I apologize for the long wait. I read this over and I honestly thought why the hell would you want to read this. I think I've lost the ability to string a coherent sentence together. You all deserve better and I hope I get my mojo back for chapter 12.

Chapter 11 - Losing Hope

Spike closed the box and slipped it back into his pocket. He couldn't ask her now. His plans of a surprise proposal would have to be put on hold. He had deliberated for weeks how he was going to ask her. He had thought about proposing at the airport in front of hundreds of travelers; getting down on one knee in the middle of the arrivals lounge. He had decided against that idea. He wouldn't be able to live with the embarrassment if she had said no. So, instead he had booked a table at their favourite restaurant. A small Italian restaurant tucked away down a side street. They had found it by chance one evening when they had been out walking and had felt the urge for a plate of seafood linguini. It was intimate and quiet and the food was sublime. It had become 'their' place. The place where they ate and made plans for their future. The place where he first told her he was totally and completely in love with her. He had planned for this weekend to be special; instead he had to tell the woman he loved that her brother, his best friend, may not survive the surgery to remove a bullet from his brain. It wasn't the welcome home he had wanted to give her.

There was silence. He gently opened the door. Jules was sleeping. The sobbing had subsided as her body had finally succumbed to the drugs. She was at peace, for a little while at least.

Anna Lekova had dreams, but nothing ever happened for her the way that it had for her sister. She had wanted a better life. She read her sister's letters and had wanted what Lena had - she wanted to come to Canada, marry a rich banker and have a house in Forest Hill. Now, as she sat in a small room, handcuffed to a table, her dreams of a better life were evaporating before her eyes. Now all she had to look forward to was spending the rest of her life in prison.

Ed was leaning against a wall. Every muscle in his body ached from the tension that racked his body. Physically and emotionally exhausted from the events of the day. He knew Greg was also feeling the strain. He could see the guilt and responsibility of what happened to Sam etched in every line on his face. He wondered if Greg would ever recover from this - wondered if any of them would ever be the same again. They were waiting as they had done for most of the day. Waiting for Anna Lekova's lawyer to arrive. Waiting for the detectives to complete their interview of Mikel Popov. Waiting to hear news of Sam.

Waiting.

Doors opened. Inspector Holleran walked in closely followed by two men in dark suits. Greg and Ed watched as Holleran led the two men to the Chief's office. They went inside and the door closed.

"What's that all about?" Ed queried.

Greg turned and looked into the glass partitioned office. Raised voices and phone calls made.

Holleran exited the office and made his way to Greg and Ed. His face a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Greg. Ed. Any news?"

"Sam's in surgery and we're waiting for Anna Lekova's lawyer . What's with the suits?" Ed replied.

"Top level Government officials. Mikel Popov is going to be released into their custody."

"What!?" Greg and Ed said simultaneously. An uneasy feeling started to wash over Greg. He didn't like where this conversation was heading.

"The Russians want him back. He is to be escorted to the Russian Embassy tonight and tomorrow he'll be put on a plane for Russia."

"You have got to be freaking kidding me? The guy has killed three people including one of our own. And what about Sam? He risked his life trying to catch this bastard and now he's going to walk free." Ed's anger was about to explode. He had barely been able to keep from wringing the subject's neck as it is. Now they had to watch as he walked to freedom.

"I don't like it anymore than you Ed. I have just spent two hours trying to stop it from happening, but this has come from the top, there's nothing we can do." Holleran understood their anger; hell he could barely contain his own fury. It was a kick in the teeth of every police officer who had worked tirelessly to catch the sniper and had said exactly that to the Mayor. But even the Mayor's hands were tied. Holleran knew this could destroy the morale of the unit. The deal had been struck by people who sat behind a desk and had no idea the dangers the SRU faced on a daily basis.

"So, we are not supposed to care about the people he killed. We just have to wave him bye-bye and wish him a pleasant flight." Ed said sarcastically.

Greg knew how the system worked. Top level meant that no matter how much you protested, the decision had been made and could not be unmade.

The two men went into the interview room of Mikel Popov. When they came out they walked over to Holleran, Greg and Ed. They were carrying out orders and they didn't like seeing the sniper walk to freedom. They too had watched this man terrorize their city and kill innocent people.

"For what it's worth, we don't agree with this. We are just carrying out orders. You have Anna Lekova. The Russians don't want anything to do with her. You can pin everything on her; lock her up and throw away the key."

"So Anna Lekova is left to rot while Popov is gonna be free as a freaking bird. Its bureaucratic bullshit is what it is." Ed exclaimed.

"Who is this man? Why is he so important to the Russians?" Greg asked.

"Don't quote me, but I think it's a prisoner exchange. We're getting someone back and he must be pretty important if the Government is willing to free a murderer."

"Mikel Popov has indicated that he wants to speak to you both before he leaves." The second official stated.

Greg and Ed looked at each other. What could Mikel Popov possibly want to say to them?

"I swear Greg if he says one word out of line, I will not be responsible for my actions.

As they entered the small interview room Ed was finding it difficult to control the rage that was burning inside of him.

"You wanted to see us?" Greg said his voice even, showing no sign of his own anger. He had become used to hiding his true emotions. It was part of the job as a negotiator. A skill learned over many years. No matter what he was told, no matter how shocking, his tone of voice remained calm and composed.

Ed admired the skill, but it was a quality he did not possess. He could not stand in front of this sniper and be calm and composed.

"Anna Lekova is not as innocent as she appears. She found me. She never said who the job was for and I never asked. She is the connection to this, not me. And now, gentlemen, I will take my leave. Oh, before I do, I must ask - how is the officer? - I understand she didn't manage to kill him?"

Ed, unable to contain his anger for a second longer, leapt forward and grabbed the Russian's throat. "How about I put you in the same hospital and you find out first hand?"

Mikel Popov's face rapidly turning a bright crimson. His hands clutching at Ed's in a frantic bid to move them from his neck so he could once again breathe. Ed's grip just tightened. His life, his career holding Popov's neck. It was only Greg's words that made it through. "Eddie., Eddie STOP, let him go. If you do this he wins." The team one Sergeant desperately trying to pull Ed from the sniper. Finally, Ed's grip loosened and the man took in a breath, coughing and spluttering as he did.

The two men, who had been waiting outside rushed in when they heard the commotion.

"I want this man charged with assault" Mikel Popov demanded.

The two men looked at each other. "Why?" the younger of the two asked.

"He has just attacked me - arrest him" Mikel Popov continued to protest as he rubbed his neck.

"We didn't hear anything. Are you sure he attacked you?" The older man added.

Mikel Popov looked at the cameras located in each corner of the room. "Just look at the tapes, it will show him with his hands around my throat." Mikel Popov said pointing an accusatory finger at Ed.

"Oh them, sorry they're not working."

Greg was trying to hide his relief. He understood Ed's anger, but this could have ended his career. At the very least Ed would have been suspended without pay. There was, however, a small part of Greg that wished he had done the same.

"Mikel Popov, do you understand the arrangements. You will be transported to the Russian Embassy and from there you will be put on a plane bound for Russia."

"Yes, yes of course I understand. "

The two men escorted Mikel Popov out of the building.

Greg turned to Ed. "You are lucky you're not up on charges Eddie; what the hell was you thinking?"

"We have just watched a murderer walk free - aren't you just a little pissed Greg?"

"Of course I am, but attacking a prisoner will only get you fired and I don't want to lose a valuable member of my team over a sorry sonofabitch."

"Let's speak to Anna Lekova; let her know her boyfriend has hung her out to dry?" Greg suggested.

Jules saw him standing by the cliff, looking down at the chasm below. He turned a looked at her and before she could reach him he had fallen. Each time she jumped and woke from the nightmare. It was always the same dream always ending with her unable to reach Sam, always ending with her seeing him fall.

She was burning up. The drugs made her body's temperature fluctuate. She hoped it was that anyway. Hoped she hadn't contracted an infection. She threw the covers off her as she sat up slowly. She took the glass of water in her hand, which the nurse had replenished while she was sleeping. She looked around for Spike and wondered how long she had been sleeping. She fumbled in the side table drawer for her watch. 6.57 p.m. She had been asleep for hours.

She heard muffled voices from the corridor - it was Wordy and Leah. She guessed Spike had left to pick up Natalie. She called out and instantly the door opened and Wordy's face appeared.

"Hi Jules, is it alright to come in?"

"Of course, is Leah with you?"

"Yeah, we've been here awhile. Spike's left to pick up Natalie."

"Is there any news about Sam?" Jules asked, desperate for information but at the same time terrified to know.

"No sweetheart, he's still in surgery." Leah responded as she made her way over to her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Leah added as she sat on the chair beside the hospital bed.

"OK."

Wordy was leaning against the wall opposite her bed and he knew just by looking at Jules that she was far from OK. Her face was pale and drawn and she had lost weight since he had seen her last. He wanted to reassure her about Sam, but she was an intelligent woman. She knew the score probably better than he did. He knew any reassurance he gave her would be pointless. Every one of them feeling the same dread; that Sam would not make it this time. That this time Sam's luck would run out.

"How come you managed to catch the sniper?" Jules asked her brain finally feeling clearer than it had for days.

Jules saw the look between her two colleagues and knew there was something important they were not saying.

"What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

Wordy sighed deeply and looked down at the floor. His mind contemplating telling Jules everything. He wasn't sure she was up to hearing it, but he wasn't going to lie. She deserved the truth.

"Wordy, tell me." Jules knew everyone was hiding something important from her. Spike and Sam were definitely hiding something when they visited her and she saw the same uneasy look between Wordy and Leah.

"Don't treat me like a scared little schoolgirl. I am your teammate. I have the right to know why my husband has a bullet in his head."

There was a minute of silence before Jules demanded "Tell me. "

"We kinda knew the sniper would be there. " Wordy finally admitted

"How did you know? " Jules asked.

"It was a setup; a ruse to lure the sniper out. We found out that the sniper killings had something to do with the Otis Sanders trial. He was killing people - witnesses who had given evidence and he not only killed Andrew, but the prosecutor on the trial and a jury member." Wordy stopped briefly and looked at Jules. He did not know how she was going to react once she heard the full story and hoped telling her was the right decision.

"Sam guessed he was on the sniper's list, as he had given evidence along with Andrew, so Sam suggested we set up a false call and use him to lure the sniper out. We chose somewhere with good vantage points and Leah was on the roof waiting for him. And it worked. Leah arrested him before he could take a shot. We just didn't know about the accomplice."

Jules leant back on her pillows and tried to take in all the information Wordy had relayed to her.

An awkward silence hung in the room. Wordy and Leah looked at each other and waited for the silence to be broken. Wordy waited for the accusations; for Jules to tell them that the team was responsible for Sam getting shot; and she would be right. Wordy understood the urgency and necessity of catching the sniper but they were wrong to allow Sam to risk his life. Everyone on the team knew it was wrong, but they let him do it anyway.

"Oh Sam" Jules finally whispered.

Jules wasn't angry. She hadn't the strength or the inclination. This was who Sam was and why she loved him so much. It was who they all were. Every one of them, she knew absolutely, would have done the same.

She remembered the argument she had with Sam when he had tried to save the Anderson children. Had told him he took stupid risks and then she lost their baby doing the very same thing. Sam had finally made her realize that this was who they were. Connect, respect, protect, the SRU's motto. Mere words to most people but for them it meant everything. It meant risking your own life to protect the innocent. It wasn't just a job; it was a calling - a way of life. The need to protect wrapped around every fibre of their being. So she wasn't angry. She understood why Sam had done this; understood why it was so important to him - to all of them. She just knew she couldn't do it anymore.

Ed and Greg walked towards the room where Anna Lekova was being held. Ed's anger hadn't subsided, if anything it had intensified as he watched the sniper walk out of the building. He kicked a waste paper basket, which propelled clear across the room. Its contents spilling out across the precinct floor.

Everyone looked up but no one spoke. They all knew Ed and all knew better.

"That make you feel any better?" Greg asked as he picked up the basket and placed in by a desk.

"No, not really. Should have been Popov's head."

Greg placed a hand on Ed's shoulder as they waked into the room.

The two SRU Officers sat opposite Anna Lekova. Greg informed her that her boyfriend, Mikel Popov was being sent back to Russia, effectively hanging her out to dry.

Her tears fell on to the table. The small length of chain securing her hands to the table just long enough for her to wipe her tears. "He's not my boyfriend. I just told my sister that so she wouldn't get suspicious and let us stay with her."

"Popov told us you arranged it, that he didn't know who the job was for. Is that true?" Greg asked. His words spoken softly, trying to alleviate her fears. The more comfortable he could make her feel, the more she might tell them.

"I didn't know. You have to believe me. I didn't know he was going to kill all those people."

"You found out pretty damn quick when he shot and killed Officer Long?" Ed's replied, his tone harsh, unable to shake the intense anger coursing through his body.

Greg looked at Ed. Ed's presence in the room was not helping. "Ed, outside."

"Ed, go to the hospital. Check on Jules; see if there is any news on Sam and I'll meet you there as soon as I finish up here."

Ed knew he had to get out of the building. The whole situation, the injustice of it all was suffocating him. He needed to escape from this place - he just wasn't sure the hospital was where he should be. He wasn't sure he could face Jules.

The cold air filled his lungs as he entered the street, making his head swim slightly. He wanted nothing more than for this day to be over. He wanted to see Sophie, Clark and Izzy. Needed to feel the normality of family life away from the SRU and to forget for a little while how utterly appalling human beings can be.

When it came to eliciting information from a subject, Greg's skills were second to none. It had not taken Greg long before Anna Lekova had told him everything. How her friend had told her his cousin was serving time in prison in Canada and a friend needed someone taken care of. There would be money in it for her if she could find someone. She found Mikel. Her job done and she had 2000 rubles. But Mikel had offered her a deal. Go with him to Canada and he would give her $5,000. They would travel as boyfriend and girlfriend visiting her sister in Toronto. It was the perfect cover and the perfect plan. She would get to Canada and have money. It wasn't until they arrived at her sister's that Mikel told her the plan had changed and that she would need to help him. He taught her to shoot and gave her a pre-paid cell phone. She would travel with him to each location. She then had to wait for his call. Once he called she had to wait exactly ten minutes. If he hadn't make the shot within the time she had to take over. She was his back up. For doing this, he would pay her $15,000. She never thought it would happen. Every other time Mikel had made the shot. Then at Portland Square she had waited the requisite ten minutes and nothing had happened and she knew if she didn't do what Mikel had asked, he would kill her. th

Anna gave Greg the name of her friend in Russia, but didn't know the name of his cousin in Kingston Penitentiary. It made very little difference anyway. The detectives on the case had all they needed to join the dots which Greg knew would undoubtedly lead back to Otis Sanders.

Greg finally left at 9.45 pm. He had initially felt sorry for Anna Lekova but as the interview progressed and the more information he gathered he had realized she was a selfish, despicable young woman who had been willing to murder for $15,000. A life - Sam's life worth so little. As he stepped into the night air, he hoped Anna Lekova would spend the rest of her life in prison.

Spike had watched the monitor in the arrivals lounge waiting to see the arrival of the plane bringing his girlfriend back to him from London. He was excited to see her yet he felt the utter dread at having to tell her Sam's life was hanging in the balance. He saw the flight number flash on the monitor. Her plane had landed.

Spike paced as he waited for the passengers to file through the arrivals lounge. Each with their own stories of love, loss, happiness and sadness. Suddenly Spike's cell started to buzz in his pocket. As he took out his phone he saw it was Jules' number. With shaking hands he answered.

"Jules" he said " please don't cry. I'm picking up Natalie now we'll be with you as soon as we can."

Spike slipped the phone back into his pocket just as he saw Natalie walk through the doors to the arrivals lounge. He noticed her before she saw him. Her blonde hair; her smile. It had only been three weeks yet his excitement at seeing her again was akin to a five year old on Christmas morning. He wanted to hold on to that feeling, a flicker of happiness - lost all too soon when the image of Sam lying on the ground consumed his mind.

"Spikey" Natalie exclaimed as she raced to embrace him.

He held her close, burying his head into her neck. Natalie could feel his heart racing in his chest, and she was sure she felt a tear fall onto her neck.

Natalie knew instantly something was wrong, seriously wrong.

"Spike, is everything OK?"

"Come on, let's get you to the car - you must be exhausted." Spike said taking her case from her hand as he walked towards the car park.

Natalie knew Spike had avoided answering her question. Her own heart rate quickened as she followed him to the car.

They sat in silence for what Natalie felt to be an eternity. Spike stared out of the windscreen at the other parked cars, deliberately avoiding looking at her.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

Spike turned and looked at the face of the woman he adored and wondered how she could even think such a thing.

"God, Nat, no. It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it Spike?"

Spike shifted his body to face Natalie and took hold of both her hands. "It's Sam." He finally said.

And once again I leave you hanging. Sorry. Review please if you feel it is worthy of your time - good or bad (but go easy on the bad I'm feeling a little delicate right now).