A/N I do not own these characters. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement, and hopefully that of my readers. I mean no harm and am gaining no profit from the use of these characters so please, please don't take me to court! Thanks Ya'll...

Lost and Found

By Melissa Fitch

Chapter 1

Natalie Buchanan stared out the window blankly. The white snow was falling faster and faster till she couldn't see her car anymore. She sighed; coming up here to get some perspective seemed like such a good idea but now she began to question her decision. She had planned to go back to Llanfair on the morning but with the rate of snowfall that seemed unlikely. She was startled out of her thoughts by the ringing telephone. She sighed again and turned around to answer the offending instrument.

"Hello?" She questioned, then bit back another irritated sigh when she heard who was on the line.

"Natalie?" Chris demanded, "Why did you take off with out saying anything?"

"Chris," She started. Christian Vega was her boyfriend. They had been dating for almost a year and they had talked about getting married. But recently he had been getting very possessive. Wanting to know where she was all the time and yelling when he thought she was out too long. "This is exactly why I needed to get away. I don't need you hovering over me all the time!"

"You are my girlfriend, Natalie. I think I deserve to know where you are!" He said stubbornly.

"Listen," she snapped at him, irritated by his attitude. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of my self. I don't need you smothering me all the time."

"Smothering you! Listen to me. I am coming up there to get you. We can talk this out!" Cris told her arrogantly, fully expecting her to agree.

"No you aren't! I need some space Chris. Just stay there!" She told him harshly then softening her tone she said, "Besides it's snowing really hard out Chris. You couldn't make it here safely anyway. Please, just stay there."

Chris sighed audibly on the phone then reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but when you get back we are gonna have a talk about you just taking off with out telling anyone."

Natalie simply rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever. Bye" Then hung up the phone, irritated with his highhanded manner. Putting the phone back on the cradle she went back to the window to watch the snow.

She stood there a minute simply enjoying the calmness of the view then started. She shook her head then stared out at the falling snow in confusion. She had almost thought she saw someone walking up the drive but as she stared out she decided she was paranoid. There was no one out there. That call from Chris must have really upset her she thought. 'Seeing things that weren't there, really!'

Turning away from the window she walked through the cabin to the kitchen. 'She needed a beer' she thought. As she passed the phone she remembered her conversation with Chris and suddenly she knew that she didn't love him anymore. That what they had was gone. It had been for a while but she hadn't wanted to see it. She sighed again and began to worry about how she was going to tell Chris.

RING, RING!

Natalie jumped as the phone rang and, thinking it was Chris again she answered, "What?"

"Natalie? Are you ok?" Bo asked, startled.

"Oh, Sorry! I thought it was Chris again."

"Chris? Has he been bothering you?" Bo asked. He knew that Natalie wasn't happy with Chris because of his possessiveness but with her greeting on the phone when she thought it was Chris he hadn't known she was THAT upset by it.

Natalie shook her head then said, "No, its nothing. I can handle it. Really." She paused a minute then asked, "So what's up?"

Bo smiled at her quick change of subject. 'Same old Natalie,' he thought laughing to himself. "I called to tell you about the big storm headed your way. I know up there at Asa's cabin it's really bad when we get a storm. I wanted to remind you about the generator in the basement and tell you that Kevin and I just refilled the gas so you should be all set incase it turns out to be as bad as they are predicting."

Natalie smiled at his protectiveness and said warmly, "Thanks Uncle Bo. How long is it gonna last? You know I was planning be back tomorrow. I have my jeep so..." She trailed off as she looked out the window again. It was really coming down hard out there and the wind was now blowing hard too.

"The weather guys say anywhere from 2 days to a week honey. Do you have enough food?" He was concerned but he also knew that Natalie could take care of herself.

Natalie mentally groaned at his words. "A week? But I have to work!" She frowned then looking around she began to smile. A week away from Chris and everything that had been stressing her out suddenly didn't seem like a bad thing. Then, answering Bo's other question she said, "Yeah I have enough food. I did my shopping for the month this morning. I didn't feel like going again so I just picked it all up."

"Good. Be careful Natalie. Don't go out any more then you have too and don't drive anywhere till its safe!" He cautioned her.

"I know. I promise not to kill myself in a flaming car accident. I'll stay put until its safe." She said laughing. She heard Bo chuckle too then the phone went dead. "Uncle Bo? You still there?" There was no answer and she realized that the phone was out. She looked out the window and saw that a tree branch had hit the phone wire and knocked it down.

She looked around for her cell phone but didn't see it. Realizing that she must have left it in her car she bit back a curse. She put on her boots and then her jacket and went to the door. Then, remembering her hat she went back and got it. Brushing her long, silky, red hair back and put the hat on and went back to the door. Taking a deep breath she wrenched it open and prepared herself for the rush of cold air that hit her.

The frigid blast of air hit her and she sucked in a deep breath. Carefully making her way to her jeep she clung to it a second before opening the door and spotting her phone on the seat, right where she thought it would be. Glancing out the window something caught her eye. Peering out she stared incredulously as she recognized the shape that had caught her eye. There was a BODY lying in her driveway!

Jumping out she promptly slipped and fell on her butt. Picking her self up she hurried her way to the figure lying prone in the middle of the drive. Falling to her knees as she reached it she realized that the person was a man, and a big one at that. He was over 6 foot tall and wasn't dressed for the weather. Poking him she said, "Mister, Mister? Are you ok?" The only answer she got was a low groan.

Thanking god the man wasn't dead she took his arm and rolled him over on to his back, then gasped. The ground under him was stained red with blood and looking him over she knew why. He had been shot! He appeared to be unconscious and Natalie gently slapped his cheek, trying to wake him up. "Mister. You have to wake up!" She had to get him in the house other wise he would die but she knew she couldn't carry or even drag him all the way there. She wasn't that strong.

She waited a minute then slapped him a little harder, "You have to wake up!" this time she was rewarded when the man's eyes fluttered and then opened slowly. They were beautiful, a deep blue that reminded her of the ocean in the Caribbean. He groaned a little more loudly and moved his mouth like he was trying to speak. Natalie brought her face closer and said, "What?"

"Cold..." the injured man got out and Natalie nodded, "Can you get up? We have to get you into the house before you freeze to death. I can't get you there with out your help."

He nodded, with a tortured groan he struggled to his feet with Natalie's help. He leaned heavily on her and together they slowly made their way to the cabin. When she got him inside she directed them to the empty bedroom where he collapsed onto the bed moments after she pulled back the covers. She stared at him for a moment then sighed. She was gonna have to get his jacket and shirt off so she could look at his wound.

Taking of her own jacket and other things she gathered some supplies that she knew she would need. Clean cloths, a needle and thread, alcohol, and some scissors she made her way back to the stranger's room. "This is gonna be a long night," she muttered to herself as she opened the door and went in.

To be continued...