A/N: My first attempt at a Flashpoint fanfiction. I should be working on my other stories, but I'm kinda stuck on all of them, so I wrote this instead... Maybe it'll help get my other stories unstuck...

This is a two-chapter story, but I am thinking about expanding on this as soon as I have finished at least one of my other projects. Let me know what you think and I apologise for any mistakes, I wrote most of this during an incredibly boring lecture.

Note: This was inspired (among other things) by missblueeyes63's Beauty of Life series, so some parts might sound familiar if you have read her works. Team 1 might seem a bit OOC as they are occasionally quite harsh or mean, but there are moments in the show where they aren't all that nice and friendly to their own colleagues either...

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Nina raised her arms, showing them blood-stained hands. "To clean up", she retorted.

Ed glared daggers at her, visibly reigning himself in. "If you're not in the briefing room in ten minutes", he told her, voice tight with barely suppressed anger, "I'm gonna find you and drag you there myself."

She didn't bat an eye at the threat, simply brushed past them and headed towards the changing rooms.

"Eddie", Greg began as they watched her go.

"She disobeyed orders", Ed growled, turning to look at his friend and sergeant. "She put everyone at risk because she couldn't stay objective." He shot another glare in the direction where the young woman had disappeared. "She doesn't belong here."

Nina Ruben ignored the snickers as she entered the briefing room at the start of their shift. Her hair was still wet from the latest 'surprise' in her locker. Another water bomb. Even after being with the Police Strategic Response Unit for nearly four months, the hazing hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"Did you oversleep?", came the gleefully innocent question from Michelangelo Scarlatti, Team One's resident bomb tech and technical expert who everyone just called 'Spike'.

Jules Callaghan, the only other woman in the SRU, grinned and asked: "Or did your hookup not have a hairdryer?"

Nina absently wondered where the other woman got that idea since she had never mentioned any romantic relations - or any other private information, really - but didn't dwell on it. Jules had been making snide remarks about her since Day 1, never bothering to hide her displeasure at Nina's presence on the team. After 15 weeks, Nina had gotten used to it. The words still stung as much as they had on the first day, the laughter at her expense digging into her with sharp barbs, but the shock had worn off.

"My locker wasn't excited to see me", she replied with a casual shrug, settling in her chair at the corner of the table.

Any further jokes or retorts were silenced when Sergeant Greg Parker, Team One's boss and lead negotiator, began the briefing for their shift. He went over a few bulletins and new or updated warrants before calling it a patrol day.

...

Turning her attention to Ed Lane, the team leader, Nina just hoped that he wouldn't pair her with Jules. Or himself. He disliked her just as much, brushed aside any suggestions she made and yelled at her for every mistake. She had learned very quickly that trying to explain herself was no use.

On her fourth call, she had briefly ended up on the business end of a handgun when she'd stayed by a badly wounded woman's side and the subject - a man who had been desperate enough for his former employer to listen to him that he'd brought a gun to the meeting - had found them. She had managed to convince the subject to put the gun down and help her with the victim, resolving the call peacefully and without any fatalities, but Ed had been furious.

"On this team, you follow the rules!", he'd impressed on her, eyes steely like gun-metal. "You follow the rules because otherwise, you put everyone at risk."

"How can I follow the rules if nobody tells me what they are?!", she had argued, frustrated, exhausted and confused because she had told them that the woman couldn't be moved to a safer location. She couldn't abandon a victim in need of immediate medical attention, so she'd stayed.

Ed had slammed the SRU guidelines onto the table and she'd been relegated to command truck duty for the next week.

The silence in the truck was tense enough that neither the banter and jokes of their teammates in their headsets nor the upbeat song playing on the radio could fill it. Jules noticed the rookie's eyes following the path of yet another ambulance that flew past them, lights flashing, sirens blaring.

"Do you miss it?", she wanted to know. Because really, if she missed being a paramedic so much, why was she in the SRU now?

"Sometimes."

Yet another one of those vague answers. And before she could stop herself, Jules heard herself say: "Then why did you leave?"

The other woman shrugged. "Needed a change of scenery, I guess." But her body language didn't match her nonchalant, soft tone. Her eyebrows creased, a flash of regret flickering across her face. Her hazel gaze briefly dropped to her lap before looking out the window again.

"What did you do?", Jules questioned. She was a profiler, she knew guilt when she saw it.

...

Nina looked at her colleague. Part of her wanted to laugh, possibly hysterically. Part of her wanted to cry. Part of her wanted to yell at Jules. The part of her that gained the upper hand was too tired to do any of that.

"Sat in the wrong seat", she answered, rearranging her features into a grin and infusing a levity into her tone that she didn't feel.

"Team One, hot call", came the voice of Kira Marlowe, their dispatcher, over the radio. "Potential suicide."

The two women sat up a little straighter as they listened to the details. "Multiple reports of a man on the roof of an apartment building, 122 Wallace Avenue." They glanced at each other.

"That's really close by", Jules said. She turned on the sirens and lights.

Nina nodded. "Take the next right", she directed before transmitting for Kira and the rest of the team to hear: "We're two minutes away."

"More like seven. Five if we're lucky", Jules corrected, looking at the GPS.

"Two if you hang a right", Nina maintained without sparing the map a glance. "It's a shortcut and we can avoid the construction site on Landsdowne."

The rest of the team was at least 10 minutes away, Ed and Wordy even closer to 15. Greg decided: "Alright, Jules, Nina, find out what's going on, get some intel and see how close you can get."

"Copy", they acknowledged.

"Kira, any ID on our subject yet?", Jules asked as they got out of the truck. Several patrol cars were already there, cordonning off a perimeter and keeping onlookers back.

"Still working on it."

A uniformed constable came over to them. "Hey Nina", he greeted the young woman.

"Simon, hi. Anything you can tell us?"

Constable Simon Wallace sighed. "We suspect that he's a resident, but no ID yet. We tried talking to him, didn't do anything, so we're keeping our distance."

"Alright. Can you show us the way?"

...

Climbing up onto the roof, they saw two constables watching the man, who was standing on the ledge. Nina quietly described the situation for the rest of the team while they approached, slowly and carefully. With a nod, she instructed the constables to back off.

"ETA four minutes", Lewis Young, also known as Lou, replied. He was Spike's best friend, a level-headed man who was often responsible for the less-lethal part of their tactical plans. He was also frequently the Sergeant's second, providing intel and helping with the profiling.

Meanwhile, Jules announced their presence to the subject, introducing herself. "My name is Jules Callaghan, I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. Can you tell us why we're here today, sir?" She stood a good distance away so he wouldn't feel cornered and make a rash decision.

"Don't come any closer", the man demanded.

Nina's breath caught in her throat. She'd recognise that voice anywhere. "Oh my God. Michael?" What is he doing up here? How did this happend?

He turned, just as astonished as her. "N-nina?", he stammered, staring at her as if he wasn't sure whether he was dreaming or not.

"You know him?", Jules questioned quietly.

"Michael Loretz, 33", Nina identified. "We used to work together." Raising her voice, she returned her attention to the man on the ledge. "Michael, is it okay if I come a bit closer? That way we won't have to shout to hear each other."

"Boss, subject is Michael Loretz", Jules relayed, watching as her colleague inched closer to the subject. "Ruben worked with him. Looks like they were pretty close."

"Copy that, Jules. We're almost there."

...

Nina stopped when she was about three feet away. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her throat tight. "Michael...what's going on? What-" Her voice cracked and she broke off.

He sniffled. Tears shimmered in the warm sunlight. "I'm sorry", he said softly. With a wet chuckle, he added: "This isn't how I imagined us meeting again."

Her own laugh was shaky and humourless. "I didn't imagine it like this either", she admitted, her eyes stinging. Her voice sounded hoarse, even to her own ears. On the comms, she heard Jules, Ed and the Sarge debate about pulling her back and letting Jules do the talking.

Tuning them out, Nina swallowed and forced herself to ignore the ache in her heart. She was almost at the railing. "What's going on, Michael?", she asked gently. "What happened?"

Michael shook his head. "Please, Nina, don't. Just...just leave."

She smiled sadly, taking another step forward, reaching the railing. "You know I won't do that."

"Nina." His tone held a pleading quality underneath the agitation and tears. "Please, go!" He turned around, the sun now behind him, and repeated his plea.

...

Everyone heard the sharp intake of breath over the comms.

"Michael", Nina breathed. There was a slight catch of carefully concealed emotion in her voice. "What happened?"

"Boss, subject's been beaten. His face is bruised and he's bleeding", Jules provided the context.

...

Michael's shoulders slumped further and he turned away again. "I told you you should go. I don't want you to..." He trailed off.

"I know, Michael. But it's like you always said, remember? I'm too stubborn for my own good." Gripping the railing, she told him that she was going to come closer so they could talk.

"Boss, she's too close", Jules argued in her ear. "She's not objective."

She ignored her. She knew this man. And she knew that he didn't need objectivity. He needed somebody who understood. Down on the street, another SRU truck arrived and she spotted the command truck at the end of the road.

"Was it a bad run?" She was almost certain that this wasn't the case; in all the years she'd worked with him, Michael had never reacted like this to even the worst calls they'd had.

"No." He sighed. Shook his head. Huffed out a breath that might have been amusement. "You're not going to let this go, huh?"

Nina smiled as she swung her leg over the railing and lowered herself down onto the wide ledge. "You know me, Milo." The use of her old friend and partner's nickname drew a half-laugh, half-sob from him.

Jules' voice came over the radio. "Ruben, you gotta clip in, you're not secured."

"Ruben, use your damn safety line, that's an order", Ed barked.

Spike had pulled all the information he could find on Michael Loretz, Level III paramedic of station 26. "Michael Loretz, 33. Has been a paramedic for 12 years, Level III for the last 5. Clean service record, no rap sheet other than the occasional speeding ticket."

"Get their call logs so we can see if anything sticks out", Greg advised. "And look into personal relations, family, friends, work colleagues." He hesitated for a second. "Find out how Nina figures into this." Then, he headed over to Ed to try and cool the team leader's boiling temper.

Kevin "Wordy" Wordsworth, entry specialist and devoted family man, listened to their newest team member. He could hear the emotions in her voice and knew that Nina cared a lot about this man. But unlike Ed and Jules, he thought this might not be a bad thing. Maybe a familiar face was exactly what this young man needed. He had told Ed as much, but his friend had refused to listen, too angry at the rookie for defying him.

...

"I haven't seen you in a while", Michael said, turning his head to look at his former co-worker. He frowned. "You look skinny. Are you okay?"

Letting him change the topic for now, Nina allowed: "I'm fine. It's been a bit crazy, that's all."

"Being the rookie is tough", he agreed wistfully.

She couldn't bring herself to nod, settled on a shrug instead. "New job, new people...takes time to get used to." She couldn't exactly speak her mind, not when the entire team was listening, her every word was recorded by the auto-transcripter and Michael was in such an unstable state of mind. At least, he was no longer so close to the ledge. He had taken a step back, was more focused on her than anything else.

...

"Alright, no recent calls that stand out", Greg informed the team. "No history of depression or suicidal thoughts, no drug or alcohol abuse. Good relationship with his family, solid group of friends, well-liked and respected by his colleagues."

Lou, who had looked into the connection between their subject and their colleague, spoke up: "Michael and Nina were work partners. They worked at the same station for 7 years, on the same ambulance for 3. Looks like he was Nina's first partner."

"That explains their emotional bond."

...

"Milo...what happened?", Nina asked once more, more emphatically. "Please. I just want to help you."

He sniffled, wiped a trickle of blood off his face and took a shaky breath. "Remember that run we had in Riverdale?", he began after a long stretch of silence, voice wavering. "Your third week on the job?"

The blonde confirmed softly, thinking back to her earliest days with Toronto EMS.

...

Spike's fingers flew over the keyboard as he searched the call logs from seven years ago, trying to find the run Michael was referring to.

...

"The family's little girl called 911 because her big brother was in bad shape", Nina picked up the thread. "The parents were out. She was five, didn't understand what was going on."

Michael nodded. "He was unresponsive when we got there. Concussion, bruised all over, broken shoulder." He shuddered, blinking rapidly. "Remember what he said when he came around and we asked what happened?"

A sinking feeling settled in Nina's gut as slowly, the pieces started clicking together. "He said he tripped down the stairs", she answered, the words nearly choking her as they squeezed past her tight throat.

Tears streamed down Michael's battered face as he looked at her. "I tripped down the stairs, too", he whispered brokenly before averting his gaze again. He swayed and Nina reached out, catching him and helping him sit down as he burst into tears once more.

"It's okay", she mumbled as she tried to collect herself. "It's okay. I got you." She felt sick.

"Spike, Lou, what are they talking about?"

"Jules, what's going on up there?"

Greg and Ed were both demanding reports, unable to make sense of the situation with only the audio of Nina's mic to go on.

Jules told them what she could see, explaining that the subject was now sitting on the ground, Nina kneeling beside him. "She's still not hooked in", she ended her observation.

Lou read out the information from the call logs. "Patient was Danny Sowosko, aged 14. He had multiple injuries suggesting abuse. Turns out his mother had beaten him regularly for over two years. She was arrested, the kids live with their father now."

A few beats of stunned silence followed as the weight of Michael's statement sunk in.

...

Up on the roof, Nina's mind was racing in time with her pounding heart. "H-how long?" She had to know if it had already happened when they had still worked together, had to know if she had missed the signs.

"Three months."

The knowledge didn't make her feel better. She forced the thought away and asked the next question. To this one, she could already guess the answer. "Does anyone know?"

He took a deep breath in an obvious effort to calm down and shook his head. "The captain suspects something, though", he answered as the tears slowed again. "As do some of the guys."

"But you couldn't tell them, right?" Nina shifted, looked at him even though he was still avoiding her eyes. She knew he was listening. "You know they would help you without hesitation, but there's that voice in your head that keeps denying the whole thing." She paused and gave up trying to keep her voice steady. "And then, when you think about telling someone about it, that voice starts telling you 'what if?'."

Michael turned to face her. "You know how it is, Nina", he choked out. "You can't see it until it's too late." He sobbed, tears and blood mixing on his cheeks and dripping to the ground. "I can't do this anymore! I want it all to stop!"

"I know, Milo. I know. But you have to believe me, this isn't the right way!"

...

The members of Team One held their breath as their rookie begged, voice desperate and filled with pure heart-break: "Please, Milo. I've already lost one partner. I can't lose you, too. Not after Benny."

Spike stared at the screen in front of him, shock turning to horrified realisation turning to leaden guilt. The documents that glared back at him held a lot more than just the reason for Level III paramedic Nina Ruben's departure from EMS and subsequent transfer to SRU. "Oh", he made tonelessly. He closed the files before anybody else saw them.

...

"I just want it to stop", Michael repeated quietly.

Nina squeezed his shoulder. "I know, Milo. We can help you with that. You're not alone."

He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "Can you promise that Jenny won't get to do this again?", he asked.

The tentative hope in his eyes nearly did her in. "I promise", she said, a tearful smile stretching on her lips, "that we'll do everything we possibly can to make sure that she'll never hurt you or anybody else again. Does that sound good?"

Michael nodded.

"Okay. Now, let's get off this roof, yeah?"

Another nod.

"Alright." Nina got to her feet. "Just let me do the work."

"I'm too heavy for you", he protested as she helped him stand.

The blonde chuckled and reminded him: "I've carried you before."

...

As soon as they were on the roof, away from the railings, Nina carefully lowered her friend to the ground. "You know the drill, buddy. Talk to me", she said, hands already moving to check for broken bones.

Michael complied, listing off everything paramedics were trained to ask for. He mentioned what hurt and what didn't, any injuries he was certain of and all those he suspected. "Oh", he mentioned as an afterthought, "and I think my side is bleeding."

One look confirmed it and while Nina applied pressure to the quite deep gash in Michael's side, Jules called for EMS.

...

"You know", Michael mumbled, blood loss taking its toll now that the adrenaline faded, "you can always come back. We miss you."

She swallowed thickly. "I miss you guys, too", she admitted. "But...I couldn't face- I couldn't do it."

He hummed and uncoordinatedly patted her on the arm. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. We should have helped you."

"No. No, it's not your fault", Nina returned, unwilling to let him burden himself with more guilt. "I should have kept in touch."

"'s okay. We're not blaming you." Michael smiled faintly, blinking tiredly. "You should stop by the station, say hello. The guys still feel pretty guilty and I know they'd be happy to see you."

She nodded, a pained smile on her face. "I will. But only if you're there with me."

"Deal." His eyes closed. "'m glad you're here, Roo."

"Me too, Milo. Me too."

After loading Michael into the ambulance, Nina turned to walk away, but stopped when Johnny, the senior paramedic, called her name.

"Are you okay?", he asked, eyeing her critically, trained gaze catching briefly on the blood on her hands.

She shrugged. "I never thought I'd see him like this."

The broad-shouldered brunet nodded. "Yeah", he agreed. "You see this stuff on runs, but you never quite realise that it can happen to anyone." Seeing her worn-out expression, he patted her on the shoulder and gave her a smile. "Don't worry, we'll look after him. It's good to see you, Nina."

"You too, Johnny."

"You should stop by some time. You know, to catch up and maybe clear up a misunderstanding or two", he suggested warmly.

Nina told him that she'd already made a deal with Michael.

Johnny smiled, obviously pleased. "Take care, Nina", he offered before he hopped into the rig.

"You too, guys."

...

Nina closed the doors, rapped on them twice with the flat palm and watched the ambulance drive off, sirens wailing. Exhaling slowly, she steeled herself for the impending confrontation. Ed had looked positively furious when she'd stepped out onto the street, his entire posture tense as he tried to control his anger. Likely, he was going to tear into her right here. Normally, she'd feel a certain amount of nervous discomfort at the prospect or even just annoyance or frustration.

But today, she was just tired. Having to talk her former partner and close friend down from the ledge had left her numb and exhausted. She just wanted to go home, curl up in a ball and cry. She knew this wouldn't happen for at least another two hours, though. She blew out another breath. Forced herself to turn around, to put one foot in front of the other.

Ed was on her in seconds. "What the hell was that, Ruben?!", he snarled. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

She looked at him wearily, one hand raised to halt his tirade. "Not now", she said. "Not now. You can yell at me at the station." Without waiting for a reaction, she continued on her way, heading towards Constable Wallace. She needed them to get the ball rolling so that Jennifer Decourcy would never lay a hand on Michael again.

...

After a moment of consternation - the rookie had just brushed him off and breezed past him - Ed's anger returned tenfold. He made to follow the insolent woman, but was stopped by a hand on his chest.

"Not now, Eddie", Greg said, shaking his head.

"Boss, she-"

"-has just been through a difficult and highly emotional negotiation", the sergeant interrupted gently but firmly. "Cut her some slack."

They watched as the young woman spoke to one of the uniformed constables. They seemed to be familiar with each other judging by the man's body language. Nodding at him, Nina walked off, in the direction of the SRU vehicles. She stopped, stared at her hands. She flicked her wrists as if to shake off something, then wiped her hands on her sleeves as she started walking again.