So, finally, Chapter 8 is up. This chapter has been written, rewritten, scrapped and rewritten again. Words in my head refusing to travel to the fingers. I'm sorry to everyone who has waited patiently for this, because I am not entirely sure it has been worth the wait. You are my judge and jury so let me know if you feel it worthy of your time.

Chapter 8 - Let Fortune Favor The Brave

Things work quickly at the SRU, especially when time is of the essence. The plan; discussed, refined and finally given the go ahead. It had to happen quickly, the sniper's timetable had been the reason. He had changed the timing between shootings; stepped it up, on purpose for sure to keep the team guessing and to keep everyone afraid.

Greg wasn't afraid, but he was anxious when he rose at 4.30 a.m. leaving Marina sleeping. He looked at the woman lying in his bed. He could not remember when she had become so important to him; he only knew that she had. He had resisted at first, not wanting to take a chance on getting hurt again. It had nearly destroyed him before; but in his darkest days, when alcohol had been his solace, he too had hurt the people he loved. He owed a debt to the police unit that had saved his life, but it had taken its fair share in return. Too many people had been lost and now once again they faced a foe hell-bent on killing because of one man's vengeful rampage. He knew Sam was right; they had to lure the sniper to them, but it was a dangerous game of cat and mouse they were about to play. Greg sighed heavily as he took his first sip of coffee. "I'm getting too old for this".

"Too old for what?"

Greg turned as Marina swept closer to him, her satin nightgown clinging to her well-formed frame.

"Just a little concerned about today."

"You have a good team Greg and you are a good leader; everything will be fine - you will catch the sniper, I know you will." Marina brushed a soft kiss on Greg's cheek as she poured herself a cup of coffee before returning to the bedroom.

Ed lay awake next to a sleeping Sophie, his hand resting on the small of her back. It was 4.30 am and he had been awake for the past hour going over every detail of the plan. Ed was a skilled tactician but it didn't stop him from going over everything one more time. An officer was putting his life on the line so they could catch the sonofabitch terrorizing the city, the least he could do was to make sure the plan was solid.

Sam was up too, nervous energy coupled with worrying about Jules had meant a restless night. He knew as soon as the rush hour had eased the team would be putting the plan, his plan, into action. Every contingency had been discussed and agreed and many of the 'what ifs' eliminated with the tactical planning. A few still remained, as with every plan, there was always going to be an element of risk. Sam gulped down the remainder of his coffee before picking up the keys to the jeep and heading out the door. He had wanted to see Jules; wanted desperately to see her before his shift, there just wasn't time. She had looked better when he and Spike had visited her and she had been genuinely pleased to see Spike.

Jules had no idea what was happening later that day, but she knew something was up. When Sam and Spike visited her they were definitely hiding something. She may have been shot, she may be an emotional wreck, but her profiling skills were dulled, not dead. She had seen a definite look between the two when she had mentioned the sniper case and when she tried to subtly probe the matter, the subject was swiftly changed. Had Jules been feeling stronger, she may have probed a little deeper but trusted that if there was something she needed to know, they would have told her, wouldn't they?

Everyone arrived at the SRU more or less at the same time and it was a hive of activity as every officer involved was in attendance. It was a large operation involving Team One, Team Two and fifteen undercover officers. It had to come together fast, before the sniper struck again. Greg trusted Ed and Sam to have covered all contingencies and he trusted his team implicitly to follow the plan to the letter. Everyone knew the risks involved; there couldn't be any mistakes, not today.

Ed and Sam had looked at many locations before agreeing on the building in question. Spike had worked with them using his computer skills bringing up floor plans for each proposed building and weather forecast and wind projections. They had managed to narrow it down to just one building in Portland Square. With the time of the proposed call, where the sun was in the sky and weather conditions, the two tactical experts had decided a trained sniper would choose the building on the east side. It offered a clear view of the square and his intended target. The building opposite did have vantage points but the angles were difficult and with the light refractions it offered only a limited view of the square. The building on the east side housed various businesses on the first five floors, and due to the recession the businesses on the upper floors had ceased trading. It was hoped the sniper would not know this information so anyone going above the fifth floor would be their likely suspect.

Undercover officers would be hostage taker and victim and five officers would be part of the crowd of onlookers. Inside the building, undercover officers would be posing as office workers. Leah, Benton and Daniels would be strategically placed on the upper floors waiting for confirmation of the sniper's arrival.

John Sullivan and the rest of Team 2 would be in the building opposite together with undercover officers just in case. Ed and Wordy would be surveiling the ground and Spike would be in the command truck monitoring events. Greg would be conducting the 'negotiation' and Sam would be his second. The call would go through in the normal way. It was a fair assumption the sniper was monitoring the police radio frequency so he would know Team One was attending.

When every single item had been deliberated for the hundredth time, Greg looked at his team and Sam in particular, he knew they were strategically and tactically ready, but were they really ready for what may lay in store.

At precisely 7.30 am, undercover officers, Team Two and Leah left to take up their positions. In two hours the call would come through and the plan would be put into operation.

The team sat around the table; time was dragging, especially for Sam. He wanted the day over so he could be with Jules. Spike wanted the day over too, for different reasons. He wanted Sam safe but he also had an appointment to pick up his beautiful blonde girlfriend at the airport and he couldn't wait to see her.

"Hot Call, Team One, hostage situation, Portland Square". Winnie announced to the team.

"This is it Team; let's get this guy and keep Sam safe".

"Copy that" Sam replied.

"Can't let anything happen to you Sam; we're all too scared of Jules" Ed quipped and everyone laughed easing the tension just a little.

Greg looked at his team as they headed for the SUVs. They were nervous, he could see it on each of their faces, but he saw something else too, professionalism and steely determination.

Greg noticed Sam was unusually quiet as they rode to the location; he could understand why. Not many people would be brave or stupid enough to make themselves a target for a professional sniper. The plan would not have been agreed had there been any other way and Holleran had spent two hours trying to convince the Mayor that this was not a suicide mission. Greg wasn't sure the Mayor would have agreed at all if it wasn't for the immense pressure he was under to catch the Toronto sniper, plus the sniper's third victim had been Christopher Connelly a prominent and well known Prosecutor.

"You OK with this Sam, you can still back out?" Greg watched his officer, watched for any sign that he was not fully on board. If Sam had any doubts whatsoever, he would have no hesitation in abandoning the mission. It was, after all, his life on the line.

"Yeah, I'm fine Boss; I wanted to see Jules before I left, but there wasn't time." Sam replied. He didn't look at Greg, and kept his eyes focused on the traffic in front of them. He wasn't lying, he did not want to back out of the plan; he just wished he had told Jules at least some of what was happening today. Spike was right, she was still part of team one, but she was also his wife and he had wanted to protect her, yet now he felt disloyal keeping the operation from her.

As the team arrived they could see a large crowd had already gathered and uniformed officers had cordoned off a wide perimeter. The undercover officers, as hostage taker and victim, were playing their parts well.

Team One disembarked from the SUVs and gathered around Greg, as was normal procedure. He didn't need to tell anyone their roles; they all knew where they needed to be and what they needed to do.

Greg turned to his team "Watch your backs, but more importantly, watch Sam's. He's the one the sniper wants. Radios to band 4, let's go and catch this bastard."

Spike made his way to the command truck. He was worried, more worried than his facial expression let on. Sam had been through so much over the past week and Spike wasn't convinced he was coping as well as everyone believed. As Spike took his position behind the control desk, he said a silent prayer that no lives would be lost today.

Ed and Wordy set off to their respective positions and Sam, MP5 raised, walked with Greg to the middle of the Square.

Sam felt completely calm as he walked with Greg. Even though there were still risks, it felt good to be in control for the first time since the sniper shootings had started. He knew people thought him insane for making himself the target for a sniper; it wasn't because he was noble or brave or even, as some would believe, he had a hero complex. He was simply doing it for Andrew; his friend, the sniper's first victim and for Olivia and their unborn baby Andrew would never get to see.

Greg commenced the negotiation. It had to be believable. The sniper could not know this was a ruse as he could start firing indiscriminately and everyone would then be at risk, not just Sam. However, Greg was finding it difficult to concentrate; he wanted desperately to scan the skyline but kept his eyes firmly focused on the officers in front of him.

Greg heard everyone confirm they were in position. Now they had to wait for the sniper to show and if and when he did, they would be waiting. He hoped today fortune would favor the brave, yet Greg still wished there had been another way to stop him; wished there had been more time to come up with a plan that did not involve putting an officer's life in jeopardy. The sniper had made certain they didn't have the time - so this was it, their one chance to apprehend him. If he didn't show or they failed to catch him, then, undoubtedly, more lives would be lost.

Thirty Two minutes into the negotiation undercover officers confirmed an individual had entered the building on the east side.

Every single officer involved in the operation held their breath and waited.

Spike had a knot in his stomach that he knew would only be alleviated when everyone was safe and the sniper caught. He watched the subject on the monitor, courtesy of the hidden camera which had been installed in all the elevators the night before. He looked at the face of the sniper; an ordinary looking individual; someone you could pass in the street and have no idea he was a cold-blooded killer.

"Pressed floor 15, this is our guy." Spike informed his teammate.

"Copy; Leah, are you Benton and Daniels in position?" Greg asked.

"In position Boss; Benton and Daniels are on Floor 15, I am in position on the roof"..

Spike watched as the individual left the elevator. "Picking up images of the subject walking down the corridor. Leah, he looks like he's heading for the stairs to the roof."

"Copy Spike; I'm in position." Leah inhaled deeply and blew out the air from her mouth, trying to settle her racing heartbeat. Relatively new to the team, she wondered why Ed had given her the responsibility of apprehending the sniper and hoped his faith in her was not misguided. Team One had, in just a few short months, become family to her. Every one of them intrinsically linked by a bond that she couldn't explain or define. A bond so strong that she knew each would give their life for the other; without hesitation, without question.

Greg looked at Sam, was this about to be over?

Sam felt uneasy for the first time that morning. Everything appeared to be going to plan, so why had he suddenly started to feel apprehensive? He thought about Jules and wished he could turn around and see her face. He trusted the team completely, but without Jules the team didn't feel whole: A jigsaw with a missing piece.

Leah, hidden behind a small wall, looked on as the subject entered the roof. He made his way to the edge, took out binoculars and surveyed the ground below.

"Ed, believe the subject is the sniper." Leah quietly informed her tactical officer.

"Copy, wait for Benton and Daniels before approaching the subject."

"Copy."

Leah was joined by Benton and Daniels. The sniper's attention firmly on the square below. The SRU officers watched as the sniper took out a cell phone and spoke.

"я в положении не так ли?" The sniper disconnected the call and placed the cell phone in his pocket.

"Is that Russian?" Leah whispered.

"Could be" Benton replied.

"Ed, I think this guy maybe Russian; he has called someone on a cell phone."

"Copy Leah, you have a go to apprehend the subject, we'll investigate the cell phone once he is in custody" Ed advised.

"Copy." Leah took hold of her MP5 and silently approached the sniper. He was taking up his position with his rifle and did not hear the three officers behind him.

"SRU, put down your weapon and raise your hands. There is an MP5 trained at your head, if you do not comply I will shoot you, do you understand?"

The sniper did not verbally acknowledge Leah's command, but he did seem to understand and took his hands off his rifle and raised them above his head.

Leah motioned for Daniels to handcuff the individual. Her eyes not moving from the subject. One false move and she would shoot the individual without hesitation.

Once the subject was secured, Benton took hold of the rifle.

"Subject in custody." Leah announced.

Every single member of the operation breathed a sigh of relief. It was over, the plan had worked; they had caught the Toronto sniper.

"Good work Leah." Greg said, relieved albeit a little surprised that the operation had run without a hitch. Maybe today, fortune really did favor the brave.

Spike had been monitoring the events; he pushed his earpiece further into his ear to make sure he had heard correctly. Had the Toronto sniper been caught; had it really been that easy?

Leah was studying the sniper. There was something odd about his demeanor. He had looked shocked when she had first apprehended him, but now he appeared calm; almost jovial. He didn't appear to be worried in the slightest that the SRU had thwarted his plan.

"Why are you smiling?" Leah asked the individual. "Rest assured you will not be smiling for much longer."

"I beg to differ." The sniper replied his thick Russian accent saturated with sarcasm.

"So you can speak English? What is your name?" Leah questioned.

The sniper did not answer, and just kept smiling.

Leah started to feel an anxious knot in the pit of her stomach. She did not know what it was, but something was definitely not right.

"Boss, this whole situation feels wrong. This guy is way too calm."

"Explain Leah?"

"It's a gut feeling Boss. He's has this smile on his face that is really creepy, like he knows something we don't."

Leah's gut feeling was good enough for Greg and he wasn't going to take any chances of something going wrong now. "Sam, get to the command truck and stay there 'till the sniper has been removed from the scene."

Sam turned and started to run back to the command truck. His job done; the sniper was in custody, there was no point in taking unnecessary risks.

Ed had decided he and Wordy would assist Leah with the prisoner and started to make their way to the building. Leah was looking through her binoculars at the building opposite and of the square below for any signs of suspicious activity.

Leah heard a pop immediately followed by a second and knew instantly it was a gun shots. Her fears confirmed seconds later when her earpiece was filled with screams of officer down. She heard more shots in rapid succession and people screaming.

"Spike, what's happening, who has been hit?"

Silence.

"Boss?"

Silence.

"Shit, shit, shit". Leah never cursed; had never uttered a swear word until that moment on the roof. She looked over the roof top through her binoculars; she couldn't see anything except people running in every direction. She turned to the sniper who was still wearing the sickly smile. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile from his face and put a bullet in his brain.

"Who are you working with?" Leah screamed at the sniper. He did not speak and continued to smile.

Spike had been monitoring the events unfold and he was pleased the Boss had ordered Sam to the safety of the command truck. The apprehension he had felt easing just a little as he opened the door to the truck and waited for his friend to cross the square.

Spike did not see her; no one saw the young woman move away from the crowd behind the police cordon. It happened in the briefest of moments. Two shots and Sam dropped.

It took Spike two full seconds to realize what had happened and by that time she was running, firing shots in the air. People screaming and running in all directions. Chaos and confusion brought on by fear; done deliberately to aid her escape.

Wordy looked at Ed. Each knew what the other was thinking; a rapport brought about by the many years of working together and of a close personal friendship. Their worst fears realized; an officer had been shot; with all their planning and with every contingency covered, they had been unable to prevent it. Questions would need to be asked, but that would be for later, right at that moment they needed to look for and apprehend the sniper's female accomplice.

As Spike drew closer, his legs started to shake and a sick feeling he hadn't felt since Lew overtook him as he saw just how bad it was. Greg was by Sam's side cradling his lifeless body. Greg, his uniform already soaked in blood, frantically requesting EMS, his voice barely comprehensible through his choking sobs.

Good morning Julianna, just need to check your blood pressure, how are you feeling?" The nurse asked

"OK I guess. What time is it? Sam said if he could he would try to get off work and come and see me around one."

The nurse looked at her watch attached to her uniform. "It's eleven forty five, not long to wait 'till you see that handsome husband of yours."

And the Burrito he had promised to bring along with him Jules thought and found herself smiling for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.