A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I am so happy that you all are enjoying the moments of Natalie in heaven (or limbo, or wherever exactly it is)...I have to admit, I'm having a lot of fun writing Jared, Asa and Megan, but I promise not to drag that part out too long, because I know we're all anxious to see Natalie back with her family soon.
"No, there has to be a way," Natalie insisted. "They have to find me, they have to! I can't bleed to death in a forest, Jared, that's absurd!"
"I wish there was something I could do," Jared said. "I really do, Sparky, but there isn't."
"Don't listen to him," Asa said. "Use that Buchanan spirit and fight, Natalie. You may have this bozo's last name, but you're a Buchanan through and through."
"And Buchanans don't give up," Natalie said.
"Damn straight we don't," Asa agreed proudly. "A Buchanan can solve any problem with brains, guts and hard work."
"And exactly how is any of that going to help Natalie right now, Asa?" Megan asked impatiently. "Look at her body there. How exactly are brains or guts or hard work going to stop her from bleeding out? You can't just think really hard and force her blood to clot. You know that sometimes we can't help these things."
"I have to be able to stop this," Natalie said. "You don't understand. I love John…we have to have the chance to at least try to make things right again. Liam needs me, he needs his mother to teach him and love him and help him grow up to be the man I know he can be. I can't leave when he's only a baby."
"Natalie…"
"And Mom…what about Mom? She needs me too, don't you see? She's already lost one daughter, she can't lose another," Natalie continued. "And Dad, he's just turning his life around. He's finally acting like the man we all knew he could be, but losing a child…I don't know what this would do to him. I can't be the thing that undoes all the progress he's made! And Kevin…he's lost so much, with Ace and with Duke…and the rest of my brothers, they're all so protective, it'll be so hard for all of them. I can't do that to them, I can't die on them. And Jessica…my God, Jessica…she's my twin, we're connected, we…"
"Natalie?" Megan prompted gently as Natalie's voice trailed off and her eyes widened.
"I need to see Jessica," Natalie said.
"Why?" Megan asked.
"I need to see her!" Natalie insisted.
Megan frowned and looked over at Jared and Asa, who shrugged in confusion. "Alright," Megan agreed, turning toward the wall and waving her hand. The images of Natalie's body slowly faded and were replaced by Jessica, sitting in the Llanfair kitchen with Tina, staring at the teacup in her hands instead of listening to her aunt.
Natalie took a step closer and shut her eyes to focus. "Jessica, please," she whispered.
"Natalie, she can't…" Megan began.
"Oh, for God's sake, let the girl try!" Asa interrupted. "It's not like there's anything else we can do."
"Jessica, please hear me," Natalie continued. "Help me! Look north, Jessica…the mountain…come find me…Jessie, please!"
"I just don't get it," Tina said, leaning back in her chair at the kitchen table and patting her dog's head. "Your mother is being completely unreasonable. Those ice sculptures I showed her for the reception are certainly not tacky."
"Tina…" Jessica began, frustration in her voice as she stood up from her seat and walked over to the tea kettle on the stove.
"Or the belly dancers," Tina continued. "What is so wrong with belly dancers?"
"Tina, did it ever occur to you that maybe Mom doesn't want a big wedding?" Jessica asked impatiently. "This is going to be her tenth marriage, don't you think maybe she's done the fanfare already?"
"Oh please, you say ten like it's a bad thing. It's just experience. Besides, she's not even increasing her husband count this time."
Jessica frowned as she opened her tea bag and turned to look at her aunt. "Her what?"
"Her husband count," Tina said, shrugging her shoulders as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Your mother has had seven husbands, and even after this wedding, it'll still be seven husbands. She's just double-dipped a few times."
"Fine, well, whether it's seven or ten, I'm pretty sure this will be her last," Jessica said. "And she's made it very clear that all she and Dad want is a simple ceremony with their children and grandchildren."
"What about me?" Tina asked defensively. "Doesn't her sister make the cut too?"
Jessica smirked. "Well, seeing as you're married to my brother, I guess you're included in the children column. It seemed rather appropriate to me."
Tina frowned and looked down at the tiny dog in her lap. "David Vickers, I think I was just insulted by my niece…or maybe by my sister-in-law. I'm entirely not sure which one I'm talking to right now."
"Tina, I don't…"
"Jessica, please hear me…help me! Look north, Jessica…the mountain…come find me…Jessie, please!"
Jessica froze, not even flinching as the tea cup slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor, shattering into thousands of little fragments.
"Jessica?" Tina jumped to her feet and hurried over to her niece. "Are you alright?"
"Did you hear that?" Jessica whispered.
"Hear what?" Tina asked in confusion. "The cup breaking?"
"No. Did you…" Jessica shook her head quickly. "Never mind. Tina, I've got to go."
"What?"
"I've got to go," Jessica said, grabbing her purse from the nearby counter.
"What? Where? Why?" Tina gaped at Jessica. "What am I supposed to tell your mother?"
"I can't explain right now," Jessica said. "Just make something up if Mom asks."
"Make something up?" Tina muttered, scooping her dog back into her arms as Jessica rushed out the back door. "David Vickers, today has been a very troubling day, and it just keeps getting worse. Where on earth could she be going?"
Bo shoved his phone back in his pocket as he made his way back toward the bright lights surrounding the table with the maps of the area.
"That the mayor?" John asked, marking off another section of the map without looking up.
"She's not loving the press swarm that's hitting town," Bo said. "Something about a serial killer being bad publicity for Llanview. I told her I didn't give a damn what anyone thought about Llanview, my job wasn't to promote tourism, it was to bring Natalie home safely."
"You better be careful, she might fire you again," John pointed out.
"After the way she got raked over the coals for the Statesville breakout? I don't think so, but you know something, John? At this point, I really don't care if she does or not," Bo admitted, looking down at the maps. "How many more sections do have left to clear?"
"We've got reports from the searchers in every section except these two here," John said, pointing to a corner of the map.
"Who's covering those?"
"Um…" John glanced at a list to the side of the map. "Rex and Cord have this one here, and the last one is David and Matthew."
Bo sighed. "Well, I suppose we can start organizing the rest of the volunteers for the next grid while we wait for them to report in."
"I think we need to…" John paused and looked up at the sound of a car door slamming, frowning when he saw Jessica trying to push her way past one of the officers standing on the perimeter of their makeshift headquarters.
"I've got this one," Bo said, making his way over to his niece. "Jessica, what are you doing here?"
"Uncle Bo, you have to move!" Jessica said anxiously. "We have to look north, on the mountain."
"What are you talking about?" Bo asked.
"That's where Natalie is," Jessica insisted. "She's not down here, she's on Llantano Mountain."
"How do you know that?"
"I can't…Uncle Bo, I can't explain, I just know," Jessica said. "Please, we have to look for her up there!"
"Jessica, the best thing we have to go on is Natalie's car," Bo said gently. "I know you want to help, but just let us do our job, okay? We'll find her."
"Not here you won't," Jessica said. "She's running out of time and you're wasting time here, I can feel it!"
"Jessica, if you can give any reason to think that Natalie's up on Llantano Mountain, please tell me," Bo said. "I can't redirect the whole search based on a gut feeling, though."
"Please," Jessica pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Uncle Bo, you have to listen to me!"
Bo sighed and squeezed her hand. "Jessica, I'm sorry," he said. "I have to go brief the volunteers on our next search area."
Jessica shook her head and bit her lip as he walked away, her shoulders shaking as she slumped against a nearby tree and sobbed. A split second later, she turned her head in confusion as a hand grasped her elbow and pulled her up.
"How sure are you?" John asked as he dragged her to her feet.
"What?"
"How sure are you that Natalie's on Llantano Mountain?"
Jessica hesitated for a moment, her breath shaking. "I'm betting her life on it, John."
"Okay," John said quietly, nodding as he kept his grip on her elbow and steered her toward his car. "Let's go."