A/N: Tasha Redford's just one of those subjects whose future I'd like a glimpse of. Since I'll more than likely never see it, I decided to write it. I may do more of these in the future. We'll see.
"Jules? You've got a visitor. I put her in the briefing room." Winnie stepped into the gym to announce.
"Oh…kay," Jules responded with a curious tilt of her head as she caught and steadied the punching bag. The rest of the team was curious as well, but they continued working out while she followed Winnie out into the hall. "Who is it?" she asked as Winnie resumed her seat behind the desk.
"Some girl. Said her name was Tasha."
"Huh." Jules walked into the briefing room and stopped short at the sight of the familiar face. "Oh my gosh, Tasha! Hi!" While she hadn't immediately placed the name after all this time, she'd never forget the face of Tasha Redford. Even bruised and bleeding with a butchered haircut, she'd been such a pretty girl five years ago. Now her face emitted a healthy glow, her hair fell past her shoulders in a long, feathered style that softened her face. She looked gorgeous.
Tasha rose from the metal chair she'd been sitting in and smiled shyly. "Jules! I mean, Constable Callaghan—"
"Jules, please," Jules urged, stepping forward to hug the young woman. "It's so great to see you! How've you been?"
"I've been…happy," Tasha replied, sounding a little awed at her own response.
Jules disengaged from the hug and gestured for Tasha to sit back down as she sat down herself. "Feel free to elaborate on that a little," she encouraged.
"I'm graduating from Toronto U next week…getting married in August…" The latter was said in a baffled tone that made Jules want to laugh. "I'm happy and all I keep thinking is, 'If Jules hadn't been there to catch me when I felt like my life wasn't worth anything, I wouldn't be able to feel like this now.' You saved my life and it's been so great, just like you said it would be."
"I'm so glad for you, Tasha, really." Sometimes they received letters of gratitude or brief visits to express the same sentiment in person from people they helped, but Tasha's update meant more to her than usual. Maybe because she could identify so easily with the scared, broken teenage girl hanging onto the side of that media tower who had been so sure she wanted to die. She couldn't say with any certainty what it was, but she was thrilled that she was in such a good place in her life.
"Enough to come to both my graduation and my wedding?" Tasha asked hopefully, pulling two different invitations out of her purse, placing both on the metal tabletop, and sliding them over to Jules. "If anyone should be in the audience for both occasions, it's you. They wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for you."
"I would love to watch you receive your diploma and get married. Thanks so much for inviting me. Why don't you tell me a little about the groom?"
Tasha blushed. "He's kind of amazing. I keep thinking he's gonna come to his senses and run for the hills. Anyway, we work together at the tutoring center. He's so sweet and funny and kind and patient…I think I've had a crush on him from day one. I was so shocked when he asked me out that I, literally, looked over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't talking to someone standing behind me."
"Oh, Tasha, you're too hard on yourself," Jules admonished, reaching out to take one of her hands.
"I know. I'm working on that. Adam's helping me work on it," she added ruefully.
"That's good. How're things with your mom?"
At that question, Tasha's smile turned sad. "I really thought if I kept trying, I could make her be a better person…so I did. Right up until she took off with some guy she met at the casino a couple years ago. She sent me a postcard from Mexico a few weeks ago."
"I'm sorry."
Tasha shrugged. "She's alive. I like to think she's happy. Meanwhile, I've got other people who care about me. It's hard to believe this is my life now. Every time I stop to think about everything I never thought would happen… Oh, did I tell you? I applied for grad school. I want to be a high school counselor. See if I can do for other kids what you did for me. Minus the jumping off a building part…"
Jules laughed slightly. "I would hope so! Good luck, Tasha, I'm sure you'll do great."
"Thanks, Jules." The blonde stood and leaned down to hug the brunette officer. "For everything."
"You're welcome," Jules said, returning the hug. "Thanks for stopping by. It's been great talking to you." She couldn't save them all, but outcomes like Tasha's were part of why she kept trying anyway.
They chatted a few minutes more about what was next, and then Tasha had to leave. She walked past Sam, who was looking for Jules.
"Was that…?"
"Tasha Redford," Jules confirmed, scooping up her invitations as she stood. "How's an August wedding in the park sound to you?"
"Was that a proposal?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The proposal part's your job…and you better do it right because it's only happening once. That was an invitation."