Author's Note: Guess what! I have another chapter! Ooh, what will happen?

Chapter 9

"Alright. Back on the Citadel." Joker announced as the final clamps anchored the Normandy. Shepard appeared on the CIC deck along with Tali and Sean. "Hey do you mind if I give you guys a shopping list?" Joker teased as they trio entered the airlock.

Sean groggily stepped out of the Normandy's airlock, back onto the Citadel. His stomach was empty and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Did you manage to get any sleep?" Tali asked, worried.

"I couldn't." Sean quickly replied as he hurriedly walked ahead.

"I'm concerned about Sean." Tali said leaning in to Shepard.

"He's just worried about his friend. He'll relax once we find out more about the kidnapping." Shepard replied calmly, walking behind Sean.

Tali paused then quickly ran to catch up with the group.

Sean took a deep breath as he stepped onto the crime scene. He was still tense and his heart hammered against his chest.

"Alright, Glad you could make it." Detective Trank said stepping through the holographic caution signs. "Who are these other people?" he said eyeing Shepard and Tali.

"Friends." Sean said, focusing at the moment at hand.

"Commander Shepard." Shepard introduced herself, offering her hand.

"Shepard?" Trank said confused. "I had no idea we had a Spectre on this case. Damn this got big."

"I'm just here with him." Shepard said pointing to Sean, who was entering the house.

"Damn it! Mr. Mason, please get back here!" Trank said running off behind Sean.

Sean paused as he entered Kate's apartment. It was a mess. He slowly entered the room, trying to keep his emotions bottled up. It was obvious that Kate didn't go down quietly. Chairs were knocked over, books were scattered about the room. There was a clear sign of a struggle. Kate wasn't caught off her guard, she expected this to happen, and she was ready for someone to go after her. The rug at the entrance of the apartment was crumpled and thrown to the wall. That's where the scuffle began.

Running up to Sean, Trank said, "Sir, I need you to-"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch anything." Sean shot back at the detective. He continued to meander through the apartment as Shepard and Tali entered. Sean spotted a yellow marker placed on the carpet and made his way towards it. The marker was placed next to a dried bloodstain. "Whose is this?" Sean asked pointing.

"Miss. Baker's blood." Trank responded.

"Shit." Sean mumbled to himself as he fell to his knees before the stain. "Do we know if she's still alive?"

"That's not nearly enough blood to kill her. She's most likely been taken somewhere. We need to find the motive. That's why I called you here." Trank said trying to coax Sean into talking.

There's got to be something here! He thought as he continued to search the room desperately.

Just stop and think. His mind said to him.

Something. A warning? A note?

Well where did Kate relax?

Usually at her terminal. Sean paused at the last word. He looked up and began to open all the drawers in Kate's desk.

"Hey! Stop that!" Trank shouted

Sean didn't. He needed something to work from. Anything. His heart sank, as the final drawer he opened was empty. He slumped to the ground, defeated.

You forgot something, his mind teased.

What? I searched everywhere

Everywhere?

Everywhere!

Would Kate give up on you?

It's not the same!

Oh is it?

Fine then! Where would you look?

I'd start in the bedroom. Maybe she was packing up to leave.

Sean stood up and made his way to the bedroom. There sat a duffel bag in the corner, the Jackpot. He walked over and lifted it onto the bed and unzipped it. Inside was a small wooden box. He stopped and stared at it. Could this be her? Could this lead to her? Or would it be a dead end? He opened the box to reveal an omni-pad and an old 2000 model revolver. Sean froze.

How? The word echoed through his mind as his dream arose. He had held the weapon. Everything felt similar. The weight, the old cuts and notches in the grip. His dream was breaking into reality. He removed both items and placed them on the bed, side by side. Something was definitely wrong. Trank found his way to Sean's side and stood, gawking at the revolver.

Sean tentatively opened the only file on the omni-pad. Numbers began to scroll across the screen, coordinates. Sean waved Shepard over. Shepard stepped to Sean's other side and glanced over at the numbers.

Quickly Shepard said, "I'm taking this case."

"You can't do that!" Trank protested.

"Can't do that? I'm a Spectre. Do you really want to put this up against the Counsel?" Shepard responded.

Trank let out a sigh and stepped back. Shepard pulled out a small drive and downloaded the coordinates. "We'll find her and get her back." Shepard said comfortingly.

After she removed the drive another file popped up on the screen. Both of them leaned in to read the new message.

It simply read, "Come home my little, lost lamb."

The cab ride back to the Normandy was quiet. Shepard wanted to ask questions, but decided against it. She simply glanced back at the pair sitting in the back seat. Tali looked up and gave a quiet nod in Sean's direction, then returned to staring out the window. Shepard turned to see how Sean was doing. Sean sat quietly in his sleep. Shepard smiled, he was at peace, at the moment. She returned to looking out the front window. It was a good thing Sean was able to rest. He had been through a lot in the past day.

As the cab landed Shepard gently shook Sean's shoulder, waking him. He woke with a snort and quickly glanced around. Remembering where he was, he slowly lifted himself from the seat, groaning.

As they boarded the Normandy, Shepard made her way to the cockpit, closely followed by Sean. "EDI. I need you to find where these coordinates point to."

"At once Commander." EDI said as she began to scan the documents. "These coordinates point to a warehouse on Illium."

"Illium?" Sean spoke up.

"Yes, Mr. Mason, the warehouse is located almost in the heart of the city." EDI responded.

Sean looked over to Shepard who nodded, "Joker, get us the fastest route to Illium."

"Aye, aye Commander." Joker responded as he punched it into his terminal.

"Sean, go get some rest." Shepard said, "You need it."

Sean began to protest, but stopped and walked off silently to his room.