Author's note: Hi all. So I was really surprised to see all the traffic this story got, maybe because there aren't many Finding Carter stories out there but nevertheless it made me want to continue. So here is the next chapter. The italics are used to indicate a flashback. I tried to get everyone in this chapter, Grant is the only one not in it but I haven't forgotten about him I promise. I tried to make things as clear as possible but if there are questions don't hesitate to ask. Happy reading!
Their home had turned into FBI headquarters. The living room that not too long ago had been used for fort building and movie night was turned into the central hub of the investigation. Computers and phone taps took up every possible desk and table. Wires ran across the ground in every direction, making everyone cautious of their step. It was loud and chaotic, and as Elizabeth and David stood by they both realized their greatest nightmare was replaying before them.
The noise and commotion was overwhelming and unfortunately familiar. Though she tried hard not to let her mind slip back to that dark day, the memory replayed anyway.
It had been a normal day full of hard work but she was moving up, getting to where she wanted to be in her career. Her smile was wide the entire drive home. She had managed to get off early and the surprise of the two presents in the trunk made her want to get home a little quicker.
That smile vanished. Those happy thoughts lost. Replaced with a look of anguish and a feeling of dread. Police cars lined the street, yellow tape wrapped around the yard, officers held people back at the barricade while taking orders over their walkies. The overload of emotions made her numb as she ran up to the front of the house and through the door. The activity within jostled her back to a responsive state.
"David?" she yelled over the noise as she frantically scanned the crowded living room. Elizabeth turned round a few times but he was nowhere in sight and her panic set in a little deeper.
"Mommy!" She heard at the same time she felt someone cling to her leg. A mess of blonde hair near her knees let her know it was Taylor and she scooped her up. Her daughter's normally bright blue eyes were slightly red from crying and she could hear her sniffling as she held her close.
"Shh baby girl it's okay. It's okay," Elizabeth said trying to comfort them both.
David walked around the corner into the hall only moments later and she let out a breath. She only needed to see one more person before she could let go of the fear that still hovered, but as he neared her it only grew instead. He seemed lost.
"David, thank god. Where's Lyndon? What is all of this?"
As he met her gaze she could see it in his eyes, the hurt and despair, and she knew. Slowly she shook her head as her free hand made its way up to her mouth as she tried to keep her sobs in. It was in that moment that the world froze. She stopped breathing, clung to Taylor as tight as she could, and she felt it.
Her heart breaking.
David could feel his wife trembling under his arm and he tried to pull her closer but everything was all too much for her and she slipped away from him to head for the kitchen.
"I need to get some air," she said hurrying out of the room, leaving him alone.
"Lizzy wait…" he yelled back but she had already disappeared. He ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath in. As much as he wanted to go after her, he knew they both needed a little space to find their footing in this free fall.
Elizabeth raced into the kitchen and once in the silence she leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, trying to get control over her breathing. After a minute she opened her eyes and was startled to see she had company.
"Oh Taylor!" she exclaimed as her hand jumped to her heart. "You gave me quite the scare. What are you doing in here?"
Pots and pans were strewn about and Elizabeth could see that her normally organized daughter was flustered, and understandably so. Which was why she wasn't surprised when she began to ramble.
"I didn't know what to do and I figured people might get hungry but I wasn't sure what everyone wanted so I just started to make everything and…" Taylor trailed off as it became harder to speak through her choked back emotions.
Elizabeth was quick to her daughter's side and in an instant she had her wrapped in her arms. She ran her fingers through Taylor's hair as she felt her shake in her embrace from the sobs that wracked her body.
"Hey there it's alright. Shh everything is going to be okay," she tried to reassure.
"I was awful to her when she got here… we just started to understand each other… please mom you need to find her," the young girl managed to squeak out between sobs.
She didn't think it was possible but her heart broke even more from Taylor's pleas. "I will, I promise. We are going to find her and bring her back home. I'm going to make sure of it. She's coming back."
Slowly Taylor began to calm down but neither one made a move to break free from one another. Both afraid that they'd lose the other if they let go; Elizabeth afraid to lose another daughter never to be found, Taylor afraid to lose her mother again to the dark abyss of never ending searching.
They remained that way until an officer poked his head in looking for Elizabeth. "Detective Wilson, an agent would like to speak with you, ask a few questions."
Sensing her mother's hesitation to leave her, Taylor broke free from their hug and nodded. "I'm fine, go. Really mom, please," she told her, gaining an unconvinced look from the older woman, but a sure nod assured her.
"I'll be right back," Elizabeth told her before pressing a kiss to Taylor's forehead.
As Elizabeth and the officer walked back to the other room, David entered the kitchen. Taylor had gone back to mixing something in a bowl, unaware that had come in, and David watched her try to whisk her worry away with limited success.
"Your mom is right. We are going to get Carter back this time. Once we do though I'm not sure we will have anything left to eat, it looks like you've cooked most of the kitchen," he said with a small smile, which she returned.
"You know, you did something similar when Carter was taken the first time," he continued, his voice soft. It was a memory he had tried hard to forget and never thought he would be telling her but it slipped out.
"Really? I don't remember."
David nodded and went on. "You and Carter, Lyndon then, had a play kitchen you both absolutely loved. Neither of you ever wanted to stop playing in it. You always pretended to cook while Lyndon was always the one eating. After your sister disappeared we would always find you there cooking away, and every chance you could you would ask when Lyndon was coming home because you had made her something special."
Tears had begun to form in his eyes but he continued with the story. "You wouldn't let anyone take her spot during your tea parties either. That old plastic tea cup you have on your dresser, the one that holds all your hair bands and other trinkets, that was Carter's."
"I didn't know that," Taylor replied, thinking of all the times she had tossed something into that cup.
David forced a smile on his face not wanting to show how much pain the memory brought up, how much he feared that memories would all he would be left with again.
"How about we clean this place up a bit," he suggested, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Taylor leaned against him and nodded before they silently went to work tidying up the kitchen. They remained silent the entire time, each lost in their own thoughts but both thinking about the same person. Carter.
Elizabeth walked back into the chaos following the officer to an older gentleman sitting at a computer near the front of the room. As they approached him he caught sight of their movement and stood, extending his had which Elizabeth shook before sitting down.
"Detective Wilson, hi. I'm Special Agent Louis Sands, I'll be the lead in finding your daughter and getting her back safely to you and the rest of your family," he said. His voice was stern and she wondered how hardened he had become through the many cases of his career.
"Please, call me Elizabeth."
"Alright, Elizabeth I just need to ask you a couple of questions. We got most of the information from your partner, but there are a few things I'd like to hear from you."
She nodded and he pulled out a folder, rifling through some papers before coming to a list of names.
"These are all the alias' we have for Lori Stevens, are there any additional names that you are aware of?"
She scanned over the list, each name familiar. "No. All the ones I know about are on this list."
"Do you know if Carter has any alias' that you were unaware of?" he asked, his focus back on the computer not catching the fire in her eyes at the slight insinuation that she didn't know her own daughter.
"No she doesn't. Only Carter Stevens or Lyndon Wilson."
"I understand Lori made contact with you recently. Was there any indication of where she might have been headed?"
"If there were don't you think I would have told you," she snapped back, becoming irritated by how the conversation seemed to be getting them nowhere closer to finding Carter.
"Okay," he could sense her irritation. "I just needed to ask. And you may not like this question, but again I need to ask. Is there any possibility that Carter went willingly with Lori?"
Elizabeth jumped from the seat, furious with the man in front of her. She could barely contain her frustration with him to get an answer out. "No! She didn't just leave with her. That psychopath kidnapped her again and is taking her who knows where. If you had just read the statement from the café owner you would know Carter was disoriented, like she had been drugged not able to leaving willingly, and we could be out there looking for her rather than wasting time in here with these pointless questions."
She was out of breath from the rant and tears had filled her eyes fore the countless time that day. Special Agent Sands stood up from his chair to try and calm her back down, "Look Elizabeth I know it seems like we are getting nowhere but…"
There was a sudden commotion at one of the computers near the other end of the living room. A woman Elizabeth hadn't recognized before barked orders to a few officers, causing them to immediately scatter with most of them heading out the front door, before walking over to them.
The woman leaned in, whispering something into his ear and his face became more serious that before. He grabbed his jacket and threw it on in one swift motion before checking he had his gun and badge in their proper spots. Concern grew on Elizabeth's face, still not knowing what was going on, but that concern turned to hope as the sentence left his lips.
"They tracked down a stolen car near a motel the next town over, possibly the one Lori took Carter in…"
She was vaguely aware that he was still speaking to her, briefly going over what the plan was, but she had tuned him out. Everything was moving in slow motion but her thoughts were spinning a mile a minute.
They had found a car, found a possible lead. They actually had a lead unlike 13 years ago. Carter could be close by. She was getting her daughter back.
Completely lost in her thoughts she didn't see that Agent Sands had made his way to the front door, still holding it open and ready to head over to look into the stolen car.
"Elizabeth…" he yelled but got no response.
"Detective Wilson…" he tried again and successfully got her attention. "Are you coming?"
"Of course," she replied and they were out the door and on their way. Only one thing on Elizabeth's mind the entire ride, Carter.
If she hadn't been so concerned with getting back home, she would have been impressed with the amount of planning Lori had put into making sure they wouldn't be caught.
They had ditched the car they arrived at the motel with, though she didn't really remember much about it, for a black one that looked like an unmarked police car that detectives use when on duty. Lori had told her that no one in law enforcement looks at cars similar to their own. When they stopped Lori paid with cash and kept her head down. Carter had still been unable to grab anyone's attention to alert them.
Silent. That's what the drive had been. Early into it Lori had tried to make conversation but Carter had decided to give her the cold shoulder, she was not going to make this easy. But now she was curious and wanted some answers.
"Where are we going?" she asked still looking out the window.
"Where's the fun in telling you, no it's an adventure. All I will let you know is we are going North," she replied, cheerful that there was some conversation happening.
"I got that," Carter muttered to herself. The highway signs had already given her that information.
"And as a real adventure we need to find some cool things to tell stories about later, so keep your eyes peeled for anything. Like maybe we could find the world's largest ball of string or a stand that sells three foot corndogs, let's just have some fun," Lori said while fiddling with the radio.
"I don't want to do any of that. I just want to talk with my family. When do I get to call them?"
The older woman let out a large sigh, clearly fed up with all the talk about her "family", she was her family but she knew she had promised. "Soon okay, we're still to close. I promise I will let you know when you can alright. Now look in the glove box, there are a couple of things in there for you."
Carter opened the small compartment up and pulled out an envelope. It was bulky and she could tell there was a new I.D. and passport inside and the it made her feel sick. She knew by using these it would make everything much harder to track, much harder for her mom to find her.
"Carly Stephenson, isn't that a little close to my name already?" Carter asked reading all the information on the license.
"That's the point. We are hiding in plain sight. Plus it's close enough that you shouldn't have a problem responding to that name in the beginning, once you've had it for a while you'll get used to it," Lori explained.
"And what's your name then?"
"Well to you it's still mom, but everyone else will know me as Lauren Stephenson," Lori said as she turned over to her and gave her a smile.
Carter forced one back in return before turning back to look out the window. There was no way that Lori was her mom anymore, that woman was gone and she felt like a stranger. Her mom was out there looking for her, and as Carter looked down at the new identity she knew her search just got more difficult.
And for the future I will still be using Carter and Lori as their names I just wanted to give you their alias'.
