Events in this story take place after Sam and Jules' wedding and before Sadie's birth.
Disclaimer: I write for my pleasure and your enjoyment. The characters are not mine; they were created by the producers of Flashpoint and apparently a half dozen other entities affiliated with the production of the TV series. They belong to those people. I just take them out and play with them occasionally. The situations and descriptions in this story belong solely to me using characters borrowed from Flashpoint.
The sound of children's voices, laughing and shrieking, filtered into the house. The sounds were louder than one would expect through closed windows, Jules thought, as she listened to the joyful noises they made. They must be nearby enjoying the warm fall day, probably one of the last nice days before winter set in. School was over for the day; the weather perfect for playing outside. The laughter and giggles momentarily carried her back to her own childhood, running free on the farm with her friends and brothers.
Jules smiled at the happy sounds and stroked her pregnant belly. She spoke gently to her baby, "Someday, little one, you'll be out there playing with them." She wondered what her child would be like, what games he or she would enjoy. With her and Sam as parents, she knew the child would enjoy all things outdoorsy and active.
Setting aside the baby book she'd been reading, she opened the front door to listen. With her crazy life at work at the SRU, she sometimes craved normalcy. Today was a day she could sit back, relax and enjoy the normal sounds of normal people doing normal things. Her baby also needed to hear normal happy sounds, not the sounds usually heard at her job, the barking orders, the tension in the voices or the sound of gunfire.
The crisp fall air and the children's laughter drew her outside where she settled into a rocking chair on the front porch. The porch was small with barely any room for the two rockers. The laughing sounds from the playing children were louder although she still couldn't see them. Trees, shrubs and other houses blocked her view. She had a better chance of catching a glimpse of the children from the front porch rather than the backyard patio which was surrounded by a privacy fence, a fence that will one day protect her own toddler when he or she was old enough to play outside.
Moments later Jules was rewarded with the sight of several children chasing after each other across her front yard and down the sidewalk. They waved and shouted hello as they ran by on some childish adventure known only to them, relishing the freedom of being outdoors. Seeing them increased her own excitement about having this baby that she and Sam wanted so much. This child would be worth all the sacrifice, the time off from her job, the insecurity of not knowing if she'd make it back to the Team after the birth, the worry that she could lose its father on the job. This baby would be the best of both of them. Currently she was consigned to working from the truck only, no direct exposure to any subjects. Pretty soon she wouldn't even be allowed out in the field at all.
Of course field work was no longer the same. Neither was the Team. She and Sam were no longer teammates. He'd moved to Team Three as its new Team Leader after the death of Donna Sabine. Greg was still recovering from his injuries on that horrible day of the citywide bombs. Ed was currently the temporary unit leader of Team One. She missed the days when Sam was her teammate. They had worked so well together. Team One currently had two temporary members filling in for Sam and Greg. Until the status of Greg's return could be determined, only temps were being hired for any SRU team. The whole Strategic Response Unit was undergoing a transformation necessitated by the losses experienced during the bombing last summer.
The wind blew gently, creating whispering sounds through the trees, rustling the remaining colorful leaves, some floating down in the breeze. The children's voices continued to float near, fading in and out as they moved around the houses in the neighborhood. Sunlight filtered through the tree leaves, shedding orange, yellow and green lights around the yard. She closed her eyes and enjoyed a calm and rare moment, a break from the frenzy of her normal workday.
The sound of tires crunching on gravel broke the serenity of the moment, but it was a welcome sound: it heralded Sam's early arrival home after his shift. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, as it almost always did. After all this time with him, she still felt the exciting flutters of new love whenever she was near him.
Sam stepped quickly out of the car exclaiming, "There you are! I tried to call to let you know I was almost home. I got worried when you didn't answer your phone." He rushed up to the porch.
Jules patted around her pockets. "Oh, sorry. I forgot. I heard children playing and came outside. I must have left it in the house." She stood to greet him properly and reassure him that she was okay wrapping her arms around his neck. He joined his mouth with hers, relieved to be touching her, that she was okay. Their bodies fitted together as always despite the difference in their heights and the baby bump. Their kiss was interrupted by childish giggles. They quickly pulled apart and exchanged rueful glances as several children once again ran by the house in the other direction, back to where they'd come from earlier.
Sam continued to hold her hand as he joined her on the porch to enjoy the remaining minutes of the afternoon. He needed the physical connection to her after the panicked moments at the end of his drive home, dreading what he might find when he entered their house. His fears that something had happened to her had vanished the moment he saw her relaxing on the front porch, but he still needed to touch her.
Jules could read his mind, or maybe it was the expression on his face, and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm okay. We're okay, " she assured him. "Someday our child will be out there with them." She gestured toward the yard where the children were last seen.
Sam gave her a cheeky grin, "Yeah," and settled back to enjoy the rest of his afternoon with Jules. They sat there, enjoying the companionable silence, the chance to slow down. Conversation was unnecessary.
Day faded all too soon into night. The setting sun gave out a blazing show of colors before it dropped from sight. With the sun gone beyond the horizon, a chill settled over them. The voices of the children had faded away, called into homes by their mothers. The occasional car traveled past their house with a swish of tires on pavement. Jules began to shiver in the night air. Reluctant to end this perfect day, Sam stood and guided her into their house where the warmth indoors soothed their chilled skin. Then he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again, enjoying the love they shared, needing the physical connection to her. The baby bump between them was a constant reminder of that love.
Softly spoken words of love were exchanged until hunger pains forced them into the kitchen to prepare supper. Their conversation consisted of simple exchanges of information about what to fix and where to find the ingredients. They worked together effortlessly. After months of living together and years of working together, each knew what the other wanted or needed. They had developed a routine requiring minimal words.
Once seated at the table, they began to share the details about their day. No longer on the same team, they had begun to share details about their different work experiences. They were no longer going on the same calls. Different work schedules left them with precious little time together when both their Teams were off shift at the same time. Today Sam had been on shift while Jules was off.
"When does Team One return?" asked Sam.
"Tomorrow," replied Jules, "but I won't be there. Ed and I decided today that I was done with field work. I'm to show up and see where I can be used at Headquarters, but I'm not going out on any hot calls until after my maternity leave is over. Another SRU applicant gets a chance at a working audition."
Sam welcomed that decision and smiled in satisfaction at her comments. He'd been wanting her to take a break from field work for some time now. "I like it. I worried about you, even when you were just in the truck." Secretly he was thrilled that she would no longer be in any danger. It was always very difficult for him to hold back his strong protective streak where she was concerned. The baby she carried only added to his worry. The worst part of not being on the same team with her was not being there to have her back and know she was safe.
"I know, but I can't just sit around and do nothing. I'm not sure what I am going to do for the next two months!" she complained. "I'm not used to doing nothing. I nearly went crazy today just having baby books to read."
"So read those novels you've been wanting to or watch the movies you never have time for. Heck, learn to knit or quilt! I know you can find something to do while we wait for our baby to get here." Sam threw out his suggestions hoping she wouldn't overreact. He was pleasantly surprised when she did not immediately challenge his ideas.
She mulled over his suggestions for a few moments. "Not sure about the knitting or quilting, but I might get Sophie to give me some cooking lessons. We probably need a few more recipes for homemade fast food. Once the baby arrives, neither of us will have much time. We do need to eat. You once reminded me that dinner was a very important meal." She shot him an impish grin.
Sam grinned at the reminder, recalling his first invitation for her to join him for a burrito after work. She'd shot him down, declaring that she wasn't going to get personal with him and risk her spot in the SRU. His face lit with a wicked grin as he recalled how often they got personal with each other now. He never heard any complaints. At the thought of getting personal, he decided it was time to clean up the remains of dinner and see how personal they could get. The day wasn't over yet.
They made quick work of the clean up. After checking to make sure the doors were locked, Sam followed Jules upstairs. He found her lying on the bed her hands splayed out across her belly.
"Come here," she beckoned, "feel this." She placed his hand at the spot on her belly where he could feel the baby moving. The movements created visible ripples across her abdomen. Fascinated, he watched and touched her for several moments.
He jerked his hand back and stared at her belly, "What was that?" Every few seconds, the baby moved in a staccato rhythm, the jerking clearly visible as they watched.
"I think it's the hiccups," Jules answered. "I read about it in one of those baby books. It looks and feels funny, but it's nothing to worry about." They continued to watch her jerking belly, laughing and making jokes about the hiccupping baby until the movements stopped.
Sam stroked his hand across her belly one last time, causing her to inhale slowly. Their eyes met and held. The mood in the room changed quickly from fun to seductive. Sam's movements turned caressing, creating a familiar warmth in both of them.
Tiny breathy sounds escaped from Jules when Sam touched her again. His palms cradled her face. She reached up and cupped the back of his head bringing his lips down to hers. Their eyes continued to speak to each other, unsaid words of love and devotion. Jules got it right at their wedding ceremony: words alone could not convey the depth of his love for her nor hers for him. Sometimes there was only this, the need to touch, to be touched. Hands and lips conveying the love that went beyond words at the end of a perfect day.