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One Night Changes Everything	By : AtlantianDestiny Category: M through R > Monk Views: 6421 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Monk, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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It's not that he was a cheap person...though...both Sharona and Natalie continually complained about their pay. It was the fact that he lived in a very expensive city and had been sued by the very man he was trying to link to his wife's murder!
Biderbeck had sued them. And he had taken just about every penny that he and Trudy had ever saved.
He had never been as frugal as he now was.
But if you asked him at the moment why he was staring at a blue diamond engagement ring...the only thing he would say was that it reminded him of Natalie's eyes.
Tilting his head from side to side the flashes of color reminded him of the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. The way her eyes looked when she was proud of him.
He noticed how the darker shade in the diamond reminded him of the exact shade her eyes became when she had first kissed him.
The way her eyes darkened just before her orgasm overtook her.
Adrian rolled his shoulder up and rotated his head to the side and then up as a thrill went down his body.
He could still feel her hands and fingers on his body. The way her hands would grasp him desperately one second and the next barely glide on his skin.
With her it seemed...normal...flawless...like it was...natural.
Human sexuality is a natural thing.
The first day he had known her she had said those words to him.
Well, we diagree about that. That had been his response to her.
But now he knew what she meant.
Because it felt natural...it felt natural to be with her. Despite his fears and phobias...he hadn't stopped her.
He had known...that day...that first day...he had known.
She had reminded him so much of Trudy...but she had a fire in her that had reminded him of Sharona. It had made him feel at ease immediately.
But he knew...he knew the moment he wanted her in his life.
It hadn't been when she walked through his door and helped him put out a fire and plead for his help.
It hadn't been when she had told that stupid man in the white corpuscle costume that she wanted to know 'less' about him...though it had amused him to no end.
The moment...the moment he really knew...was when Julie had told Natalie that her teacher had disqualified her. The way she had sounded hurt and angry that Mr. Franklin had disqualified her little girl.
He had looked over at her...and saw this look on her face. There was no way to describe it. She had looked...so beautfiul to him in that moment.
He thought to himself...
She's perfect for me.
He should have known then. In that moment.
He had thought...She's perfect for me.
Not She's perfect...but she was perfect for him.
And this ring...it was perfect for her.
The white diamonds accenting the stone were very small...but they brought a sparkle to the delicate ring with the tiny scroll work they made.
"It's beautiful isn't it?"
Monk looked up and noted the smile on the salesman's face. The man obviously thought he was there to purchase something.
His name tag proudly displaying his name. TOM.
"Yes. It is."
"Would you like to see it up close?" The salesman asked as he began to open the case before Monk could protest, but strangely Adrian found himself not protesting at all.
The second the salesman held the ring out to him...Adrian felt something in his chest tighten.
He had only felt like this one other time in his life. When he had picked out Trudy's ring. He had known the second he saw it.
Taking the ring from the man's hand he stared at the ring and imagined Natalie's hand. The way her hand would hold the ring vivid in his mind. The way it would sit on her finger...perfectly.
"Pretty." Randy said from behind Monk as he looked over Adrian's shoulder.
Monk jumped slightly but didn't drop the ring, looking at Randy and then back at the ring Adrian twitched again and blinked hard as he looked down at the diamond.
"It's an exceptional ring. The stone has been radiated to be blue...but the quality of the stone is rated flawless. You have an incredible eye for detail sir." Tom said with a absurdly bright white smile.
Randy smiled and nodded, hiding his instinct to laugh at the salesman. "Sounds right."
"How much...is it?" Monk asked, shocking Randy as to why he would ask such a question.
"This ring is a half carat size and goes for sixty eight hundred dollars." Tom said with a smile.
Adrian felt like fainting.
"Six..six..sixsix...SIX THOUSAND..." The yell after the stuttering caused Tom to jerk back and Randy to wince. It also grabbed the attention of Captain Stottlemeyer and his friend who had been speaking in the back.
"Eight hundred..." Tom finished the price for Monk.
Monk began blinking as if he were seeing the money fly out of his pocket and into the air.
"What seems to be the problem?" The woman with Leland asked as she walked up to the side of Tom.
"Hey Monk...what are you doin' looking at engagement rings?" Leland asked as he looked at the ring Monk was currently holding.
"Your friend has impeccable taste Leland. It's one out of a handful of flawless diamonds we have in the store." The woman with a name tag of Jessica said as she looked at the ring and then to the man holding the ring.
Stotlemeyer gave one of his famous smirks and said, "Of course it's flawless."
Adrian opened his mouth like he was cracking his jaw and closed his mouth once more as he stared at the ring. His mind running a thousand miles a minute.
He was looking at engagement rings...and thinking of Natalie as he did.
If someone had told him six months ago that he would be doing this he would have actually laughed in their face. And he didn't laugh.
August eleventh was just four days away, Trudy's birthday. It had always been a hard period for him...but the fact that he was somehow not as pained as he once was during this time period meant something he didn't really have a word for.
Here he was looking at an engagement ring and picturing it on Natalie's hand. Hands that had helped him for the years. Hands that he knew as intimately now as Trudy's...he was imagining this ring on her hand.
And he was imagining holding her hand as she wore it.
A sense of calm washed over him as he envisioned it.
A multitude of images flooded his memory then...of her face. All emotions, and how she looked at him. God how had he never noticed how she looked at him? Everything was just... rotating through his mind like a carousel.
It was the same way that he always remembered Trudy.
And now Natalie's face was permeated with the same feeling that Trudy would bring him.
"It's sixty eight hundred dollars!" Randy said to Stottlemeyer with both eyebrows raised.
Leland whistled. "Now that's a lot of money Jessica."
"Normally that would be true, but we're running a contest where you guess how many crystals are on the "T" in the lobby." Jessica motioned with her hand. "We enter the guess at the computer with a customer's information. The computer notifies us immediately! Whoever guesses within 3 stones wins a ten thousand dollar gift certificate to the store. It's a way of getting people's information. We've had a few thousand people try already this week." Jessica explained to Leland as they all looked over at the pale blue 'T' encrusted with stones.
Adrian took a few seconds to look at the almost glowing emblem of the store, then down at the ring.
Tom's eyes had never left Adrian's hands which held the ring. As Adrian looked up at the man he said, "Fifty two thousand eight hundred forty one."
Tom smiled and reached for the ring to place back in the case, but Monk wouldn't let go of the ring to allow Tom enter the information into the computer.
"Sir...you have to let go of the ring." Tom said as she tried to take the ring back, his smile dropping as he realized he had a problem on his hand.
"I'm...trying..." Monk didn't know why...but he didn't want to let go of the ring. Almost as if he knew if the ring left his hand he would leave this place without it...and he somehow didn't want to.
"It's ok Tom. I'll put in his information." Jessica said as she shared a look with Leland who smirked. Making her way over the computer to the side of Tom she began to type away.
Monk seemed to be in a battle of wills with Tom as he continued to try and take the ring back from Adrian, but with no luck.
Leland gave Monk's information to Jessica as he bemusedly watched the 'battle' between Monk and Tom.
"What was the number again?" Jessica asked out loud.
"Fifty two thousand eight hundred forty one." Monk repeated as he continued to try to hold on to the ring.
Jessica typed in the number and hit enter, not expecting the computer to beep repeatedly with a 'winner' box flashing at her.
The way her jaw dropped slightly as she looked up at Leland making the captain just smile wider.
"Told you." Stottlemeyer said as adjusted his stance as he looked over at Monk. Obviously having said something about Monk's ability.
"Well Mr. Monk. Congratulations! You've just won the ten thousand dollar gift certificate.
Randy and the Captain exchanged a look as they heard Monk say, "I'd like this ring."
Now...Leland had known Monk a very long time...but the fact that he wanted an engagement ring had made him look at Monk as if he had grown another eye.
"Well Mr. Monk, if you could please step over here we'll fill all the necessary paperwork and you'll be able to leave with the ring today, as well as a credit after taxes." Jessica said with a hand gesturing where to go.
Adrian continued to stare down Tom, until Jessica cleared her throat and Tom let go of the ring, causing Monk to smile a small smile of victory.
He then followed Jessica to the desk area and sat down still holding the ring out.
Jessica totaled out the balance and Monk signed a few papers, still not letting go of the ring...until Jessica said she would clean it and place it in a box for him.
Monk watched with a small smile as Jessica placed gloves on her hands as she placed the ring in a ring box as not to get fingerprints on the ring.
"She is one very lucky woman." Jessica said with a smile of her own to Monk.
Monk looked up from watching Jessica close the box and stared at her for a second before he spoke.
"It...matches her eyes."
Leland and Randy heard the words and looked at each other with furrowed brows.
"That's very sweet. Do you happen to know how you're going to propose? I may be able to give you a different kind of box depending on how you'd like to ask her."
"Um nono...no..no..no..um...no." Adrian brought a hand up to his forehead, feeling himself start to sweat...which he never did. Suddenly he was very very nervous.
He hadn't even thought...he didn't consider...dear sweet God...what was he doing?!
"Ah...Monk...what are you doin?" Leland leaned over and asked as he watched the exchange, voicing Monk's own thoughts out loud.
"I don't know." Monk responded in a slight panic.
"Mr. Monk if you think that the ring is not appropriate we can look for something else." Jessica said and was immediately met with a firm 'no.'
"No! No...it...I want her to have it...it's...it's just..." Adrian tried to spit out some kind of thought...ANY kind of thought...other than the one that he honestly couldn't face.
"It's not the right time?" Jessica said with a small smile.
Adrian started nodding in the nervous way he usually did.
Jessica nodded with pursed lips. "How about we get a small gift that you could give her that doesn't insinuate such a big emotional response?"
Adrian couldn't help but twitch as Jessica hit the nail on the head.
"Let me show you some of the items we just received in this morning."
"Yea ah...Jessica. Not to be rude but...my friend might really be jumpin' the gun here." Leland said as Monk stood and fixed his suit jacket. He wasn't about to say his friend had no one he knew of that the ring would go to.
"Who's the ring for Monk?" Randy asked startling both the Captain and Adrian.
The Captain wanted to yell at Randy and thank him as he himself had major questions.
Monk's expression was almost identical to the time when Sharona had asked him if he had seen the naked pictures of her. No matter how much he wanted and needed to talk to someone about all the feelings and thoughts going through his head about Natalie...he couldn't bring himself to...
Jessica placed a tray in front of him and his eye went immediately to one piece and a name slipped out. "Julie."
"You bought an engagement ring...for Julie? Are we talking about Natalie's Julie?" Leland asked confused as he tried to figure out what was going on.
"What?! No! No...Julie!" Monk said as he pointed to a pendant of a goldfish pendant with yellow, white, and black stones.
When both Randy and Leland looked at where Monk was pointing...both smiled as they understood the significance.
"Do you...Do you think...Do you think she'd like it?" Monk turned and looked at the two men who were essentially his best friends, showing how unsure he was about what he thought would be a perfect gift for Julie.
He never gave the right gift. It was one of the many reasons why he didn't give gifts. The disappointment on a person's face was too much for him to see.
"I think she'd love it." Leland said with a half smirk. Looking at Monk with a father like pride.
"Definitely." Randy said with a small smile of his own, understanding the reference of the goldfish immediately - even after all these years.
Adrian smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically with a smile that bloomed into one of his rare genuine smiles. Pleased that he had finally picked something that others agreed would be perfect.
Jessica smiled, glad she was making the sales for her commission.
Benjy knew something was really wrong.
When he had first met Julie she had seemed like a very happy person. At the moment she looked like a scared bunny.
Staring at the space around him he had to smile.
The house made him feel like he was in his old house that he lived in as a child with his mom.
"I like your house. Reminds me of the one me and mom use to live in. Yours is much nicer actually. Ours was...well...small." Benjy said with a smile as he looked over at Julie.
"What's taking them so long? Do you think something happened?" Julie asked as her eyes remained on the door.
Benjy couldn't help but be worried...about Julie. She had been nothing but scared about his and her mother since she had talked with her mother a few minutes before.
"Julie...are you ok?" Benjy asked with a look of worry that she had seen on one other mans face so clearly. For some reason Benjy seemed to have Mr. Monk's facial expressions.
It made her smile.
"You remind me of Mr. Monk when you look like that."
Benjy looked at her surprised, not really knowing how to take the comparison.
"You ah...you have his facial expressions...at least some times you do. It's um...it's cute." Julie complimented, causing Benjy to smile showing his dimple on one cheek.
"Yeah well...he basically raised me along with mom. Mom yells at me sometimes because of it. I've known him since I was seven...so...I guess...he was the only dad I knew growing up. At least the only one I remember being a dad. " Benjy hesitantly admitted.
It took Julie a second to nod her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Yeah...I know the feeling. My dad died when I was six. Mr. Monk is the only dad I really remember. He um...he gave me the 'birds and bees' talk. It was..." Julie smirked and gave a little laugh, "It was cute."
"Heh...I can imagine...I ah...I missed him." Benjy said as he looked over at a photo of Julie along with her mom and Monk in a photo. "I didn't want to go you know. I left him a letter. Telling him that. Telling him what mom was doing and why."
Julie was suddenly intrigued by this information. She hadn't known that Benjy was that close to Mr. Monk.
A pang of jealousy hit her. Had Mr. Monk been closer to Benjy than he was to her?
Benjy then turned his head and looked at Julie with this look. This look that...she couldn't really describe.
"Thank you. You and your mom...you took care of him when I couldn't. You made him part of your family...and...that makes you part of mine." Then Benjy gave her this smile...a smile that made her insides flip flop unexpectedly.
Julie returned the smile for a second before John's words from earlier resounded in her head.
"Julie...whatever it is..." Benjy wanted Julie to tell him whatever was bothering her.
Seeing her face glowing one second and filled with misery the next making him want to help her in any way he could.
"You can't tell anyone." Julie said as she looked directly into Benjy's eyes, showing him this wasn't a childlike request. It was serious.
Benjy turned his body to face her on the sofa and didn't flinch away from Julie's stare.
"Ok."
Then Julie told him what had happened...and Benjy's body became taught and stiff as Julie described what John had done to her.
To see him hold back his anger...for her...it was...it was beyond gallant. A word that Mr. Monk had used when talking about how he pursued Trudy.
Julie had finished speaking and she watched as Benjy said nothing. His jaw tight as he tried to keep his breathing even, obviously having to control himself.
When he actually did manage he said in a small voice, "Is it ok if I hug you?"
Julie blinked a few times before she finally nodded.
Slowly Benjy moved across the space and wrapped Julie around him. Julie couldn't explain the feeling of relief that she felt as she wrapped her own arms around Benjy.
In that moment she felt safe for the first time since John had shown up that day she felt safe.
Unfortunately, she started crying again because of it.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen Julie." Benjy said with a fierceness in his voice.
Julie hugged him back tighter.
Benjy didn't say anything else, just held her.
Julie felt relieved that she had someone there with her. Her mind going to Mr. Monk and wondering what he would say and do if he found out that John had threatened her.
Julie didn't know that she would soon find out.
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One Night Changes Everything