Chapter Twelve

A/N – How mean of me would have been to leave you hanging on that? I'm not that cruel...and I'm away for a couple of days, and didn't want to keep you waiting until I got back...voila! Thank you a squillion for all the reviews, PM's, Alerts...squillions! Xxxx

"Where's Swarek?" Noelle accosted the first person she came across as soon as she had a chance to step away from the front desk. She had just spent the past 45 minutes dealing with a hysterical mother complaining about her child nearly being mowed over by a speeding police car – and he had disappeared from her view about 15 minutes in. It was all she could do not to shove the women into a chair and explain to her that she should tell her child not to run out in front of blue light – sirens and blue lights meant emergencies. "Would you like an officer responding to your home after a 911 call to stick to the speed limit?" – She really did not have the patience today. It was her first shift back after Elsa – a KIT (keep in touch) day...boy did she know how to pick them.

"On the phone – headed that way." Noelle nodded a thank you at the officer in question, and followed his indication through into the pen – where she saw Sam frantically turning the D's office upside down through the glass. She picked up her pace – into a run, and reached the door just as he upturned another box of paperwork on Callaghan's desk.

"Sam...?" He didn't acknowledge her...didn't even look up, so she tried again. "Sam? Sam?" That did it...he turned at looked at her that time – an exasperated and desperate expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

"There is nothing here!...it's all crap – where the hell are the property listings?"

"Sam..."

"Don't...don't even...if the next words out of your mouth have anything to do with me keeping away then don't even bother."

"I can't let you do this."

A small bark of laughter escaped him, but it was humourless – dark and biting, before he clenched his jaw and ground out his words – laced in bitterness, his eyes flashing a barely controlled anger at his friend. "Do what? I can't find anything...there is nothing here!"

Sam pulled his phone back out of the pocket on his vest and dialled Frank's number, glaring at Noelle while waiting for him to pick up – clenching his free hand into a fist in an attempt to stop it from shaking. He answered on the second ring – "Sam?"

"It's a warehouse – you need to be looking for a warehouse...somewhere near water, somewhere near traffic."

"What? Sam..."

"Get all that?"

"Yeah...how the hell...?" Sam hung up the phone without waiting for him to finish his question, and turned back to the boxes of paperwork now strewn all across Luke's desk.

"Are you there?"

"Yeah – setting up a unit in the parking lot round back and Callaghan's briefing everyone as I speak...how's Sam doing?"

"You should be able to tell for yourself in – I would say about 10 minutes based on the speed he charged out of here."

"What? Noelle..."

"Hey! I tried ok...wild horses couldn't keep him away from this! He needs to feel like he's doing something Frank...he found the property listings in a case file – he knows where you are. Just let him be there..."

"You know it's never that simple..."

"I'm sorry – even if I wrapped myself around him and begged him he still would have found a way to get out the door."

"Ok – I'll deal with it." Frank snapped his phone closed and made a beeline straight for Oliver, who was currently marking out their perimeter on the edge of the parking lot. "Shaw...When Sam gets here I need you to keep him away from that building...I don't care if you have to cuff him to the railings...this is as close as he gets – got it?"

"What?" Oliver's eyebrows rose, and he looked at him as though he was crazy, actually maybe a little bit past the point of being crazy. "Frank...?"

"I don't have time to discuss it – just do it."

Oliver saw the lights before he really registered the car – tires squealing to a halt about two feet away from him, and the door was flung open so harshly it nearly fell off its hinges. He took a deep breath to steel his nerve, and attempt to calm the inner turmoil churning in his stomach – this was not good, definitely not good. He hot footed it towards the driver door – arms outstretched in a physical signal of the fact that he needed Sam to stay exactly where he was and attempted to dig deep and pull something from his head that would stop his friend in his tracks.

"Sam...Sammy...brother...you're not going in there – they have it under control ok? Callaghan, ETF – the whole kit and caboodle – if you're staying on site you're staying right here. Sam? Sam?"

Sam only vaguely registered Oliver's presence – the corner of his mind acknowledged it somewhere, and he may have picked up on the odd few words..."control...Callaghan, ETF...caboodle...here" but that was about it. He was too focused on the making it to the broken door at the side of the building – with the sound of Andy's scream still playing a torturous loop in his head. He only stalled momentarily when he felt something connect with his chest and attempt to push him back, pulling him back to his immediate surroundings and he took one step back – narrowing his eyes in disbelief at the face in front of him.

"I mean it Sam...Orders. You have to stay put – they're going to get her out of there."

"What?" He glanced over Oliver's shoulder to the gathering of uniforms and units he could see on the other side of the lot – his response came out dangerously low, and Oliver knew he was extremely close to Sam connecting his fist with his nose. "They're stood around doing nothing..."

"C'mon Sam...You know how these things work – they know what they're doing." Oliver attempted to level a look at his friend that said he would not budge, not back down – but the level of the glare he got back made him take a subconscious and precautionary step back.

"Oliver...get out of the way." It was a growl...he was growling at one of his closest friends, and was very close to the line of reaching out to throttle him – but he didn't care. If he didn't move soon he was pretty sure he might actually have to kill him with his own bare hands.

"I can't do that."

"I'm not asking...move!" Sam attempted to move around him, but Oliver mirrored him – stepping to the side, and blocking him in his tracks. Sam clenched both his fists and his jaw at the same time in an attempt not punch him – he honestly did not want to hit him, but he wasn't making it very easy. "What the hell is wrong with you? Back off!"

"I know it may not seem like it now, but this is for the best."

"Shaw...I will make you move – get out of the way."

"You're going to have to make me."

"Oliver – If you don't move in the next five seconds...so help me god..."

"Sammy...you can't do this...she's fine, she's going to be fine – if you go storming in there you're just going to make things ten times worse – they don't even know if the building is clear yet."

Sam's barely reigned in anger took on an incredulous edge – and the tightly coiled spring in his stomach unravelled slightly. "Fine?...she's FINE? Oliver..."

He couldn't finish his sentence – he wasn't even sure he knew what he was trying to say, and he made a move to navigate around his friend again – only this time when Oliver moved to block him he didn't stand a chance, and was left for dust – on the floor, jaw hanging open (possibly from the slight level of shock over the fact that Sam's fist had connected with his jaw – or the force of the hit) and couldn't even find his voice to shout after him as he disappeared into the side of the warehouse – entirely un-detected by those working on the other side of the car lot. He pulled himself to his feet, and dusted off his pants – but left his stomach on the floor - he knew this was going to be bad.