Caught in the Middle

Disclaimer: Flashpoint isn't mine and will never be mine.

:: I've had this piece in my hard drive for quite a while, so I decided to post it. Oh, and is it September yet?

:: Taking place between Season 2 Business As Usual and Aisle 13.

(1)

Driving through the darkness, Sam couldn't help but thinking that he should have just followed his initial instinct. This was undoubtedly a bad idea. What the hell he was thinking anyway?

Sure, it was very considerate of Spike to ask him to join him for dinner he's having with several of his fellow single friends. When Spike was talking about it; he was practically glowing with glee. Sure, it's not like Spike knew that Sam was secretly dating their female teammate. Spike probably thought after the shift ended everyday, Sam's daily routine would be putting on his helmet, getting on his bike and pedaling his way home to catch some TV show reruns or Canucks beating Blackhawk. Sam did vaguely remember joking telling the guys that he hadn't got laid in almost a year. Who would have thought that they would take it seriously?

Jules was there when it happened. Staying home, watching TV and relaxing were simply not her style and wouldn't be hers anytime soon, wounded or not. Thus, after a week of doing just that, she stubbornly disobeyed the doctor's order and decided to stop by the headquarter to see the team. The unexpected visit had been pleasant, stories and jokes were exchanged and there were no demanding hot calls that afternoon. To make things even better, the temporary replacement was down in the shooting range. Donna was great, he had to admit that she's indeed full of potential, but it irritated him to the max seeing the team treating her like she was a long lost teammate that had finally found her way home. With her missing and Jules there, it had really felt like nothing had changed. It had been a joyful time until Spike told the team about his plan.

Jules had thought that the idea was simply brilliant. Yes, that was her exact word: brilliant.

'See!' Spike was grinning like a Cheshire cat. 'Jules has spoken. Samtastic, you totally need to come this evening! Lew will be there too, and Sarge, probably, if only I could persuade him somehow 'cos my second aunt has been insisting to come... Oh well, who knows, perhaps you're going to score some hot chick. You seem a bit tense lately, could use the distraction.'

Well, given the situation that his girlfriend has just been shot, he would think it was perfectly understandable for him to be 'a bit tense lately'. As much as everyone, especially Jules, had convinced him that it wasn't his fault, that it could have easily happened to everybody, the guilt was still residing deep inside his heart. He should have protected her.

But of course, once again, Spike didn't know that.

'That sounds like fun,' Ed said from the other side of the room. 'Though since it's Spike I won't be holding my breath."

'Hey, I heard that!' Spike scowled, but pretending to be upset for long was difficult. 'You wanna tag along, Jules? A couple of my buddies will be there as well. Tall, dark, good looking, and one of them is actually a lawyer! You're not still seeing that Scooter Boy anymore, are you?'

Sam had quickly laughed and brushed it off, saying that he didn't think it was a good idea. Jules should be resting at home, having a big cup of hot chocolate and thinking what color she should paint her bedroom next. Blatantly ignoring him, Jules mulled over the idea for a minute or two before nodding her head. That B- word came out again. She thought the idea was 'pretty brilliant'.

Unfortunately for Sam, Spike was too caught up in his excitement to realize that it was pretty uncharacteristic of her to agree so willingly, and that her vocabulary was usually more varied than that. Lacking any options, he accepted the invitation just the same, not in any way felt threatened by the tall, dark, and good looking lawyers. No, definitely not.

'What the hell are you thinking? You should be home, resting, instead of going into this stupid blind date.' He hissed at her, restraining himself from grabbing hold of her shoulders and shaking some sense into her head.

Jules rolled her eyes. 'Do you realize how much I hate staying home all day long? The four sides walls of my bedroom have started to smother me I have begun to think I'm going to go crazy.'

'If that's the case then we could go somewhere else,' Sam insisted. 'We can always go watch a movie or have dinner out. This is a blind date you're walking yourself into. You hate being set up.'

Jules took a deep breath as if to compose herself. The look she was throwing his way made him feel like he had just said something silly. 'You telling me that is like saying that the sun rises from the east. Don't you think I know that?' Seeing the genuine frustration reflecting in his eyes, her face softened and she put a hand on his arm, hoping the gesture would calm him down. 'But still, I think it's not that bad of an idea,'

She raised her hand to stop him from voicing any more protests. When she talked, her voice was no more than a whisper. 'Hear me out, Sam. I just have this feeling that Sarge has suspected something is definitely happening between us. I think it would be good to just go out there and showing the guys that we really –are- single. At least pretend to have a good time and probably some cold booze.'

Sarge was a very perceptive person. He wouldn't have written the manual for the SRU if he couldn't sense that two of his team members were playing hooky behind his back. The accident with the blue paint behind his ear and the fact that he was weeping like a broken hearted lover at the hospital with that huge window glass separating the room and the waiting room… it would be impossible for anybody not to suspect anything.

Jules had her reason and as much as he hated it, she had a point. Therefore he had reluctantly agreed.

Of course, it's probably because he sucked in negotiating.

Or because he simply loved her too much to deny her wish.

Still, either way, this evening had gone brilliantly messed up.

Whataya think? :)