(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)

Targeted

Cinder closed her eyes and banged her forehead down on the table in frustration. She had been back in Heartland five days and responded to seven different incidents that had been started by the arsonist. All of them had also had some sort of suspicious quirk. Fortunately, no one had been killed or seriously injured in any of the fires but it was only a matter of time. Even her favorite dog-safe peppermint hot chocolate that sat in front of her was not improving her mood.

A paw gently rested itself on her shoulder. "Don't worry Cinder, we will figure this out" a deep voice attempted to comfort her.

Cinder raised her head and looked at the pup facing her, staring into his earnest dark brown eyes surrounded by jet black fur. "But how many will get hurt or killed before we do?" Cinder softly asked.

"I don't have an answer to that" Augie replied honestly, "but I know you and everyone else will do their best to make it as few as possible."

"Your confidence is so very reassuring" Cinder softly replied dryly as she took a careful sip of her beloved drink. They were in the little corner cafe just down the street from Station 25. It was a relatively slow night with only a few other patrons occupying other tables.

"I live to serve" Augie replied with a dramatic flourish that made Cinder softly laugh in amusement.

The two pups continued talking, unaware that they were being watched. On a small tablet, a shadow observed everything through a hacked security camera. Fortunately or unfortunately, the camera did not have a microphone so the shadow could only observe and not hear what was being said. "Enjoy your little drinks" the shadow chuckled menacingly as he tapped a button combination, "you don't have much time left…"

"...and then…" Cinder suddenly stopped mid sentence as her nose smelled something. She started sniffing harder.

"I smell it too" Augie confirmed, both pups immediately on alert, "what is it?"

"Natural gas" Cinder softly replied as she jumped up onto the table. "Everyone" Cinder softly called out in her commanding voice, "I need you to not panic but there is a natural gas leak somewhere in this building. Natural gas is lighter than air so I need everyone to crouch down low and quickly exit the building." The stunned occupants obeyed and immediately began exiting the cafe. Augie ran to help them as Cinder took a quick headcount to make sure everyone got out.

The shadow watched everything unfold on the tablet. He had hopped for more time but the Dalmatian's immediate response had been anticipated. The shadow casually entered another combination into the tablet.

Cinder was watching the last person, a young man who worked at the cafe to pay his college bills, come around the corner of the counter when she heard a barely audible click followed by an evil hiss. Cinder opened her mouth to bark a warning but it was too late.

*BOOM!*

At Station 25, Capt Matt had just grabbed a handful of salted almonds that had been his preferred snack of late when he heard and felt the explosion. Everything was immediately forgotten as he slapped his hand down on the station alarm and raced to the vehicle bay.

At the cafe, Cinder had been blown from the table that she had been perched on clear out the window, shattering it in the process, before she limply slid to a stop in the middle of the street. The Dalmation coughed as she picked herself up and looked back at the cafe and realized that there were still people inside.

"Get to the far side of the street! And someone call 911!" Cinder barked as she hobbled into a run back towards the cafe. "Light Force 25, explosion at the cafe, multiple injuries" Cinder barked into her radio as she ran back inside to save those who were trapped.

Capt Matt heard Cinder's report and gritted his teeth. "Dispatch, Light Force 25 responding to an explosion at a cafe two blocks from the station."

"Dispatch copies, do you require assistance?"

"Standby for on scene report" Capt Matt almost hissed into the radio. He knew that Dispatch wanted to ensure he had everything he needed but he didn't even have a grasp of the situation yet. The familiar roar of the engine, honk of the horn, and wail of the siren failed to improve his disposition as they quickly made their way down the street to the site of the explosion.

Cinder coughed and fought the urge to gag as she inhaled the thick black smoke that had rapidly filled the cafe. She could make out four silhouettes lying motionless on the ground. There had been six souls in the cafe, including herself, at the moment of explosion but she didn't have time to figure out that discrepancy just yet. Running to the nearest one, Cinder grabbed a hold of the person's jacket with her teeth and started dragging them out.

Camille parked Engine 25 next to the fire hydrant caddy-corner to the cafe. Medic 25 parked just behind Engine 25. As everyone jumped out, Capt Matt immediately noticed several people laying just outside the doorway of the cafe. "Camille, hook us up" he barked directions, "Paul, Misty, Shadow, we have some rescues in the doorway." The engineer and two fire pups charged toward the doorway.

Cinder was dragging the third survivor from the cafe, ignoring his jet back fur in her jaws or the familiar scent he gave off, when she heard the heavy foot and paw falls of boots indicating help had arrived. "There is one left inside" Cinder softly barked as hands reached out to help her. The hands retracted and Cinder watched as the firefighter ran into the cafe.

Cinder kept dragging her survivor across the street, noting that two fire pups were doing with same with the two survivors she had already rescued from inside the cafe. Out of the corner of her eye, Cinder noticed an unmoving human form lying in the street. A second later, she saw her firefighter emerge from the cafe with the last survivor that she had seen slung across his back.

Freshly gloves hands relieved Cinder of her survivor when she reached the far side of the street. It was only then that Cinder spared a moment to hope that Augie would be ok before she ran over to Capt Matt. "There were 11 souls in total" Cinder softly called out as she appeared alongside him.

"I only count ten," Capt Matt replied, realizing that someone might be trapped.

"Did you count me?" Cinder softly asked.

"No," Capt Matt replied, and he counted again. "11, we are good."

"Hit the main gas shut off and let's get this fire out" Cinder softly directed.

"You should go get checked out" Capt Matt said before running to the gas shutoff.

"Dispatch, Light Force 25, on scene, at least five injured, standby for triage report, cause of fire is natural gas, closing the shutoff and engaging the fire. Request second engine on scene" Cinder reported over the radio.

"Dispatch copies, do you require the mass casualty unit?"

"Light Force 25, pending the triage report but most likely" Cinder replied after a moment's consideration.

"If you aren't going to get checked out, at least gear up so you don't bleed everywhere,'' Capt Matt said dryly as he ran back to Cinder. The fire had died down noticeably after he shut the valve but there was a lot of flammable material that had caught on fire because of the explosion.

"Fine" Cinder softly acquiesced, jumping into the truck to gear up. Cinder winced as she put her turnout gear on, for the first time realizing that her body was covered in cuts from the shattered glass window. She also realized that she probably had at least one glass fragment embedded in her skin. But Cinder decided that all of that could wait until the fire was out and fastened the last clip with quiet determination.

"No one heard anything," Capt Matt said quietly as Cinder jumped out of Engine 25, "certainly no soft and quiet wimpers or winces."

"I'll get checked out as soon as the fire is out and everyone has been seen" Cinder softly surrendered.

"Good thing we are most of the way there" Capt Matt replied, nodding his head towards the cafe. Cinder noted that Camille and Misty were manning a hose while Shadow operated the roof turret on Engine 25. Cinder turned towards a wailing siren and saw Engine 24 stop on the other corner and four firefighters jump out and immediately engage the fire without further instruction.

"How do our survivors look?" Cinder softly asked.

"Scared" Capt Matt replied with a nod towards Medic 25, "and the four we pulled out have injuries of varying degrees but will all live. Only two need ALS transport, the other two can be BLS. Units are available so they canceled the mass casualty unit and replaced it with another transport."

Cinder immediately picked up on what that meant and her heart sank. Amongst all the moving firefighters, fire pups, medics, and other survivors, she caught sight of the telltale white sheet out of the way and out of sight from the rest of the survivors. Based on who she had saved, she knew who lay under that sheet and the thought made her hear ache and tears form in her eyes. But Cinder pushed that from her mind and focused on getting the fire out.

Cinder was directing her firefighters and fire pups in getting the last part of the fire out when she heard an unexpected siren approaching. She turned her head and saw a Battalion Command SUV pull up and park behind Engine 24.

"Chief Callie, I didn't know you were coming" Cinder softly greeted the Battalion 2 Chief as she got out.

"Everything under control here?" the experienced chief asked.

"Under control and almost out" Cinder softly replied, "we shut off the gas almost immediately and that kept the fire from spreading."

"Good, and what is the status of your last patient?" Chief Callie asked.

"All four patients transported" Cinder softly replied, "and the coroner is on the way to pick up the one deceased."

"What about the fifth patient?" Chief Callie asked, "who one who was thrown out the window by the explosion and has since refused medical attention…"

"I'm fine," Cinder replied obstinately.

"Captain Cinder," Chief Callie replied gravely, "the only other person thrown through the window was the one who died. Let your medics check you out."

"As ordered" Cinder softly surrendered, and the Dalmation went over to Medic 25 to get checked.

"You know" Chief Callie said quietly to Capt Matt, "if I didn't make her get checked out, she probably wouldn't at all."

"Good thing she listens to you" Capt Matt quietly replied, "the best I could get her to agree to was to get looked at once the incident was over."

"I may have a little more horsepower than you do," Chief Callie replied, making both of them chuckle.

Cinder was in the back of Medic 25, laying on her stomach on the stretcher with her turnout coat off again while Sam and Alan meticulously and systematically looked for and removed shards of glass from her fur.

"That's 30 so far" Alan said as he dropped another fragment into a metal dish.

"I know glass can be sparkly" Sam said in a teasing tone, "but you really need to find better sparkly jewelry. I know a guy who can hook you up."

"I never see you wear sparkly jewelry Sam" Cinder softly questioned.

"Never at work" the paramedic replied, "it clashes with blood usually. And I may not wear a ton in general, but that doesn't mean I don't know a good supplier."

"I'm sorry I doubted you" Cinder softly apologized.

"Not good enough," Sam replied, "the only adequate apology will be you not letting this happen again." Sam paused while she removed a tricky fragment. "This is the most glass I've seen in someone we didn't send to the hospital. If you had a single other thing wrong with you, we would have taken you. You know you could have been seriously hurt by everything you did instead of letting us check you right away."

"I know Sam" Cinder softly apologized, "but I couldn't just leave any of them."

"Just like Marshall, too much of a servant heart for your own good." Sam replied in jest.

"I'll take that compliment," Cinder softly laughed.

"Stop laughing, you are making this harder" Alan piped up. Cinder just smiled in response and laid as still as possible while they continued removing glass fragments from her body.

When they finished removing the glass, Sam and Alan wrapped Cinder's entire body with gauze to protect the wounds. "I look like a marshmallow," Cinder softly complained.

"Just for the next 24 hours or so" Sam gently instructed, "we can't have you getting any of those infected."

"I know, that doesn't mean I have to like it," Cinder softly replied.

"Just wear your turnout gear over it, no one will notice the bandages" Alan suggested.

"You have a terrible sense of fashion," Cinder softly replied, "but it should work, thanks."

As Cinder walked out of the back of Medic 25, she noticed that the fire was fully out and that both engine companies were almost done with cleanup. "Ah, there you are Cinder" Chief Callie greeted her, "any transport required?"

"No, I'm good," Cinder softly replied.

"Not even to go check on Augie?" Chief Callie asked.

"We can finish here first," Cinder softly replied.

"Capt Matt has this under control" Chief Callie replied, to which Capt Matt nodded in confirmation. "Come on, let's go check on our arson pup."

"Ok Chief" Cinder softly replied as she followed Chief Callie to her SUV.

"You have to know what and when to delegate" Chief Callie explained as she both got in, "you won't keep your sanity any other way. And trust me, Capt Matt can handle a little clean up. Now if we could get an old coot or two out of the way, maybe we could actually assign him something worthy of his capabilities."

Cinder smiled at that. Along with all the other information she had collected, she remembered that Capt Matt was actually fully qualified as a Battalion Chief and was just waiting for one of the current Chiefs to move on. And to want to actually be an operational Chief. Cinder suspected that just like Skipper, Capt Matt liked the training side too much to ever give it up so she expected that he would be in operations just long enough to justify moving him back into the training side.

Cinder and Chief Callie made small talk as they drove to the hospital. Once there, they were quickly brought up to Augie's room. The room was dark and quiet with most of the lights off as they entered.

"You awake Augie?" Chief Callie asked as she entered.

"Yes Chief Callie, good to see you" Augie replied, "I'm a little banged up and worse for wear but ready to get back out there."

"Fortunately we don't need that right this second" Chief Callie replied with a smile.

"Now look who had a fierce disagreement with a fire" a different soft voice chimed in from below the hospital bed.

"Cinder!" Augie yipped happily as he quickly sat up and the lithe Dalmation jumped up on a stool next to the bed so she could also see. "No one here knew what had happened to you, I was afraid something bad had happened to you." Augie's tail was wagging furiously in happiness at seeing Cinder alright.

"It takes more than a little fire to hurt me" Cinder softly replied with a smirk. As Cinder leaned closer, Augie noticed the white under her turnout coat so he motioned for her to remove it.

Cinder gave an exasperated sigh as she did, revealing the bandage wrap. "Happy now?" she softly grumped.

"Holy cow, what happened to you?" Augie asked.

"I tried my paw at flying but a window got in my way" Cinder softly replied with a shrug.

"You should be in bed with me" Augie shook his head in wonder. Then he realized what he said and stammered as he quickly back-pawed. "I mean not in bed with me, but you should be in the hospital too. It looks like you got shredded by the glass."

"72 fragments to be exact" Cinder softly replied with a dismissive shake of her head, "it's all superficial, I'm fine."

"And you dragged three of us out of the burning cafe…" Augie shook his head in wonder, "you are incredible Cinder."

Cinder blushed slightly at the compliment, "I'm just doing my job."

"Trust me, lots of people have noticed what a great job you are doing" Chief Callie said.

"I don't want to be noticed, I want to keep my teams and city safe" Cinder softly whined before flouncing out the door.

Augie made a move to get up but Chief Callie gently pushed him back down, "let her go, she needs to work this out for herself."

"How is being alone going to help her work it out?" Augie asked, "and she is so incredible that she should be recognized!"

"She doesn't care about recognition or glory, but about her mission" Chief Callie replied, "that is what will make her a great fire chief one day. But she needs to grow into that role and no one can do that for her. And I never said she had to do that alone…"

Cinder wanted to cry but she didn't dare until she found somewhere quiet. Without looking for it, she found herself in the chapel at the hospital. Fortunately, it was empty. Cinder sat down in the darkest corner she could find and buried her face in her paws. Another person dead, four more hospitalized including her partner and the arsonist threat growing larger by the hour all weighed heavily on the Dalmatian as she fought to keep herself under control.

"What's wrong Cinder?" a voice quietly whispered.

"I don't know how I can keep doing this," Cinder softly whispered back, "my burden is heavy and my soul is weary."

"In this world you will have trouble" the voice softly whispered, "But take heart! I have overcome the world."

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" Cinder softly replied, finally turning to look at the voice. A blue translucent fox gazed back at her. "Thank you."

The fox blinked in reply and vanished.

Cinder swiped her tag and waited impatiently for the call to connect.

"Hello?" a familiar, but sleepy voice answered.

"It's me," Cinder softly said.

"Cinder? What's wrong?" Marshall immediately came awake.

"It's been a crazy week, we just had another death and Augie was also hurt in the explosion" Cinder softly filled her twin in on the pertinent information.

"Never a dull moment" Marshall commented dryly.

"No, and I'm about to raise the stakes" Cinder softly replied, "it's time to fight fire with fire."

"I thought you were going to stay safe," Marshall prodded her.

"I will," Cinder softly informed him, "I just hope my partner is up for something crazy."

"Time to let the pyro out of the closet?" Marshall asked tentatively.

"We'll see what we come up with," Cinder softly replied.

"You and your partner have fun," Marshall said with a smirk.

"Get your mind out of the gutter" Cinder softly chastised.

"My mind is where yours is" Marshall said playfully.

Cinder sighed as she realized she walked into that one.

"Just be yourself," Marshall said, "leverage that brain of yours. And don't forget your promise. Everest will be most upset with you if you don't."

"I won't forget" Cinder softly replied, "talk to you soon."

"Ok, I love you."

"I love you too." Cinder sighed again as she hung up. She didn't have a plan, she just knew she needed to do something. Cinder pondered that as she walked back up to Augie's room.

When she walked back in, there were three times as many black shadows that looked back at her. "Thanks for saving him" Jan yipped happily as she jumped down and hugged the startled Dalmatian.

"Yeah, that's how girls get it done!" June added as she joined them in the hug.

"Just doing my job," Cinder softly said with a blush.

"Well, then you did a good job," Jan said before finally releasing her.

"The Doc came by while you were out, Cinder" Chief Callie added, "they are releasing Augie in the morning, stay with him until then."

"Umm, who is going to cover the station?" Cinder softly asked.

"They can handle themselves" Chief Callie replied, "you focus on your number one priority; solving this case."

"Yes ma'am," Cinder softly replied.

"Have a quiet night" Chief Callie said before giving each of the pups a rub on the head and walking out.

"How quiet can it be in here with the three of you fussing over me" Augie groaned.

"I resent that implication" Cinder softly replied.

"Which one?" June asked playfully, "the one about you being loud or about you fussing over him?"

Cinder felt a flash of heat roll across her face as she turned a light shade of pink. She had been thinking about the former but something about the latter was responsible for the flush of color.

"She is your partner, and we are your sisters" Jan quickly cut in, "and we will fuss over you as much as necessary to push it through your thick skull that getting hurt isn't good for you."

"It wasn't my idea" Augie mumbled under his breath, "though I don't mind the attention."

"What was that?" Jan asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all" Augie replied quickly, "though I should probably get some sleep so I can recover faster."

"Good idea" Jan said, "Cinder, you get him to sleep, I need to step out for a second with June."

"Ok" Cinder softly replied. June looked like she was about to protest but a look from Jan cut that off and the two female Belgian Shepherds walked out.

"Could you be any less discreet?" Jan hissed at June after she shut the door behind them.

"What?" June whined, "they like each other so they should just get on with it."

"Now is not the time" Jan replied, "if for no other reason than because they are both too professional to let it happen."

"Sounds like a lame excuse to me" June shot back.

Jan sighed as she realized this would be a longer conversation than she originally thought. "You know they are working a case together, Augie would never date someone he was working a case with."

"Why not?" June asked, "Darrell and Claire are."

"That doesn't make it the right thing to do" Jan reminded her younger sister, "it isn't allowed, which is why they are hiding it as much as they can. And you know Augie has always been a stickler for rules. On top of that, Cinder is cut from the same cloth."

"So you don't doubt that they would be good for each other" June challenged.

"I think that is up to them to decide" Jan replied, "along with when. And I know that they won't consider it until this case is over. So do them a favor and stop hinting at it and making remarks about it, at least to them. If you can't contain yourself, whisper them to me."

"Fine" June grumpily agreed, "but when this is over, the gloves are coming off these paws." The two sisters opened the door and stopped in their tracks.

Augie was lying in his hospital bed, fast asleep. Cinder was sitting, gently stroking Augie's head with her paw, softly humming a lullaby. She didn't notice the Belgian Shepherds return.

"Ok, that's just too cute" June whispered to Jan, "if she keeps that up I don't know if I'll be able to contain myself to just whispers." Jan just shook her head in resignation.

Cinder noticed them as soon as they crossed the threshold of the room. "Shhh, he just fell asleep" Cinder softly whispered, "his mind was going a mile a minute trying to think of ways to solve this case."

"And did he come up with anything?" Jan asked.

"No, and he would still be wracking his brain if I hadn't told him to sleep on it" Cinder softly replied, "his ideas on how to clear Marshall came to him in his sleep so it made sense to try it again."

"What about the lullaby?" June asked.

"It helped expedite the process" Cinder replied, "come see." June laid down next to Augie and Cinder reached over and started gently stroking the smallest Belgian Shepherd's head and humming the lullaby. June was asleep in less than 30 seconds.

"That is a neat skill" Jan commented as she laid down next to her sleeping sister and brother.

"Your turn" Cinder softly said, "I'll be on the couch if you need anything."

"No, you can sleepnup here with us" Jan replied, "it is more comfortable."

"No, I wouldn't want to impose" Cinder softly said.

"It isn't an imposition" Jan replied, placing a paw on Cinder's, "you saved Augie's life, you should at least enjoy the comfort of a bed tonight instead of a hospital couch."

"Ok, you twisted my paw" Cinder softly replied, laying down next to Jan. The Dalmatian resumed humming the lullaby and started stroking Jan's head. Like her sister and brother, she was asleep in seconds.

"What a gift" Cinder softly said to herself, "now if only it worked on me." Cinder closed her eyes and tired to fall asleep, but her brain was now the one racing along, across several different trains of thought.

Cinder tried to focus on a gentle breathing of the three pups around her. It wasn't the same as being with Marshall and Everest, but it was comforting in a different way. It was enough to finally slow down Cinder's racing mind and she finally feel asleep.

A/N: Sorry this is a day late, I'm no longer able to upload on my phone for some reason so I had to wait to get to a computer. Returning to every two weeks now, hopefully? Might be longer because I've been and continuye to be busy and not making lots of progress. I apologize in advance, please bear with me.