A/N

I was asked who portrays Sam, and I've gotta say its Kathleen Munroe that I picture! She's not an exact match, though, because I did change the eye color in the story. That's just who I picture, but it's really up to all of you how you want to picture her.

Besides that, I changed up my writing style by having the narrative set in the present tense, so I'd love feedback if you guys prefer to read it this way or how the other chapters are written. It's probably bad writing for me to switch it up in the middle of the story, but screw it I did it anyways!

"When did she leave? Did she even stay here last night? Where could she have gone?! It's not safe for her to be wandering around- Roan had Gradar use her against me, he knows what she looks like! She-"

"Carol! Panicking is going to do no good, okay? I'm sure she just… went for a morning run." Maria suggests and tries to place her hands on Carol's shoulder to get her to stop pacing. "Maybe there's footprints?"

Carol shakes her head rapidly, "I don't think that is a real thing, that's only in movies people pick up a trail of footprints. Besides I flew around the area, I would've seen her if she went for a run. Sam doesn't even like running!" She says suddenly and surprises herself at the statement. She is not entirely sure how she knows that tidbit of information, but she does.

"Even if she had gone for a run, I would have seen her. I've been outside since before the sun rose." Gradar adds helpfully. Carol points a finger at him and raises her eyebrows at Maria in a "see" sort of way. Maria rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in defeat. Carol is about to say something when Gradar begins to walk to the door, "I will look for footprints outside. I was quite adept at tracking in the past. Uh, granted, tracking animals but it's still the same principle."

With a heavy sigh, Carol reluctantly nods her agreement, at this point she is running out of options, so she follows Gradar outside. It has been four hours since they figured out Sam was gone, and with each passing minute her worry grows stronger. She already flew around the area at least twice and had Maria call Sam's job at the art studio. The next place Carol plans to go check was Sam's apartment, if Gradar does not find any footprints, which she highly doubts he will. Still, it will not hurt to try.

Gradar kneels down near the entrance to the basement. The first thing Carol notices, there is quite a few footprints set in the dirt, but everyone was in and out of the basement all day yesterday so that did not mean much. There are multiple sets going in different directions from the basement. Most go back to the house while some just head off to the driveway. The more peculiar ones that are set apart go away from the house and driveway, near the backyard, and finally to the tree line right before the small wooded area behind Maria's house. Gradar and Carol look at each other with unease and follow the prints.

"It seems that perhaps Sam went this way. The foot size seems small enough for a woman. Yes, here, there is another set of prints," Gradar points to a pair of bigger prints in the ground, they circle Sam's, and then both pairs end at the tree line. "These do look relatively fresh; it appears Sam was not alone. She must have walked here last night when we thought she went to sleep."

Carol's heart freezes cold in her chest and her stomach drops uncomfortably, "Does that mean… was she taken? Did she leave with someone?"

Gradar shakes his head and he examines the footprints further, touching his fingertips to the ground and squinting his eyes. "I think there was a struggle. See the way this one extends backwards? That's telltale signs of being dragged or of a struggle at the very least."

Suddenly, Carol feels sick to her stomach. "It's Roan, isn't it?"

Gradar sighs, "I don't know for sure but… let's go back inside for a moment."

Carol holds back her anger at the situation knowing she will likely lash out at the closest person to her if they say the wrong thing. The anger is directed more at Gradar for being so calm, but she knows he is trying to help. She nods stiffly and marches back into the house where Maria is calling her parents to come get Monica from all the chaos. She is likely worried that she will have to do more "space mission" things. Although she leaves that part out while speaking with her parents, but Carol knows her best friend well.

"Change of plans. We're going to bargain with Roan. You," Carol points at Gradar before returning her hands to her hips. "We will trade you for Sam. It's the only way to guarantee she stays safe, and Roan probably already believes we hold you hostage."

Gradar holds his hands up trying to slow Carol down from speaking too quickly. "Wait, we don't even know if Roan has taken Sam."

"Who else could have?" Carol bites back.

"Alright, alright… but I still think we need to proceed with our original plan. Then, I can find out if he indeed has Sam and contact you. It's less dangerous for everyone that way. I can still get a read on Roan's morale and see who all will be willing to turn on him should it come to that."

Carol crosses her arms in aggravation, "Or, I could just storm the place and get Sam back right now."

"And then you would start a war with Roan that you wouldn't be able to fix! If you go there and provoke them, without knowing for sure that Sam is even there, you will shatter whatever chance of Roan standing down we have." Gradar shouts, he clearly was trying to get her to see reason. Part of her knows it's a bad idea to storm in and look for Sam, but right now she cannot think rationally. All she wants is for Sam to walk through the doors and flash her dazzling smile at her. Safely.

She knows he is right, though. She closes her eyes in defeat and runs a hand through her hair. "You're right… just, please hurry. The second you learn anything I want to know, just radio through my comms whenever you have the chance." Carol pauses for a moment when Gradar starts to leave. Then she grabs him by the arm, "If I haven't heard from you by the end of the day tomorrow, I'm coming in and dealing with Roan however I need to." At first, she thinks Gradar will protest by the look in his eyes, but eventually he nods and leaves the house.

It's not until hours after he's gone that Carol deflates into Maria's couch and bounces her leg impatiently. She's been pacing the house nonstop, thinking. She knows she could easily storm in and find Sam; it would be as simple as breathing for her, but she has to think about all the Skrull working for Roan. They aren't the enemy. And she would rather settle things without violence for their sake. "Patience was never your strong suit." Maria's voice carries across the room as she's walking to the couch with a plate of breakfast in hand.

Carol eyes it, the contents consisting of two pieces of triangle cut toast and half the plate's worth of eggs. She isn't particularly hungry, but she appreciates the work Maria put in to make breakfast for her, so she accepts the plate. "After last night… I don't want things to be on a bad note between Sam and me. And if Roan has her… god, she must be terrified." Carol admits whilst stuffing the toast in her mouth despite being sick to her stomach with worry.

Maria gives her a grimace, "Maybe he doesn't have her? We don't know for sure yet. Is there anywhere she might have gone if she just left because she was upset?"

Carol racks her brain, but only one image keeps popping up. It is an image of Sam drawing somewhere scenic.

Escaping was one of Sam's many talents, or habits depending on how one looked at it. Carol realized this shortly into their newly found romantic relationship. When something bothered the other woman, she tended to just disappear for a few hours to clear her head. Specifically disappearing to one spot in the park just a few miles away from where Sam was attending an art school.

It was in the middle of a clearing near a stream of water where Carol finally found Sam after a couple hours of looking. It was still midday, so the sun was streaming rays through the treetops. As for her girlfriend, she was hunched over her sketchbook and her arm moved rapidly across the paper. She was wearing jeans and a button-down white shirt with a beige cardigan draped over her shoulders. Her legs were crossed beneath her and she sat on top of a blue and green blanket.

Carol tried her best not to alarm the woman when she approached, so she called out her name softly, but her girlfriend was so focused on the paper in front of her that she didn't hear her. "Sam?" This time she said it a little louder and put her hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam jumped about a foot and the pencil in her hand slid across the paper making a long streak right down the middle. She clasped her chest and breathed, "Jesus, Carol! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I called you, but you didn't answer!" Carol defended. When she got a better look at Sam, she noticed how tired and defeated she looked. Her eyes were red, and her makeup was slightly smeared under her eyes. "Hey… what's wrong?"

At first, Sam turned her head back to view the stream of water she had been sketching, but Carol placed herself between her and the view by sitting with her legs crossed right in front of her girlfriend. She stared intently and watched as Sam sighed loudly, knowing full well she would pester her until she confessed why she was upset. "The painting I spent weeks on, the one I was presenting today at the advanced student showcase… it completely bombed. My instructor said it lacked 'insight and thoughtfulness' and it was, 'void of emotion' which is the worst critique I think I've ever gotten."

"What?! But it was so good! And you worked so hard on it, how could he just put it down so easily?" Now Carol was fuming, Sam's instructor clearly didn't know good art when he saw it.

Sam laughed bitterly, "I don't know, maybe he's right… I haven't felt like myself recently with painting. And I only worked so hard on that one because I couldn't find the inspiration for it." Carol's heart broke at the face Sam made when she admitted how she really felt. She looked totally at a loss. In all the time Carol had known Sam, she had never once expressed anything like this before. Art was her passion through and through, so for her to have any issues with it would be something she would have a hard time dealing with.

Carol bumped her forehead against Sam's and stayed like that for a moment, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Sam smiled and placed her hands on Carol's face pulling her in for a kiss. They returned to just having their foreheads together and enjoying the closeness of the other. Finally, Sam pulled away, "I'm sure it's just a temporary thing, I'll get my inspiration back soon I should think."

"Hmm, are you sure there's nothing I can do? Throw eggs on your instructor's car? Old fashioned TPing his house?" Carol tried to hide her sly smile as she pulled Sam closer to her until her girlfriend was practically straddling her. She took in the scent of her shirt, it always smelled of Sam's flowery perfume, and smiled brightly when Sam giggled at the suggestion in her voice.

With a frown, Carol stands up to pace the room with her index and thumb on her chin in thought. When Sam was upset, she almost always found a quiet place to clear her head. That was probably why she went outside after their argument. Well, argument is not the right word more like after Carol was a complete ass. That doesn't explain where Sam was now, though, only why she went outside in the first place. Carol knows she checked the area as best as possible and there were no signs of Sam going past the tree line. She sighs and throws her hands up in defeat, "I don't know! The only explanation is that Roan took her, I can just feel it in my gut, Maria."

"Okay-" she held up her hands, "let's say he does have her. Until we hear from Gradar, we don't know where she's even being held. And yes, you have serious superpowers and it probably wouldn't take you long to find her but still, the second he knows you're there, he'll hurt Sam and you know it."

Of course, she knows her best friend is right, but it still doesn't make her feel any better about the situation. Even with the tracker she put on Gradar, it will not tell her exactly where Sam is being held. She leans against the wall crossing her arms across her stomach. She has a sinking feeling from worry. She really cannot remember the last time she felt like this. Even with crash landing on Earth last year, she never truly felt worried about anything. Other than perhaps when she was slowly getting her memories back.

"I know, I've never been good at sitting around waiting."

Maria laughs, "Really? You? Carol, that is no secret! You've been that way for as long as I can remember."

It takes a lot for Carol to give Maria her best scowl, but it doesn't last for long before the corners of her mouth curl upward. "Whatever," she grumbles out before continuing. "Well, you were right about one thing, I need something to do while we wait on Gradar. I'm going to head over to Sam's apartment just to make sure she isn't there."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Maria asks.

"No, I think someone needs to be here in case Fury comes back so we can fill him in on what's going on. Actually, I'm surprised we haven't heard from him yet." She shakes her head and gives Maria a wave as she's walking out the door already glowing and hovering from her powers.

Maria runs after her, "Wait! Why do I have to be the one to talk to Fury?!"

Carol just grins, "I'll be back soon!" She leaves her best friend standing on her porch looking dumbfounded with her mouth open in a silent argument.

It doesn't take long for Carol to arrive at Sam's apartment, she feels bad about leaving Maria alone at the house but being cooped up was making her go crazy. Plus, Maria and Fury got along great so if he shows up it will be better for him to talk to Maria instead of talking to a stressed-out Carol.

At the apartment, she finds the door locked and decides to sort of bend the lock off. She'll fix it later for Sam. When she enters, she sees it's almost exactly the way it looked when she visited the first time, although now it appears to be missing Sam's cat. Her friend must have gotten the cat to look after it while Sam is away. Unsurprisingly, Sam is nowhere in her apartment which only further feeds the worry gnawing in her stomach. She plops down on Sam's bed and tries not to think about all the horrible things Roan could be doing to her.

She sighs heavily and something catches her eye just on the nightstand next to the bed. The drawer is half open and there's something sticking out of it. She knows she shouldn't pry, and that this is a huge violation of Sam's privacy, but curiosity gets the better of her. Upon further examination, she can clearly see the object is the backside of a picture frame. She picks it up and turns it around, in the frame there is a photo of Sam and herself. She is standing behind Sam with her arms wrapped around her and her chin is resting on the shoulder of the slightly shorter woman. The picture looks like it was taken in the middle of Sam laughing.

Carol runs her hand along the frame and smiles lightly. Vaguely, she wonders why it was stuffed away in this drawer but the communicator on her wrist beeps loudly interrupting her thoughts. Her heart jumps at the sudden noise in the quiet apartment, she pulls up the comms. It must be Gradar checking in, or at least she hopes it is. Instead, though, it is a Skrull she doesn't recognize who is on the other end. His face is harsher than Gradar's, it is riddled with scars and marks.

"Vers, I presume." He says in a typical bad-guy voice.

"That's not who I am anymore. Why don't you tell me who you are, though?" She asks, although she has a feeling, she already knows the answer.

He chuckles, "Gradar mentioned you were going by the human name Carol Danvers now. Don't make me laugh. You're a Kree, you only know how to destroy. But I am Roan, and I need to thank you for willingly sending us the traitor, I was expecting to have to trade your friend for him but you've made this so much easier. Now I have them both and you no longer have any leverage against me."

Carol's blood boils, she clenches her jaw tightly to keep herself from appearing at all fazed by his words. She inhales sharply before answering, "What have you done with Gradar and Sam?"

"Don't worry they are… safe. The moment Gradar arrived I knew he was a traitor, there is no way someone like you would ever let him escape with his life and Gradar is not a… particularly skilled fighter so there is no way he could escape on his own. He spouted nonsense about letting you help us. As for the girl, she was out wandering alone so one of my men grabbed her to use her as leverage."

"You don't have to do this. We don't need to be enemies- your people are waiting for you to join them on Dara!" Carol pleads. She knows it's a long shot but perhaps Roan will see reason.

He just laughs bitterly, and the sound sets Carol very much on edge by the sheer unpleasantness. "And be ruled by Talos? Ha! Too long have the Skrull lived as refugees on borrowed planets! Talos would see us continue to hide and barely survive on scraps, but I plan to take everything the Skrull could ever want! We won't have to build ourselves from scrap, we will live as superior beings!"

"By taking over Earth with a handful of Skrull? You can't win this, Roan."

"Humans are weak, Carol. They're almost primitive compared to other species out there! Even with my small group of men, I can infiltrate the most important areas of government and destroy them from the inside. I can create chaos until they destroy themselves. True, it could take years, but it can be done, and I intend to do it!" At this point, Carol thinks Roan sounds like a real madman. He's talking about world domination like it would be easy. Humans are not as weak as Roan makes them out to be either, even Carol had once been human after all. She knows firsthand that humans never give up, they always stand back up when they get knocked down. Whatever Roan has planned won't work.

The problem now is he still holds Sam and Gradar captive. Not to mention, the other Skrull who Carol hopes sees through his delusions by now. She hopes Gradar was at least able to sway some of them. As for another problem, she still has no idea why Roan is contacting her.

"So, then what do you want from me?"