From the day he showed up at the 12th for the first time, she was there, staring at the murder board or hunting down leads. They pushed each other to be the very best cops possible; on slow days, they were often down in the gym, sparring gloves on and sweat beading on their foreheads. They raced up the stairs, seeing who could do them faster. He was a good sport about it most of the time (he pretended to let her beat him. Frankly, she whooped him at everything but sharp shooting. His military experience gave him a one-up on her that she begrudgingly acknowledged). She always stood by him. They were partners, an unconventional law-enforcing dynamic duo. He just never expected he would see her fall. He never expected that he would watch his sister break down.
It only happened once. She was sitting leaned up against the punching bag in the deserted gym, but he could hear the quiet sniffles from even the doorway. He dropped the boxing gloves he was holding and quickly walked in front of her. The look she gave him, her chin resting on her knees, was enough to make even his heart break.
You wanna talk? She shook her head. Do you want me to leave? It took a second, but she shook her head again, so he sat next to her, just far enough to give her the space he knew she needed. We're partners. She nodded and paws at her eyes. Do you want a hug? She gives him the slightest nod, and he has his arms around her, cradling her into his muscular chest and allowing her to sob into his t-shirt.
They never spoke about what happened in that gym, but he knew enough not to push her. He could usually tell when she needed space and respected that. It was hard to do; every brother wants to comfort his sister when she's hurting, but some sisters need their space.
No brother expects to see their sister die. At the funeral of the man who taught them both everything they knew, he watched her fall to the grass, crushed under the weight of the man who loved her more than anything in the world. Just like he had been taught as a soldier, he boxed the panic and terror up, and let his fury fuel him. He called every single person he could think of trying to find the bastard who had shot his sister in the chest. At any cost, he would find him and shoot him with no remorse. He wouldn't let the sniper get away if it cost him his badge. She was his sister and no one would take that away from him. He was there when she went to her first takedown, making sure she was ready, even though he knew she would resent him for it.
Holding the rifle up to her was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He knew she wanted space to deal with it on her own, but he refused to back down. He called her bluff, telling her You're not fine. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she told him that she was damaged goods. He had to hold his own back as he tried to explain to her how amazing and strong his sister was.
That's right and that's okay. You think it's a weakness? Make it a strength. It's a part of you, so use it.
Shooting Lee Travis wasn't even a second thought for him. The second he figured out which window Travis was aiming out of, he had his rifle trained on the man's chest, ready to shoot within a split second. He watched as Travis got the drop on her, knocking her gun to the floor and forcing her against the wall, his gun trained on her face, waiting for her to make her next move. His gun dropped a bit as she tugged the neck of her shirt down to reveal where he knew her scar to be, and he felt his chest squeeze at the sight of her eyes pleading up at Travis to not kill her. As soon as he saw Travis refocus the gun on her chest, he fired, his aim as impeccable as it had been when he was in the Special Forces. She scrambled to her feet, staring out the window at him, and he saw the relief soak her face. He didn't even wipe the sweat from his forehead, instead exhaling heavily in relief.
He would do it again in a heartbeat. He hated taking another man's life, but he would shoot Travis in the chest again. She was his partner. He knew she would come out of the darkness, and he would always be right there beside her. She would never ask him for a single thing, but he would be there. A brother never lets his sister fight alone.