Author's Note: Trigger warning for nongraphic description of off-screen child death.

Carlos raced to the door as soon as he heard the knock. He'd robotically put away all the groceries, needing something to do besides sit and fret. After that, he'd just paced around the lower level of their house, racking his brain for some kind of answer that ended with TK being okay. He paused before he opened the door, pretending for a few seconds that TK would be on the other side. Carlos knew it was very unlikely, but it gave him comfort to stay in that limbo for a few extra seconds.

"Judd?" Carlos said in confusion when he finally opened the door. The taller man was standing on his front step with his hands in his pockets and a serious look on his face.

"Hey Carlos. Cap called and told me what was going on. He got pulled in on a major accident and couldn't get away, so he asked me to come by until he could," Judd explained. Carlos waved him in, appreciating the help, no matter who it was. Judd loved TK like family, so Carlos knew he would take this seriously.

"Thank you, I just- I don't know," Carlos said, shrugging helplessly.

"Well, I'm here to help you figure it out," Judd said confidently. Carlos nodded, feeling his nostrils flare as he tried to keep it together. Judd noticed the look on his face and held one of his arms out. "Come'ere." Carlos felt a little ridiculous, but he stepped into Judd's embrace, letting out a deep breath as the other man patted him on the back.

"I feel like I'm overreacting. I don't even know if anything's wrong," Carlos mumbled, resting his cheek on Judd's shoulder.

"It don't matter if you are. We'll be here for whatever you need. You're family too," Judd insisted. Carlos felt something inside his chest ease a little after hearing those words. He and TK were so lucky to have the support system they had.

"Thank you," Carlos said sincerely.

"But I gotta tell you, when we get our boy back, I'm gonna have him tagged like they do to pets," Judd smirked.

"No need, since I'm never letting him out of my sight again," Carlos huffed, scrubbing his hands down his face.

"So, lay everything out for me," Judd requested, glancing around the living room. This wasn't really the way he wanted people to see their new house for the first time, since only their parents had been by so far. There had been talk of doing some sort of housewarming thing eventually, but they hadn't gotten around to planning it. Carlos hoped they'd still have the chance.

"TK's shift ended about four hours before mine. I know he was here at some point, because he brought me home flowers," Carlos recounted, his voice going softer when he mentioned his gift. "He sent me a text as well, I assume from here. He left his phone on the counter."

"Did you guys get into a fight? I mean, you know how TK can get when he's upset," Judd wondered.

"No, nothing like that."

"Are you sure? Maybe something you didn't realize?"

"It was about my butt, so I'm pretty sure," Carlos said bluntly. "Do you want to check and make sure?"

"I'll take your word. What else?"

"I don't know. Nothing is displaced, there is no sign of a struggle or foul play. It's like he just walked out the door and didn't come back."

"And when was the last time you had contact with him?"

"When he sent that text, about five hours ago. I would've been back here sooner, but I got caught up at work. And then the lines at the store were so long," Carlos mumbled, shaking his head in anger. "If I'd been back on time or even texted that I was running late, maybe that would've changed something."

"You don't know that."

"That's the problem! I don't know anything! I have no clue where TK could've gone and it's killing me," Carlos shouted, losing his cool in a way he rarely did. TK always teased him about being unflappable, but right now he was struggling to keep any sort of composure.

"Well, how about we rule some things out? You call up anyone TK might've gone to and I'll call the local hospitals to see if anyone matching TK's description has been brought in," Judd suggested. Carlos felt his stomach drop at the mention of a hospital. He didn't want to think about TK being there all alone. "I'm sure we won't find him there, but it makes sense to check."

"You're right, I know," Carlos sighed.

"Can I ask Grace to keep an ear out for any calls that might sound related to this?"

"Yeah, just…"

"Off the record?"

"For now, at least. It's too soon for anyone to take it seriously anyway. And not enough evidence." And if this became an official case, he would never be allowed to work it. He had to exhaust every option he could before he got to that point.

"Well then, let's get to work," Judd said, sinking down onto the couch with his phone already in his hand. Carlos followed suit, wanting to get this out of the way as fast as possible. Maybe they would finally find some answers.

TK woke up violently, jerking his head up from where it was resting against his chest. He cursed himself as bits of memory flashed in front of his eyes at what happened before he passed out. The crying was supposed to get him sympathy, not lead him into a panic attack. He felt like an idiot, but at least the tape was off his mouth now.

TK thought about trying to force himself to throw up, but it was probably too late to do any good. The chemical had been inside him long enough to do what it was going to do and bringing it back up his throat would probably make things worse. He just had to hope that it wasn't enough poison to do damage and that he could avoid another helping.

"Oh honey, you're awake!" Lorna exclaimed, rushing back into the room and kneeling in front of him again. He noticed a bandage wrapped around the finger he'd bitten as she reached up to smooth his hair away from his face. At least he'd gotten some damage in.

"Can I- can I have a glass of water, please?" TK rasped, swallowing painfully around his dry throat. His mouth tasted like chemicals, puke, and blood.

"Of course!" Lorna said brightly, darting over to a cabinet to grab a cup. TK watched her the whole time, trying to see if she was going to slip anything into his drink. There wasn't much he'd be able to do about it, but knowing was better than being taken unaware. She filled the cup from the tap, which was promising, then set it down on the tray in front of him with a smile. It was obviously a child's cup, with cartoon characters printed on the side. At least it wasn't a bottle.

"Can you unlock one of my arms so I can reach it?" TK asked, knowing it was a longshot, but trying anyway. What did he have to lose?

"Oh, you know I can't do that. But I can help you drink," Lorna replied, picking up the cup and holding it to his lips. TK wanted to resist out of stubbornness, but he needed the water more than he needed the satisfaction. He accepted the drink, first sipping, then chugging greedily as the cool liquid soothed his battered throat. There was a little swelling he could feel from Burt's rough handling, but at least it wasn't impeding his airflow. "Well, someone was thirsty."

"Can I have more?" TK requested. More liquid meant urine, which could help flush all the bad stuff out. He didn't want to think about how the bathroom conversation would go, but he'd pee his pants if it came down to it.

"Maybe a little later." She took the cup back over to the sink, rubbing her thumb along the side reverently before setting it down.

"Was that Br- my cup?" TK asked, catching himself at the last moment. He wasn't in the mood to get slapped again.

"You don't remember it? It was your favorite," Lorna replied with a voice full of sadness. "You went through so many phases, from the dinosaurs to dragons, even clowns. But your favorite through everything was Power Rangers. You always wanted to be the red one and fight crime when you grew up. My brave boy." TK remembered Power Rangers getting big when he was a kid, so he figured that he was probably similarly aged to Brian. That didn't excuse this though.

"Can you tell me more? My memory is a little fuzzy." Any information could be helpful at this point. He was not above exploiting a weak spot if it meant making it out of this.

"You were just the happiest little boy," Lorna sighed, staring off with her eyes unfocused. "Always the first one to make a new friend. Coming up with all these wild adventures. Your imagination was unrivaled. One year, you started collecting up all the boxes you could get your hands on. Dad and I had no idea what you were up to. Then you built this amazing town in the backyard for all the neighborhood kids. It was incredible."

"Was that in this house?" TK asked.

"No, we were still living in Michigan, remember?"

"Right, right," TK mumbled, quirking one corner of his mouth in a semblance of a smile. "I guess that's why I don't remember this house."

"Well, we moved a lot, thanks to your father's job. But we didn't mind as long as we had each other. It was an adventure," Lorna said, forcing excitement into her voice. "All I ever needed was my two boys. Being a wife and mother were my greatest accomplishments. I knew what it was like to not be properly cared for and I promised myself that I was going to do better. And I did, you know I did. You remember that, right? Movie nights and family vacations and taking the dog for a walk. Do you remember Sparky?" Lorna was starting to sound more frantic and was back in TK's face, squeezing his cheeks between her cold hands.

"Sparky. Sure," TK replied, feeling panic creep in again. She was starting to spiral and that could be very dangerous for him.

"That dog followed you everywhere. We always knew where you were because we could hear the jingle of that little bell on his collar. Red, of course," Lorna babbled, staring straight into TK's eyes. He couldn't look away. "He was the reason we knew something was wrong, when we stopped hearing that bell as much. You just started getting tired all the time and your coloring wasn't right. I took you to the doctor, but they said it was just a cold. I knew better and did everything I could, but you kept getting sicker." She was crying now and for some reason TK was crying too. He still wanted nothing more than to escape her, but that didn't stop TK from feeling the pain she was going through as well.

"What happened?"

"I did everything I could! And then you just slipped away!" Lorna sobbed, shaking TK with the force of her cries. "I held you in my arms for days, begging for you to come back. I prayed that I would get another chance to make everything right. It took a while, but I did."

"What?" TK asked in confusion. It was like a switch flipped and suddenly the weeping woman in front of him was gone, replaced by a beaming one, bordering on manic.

"The first time I saw you again a few years later, I knew my prayers had been answered. I was finally getting another chance to save you," Lorna said, hope shining in her eyes. "You looked exactly the same, just a bit older, but the second I saw you, I knew. My Brian was back."

"And where was this?" TK asked. If Lorna had been watching him for years, he wasn't sure how he would take that.

"Montana, remember?" TK had never been to Montana, so he breathed a little sigh of relief. But if it wasn't him that she saw, who was it? And what happened to them?

"Sorry, I guess I'm tired," TK excused. Exhausted was more accurate, even after the couple of naps he'd taken so far.

"Oh no, do you need your medicine?" Lorna wondered, setting the back of her hand on his forehead. TK realized he messed up by saying that.

"No, I'm fine," TK insisted.

"I know best," Lorna argued. "I'll be right back." TK pulled on his wrists as soon as she left the room. If TK had interpreted Lorna's words correctly, it meant that this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this. And the lack of any other Brians around here was a clear sign that it probably didn't go well before. Was he destined for the same fate?