I'm very excited to share this new story. I have several chapters already written, so this will be updated regularly and completed. Thank you for r&r.

-Rachel

This story contains sensitive material

Lost

Chapter 1

Taken

Natalie Teeger jolted from sleep in dazed confusion. A thud had shaken her from her peaceful dreams that she truly relished these days. Just moments before, her late husband, Mitch lay next to her tracing the outline of her body and catching that ever persistent spot in her midsection that caused a flutter in the pit of her stomach. She remembered laughing and placing her hand atop his to hinder his advances. He had been whispering sweet nothings in her ear, but she couldn't quite make out the individual words. "Mitch! Mitch," she managed through gasped giggles. There had been warm morning sunlight streaming through their bedroom curtains and the additional warmth that radiated through her body from Mitch being curved against her backside. Happiness. She remembered feeling a content happiness in her dream.

She surveyed her surroundings now, only to find herself curled up on the couch in the dark with the TV providing minimal light. Hushed voices carried on conversation on the TV and she gingerly brought herself into a sitting position, rubbing her face in a stifled attempt to shake the grogginess at the same time. She could have sworn the feeling of Mitch against her, the whispered doting, had been real. She could feel her face contorting and her eyes beginning to burn as tears formed, a feeling she had become rather accustomed to when she was forced to accept her reality.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to the reason she had awaken – the thud. She sat up straighter, looking around to locate the source and blinked forcibly to keep her tears at bay. Nothing appeared to be out of place; however, she was unconvinced that the sound had not taken place. She climbed to her feet and made her way up the staircase to check on her daughter, Julie. The door was hanging ajar, and Natalie peered in to find a sleeping Julie under a heap of blankets. She sighed in quiet relief.

Working for Adrian Monk and witnessing the endless cases unfold had left her restless and on edge when suspicious activity occurred. Perhaps it really was nothing – just her anxiety getting the best of her. She shook her head and tried to shake off the feeling as well. She made her way to her own bedroom and pushed open the door. She stared at her bed for what seemed like an eternity. Flashes of Mitch in her dream replayed over and over in her mind. A solemn look crossed her face and she descended the stairs to reclaim her spot on the couch.

Natalie was just beginning to drift off again when a motion in the TV reflection caught her attention. She squinted harder and leaned in to get a closer look. Just as she was able to make out the silhouette of a man approaching her from behind in quick thunderous strides, she felt a sudden furious sting resonating from the back of her head. And then, her world went black.

Adrian Monk sat agitatedly by his phone. It was ten past 8. Natalie was late, and she wasn't answering her cell phone. She was never late. Adrian drummed his fingers on the counter top and eyed a pen laying askew just to the right of him. He adjusted it to lay perfectly in line with the table groove. Better, he thought satisfied. His attention drifted back to a very late Natalie. "Alright, that's it," he exclaimed and picked up the phone once more. Just as he went to dial her house phone, his screen came alive with Julie's caller ID splashed across it. He was quick to answer in a hasty tone, until he heard Julie's voice shaking on the other end.

"Mr. Monk?" She asked hesitantly. "Mr. Monk, something's wrong. My mom isn't here, she's-she's gone."

"Wait-wait, slow down Julie," he shifted in his seat uncomfortably and gave in to a slight twitch as he absorbed the news. "What do you mean she's gone?" He could hear Julie holding back tears and attempting to aid her wavering voice.

"She's not in her room, her car and purse are still here. The TV is even still on. Mr. Monk, I think something bad happened. Please come over, I'm really scared." Julie's breath quickened as she realized she was indeed alone in the house and was unsure of her mother's current condition.

"S-stay where you are, I'll be right there," Monk assured her. He ended the call and climbed to his feet as the endless possibilities flooded his mind. Not Natalie, he thought. Nothing has happened to Natalie. He wasn't quite sure he believed himself.

Monk arrived at Natalie's house quickly with Lt. Leland Stottlemeyer and Randy Disher in tow. He immediately took inventory of Natalie's car still parked in the driveway. "No skid marks," he mumbled to himself. They knocked on the door and a worried Julie greeted them on the other side. "Mr. Monk, I'm so glad you're here," she said and wrapped him in a tiny embrace.

Leland first entered the home, surveying the surroundings until Randy, Monk, and Julie joined him. "She wasn't in the kitchen when I got up, so I checked her room and it doesn't look like she even slept in it," Julie noted.

Monk silently took in the information and made his way into the living room. He first noticed the TV and then the couch. A blanket was bunched up in the corner and the seat cushion still held faint impressions. "That's because she slept here last night," he finally responded. "But she got up at some point. The blanket is wadded up where she threw it to the side as she got up." He drifted to the backside of the couch. "There was a struggle," he leveled his hands and spread his fingers, so he could take in the smallest details.

Randy suddenly spoke up. "Uh, Julie, why don't I fix you some breakfast?" Leland nodded in his direction and Julie absentmindedly agreed before following him in the other room.

"How do you know that?" Leland challenged Monk in a lower level. "The couch," he stated as he removed a wipe and used it to move the couch legs, revealing indentions of how it was normally positioned. "It was shoved out of place, maybe from picking her up over it." He paused and pressed two fingers to his temple as an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "Someone took her, Leland."

He placed a hand on Monk's shoulder. "We don't know that yet, let's check out the bedroom." The two men climbed the stairs and found her room with nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. Monk had never been in Natalie's bedroom. It was humbly decorated in soothing colors of cream and sage green. A flower arrangement of peonies sat on her dresser and it smelt strongly of floral scents. Pictures of Mitch and Julie decorated the space. He leaned in to observe them together. She looks happy, he thought. He slowly floated around the room, inspecting everything when the window caught his attention. It was sitting slightly above the ledge and he used a wipe to seal it shut. "It was forced entry through the window," he stated as he observed some of the white wood chipped. His thoughts drifted in a sequence and he let his eyes fall to the carpeted floor where men's boot prints could be identified.

"Prints," Leland muttered, impressed yet again by Monk's keen eye. "I'll call it in, you go ahead and keep looking around."

Monk nodded and continued his antics. The bathroom appeared to be untouched; however, he did notice the waste bin full of used tissues. Crying? He slid the shower curtain back using one of his wipes, but there were no significant signs held inside. Her shampoo and body wash bottles were lined neatly, with the exception of a shaving cream can. He adjusted it to be in a similar fashion as the other bottles. Vanilla and honey suckle, he noted. Suddenly, he was overcome with the combinations that made up Natalie's scent. He was overcome by the realization that she could be hurt, seriously hurt and that he might not be able to find her in time. He doubled over, and images of Natalie flashed in his mind – her crystal blue eyes and cropped golden hair that he could now put a finger on the smell of – vanilla and honeysuckle.

Monk jumped back to his feet, worried of losing precious time. He descended the stairs quickly and went to check out the kitchen, where he found the rest of the gang. "I'm going to ask the neighbors a few questions," Leland said. "You alright?" He lightly patted Monk's arm as he saw the concern etched across the detective's face.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled and waved him off distractedly. Leland nodded knowingly and parted to visit the neighbors. In the meantime, Monk tracked the man's footprints to the kitchen door. They left here, he pointed for himself and squatted for easier access. The mat was pushed against the door frame where it had been dragged slightly. He dragged her out, she was unconscious. But why? Why Natalie?

Additional cops arrived at the house and filed inside, all asking questions and following up on Monk's inspections. It wasn't long until Leland burst through the door again and gripped Monk's arm. "Her neighbor saw a van last night – heating and air maintenance or something. They drew a picture of the logo." He handed over the drawing. "That's that place over on River street isn't it? Let's go check it out."

This chapter was simply to set the tone, it is the shortest one of the story. I look forward to uploading the next one.

Let me know what you think!