Well here is the next chapter of my story... not sure how much I like it, but I felt like I had to write a bit since I'm sick and home from school. There are probably two more chapters coming, depending on the reviews I get. Tell me what you think.

I don't own Flashpoint, but my birthday is in 74 days... :)

Jules shut her eyes, taking in the sweet smell of Herbal Essences shampoo as hot water trickled down her back. What a horrendous day it had been. Nearing thirty degrees Celsius, she was sure she would have died of heat exhaustion if they hadn't wrapped up the case when they did.

Along with the heat, Sam had narrowly escaped a bullet in the head when Leah had shot Marcus Frontenac, a dangerous mental patient with an affinity for playing with firearms. The team had spent the rest of the afternoon almost completely silent, and totally distressed, especially Sam, who was more than a little traumatized by how the day unfolded. He had quietly thanked Leah before slipping away into the locker room, not to be seen for a few hours.

For some reason, Jules could not get her mind off Sam. Whether it had been because she realized how close she had been to losing her best friend, or because of what they had been arguing about earlier that morning, she couldn't be sure. The thought stung her like a thousand bees.

My best friend.

What had once been an intimate relationship had disintegrated to nothing more than being colleagues; they said 'hi' every morning and 'see ya' every evening, but that was roughly it.

Jules' thoughts turned abruptly to Jesse. He was her friend– maybe he thought she was more than that– but she couldn't see their boyfriend/girlfriend facade lasting much longer. She needed someone who respected her need for a certain amount of privacy, but on the other hand, someone who would hold her close at night and keep her safe. Jesse had a thing for jabbering about pointless, irritating subjects over and over again. When she contemplated what she needed in a relationship, she came back to Sam every time.

They could spend hours sitting on the couch staring at each other without saying a word, his arm wrapped around her waist. There was something about that that Jules loved. It was as if they knew each other so well that they could read each other's faces, and not need to even speak at all.

Jules sighed and cursed to herself silently, hearing Leah come in through the door and grab her stuff from her locker.

"Jules?" she called. "You still in here?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec," Jules replied, shutting off the water and wrapping herself in a towel from off the rack. Stepping out, she saw Leah dressed in a sparkly halter and mini skirt; something more feminine than usual. "You look nice," Jules commented. "Going somewhere special?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm going to the club with some old buddies, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. There'll be plenty of single firefighters, if you're interested."

Jules chuckled as she contemplated the idea. "Anyone from our team coming?"

Leah nodded. "Scarlatti and Braddock."

Great, Jules thought, her face dropping at her blonde coworker's name. "I'll think about it," she decided.

Leah shrugged and left Jules in the change room alone, once again. Lonely. That's what Jules was, and that's how she was going to end up if she kept bitching at people whenever they tried to be nice.

Giving in, Jules grabbed her keys and rapidly exited the locker room, crashing into Sam's broad chest as she made a mad dash to her car.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered, fixing her clothes and pushing herself around Sam, continuing en route to the door.

"Jules," Sam said calmly, catching her by the arms and pulling her to face him. "Are you coming tonight?"

Jules scowled. "I'll think about it."

"Please do."

"Well I'm not going to come if you're going to stare at me like a neglected puppy for the whole time," she tried to pull away but Sam held her arm too tightly for her to move. His face was uncomfortably close to hers and she leaned away to avoid possible contact with his lips. To make matters worse, they were standing right at the doorway of HQ, in plain sight of anyone who happened to have forgotten something in the change room.

Sam took one step closer and whispered gruffly in her ear. "Don't be a bitch," and with that, he pressed his lips against hers and crushed her in a warm embrace.

Heat shot through Jules' body as Sam proceeded to shove his tongue down her throat. Totally intoxicated, Jules lost all recollection of where she was and what she was doing, and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck, a feeling of desperate passion tingling at the pit of her stomach, something she hadn't felt for a very long time. Something she missed terribly. Their kiss was frantic and needy, and Jules struggled to muster up enough strength to pull away.

When she looked up, Sam was grinning wildly like the Cheshire cat. She turned away, and his smile faded, but she spun around before pushing the door open.

She winked. "I'll see you soon."

Blech. I don't like it. But reviews are always appreciated.