Girls' Night Out
author's note: a night out of celebrating turns deadly and puts everyone in danger - especially Jules. (JAM proposal and pregnancy included!)
Jules was overjoyed. The news from the doctor wasn't what she was expecting. She hoped with all her heart that sam would be just as overjoyed maybe more than she was because he was the father. the father of her baby!
I wonder what the team will think, Juls thinks as she drives to the little café to meet Sam. Her stomach was all weird, as if butterflies were multiplying inside and there little wings were flapping like crazy.
Sam's reaction was everything she hoped for and more. He was smiling happily and was truly excited about the news that they were going to have a baby together.
Now that Jules is pregnant, Sam wondered how it would change things. After all, the work they did is dangerous. Very dangerous. And she's already been shot once, Sam thinks to himself when he arrives to the Mens locker room that morning. If something happens to her on the job again, I'd go insane thinks Sam.
But Jules doesn't want him to worry. The last thing she needs is for him to be too overprotective. Its one of the things she really loves about Sam, and that is the way he lets her do dangerous things because he knows she can handle the job. His 'sexy sniper chick' can be just as tough as any of them, and she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone else. Especially him.
Sam remembers the first time he layed eyes on Jules, and can't believe his amazing luck. That even after that rough start and her getting shot and then breaking up with him they still couldn't ignore what was happening between them. and now he is going to be the father of her baby.
"What do you think it is?" asks sam as they drive in to work together. "I don't know" Jules said. "what if its twins? Maybe there would be one of each."
"A boy and a girl… we would have to think of two names" says Sam.
"if it's a girl, we could name one after your sister" Jules said.
"Natalie?" asks Sam.
"No, silly! the other sister. the one you lose"
"oh. right. I still miss her, you know" says Sam sadly. But that would be a really great way to honor her. You'd probably make my mom happy if we did. It would be like she's somehow alive again.
Sam smiles at the memory of that conversation. He sees Ed and Greg looking at him kinda funny. He knows they don't know about their good news yet but for a second he worries that they can somehow read his mind and see 'baby-name talk' written all over his happy face.
There is a call and soon the team is on the road. they have to face an ex-military guy who was only trying to do right by this friends, who was trying to take care of others in a bad spot after coming back from the war. Sam puts his own life in danger to try to talk the sergeant down who is holding a grenade in his hand with the pin removed. if he lets it go both him and Sam will surely die. right there in front of jules, and she hopes and prays that sam can get through to him. as much as he is afraid something might happen to her and the baby she is also worried. worried that something might happen to him. what would she do if one day he didn't come home to her and their child?
it's a prospect she doesn't have to face because sam gets through to the sergeant. Jules is completely and totally relieved. her baby still has a father.
It's three months later, and they still haven't told the team the good news but sam has told his parents. The General wants to know when his son will make an honest woman of his girlfriend, and sam tells him quietly that he really does want to marry jules, but he's waiting for the right moment to pop the question. There's a place they used to go in her jeep some nights by the waterfront close to where Ed made sam swim in his full gear. it's on the marina and its peaceful there. sam has shared some of his most meaningful conversations there with jules as they sipped their double-doubles in the cool night air. that's where I will pop the question, he thinks.
Jules tries to muffle the sound of her wretching in the Ladies locker room. The morning sickness hasn't been bad but today the bran muffin she ate might have been a bit stale causing her stomach to reject it. Leah knocks lightly on the stall door and asks if she is okay.
"I'm fine" jules answers.
"We need to be in the briefing room" Leah says. "Should I tell greg your sick?"
"No I'm coming" Jules says and opens the door to show she is alright.
Leah looks at her funny but doesn't say a word.
Jules can tell the other woman is curious. She got the same looks from Donna last week, and from Winnie the week before. She knows that the other SRU ladies sense something has changed about her and maybe they even suspect she is pregnant but they're being polite about it and won't ask her. As it is, Jules and Sam agreed that after three months they are going to tell the team their good news. And three months is today, so they planned to tell them at the end of the morning meeting before patrols.
After Greg tells the team about the latest drill results and how Team One is still the top out of all the teams on the SRU Sam slowly stands up and Jules stands next to him. He clears his throat and links his fingers with her's. She squeezes his fingers back and remembers with a hint of guilt the night Izzy was born and how she rejected Sam when he tried to hold her hand in the hospital. All she can think of now is that in 6 months, it will be her and Sam in a hospital welcoming a new baby. She imagines the whole team being there like they were for Ed and Sophie and she can't help but smile.
"Jules and I have an announcement" says Sam nervously.
"We are going to have a baby!" Jules says happily.
Everyone on the team breaks into a round of applause and congratulate them on the good news and Greg winks at Jules. Ed and Spike grin and offer Sam high fives and handshakes. Leah gave Jules a big hug and says "I knew something was going on with you!"
Ed, Greg and Spike joke with Sam about being honorary uncles just before Winnie announces that there is a report of a gunshot somewhere in the city, and they have to hurry. Right away all talk about the baby vanishes and the team is off again to protect the city.
Sam and Jules get to ride together this time because the rest of them know it would be wrong to separate them at least for this shift after sharing their good news.
"I think they took the news pretty good" says Sam as they get ready to leave in the SUV.
"I agree" Jules says. "Greg knows the rules about when a cop gets pregnant so I don't think hes going to treat me any different out in the field."
"The rest of the team will want to take care of you Jules. You know that right?"
"Of course I know. But the only protection I need is knowing that you are safe Sam you are my security."
"I feel the same way Jules. When I'm with you everything else just disappears. nothing else matters. I love you Jules"
"And I love you too"
The kiss and then Sam starts the SUV thinking again about how he wants to pop the question to Jules. I'll do it soon because I already found the ring I want to buy, he thinks. It's a beautiful, white gold band with a solitaire diamond simple and elegant.
He looks over at Jules as he drives and thinks about how beautiful she is and how the ring will look on her finger how she'll look on their future wedding day in her dress. She'll look stunning, he thinks, and everything will be perfect.
Jules was exhausted. It was almost the end of the shift when they got called to an armed standoff in an bad part of town. It lasted hours, but Greg was finally able to talk the gunman down. It was nearly midnight by the time they made it back to the barn, and all she wanted to do was hit the showers and go home.
Sam stopped her on the way out of the locker room. "Hey Jules" he says "I know it's late but I'd really like to go for drive and just talk for a little bit if that's okay with you."
"Sure Sam" Jules says. "Were are we going?"
"You'll see. Mind if I drive your jeep?"
"Not at all." She hands him her keys and they head outside to the parking lot.
Sam smiles as she gets into the jeep. He makes sure the ring is in his pocket. He's certain she's going to say yes when he asks, but one part of his brain is doubtful and totally freaked out. He's positive he wants to spend the rest of his life with her he just hopes she wants to spend the rest of her life him – and their baby that's on the way.
Sam first stops at a 24-hour drivethru Tim Hortons for two large double-doubles and then he takes them to that quiet spot on the waterfront where they liked to go for privacy.
"This is nice" Jules says as they sit in the back of the parked jeep and sip their coffee. "I can't remember the last time we did this."
"Neither can I" Sam says. It's now or never, he thinks. "Hey Jules, I know we haven't really talked about it a lot, but I think you know how important you are to me and how you make me feel when we're together. You make me feel like the luckiest guy on the planet and now that we're having a baby it's even more amazing. I love you Jules, and sometimes I don't say it enough."
"I love you too Sam" Jules smiles.
"I'm glad" Sam smiles. He reaches into his pocket and puts down his coffee. "So… I have a question for you. Julianna Callaghan… will you be my wife?"
Jules feels as if her heart is going to explode out of her chest. The joy welling up inside her is so intense, she almost starts to cry. All she can see now is the ring that Sam is offering her and she almost forgets to answer him.
"Well?" Sam asks.
"Yes!" Jules shouts.
With a happy smile Sam takes the ring out of the box and gently puts it on her finger. They kiss long and passionately.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be right at this moment" Jules sighs.
"Copy that!" says Sam. and they pull each other into another kiss.
It's the next morning and Jules is all smiles. Winnie is the first to notice her happy mood as she enters.
"Someone's in a good mood this morning" says the dispatcher.
Jules walks over and holds out her hand to show off the engagement ring.
"No way!" exclaims Winnie. "He proposed! Congratulations!"
Jules can feel herself blushing. "Thanks winnie. I'm on cloud nine. I honestly never thought it would happen. You know with this job and everything… but Sam's the one. I just know it."
"We are totally going to have a girls night out to celebrate the good news!" declares Winnie.
"sure. that sounds like fun" Jules replies.
"After all, once you're a married woman with a baby, your not gonna have a lot of time to hang out anymore."
"Yeah, but I think I'm gonna enjoy being a wife. And being a mom. It's all like an amazing dream come true. I keep thinking that something's going to happen and I'm going to wake up and find out it's all been my imagination the whole time."
Winnie suddenly reached over and pinched Jules.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Are you awake now? See, your not dreaming Jules"
"Ha-ha, Winnie." Jules says and slugs her in the arm. "Listen, I gotta hit the floor for the workout. See you later."
"You bet!"
Spike notices that Sam is in bright spirits when he comes into the change rooms. "More good news, 'dad'?" he asks.
Sam grins. "I sorta asked Jules last night if she'd marry me. And she said yes."
"Hey that's awesome, buddy! Congrats Sam" says Spike. "You guys pick a date yet? I need to know if I should start making the homemade wine and how much. Wouldn't want you to run out."
"No we haven't picked a date yet" admits Sam.
Then Ed and Greg enter and Sam tells them his good news. "I'm real happy for you both" Greg smiles.
"Thanks Sarge!" Sam says as he shakes Greg's hand. "Without your support I don't think we would have made it this far"
"Hey you two earned the right to be together on this team" Greg says. "And I'm proud of you"
Back in the women's change room, Jules was just finished putting on her workout clothes when Leah comes in and immediately notices the new jewelry on her left hand.
"Is that an engagement ring Jules?" she asks.
"Sure is!" Jules happily answers.
"So Sam proposed last night! Good for you Jules. You guys make a cute couple."
"Thanks Leah" Jules says. "By the way, Winnie wants to celebrate tonight, like a girl's night out. Wanna come?"
"Absolutely!"
"Great. We'll go after the shift ends."
"I'll be there"
It was another long day for team one, but the only thing on their schedule was serving a warrant. after that was just patrolling around the city.
"Quiet day in Toronto" Ed says as they go to debrief back at headquarters.
"What a relief" says Spike. "Its nice when the dirtbags don't make a mess for us to clean up."
"Copy that!" says Greg.
They end the meeting quickly and head to the change rooms to get ready to leave for the evening.
Jules caught up with Sam. "Hey, Sam. Winnie wants to have a girls night out tonight. See you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, Jules. The guys wanted to have a drink at the Goose anyway so it's all good. See you tomorrow." He gives her a quick peck on the cheek and they leave the debriefing room.
"So where are we celebrating tonight, Winnie?" Leah asks as she and Jules reach the dispatch desk.
"I'm thinking that all-night sushi place that has the karaoke machine?" she answers. "You know that place we went to a few months back?"
"Sounds okay to me," says Jules.
"Yeah I didn't want to go to an actual bar since I know you're not going to be drinking, Jules" Winnie says.
"Good thinking, Winnie. Shall we go?"
"Yep, I'm just waiting for Sydney to get here before I log off." Winnie says. "You two go ahead. I'm catching a ride with Donna because she's off soon too."
Jules and Leah head out. Leah hops on her motorcycle and Jules peels off in her jeep towards the sushi/karaoke place Winnie had chosen. It wasn't very crowded and they were able to get a table for four easily. Someone was up at the karaoke machine singing a bad version of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'.
Leah nudged Jules. "You should go up there and show them how its done. You've got a great voice."
"Okay, but only if you come up with me."
"No way. You couldn't pay me to sing!" Leah protests.
They sit down at their table and try to ignore the horrible off-key singing while their server takes their drink orders. Soon they're joined by Winnie and Donna, and they head to the buffet area to fill their plates.
Winnie raises her glass to toast Jules, and all three women congratulate her on her engagement. She can feel herself blushing, but she fills them in on all the details about how Sam chose 'their' spot on the waterfront to propose.
"It wasn't super crazy or over the top, but I could tell he thought about it." Jules says.
"Nice ring, too" says Donna admiring the diamond band.
"Thanks," replies Jules.
"Have you two talked about names yet?" Winnie asks.
"Not really" says Jules. "Just one short conversation about if it's a girl, we could name her after Sam's sister. The one that died when he was walking with her."
"Aw, that would be so sweet" says Winnie.
"I didn't know Sam had another sister" says Donna.
"He rarely talks about her" says Jules. "But I think when she was killed it really made Sam into the person he is today."
"No doubt!" says Leah.
"I don't know how you get over something like that" says Winnie. "And he was just a kid when he saw her get hit by that car. I can't imagine how awful that must have been".
"That does sound pretty awful" Donna said. "If something like that had happened to my sister when we were kids, I don't know what I would have done. Poor Sam."
"Any ideas about what you'd call the kid if it's a boy?" Leah asked.
"Not yet" Jules said. "But I'm sure we'll figure something out."
They finished up their meal and chatted some more, coming up with some ideas Jules might want to try for her wedding.
"Just avoid pissing off any criminals" Donna said seriously. "You never know when they'll want to come back and ruin your life. I still owe you guys big-time for saving me and Hank on our wedding day."
"Well hopefully you'll never have a reason to return the favor" Jules said. A horrible picture entered her mind of Sam laying on the ground, bloody and motionless, and she swallowed hard. I'm not going to lose him like that, she thought. Never!
After being convinced to go up and sing a couple songs on the karaoke, Jules made a quick dash to the washroom. When she came out, she noticed things seemed very quiet.
"I told you to shut up!" A voice shouted out. "Now open the cash register and gimmie everything you got. Your late on your payment so I'm taking everything you have right now. The boss doesn't like it when your late. You know what happens when your late, don't you?"
A robbery! Jules thought. And what's more, it sounds like they're demanding protection money!
Jules peeked around the corner. Three men had weapons trained on all the people in the restaurant. She saw her three friends had their hands on their heads. They were acting calm but she knew they were worried. She remembered she had her personal weapon with her in her purse along with her cell phone. Quickly she dialed 911 and asked to be put through to the SRU because of an armed robbery in progress. She kept her voice as low as possible when she got through to Sydney.
"How many guys do you see Jules?" Sydney asked.
"I see four of them Sydney. But I don't want to leave this hallway or I might get spotted" Jules says.
"Okay Team Two is coming jules." Sydney told her. "Just sit tight."
"I will. I don't think that they've hurt anybody yet, but I'm afraid they might if they don't get what they want"
"Is this all the money you have?!" yelled the leader of the gang. The man behind the cash register was begging for time to get more money to the gang's boss. "Please… I just need more time. You got everything I have… just take it!"
"Your time is up! My boss warned you before what would happen, old man!" the leader shouted. He pointed his gun at the victim.
Jules wasn't about to watch an innocent man get killed right in front of her. She knew that Leah, Donna and Winnie would have her back. So she grabbed her gun out of her purse and jumped out of her hiding place.
"SRU! Freeze! Drop your weapon!" she yelled.
"What the-?" the gangster said in surprise when he saw Jules out of the corner of his eyes.
Leah, Donna and Winnie took that as a cue to take action. The other three gunmen were taken by surprise by the charging women who tackled them to the floor.
"I said drop your weapon!" Jules yelled again.
"I don't think so!" the remaining gang member said.
"I called for backup" Jules said. "Your outnumbered, too. Your best option is to surrender."
The scumbag looked like he was going to put down his gun, but he turned suddenly to point his gun at Jules. She saw he was about to pull the trigger.
BANG!
The shot rang out and Jules watched the gang member fall to the ground, dead. She lowered her gun, thankful that she had been faster at getting off the shot.
There was nothing left for Team Two to do when they arrived, really, so they just continued with the rest of the shift after arresting the rest of the gang members that Leah, Donna, and Winnie had been holding.
Jules, on the other hand, realized she would be under investigation even though it was justified and she was off-duty. But all she really wanted was for Sam to be there. She hadn't realized how vulnerable it was to be without all of her gear and bullet proof vest.
I could have been shot by that guy and could have been all over for me she thinks to herself as SIU takes her back to HQ to be grilled on what happened. But at least Sam knows – he KNOWS I love him, she thinks. If I had never told him that would be the worst.
Somehow Sam was there waiting for her when she reached the barn but she wasn't aloud to talk to him because the SIU guy made sure she went right in to the meeting without talking.
"Its protocol" he says to her uncaringly.
One of the girls must have sent him a text or something Jules thinks. Just knowing he's out there waiting for her helps her relax as the interview goes on with all the usual questions about what happened.
But this time she would be asked questions she was not expecting. Questions that would put their very lives in danger…
"Do you have any idea who you killed tonight officer Callaghan?" she's asked.
"Yeah. A guy who was about to hurt an innocent civilian" Jules says.
"We get that. And theres no need for an attitude. What I mean is do you know you just killed the youngest son of one of the biggest crime bosses in the city?"
uh-oh thinks Jules and feels her stomach drop like ten feet to the basement. Armand Zelasko was the wealthiest and most dangerous of the criminals, and the authorities had never been able to pin anything on him. Everyone knew he was guilty of just about everything, but his expensive lawyers always found some lopphole to keep him out of prison.
"You wont be safe out in the open, officer Callaghan. Zelasko will want payback for what happened tonight. We suggest the witness protection program."