A/N: So first off, I'm going to apologize for taking so long to write this. I had it all done on my iPad but the stupid thing didn't save so I had to redo it, and then I actually got a beta this time around! So hopefully the grammar is much better.

Also, I'm going to apologize for switching tenses as well. I have no clue whatsoever why I wrote the first chapter in present tense, as I'm usually only comfortable with past so the rest of this is going to be in past tense and I'll be having my beta help me switch the first chapter and fix the grammar and stuff too.

So without further ado, here's chapter two! Please read and review!

It's broad daylight outside, but it's still dark inside Sam's apartment. For him, anyways.

His world around him was gone, shattered. He could pretty much say that he no longer had a job, considering how it went yesterday. He broke the trust of his team, and his father was bound to hear about it sooner or later. If his test results weren't grounds for expulsion, his father would make sure they were. He was always going on about how Sam should quit and join the army again.

Yep, he was so screwed, and his world was collapsing on top of itself. The only things he could see clearly were the nightmares, the faces of the people he killed. Everyone else claimed he was saving people, but he was doing a pretty shitty job if all he did was shoot people, right? He couldn't negotiate anything or relate to people. "Oh yes, I shot my best friend on accident. I know what it feels like."

All he was was a trigger happy moron.

Shooting people didn't take skill. Look through the scope, aim for the head, and pull the trigger. That's why they left the task of negotiating to those who actually had half a mind to do anything. And then there were those like Jules and Ed who could do both. There were reasons why he wasn't ever asked to negotiate. It never ended well. Like with Darren Kovacs.

Really, he didn't know how he got a spot on the SRU, considering all he knew was how to kill. Though he supposed it had something to do with his dad, the great General "Badass" Braddock. He had opposed it from the beginning. Claimed that Sam couldn't make a difference there. Sam had disagreed at first. He could save people. But it only took a few years for him to realize that he wasn't saving anyone. Everyone else was, but not him.

He guessed it was for better that he was no longer on the team.

"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" Greg asked heatedly, looking concerned.

"This. This is what's going on, Greg," Ed said, shaking the papers in his hand at him impatiently.

Greg snatched them out of Ed's hand, glancing at him irritably. "Calm down, Eddy."

"Did you just tell me to calm down?" Ed asked incredulously. "No. No. I won't calm down. Why would Sam do this? I thought he trusted us. His team."

"He was never one to open up about his feelings," Jules said, butting in. "Heck, I don't even know much about him or his family. I doubt any of you really know him either."

There was a moment of silence as the team digested this.

"Still," Ed said at last, breaking the silence, "he knew he had us. Why would he turn to drugs?"

"Did he really know he had us to help him though?" Spike added.

"What are you implying, Spike?" Ed asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm saying that all of us have been so occupied with our own problems that we haven't bothered to give a thought to anyone else on the team."

Another moment of silence.

"Um, Boss?" Winnie called, shattering the silence.

"What is it, Winnie?"

"There's a warrant that just came in. It's for Sam's apartment. Just thought you might want to know."

"What?" Ed asked in disbelief, walking over and ripping the warrant out of the printer. He flicked through the pages rapidly, eyes narrowing when he saw the name at the bottom.

"Who requested it?" Greg asked, the anger evident in his voice, despite his attempt to stay calm.

"Blair Kowalski from the SIU."

"Of course," Greg said, sighing.

"What the hell is his problem anyways? If you ask me, he's trying to hinder us rather than help. Every time we see him, he's trying to break up the team or something."

"He's just doing his job, Ed," Spike broke in.

"No, he's right, Spike," Greg said, his face dark. "He applied to join the SRU a while back. Didn't qualify. So he joined the SIU and has been holding a grudge against Team One ever since."

"Unbelievable!" Jules spat, looking disgusted.

"If they find something in his apartment..." Ed trailed off, leaving the consequences to the imagination of the team.

"When's the search taking place?" Jules asked, turning towards Ed.

"Um," he began distractedly, skimming through the document, "at two."

Jules glanced at her watch. "That's in ten minutes. We can do something still."

"But that's not in our jurisdiction," Spike protested.

"Does it matter?" Leah broke in, speaking for the first time. "If we're half the friends we say we are, we would do it for him in a heartbeat."

"Leah's right," Ed said, glancing at the clock. "Come on guys, we have a teammate to save."

He began to stride towards the garage but then stopped to look at Greg. "Boss, you in on this or not? We'll say we did it without your permission if we get caught."

Greg stared at him unbelievingly. "Are you kidding me Ed? There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be. Nothing I'd rather do."

The team hesitated slightly to smile at the quote before rushing to go save their friend.

"Is this it?" Ed asked, looking up at the apartment building.

"I think so," Jules replied, looking down at the map on her phone. "It's hard to tell."

"I'm gonna go ahead and say it is, considering the fact that there's a SIU van and police car right there," Spike pointed out, worry etched into his face.

Ed muttered a colourful word. "Alright, chances are, they're searching the place right now. In that case, I can try to distract them while one of you sees if there are any - "there was a small pause as Ed wrapped his head around the fact, swallowing a lump in his throat - "drugs in the place."

However, it was clear that they were too late.

"Sam!" Jules exclaimed, watching in horror as she spotted Sam being led out the entrance by none other than Blair Kowalski. Sam looked up in surprise.

"What are you guys doing here?" Blair asked irately. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"

"We came here to protect one of our own," Ed growled. "What are the charges?"

"Possession," he replied, holding up a bag stuffed full of white powder.

"Aw, Sam!" Greg shouted, burying his hands in his face. Sam looked the other way.

"With that amount, he's gonna be going away for a while," Spike whispered in muted horror.

"So is this what your big plan is?" Jules demanded, turning to Blair, her voice laced with malice. "Arrest misguided SRU officers instead of the drug gangs and leaders? Why? Are you still bitter you didn't get in SRU? Good, because no one would want scum like you anyways."

Leah placed a comforting, yet restricting hand on Jules' shoulder.

"Don't you tell me how to do my job, Officer Callaghan," Blair spat, stabbing with his finger at her. "I'm tempted to stack up even more charges and write a report about Team One now."

Jules glared at him with all the hate she could muster but said nothing.

"Now come on," Blair growled at Sam, "let's go before your little friends here do anything stupid."

"Don't worry Sam! We'll get you out!" Spike called, earning a glare from the SIU agent handling Sam.

Sam turned his head around in surprise.

And for the first time that day, he felt a glimmer of hope.