The Naturals

Chapter 24

After Dean left and I'd spent my time outside I crawl back through the window and beeline straight for the library. I find the binders in no time and open back up to Redding's file. I pull it out and tuck it under my arm before making a decision to check for mine. Of course, when I flip to the back of the binder, my case is gone. Obviously Dean came back to do exactly what I'm doing. Reading up on the others case to try and understand as well as we can. Dean already knows my case, but I know nothing about his, and there's no way it's gonna stay that way.

How could I be so desperate? I pretty much admitted my feelings out there, and for what? To get him to open up? To get him to accept me? I don't even know. All I do know is that I've made a damn good fool of myself.

...

A good hour goes by, and I've read through Daniel Redding's case four times. Dean had no real part in the murders. Only one attack, and he let her go. He did the one thing I was never strong enough to do.

I pull out my phone and hit speed dial. A few seconds later, Maddox answers.

"Hey Vi," he says.

"Hey Maddie," I sigh.

"So, if I recap, everyone knows your name is Kathleen-"

"Kathy," I correct. "No one knows about Kathleen... well," I trail off.

"You just told Dean, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"This being the Dean that you kissed last Friday, and neither of you have said a word about it to each other. How did he react?"

"I don't really know. He wasn't mad, but he was kind of in denial, and then he was comparing us... you knew didn't you?"

"Redding?" he asks.

"Duh," I quip. "You knew and didn't say anything."

"Vi, he kissed you, and if he cared then you'd have found out anyways."

"But he only told me after I told him," I whisper.

"Then that's just how scared he was. Don't look so far into it."

"Okay, well then, take my mind off it. What else do you know that I don't?"

He laughs for a second before blurting, "when Mom was 19 she was a stripper too. That's how she and Dad met."

"No way!" I yell, without a care to be silent. We both break down laughing to the point where I'm in tears and he had to mute himself.

"Okay okay," he interrupts. "In all seriousness, I kinda sorta maybe hacked into the FBI..."

"MADDOX!? What the hell! That's so stupid and reckless and- how'd you even do it? Shouldn't it be almost impossible to break into the FBI database?"

"Pfft, it was easy. It was as if they wanted me to break in."

"Right," I say sarcastically. "But you wouldn't be telling me this unless there were more to the story."

"Yes, well, I also might've taken a look into one of their current cases..."

I curse very explicitly at him before sighing. "Well what's it about?"

"I think you should see for yourself. Does that place have a fax machine?"

"A fax machine? How am I supposed to know that?"

"Go ask one of the others! And get the code."

"Fine," I moan before stepping out of bed. Deans file is laying plainly on my nightstand when I leave, because who cares if he finds it? I certainly don't.