Caroline "Ice" Martin

Name 	Caroline Steel (née Martin)
Nickname 	"Ice"
Caroline smelled the drugged ice on the plane when she met Wolf. Abe later dubbed her "Ice," which the men use to refer to her.
Significant other 	Matthew "Wolf" Steel (husband)
Child(ren) 	None
Team Affiliation(s) 	SEAL of Protection
Also has appearances in SEAL of Protection: Legacy and Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes
Core group of friends	Christopher "Abe" & Alabama Powers (children Tommy, Brinique, Davisa, and Kate)
Hunter "Cookie" & Fiona Knox
Sam "Mozart" & Summer Reed (children April and Sam Jr.)
Faulkner "Dude" & Cheyenne Cooper (child Taylor)
Kason "Benny" & Jessyka Sawyer (children Sara, John, Callie, James, Matthew, and Jessie)
John "Tex" & Melody Keegan (children Akilah and Hope)
Other friends 	Patrick & Julie Hurt (child _)
Kiera Hamilton
Dakota James
Caite Wise
Other family 	[father, unnamed] & [mother, unnamed]
Career 	Chemist
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Caroline lived a happy life with a mother and father, who had her later in life. They loved and supported her in her endeavors. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 3 They both passed away in the year before she met Wolf. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 6
When Caroline was around four years old, she and her mother were waiting in the line for the restroom at an amusement park. Annoyed with waiting, young Caroline stepped into the nearby grassy area and relieved herself there. Caroline's mother was embarrassed in the moment, but happily retold the story throughout Caroline's childhood. 
Caroline claims to have had a rough time as a teenager. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 4 She was uninterested in boys until later in her teen years, but didn't have a boyfriend in high school, nor did she attend school dances. Caroline knew she wanted to become a chemist before she graduated from high school. She followed that career path with the support of her father. 
At 22, Caroline was in a car accident, leaving her in traction in the hospital for three months. She downplayed her injuries to her parents, so they wouldn't worry. She had been dating a man, who came to visit her once. She was also visited by the attorney of the man who hit her. During this time she suffered from bed sores. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 18
===Career===
Caroline is a chemist, who focuses on macroscopic applied chemistry and short term research. When she met Wolf, she was moving jobs from San Diego to Norfolk. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 2 She worked in Norfolk for only a few months before taking her position back in San Diego.
===Protecting Caroline (2014)===
Wolf formally meets Caroline Martin on a plane from San Diego to Norfolk. (They informally met when they both arrived at the airport, as Wolf helped Caroline with her faulty luggage before heading to the security checkpoint.) They strike up a companionable conversation, realizing that they're attracted to one another. They are interrupted by an active terrorist plot taking place on their plane. Once they return to relative safety in Norfolk, however, they continue seeing one another, until Wolf needs to leave for a mission.
Upon Wolf's return, their relationship is again impeded by terrorists retaliating against Caroline for foiling their plans. Wolf shows extreme distress at the thought of Caroline being in danger. He finds her in FBI's witness protection, and maneuvers his team into helping protect her. Wolf and Caroline share a bed each night, though their relationship doesn't progress past intense make-out sessions. One night Wolf notices some strange sounds, and upon investigating, he is knocked unconscious by an explosion. Caroline drags him back to their room, where she fruitlessly attempts to revive him. The house is on fire, and she works with Mozart to get Wolf out of the house before escaping herself. Caroline and Mozart run into trouble when they're surrounded by a group of terrorists, who beat both Mozart and Wolf while abducting Caroline.
Caroline is held hostage and tortured while her abductors question how she knew about the terrorist plot. At the same time, a now-conscious Wolf and his team (minus a now-unconscious Mozart) try to find clues as to Caroline's whereabouts. With help from Tex, they find a video of her being tortured, where she sends them a subtle message about boats and seagulls. The SEALs rightly deduce that Caroline is being held at a civilian port, and head out to investigate. Undercover as a fisherman, Benny sees two men hauling a severely beaten Caroline away from their hideout. He attempts to send her a comforting message, but she doesn't recognize it.
Wolf asks Abe to take point on the mission, as he feels he would be too emotionally compromised to ensure Caroline's safety. The SEALs head out after a yacht transporting Caroline to a secluded part of the ocean. There the terrorists once again interrogate Caroline, but she refuses to give into them. They attach weights to her feet and toss her overboard, watching her struggle before they start shooting at her. As Caroline intentionally sinks to get away from the bullets, Wolf, Abe, and Benny arrive in their boat. Before arriving, they let Dude out to create a diversion, while Cookie (the best swimmer) headed to find Caroline. They demand that the terrorists surrender, which they refuse to do. Having tried to negotiate a safe conclusion, their camera films Dude's diversion, which is an explosive device that decimates the boat and its terrorist occupants.
Caroline struggles to get to the surface when she is grabbed by behind. She initially fights for her life, until she realizes that Cookie is there to save her. Cookie swims them far away from the explosion before surfacing and signaling to his teammates. The SEALs (with Dude onboard) arrive at their location and gently extract Caroline from the ocean. Wolf attempts to comfort her, as she is in shock and eventually passes out at the bottom of their boat. They take her directly to the hospital.
Caroline awakes in the hospital to see three unfamiliar men surrounding her bed. Dude and Benny introduce themselves with the nonverbal signal, while Cookie wraps her in a gentle hug. As Caroline and Cookie now have a special bond, he bestows upon her his Budweiser pin, which is the most precious physical award he has to offer, and they all have a tearful moment. Caroline begs the men to take her to her apartment, as she can't stand being in hospitals.
Meanwhile, an infuriated Abe approaches Wolf, who believes that his job is what got Caroline into danger. As a result, Wolf refuses to allow Caroline to be close to him again. Abe informs Wolf that Mozart regained consciousness, and revealed that Caroline was the one who rescued Wolf from the burning building. Abe is furious with Wolf for writing off Caroline, and encourages him to go after her. A few minutes later, he sees his team leader leaving the building, and Abe hopes Wolf is on his way to Caroline.
Caroline is trying to rest at home when Wolf breaks into her apartment and rouses her. She is angry with Wolf, as she feels abandoned by him. Wolf agrees, and apologizes profusely. He starts to care for her, including making her lunch and ensuring she takes her medication. Caroline is still unsure of Wolf's intentions, until Wolf informs her that he is all in for their relationship, and they reconcile.
A month later, Caroline is moving back to San Diego and into Wolf's small house. They tried to have a long-distance relationship, but Caroline has no ties to Norfolk, and her previous job is still available. They settle into life together.
==Characteristics==
* Hates to fly, particularly the boarding process
*Blunt 
*Considers others' comfort, even when it puts her in discomfort 
*Has a "pretty healthy self-esteem" and a good personality 
* Smart 
* "Mostly content with herself and her life" 
*Has a strong handshake 
*Sensible 
*Needs to gather her thoughts Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 5
* Always on the go; not likely to patiently sit around waiting 
*Refuses to use the guys' nicknames Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 11
*Listens to the oldies radio station Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 12
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==Physical Description==
* Average height 
* Has brown hair, often worn in a messy bun at the back of her head 
* When she meets Wolf, she's wearing jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeve T-shirt 
* Wears little makeup and minimal jewelry 
* Describes herself as a wallflower with "plain looks" 
* Has calluses on her palm 
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==Relationships==
===Romantic===
*(Unnamed man)
**Once told her she wasn't "girlfriend material"
*Matthew "Wolf" Steel
**Caroline officially meets Wolf when he sits next to her on a plane. At the sound of his voice, she experiences shivers. She gets over her nerves and asks him if he'd like to swap seats. From there, Wolf notices her and starts to chat with her. 
***
===Team Families===
When the team is on a mission, Caroline hosts all the families for the first night, as they watch sad movies and commiserate over missing their men.
*Christopher "Abe" and Alabama Powers
**Children: Tommy, Brinique, Davisa, Kate
**Caroline met Abe on the hijacked flight where she met Wolf. To let Abe know that there was danger, she walked up the aisle and grabbed his shoulder, pressing down hard on her second and fourth fingers. This was a signal for Abe to be prepared for action. At the hotel the morning after the incident, Abe dubs Caroline "Ice," and encourages his teammates to go looking for her. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 9
**Months later, when Caroline is kidnapped, Abe was the first one to notice Caroline's coded message to the SEALs. He lead the team in their mission to retrieve her. Protecting Caroline (2014), chapter 16 After Wolf refused to see Caroline, Abe chastised him, convincing Wolf that he needed to fight for his relationship with Caroline. 
**Caroline hated Abe's ex, Adelaide, and wasn't afraid to tell him. She encouraged him to break up with Adelaide. As he contemplated doing so, he compared Adelaide to Caroline, and found his girlfriend to be "a total bitch." Protecting Alabama (2014), chapter 2
**When Caroline meets Alabama, she pulls her aside and asks her not to hurt Abe. Alabama assures her she won't, and they share an embrace. Protecting Alabama (2014), chapter 10
**When the team finds Alabama after she's been on the streets, Caroline convinces her to come back to her and Wolf's house to stay with them. Their friendship grows stronger, as they both show they care about each other. Protecting Alabama (2014), chapter 19
**When the team returns from a mission, Alabama goes to Caroline's house to wait for Abe. Wolf invites them to spend the night in the basement, as it would take too long for them to go home. Protecting Alabama (2014), epilogue
* Hunter "Cookie" and Fiona Knox
* Sam "Mozart" and Summer Reed
** Children: April, Sam Jr.
* Faulkner "Dude" and Cheyenne Cooper
** Child: Taylor
* Kason "Benny" and Jessyka Sawyer
** Children: Sara, John, Callie, James, Matthew, Jessie
* John "Tex" and Melody Keegan
** Children: Akilah, Hope
* Patrick and Julie Hurt
** (Child)
*
=== Other Friends ===
*Kiera Hamilton (Cooper Nelson's partner)
*Dakota James (Slade "Cutter" Cuttsinger's partner)
** Dakota is staying with Caroline when they are both abducted in Protecting Dakota (2017). Together they form a close bond as they undergo torture and hatch a plan to escape.
*Caite McCallan (Blake "Rocco" Wise's partner)
** Caite introduces Caroline to Sidney Hale (Decker "Gumby" Kincade's partner) in Securing Sidney (2019).
===Family===
*(Caroline's father)
*(Caroline's mother)
==Appearance(s)==
*Protecting Caroline (2014) - main character
*Protecting Alabama (2014)
*Protecting Fiona (2014)
*Marrying Caroline (2015) - main character
*Protecting Summer (2015)
*Protecting Cheyenne (2015)
*Protecting Jessyka (2015)
*Protecting Julie (2015)
*Protecting Melody (2015)
*Protecting the Future (2016) - main character
*Rescuing Rayne (2016) - mentioned
*Protecting Alabama's Kids (2016)
*Marrying Emily (2017) - mentioned
*Protecting Kiera (2017)
*Protecting Dakota (2017)
*A Moment in Time (2018) - main character (story: "The Boardwalk")
*Securing Caite (2019)
*Securing Sidney (2019)
*Securing Piper (2019) - mentioned
*Shelter for Penelope (2019)
*Securing Kalee (2020) - mentioned
*Another Moment in Time (2020) - main character (story: "Caroline's Surprise")
*Securing Jane (2021)
=== Special Forces: Operation Alpha Books ===
* Safeguarding Miley
* Securing Ara
* Shielding Evanleigh
Category:SEAL of Protection
Category:Characters