Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I'm glad you liked it. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

What's Past is Now Present

Chapter 2

Jules Callaghan wasn't a stranger to having guns pointed at her. When she had primarily filled the role as sniper, it hadn't happened often. Then she was usually far enough away from the action in a Sierra position to be threatened. As a negotiator, however, it had happened more frequently. As far as Sam was concerned, it happened way too often for his peace of mind. She appreciated the protectiveness that he showed toward her while at the same time being glad that he was able to usually squelch the worst of his worry from showing.

Controlling her breathing, she looked past the muzzle of the gun now pointed at her, past the shaking hand holding the gun with a finger on the trigger, to the man responsible for the current threat. He looked completely scared at the same time as looking angry as hell.

"Put your hands where I can see them." He demanded. The order would have sounded more menacing if the voice that had uttered it hadn't been shaking at the time. The uniform the man was wearing identified him as one of the security guards from the company hired to do patrols in the neighborhood to discourage crime in the area.

If she did as he ordered, Al would bleed out. If she didn't, then the guard looked jittery enough that he might actually fire on her despite the fact that she didn't present an active threat. She had to diffuse the situation without allowing either of those things to happen. "I can't do that. Please…."

The guard shook his head. "I had calls about gunfire at this location. Get your hands where I can see them or I swear I'll shoot."

Normally Jules could be almost as calm and even-tempered as Greg when it came to dealing with potentially dangerous people holding guns and lives hostage. Perhaps if this guard wasn't endangering Al's life by trying to get her to move, she could regain that composure and focus, but for now, it was all she could do to keep the panic and irritation out of her voice. "Damn it, if I move my hands he's going to bleed to death. Is that what you want? If you're going to shoot me, then you'll just have to do it because I'm not about to let him die so you can play at being some sort of hero."

"How do I know you aren't the one who shot him in the first place?"

Jules didn't have anything against security guards; they had a job to do like any other but when they boggled the attempt of trying to play cop, she lost patience. When they interfered with her doing her job whether officially or unofficially, she lost it even faster. "With what? Do you even see a gun? Please, I'm a cop. Jules Callaghan with the Police Strategic Response Unit."

The gun came down just a smidgeon. Then he shook his head. "Where's your badge then?"

"In my gym bag in the locker room. Damn it, I don't have time for this. Please help me save him. He's going to die if he doesn't get medical help."

Just then Donna and the rest of her team burst into the gym with their guns drawn. Immediately seeing the guard with his gun pointed at Jules, Donna aimed at him. The rest of her team followed suit as Donna issued orders in a crisp, no-nonsense voice. "Strategic Response Unit. Stand down and lower your weapon. Do it now."

For a moment the guard looked like he wasn't going to comply. Jules wasn't surprised; he had that look of cockiness that suggested that he thought his job was on an equal playing field as SRU and that they couldn't possibly be talking to him. Then as he realized that several M4s and a couple of Glocks were pointed in his direction, he holstered his weapon.

"I'm Stan with the security company that's paid to patrol the area. We got calls of shots fired and I was checking things out. I found her kneeling over the body." He offered by way of explanation. Jules bristled at his reference to Al being a body, as if he were no longer alive.

Donna nodded. "Tom, take Stan outside and get a full statement. I want to know if there's been anything out of the ordinary not just today but the last few days as well."

The constable nodded and led the guard out of the building. Jimmy was already kneeling beside Jules and Al, silently assessing the situation. Jules wouldn't look at his face. She knew Al's condition was precarious and didn't want to see a confirmation in the rookie's face. Most of all, she didn't want to see anything that might suggest the situation was hopeless; it was bad enough she'd listened to Stan the guard's belief that Al was already gone. Jimmy might have more medical training than she did but he didn't know Al. Al was a fighter and he wouldn't give up, not without the fight of his lifetime.

"Jimmy?" Donna asked. She hadn't said anything to Jules though she'd have to momentarily. She could see the worry in the younger woman's face, had heard the uncharacteristic sound of near panic in Jules's voice even though the phone connection had been tenuous at best. She didn't know the situation but she could at least give Jules a moment or two to compose herself before questioning her.

"GSW times 2 to the chest and one to the shoulder. We need EMS immediately." He didn't elaborate, didn't need to; the injuries could speak for themselves how serious the situation was.

Donna relayed the request through the radio. Her eyes swept the room. She noted, as Jules had earlier, that there didn't seem to be any evidence of robbery. That suggested that what had taken place was more personal rather than anything else. She couldn't wait any longer to try to get some sort of information out of the other woman. "Jules, what can you tell me about what happened?"

Jules didn't answer. It wasn't that she was ignoring Donna but that she hadn't even heard her. Jimmy was trying to ease her hands away from the shirt she'd been pressing against the worst of Al's wounds. She couldn't let him; even if he was trying to help, the pressure she was exerting on the older man's chest was all that was keeping the blood pool forming beneath him from getting bigger. Her hands felt locked into position, and she wasn't sure she could move them even if she wanted to.

Jimmy gave up trying to look at the wounds, realizing it was a futile move. It wasn't like he could do much anyway. Short of an operating room and a surgeon's skill, there wasn't much anyone could do to help the injured man. Instead, he pressed two fingers against Al's carotid artery. He frowned. "No pulse. We've got to start CPR."

Jules stared at him and then back down at Al. A few seconds, she'd taken her eyes off Al for just a few seconds because of the threat of the gun and in those few seconds, she missed his breathing going from labored to nonexistent. Before she could even register the movement, Jimmy had his face mask out and was already staring respirations. After giving five breaths, Jimmy looked at Jules. "Callaghan, you good for chest compressions or do I need to do it?"

Snapping back to herself, Jules nodded. Her hands weren't exactly in the right place for chest compressions, but she couldn't move them to the text-book position. It would have to be good enough. Jimmy and Jules worked in tandem trying to keep Al alive. With every compression on her friend's chest, she could feel her already blood-soaked hands become even more saturated.

Paramedics arrived quickly and Jules found herself being pushed aside so they could work. She didn't protest as she rose shakily to her feet. They were his best chance at survival at the moment and she had to let them do their job. It was time for her to hers as well. She joined Donna. Though she hadn't heard Donna's earlier question, she knew what Donna needed to know.

"The shooter or shooters were gone by the time I got here. I never saw them. It doesn't make sense, Donna. I can't imagine why anyone would do this."

"You know the victim well." It wasn't a question. Even now Jules kept her gaze on the older man and the medics trying to save him. It was as if she was afraid to take her eyes off him. Besides, with the state-of-the-art equipment they had at headquarters, it wasn't like Jules needed to join a gym in order to work out. Even if Jules had wanted a little more anonymity that a private gym membership could offer, Donna was pretty sure this wasn't the kind of gym she'd choose.

Jules nodded. "Al and I were teaching a self-defense class this morning. We'd just finished up and the women had left." Jules paled even more than she already had. "If they'd still been here…"

"But they weren't." Donna quickly reminded her. "Jules, I hate to ask this but do you know of anyone who might want to hurt Al?"

Jules shook her head. "No, everyone loves Al. He's the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back even if it was the only one he owned."

Donna nodded. "If he were having a problem - if someone were threatening him - would he tell you about it?"

"Definitely. Remember several years ago when Corbin Mazey was trying to get a foothold in the area?" Again Donna nodded; she'd been with drug squad at the time and while she hadn't been involved in the bust of the drug lord that had tried to set up shop in the neighborhood, she remembered how his arrest based on a tip had been a real coup for the department. Jules continued. "Al saw what was going down and didn't like it. He couldn't stand to see anyone threatening his kids as he called them. He came to me and told me what was going on. He wanted my advice about what he should do; I was able to get him connected to the right department to stop Mazey. If someone was giving him trouble, he'd tell me about it, but he hasn't said a word."

Donna didn't press the issue. Obviously someone had a reason for wanting to see the man hurt or killed but she trusted Jules enough to believe that if Jules said she didn't know of any problems, then she really didn't know. "Okay, what about family? Is there anyone we can call? I'm sure the hospital will need someone to sign consent forms."

Jules frowned. The only family Al had left was Barry, but she knew he was the last person Al would want contacted for any reason. She shook her head. "No one that needs to be there. I have his medical proxy; the documentation should be in his wallet. I can sign the consent forms."

If that seemed odd to Donna, she didn't say so. After all, her family was too far away to be of much help in an emergency. Before she'd married Hank, she'd had to depend on friends or co-workers to have her proxy in case of an emergency.

The paramedics were using the defibrillator on Al, shocking his heart back into rhythm. Jules flinched every time the medic shouted "Clear." The third shock seemed to work and the medics were ready to transfer him to a stretcher for transport. Jules chewed her bottom lip. She wanted to ride with them to the hospital, needed to be close so that she knew what was going on with him. At the same time, however, she knew she was needed there at the gym to help Donna with the investigation. Didn't she owe it to Al to do everything to bring his shooter to justice?

As if recognizing her dilemma, Donna nodded toward the medics. "Go with them. You'll be needed at the hospital to sign those forms. I'll finish up what we can here and then meet you there."

Before following the medics and Al out of the office, Jules bent down and scooped up Al's cap. She'd often teased him that she bet he even slept in the stupid thing, it was such a constant fixture for him. It seemed wrong to just leave it there and she knew he'd want it as soon as he was conscious and alert. And she refused to believe that he wouldn't soon be both conscious and alert. The blood on her hands just blended with the red of the cap as she twisted it reflexively, but she seemed oblivious to it. She was right on their heels as they wheeled the stretcher out of the office toward the outer door.

Donna watched her go and then reached for her cell phone. Jules was holding herself together surprisingly well given all that had happened and was still happening. Still, as tough as Jules was and as much as she was obviously determined to be there for Al, she needed someone to be there for her. She pulled up the number she was looking for from her contacts, then frowned when the only response she got was only Sam's voicemail message. She ended the call without leaving a message; how could she explain everything in a message? She tried two more times, hoping that maybe Sam just couldn't get to his phone in time and would finally pick up, but each time it went to his voicemail. Then she tried a different number. This time she connected with a live voice.

"Boss, it's Donna. Jules needs you."

- FP - FP - FP -

By the time Sam and his buddies took a break on the ice, it was well after any normal lunch time. They didn't mind however, the workout they'd gotten from the game had increased their appetite and would make lunch even more enjoyable. Sitting on a bench, Sam reached into his bag for his water bottle for a drink before removing his skates. Returning the plastic bottle to his bag, he noticed that he'd missed several calls on his cell phone while playing. He scrolled through the numbers with a frown. Three from Donna and one from Sarge. Why would they be calling him on his day off? Team One wasn't even scheduled to be the back-up team so if they'd been recalled, it would have to have been something major happening. Even if that were the case, the page out would have come from dispatch not either Donna or Sarge.

"Come on, Braddock, get a move on. We're starving. You can call the little lady back later." One of his buddies complained; several others echoed the suggestion. Sam waved off their protests.

"I gotta check this out guys; it's work. And do me a favor, when we meet up with Jules later, please call her the little lady. I haven't gotten to enjoy watching her kick some ass in a while. It'll be fun."

He dialed his voicemail to find he had only one message. Any joking or good humor as well as the color in his face faded as Sarge's message started.

"Sam, it's Greg. There was an incident earlier. I'm on my way to St. James hospital to meet Jules…"

Sam ended the call without listening to the rest of the message. Jules was in the hospital following some sort of incident. Nothing else mattered besides knowing that Jules was hurt. He had to get to her. Barely taking the time to remove his skates or to make excuses to his friends, Sam rushed out of the arena. He could only hope he got there in time.

What kind of incident could have happened? He knew Jules was spending the morning with Al teaching that self-defense class but couldn't remember her saying she had any other plans for the day. Had it been a car accident? He hadn't paid enough attention to the times of the missed calls to even know how long ago she'd been hurt. While he'd been having fun, had Jules been lying in some hospital bed wondering what was keeping him?

His thoughts were in a jumble of worst case scenarios. Later, he'd never be able to say just how he'd managed to get from the ice rink to the hospital without getting pulled over or causing a wreck. He wouldn't even remember the drive. He only knew that every second felt like a lifetime until he was pulling haphazardly into a parking space at the hospital.

He rushed inside the emergency room and straight to the nurse's desk. His heart was beating so loudly the roar seemed to fill his ears to the point he wasn't sure he'd be able to hear the nurse at all. "Please, Jules Callaghan, where is she?"

It seemed to take the nurse forever to type the name into the computer. She frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, we don't have anyone with that name listed."

Sam felt like he'd been punched in the gut. How could they not have her listed? Sarge had said this was the hospital she'd been taken to. He wouldn't have gotten it wrong. The only reason Sam could think of…He shook his head. No, he couldn't think the worst. He wanted to reach over the desk and give the woman a shake.

"No, she's got to be here. Check again. Maybe it's under Julianna Callaghan."

The nurse obligingly checked again and once more shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. She's not here. There was a major accident on the freeway; was she involved in that? That could explain why she's not in the system. We received a few Jane Does and several DOAs. If you could have a seat, I can get someone who could possibly help you."

Sam just stood there, scarcely able to breathe. She couldn't be a Jane Doe. Sarge knew she was there and he would have already cleared up any confusion if for some reason they hadn't gotten her name. However, the other alternative was too horrible to contemplate. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not when everything finally seemed to be on the right track for them. No woman had ever meant as much to him as Jules did. She made his life seem complete and made every day he got to spend with her exciting and brand-new. They'd already survived so much; her getting shot, the break-up, getting back together and sneaking around, Jules nearly dying in that lab from anthrax. He didn't want to imagine what it would be like to lose her permanantly. He'd rather go through any amount of physical pain instead.

"Sir, are you okay?" The nurse asked, concern evident in her voice.

Sam shook his head as he backed away from the desk. Okay? How could he be okay if Jules wasn't? A hand touched his arm and he jumped before turning to see Donna standing there, a look of concern that seemed to match that in the nurse's voice. He realized she'd probably called his name several times but he hadn't registered it. He swallowed hard.

"Donna? Jules, is she…" He swallowed hard, unable to finish it.

"She's probably on the surgical floor. At least that's what Greg said when I talked to him a few minutes ago. Come on, we'll go up together. I'm glad he was able to get in touch with you. Jules was trying hard not to let it show but I could tell how scared she was and how much she was hurting. I was worried about her when she left in the ambulance."

Nothing in Donna's tone or her words indicated that Jules hadn't survived whatever it was that had happened. Jules might be hurt but as long as she was alive, they could get through any injuries together. Her not being listed in the computer must be some sort of clerical mistake. Sam found his voice. "How bad?"

"Could have been worse. Jules took a big risk considering she was unarmed and possibly outgunned. I told her to stay put; it was what procedure would demand, but she couldn't do it. I guess I can't blame her; it's hard to sit back and do nothing when someone you care about is possibly in danger."

Unarmed and outgunned? Sam swallowed hard. Had she been shot again? He knew probably better than anyone what an emotional toil her recovery had taken out of her when she'd been shot before. Jules was tough, tougher than probably anyone he knew and he included himself in that assessment, but she was probably also toughest on herself. Those months when her recovery seemed too slow for her had been hell on her; and on him because he was powerless to make it easier on her.

"Where?" He seemed reduced to being able to speak in only single words instead of complete sentences.

"Taggert's Gym."

It wasn't the answer he was looking for but he couldn't blame her; it wasn't like he'd been clear. He leaned against the back wall of the elevator, not sure how much longer his legs were going to support him. He felt like he'd gone twenty rounds on the sparring mat with each of his teammates without a break. Someone came into Al's and shot Jules? Why? It didn't make sense to him. The only time he'd ever felt apprehensive about her being at the gym was when she used her key to let herself in after hours and she was there all alone. That was only because he knew when she did that, it was because something was bothering her and she tended to not pay attention to her surroundings. He knew Jules could take care of herself and that Al would never let anything happen to her if he could help it. But what could either of them do against guns? Al…

"Damn, Donna, what about Al?" Jules would be devastated if anything happened to her friend. It wouldn't matter if she'd been shot trying to help him, she'd consider it a failure on her part if he had been hurt.

Donna sighed. "It didn't look good, Sam. I won't lie to you. He was in bad shape."

The elevator opened and Sam stepped out with Donna a half step behind. He saw Greg halfway down the hall leaning against the wall with his back to him. Sam started toward him. "Sarge?"

The older man turned and as he did Sam could see just beyond him. Once again the wind was knocked out of him, but this time in a good way. Jules was standing there, her tank top covered with blood, her eyes red with unshed tears, but looking remarkably alive and unhurt. Unable to talk, he crossed the distance to her side in record time and crushed her against his chest. Nothing else mattered in that moment than feeling her warm, reassuringly uninjured body flush against him. Not caring who was watching, Sam lowered his head, capturing her lips with his own.