Chapter 1

Faith stared at the door in front of her. She knew she would come back some day; she just hoped he knew that as well. Raising a tentative hand to the door, she knocked. In a matter of seconds she heard swearing and loud stomps coming toward the door. That was when she realized it was almost 1am and he must have been woken up. The foot steps died down so she knew he must be standing at the door looking through the peephole to see who would intrude on his home this late at night. She knew his cop instincts would kick in but hers kicked in before his did and she had already sidestepped to the right to insure he couldn't see her through the peephole. Without time to adequately prepare for this day the door swung open and he peeked out, noticing her almost immediately.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he spat.

"Who's that daddy?" came a small voice from behind him. Faith turned her head only to find herself staring at an exact replica of Bosco, his curly mess of brown hair, right down to the midnight blue eyes she saw looking at her curiously. He was clad in a pair of boxers and a white tee shirt, no doubt trying to be like his daddy.

"Go back to bed David, I will be there in a minute to help you get tucked in again." The little boy turned on his heels and headed back down the hallway. At the same time Bosco turned around to follow.

"I still want to know why the hell you are here," he threw at her over his shoulder as he headed down the hallway. The fact he hadn't slammed the door in her face gave her the opportunity to walk in and take a moment to look around while waiting for his return. She noticed all the pictures surrounding her captured a proud Bosco holding a smiling David, not one held her face. In place of the camel colored sofa and loveseat she had fought Bosco over, there was the black leather couch and recliner. She remembered that day well. It was two months after they had been married and they decided to purchase a new living room suit. Bosco was adamant on the leather but she refused to back down until the delivery truck was loading a newly acquired camel colored sofa and loveseat. It was as if she had been completely erased from his life and David's.

"Well, I'm waiting." She couldn't help but notice the anger boiling under the surface of his statement.

"What do you want me to say, Boz?"

"How about the reason why you think you are welcome in this house again. You disappear for 3 and half years and suddenly feel the need to appear again. Me and David don't need this kind of bullshit, we have been doing just fine without you and we plan on keeping it that way." He practically yelled at her.

"I made a mistake Boz and I am truly sorry."

"A mistake! You call leaving our six month old son alone in an apartment and walking out of our lives a mistake! Do you know what happened that day after you left? Mrs. Rothstein called me at work to tell me she had heard David crying for the last two hours and she tried knocking but you didn't answer! I came home to find our son lying in his crib red from crying and soaked through his diaper and hungry! All so you would be able to go out and get your next fix. That's a mistake to you!"

He was yelling at her now and all she could do was cringe at the sound. She knew to expect this kind of reaction but she was in no way prepared for it. That last comment in the string of tirades left her dumbfounded and all she could do was stand there and wait for more wraths to come her way.

"What? You didn't think I noticed that you started using alcohol as a way to relieve your pain. I shouldn't have trusted you with David but I kept telling myself that you wouldn't hurt him and before long you would snap out of it because there was no way you wanted to end up like your deadbeat dad and Fred. But I was wrong. The little bit we meant to you was nothing compared to how the vodka made you feel. Am I right?"

Faith crumpled to the sofa, holding her face in her hands. "I had just lost Emily, Boz," was her muffled reply.

"We all lost Emily that night but we all found better ways to deal with it Faith. For instance, I saw you and David as the way to escape the pain and I had hoped you felt that way about me and David. I never knew that you didn't completely trust me to help you deal with that kind of pain." Bosco said those words more gently as he eased himself down on the sofa beside her, his anger subsiding at the sad picture Faith made on his couch.

"I know Boz but I missed her so much. She was my oldest, my only girl she was so special and its not that I didn't trust you, it's just that I didn't know how to admit weakness and ask for help. I spent my entire life running from the way my dad and Fred used to be and when I ended up just like them I felt like a failure. I didn't want you and David to deal with that. "

Faith stiffened as she felt Bosco slide his arm around her shoulder. Bosco felt the slight change and immediately tried to pull back, but before he could Faith completely relaxed into him and laid her head on his chest. Bosco took the chance to see if her hair stilled smelled of the coconut shampoo he used to dream about and sure enough he caught the subtle fragrance as he inhaled.

"I have changed though Bosco. It took another year after I left to decide to go to rehab. I have been sober now for almost 3 years. And yesterday when I was sitting alone in my apartment I realized I was ready to come back and be a wife and mother and so here I am. I don't expect you take me back with open arms but I ask you to please give me a chance to gain back what I lost."

"That's easier said than done," was his response. Neither one moved for what seemed like an eternity. Both were amazed to hear the sound of the other one breathing.

"You have missed out on a lot Faith," he said finally breaking the silence. When he received no response but the sound of her steady breaths he glanced down to find her asleep. Gently he eased out from under her and picked her up and carried her to his room. After pulling the covers up around her shoulders he headed to David's room and gave his sleeping son a glance before crawling into the lower bunk of David's bunk bed. Bosco knew it was going to be a long road ahead but he was hoping that in the morning they could start traveling down it together, as a family. No matter what he would always love Faith and she would always be David's mother.

Chapter 2