Prologue

Author note: spoilers for 04x01: Personal Effects. Pretty much the entire episode. And I am using dialogue from the episode. This story is the thirty-fourth in the Magical Flashpoint series. It follows "Divided We Fall".

Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.

As a final note, although I've been trying not to use prologues quite as much as I used to, this one was just too long to combine with Chapter One; I felt I'd end up frustrating all of you if I combined a 1.5k long prologue with Chapter One.

Previously

"We've got somebody else to do your team's psychological evaluation this year."

The man who arrived wore an impeccable black suit and tie along with plain black wingtip shoes, and carried two bulky suitcases, one silver, one brown. He strode into the open briefing room, his stride unhurried and his professional demeanor already in place.

"Who's Toth?" Sam piped up, though his teammates looked just as confused.

"Military psychologist," Jules filled in.

"He breaks up teams," Ed growled.

Greg instantly countered. "He does not break up teams."

"Oh, come on," Ed protested.

"He's a specialist in team psychology. We've had some tough calls."

"And you're on board with this?" Ed asked incredulously.

The moment of silence was telling. "Not completely," Greg admitted. "I'd prefer if it had been someone cleared to know about all of our calls."

"You almost lost a partner," Toth observed. "You almost lost a best friend, too, right? Let me ask you this: You almost lose your best friend. It's three in the afternoon. How do you spend the rest of your day?"

"I went home."

"Today," Dominic whispered, "your friend cheats the Reaper, but tomorrow, my son does not."

Without a flicker of real concern, Toth asked, "You patch things up with your father?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he won't," Spike replied flatly.

"Why?"

"He's dying," Spike reported dully.

"Spike…" the Boss whispered, sympathy aching.

"No," Spike managed, shaking his head and still staring down. "He won't patch things up until I quit SRU."

Flatly, grimly, Toth snapped, "You and Jules Callaghan were involved."

"Did you know the risk to the team?" Toth demanded of Jules.

"Yes, I knew the risk to the team," Jules admitted. "That's why I accepted it when Sarge demanded that we break up or transfer. I worked my tail off to earn a spot on Team One and I wasn't about to endanger that."

Toth's response was predictable – and right. "There's a reason that's against SRU policy," he said sternly. "It puts your teammates in danger."

"But it makes no difference," Sam retorted, "because it's over."

The polygraph reacted to that at once.

Toth continued his questioning. "When was the last time you had a full medical?"

Defensiveness surged up and the confidence vanished. "My last medical was fine."

"How do you explain your trouble with concentration? Your unsteady hands, your slower cognitive response?"

Wordy pleaded, "This job is the only thing I know how to do."

Toth was implacable. "Raise your arms."

Greg watched as Wordy raised his arms and his right hand trembled.

Toth, believing he'd rattled Ed sufficiently, asked, "When things get tough at work, where do you turn?"

"I count on my team."

"Where do you turn if it's something you can't share with the team?"

"My family."

"So how are you coping with them gone?"

"Greg…how did he know that Sophie left me? How'd he know about that?"

"Eddie, it was in my notes," Greg murmured regretfully, flicking a look in Toth's direction.

"You know what?" Ed decided, pulling out his badge and tossing it on the table in front of Toth. His gun sprang to his hand and he unloaded it with quick angry motions.

"Eddie."

The former team leader didn't even glance at his ex-boss…ex-friend. "Gentlemen…" he drawled, setting the gun and its magazine down with a firm thud. "I got a baby I got to meet." With that, he strode around the table and out the briefing room door…for the last time.

"Yeah, put her on right now."

"Okay, Soph, what's going on?" Ed asked.

"Her heart rate's low," Sophie sobbed, "She's not getting enough oxygen."

"What do you mean, her heart's too slow? Sophie."

Even as he steered for the exit, the SUV he'd just passed pulled up alongside him, the driver shouting and flipping Ed off. "No, Soph," Ed started to say; a sharp honk from the SUV brought his head around and he shouted back, "Come on, buddy."

The SUV honked again and pulled right in front of Ed; it cut in so close that Ed had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.

Negotiator and psychologist faced off, each man measuring the other up. Parker chose to break the stand-off first. "I'll admit I needed help this year," he began, his eyes intense. "I'll even admit that, in theory, an objective point of view and fresh eyes on my people was needed."

"Your instinct is right," Toth replied. "There are fault lines running all through this team."

"I didn't need you to break them down," Parker snapped angrily. "I didn't need you to throw their worst moments in their faces and break them apart from each other. And what you call fault lines," helpless fury flashed, "That's them being human," the Sergeant finished, voice firm.

"It's natural that you're feeling protective," Toth opined smoothly.

"Stop!" Parker growled. "This was never about my team, was it?" Toth stilled. "No, whoever called you in wasn't interested in my team, per se. Just me. And the best way to get to me is through my team."

Grimly, Greg met Toth's gaze. "My team doesn't deserve what you did to them. My guys chose each other! They've got each other's back!"

"There's got to be a good reason to break up a team."

The light at the bottom of the ramp turned red and Ed reluctantly slowed to a halt. He glared at the other SUV and willed the light to change.

The light turned green, but the SUV in front of him didn't budge. Peering through the SUV's rear window, Ed saw the driver on his own phone. Frantic for his wife, Ed laid on his horn and shouted, "Come…come on!"

Inside the other car, the driver frantically begged for lenience from the man on the other end of the phone line. "I'm telling you that you do not need to do this, all right? Listen to me: I need a bit more time."

The light was green and the blasted car wasn't moving! "Come on!" Ed roared as he pounded on his horn and slipped the Bluetooth off his ear. "It's green!"

The other driver rolled down his window and made a sharp, angry gesture; he yelled back, "Go around!"

The frustrated cop put his car in reverse, but the car behind him was too close for him to back up. Ed groaned; Sophie was counting on him and this louse was in his way!

"Let's go! Let's go!" he yelled, honking once more at the idiot in the gray SUV. "Come on!"

In the gray SUV, the driver's pleading turned forceful. "Please… Please!"

Frustration crystallized into decision and Ed threw the Flex into park and got out. The constable advanced on the other SUV and briskly ordered, "All right, back in the car, let's move the vehicle, please, let's do it now."

The other driver closed his door and glared back at Ed, but his attitude was cut off by the police uniform Ed still wore. "Okay."

Satisfied, Ed turned to get back in his SUV, but something out of the corner of his eye drew him back. The driver opened his door and yanked a silver semi-auto out of his car. Ed's right hand flew down, only to slap helplessly against his empty holster. Ed put his hands up and tried to talk the other man down. "Okay…let's just slow this down. Let's just slow it down."

Abruptly, his 'team sense' came to life, flaring warning. A voice, one he recognized, cried out in a frantic plea for help. "Greg!"

Then fire erupted from his chest and arm; he bit back a cry of pain and fell forward, slamming down on the cool tile of the station's floor, just as, kilometers away, Ed Lane collapsed backwards as bullets struck him in the arm and chest. Seven bullets were pumped into his body before the other man screeched away, leaving the constable bleeding out on the pavement; above him, the light turned red.