This is my favorite chapter for this story, and I hope you all enjoy it.

"Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Ford. I'm sorry we had to pull you away from home." Korsak guided Caitlyn and Charles to his desk, where he already had two chairs pulled up and waiting to be occupied. He waved for them to sit, and they did, but not before taking each other's hands and giving a reassuring squeeze. Charles was the first to speak.

"I don't care where we are, as long as we're doing something to bring Caidence home. Has there been any word?"

"Detective Rizzoli has been working leads with Detective Frost all morning." he paused. "We have a suspect. I was wondering if I could show you a photo, if you could tell me if you've seen the man before?"

Caitlyn nodded. "Of course, anything." Korsak slid the photo across the desk of James White. Both she and Charles stared long and hard at the man, but a light of recognition dawned in neither of their eyes. Caitlyn, entranced by the man's mystery, finally tore her gaze away and looked at Korsak expectantly. "This is the man that took my baby?"

"A surveillance camera shows him taking your daughter's hand and leading her away from her father. You're sure that he isn't familiar? Could he be a friend of a friend, a coworker? Someone who you've might have done business with in the past?"

"Charlie and I are both school teachers. I teach third grade and he teaches seventh. I guess he could be a parent, but neither of us teach in our kid's school district."

"What about your ex? Could he know him?"

Caitlyn frowned. "Aiden doesn't even live here. He travels a lot now, because of his book. He comes into Boston every few weeks to see Cady, but he hasn't lived here full time since we were in college. We moved back to Michigan so he could be near his family."

"Mrs. Ford, we're aware of the custody battle between you and your ex. He's been trying to secure full custody of Caidence."

"Yes." replied Caitlyn sadly.

"Could you tell us a little bit about that?"

"Aiden wants her in Michigan. When I became pregnant, Aiden begged me to move back to his hometown. He wasn't happy here. I was more... open to change, my mother and father both lived, well, nomadic lives. We moved around a lot. I agreed and we went to Michigan, but our relationship... it was never strong enough, I think, to be so young and to be parents. After Caidence was born, I just knew I never wanted to marry him. I came back to Boston with her. It wasn't until I married Charlie that Aiden really began fighting for custody. He was in Caidence's life, of course, but I think – "

" – he was bitter at your new marriage?"

"I guess you could put it like that. It hasn't been easy, detective, but Aiden and I make it work. We've tried settling it out of court but Aiden is an all or nothing kind of guy. He doesn't want Caidence growing up in a big city."

"Do you think your husband is capable of taking his own daughter?"

"What?" Caitlyn's mouth dropped open. "No, no! No. Aiden is a wonderful father. He plays by the rules. My ex is a lot of things, egocentric, loud... but he is a good man. He loves Caidence more than anything else in the world and all he's doing is fighting for what he believes is right for her, and I can't possibly penalize him for that, for loving his daughter. Even if I don't agree with it. Not a day goes by that he doesn't call her or hear her voice."

"We're not saying that he is a bad father, but we do have to consider every possibility. A crime of passion, perhaps. I don't know. But I'm not asking you whether or not you believe Aiden Barker to be a good father. I'm asking you if, if he thought that he was going to lose this custody battle, if he would do absolutely anything to make sure Caidence came home to Michigan with him? Would he do anything? Was this important enough to him?"

Caitlyn sunk back into her chair. "No." she whispered. "The Aiden Barker I know would never take my daughter away from me."

"With all due respect, ma'am." Korsak leaned across the desk. "Isn't that exactly what he's trying to do?"

"Not like this. He wouldn't do it like this!"

"Detective, please." Charles wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "I understand this is necessary questioning, but both my wife and I are sure that Aiden didn't have anything to do with this. She's right. He's a good man."

Korsak nodded shortly and cleared his throat, feeling a little guilty at upsetting Caitlyn so much, but he knew that they needed to proceed. "Have you ever taken Caidence down near the Bay Village area?"

Caitlyn sniffled. "My brother works on Trenton on the weekends, at a pub. Finnigan's. We've taken her a few times. They have a family karaoke night on the first Friday on the month. It's near that area, but she's only been down there a few times and it was with us. Why?"

"James White was living at a residence in Bay Village. It could have been where he saw Caidence. Right now we're looking at all possibilities. You say your brother Ryan works down there?"

"On the weekends, yes. As a cook. Just some pocket change."

"Could Ryan have taken Caidence there?"

"I doubt it," said Charlie. "Ryan's 23, you know. He babysits sometimes, but he usually comes to our place. There have only been a few times I think that Caidence went to his apartment."

"Does he live near there as well?"

"About twenty minutes west, down on Mount Vernon St."

The door swung open and Jane lugged a handcuffed James White into the room. Surprised at seeing Caitlyn and Charles sitting at Korsak's desk, she quickly pushed James back out and thrust him at Frost, telling him to take him into an interrogation room and that she would be there in a moment. Charles, seething, stood from his chair and flew to the door where Jane had just pushed White out of. Jane quickly gripped his shoulders and shoved him back, using all her strength to stop him from busting out the door. Korsak joined her and pushed him easily down into a chair, panting.

"Is that the bastard that took our daughter?" he screamed. "Is that who took Caidence?"

"Please," pleaded Caitlyn. "Did you find her?"

"No." replied Jane gently.

Caitlyn choked back a sob. "But you found him."

"We found him, but that's good. That's good news, I promise. We're going to find her." Charles' phone began to rang and he stuffed his clenched fist into his pocket, pulling out the phone and answering it. Jane could tell he was holding back angry tears. While he spoke, the whole room was silent, everyone seemingly holding their breath. Whoever was on the line with Charles, Charles didn't seem very pleased. He finally hung up and looked apologetically at his wife.

"Brayden just showed up at my mom's. I've got to get over there."

"At your mother's? How did he get there?"

"Walked." replied Charles tersely. "Do you want to come, or – "

"I'd rather stay, if that's alright."

"Of course." he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Detectives, are we through?" Korsak nodded. Caitlyn walked him out and towards the elevators, Korsak following behind them subtly, just to make sure that Charles didn't decide to make a break for the interrogation rooms. Jane turned around and found Maura standing behind her.

"Jesus, Maura. Make a little noise or something."

"Sorry, did I startle you?"

"No, my heart beats this fast normally."

"You should get that checked, then."

"You should learn sarcasm, Maura. It looks like Caitlyn Ford is going to be hanging around here for a little while. Mind taking her down to the café for some coffee while I interrogate James White?"

"Of course. Korsak was just about to call you. We found James on the video again. Caidence was in the back of a wagon. He was with three other little girls. Jane, do you think – "

"No, those are his daughters." Jane leaned over and turned the computer back on, quickly watching the surveillance footage before straightening back up and sighing. She printed out a screenshot of James walking out with the girls and Caidence. Caitlyn finished saying goodbye to Charles and was walking back towards them. She was stopped by Korsak, who, to Jane, looked as though he was apologizing for something. "Hey, before you go." Jane stopped Maura from walking out to meet Caitlyn, grabbing her forearm and tugging her back. She dug through her pockets and pulled out the small bottles that she found in James' coat. She handed the evidence bag to Maura, who looked them over. "Any idea?"

"Judging what we witnessed on the video, I could presume that this is what allowed him to take Caidence from her father before he noticed. One is likely some kind of neuromuscular-blocking drug and the other a sedative, perhaps a benzodiazepine."

"English, Maura?"

"NBD's hinder movement. Had he injected her with the drug, she would have been rendered motionless. Caidence would have been fully aware of her surroundings but unable to move her muscles. It causes paralysis. The drugs are commonly used in patients that need intubation, or to induce relaxation in the muscles for a surgical procedure. Depending on the dosage, she could have had difficulty breathing, if it paralyzed the muscles in her diaphragm."

Jane cringed. If she couldn't breathe then, the likelihood that Caidence was still alive after several hours was very slim. "The other?"

"Probably some form of a sedative. Midazolam or diazepam. She would have slipped unconscious from the dose. That, perhaps, is a good thing, in her case. He could have given either one orally or through an injection. Did you find any needles?"

"No." Jane took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. "No, he just had some drugs on him. Cocaine, it looks like."

"Would you like me to run some tests on these?"

"I'll send them down to toxicology. I'd rather Caitlyn not be alone right now. Go get some coffee. You look like you need it, anyway."

Maura chuckled softly. "I think if either one of us needs coffee, it's you. Stay at my place again tonight? You have to go home and sleep eventually, Jane, and my home is closer than your apartment. I know you didn't sleep well last night. I felt you tossing and turning."

"We'll see." Jane patted Maura's hand and stood. "I'm sorry if I kept you up."

"You didn't. My own head kept me up."

"It's rough."

"It is."

Jane bit her lip. "Thanks for being here, Maura."

"Always."

Jane roughly shoved the door open and stormed in the room, making a beeline for a startled James White. He had only seconds before Jane grabbed him by the collar, kicking his chair back by the legs and forcing the sweaty, shaking man up onto his feet. He stareed idly back at her, his face drenched in perspiration and his shirt soaked at the back. His dark brown eyes were bloodshot and vacant of any kind of remorse. He smelled thickly of cigarette smoke and mold, causing Jane to pull herself a little further back a little, just to assure herself that she wasn't going to vomit all over him.

"Where's Caidence?"

The man spluttered through a cough, a mocking grin playing at his lips. "She's safe."

Jane gripped his shirt tighter and pushed him firmly against the wall. She could hear Frost scrambling out of his seat to come behind her. Like always, Frost was going to be there if he saw her crossing a line – but Jane had no intention of crossing any lines. She simply wanted to get close enough to break the strung out addict before them, and Jane would do absolutely whatever it took.

"Tell me where she is, White. She's only gonna be safe when she's home with her mom."

"No." he hissed vehemently. "No, no, no."

"No, what?"

"You're wrong."

"Wrong about what, White?"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong."

"Tell me where she is!" yelled Jane.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, can't be with mom! Mom is tryin' to take her away from her dad. It isn't right. It isn't fair. Wrong, wrong, wrong." His eyes dashed quickly back and forth across the room. Jane could feel the man shaking beneath her stare, but more so out of a drug withdrawal than anything else. She could barely tolerate the thick stench radiating off his body and she moved him quickly to the chair, pushing him down into it and walking around the table to face him from the other side. His foot rapped roughly against the leg of the table and he ran his fingers in a steady rhythm against the wood. Jane shook the table to catch his attention and for a moment she thought she had it, but he turned away once more.

"Fine, then tell me where Caidence is and I'll take her to her father, James." hissed Jane. "He misses her too."

"No, no, no. They'll just send her back. They hate me. They hate me."

"You aren't Caidence's father."

James brought a fist down on the table and for the first time stared directly into Jane's eyes. "I am a father." He pulled away from her again.

"Not Caidence's."

"I am a father." he repeated quietly to himself. "I am a father. I am a good father. I am a father. I am a father."

Frost leaned over and whispered in Jane's ear. "Is he having a mental breakdown or something?"

"That and a withdrawal." whispered Jane back. Deciding on a different approach, Jane scooted her chair closer to the table and leaned forward, speaking now in a softer voice, less harsh than before. "You're right, James. You're a good father. And you saw that Aiden was a good father, too, didn't you?" James nodded. "You saw that he was going through what you were going through. Aiden didn't see Caidence a lot, did he? And he wrote about it and you read it."

"He wrote a book about her." muttered James, his wild eyes scanning the room again. "He wrote a book about his little girl. He loves her. He loves her a lot. He deserves her. He's a good father. I am a good father. We deserve them."

"Yes, you do." agreed Jane. "You do deserve your little girls, James. I see that now. And Aiden deserves his little girl. Have you spoken to Aiden recently? At his book signing?"

"Uh huh," James nodded fervently. "I told 'im, I told 'im that I was goin' through the same thing, I told 'im."

"And did Aiden maybe ask you for help with anything? Help getting Caidence back, maybe?"

"No, no, no, no. You're wrong. Aiden never told me anything like that. No, no. I just knew. I had to help him, 'cause I knew, I knew he couldn't do it by himself, see. 'Cause I couldn't get my girls back, but Aiden, I was goin' to help Aiden."

"But Aiden didn't ask for your help?"

"No, no. I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to help him. He's a good father. I'm a good father."

"You're a good father, James. And I need you to think of your little girls right now, okay? What if they were in a strange place and they didn't know where they were? They would be scared, right? And right now, I bet Caidence is awfully scared. If you tell me where she is, I can go get her and bring her back to her dad. Just tell me where she is, James. That's all you gotta do."

"No!" James screamed, standing up so quickly that his chair toppled behind him. "You lying bitch! You'll send her back with her mother, all 'cause she's a mom. HE DESERVES HIS DAUGHTER! HE'S A GOOD FATHER! I'M A GOOD FATHER!" James lunged forward and went to tip the table, but Frost had already come up behind him and latched his arms firmly around James' stomach and arms, pulling the man back and slamming him against the wall and cuffing his hands, James screaming all the while. Eventually his screams died down into a low whimper and he slid down onto the floor, tears falling from his eyes.

"Take a seat anywhere, I'll get us some coffee."

Maura and Caitlyn slipped into the café relatively unnoticed by any other patrons. It was fairly empty for mid-day at the Boston Police Department, and other than Angela wiping down the counter, only two patrol officers were sitting in a corner nursing cups of coffee and pushing some food around their plates. Angela smiled at Maura as she crossed the café towards her. By the time Maura had reached her, Angela had already poured two cups of coffee and pushed them across the counter.

"On the house." Angela said kindly as Maura gripped the cups.

"No need, I can pay – "

Angela shook her head. "Don't even think about it, Maura. Janie doin' okay?"

"They've arrested James White. She's doing the interrogation right now, but they didn't find the little girl yet. Caitlyn's husband had to go pick up his son, so Jane asked me to bring her down for some coffee. She... well, Jane didn't realize that she and Charles were upstairs, and they caught a glimpse of White. She's still fairly rattled."

"Oh the poor dear." gushed Angela. "I was just gonna make some fresh cookies. If you two are still down here, I'll send 'em over."

"Thank you." Maura smiled warmly and carried the two mugs of coffee back to their table. Caitlyn gave Maura the faintest shadow of a smile and accepted the steaming beverage, taking a slow, satisfying sip. Maura slid on the seat across from Caitlyn and took a drink of her own cup, then they both set them down at the same time.

Caitlyn tapped her fingers against the table. "The coffee here is good." she muttered, a weak attempt at conversation. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I might need another cup after this."

"I imagine it has been very difficult."

"You have no idea." Caitlyn covered the break in her voice with a cough, brought the mug back to her lips and took one more drink. Maura observed her; her eyes had dark, purple lines beneath them, much like Aiden's had been. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun. She was much younger than what Maura had expected. It was the first time she had met the woman, but there was an inexplicable familiarity about her. The way she held the coffee mug, the way she sat. It was all very familiar. "I'm sorry, under normal circumstances, I'm very good with names – "

"Maura." the doctor replied quickly. "Maura Isles. I'm the Chief Medical Examiner for Boston."

Caitlyn tensed. "The medical examiner." she repeated slowly.

Maura stretched her hand across the table and let her fingers still Caitlyn's. "I have no intention on doing any of my routine work on this case," she explained softly. "Detective Rizzoli and I are friends. She asked me to come in, merely as another pair of eyes. She's working her hardest to find Caidence, I promise."

"I believe you. She's been very kind."

"She's the best."

"Maura, yes?"

"Yes."

"My middle name is Maura. I've never met another with my name,"

"Really?" asked Maura, fascinated. "I've never met another Maura, either. It isn't the most common of names. Its origin is Celtic, but some say it derives from Latin, being the feminine form of Maurus, which comes from the greek Mauritius. Naturally I prefer the Celtic meaning of great, rather than the Latin meaning of dark-skinned, as I am not dark-skinned."

"But you consider yourself great." Caitlyn smiled.

"That sounds far more pompous than I intended." They both laughed. "I don't put much stock into name meanings, but it's... comforting to believe that a name can have an effect on an individual."

"And what does Caitlyn mean?"

"Pure." replied Maura promptly. "It's the Gaelic version of Catherine."

"You're a wealth of knowledge." said Caitlyn, clearly impressed, "Caidence would like you very much. She wants to know everything."

"A thirst for knowledge is a beautiful gift."

"She's my beautiful gift." Caitlyn shuddered a bit, swallowing back her sob and swiping at the few tears that had managed to fall. "Oh, I'm so sick of crying." she laughed sadly, more as a way of covering her crackling voice. "I feel like I should be doing something. Going out there, calling her name, screaming her name. And I'm just sitting here, crying to a stranger."

"The detectives are doing absolutely everything they can, Caitlyn. We have James here, they're interrogating him now. Jane will break him."

"But what if it's too late? What if she's – " she paused to compose herself. "I just don't know how my mother did it."

"Did what?"

Caitlyn took a deep breath. "She lost a child. Before I was born, that is. Many years before. She lost a baby, and I just keep thinking... God, how did she do it? How did she survive knowing that her child didn't? How could she – how did she – I mean, when Caidence was born, I looked down at her and I knew that there was no love greater than what a parent feels for a child. Nothing I had felt ever before... I knew this baby was my everything. And now she's gone, and she might never come back, and I can feel myself dying inside with her. I feel just as lost and..."

" – it makes you feel guilty."

"Yes." She let out a shaky breath. "Guilty that I can't be strong for her. Guilty that I feel so weak and helpless. My mother has always been my role model for strength and for wisdom and for, for everything, and here I am and I don't know how to be her. I don't know how to be brave and strong for Caidence, in the same way my mother was for her baby. How do you do it? How do you just continue living when your child can't?" She pressed her face in her hands, and in a muffled voice continued. "And the worst part is, one of the only things that I can really think is, I want my mom. I want my mom. God, I'm twenty-seven years old and my daughter is missing and I'm crying for my mommy."

"You're scared. It's okay, Caitlyn. It's fine to be scared and to want the comfort of someone familiar." Maura pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to Caitlyn.

"She'll be here soon." Caitlyn played lazily with the kleenex. "She said her flight would be in today. I just need someone to tell me what to do, Maura. Does that make sense? I mean, the detectives are working to find her and I don't know what my job is, because my job is taking care of Caidence and I can't right now. Kennedy is with my brother and Brayden... well, my step-son is..."

"A handful."

"Understatement of the year." She and Maura shared a small smile.

"You don't have to compare yourself with your mother." whispered Maura. "You can be strong in your own way. Your mother lost a child, but you haven't lost Caidence. Not yet, and I hope that you won't."

"You're very kind to sit here and listen to my blubbering."

"Like you, I'm just waiting for someone to tell me what to do." Maura fumbled with her purse and pulled out one of her business cards that she kept in her wallet. "If you need to talk."

Caitlyn accepted it and stared at it for a moment, her thumb running over the silver print of Maura's name. "You know I was named after her."

"After whom?"

"My mother's daughter." Caitlyn looked back up at Maura. "Caitlyn Maura. She had named her daughter Maura. I suppose she thought that the baby could live on in me." Maura's heart dropped. She stared vacantly at Caitlyn, the surprise of her announcement settling uneasily in the pit of her stomach. "I never minded, you know. Some people always think that's so... tragic, or cruel, to give your child a name of a child who had died. But I actually consider it quite the honor, if that makes sense. It always made me feel safe, that my mother could love a child that she had never really grown to know. It made me realize just how much my mother loved me."

Maura's head was reeling – it couldn't be, it absolutely couldn't be the same person. The chances of it were astronomical, and besides, Maura had only one half brother and he laid dead on her table almost a year ago. And Patrick certainly had not maintained a relationship with the woman who gave birth to Maura, he had made that perfectly clear. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest and Maura found it harder and harder to maintain even breaths. Caitlyn tapped her hand and asked if she was alright, and Maura nodded (or she thought she nodded, she couldn't be sure) and the room, which for some time had begun spinning at an incredible nauseating pace, stopped spinning and everything came back into focus.

"I – I'm sorry." stuttered Maura, looking up at Caitlyn but avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry, I got a little nauseous. I'm fine, really. I... you said your mother was coming into town? You never did mention her name. Names are... fascinating to me." she faltered a bit, embarrassed by her own pathetic reason, but Caitlyn didn't seem put off by it or startled, and Maura didn't exactly lie – she truly was fascinated by Caitlyn's mother's name.

"Hope. Hope Morse. Or, well, Martin. Morse was my father's last name. Professionally she kept her maiden name. She's a doctor."

"Hope." Maura muttered, the nausea creeping back up. "Your mother's name is Hope."

"Yes, why?"

"Caitlyn!" The voice startled them both. Maura twisted in her seat in time for Caitlyn to stand from hers, rushing over to the open arms of a woman that looked a great deal like Maura herself. Her hair was the same honey-blonde that Maura had grown up with her whole life, her eyes a mixture of blue and green, and Maura noticed that Caitlyn shared the color as well. Even their skin had the same sun-kissed, natural glow. The two women were talking in rushed voices, talking about Caidence and the case, and faintly Maura heard the woman who looked so much like herself say something about how she had checked Caitlyn's home first and then came straight to the precinct.

But soon Maura stopped paying attention to the conversation. She stared only at Hope Martin, the woman with her eyes, the woman with her cheekbones. And Maura knew that, without a doubt, the woman who stood just feet away from her was surely the only woman on the planet that felt, with absolute certainty, that Maura was nothing but a ghost.

Just a quick author's note:

So, as I said in the first chapter, I am taking liberties with season three and taking what I like and incorporating it into this story and tweaking it in my own way. Welcome to my version of Hope :)

The next chapter will be up in anywhere from four-five days. All of the work I did on chapters 7 - (i think) 12 has vanished from my computer and I have to start from scratch. I'll get it to you ASAP.

I would love some feedback on this chapter, as this is really the turning point in the story. I've been eagerly waiting to post this chapter for some time now. It's actually the first chapter I wrote for this story. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have a fantastic day.