A/N: This is another story I've been writing in my head for a while now. I hope it translates well when I try to put it down on paper, so to speak.

Timeline on this is post-"Slow Burn," but not too long after. So the idea of Sam and Jules "out in the open" is still new to everyone.

I don't own Flashpoint of any of these amazing characters. I am very thankful that I can borrow them for a little while every now and then.


"Jules, come on, sit down," Greg Parker said after finishing his phone conversation with his team leader.

"Boss…" Jules Callaghan protested. It was never good when Sarge wanted you to sit, she thought.

"Not a request Jules, let's go."

Jules sat down with a sigh. "Sam called you."

"He had to Jules; you left him with no way to get here. Ed is on his way to pick him up now."

"But Boss…" she started, but stopped herself as she wondered why she was acting like this. It just wasn't like her.

"Jules, I know you're concerned. It's only been a few weeks. But Sam's been cleared for light duty and that means he has to report here. And as soon as he arrives, you two are going to talk. We need cool heads in case something arises and if you're distracted by this it could keep us from doing our jobs."

"I… OK, you're right. I guess I'll wait—"

"Go wait in your locker room, Sam should be here in a few minutes and I'll send him in."

"OK, thanks Boss."

"I know you won't let me down, Jules."


A Few Weeks Earlier

Jules Callaghan hated when she had to leave the scene to check on a lead. As the profiler she understood it was often part of her job but that didn't mean she had to like it. At the moment she was on her way back to the abandoned warehouse where Team One was searching for the subject who had killed his ex-girlfriend and her brother. She had found some good information and she was confident her team would locate the subject quickly. But she still didn't like being away and unable to help in a tangible way.

She thought about her teammates as she made her way through the streets. They were more than teammates, they were her family. The family who chose her. That's what they never told you when you were working your ass off to get into SRU. That when the team chose you they would very quickly become your family. She had a father and four brothers back in Medicine Hat, but here in her adopted home she had a father and three brothers. And then there was Sam.

By all appearances Sam was the kind of guy she would never want to be with. He was cocky, brash, self-assured to a fault, and he'd always been somewhat of a ladies' man. He'd marched into her life and not even blinked when she'd pulled her gun on him. He had pursued her but after her initial rejection he'd been more subtle in his pursuit. Until one day outside the Royal York after a simple job that had gone very bad but thankfully had ended well.

Jules had tried to push Sam away. She'd told herself it was for the best and she could get over him. But it had all been wrong without him in her life (other than as a teammate, of course) and it had taken the threat of breaking up Team One to bring them back together. And after they had proven themselves professional enough to observe the rules of the job they were allowed to remain on Team One together. Jules still couldn't believe how lucky she was.

"Jules?" The Boss's voice sounded in her ear.

"Almost there Sarge," she replied. Just as she turned the last corner and pulled up to the warehouse she heard her teammates pursuing the subject.

"David, this is the SRU. Put your hands where we can see them," she heard Ed say. She knew Sam was checking another area of the warehouse with Spike and Raf was with Ed.

As she parked the car she heard Spike yell, "Hands in the air! Sam, watch out!"

She—along with the rest of the team—held her breath as Sam's shout sounded in her ear. It was followed by the sound of the air being forced out of his lungs and then a thump as he obviously hit the ground.

"Spike, Sam, what's your status?" Sarge asked, worry evident in his voice though he tried to remain calm.

"On your knees, hands behind your head," the team heard Spike shout before he replied, "Sarge, subject is contained, I'm fine, Sam is down. We need EMS now!"

Jules made her way over to the truck as Ed and Raf arrived in the area of the warehouse where Sam and Spike were.

"Boss, Sam was hit on the side with a large lead pipe. Looks like he hit his head when he fell, he's out. Spike is coming out with the subject now." Raf filled them in while Ed led EMS back to where Sam lay on the ground.

Sarge glanced at Jules and noticed she was fighting to keep herself together. She took a deep breath and ran over to meet Spike and the man who had caused as-yet-undetermined injury to the one person in the world who meant the most to her.

"The EMTs are with him now, Jules," Spike said as she walked with them towards a waiting squad car.

The team could hear the EMTs assessing Sam's injuries through their headsets, since Ed and Raf were still with their injured teammate.

"Trauma to his right side, decreased breath sounds, head wound, officer on scene says he hit his head when he fell after being struck on the side. Pulse is regular, we're bringing him out now."

Sarge and Spike came to stand near Jules, who was waiting at the entrance to the warehouse. As soon as she saw the stretcher Jules ran to Sam's side. She reached out to touch whatever she could reach, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin to assure herself he was still alive. Her fingertips brushed quickly through his hair before he was rolled away.

Jules felt her composure start to slip and she covered her mouth with her hand—her typical reaction when she was feeling strong emotions—before brushing her bangs to the side. The motions left small smudges of blood on her face.

She turned to join the rest of her teammates, who were wrapping things up and getting ready to head to the hospital.

"Jules," Sarge called. She walked to his side. "Go."

"Go, Boss?"

"Yeah, go ride with Sam. We'll pack up the SUVs and meet you at the hospital."

"I'm OK Boss, I can finish up here."

"Jules, go. We got this."

She looked her Sergeant in the eye before nodding and running off to get in the ambulance. She sat to the side, watching the EMTs monitor Sam's vital signs as they sped to the hospital.


Wordy was having a boring day at Guns & Gangs. There was no activity on any of his cases and he found himself sitting at his desk reminiscing about his days with Team One. He was just about to call Shelley when his cell phone rang.

"Ed Lane, what can Guns & Gangs do for you?" He answered when he saw the name on his caller ID.

"Wordy, you busy?" his former teammate and still best friend asked.

"Not overly, what's wrong?" Wordy asked, sensing the tension in his friend's voice.

"Need you to get to St. Simon's. Sam's hurt and Jules is on the way there with him. We'll be there shortly."

"I'm on my way," Wordy replied, grabbing his keys and heading out.

Wordy had always had a soft spot for Jules. He had been very protective of her when she first joined Team One and they had developed a close friendship over the years. He would never forget how, in the aftermath of the explosion that took Lou's life, Jules had turned to him for comfort. Sure, he was the closest to her, but he knew that wasn't the only reason she'd chosen him. He could picture her crying, hands over her mouth, her whole body trembling at what they'd all just witnessed.

Sam was a difficult teammate at first. The super cocky military kid who was good but who knew it, and wasn't afraid to let people know. None of them would ever forget their first meeting with Sam. Wordy thought they probably should have known he and Jules would end up together after she pulled her weapon on him. He called Shelley as he drove to the hospital to let her know he might be home late. He told her what he knew and promised to call when he had more information.

As Wordy hung up he thought of his daughter Ally. She had a crush on Sam and whenever the team had one of their get-togethers she would hover at a respectable distance watching his every move. Sam was a good sport about it, always waving and smiling at her, and on one recent occasion when Sam and Jules had watched the girls, Sam sat on the floor in Ally's room for hours reading to her. He hoped he'd never have to tell Ally that Sam was hurt.

Ed hung up after calling his friend and former teammate, relieved that Wordy had been available to go right to the hospital. He knew Sam was in good hands and Jules could more than take care of herself but he hated that the team couldn't be there right away. They'd all had their turn with injuries of varying severity but it always hit home harder when a teammate was wheeled off on a stretcher, especially when that teammate was also unconscious.

As the team packed up their gear and wrapped up the remaining loose ends from the call Ed reviewed the day's events in his mind. Greg had already told him there was nothing they could have done differently. They did everything right and things still didn't turn out perfectly. Two people were dead and their teammate was injured, but at least they'd been able to take the subject into custody and he would pay for his actions.

Ed's phone buzzed and he looked down to see a text message from Wordy letting him know he was nearing the hospital. He resumed packing up the gear, anxious to get the rest of his team to the hospital. Being team leader meant he sometimes had to make difficult decisions on the fly, and that often ruffled his teammates' feathers. But when it came down to it he respected every member of Team One and he hated when one of them was injured.


Jules jumped out of the ambulance as soon as the doors opened outside the Emergency Room. She stood to the side as she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Steve standing just outside the ER doors.

"Jules, I was transporting a patient when we heard the call come through. It's Sam?" Steve watched as his colleagues prepared to move Sam into the ER.

"Yeah, he was hit on the side with a lead pipe and hit his head when he fell. He's been out ever since."

"You know he's strong Jules, he's going to get the best care available. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for either of you."

"I just want him to wake up," Jules replied, exhaustion and worry evident in her voice.

"I know, Jules," Steve replied as his radio crackled to life. "Listen, I gotta go, but I'm gonna check in on Sam and you later."

Jules followed Sam into the ER as the EMTs rolled his stretcher inside.


Wordy could see his teammates near the ambulance entrance to the ER as he walked in the pedestrian entrance. Sam's shirt had been cut off and there were bloodstains in his hair. Wordy rushed to meet up with Jules, knowing she would be ushered to the waiting area by herself while the doctors worked on Sam.

Jules ran alongside Sam for as long as the EMTs and doctors would let her. When they told her they needed her to wait outside so they could treat him and the door closed in front of her she didn't know what to do. There was no way to see him from the waiting room but she still huddled close to the door hoping someone would come out quickly to update her.

"Jules, how are you doing?" Wordy quietly asked as he approached his shaken teammate. Even though he wasn't on Team One anymore, they were all still his teammates. His extended family. The family that wasn't all about ribbons, bows, and dresses.

Jules turned when she heard his voice, clearly confused by his presence. "Wordy?"

"Ed called me and told me what happened. It was a slow day at Guns & Gangs and you know I couldn't just leave you guys here. The team is on their way just as soon as they can get here."

"Ed called you?" She replied, her voice flat and her body language clearly indicating she was only half paying attention.

Wordy took a step closer to Jules, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Why don't we go sit down?" He led Jules over to a seating area set off from the main waiting area. They would have as much privacy as they were going to get in the ER waiting room, and there would be room for their teammates to sit when they arrived.

Jules sat down and Wordy sat next to her, his arm still around her shoulders as she leaned into his chest. She took a deep breath and he could tell she was on the verge of tears. As Wordy turned to look at Jules he noticed the blood on her face.

"Hey Jules, wait here, I'll be right back," he said before stepping away. He returned a minute later with paper towels, some moist and some dry. He sat next to Jules again. "Come here, let's get you all cleaned up so you'll look your best when Sam wakes up."

Wordy gently wiped the blood from Jules's face. When he was done she grasped his wrist. "Thank you Wordy…" She paused, trying to hold herself together. Not knowing anything more about Sam's condition was driving her crazy, and she imagined this must have been what it was like for the team when she was shot.

"No problem Jules," Wordy replied.

Sarge, Ed, Raf, and Spike arrived and huddled around Jules and Wordy just as the doors through which Sam had been taken opened.

"Family of Sam Braddock?"


Oh no, I wouldn't really end it there, would I? Well, truth be told, I didn't really want to end it there but I like to keep my chapters to roughly 2500 words or less and I'm there. Plus I've promised a few people this story for a while now and I thought if I didn't get it posted soon they might think I was having delusions or something…

I am a little concerned I made Jules too OOC in this story (perhaps moreso in later chapters than this one) but then again I think of her at the end of "You Think You Know Someone" and she did get emotional when she was talking to Greg. So, if she is OOC then we'll just call that my dramatic license.

I'm going out of town this weekend so probably won't get another chapter posted before next week. But I'll try.