You know, at this point, I'm going to stop making promises about a determined amount of how many parts this multi-shot is. Because if I say with certainty it's going to be a set number, I already know I'll likely go over it again. This chapter was pushing 18K when I realized I was nowhere near where I wanted the penultimate part to end, so here I am with another cliffhanger because any earlier and it wouldn't have flowed well.

Matt and the Dardens' visit to Chicago coincides with a pair from New York that are in Chicago for more than just a visit, Sylvie's confidentiality skills are put to the test, Matt and Kelly are Not Subtle, the Dardens possess the only braincells in Chicago, and anyone who has read my Law & Order S22 book should have a pretty good idea how this part will end.

Enjoy!

***

A knock on the door of Kelly's loft made both the lieutenant and Sylvie glance up from their takeout. "Were you planning on making my pity party an actual party?" Sylvie frowned at Kelly.

"First off, not a pity party," Kelly shook his head, standing up and walking to the door. "As for plans, though . . . "

He opened the door and swiftly stood back, and Sylvie was almost knocked off her chair when two teenage boys rocketed to hug her. "You're OK!" Griffin grinned happily.

"A rocket?" Ben's eyes were wide as he looked at Sylvie. "Really?"

"Give her some room to breathe, boys," Matt chuckled as he rolled their suitcases into the loft, Kelly assisting him with a grin.

"Griffin! Ben!" Sylvie laughed, hugging the boys tightly. "Oh, it's good to see you!"

"We kept asking why we couldn't fly here immediately after you were hurt," Ben told her, hopping onto the chair next to her. "Griffin flew down here once by himself. We could've come down while Matt was out on the wildfire lines."

"Isn't it better to do it while school's out?" Matt asked with a huff. "No hurry to leave."

"That is nice," Ben agreed. "No projects to work on."

"No painfully long essays," Griffin nodded.

"And all the time in the world to ask what the hell happened while I was gone," Matt walked up to Sylvie, green eyes shining with concern as he stepped up to Sylvie. "We were told Martucci wouldn't be a problem, then a goddamn RPG blows up on you? What the hell?"

Sylvie blushed. "What was I supposed to do, let Pryma bleed to death?"

"It's a little tempting," Ben grumbled.

"Ben!" Griffin elbowed him.

Matt just sighed and engulfed Sylvie in a bear hug. "You aren't allowed to have any more near-death experiences unless I'm nearby. Got it?"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Kelly complained.

Sylvie merely giggled and tucked her head under Matt's chin, snuggling into his embrace. "Got it, Matt."

"And we don't want to lose the one good female authority figure in our life," Griffin added.

Ben nodded so enthusiastically that it looked like his head would fall off, and Sylvie smiled kindly, holding out an arm. "Still not a fan of your guidance counselor and social worker?"

"Hell no," Griffin huffed vehemently as Ben curled in for a hug. "As far as those women are concerned, we're just thorns in their sides, yet they still think we should stay in Portland."

"Idiots," Kelly scoffed.

"No kidding," Ben nodded.

Sylvie smiled, touched by the boys' faith. "Then I'll do my best to not get killed by an RPG."

"To not get killed period," Ben corrected.

Sylvie nodded in agreement. "Deal."

"Good," Ben nodded, looking satisfied.

"So," Griffin hopped onto another chair. "Matt said you now have a brother?"

Sylvie's face split with a grin. "Oh, he's the best," she said, and Ben sat on her other side as Kelly helped Matt with the luggage. "So, last spring I got an e-mail from the genealogy site I submitted a test to several years ago . . . "

***

"I'm sorry about Hawkins, Violet," Matt told the younger paramedic somberly two days later on shift, the boys swarming Tuesday to hug her. "He was a good man."

"Thanks, Cap," Violet smiled sadly. "I wish I could've saved him . . . but he died saving someone. That was Evan to a t."

"How are Grainger and Pelham?" Matt asked, looking between Kelly and Sylvie. "I remember they were in the academy together. And wasn't Grainger . . . ?"

"The acting PIC while Brett was in New York again?" Herrmann nodded. "Yeah. He was."

"Damn," Matt rubbed his forehead.

"They're handling it better now," Kelly said, handing his best friend a coffee mug. "Grainger was a mess for a few weeks, but he had Seager hovering over him whenever he wasn't on shift. Pelham . . . he threw himself pretty hard into his work. It ended up being a good outlet for him."

"Good for Seager," Matt nodded approvingly.

Sylvie snorted into her mug. "Who'd've thought two or three years ago we'd be saying that?"

Cruz snickered at the end of the table. "Not us."

"You and Casey hated her at first," Capp nodded in agreement.

"What?" Griffin looked up in surprise. "Brett hated someone?"

The rest of 51 burst out laughing as Sylvie buried her face in her arms. "Oh, she did," Mouch grinned. "And it was awful."

"She stole Kelly and tried to keep him!" Sylvie squeaked defensively, making Kelly smile smugly and Matt laugh. "What else was I supposed to think?"

"That Grissom would send him back eventually?" Herrmann asked dryly.

Matt snorted. "Key word eventually."

"That was one of the biggest group hugs I've ever seen between them," Ritter said as he handed the Dardens treats to give Tuesday. "I'm including some of the hugs they've had after some close calls at fires."

"Biggest one is still what happened after Ambulance 61 crashed two years ago," Tony piped up.

"Oh, for sure," Gallo immediately agreed. "That crash didn't kill Brett, but I thought they would hug her to death."

Both men loudly protested as Sylvie hid her flaming cheeks in her hands. All three looked grateful when Carver poked his head into the common room with a look of confusion on his face. "There's a few people on the drive looking at the memorial," he told them. "Kidd and I are doing inventory, or she would go talk to them."

"I'll go," Sylvie lurched to her feet at once, doing her best not to look relieved at the excuse to leave. "I can do inventory on the ambulance afterwards."

She practically sprinted out the doors before anyone else could volunteer, and Cruz rolled his eyes at Gallo and Tony. "Way to go, you guys."

"I thought they figured it out!" Gallo winced. "I'm sorry!"

"Figured what out?" Ben frowned in confusion.

Violet and the members of Squad 3 turned in unison to give Matt and Kelly pointed looks. "Yeah, figured what out?" Cruz folded his arms.

Any response the men would have made was drowned out by a shriek from outside. "No way!"

"Was that Sylvie?" Griffin's head shot up.

Matt and Kelly rushed out the doors to the apparatus floor to find Stella and Carver staring down towards Otis's memorial. When the officers looked in that direction, they found Sylvie stumbling as a teenager with her dark hair in tight braids barreled into her. Sylvie laughed in delight, hugging the girl tightly with a wide smile on her face. "You're OK!" the girl grinned up at her, not looking ready to release Sylvie any time soon. "You're really OK!"

"Of course, I am!" Sylvie laughed, running a hand over the girl's hair. "It's gonna take more than an RPG to knock me down for good."

"How about we don't see what knocks you down for good?" a dry voice said, and the rest of the firehouse saw the dark-haired man wrapped in a wool overcoat standing by Otis's memorial, a fond smile on his face as he watched Sylvie and the girl who had to be his daughter, based on their similar features. "I'm not interested in witnessing the uproar that'll happen otherwise."

Sylvie burst out laughing and released the girl to run for the man. "I can't believe you're here!" she cheered.

The man laughed in return and twirled Sylvie around, making Sylvie shriek again as she flung her arms around his neck to hold on. "What a coincidence that someone's school break came at the perfect time!"

Sylvie was giggling as she was set back on her feet, her face flushed with excitement. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she demanded, wrapping an arm around the teenager's shoulders with such ease it stung Kelly's heart to watch.

The man snorted and slung his own arm around Sylvie's waist, the blonde leaning into him like it was instinctive. "Well, princess, there's this thing called a surprise."

The girl snickered at the nickname, and as eyebrows rose all around the apparatus floor, Sylvie rolled her eyes and playfully punched the man in the arm. "I hate you sometimes."

The man smirked. "Back at you."

"Are we getting another round of New York visitors?" Mouch asked, his curiosity evident.

"Hopefully I'll be warned if more show up," Sylvie replied with a mock glare at the man, who shrugged innocently. "Meet Frank and Lily Cosgrove. They were among the first people I met after I met Nolan."

"Oh," Herrmann blinked in surprise. "Prosecutor?"

"No, NYPD," Frank corrected. "I work out of the 2-7." Almost everyone caught the look Sylvie gave Frank at his words, but she didn't say anything. Violet, near the back with a suspicious glint in her narrowed eyes, was the only one to see the small squeeze Frank gave Sylvie after he spoke. "But once we heard what happened with Martucci, we planned to fly out."

"Organized crime really wasn't kidding about everyone hating that situation, were they?" Gallo blinked.

Frank smirked. "You have no idea."

The bells rang overhead, summoning Truck 81 and Engine 51 to action, and Sylvie pulled the Cosgroves towards the firehouse. "The only reason I'm not yelling at you for not telling me is because I'm way too happy to see you two."

Frank grinned. "You, yelling at Lily? You can try. Me, though? You can have at it later."

Lily gave Sylvie a brilliant smile, and Sylvie groaned. "Oh, come on!"

Griffin and Ben looked torn between confusion and amusement, then Violet coughed intentionally. "If the two of you need to talk some more, maybe Squad and I can start giving Lily a tour?" she suggested.

All four members of Squad 3 looked at Violet in surprise at the offer, and because of the attention on the paramedic, no one saw the small nod Frank gave Sylvie. "Thanks, Violet," Sylvie nodded appreciatively. "Hopefully we'll be back pretty quickly."

"Thanks," Lily smiled, bouncing on her feet as she eyed the remaining rigs on the apparatus floor. "Sylvie's talked so much about the firehouse. I'm excited to see what's different here than in New York."

"It's definitely different comparing Chicago to Portland," Griffin finally said, looking less wary at Lily's interest. "I'm Griffin, and this is Ben."

"Oh, the Dardens?" Lily brightened. "Sylvie talked about you two, Captain Casey, and Lieutenant Severide all the time."

While the kids looked delighted, the officers looked at Sylvie in surprise, who blushed at the attention. Frank, meanwhile, chuckled and patted Sylvie's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's find somewhere to talk before the bells inevitably go off for you."

"Conference room should be open," Cruz offered.

"Thanks," Frank nodded and playfully bowed to Sylvie. "After you."

Sylvie rolled her eyes fondly but obediently headed towards the doors. "Your dad is a riot, Lily!"

"I know!" the girl grinned.

As soon as the door to the apparatus floor shut and they were out of earshot, the mirth on Frank's face disappeared and was replaced by the same expression Sylvie had seen when he was knee-deep in homicide cases. "What happened?" she asked, dreading the worst.

Frank silently shook his head, his pale eyes darting around to staff members milling inside the firehouse, and Sylvie understood. She waited until they walked into the conference room and shut the door behind them, then she faced the detective impatiently. The man sighed and leaned against the wall, glancing at the drawn blinds before beginning to speak. "Have you gotten any messages from Stone in the past few weeks?" he asked.

Sylvie blinked at the question, then she frowned as she thought about her answer. "No," she answered after a moment. "Though he did tell me he would be going off the grid for a while. I didn't expect it to be this long." The grim look on Frank's face made her pale. "Oh, my God, did something happen to him?"

"Not to him," Frank shook his head. "Though if he hadn't been held up at the courthouse, who knows? When I called you a couple of weeks ago or so and we were in the Bronx . . . Benson and Fin were there to help wrangle their SVU team and clear the case backlog, but that was nothing compared to why they were there. Benson was greenlit by BX9 and attacked in front of her son. Had Stone been there, he likely would've been jumped, too."

Sylvie's face drained of color, and she hastily dropped into the chair closest to her. "BX9?" she repeated hoarsely. "Oh, my God. That's . . . that's the same gang they talked about the last time I was there, right?"

"Yes," Frank nodded, taking a chair and sitting across from her. "The gang leader, Oscar Papa, personally made Benson a target after two members SVU collared were killed in prison. So for protection, Stone and Noah were sent out of the city and into protective custody until Papa's trial is complete."

Here he paused, watching her expectantly and waiting for her to put the rest of the puzzle together. "And Peter can't prosecute because of his personal connection to the case," Sylvie said slowly. "And for the leader of such a notorious gang to be on trial . . . the District Attorney would be a fool to have anyone but the best prosecute him."

Frank nodded. "And we both know Jack McCoy is no fool."

"No," Sylvie agreed. "Jack is no fool." She took a deep breath. "So. Nolan is prosecuting the leader of BX9." She stood from her chair and paced by the windows, chewing her lip anxiously. "What does this mean for me?"

"Hopefully, nothing," Frank answered hurriedly as he stood and walked to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Neither Papa nor the rest of BX9 have demonstrated any kind of interest in you so far . . . but when I left, the arraignment hadn't happened yet."

Sylvie swallowed hard, her morning's coffee suddenly tasting bitter at the back of her throat. "So you're my protection detail."

"Yes," Frank admitted. "Though this did fall on Lily's school break, so she practically begged to come with me. Hopefully this is the DA's office being paranoid and there's no danger to you, but she knows what could possibly happen. She wanted to come anyway." He smirked conspiratorially at her. "She complained for days when the case Jalen and I were working meant we couldn't come immediately after the RPG."

It made Sylvie giggle, and Frank felt a spark of satisfaction. "That sounds like Lily."

"Doesn't it?" Frank grinned. Sylvie nodded, and Frank put his other hand on Sylvie's other shoulder so the paramedic fully faced him. "All of us are hoping this is just a formality and there's nothing to worry about," he told her. "Jet and Violet are both keeping ears to the ground, so unless I hear anything about there being a BX9 threat in the area, just think of this as your brother's favorite people being here on vacation. OK?"

"OK," Sylvie nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Good," Frank patted her shoulder, an evil grin forming on his face. "Besides . . . now I get to gloat to Nolan I've met all of your boys."

"They are not my boys!" Sylvie protested, blushing as they headed for the door.

Frank laughed loudly as he swung the door open. "Oh, yes, they are!"

The bells rang and called Ambulance 61, and Sylvie pointed warningly at him as she headed to the apparatus floor. "I swear, if you call them that," she began.

"What?" Frank tilted his head innocently. "You gonna shank me with a scalpel?"

Sylvie rolled her eyes and ran for her ambulance, the echoes of Frank's laughter behind her. "If any of you scare off my Cosgroves, I am not talking to you for the remainder of their time here," she threatened.

Capp spat out his sip of coffee, and Tony gave her a wounded look. "Brett!" Cruz's jaw dropped.

The three kids poked their heads out from where Kelly was showing them the squad rig, and Lily grinned. "Thanks, Sylvie!"

Sylvie winked in return and shut the door, revving the engine to start the ambulance. Next to her, Violet bit her lip, watching and waiting until the rest of Squad 3 have moved out of earshot. "That's Frank Cosgrove," she finally said.

Sylvie nodded, knowing where Violet's mind was going. "Yes, it is."

"He didn't say he was a detective."

"No, he didn't."

"Or that he works with your brother."

"No, he didn't."

Violet nodded slowly, taking a deep breath as Sylvie drove away from the firehouse. "OK. Do I need to worry about anything?"

Sylvie drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "I don't think so."

"OK."

***

Frank's job, given directly to him by the District Attorney's office, was to make sure BX9 didn't hurt Sylvie. It was easy to not raise 51's suspicions since he hadn't shared his rank and his coat had easily covered his sidearm and badge, and unless he heard of a credible threat to Nolan's sister, he was perfectly happy with keeping it that way. He had heard multiple stories of how overprotective certain members of 51 were of the paramedic, and the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself by having them fret about why a detective from Nolan's squad was shadowing Sylvie. If any of Sylvie's other friends from Intelligence or Med knew he was, they never said anything the first night he was at Molly's.

Which was why he swallowed his irritation and headed to Chicago PD's headquarters when he received a request to meet with one of the commanders. "How do they know you're here?" Lily asked curiously, glancing around at the building as she fiddled with her backpack straps.

"Best guess is Jack got word to some of the CPD higher-ups that I was in town just in case people got a little too curious," Frank surmised, pale eyes reading each of the door plaques. "I know he said Mark Jefferies knew."

"So what do they want with you?"

Frank stopped outside one door and knocked on it. "I guess I'll find out."

"Come in!" a voice called from inside.

As Lily sat in one of the chairs outside the office, Frank stepped inside. "Commander Martin Pearce?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

"That's me," the grey-haired man nodded, rising from his desk. "And you must be Detective Frank Cosgrove."

"Yes, sir," Frank confirmed, walking forward to shake his hand. "My apologies, but I'm a little confused. What does a Chicago PD commander need from an NYPD homicide detective?"

Pearce merely gestured to the brunette woman with him, who smiled and held out a card to him. "I'm Melissa Keating."

Frank raised an eyebrow as he read the card. "LaSalle Indemnity?"

"I take it you aren't carrying any of your cards right now," Pearce quipped.

Frank pocketed the card without further ado. "I didn't expect to need any when, correct me if I'm wrong, not too many people know who I am or the significance of why I may be here."

Pearce conceded with a nod. "You're correct, Detective. SA Jefferies knows you're here and why you are, and I'm one of the few members of the CPD brass in the know as well. I know exactly how capable you are, and that's why I reached out. You would be doing me a big favor if you helped me out, especially given who you're here to protect."

Frank's eyebrows rose. "Well, you've got my attention," he said. "What is it you're looking for from me?"

Pearce handed him a folder. "I'd like for you to help me take down the corrupt head of OFI," he answered, watching Frank flip open the folder. "Captain Tom Van Meter."

"Van Meter?" Frank repeated, blinking in surprise as he looked through Van Meter's file. "I know that name."

"You likely would," Pearce nodded. "This is the captain who has asked for Lieutenant Severide's help multiple times."

"And where Severide goes, Sylvie isn't far behind," Frank nodded in understanding, pursing his lips. "And you say he's corrupt? Why?"

"That's why I'm here," Melissa said, placing a picture of a building complex on the desk. "One of our clients, a property developer named Stephen Flores, started building condominiums in Logan Square. Then, rising interest rates and a cooling market made it a lousy business to be in. Luckily for Flores, the construction site burned down last month. Now he gets to collect on his policy and use the money to build a more lucrative multi-use complex on the property."

Frank perused the additional pictures Melissa provided of the fire, whistling lowly at the damage. "So you think this was arson?" he asked.

Melissa nodded. "When I conducted my investigation of the scene, I found what appears to be clear evidence of the use of an accelerant. Imagine my surprise when the official OFI report comes in, and I see that Van Meter declared the fire accidental."

"Clearing the way for Flores to raze the site, thereby destroying any evidence that might remain," Pearce said.

Frank compared the pictures to the OFI report, frowning thoughtfully. "I hear what you're saying," he said. "But everything I've heard of Captain Van Meter is that he's one of the good guys, honest to a fault. The only bad thing Sylvie had to say about him is that he kept Severide at OFI for too long." Pearce snorted, making Frank smirk. "Yeah, I know. Look, if Van Meter lied in the report, do you have a credible motive?"

Melissa nodded. "I decided to look into Captain Van Meter and discovered that he and Flores grew up on the same block in Irving Park. They went to the same school, played on the same varsity basketball team, and they were photographed together at a reunion event for the school just a few years ago."

Frank frowned uneasily at the reunion picture Melissa showed him. "I'm not convinced," he admitted. "But I've seen shakier motives." He glanced at Pearce. "So why is this being brought forward by you, sir?" he asked.

"SA Jefferies thinks this is pretty damning," Pearce answered. "It's serious enough they brought it to CPD. And Jefferies knew you would be here, Detective. He seems to be of the mind that you can get to the bottom of this for us."

"I can do my best," Frank sighed, looking through the photographs again. "You said you're one of the people who knows why I'm here, Commander. I'm not an arson investigator, so I'll need the additional eyes on this."

Melissa scowled, but Pearce leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "You think PIC Brett can keep her mouth shut?" he asked.

Frank snorted. "Her best friend in New York is ADA Peter Stone, her older brother is Executive ADA Nolan Price, she's been a federal witness in a mass murder trial . . . and she's a paramedic. She knows confidentiality, sir. No offense."

"None taken," Pearce shook his head. "I know how close she is to Severide, and I know he's the man Van Meter goes to when he needs an expert eye. I want this clean, Detective. If you think Brett can help you with that, then it's your call."

"Thank you, sir," Frank nodded, packing up the materials given to him. "I'll help you . . . but my priority is on another case."

Melissa didn't look happy, but Pearce held up his hand to stop her from saying anything. "I understand, Detective," he said. "Jefferies made it perfectly clear that McCoy's orders to you were to protect Brett in case BX9 decides to place a hit on her." Frank tensed at the thought, and Pearce leaned forward. "How about a deal?" he said. "You're doing me a favor by helping me with this case. Every spare man I have can track for anything resembling BX9 here in the city, and I'll owe you a favor as well. How does that sound?"

"And Sylvie can help me with this?" Frank asked for clarification, holding up the file.

"If she can be impartial, yes," Pearce nodded.

"And it's understood that her protection detail is my primary concern?"

Pearce nodded and held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Frank nodded and shook Pearce's hand. "We have a deal."

***

Sylvie's phone rang as she was driving back to Firehouse 51, and she frowned and glanced at her pocket. "Can you get that for me?"

"Yeah," Violet reached over. "One sec . . . " She pulled Sylvie's phone out of her jacket pocket and checked the Caller ID. "Huh. It's Cosgrove."

"It is?" Sylvie blinked. "OK, hold it to my ear, will you?" Violet nodded and swiped to answer the phone, pressing it to Sylvie's ear while she drove. "Hey, Frank," Sylvie greeted. "I'm driving. Can you make this quick?"

"I'll do my best," Frank replied. "Don't tell your partner what we're talking about. Can you make a detour to OFI and meet me there?"

Sylvie did a double take. "Uh, yeah, it's on our way back," she said, checking the street signs. "Can I ask why?"

"Not on the phone. I'll tell you when you get there. Just know it's important, and it stays between the two of us."

Sylvie frowned but nodded, clicking on the turn signal. "Copy that. I'll see you there."

"Thanks."

The call ended, and Sylvie nodded thankfully to Violet. "What was that about?" her partner asked, setting Sylvie's phone down.

"I'm not entirely sure," Sylvie shook her head. "But given the way Frank was talking, I think he picked something up while he's here."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "Does he do that often?"

"Stick his nose where he can't help it?" Sylvie smirked. "Frank is a dog chasing a bone. He sniffs out even the smallest little mystery, and away he goes." She glanced up at the building they pulled up to. "But involving OFI, for some reason . . . "

Violet blinked up at the building then looked at Sylvie. "This is something else I should stay quiet about, isn't it?"

"Probably," Sylvie admitted. "I'll be back."

Violet nodded and sat back to wait as Sylvie jogged towards the entrance to OFI. Frank was already there, his arms folded, and he nodded to Sylvie when she reached him. "You can keep a secret, right?" he asked as they walked into the building.

Sylvie snorted. "I haven't told anyone at 51 your rank or why you're really here."

"Just making sure," Frank held up his hands placatingly. "I was asked by one of the CPD commanders to look into something while I'm here, and I asked if I could bring you in on it. He said yes as long as you didn't say anything about it."

"OK," Sylvie nodded, looking around the OFI building. "And why are we here?"

Frank pulled her to the side so they couldn't be heard. "Commander Pearce thinks that Captain Van Meter is covering up an arson."

"What?!" Sylvie balked, her voice rising in pitch.

"Sylvie!" Frank hissed, squeezing her arm tight.

"I'm sorry!" Sylvie shook her head, lowering her voice again. "But . . . Van Meter? No. No way. He wouldn't do that, not for a million dollars."

"That was my impression when you talked about him," Frank nodded. "But the circumstances of the case caught Jefferies' attention, and now the police are involved. They're taking it seriously, and Pearce asked me to double-check their work. I work homicides, not arson, so I need your eye on it. But it's gonna be a lot of sneaking around, and it has to be quick. OFI can't catch on that we're looking into their leader."

Sylvie exhaled shakily. "And no telling anyone . . . like Kelly and Seager." Frank nodded, and Sylvie rubbed her forehead. "Jesus, Frank . . . "

"I don't like it, but if Van Meter is cleared, his skin is saved," Frank told her. "Besides . . . it'll give me something to do while you're on shift."

"There's that," Sylvie huffed. "Alright. But I'm doing it for you and Van Meter, not for the CPD."

Frank nodded gratefully and handed her a Post-It note. "You know where we can pick up these case files?"

"Yeah," Sylvie nodded. "Follow me."

Frank gamely followed her through the staircases of OFI, noting when she quickly darted past one office so its occupant didn't notice her. Frank followed at a more leisurely pace, seeing Van Meter scanning through a file as he passed. "Would he really be that suspicious of you being here?" he asked.

"I'm a paramedic," Sylvie deadpanned. "Not a firefighter."

Frank sighed. "Firefighter lingo," he muttered in distaste.

Sylvie rolled her eyes and walked into the archives, putting on a bright smile when she saw who sat at the desk. "Omar, right?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, standing from his stool. "What can I get for you?"

"Can I have everything you got on this one?" Sylvie asked, handing him the Post-It.

Omar nodded when he read the number. "Yeah, sure thing." He moved through the shelves of boxes as Sylvie wrote on one of the clipboards. "Signing them out?" Omar asked as he returned with two boxes.

"Yeah," Sylvie nodded, carefully taking the boxes from him. "Thanks. I'll bring them back later."

Omar nodded in return. "So long, Brett."

Sylvie headed out of the room, grinning around the boxes at Frank. "Delivery!"

"Thanks," Frank said dryly, taking the top box from her. "Geez . . . and I thought cold cases had a lot of paperwork."

Sylvie snorted, leading the way out of the building. "Kelly was initially transferred to OFI by the commissioner to help clear their backlog. I think all he did was tackle new cases."

Frank snickered, leading Sylvie to his car. "That sounds like him."

"Ambulance 61. Person in distress, 2934 North Armitage."

Sylvie quickly placed her box on the ground. "Let me know if you need anything from me!" she said hurriedly, running to get back to her ambulance.

"I will!" Frank called after her.

Violet had shifted into the driver's seat, and Sylvie jumped into the passenger seat. "Everything good?" Violet asked, pulling away from the curb.

Sylvie sighed and buckled in, swallowing her adrenaline as she finally thought about how Frank's investigation could impact everything. "Mum's the word, Violet."

Violet made a face, but she nodded. "Mum's the word."

Sylvie sighed in relief, sitting back as Violet drove towards their call. Now all she had to do was wait and see if Frank needed her help to determine if Captain Van Meter was corrupt or not.

Oh, God, Kelly was going to hate her if she had any hand in taking Van Meter down.

***

A knock on the door made the four at the counter look up, and Matt frowned at Kelly. "Didn't the boys and I just do this the other day?"

"You did," Kelly said as he hopped off his stool. "But I remember Sylvie saying she had plans with the Cosgroves this evening."

"That reminds me," Griffin looked at Matt. "While you're at 51 with Kelly tomorrow, can we go with Lily to the Riverwalk?"

Matt blinked. "Well, if her father's OK with it, it's fine by me. I'm surprised the three of you hit it off so well."

"Our guardians are all first responders," Ben shrugged. "And Lily's awesome." Matt frowned at him, and Ben snorted. "She's a friend, Matt."

Kelly bit his lip to contain a snicker as he opened the door, then he blinked when he saw who waited outside. "Van Meter," he said in surprise.

"Sorry to drop by, Severide," Van Meter nodded politely. "I was wondering if Brett is with you at the moment?"

"Sylvie?" Kelly repeated. "Uh, no, she isn't. She's got visitors of her own in town, so unless they had other plans, they're likely at her place."

Van Meter frowned, but he nodded. "Thank you. I thought you would be the first person to check with." He peered past Kelly and waved when he saw Matt. "I heard you were back in town, Casey. Good to see you."

"Likewise, Van Meter," Matt waved in return. "Griffin, Ben, this is Captain Tom Van Meter from OFI."

"Nice to meet you, boys," Van Meter smiled.

"Thanks," Griffin nodded in return.

Ben, however, frowned and folded his arms. "Why did you think Sylvie was here?"

"Ben!" Matt hissed.

"It's a fair question," Kelly admitted. "Do you need our help with something?"

"That's what I came here to ask," Van Meter said. "According to Omar's records, Brett signed out everything from a case I worked a while back, and she didn't say why she was taking them."

"She did?" Kelly did a double take. "When was this?"

"Yesterday in the morning before your shifts ended," Van Meter answered.

Kelly looked back at Matt, Griffin, and Ben in confusion, only to meet equally confused looks. "Sylvie and Violet didn't have anything in the ambulance when they got back to the firehouse," Matt told them.

"The Cosgroves weren't at the house all day, though," Griffin said thoughtfully.

Van Meter stilled suddenly. "Who?"

"Sylvie's visitors from New York," Kelly replied. "Frank and Lily Cosgrove, father and daughter."

Van Meter's jaw clenched, and he exhaled slowly. "Thank you, Severide. I'll check with her. Have a good evening."

"You, too," Kelly nodded.

Van Meter abruptly departed, and Kelly closed his door slowly. "Is he normally like that?" Ben frowned.

"No," Kelly shook his head with a frown. "Which means something is wrong."

***

"Wow," Lily's eyes were wide as she surveyed the amount of things Frank and Sylvie had laid out on the furniture. "All of this is from one arson case?"

"Yep," Sylvie nodded as she looked through the folder she held. "And everything they collected from the scene, all of which should lead us to the same conclusion as Van Meter."

"Which is not arson?"

"Exactly," Frank confirmed. "I've already taken a look through everything, and I just need Sylvie to make sure everything matches what I found."

"Yeah, sure," Sylvie nodded. "What did you find?"

A sharp rap on the door stopped Frank from saying anything, and the detective's expression darkened, his hand immediately dropping to his sidearm. Sylvie's heart dropped, and she automatically backed away, taking Lily's arm and carefully tugging her with her. The teenager didn't argue; instead, she pressed close to Sylvie's side and let the paramedic usher her towards the hall. Frank gestured for them to be quiet as he carefully walked to the door, peering through the spyhole to see who was at the door. He relaxed a moment later with a sigh. "Well, this complicates things."

"What does?" Sylvie frowned, Lily peeking out from around her.

Frank gestured to the door, raising an eyebrow in silent question. Sylvie nodded in permission, and Frank opened the door. "Captain Van Meter," he greeted, and Sylvie gulped. "Good to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Van Meter narrowed his eyes. "Cosgrove, was it?"

Sylvie balked, but Frank merely blinked. "So you know who I am." He walked back towards the main room, beckoning for Sylvie and Lily to come out of the hallway. "How, exactly, do you know?"

"I stopped by Severide's loft before I came here," Van Meter answered, staring down at the array of evidence strewn around Sylvie's apartment. "I thought if Brett had signed out all of this, he was somehow involved. He and Casey were just as surprised as I was. Then he said your name . . . and SA Jefferies made sure several high-ranking officials across departments knew of Brett's connections in New York through her brother."

Sylvie swallowed hard. "Captain – "

"What is this, Brett?" Van Meter interrupted. "Why am I being ambushed by you and the NYPD?"

Lily squeezed Sylvie's hand, and the blonde took a deep breath. "Look . . . surely you know by now that the insurance company disagrees with you on the cause of this fire."

"How is that any of your business?" Van Meter scowled.

"Because they think you're covering something up!" Sylvie huffed. "The CPD is involved!"

"And you're helping them?" Van Meter scoffed.

"I'm trying to help you!" Sylvie argued. "Frank and I both are!"

"Oh, you are?" Van Meter glared at Frank. "Are you trying to see if I'm covering up a murder, Detective?"

Sylvie's breath hitched, but Frank didn't rise to Van Meter's bait. "I'm as close to neutral as an investigator can get right now," he told the captain. "Between the CPD and the insurance company wanting your head and the CFD wanting you to keep it, I'm the only one walking into this with just the case to look at."

"And what does the case tell you?" Van Meter folded his arms challengingly.

Frank held up the photograph from the high school reunion. "That you looked pretty cozy with the property owner."

"Stephen Flores?" Van Meter asked incredulously. "That's just a guy I used to know! Is that what they're basing this on?"

Frank shrugged. "I've heard wilder motives that ended up following through."

Van Meter looked at Sylvie incredulously, but she bit her lip and shrugged, following Frank's lead. "Look," the captain seethed. "That insurance investigator is wrong about the accelerant. The charring she noted was due to an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon from a can of charcoal lighter fluid that likely got crushed under a firefighter's boot in zero visibility. The fire preceded that spill. The real cause was a high-voltage short in a faulty EV charger."

Sylvie blinked and glanced at Frank. "A faulty EV charger?" she repeated.

Frank shook his head. "I didn't see that anywhere. It's not here."

Van Meter frowned. "Sure, it is!"

"It's not!" Frank insisted.

Van Meter huffed. "Well, then it got lost!"

"Van Meter . . . " The man whirled around on Sylvie, who stiffened under his glare. "You're the captain of OFI," she told him. "How does a critical piece of evidence like that get lost when it's the only thing that says this wasn't arson?"

Van Meter's eyes hardened, and Lily instinctively shuffled closer to Frank. "After all the trust I put in you, the trust Severide said you deserved to have, you're just going to take their word for it that I'm covering up for an old friend?" he hissed. "You, Brett?"

"Captain," Frank began warningly.

Sylvie swallowed hard but held her ground. "This is coming from someone who has seen commanding officers take the lead on cases but don't handle the entire thing on their own," she said, looking Van Meter in the eye. "Why were you the only one handling this investigation? By yourself?"

Van Meter's eyes widened at the question, but they just as quickly narrowed. "Severide clearly has more faith in you than you deserve," he sneered. "You damn traitor."

Sylvie's face drained of color, and Lily's gasp rang in the silence of the apartment. "Get out of here, Captain," Frank ordered, his voice making the temperature drop several degrees. "Before I haul you out of here myself. And I would hate to do that in front of my daughter."

Van Meter turned to glare at him next, but Frank's pale eyes swirled like a blizzard, one arm held out to keep Lily behind him. It was then that Van Meter seemed to finally process the presence of the teenager, and he abruptly nodded. He left without a word, letting the door shut behind him.

As soon as the door latched, Sylvie's face crumpled, and she dropped into the chair behind her with a sob, burying her face in her hands. "Sylvie!" Lily scrambled over the piles of evidence to hug her.

Sylvie shook her head, unable to find the words to describe the shard of ice that had been shoved in her heart at Van Meter's blatant accusation. Frank's arms wrapped around her a second later, and Sylvie clung to the Cosgroves' offered comfort like a lifeline. "Why didn't he just answer?" she cried, her voice wobbling. "Surely it's an easy answer!"

"I wish I could tell you, Sylvie," Frank sighed, watching Lily burrow her way onto the chair with Sylvie to hug her tighter. "But a man who is cornered will lash out in any way to try and protect himself. In fact, they can be even harsher when they know they're innocent but are questioned like they are not. Unfortunately, the good captain doesn't seem inclined to give us your answer."

Sylvie slumped against Frank, her eyes red from crying. "And that doesn't look good for him."

"No," Frank shook his head. "It doesn't."

Sylvie closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "So what do you do now?" Lily asked quietly.

Frank waited as Sylvie gathered herself, then he watched as the paramedic straightened. "Van Meter gave a pretty clear description of why this wasn't arson," she said. "And he was insistent the EV charger was the cause. If he thinks it got lost somewhere, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to call Chief Boden and take tomorrow off. I won't tell him everything, just enough that he'll allow me to have the time off. I want to take care of this case as soon as possible."

"OK," Frank nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."

"You aren't a traitor, Sylvie," Lily said with all the confidence of a teenage girl, hugging the blonde as tightly as she could. "You're trying to prove Van Meter's story is true."

"I know, Lily," Sylvie gave a strained smile, gratefully hugging the girl. "I just wish he had seen it that way."

***

It spoke to the amount of trust Matt had in the Dardens that he let them leave the loft ahead of them as long as they promised to let him know when they met up with Lily. They had done so as the pair of men pulled up to Firehouse 51, and Matt couldn't help but laugh as he showed Kelly the picture they had sent. "At least they have a friend."

Kelly, too, laughed at the silly poses the three teenagers had made around one of the trees, their glee evident on their faces. "You're doing wonderful with them, Matt."

"It's amazing what having some stability in their life does," Matt said as they walked to the firehouse. "Ben has completely come out of that shell he built for himself, and Griffin is thriving. It's as if they never had any tension between them at all. They're as thick as thieves."

"And they found a third musketeer," Kelly nodded at Matt's phone.

Matt grinned as they entered through the apparatus floor. "Sound familiar?"

Kelly chuckled. "Oh, does it?" He paused when he passed by the conference room, then he did a double take and rounded back. "Grainger?"

The engine lieutenant looked up from where he was speaking with Violet, and he raised a hand and waved. "Hey, guys."

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked in confusion. "I swear I saw Herrmann out by the engine."

"He is," Grainger nodded. "I'm the acting PIC today."

"What?" Kelly asked in alarm. "Why?"

"Where's Brett?" Matt asked Violet.

"I don't know," Violet shook her head. "She texted me last night and said she asked Boden to have the shift off, but when I asked why, all she said was that it was an emergency."

Rushed footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see Seager run through the door. "Wendy?" Grainger jumped to his feet, concern on his face as he walked over to her. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Seager panted, doubling over as she worked to catch her breath. "I just . . . " She frowned and looked up at her friend. "Wait . . . why are you here?"

"He's the acting PIC today, apparently," Kelly replied.

He was surprised when Seager paled. "Brett isn't here?"

"Are you looking for her?" Matt asked.

"Yeah," Seager nodded, a look of concern on her face. "When I got into the office today, I found Van Meter in a fit. When I asked what was wrong, all he did was scoff and tell me to ask 'the two-faced paramedic Severide shouldn't trust.'" Violet's jaw dropped, and Seager shrugged helplessly. "I'm just telling you what he said. I was hoping Brett would clear anything up, but she isn't answering my texts or calls."

"Van Meter said that?" Grainger asked incredulously. "About Brett?"

Seager nodded miserably, and Matt looked at Kelly warily. "Maybe this has something to do with whatever case Sylvie signed out of OFI?"

"Why did she do that?" Seager frowned.

"I don't know!" Kelly huffed. "I didn't see her after shift yesterday, and Van Meter visited last night to ask if I had anything to do with the sign out."

All four officers turned to Violet in unison, and the paramedic gulped. "Look, we dropped by OFI last shift, it's true," she said. "But Brett told me not to ask any questions. Whatever she was doing there . . . she didn't look happy about it."

"What was the case she took?" Kelly asked Seager. "Do you know?"

"I checked the records room before I came here," Seager swallowed. "The case she took . . . it was one Van Meter personally investigated. And I've heard rumors it's coming under fire from an insurance company."

"What the hell for?" Matt looked at Kelly in bewilderment.

"I don't know," Seager shook her head despondently. "But whatever it is, Van Meter basically ordered me to work from home and not come into the office."

"Why would he call Sylvie such a thing?" Kelly scowled. "She hates anyone who betrays their badge."

Seager held up her hands defensively. "Don't shoot the messenger, Severide."

The bells rang overhead, summoning all rigs to work, and Kelly shook his head. "I'll see if we can drop by OFI later today," he said. "I want some answers, and I want to know why the hell Van Meter thinks I shouldn't trust my best friend who wouldn't hurt a fly if she could help it."

"Maybe keep your crew from throttling Van Meter so you can get answers," Grainger advised as he and Violet headed for the ambulance.

Kelly snorted and climbed into his rig. "No promises."

***

When Melissa walked into the OFI records room, she found Frank and Sylvie consulting with Omar in the middle of the shelves. "Detective," she greeted.

"Ms. Keating," Frank nodded.

"Omar, this is Melissa Keating," Sylvie introduced. "She's with the insurance company."

Omar gave Melissa a stiff nod, his disdain for her evident. Melissa didn't appear to care. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

"Take a look at these case dates," Sylvie replied, holding out a clipboard for her. "When the Flores fire happened, OFI was already in the middle of a dozen other cases. That would've left them shorthanded."

Melissa nodded in understanding. "Giving Van Meter the justification he needed to personally handle the case."

"Exactly," Sylvie smiled thinly. "It would be easy to claim that he didn't have the luxury of recusing himself."

Frank plucked the clipboard from Sylvie's hand and started looking through the shelves, and Melissa folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What about this alleged missing evidence?"

"That's why we're here," Sylvie gestured to the case boxes around them. "If OFI were overwhelmed, Van Meter could say that the evidence was misplaced. So, let's take a look at the active cases at the time and cover our bases."

Melissa looked unimpressed. "So we're going on a treasure hunt?"

Sylvie's expression darkened, and Omar muttered something under his breath and hurried to the desk. "Last night, I was called a traitor to my department by someone I hold in high respect, even now," Sylvie said quietly. "If I'm going to be a traitor, I'm going to be damn sure it's because I took every route possible to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't care if it's a pebble – I'm going to turn over every stone before I call Van Meter corrupt. If you don't want to look, fine. I'm going to look for the EV charger evidence he swears is here, and if it doesn't show up, then I'll agree with Frank's course of action."

"And that will be?"

Frank appeared on the opposite side of the room, and Melissa jumped, not having heard the detective move. "That charges be pressed against Van Meter," he answered. "And remember – Commander Pearce gave me the final say."

Melissa pursed her lips and glanced at the shelves. "OK," she finally nodded. "I'm on board."

"Great," Sylvie nodded, pulling a box off the shelves with determination. "Let's get to work."

***

"I like this view," Lily smiled as she and the Dardens sat at one of the Riverwalk tables, the three watching boats float by. "Good suggestion."

"I like 51," Griffin said, digging into his ice cream. "But even I would get tired of being there shift after shift when I'm not even a firefighter."

"I get it," Lily agreed. "It's been like that when I've stayed with my dad on vacation. There's only so much fun you can have at a precinct before you go crazy."

"I barely remembered 51," Ben said quietly. "I barely remembered Chicago. It makes me wish we could stay."

"I remember Sylvie saying you were essentially stuck in Portland," Lily swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Griffin shook his head, his frustration evident. "Those ladies only ever seem to care about us when we're in trouble. I don't get it – if we're such a problem, why not let Matt bring us here?"

"'We're better off in Portland,'" Ben scoffed, stabbing into his ice cream with his spoon. "Yeah, we're better off in the city where no one noticed we were without our guardian for over a month or that Griffin flew off to Chicago to find someone who actually cared about us."

"That's horrible," Lily's jaw dropped.

"I know!" Ben exploded. "How is it that we kids get this is a bad idea but two ladies who are supposed to 'know what's best for us' don't?"

"We'll get out of there one day," Griffin said determinedly. "And then we can stick it to those ladies that they were wrong."

Ben huffed. "I wish that one day could come sooner. Maybe Lily's dad could do something."

Lily giggled. "My dad isn't with SVU. He works with them sometimes if a case demands it, but it isn't his style."

"He said he works out of the 2-7, right?" Griffin asked. "Homicide?"

"Yep," Lily nodded. "If my dad ever needs to murder someone, he knows how to get away with it."

Ben made a face. "Well, that sucks whenever you get a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend."

Lily giggled. "Good thing I'm not interested in anyone like that right now."

"Yeah," Griffin smirked. "For anyone with a crush on you."

Lily rolled her eyes. "They'd have a whole lot of people to convince of their good intentions." At Griffin and Ben's confused looks, she froze. "Uh . . . "

"What?" Ben blinked. "Did we say something?"

Griffin tilted his head as he considered Lily. "Does your dad work with Sylvie's brother?" he asked, and Lily's eyes widened. "Well, she said you met after she met Nolan. And if he works from the 2-7, that's got to mean they cross paths at some point, right?"

Lily fiddled with her spoon. "More than that," she said quietly. "My dad is the senior detective reporting to the 2-7. Nolan is the lead prosecutor for his team's cases. They've been best friends for over a year, practically since my dad joined the squad."

"Whoa," Ben grinned. "Really? That's awesome!"

"He didn't mention that at the firehouse, though," Griffin frowned. "Why not?"

Lily bit her lip, moving so she sat cross-legged on her chair. "Dad didn't want to draw attention, so if no one questioned it, he said not to tell," she admitted. "So he just introduced himself as a police officer working out of the 2-7. No one at 51 asked for further information, so . . . he didn't say anything else."

"Is there a problem with an NYPD detective being here?" Griffin wondered. "Herrmann said an entire NYPD team was here when Sylvie was hospitalized after the RPG."

"Sergeant Bell's task force," Lily nodded. "Jack sent them to handle the weapon dealer's business or whoever he was. And to make sure the dirty cop got arrested."

"Good for them," Griffin nodded.

"Still not sure why that means a homicide detective should draw less attention to himself, especially since he's not here working," Ben blinked. "Organized crime sounds like a bigger deal."

Lily shrank back against her chair, and Griffin's mouth hung open in realization. "Oh," he whispered. "He is working, isn't he? And he doesn't want people to know."

Lily sighed and stared up at the sky. "My dad's gonna kill me."

"Hey, we won't tell anyone," Ben rapidly shook his head. "We can keep a secret."

"Yeah," Griffin quickly agreed. "The adults can have their secrets. Why can't we?"

Lily bit her lip and looked around. "You really can't tell anyone," she said. "I had to beg my dad to come along, and he only agreed because not many people could question him taking his daughter on vacation during her school break."

"Our secret," Griffin promised.

Ben nodded in agreement, and Lily sighed. "OK," she said, setting her ice cream on the table and leaning closer to the boys. She bit back a smile when the boys mirrored her action, leaning in so close their noses almost touched. "So a few weeks ago, my dad got called out in the middle of night because Captain Benson had been attacked . . . "

***

"I got nothing," Melissa declared, shutting one of the boxes. "You?"

Sylvie sighed and rubbed her forehead, shaking her head miserably and shutting one of the boxes around her. "Nothing."

"That son of a bitch really did it," Melissa shook her head. "He just invented a cause out of whole cloth and thought he could get away with it."

Sylvie huffed and climbed to her feet, wincing as she stretched tired legs. "This doesn't feel right."

Melissa frowned, watching Sylvie peer at additional boxes. "What are you looking for? We already checked all the concurrent investigations. Right?" She looked past Sylvie to Omar. "We got all of them?"

"That's all of them," Omar confirmed.

"Come on, Sylvie," Melissa said. "We did our due diligence. It's time to drop the hammer on Van Meter."

"No," Sylvie shook her head. "We've got to be missing something." She flipped through the papers on her clipboard, worrying her lip between her teeth. "Something to connect this case to another . . . "

"You still think he's innocent?" Melissa asked in disbelief. "Sylvie, come on. We can't find the evidence because it was never here."

"If you want to leave, feel free," Frank finally spoke up from further down the line of shelves. "But I imagine your company won't be happy if you put away a respected member of the CFD and then it comes out he's innocent because we missed a box."

Melissa frowned. "You, too, Detective? Surely you have better things to do than waste your time going through OFI cases."

Sylvie bristled, but Frank made a show of dropping one box loudly on the ground, making Omar jump. "My job is to stick to Sylvie's side and make sure no one hurts her," he said, opening the box and looking through its contents. "So no, actually, I don't have anything better to do because what I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. Sylvie's here, and as long as she is, so am I. Besides, Sylvie has a point."

"I do?" Sylvie blinked.

"You do," Frank nodded. "The two of you took the last of the concurrent investigations, so I started looking in a few other boxes. See, one of the big cases my team tackled a few months ago involved a career criminal with a rap sheet that looked more like a CVS receipt than a record. The bastard's attorney actually tried using that against us because one of our ADAs at the time missed a piece of evidence that could have locked away the guy months ago so this murder didn't take place. Nolan knocked that argument down quickly, and that evening I took the attorney's headshot and put it on one of the targets at the shooting range. I beat my personal best that night. No one starts a witch hunt against my little sister like that." Melissa's face had paled, and Frank smiled innocently. "Not actually my sister, but she may as well be. I digress, though, since that's not the important part. Sam saved the case because she was able to find a common factor in Castillo's previous files that matched our own case. So, if we go through some of these cases that might be similar to the Flores fire . . . "

"We might find the EV charger," Sylvie grinned.

"Exactly," Frank nodded and turned to a hopeful-looking Omar. "So, any idea where we can begin on that front?"

***

Cruz stopped in his tracks at the foot of the stairs, staring at Kelly and ignoring Capp and Tony when they ran into him. "I'm sorry," he sputtered. "Van Meter called Sylvie a what?!"

"Exactly!" Kelly growled, swiftly moving to the side so no one ran into him as he followed Seager up the stairs. "And I want an answer!"

"Oh, hell no," Capp shook his head, practically sprinting up the steps. "Wait up!"

"Then keep up!" Kelly barked.

Seager led the way to Van Meter's office, and the captain scowled as one OFI investigator and four squad firefighters attempted to squeeze through the door at the same time. "Don't you boys have a shift today?" he asked.

"We do," Kelly folded his arms with a glower. "And yet we have someone missing on shift right now, and somehow I get the feeling you're behind it."

"Me?" Van Meter's eyebrows rose. "Why do I care about Brett's shifts?"

"Cap!" Seager gasped, her eyes wide.

"What the hell?" Kelly demanded angrily, hearing Capp and Tony growl behind him. "Calling her a traitor? Saying I shouldn't trust her? How dare you!"

"We heard it on our way up here!" Seager gestured vehemently, making Cruz duck to avoid being hit with her hand. "Calling a paramedic untrustworthy? Why?"

"Why?" Van Meter repeated, ice in his tone. "She's helping the CPD while they're trying to say I'm covering up arson for someone I used to know in high school!"

Kelly blinked. "I'm sorry," he shook his head. "Sylvie's helping the CPD . . . investigate you?"

"No," Cruz immediately shook his head. "That can't be right."

"She had the entire case spread out across her living room like she was looking through a crime scene," Van Meter shrugged, his derision clear. "And that New York cop of hers is helping, too."

Kelly narrowed his eyes. "Cosgrove is helping?"

"More likely he got her involved," Van Meter huffed, viciously writing on the paperwork on his desk. "I put my trust in her because you trusted her, Severide. And this is how she repays my trust? Letting the police leash her and get her to do their dirty work? Isn't her brother a prosecutor?"

A loud thud came from the doorway, and everyone whipped around. Sylvie stood there, her cheeks flushed angrily, her hands curled in fists at her sides, an OFI case box at her feet. Her eyes were rimmed red and beginning to fill with tears, and Kelly's immediate thought was that the paramedic looked exhausted. Her braid, which must have been tied perfectly at one point, had almost come undone, and he could see how much she shook. "Leash me?" she repeated, and Capp flinched at the acid in her voice. "I'm not a damn dog, Van Meter."

An unfamiliar brunette woman appeared on Sylvie's other side, her face pinched as she looked at Van Meter. "Are you going to insult PIC Brett the entire time, Captain?" she asked. "Or will you let us say our piece?"

"Fine," Van Meter narrowed his eyes. "How goes the witch hunt?"

"Captain!" Seager protested.

Sylvie gritted her teeth and picked up the box she had dropped in the doorway. She brushed past Squad 3, not looking at any of them, and dropped it with an intentional thud on Van Meter's desk. She took the top off the box and pulled out an evidence bag, dropping it on top of Van Meter's paperwork. "The faulty wiring from the EV charger that started the condominium fire," she announced. "Not in the condominium case boxes like it should've been."

Van Meter nodded slowly. "Where was it?"

Sylvie merely shifted the box around to display the label, and Kelly watched the anger drain away from Van Meter's face. He peered around to glance at the label, and he frowned in confusion. "CEVIA?" he asked.

"It's an electric vehicle reseller on the Mag Mile," Sylvie explained, folding her arms and staring down Van Meter. "According to the case files, they suffered a small fire around the same time as the Flores condominium blaze. Someone in OFI thought the EV charger evidence was actually related to CEVIA, so they tossed it into this box instead of where it actually belonged."

"You need a better filing system, Captain," Melissa said icily. "It's a wonder you close any cases at all. That evidence could've been lost forever. You got lucky, though. She never lost faith in you. I think it's fair to say she would've torn apart your entire records room if it meant she would find the evidence necessary to clear your name."

The color of Van Meter's face resembled that of sour milk, and Sylvie swallowed hard as she took back the faulty wiring, shoved it into the box, and slammed the lid back into place. "Not bad for a traitor, huh?" she asked.

"Brett," Van Meter began, his voice shaking.

But Sylvie swiftly turned on her heel and left, not looking at anyone. Melissa clicked her tongue and leveled an iron look at Van Meter. "Commander Pearce would like to meet with you, Captain," she said. "To close this case once and for all. Unless you would prefer to slander a loyal paramedic further, if what I heard in the halls is anything to go by?"

The members of Squad 3 glared at Van Meter, Kelly's emerald eyes almost glowing with his anger. Van Meter, to his credit, didn't flinch; instead, he steeled himself and nodded. "I can meet with him now, if he has the time."

"He does," Melissa nodded.

She said nothing further, merely stepped out the door and waited expectantly. Sylvie reappeared a moment later, her arms folded tightly around her protectively. Behind her stood Frank Cosgrove, the man with a hand on her shoulder, his face utterly expressionless. Those pale eyes of his seemed to bore right into Van Meter, and that time the captain did flinch as he stood. "Very well."

Sylvie abruptly turned and headed for the exit without saying a word. Frank followed her at once, and Melissa waited until Van Meter had gathered his belongings. When the captain departed, she nodded politely to the five remaining in the office before leaving. "What the hell just happened?" Tony asked quietly.

Seager looked helplessly at Kelly, who took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. "That explains why she couldn't say anything."

"Couldn't?" Seager asked. "Or wouldn't?"

Kelly blew out his breath in a rush. "I'll ask her later. I don't think she'll want to talk about it while I'm still on shift."

Seager pursed her lips, but she didn't argue. "And who was that with her?"

Kelly bit his lip, pushing down the envy that flared in him. "That was her visitor from New York."

***

The walk to Commander Pearce's office was tense with silence, so tense Sylvie felt like a noose kept looping tighter around her heart. She could feel Van Meter's eyes on her back, and she resisted the urge to increase her pace. All she wanted to do was get this over with, and she wanted out of the man's sight as soon as possible.

Before her mind could spiral further, a hand wrapped around her forearm, loose enough not to hurt but tight enough to ground her. "Steady, Sylvie," Frank murmured. "I've got your back."

Sylvie nodded jerkily, squeezing Frank's hand gratefully. "Thank you."

"I asked you for help," he reminded her. "If there's anyone he should be swinging at, it's me."

"I agreed," Sylvie pointed out.

Frank smirked. "Between you and me, who's going to swing harder in return?"

Sylvie snorted. "Explain that to Nolan."

"Oh, I will," Frank grinned. "He'll ask why if I went for a KO."

Sylvie giggled under her breath, doing her best to smother it as Frank knocked on the door of Pearce's office. "Come in!" the commander called.

Frank opened the door and gestured Sylvie in ahead of him. "Commander," he greeted.

"Detective," Pearce nodded and stood from his desk. "Ah, and PIC Brett, I take it. I haven't had the official pleasure."

"Neither have I, sir," Sylvie shook her head, walking forward and shaking Pearce's hand. "Thank you for saying I could help Frank."

"Anything for an irrefutable result," Pearce nodded, watching Van Meter enter silently. "I trust one has been found?"

"Indeed," Melissa nodded, shutting Pearce's door behind her. "Captain Van Meter's report was correct. The key evidence that made his report, however, was misplaced by another member of OFI."

"Misplaced?" Pearce repeated.

"Yes, sir," Frank nodded. "The captain told us the cause of the fire was faulty wiring in an EV charger, but it wasn't in the case files we pulled. After we searched the rest of OFI's records, Sylvie found it had been included in another box."

Pearce hummed. "And the reason the head of OFI took this case?"

"OFI was handling over a dozen other cases at the time," Sylvie answered. "And the department is stretched thin enough as it is. It makes sense the captain would pitch in and help his team when he could."

"And the numbers can back this up?" Pearce asked.

"Yes, sir," Van Meter nodded.

Pearce looked at Melissa. "And your company is satisfied?"

"We are, Commander," Melissa confirmed.

"Very well," Pearce nodded. "I will let SA Jefferies know this case has been closed. Thank you for your assistance, Detective."

"You're welcome, Commander," Frank nodded. "I'm just glad Sylvie kept pushing forward. I think Ms. Keating would have jumped the gun otherwise."

Melissa had the grace to look chastised, and Pearce looked inquisitively at Sylvie. "You kept believing the captain was innocent?" he asked.

"One hundred percent," Sylvie nodded.

"Why?"

Sylvie looked at Van Meter, swallowing around the knot in her throat. "Benny Severide may have been a great arson chief, and maybe it is in Kelly's blood," she said. "But Captain Van Meter is the one who taught Kelly about fire investigation. He put his trust in Kelly and has shown him nothing but respect. It was because of his trust in Kelly that he trusted me when Kelly said I could help. He deserved to have that trust repaid in the fullest."

Van Meter winced. "Sylvie – "

"Save it," Sylvie shook her head, internally cursing when she felt her eyes burn with tears. "I've heard enough today." She turned to Frank with a shaky breath. "I'll be outside."

He nodded in return. "I'll be there shortly."

Sylvie left the room as quickly as she could, and Pearce frowned at Frank. "Detective?"

Frank folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Van Meter. "I'm a man who prefers action over words, but I was asked not to kick up a hornet's nest while I'm here," he said dryly. "And yet I get the feeling Nolan would back me up if I did over this." His eyes darkened, and he stepped towards Van Meter. "You hurt someone who means a hell of a lot to us in New York, yet she still worked herself to the bone because she believed you. The unbelievable part is . . . I'm pretty sure she forgave you after she broke down on me and my daughter last night." Van Meter swallowed hard, and Frank whipped around and walked to the door. "If you want to make it up to her, start by talking to everyone who overheard you calling one of the most loyal people I know a traitor," he said, and Pearce's eyes narrowed. "Tell them how wrong you were. Tell them Sylvie worked tooth and nail to find what we needed to back up your report. It was what she learned from Severide – part of what you likely taught him – that made her check the CEVIA case box."

Van Meter swallowed hard and nodded. "I will."

"Good," Frank said simply, and he turned to Pearce. "I believe my part of our deal is completed, yes?"

"Indeed," Pearce nodded. "And I will uphold my end. Anything my men and I hear will go straight to you."

"Thank you, Commander," Frank nodded.

The homicide detective exited the room, and Pearce sighed, picking up a folder on his desk. "Do you know why Nolan Price became a prosecutor, Captain?" he asked.

Van Meter shook himself and turned to the commander with a frown. "I beg your pardon?"

"EADA Price was once a feared defense attorney in New York," Pearce said, walking around the desk to him. "Until one of his clients was falsely accused of rape. He worked to appeal the case, but when evidence emerged that proved his client's innocence, it was too late. The young man had already been killed in prison. Price then chose to become a prosecutor because often, those attorneys are the last line of defense for innocents. If he is to send a man to prison, he wants to make sure without a doubt that he is guilty. It sounds like that might be genetic."

Van Meter nodded slowly. "Why is the lead detective of Manhattan's most elite homicide squad doing here?" he asked quietly.

Pearce's expression darkened. "He was personally asked here by Price, and his orders came directly from DA McCoy," he replied. "And for Chicago's sake, we should all hope it's just a formality and not a reality."

***

The door to the loft swung open, and delighted laughter poured in. " . . . really threatened her godfather like that?" Ben was asking.

"You'll have to ask Frank," Sylvie smiled as she followed the Dardens inside, closing the door behind her. "I wasn't in New York at that time."

"I'm definitely asking," Griffin grinned. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, boys," Matt nodded in return, standing from the couch to greet his wards. "Did you enjoy the day with Lily?"

"Oh, yeah," Ben nodded. "There aren't many kids back in Portland with first responder parents who are open to talk about what they do. Lily was more than happy to tell us every story she could think of."

"She's very proud of her family," Sylvie nodded, setting a six-pack of beer on the counter. "As she should be."

"They sound awesome," Griffin smiled. "Thanks for dropping us off, Sylvie!"

"Any time!" Sylvie waved as the boys disappeared down the hall towards their room. An awkward silence fell on the loft, then Sylvie cleared her throat and gestured to the beer she had brought. "I thought we might need it."

Kelly silently moved over to the pack and checked one of the bottles. "You got my favorite."

Sylvie shrugged, taking a bottle of her own. "It seemed like a good way to start."

"Kelly gave me a bit of an overview," Matt said as he joined them. "The CPD thought Van Meter was covering up arson?"

"They did," Sylvie nodded, sitting on one of the stools. "A property developer named Stephen Flores built some condominiums in Logan Square, but after a while, the market made it a bad business to be in for him. Then the construction site burned down, and when the insurance company investigated the remains of the scene, they found what looked like accelerant usage. Van Meter's report contradicted that finding by saying the fire was accidental."

"If the captain of OFI says it's accidental, then it's accidental," Kelly frowned.

"That's what I thought," Sylvie nodded. "But Van Meter knew Flores from high school, and that connection was enough to catch the attention of the CPD. So Commander Pearce wanted the work double-checked, and I was asked to keep it as under the radar as I could given it was the leader of OFI under investigation."

"You mean Cosgrove asked you to keep it under the radar," Kelly corrected.

Sylvie frowned over the top of her beer. "Commander Pearce asked everyone to keep it under the radar. He asked Cosgrove for his assistance first, then Cosgrove asked me. Frank knows how much I hate the idea of a first responder betraying their badge, Kelly, so every time I insisted to Keating that we should keep investigating, he backed me up. After Van Meter visited you, he came to my apartment and found us looking through the case. He insisted there was evidence that proved the fire was accidental and not arson – "

"The EV charger," Kelly recalled.

Sylvie nodded in return. "But it wasn't in the case boxes, and he acted like it was a personal offense when we told him there wasn't any sign of it. He lashed out at me, saying I didn't deserve the trust you put in me even though I asked questions that were perfectly logical with what evidence we had." She picked at the beer label, not meeting their eyes. "That was when he called me a traitor. I didn't take it well . . . I thought Frank was going to physically throw him out of the apartment."

"I probably would've helped him," Matt admitted, taking a sip of his beer with a frown.

"So where was the charger?"

"In one of the many, many boxes in the records room," Sylvie replied, taking a large drink from her beer. "That's why I took the shift off, so I could help wrap up the case as fast as I could. Keating constantly wanted to jump the gun and declare Van Meter had covered up arson . . . and honestly, part of why I wanted to keep searching was so I could find that charger and say 'I told you so.' I had the idea to search concurrent cases at the time, given OFI was neck-deep in arson investigations, then Frank suggested searching for similar cases. That was how we turned up the CEVIA case, and that was where we found the charger. Pearce accepted the findings and said he would inform Jefferies that the case was closed. Frank and I picked up Lily after she and the Dardens were done, and I figured might as well kill two birds with one stone. Drop off the Dardens, tell you what happened." She smiled weakly. "And to apologize for not telling you. I know Van Meter is important to you, Kelly. I had hoped we could get to the bottom of that discrepancy without him figuring it out . . . but since he's not far from the records room, I guess that was a fool's hope."

"I likely would've lashed out at Pearce for even suggesting Van Meter would do such a thing," Kelly admitted. "I don't blame you, Sylvie. And thank you for working so hard to clear his name."

"I was happy to," Sylvie nodded, raising her beer in acknowledgement and taking a sip. "I just wish that after everything, he realized I was helping him and not the CPD." She paused and reconsidered. "Well, I was helping the CPD," she amended. "They needed the work double-checked, but I was primarily the voice of support for Van Meter to Keating believing he was corrupt." She huffed and wadded up the label of her beer. "I'll visit him later when we both have cooler heads. I wasn't in the mood to hear an apology."

"I don't blame you," Matt shook his head. "Apparently, Van Meter let it spread pretty far through OFI what he thought about you helping."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Sylvie muttered. "If Omar had lasers spitting out of his eyes, he would've taken off my head earlier." She sighed and finished off her bottle. "He didn't glare at me again after we explained what we were there to do. Then he had to watch me and Keating go at it a few times."

"You showed her, didn't you?" Matt grinned.

"Oh, yeah," Sylvie smirked. "Besides, it helped that Frank never stopped looking, either. He basically threatened Keating before coming up with the idea to check similar cases." She sighed and walked around the counter to place her bottle with the recyclables. "I honestly wonder what might have happened if he hadn't been here."

Something twisted in Matt's chest at her words, and he didn't like that feeling at all. He glanced at Kelly in time to see something flicker in his eyes, and Kelly cleared his throat. "Van Meter was of the opinion that Cosgrove got you involved with the case."

"Well, Pearce did ask him to take the lead on it," Sylvie nodded, and Kelly's eyebrows rose as the paramedic retook her seat. "He got a head start on the case while I was still on shift. That's why Violet and I detoured to OFI that day: I signed out the case files for him."

Kelly frowned, tracing the rim of his bottle. "So you helped out because Cosgrove asked you to?"

"Well, I would have asked if I could if Frank hadn't asked," Sylvie shrugged. "It was Van Meter. But yes, he asked for my help, and I agreed."

Kelly frowned, planting his hands on the counter and leaning towards her. "So what you're saying is you wouldn't have helped if he hadn't asked?"

"I wouldn't have been happy if I asked and he said no, but I would have respected that decision," Sylvie folded her arms. "I've seen firsthand how New York police investigate cases, and they don't take kindly to outside interference if it has any chance of ruining their cases. I don't know much about Commander Pearce, but I know Frank. The moment he heard Van Meter say there was a piece of evidence that would prove the fire was accidental and not arson, Frank was on the trail for it. He's like a bloodhound in that regard. He wouldn't put an innocent man on the chopping block if he could help it. He would've found that EV charger."

"You really think so?"

Matt froze with his bottle halfway to his mouth, hearing the challenge in Kelly's voice. It made Sylvie's eyes narrow, and she rested her forearms on the counter, meeting Kelly's eyes without wavering. "Yes, I do."

"You trust him that much?"

"Without question." Kelly's jaw tightened, and Sylvie looked at him incredulously. "Is that so hard to believe, Kelly?"

"I've rarely heard you express your faith in someone that vehemently before," was all he said, abruptly turning on his heel to put his own bottle with the recycling.

Sylvie raised an eyebrow. "Other than you and Matt, you mean?" Kelly didn't answer, but that was all the answer she needed. "Is that a problem?" she scowled.

"No," Kelly answered quickly. Too quickly, Matt thought, and when Sylvie's expression darkened, he realized she thought the same thing. "You've just never mentioned the guy before, Sylvie."

"I don't mention everyone in New York that I've met, have I?" Sylvie huffed. "You haven't asked me about everyone, and it's nice to have a circle of friends that everyone here isn't involved in."

"He followed your every movement, Sylvie!" Kelly argued. "Just a friend?"

Sylvie's jaw dropped, and she stared at Kelly incredulously. "You think . . . me and Frank?!" Her voice rose in pitch, and Matt winced at the sound. "What the hell, Kelly? You think I'm dating him? That's something I definitely would have mentioned!"

"If you weren't out in your ambulance for that shift, his daughter was attached to you," Matt pointed out.

"And he treats you like you're damn royalty, Sylvie!" Kelly added.

"Is that supposed to mean he's in love with me or that I automatically love him?" Sylvie snapped. "Because the two of you do that with me, too!"

One could have heard a pin drop with how silent the loft fell after Sylvie's declaration. Kelly reeled as if slapped, and Matt's grip whitened on his bottle. The color slowly drained from Sylvie's face, and she swayed on her feet as she stumbled to stand. "Sylvie," Matt began, rising from his seat.

"No," Sylvie shook her head, looking seconds from hyperventilating as she backed away, one hand reaching behind her to find where she had set her bag. "No, I'm not doing this right now. Not after the day I've had, not when I know . . . "

She trailed off, looking ready to faint as she hurried to the door. "When you know what?" Matt asked, looking at Kelly in alarm and rounding the counter to try and catch up with their best friend. "Sylvie!"

"We'll talk later," she promised as she opened the door. "But right now . . . "

She shook her head and closed the door behind her, and Matt winced at the sharp sound. Kelly exhaled slowly, bracing his hands on the counter. "Fuck."

"You think?" Matt snapped, glaring at Kelly as the lieutenant winced. "The boys and I live practically on the other side of the country, and while yes, I'm irritated Sylvie has found another investigative partner, I'm not lashing out about it!"

"You backed me up!" Kelly argued.

"I mentioned an observation I made!" Matt huffed. "And she wasn't wrong, was she? Hell, the boys consider her their only positive role model, and since the Cosgroves arrived, I think this is the only time we haven't been stuck together like glue. Come on, Sev, we know each other well enough by now."

"Yes, we do," Kelly sighed, dropping his head. "God, Matt . . . what does it say about us that we fall in love with the same woman?"

"That you're both idiots?"

That came from the hallway, and Matt and Kelly swung to look at the teenagers poking their heads around the corner. "Boys," Matt began, swallowing hard.

"You are," Ben said bluntly. "The Cosgroves are awesome, but . . . really? Who here doesn't know the two of you are in love with Sylvie?"

"Sylvie," Griffin deadpanned.

Ben snorted. "Right. That trainwreck just proved it."

Kelly facepalmed. "Really?"

"Sylvie isn't in love with Frank, and he isn't in love with her," Ben said firmly. "Happy?"

"How do you two know that?" Matt frowned.

Griffin stared at him as if he had said the planet was flat. "You do know who we spent the entire day with, right?"

Two pairs of emerald eyes blinked in realization, and Ben sighed loudly. "Good God, we're staying with idiots."

"Trust us," Griffin shook his head, taking Ben's shoulder to direct him down the hall. "We know Lily's dad isn't in love with Sylvie."

"And how is Lily sure of that?" Kelly asked.

Ben barked in laughter and continued down the hall. Griffin just folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I trust Lily to know when her dad is in love with someone back in Manhattan."

***

Sylvie barely remembered to make sure the door didn't slam shut behind her when she exited Kelly's building, and she almost tripped over her boots on her way to Frank's car. When she wrenched open the passenger door, Frank and Lily looked up from their conversation, and Frank's eyes flashed with concern. "Whoa, what happened?" he asked, Lily unbuckling her seat belt in the back to lean forward.

Sylvie leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, trying to calm down her breathing. "Sometimes I want to strangle my best friends for being so overprotective of me they cross into bastard territory."

Frank's eyebrows rose. "What did they say?"

Sylvie let out a hysterical laugh. "Kelly, at least, thinks we're in love with each other."

In any other situation, the way Frank's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates would have been comical. "He what?!"

"Where did he get that idea?" Lily asked in surprise, her expression an interesting combination of disgust and amusement.

"Oh, the fact that you're constantly at my side when we're together," Sylvie sighed and rolled her eyes, and Frank scoffed incredulously. "Then Lily is the same way."

Lily frowned. "That's exactly what I've seen Casey, Severide, and the Dardens do with you."

Sylvie winced. "I . . . may have called them out on that."

"Good for you," Frank smiled proudly.

Lily pulled out her phone when it chimed, and she covered her hand to muffle a giggle. "Ben is ranting about how dumb Casey and Severide are."

Sylvie groaned and let her head fall forward onto the dashboard. "Hey," Frank reached over and rubbed her back. "We knew something would look suspicious after a while. Granted, I didn't think it would be people thinking we're together." He made a face and turned to look at Lily. "Really?"

Lily tilted her head thoughtfully. "Sylvie also described what we're like with Nolan."

Sylvie lifted her head off the dashboard. "I did, didn't I?"

Frank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I came from New York in good faith, and now I'm stuck in a car with two of my favorite girls who never let me hear the end of my love for my best friend." He shook his head and turned the engine on. "This is when I wish I had argued for Jalen to come with me."

"Uncle Jalen is protecting Nolan," Lily reminded him. "Like the two of you agreed when Jack ordered you to come here."

"Thank you, Lily," Frank rolled his eyes, but both caught the playfulness of the act.

"You're welcome!" she chirped, sitting back and buckling her seatbelt again.

Sylvie giggled as she did the same. "Maybe Jack can argue the entire 2-7 team can come down here once the trial is done."

"And finally put 51 out of its misery in wondering what the hell we are to each other?" Frank grinned.

"It has been kind of funny listening to them all guess," Lily piped up.

"Oh, really?"

"Griffin, Ben, and I agreed the best theory is that Sylvie is stringing along all three of you."

Sylvie guffawed, and Frank twisted to look at Lily in disbelief. "You're kidding."

"I didn't say the best accurate one!" Lily grinned.

Frank turned back around to give Sylvie a dubious look. "And you're sure you want to stay at 51 and not take the transfer I know Captain Karns would offer the moment you asked?"

Sylvie rolled her eyes as Lily giggled hysterically behind them. "Just get us out of here, please?"

Frank made a sarcastic salute as he pulled away from the curb. "Yes, ma'am." He frowned in the rearview suspiciously. "How much sugar did you and the Dardens eat today?"

"A lot," she admitted cheerfully. "They make excellent gossipers."

"Oh, I just bet," Frank muttered darkly. His phone chirped in the cupholder, and he glanced at Sylvie. "Can you check that for me?"

"Yeah," Sylvie nodded, picking up Frank's phone and checking the incoming message. When she saw it, she frowned. "Who's Captain Duarte?"

Frank's grip tightened on the wheel. "What about him?"

Sylvie looked up worriedly. "Kate says he's dead." Lily gasped in the back seat, and Frank slammed on the brakes. Sylvie yelped in surprise, fumbling to avoid crashing forward as the detective veered into the closest parking spot. "Frank!"

"He's dead?" Frank repeated, holding out his hand expectantly.

"That's what she said," Sylvie nodded, handing over Frank's phone. Frank checked the message himself, and when he cursed under his breath and Lily looked horrified, Sylvie felt her heartrate increase. "Who's Captain Duarte?" she repeated her question.

"He's . . . he was the commanding officer of a gang unit in the Bronx," Frank answered tightly. "He's the one who worked with Benson's unit on BX9. According to the schedule I got from Nolan, he testified in court today against Oscar Papa."

Sylvie swallowed hard. "And now he's dead."

"Killed by BX9," Frank confirmed, putting his phone back down. "Change of plans. What's Mikami's address?"

"Violet's?" Sylvie asked in surprise.

"Yes," Frank nodded, his movements curt as he pulled back onto the street. "She knows who we are, doesn't she?"

"She does," Sylvie nodded, glancing behind her to see Lily's terrified expression even in the dark. "Why?"

"Lily is going to stay with her tonight," Frank answered tightly.

Lily nodded meekly in agreement, and Sylvie looked at Frank in horror. "You think since BX9 killed Duarte – "

"That you may be their next target?" Sylvie gulped and timidly nodded, and Frank took a deep breath. "I hope I'm being paranoid, but I'm not taking any chances. They attacked Benson on her turf, and they killed a Bronx captain in plain sight. I know this is harsh . . . but attacking you would be like shooting fish in a barrel to them."

Sylvie clenched her trembling hands in her lap and took a deep breath. "Take a left at the next stoplight."

Frank nodded grimly. "Copy that."

***

Sylvie had texted Violet in advance that they were arriving, but when the paramedic opened her door, she hadn't expected to see Sylvie and Lily with completely white faces or Frank with cold eyes. Still, when Frank explained why they were there, Violet hadn't hesitated to agree to host Lily for the evening. Lily had hugged Frank tightly, and Violet almost broke Sylve's ribs with her hug. "Be safe," she begged.

Sylvie nodded into Violet's neck. "Frank will protect me."

"He better."

The drive back to Sylvie's apartment was wrought with tension, and Sylvie didn't dare speak as Frank called Commander Pearce to inform him of the developments in New York. Gone was the man she had grown used to seeing in the past few days who was loving and caring to those close to him. This was the detective who had hunted down a mass murderer in less than a day, and Sylvie was grateful she would never have to be the focus of Frank's attention in such a chase.

"I probably won't be able to sleep tonight," she told Frank quietly as they approached the entrance of her building.

"I'd be surprised if you did," Frank admitted, scanning the length of the building for any spot of neon paint. He must've been satisfied with what he saw, for he ushered Sylvie into the building ahead of him. "I need to be clear, Sylvie – whatever happens tonight, I need you to listen to me and do what I say."

Sylvie nodded in agreement, tugging her coat tighter around herself. "Heard, Frank." Every footstep she took seemed heavier than the last as they approached her apartment, and when Frank silently held out his hand, Sylvie handed him her keys. Frank kept one hand on his sidearm as he unlocked her door, and Sylvie lingered by the entrance as he swept through her apartment. After a tense few seconds, he beckoned her inside, and she quickly shut and locked the door behind her. "What do we do?" she asked, her hands shaking as she removed her coat.

Frank drummed his fingers against his thigh thoughtfully, pale eyes scanning the entire apartment. "If you need anything from your room, get it and bring it out here," he replied. "I don't want you out of my sight."

Sylvie nodded and hurried into her room, crossing to where her laptop was charging by the wall. She took both the laptop and the charger, and nerves made her check every nook and cranny before she returned to the main area. Frank was making a round of the walls, peering out the windows with narrowed eyes. "They usually like to make noise, don't they?" Sylvie asked, hesitantly claiming a spot on the couch.

"They do once they attack," Frank allowed. "They cornered Benson and Duarte when they made their hits, then they didn't have in a care in the world how much noise they made. That's what I'm worried about, Sylvie. Each time they've attacked, they've outnumbered their target times four."

Sylvie's stomach flip-flopped. "So if they know you're here – "

"If we get attacked, I'm counting on at least eight," Frank finished grimly.

Sylvie blanched. "Oh, God."

"I have orders from the District Attorney and my lieutenant to protect you by whatever means necessary," Frank told her firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And believe me, I will follow those orders to the letter. The only way that doesn't happen is over my dead body."

There was no lie in his words or his bearing, and Sylvie managed to smile at him. "Do your best not to die," she said. "That would seriously upset my brother, and he may not even forgive me for it."

Frank opened his mouth to respond but suddenly closed it. A moment later, Sylvie heard what he had: the doorknob rattling ever so quietly. "Let's not find out," Frank said grimly, gesturing for her to get behind the couch as he grabbed one of her chairs. "Get down." Sylvie swallowed and nodded, scrambling behind the couch as Frank lightly walked back to the door. As soon as he reached it, he shoved the chair into place under the knob, keeping it from opening. The amount of noise caused shouts to erupt outside, and Frank growled, drawing his sidearm and backing up away from the door. "NYPD!" he barked, checking behind him to ensure Sylvie was hidden.

There was a moment of silence, then the door broke in. Sylvie shrieked in alarm, and as the first principiante burst through, machete held high, Frank raised his gun and didn't hesitate to fire. He shot the next two through the door, then as additional men swarmed, he pulled a switchblade from where he had clipped it to the back of his belt. The first principiante who made it past the chair got the blade in his throat.

Sylvie plastered herself to the back of her couch, wincing when she heard more gunshots from Frank and the sounds of her furniture getting destroyed. She fumbled to pull out her phone, and she dialed 9-1-1 as fast as she could. She bit back a whimper when she heard a clatter from the kitchen, and she finally hit the call button.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

A gloved hand shot around the couch and wrapped around Sylvie's throat, and she dropped her phone with a strangled gasp. Her phone clattered to the ground, and the principiante hauled Sylvie to her feet and threw her against the wall. She smashed into the pictures with a cry and slumped to the ground, and she tried crawling away as the same principiante stalked towards her with his machete drawn and glinting in the light. Her body screamed in protest, and she collapsed with a whimper. The principiante above her grinned, a crazed look that made her blood freeze, and he raised his machete high above his head.

The glint of another knife caught in the light, and metal drove through the principiante's throat with no finesse whatsoever. Blood bubbled out of the principiante's mouth, and with a wet gurgle, he fell in a heap in front of Sylvie. The handle of the knife finally caught Sylvie's eye, and her jaw dropped when she recognized the knife had come from the block in her kitchen. She backed up to press against the wall, and Frank spun around to fire another bullet through the head of the principiante who tried charging him. The principiante crumbled like a sack of potatoes, and the last principiante standing attempted to flee out the door. Frank merely dove for his switchblade on the ground and threw it underhand, and when the blade embedded in the man's calf, he fell with a loud shout.

Frank stalked forward, his usually pale eyes as dark as thunderclouds, and he planted one foot on the principiante's injured leg. The shout of pain turned into a wail, and Frank leaned down to check his throw. His lips curled in a smirk, and he unceremoniously yanked his blade free. The principiante could only flinch, and Frank shook his head as he wiped the knife off on the man's jacket. "Bad move, you son of a bitch." He kept one eye on the entry as he backed up, careful not to trip over any of the bodies sprawled across the room. He finally made his way to Sylvie, who had crawled all the way into the corner, her face pale and her azure eyes glassy. "Sylvie?" he asked carefully, crouching in front of her. Azure eyes shot to him and cleared, and Sylvie lurched forward with a whimper. Frank effortlessly caught her and held her close, letting her cling to him as tightly as she could. When he wrapped an arm around her back, however, she gasped, and Frank quickly pulled back. He immediately saw the bruises forming around her neck, and he narrowed his eyes angrily. "Where else?" he bit out.

Sylvie gestured to her back, blinking back tears. "Pictures," she managed to say.

Frank gently turned Sylvie, and he scowled when he saw the crushed glass caught in the fabric. There were spots of blood as well, and he shook his head. "How bad does it hurt?" he asked.

Sylvie weakly laughed. "The RPG was worse."

Rapid footsteps approached, and Frank immediately placed himself in front of Sylvie, raising his gun towards the entry. Uniformed patrol officers poured into the room, their own guns drawn. "Detective Cosgrove?" one asked, his eyes wide as he surveyed the bodies around the apartment.

Sylvie sagged in relief at the CPD uniforms, and Frank lowered his gun,crouching back down to take her in his arms. "I need an ambulance for Brett,"he ordered. "Now!"

***

See, I threw Cosgrove a bone, and he ran away with it. It took a very long time to catch him. I regret nothing.

The angst continues next time, but good news - we get Nolan again, and we also get to see our favorite homicide detectives in action!

graphic by marvelity