Normally, I wouldn't start another fic just when I'm focusing on one at the moment, but I couldn't help it. FYI, some parts of the Mal/Natara story aren't aligned with what's happening in the game. Just a heads-up: I won't be able to update incredibly frequently, as you will note from this chapter that I write long chapters. So bear with me, if you want to read on. :)

ONE

Reckoning

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool at the top of my lungs
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright but it's never enough

He felt defeated sometimes. He really did. No matter what he did, no matter where he went, somehow, somewhere, there would be a time when his mind would reel back to the events of his life when he knew what mattered most, was lost. Again and again, he would be confronted with chances to grasp the opportunities presented to him, but always, he failed to leap at them. It's as though he would come up short. Was he really a failure? There were days when he thought he was almost as bad as his dad. Oh, never as bad, or worse, but… he was close. At least, he felt he was, sometimes.

Hero. Detective. Justice.

Those words have been heard by him more than he has heard the word "love" in his life. Often, succeeding in cases would mean that he would be happy, but he knew that the happiness that stemmed from jailing up criminals was temporary. People called him hero, for solving top-notch cases. The maskmaker. The connoisseur. The hunter. Zero. It was brilliant, really, it was. He was gaining quite a reputation. He fought for justice, and he got it. The citizens of San Francisco were definitely grateful to him and the police force for it. But he didn't do any of them alone.

Before those cases, he was… well, he was a detective, and he was a good one. Who said he ever wasn't? But he was just a detective… like any other. He was also hugely messed up. It wasn't to say that he was doing any much better now, but he had recovered from a lot of things that were once burdens he had been carrying for ages. A lot of what he had let go was because of the one person who was with him almost 24/7 solving cases.

Before her, he knew he was almost just living life and doing work like a robot. He was trying so hard to be someone his dad wasn't, he was playing away a lot of his cards. There was the divorce from Sandra, which hit him harder than he thought it would. He was spending most of his time at pubs, drinking alone, or playing cards with Diego. He would gamble away, not much, as he would win most of the time, but that was what he spent his free days doing. Ken would sometimes drink along with him, and he would at times hang around, seeing if he still had any game with the girls. Those times when he was enduring the remainder of Sandra's break-up from him, was painful. He was spiralling downwards beyond anything he knew. Safe to say, he was becoming more of a lost person than he thought possible.

It's not that she saved him. She didn't. But she gave him the strength to get up, to see that there was more to life than what he thought he was doing. At the start, he really wouldn't have thought anything more of her. Even now, he believed it was wrong for him to step into the more-than-friends zone. It was like what he told that teenage kid, Colt Warren.

I'm not going to ask her out. She's my partner.

She was, indeed. What was he asking for, a déjà-vu incident for her? She had been through this whole experience before, with Shawn Mallory. Surely she would be avoiding a repeat situation in having a relationship with someone. Perhaps it was because of that, that he held back. Perhaps it was because he knew what she had gone through. It made him shirk from any possible impulsive actions, it made him steer clear away from any feelings he could have developed for her. But as much as he was trying his best to deny any romantic affection for her, he felt as though he was lying to himself.

Aw, come on. I saw the way you looked at her! You totally like her!

Silly kid. A rebellious teen's words shouldn't have such a big impact on him. This teen had absolutely no experience in life, no knowledge of what he was going through – there was no sense in considering the truth of his words.

Oh really? If that's the case, why are you even thinking about it?

He frowned and his brow furrowed. He rolled his eyes at himself and gritted his teeth, almost ready to mock-slap his own face. He needed a drink. His mind was going crazy on its own. It had been a long day; having to finish all these reports on the Mad Stranger case had its toll on his body (and mind). It was more than enough that he only had a few hours of sleep before being called back in by Captain Maria Yeong. And the best part was that he was the only one called in – well, it was fair enough that she needed her rest after the whole shock-hostage situation, but it didn't help that she was in all sorts of closeness with that upstart attorney, Oscar Santos. Man, the guy was seriously the most arrogant person he had ever met.

He didn't want to go anywhere, on one hand. He preferred to just sit down, thinking about her, and whether she really meant anything more to him than just a friend or partner…

…

"Mal!" a voice called.

He turned around. Natara Williams was running toward him, her beautiful chocolate brown hair flapping in the wind. She had a big bright smile on her face and she was ecstatic about something. He had never seen her so happy before.

She ran until she caught up to him, and she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close. She was wearing a floral sundress, a state of attire that he had never seen her in. She was carrying a straw handbag but she had dropped it to the ground in her haste to greet him.

Mal Fallon was a handsome man, and many women were taken to him and his dashing looks, what with his sharp features and steely blue eyes. But Mal Fallon wasn't taken to many women. It took a very special and rare person to make him feel like he was melting inside, and only she could do it.

He wrapped his arms around her back, making her feel strong, safe and secure. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in the beauty of the moment. It was lovely having her in his arms; if he was honest, it was a feeling like no other. He had absolutely no words of describing it. It was in moments like those that he knew there was no one else who could make him so happy.

Around them were many shades and colours of green, red and orange. It was autumn, and they were standing in a large park, near a large, shady tree, beside a large lake. There were people walking around – it wasn't crowded, but some families were strolling along the paths beside the lake on the other side of the park, and some kids were trying to sail toy boats on the water. Some other couples were there too, lying on the grass or playing with their dogs.

A light breeze blew and after the long hug, Mal and Natara pulled back at the exact same time to look at each other. He still held her in his arms, and her arms were still around him, her hands tied together at the back of his neck. He smiled and she knew it was genuine.

"Now, is there a reason why you're so ridiculously happy today? Please say it's because you're happy to see me," he said to her, teasing.

She grinned. "I see you almost every day," she said to him, making an amused face. "And I'm always happy to see you."

He laughed. "Of course. But that doesn't answer my question."

"Well, I've got a surprise for you," she finally let out after a few more seconds of grinning at him. She loved keeping him in suspense, and she liked how cute he looked when he was impatient for an answer.

"A surprise?" he asked, eyes widening. "Nat, you know how much I hate surprises."

She giggled. "No, you don't mind them! Remember the birthday surprise I gave you last time? You loved it, and since then I haven't done anything to surprise you!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her brief outburst of defence. "Okay, okay. What is it? I don't get what this surprise is about though, considering it's not my birthday this time."

"Aha. Well, here it is."

Natara held up two airplane tickets inside an envelope. Mal took it from her, clearly intrigued, and saw that it was tickets for both of them to Fiji.

"What's this, Natara?" he asked, unsure. A small smile was creeping up his face.

"Well, they're plane tickets, of course. To Fiji," she said, as a matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I know," he said as he playfully slapped her arm. She smartly avoided his slap and danced aside, still smiling at him. "But we can't go anywhere… can we?"

Understanding came to him as she finally explained what it was about. "We're finally going on our honeymoon, Mr Fallon," she grinned. "I spoke to Maria yesterday. She agreed that we needed a well-deserved break and we have been granted a whole week of holiday!"

Mal's face then broke out into an amused and surprised grin. "Really? Can't believe she would do that though," he said after some thought.

"Well, she did. Come on, it's been seven months since we got married and we never even went on a honeymoon. I think she finally realised we needed one."

Mal smiled even wider now. "So that is why you were so insistent on meeting me for dinner today even though we have work early tomorrow morning… you wanted to tell me in person."

Natara looked at him with a sly grin, walking back into his embrace. She didn't have to answer.

"You know, I really don't know how I ever managed to score a wife as amazing as you."

"Well, it wasn't you, really. I decided to lower my expectations."

"OH! Thanks a lot."

"…and turns out even though I lowered them, you exceeded my original high expectations more than I could have ever thought possible."

He looked into her eyes. "Mrs Fallon, you're amazing."

She got lost in his dreamy gaze. "You're not so bad yourself."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

And they kissed, one of those out-of-this-world kisses that drove each of them even more madly in love with each other.

...

When he finally stirred and awoke, blinking his eyes, it was 3:13AM. He was unsure of where he was, having had such a vivid dream. After a few minutes of stretching, his senses stabilised and he realised he was still at the station, in the spare office which he was using to spread out all the files on Mad Stranger so he could write his report.

He stood up and got out of the office. There were still quite a fair number of officers at the station – obviously some would be doing overnight duty, but he guessed some others were finishing paperwork as well.

Walking towards the water cooler, he rubbed the edge of his chin, still trying to get his thoughts straight. The dream he just had kept coming back to him in parts. He almost couldn't remember what he was dreaming about. He gulped back a few mouthfuls of water, and as it sank in, he remembered what he was dreaming about.

Natara. Himself. Together.

He breathed in deeply and let out a small sigh. He really needed to get his head out of the clouds into reality. Otherwise, he was in serious danger having dreams like these.

Just as he was finishing his second glass of water, he felt his mobile let out a little buzz inside the pocket of his trousers.

He took it out and took a quick glance at it, then reread it again.

You have a new message! Natara: Mal, we need to talk. Got some news for you.

He was unsure what to make of it, but all he knew now was that he felt like slamming his head against the wall. He did NOT need the real Natara to stir up more problems for him mentally. The fictional-dream Natara already messed up his mind enough.

What news though? What news does she have for me? What's it about?

He let out another sigh of exasperation. He hated surprises.

A/N: There ya go. Couldn't help adding the Mal/Natara fluff there, although it was added on impulse haha. The focus of this story, as you can probably tell, is more on their relationship and individual thoughts/background, not so much on the crimes they solve. I'll see how it goes but not sure how long this fic will be. Stay tuned for more details. Reviews are welcomed. Thanks for reading!