Voight and Stabler set a house on fire (Benson is thankful that's a metaphor), the term "walk through fire" becomes literal, Nolan gets the best news in days, and it turns out when a treasure hunt and a sniper ruins a conference, it gets extended. Who knew?

Also, random thought as I was writing this . . . anyone think that a new disaster trio in the form of TK Strand, Joe Velasco, and Grace Muncy would be an absolute trainwreck of hilarity? Or is it just me?

Enjoy the conclusion of "Survivors" and the end of 9-1-1 Season 4!

***

The thrill of a hunt never ceased to bore Hank Voight. It was why, even when he had seen officers crumble under the stress of the Intelligence Unit, he remained at his post after all these years. Even when the streets of Chicago threw the darkest and goriest cases at his feet, the satisfaction of a catch and a conviction was better than any shot of alcohol. For Los Angeles to have given him one of those types of cases was a treat . . . especially since he knew the satisfaction of catching Brett's shooter would be priceless.

So when Chief Pate had given them the name and the location of the man with the ammo, Hank had ordered his unit into full gear before anyone else could lift a finger. As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam, and Kevin piled into the vans, Hank realized he had gotten a shadow in the form of Elliot Stabler, the New York detective's face set like stone. "The bastard shot Owen's paramedics," was all Elliot said in explanation, opening the passenger door. "I'm not sitting any of this out."

"Good enough for me," Hank nodded, opening the driver's door. "Let's go."

He could understand why the people who knew them both thought it was a bad idea for him and Elliot to meet. The dangerous spark he saw in the other man's eyes was the same he saw in the mirror when chasing this kind of perp, and the tension in his shoulders indicated an apex predator ready to hunt. The term "setting a house on fire" came to mind, and Hank had never been so glad for an abundance of firefighters in one city.

The SWAT vehicles led the way to their suspect's house, and once all had parked, Hank and Elliot were the first on the ground. "Back entrance?" Hank asked the SWAT leader.

"Yes, sir," he nodded.

Hank looked at Elliot. "Take the back?"

"Got it," Elliot nodded, pointing to Kim and Kevin before gesturing for them to follow him.

As two of his officers and half of the SWAT responders followed Elliot to the back of the house, Hank led Jay, Adam, and Hailey up to the front door. "50-21 George, ready in the front," Jay said into his radio.

A few seconds later, Kim answered. "50-21 Eddie, ready in the back."

Hank nodded to Jay, who disengaged the safety on the rifle he carried. "Go!" he barked.

The SWAT officer who followed them bashed in the door with the battering ram, and Adam tossed a pair of flashbangs inside. After the pair of bangs, Hank hurried inside, gun raised and ready. "Chicago PD!" he bellowed.

"NYPD!" he heard Elliot shout as the back door crashed inwards.

SWAT officers called all clears as they swarmed through the rooms, then a victorious cry from Hailey made Hank change course. "Kenneth Malone!" she barked. "On the ground!"

"Get on the ground!" Jay reinforced the order.

Hank reached the bedroom at the same time as Elliot to find Jay and Hailey with their guns aimed at the head of the bewildered man, his fingers interlocked behind his head. "Kenneth Malone," Hank's gravely voice was laced with anger as Elliot walked around Kenneth with a pair of handcuffs. "You're under arrest."

***

"You did leave the house in one piece, didn't you?" Olivia asked Hank, not entirely kidding as she watched Kenneth stew in the interrogation room.

"The structure of the house, or everything inside?" Hank countered.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Do I need to call a firehouse to his place?"

"No."

"OK."

The door to the observation room opened, and the pair turned to see Elliot, Jay, Fin, Athena, and Nick enter, Nick with a tablet in his hands. "Kenneth Malone," he read. "Eight years as a SWAT long rifleman till he got fired six months ago after he accidentally shot a hostage."

"Ooo," Fin winced. "That scars a man."

"Not quite sure how that leads one to start shooting firefighters," Elliot frowned.

"Only one way we find that out," Jay nodded through the one-way mirror to Kenneth. "Who's cracking him?"

"Let's ask a better question," Athena folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Who's going to get him to talk without throwing punches?"

Olivia merely turned on her heel and walked to the door. "I think you should go with her," Nick told Hank.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "I thought the goal was not to throw punches?"

"I've seen the two of you work in the box before," Nick reminded him. "At this point, we should get this done sooner rather than later."

"He's right, Sarge," Jay nodded. "You and Benson can play this man like a fiddle in no time."

Hank nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Nick. "You got his file?"

"Right here," Nick handed over the tablet.

Hank plucked it from his hands and walked over to Olivia, who was waiting at the door. "Just like old times, huh, Benson?"

"Remember what I told you about arresting your ass myself?" Olivia quipped.

Hank gave her an easy smile. "Hard to forget, ma'am."

Elliot snorted loudly, quickly turning to cough into his arm. "Yeah," Fin rolled his eyes as the pair of officers left the observation room. "Hard to tell when all that 'at each other's throat' business is foolin' around or the real deal."

"You sure it's not both at the same time?" Athena asked.

Fin barked in laughter. "Nope."

"I'm just glad I won't be in that room," Jay shrugged, scrolling on the tablet he held. "You never know what you're gonna get when Sarge and Benson work together."

He trailed off towards the end, and Elliot raised an eyebrow at him. "All good?"

"Yeah," Jay nodded, though he still sounded uncertain. "Just . . . something's bugging me about all this."

***

Kenneth stared at the full surveillance video of the Regal Pointe Apartments shooting, and Hank shook his head, pausing the video just as it focused on the collapsed paramedics. "You do damn good work. Shame this is what it's used for."

"The LAPD armory keeps a detailed log of all match grade ammo," Olivia told him coldly from where she sat across from the former rifleman. "The rounds used were issued to you while you were at SWAT."

"That's crap," Kenneth said blandly, looking from captain to sergeant. "I haven't touched a weapon in months. Not since the . . . "

"The factory?" Olivia guessed.

Kenneth nodded. "Right."

"You shot the wrong man," Hank checked the logs. "That whole business had to feel unfair. The news turning you into public enemy number one . . . you losing your job – "

"I quit my job," Kenneth interrupted with a glare. "When the department wanted to do a review, I told them not to bother. I'd make it easy for everyone, and I'd leave. I didn't care about being cleared. I cared that I made a mistake that I'm still trying to figure out how to live with. I'm telling you, you got the wrong person. You're looking for a guy who hates firefighters. Hell, I wake up every morning grateful for them, that they saved the one person I couldn't."

Olivia turned to look at Hank, raising an eyebrow expectantly. Hank said nothing, but his expression said it all. He believed Kenneth . . . and so did Olivia. But if this rifleman wasn't their shooter, who was it?

***

May clicked her mouse, accepting the next call. "9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

Coughing and hacking came through, followed by a voice. "I'm trapped in a fire."

"Can you tell me your location, sir?" May asked, starting to type in the report.

"544 Hazelton."

"What's your name, sir?"

"Ethan."

More coughing was followed by the dial tone, and May gulped. "Ethan, are you there?" she asked worriedly.

***

"Austin 126. Los Angeles 118. Chicago 51. All units, structure fire, 544 Hazelton."

***

Pelham whistled as they looked up at the roaring warehouse blaze. "Glad Chief Boden's in charge of this."

"Yeah," Buck nodded in agreement as they leapt from the rig. "He'll keep our heads on straight."

"He's good at that."

"Alright, listen up!" Boden bellowed, his voice summoning the officers of every house. "According to dispatch, there's a single victim inside, name is Ethan. Engine 118, Ladder 126, get hooked up to hydrants, start hitting the fire from out here. Engine 51, be ready to get inside. Truck 81, you'll assist. Squad 3, primary search on one. Squad 9, hit floor two. Ambo 61, lead triage for everyone already out here. EMS 126 and 99, corral victims as they start coming out. All clear?"

"Clear, sir," Bobby nodded.

"Let's get to work!" Boden clapped his hands.

Ritter rounded Engine 51, searching for the equipment they needed. "Hey, at least we don't need the bulletproof vests anymore," he said.

"Yeah," Herrmann agreed. "I'm sure not missing them."

***

"Thank you for confirming." Olivia raised an eyebrow as Fin hung up his phone. "They found Malone's gun right where he said it'd be," he reported. "Buried right in his yard. Hasn't been fired in months."

"Damn," Nick sighed.

"Could be he used a different weapon," Athena suggested.

"No," Jay shook his head as he flipped through the files he held. "From my time as a sniper, your weapon was like an extension of yourself. To use anything different was like having to use a different body part. If this was our guy, he would have used his own gun."

"He's not our guy," Hank nodded.

"But this ammo was his," Olivia drummed her fingers on the table, going over the evidence laid out in front of them. "That's not a mistake. That means someone else had access to it . . . but who?"

Elliot, who had been reading through Malone's file, paused when he found the full details of the factory mishap. "Jay," he said slowly. "You were a sniper in the Army, right?"

"Yeah," the other detective looked up. "Why?"

"I was in the Marines," Elliot gulped. "And there's one thing riflemen from everywhere have in common."

While the other cops in the room looked at each other in confusion, Jay's face drained of color. "Riflemen don't work alone," he whispered.

"No," Elliot shook his head, flipping the file around and pointing to the name included in the report. "They work in pairs."

***

Owen decided he was going to add textile factories to his list of "worst fires to fight" as he methodically moved along the second floor, his flashlight sweeping to and fro, looking for any sign of their victim. "Ethan?" he shouted. "Austin FD! Can you hear me?"

"Ethan!" he barely heard Pelham's call further down the hall. "Ethan, you in here?"

Buck emerged from where he had been searching, his gaze seeking out Owen. "No sign of him, Cap," he reported.

"Dispatch said he might be unconscious," Owen shook his head, looking around before clicking his radio. "Battalion 25, this is Captain 126. I'm heading up to three."

"Copy, Captain 126," Boden answered.

Owen turned to Buck. "Keep searching this floor."

"Yes, sir," Buck nodded.

As Buck wandered to join his temporary partner, Owen took to the stairs, emerging on the next level. He squinted through the flames, looking left then right. "Austin FD!" he called. "Anybody up here? Austin FD!"

His radio chirped, then May's voice came through. "All units, we have an order to evacuate the building."

"Evacuate?" Boden repeated. "On whose authority?"

"LAPD."

As Owen entered a room full of burning mannequins, he frowned in confusion. "LAPD?" he muttered. Why would LAPD be ordering them to evacuate the building? He caught sight of a figure on the ground, and he moved through the flames. "Ethan?" he called, leaning down. "Ethan!"

He pushed the figure onto its back, and his confusion heightened when it was easier than he anticipated. It all made sense when the face of a mannequin stared up at him instead of the face of a human being. Mental alarms started wailing in Owen's head, and his eyes snapped up to scan his surroundings. If LAPD was calling on them to evacuate the building . . . and if a mannequin just so happened to be in the same position as a person who had fallen unconscious . . .

He instinctively stood and twisted just as a gunshot echoed through the crackling of flames. Pain erupted in Owen's side, and he fell back to his knees, hands covering the same side Connor had inspected when he did his final evaluation for his return to duty. He couldn't feel any entrance or exit wound for a bullet, but even through his gloves, he could feel blood seep through the fabric of his uniform.

He winced in pain, and as he turned with wide eyes, he found a cold-eyed man with ammo cartridges on his body step out from among the mannequins, handgun aimed at him.

***

"Captain Strand, report," Boden ordered, narrowing his eyes as he stared up at the burning building, seeing Buck and Pelham jog out. "Captain Strand, respond!"

He heard car doors slam behind him, and he turned to see members from both Chicago PD and NYPD pour from vehicles, Ayanna Bell the first to reach him. "Has the building been cleared of fire personnel?" she asked as other marked vehicles arrived.

"No," Boden shook his head. "The entirety of Squad 3 is out, and so are Buckley and Pelham. Captain Strand is still unaccounted for."

"What?!" Elliot balked as he arrived.

"Owen's still inside?" Olivia demanded, her face white as she looked up at the inferno. "We ordered everybody out of the building!"

"He said he had eyes on our victim, Ethan," Pelham explained.

He didn't think it was possible, but Olivia turned even paler. "Ethan Copeland?" she asked for clarification.

"What's going on?" Kelly asked as he joined them, bewilderment on his face. "Why did we get pulled out?"

"Ethan Copeland isn't a victim," Athena answered. "He's the sniper."

***

"Come in, Captain Strand!" Boden called over the radio.

Owen grimaced as he managed to remove his helmet, and Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Call them back in here," he ordered. "Do it."

"And if I don't?" Owen raised an eyebrow, shifting to keep pressure on his bleeding wounds. "What? We burn?"

"Call 'em in," Ethan repeated. "Tell them you broke your leg or something. Do it!"

"No," Owen shook his head, desperately wishing he could incinerate someone with his gaze. Ethan would be a pile of ashes on the floor if he could. "You've shot enough firefighters already."

***

"I'm sorry, what?" Matt stared in disbelief.

"The sniper's LAPD?" Bobby looked at his wife in surprise.

"Ex-LAPD," Pate corrected. "After his partner quit, we realized Copeland was a problem and we removed him from duty."

"Now he's making everybody pay for it," Athena said grimly.

"Anybody have any idea where inside this building Strand is?" Hank asked, eagle eyes scanning the building.

"He called it out when he found him," Kelly turned, pointing as he spoke. "Third floor, bravo side. Somewhere around that window."

"Alright," Pate nodded. "SWAT's right behind us. We're taking over this scene."

Boden raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you were a fire chief instead of a police chief."

Pate narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Wallace Boden, Battalion 25, Chicago 51," Boden answered firmly. "And as the highest-ranking fire officer here, I'm in charge of this scene."

As Boden and Pate argued off to the side, Elliot stared up at the burning building, eyes narrowed to slits. The whole point of all their teams joining forces had been to take down the sniper before he had the chance to hurt another firefighter. Not only had they gotten the wrong guy, but the sniper had not only created the perfect scene to draw firefighters to him . . . he now had one of the country's finest firefighters, Elliot's brother, in his claws while fire and police personnel had it out, leaving Owen to, quite literally, burn.

That was unacceptable.

He turned on his heel and caught Olivia's eye. Color had started to return to her face, and her jaw was clenched so tightly, Elliot was surprised he didn't hear the creaking of bones protesting the strain. She had steel in her dark eyes, a look Elliot knew like the back of his hand. She, too, was not going to accept that Owen was on his own with a rifleman who had a thirst for firefighter blood. "We can't stand here, Liv," he told her.

"We won't," she replied, turning and look around the mass of emergency vehicles. "Where's 99?"

Elliot caught sight of the ambulance by the sidewalk, and he pointed it out, seeing Buck had wandered over and was trying to keep a hysterical TK from grabbing his gear and charging into the building. Grainger had a hand on the green-eyed firefighter's hand to restrain him, the interim paramedic officer appearing torn between joining his fellow officers and staying for TK. "TK!" he called, leading Olivia over.

TK whirled around, his green eyes alight with worry; Elliot could see the relief on Buck and Grainger's faces at his appearance. "My dad's still in there!" TK protested, his voice wavering.

"We know, kid," Elliot put his hands on his shoulders. "We know. I need you to take a deep breath for me, OK? Deep breaths." TK's breath stuttered as he inhaled, but it steadied as he exhaled. "Good boy," Elliot nodded. "Now I need you to help us, TK. Does the ambulance still have Sylvie and Eddie's gear on it?"

TK blinked in confusion. "Uh . . . "

"Yeah," Grainger nodded. "They never used their bunker gear when they were at the Regal Pointe Apartments, so their gear is still in the back."

"So they can be used?" Olivia clarified.

"Yeah," Buck looked between them. "By who?"

Olivia smirked darkly. "By us."

"What?" Grainger's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"All due respect, Lieutenant, but does this seem like the time to be joking?" Elliot glared at him.

"We can do it," Buck looked at the building. "Truck 81's raised their ladder. We can cut in on the delta side, where most of the fire's been contained. They drop in, they make their way across to bravo."

"And they'll be protected with Sylvie and Eddie's gear," TK slowly continued, nodding.

***

"You're insane," Owen seethed, glaring up at Ethan. "We're both gonna die in here, for what?"

"I'm done either way," Ethan shrugged, not a care on his face. "So I might as well take as many of you out with me as I can."

Owen chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "No one's coming in here."

***

"Listen, there is a fire captain in there," Matt told Pate with a scowl. "Unprotected, could be injured. If you have a plan, every unit here needs to know before you make a move."

Pate sighed. "Just let me get my guys in position, then I'll brief you."

"Thank you," Boden nodded.

Pate moved away, and Hank turned to Boden. "Halstead and Upton joined the snipers for this," he said. "Out of everyone who responded, Jay's the sharpest shooter."

"Well, that increases my confidence just a little," Herrmann quipped.

"Alright," Boden sighed, looking at Bobby, Herrmann, and Judd. "Nash, Ryder, Herrmann, we need to knock this fire down so Squad 3 can go in there and reach Captain Strand."

A polite cough came from behind them, and the group of firefighters and police turned to see Grainger approach. "Yeah," the lieutenant's eyes slid past them to Truck 81. "About that . . . "

The group turned around in confusion, and Athena groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Ayanna watched Buck and TK lead Olivia and Elliot up the ladder, and she gave Fin a resigned look. "Did they do this back when he was SVU?" she asked heavily.

"Oh, this doesn't even scrape the bottom of the barrel," Fin shook his head.

***

Ethan paced the room impatiently, snarling under his breath. "Where the hell are they?"

"You're kidding, right?" Owen raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the flames around them. "The building is engulfed. You didn't make it easy." Ethan glared at him, which didn't faze Owen at all. "But it's not too late. You can still save yourself. I can help you get out of here."

Ethan scoffed. "You ever think it's just a waste of time, Captain?" he asked, sneering his title with loathing Owen had never heard directed at firefighters. "That some lives just don't deserve saving?"

Owen shook his head, regretting the motion instantly when his vision swam. "Everyone deserves to be saved."

***

"Right," Pelham looked at Grainger as they readied their crowbars. "One, two, three!"

The two lieutenants pried open the trapdoor down into the factory, and Elliot nodded as Buck helped him into Eddie's turnout coat. "Good work."

"Liv," TK swallowed, watching Olivia don Sylvie's gloves. "I'm going with you."

"No, TK," Olivia shook her head instantly. "We can't protect you in there. He's trying to kill firefighters."

"You two are dressed as firefighters," Buck reminded them.

"And it's my dad in there," TK reminded them.

"And how do you think he's gonna feel if you get shot trying to rescue him?" Elliot raised an eyebrow.

TK fumed, but before he could say a word, Olivia stepped up to the door. "We're going in," she said with finality. "So tell us what to do."

***

"You know," Ethan turned to Owen, taking on a conversational tone. "There was a guy that took this place hostage a few months back. Hurt a bunch of people. Me and my partner, we tried to stop him. But we made a mistake, and my partner shot the wrong person. An innocent man got hurt."

Owen gritted his teeth, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. His side immediately protested the action, and he fell back against the wall, grimacing in pain. "We all make mistakes," he ground out.

Ethan shook his head. "The thing is . . . that gunman shouldn't have been alive. He'd OD'd multiple times. But you firefighters, you so-called 'heroes,' you kept saving him!"

"That's the job," Owen told him.

***

Flames licked the air as Elliot carefully walked through the corridor, one hand feeling along the wall, the other with his gun at the ready. Olivia's hand was steady on his back as she followed him, trusting him to lead her true as he had for years as her partner. "We're almost to the end of the Charlie side!" she shouted to be heard over the blaze.

Elliot nodded, finding the corner that turned them to the delta side. "Ready weapon!" he warned.

"Ready!"

***

Jay clicked off the safety of his rifle, and he peered through the scope into the factory. He could see Owen's pain-ridden face, the fire captain collapsed on the ground. A shadowy figure passed by, and he narrowed his eyes. "Sarge, I have eyes on the suspect," he reported.

"Do you have a clean shot?" Hank asked.

Ethan passed by mannequins, and Jay shook his head in frustration. "Negative," he answered. "Target red."

***

"You saved his life so he could go ruin someone else's!" Ethan yelled, jabbing his gun in the air in front of Owen's face.

"We don't choose who lives or dies!" Owen shouted in reply, stifling a groan as he felt his side tear open further. Oh, Connor was going to kill him for this. "We save everyone we can."

"You don't have to make the tough choices," Ethan scowled. "But people love you for it and hate guys like me. You think saving lives is a hard job?" He raised his gun, aiming directly for Owen's heart. "Try having to take them."

Owen braced himself for the impact of a bullet when he heard footsteps over the roar of flames. He and Ethan turned in unison, just in time to see two figures clad in the black turnout gear of the Austin 126 step through the wall of fire blocking the door, handguns raised. Ethan raised his and took aim, but the two firefighters shot at the same time, both bullets impacting Ethan one after the other. Owen flinched and instinctively curled back against the wall as Ethan's body thudded to the ground, the light dimming in the rifleman's eyes before they slid shut.

The click of safeties engaging pierced the air, and Owen tore his eyes from the corpse to watch the two firefighters remove their helmets, followed by their oxygen masks. He could only stare in stunned disbelief as Elliot kicked Ethan's gun across the floor, then he looked at Olivia as she crouched in front of him, her hands frantically checking him over. "Liv?" he choked. "Elliot?"

He gasped when Olivia found his side, and she gulped, speaking into her radio. "This is Captain Benson," she said. "Suspect is down."

"Serves the son of a bitch right," Elliot growled, giving Ethan a kick for good measure.

"We need medical assistance," Olivia continued. "Captain Strand has been shot."

Elliot's head snapped up at her words, and as he joined Olivia in crouching next to him, Owen swallowed, working moisture into his mouth. "How – " He coughed, squeezing his eyes shut as he winced in pain, barely able to hear Boden barking orders in response to Olivia's call. "How did you two – ?"

"Hey," Olivia reached up and took his face in her hands, dark eyes piercing through green. "Did you think we were gonna let you burn in here alone?"

"No way, brother," Elliot shook his head, hand on Owen's shoulder. "Together or not at all."

Owen closed his eyes, allowing his tense body to finally unwind, and as his head leaned forward, his forehead met Olivia's, Elliot's chin resting atop his scalp. Finally, he could relax now that his best friends had him.

***

"Captain Vega!" Boden suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "Gillian! Move!"

The pair of Austin paramedics lurched into motion and ran with their gurney as Tony and Capp emerged from the building, both removing their helmets and masks. "What happened?" Tommy demanded.

"Doesn't look like it went through him," Capp reported, looking behind him as Kelly and Cruz exited next, supporting a barely conscious Owen between them; TK's heartbreaking cry of relief echoed over the sound of hoses. "But it sure tore up the side where they went in for his surgery."

"Alright, let's get him on," Tommy ordered.

Elliot and Olivia brought up the rear, the pair of New York officers helping Kelly and Cruz lift Owen onto the gurney. TK appeared out of nowhere a second later, tears running down his cheeks as his hands frantically found his father's. "Dad!"

Owen faintly squeezed in return as Nancy fitted an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. "He's OK, kid," Elliot wrapped an arm around TK's shoulders, feeling the younger firefighter shake like a leaf in a storm. "He's gonna be OK."

"Nancy, get us straight there," Tommy ordered.

"Copy, Cap," Nancy nodded, running for the driver's seat of the ambulance.

TK whirled around, finding Grainger in the chaos. "Lieutenant – "

"Go, TK," Grainger ordered. "We'll be right behind you."

TK gave him a wobbly smile before climbing into the ambulance to join his father. Without a word, Olivia hopped into the back with him, closing the doors before anyone could say anything to her. "Hey!" Pate shouted as Elliot strode for the front seat. "We need your statements!"

"To hell with our statements!" Elliot snapped, glaring at the chief as he wrenched open the door. "You can get them at the hospital. Least you can do is wait after you nearly let our brother burn."

Pate's mouth clicked shut in shock as Elliot climbed into the ambulance and shut the door. Barely a second later, the lights and sirens started as Nancy peeled away from the fire and barreled down the road. "Yeah, I coulda told you that was a bad idea," Fin nodded sagely. "It's a bad idea to piss them off when it comes to Captain Strand."

"Yeah," Hank watched the ambulance leave. "I'm starting to realize just how serious that is."

***

Never before had a three-word text been such a goddamn relief.

They got him.

As soon as he read the words, Nolan sagged in relief, running a hand through his hair. Peter's words meant the bastard who shot his sister was either in custody or dead. At this point, Nolan didn't care which had happened. All that mattered was the guy was no longer a threat to his sister. Finally, he could breathe again.

He didn't hear the rustle next to him as he pocketed his phone. He definitely heard the sharp inhale and the whimper that followed, and his neck nearly snapped as his head turned towards the bed. Sylvie's face was twisted in pain, but her azure eyes were blinking and squinting in the bright lights. Nolan's heart leapt into his throat, and he almost knocked his chair over with how quickly he jumped to his feet. "Sylvie?" he asked desperately, fingers curling around her hand. "Sylvie, can you hear me?"

"Nolan?" she rasped, her voice cracking from no use.

Nolan reached over and pressed the button that summoned the doctors to the room, squeezing Sylvie's hand as he did. "It's me, Sylvie," he smiled widely, barely able to speak, he was so happy. "You're OK."

Sylvie tried to swallow but ended up hacking, her mouth so dry from having spent God only knew how many hours asleep. "Eddie," she managed to croak.

"He's awake," Nolan assured her, hearing the bustle of doctors arriving. "You're both OK, Sylvie, I promise."

"Oh, my God!" Nolan started at the yelp behind him, then Natalie appeared on the other side of the bed, her smile splitting her face. "You're awake!"

"Hey, Counselor," Will appeared next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I hate asking you to do this, but can you step outside while we check her out?"

"Yeah," Nolan nodded, high on the glee he felt of seeing Sylvie awake. "Yeah, I can." He reluctantly stepped away from the bed, but a yank on his hand, the grip stronger than he anticipated, made him turn back to Sylvie. Her eyes, foggy a few seconds ago, were sharp as they sought him out, and Nolan bit his lip, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as he leaned closer. "Hey, Manning and Halstead are gonna check you over, OK?" he whispered. "I'm not going far. I promise."

"It's OK, Sylvie," Will told her. "We've got you."

Sylvie swallowed hard, then her grip lessened until Nolan could slip his hand from hers. Natalie instantly started to fuss over her friend, and Nolan stepped away, letting Will move into his place. "Hang on," the prosecutor frowned. "I thought Rhodes was the other main doctor on her chart."

"Yeah," Will grimaced. "But Marcel wanted him to help stitch up Captain Strand . . . again."

Nolan balked. "What happened to Captain Strand?!"

"The rest of the firehouses are out in the waiting room," Will gestured. "I think they can explain better right now."

Nolan nodded, giving his sister one last look before he walked out of the room, leaving her in the doctors' capable hands. To his immense surprise, he found the waiting room flooded with police and fire personnel alike; by far the greatest surprise was seeing Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler in Austin 126 turnout gear . . . and were those Sylvie and Eddie's names he saw on the coats draped around their shoulders? "When did you two become firefighters?" he blurted.

Several spun around at his voice, all looking surprised to see him in the area. "When the sniper set a factory on fire and trapped Owen inside," Olivia deadpanned. "And we weren't going to leave him to burn or bleed out."

"So when Dr. Halstead said he needed to be stitched up again," Nolan realized.

"Yeah, the damn sniper didn't hit Owen as badly, but it hit him enough to tear the stitches open," Elliot groused. "Rhodes and Marcel took him straight away when the ambulance rolled in."

"Hang on, how did you know that?" Paul blinked, looking at Nolan in confusion.

Nolan felt like a giddy little kid as he grinned widely. "Halstead and Manning told me when I called them back to Sylvie's room."

It was so comical to see the eyes of all members of the 126 widen at the same time, and the gasps of Gianna and Violet echoed in the room. "Wait," Matt stammered, stepping forward, looking at Nolan hopefully. "You called them back . . . does that mean – ?"

"Yeah," Nolan nodded eagerly. "She finally woke up."

"Oh, thank God," Kelly choked out, dropping his head into his hands.

"Yes!" Buck punched the air as TK whooped. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"She woke up!" Cruz and Gianna started chanting and dancing around the room. "She woke up! She woke up!"

The celebratory cheers of the 126 drew a few irritated looks from the hospital staff, but Nolan didn't care as Peter drew him in for a strong hug. Honestly, he was certain the hospital could burn around them, and even then, he wouldn't give a damn. The sniper was out of the picture, and his sister had, at long last, woken up.

Finally, things were starting to go right again.

***

The monotonous beeping of hospital monitors was the first thing Owen noticed as he forced his eyes open. The second thing he noticed was a heavy weight on his hand. When he tilted his head, he found his son fast asleep with his head pillowed in his arms; his hand was buried somewhere under his son, but despite feeling pins and needles in his asleep hand, he was in no hurry to pull away from his son.

That was when he registered the itch in his side. "Damn it," he sighed heavily, and TK jerked awake with a soft snort. "Dr. Jacobs is gonna kill me."

"Dad!" TK lunged forward, arms winding around his neck.

Owen laughed, hugging his son as best as he could. "Hey, son."

"She's not the one you need to worry about right now, Owen." Owen craned his neck to see Elliot and Olivia stand from the seats against the wall, and he knew he hadn't been hallucinating when he saw the ash still streaking across their faces. "You don't get to scare us like that again," Olivia warned, pointing at him.

"Wasn't planning on it," Owen shook his head, carding his fingers through TK's hair. His son made a happy sound as he scooted his chair as close as he could, resting his head on Owen's shoulder. "The sniper?"

"Ethan?" Elliot made a face. "No way he wasn't dead before he hit the ground."

"Once he knew we arrested Malone, he knew it was just a matter of time before we figured out he was the real sniper," Olivia elaborated.

Owen nodded, eyes darting from face to face. "You really walked through fire?" he asked. "Just making sure I didn't imagine that."

"No imagination, Owen," Olivia smiled softly. "Yeah, we walked through fire for you."

"What, did you think we would leave you alone in there with that monster?" Elliot shook his head. "Nuh uh. No way in hell."

"You'd walk through fire for any of us," Olivia told Owen. "The least we could do is walk through fire for you."

Owen smiled in reply, holding up one hand and curling his fingers into a fist. "Amen."

Olivia and Elliot knocked their fists against his, and TK smiled into Owen's neck, glad his family had a second chance together. "And Dad?" he murmured.

"Hmm?" Owen's voice, drowsy as the pain meds started to kick in again, asked.

TK's smile widened. "Sylvie's awake."

***

"I don't know how you do it, girl," Natalie shook her head, clicking off her penlight and sticking it back in her coat pocket. "You get into the gnarliest situations and come out of it in relatively good condition."

"Tell that to my head," Sylvie made a face, making a grabby gesture at the paper cup of water on the table next to her bed. Will chuckled and grabbed it, handing it over for her to drink. "It feels like it got put through a blender."

"That is likely the combination of severe blood loss and a lot of pain meds," Natalie nodded, checking her chart. "Other than your head, how do you feel?"

Sylvie closed her eyes, doing a mental checklist. "Like I want to know how my partner's doing."

"He asked the same thing pretty quickly after he woke up." Sylvie's eyes snapped open, and Matt smiled from where he leaned in the doorway. "According to Buck, anyway. We were still on shift when he woke from his nap."

"Is that what we're calling them?" Sylvie smiled widely.

"Well, she's joking," Will smirked, stepping away and gesturing to the bed. "She's definitely feeling better."

"Good," Matt crossed into the room and bent to give her as firm a hug as he could without hurting her. "You are forbidden from scaring us like that again."

Sylvie nuzzled into his hug, smiling over his shoulder at Kelly as he walked into the room as well. "Copy that."

"Maybe you should just try and avoid being shot," Kelly advised, waiting for Matt to release her before taking his place to hug her.

"I don't recommend it," Sylvie nodded in agreement.

Will snorted. "I sure as hell hope you don't."

Kelly nodded, kissing the top of Sylvie's head. "You gave everyone heart attacks."

"I didn't even know Voight could have a heart attack," Matt scratched the back of his head.

Sylvie blushed, nestling more into the abundance of covers on her bed. "I didn't anticipate being shot, just for the record."

"Noted," Natalie giggled, squeezing Will's arm. "I'm gonna go check the others."

Will nodded, letting her leave. "Connor fixed you up good as new. Took a hell of a long time to get you healing in the aftermath, though."

Sylvie tilted her head in confusion, then remembered what Natalie had mentioned. "The blood loss?"

"Yeah," Will nodded, checking his notes; Matt and Kelly's discomfort was extremely visible. "Connor says it was a miracle they were finally able to get the bleeding to stop. Everything they put in you during surgery just bled right back out."

Sylvie made a face. "That's a cheery image."

"It wasn't very pleasant for us to picture, that's for sure," Kelly grumbled.

Sylvie pointedly looked herself over, then raised an eyebrow at Will. "Obviously, that's no longer a problem."

"As long as those stitches don't come undone, like a bullet did with Captain Strand," Will nodded.

Sylvie balked. "What happened to Owen?!"

"Way to go, Will," Kelly scowled at the redhead.

Will held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry!"

"He's fine, Sylvie," Matt promised, squeezing her hand. "The sniper had him trapped in a factory fire, but Benson and Stabler got him out of that. He'll be out before we know it."

"He better," Sylvie pouted. "Can I punch him for getting into that situation?"

Matt grinned. "Let us watch?"

"Deal."

"But back on topic, yes," Will told Sylvie. "You did get the blood you needed . . . right on time, actually. Connor was worried we wouldn't be able to get any from another hospital on time."

Sylvie blinked. "So where'd you get it from?"

"Not where," Will shook his head. "Who."

Sylvie looked at Matt and Kelly in confusion. "OK . . . who did I get it from?"

Matt and Kelly exchanged apprehensive looks, then a knock on the doorframe drew all their attention. "I go for coffee, and suddenly it's a party," Nolan remarked, looking around. "Did I miss something?"

"What is it with perfect timing these days?" Will muttered under his breath.

Sylvie frowned at him, then Matt cleared his throat. "We'll let the two of you talk."

"Wh - ?" Sylvie began, looking around in confusion as her two best friends departed the room.

"You really should talk," Will told her. "If you need anything, I'm just the press of a button away."

Sylvie could only nod in acknowledgement at Will's words, and her friend gave her a pleasant smile before he headed for the door. He stopped to quietly say something to Nolan, who sobered at whatever was said. The prosecutor nodded, and Will headed out of the room, leaving the two alone. Nolan waited until Will's footsteps faded before he walked inside, his smile to Sylvie the first she had seen with an edge of tenseness to it. "You've probably been asked this enough, but I'm gonna ask it anyway," he said. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a train then trampled by an elephant," Sylvie answered, frowning at his tentativeness. That was new from her friend. She shifted a little on the bed, wincing at the twinge of pain she felt in her side, then patted the edge of the bed. "Come on, sit down. You look exhausted."

"Yeah, I . . . haven't slept much," Nolan sighed as he sat. "Not since . . . " He trailed off, checking his watch. "Oh, I'm not gonna even try and count."

Sylvie gave him an incredulous look. "Did you suddenly forget how we met?"

Nolan laughed, his smile becoming more relaxed. "Kinda hard to forget when you almost get coffee spilled all over a designer suit because a paramedic, of all people, got sleep deprived."

"Shut up," Sylvie whined. "This is about you, not me."

And just like that, Nolan's face again cleared of amusement. "Actually . . . it's more about both of us."

Sylvie frowned. "What happened?"

Nolan sighed. "Dr. Halstead told you how difficult it was to get the blood needed for a transfusion?"

"I inferred that from what he said, but now I really know it was," Sylvie nodded. "The blessing and the curse of being O negative: universal donor, but it's the only donation I can get."

"Yeah," Nolan made a face. "I know that feeling."

"You're O negative, too?"

"Yeah, I am," Nolan nodded. "So when Halstead and Manning said they were looking into getting more blood from another hospital, I volunteered for a direct transfusion. It was a pretty quick test to determine it was safe to do, and they got us hooked up right away."

Sylvie tilted her head, finally noticing the bandage wrapped around Nolan's forearm now that his sleeves had been rolled up. "How much did they take?"

"The maximum amount they could legally take," he answered, experimentally rolling his arm. "Nearly faceplanted when I woke up later that morning."

Sylvie smiled. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "You probably saved my life by volunteering when you did."

"I would've done it again in a heartbeat if it saved you," he admitted. "And after what I found out later . . . well, if killing me would have saved your life, I would've let it happen, too."

Sylvie's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"After I woke up, before everyone's shifts began, Halstead came back to talk to me," Nolan told her. "Turns out the test they used to compare our blood kept running afterwards." Here, he looked down at the hand closest to him, and he hesitantly reached for her. She took his hand without the hesitation he showed, and he swallowed hard. "Sylvie, our DNA is a 25% match."

She was suddenly grateful she was reclining on the bed, because she was certain if she had been upright on her own, she would have collapsed back. She felt the blood drain from her face, and she stared at Nolan in shock. "It what?" she managed to sputter.

"I didn't believe it at first, either," Nolan shook his head. "But Halstead had the results to back up what he was saying. Then I asked Casey and Severide about what your birth mother shared about your family . . . and the timeline matches when my father was out of the state for a business trip and came back, in my mother's words, 'out of sorts.' I never learned what that was about . . . now I know."

Several thoughts ran circles in Sylvie's head, but there was only one she focused on. "You're my brother?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Sylvie," Nolan nodded. "And you're my sister."

Any thoughts that Nolan might have reservations about her only being the product of their father's infidelity were banished with that statement, and she gave him a wide smile and a gleeful laugh. "Oh, my God!" she pushed off the back of the bed and flung her arms around him, making Nolan jump in surprise. "That's . . . oh, my God!"

"That's about all I thought for hours after he told me," Nolan laughed, hugging her in return, relieved by her response. "But it pretty quickly settled who was gonna stay in here with you while everyone else went back to work."

Sylvie pulled back, looking at him with wide azure eyes, the same shade of blue he sometimes saw in the mirror. "You . . . you stayed?"

"I didn't leave unless the doctors pushed me out," Nolan nodded; this time, he paused only for a second before reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I watched the rest of my family die in the hospital, Sylvie. I know they said things were looking up for you, but there was no chance I was going to leave you."

Sylvie blinked tears away, then huffed. "Move closer." Confused, Nolan shifted his position, then laughed when Sylvie scooted so she could comfortably lean against him. "Thank you," she whispered. "For . . . everything."

Nolan smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Consider me working to catch up on everything a big brother should do for his little sister."

Sylvie giggled. "You've got a lot of work to do."

Nolan shrugged. "Worth every minute."

A quiet knock on the doorframe made them look up, and Peter gave them a sheepish look. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But since all three are awake . . . TK and Buck said they could connect Owen and Eddie for a video call, if you're up for it, Sylvie."

Sylvie's eyes brightened, and Nolan chuckled. "Go for it, Sylvie."

"You can stay!" she immediately protested as he started to stand.

"I'm just going to make a quick call to Jack," he told her. "I know Peter probably updated him, but I wanted to let him know myself."

She sighed, knowing he had a point. "You'll come straight back?" she asked hopefully.

"I promise," Nolan nodded.

She smiled in delight as she nodded, and Nolan stood and headed for the door. "You told her?" Peter guessed.

"I think she took it well," Nolan quipped.

Peter laughed loudly. "You don't say!"

Nolan lingered to watch Peter pull up the video call, and he heard Eddie's obvious (yet groggy) joyful greeting to his captain before he departed down the hall. He had told Sylvie the truth, he had every intention of giving Jack his own report of all that had occurred since they had last been in contact . . . but there was one thing he wanted to do beforehand.

He found Matt and Kelly exactly where he expected them to be, the pair of fire officers speaking at the nurse's station with Natalie and Connor. "Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey," Matt smiled. "How'd she take it?"

"According to her, I have a lot of big brother-ing to make up for," Nolan shrugged, a delighted smile on his face. "I'm all for it."

"Yeah, I believe it," Kelly chuckled. "All she's ever wanted is to be part of a family. She has that in the 126, she's got Amelia . . . but I can only imagine how it feels now that she has you."

Nolan smiled, touched by the words. "Thank you, Severide."

"So how'd they finally pry you away from her?" Matt asked.

"Peter's connecting to TK and Buck's phones," Nolan answered. "They're putting together a call for her, Eddie, and Captain Strand."

"Oh, good for them," Connor nodded. "I know Eddie was worried for her when he woke up."

"Yeah, she wondered why I left, though," Nolan chuckled. "I promised her I'd be back after I gave Jack a call."

"Sounds good," Kelly nodded.

"Yeah," Nolan's smile started to slide from his face. "I do need one thing from the two of you first, though."

"Oh?" Matt raised an eyebrow, and the trio walked away from the station, away from other ears. "What can we do for you?"

Nolan looked down the hall at where Sylvie was laughing at something someone said, then he looked back at the Chicago officers, his suddenly gunmetal grey eyes narrowed. "You can start from the beginning about this big mess that includes Sylvie leaving Chicago because someone apparently threatened her."

***

"You're stuck in Los Angeles for how long now?!"

Grainger winced at the sharp protest, glaring at his phone as Pelham snickered across from him. "Sound a little more disappointed, why don't you, Evan?"

"You were supposed to be coming back to Chicago in a few days!" Hawkins argued. "That's how long the conference was supposed to last."

"And that conference got interrupted by a city-wide treasure hunt and a serial sniper targeting firefighters," Pelham pointed out. "There wasn't really any time for 'conferencing.'"

"Which is why we're here an extra two weeks," Grainger took up the explanation. "Every firefighter who got shot will be out of the hospital and able to attend . . . though they definitely won't take part in any physical aspects."

"But it makes sure everyone who was brought to attend gets to attend," Pelham nodded. "We were here for a conference, not running around like headless chickens."

There was a pause on the other end. "You all did kind of look like headless chickens from what we saw on the news," Hawkins admitted.

Grainger made a face as Pelham laughed loudly. "Why the hell am I friends with you?"

"Aren't I supposed to be asking you that?" Hawkins snorted. "I'm the odd one out of us."

"Technically, that's me," Pelham grinned. "I'm not EMS certified."

A thud on the other end signaled Hawkins dropping his head onto a hard surface, making Grainger grin. "I hate you so much, Jason."

"Yeah," Pelham grinned around the mouth of his beer bottle. "I know you do."

"Hey, at least you have Seager to keep you company," Grainger snickered. "Bet you wish you still had Veronicat?"

"Demon spawn," Hawkins grumbled. "I'm hanging up now."

"See you in two weeks!" Pelham crowed.

"Go to hell!"

Grainger burst out laughing as the dial tone droned. "Well, he's in a mood!"

"To be fair, by the time we leave, we'll have been here for . . . what, nearly a month?" Pelham shrugged. "That is way longer than how the conference was advertised."

"They're trying to give us back time that was taken because of all the crap that's happened since we got here," Grainger pointed out. "They're making sure this wasn't just a waste of our time."

"We got to work side by side with crews from other states," Pelham argued. "That's not a waste of time."

"No, I agree with that," Grainger shook his head. "But we also just spent days being hunted by a vengeful sniper who was former LAPD. Ever think this is also the city trying to do damage control?"

Pelham made a face. "We could have just moved to a different city."

"Yeah, we could," Grainger huffed. "But the city needs the rest of the country to trust their departments again. They've got to do it somehow . . . and they've got the best chance to do it now."

Pelham sighed. "They better not screw it up."

"Yeah," Grainger nodded, setting his phone down and taking a drink of his beer. "It'd be a disappointment to them if this really does end up being a waste of our time."

***

"I feel like this is déjà vu," Owen complained as he stepped out of their rental car.

"Hey, at least you finally got back out of the hospital," TK laughed, bouncing around from the driver's side to join him. "Honestly, I'm surprised Sylvie got out ahead of you."

"I'm not," Owen shook his head. "Manning and Rhodes kept her . . . what, two days after she woke up? I'm the one they needed to put through paces to make sure I could walk with a new patchwork in my side."

TK wound his arm through his dad's, shepherding him into the hotel. "Well, I know she and Eddie have been stir crazy, waiting for all the conference yadda yadda to get back into gear. They'll be happy to see you out of prison, too."

"Ha, ha," Owen deadpanned. "You mean to tell me there isn't a party getting prepared in the restaurant?"

TK paused. "At least act surprised?"

Owen rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Let's just get in there."

TK laughed and all but dragged Owen into the hotel, the older man letting his son do as he wished. Sure enough, TK took him right to the hotel restaurant, and Owen had no clue how the hotel staff managed to fit the entirety of the Austin, Chicago, New York, and California teams. "About time!" Paul's shout made everyone swivel to the pair.

Cheers erupted, but they were a distant sound to Owen as a blur of blonde and one of brown rushed towards him, and he quickly pushed TK away before bracing himself. Sylvie and Eddie ambushed him at the same time, and Owen smiled, hugging the two paramedics as tightly as he could, ignoring the pain in his side for the moment. "Thank God," Sylvie curled into him with a happy smile.

"Good to see you out of there, Cap," Eddie grinned.

"Look who's talking," Owen countered with a laugh. "You two doing alright?"

"Yeah," Eddie turned and nodded with a grin. "We've got good people looking after us."

Buck, Carlos, and Carla smiled from where they stood with Christopher and the Vega twins, Tommy standing not too far away with Maddie, Nancy, Ana, and Taylor. "Yeah," Owen smiled, seeing Matt and Kelly had migrated to stand closer to the New York crews, where Nolan stood with multicolored eyes locked on his sister. "We all do."

"Speech!" Elliot called with a cheeky grin.

"Speech!" Adam, ever the enabler, joined in.

"Oh, God," Sylvie hid her face in Owen's chest, shoulders shaking in laughter as the chant was taken up by Jet, Nick, Mateo, and Marjan. "Not it!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Owen held up his hands. "Geez, you wanna get everyone kicked out before the celebration even starts?"

"Technically, some of us have to get back to work in less than an hour, so," Will shrugged.

Crockett snorted when the ginger got two elbows to his sides. "Thanks for the reminder, Halstead."

"Well," Kim reached past Jay to pluck a champagne flute from the trays being passed around. "More for us!"

Owen shook his head in amusement, mulling over what he wanted to say as he looked into his own glass. "There's a quote I've been thinking about ever since I woke up in the hospital," he finally said, looking up and around the room. "Carl Sagan once said, 'Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.' When your life, when the world, feels like a never-ending emergency, sometimes just making it through the day can be a struggle. We collect scars, physical and psychological reminders of what we've been through, of who and what we've lost."

Elliot's grip ever so slightly whitened on his glass, Judd tugged Grace closer to his side, and Nancy looked down, her teeth biting into her lip. "But maybe those scars can do more than memorialize our past traumas," Owen continued, looking at Eddie and Sylvie. "Maybe they're also a testament to the fact that we're still here. We are exceptional." He raised his glass. "We are survivors."

"Amen," Eddie agreed, clinking his glass against Owen's.

As Sylvie did the same, Owen held up his other hands. "How about we just do our best to not get shot again?" he grinned.

Sylvie laughed loudly. "I will definitely drink to that," Hank agreed.

Owen grinned. "Austin Rescue!" he called.

"126!" his house responded, moving closer.

Owen held his glass higher. "Austin Rescue!"

"126!" the house chorused, their glasses clinking together.

"Group hug!" the Vega twins yelled, clambering to get into the group.

Laughter rang in the restaurant as everyone crowded together to join the hug. It was the best sound Owen had heard in a long time.

***

"Hey, Eddie?"

Eddie turned away from listening to Buck discuss the factory fire with Taylor and Maddie, finding the rest of the 118 just a few feet away. He discretely nudged Buck with his elbow before migrating over, fixing a smile on his face. "Yeah, Hen?" he asked.

"It's good to see you back on your feet," she smiled at him. "We're glad you're OK."

"Glad I am, too," Eddie nodded, feeling rather than seeing Buck join him. He knew without turning that they now had the eyes of Maddie, Ana, and Taylor as well. "Heard it was quite the manhunt."

"Grittiest I've ever been part of," Athena nodded. "Never been pushed as hard as I was by Benson."

"She knows how to get things done," Buck folded his arms. "Never been so grateful for a police officer in my life. No offense."

She chuckled. "None taken."

"District Attorney McCoy probably had something to do with that, too," Eddie scratched the back of his head. "Price and Sylvie being half-siblings . . . never had that on my bingo board. Anyone else?"

"Someone say my name?"

Eddie was proud of himself for merely giving a small start. Buck, on the other hand, yelped and did an abrupt turn, eyes widening. "You need a bell!" he complained.

"Sorry," Nolan grinned.

"Yeah, no, definitely did not expect that revelation," Bobby shook his head. "Stunned all of us silent."

"Good timing, on Captain Benson's part," Lena quipped.

Just like that, Eddie felt like he was walking on a live wire. "Good timing?" he repeated, looking around everyone gathered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nolan took in the hesitant looks between the members of the 118, and he nodded. "I'm guessing this is about the crane call?"

Eddie looked blankly at Nolan. "What crane call?"

Buck cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "I planned on telling you and Sylvie about that later this evening," he mumbled.

Eddie closed his eyes, already anticipating a headache. "What happened?"

"Buck did a Buck," Hen answered simply, hoping that would be it.

"Buck scaled a crane without any SWAT or police protection in sight or able to protect him," Bobby followed her statement.

Eddie gawked at Buck, but Nolan frowned. "You forgot someone, Captain."

"Forget it, Counselor," Buck shook his head.

"No, I'm not going to 'forget it,'" Nolan folded his arms. "If Captain Nash is going to complain about firefighters climbing a crane while a sniper could target them, he could at least include every firefighter who made the climb."

"Who else went with him?" Eddie asked.

"Lieutenant Pelham," Nolan answered. "Don't worry about scolding Buck about it, Captain Strand already handled that. Tormenting him with thoughts about your son did the trick for the rest of shift."

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose. There was the headache he was worried about. "Noted." The rest of Nolan's words caught up with him, and he did a double take, looking up to glare at Bobby. "OK, hang on . . . please don't tell me you only focused on Buck when this happened."

"He probably won't," Lena gave Bobby an intentional look. "Because he did."

Eddie groaned. "Bobby!"

"He intentionally threw himself into danger!" Bobby defended himself. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Treat Lieutenant Pelham the same way comes to mind," Nolan deadpanned. "Maybe even harsher, since he ranks higher than Buck."

Bobby scowled. "This is a firefighter matter, Counselor."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be opening this can of worms with a bunch of eavesdroppers, Captain."

It was then that Bobby seemed to realize that he had Taylor glaring daggers at him and Ana staring with wide eyes, and he clenched his jaw. "Counselor – "

"Since my sister is currently enjoying her time out of the hospital and having the time of her life with her friends, I'll stand up for Buck in her place," Nolan interrupted, rocking on his heels with a smile. "My sister. I love saying that." Suddenly, Bobby found himself paralyzed under an intense blue-green stare. "Since you appear to enjoy singling people out, I'm going to give you a riddle, Captain. This is something we did often in my defense days. A pair of patrol officers respond to an armed robbery. Both are shot, one in the arm, the other in the knee. Both are easily fixed, neither injury is life-threatening, but the patrolman shot in the arm gets back to work before the patrolman shot in the knee. Based on PD's standards, the patrolman shot in the knee has to stay out longer to regain full mobility before he's allowed back on the streets. Sounds fair, don't you think?"

"Absolutely," Bobby nodded.

"That was my answer, too," Nolan gave a thin smile. Eddie instantly felt his hackles raise; he didn't want that smile aimed at him at any point in time. "Now, same city, there's a building collapse while a house is fighting a four-alarm fire. Steel beams collapse on the best heavy rescue pair, shatters the bones in their legs. They're tough surgeries, but they're manageable. They won't ever be up to their original standards, but they were higher than everyone else's to begin with. Once their doctors clear them, then it's the recertification exams. They pass with flying colors, easily. But when they return to their house, one of the team members gets put back to work immediately. The partner, on the other hand, is told by the captain he's the man behind. Somehow, despite everyone saying he's fit to return to duty, the captain holds him back. That's the way it goes for weeks. Fair?"

"No!" Bobby balked.

The silence was heavy in the restaurant. "Unbelievable," Taylor's disgusted voice whispered behind them.

"Makes one wonder what the hell gave the captain the right to believe he knew better than medical professionals and fire personnel who cleared record-setters before then, right?" Nolan asked bluntly. "After all, questioning their decision this one time would put doubt on every other clearance beforehand."

By then, Hen and Chimney were staring between Bobby and Buck with wide eyes, slowly backing away from what they recognized as a nuclear bomb prepared to detonate. The blood slowly drained from Bobby's face as he realized Nolan's point. "Counselor – "

"Turned out the captain believed that because he knew the partners' personalities, he believed his thoughts on the matter overruled those of Ph.Ds and highly decorated officers," Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Personal opinions overruled professional ones. That sounds like the best way to run operations, doesn't it?"

"No," Eddie's voice trembled with rage. "No, it doesn't."

"Eddie," Bobby began.

"You followed the lawsuit?" Buck's voice was small.

"Not only did defense lawyers in New York follow your lawsuit," Nolan shook his head. "We supported your claim." That drew surprised looks from everyone. "You had a solid case. A sleazebag of a lawyer, sure, but you had grounds to sue. Captain Nash let his personal feelings smother professional opinions. In benching you, he basically told all of your doctors and those who recertified you at the academy that their conclusions were wrong, considering how soon he let the rest of the house jump back into action after other incidents." He made a face. "Especially the whole rebar through the brain case."

Chimney winced, absently reaching up to rub where the scar remained. "I think we get the point."

"Maybe you do," Nolan shrugged. "But as a former defense attorney who handled discrimination suits like this before . . . your captain should know he's running a firehouse, not a daycare. You may be like his kids . . . but you are not his kids. When you're on the clock, you're his firefighters, and no professionally thinking firefighter would bench their arguably best man when everyone else says he's clear for duty. The way I hear it, Captain Strand never did that, and he's TK's actual father."

"He's mentioned that before," Bobby said quietly.

"Did he." Buck winced at the ice in Nolan's tone. "Must have needed to be said again to make sure it sank in." The trill of a ringtone broke the silence, and Nolan checked his phone before nodding. He turned on his heel to leave, but not before he looked at Buck and Eddie. "Glad you got out of Los Angeles if this is the captain you used to have."

"Yeah," Eddie took Buck's elbow, steering him away from the 118 as Nolan departed to answer his phone. "Me, too."

***

"And a date has been finalized for the award ceremony, Mouch."

Boden's words made Sylvie look up from her glass of champagne, blinking owlishly at the circle of firefighter officers. "What award ceremony?"

"Yeah, you're getting an award?" Owen grinned at Mouch. "How come we didn't hear anything about this?"

"We didn't hear about it until we regrouped with the house," Matt gestured between himself and Kelly.

"Well, come on!" Sylvie bounced on her feet excitedly, looking at Mouch expectantly. "What's the award?"

Mouch coughed in embarrassment, making Herrmann grin into his drink. "Firefighter's Award of Valor."

The resulting squeal from Sylvie made multiple people around the room look over in worry. "Are you kidding me?" Sylvie leapt forward to engulf Mouch in a hug, causing Herrmann and Grainger to spring out of her way. "Oh, congratulations!"

"Well done, Mouch!" Owen clapped him on the back.

"Gallo called it the save of the century," Pelham nodded.

"What call was that?" Sylvie looked around.

"One I missed," Matt made a face. "Damn head injury."

"You only have yourself to blame for waiting that long, Matt," Kelly patted his shoulder with a wry grin.

"It was a party supply store," Herrmann told them. "Whole place went up in a fireball just as Mouch comes out the door with the last vic."

"Dropped to his knees when the explosion started, completely covered her," Pelham nodded. "Close call, completely worth the award."

"Oh, good for you, Mouch!" Sylvie beamed.

Mouch smiled, blushing a bit at her attention. "Oh, well . . . anyone woulda done it."

"Well, you did," Boden chuckled. "And we've finally secured a date that works with Deputy Commissioner Hill's schedule."

"When is it?" Owen tilted his head.

"At the end of the week we get back from this city," Boden gestured.

"Oh, good," Herrmann grinned at Mouch. "You got time to prepare."

"We'll be back in Austin by then," Sylvie sighed.

"Wish you could see it," Mouch patted her shoulder.

Sylvie nodded, then paused when she saw a familiar glint in Owen's eyes. She had seen that multiple times from TK. "Uh oh."

"What oh?" Owen raised an eyebrow.

"I know that look."

"What look?"

"That look!"

"Also known as the same look TK had when we agreed to disobey De Leon's orders and rescue the captains," Kelly interjected.

"Oh," Herrmann gulped. "That look."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Four weeks, you say?"

"Yes," Boden nodded.

Owen gave Sylvie an innocent smile. "I'll be cleared for work again. You and Eddie will be, too, right?"

Sylvie frowned. "Assuming we get the all-clear . . . yes."

Owen chuckled. "Think I could convince Chief Radford that a way he could thank Commissioner Grissom for graciously allowing his firefighters to help in Austin would be liaise us to the CFD around then?"

Mouch's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and Sylvie gasped. "You're joking!"

"No," Owen shook his head with a smile. "Besides, I get a feeling everyone at Med's gonna want to see for themselves that you're able to go back to work. And after all we've heard about how crazy Chicago is . . . I kind of want to see it for myself."

"Grissom would probably grab that deal with both hands," Boden nodded, giving two of his officers an iron look. "Especially if a specific person were to extend the offer."

Kelly whistled innocently, taking a sip of his champagne. "I could be convinced."

"Yes!" Sylvie whooped, jumping on him in excitement and almost toppling Kelly into Matt.

"Captain, that's not necessary," Mouch began.

"Nonsense," Owen waved his concern away. "I know Sylvie wants to see you get that award. If it means bribing Grissom a little, I'll make it happen. I doubt he'd say no to an extra squad rig somewhere in the city."

"He definitely won't," Boden agreed, smiling. "Thank you, Owen."

"Anything for my firefighters, Wallace," Owen shook his hand.

He felt another presence approach, one he had gotten used to over the past week. "I missed something," Nolan noted, watching Sylvie speak enthusiastically with Matt and Kelly.

"Not much," Owen shrugged, watching him put his phone back in his pocket. "Was that McCoy?"

"Yeah, just to confirm something I asked about," Nolan smiled. "I told him about Sylvie saying I have a lot of work to do catching up on the 'big brother' stuff, and now that she's recovering from the sniper attack, I have two weeks of compassionate/personal leave starting after the conference."

Owen laughed. "And no one's gonna question McCoy about that whatsoever."

"Nope," Nolan agreed. "So . . . what'd I miss?"

"Well, funny you should mention the time," Owen nodded to Mouch, who had started talking to Herrmann and Boden. "Mouch's ceremony for the Firefighter's Award of Valor will take place the week they get back to Chicago."

"Oh," Nolan grinned. "Congratulations to him."

"You could give it to him yourself," Owen shrugged. "I'm gonna see if I can convince Radford to loan the 126 Squad Company to the CFD in return for letting me have Casey and Severide for a while."

"Are you?" Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Nice of you to do that so Sylvie can see him get the award."

"Well, I do what I can for my firefighters," Owen gave him an innocent smile.

Where Sylvie was not completely versed in reading every mask utilized, Nolan was a master of the art. Those blue-green eyes narrowed into a calculating stare, then blue-green swirled to icy blue grey. "But that's not the only reason why you want to go to Chicago."

Owen stepped closer to stand by Nolan's side, his lips to the edge of the rim of his glass as he whispered. "Think she may find out my other reason is to find out exactly what and who made her leave?"

The blue disappeared entirely, and only stormy grey remained as Nolan's lips curved into a vicious smirk. "If I get to come along, she won't find out from me."

Owen matched his smirk. "You have yourself a deal, Counselor."

***

And I bet all of you were wondering if I would ever go back to the elephant in the room. Don't you all know by now that I have methods for my madness? :)

Yes, I put Owen in the literal line of fire and I gave him Bobby's closing monologue. Considering everything that's happened in the story, I think it fit him more, especially since Price read Bobby the riot act. Besides, how could I pass up the opportunity to have Benson and Stabler say "screw it" and charge headlong into the fire for their brother? I couldn't, plain and simple.

And hooray, Sylvie's back! :) She's had Nolan as her brother for all of one second and she is immediately onboard with the idea XD In canon, she has her adoptive parents, but other than that, she really only has little Amelia as her blood family. We know Nolan lost a brother on L&O but don't know much else. Now they've got each other, and Nolan is going into big brother mode to make it very clear he will accept nothing but the best for his baby sister.

Guess that means that elephant in the room better watch out, right? ;)

Our favorite adrenaline junkie of a squad lieutenant was requested next, so . . . here's Kelly!

***

Kelly

Irish, "war"

Choleric

strength, aggression, passion

The Warrior

forceful, loyal, determined

Type 8, The Challenger

self-confident, decisive, confrontational

ESTP

The Dynamo

Gryffindor

bravery, courage, daring

Aries

the fearless, impulsive, intense, courageous, determined, confident, passionate

Fire

charismatic, focused, daring

The Upright Magician

influence, willpower, resourcefulness, skill, ability

Archetypes

Break the Cutie, The Casanova, Chick Magnet, Everyone Can See It, Firemen Are Hot, Gut Feeling, Like Father Like Son, Polyamory, Rank Up, Red Oni Blue Oni, True Companions

Neutral Good

The Benefactor

Status

alive

***

Up next, we're closing in on the end of the book! We're back to Chicago for "A White-Knuckled Panic!"

graphic by marvelity