A New Path

By RandomGnome

Note: After a very long hiatus, I am back. I hope you enjoy it. All mistakes in editing are mine alone (editing sucks! Beta, anyone?) The characters are not mine and I do not own anything but the story plot. Mostly.

Author's Note: Okay, so my only excuse is not having a working computer. It's been a rather trying time for me personally and financially. However, it seems things are looking up for me. I have a new-ish laptop and I have managed to write some more stuff. Enjoy Part II, everyone!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Catch Me if You Can, Part 2 (Hide and Seek)

Maura regained consciousness with a start and wished that she hadn't.

Her mouth was as dry as a desert and tasted like sweet vomit. Her nose was filled with a sickly-sweet smell that caused her stomach to churn. Her neck was stiff and sore when she tried to move it, as though she'd been in a car accident. She blinked open her eyes and was relieved to be in a room with very little light. A jackhammer started up in her head all the same. Maura then realised that she was in an upright position and that her wrists were cuffed - to a rusty metal pipe - and she was leaning against a hard cement wall.

Deciding not to try to get up right away, Maura looked around the room that she was being held in. Wherever she was, no human being had set foot there in a long time, if the coating of dust and liberal amounts of spider webs on the ceiling were anything to go by. And the smell… Maura decided that she could have gone a lifetime without smelling this place and been happy. She could see a twin bed with a metal frame that looked like it had once been affixed to the floor but had been pulled up and moved to make room for her. Something that resembled a surgical table took up most of the space in the middle of the room. Towards the front there was an antique wheelchair that looked like it still worked. A two-drawer rolling stand could have once held surgical tools or someone's belongings. More bare pipes stuck out from the walls opposite of Maura and, she realised belatedly, her back was up against a radiator heater. At the front of the room was a large area of opaque windows, secured behind a metal lattice work cage that still looked pretty secure for its age.

All in all, Maura could surmise that she was being held in a long-abandoned government hospital. Most like a psychiatric facility - which was kind of ironic. Someone with an obvious mental deficiency was using a mental hospital to hold their kidnapped victim. When Jane figured it out, there would be some definite eye-rolling.

Jane. Maura knew that her detective would not stop until she found her. And then…

TASHA! Maura felt immediately guilty that her first thought had not been for her daughter. When she did, though, she wanted to cry. What had happened to her? Had she been found? How badly had the kidnapper hurt her? Why did I take her to that scene? Maura berated herself. What kind of mother am I? Is Tasha going to hate me now? And what would Jane think of what I've done? Will she still want to have a baby with me?

Tears escaped Maura's eyes and she sniffed loudly. The noise was jarring in the confines of the room. It made Maura stop and listen intently. No other noise could be heard - not even outside traffic. She sighed miserably and then sat up straighter and took several calming breaths. She was no good to anyone in this state.

Once she'd managed to calm herself down, Maura forced herself to repeat, Tasha is okay. She is with Jane. Jane will find me. until it actually sounded plausible to her. Deep down inside, Maura knew that Jane would take care of Tasha and she would do whatever she could to find the M.E. - Jane was the very best detective in Boston. Maura was sure that she wouldn't be in this place very long.

With that in mind, Maura decided it was time to see how far the cuffs would allow her to go.

It hurt - a lot - as she gathered her legs under her to stand. Places on her shoulders began to throb. The chain that linked the handcuffs and was wrapped around the pipe clattered and scraped and Maura's head pounded harder. There was a sharp pain in her abdomen, which was most likely a bruised rib. Her abductor had most likely kicked her after she finally passed out. Maura didn't like to guess, but in this case, it seemed like something he would do. Since he'd attacked from behind and because she had bitten him, he would want to get back at her. She stored that information away for the future.

Maura wasn't able to use her arms to help her stand, so when she finally managed to make it to her feet, she was quite proud of herself. She had to brace her shoulder against the wall, though, waiting for the room to stop spinning and threatening to send her to the floor again. Once her head cleared, Maura stood on her toes in an attempt to see out the tiny window above her head. She could see - barely.

What she saw threatened to bring on melancholy again. It wasn't much, but she could tell that she was not on the first floor of whatever building she was trapped in. She could tell it was night. What she could not see was Boston. Oh, there was some ambient light coming from somewhere, but Maura couldn't see the city itself. For a moment, she panicked - believing that the kidnapper had somehow taken her to another city and that Jane would not be able to track them. It made her dizzy again, so she slumped slowly back to the ground. When the vertigo stopped, and she was able to think more clearly, Maura knew somehow that she was still in Boston. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Is this what trusting my gut feels like? It was an odd sensation, but not a bad one. She'd have to remember to tell Jane.

With a sigh, Maura leaned her back against the wall. She tested the chain on the handcuffs again, but it was a half-hearted attempt. It scraped and clanged against the pipe but held firm. The doctor closed her eyes and couldn't help the sob that wracked her. She was alone and scared and knew that all she could do was wait. Wait for Jane to find her or for the kidnapper to come back. After that single cry, though, she made herself stop. She kept her eyes closed and felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. When she tried to open them, her eyelids wouldn't cooperate. Knowing that it was the drug she'd inhaled didn't make it any better, but before she knew it, Maura had fallen asleep again.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

After stopping at the house to change her clothes, and to pick up some clean ones for when they found Maura, Jane drove to BPD. She got there at just the right time, too. Korsak greeted her and told her that he was off to interview Sergeant Miller - the officer in charge of Operations and the person who would know if and when someone logged a call to Doctor Isles. He would also know who.

Unfortunately, the interview didn't start out well. Frankie had informed Jane via text that there had been a shift change and that they were working on getting in touch with everyone from the previous shift in order to have them back in for questioning. That line of investigation had led to a big nothing. Since that was the case, it was Korsak's big idea to question their superior officer, Sergeant Miller.

Miller was as serious as could be. He was well aware of what it could mean if someone from his department had lured Maura to that warehouse. It made him more than a little defensive.

"Look, I've been over the call log multiple times," Miller told Jane and Vince. "There were no calls during the timeframe that would have required a referral to the M.E.'s office."

Jane stood next to her partner with her arms crossed under her breasts. Miller appeared to be telling the truth as far as she could tell. She wasn't a lie detector, but Jane usually knew when people were lying.

"Okay," Jane said in her most reasonable voice, "but the call did come from your department."

Miller sighed. "I can't explain that."

Jane looked away from him. She didn't want him to see how upset his answer was making her. No matter what Jane did, no matter how hard she worked, the detective couldn't help but feel the time slipping away from them. The longer this investigation took, the longer Maura was in the hands of an unknown enemy. It terrified her. It also pissed her off.

Korsak asked, "You have any problems with anyone who works for you?" Jane already knew the answer.

"No." Miller said. Jane rolled her eyes.

"Anybody leave sick last night?" Jane followed up. Her phone buzzed on her belt and she picked it up to read the text message - from Frankie.

"Stan McQueen," Miller told her, somewhat aggressively.

She read the message: DNA results show no match in the system. Probably white male, middle European descent.

"He a white male," she asked Miller, just as aggressively.

"Yes."

"McQueen's not our guy, Jane." Korsak told her, sounding as tired as she felt. They were all going on over 24 hours with little to no sleep. "He's been in a wheelchair since before you joined the force. Some kind of boating accident." Sometimes, Jane forgot just how old Korsak was and how much longer he'd been at this post.

"Detectives," Miller said, the aggression gone from his voice. He was trying for calm and collected now. "Everyone in Operations has been thoroughly vetted. None of them would do something like this. Especially not to Doctor Isles." He gave Jane a look that she couldn't read.

The look and the officer's tone grated on Jane's nerves. "Okay, well, someone called the M.E.'s office, and they knew enough about our dispatch process to fool Doctor Isles." That part really bothered Jane. Maura was smart and she was on edge considering the threat against Jane. Whoever had made that call had said exactly the right things. "So… Have you seen anyone unusual?" Miller sighed and looked away from her, obviously trying to keep his temper in check. Jane ploughed on. "Has anyone been nosin' around? Asking questions? Anything out of the ordinary?"

That question made Miller stop and look at her oddly. He mouthed, "Maybe," and his brow furrowed in thought. At any other time, Jane was sure she could have come up with a quip about thinking too hard and hamster wheels. Instead, she waited.

"Sergeant Miller?" Korsak prodded gently.

"Last week," Miller began, his face now completely serious, "I got a call from an eighth-grade girl who said she was doing a report on the 9-1-1 system. She asked about our process and protocols."

Korsak got out his notebook and began to take notes. Jane soaked the information up like a sponge. She asked, "What, like how calls come in? Or when we call the M.E.'s office? Things like that?"

The Sergeant nodded. "Yeah." He looked a little dumbstruck.

"Okay, we need to know exactly when you got that call so we can track it," Jane told him, the order clear in her tone.

He nodded again, this time more animatedly. "Yeah, of course. I'll have to check the logs downstairs." Miller didn't move. Jane figured he was still shocked that such a seemingly innocuous call could have put Maura in her current danger.

"Like now." Jane didn't raise her voice, but it practically snapped like a whip and Miller's eyes narrowed at being given an order by her. When he didn't move or say anything, the detective rolled her eyes and turned to go.

Jane murmured, "I'll meet you back in the squad room." She knew when her presence wasn't needed. Once out of the room, Jane realised that she didn't have any clear direction. She had no idea where she should go or what she should do. Knowing that it could take a while for anything to come of the records that Sergeant Miller was going to get for Korsak, Jane thought she might want to stop by the Cafe for something to eat. She needed to eat.

The Division 1 Cafe had come under new management, thankfully, and the food it now served, while not as good as anything her mother had cooked, was at least edible. Jane got a blueberry muffin and some orange juice and went back to her desk.

Korsak came back in just as Jane finished eating. He sat tiredly at his desk and looked at Jane.

"Sorry." She muttered at him. She knew that she'd been pushy and a little out of line with Miller - even if the idea that someone at BPD had colluded with Maura's abductor was something they all took very seriously.

Korsak sighed. He wasn't angry with Jane. He was worried about Doctor Isles, and he was worried about what this kind of stress might do to Jane and her baby. He knew enough about pregnancy to know that undue pressure or stress could cause problems. "Miller is positive that nobody in his department is responsible for the call to Maura's phone. He sent the call log to Nina and she is looking into things."

"Thank God." Jane murmured. "I really hope that he's right. I don't want it to be an inside job."

"Neither do I. Even if it makes our jobs harder." Korsak agreed. "How's Tasha doing?"

"The doctor says she's gonna be okay." Jane reported, glad to impart some good news. "She's resting for now and Ma said she'd let me know if there are any changes."

"That's great news," Korsak grinned at her.

"I hope you don't mind," Jane said, "Ma is staying with her at the hospital."

"Mind? After all the overtime Angela put in the past few days, I'm actually grateful. Do you have any idea how much I'm going to have to pay her?" Korsak chuckled ruefully and Jane actually smiled.

"Thanks, Korsak."

They sat in silence for a while until Frankie came into the bullpen. He spotted Jane at her desk and made a beeline for her. "Janie!" He was a little out of breath. "When did you get here? How is Tasha?"

"Not too long ago - I helped Korsak with Miller." Jane told her brother.

"Ah. That explains why he was glaring at me in the cafe." Frankie said with a grin.

"I may have been a little… aggressive…" Jane admitted.

"Hey, it's okay, Jane. We all understand. Maura's important to everyone here. We are gonna find her." He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. His serious eyes as they met hers were determined and confident.

"Thanks, Frankie." Jane told him.

"So, how's my niece doing?"

Jane sighed. "She's okay. She's resting. Ma is with her. Tasha asked me to come here - to help find Maura. She's counting on me, Frankie."

"She's counting on us." Frankie corrected.

"Yeah."

"Well, lucky for her, we have the best detective in Massachusetts looking for her, right?" Frankie gave his best Rizzoli grin. "And the rest of us ain't so bad either."

"Aren't. Thanks, Frankie. Do you have anything yet?"

He shook his head. "Nothing concrete. I just interviewed every single person from the last shift of Operations. They all swear - and their call logs corroborate - they didn't call Maura. Even if someone hacked the system and erased the call from the logs, I'm inclined to believe them. A few even volunteered to help, once we have a task force up and going."

Jane sighed. "I'm glad you don't think it's anyone inhouse. I really don't want it to be an inside job." She was aware that Maura, while a very big part of BPD case closure rates, was not everyone's cup of tea. There were more than a few detectives and uniforms who still called her 'Queen of the Dead', but only when Jane, Frankie, or Korsak weren't around. It was hard to believe that any one of them would make a move like this, to help a nutso scumbag abduct her.

"None of us do." Frankie agreed. He sighed. "I gotta go report to the Lieutenant. Korsak?"

The older man got to his feet with a low groan. "Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'" He glanced at Jane. "I know there isn't much to do until the evidence is processed or until we hear from Nina, so why don't you see if you can come up with any other lead to follow. I'm sure Kent will contact you once he has something."

Jane nodded. "Sure." It was all she could think of to say.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

Maura woke again after some time and felt a little better. Her head was clearer and her mouth didn't taste of sweet vomit. She still felt like she'd gone into a boxing match and lost, but it could have been worse. Sunlight filtered in to the room from the tiny window, helping her to see anything she might've missed the previous night. There wasn't much to see.

After giving herself a few moments to wake fully, Maura did her best to stretch her arms and legs, trying to ease some of the muscle aches. Her stomach growled, telling her that it had been long enough since she'd last eaten that her body was beginning to notice. That was okay. Food wasn't needed yet. Water, however, would be, and soon. Maura wondered briefly if she had simply been left in that room, or if her kidnapper planned to come back. She soon decided that it didn't bear to reflect on, so she focused on seeing if she could get out of the cuffs or something close to freedom.

It only took a few seconds to realise that the cuffs were not the cheap kind and they weren't going to break easily. Her wrists aching, Maura looked for another way. She found it a few moments later - the pipe that she was cuffed to was old, rusted, and loose. Maura quickly found a joint that would come if she could unscrew it from the wall and using her belt buckle as a makeshift screwdriver, managed to unscrew the pipe and slip the cuff chain free.

Almost dizzy with relief and not feeling like a sitting duck. Maura quickly searched through the room. She was checking the wire over the big window in the front of the room, when she heard the sound of an elevator moving. It made a lot of noise, thankfully. Maura wasn't sure how long she had and knew that if she was free when whomever it was got there, she would be in more trouble, she did a quick check of the old wheelchair. She found a piece of sharp metal underneath the seat, broke it away, and slipped it into her pants pocket. Then she rushed back over to the pipe, slipped the chain back around, and frantically reseated the pipe into its fitting. She moved back to where she'd woken up, moved the bed to help her hide what she'd done, and hoped that her captor wouldn't notice anything amiss.

She was glaring fixedly at the door when it opened, trying her very best to seem brave and unconcerned. It was difficult because now that she was cuffed to the pipe again, she was at their mercy. It made her panic a little. Then, she thought of Jane and knew that no matter what, Jane wouldn't show fear. That meant, neither could she.

The knob on the door moved and she swallowed down bile. Then the door swung open and revealed her captor.

He was not a tall man - Jane was taller by several inches. He had very little hair on his head, it wasn't quite shaved smooth, but it was close. He was average height, seemingly average build. He wore and off the rack suit and dress shoes. There was nothing about him that would have set off Maura's instincts, until she got to his eyes. They were an indeterminate shade of brown and they were dead eyes. The inflection in his voice changed as he unlocked her from the pipe long enough to move her to the metal chair, but his eyes stayed completely emotionless.

After she was in the chair, Maura tried to reason with him. "If this is about money, I can get you money." She tried not to sound desperate and mostly failed.

"If I wanted your money, I'd have it by now." He responded, calmly.

"What is this about?" She attempted a demand. Her voice shook, a little, however, she controlled it the best that she could. "What do you want?"

That was when he reached into the bag and pulled out switchblade knife. Fear clogged the M.E.'s throat and she swallowed hard to push it down. He was talking to her as he moved, listing her credentials. He came around behind her, took hold of her ponytail, pulling it hard. Then he put the knife to her hair and cut through it. She couldn't help the shocked, pained gasp that escaped her. My hair!

"This is a good look on you," he said, his tone light and a little teasing. His eyes, though, stayed blank. He was clearly a psychopath.

"I don't know what this is about." She insisted. Maura had learned from Jane that, sometimes, if you played dumb, you could get more information.

He stood in front of her, hands on his hips. He seemed almost disappointed. "Come on," he invited, "profile me. I know you can do it. Peer to peer." He waited. When she didn't say anything, he just rolled his dead eyes.

Without warning, he struck her across the face with the back of his hand. Maura reeled at the pain in her lip. She dabbed her tongue lightly against the crack, tasted blood.

"That's for biting me," he told her. Then he reached into the bag he'd brought with him again and pulled out a camera. He took several pictures from several steps back before setting the camera down. "You know, you're very pretty." He walked into her space again, leaned down next to her ear and whispered, "If I had my way, I'd do more than a little slap." He then turned his head and place a kiss on her neck.

Anger rose inside of Maura in a tide. Anger and bile. Her stomach rebelled at the touch of his lips to her skin. Unable to stop herself, she vomited on her captor.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

Jane was tired. No, tired didn't begin to describe how she was feeling. As she paged through the last file that she'd brought with her, she wished with all her might that she could sleep. She'd come down to Maura's office because she'd needed to be somewhere close to her girlfriend. Ma had stopped by earlier to let her know that Tasha was being released from the hospital and that she was going to be okay. It was the first good news that they'd had. So, Jane had taken Korsak's advice and decided to look through files of people in prison with Lianne Sampson in the hopes that a name would jump out at her or a clue could be found.

Now, all Jane wanted was for Frankie or Korsak or Nina - or, help her, Kent - to come down and tell her that they'd found a real clue that could lead them to Maura. Her exhausted mind just couldn't seem to concentrate on the file in her hand. All of the words seemed to swim together.

Then, she heard a noise. It was an odd rushing sound. She put the file on the coffee table and listened carefully. The sound came again. It seemed to be coming from the autopsy suite. Jane jumped to her feet and nearly overbalanced. She felt lighter than she was used to for some reason. When she looked down at herself, she realised it was because her abdomen was no longer rounded - she was not pregnant.

Pregnant? Why would she be pregnant? How could she care for a baby when Maura was missing? Then, just like that, the thought was gone, as was any concern about anything other than the woman she loved.

The noise came again and Jane moved towards it.

She was in Maura's favourite autopsy room. Except that she wasn't alone. There were two people in the room with her. Both of them had their backs to her, examining a sheet covered body on the metal table. Dread suffused Jane and she couldn't go any further.

Just then, the figure on the right turned to face her and Jane was unsurprised to see Suzy Chang in her white lab coat and big, plastic rimmed glasses. The smaller woman smiled grimly at her and said, "Don't worry, Jane."

Worry? What did she have to worry about? But the awful feeling would still not allow the detective to move forward, to see what was under the sheet.

The second person turned, then, and Jane gasped in shock. Barry Frost. He was giving her that look he had when something was wrong and he didn't know how to tell her. "We'll take good care of her, Jane. I promise." He said.

What? Jane tried to form the word out loud and couldn't make any sound come out of her mouth. Panic, dread, mania filled her as Suzy held out familiar looking blood-spattered piece of paper. Jane took it and looked at in horror. It was a cadaver toe tag. The on it was Maura Isles.

Jane woke with a start and inhaled sharply. At first, she wasn't sure where she was. Then she remembered that she'd gone to Maura's office to look over some files. Being surrounded by all things Maura, she thought, might help her stay calm as she looked through them.

"Hi." A gentle, familiar voice said. Jane's eyes searched until they fell on her Ma.

"Hey." She replied, her voice raspier than normal. Fatigue tended to do that to her.

"Tasha sent me here to check on you. She's home and Gwen is with her." Ma told her, her voice still soft. "I came looking for you and found you here, asleep."

"Oh." Jane sat up slowly, trying not to groan. The blanket her Ma had obviously had covered her with falling from her shoulders. Maura's couch was really all that comfortable for her pregnant body. "Sorry, I… I was looking at lists and..."

"It's okay, Janie. I know you're tired. It's okay to take a little nap. You have to think about the baby. You've been up for a long time." Ma said.

Jane sighed raggedly, the dream still clogging her thoughts with dread. Her fingers slid through her thick curls and pressed down painfully on her skull, trying to push the dream away. Maura is not dead! She told herself firmly.

"Are you okay, baby?" Ma asked.

Tears well up in Jane's eyes. She blinked hard. Now was not the time to fall apart. However, she answered truthfully. "No, Ma. I'm not okay."

"Want to talk about it?" Instead of demanding, her Ma questioned her. This was not the side of her mother she was used to.

Jane opened her mouth, however, just like in her dream, no words came out. She coughed lightly, instead. How could she tell her mother that she was so afraid that they wouldn't find Maura in time? Her heart squeezed in her chest at the thought and more tears threatened. No, she wouldn't cry. If she started crying now, she wouldn't stop. Crying could wait until they found Maura.

"Okay, I understand, honey. Why don't I tell you how Tasha is doing?" Jane nodded her head gratefully. "The doctor said she had a very slight concussion, but that the rest of her injuries were all minor. She got a few stitches in her head, but only because she insisted. She also insisted on going home - for when her mom is found. She didn't want Maura to have to find her in the hospital."

Jane grinned at that. Sometimes Tasha was so like her, she might as well be her biological daughter.

"The doctors finally agreed when Gwen promised to make a house call to check up on her. I guess they didn't think I was good enough to watch her." Angela said that last bit with some venom.

"They clearly don't know you." Jane replied. "You're the best, Ma. Tasha has the best care in the known universe."

Angela smiled. "Thank you, Baby. Speaking of care, have you eaten?"

Jane sighed and smiled wryly. Leave it to Ma to turn a compliment into a command without making it one. "What do you got?"

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

It was Nina's call that tore Jane away from her mother's company. Nina had found something. She'd gone through the records of cell phones that had pinged from the location of Maura's abduction. She'd actually found a name that was suspicious. Secretly, Jane thought that Nina was a computer magician. Frost had been fantastic, but Nina could make those machines sit up and beg.

They had a suspect. It was kind of a long shot because Joe Harris was a prison psychiatrist and he'd been thoroughly vetted. However, the prison he worked at was the same one that Lianne had been incarcerated. In fact, he'd even treated her. It was the first and only real break they'd had. Sure, Frankie was leading the task force to try and find a building painted in a specific order, but that was probably a long shot and they all knew it.

The detective asked Nina to send Harris's file to her phone so that she would know all about him when she got to the prison. Then, she hijacked a uniform and had her drive to the prison, so she could read while she rode. At the prison, the warden was waiting for her.

"We searched the prison and all outlying areas," the woman told Jane as soon as she entered the building. "He's not here." She was a tall, very competent looking black woman. Jane liked her immediately, though she had to ignore the other woman's raised eyebrows when she took in the detective and her baby-bulge. They had only had to stop once on the way to the prison so that Jane could pee. She figured it was the baby's way of helping to find Maura.

"Should he be?" Jane wanted to know.

"His schedule is pretty fluid. He has office hours for anyone who wants to speak to him, and a few of our inmates have scheduled appointments. However, I checked his appointment book and he didn't have anything for today or the next week. Which," she admitted, "is odd. I have someone pulling security video to see when he left. I'll let you know as soon as we find out."

"How long has he been here?"

"Two years. He came from upstate."

"What do you think of him?"

"It's hard to get a good therapist here. They make more money in private practice. Harris was solid. The women seemed to respect him. He was compassionate. Not a pushover. I just can't image that he'd be part of something like this." They had been walking but had stopped in front of a door. A plaque on the wall named it Joe Harris's office.

Jane nodded in understanding. After all, Frankie had interviewed the guy and nothing had seemed off. "It could be his cell location was just a coincidence." She looked at the closed door and then back at the warden. "I don't have a warrant, so I can't look in there without your permission."

"Of course," the warden nodded. She unlocked the office door and let Jane inside.

"Thank you." Once she was in, Jane went straight for the desk in the middle of the room. This guy had a pretty big office. She slipped into a pair of evidence handling gloves, then started by opening drawers. The first drawer she opened held office detritus and a phone that was not only turned off, it appeared to be dead. She dropped it onto the desk top. She opened another drawer.

Pay dirt!

Inside she found several birthday balloons, just like the ones they'd found in Lianne Sampson's stomach. She was willing to bet that if she took them back to the lab, they'd find that they were exactly the same kind.

Jane took her phone off her belt and speed dialled Korsak. "Korsak. Harris is definitely our guy. Hang on." She looked up into the wide, startled eyes of the warden. Clearly, the woman had honestly thought her guy was innocent. "I need everything you have on him, right now." The warden proved that Jane had nothing to worry about by immediately agreeing, turning, and hurrying away. "We gotta find this guy," she told Korsak.

"We will, Jane. Good work." Korsak said. "As soon as we have it, I'll get a BOLO out on Harris, his car, and we'll have an arrest warrant ready as soon as we find the bastard."

Jane nodded, though Korsak couldn't see her. "Thanks. I'll be back as soon as I can." She hung up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

Maura's face hurt, but at least her lip had stopped bleeding again. Harris had hit her a second time, after she'd thrown up on him. He'd also called her a few rude names and insulted her parentage. It was the first time she'd seen real emotion in his eyes. After he'd gone and gotten cleaned up, he picked up his camera and began going through the picture's he'd taken.

"You're very photogenic," he told her, back in his calm persona. "That's unfortunate. I need you to play your part, not audition for 'Cats'."

"'Cats' closed a long time ago," Maura informed him. She couldn't help it. "What part am I supposed to be playing?"

He didn't look up from his camera for a moment. "Who cares? I really don't want to hit you again. It seems unsporting, you being tied up and all. Oh, this will do. Little bit of fear, some pleading, and just a hint of hope that someone might actually save you... What do you think?" He showed the digital camera screen to Maura who didn't even look.

His last statement put some steel back into her spine. She would be rescued. Jane would find her. She had no doubts about that. It helped her to be brave.

"Jane Rizzoli got under your skin, didn't she." It wasn't a question. Maura was still trying to get information from him. Unfortunately, he was not very forthcoming.

"No," he said, somewhat distantly, "she didn't."

"You think that picture, with a little blood on my lip," and a black eye to boot, she could feel the swelling under her left eye and the throbbing of her cheekbone, "is gonna bother her?"

Harris put the camera into his backpack and zipped it. It appeared he was getting ready to leave again. Frantically, Maura thought of another question. She gave a little fake laugh, "If you really wanted to get a rise out of her, when didn't you kidnap one of her sisters?"

His answer told her more than he knew. "Because stealing you right out from under her nose was more fun."

So, this psychopath had no idea about Jane or her family. He was clearly not working alone and it was even more obvious to Maura that he was not the brains of the operation. She only hoped that whoever was would make a mistake and that Jane would catch it in time to find her before something else happened to her.

"Don't worry," Harris told her, sounding reassuring, except Maura couldn't take her eyes off of his emotionless ones. "It will all be over soon. You get to play the part of innocent victim. Jane Rizzoli can play the ineffectual detective as she watches you die."

Maura suppressed the shiver that shot down her spine at his words, but she didn't let it show in her eyes. He uncuffed her from the chair not too long after that and recuffed her to the pipe. Maura hunched down by the radiator, keeping her eyes on him.

When a phone rang just as he was leaving, it startled both of them. He dug it out of his pack, flipped it open, and then put it to his ear. With his back now to her, Maura could clearly see that he carried a gun tucked into the back of his pants. It hadn't been there before she'd thrown up. "Hello." He listened for a minute and then all colour seemed to drain from his face. "What? How?" He listened some more before sighing. "I - - Yes, I-I-I probably had my phone on me. I… No, I definitely left it in my desk when I came back from the prison. Are you sure they know I'm involved?" He paused and then exclaimed, "No! I would never tell them about you." He began to pace as he listened some more. "Yes. That's probably a good idea," he agreed. "The tunnel. Yes. And - And I-I need you to know that I'm sorry. Okay? I'm really, really sorry. I will fix it. There's - They will never find us."

Maura shifted a little and the cuffs scraped against the bar. She hid her face but saw him glance at her.

"Yes. I'll - I'll destroy it immediately. I promise. I know. You, too." Harris hit the call end button the phone. Then gripped the device in both hands and broke it in half. Then he dropped it onto the floor and stomped on it until it broke even more. The cracking of the plastic and the screen was loud to Maura's ears. He turned to her. "I guess you were wrong about your friend. Apparently, she cares a great deal that I have you." He opened the backpack, dug around in it and pulled out a brown bottle and a white rag.

Fear gripped Maura in its claws again. She knew what that was. He was going to knock her unconscious again. She tried to reason with him. "You don't have to do this. You can leave me here and run."

He opened the bottle and held the cloth to the top, tipping it to soak the rag. Maura's heart hammered. Her mouth went dry and she couldn't think of anything else to say. Then, what he'd said penetrated her mind. Jane was onto him. If he was rabbiting, that meant that Jane was coming. All she had to do was survive until the detective got here. She made her plan and while his back was still turned, she wrote as much as she could of the word TUNNEL. She didn't get it all out before he turned around, but it would be enough for Jane to figure out where they had gone. Then, she inhaled a large lungful of air and pretended to fight as the rage covered her mouth. She fought until she was at the edge of her ability to hold her breath, then slumped, faking unconsciousness as best that she could.

Jane, she thought, I'm here. Please, come get me! Hurry!

In her pocket, the sharp piece of metal was her only comfort.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

Everything came together in relatively quick order after Jane's discoveries at the prison. They got warrants, BOLOs, and Nina was able to discover an old, shut down asylum at the edge of the city where Harris's phone had pinged off a tower. He had no reason to be in that area. None at all. It also wasn't one of the buildings that they'd been given files on, due to it being closed for so long. It was not only abandoned, but also condemned. It was the perfect place to hide someone away and everyone on the case at BPD knew it.

They scrambled a tactical assault team in a little under an hour and drove, lights on, but sirens off. When they were close, even the lights went down. They didn't want Harris to know that they were there. They drove up, parked, and then everyone went in their assigned directions. It was all done as silently as an old, creaky, rusting building would allow.

Jane and Korsak were the ones to find the room where Maura had been held. At first, it didn't look like anyone had been there in decades - the way it should look. It wasn't until Jane was fully into the room, gun down because the room was clear, that she stopped and took in a deep breath. Underneath the smells of rust, rot, mildew, and dust, there was, faintly another scent. It was floral, with just a hint of spice. She'd know that scent anywhere.

Korsak was all set to leave the room and moved down to the next level - the basement. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jane stopped him. She inhaled again, just to be sure. "Do you smell that?"

The older cop came further into the room, stepped up beside her and inhaled sharply through his nose. "What is that?" He asked.

"It's that perfume that Maura wears. Eau de...something." She looked frantically at Korsak.

"She was here," he confirmed. Jane kept inhaling, filling her nose with the scent of the woman she loved.

They called in one of the others on the task force. They convinced him that the M.E. had been held in the room, then gave him orders to put the word out to search all major thoroughfares and outgoing roads. They had no idea how long ago he'd been there, but they hadn't found his car yet. Maybe a patrol would get lucky.

Jane paced the room. "We searched the whole building. What do you think made him leave?"

Korsak shook his head. "I don't know. I can't figure out his endgame, either. You'd think he would have made contact by now."

"Well, clearly he's got some kind of plan, he's just not ready to put into action yet." Jane replied. She stood, surveying the room, hands on her hips. The baby chose that moment to start doing somersaults. She put on hand on her belly and waited. The baby calmed after just a few moments, thankfully.

They had nearly not let her come with the assault team. They'd had to work to find a vest that would not only fit over her burgeoning belly, but one that would adequately protect her and her unborn child. But she wasn't going to be left behind on this one. Not when Maura was involved and not when she's promised Tasha that she would find her mother. In the end, her stubbornness had won out.

She and Korsak started to look around the room again. A thought occurred to her. "Korsak, is it possible that he knew we were coming and that's why he moved her?"

Korsak looked at her with a thoughtful frown. "You mean still an inside job, but not the police? Maybe someone at the prison? The warden?"

Jane shook her head. "Not her. But, yeah, something like that."

"It's possible. If you trust the warden, maybe you could have someone contact her and look into it?" He suggested. It wouldn't help them find Maura any faster, but it was something they could do to keep this from happening again. They approached the wall and Korsak deducted aloud, "It looks like he had her chained near the radiator, then moved her to the chair." He pointed to the drag marks on the cement floor. Jane agreed.

She shone her flashlight on the marks, then back to the pipe. She was turning, moving the flashlight beam, when something on the radiator caught her eye. "T-U-N-N -" she read the letters out loud. "Tunnel!"

Korsak had his phone out in flash, making the call to check every tunnel in the area and put up roadblocks at the big tunnels leading out of the city. Then, Jane went outside and made her own call. She called Nina the tech wiz. However, it wasn't until Kent showed up with the results from testing the paint chip they'd found and informed Nina that they were looking for a place underground that had never been exposed to sunlight, that things started really rolling. The information puzzled Nina because according to what she had, the asylum had no such tunnels.

Luckily for them all, Angela had shown up and she recalled there being a tunnel collapse at that building, killing a couple of people, when Jane was a kid. Nina then swore that she would find the information that they needed. As always, she came through.

Jane, Korsak, and Frankie went down to the basement of the abandoned building. Frankie kept looking nervously up at the ceiling, as though he expected it to fell in at any moment. Jane had Nina send her pictures that she'd gotten, showing a tunnel entrance. After a few minutes of searching, they found it.

Once in the tunnel, there was a fork. Korsak went with Jane, while Frankie took the other side on his own. According to Nina, the southern tunnel was the one that collapsed; Jane watched worriedly for a few seconds as her brother strode down that side with quiet, purposeful strides.

She and Korsak walked as quietly as they could, guns at the ready, flashlights flickering over crumbling stone walls. They hadn't gone too far when Korsak shone his flashlight on something on the wall.

"Hey, look at this," he whispered, directing Jane's gaze. They got closer and Jane felt the blood leave her face. It was fresh blood. Not a lot of it - just a smear - but it hadn't been long enough for it to turn into a 'reddish-brown stain'. She exchanged a fear filled look with her partner, then they both turned off their flashlights and continued forward at an even more cautious rate.

A few feet later, there was the sound of something clanging in the tunnel ahead of them, just around a corner. By mutual consent, they both raised their guns and lights to the ready position and crept forward. As they got to the corner, Korsak raised two fingers in a silent countdown.

Two.

One.

They both swung around the corner, weapons level, flashlights coming on as one.

A fear eyed, trembling, dirty, blood smeared Maura Isles stared up at them, brandishing what looked like a sharp piece of metal, also bloody.

Jane's knees nearly gave out on her in shock. "Maura!"

Maura's look of fear changed to one of recognition and naked relief. "Oh God! Jane!"

"B-blood," Jane managed to stammer out as the doctor stood and they reached for each other.

"I - It isn't mine," the doctor told her, stopping herself just short of throwing her arms around Jane due her cuffs. She dropped the piece of metal from hands shaking with both fear and adrenaline. Jane crouched down in front of her and touched her gently.

"Are you alright?" Jane's voice was high and shaking.

"Do you know where he is?" Korsak whispered?

"N-No. I j-just ran." Maura's voice was shaking almost as much as she was. She stared at the brunette detective, taking in her familiar features and knowing that she was safe at last. "I was hiding. I couldn't - I couldn't figure out how to get out of here." Jane had touched her hands and that was enough for Maura to start gathering her wits again.

Just then, two gunshots rang out in the distance of the other tunnel. Suddenly frantic for her brother, Jane stared, wide eyed at Maura.

Korsak touched Jane's shoulder. "Go. I'll get her out of here."

Maura reached out and squeezed hard on Jane's hand. "Go. I'll be alright." Jane stood and started to walk away, but Maura called quietly, "Be careful, Jane, he isn't working alone."

Frankie was lying on top of rubble that had clearly fallen from the ceiling of the tunnel. He looked dazed until he saw Jane. "Oh God! Frankie, are you alright?"

"I fired at him, he got a shot off and this stuff fell down." Frankie told her. He had a little trickle of blood on his forehead. "Knocked my head a little. I'm fine. He went off to the right, I think he went up some stairs."

Jane stared hard in the direction that Frankie had indicated but was torn at leaving her injured brother behind. What would Ma say? "Go. I'm fine, Jane. Go get the bastard."

Jane didn't hesitate a moment longer. She took off down the tunnel. There was a short staircase leading to a door that opened into a room that was more outside than in.

The bastard was there. He fired at Jane, but she managed to duck back inside the building. After the shot, he ran, like the coward he was. Jane followed as closely as she could. She saw him exit the building through one of the dusty windows. Grabbing her walkie-talkie, she called in for back up and ran after him.

When he got into the open, he fired twice at her again and the only thing that save her was quick reflexes. She swung through a doorway and fired, missing him first. He fired back, and his shot was wild. Jane ran for him and a uniform stepped out of a doorway. Harris whirled on the new target and Jane took her shot.

She hit him and he fell to the ground.

Jane was on him, yelling for the uniform to call an ambulance because she'd aimed for centre mass and she'd hit him. She forced him onto his back and looked into the bloodied, laughing face of a psychopath.

"Who are you working for, Harris?" She demanded, gun pointed straight at his head. "Who are you working for!?" He just wheezed at her, his features starting to go limp. "Why me?" She asked him, quietly. "You don't even know me."

His last words came out a bare laugh. "Why not?" And he was gone. She had done her job a little too well. He wouldn't be able to lead them to whoever was really targeting her and her family.

Her family.

Maura! Frankie!

Jane left the dead many lying on the ground and ran as fast as she was able to the front of the building where the ambulances were waiting. Frankie was sitting on the floor of one, an EMT dabbing at the cut on his head. He saw Jane and grinned rakishly. All in the line of duty. Then he moved his eyes to the other vehicle and Jane saw Maura on a stretcher, covered in a blanket.

She rushed to the side of the stretcher, Maura's name on her lips before she could stop it. The blonde's eyes snapped open and filled with tears. "Jane."

"Maura. Are you alright?" She asked, her voice shaking and tears matching her girlfriends filled her eyes.

"I'll be fine," Maura told her, lower lip trembling. Jane took her hand and held it hard as she asked the paramedic whether Maura would really be 'fine'.

"She has -" the paramedic began, but Maura cut her off.

"Surface abrasions. Facial haematoma. Bruised ribs, maybe cracked." Nothing that wouldn't heal. "Jane?"

Jane had turned to confirm with the EMT. Not that she didn't trust Maura's assessment of her injuries, but she wanted a second opinion. Maura's utterance of her name had her swinging around again. "Maur?"

"Tasha?" The anguish in the M.E.'s voice was palpable.

"She's okay, too. She's at home with Ma."

Some of Maura's tension eased. "Okay."

Jane gave her hand another squeeze before allowing the EMTs to load the stretcher into the ambulance. They had more to talk about, but the important thing was getting Maura checked out at a hospital.

"We're taking her to General," the female EMT told Jane. "Do you want to ride along, Detective?"

Jane looked over at Korsak, who was standing by her car. He mouthed, "Go." Jane didn't hesitate, she allowed the EMT to help her into the vehicle, sat where she was told, and took hold of Maura's hand again. The doors shut and the vehicle moved out.

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

At the hospital, they took Maura to a room straight away, but Jane was stuck in the waiting room filling out paperwork for fifteen minutes. Just as she was finishing, Korsak came through the door. He was smiling and holding a familiar bag. It was the overnight bag that Maura kept in her office. Jane could have kissed him.

"Hey," he greeted her and held out the bag. "I thought Maura could use this since we're going to have to take her clothes for evidence."

Jane took the bag gratefully. "I haven't gone back there yet. Thanks. I'm sure she'll be grateful to you for thinking of it."

"Let her know that once the photos of her injuries are done, we don't expect her statement until tomorrow." Korsak said. "And tell her that we are all very glad she's okay."

"I will. Thanks, Vince."

"No problem, Jane. Hey, did Harris say anything?"

"No." Jane grumbled.

"So, we don't know much more than we did yesterday? Well, just that someone is out to get you." He rolled his eyes. "I wish that narrowed it down. Now go back there and check on Maura. I'm sure she needs you."

Jane didn't waste a second more. She strode to the door, produced her badge, and demanded that they allow her back to see Doctor Isles. The nurses complied immediately and she was let back into the main part of the ER. A duty nurse guided her to the back of the ER where there were actual rooms and not just curtained off beds. The detective dismissed the nurse before lightly tapping on the door and turning the knob.

The door swung in a few inches and she called, "Maur? It's me. Can I come in?"

"Jane." The sound of Maura's voice, full of tension, had Jane in the room in less than a heartbeat. They had been busy while she filled out paperwork. Maura no longer wore her dirty and stained clothing and most of the dirt has been cleaned from her face. She was dressed only in one of those hospital gowns that everyone hates, and the colour was not flattering. Her left cheek and under her eye were darkening to purple. Her lip had been split, but the cut was clean. Jane felt singularly relieved that the ME was okay, and angry at what had been done to her by Harris.

None of that mattered, though, because as soon as she was in the room, Maura was in her arms. The blonde clung to her and Jane clung right back

"I knew you'd find me," Maura told her when her grip finally relaxed. "Jane, why are you still wearing your vest?"

Jane looked down at herself and realized that it was true. She let go of Maura to start unstrapping the thing but was brought up short by the bag in her hand. She'd completely forgotten it was there. "Here," she said, handing the bag to her girlfriend. "Korsak brought this by. He thought you might want something to change into. Sorry I didn't think of it."

The look of gratitude and love that that lit Maura's face was all the thanks Jane needed. While the blonde stripped out of the hospital gown and into her own clothes, Jane tore off the bullet proof vest, lifting it over her head and laying it on the hospital bed that Maura had abandoned.

When the M.E. was dressed again, they hugged once more. "Tasha's really alright?"

"Yeah, she is. She had a slight concussion and some bruises, but Ma says she's doing just fine." Jane rubbed up and down Maura's spine.

"She tried to save me, Jane."

"I know she did."

"Jane?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to go home."

Jane pulled away and smiled down at her girlfriend. "Then let's find a doctor and get you released."