The characters do not belong to us.

Chapter Ten

For Sooz42 with many thanks!

Maura opened her eyes and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. Ugh. Time to get up already? Why was there so much noise? It sounded like a herd of elephants out in the hall. Did intruders make that much noise? Surely not.

"Wake up, sleepy head." A voice much like her own sounded in her ear and Maura lifted her head. Sasha! "We were getting worried about you."

Maura stared at her sister. "We? Who else is here?"

"The usual crew. Jane can't be quiet to save her life."

Maura laid back down, yawning. "Who's Jane?"

"What do you mean, who's Jane?" Sasha asked. "She's your best friend."

"Have you seen our mother this morning?" Sasha asked, hoping Maura would understand that. But instead Maura stared at Sasha's tubes as if she'd never seen them before.

"What happened?" Maura shouted in alarm.

Sasha shook her head, confused. "I'm okay. Calm down. I've been sick. This is just so I can stay here and not at the hospital. I'm okay."

Relief fell over Maura's face. She buried her face against Sasha as outside in the hall a baby cried. "How many people are here and why are they here? Do they ever leave?"

Sasha laughed. "Not really, but it's nice. I like having them here."

"So you know them, then?" Maura propped herself up on her elbow.

"Yes, I know them," Sasha whispered. But before she could say anything more, Hope came into the room.

"She's finally awake, huh?" Hope asked. "We were getting worried about you, dear."

Maura stared at her. Who was this woman and why was she in her-Sasha's house? She studied her a little longer and it clicked. "Do you know who that is?"

"Um, yeah, it's-"

"Dr. Hope Martin. The Dr. Hope Martin. How'd you manage that? Never mind." Maura slid off the bed and into the bathroom. Her idol was in her sister's bedroom and she was in her pajamas with bed head.

Hope was perplexed. "I didn't know you still held me in such lofty esteem, darling."

Sasha looked at her mother with a calm expression that was meant to convey more. "Maura is wondering why there are so many people in the house. And I asked her if she'd seen you yet this morning. Then the admiration began."

Hope understood. "Who do you know here, Maura? You seem comfortable with Sasha."

Maura laughed. "Of course I'm comfortable with my own twin sister."

Maura shook her head. "Look, I'm not really sure why you're here since you work with dead people like I do and Sasha is very much alive. But I'm sure you have business elsewhere. I'm a doctor, too. I can handle Sasha's care."

"Maura!" Sasha hissed. "That's-"

The door opened before Sasha could finish her thought. Jane came into the room with Kaylee.

"Look who decided to grace us with her presence," Jane said with a smile. "Someone wants her mommy. I fed her and got her dressed." Jane held Kaylee out to Maura.

"I think you have the wrong person. Sasha, you nut. I haven't been gone that long. You could've told me-" She gestured to the baby. "Dr. Maura Isles, Sasha's sister. Thank you for your services." She stood up and grabbed her bag off the chair. "I'm sorry, I have to go take care of some things but I'll be back. I promise." She kissed Sasha's forehead. "I'll be back. Take care of my niece. Nice to meet you, Jane." Maura headed out the door, shutting it behind her.

"What was that?" Sasha asked a bewildered Jane and Hope.

Hope shook her head. "I have no idea, but I'm calling Liza and Elise. Jane, did you put GPS on her phone yet?"

"Yes." Jane affirmed. "I had Frost do it yesterday after she was knocked out."

"Good," Hope responded. "Now at least we can't lose track of her." She looked to the ground. "Except she left her purse. But I thought she had one with her. Green and black."

"That's mine," said Sasha. "The one over there is Maura's purse."

Jane moaned. "Oh, great. So the GPS is here and your phone is traveling with your sister."

In the car, Maura reached for her phone. In case they'd done anything to track her, she had to check for bugs. But there were none and this phone was one she didn't remember. It was purple and had a zebra skin on it. When her thumb pushed the voicemail, she was elated to hear Sasha's message. All this stuff - ID and drivers' license and passport - belonged to Sasha. Her identical twin. A plan began to form in Maura's mind. If she could get away for a while, she could dodge the people who were hunting her and her twin down. Thirty minutes later, she was boarding a plane to France. As Sasha Connor.

Sasha tried calling her own number but there was no answer. Where could Maura have gone? This topped all previous efforts to leave them in the dust. Hope was tending to Kaylee after Jane had to go to work, so it gave Sasha ample time to think. Maura had not grown up with a big family and was obviously freaked out by the sudden nature of this one. She sighed, sad for her twin that she had not enjoyed a childhood more like Sasha's own.

Sasha had grown up in New York City with parents in fashion design and radio broadcasting. While the private schools on Long Island had given individualistic Sasha a run for her money, it had been a pleasant childhood. Her adoptive mother was half Puerto Rican and they often visited family there in the summer. The only unpleasant thing to come of these vacations were the few uncomfortable sunburns fair skinned Sasha had received from the tropical sun. While Lena and Angie turned a deeper olive brown, Sasha was red and miserable. If she hadn't known she was adopted already, those summers would have tipped her off as to her non-Hispanic blood. Her mother was so much fun, the opposite of then-stern Constance Isles. Lena Vargas Connor let Sasha skip school during fashion week in New York City and they went to all the shows, including the launches of Lena's own clothing line. They also saw Broadway plays and jazz clubs. Sasha met all the legends of music whom her father interviewed in his radio broadcasts. Chris Connor. Lena Horne. Ella Fitzgerald. Sarah Vaughan. Kay Starr.

But Maura had none of that kind of fun in her early years. The child of a professor and a socialite, she was almost always by herself. While Sasha's parents had been equally prestigious, it had always been important to have enjoyment in their family life.

Cailin interrupted Sasha's daydreaming. "Guess what! I got the job at the firm and my mom is letting me take a year off school!"

Sasha beamed and embraced Cailin. "That's great, sweetie. I'm so proud."

Cailin's smile lasted only a second before it turned into a frown. "Is it true that Maura doesn't remember any of us and she ran away?"

Sasha sighed but nodded sadly. "Yes. She remembers me but for the rest of you-"

"But why? I thought the memory problems were resolved." Cailin looked ready to cry. She'd just found Maura again and now she was gone-again.

"So did I, sweetie. But she woke up with no memory of my illness or Hope. Not even Jane."

"Yeah, she thinks I'm the nanny," Jane muttered from the doorway.

"It will be ok," Sasha reassured them all. "I trust our mother to know what to do. And our Aunt Elise."

"Well, we got nothing," Jane said, taking Kaylee from Hope. "She's got your phone off, Sasha. We called the airline. They wouldn't release any info since she's an adult and not missing."

"You think she'd go to Europe?" Sasha asked. "She has a house there-exactly where I'm not sure."

Jane bounced a fussy Kaylee. "I don't know. It's possible." She kissed Kaylee's forehead. "I know you miss your mommy, little one. I'm tryin' real hard to bring her back." Kaylee continued to cry. "Okay, sweetie. I know."

"Give her to me," Sasha instructed. "Maybe hearing my voice will calm her down."

Jane gave the baby to her aunt. Just as Sasha predicted, Kaylee calmed down immediately at the sound of a voice identical to that of Maura.

Hope paced the floor and tried to remember where the house in Europe had been located. "I'll call Constance," she offered.

"For some reason, I think the house is in France. But they have houses all over Europe, and this might not even be the same place," Jane reasoned.

"We don't even know if she's in Europe," Sasha pointed out, stroking Kaylee's back as she nestled into her side. "She could be anywhere. Africa or Ireland. Anywhere."

"Call Constance," Jane said. "She could give us a clue. We don't know what Maura remembers. We only know who she doesn't remember." She averted her gaze. "How could she not remember me? I'm her best friend. I've known her longer than any of you-no offense."

Hope called Constance at once. "I'm sorry to bother you, Constance, but I really need some information and help. I hate to startle you, but Maura has left again and we think she might be going to Europe. Where are your houses there?"

"Oh, dear. When? Did something happen to set this off?" Constance sounded worried.

"She woke up and didn't remember me, Jane or Kaylee. The only one she remembered was Sasha. She left her purse and took Sasha's. We're not able to track it," Hope answered.

Maura's adoptive mother moaned. "I was afraid of this. We have houses in England, France and Italy."

"Thank you," Hope said.

Jane whispered to Hope. "Ask where she thinks she might have gone."

"She could be anywhere. France was her favorite." Constance sighed. "Why can't she remember anyone except Sasha? I'm afraid I do not follow."

"We're not sure," Hope answered. "Side effect from the surgery perhaps, though why they'd show up this late, I don't know."

While Constance and Hope talked, Sasha kept an eye on Kaylee, grateful for Jane's presence, who offered to stay the night.

"I know I'm not Maura, but I'll help in any way I can. Believe me, I know how brutal nightmares can be. I endured them alone for months."

"Thank you so very much," Sasha responded. "I doubt I could do this without you even if I was already recovered."

"No problem," Jane said. "I'll keep an eye on Kate, too. Do you think she should know?"

"Probably not. She has enough on her hands. Just tell her that Maura had a sudden, unavoidable trip." Sasha told Jane.