At 9:22 PM the day before, the text message interrupted his night off. He sat in the locker room, staring at the message on his phone. "Have you heard from Emmy? Haven't heard a word from her or Erik..." The General's message.

He dialed a familiar number quickly, knowing it by heart.

"Caroline." Sam Braddock growled as it went to voicemail. "Answer your phone. You know how the General hates people going AWOL. Especially when it's his own daughter. Call me, let me know you're safe. It's been six days since anyone has heard from you, a year since we've seen you." He sighed softly. "...call me...I'm worried." He ended the call and tried another number, which also went to voicemail. "Damn it." He slipped his phone into his back pocket.

Leaving the locker room, he bumped into Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti. "What's with the anger?"

"I've been trying to reach someone, and they haven't gotten back to me yet." He said with disappointment in his voice.

Spike could sense the frustration in his teammate. "What? A date isn't calling you back? I'm sure you'll find another one." Spike teased the rookie with a soft laugh. Despite the initial hostility towards Sam Braddock, the team was working on accepting him and making him feel like a valued member. "Do you need a ride home?"

Sam shook his head. "The bike will be nice after this long shift. Thanks though." He gave a half-smile to his two teammates before jogging out to his bike. However, before heading home, he planned to make a detour.

—- —- —- —-

Sam observed the fear in his younger sister's eyes, her grip tightening as she held on to him for dear life. He took a deep breath and gently placed his hands on her cheeks, a gesture he used to do when they were younger, always able to soothe her with it. Hoping it would still have the same effect, a small smile crossed his face as she began to relax under his touch. "It's going to be okay," he started, his voice filled with reassurance. "I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe." She knew the words out of his mouth was a promise, he would keep her safe. She knew he didn't know the full story and she knew her big brother would protect her.

Wordy observed the siblings for a moment, sensing the strong connection between them. "Sam, why don't you bring her into the briefing room? I'll grab a medkit, maybe even call an EMT," he suggested softly, aware that the woman was injured. Sam nodded gratefully, whispering a quiet thank you to Wordy.

As the siblings went one way, Wordy went in another direction towards the locker room. He swiftly retrieved a medkit, accidentally bumping into the team leader, Ed Lane. "Not dressed yet? That's unusual for you. Come on, get ready..." Ed stopped mid-sentence, noticing the medkit in Wordy's hands. "What's wrong?"

"Sam has a guest." Guest wasn't the right word, Wordy knew that, but it wasn't his story. "She's injured. I haven't been able to gather much information from either of them, Ed. But I think we might need an EMT. Sam is bringing her to Briefing Room 2."

"Okay. I'll inform Sarge, call the EMT, and meet you there," Ed nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation.

—- —- —- —-

Sam carefully assisted his younger sister Caroline into one of the chairs, keeping his emotions in check. He didn't want his anger to surface, his thoughts have been racing since first laying his eyes on his baby sister a few minutes ago. This was Erik's doing, that's why they haven't seen her or heard from her.

"Emmy," he whispered softly, drawing her attention to him. "We will find Erik. I promise. But let's take care of you first." Caroline nodded, not quite understanding how he knew it was Erik, but trusting that her brother would keep her safe.

She whispered "Okay" as she looked up at her older brother, Sam. She couldn't explain what had happened to her yet, a little afraid that he might not believe her.

Wordy gently knocked on the doorframe before entering the room. He didn't want to startle Caroline any further, as he could see that she was already on edge. He had seen situations like this before and knew how to handle them. He dropped the medical bag to the ground, cursing under his breath when Caroline flinched. Quickly, he apologized. "She's okay. You're okay, right?" Sam asks her, a hand still touching hers. She nods. "Wordy, this is my baby sister Caroline Emerson. Emmy, this is teammate and friend, Wordy." Sam explained. Caroline gave him a small smile, it was fake but she was trying to tell herself and him that she was okay.

"Nice to meet you," Wordy said, offering a small smile in return. "Ed is calling an EMT and updating Sarge on the situation."

Caroline felt a wave of panic course through her. Sam was at work, he could get in trouble for this. "I'm not going to get you in trouble, am I? Maybe...maybe I shouldn't have come here?" She started to get up from the seat.

Sam made a reassuring sound with his lips before saying firmly, "No." He emphasized the seriousness in his tone. "They are becoming my family. They are my family," he corrected himself.

"Team One is a family, and we protect our own." Wordy spoke softly as he looked at the Braddock siblings. Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, and she whispered a grateful thank you. "Would it be okay if I examine your hand? I promise I will be gentle." It doesn't bother the father of three wen she looks at Sam for the go-ahead or if she chooses not to want his help. Wordy could see the younger Braddock trusted her older brother's opinion. Sam gives her a slight nod. He kneels down, sliding the medical bag next to him. "The moment you tell me to stop, I will. You are in charge."

Sam stood up and gave his sister a kiss on the head before leaving to inform their superiors of the situation. "You can trust Wordy," he said reassuringly. "But if you need anything, I'll be right at the door." The woman nods before Sam walked away towards the senior officers of the team.

"What's going on, Sam?" Ed asked, looking past the rookie to the woman in the chair.

Sam whispered, "That's my sister," and the others understood without further explanation. The rookie took a deep breath, his frustration and anger evident in his growl, "I'm going to kill him."

Ed and Greg didn't need more information. They knew what was happening. "Don't let your anger consume you right now, Braddock," Greg advised. "She needs you. You need to be there for her. We'll figure out everything else later. Take the day off, let us know what we can do for you." Sam nodded, rubbing his hands over his face. "What can we do for you right now?"

"I need to get her fixed up…" Sam close his eyes for a moment, letting himself take a moment to calm. The older men were right, he couldn't let the anger take over and needed to remain calm to help her. "I need to call the general. He's been worried."

"The EMT should be here soon, we can get you both to the hospital, she will need to be checked out. We need to make a police report." Greg says. "One step at a time."