Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I've been really busy with RL and writing, so I haven't had time to reply to the reviews, but rest assured I am reading them and I'm glad that you are all enjoying this ride so far :) I have finished writing Almost No Regrets, just need to update it, and will get started on Part 2 from Sam's POV soon. If you want to keep updated when I post that up, just add me to your Author Alerts or you can always find the newest chapters and updates at my blog - .com (I usually update there first, so you can always find the latest chapters there). Happy reading!

CHAPTER THREE

People are loitering around the building, high school students filtering out of their classes after the events of the day. Dispatch told us to be on standby, so Travis and I had dutifully sped out to the school and watched as events unfolded.

Some kid stood on the roof in an apparent suicide attempt, and for a moment in time, my mind flashes back to the last time I stood on the roof of my high school building. Unlike him, however, my memory of that time is a happy one; one that has been keeping me awake recently.

I wonder if Jules will ever know how grateful I am to have caught her solo performance on the roof that night, and how grateful I am that life has given me another chance at getting to know her properly.

And yes, we've moved from "Julianna" to "Jules" and truth be told, I'm not sure when the transition happened. One evening, during post-work coffee, I casually dropped the nickname – one which I heard her colleagues use – and she didn't seem bothered by the familiarity. I remember her eyes widening in a little surprise, but then she smiled and made no mention of it. She hasn't called me anything but "Steve", though I don't suppose there's a shorter form of my name she could use.

Looking around me again, from my vantage view on the ground, I spy Sarge standing on the rooftop, no doubt trying to convince the kid to step away from the ledge and live to see another day. Jules has told me more about her team and what they do over copious amounts of coffee, and I have started appreciating the roles they play. I see Wordy standing a few feet away, binoculars in his hand, watching his teammates closely.

But I don't see Jules anywhere. She could be in the command truck, a position she tells me she's in most of the time nowadays. I'm secretly glad that she's there. That way, she is out of harm's direct path, and I like knowing that she is safe. I would never tell her that to her face though, because I know Jules is sensitive about things like that. She likes to be considered as one of the guys, equally as capable, equally as strong. If there's only one thing I've learnt about Jules these past few weeks, it's that she doesn't like people hovering over her. She can't help it; it's a result of having four overprotective brothers who jump to your defense at the smallest thing.

Thinking about her automatically puts a smile on my face, and Travis gives me a disgusted look. I probably look like some creep, smiling to myself. I can't help it; I finally have a date with her tonight. After all our other attempts at coffee and just hanging out, I finally mustered enough courage to ask her out on a date. An official date.

Which I hope will bring our not-so-new friendship to the next level. God knows I'm ready for that, although I still sense some hesitation on her part. I've taken things slowly these past few weeks, hoping to put her more at ease with the idea of us. But it seems that the closer we get, the more she tries to draw away. I'm not really sure what's the reason for that, but I'm determined to find out. Just as I'm determined not to let her slip from my grasp again. I wasted too much time in high school, and I don't want to waste any more.

Travis moves from his perch, and I follow his line of sight. The rest of Jules' team have started exiting the building, and I guess this means that it's over and they've either saved or shot someone. I haven't heard anyone call for EMS, so I presume that all's okay. I breathe a sigh of relief; it's always good to know that situations like these can be resolved without violence or anyone getting hurt.

Sam is picking up his gear and walking back to the van, and out of nowhere, Jules calls out to him. I'm too far to hear their conversation, so I just watch.

I watch as he turns at her voice, and how he doesn't stop for her. I watch as she runs to catch up with him, talking all the way. Her lips are moving a mile a minute, and I see the fatigue in Sam's shoulders as he listens to her without saying a word. It makes me wonder what they're talking about.

Then Jules says something to Sam, and he suddenly stops, his eyes bright. They bore holes into her, and I start feeling uncomfortable at the intensity of the stares they are exchanging.

"Jules!" I call out, interrupting their conversation. "Hey there!"

Both of them turn, Jules in surprise and Sam in irritation, as if he's annoyed that they were interrupted. His expression turns even more hostile when he catches sight of me, if that's possible. He obviously hasn't had a good day.

"Hey! You again!" Is it just me, or do I hear sarcasm in Jules' voice? She sounds a little stressed, and maybe even a little unhappy at my presence. I'm taken aback; I thought she would be overjoyed to see me after a long day.

"Steve." Sam sounds as enthusiastic as he looks to see me. The half-smile that was on his face earlier has disappeared, and it confirms what I'm already suspecting: he has secret smiles for Jules, and Jules alone.

I try to cover up his lack of enthusiasm by going overboard on my chirpiness. "How's it going man?"

Sam doesn't say anything, just merely nods in response. I've probably overstepped the boundaries of friendliness with this man, but at this moment, I don't really care. I just want him gone, away from Jules, away from me.

He turns to Jules. "I've gotta go talk to Spike."

They exchange another long look, and suddenly I'm feeling like the outsider with my girlfriend-to-be and her secret lover. What is going on between them? Sam couldn't wait fast enough to get away from me, and Jules is looking like she wishes he wouldn't leave.

Jules watches him walk away, and I catch sight of the wistful half-smile on her face. There's a tinge of regret, and jealousy surges through me. I pray fervently that she doesn't share a history with Sam, hoping against hope that what my gut is telling me is false.

When she turns back to me, Sam momentarily forgotten, a huge grin that I'm not really feeling appears on my face.

"So what do you say?" I ask her. "Burger and fries? At the old place?"

Jules is pensive, her hesitation painfully obvious. "I don't know, Steve," she finally replies. "That was a long time ago."

That's exactly the reason why I wanted to bring her there. To remind her of the memories we've shared, the people we've grown up with, and the future we could have together. To bring her back to a time where Sam didn't exist, and we were just two high school kids.

"Yup." I tell her none of the real reasons why I want to bring her there. They will be my secret to keep.

Then suddenly, a mischievous look enters Jules' eye - a look I've come to know far too well - and she issues a challenge. "Think you can do better than that?"

I laugh, and she laughs, the sound music to my ears. The cloud that Sam brought has shifted away, and this is the Jules I know and I love.

I could definitely do no better than this.