Hey, guys! I just wanted to say thanks so much for all the reviews and apologize to everyone who was upset that Clark died. Anyway, on to the next chapter!
This story only has one or two chapters left and so I figured I write either a prequel or a sequel next. The prequel will focus on how Jules and Ed came to live together and how the twice a year get-smashed-a-thon got started while the sequel will focus on how they deal with the aftermath of "Between Heartbeats." Let me know what you guys want and I'll be putting a pole up after the last chapter of this fic is posted too.
Jules stepped through the doors of the SRU building and took in the chaos. There were newspaper clippings and papers scattered in the conference room, an empty bottle of Jack just outside the conference room door, and gear was scattered though out the common area. The few SRU officers standing around looked shocked and haggered. However, the one officer she was looking for wasn't here.
"Locker room." Greg said from his spot next to Kiera's desk, nodding his head towards said locker room.
"Thanks." Jules said as she walked by. Greg just nodded and watched her walk over. Greg noticed Sam starting to follow Jules and he stepped in front of the rookie.
"Boss..." Sam said pointing to where Jules had just slipped into the men's locker room.
"Not right now." Greg said and Sam sighed and turned back to where Spike, Lou, and Wordy were watching the exchange. Greg took one last look at locker room door and returned back to Kiera's desk.
Jules entered the locker room and locked the door behind her before going to find her boyfriend. Danny had brought Ed into the SRU and it was scary how similar the two were sometimes. The joke around SRU for a while had been that Danny and Harvey could retire now that their 'mini-me's' Ed and Greg were taking over. The break down of the man Ed looked up to the most was not something he would take well and for once Jules didn't know what to say. She found him sitting on the bench in front of his locker staring down at a blue piece of paper.
"I locked the door." Jules said softly. Ed just nodded and motioned for her to come closer. When Jules was within reach he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to sit on his lap. She sat sideways so that she sat on one of his thighs and her knees were trapped by his other thigh and one of his arms wrapped around her securing her to him and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders both looking at the blue paper in his other hand.
"I haven't been able to read it yet." Ed started and Jules knew he wasn't talking to her as much as at her. "He taught me everything I know. He trained me and convinced me to take the TL position when it opened up. I always thought 'that's going to be me someday' every time I looked at him and now, now I'm not sure that's who I want to be. I want you to be able to hold my hand when we're old and feeble and forced to retire." This drew a small smile from both of them and Jules leaned over and kissed him.
"I want you to be able to hold my hand when we're old and feeble and forced to retire too, and our baby's hand." Jules took the paper from him and set it on the bench before taking his hand and placing it on her stomach.
While Jules had locked the door that had led from the common area to the locker room she forgot about the one that led from the common area through the gun cage and into the locker room. Wordy stood in shock at his two teammates, to wrapped up in each other to notice him. He took in the way Jules was sitting on Ed's lap, there foreheads pressed together, the slight smiles on their faces, and the way Jules' hand cover Ed's over her stomach. He was shaken from his shock when he heard the door to the gun cage open and he rushed to stop whoever was coming in. After the day they'd had Ed and Jules didn't need the whole of SRU knowing about them. They'd obviously kept it a secret for a reason and when they would eventually have to come out he could at least of bragging rights that he had figured it out, but until then he'd make up someway to make the others to leave.
"Hey, guys. We're missing some stuff mind helping me look for it?" Wordy asked Spike and Lou low enough so that the two on the bench couldn't hear them but not so low to draw suspicion.
"Sure, what are we looking for?" Spike asked shrugging.
"Um, I'll show you." Wordy said dragging the two out and keeping an eye on the door for any more unwelcome visitors.
"Spike, Lou, why don't you guys show Sam around and the Boss, Jules, and I will get started on dinner." Ed said later that night. Greg had thought it was a good idea for the team to be together tonight and after leaving the bar Wordy had gone home while everyone else congregated at Ed and Jules' to eat and sleep.
"Sure thing." Spike said leading Sam and Lou upstairs while Greg, Jules, and Ed grabbed the groceries they'd each contributed to dinner and breakfast and started for the kitchen.
"This is the team's room." Spike said leading Sam through the first door on the right once they were up the stairs. "Lou and I already have claims on the top bunks but you can pick either of the bottom ones and an empty space in the closet." Sam took in the two bunk beds one against the left wall and one against the right and the night stands next to each one. The top two bunks were nicely made while the bottom two were bare mattresses with a bare pillow at the head of the bed. He walked in a little further and turned to find the closet on the same wall as the door he had just come through and the closet was divided into four sections each with a bar for hangers with a shelf above it at the top and two drawers on the bottom. Two of the closet sections had shirts hanging in them and things on the shelf while the other two were empty. Sam set his bag on the bottom of the left bunk and Spike seeing this gestured for the blonde officer to follow him.
"This is the linen closet across the hall and the bathroom's right next to it. Ed's room is next to the bathroom but don't go in there uninvited unless you want to be seriously injured." Spike and Lou both grimaced and Sam guessed that they knew this from personal experience. Spike pointed to a closed door at the end of the hall. "That's Jules' room, again don't go in there uninvited unless you want to be seriously injured. Jules doesn't have many rules except don't disturb her while she's sleeping unless it's the office or someone's dying, when you stay here you gotta help out, and shirts are optional but pants are not." Lou let out a snicker at this and Spike rolled his eyes and punched him in the shoulder.
"C'mon, you have got to see the basement." Lou said grinning at his friend and earning another scowl before leading the other two men down to the basement.
"Whoa." Sam said looking around with wide eyes. On one side of the room all sorts of work out equipment was neatly organized and on the other was a pool table, air hockey table, and a bin filled with footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs, mitts, bats, and Frisbies.
"The garage is pretty cool too but that's Ed's space and he doesn't like it when we're in there." Spike said letting Sam take in the basement.
"Only because you scratched the car." Lou teased.
"On accident!" Spike defended.
"Dinner!" Greg yelled from the first floor and the three men rushed upstairs. Sam stood back and watched as the other five officers carried out food laden dishes and set the table in sync while laughing and joking with each other. When they were finished Greg sat at the head of the table with Jules to his right and Spike on his left, Ed sat down next to Jules and Lou sat next to Spike which left the one chair at the end open for Sam.
"Come on, Rookie, we're starving!" Ed said and Sam took his seat. Sam was amazed at how much this looked like a family as they all sat around the table passing around the food and telling stories. It seemed like two or three conversations were going on at once and someone would comment on one subject before going back to their conversation on a different subject. Sam marveled at how much it was like when they were on call. Information was coming and going from all directions and yet everyone was being heard.
Later that night, once Ed was sure everyone was asleep, he opened the large box in 'his' room. He and Jules had agreed that with so many people in the house it would be best if he slept in his old room to avoid suspicion. What Ed hadn't told Jules was that he had already emptied all of the things he had left in his room and was now bringing things in to begin on the nursery. He had already set the crib up and brought in a rocking chair, now he was working on the changing table thus the large box. It hadn't been easy keeping things from a naturally curious Jules. The rocking chair had been passed down from generation to generation in his family starting with his great-grandfather all the way down to Clark and now his and Jules' baby. He'd gotten the crib and changing table from the baby store near where they did their grocery shopping and had it delivered when Jules had been out with Mary one day. He figured he could get the bulk furniture put together now and when they were ready to tell the team Shelly and Jules could do the decorating. He wasn't sleeping much lately anyways and this way he was doing something productive.