Decided to update this before my other story since I left it on a bit of a cliffhanger! I really love this little universe I've created!

I've started watching Rizzoli and Isles over again and it's really starting to inspire me! It's just so good! Thanks so much for reading! -J

Brought Together By Fate – Part 2

Chapter 12- Find Her

Jane wasn't really sure how she got to the hotel where Samantha Markus and her father had been staying. She remembered telling Maura what had happened and urging her to stay home with Amelia before rushing to the car; driving in a state of shock until she looked up and realized she had arrived at her destination.

Finding a place to park, Jane ran inside, taking the stairs in order to get to the room number she had been given, immediately finding Frost waiting for her in the hallway.

"What the hell happened?" Jane was almost out of breath, knowing she probably sounded panicked, but not caring at the moment.

"Nathan said he and Samantha had ordered room service. There was a knock at the door so he went to answer," Frost explained. "I guess he didn't think to check the peephole. He was hit over the head and knocked unconscious. By the time he came to Samantha was gone."

"Did he see who did this? Does he remember anything?" Jane asked. "There must be cameras around here somewhere," she began looking up and down the hallway.

"Whoa, whoa slow down," Frost put up a hand trying to calm his partner down. "Nathan didn't get a look at the guy. I mean he's still pretty groggy and his memory probably isn't great but he's pretty sure whoever did this was wearing a mask," he told her. "As for the cameras the one in this hallway is busted," he rolled his eyes. "The guy was obviously pretty aware of where all the cameras were though because he managed to avoid looking into any of them. He took Samantha down the stairs and out the lobby without raising any flags and we don't have a single image of his face."

"But we're sure it was a man?" Jane had to ask.

"From the images we do have off the cameras? Absolutely," Frost nodded.

"Where are we on this blind date Audrey was going on then?" Jane questioned, knowing Audrey's date was really the only lead they had considering whoever she was with was the last person to see her alive. "Do we know who this guy was?"

"I don't have anything yet but I should be able to get her phone records," Frost replied. "I'm assuming she was at least texting this guy."

"Alright let's…let's go then. Let's go do that," Jane felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest, adrenalin coursing through her. "We need to find this guy. We…we need to find Samantha."

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When Maura woke the next morning she wasn't surprised to find that Jane still hadn't returned, understanding that Jane would remain at work until Samantha Markus was found. Wanting to get to work early in order to see what she could do to help, the Medical Examiner decided to get Amelia up and ready for school a little early, knowing Angela would take the 6 year old to school for her.

"Mommy where's Mama?" Amelia asked as she ate a bowl of oatmeal at the kitchen island, her short legs swinging back and forth as she sat on the stool. "How come she's not here? Is she sleeping?"

"No honey, Mama's at work already," Maura replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "She had to leave very early so she couldn't come say goodbye to you," she explained.

"Did Mama go so she could make that girl feel better?" Amelia asked, remembering what her Mother had told her the night before while they were playing.

"Sort of," Maura nodded, not wanting to explain any further since Amelia was obviously too young to understand what had happened to make Jane return to work in the middle of the night. "I need to get to work soon so I can help Mama and Uncle Frost and Uncle Korsak, so I'm going to have Nonna drive you to school today. Is that okay?"

"Okay Mommy," Amelia nodded, grabbing a piece of the apple Maura placed beside her bowl. "Mommy, Mama saves people at work right?" She then asked, looking up at Maura with wide, curious eyes.

"Yes Sweetheart, Mama saves lots of people at work," Maura replied, moving around the island and taking a seat next to her daughter, deciding to enjoy a few minutes with the little blonde. "Mama makes the city safer when she goes to work."

Nodding, Amelia seemed to consider this for a moment, biting her lip before turning her attention back to her Mother. "Do you save people too Mommy?" She asked, not really knowing exactly what Maura did at work. "You save people because you're a doctor. Right Mommy?"

"Oh uh…" Maura could feel her face turning red, not entirely sure how to explain her job to the young girl, but also unable to lie. "Well Honey I'm not really that kind of doctor. I'm not the type of doctor you go to see when you're sick or hurt."

"What kind of doctor are you then?" Amelia was now curious, her attention focused solely on her Mother, asking questions like she always did when she learned something new, always trying to get more information.

"Well I'm the kind of doctor who helps Detectives like Mama and your uncles find the people who hurt other people," Maura did her best to explain without bringing up murder. "I use my medical knowledge to help Mama solve her cases."

"So you do save people too then Mommy," Amelia grinned, looking proud of herself for understanding. "If you help Mama save people then you save them too!" She beamed, obviously pleased with this new understanding. "You and Mama are heroes! Right Mommy?"

"Hmmm…y-yes I guess we are," Maura smiled, happy to see the pride on her daughter's face, and proud that the little girl seemed to understand so much.

"You should go help Mama make that girl happy again, Mommy," Amelia reached out for a hug. "You and Mama make everything better. She needs you."

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"Jane I found him," Frost came rushing into the bullpen, finding his partner sitting at her desk nursing a cup of coffee. "I found the guy Audrey was meeting the other night. According to her contacts he's listed as Greg, no last name," he explained, watching as Jane perked up, ready to step into action, knowing Samantha's time could be limited. "I've been combing through the messages they exchanged. Mostly it's a bunch of small talk, little bit of flirting before they finally agreed to meet."

"Do we have anything other than his phone number?" Jane asked. "Is there an address or anything useful in the messages? We need to find this guy and somehow I don't think calling him is the best idea."

"No address," Frost shook his head in disappointment. "But they met at a coffee shop a few blocks from here," he told her. "I thought we could check it out. They could have security cameras."

"Sounds like the best plan we've got," Jane nodded, standing up and grabbing the blazer off the back of her chair, just pulling it on as Maura appeared off the elevator.

"Jane!" The Medical Examiner called, looking exquisite despite the fact that she had rushed in. "Have you found her?"

"No," Jane sighed, allowing Maura to pull her into a hug since the bullpen was still pretty empty. "We're just about to go track down a lead though. Is my Ma bringing Mia to school?" She asked, noting it was still too early for Maura to have dropped the 6 year old off before coming in.

"Yes I wanted to come in and see if there was anything I could do," Maura explained. "Please tell me there's something I can do. I want to help."

"Well it's not your typical work, but we need someone to comb through Audrey's life; see if there's anything there," Jane replied. "Korsak's talking to Samantha's father at the moment. All the files are on my desk. Do you think you can go through them? See if you can spot anything that can help us?"

"Whatever you need," Maura nodded, grabbing Jane's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Be safe," she said, keeping her voice low.

"Always," Jane smiled; grateful for the fact that Maura wasn't holding the conversation they had the previous night against her, placing a kiss on the blonde's forehead. "I'll see you soon."

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If Jane was being honest, as she and Frost headed to the café, she really thought they were following a long shot. As much as she wanted to believe they were going to find something useful, the brunette couldn't help feeling like they didn't stand a chance at finding Audrey's date, and yet luck seemed to be on their side.

After combing through the café's security footage, the Detectives eventually found a clear picture of Audrey and her date, sending the footage back to the precinct and using facial recognition to find that the man was 45-year-old Greg Kirkland. Getting Greg's address the pair headed straight there, desperate to find Samantha.

"This guy isn't going to have Samantha," Frost said as they approached the man's house, feeling the need to voice the obvious. "If this was our guy he never would have let us get an image of him on those cameras. Whoever took Samantha was very aware of the cameras at the hotel; that took planning. This would be too sloppy for him. You know that right?"

"I know," Jane sighed, hating the fact that Frost was right, but knowing it was true. "Let's just…let's get in there and see what he knows. I don't know," she shook her head with a shrug. "Maybe Audrey told him something useful. Come on," she said, getting out of the car and waiting for Frost to follow, the pair approaching the door and giving it a firm knock.

It was only a few minutes before the man from the security footage answered the door, rubbing his eyes tiredly and freezing when he noticed the badges Jane and Frost were holding up.

"Greg Kirkland?" Jane asked.

"Y-yes…." Greg was hesitant, obviously confused. "What's…what's going on? What is this?"

"We're Detectives Rizzoli and Frost," Frost replied, pointing to Jane and then himself. "Boston Homicide. We have a few questions."

"Boston Homicide?" Greg repeated, sounding shocked. "Why would you need to talk to me? What's going on?"

"Do you know this woman?" Jane asked holding up a picture of Audrey, the same picture the woman had used on her dating profile.

"Yes…yes that's Audrey," Greg nodded nervously, not liking where this was headed. "I…I went on a date with her the night before last," he admitted, a fact, which told Jane that this man wasn't holding Samantha Markus. "Is she okay? Did something happen to her?"

"Audrey was found dead in her home early yesterday morning," Jane told the man, watching as he grabbed the doorway for support, his features displaying just how stunned he was by this information. "And it seems to us like you're the last person who saw her alive."

"I…I didn't kill her," Greg shook his head. "I swear, when I left her at the coffee shop she was very much alive. I didn't have anything to do with this."

"I know," Jane nodded. "But since you're the last person who spoke to Audrey we could really use your help," she told him, wanting to get inside the house just to be absolutely sure her instincts weren't wrong. "Would it be alright if we came inside and asked you a few questions?"

"Yes of course," Greg replied, stepping aside to allow the Detectives inside just as Jane's phone began to ring.

Checking her caller-id Jane saw Maura's face lighting up her screen, knowing the blonde wouldn't call unless it was important. "It's Dr. Isles," she told Frost. "I just need to take this. I'll be right with you," she said, moving back out onto the front porch as she answered the call. "Hey Maur. Did you find something?"

"Yes," Maura sounded frantic, obviously having something important. "I found something that changes everything," she told her. "Jane, Nathan Markus isn't Samantha's biological father."

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"Maur!" Jane practically burst off the elevator later that morning, having spent the last hour listening to everything Greg Kirkland knew about Audrey, with Maura's revelation in the back of her head. "Did you find anything else? Show me what you found," she rushed to her desk where the Medical Examiner was still working, now with Korsak by her side.

"Everything is in this file here," Maura replied, handing the document to Jane, who immediately began flipping through it. "Audrey kept everything hidden in the midst of her other information, but there's a document there listing another man as Samantha's biological father."

"We did a search but we haven't found a local address," Korsak added. "Think you could take a look Frost? You're better at this than I am." He asked, the other Detective immediately nodding, grabbing the information he needed before moving to his own desk. "I talked to Nathan. He didn't have any idea about any of this. He's taking it pretty hard."

"How is that possible?" Jane didn't understand. "How could Audrey possibly keep this from him for the last 14 years."

"According to Nathan Audrey got pregnant extremely early into their relationship," Korsak explained. "They were each other's rebounds or something along those lines. Nathan said when he found out about the baby he decided to stick around. They eventually fell in love and got married but that didn't exactly work out for them either."

"So Audrey was already pregnant when she met Nathan then?" Jane asked, turning to Maura who had been reading through the victim's journals.

"She was in an abusive relationship with a Daniel Bowan before she met Nathan," Maura nodded. "According to this she found out she was pregnant just after she managed to leave Daniel," she handed the journal to Jane. "She never told him about Samantha."

"But Audrey put herself on a dating website," things were starting to make sense to Jane. "Daniel could have seen her on there and found out about her daughter, so he shows up at Audrey's house, gets her to let him in," she tried to guess. "Could have convinced Audrey that he wanted to make amends and somehow manages to drug her."

"It's definitely possible," Korsak nodded, knowing Jane's gut instincts were usually right.

"I've got it!" Frost suddenly interrupted, jumping from his chair. "I've got an address!"

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Jane Rizzoli had good gut instincts; there was no arguing that. The Detective usually knew whether a lead was good within the first few minutes, it was something she could just feel in her bones. So when they approached Daniel Bowan's house and Jane felt sure that Samantha would be there, Frost and Korsak didn't doubt her for a second.

Needing the element of surprise, the trio, along with their backup surrounded the house; Jane and Frost leading a team to the back of the house while Korsak covered the front with another team. Jane was the first to hear the signs of a struggle inside, not even bothering to count down before she signaled for Frost to get the door; storming inside to find Daniel holding a gun to Samantha Markus' head.

"Don't come any closer!" Daniel yelled, his hand shaking. "If you come any closer I'll shoot her," he shouted as tears ran down Samantha's face.

"You don't want to do that Daniel," Jane kept her voice calm even though all she felt was panicked. "You don't want to hurt her and we're not here to hurt you. We just came for Samantha. We just want to take her home."

"This is her home now," Daniel shook his head. "She's my daughter. I'm her father. This is her home. She should be with me."

"Is that why you killed Audrey? Because you wanted Samantha to be with you?" Jane asked, seeing Korsak out of the corner of her eye, keeping Daniel's attention on her. "You killed Audrey because she never told you about Samantha?"

"She should have told me. I had a right to know," Daniel was agitated. "If you have a kid with a guy you should at least tell him. She just ran off and never even told me I had a daughter. That's not right."

"I know it's not," Jane agreed. "But I think you know why Audrey had to leave you Daniel. You didn't leave her much choice," she said, despite the fact that it might anger the man. "She had to protect Samantha and it was the only way she knew how. Samantha has a father Daniel. You need to let her go home to her father. Don't hurt her more than you already have."

"That man is not her father!" Daniel yelled, his face red with anger. "She's not going back to him!"

"Actually I think she is," Korsak pressed his gun against the back of Daniel's head having managed to approach without alerting the man. "I suggest you let the girl go and put the gun down."

Left with no other choice, Daniel released the teen who immediately ran into Jane's arms, collapsing as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Shh shhh it's okay," Jane kissed the side of the girl's head, rubbing her hand up and down her back in comfort. "You're okay. It's over now. You're okay."

"He…he said…he's my…" Samantha struggled to speak.

"He's not," Jane shook her head, understanding. "Your father is waiting for you at the station. I'm going to bring you to him. It'll be okay."

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By the time Jane got home that night, after getting a full confession from Daniel, she was exhausted. Amelia, as if sensing this, was extra well behaved, cuddling with Jane on the couch until bedtime.

It wasn't until Jane and Maura had retreated to their bedroom, that Jane finally wrapped her arms around Maura, kissing the rather confused Doctor on the head as she held her close.

"I want to marry you Maura," Jane's voice was low, but emotional, tucking Maura's head beneath her chin. "I love you so much and I don't want you to ever doubt how much I want to marry you because it's all I want; it's all I think about," she continued. "I would marry you tomorrow if I could, but I know you have bigger dreams then that."

"Jane…" Maura tried to interrupt, the brunette immediately shushing her, wanting to finish.

"I would do anything for you Maur…anything," Jane told her. "If you want a big wedding then we'll have a big wedding. We can pick a date right now if you want and we can find a venue that will work, I mean I'm willing to bet your Mother could pull some strings."

"But you want to get married in the yard," Maura pulled back so she could see Jane's face. "You would be happier getting married here; with just our friends and family."

"I thought it would be nice," Jane shrugged. "We could wait for later in the spring, once the flowers really bloom," she said, sounding a little nervous now. "I know it's not fancy but it could be really nice and it would be intimate."

"A spring wedding sounds nice," Maura replied, watching as Jane's eyes quickly flicked to hers, obviously surprised. "I don't need fancy Jane," she smiled, kissing the brunette's nose. "And I don't want to wait any longer to marry you either. So let's do it. Let's plan our wedding your way."

"Really?" Jane had to ask. "You'd really be happy with that?"

"As long as you're there," Maura grinned. "I'll be the happiest woman in the world."