Link: The Wisher's Paradox Title Page and Description

CAUTION - Highly Emotional Content (have tissues handy)

---

Waiting for word from her parents, Christina sat with Kathy in her room at the Grants'. When Linda suggested she write the letter, she insisted that she not lie, even insisting on taping the Q-tip she swabbed inside her cheek to the paper herself. Leaving to return to the Grant home, she and Kathy spent the time watching videos online. Hearing the phone ring though, she jumped up and practically ran out into the living room.

"Is it Mother and Daddy?" she asked anxiously. Seeing Linda nod with a smile, she relaxed. "Finally! I thought they'd never call!"

Linda listened carefully, her smile dimming as she glanced over at Christina occasionally. "OK. Well, we knew that might happen. Well, she's standing right here, waiting to find out. OK. We'll see you soon, then. Bye." Hanging up, she turned to the girl who had so complicated all their lives.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Grant?" she inquired meekly.

"Nothing we weren't expecting, Christina." Linda smiled. "You'll get through it! Just be patient and have faith that it'll work out in the end! I'm going to take you back to your house. You should get ready."

Feeling Kathy take her hand, she gripped it tightly, afraid of what lay ahead of her. Turning to her best friend, she smiled weakly. "So long as I have you, Mother, Daddy, and your parents, I think I can get through anything!"

Taking Christina into a warm hug, Kathy felt like she was saying goodbye forever, but managed to keep back the tears. Gripping her tightly, she didn't want to let go, but eventually released the girl. "I... I was looking forward to you spending the night again! You haven't done that since we were eight!" Lowering her voice, she confided in a whisper, "That's when I started to like you as more than a friend... that last time you slept over!"

Smiling happily, Christina gave her one last hug before backing away. Back in the very same clothes she'd taken from the donation bin after they'd been laundered, she turned to Kathy's mother. "I... I'm ready, Mrs. Grant."

After dropping her off, Linda waited long enough to see Christina go in the front door just after sunset before driving back home. Unsure and fearing for the girl, she tried to just focus on helping her daughter get through these next few days once she found out what was going to happen. This will be hard for Kathy. she sighed. I hope she can take it.

Sitting on her parents' couch, Christina nodded absently. "I... I understand. I'm glad Agent Stewart was able to let you know I really am your daughter, so that's good!" Swallowing hard, she looked up at her mother and father who sat on either side of her after calling the FBI. "Will... will I be away from you two long?"

Ruth sniffed back a tear. "We... we don't know, sweetie." she admitted. "If there was any other way to do this, I'd take it in a heartbeat!"

David wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. "It'll be fine, sport! Um... I guess that doesn't work very well anymore." Guilt washing over him, he looked away. "I... I guess it never did."

"It's OK, Daddy!" she smiled, hugging him back. "I don't think football is gonna work out, though!" she giggled, happy to see it brought a smile to his face.

Unable to hold back her fears, Ruth began to cry. "I... I'm sorry, baby! I'm just so scared for you! You... you might end up in a foster home, and getting you back from there isn't easy and will take time. Time that we'll never get back! I won't be able to protect you there!"

Taking a turn to hug her mother, Christina tried to cheer her up as well. "It'll be OK, Mother! Daddy taught me how to defend myself! I bet it's nothing like you see in movies or on TV! I bet whoever they are, they just want to help kids like me that need a temporary place to stay! It's better than living on the streets, right?"

Hearing the car pull up in front of their house, Ruth stood up in a near panic. Wringing her hands, she sat back down quickly and hugged her daughter. "I love you Christina! Always know that!"

Returning the affection, Christina nodded and hugged her as fiercely as she could. "I love you too, Mother! You're the best mom I could ever hope for!" Turning to her father, she hugged him as well. "You too, Daddy!"

"Love you... beautiful!" David managed to get out before the knock came, making him break the embrace and get up to answer the door.

Returning to her mother's arms, she watched as David opened the door and let the two men in. Seeing the first man's eyes meet hers, Christina felt a shiver go down her spine. Fear gripping her throat, she didn't think she could speak then, even if she wanted to.

"Come in, Agent Stewart, Agent Kent." David stated politely. Gesturing to the couch, he led the two men over. "This is... um... I guess our daughter, Christina. Christina? This is Agent Kent and Agent Stewart. They're with the FBI and looking for Walt."

Lyle took a knee in front of the girl and smiled. "Hi there, Christina! We've been looking all over for you, sweetie!" Seeing the way she gripped Ruth in fear, and the way the woman held her in return, he felt certain that there was more going on than there seemed to be. I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is though! Clearing his throat, Lyle tried to calm her. "What's your favorite ice cream, Christina?"

Gulping, the girl tried to relax. "S... strawberry." she eked out.

"I thought so!" he almost laughed. "My daughter loved strawberry when she was your age! She's all grown up now, though! She's in college studying law. She wants to be a lawyer. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Biting her lower lip, Christina shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe a teacher?"

"A teacher!" he said happily. "Do you know any teachers?"

Looking up at her mother, Christina slowly looked back to him. "I... I've never been to school, Agent Stewart. Teachers help kids learn. I'd like that."

Watching her for signs of deception, he saw none and backed off, standing back up slowly. "Do you know what the FBI is, Christina?"

"You're like the police... like Officer Martinez." she answered, her hard tone betraying her negative feelings. "He's the policeman that took me away from my mother when I was brought here to her. Are... are you gonna take me away from her, too?"

Looking up at Ruth and seeing her barely restrained anger, he shifted his gaze back to her daughter. "Do you know you have a brother, Christina?"

"I... I know that my Mother and Daddy raised a boy named Walt. I was called Walt. The people that raised me treated me like a boy."

"Did that make you sad?" Lyle probed delicately.

Shrugging, Christina looked away. "Sorta. Mostly I just tried to make them happy. I knew I was really a girl, though. I... I tried not to let the pain tear me down, even when it was intolerable." Looking up at Ruth again, she saw her start to tear up and look away. "Don't be sad, Mother!"

Grabbing a tissue from the box on the end table next to her, Ruth dabbed her eyes. "I... I can't help it, sweetheart! I feel like I failed you as a mother! You were hurting and I couldn't help you! I... I didn't know! If I did, I could have done something about it!"

Trying to get back on track, Lyle changed the subject again. "Christina? Your brother was taken away by the people that raised you and we want to get him back to his mother and daddy. What were the names of the people that raised you?"

Looking at her parents, Christina sighed and looked at the floor. "I only ever called them Mother and Daddy."

"Did you ever hear them call each other by a name?" he pressed her.

Now caught, Christina couldn't answer his question without lying, so instead she just shut down and stared at the floor.

Frustrated, Lyle turned to David. "She's obviously repressing something... holding it in because of some trauma. The hospital cleared her of most abuse, but she'll need a full set of X-rays and a pelvic exam to know for sure."

Hearing that, Christina looked up with fire in her eyes. "Nobody is going to touch me down there! Nobody! I'll sock you just like Doctor Ramsey if you try and make me!"

The severity of her reaction made him certain there was cause for it. Leaning in close to David, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Cocoran. She's probably been sexually abused, given that reaction. She'll have to be examined."

Trying to protect his daughter, David shook his head and whispered back. "Couldn't it just be because they treated her like a boy? I mean, if they pushed her to be a boy, they might have made her fear that part of her, right?"

Shrugging, Lyle leveled with him. "There's no way to tell until she's been examined, Mr. Cocoran. I promise, she'll be treated with respect and dignity."

"No!" Christina shouted as she practically leapt from the couch and her mother's embrace. "You're just like Officer Martinez! You don't care what happens to me! You only care about Walt! You can't touch me there without permission! Well, you're not getting it!"

"Just calm down there, Christina!" Agent Kent finally spoke, moving in to keep the girl from getting violent. "Nobody is going to hurt you anymore! We only want to help you! We care just as much about you as we care about Walt, alright? You have to cooperate so we can get him back to his parents!"

"You're lying!" she yelled, backing away from him. "You wanna take me away from my parents! You don't care about anyone!"

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, Lyle shook his head. "We're going to have to take her to our field office, Mr. Cocoran. We're not going to get anything else out of her here." Nodding to Richard, the two worked together to prevent her escape as Lyle tried to take her hand. What he got was a jab to the nose that surprised him so much he had to back away.

Trying to restrain the girl alone, Richard wasn't prepared for the heal stomp to his instep, wincing and retreating.

"Christina!" Ruth shouted. "Please, baby! Try to calm down!"

Turning on her mother, Christina was in a rage. "I won't let them, Mother! I won't! It's wrong!"

"Christina!" David barked loudly enough to make the girl jump and turn to him with eyes wide. "That's enough! Sit!"

Swallowing hard, the cowed girl sat down as ordered, expecting the men to move in again and take her away.

Turning to the lead FBI Agent, David calmed his voice. "Agent Stewart? If I may suggest, she won't do you any good if you treat her like... evidence!" Try as he might, his voice had turned harsh. "She's a scared eleven-year-old girl and my daughter! I won't let you hurt her trying to get Walt back!"

Seeing the way the girl responded to her father, Lyle had a new idea. "Mr. Cocoran? Would you be willing to go with us down to the field office? She seems to listen to you and you can ensure that she's well-treated while there."

Thinking about it a moment, he looked hard at the man. "How long can I stay with her?"

"As long as you can stand the coffee!" he tried to lighten the mood.

"I'm going, too!" Ruth insisted. "You're not leaving me here all alone!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cocoran." the agent apologized. "Your influence isn't helpful to the investigation. Besides, you need to stay here in case Walt comes back, remember?"

"But Walt is..." she began before remembering that in their eyes, Walt was a different person than her daughter.

"Walt is what, Mrs. Cocoran?" Lyle jumped on her near slip.

Thinking quickly, she looked at Christina and tried to calm down. "Um... I was going to say Walt is not coming back on his own. We know that now, don't we?"

"We just don't know." Lyle admitted. "Walt could get away from them. If he does, he's most likely to try and come here. Would you want him to come home to an empty house?"

Caught in their own deception, Ruth sadly shook her head.

Turning sympathetic, Lyle stepped up to her. "Believe me, Mrs. Cocoran. I do understand what you're going through. You just found out that Christina is your daughter, a daughter you didn't even know you had until today, and now I'm asking you to let us take her away, so soon after losing your son. I promise you, I'll do everything I can to see to it that you'll get her, and Walt, back as soon as possible. OK?"

Swallowing hard, Ruth straightened up. "A... alright. I'll stay." Reaching out to Christina, she folded the girl into a loving embrace. "I just found you, my baby girl! I promise I'll do anything I can to get you home again!" Looking up at Agent Stewart, her soft expression turned hard. "Anything!"

Letting her mother go, Christina sighed. "Don't worry Mother. Daddy will be with me. I'll be OK."

Taking his daughter's hand, David smiled down at her. Ready to go, s... sweetheart?" he self-corrected, nearly calling her 'sport' again. Seeing her nod, he looked up at Agent Stewart. "Do we go in your car or can I take her in mine?"

"You'll have to come in ours, Mr. Cocoran." Lyle explained. "We can't let her out of our custody... not even for a car ride." Nodding to Ruth, he turned and headed for the door. "Come on, Rich! We'll get you patched up at the office!"

Limping after his partner, Richard shook his head. "Man! I'm never gonna live this down! Taken out by a junior Sarah Michelle Gellar!"

The four made their way to the agency car, David and Christina sitting together in the back seat. Once they were on their way, Lyle struck up a conversation.

"So where have you been, Christina? We sure looked all over for you!"

Looking up at David, she then turned to face the back of Agent Stewart's head. "I... um... I slept in a box behind a strip mall last night. Then I wrote that letter to Mother and Daddy. I was getting tired of running, so I went to their house and then you came."

Nodding, he saw how it could have happened. "Your clothes look clean for having slept on the streets last night. Did Mrs. Cocoran wash them for you?"

Not expecting that, Christina shrugged. "I took a bath and they were clean when I went to put them back on." It was the closest thing to the truth that she could manage.

After twenty minutes of near silence, the car pulled into the parking garage. A short walk later Christina was shown into an interview room, while David was permitted to watch through a one-way mirror in the next room.

Lyle smiled when he sat down across from Christina and the caseworker assigned to her by the Arizona Department of Child Safety who was there to ensure the girl's rights were protected. He knew Nancy Boyd and had worked with her on other cases involving child witnesses. "Hi, Nancy."

Looking over the paperwork that she'd been handed less than five minutes earlier, she was still trying to get caught up on the case. "Huh? Oh, hi Lyle. Give me a minute?" Taking it, the three sat in silence for a moment before her brow furrowed. "She has no documentation?"

"None." Lyle admitted. "No birth record, school transcripts... nothing."

"Then she's an illegal." the woman assumed, not even having looked at the girl seated next to her.

"Not unless she snuck in from Sweden, Nancy!" Seeing the caseworker look at her charge, he laughed. "No, this is a weird one. We believe Christina there was abducted at birth and sold to a family involved in another child abduction case. She's the new victim's twin sister. It's all in there." he pointed at the thick folder she was holding.

"OK. So what's the situation? Just give it to me in brief, Lyle. I don't have time to read through all this!" Spending five minutes on the particulars of the case, Nancy listened as she continued skimming the files. "OK, I think I've got it now." Turning to Christina, the woman looked serious. "Alright, Christina. You need to tell Agent Stewart there everything he asks about so we can find your brother." Sitting back, she let Lyle take over.

"Tell me about where you grew up." he started.

"I... um... I don't know where I was before I was taken to my parents' house. Honest! No one ever told me where I was before then!"

"Do you know where you are now?" he probed.

"Yeah. This is Phoenix." she replied easily.

"Earlier I asked you if you knew the names of the people that raised you, but you got quiet. Do you know who they are?"

Looking in his eyes, Christina hit on an answer she could give. "I only ever called them Mother and Daddy. I didn't hear their names growing up. They called me Walt and treated me like a boy growing up, even though I'm a girl."

Nancy looked up at that. "You didn't mention that, Lyle!"

"Sorry! There's a lot to this case!" he apologized. "It's..."

"...in the file." she finished with him. Turning to Christina, she looked at her carefully. "How is it you have long hair and look so much like a girl, but you say they raised you like a boy?"

Thinking a moment, Christina looked over to her. "When I was brought here, I was allowed to have longer hair than I used to have. It was normally short. I never had long hair before then."

"They must have been planning on switching out the kids for a while." Lyle noted. "Christina? How long did it take to get from where you grew up to here? Hours? Days?"

"I went to sleep the night before and when I woke up the next morning I was in Walt's bed. I don't remember being moved at all." she gave him.

"What time did you go to bed the night before?"

"Um... around nine. That was my usual bedtime."

"That's less than nine hours travel time. Assuming they don't have access to a plane, that puts them within four hundred miles of here. Could be anywhere from LA to El Paso and almost as far north as Salt Lake! Damn!" Thinking a moment he added, "Was the place in the desert?" Seeing her nod, he asked, "Was it a big city or out in the country?"

"It was a city." Christina admitted vaguely. "The first time I could walk around streets though was after I was brought here."

"How did you evade the police so long then?" he pressed, feeling she was keeping something back.

"I guess I just got lucky." she answered with a smile. "You'd have probably caught me sooner or later, though. I really didn't know what I was going to do after I ran away from Officer Martinez."

Trying to keep up, Nancy looked at Lyle. "How sure are you that Christina is the biological child of the Cocorans?"

"Fifty percent match to both parents. That makes it a ninety-nine point nine-nine percent chance that she's their daughter. Her age fits with her being Walt's fraternal twin as well, so we consider it a done-deal."

"Well, I'll need to look into it, but I think child abandonment charges might be brought against them." she shook her head.

"That doesn't fit the facts, Nancy!" Lyle argued. "Everything points to their doctor being the one to abduct their child!"

"Which they failed to report!" she countered.

"They were told she was stillborn!"

"There's no Fetal Death Certificate filed! We only have their word that they were told that! That's not enough! They may be guilty of human trafficking by selling their own child and are trying to cover it up now! Don't say it can't happen, Lyle! I see it all the time!"

"My parents didn't give me up!" Christina shouted. "My parents never knew they had a girl! The people that raised me told me that my parents thought that Walt was their only child!"

Leaning back, Lyle shook his head, amazed that he was the one standing up for Christina's rights here instead of the one appointed to the task. "Nancy! I already checked on the Cocorans! Their full financial report is in the file! No irregularities! Not a cent unaccounted for! Ruth Cocoran is an accountant that keeps meticulous records... that they turned over to us freely!"

"That in itself is suspicious!" she said in a raised voice. "Nobody accounts for every penny! They're obviously faked! She's an accountant, so she has the knowledge of how to do it! I'm going to start proceedings against them as soon as I get back! This interview is over! Christina is coming with me!"

Standing up quickly, Lyle glared at her. "Like hell she is! She's a material witness in a child abduction case! You take her from this building without my release and I'll have you arrested for obstruction!"

"You can't do that!" she snapped. "I have immunity from prosecution!"

"Only under Arizona law, not under Federal law!" Lyle burst her bubble. "What the hell is going on, Nancy?"

Cowed, the caseworker took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Um... Lyle, I'm under a lot of pressure to see to it that any potential case of abuse is fully investigated. In my view, the Cocorans need to be investigated. If I let this go, I could lose my job!"

"Fine!" he barked. "Do your investigation! But I'm telling you this, Nancy! I know these people! They've already lost one child I intend to get back for them, and they lost Christina here for eleven years! You try and take their daughter away without an absolutely airtight case against them and I'll testify in their hearing as both a character witness on their behalf, and also as an impeaching witness against you as her caseworker!" Sitting back down, the agent took a breath and looked over at Christina, who'd sat silently and just watched the exchange. Winking at her, he smiled when she winked back.

"Now, shall we get back to the interview?" he urged calmly.

An hour later, Nancy Boyd stormed out of the interview room with nothing but her briefcase; the case file left on the table and Christina left in Lyle's custody. Escorting the girl out of the room and over to her waiting father, he smiled as David took her in his arms and lifted her easily into a hug; the happy sound of giggling filling the normally somber work area.

Walking over to the agent with his daughter walking hand-in-hand next to him, David smiled at him. "You're a good man, Agent Stewart! That was incredible! I swear, when she threatened to take Christina away, I almost lost it! Thank you!"

Dismissing the thanks with a wave of his hand, Lyle scoffed. "Bah! Don't sweat it. I've worked with her before. Nancy is a good lady, but she sees too many bad situations. So now she sees every parent as guilty until proven innocent. She hung herself when she threatened to have Christina moved to Tucson to ensure she had no contact with you or Ruth. Until we find Walt, Christina's our only lead." Sighing and looking down at the girl, he shook his head. "I just wish she could give us more to go on."

"I'm sorry, Agent Stewart." Christina apologized. "I just can't tell you any more than what I already have." Looking up at her father, she frowned. "Are Mother and Daddy going to get in trouble because of me?"

Looking up at David, he answered her truthfully. "They're going to need a lawyer sweetie, but I think they'll be OK!" Finishing with a smile, he petted Christina's head. "DCS will be sending over another caseworker later. Until then, she's still in my custody. I'm gonna call a friend of mine over there. I'll make sure Christina gets a fair shake!"

"I believe you!" David smiled back. "What happens until then?"

"How about lunch?" Lyle offered.

Sitting together in the cafeteria, the three sat in silence for a few minutes before Lyle asked what was on his mind.

"Mr. Cocoran..."

"Please!" David interrupted him. "Call me Dave!"

Nodding, the agent started again. "Lyle. Dave? I get the feeling that there's more going on here than you've told me. Do you have any idea who might have taken Walt now that you know about Christina? I ask because I just can't get my gut to shut up... and my gut is telling me that I'm not getting the whole story."

Shaking his head, David sighed. "I wish I could tell you more, Lyle. I really do. I just want my family back." Turning to his daughter, David looked at her. "I honestly have no idea where Walt's been taken, and at this moment, Christina's gotta be my priority. Today I found out I had a daughter... and I'll be damned if anyone's gonna take her away from me again!"