Monk mumbled a series of unintelligible words, but she couldn’t make them out. She did, however, both understand and feel the kisses he dotted along the pulse point in her neck, as well as his hand which was creeping under her shirt.

‘Oh my god, what is he doing?’

Natalie just sat there, stunned and confused. For a moment, she recalled how he had toyed with the ruffles on her tattered blouse. Evidently when he got wasted, he also got very frisky; which meant he was also still under the influence of the alcohol.

Not good.

His fingers moved gently over her skin – much in the same way she would when comforting him after a rough day. And it dawned of her how similar his strokes were to her own; apparently in his subconscious, he had enjoyed her touch more than she realized and was, now, imitating her. Truth be told, Monk’s uncharacteristic behavior wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the implications behind it.

‘No way would he have feelings for me. It’s absurd; he’s still madly in love with Trudy. I’m just his Go-To Girl, right?’

She searched her memories for any sign that her boss would be interested in her, but she came up empty. Most of the time, he acted like she didn’t even exist, much less that she was important to him.

It certainly wasn’t the same for Natalie, though. She would love Mitch forever, but falling in love hardly ever came when someone expected it, and that was the case with her time and time again. First it was Jeremy Lynch from high school, next it was half a dozen guys on the West coast, and, finally, Mitch in Las Vegas. But, it didn’t end there – she met Adrian Monk and her whole world was flipped upside down.

If she was totally honest with herself – which, usually, she never was – she’d admit to falling hard that first day they met. There was something about him, some miniscule detail, that, combined with his innate abilities as a detective, made her a bit giddy with pride; and then, when he rescued poor Mr. Henry, that pretty much made up her mind to work for him.

Yeah, she had a crush, but Natalie was smart enough to know nothing would come of it. Or so, she had thought, because her current situation definitely spoke to the contrary. His lips were driving her crazy, and if she didn’t stop him soon, they were headed for trouble.

Oh, but it felt so good; all tender and soft.

‘Now is not the time to have a war in your head, Natalie!’ She chastised herself, feeling odd for even considering the possibility of having sex with him. Not to mention the fact that he was also drunk, and chances were good she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

‘Stop it, Natalie! Just get up, lay him back on the bed, and leave! He doesn’t know what he’s doing! He’s your boss! Quit thinking with your hormones!’

“Okay, I guess I’ve officially lost my mind, because not only am I talking to myself, but I’m also having an internal battle in different personalities,” she whispered, swallowing a moan as Monk sprinkled kisses on the underside of her jaw; his eyes closed in concentration, mapping her skin with his mouth.

‘I have to stop him! I can’t let this happen---ooh, that feels nice. What is he? Oh god, is he going to kiss me on the lips? No, no, no. This isn’t right. I have to stop him before it’s too late.’ Then, all of the sudden, his lips moved slowly over hers; barely touching at all, and her brain decided to shut the hell up and kiss him back.

She could tell he hadn’t kissed in a long time, because he wasn’t exactly hitting his target. His lips kept roaming closer to her cheek, so Natalie took matters into her own hands. Cupping the back of his head, she gently coaxed him in the right direction, correcting his trajectory. And, this time, when he kissed her, she let the moan escape, however, hearing her reaction to his advances brought her back to the present situation: He was drunk.

“Trudy,” he mumbled, breathlessly.

Natalie’s eyes opened in shock. ‘He thinks he’s with Trudy. Of course. She’s the only woman he’s ever loved. I had a feeling this would happen.’

She shifted back, breaking the kiss. Monk still had his lips puckered and, the sight of him like that, caused her to smile. 'God, he's so damn cute.' She relented and gave him one last little peck then eased him down to the bed again. "It's time for Mr. Monk's bedtime."

He didn’t fight her -- much to her surprise --and she was able to get him settled with little to no fuss. Once Natalie had him tucked in, Monk drifted off, puffing quietly in his sleep.

“You are so precious. Good night-” She paused in mid-breath for a moment, debating over whether to call him, her usual ‘Mr. Monk’ title, or, call him by his true name. Mind made up, she leaned over his sleeping form to drop a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Good night, Adrian. I won’t be far.”

Natalie grabbed a blanket from the hall closet, being extra careful not to disturb the other linens. 'Maybe, someday, he'll see me as something more. Only time will tell.' She found a comfy spot on his sofa and fell asleep, too. And, just as she promised, she remained there in case Monk needed her for anything.

The next morning, when the sun came up, she woke before him. She checked on him one last time and then slipped out the door, without Monk ever knowing she had stayed.