AN: Hey folks, sorry for the late update! I'm thinking I need to take a week or two off to write some more chapters seeing as I only have about six more chapters pre-written, and I want to be able to keep up a steady stream of updates if possible. Thank you all for all your continued support! I hope you like this chapter, there's some good stuff ;)

Songs for this chapter: "Make You Feel My Love" Adele, "Stone" Alessia Cara, "Shelter" Dorothy.

Data on Violence Against Native Americans:Relative to non-Hispanic White-only men, American Indian and Alaska Native men are 1.3 times as likely to have experienced violence in their lifetime. The past year rates are not significantly different across racial and ethnic groups. Relative to non-Hispanic White only men, American Indian and Alaska Native men are also significantly more likely to have experienced violence by an interracial perpetrator and significantly less likely to have experienced violence by an intraracial perpetrator.

www. ncjrs. gov / pdffiles1 / nij / 249736. pdf

When Mathias rose the next day, Cady was already gone. Disappointment swooped through him until he saw the note on his nightstand. Snatching it up he leaned back against the headboard as he read.

Mathias,

I went to shower at home and change. I'm going to get my files on the missing women, will you meet me at the clinic at 9am with the files for the missing men/boys? I'll get some tack boards to hang things up and bring my laptop so we can create a form for people to fill out.

Don't forget the goodies from the Wild Berry!

DON'T BRING COFFEE.

Yours,

Cady

He laughed softly at her switch from business to playful, the reminder not to bring his shitty coffee making his grin stick on his face as he rose to get dressed. Glancing at the clock, he decided to shower first and then check in at the station.

After taking a whole day off unannounced, they were probably wondering where he was.

By the time he made it to the legal clinic Cady had swept the floors and boarded up some of the broken windows. Two large tackboards leaned against the wall, held in place by a large box that he knew contained their files and information on the missing women.

Her head came up from where she was sitting on the floor, organizing the files into piles in some order he didn't understand yet. Smiling widely as he held out a large white takeout bag from the bakery, she patted the ground beside her and held out a coffee mug in return.

Wincing as his knees protested the descent, he took the to-go mug from her and inhaled greedily, the rich scent of the dark roast filling his nose. He watched in amusement as she dove into the bag and let out a gleeful noise at the discovery that he had not only stopped at the bakery, but a local diner.

There were breakfast sandwiches for each of them in addition to a cinnamon roll for her and a bear claw for him. Leaning back against the wall as she dug through the bag he sipped his coffee and grinned when she rolled on one hip towards him, eyes bright with delight.

"I love their cinnamon rolls," she breathed, her lips just inches from his.

"Yea, suspected that after you got them three days in a row," he teased.

Her grin widened and she leaned in, dropping a kiss on his lips that was somehow both quick and lingering. He didn't know how she did that; made his chest ache with breathlessness and excitement, and then soft and warm too, like he was wrapped in a heavy blanket of her affection.

Giving him one last grin she sank back against the wall beside him, tossing him a breakfast sandwich and eagerly tearing into hers. They ate quickly, drinking coffee and not talking much, more focused on the work ahead.

When they were done he went to work hanging the tackboards, his flexible brace allowing him more range of movement than the previous one. Cady continued to sort the files of the missing women until they were sorted by year and age, going from youngest to oldest in each year.

She heard Mathias in the other room hanging the other board and went to work, hanging the photos of the women and girls, a small slip of paper beneath each picture listing their name, date of birth, last known location, and a plea for more information.

Halfway through she took a break, crouching down to pull out her cinnamon roll, happily snacking on it and sipping her coffee for a few moments. Grabbing the bear claw and coffee, she carried them into the other room carefully, her cinnamon roll clenched between her teeth.

At her approach Mathias looked up from where he was affixing the board to the wall with the final screw, a grin lighting up his dark eyes. Taking the offered gifts, he motioned to the cot that still remained and waited for her to sit before joining her.

She peered at the board and swallowed her mouthful of cinnamon roll before speaking. "I think it's a little crooked," she murmured evenly.

Mathias's brows rose as he turned to stare at her incredulously, "I used a level. There's no way."

A grin peeked through and she shook her head, "I dunno, I think you should check again," she mused thoughtfully.

Rolling his eyes at her, he smirked and shook his head, "Pain in my ass little storm," he joked non threateningly.

Snickering, she shook her head and took another sip of coffee before looking at him thoughtfully, brows pulling together. "Why do you call me that?" she asked, brushing her hair back from her face with a finger not covered in sticky sweetness.

When it immediately fell forward again Mathias smothered a smirk and set down his coffee, popping the last of his bear claw into his mouth before he reached out with a clean hand to tuck it back more securely.

He took a swallow of coffee as she stared at him, and he noticed a smear of cinnamon on her bottom lip. Leaning forward, he watched as her eyes widened slowly, watching his approach. His mouth closed over hers and he sucked her bottom lip between his, flicking his tongue over the sticky sweet spot.

Humming softly, he lifted a hand to tilt her chin, drawing her further in. Her mouth opened to his and the taste of bitter coffee and sweet sugar combined with the warmth of the cinnamon to make his lips tingle.

Cady let out a soft gasp as his teeth nibbled her lip again before his tongue met hers, tasting her sweetness. When he pulled away, neither of them were breathing steadily and one of her hands was clutching at the elbow of his arm holding her up.

"I call you that because even little storms can take my breath away and awe me."

The revelation was soft, quiet.

Cady's eyes opened to find him staring at her, that named emotion in his eyes. Awe. She didn't think any man had looked at her like that before.

Leaning in, she pressed her forehead against his gently, breathing him in for a few moments. His hand was still at her chin, thumb stroking her cheek gently. Hers cupped his elbow, fingers firm on his taut muscle.

Eventually they parted and she gave him a soft smile before rising and nudging his boxes with her shoe. "I organized by year and then did them youngest to oldest in each year," she told him. "You want a hand?" she offered.

He nodded, gladly accepting the offer if it kept her close.

They sat on the cot, laying out the photos and writing up the information for each one until they were done. The day slipped by as they hung photos and eventually she went back to the main board, leaving him to finish up while she did the same.

When she had finished she went to the kitchen to splash water on her face, head aching from too much coffee and not enough food. If they were going to stay longer they would need to get more food.

As she stepped back into the room she saw Mathias hanging something and walked over slowly, brows knitting together until she reached his side and saw the photo he had put up. It was a faded picture of a young woman in a bright yellow sundress, her long dark hair blowing in the breeze as she laughed at the camera.

Her feet were bare and the wildflowers reached her knees, her arms spread wide as though she was going to embrace the world.

Cady smiled sadly and lifted a hand to trace a finger over her face. "She was beautiful," she whispered.

Mathias nodded and she glanced over to see him struggling to maintain his composure, his throat working hard. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and squeezed, "We'll find out what happened to her," she assured him.

He nodded again and squeezed her hand tightly, chest feeling as though it would collapse under the pressure of his restrained tears.

They stayed that way for a long time, staring at the names and faces of the people who had been lost to the shadows for decades.

But not anymore.

They would give names to these once shadowy figures, draw them into the light and set them free.

Cady sat on the cot in the spare room, typing away on her laptop, working on the forms that people from the res would use to fill out in person and digitally. Mathias had looked over the first draft and made a few suggestions before he went to the station to check in and stop on the way back for some food.

She wasn't expecting him for at least an hour, so when the front door creaked open, her heart turned to ice in her chest and her adrenaline spiked so hard her vision was spotted with black dots.

"Punk?"

The sound of her father's voice reached through her panic induced haze; her brain recognizing it as safe. She remained where she was on the cot though, her heart racing far too fast, a cold sweat on her forehead and her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to regain control.

The sound of his bootsteps approaching only made her more anxious; she didn't want him to see her like this. In a croaking voice she called out, "Coming Dad!"

You can do this. Get up.

She stood up, hand shaking at her sides.

There you go. Go talk to dad like you're fine.

Stepping out of the small room slowly, she looked up at her father and smiled weakly, "Hey Dad."

He stared at her for a moment and tilted his head to the side, narrow lips pursing in a frown as he contemplated something. "You okay Punk?" he asked cautiously; apparently her attempt appearing fine wasn't good enough.

"Yea, just a little tired. Been working on this stuff all day," she murmured, waving a hand around the offices.

Walt nodded solemnly, casting an appraising eye around the former clinic slowly, hesitating on the tack boards and pictures of missing persons before his gaze came back to rest on her. "Yea. Henry mentioned you wanted to keep using this place. He has control of this place too, now that Jacob is gone," he reminded her.

Cady nodded; she knew that, but she wasn't sure why her dad was here. "Yea, dad, I know. Did you stop by to make sure I'm okay?" she probed, giving him a curious look.

Walt's mouth pursed again and he shook his head firmly, reaching up to remove his hat, clutching it between his hands as he chewed over his thoughts for a moment. "No. Vic told me you were resting. That you needed some space. I just…I didn't…I don't understand what you're doing here," he murmured, waving the hand holding his hat around at the room.

Cady frowned heavily at him, "It's part of our investigation into the missing women. There aren't enough resources between the reservation police and the county to find everyone. So we're putting up every missing person with all the details and asking the public to contribute information. We're also going to create a website that links all the tribal police together so they can share their data and give the FBI access to create pattern recognition. It's about finding missing people," she told him.

Walt looked around the rooms again, staring a little harder at the photos, nodding slowly. "This your idea?" he asked softly.

Cady nodded, and then, since he was still looking at the photos, said, "Yea. Mathias agreed it would be a good idea. Too many of the reservations don't have the resources to investigate these cases or know that their women and young girls are being trafficked. With help from the FBI, we're going to change that."

He turned back to her and nodded slowly, a faint glow of pride in his eyes when he smiled softly at her. He fidgeted with his hat for a moment, staring down at the floor before he sighed out his question.

"You seein Mathias?"

Cady stared at him, stunned speechless. Swallowing hard, she struggled to come up with an answer and finally settled on, "Why does it matter?"

Walt looked up and his brow pinched as he grunted out a sigh, "Because, I want to know you're safe. You were with him when you were taken."

Incredulity left her gaping at him for a moment, anger burning in her veins slowly, pumping along with each heartbeat until it filled her.

"And? He wasn't the one who took me!" she was shouting by the end, fumingly mad.

"It was a gang, Dad. It was a group of men who planned on beating information out of me, raping me, and murdering me." At her father's flinch she nearly relented but instead took a step forward, the anger throbbing in her chest like a hornet's nest.

"They drugged me, beat me, raped and abused other women in front of me to try and get me to talk, half starved me, and I had to kill them to get free. That's all on them, and no one else."

Lifting her chin to meet the eyes that were twins of her own, she glared at her father, "Mathias is my partner in this investigation. He's my friend. I care about him. Kinda like you and Vic," she murmured, noting the way he flinched at the comparison between the couples.

"Anything else that goes on between Mathias and I is our business. We're adults and I expect you to respect our privacy. Kinda like how I do for you and Vic," she snapped before stepping back.

The words hung awkwardly between them as Walt clutched his hat, twisting and crushing it between his hands, clearly searching for something to say. Finally he heaved a sigh and shook his head, looking tired.

"I just want you to be safe. And happy. If he ever doesn't do that—"

"I'll handle it," she cut him off, frowning at him deeply. "I'm an adult. I don't need you to fight my battles dad. I might have needed you guys to come and rescue me from those men, but I can do this. If I need you, I'll tell you."

Silence fell between them once more and she watched as her father's shoulders hitched, his breathing unsteady. It took her a long moment to realize he was struggling not to cry. Shock rippled through her.

She hadn't seen him cry since her mother had died.

In a heartbeat she was across the room, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. "Oh daddy," she sighed as he clutched a hand to her head, fingers twining through her hair. His other arm banded around her waist tightly, as though he was afraid to let her go, and she could feel him shaking with silent sobs against her.

"I th-thought…it was…like your mom," he gasped by her ear and she felt her heart break at the admission.

Like her mom.

Gone, taken, murdered.

Tears welled in her eyes and she clung to him a little tighter. Sniffling, she shook her head against his shoulder, "I'm here dad, I'm okay," she tried to reassure him.

His fingers tightened on her hair and she felt his face turn to press wet kisses into it, his hot breath panting as he cried. "I thought I lost you Cady. I thought I was losing everything I had left."

Tears rolled down her cheeks unabated, her throat so tight she could barely breathe let alone speak. She could only shake her head in refutation of her father's fears and cling a little tighter to him.

He pressed kisses to her hair over and over again, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wasn't fast enough. I shoulda found you sooner. I shoulda kept you safe. I'm sorry."

Cady shook her head and pulled back slightly, looking up at him through teary eyes. "It wasn't your fault dad. It was no one's fault but the people who took me. Mathias and I, we're going to find the people behind them and stop them. We're going to make sure women on the reservations are safe."

Walt took a few shaky breaths and knuckled at his eyes for a moment before he sighed heavily, shaking his head and giving her a proud, slightly incredulous smile. "I knew it was a good idea for you to be Sheriff," he murmured.

Sliding his hand from her hair to cup her cheek he smiled warmly at her. "Your mother would be so proud of you. I know I am," he told her softly. When a tear slipped from her eye he brushed it aside and continued, "I love you Punk. Do what makes you happy. Be with someone who makes you happy. Keep bein' you and you'll always make me proud," he told her softly.

Smiling softly he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before stepping back and sweeping his hat back on, glancing once more around the former clinic, giving it a nod of approval.

Stopping at the door, he turned to smile back at her.

"Damn fine work Sheriff."

By the time she could even think about focusing on the form again, Mathias was back with the food. Instead of staying there to work on everything more, she suggested they go to her place and eat.

When Mathias stared at her for a moment longer than normal she wrinkled her brow in confusion, "What's up? Do you, do you not want to go to my place?" she asked hesitantly. They had spent plenty of time at his house without comment, she wasn't sure why he wouldn't want to come to her place.

When he looked uncomfortable she straightened from where she had been packing her laptop into her bag and propped her hands on her hips, "Mathias, what is it? Are you worried people are going to gossip?" she asked hesitantly. Scrubbing a hand over her neck she frowned at him, "Do you not want to come with me?" she asked in a smaller voice, hating that her insecurities were slipping out.

At this, Mathias shook his head and sighed, "No, Cady, no. I just, I wasn't sure if you had meant for me to come eat dinner and work, or to…stay," he told her awkwardly, one of his hands furrowing through his hair.

Oh. She stared at him for a long moment and then flushed, glancing away. She hadn't thought about it like that. She had stayed at his place last night, admittedly, but nothing remotely sexual had happened.

She hadn't meant it like that when she had invited him over, it had just been instinct. She liked her home and wanted him to spend time there…with her. She liked how he had made her feel safe when he had stayed before, when she had asked, after Mandy.

Smiling softly, she looked up at him and stepped over, holding his gaze as she reached out to wrap her fingers around his bicep, squeezing softly. "I think you should come over and have dinner with me. We'll work on this form, watch a movie, and I'll probably fall asleep on the couch."

At this he grinned and she trailed her fingers down his arm, along the inside of his forearm and into his palm, splaying out his fingers gently. His eyes were warm when she met them, her fingertips dancing along his palm.

"Sound good?" she asked softly, eyes questioning.

He nodded and laced their fingers together, smiling softly and sending a spiral of warmth through her.

"Sounds good."

Cady was true to her word and fell asleep halfway through the movie—even though it was one she had picked.

Mathias didn't mind though, especially because they had ended up sprawled out with her laying between his legs with her head resting on his chest, just under his chin. His palm was pressed into her spine and he could feel the slow steady beat of her heart against it, reassuring and strong.

It reminded him, awfully, of the moment she had flatlined in the med-evac and he had thought she was gone. He hadn't known such fear as the hours she had spent in surgery and the ICU; every thought and prayer he had was about her recovery.

She had been given heart medication while she detoxed and her body readjusted to sobriety, and from what she had told him, it would only be a few more days that she had to take it. Her ribs and gunshot wound were healing well, but he knew she was still in pain, despite her best efforts to act otherwise.

His own fracture was still healing; neither of them were at 100%, but he knew they had reliable deputies to aid them. When it came down to it, he had to think that they were both lucky to have come away with relatively minor injuries from their jobs…so far.

It was the knowledge that the Infinitarios now knew Cady and he were coming after them and would likely be stepping up their retaliation that made his blood run cold. He didn't want to ever have to see her picture on a poster for a missing person again, or worse.

As the credits rolled on the movie he glanced down at her sleeping form and made another silent promise to whatever deity it was that had heard him the first time and given her back to him.

I'm a selfish bastard I know, but let me keep her safe and I'll hunt those bastards down. I'll find justice for Emily and every person they've ever taken. Just let me have her by my side.