A/N: This is just a two parter-I needed a Jolie pick-me-up and decided to write it myself. Ya'll enjoy-rest of it should be posted later this weekend. Until next time-PCGirl.

John walked to the door of Llanfair remembering the scene he'd left a few minutes ago at Marty's. He'd come by this weekend and seen Liam-he usually did when his mind was clear of the self-inflicted alcohol haze he would put himself in, but then his heart hurt worse after leaving him so the cycle would continue.

Tonight he'd tried something different-instead of finding the bottle he went to talk to Marty. He'd made a comment about not having seen Liam in a few days and she'd burst into tears-saying how she was just trying to get revenge on Natalie for taking Cole away from her. That she'd never meant to hurt him this deep-never meant to keep him from his son.

At first she tried to backtrack her story-but he'd pushed until she admitted what Natalie had been saying all along-Liam was his son. By blood-not just by the bond they had formed in those first few weeks of life. He'd wanted to yell at her-ask her how she could do that to him, but instead he'd walked out of the house and headed here.

He wanted to walk right in-wanted to go upstairs and hold his son in his arms, but he controlled himself and knocked hard. As the door opened he put on his pleasant smile to Viki, "Hi Mrs Banks. Can I talk to Natalie?"

"Oh John, I'm sorry-she's not here."

John nodded-it made sense, the way he'd treated her she would not expect him to show up like this, "I see. Do you know where she went? When she might be back? Is Liam with her?"

Viki saw the look in his eyes and realized the moment she'd told Natalie to wait for was here and her heart ached to tell him the truth, "She's at the airport. They are going to London tonight."

"Oh. Don't you need the father's permission to do that?"

"Well, yes-but Brody signed a paper saying it was ok."

"You don't know what time the flight was, do you?"

Viki looked at her watch, "I believe in thirty minutes. What's going on, John?"

John grinned at the question-he hadn't felt himself really smile like this for months, "I need to tell Natalie first. I'm sorry."

"Don't be-I hope it's good, whatever it is," she smiled as she watched him take off for his car once again.

Natalie sat in the seat watching Liam sleep-she worried about the flight across the Atlantic and him waking up crying in the middle of the flight. Maybe she should have taken the Buchanan jet like Kevin had offered when she suggested they come for a visit.

She needed to get out of Llanview-he understood, as did her mom, dad, and Joey. She walked around on eggshells at work when it came to John and then did the same at home with Tess.

She kept telling herself this trip wasn't going to be long-just a short visit with her brother, but then she wondered what if she just stayed-Brody was so wrapped into trying to be Ryder's dad would he actually miss his real son.

"Mrs Banks?"

Natalie looked up to see the ticket agent from before-when she nearly went to London and John stopped her, "Hi," she smiled politely.

"Look at this guy-he's so handsome, looks just like his dad," she smiled as she looked over Liam.

Natalie didn't have it in her heart to correct her, though she had thought the same thing from time to time-that he looked more like John than either her or Brody, but put it off as she was looking for John in him and somehow found it.

"Is your husband going with you to London?"

"No," said Natalie as she felt tears brimming behind her eyes and tried to force the emotions back. "He won't be joining us either."

"I'm sorry to hear that, have a nice flight though."

"Thanks," she said as she looked back at Liam. "I'm sorry baby," she whispered softly as she stroked his cheek. Hearing her name being called she turned to look and see John standing there a few feet away from her. "Uhm, hi," she said unsure how he even knew where to find her.

"I came by the house-needed to talk to you."

She shook her head fiercely, this wasn't happening-he wasn't going to stop her from another flight to London and then break her heart all over again, as well as Liam's. "There's nothing to say John."

John nodded-she was hurt and he knew he was to blame. He'd pushed her away so far these past few months he wondered what he could say to pull them back to each other and then he looked at Liam sleeping. "Can I hold him?"

"Sure," she said as she watched him so delicately pick her son up and hold him in his arms. He started to squirm and she smiled as he woke up and she watched his and John's eyes connect and he giggled.

John couldn't help but smile, here he was holding his son-something he hadn't thought he was doing for months, and kicked himself for the simple moments like this that he'd missed, "I was over at Marty's tonight."

"Oh, good. Is she going to give you therapy?" she questioned, even though she knew the woman had lost her license to practice. Hearing the first call for her flight she wondered if this was going to be the last conversation she ever had with John and it would be about Marty.

"No, but she did admit to me something. She told me she was trying to get revenge on you for Cole-that she changed the test."

"What? What are you saying?" she asked, hearing the second call for her flight.

"You were right-Liam is my son, in every way including blood," he smiled as he looked at her.

Her heart melted at his smile-it'd been so long since he smiled at her like that-she'd see it with Liam, but never with her, "Ok. But what if she's lying? What if this is another way for her to stick it to me? I can't go through this again, John."

"Just-let's go have a test done. We can do it at the station. Please don't take him away from me again."

"I'll think about it-but first I have a plane to catch. Say goodbye sweetie," she said as she took Liam out of John's arms, and for a second wondered if John was right and she was actually taking her son away from his father.

"Natalie-," he said, unsure of how to stop her.

"I'll be back, John. And if you still believe her we can talk about the test," she said as she as she finished getting Liam settled in the carrier.

John felt frozen watching her walk to the gate. He didn't know how, except for physical restraint, to make her stay-he'd hurt her so badly that she wasn't willing to trust enough to find out the truth. He watched her pause a moment, and thought she was going to turn around to him, but it didn't happen and she disappeared down the walkway and disappeared.