Almost No Regrets
Part 1 of 3 in the Love Triangle series: Steve Morgan

Fandom: Flashpoint
Pairing: Sam/Jules; Jules/Steve
Category: Friendship, Romance
Rating: K+
SHORT STORY; 3-part series

Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to, I don't own Flashpoint, and all characters remain property of the show's wonderful scriptwriters. All original characters and plots are mine. No copyright infringement is intended.

Synopsis: Listening to her sing is something I will never regret. Spoilers for 3x03 "Follow the Leader", 3x04 "Whatever It Takes", 3x10 "Terror". Part 1/3 of the Love Triangle series, focusing on Steve Morgan.

Series Note: This series is probably the only work of fiction that I have ever put so much effort into – re-watching episodes (that's not the hard part), transcribing, writing episode notes, pausing at each and every moment. It took me 2 ½ hours just to finish going through "Terror" and writing notes on it. So it was preparation-intensive, very exhausting, but very, very, very satisfying so I'm not complaining.

The inspiration for this series comes from one of my long-time favorite fic authors from another fandom, who wrote beautifully about the same relationship from the POV of three characters. I am shamelessly borrowing her idea and adopting it to our favorite FP couple, and I hope I do her justice.

Author's Note: Part 1 of a 3-part series, seen from Steve Morgan's point of view. We don't hear too much about him, or know much about him, so I am taking quite a lot of liberties with him (and his past "relationship" with Jules) that may or may not be canonical. I think Steve Morgan is a great guy… he just wasn't there first. In another time, another place, I think he and Jules would be great together. Just sayin'.

P.S. And just so you know, I had Amy Jo's "Puddle of Grace" playing on loop in the background as I wrote the prologue.

PROLOGUE

The night is just beginning to shed her coat of darkness, and a brilliant red-orange hue is streaking across the sky, the warmth of the morning sun's rays meeting my lifted face and infusing my body with a strange sort of contentment.

It's been a long night, a night I will never forget, simply because a night like this happens only once in a lifetime. You never forget your high school graduation.

As much as I love my friends and enjoy their company, the many hours of heavy beats and loud music have started grating on my ears and nerves. I would much rather prefer a quiet night out on the town, having a great conversation with my friends over a large pepperoni and cheese pizza, with soda on the side.

But of course, this is high school. And nothing is more superficial – yet equally poignant – about attending your high school graduation party. Getting all dressed up to the nines, in a rented tuxedo, choosing a corsage for your date, it's all part of the process of growing up. Attending your high school graduation prom is a ritual that no one should ever miss. One last night out on the town and all that.

So after paying my dues as an honor-roll member of the graduating class, I am all ready for some me-time, away from the horde of girls who are clamoring for a picture and from the mindless conversations over who looks hotter in her prom dress.

I manage to escape from the clutches of my friends, heading to the rooftop because it seemed like the only place that has escaped the thumping beats. I've never really been up here before, and now I wonder why I waited so long to discover this gem. It's quiet, peaceful, the complete opposite of the what's happening just three floors down.

I look down at my watch – a graduation gift from my old man – and give a small start at the time. It's 5a.m. Time sure does pass quickly when you're having fun, and I didn't even notice that I was enjoying myself.

I wander around, looking for a suitable place to sit and watch the sunrise – it's almost that time of the day. It doesn't bother me that I have no one to share this moment with; after countless relationships, I'm all ready to take a break and just be on my own for now.

A soft hum reaches my ears before I take another step, and I pause mid-step. Who else is up here? I thought I was the only one. I'm a little annoyed that my secret hiding place is evidently not so secret after all, but before I can think of an alternate location to be alone, a melody fills the air.

The guitar chords are slow, gentle, infused with an almost melancholic-like quality that has me transfixed, rooted to the spot. Then a soft voice joins the music, the sound like a breath of fresh air washing over me.

I crane my neck to look for the singer, and I see her, sitting alone on the far side of the parapet, staring out into the horizon as her voice carries over the building. She hasn't noticed me, so I feel safe standing where I am, hidden from her view by what looks like a water tank.

She has her eyes closed, her face tilted towards the rising sun. She's still singing, but the words are a blur to me as I observe her. It's Julianna Callaghan, I realize, when she turns slightly in my direction. I scoot back behind the tank, afraid that I would be discovered.

I've never really known Julianna Callaghan, despite the fact that we've known each other nearly all our lives. I know she's been a permanent fixture since middle school, and that she has four older brothers who play hockey. But besides that, she's as good as stranger to me. The notion is odd, because the Hat is not a very big town, and the high school-attending population is even smaller. We've crossed paths in the past; in the same chemistry lab, same English class… but now it's beginning to dawn on me that we've never stopped to chat before.

There were some rumors going around in the gym just hours ago that she had just been dumped by Curtis, the class jerk. Some girl heard them arguing outside, and from there the news spread like wildfire. I never understood why they were dating; Julianna just didn't seem like the kind of girl to put up with Curtis' chauvinistic tendencies. Still, she was not my friend, nor was I hers, so that relationship was none of my business.

The strangest thing is – if you ask me now to tell you three things about Julianna Callaghan, I would be tongue-tied. Yet standing here, listening to her sing, her voice a mellifluous sound, I feel all the distance between us fading away. It's such a contradiction; I know Julianna as a tough-as-nails girl who takes no nonsense, a by-product, I suppose, of living with four brothers. This gentle side of her is one that she hardly shows, and the vulnerability is pouring off her in waves.

It makes me feel like I know her, and though I still can't hear the words of her song, I feel a strange tugging in my heart. There is some music that speaks to you on a deeper level, music that you simply connect with, without knowing why, and Julianna's song is one of them.

As I continue appreciating her song in silence, a pang of regret fills me. Regret that I will be graduating from high school without getting to know Julianna, whom I now know isn't like the rest of the girls, who are more concerned with the shallow aspects of life. Regret that tomorrow – or rather later today – I will be leaving for the big city, leaving all this – and her – behind.

Her song winds down, her voice fading away into the early morning as she reaches the last line, and a smile crosses my face. Almost no regrets, I think to myself.

Listening to her sing is something I will never regret.