Hey friends! It's Thursday again, and I can't wait to share this next part of my story with you! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and followed. You guys make me happy. :)

Simultaneously, all four SRU vehicles pulled to a stop outside Jules' house. Greg hopped out of his vehicle and slammed the door shut, quickly making his way to the back of the car for his gun. "Guys, this is Jules we're talking about. Maximum caution."

"Got it, boss," Ed said as he also grabbed his gun out of the back of his car. "Wordy, get us eyes. Sam, you and I will check the perimeter, see if we can hear anything."

"And I'll get you Jules' phone number, boss," Spike said through the headset.

"Okay, you get that to me, and fast." Greg pulled out his phone as he heard Spike proclaim he'd got it. "Okay, Spike, since we're down two members, you'll have to be my second. Got that?"

"Copy, boss."

Greg quickly dialed the number on his phone. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until it tumbled out as he heard a click on the other end of the phone. "This is Greg Parker with the SRU. Who am I speaking to?"

Nothing.

He tried again. "I just need to know if everyone's alright in there." Again, nothing. "Hello?"

"He loves me."

Everyone stopped as they heard the voice that came over Greg's cellphone. It wasn't Sam that was shocked the most, though. It was Greg himself. He was momentarily swept off his rocker at the sound of Jules' voice at the end of the line.

"Jules," he said quickly. "Jules, what's going on in there?"

"I can't-he loves me. You're going to hurt me. He wants me safe."

Ed, already over the shock of hearing Jules sound so afraid, waved Sam over to a nearby window. He himself headed to another one, hoping to get a visual.

"No joy," Sam whispered into his headset. "All the blinds are closed."

"Same here," Ed whispered. "Wordy, you got a way for eyes to go in?"

"I'm thinking we can put one through a window." Wordy stood up from his crouched position and pulled out his infrared camera. "Let me just locate exactly where they are…" His eyes narrowed. "Ed, you're on the blue wall, right?"

"Yes, are they over here?"

"Yup."

Sam, who had moved to beside Ed, pulled out his own camera and turned it on. On the screen could be seen five people in one area, and one in another. "Okay, Sarge, we got five hostages and…" Pause. "..and Jules."

"Copy that." Greg peered towards the house. "Okay, Ed, can you and Sam get a camera in there? I'm going to see if I can get more out of Jules."

"Doing it as we speak."

Greg pushed the button on his radio headset to turn it back onto Jules again. "Hey, Jules, why don't you just come out so we can talk? That's all I want to do. I promise I won't hurt you."

"No! No, I can't-I-I can't!"

"Jules, calm down. Why can't you?" he asked. It physically hurt him to hear how Jules sounded. It hit him right in the heart. She sounded so afraid, in so much pain that she was confused. Right now, though, Greg knew he had to be focused on getting the hostages out safely, not his team member. "Are you being threatened?"

No response.

"Jules, you there?"

"Spike, the camera's in." Sam stared in shock at the screen in front of him. "You getting this?" He couldn't really believe it.

Spike nodded, even though no one could see him since he was in the command truck. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting this. I'll upload it to your PDA's." His fingers flew over the keyboard. "Boss, you seeing this?"

Greg pulled out his PDA, although somewhat hesitantly. What he saw on his screen made his heart crack. Jules, with her handgun, holding two mothers and three children hostage. But it wasn't so much the hostages he was concerned about now.

Jules was sweating and pale. She kept looking to her left as if someone was there, but there was no one. Her grip on the gun was unsteady and her whole body trembled with, well, with what? Exhaustion? Fright? Greg wasn't sure.

"Sarge-" Ed started.

Greg quickly cut him off. "I know, I know, I'm seeing this too." He paused, only to realize the connection to Jules had been severed. He could see on his screen that she'd dropped the phone. "Ed, tactics. I can't get anything out of her on the phone."

"I don't want to scare her," Ed said firmly, "and since she's not doing anything right now, I don't think immediate entry is required. But," he added on, "we can't use flashbangs or CS gas because kids are involved."

"So what does that leave us with?"

Ed bit his lip, a habit he used to have, but thought he'd managed to kick. "I'm thinking we try to get a bit more out of her, maybe poke around and see if we can get the names of the hostages and why she took them specifically." He looked at Sam. "If she escalates, we'll go in quietly through the back-"

"-And try not to spook," Greg answered. "I'll try to make contact again. Spike, as soon as any names are mentioned, you search 'em up."

"Copy that, boss."

Greg picked up his cellphone again, and made sure it was forwarded into the headset so everyone could hear. Quickly, he pressed redial. "Hey, Jules," he said softly when she picked up. "Do you think we could talk about what's going on in there?"

"Don't hurt me, please!"

Greg swallowed thickly. "Not going to hurt you, Jules, promise." He opened the door to the command truck and walked in, hoping to watch Jules while he spoke to her. "I just want to know what's going on in there, make sure everyone's safe."

"I can't-I-I-"

"Can't what, Jules? Can I help you with something?"

"Leave me alone! Don't hurt me!"

Jules switched the gun to her other hand. He was so close to her. She could feel his breath tickling her ear, and it sent little jolts down her spine. "Why doesn't he understand?" she asked him. "Why doesn't he get it?"

"There's no one there!" one woman yelled. "It's just you, and us! Go get yourself some help or something!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Jules took her free hand and began to beat it against her head. "He doesn't understand! Why would he understand? Stupid idiot!"

"I told you, Julianna. No one gets it but me. And that's why I've been here for you this whole time. I'll protect you."

Jules' phone started to ring again, but she ignored it. "He wants to hurt me. He doesn't love me."

"That's right, he wants to hurt you. You know something, Julianna? He loves to see you cry. He loves to watch you suffer. He lives for those days when you get hurt, and his only goal in life is to maim you as much as he can. And these women want to help him."

The phone rang and rang in Jules' hand until she could no longer focus on anything else. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Answer the phone already!" The other woman shouted. "He wants to help you! Let him help you! Think of the children!"

"The evil one has a good idea. Go for her children. If she wants to help hurt you, help steal your soul, hurt her first before she can get to you."

"I'm sorry," Jules whispered.