Before he could stop her, she began unbuttoning her shirt. His mouth went try at the tantalizing view of skin just underneath the fabric, but he managed to get control of his much-neglected libido.

"I didn't mean like that," he said gruffly, then nodded to the black plastic garbage bag next to the table. "I meant those clothes."

"Oh..." she replied softly. "I guess just toss them."

"Natalie," Lance said sternly. "You know what'll happen if someone finds those clothes. They'll naturally assume there's a dead body to go with them, forensics'll get involved, DNA tests, you know the drill."

She nodded in reply. "Burying them might only buy time, but things like that usually turn up. I guess the only thing is to burn them."

"I'll let you have the honors," Lance answered.

Natalie paled at the thought of touching those clothes again, but didn't say anything. Numbly she watched as he picked up the bag and walked into the living room. She still hadn't said a word by the time a nice, cheery blaze was going in the fireplace.

"Natalie," he said gently. "This is something you need to do. You'll feel better for it, trust me."

Wordlessly, she opened the bag, wincing at the smell. She closed her eyes and pulled out her stained shirt. Wadding it up so the blood stain wasn't visible, she tossed it into the fire. They sat there in silence in front of the fireplace, watching the material first smolder and then finally catch fire and slowly disintegrate into ash. After that came her jeans. The heavier denim took longer to burn than the lighter t-shirt. Still Natalie said nothing, and Lance didn't push her. He simply sat next to her offering physical and emotional strength. Once her jeans were nothing more than a pile of ash and a few metal pieces from the zipper and button, Lance added another log to the fire. Natalie tossed her underthings into the fire. Only then did she finally say something.

"It's like everything that happened to me before didn't matter," she whispered softly.

Lance gently kissed her temple. "Of course it did. Without going through all those experiences, you wouldn't be who you are right now."

"But I don't know who that is anymore..."

He didn't have an answer for that, and it was up to Natalie to discover that for herself. They sat silently, watching the flames, until the only the faintest embers glowed. After that, Lance decided they'd best call it a night and get some sleep. He'd stayed up the entire night before and was pretty well worn out, all things considered. He gallantly walked her to the door to the guest room and gently kissed her goodnight.

"Don't worry about anything," he advised. "Tomorrow we'll celebrate everything, alright?"

Natalie's only answer was a tired nod before retreating into the bedroom.