonio longer than Nat will be with John and that he'll realize he's made a mistake leaving her face down in the gutter, McBain overhears. He hastily comes to Nat's defense, telling Layla that she's crossed the line. Natalie is feeling doubtful now and tells John that she'd never leave him and that she hasn't made a mistake. John doesn't quite answer her question asking him the same but excuses himself instead to make a phone call. John asks her to meet him at Rodi's later. Nat gets to Rodi's and learns it's closed for a private party. John is standing by the pool table; he tells her it's about the present and wants her to know that he didn't make a mistake. They play a game of pool and then share a slow dance.

9/16 Cristian summons a priest to his cell. He confesses that the DNA test proved he really is a Vega, and the priest suggests that he come forward with the truth immediately. Cris says that he has to continue living a lie, because otherwise, Natalie will spend the rest of her life waiting for him to get out of prison. He also admits that it's hard for him to see her with John McBain, and that he wishes she was healing herself with a different man. The priest asks him if he can continue to live a lie, and Cris says that he doesn't know anymore. Natalie is bothered when John basically ignores her at the station. Rex reminds his sister that John was very open about his relationship with Evangeline. Natalie confronts John with this fact, and he makes an announcement in front of the entire squad, ending by planting a passionate kiss on Natalie's mouth. Bo and John are gathering information about R.J.'s dirty dealings, and Rex asks to be included on the case. Bo decides to think about a way to once again use Balsom.

9/21 Nat wakes up to a dismal looking John who promptly tells her that it's not going to work. He wants to take more responsibility; he's thinking he'll hurt her and blame himself. He acknowledges that his feelings for her are growing stronger while she reassures him that she doesn't expect him to share his feelings with her 24/7. While Rex searches for the meaning of life in his cup of coffee, he's approached by Layla who tries to make some small talk. When he doesn't go for it, she mentions that she'd like to know more about John. Rex thinks he's trouble which provokes Layla into spouting off her usual novel about John ruining Evangeline's life. Rex reminds her that John is now with his own sister, though he does say that he believes that John is just too closed down to love. John and Natalie arrive just then and she's not too happy to see her brother with Layla. She'd prefer that Rex defend her honor; Rex thinks she should defend her own and dump John before he does it first. The two begin to bicker but Rex is merely worried about her, he says. Nat justifies her relationship by reminding Rex that John went through a great deal to save her life and that he's good to her. She accepts his faults and she will have nothing get in the way of her happiness. Off to the side, John and Layla chat briefly as he wonders where Evangeline might be. When she brings Cris into the conversation, John is immediately suspect, especially when she mentions his secret files. John excuses himself and tells Nat he'll see her at the station. Cris receives a visitor and expecting to see Natalie, is surprised to find Evangeline instead. She immediately goes on the offensive by announcing that she knows he's Cristian and not to bother denying it. He does deny it but she flaunts the DNA test results report in his face and announces that furthermore, she knows that John knows. When he finally gives in to her accusations, she admits that John doesn't know she's there. He explains how he didn't know his true identity until his memory started to return; it was a shock to him as well and too late to say anything after he had already pleaded guilty. He divulges that he asked John to keep his identity a secret as well as to keep Natalie safe. Evangeline suggests that his case should be re-opened due to his brainwashing though Cris doesn't buy into her positive spin. He can't remember anything or place or any of the people. She offers her help in defending him and getting him out of prison, using Natalie as bait. She won't let him be accountable for his actions and he can be with Natalie if he loves her, she entices him. He can be a martyr and die alone or reclaim his wife and life. Rushing home, John heads right for his closet and the hidden files. He searches through them frantically but he can't locate Cris' file and goes crazy.

9/22 Rex presses an irked Natalie to dump her inconsiderate boyfriend. John searches frantically through his closet and is outraged to discover certain files missing. Roxy describes for John the girl she caught snooping near his room recently. Michael's casual remark about Evangeline's sudden interest in DNA sends chills down John's spine. Though Cris advises her to forget about him and the DNA results, Evangeline insists on going forward with plans for an appeal. Evangeline finally convinces Cristian to fight for his freedom and his wife. Evangeline confronts John following her trip to Statesville.

9/23 Evangeline storms over to John's room to confront him about the Cristian Vega secret. She rips into him, accusing him of using her to help him keep the John Doe behind bars. John feels that she is making the case emotional, but Evangeline insists that she is simply disgusted at what he is doing to Natalie's life. John defends his actions by saying that he was following Cris's orders, but Van thinks that is no excuse.

John doesn't want her to say anything to Natalie, and Evangeline is disgusted that that is his major concern. She believes that he simply doesn't want anything to come between he and Natalie and their newfound romance. John says that if Van comes forward with the truth, she will blow apart a half a dozen lives. "Go ahead and tell Natalie," he spits, just as Natalie walks into the room. "Tell me what, John?" she asks.

9/26 Insisting it's John's place to reveal the truth, Evangeline elects not to tell Natalie what she knows. John accuses Evangeline of working to free Cris just to get back at him. Though Roxy presses Evangeline for details about her private confab with John, the attorney only drops another ominous hint to Natalie before departing. Carlo continues to taunt Cristian after hearing through the prison grapevine about "John Doe's" pending appeal.

9/28 Antonio turns to John for help after receiving an email from Jessica. Viki returns to Llanview and is surprised to hear from a beaming Natalie how serious she's become about John. Viki gently reminds her daughter how her heart has been broken before when she jumped into a relationship too soon. At Statesville, Evangeline cautions Cristian that his wife seems to be quite enamored of her new love. Cris vows to fight for the woman he loves. Cristian asks his attorney to deliver one of his sketches to Natalie.