Marcus Isaacson was no fool. He knew that there was something amiss as soon as Laszlo had called for the police and they had refused to go out to him. He had heard one of the officers mention crazy Kreizler and how he had called and stated how his fiancée had gone missing. The officer had joked back, stating how it seemed more likely that she had left him, both of them seen as being as crazy as each other. Marcus had ground his teeth together before returning to the lab where his brother was still working on the case of a murdered banker. They were trying to discover what poison had been used to kill him, but so far had come up with nothing concrete as of yet.

"You have that look on your face," Lucius informed his brother.

Marcus looked over to him, folding his arms over his chest. "And what look is that?" he wondered from him.

"A look that says you're suspicious about something going on. Is it to do with the case?"

"No," Marcus said, pacing in the small space as his brother stood up straight, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and top button undone. His apron was stained with chemical residue and his hair was slightly messy from where he had ran his hands through it numerous times. "I was just on my way back with the coffee," he said, placing the two mugs down onto the edge of the workbench. "And I heard someone upstairs talking about Kreizler. Apparently he called the police last night because Elizabeth has gone missing."

"Missing?" Lucius asked, wiping his hands on the towel that was on the edge of his workbench. Marcus nodded, biting down on the inside of his cheek, his mind going round in circles over what this meant. How was she missing? Where could she have gone? "We were only at dinner with them last night."

"I know," Marcus agreed, nodding his head. "And there is something not quite right about all of this. They didn't sound like they were interested in helping out."

"You're sure about that?"

"They were joking about her having gone missing," Marcus replied, arms dropping to his side and a shrug escaping him. He continued pacing up and down, his thumb running along his bottom lip. "But we know what they can be like upstairs. We've seen them cover up crimes before…hide things for wealthy people…we shouldn't be so shocked."

"On the contrary, we really should be shocked about the corruption in this place," Lucius said with a scoff. "But I understand your point. You are more concerned about Elizabeth?"

Marcus nodded. "Something doesn't seem right," he said. "I should talk to the Doctor and see what has happened and see if I can help. She's…well…I like her, Lucius, and not like that before you start jumping to conclusions."

Lucius held his hands up defensively before picking up his mug from the end of the table and holding it in his hands. "I know," he said. "But if you want to go then go, but you know that I have to stay here. If something is being covered up then it would look suspicious if we both go missing. I can say that you were called away on business."

"You're sure?"

"You're not going to be any use here while she is missing," Lucius said. "Go. I can cover."

Marcus nodded gratefully and reached for his coat. He pulled it onto his arms and grabbed his hat. Tipping his head to his brother, he began walking away from the lab, wondering just where he would find Kreizler to offer his assistance.

…

Elizabeth didn't know what they had given her. She was barely coherent after her mother had insisted that she drink something to keep her drowsy. She could make out shapes and voices, but they sounded so distorted. Everything felt like it was spinning around her, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. She tried to talk, but she couldn't. She only whimpered incoherent noises as her mother helped her remove the gown she had been wearing, unlacing her corset and leaving her in her chemise. She was laid on the bed, her forehead covered in a sheen of sweat and her chest rising and falling quickly with each deep breath she took.

She had felt hands press against her stomach, but they weren't her mothers. They were larger, prodding against her without any care. She had wanted to slap them away from her, but she found that she couldn't. She couldn't make any movement of substance.

"I would say she is almost three month's pregnant," a voice spoke and Elizabeth didn't know who it was. She couldn't see his face either. He was stood at the other end of the bed. "She is still quite early on in her pregnancy, but if I am to perform this procedure then you need to bring her to me…and you need to be certain that the police will be nowhere near us."

"I have Byrnes word that no one will bother us," Michal said. Elizabeth could recognise his voice. "As far as anyone will know, Elizabeth is currently away from society because she is suffering a nervous breakdown at an institute outside of the city. She will only re-join when she is back to full health."

"And Kreizler?" he questioned. "You know that the alienist will be looking for her. You know that he is unlikely to let things lie."

"He has no authority here," Michal said as Elizabeth felt her mother place a washcloth on her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that had formed there. "Besides, you know how he is mocked and ridiculed in society. He has no chance of getting her back and he knows it. He just needs to accept it."

"You need to be certain of that," the voice responded. "Because I do not want him sniffing around me and my work."

"No one will know about this," Josephine added in, tossing the washcloth into the basin on the bedside table and standing up, looking down at her whimpering daughter on the bed. "If anyone asks, she lost the baby. It will be a cruel mercy for her."

"These girls," the voice said with a tut. "They give into their desires and end up getting themselves into such a mess. Foolish and naïve."

"She's many things," Daniel scoffed, standing by the doorway and not wanting to get involved in the conversation. "But you can take care of this, yes?"

"Oh, I've taken care of these problems before," he said with a nod of his head. "You have no need to worry. Bring her to the hospital tomorrow evening after eight and we will sort this."

"And she will be…well…she will be able to conceive when I wed her?"

"We will not sterilize her," he said and Elizabeth whimpered once again at the conversation. She was shaking, almost as though she was struggling to stay still. Her mother wiped her hair from her face before they heard a loud banging on the door.

"Expecting visitors?" Josephine questioned.

"No," Michal said. "Stay here and keep quiet. I will deal with whoever it is. The maids have been dismissed and no one knows she is here."

"I should leave," the unfamiliar voice spoke. "Is there a back entrance I can take?"

"Come with me," Michal responded.

Moving down the stairs, Michal motioned for the doctor to go down the corridor and towards the kitchen to use the back door before he went to the front door, the banging on the wood still continuing. He moved over to it and turned the doorknob, hands slicking his hair back and his gaze looked over to the three people stood on his doorstep and he wondered how they had found him. But he had to play ignorant. He had to pretend that he had no idea who they were. Of course, that was difficult.

"Can I help you?" Michal wondered before his gaze landed on John and he smiled, his pretence taking over. "John Moore. It's been a long time," he said, keeping his eyes on the familiar man. He moved over to take hold of him by the arm with one hand and shook his hand with the other.

"Michal," John responded. "This is Sara Howard and Doctor Laszlo Kreizler."

"Your reputations precede you," Michal said, inclining his head in the direction of the other two figures. "But, I confess that I am surprised to see you here. Miss Howard, I heard you were a detective. Has my firm hired you to work on a case?"

"On the contrary, we are here because we wonder if you might know something of the Johnson family."

Michal's brows furrowed and he knew that the alienist was looking at him with an intense stare. It was almost as though he was scrutinising him and Michal wondered if he could see that he was lying. Would he be able to see straight through him? Michal had no idea, but he only knew that he had to keep the act up. He kept his hand wrapped around the door, his grip tight and his knuckles turning white.

"Well, yes, I know them," Michal said and looked to John, his lips arching as he hoped the one man who he knew would be able to divert the attention away from him. "But so does everyone, isn't that right, Moore?"

"Indeed," John agreed. "But this is about their daughter, Elizabeth. Word had it that you were quite taken with her when she was an eligible bachelorette."

Michal shrugged. "It was hard not to be taken with her," he responded. "She was quite the flirt. You remember what it was like to be a young bachelor, Moore. We sometimes, well, most times, didn't think with our brains, especially when some of the girls were more flirtatious than others."

Michal let his gaze flicker to Kreizler and he could see that his jaw had tensed, jutting out slightly. He was annoyed. He was angry with what he had just said.

"Perhaps," John could only say. "But Elizabeth has gone missing."

Michal did his best to look shocked. "I am sorry to hear that," he said and finally glanced to Laszlo. "She is your fiancée, is she not? I read in the New York Times that the two of you were engaged."

"She is," was all that Laszlo said in response.

"Well, from what I have heard, Elizabeth…I would not be surprised if she was…well…flighty…I doubt she is stable after everything that has happened to her. How can you not be certain that she did not simply run away?"

"Because I saw her parents take her," Laszlo said. "And I know Elizabeth." The final sentence made Laszlo's intentions clear. He was telling him that he knew who she was. He knew Elizabeth and he was staking his claim on her.

"I do not doubt it," Michal said. "But I do not know why you are here or why you think I would know anything about this."

"You were with her father the other night, were you not?" Sara asked from him. "You were at a pub in the Lower East Side looking for Goo Goo Knox to help clear her father's debt?"

His brows knitted together and rose on his forehead. He tilted his head to the side and met Sara's gaze. She was holding his eye, refusing to back down. She was challenging him to tell her that she was wrong, almost as though she knew, deep down, that was where he had been. But she could not know that for certain and he had no intention of letting her suspicions run wild.

"I don't know where you have gotten that information from," Michal said with a firm shake of his head. "I often speak with Mrs Johnson when we are at social events, but I have never been to a pub with her husband. I do not know where that information is from."

"The owner said he saw a man matching your description," Sara continued to push.

"No doubt there are many men who look like me," Michal retorted and Laszlo noted the way his fingers were twitching against the door. "He must have been mistaken."

"Perhaps," Sara agreed, "but the man was also carrying a wallet document with your initials on it."

"Again, a coincidence," he replied, not sounding overly bothered by what he was hearing from the woman in front of him.

There was silence for a moment then and Laszlo saw the bead of sweat drop down Michal's throat. He was lying to them. He was lying and he knew the truth. He knew exactly what had happened. But he was not going to relent and as stern as Sara's stare was, Laszlo knew that she would not break him like this.

"You are a man from a wealthy family, are you not, Mr Rosen?" Laszlo spoke to the man who puffed his chest out and stood tall. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked to the doctor.

"I do not see what that has to do with anything," Michal retorted.

"Well, I would have expected you to invite us into the parlour and offer us a beverage. It is what all those from wealthy families do after all, is it not? Yet we have received no such invitation."

"My maids have been dismissed," Michal said.

"For what reason?"

"Reasons that do not concern you," he bit back.

Laszlo's lips turned upwards, a dark look crossing his face. "And you struggled to hold eye contact when we questioned you about your visit to the Lower East Side. You haven't once let go of the door and your grip on it is unusually tight."

Michal dropped the door then, almost as though that would stop Laszlo's point from being proven. He shook his head slowly and folded his arms over his chest, his fingers shaking as he completed the movement. He looked between the three of them. "What is this?" he demanded from them. "How dare you come here and make such accusations?"

"We have not accused you of anything, Michal," John quickly interjected.

"Well, it feels like you are trying to," Michal said. "Now, if you excuse me, I have work that I need to be getting on with."

He went to shut the door, but Laszlo stopped him, his foot standing in the way. He looked to the man, his face inches from his. "Where is she?" he demanded from him.

"I do not know," Michal retorted. "You need to leave before I call the police."

"You're lying," Laszlo said confidently. "I know that you're lying."

"Moore, take him away before I force him off my property," Michal said, looking to John who shot him a glare as well and Michal knew that he wasn't an ally either. But he was not a fool either. He went to take hold of Laszlo by the arm, but the alienist tried to shrug out of his grip.

"You know that I will not rest until she is back with me," Laszlo said vehemently. "And if you hurt her, I swear that I will not be held accountable for my actions."

"I'm calling the police," Michal decided and John shook his head. He took hold of Laszlo's arm once more and hauled him back. Michal looked over the three of them and finally slammed the door shut, leaving them stood on his doorstep.

…

"It would look suspicious if we stayed here in the carriage watching his house," Sara said once they had managed to persuade Laszlo to come back to the carriage where they could regroup. He had not once let his gaze move from the front door, almost as though he was expecting to see Elizabeth walk out of it at any moment.

"Agreed," John said and he remained sat next to his friend on the bench across from Sara, making sure that Laszlo didn't make any sudden movement and take off. "But we are in agreement, aren't we? He clearly knows that something is not quite right."

"He has her," Laszlo interjected, his voice confident. Not once did he think anything else. He was certain of it.

"How can you be so sure?" Sara questioned.

"The way he looked whenever her name was mentioned," Laszlo declared. "He wouldn't let us into the house. It was like he was scared of us getting close to him…forcing our way in…she has to be in there."

"We need proof, Laszlo," John said. "And we cannot force our way in there. We're not the police."

"You're not, but I am."

The new voice sounded and Laszlo turned his head to the other side to see Marcus Isaacson stood by the carriage door, arms folded on top of it as he spoke. John quickly reached for the handle and pushed the door open, Sara moving up to let Marcus in and sit down next to her.

"What do you know?" Laszlo asked, foregoing any pleasantries.

"I heard that Elizabeth had gone missing while I was making coffee this morning," Marcus said, looking between them all and removing his hat from his head, resting it on his lap. "They were joking about how she is more than likely to have ran away than have been taken."

"I told them that her parents had been the ones to take her," Laszlo declared.

"And I don't doubt you," Marcus promised him. "But what I can tell you with confidence is that the police are not going to investigate this. Whoever has taken her has been able to buy them off…pay for their silence…"

"A lawyer would have that power," John admitted. "How did you find us here, Marcus?"

"I went to 808 and a girl there, I think she said her name was Mitsy, she told me that you had come here to this address. Who lives here?"

"Michal Rosen," Sara said, bringing him up to speed quickly. "He is a lawyer who was spotted with Elizabeth's father at a pub the other night. We think that he knows where she is. We just spoke with him and he denied it all, but Laszlo thinks he is hiding something…not letting us into the house…we were considering staying here until he came out…to see if there is anything suspicious, but if he sees us still parked up here then I doubt he would move freely."

"What about me?" Marcus wondered.

"You?" John asked.

"Yes," Marcus nodded. "He has not seen me, has he? If you believe that he has her then I can stay here and watch the house. I can see if he does anything suspicious."

Laszlo watched Marcus for a few moments before Sara looked to John who shrugged across to her.

"Might not be a bad idea," John responded.

"Perhaps not," Sara said. "If we cannot rely on the police then perhaps this might be the best option for us."

"We should not go far," Laszlo said. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay, but he knew that they had to try and trip Michal up. They had to try and do something.

"We can wait a couple of block's away," Sara said. "And if Marcus spots anything then he can notify Stevie who can come and get us…allowing Marcus to keep watch on him. We do not want to let him out of our sights, do we?"

"Of course not," Marcus said. "But I can help. I want to help."

"And we greatly appreciate it," Sara said to him.

"I do," Laszlo was the one to speak then, his gaze meeting Marcus's and the Isaacson boy looked over to him, understanding exactly what Laszlo was saying to him. This was as close to a thank you as he was going to get at that moment in time, but he would take it.

"I should get out of here," Marcus said, reaching for the handle to the door. "Luckily there's a bench out there for me to sit on."

"Take this," Sara urged, moving to reach for the day's newspaper that she had picked up earlier from that day. "It won't look as suspicious then."

"Much obliged," Marcus moved to put his hat back on his head and climbed out of the carriage. He shut the door and Sara spoke, calling up to Stevie and asking him to take them around the corner. Laszlo's gaze remained fixed on the house still, hand balled up underneath his chin and his jaw set. They were so close to her. He knew that much.

…

"That alienist knows!"

Michal's voice was loud and Elizabeth could feel herself beginning to regain consciousness. She still felt drowsy and her limbs felt heavy, but most of the spinning of the room around her had stopped. She was sat up in bed, her hair hanging in clumps down her back and sticking to her face from the sweat. She had tried to shout for Laszlo. She had tried to regain her senses and shout for him as soon as she had heard her father tell her mother that it was him at the door.

But her mother had placed her hand over her mouth to silence her. It had been futile to shout against her palm and her father had held her down to keep her from making a noise. And then Michal had come back up to them and slammed the door open, letting it bounce against the wall behind it. His teeth ground together and anger coursed through his veins.

"How?" Josephine wondered.

"He spoke to the owner of that pub we visited the other week," he responded. "The owner recognised me because I stupidly took my folder with me that had my initials on it."

"How did he know to go looking in a pub?" Daniel demanded.

"I don't know that," he retorted.

"He…he knows about your history," Josephine said, looking to her husband. "No doubt Elizabeth has told him all about your betting and fighting. He's not an idiot. He can put two and two together."

"In which case, we need to get away from here," Michal said firmly. "After tonight, we need to go. I have my summer house in the Hamptons. We can go there."

Josephine nodded. "That sounds like an excellent plan."

"I will pack a trunk and get ready. I can have a carriage waiting here when night falls. I will take her to the hospital."

"I will return home and pack," Josephine said. "I trust you can manage her by yourself at the hospital?"

"I will go with them," Daniel piped up.

"You…he won't let you get away with this…" Elizabeth managed to say and they all looked over to her. She was slurring, her voice nothing more than a murmur. She was struggling with everything that had happened. But she was still fighting. "If he knows then you won't get away with this."

"I wouldn't sound so sure," Michal was the one to say. "Either way, he won't be a problem for much longer when we are out of the city for a while."

Elizabeth shook her head firmly. "He'll find you. He'll bring me home…I know him…"

"Ignore her," Daniel said, waving a dismissive hand. "By tonight, none of this will be important."

…

Marcus remained sat on the bench even after the sun had set. He had been there, according to his pocket watch, for about three and a half hours. He had read every inch of the newspaper and was then faking his interest in it. He looked over to the door and wondered if anyone was going to come out. But then, at gone half past seven, he saw a carriage pull up. Marcus sat on the edge of the bench and glanced down the street to where Stevie was stood, resting against a lamppost and looking down to him.

Nodding his head, Marcus urged for Stevie to be alert. Marcus checked that the gun in his jacket was still there before he saw the front door open and he leaped into action. He ran across the street as he saw the two men move down the steps, the woman in between them dressed in nothing but a long, black coat, her hair stuck around her face. They each held her forearm, almost as though they were holding her up.

"Elizabeth!" Marcus shouted her name.

She looked up, her eyes snapping across to him as he reached for his gun and she drank in his face.

"Marcus," she gasped his name. "Marcus!"

Michal took hold of her then as her father dropped her from his grip. Coming up to the other side of the carriage, Marcus pulled his gun out, but before he could aim it at the man, her father had punched him squarely in the jaw. He could hear Elizabeth continue to scream for him as Marcus regained his composure and swung a punch at Daniel. It landed on his jaw, but the man took it in his stride, grabbing hold of Marcus by the throat and increasing his grip. He tossed him to the floor once he had managed to wrangle the gun from his hand.

"Go!" Josephine demanded, stood on the stairs.

"Marcus!" Elizabeth continued to shout his name loudly.

"Move! Now!" Michal demanded from the driver of his carriage as Daniel finally climbed into it. It left before Marcus could stop it, grabbing hold of the door and trying to get in as he saw Elizabeth reach for the doorknob, his gaze meeting hers for a moment before she was pulled away and he couldn't keep up with the carriage.

Marcus cursed under his breath before he turned around and saw the woman running down the steps. "Not so fast," he muttered and ran after her, catching up with her easily and grabbing her forearm. She turned around and tried to slap him, but he grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Let me go!" she snarled.

"Not a chance," Marcus responded. "I'm with the New York Police Department."

"You have no authority on this matter."

"I beg to disagree," Marcus snarled. "Tell me where they're taking her."

"No," she hissed, her face wild and her gaze focused on him. Her hair had fallen from the bun it was in, strands hanging loosely around her face and a sneer on her lips.

Marcus's jaw clenched and his teeth ground together as he continued to hold onto her at the same time he hard commotion behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know that it was the trio.

"Where did she go?" Marcus tried again.

"What happened?" Sara asked from him.

"She got away before I could stop the carriage," Marcus said, his gaze not once leaving the woman in front of him. "But she didn't go with them."

"Tell us where they're taking her," Sara urged from her and the woman looked over to her then, eyeing her with suspicion. "We only want Elizabeth. We just want her back."

"She's your daughter," Laszlo commented and Josephine looked to him, her eyes meeting his and she saw the pain there alongside the anger. "You gave birth to her…you raised her…do you not want more for her than this? Do you not want her to be happy?"

"She will be."

"How can you say that?" Laszlo questioned from her. "What do you intend to do to her? Marry her to a man she does not want? Why would you do that? I…if it is money you want…money you need…then I have plenty of it. I would give you whatever you wanted if you had asked and would leave us alone."

Josephine looked shocked at that. She clearly hadn't expected him to say something like that to her. He continued to watch her, stepping closer to her, his nose sniffing and his head shaking back and forth.

"Do you not understand?" Laszlo wondered from her. "I would do anything for her. I would do anything to keep her safe and if that means paying you to tell me where she is…to leave this place and never come back…then name your price."

Her eyes widened. "You're serious?"

"Of course I am serious," Laszlo said. "You did not have to do any of this. You had to do none of it."

Marcus kept his hold firm on her and John wondered how anyone could be so cold and indifferent to their child as Josephine Johnson was to her daughter. The woman gulped and almost looked embarrassed for a moment, her gaze flickering to the floor before she looked up again and back to Laszlo.

"We take the money and leave…no questions asked?"

"None at all," Laszlo responded. "But you tell me where she is."

Josephine took her time to think on what he had said before she nodded. Looking to the sky and then back to Laszlo, she told him the information that he needed. "She's gone to the Lying-In Hospital."

…

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and is reading. I really love your comments and take everything on board - so do let me know what you think/any suggestions/any ideas you want to see. Season 2 coming up soon!