with then-boyfriend R. J. Gannon (Timothy Stickney), and John and Evangeline decide to continue seeing each other. Evangeline decides to surprise John for a visit at his Angel Square apartment, only to find him playing cards on his bed with Natalie who he invited to watch a movie. An upset Evangeline runs out, but John follows, assuring her he and Natalie are just friends, and asking Evangeline not to give up on them. When Evangeline later admits she needs more from him, John agrees to "attach strings," and they begin officially dating. In November 2004, Paul Cramer is dead, and Natalie is John's lead suspect and Evangeline is her attorney. Natalie doesn't trust John, despite his pleas to help her and he is forced to arrest her. To get Natalie released, he digs up a judges' grave without a warrant and finds evidence linking someone else to the crime. John breaking the law to help Natalie causes conflict in his relationship with Evangelina. Natalie, realizing the lengths John has gone to help her, tells him what happened the night Cramer died and that she didn't kill him. John crosses Natalie off the suspect lists, and their friendship is strengthened. November 2004, David Fumero starts a short term contract to reprise his role of Cristian Vega, and an amnesiac Cristian turns up alive. Natalie believes despite changes in her husband's behavior and his memory problems, he feels like her husband. John is not convinced, and believes Cris is a dangerous threat to Natalie, so he pressures her to consider leaving him. To silence John's concerns, Natalie gives John Amnesiac Cristian's DNA to prove he is her husband. John and Natalie are both unaware Cristian has been programmed in captivity to kill his brother, Antonio Vega (Kamar de los Reyes) and his maternal cousin Tico Santi (Javier Morga). Cristian successfully kills Tico and is convicted for his murder As memories of his former life begin to return, Cristian accepts the consequences of his actions and goes to jail. To help Natalie and his family move on, he pretends he is, in fact, an impostor. John gets the DNA results proving the John Doe is in fact Cristian, but Cristian swears him to secrecy. Keeping Cristian's true identity from Natalie proves difficult, as his feelings for her continue to linger in spite of his relationship with Evangeline. When Evangeline tells him she loves