How I Fell Into His Life

Alive

Hello everyone and anyone reading this! Sorry I haven't posted in a while... a long while. I have been going through some health issues and a lot of stress. Thanks for the continuous reads and votes, they mean the world to me! xo -Emma

Recap of the last few chapters...                                                                                             Natalie and Jackson's love story has finally begun when somethings happens. For one Nat's ex-ex-boyfriend is back and Toby got seriously injured fighting against him for his sister, and maybe a little for Jackson. While Natalie is leaving the hospital after visiting her brother she finds her car with a slashed tire and has no way to get back to Jackson's house. Natalie then discovered Owen and Ben, she tries to run but she's to slow. Natalie has been kidnapped by Ben, Owen, and someone Nat and the crew would never expect. Natalie has been told that each week she is going to switch from Ben (the "nice one") and Owen (the "not as nice one"). Natalie will also have to call Jackson to breakup with him, she also gets to call Toby and Tucker to let them she's okay to stop searching for her. While Natalie is trying get through her own problems Jackson is doing the same. Jackson is trying not to have a relapse on the "darker part" of his life, he's struggling without Natalie. Nathan isn't helping Jackson through this hard time so he needs to go somewhere to think clearly, he goes to the waterfall, one of the places his fathers ashes had been spread. He has decided he needs to be close to Natalie, he decides to ask Toby if he can stay there for a couple nights. Jackson is now staying in Natalie's vanilla scented room, he feels the closest he has to her since before she was kidnapped. Jackson also finds a surprise visitor that he wasn't expecting at the Porter house, Jess.

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Jackson's POV

I woke up the next morning feeling incredibly relaxed and way less exhausted than I had before I got here. Sleeping in Natalie's room was comforting, it made it feel like she was right there with me, even though she really wasn't. I looked around her room and then decided to go downstairs, even though I probably shouldn't have. I forgot about the happy couple that I was currently sharing living quarters with. I walked downstairs to see them cuddled up on the couch watching a TV show that actually looked funny, in fact I probably would've joined them if I hadn't felt so unwelcome.
Jessica noticed me and said, "I made pancakes, they're on the counter if you want some." She then went back to watching the show, Toby had just gotten a call, he looked concerned. He definetly was not going to acknowledge my presence so I decided to eat my pancakes alone in the kitchen. Seeing them acting like a complete couple made my mind wander to Natalie and soon enough there were some tears falling down my cheeks. I quickly headed upstairs ignoring the the yelling that was coming from Jess.
I just wanted to be alone at the moment and the happy couple was making it extremely hard. They kept yelling and pounding on the door, for some reason they weren't taking no for an answer today. I just don't understand what's up with them today, last night they were both mad at me and now they're yelling at me to come out. "Jackson! You need to come out here right now! I'm serious!" Jessica yelled. I was debating on going out, but I was just so confused.
"Jackson, come on man! It's about Natalie! Now get the hell out of that room so we can tell you." Toby yelled. I let what he had just said process in my mind and I froze, we hadn't had any news on Natalie for over a week. I opened up the door and stumbled out, I was in shock and the tears that were already falling continued.
I looked at Toby and then at Jess, they both had tears streaming down their cheeks aswell. "No, no, no." I said looking at them while shaking my head. "Tell me she's not... tell me she's not..." I couldn't get the rest of my sentence out because I was getting so choked up. Toby put his hand on my shoulder, "I just got off the phone with Natalie." He said, he looked as shocked as I was feeling. I was crying so hard, out of relief and fear and love, I slowly fell to my knees and tried to calm down.
"What did she say?" I asked, I needed to know and I needed to know now. What I wouldn't give to hear her voice right now, I was suddenly very jealous of Toby. I understand of course, if I was in danger and I was able to call someone I would call my brother too.
       Toby sighed and then said, "Just wait, I called everyone over and I don't want to have to listen to it more then once, I just can't." He choked up as more tears fell from his eyes that are a similar color to Natalie's.
My eyes widened, "You...you were able to record it?" I asked looking up at him with so much hope, Toby nodded and before he was going to say something I jumped up and hugged him with all my might. Once I let go Toby said, "The call didn't really make sense though, I don't understand the things she said." I nodded trying to understand, I was about to say something when the doorbell rang.
I ran down the stairs and opened the door, "We all got Toby's message...What is this about?" Tucker asked while looking confused. I looked around Tucker and saw Ashley and Nathan standing and also looking confused. I couldn't help but smile at least a little through the tears that were continously falling. The only thing I could say was, "She's alive."
"She's alive?" Ashley said as tears instantly fell from her blue eyes down her cheeks, she made her way in front of Tucker and hugged me. I let her cry on my shoulder and watched as Tucker and Nathan hugged too, they both had tears falling. I let Ashley move on to hug Jess and Tucker tackled me, we fell to the ground and he kept saying, "Thank you God" as more tears fell.
Nathan helped Tucker and I up and pulled me into a hug, "Jackson, I'm sorry." He said, I could tell how upset he was. "It's okay, besides I mean I was finally able to get some sleep." I smiled a little. "I don't know why we didn't think of having you sleep in her room sooner, you probably wouldn't have had as many night terrors and you would've gotten more than three hours of sleep each night." Nathan said. I just shrugged.
"So she just called you?" Tucker asked Toby, he looked confused, "But why would they let her call you?" He continued. Toby shrugged and asked if we were ready to hear the recording, we all nodded not knowing what to expect. Toby was the only one who knows what she said, he wouldn't even let Jess listen, he made her wait like everyone else.
Toby sighed and just said, "I hope none of you are hoping for some kind of explanation out of this, you won't get one. She said the main things and then told a story from "when we first moved here" that never really happened. It doesn't really make sense, if any of you can make any sense out of this... just say something." He looked around the room and nodded before pressing play on the recording. The quality of the recording was better than what I expected the recording was also only one sided which was nice, her voice began to play through the air:

"Hey Toby, this is Natalie. I know your freaking out right now, I would be too. I'm okay as of now, but if you want me to stay okay you have to call off the cops and you have to stop looking for me." She paused and sniffled, you could tell she was crying. "I don't know when I'll see you again or if I'll see you again. Tell Mom I love her. Toby do you remember when we first moved here and we visited all the surrounding towns to see which one was the best, and there was one that was better than the others. It was way nicer than you would've thought." She made sure to really make that part clear and none of us had any idea why. There was a noise and Nat whimpered, my heart stopped. "Toby let everyone know I love them. You were the best big brother ever and I will love you forever. Goodbye."

       She said the last part rushed, whatever made that noise or whatever that noise was it scared her, she had done something wrong so they had to make her stop but they couldn't use there voice because we would figure out who they are. I thought about what she had said right before the noise was made. Then it came to me.
Everyone was silent and we all had tears streaming down our faces. "I get it." I said, I paused so I could get everyone's attention and to think about what I was going to say.
"She put the "memory" in her call to try to get us to understand where she is. She's in a surrounding town and wherever she is, it's nicer than you would think." I paused looking around once again, everyone was following my train of thought now so I continued. "She wasn't supposed to say that, whoever was with her made a noise and it scared her." I paused again. I was about to continue when Jessica said, "So she rushed the rest of her call."
Everyone was on the same page by now, Toby added the one piece that was missing. "They couldn't use their voice to tell her to stop or they would be exposed, so it's obviously someone we know." We all nodded and then hugged each other, we had a clue.
We had a lead and we were definitely going to find her. We were going to find her and bring her back home where she belongs. She was going to be okay. She was alive. She was hoping to be found, and we were going to find her.
We had found our first lead and I was feeling more hopeful than ever.

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