Well, here's one that's a little different. I hope you like it. Feedback is always accepted!
Disclaimer – I don't own the Flashpoint characters or premise. I make no representation or demands on the rights to the Flashpoint show or characters, just this particular storyline.
Fair warning: There is character death in the story... But who is it? Read on to find out!
Greg's Worst Nightmare
The team filed into the debriefing room, dispirited. Sam was with SIU still, discussing the discharge of his weapon from the most recent hot call. The subject had taken some hostages inside a local coffee shop. Unfortunately, he escalated. Sam acted on Greg's Scorpio call but not before the subject had killed one of the hostages.
Greg pulled out the transcript of the event and started reading it to the team. They listened quietly, all appearing lost in their own thoughts. Near the end of the reading, Sam joined the team. He sat in the remaining chair at the table, the mood of the room contagious and making him quiet and circumspect as well.
"Does anyone have any questions, or anything to add?" Greg asked. He was met by silence and shaking heads. "Ok. Shift's over. Everyone head out."
The team members rose and left for the locker rooms. Greg stayed in his chair and continued working on the reports for the day's events. Finally, as the external light was fading, he signed the report, packaged it into its storage folder, and headed for the locker room himself.
After he finished changing, he sat for a few moments, just staring at the floor. He kept going over the event in his head, analyzing it and trying to identify if he could have said or done something differently. Something that may have saved both lives today.
His phone rang, the buzz of the vibrations against his side indicating a text message. Fishing his phone out of his jacket pocket, he noted a text from Marina.
*Dinner tonight?*
Smiling, Greg typed his response. *Sure. My place?* Greg replied to the text and waited for her reply.
He picked up his bag and headed for the door with renewed energy in his step. He and Marina had been dating for a while – ever since the incident in the building where the team nearly lost Spike, Raf and Sam to three bombs in the basement of the building. The bomber, a man who was upset that his project was being stolen by his employer after he was summarily fired from the company on the trumped up accusation that his project didn't work, later helped Spike disarm the bomb that would have brought the building down on everyone's head and probably caused considerable damage to the surrounding city blocks. Greg had called Marina that night and taken her up on an invitation to an art opening. He was glad he did.
*Ok. I'll be there at 7!* Was Marina's quick reply. Greg headed out to the parking lot with a smile on his face. He had more energy in his step from the thought of seeing Marina tonight. She always helped him put the stress of the day behind him, and kept him from brooding too much over what happened and what could have been.
He made it home by 6, and started pulling the ingredients together for a pasta meal. As he was putting the rolls into the oven to warm, Marina rang the doorbell. Greg went to the door to open it and smiled. She smiled back and entered his house. They embraced briefly in the foyer and then moved into the kitchen.
While Greg put the finishing touches on their meal, she kept the conversation light, knowing that this would keep his mind off what happened at work. Greg appreciated that, as he didn't want to bring the mood of the evening down.
They sat at the table and enjoyed his World Famous Pasta Carbonara and rolls over a lovely bottle of wine that Marina brought. Once finished, they moved to the living room, where they sat quietly cuddling on the couch, watching the flames dance in the fireplace and just enjoying each other's company. As the evening wore on, Greg eventually talked a bit about what happened earlier in the day and his questions about how he handled the situation.
"Do you think that the subject would have let the hostage go?" Marina asked.
Greg thought about the answer a minute. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "Everything seemed in control until his wife arrived on the scene and started talking with us. That agitated him."
"But… you usually try to get family to help, so that you can get an understanding of the subject?" Marina prompted.
"Yes. It's vital to our understanding the subject and developing a profile, which we then use to negotiate with them." Greg said. "But there must have been something we missed. Why else would he get so agitated when she appeared?"
Marina was silent a few moments, at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Greg; to get him to stop thinking about the day and focus on moving forward. Finally, she turned in his arms and kissed him gently. He responded, hesitantly at first, and then more urgently. Their combined desire rose, and they moved to the bedroom to participate in the best kind of healing. Afterwards, they fell asleep in each other's arms, the day's events quickly becoming a distant memory.