This was an idea I had in my head for a while, and finally decided to write it now. It's an AU scene from Custody, when Jules asked Leah about her scar. I changed a few scenes, but tried to keep it as realistic and in-character as possible. Enjoy!

Jules walked into the changeroom, finding Leah already there.

"Hey," Leah greeted casually. She and Jules were on good terms, but weren't exactly friends. There was something cold and frosty about their relationship.

"Hey," Jules responded, not really interested in making conversation with Leah. She tried to be polite with her, but some small part of her resented her.

Leah, clad in a sports bra, slipped a blank tank top on over up, Jules noticed the scar. It wound over the back of Leah's shoulder, encrouching on her upper back and partly on her upper right arm. Since she often ignored Leah in the changeroom, she had never noticed this scar before.

"Wow, nice scar," she said, half serious, half sarcastic.

"Thanks," Leah quipped.

"Recreational or professional?" Jules questioned.

Leah shrugged. She was used to people asking her questins about her scar.

"A bit of both. There was an apartment fire in High Park. You know, a lot of old buildings, so they went up pretty quick. 5 minutes. People were jumping from their balconies. It was a mess." she said, the tiniest hint of emotion starting to creep into her voice.

Jules listened in rapt attention. She knew Leah had previously been a firefighter. To get such a scar, there had to be an interesting story behind it.

Leah continued, "So I was brining this kid down from the third floor. That's when the stairs collapsed." She started to slip on her SRU shirt, effectively covering the scar.

"I barely made it out myself."

"The kid make it?" Jules asked, now slightly in awe of her. As a sniper, she had encountered several frightful situations, and had several close calls, including one that had left her with her own personal scar. But to run into a blazing building, not knowing whether on not it would collapse on you, that took courage.

Leah shook her head regretfully.

"Nope," she said, her voice devoid of all emotion. Jules had learned that you couldn't save everyone, and Leah had too. You had to move on fast, because there were more people, people who could be saved.

"Sorry." Jules offered.

"What was the recreational part?"

Leah snickered. "I got so pissed off, that night, I threw back a few shots and jumped on my bike. The Harley didn't make it, I did."

Jules smiled. "There's a good plastic surgeon, if you ever want to get rid of that."

"And how exactly would you know that?" Leah teased.

Jules smiled, a smile that didn't exactly reach her eyes. She slipped off her own shirt, revealing her own scar of her left upper back.

"I got referred to him, after I got this little sucker."

"Professional or recreational?"

Jules smirked, hearing her own words come back to haunt her.

"Professional. Ever hear about the sniper at City Hall?"

Leah nodded.

"Crazy guy. Ed had shot his father in a previous standoff. It was a clean shot, he would've killed the hostage if Ed didn't kill him first. It was justifiable, no doubt. Well, it wasn't to the son, Petar. He sued Ed, but nothing ever came out of that. He ended up taking over the city. It was bad. He had already shot and killed one officer, fresh out of police academy."

Now it was Leah's turn to stare and listen to Jules's story. She seemed slightly apprehensive to talk about the case.

"He set up a decoy. Sam and I went up to check, thinking it was actually him. We were dead wrong." she said, putting emphasise on the word 'dead'.

"So what happened?"

Jules swallowed deeply.

"Sam had the shield. He approached. About two seconds later, we realized it was a fake. Two seconds too late. Ed was screaming at us to fall back, but it was too late. Petar shot me. The bullet ripped through my Kevlar vest and pierced my lung. It only took my team a few minutes to come and get me, but those were the longest minutes of my life. I couldn't breathe. Everything seemed blurry. Sam was shouting at me to stay with him, but I couldn't really hear him."

Leah looked at Jules in surprise. The strong, brave women didn't bear any emotional scars from the incident. If she did, she was good at hiding them.

"In the end, Petar took Ed hostage. Sam shot him. I recovered, got back on the team, but I still have the scar. Didn't want it removed-- it reminds me that life is fragile, a gift that can be taken away from you at any moment."

"Wow." was all Leah could say.

"I think you have the better story."

Jules chuckled. "You have a better scar."

Leah laughed, then turned serious.

"I still have nightmares about that day.....not being able to save that kid. The kid was only five......what a shame. Even counselling couldn't get rid of those nightmares......The what if's still haunt my mind."

Jules nodded in understanding.

"Same with me. What if it was Sam who got shot? What happens if I was paralyzed? What if I lost my job? What if Petar killed me? What if my team couldn't get there in time? What if he killed Ed? They'll stay with me for the rest of my life, just like the scar."

The two stood there for a moment, digesting what the other had said. Jules eventually broke the silence.

"Leah--we both have scars. They'll never fade. The physical ones won't, not unless we get rid of them. But we'll always have the emotional and mental scars. In the end, they'll make us stronger."

Leah nodded. "You're right. Thanks."

"TEAM 1, HOT CALL, GEAR UP!" the voice sounded over the intercom. Jules and Leah hurried to get dressed, then raced out the door. But they left with more than they came in with. They left the changeroom with a deeper understanding of each other. They also had a higher degree of respect for one another. Most of all, they left with trust, and a stronger friendship.

Please review! :)