Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Four days of searching and besides finding her mother's necklace, there was nothing to show for it. Lindsay closed her eyes. She'd had a nightmare last night of her parents. Her mother crying and begging before being slapped in the face and falling to the ground. Her father trying to stand up to the two convicted killers, but in his age, easily succumbing to a hit from the butt of a rifle. Dakin threatening to kill them. Katum taunting them about ruining their daughter's life. Dirty, probably starving, cold, and most likely hurting bad. Lindsay had woken up with tears on her face. But at least her nightmare still had them alive...she shuddered, not wanting to think about the nightmares she'd be having that night.

Currently the group had stopped for a mid-morning consult and Lindsay was taking the time to scrub some dirt off with running water from a creek they had stopped near. She sighed. As much as she was a country girl, she missed New York. Missed when her life was normal. Solving cases, putting bad guys away, joking with Stella, Hawkes, Flack, Mac...Danny. Lindsay's eyes closed for a moment as she thought of the last two. How disappointed Mac must be in her now. She was slightly surprised that they hadn't gotten a transmission from Chief Carter, chewing her out for going AWOL. There were few things in life that Lindsay considered as terrible as being seen as a letdown in Mac's eyes. She was already preparing herself to be fired; what job options were available to her then? Life was still beating her down.

And Danny. Lindsay took out her cell phone, turned it on and listened to the saved message. After her talk with Noah, Lindsay oddly only felt resigned calmness as she listened. He would still be there, but would she?

A rustling behind her had Lindsay shutting off her phone and stowing it away, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. Her heart leaped. Noah was looking bleak. "What's wrong?" she asked. He said nothing as he moved to sit next to her on the grass, taking a moment to run his fingers through the cool water.

"We just got another update. Another party further up the mountain and a little off to our left encountered some trouble."

She frowned at him. "What kind of trouble?"

Noah took a deep breath. "They were shot at. One of the volunteers was hit straight in the chest. He's dead." He shook his head, the short brown curls bounced slightly. "A forest ranger."

Lindsay felt the air leave her body. "Oh my god."

Noah took her hand in his. "The party managed a retreat and no one else was hurt, despite their panic at being fired at. Thing is though, Chief Carter is being pressured to recall the teams for their own safety."

"What?!" Lindsay's voice rose in the quiet wilderness.

"Linds, look at it from his point of view. Two crazy and desperate killers with life sentences on their heads really don't have anything to lose. They're going to get riled up if we do something drastic. And most of these volunteers are just that, volunteers. Most of them aren't even trained to deal with this. I don't want anyone else to die, Linds, I really don't." He paused and added quietly, "I don't think mom and dad would want that either."

Moving restlessly at this turn of events, Lindsay stood up and began to pace. Would nothing go right? "Chief Carter's told all the parties to hold their position while it's being decided on the ground. Believe me, Linds, I want to find them too, but not if it's at the expense of everybody else." Noah and Lindsay lapsed into silence, contemplating their parents' fate before he stood up and held out a hand. "Come on, Scott's got the radio. Let' s not make him have to find us."

They could tell that a decision had already been reached by the look on Scott's face and Lindsay gripped her brother's hand tighter.

"They've called off the search."

While Noah closed his eyes in acceptance, Lindsay reacted in disbelief and anger fueled by sudden desperation. "They can't! We can't just give up." She snatched the radio from Scott. "Charlie? Charlie, are you there? Answer me Charlie!"

Crackle. "Lindsay? I'm sorry, but that's the word from the higher-ups."

"We can't just go Charlie. They've been missing for almost a week! It's even more imperative we find them." Lindsay grasped the radio desperately.

Static accompanied Chief Carter's answer. "I realize that Lindsay, but we've already got one confirmed death; I can't, in good conscience, risk more."

"Charlie, believe me, I understand about the safety of everyone searching, but what about instead of recalling everybody, recall only those that aren't trained. I mean, Noah, Scott, and I, we could handle it, we could continue - "

A crackle interrupted her. "That's a negative, Lindsay. The city council, mayor, and other authorities of surrounding counties have decided that it's just too unpredictable out there. You're at a disadvantage. Come back down. We've got people already working up alternative plans. I'm recalling all the teams and that includes you too. That's an order."

"But Charlie..." Lindsay was suddenly enveloped in her brother's warm embrace and she started bawling. Scott took the radio with tears in his own eyes while Will and Cody looked sadly at the two siblings, battling their emotions.

Noah whispered comforting noises despite the heavy lump in his throat. His eyes were glassy. He buried his face in his sister's hair and the two rocked together, shedding hopeless tears. Scott gritted his teeth and his grip threatened to break the radio, so he handed it to Cody. The two most unaffected members moved off to pack up their gear, heart heavy at the sight.

"We should get going," Noah whispered when the two broke apart. His eyes were red, but commiserating as he wiped his sister's tears.

Lindsay sniffled and tried to wipe her face clean. "I left my pack near the creek. I'll be right back." She walked off, chest hitching.

Noah gave Scott a weak smile as the blond man murmured, "We're still going to get these bastards." Walking towards his pack near Cody and Will, Noah began packing it up. The two men offered quiet support.

Packing up his stuff, Noah paid little attention to Cody and Will discussing the best route down the mountain. He shoved a package of beef jerky violently into a side pocket before buckling everything up. He looked at the two. "Are you guys ready?" After receiving nods, he turned around asking Scott and Lindsay the same question.

Neither were there.

"Lindsay? Scott?" Worried that his sister was still crying near the creek or that perhaps she was taking her grief out on Scott, he walked to the creek. Lindsay wasn't there, neither was Scott. Her pack was gone. Scott had already been wearing his. "Lindsay? Lindsay! Where are you?" A deep fear took root in his heart. "Oh god, no. Oh god, no. Lindsay!" he shouted.

No answer. Lindsay had taken off. And he would bet anything that Scott had gone off after her. Noah spun somewhat wildly, glancing all around him. "Lindsay!" The trees all looked the same and there were no tracks on the ground, no sign showing which direction they had gone.

"Lindsay!"

Noah crumpled onto the ground. His family was breaking apart.

"You're going to wear yourself out if you keep walking that fast," Scott commented, his long legs easily keeping stride with Lindsay's shorter, fast walk.

Silence.

"Noah's going to be pissed." The two had been rapidly walking for a good half hour, plowing through bush and weaving through trees and in that time, Lindsay had said nothing. The mood was forlorn.

Wanting to lighten the mood any way he could, Scott said suddenly, "Do you remember when I took you to your prom?"

This time, Lindsay graced him with a nostalgic, but sad, look. "A couple of girls were so jealous that I had a university guy escorting me."

"I remember Noah making a crack when I showed up that you deserved much better. A second later, he, Evan, and your dad were threatening me not to do anything funny." He laughed.

"You were a perfect gentleman," she said softly.

"I had to be. All three of them were holding shot guns when they threatened me."

Her eyes softened and Lindsay opened her mouth to say something when a shot rang out over some distance. Swiveling her head in the direction where it came from, a second had not even gone by before her feet were running toward it.

"Lindsay!" Scott whispered harshly before he cursed and took off after her, hand pulling out his gun.

A/N: Short chapter. Bad day. Bad week and it's only Tuesay. I'll try to update on the weekend. Thanks to those still reviewing the story!