Hi here is the fourth chapter of this story and I hope you enjoy it. I had to change the chapter summary from what I said was coming last time as I got the episode order mixed up so here is the new revised edition.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine but the character of Bridget.

There is as always some TRIGGER WARNINGS for this story including the kidnapping and discussions of abuse of and to a minor.

Again this story and this chapter jumps around different

Please Read and Review and let me know what you think.

What Lies Buried

Chapter 4-Children Of The Dark

Justin and Hank have a long conversation in the car about Bridget. Jimmy let's something slip to the confusion of the rest of the team. Lexie meets Bridget and as Jay is under suspicion, Hank has a frightening moment where he remembers some of the worst aspects of his own investigation. Chapter summery has changed somewhat than what was in the previous one.

February 2015.

There was a limit to the scope of emotions that a human being could go through in the space of six hours Hank had decided a long time ago. Back then it had been panic, rage, sadness, terror and it was much the same now. Only this time he had the overwhelming sense of relief that came with the problem being fixed…for the most part.

Justin was sat in the car next to him staring at the Army office with wide eyes and then when he turned back to face Hank it was not with the fury or the betrayal or the tears that his son could pull out when the mood took him it was with utter curiosity in his face.

"Do you miss her?"

"Who? Your Mom?"

"No. Not Mom. Bridget. Do you even miss her at all?"

It would have been easier if Justin had just smacked him. And when he spoke it was in a voice that trembled with anger.

"Don't use that as an excuse—"

"I wasn't" Justin said in that same curious tone. "I was wondering because you don't mention her."

That made him stop.

"Yes I do"

"No Dad you don't. Mom used to talk about her all the time. She used to spin stories to me, to Erin, to herself about her and what she was doing. We went through that morbid charade on her birthday every year and even at the end you tried to find her to bring her back to Mom but since then…you don't mention her. You never mentioned her even back then. It was like she was dead to you already. And…and I think sometimes I hate you for that and I hate Mom for holding out hope. Cause I think it just would have been easier if we had grieved and then moved on. Can you honestly tell me you look at that Bridget Halstead girl and don't see what could have been? I mean…do you honestly think she's even still alive?"

Hank swallowed. If he was being truthful with himself the answer was no. He didn't think she was alive. He could hope and pray and drive himself mad wishing for it but the reality was that after sixteen years the chances of her being alive were slim. He'd never had the courage to tell his wife that not even at the end. But then again Camille being Camille had probably known.

And then there was the crux of the other matter Justin was mentioning. And it was true. He had never really spoken about Bridget. Even Erin had gotten the story from Justin. It was hard for him to separate the grief from the guilt. His wife had never judged him for what had happened. She had instead forgiven him in that capacity she had to simply forgive. And she had carried on.

Oh there had been nights when it had gotten to them both. Nights where she had woken him up crying into her pillow, twice she had taken Justin and gone to Meredith's and then anytime there had been a black haired Jane Doe child he'd secretly had his own DNA tested against it just in case. Stuff that was so horrible that it was hard to even imagine it and he had imagined quite a bit.

"I think about your sister every hour of everyday" he said quietly compelled by the question to answer honestly.

"I see her everyday as well. I turn a corner and she's there and I think to myself, I've found you and your safe and your whole and alive. But it's not Bridget. It's never Bridget. Not really. And yes…yes I look at Bridget Halstead and I look at her with Jay and it makes my insides ache. Because that should have been you and her. Because the teenager I gave a job too should be my daughter and Erin's enough to stem the bleeding but she's not the baby I stupidly—"

He cut himself off then. He was not going to tell Justin about that.

"Do you think she's dead Dad?"

"Honestly I don't know. I know that my door's always open for her if she comes back, she'll always have a bed in my house and she'll always, always have a Daddy who loves her more than life itself but…"

Justin's eyes so very much like his mother's were dark with understanding and bright with pain.

"But you don't expect it?"

"I don't expect her no"

There was a terrible pause as Justin took that in.

"I am sorry" he said quietly "More than I can say. Because I wanted to bridge the gap for you, I wanted to be enough and…I wanted life to go back to the way it was before she was born back then and for quite a while afterwards actually. And I hated the fact that we couldn't. Because one way or another we lived and died by that night."

He couldn't disagree with it but still looking back he wished he'd have said something as Justin got out of his car and walked towards what Hank desperately hoped was a better future with a happier ending.

Cases came in thick and heavy after that and the team finally found a gel in which they could work together. In the corner next to Adam, Bridget Halstead worked through their filing system with a skill that was frankly unnerving. It appeared she didn't have time for bullshit and was completely without fear as it was when she took Al's organic coffee away and hid it until he signed all his work off leaving Al practically speechless with indignation("You do not mess with a man's organic coffee Hank! Talk to the girl") and Adam practically hysterical with glee.

Actually he found it was rather nice. Coffee was always stocked and in good supply. There were snacks in the break room that ranged from homemade mini muffins (in which he couldn't get any of his team to work for three days), to store bought donuts and iced water. The little things that made her rather precious to the unit. In fact by the end of the second week he was pretty sure half of the precinct would drop they were doing to help out Bridget Halstead.

She knew things too. Kim had assured Adam who had assured Jay that she knew most of the officers names, asked them about their family and when Officer Holland (he and his husband had two daughters) had been in a complete state because his fourteen year old had started her period and he had no idea what he was doing Bridget had written down on a post it exactly what was needed in what size and exactly what he and his husband had, had to do afterwards to the point where he was so relieved he had told her to call him in the event that she got a parking ticket.

(That had caused Jay to raise his eyes to the heavens and simply ask why?)

But the nice time had to end when Jimmy entered their lives with a bang.

It wasn't like Hank got a kick out of asking a man he had known for more than half his career if he was dirty especially not when there was a mole upstairs who he was sure was with IA and certainly not in front of his team and a teenager who was in the process of helping one of Jimmy's guys look up a 'decent Chinese takeaway cause we need food when we take these guys down and no that place doesn't count' and Jimmy's responding reaction was just what he had predicted it would be.

"Seriously Hank? Your standing there and talking to me about being dirty, I'm not the one who went to prison…"

The team went deathly silent. Hank was very aware that both Jay and Antonio were looking at him.

"And I am also not the one who was so crap at his job he let his daughter get stolen out from under him!"

The second Jimmy said it Hank knew that he regretted it. He didn't need to look to know that Erin was wide eyed or that Al had pushed himself off his elbow or that Adam was looking at the ceiling (God he was willing to bet Bob Ruzek had spilled his guts years ago) or that the rest of Intelligence, Jimmy's crew and the teenager who was filing away the paperwork for this were looking utterly confused.

"Look Hank—I—I didn't mean to bring Brid—"

"Not now" he snapped. He really did not want to mention his daughter's name in a room full of people who didn't even begin to comprehend the hell that he had been through and though he knew by the end of the case they'd all know he was certainly not going to put up with the pity.

Al got into the car with him and said nothing as they drove to the meet and then…

"He's angry. He's always been angry. And he was on the raw and you ran towards it."

"Oh I ran towards it? He threw—"

"I know. And he knows. And he regrets it. But Hank that was not the time and the place to question him about shit he did in the past. A lot of which I will add he did—"

"With me yes thank you I remember"

"Good. Also you know the kid shouldn't be there"

"Which kid? Their all kids"

Al shot him a look that was not amused.

"You know which kid. Bridget. She shouldn't be there and you know it. I wouldn't want Lexie there. And why did you even—"

"I told you she got me in the right moment. Besides we do things for family and if it keeps Jay in the right frame of mind whenever he realises a victim could be his sister it's worth it. And I offered Lexie work experience she was the one who turned it down"

Al said nothing.

"If your worried about what the team are going to think after the story of Bridget breaks then don't be"

"I'm not. Besides you and I both know that they already know. Adam got a run down from his Dad you know that. Erin knows. Antonio knows because Stone tried to bring it up in court, it's only Halstead and the rookies that don't know besides it was never a secret it was on CNN for Christ's sake"

Al said nothing.

"Hank…do you ever think that you should—"

"No" he said finally. "I told Camille I wouldn't remember."

Al wisely said nothing.

"So" Jay said after they were done with the case. Bridget had ordered a copious amount of Chinese food for Jimmy's department and after wolfing it down the spare had gone to the Intelligence Department. They had made a little meal of it in the office. Voight and Olinsky had gone and it was so much easier to talk when they were not there.

"Are we going to address the elephant in the room? Voight has a daughter"

Erin said nothing but glowered over her pork.

"Oh ok it's what a trade secret?"

"It's none of our business" she argued. Antonio snorted over his beef and noodles.

"Oh ok. You know half of it came out in court. Peter Stone took Voight to the woodshed and back"

"Didn't you help with that?" Bridget said sneaking the last of the dim sun. Damn her. Antonio shot her a rather nasty look.

"My Dad told me some of it" Adam said ripping in two a piece of crayfish (rather bravely Jay thought).

"Oh for the love of…ok here's the truth" Erin said putting down her take out box.

"Voight and his wife got pregnant after Justin. It was a massive shock because Justin's birth was less than smooth. But eventually they had a daughter. Bridget—no relation to you" she said to Bridget who shrugged.

"Obviously"

"Yeah well. Camille had complications and she had to be rushed into surgery. A guy in scrubs came and took Bridget away saying that she needed tests and then that was it she was never seen again. That was sixteen years ago"

There was a long pause and then Jay gave a long whistle. Suddenly his sympathy for his boss had shot up considerably.

"Didn't they search the hospital?"

"Actually" Adam piped up. "My Dad told me about that. He said that Voight didn't realise his daughter was missing until four hours later. The perp had a head start by about five hours"

"They didn't think to lock the damn place down?" Antonio asked. "They didn't mention much in the court other than the fact that he…well…he was Voight when it came to investigations"

Erin didn't comment on that.

"No" Adam said finally. "They didn't lock the place down until Voight called in the uniform. So my Dad says. I remember because my Mom and I were at the prescient. He wanted us to be safe"

Nobody said anything for a while and then Bridget piped up.

"So where is she now? The baby Bridget?"

Erin shrugged taking a swig of water.

"Nobody knows. Probably dead but they never found a body if not…well you know what likely happens in these cases. Killed everyone involved. Camille was never the same. Voight was…well…how would you be?"

Nobody could answer that.

Bridget made herself tea that night and stared out the widow her hands wrapped around the mug. Jay watched her and felt his heart heave with love for his little sister who was thinking exactly the same thing as he was.

"Don't think about the baby Bridge"

"I'm not it's just…well…it must be hard for him when I'm in the room and—"

"Your name is Bridget. So's his daughter. I doubt that affects him. Otherwise he'd kill everyone with that name. You were not kidnapped"

"No I was just thrown at the side of the road like a piece of garbage."

She sounded so quiet that Jay came around the kitchen island and hugged her.

"Well we love you. Will and I. It doesn't matter what that woman did. You can't live in the past. Only the future"

"I know"

Carefully neither one of them mentioned their father.

"Come on. Let's what some shit on TV. Even the cooking channel if you want"

Bridget smiled. "Kay. Hey Jay do you think that maybe we could try plant based—"

"Finish that sentence and I'm going to shoot you."

Bridget laughed.

She'd come into work that morning. Granted she mostly worked Saturday and Sunday's and a few hours after school which made her social life non-existent but Bridget found she liked it. She liked getting a pay check at the end of the month and she liked seeing the behind the scenes and feeling useful. She wanted to do something and this was the best thing she could do and so as she fastened her bag from where she'd been checking her phone (after thanking Trudy for sending her up—in which all she got was a snort in return) to see Erin with another girl who had dark curly hair and was covered in blood.

"Bridget could you get Lexie some cocoa?"

"Sure" she said dumping her bag on the floor next to the makeshift desk that she'd set up for herself. "Do you want your usual as well?"

"God I love the fact that Hank found room for you in the budget"

Bridget grinned and went to grab some clean mugs. By the time everything was brewed (including coffee for the rest of the team) it was clear there were developments in the case. Lexie who as it turned out was Al's daughter was still stood there wiping her eyes onto her sleeve. By the time she was back in the break room she was followed.

"Sorry" Lexie said her hands around her mug. "But I needed to—you know?"

"Yeah. Bridget Voight"

"Lexie Olinsky"

They shook on it and Bridget went back to dipping her tea bag in the mug.

"I really liked him you know? He was bad and mysterious and yet he had a heart of gold. Seems stupid but that's what I fell for."

Bridget turned around and sat at the table.

"Yeah well we've all fallen for one of those haven't we?"

"Parr for the course?" Lexie asked and Bridget shrugged.

"There's always a bad boy. At least your Dad seems to care"

Lexie said nothing.

Two days later she was told at the desk that Lennie Rodiger was dead and perhaps it was best she go home for the day.

For a moment Bridget stared at Trudy Platt not comprehending what she was being told and then her brain caught up with the rest of her body and she was told that Jay had been suspended.

"Why?"

"They think he did it?"

"Well he didn't."

There was a snort behind her and she turned to see the rest of the unit come down the stairs. The snort was from Antonio and Bridget snapped.

She booted the bastard between the legs with all the strength she could muster. Antonio went down with a satisfying groan while half of the cops around him winced in sympathy but Bridget didn't care. She was seriously fucking annoyed with the man.

"If one of you had bothered to ask me I would have told you that Jay was with me. We ordered Chinese food watched the game and then we both went to bed. And you" she pointed at Antonio. "Are a piece of shit for thinking he could do that. And your doubly a piece of shit for thinking about your career instead of a fellow cop though from what I've heard it's hardly been the first time."

And with that she stormed off.

In hindsight it was not a very smart thing to do but then again hindsight was not something she had very often.

It all got sorted out in the end. How she was not sure but it did and Bridget was left contemplating the end of her job in silence when the doorbell rang.

It was Hank Voight.

"Oh good. You're here to arrest me in person" she said opening the door.

"For what?"

"Didn't I technically assault an officer? And in front of copious amounts of witnesses?"

Hank Voight snorted. "You did but seeing as I thought about doing that every day I was in prison I'll let you off the hook besides, Antonio survived. Jay around?"

"Gone to see Ben's Mom and Dad. Tell them the news in person"

She leaned against the countertop and watched as he sat down at the island. This was all very odd.

"So…you plan on coming back to work this weekend?"

She blinked. "I kinda thought that was done with the whole…you know…booting Antonio in the…well…"

"Nah he's a big boy he'll survive"

Bridget was not entirely sure about that but she nodded.

"Then yes I will"

"Good. And listen. You up there…it makes you family. So I'll tell you the same thing I told Jay. You tell me the truth so I can lie for you. Got it?"

Bridget nodded.

"Good. And tell Jay he can get his badge back in the morning"

"This an apology?"

"No. This is an impasse"

Bridget had no idea what that meant but he was being very understanding about the fact that she had nearly sent one of his men to the hospital so before she could stop himself she asked.

"Do you want anything? I can make something to go—"

Hank Voight shot her a rather strange look and she thought staring at him that it might have been a long time since he'd had someone take care of him. His son was gone. His wife was dead and everyone seemed to think his daughter was as good as dead and she felt (not for the first time) genuine pity when she looked at him.

"Nah I'm good kid. Just don't kick my guys anymore"

"Ok sir"

"And don't call me that either. I happen to work for a living. You can call me Hank if you want but not Sir"

And before she could stop herself Bridget laughed.

"Alright then Hank...I guess that means you can call me Bridget. Or Bridge if you want but I should warn you only the brave tend to do that"

Something strange, some sort of a strange emotion crossed his face then and she was about to ask and then stopped herself. Suddenly she was very aware that he had once had a daughter called Bridget who (and who knew?) might have had the nickname Bridge.

To be fair there was not much you could do with that kind of name.

He got himself home in silence staring around at the empty house. Getting into bed rather methodically Hank thought that he really was getting old if an offer of food from a sixteen year old, who was asking him to call her Bridge, was making him feel emotional.

He turned on his side and tried to get to sleep.

March 1999.

Al didn't need to tell him what he already knew. He'd brought Jimmy for back up and that was never a good sign.

"They're calling off the search"

"Yeah" his friend said sitting down in his office. "But I'm guessing that doesn't mean anything to you. But Hank you and I both know that after four months or so the chances…"

"I know" he said cutting across—had it really been four months? How was he going to feel if it got to four years?

"Hank. How are you going to even know? Dead or alive I mean, when you find her? If you find her?"

That was Jimmy and Hank scoffed. He liked the man he really did but he wasn't a father and there was no way that he understood the gut churning hell that he was in every single hour of every single day. This feeling he knew, this misery, was not something that he would wish upon his worst enemy and over the years he'd made quite a few.

"Because she's my daughter Jimmy. Dead or alive she's my daughter and when I see her there's going to be something about her that tells me I know. And weather it be tomorrow, or the day after or years even when I see her I will know"

He hoped it would be soon.

Hank was honestly not sure how much more of this he could take.

"And it's not an if." He said finally tearing his eyes away from the horrendous photos that he had been staring at.

"It's a when Jimmy. I'll find her. Even if it kills me"

And that was a promise he knew he could keep until the bitter end.

And there you are, I hope you liked this chapter and I will do my best to bring you the next one as soon as I can.

Next Chapter-Bridget has an unfortunate run in with Edwin Stillwell as the team is run ragged by a series of cases. Voight steps up to help the newest member of his team as Jay takes a weekend off, and Antonio is caught in the crossfire of an operation that goes significantly south.