Wow it's been a while since I've posted something on here! Many, many months ago Liz challenged me to write a one shot explaining how Sam & Jules ended up at his apartment in "Personal Effects" after she pulled away from his hand at the hospital. I'm a little rusty, but here it is. :)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Flashpoint.

Without looking she could feel his body move closer to hers, and when she felt his fingers gently intertwine with her own she wanted nothing more than to squeeze his hand and lean backwards until she was resting against his chest, fitting easily back into that comfortable embrace she remembered so well. But the rational part of her, the part of her that knew they would both be fired if anyone saw them making any sort of more-than-friendship contact, instinctively pulled away. She instead focused all of her energy on the adorable new baby girl in front of her, and not on the man that stood less than a few feet behind her, the man who had her in a very compromising position on his counter top less than 24 hours earlier.

Hard as she tried, she couldn't get that image out of her head - the feeling of his lips on hers, his hands running up and down her body, pushing up her dress, pulling down her sweater, the way his lips moved from her jaw to her neck, how it just felt so right to be in his arms. But thinking those thoughts now could be potentially dangerous because she just might feel the need to act on those thoughts, so she tried again to forget all about it as she cooed over the baby in Clark's arms and eagerly nodded in agreement as her teammates all stated how perfect little Isabelle was.

She noticed Sam was oddly quiet, and he stayed just a little too far back from the group as they all hovered around Clark and Izzy. If she had to guess, and she was pretty good at guessing what Sam was feeling, she would say he was disappointed, possibly irritated, and more than just a little distressed that she had pulled away from him so quickly. They both knew they couldn't act that way in public, not around the team anyway, but she knew from experience from the last time they were together that it still hurts like hell to have someone you care about pull away from you so harshly after even the slightest brush of skin.

That's why when Izzy made a particularly adorable noise that had her onlookers laughing and completely distracted, she turned her head just enough to see his face and offered him a sweet, little smile. That same little smile she used to give him when she wanted to say something she couldn't in front of the rest of the team when they were together before, that smile that meant they would talk later, and then maybe do something else after that. She caught the look in his eye, the slight upward curve of his lips as their eyes briefly locked, and she knew he got the message. By the time she turned back around she could feel his body closer to the group again, more specifically he was standing just close enough to her to drive her crazy for the remaining moments they spent together as a team before reluctantly splitting apart to head back to HQ.

...

Sam took his time changing and getting his things before leaving work, he wasn't sure what the next conversation he and Jules had would bring, and part of him didn't want to find out. If the way she immediately flinched at his touch earlier was any indication, then he was pretty sure he wouldn't like what she had to say. His heart felt like it was being ripped every time she pulled away from him. But logically he knew they couldn't hold hands in front of the team, and if the smile she gave him later was any indication, then maybe things could work out in his favor after all.

By the time he had reached his car, the lot was almost empty. He squinted through the darkness and looked over at the spot Jules usually parked in – it was empty, she had already gone home. Sighing, he turned to open his car door when he noticed something stuck on the front of his window, a little piece of paper. Unfolding it, he recognized the handwriting immediately. Jules. He had almost forgotten about their little ritual from the last time they were together, all the secret notes they passed like lovesick school kids. It wasn't the safest way to hide their relationship from the rest of the team, but Jules insisted it was a lot more fun than a simple text or email.

I'll go half way home, double back, and take the long way to your place.

...

She was waiting for him when he pulled into his parking space. He hadn't taken that long to leave headquarters, had he? He knew the route she had taken very well, it was her usual safe route to make sure no one on the team noticed her driving to his place instead of hers, and it should have taken her much longer, even with his delayed exit.

"Okay, fine, I didn't make it quite halfway back to my house before I turned around, and I didn't exactly take the longest possible route to get here," She admitted the second she saw the quizzical look in his eye and that amused smirk on his face that proved he already knew she hadn't done exactly what she said she would. She should have known he would catch her; he had the timing of her route memorized down to the second.

He took one hesitant step towards her, but this time it was Jules that initiated contact, reaching out to grab his hands and interlacing their fingers in a way that she had memorized all too well, and missed way too much, "Let's go upstairs and talk."