Hi all! I know I said updates would be slowing down, and it's still true, I just managed to get this one out before life gets crazy!

Thanks once again to JaneyGWF for her beta services, she has a new one-shot up to go check out!

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm definitely curious to get reactions to this one!

Too quickly Maura found herself looking at Hope's house. She could hear sounds from two people inside; one deeply asleep and one awake and agitated. Since Maura doubted her half-sister would have been allowed to take any part in the night's events, she deduced that Hope was the conscious human she could hear.

Maura contemplated her next course of action. A big part of her wanted to burst into Hope's bedroom unannounced, scaring her and putting her in a defensive frame of mind straight away. Maura's anger was still simmering and an act of property destruction would feel very cathartic right now.

However, the more logical mature side of Maura won out. She checked the surrounding area quickly for any observers, finding nothing amiss. Taking a deep breath, Maura flitted to Hope's front door and knocked firmly, attempting to keep the sound quiet enough to not wake Cailin.

She appeared to have been successful. Maura heard a stifled gasp from Hope's room, but Cailin slept on undisturbed. There was no further sound from Hope for several seconds, but then Maura heard her feet hit the floor and walk towards the door.

Hope paused next to the door, clearly unsure whether to open it at this late hour. Maura decided to speak up, to at least attempt to start this conversation openly.

"Hope, it's Maura. I'm not going to hurt you, or Cailin, I just want to talk."

Maura heard another gasp, then footfalls as Hope stepped back from the door. "Hope, please, I just need some answers. Cailin won't even know I was here."

Finally Maura heard the lock being spun and the door cracked open. Hope's face was fearful and anxious, which sent a pang of guilt and sorrow through Maura.

Hope's voice was quiet and determined. "Come in, I can't stop you."

Maura repressed the urge to sigh and walked quietly into the house, waiting for Hope to close the door before making her way to a study on the opposite side of the house to Cailin's bedroom.

Once they were inside the room and the door was closed, Hope spun towards Maura angrily. "I don't know what you want, but I need you to leave as soon as we're done. I won't have you around my daughter. She doesn't know anything about this."

Maura closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to stay civil. "I'm your daughter too."

Hope stepped closer and raised an angry fist, her voice quiet but furious. "You're not my daughter! You're not Maura anymore! You're a monster!"

It was all Maura could do to reign in her temper. "No. You don't get to judge me. It's taken me a long time to accept, but I am still Maura, despite something happening to me that wasn't my choice. I may be different, but I'm not a monster."

Hope scoffed. "Is that so? Would Angela Rizzoli agree with that assessment?"

Maura's eyes closed again, this time fighting a surge of guilt and shame. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hope's face had fallen into surprise. She stepped back from Maura, her hand dropping to her side.

"Wait, you feel guilty for what you did. That's…."

Maura spoke softly. "Yes, of course I feel guilty. I didn't want to kill anyone. I still don't want to kill anyone. Please, tell me what you know. Help me."

Hope looked shocked to hear her remorse. Tears were building in her eyes as she backed into a chair, falling into it clumsily. "Maura?"

Maura just nodded, a sad smile ghosting across her features. This whole argument had brought back memories of Jane struggling with the same distinction that Hope was trying to make, but Maura knew who she was. She wouldn't allow Hope's uncertainty to affect her the way that Jane's doubt and fear had.

Tears started to stream down Hope's cheeks. "Oh, Maura, I'm so sorry! I thought….well I thought you were gone. I thought I'd lost you again. And the things I said to you…."

Maura moved over to the chair and kneeled down in front of Hope, gently grasping her hand. Hope flinched at the touch of Maura's cold skin, but shakily returned her hand to hold Maura's tentatively.

Maura smiled again, this time with more warmth. "It's okay. I understand this is a lot to take in, and you were probably worried about Cailin's safety. If I'd realised you knew about vampires…"

Hope's eyes widened. "Vampires? That's what you are?"

Maura's brow furrowed in confusion. "But, you said you knew?"

Hope nodded in assurance, dropping Maura's hand as she rose to start pacing. "I knew you were the same species of creature that I've encountered before, but I never knew a name for what she was. I only ever met one other being like you, and…."

Hope took a deep breath. "I should start again. Can I get you something to drink, or…."

Maura couldn't help smiling at the horrified expression that flitted across Hope's face. "No, I don't eat or drink any more. Please get something for yourself if you like."

Hope nodded before ducking out of the room. Maura let her go, realising she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. She heard Hope making tea in the kitchen, her nerves evident in the rattling of the cup and kettle. After a few moments Hope returned to the study, her expression determined.

Hope gestured to the other chair in the room. "Please sit down. I'll tell you everything I know."

Maura almost declined, since she didn't experience fatigue and had no need to sit, but thought better of it and moved into the chair.

Hope took a sip of her tea before starting her narrative. "It was about ten years ago. I was in Australia, working to set up a new MEND clinic in Sydney. I had left Cailin with her father, so I was by myself. I had been there for around a month, and was planning to head to the next site in Europe within two weeks. The clinic was almost on its feet, the staff was settled and we were starting to see patients regularly.

"We had been treating women and children for the typical kinds of illnesses one generally sees in a large city. Then one night a woman was brought in who seemed to have been through some kind of traumatic ordeal. She was terrified, and wouldn't let anyone touch her. She kept screaming about monsters, her friends turning against her, needing to escape, all kinds of paranoid fears. I ended up having to give her a tranquilliser to calm her down. When she woke up the next day she was still just as agitated, still trying to get away and run from whatever she'd seen. Her eyes were completely unsettling; I could tell that whatever she had been through was very real.

"The clinic wasn't set up for this kind of treatment, so I had her transferred to the hospital system and tried to forget about her.

"About three days later another woman was brought to us in a similar condition. Again we tried to calm her down, but she was beyond reaching. We didn't waste time trying to tranquillise her, we called an ambulance straight away, which was fortunate as she soon went into cardiac arrest. She had been so mortally terrified that her body just couldn't cope."

Hope took a deep breath to calm herself, her hands shaking in response to the memories she was recounting. "Two days after the second victim had died I was walking to my hotel late at night after a long day at the clinic. I heard something moving behind me, but by the time I started to turn I was grabbed and pulled into a nearby alley.

"I'm not exactly sure about what happened next. I have the impression of great speed, but I wasn't put into a vehicle. I just remember that I was dropped onto the ground in an unfamiliar location. I tried to look around, but it was very dark and I didn't see much.

"I soon realised that I wasn't alone. There was a figure moving around behind me. I got to my feet as quickly as I could, but by the time I looked the figure was gone again.

"I was about to start looking for a way out when I heard a woman's voice. It sounded cruel and cutting. 'Tell me doctor, what do you fear?'

"I don't remember exactly what I said in response, but it wasn't an answer to the question. As soon as I finished speaking the figure was suddenly in front of me. I didn't get a good look at her, but I could feel the menacing threat from her.

"She spoke again, her voice sounding even more sadistic. 'I asked you a question doctor. What do you fear?'

"I didn't know what to do, and I panicked. I reached out a hand to push her away, my fingers finding her face. It felt like stone, cold and unyielding. My hand was still on her cheek when I felt her smile."

Maura straightened up in her chair. "That's why you needed to touch my face. You didn't see her properly, but you knew what her skin felt like."

Hope nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "When I first heard about Angela and your mother mentioned your medical condition I briefly considered the possibility, but until I saw you and touched you I wouldn't let myself believe it."

Maura closed her eyes in frustration. "That's why you never mentioned any of this before. You weren't sure."

Hope nodded sadly. "I don't know if anything would have been different if I'd told you the story when this first happened to you, but I'm sorry I didn't. I promise, I didn't know."

Opening her eyes, Maura nodded. "Please finish your story."

Hope took another calming breath and a sip of her tea. "My hand was still on her face when I felt a new presence behind me. I pushed away from her and turned around. For some reason I could see this figure clearly."

Hope's breathing sped up and her shoulders hunched with tension. "The figure I saw was the one I imagined whenever I thought of what you would look like if you had lived. She was standing right in front of me."

Maura jerked in surprise. She had assumed that Hope had never thought of her again once Paddy had told her that her baby had died.

Hope continued shakily. "I was completely shocked. I couldn't help but walk towards her, holding my arms out hopefully. 'Maura, is that you?'

"She smiled at me, but the smile was wrong. It was angry, and cruel, and evil. 'Yeah mom, nice to see you. Dad says hi.' She then lifted her hand and I saw that she was holding an ice pick.

"I remember screaming, first in fear and then in pain as she stabbed me. I fell to the ground, still screaming. I thought I was going to die."

Maura's hand had sprung to her mouth in horror. She got out of her chair, moving to take Hope's hand. Hope jumped at the touch, leaping out of the chair and scurrying away from Maura.

Hope was almost hyperventilating. "I'm sorry! I know that wasn't really you, but it was just so real!"

Maura nodded sadly, her arms raised in surrender. Hope took several shuddering breaths before continuing. "I was found the next morning and brought to a hospital. I was kept there for the next two weeks while I tried to process what had happened. The whole thing was completely inexplicable. I had no idea who the woman had been, I had no idea if the version of you I had seen was real. I had no physical injuries, so that helped me convince myself that it wasn't real."

Hope finally got her breathing under control. "But the feelings I had experienced were very real. If anything they were far more heightened than I would have expected. It felt like someone had reached into my subconscious and pulled out my worst fears, then amped up my emotional response to the highest level possible. The questions the unknown woman had asked contributed to that conclusion, but I have no proof that I am correct. I can't explain how any of this was possible.

"When I was in the hospital, I decided I needed to try to talk about what had happened. I asked to see the psychologist the day I got there. When he arrived, I started to tell the story. When I was about to describe the sensation of speed, I experienced what I can only describe as a vision.

"I saw the face of the evil Maura I had imagined. She was standing over me holding the bloodied ice pick and smiling. 'Tell anyone about this, and your daughter will pay.'

"When the vision faded away the psychologist was looking at me in confusion. I stammered out some kind of apology and sent him away. I still didn't understand what had happened, but I wholly believed that Cailin would be in danger if I said anything. So I remained silent, I tried to cope by myself, and I tried to forget it had happened."

Hope sat back down, her motions shaky and unstable. "When I finally got out of the hospital I couldn't get out of the country fast enough. I booked the first flight I could get and went straight back to the hotel to pack. I never went back to Australia again."

Maura had so many questions at this point she barely knew where to start. "So when you first found out who I was…"

Hope nodded. "I couldn't help flash back to that vision. I had seen the image of you every time I considered telling someone about my experience, and every time she had threatened Cailin. The vision gradually got worse over the years, showing me exactly what she would do to Cailin. I just couldn't deal with the image of the evil Maura I had lived with for a decade next to the reality of you actually existing. Especially not with Cailin being in the same room. I could only think of you standing over her with an ice pick, and I had to get her out of there."

Maura turned away for a moment, both hands clenched in anger. Her relationship with her biological mother had been tarnished before they had ever had a chance to meet; no wonder they had never been able to connect properly.

Hope continued in a subdued tone. "After I met you properly, the visions changed to include your image. I resolutely tried to stop thinking about that experience to try to stop them, but it was impossible. Every time I saw you again I would inevitably flash back to that moment. I would want to tell you, to explain my actions, which would trigger a vision. It was a terrible cycle. Each time I would try to approach you to improve our relationship, I would make it worse. Eventually I just pulled away to try to stop hurting both of us."

Maura turned back to Hope to find tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders were shaking with barely contained sobs. Maura flashed over to her, pulling her into a gentle hug.

Hope crumbled into the embrace, her sobs breaking loose finally. They sat like that for countless minutes, Hope finally letting go years of torment.

As she started to calm down Maura pulled away from the hug, zipping to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Hope. As she handed the glass over she noticed Hope's eyes had gone wide in surprise.

"Hope? What's wrong?"

After taking a gulp of water Hope responded, her voice hoarse from the sleepless night and the raw emotion. "Did you just….run to the kitchen and get a glass of water and return in less than five seconds?"

Maura frowned for a moment, then realised her mistake. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you didn't know about vampire speed. I assumed since you had described it in your story…..sorry."

Hope took another gulp before setting the glass down resolutely. "Tell me everything that's happened to you. I might not be able to help, but I can at least listen."

Maura spent the next hour describing all the events surrounding her transformation into a vampire and everything that had happened since. Hope noticed how she didn't fidget, or breathe unless she was talking, or cry when she described events that would break most people. Maura noticed Hope tensing when the Volturi were mentioned, but it looked to be out of fear rather than recognition.

At the mention of vampire powers Hope tensed again. "So, you don't have the ability to make unconscious fears appear, like what was done to me?"

Maura shook her head reassuringly. "No, I can only hurt people with my power if I'm angry. Each vampire seems to have a different power, if they have one at all. I'm still unsure what determines special abilities in vampires, but from my observations so far they seem to generally match the personality of the vampire. The one you met sounds very sadistic, similar to the Volturi I met."

Hope considered for a moment. "So could you use your power to help me? To get rid of the visions?"

Maura's face fell. "I don't think that's a good idea. My emotions are so mixed up right now, I don't know what would happen to you. I don't know if I could help anyway, my power sounds very different to the one that was used on you."

Hope nodded glumly and motioned for Maura to continue.

When Maura finished her story she was surprised when Hope reached out to her, drawing her into another hug. She allowed herself to take comfort in the action, wondering what it would have been like to be hugged and comforted like this throughout her life.

As Hope pulled away, Maura glanced out a nearby window and realised it was almost dawn. "Hope, I need to go. I don't want to be caught here during the day, and it would be better if Cailin didn't know about any of this."

Hope nodded in agreement. "Thank you. I just want to keep her safe."

Maura sighed and moved to leave, but turned back when she realised there was one more thing she needed to know. "Hope, what did you tell my mother?"

Hope's face paled. "I…I told her you were gone. I said I'd seen this medical condition before, that it changed the people who had it. I told her you were beyond saving. Oh, Maura I'm sorry! I'll go and see her today, I'll tell her I made a terrible mistake!"

Maura considered carefully before answering. "No. Let her think I'm gone. I don't want her to keep looking for me, or trying to clear my name. It might draw attention from the wrong people, and I want her to be safe. If she thinks I'm beyond help then at least she'll have closure."

Hope leaped out of her seat and grabbed Maura's arms. "Absolutely not! I won't tell her the truth, but I'll make sure she understands that none of this was your fault. Please Maura, let me fix this. You don't deserve to lose your mother because of this. Please come back and see me tonight, I'll get Cailin to go stay with a friend, and I'll bring your mother here to talk. You can decide if you want to tell her, or if you just want to say goodbye, but please don't let her think the worst of you!"

Maura hung her head. She didn't want to put her mother or Hope in any danger, but she was also sick of dealing with this alone, relying solely on Jane for support. She had wanted nothing more than to have a mother to comfort her since she had first become a vampire, and she was tired of denying herself what she needed to protect others.

"Okay. I'll come. I'll work out what to say today and I'll come and talk to her. Thank you."

Emotions still whirling, Maura stepped away from Hope. She gave her biological mother a brief smile, her new understanding simultaneously buoying her spirits and making her curse the wasted years once again. This would all take time to process, and she needed to do it away from the source of her confusion.

She turned and sped away.