AUTHOR'S NOTE: This one-shot focuses on Shooter and Tammy. It gives some insight into Shooter's teen years that has not previously appeared in the series. I will warn you, his childhood was difficult, so some of this may be hard to read. (Trigger warning for child abuse.)

I love Shooter and know he's a very popular character, so I hope my readers enjoy this story!

WHEN SHOOTER MET TAMMY

It hurt to breathe. Shooter's mother had beaten him until he'd started misfiring. When he accidentally zapped her, it only made her angrier. The abuse continued until Shooter couldn't take anymore.

"Stop," he whimpered. "Please stop."

His mother slammed him against the wall. Shooter let out a scream of pain as his back connected to the unyielding mass. He crumpled to the ground and tried to shield his head as his mother came at him again.

"Harriet, stop!" His uncle cried. "You'll kill the kid!"

"He deserves it!" His mother replied.

"I'm not bailing you out of jail if you get arrested for murder, Sis. Back away from Oscar."

"This isn't any of your business, Quinn!"

"He's my nephew, and he's shooting off sparks."

"He does it on purpose!"

"He can't control it, Harriet. Come on, calm down. He's just a kid."

"He's fourteen! He's not a baby."

Shooter knew better than to move. If his uncle could talk his mom down, he'd be saved, at least for a little while. He didn't think he could survive much more that night.

As Quinn lured Harriet into the kitchen with the promise of more alcohol, Shooter tried to pull himself together. He knew he had to get out of the house, but he could barely walk.

He dragged himself to the front door, doing his best not to get blood on the carpet because that would only set his mother off all over again.

It wasn't always like this, he thought. Maybe things will go back to the way they were before one day.

He knew that wasn't likely. His mother had started drinking heavily after his father died in a car accident six years earlier. At eight years old, Shooter had become the man of the house.

He continued dragging himself forward until he found his way to the edge of the water. He collapsed and wondered if he was just going to bleed to death before he could find help.

No, he decided. I won't give up.

When he'd been a bit younger, he would have gone to the Eckerd house. Erin Eckerd had been his mentor, friend, and honorary big sister. She had been a strong healer, and she'd taken care of him more than once, but Erin was dead. He was alone.

Erin, I need you, he thought weakly. I'm scared.

He blacked out with his hand in the water and his head dangerously close to it.

When Shooter woke up, he was in the Salem Willows. He had no idea how he'd gotten across the water to the park. A girl sat beside him whispering familiar words.

"Erin..." He mumbled in confusion. He figured he must be concussed.

"I heard you," she said soothingly. Shooter realized the body beside him was not Erin's, but it was definitely her energy. "It's okay, Shooter. I'm here. You're going to be alright."

"How? You died, Erin..."

"I did," she confirmed, "but I'm still watching over you."

His vision started to clear as Erin finished healing him. He looked at the teenager whose body Erin was borrowing. The girl had long brown hair she'd pulled into a ponytail. Her green eyes were kind of stunning, and Shooter couldn't help but stare at them for a moment.

"Who is this girl?" He asked.

"She's a powerful channeler who happened to be in the park. She had a rowboat, so I used her body to go get you and bring you here," Erin explained. She hugged him, and Shooter felt safe for the first time in too long.

"I know you have to go," he said sadly after a minute.

"I do," Erin replied. "Take care of this girl, Shooter. She's very special." She released him and added, "And please tell someone what's happening... It's getting worse, Shooter. You need help."

"I can't, Erin... She's my mom."

Erin sighed. "I know," she said gently. She kissed the top of his head. "Stay safe."

Erin's spirit left the girl's body. The girl blinked and looked around nervously. "Not again!" She said. "Stupid power... Ugh. Can't a girl catch a break?"

"Um... Hi," Shooter said awkwardly.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Shooter."

"Your name is Shooter?"

"As far as most people are concerned, yes. What's yours?"

She hesitated before apparently deciding to trust him. "I'm Tammy," she replied. "Actually, I'm Tamara Ruth Meadows, but no one calls me Tamara. So, what's your real name?"

He cringed, but he found he couldn't lie to the girl. "It's Oscar Berkely, and I hate it... The Oscar part, at least."

"You don't look like an Oscar," Tammy decided. "Shooter it is! How'd you get the nickname? Are you big on guns or something?"

Shooter created a ball of energy in his hands. He sent it toward the nearest lamppost and knocked out the light. "Or something," he replied with a smirk.

Tammy's eyes widened slightly. "Impressive," she said. "What else can you do?"

He shrugged and looked for a target. There was a teenage boy harassing a girl who was trying to get away from him. "Perfect," Shooter said. He sent a burst of energy at the boy, zapping him right in his butt.

The boy cried out in surprise and a bit of pain. He looked around to figure out what had happened. "No means no," Shooter said as he walked over to them. "Get lost."

Seeing the residual electricity sparking from Shooter's hands, the boy ran off. The girl didn't notice his hands, but she smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Shooter replied.

"Nice choice of target," Tammy said with a grin as he walked back toward her.

"He had it coming," Shooter replied.

"I don't disagree."

"Your turn, Meadows," Shooter said. "I know you're a channeler. My mentor sort of took a ride to help me out."

"Spirits have always gravitated toward me. I can't remember a time when I couldn't see and hear them, and that never bothered me... But in the last year, they started jumping into my body," Tammy admitted. "I don't really know how to stop them. I just black out and wake up somewhere else. People call psychic powers a gift, but this feels more like a curse."

"I get it... I don't always have the best control over my powers either." He paused before adding, "That's what Erin mentored me in." He paused. "How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm thirteen," Tammy replied. "What about you?"

"Fourteen."

Tammy seemed to hear something then. "You're coming with me," she said.

"Excuse me?" He asked in confusion.

"You were hurt... Really hurt. Erin just asked me to take you back to my place for a few hours and feed you. She says you're not allowed to tell me no."

He laughed sadly. "Okay," he agreed. Going back to his house didn't sound like a great idea, so why not hang out with Tammy for a bit?

Tammy's house wasn't as big as Shooter's. Despite his mother's alcoholism, they had a lot of money thanks to her family. Tammy's house was modest and not far from the center of town.

As soon as he walked in, a couple greeted them with warm smiles. Mrs. Meadows immediately asked, "Tammy, sweetheart, who's this?"

"Mom, Dad, this is Shooter," Tammy replied.

"What an unusual nickname," Mr. Meadows said. "Are you good at basketball, Son?"

Shooter decided that was the easiest explanation, and he actually was pretty good at making free throws. "Yeah," he replied. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Meadows," he added quickly.

"Mr. Meadows is my father," he replied. "It's David and Ally."

Shooter's mother would have flipped out if anyone under eighteen ever tried to call her Harriet. He was a little bit surprised by how welcoming the Meadows family was.

"I'm making lunch," Ally said. "There's plenty here. Join us!"

Tammy sat down at the table and motioned for Shooter to join her. He sat beside her nervously. As Ally fed them and the Meadows family made pleasant small talk, Shooter began to relax. This house might not be as big as his, but it felt infinitely less claustrophobic. By the end of the day, he knew he'd found a true sanctuary.

They played board games after lunch. Shooter was a little bit sad as he remembered what it was like to be part of a normal family, but it was hard to stay that way as the Meadows family made him laugh constantly. Soon, he lost himself in the distraction of playing games with parents who actually cared about their kid.

Unfortunately, he had to return home. "Thanks for today," he said to Tammy. "It was fun."

"Shooter... Come back any time," Tammy replied. "My parents won't mind, and I like hanging out with you. Besides, it's nice to meet someone else with weird powers. My parents don't know about any of this stuff."

"You can talk to me about it if you need a friend," Shooter replied. "I know other psychics, but none of them have powers like mine. I know what it's like to feel like you're a freak."

She hugged him. Shooter felt a sense of peace he hadn't felt since Erin's murder. He hugged her back, not wanting to release her. He didn't understand it, but he knew his fate was connected to Tammy's. They'd been destined to meet.

When he returned home, his mother was passed out on the couch. Empty liquor bottles surrounded her. His uncle had gone home, but with her unconscious, Shooter knew he would be safe for a few hours.

~*~

For the next year, Shooter and Tammy got to know each other better. Their friendship grew stronger, and Shooter spent as much time as he could at her house. David and Ally always made him feel like he was part of their family, and he enjoyed pretending that was the truth, but reality sank in each night when he had to return to his house.

Things had continued to get worse. The beatings were constant now. Even though his uncle occasionally tried to stop his mother from actually killing him, he wasn't always there.

Shooter was starting to run out of excuses for his injuries. Very few people seemed to care enough to notice. At fourteen, Tammy was in school with him now, and she knew the truth. Shooter couldn't lie to her.

Tammy tried to convince him to tell an adult, but Shooter couldn't bring himself to do it. As horrible as Harriet was, she was still his mother, and he felt like with his father dead, he had to protect her.

Sometimes, when he was really hurt, he'd go to Tammy's house in the middle of the night. She would patch him up and comfort him until he was calm enough to return home. If her parents suspected he was sneaking into her window at night, they never called him on it. They seemed to be as worried about him as their daughter was.

One night, things got especially bad. Shooter's mother and her new boyfriend attacked him together. The boyfriend was especially sadistic. The abuse he inflicted upon Shooter that night would leave him with nightmares for the rest of his life.

He could barely walk, but he knew he had to escape from that house. He didn't make it very far. He collapsed outside of the Eckerd house.

Danny ran outside as he smelled the blood. He was a couple of years older than Shooter and had known him for his entire life. After Erin's death, Danny had made a habit of looking out for Shooter whenever he could. Danny picked Shooter up carefully and carried him into his house.

Shooter trembled in terror as Danny touched him. He tried to pull away from him as panic took control of his senses. He was rapidly losing blood from too many places. He hurt in ways he never had before. He'd thought he knew pain and torture, but that monster had crossed lines even his mother would not.

"It's okay, Shooter," Danny said soothingly. "You're safe now. You know I won't hurt you."

Shooter couldn't bring himself to do more than whimper as Danny tried to take care of him. Danny finally used his vampiric abilities to trance him so he could tend to his wounds and clean him up.

"You're alright, Shooter," Danny said as he finished tending to his injuries. "Tell me what happened."

Shooter tried to resist the command, but Danny's hold on him was too strong. "My mother's boyfriend," he said softly, managing to leave his mother out of it through sheer stubbornness. "He attacked me."

"Is he still in the house?" Danny asked gently.

Shooter nodded. "I think so," he said. "He was upstairs when I left."

Danny nodded and said, "Stay here. Try to sleep, Shooter. Everything's going to be okay."

Shooter didn't want to sleep, but his eyelids felt heavy, and he realized Danny's hold on his mind was still too strong to resist. He curled up on Danny's bed and quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Danny wasn't in his house, and Shooter's mother was screaming. Shooter quickly ran out of Danny's house to see what was wrong. Harriet's boyfriend's body was facedown in the grass. His throat had been torn out.

Danny killed him, Shooter realized. He killed him for what he did to me...

"Oscar, call the police!" His mother shouted.

Shooter was about to run into the house to make the call when a young man walked up to the scene. "Someone already did, Ma'am," he said respectfully. The blonde man looked like he belonged in college instead of at a crime scene.

Shooter's mother looked at the detective and asked, "What did this?"

"It looks like this was an animal attack," he replied.

"An animal attack?" She repeated.

"Why don't you go inside with my partner? I'll start the process of taking care of things out here."

Another man led her inside. Shooter was still staring at the body on his lawn.

"I know this must have been a shock, Shooter," he said.

"You know who I am?" Shooter asked.

"I do. Danny Eckerd called us in. He told us what happened." He paused. "My name is Skip. I'm a detective at the Supernatural Phenomenon Investigational Unit."

"That's a mouthful."

"The official acronym is S.P.I.U, but most people just call us the Unit."

"You look pretty young to be a detective."

"I was recruited at eighteen, and I moved up the ranks pretty quickly." He paused as he glanced at Shooter's arm.

Shooter checked to make sure his sleeve was still covering the bruises. It was, but Skip seemed to sense what he was hiding anyway. It was almost as if he could read him.

Skip pulled out a card. "This is my direct number," Skip said. "If you need anything, call me... Anything at all."

"Um... Thanks," Shooter replied awkwardly. He took the card. After a moment, he asked, "Is Danny going to get in trouble for this?" He was terrified his friend might go to jail for protecting him. He refused to let that happen.

"No," Skip replied. "He turned himself in, and we believe he did what he did to protect you. He would have just asked us to handle the entire situation, but your blood set off his bloodlust, and smelling it all over that monster sent him into a frenzy. He killed him before he even realized what he was doing."

Shooter nodded numbly. He was exhausted and felt guilty about the entire situation. He headed into his house and tried to take care of his mother and forget about everything that had happened to him only a few hours before.

~*~

The death of her boyfriend had increased his mother's hostility. She had grown more abusive than ever. It didn't help when, three months later, Shooter's uncle Quinn died from a heart attack. He'd left all of his money to Shooter instead of his mother.

She became infuriated. She beat Shooter severely, burned him with cigarettes, and even cut him with a kitchen knife. He was in bad shape, but he still couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"Mom... Mom, please don't," he whimpered. "I'm sorry!"

She slammed his head against the kitchen table, causing Shooter to misfire. Enraged that he'd caused her pain, she did it again. She kept repeating the act until Shooter couldn't see straight.

She tossed him against the wall and ran at him with her knife. Shooter panicked, and he misfired again. As the electricity shot straight through Harriet's heart, she dropped to the floor.

"Mom?" He asked softly. There was no response. "Mom... Mom!" He screamed. Shooter somehow managed to kneel beside her.

His mother's eyes stared at him blankly as if to say, You did this to me!

Shooter backed away from her in horror. He began rapidly misfiring. First, he took out the electricity in his house. Soon, it was every house on the waterfront. He let out a scream of both grief and panic, causing sparks to fly out of his hands and put a hole in the wall across from him.

He was sobbing as he pulled her into his arms. "Wake up, Mom!" He cried. "Mom, please wake up! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Her dead eyes continued to stare at him. Shooter released her and ran from the house, not knowing what else to do. He was badly injured and in no condition to run, but pure adrenaline kept him moving.

He finally ended up at Tammy's window. He wasn't even sure how he'd gotten there. He tapped on it lightly. Sparks shot out of his hand and shattered the window.

Tammy jumped up in alarm. Seeing Shooter, she quickly kicked out the broken glass and helped him climb into her room.

"Shooter... My God, what happened?" She asked in horror as she saw how badly he was bleeding.

"She's dead," Shooter said numbly. "I... I didn't mean to..."

"Slow down," Tammy said soothingly. "You're in shock. Who's dead?"

"My mom... My mom's dead. I didn't mean to do it, Tam... I would never hurt her... I just couldn't take any more, and she came at me with the knife again, and I've got a concussion, and I was misfiring, and I misfired right into her heart!" He started sobbing harder, breaking down in Tammy's arms.

"Oh God..." Tammy said softly. "Shooter, it's okay. You were protecting yourself."

"She's my mom, Tammy! I killed my mom! She was right all along... I am a monster!"

"No, Shooter. You aren't the monster... She was. She's been hurting you for years. All you did was finally make her stop, and it was an accident. You had no intention of harming her. It's not your fault."

"I killed her, Tam... I killed her..." He couldn't breathe as he panicked. Tammy held him for another minute before she silently began tending to his injuries. She pulled out a sewing kit and closed the stab wounds.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts," Tammy said softly as she stitched his flesh back together. "I'm trying to be gentle."

Shooter was too numb to feel the pain. "It doesn't hurt," he whispered.

Tammy continued carefully tending to his wounds. She had to remove his shirt to get them all. Shooter could tell she was trying not to cry at how severe his injuries were.

"You'll be okay now," she finally said when she was done. "You aren't bleeding anymore."

"I'm going to jail," he whispered. "I deserve it. I killed her. I-"

Shooter stopped speaking as Tammy slammed her lips against his. The shock of the kiss made him snap out of the shock of what he'd done to his mother. He couldn't help but kiss her back as Tammy continued moving her lips. It grounded him. He could finally feel again.

When she pulled away, he stared at her. "What was that for?" He asked. Tammy had never kissed him before.

"To make you feel something other than all of that pain," she replied.

He gently pulled her closer to him. "It still hurts," he said. He leaned down and kissed her again. It didn't take all of his pain away, but it certainly helped comfort him.

When Shooter broke the kiss, he felt a little bit calmer. He looked into Tammy's eyes and said, "I have to go home and face this."

"I'll go with you," Tammy replied. "We'll face it together."

He nodded, grateful for her offer. They went back to his house. Tammy stepped between him and his mother's body, blocking her accusing eyes from Shooter. He sighed and did the only thing he could think of; he pulled out Skip's card and dialed the number.

"Hi, Skip?" Shooter asked nervously. "This is Shooter... You said to call you if I ever needed anything, right?"

"That's right, Shooter," Skip replied patiently.

"I need help... Can you come to my house? I... I did something bad... Really bad... But it was an accident."

"Stay right there. I'm on my way," Skip promised.

Shooter and Tammy curled up on the couch in the living room, far away from the kitchen and Harriet's body. Shooter kept his arms wrapped around Tammy as if she was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Skip arrived alone. When Shooter let him in, he said, "Tell me what happened, Shooter. Start from the beginning."

"My mom was hitting me," Shooter admitted. "And she burned me with her cigarette... And she used a knife on me... You're a supernatural cop, right? I have a concussion. I was misfiring. I didn't mean to hurt her... In all of these years, I never hurt her, no matter what she did... But I misfired energy into her chest, and her heart stopped..." He shook his head. "I'm going to jail, right? It's okay... I'm ready."

"Stay here for a minute," Skip said. He went into the kitchen. When he returned, he shook his head. "You're not under arrest, Shooter."

"I'm not? Why not?" Shooter asked in confusion.

"Because this was an accident, and she brought it on herself." Skip paused. "I'm an empath, Shooter. I can feel your injuries. I know how badly she hurt you."

"Tammy took care of me."

"You did a good job, Tammy," Skip said. "You saved his life. He'll need to get checked out by a proper doctor, and he might need a blood transfusion given how much blood it seems he lost, but your quick actions saved him."

"What will happen to him now?" Tammy asked.

"Shooter, do you have any other family?" Skip asked.

"No," Shooter admitted. "Am I going to have to go into foster care?"

"My parents would take you in," Tammy said. "They love you like a son."

"Or you could consider emancipation. You'd need a job, though," Skip said.

"I inherited all of my uncle's money... My family was wealthy," Shooter replied a bit numbly. The entire situation was still surreal.

"Then focus on finishing school. Get your education. The Unit can help you get emancipated."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you're an abused kid who shouldn't be punished for having a bad parent. I wasn't so different from you a few years ago. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime."

"So the Unit helps abused kids?" Tammy asked.

"We help anyone who needs us," Skip replied. "And we're always looking for new recruits. You two radiate as strong psychics. You should consider joining us when you're older."

Shooter had never considered being a cop before, but Skip seemed pretty cool, and if he could make a difference in the lives of kids like him, he wanted to.

One day, you're going to meet a girl in a bad situation, Erin's spirit whispered to him, and you're going to help her.

He saw a flash of some goth girl with short black hair and jade green eyes in his mind.

Who's the goth chick? Shooter wondered.

She's a lot like you, Shooter... Your destinies are intertwined. Skip helped you today. Pay it forward when you meet this girl. Help her. She'll become very important to you one day.

Erin's voice faded from his mind, but Shooter silently promised that he would help the goth chick whenever he finally found her.

Tammy took his hands in hers and said, "Stay over at my place tonight. If you want to get emancipated, that's fine, but you shouldn't be alone tonight."

"But, my mom..." Shooter began.

"We have a clean-up crew at the Unit," Skip said. "They'll get rid of the blood, and the house will be like new. As for your mom... I'll make sure they take her body to the morgue and record her cause of death as a heart attack. Technically, it's the truth."

Shooter nodded, still numb but certain this was his best option. "Okay," he said. "Thank you."

"I'm here for you, Shooter. You can still call me anytime."

Tammy squeezed his hand and added, "I'm here, too." She kissed him again.

Shooter finally felt like he could breathe. He closed his eyes and focused. The electricity returned to the waterfront as he continued to focus on Tammy's lips. As the lights came back on, he knew that, somehow, he was going to be okay.

~*~

One day, Shooter was walking through town. He noticed Wes Saunders standing with Tammy. The young warlock from New York often came through town to visit his cousins, and Shooter had known him for years. The two had a strange dynamic between them. They weren't exactly enemies, but they weren't really friends either. Seeing Wes so close to Tammy upset Shooter for reasons he couldn't quite identify.

Shooter glared as he hurried over to them. "What are you doing here, Saunders?" He demanded.

"Having a nice conversation with this gorgeous girl," Wes replied.

Shooter glared some more at his flirtations, but Tammy simply looked amused. "You don't know what he is, Tam," he insisted.

"He's a very powerful warlock from a very infamous line," Tammy replied. "Every spirit in town felt the need to tell me that. I decided not to automatically hold it against him."

"I love this girl, Shooter! She's a keeper!" Wes declared. He smiled at Tammy charmingly.

"Tammy, you can't trust him," Shooter insisted.

"That hurts, Berkely," Wes said with a pout. "I thought we were friends!"

"We are poker buddies at best, and bitter enemies at worst, Saunders... And you cheat at poker."

Tammy laughed as they continued their banter. Wes seemed to be enjoying himself as Shooter continued ranting about what a rotten person he was. Finally, Wes said, "I'm thirsty... Drinks are on me!"

"Tammy's seventeen, Wes... And I'm not legal to drink yet," Shooter pointed out.

"That's never stopped you before, Berkely," Wes replied.

He wasn't wrong. "I'm not being a bad influence on Tammy," Shooter said.

"I'm not easily influenced," Tammy reminded him. "How about we compromise? We can go out to dinner."

"I am not having dinner with a warlock," Shooter protested.

"Then we'll have snacks," Wes decided. "We'll go to the arcade at the Salem Willows and have some fun."

"But-" Shooter began.

"That sounds like a great idea," Tammy interrupted him. "It's been ages since we've gone to the arcade, Shooter."

"We went three weeks ago."

"Exactly! We're overdue." She turned toward Wes. "No using magick to cheat," she said firmly.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Wes lied.

"Warlock's honor?" Shooter asked dryly.

"Absolutely."

"He'll behave," Tammy said. "Come on!" She took Shooter's hand and practically dragged him toward the direction of the arcade, leaving him no choice but to go along with the plans.

He hated how much fun they had that day. He couldn't deny that Wes knew how to have a good time, and Shooter did enjoy beating Wes at ski-ball.

For just a few hours, Shooter let himself forget that Wes was a warlock and they were supposed to be enemies. Then, the night came to an end, and Wes tried to kiss Tammy.

Shooter zapped the warlock immediately. Wes cursed and jumped away from her. "Seriously, Shooter?" He demanded.

"She's still a minor! Take those lips and find a skanky warlock to make out with," Shooter replied.

"Shooter, I can take care of myself," Tammy said firmly.

Wes grinned and pulled her into his arms. Before he could kiss her, she punched him in the face.

Shooter howled with laughter as Tammy said, "See? I told you."

"What was that for?" Wes asked.

"Consent is key, Wes," Tammy replied sweetly. "I'm just teaching you an important lesson. Next time, ask a girl before you try to lock lips with her."

Wes shook his head before he started to laugh. "Tammy Meadows, you are a firecracker!" He declared. "Not many people have the guts to punch me... Especially not girls." He bowed to her grandly. "Tonight was fun. See you soon, Shooter."

Wes walked away as Shooter glared at him. "Quit glaring, Shooter," Tammy said with a laugh. "He's gone now."

Shooter looked at her and cracked a smile as he said, "Nice right hook."

~*~

Shooter was in his freshman year of college when Tammy showed up on his doorstep in tears. He immediately pulled her into his arms and brought her inside.

"What's wrong?" He asked in concern.

"They were mortal," she said numbly.

"What do you mean?"

"They were mortal, but my world still touched them..."

"Tammy-"

"I want to join the Unit. I want to solve this case."

"Tam, slow down. You're not making any sense."

"Someone killed my parents!" Tammy blurted out.

Shooter felt like his heart shattered into a thousand pieces at that news. "Tell me what happened," he said, refusing to let her go.

"There was magick around my house... I could feel it. I saw them standing outside... I didn't realize at first... I told myself they were alive, but it was their spirits, Shooter... And they just watched me in silence, like they didn't understand what was happening..."

"Tammy, I'm so sorry... I'll call Skip. He'll know what to do."

"He'll hire me. I'm seventeen, and I'm not going to some group home. I need a job. He offered to hire you... He'll hire me."

Shooter knew she was in shock. After all, he'd been there himself. "It's okay, Tammy," he said soothingly. He wrapped as much calming energy around her as he could, setting his own grief for her parents aside to comfort her. "We'll figure this out together, okay? We always do."

"Shooter... Don't leave me right now," she said softly.

"I won't," he promised. "I won't ever leave you."

Skip answered his call and came over quickly, sending a team to handle things at Tammy's house while he worked with her.

A woman who was probably in college just like Shooter was had come with Skip. She had blonde hair and a bright smile, and she seemed eager to be there. Another woman had also come. She was strikingly beautiful and definitely didn't look like a cop.

"Shooter, Tammy, this is my new partner, Jo Levy, and my sister, Susie," Skip explained.

"Hi!" Susie said cheerfully. "I wish we'd met under happier circumstances, but it's still great to meet you. I've heard a lot about you two."

"You have?" Shooter asked.

"Skip is very fond of you both," Jo explained, "and I have visions, so I know a lot about you two."

"Do you know who killed my parents?" Tammy asked.

"Not yet, honey," Jo replied, "but we're going to find out."

"I want to join the Unit... And I need to get emancipated," Tammy said.

"You will join us," Jo said soothingly. "I've seen that much. In fact, both of you will."

"I didn't agree to that," Shooter protested.

"Trust me, Shooter. You two will become an indispensable part of our team."

Shooter agreed to help find the person who'd killed David and Ally Meadows. During that time, as Tammy awaited emancipation, she stayed with him.

He enjoyed having Tammy there with him. She was handling things incredibly well, throwing herself into solving the case and staying focused on completing her school assignments. She refused to let the tragedy and trauma mess up her record during her senior year.

They spent their afternoons trying to help Skip, Jo, and Susie find the killer. They made a surprisingly good team, and Shooter couldn't deny how right it felt to work with them.

At night, Tammy slept in a guest room, but more often than not, she ended up crawling into Shooter's bed. They didn't do more than kiss, but Tammy needed to feel him to remind herself there was still something good in the world, and he understood that entirely too well.

Thanks to Shooter's ability to read energy and Jo's visions, they solved the case three weeks later. The warlock who murdered Tammy's parents had needed to kill a mortal couple for a ritual. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for the double homicide.

At the sentencing, Tammy stood strong beside Shooter as he held her hand. It didn't take away either of their grief, but it helped bring them both closure. Shooter silently vowed never to forget the couple who had showed him such kindness.

"You both did great," Skip said. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do next?"

"I still want to join the Unit," Tammy replied. "It feels right. I belong with you guys."

"We'd be thrilled to have you," Jo said.

"Absolutely!" Susie added. "You two are terrific!"

"What about you, Shooter? Will you join, too?" Tammy asked.

Looking into her green eyes, Shooter knew there was only one right path to choose. "Tammy Meadows," he said, "I'd follow you straight into Hell, so I guess I'm in, too."