Author's Notes: I hope you enjoy. Got a little bit of everyone here.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and its perspective networks. I am making no money off this story and it is for entertainment purposes only. However, this particular story is my creation and should not be used without my express written permission.

Growing Up Too Fast

Chapter 36

"Spike, what have you got for me, Buddy?"

Ed Lane once more gathered behind Spike as the younger man sat at the computers. He didn't really want to pressure the younger man but knew the longer they went without any solid leads in Jules's case, the more likely it was that the person responsible would get away with it.

Spike shook his head. He hadn't been able to do much investigating during their shift; several minor calls had kept the team out in the field most of the day. As soon as he had been able, he'd returned to his computers trusting they wouldn't let him down. His talk with Jules that morning had helped. She was the one he was doing this for and knowing she realized there was limitations to what he could do helped alleviate some of the pressure he'd felt he was under to catch Dawson but it hadn't erased any of his desire to do so, if anything it had only fueled it. "The hospital footage is a complete bust for now. If there is a way to prove Dawson approached Jules at the hospital the night before the attack, I can't find it. But since that wouldn't prove his guilt anyway, I've put that aside and am concentrating on his alibi itself."

Ed nodded approvingly. "Okay, that's good. That's real good. And?"

"And still nothing. This particular anger management class is by invitation only and when I say invitation I mean court order. It's a new program and apparently the court system thinks it's going to work wonders on rehabilitating violent offenders. And even given everything I've seen in this job I didn't realize the greater Toronto area had this many citizens in need of rehabilitation. 187 required to attend."

Again Ed nodded. "What kind of registration system did they have to ensure everyone showed up?"

Spike frowned. "Identification cards were issued that had to be scanned upon arrival. I've pulled up the records and Dawson scanned his card at 2:47. And before you ask, a volunteer verified that the card matched the person attending. It was indeed Dawson who signed in."

"Okay, so he arrives, verifies his attendance and sneaks out a side door. That many people it wouldn't be hard to imagine that one person wouldn't be missed."

"Apparently the behavioral group contracted to conduct the seminars thought of that. 187 attendees in need of anger management sitting in one room for four hours would be like holding an AA meeting at a wine tasting festival - an exercise in futility. So there were four fifty minute breakout sessions that the attendees rotated through. Key cards were scanned at the beginning of each session. Each instructor did a head count to verify that the number scanned in to the session was the number who attended. Records indicate that Dawson swiped his card for all four sessions and the head counts matched."

Ed frowned. "Was a visual match done at each session to verify that it really was him? Maybe he gave his card to someone else to stand in for him while he slipped out."

"No visual confirmation on the key cards after the initial check. Apparently it was a closed meeting and only participants and personnel from the behavioral specialist groups were allowed access. Could he have tricked the system? Yeah, maybe, we both know anything is possible. However proving it to the point that we could convince a prosecutor to consider him a viable suspect is a totally different thing. Sorry Ed."

"Yeah, me too. Me too. Damn I want this guy. Okay what if we go old school on this? Four sessions 187 people, that's what less than fifty in a room at a time? Can you get me a list of the instructors and participants? Maybe someone remembers him suddenly disappearing or something."

"Yes on instructors, no on participants. Sealed records. I had to call in several kinds of favors just to get them to release the information on Dawson's file."

Ed could feel his frustration growing with each apparent dead end. "What about the video from the patrol car doing the sweeps of Jules's neighborhood?"

Spike bit back a retort that would remind Ed that he was just one person and could only do so much at a time. It wouldn't do any good. He couldn't blame Ed for wanting information. They all wanted to bring down the man who had attacked their friend. Not just because they wanted justice but because they also recognized that as long as he was free, Jules might still be in danger. "I've compiled the files and I'm running them through a facial recognition program. Comparing every person picked up against Dawson and any known sex offenders. It could take awhile though."

"I can't believe Jules went back to her house. I figured they would stay at Sam's place until we caught this guy or at least for a few days. Took guts to go back to the scene of the crime like that." Raf commented as he joined them. Their shift had ended an hour earlier but none of them wanted to leave if there was anything at all possible they could do to help their friend and teammate.

"Yeah, well Jules is about as gutsy as they come." Ed commented, a note of pride easily recognizable in his voice.

"Not to mention stubborn. If she thinks there's something someone thinks she can't do, nothing's going to stop her from doing it. Ed, you remember that time after shift that Rolie dared Jules to climb the twenty five foot rock wall on the training field without safety gear?" Ed nodded with a wince. For Raf's benefit, Spike explained. "Rolie was sore because Jules not only broke his record for fastest climb, she obliterated it. So the rest of the day, Rolie was putting her down making all sort of excuses as to why she'd been able to do it that didn't include the fact that she kicks ass at climbing. Keep in mind this was maybe a month after Jules started with us if that long so she was still trying to prove herself and sad to say we weren't making things all that easy on her. I was there and to this day I don't really get how the challenge came about but Jules was saying she could beat Rolie with even if he had a head start and she did the climb without safety gear."

Ed's jaw rocked at the mention of the subject indicating it was obviously a sore subject. "I thought we all agreed this was the incident that should not be named."

Spike ignored the protest. "We tried to talk them out of it, really we did - I mean, razing her was one thing but we knew how dangerous climbing without a safety line could be, but Jules took our protest to mean we didn't think she could do it. Rolie got a ten second head start and then Jules took up off that wall like she was Spiderman's little sister. She reached the top ahead of him but we knew she couldn't really beat him. She had to find foot and hand holds back down while he could just rappel down when he reached the top. Not a fair contest at all. He was taunting her and suddenly she just pushed off from the wall and dropped to the ground, no safety line no nothing. Free fall from twenty feet. Wordy and I couldn't believe it, we just knew she was going to break her neck and we were going to have to explain to the Boss and Ed that we killed Jules."

"Was she hurt?" Raf asked. He knew that she obviously hadn't broken her neck the way they had feared but couldn't see her come away unscathed.

"Bruised her shoulder and rolled her ankle. Of course we didn't know it at first because she got right up and acted like nothing was wrong. There she was looking all smug and satisfied as Rolie reached the ground. Then Ed came running up, screaming. I don't know who he was maddest at, Wordy and I for not putting a stop to it, Rolie for goading her into it, or Jules for doing something so dangerous. I don't think I've ever seen Ed so mad and believe me I've seen him mad plenty of times. He marched all of us up to the briefing room and Jules bless her heart walked every step without a limp. The boss and Ed read us all the riot act and promised we were going to train so hard the next shift we wouldn't even be able to think about doing stupid stunts. It wasn't until we saw her limping out to her car after work that we realized she even been hurt." Spike was smiling at the memory, time having taken away the fear that had initially gripped him.

Raf shook his head, not really surprised to hear that Jules would go all out to win a challenge even if it meant endangering herself. "Ed, I've always wondered why you had to start every training at the wall with a reminder that no one was allowed to climb without safety gear and you always seemed to be looking right at Jules when you do. So we all know Jules is gutsy and stubborn. Normally I think it's great. She'll need both those qualities to recover. Still, is it safe for her to be there? What if the guy comes back to finish what he started?"

"We've got to make sure that doesn't happen." Greg joined them. "I just got through talking with the SCU officers on Jules's case. They don't believe this was an attack perpetrated by some unknown assailant. Everything was too well organized to be a random attack. They believe Jules was attacked by someone who knew her. Knew her schedule, knew how to gain entry to her house without leaving sign of forced entry, knew that despite her small size she would have to be incapacitated, knew she'd be alone. Someone had to have been watching her for a while, planning this attack well in advance to carrying it out. Who knows how far the attack would have gone if Sam hadn't come home when he did."

"You think Jules is still in danger?" Ed asked grimly even though he was pretty sure of the answer.

Greg nodded. "I think until we have the person who hurt Jules in custody, we have to assume she's still at risk. Now, we all know Johnny Dawson is more than likely guilty. We have to prove it before he makes a second attempt."

- FP - FP - FP -

Were you ever scared there were monsters under your bed?

Sam frowned as he stared out the bedroom window out over the dark lawn into the empty street lit by a single street lamp. He'd told Jules the truth when he told her he'd never been afraid of such childhood terrors. Braddock children weren't allowed such failings. No, monsters under the bed had never concerned Sam but he'd learned at the young age of nine with the death of his sister that there were monsters of a different kind, real monsters much scarier than anything the imagination could dream of.

Jules whimpered in the bed behind him. Sam turned his head to watch her, ready to go to her if she showed signs that the nightmares were too painful. After tossing and turning in the king sized bed a few times, her body stilled and her breathing evened out once again. He continued to watch her for a couple more minutes before returning his gaze out the window.

Jules had claimed earlier that because of her brothers she'd slept with a night light until she was eight. Because of his sister, Sam had begun to sleep with one at age nine and hadn't stopped until he reached his teenage years. For months after his sister's death, nightmares of seeing the accident that took her life had haunted him and introduced him to the monster who had taken delight in tormenting his life every since.

Guilt was gnawing at him like a dog with a bone. It was a familiar feeling for him, certainly not a logical one but powerful. Guilt that his sister had died when he was supposed to be watching her. Guilt that he hadn't been man enough, the man the General had expected him to be, to protect his sister from stepping out into the path of the speeding car. Guilt that he hadn't foreseen that his friend was going to step into the path of a speeding bullet, a bullet that Sam himself had fired. Guilt that he hadn't been the son the General had expected and wanted him to be. Guilt that despite that guilt he didn't really care that he hadn't been. Guilt that he hadn't prevented a sniper's bullet from nearly taking the woman sleeping behind him from him. Guilt that he hadn't been there the day before to prevent Jules from coming face to face with the demons of her past that she was trying so desperately to free herself from. Guilt that he couldn't figure out how her attacker had managed to get in the house in the first place. Guilt that he was either going to risk smothering her with an over protectiveness she would resent in an attempt to keep her safe or risk the possibility of losing her to a second attack.

Small arms snaked around his waist. He stiffened at first but then realized that he hadn't heard Jules slip out of bed and join him at the window. He turned so that he was facing her and ran his hands along her spine before locking them together at the small of her back.

"I thought insomnia was more my thing." Jules teased softly. "You okay? I called your name a couple of times and it was like you didn't even hear me."

Probably because he hadn't. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a quick warm reassuring kiss. "I'm fine. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't. So what's so fascinating outside that it had your attention so completely?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Guess I'm feeling a little paranoid as well."

Before they had turned out the lights downstairs and made their way to the bedroom, Jules had insisted on checking, rechecking, and triple checking that both doors and every window was firmly shut and locked. A check of every downstairs crevice had then followed, any spot large enough that someone could have hidden in and some that weren't was checked for hidden danger. Sam hadn't tried to talk her out of it, hadn't tried to assure her that the house was safe. Instead he'd followed her every movement, reassured by the fact that even if her checks bordered on paranoid, she felt comfortable doing the looking herself. Once they had made their way upstairs, the pattern had been repeated with every window and crawl space on the second floor. She'd been ready to pull down the heavy attic ladder and check that space as well when Sam did stop her. He recommended that she relax in a hot soaking bubble bath and let him check out the attic. By the time she'd emerged from the bathroom wearing sweatpants and one of Sam's t-shirts, Sam had returned from checking the rest of the house.

Jules chewed on her lip. "You think he's going to come back?"

Sam pulled her closer to his body. Mentally he added to his earlier list. Guilt that he'd unintentionally scared her in his quest to not talk about where his thoughts had taken him. "No, Jules, I don't think he's coming back. Actually I was thinking more about tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want me to take another day off? Sarge said it wasn't a problem."

"I'm sure. I don't want you wasting all your vacation days on me. I'd rather you save them up so that you or we can use them for something more fun. Besides, the team's shorthanded as it is, they need you. It's bad enough that I'm sidelined."

There was just a hint of bitterness in her voice and Sam knew the cause. "You still upset that you have to take those skills tests before coming back?"

She shrugged noncommittally but he knew it was bothering her. He also knew it hadn't been easy for Sarge to remind her at the station earlier that since she'd been admitted to the hospital over night and especially with the fact that her motor skills had been affected, she'd have to check off on the obstacle course and at the shooting range in order to be cleared to return to duty. It didn't matter if she understood the reason behind it- her job depended on her fine motor skills being in peak condition- she couldn't help but associate it with the memory of how hard she had to work in order to reclaim her spot on team 1 after the shooting.

"I know it'll be fine. I think the effects of the drug are finally completely gone but I just hate that it's necessary. I don't want you to worry about me while you are at work tomorrow. I'm not going to stay here alone. You'll drop me off at the hospital in the morning and I'll spend the morning with my dad; he's going to get suspicious if I stay away much longer. James is going to swing by on his lunch break and pick me up and bring me to headquarters. Ed's going to run me through the check offs and I'll just hang out there until you get off."

Sam sighed, his guilt building. He hadn't outright asked her not to stay alone though he'd really wanted to. Still she'd picked up on his reluctance to let her stay at the house all day. "I don't want to smother you. I know you can take care of yourself…"

"Sam, I don't want you worrying about me when you should be concentrating on work. To be honest with you as much as I wanted to come home instead of stay somewhere else, I don't think I'm ready to stay here alone. If making sure I'm around others for a few days until the guys are able to arrest Johnny makes you feel better then I can live with that. I promised you the other day that I wasn't going to take unnecessary risks. I'm not going back on my word now."

He leaned down and kissed her again. As their lips locked together, he gently led her back to the bed and they laid down together. He pulled her close as he continued to kiss her. Finally he pulled back looking deep into her dark eyes. "I wish I could make this all go away even for a few seconds."

Jules reached up and brushed her hand against his face. "You do. When you hold me in your arms like this, when you kiss me, when you look at me with such love you do make it all go away at least for a few moments. I love you so much."

He kissed her again.

- FP - FP - FP -

"So beautiful."

He murmured to himself as he stared at the newspaper clipping announcing the Lawperson of the Year recipient. The picture didn't do justice to the real thing, he decided as he traced the black and white image with his fingertips. No two dimensional photograph could ever compare to the seeing her in person, feeling her warm sensuous body beneath him as his mouth devoured first one breast and then other and his fingers worked their frenzy in her small tight womanly sex. He groaned as the hand not touching the picture of the object of his desire unzipped his pants and released his swollen throbbing manhood from the confines of his underwear. As his hand worked himself toward an explosive climax he pretended that it was she who was bringing him to competition, perhaps first her small hand squeezing and fondling him before she took him deep in her mouth and made love to him that way. Though the pleasure he was imagining her bringing him made him want to close his eyes as he felt the emotion rising in him he kept them open, locking them into her smiling eyes in the photograph. Panting hard amidst moans of intense pleasure and desire, he imagined plunging into her small tight entrance thrusting deep and fast and hard over and over again until she was screaming his name and they were both reached heights of orgasm together.

He came hard biting off the scream of pleasure that he wanted to release and instead brought the clipping up to his lips to kiss the imagine smiling back at him. Coming down off the waves of ecstasy, he cleaned himself off before he tucked himself back into the his pants and fastened his pants again. He returned the clipping to his bedside table. He stood and reached into the drawer once more pulling out a silver key, a key that would unlock the doors he needed unlocking to get what he wanted. He smiled remembering how easy it had been to take it from a locker and have a duplicate made.

"You got lucky yesterday but next time you won't be. Next time there will be no one who will interfere from making you totally mine. I'll either have you completely, heart soul and mind or I will see to it no one else does. Sooner rather than later."