"Sullivan and Yokas in 55-Charlie." Sully's shoulders sagged forward with the announcement. Davis actually grunted in disgust. "Davis and Boscorelli in 55-David." Swertsky sent Ty a warning glance as Sullivan leaned forward in a failed attempt to make eye contact with Bosco. "Eyes and ears!"
"Damn Bosco what ever you did undo it!" Davis moaned standing up and storming out of the roll call room. "I'm sick of this."
Faith watched Bosco's mouth scrunch into a little line before he turned towards the door, ignoring her stare.
"When are you gonna tell me what happened?" Sullivan sighed, grabbing his jacket and nudging his partner for the day towards the door. "You'll talk about it with me, see his point of view.. You guys'll have one of your weird cryptic conversations and Davis and I can get back in 55-Charlie and keep far away from the two of you for at least a week."
"I already told you this wasn't me." Faith said softly zipping her coat, her eyes never leaving the tile floor.
"Come on Faith it's been two weeks. You'd never go this long if it was Bosco. He gets a hangnail and comes rushing back to you in tears." Sullivan snatched the radios from the guy behind the equipment cage. "Just tell me what he did. It can't be that bad."
"I'm not gonna talk to you about this Sully." She mumbled softly before moving a few steps ahead of him towards 55-Charlie.
"Fine!" He yelled after her. "It's not me I need you to talk to anyway!"
"What did I tell you?" Davis groaned climbing into the passenger seat of 55 David. "I told you go home, and spend your two days doing what ever it took to get her to take you back." He pulled at the seat belt in aggravation, trying to get the twisted strap around his huge frame.
"Will you stop whining?" Bosco sighed, his eyes glued to the road. "It's not that bad."
"Maybe not for you." Davis muttered grabbing at the twisted mess. "You're in your own car, behind the wheel, and I'm stuck here in Yokas Chinese handcuff seat belt-."
"Untwist it." Bosco shrugged trying to look nonchalant about it. Davis froze, his head turning to look at the other man in horror.
"What the hell'd you do man?" He asked his voice low.
"Nothin'." Bosco sighed answering for the hundredth time in two weeks.
"Bosco you and Faith have a fight about every six months." Davis shrugged. "She rides with Sully.. I ride with you.. Never once have you let me even touch this.." He looked down at the belt and shook his head. "..contraption of hers. You actually slapped my hand once, Man. Now you want me to?"
"I don't give a shit Davis." He sighed again. Ty believed him, watching his eyes drift lazily across the intersection in front of him.
"I like my partner Faith." Sully said after a few minutes.
"I said I was sorry about that." She told him flatly, her head resting against the cool window.
"There are other officers you two can split up you know."
"I didn't ask to ride with you Sul." She sighed.
"No?" She looked back at him her face expressionless. "Someone did." He waited for her to answer. "Ty went and complained. Asked the boss to split up someone else. He told him he could ride with who ever he wanted, but you had to ride with me."
She blinked at him before swallowing.
"Why is that Faith?"
"He trusts you." She said flatly, her eyes drifting out the window.
"Trusts me with what?" Sully squinted up his face at her.
"Me."
"It wasn't you was it?"
"Davis. Drop it."
"I can't be Faith." Ty shook his head.
"Davis." Bosco pressed his fingers tightly into his bawled up eyes, squeezing the catchup's bottle with the other hand.
"All she did back there at that accident scene was stare at the back of your head man." He took the catchup from his reluctant partner and squirted it onto his fries. "And not even like she wanted to put a bullet though it." He shook his head. "It was a look of a woman who desperately wanted a guy to turn around." He watched Bosco stare at his hamburger. "It was her wasn't it?"
"No." Bosco muttered, setting his napkin on top of his untouched lunch. "It was me. Faith didn't do anything." He nodded back at the other officer. "I'm gonna wait in the car."
"Bosco-?" Davis turned, watching the other man leave the restaurant without looking back.
"He didn't eat anything?" Sully reported unnecessarily loudly. "Do you think he's sick? Maybe you should go back to the house?" He shifted his eyes to Faith who's head had snapped around at the very idea of Bosco not being well. "I don't know Davis. You know he's not going to admit being sick." He cast a faux worried look at Faith. Her face hardened instantly. "Crap. I'll call you later Davis."
"I'm not an idiot Sully." Faith snapped shaking her head at him.
"Sorry." Sully sighed.
"I'm telling you, I didn't ask for the switch. It wasn't me." She shook her head again, sniffing back the trace of emotion in her voice. "I don't want this anymore than you and Ty. I don't want to talk about it and it's not going to change any time soon. So.. you and Davis need to get used to it."
"Sorry."
"What ever."
"He really didn't eat." Sully muttered gruffly watching Faith's head shake again before turning back out the window, wiping a betraying tear with the back of her hand.
"Sully says she's miserable." Davis announced, his hands tight on the steering wheel. Bosco moaned in irritation, dropping the magazine he'd been holding. "Says he's worried about her out there."
"She's tougher than she looks." Bosco spit back at him.
"Then why'd you demand that Sully ride with her? If she's so tough?"
Bosco took a deep breath before meeting Ty's gaze.
"Cause I'm not as tough as I look Davis." He dropped his eyes away, pulling the magazine back up from his lap.
"What the hell does that mean?" Ty asked rolling his eyes.
Bosco kept reading.
"He kissed me." Faith whispered softly into the silent car.
Sully set down his paper and turned towards her slowly.
"He what?"
"Kissed me."
"When?"
"The night before you and me started riding together." She shot back like he was an idiot, before running her hands over her face.
"We went to Hargarty's." Sully remembered absently, looking back at Faith. "He was wasted."
"I took his keys and drove him home." She nodded.
"And he kissed you?"
"In his apartment." Her eyes were fixed straight ahead.
"Crap. What did you do?" He turned in the seat to look at her. Faith was silent for a moment, before turning back to look at Sully.
"I kissed him back."
"Wait what?" Davis pressed the phone tighter against his ear, looking back towards 55-David where Bosco stared off into the water before him. "You are freaking kidding me." He rolled his eyes, tugging at the lapels of his coat, trying to shield himself from the wind. "All of this is because he got drunk and they made out? I know she's married Sul, I'm not an idiot.. but come on.." He listened to dispatch call for 55-Charlie over the radio. "Okay, Okay I'll call you later." He turned towards Bosco again. The cop was leaning against the hood of his RMP staring out at the horizon. He huffed, making his way over there. "This where you guys come to duck?"
Bosco said nothing, tossing a rock out and watching it skip across the water.
"Romantic place." Ty tested, pursing his lips a little. Bosco grunted, tossing his head back.
"She told Sully?"
"You knew she would eventually." Ty sighed sitting next to him on the hood of the car. "It's no big deal."
"She's married Davis."
"Yeah.." Ty nodded. "That's a problem."
"A problem.." He quipped."I kissed my married partner."
"Sounds worse when you say it like that." Ty mumbled.
"How else am I supposed to say it Davis?"Bosco screeched.
"I don't know." Ty tilted his head to the side before looking back at Bosco. "You got drunk and kissed your best friend. It happens."
"You and Sully ever make out in your apartment?" Bosco shot back. Ty chuckled at the image. "You know what she was telling me earlier in the day?" He turned his blue eyes towards the other man. "How happy she and Fred have been lately. How much better things were.."
"Did you tell Fred?"
"Is Bosco still alive?" Faith snapped.
"Maybe it's not that big of a deal."
"Are you kidding me?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "He won't even look at me."
"He kissed you."
"I kissed back." She reminded. "He was drunk. I wasn't." She closed her eyes and leaned into the headrest behind her. "Things were good in my marriage you know? For the first time in a long time things were-." She swallowed hard. "Now all I can think of is.."
"Crap."
"No kidding."
"So you're not riding with her because you feel guilty about Fred?"
"I'm not riding with her because I don't trust myself with her in confined spaces." Bosco sighed.
"Ouch." Ty winced.
"No kidding."
"You guys got to talk about this."
"Yeah? How does that conversation start?" Bosco rolled his head towards his 'partner'."Gosh Faith I'm sorry about the whole sucking face while I was drunk thing, didn't expect you to kiss back you being sober and.. married and all.. but hey.. lets just let it slide. huh?"
"Wait she kissed back?" Ty lifted an eyebrow at him. Bosco growled in frustration, banging a hand on the dashboard.
"So.. you want to kiss him again?" Sully forced the words out uncomfortably. Ty should be doing this. Ty was much better at stuff like this than he was. Faith gave him a pained withering look."We gotta talk about it now. It's just.. out there.."
She blinked at him before letting out a long loud breath.
"Yes." She decided, covering her face with her hands.
"What about Fred?"
"What about him?" Faith asked through her fingers.
"You wanna kiss Fred?"
"I can't even look at Fred!" She shouted pulling her hands from her face and smacking the dashboard.
"You guys need to talk."
"Me and Fred?"
"You and Bosco!"
"He won't even look at me!" Sully blinked back at her.
"Why won't you look at Fred?" She shook her head.
"I feel so guilty.. like I ruined this perfect life he though he had..."
"Wonder why Bosco won't look at you?" He asked casually.
"What's she gonna tell Fred..?" Bosco muttered softly.
"She's probably not going to tell him."
"Then there's this thing between them.." Bosco spit out the words in disgust.
"Damn."
"See.." Bosco shook his head. "Damn it! All she's been talking about lately is how good it's been between them and I go and-."
"She kissed back!" Ty jumped in.
"I know! I know!" He covered his face with his hands. "What the hell is that supposed to mean anyway!?"
"That she wanted you to kiss her." Ty said like it was obvious.
"Maybe it was reflex?" Bosco squeaked.
"What happened after?"
"After we stopped kissin'?" He scrunched his face up.
"God Bosco how long were you kissing!?" Bosco grimaced Ty shook his head. "Yes after you two pried you faces apart."
"We just kinda looked at each other."
"Yeah?"
"I said I was sorry she started to say something and I-." He shook his head. "I just said goodnight and closed the door."
"You closed the door?" Davis asked in disbelief.
"Yeah."
"You just closed the-."
"Yes! Yes! Damn it! I just closed the door!" He hung his head. "What the hell was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. Take her to bed?"
"DAVIS!"
"I'm just saying you guys have been hot for each other the entire time I've known you."
"We have not!"
"Seriously everyone saw it but you two."
"DAVIS!!"
"Bosco what were you thinking when you were kissin'?"
"Thinking?" Davis rolled his eyes at him. "I don't know.."
"Yes you do. You were thinking.. finally.."
Bosco looked back out at the water. Maybe that was what he was thinking.
"You gotta talk to him Faith."
"Sully..."
"Faith. This is either going to make or break you two."
"I.."
"This could go away Faith. This will probably fade and you two will probably end up back in 55David." She looked at him hopefully. "But it will probably involve one of you ending up on a bus on the way to Mercy" Her eyes dropped. "And you'll never really get back what you had. The damn kiss will always be sitting there between you." He smacked the council between them. "Right here."
"I told you to leave it alone!" Ty laughed busting through the doors of the locker room.
"Screw you Davis." Bosco growled pulling his hand away from his eye.
"What happened to you?" Sully shouted.
"He doesn't know when to shut up." Davis laughed.
"Oh my God." Faith gasped moving out from her locker. "What the happened?"
"Nothing." Bosco whispered trying to turn his head away.
"Nothing? You're bleeding all over yourself." She snatched the handful of gauze from his hand and pressed it against his head. Wincing when he winced.
"I'm fine." He looked at her shoes.
"You need stitches." She spat. "For God Sakes Davis can't you see he needs stitches?"
"I'm not his Mom Faith." He muttered pulling his shirt over his head.
"No today you were his partner." She yelled back. "He could have a concussion."
"First one ever right Bosco?" Sully chuckled.
"How many days did you take off after you got your concussion Sully?" Faith snapped.
"I'm a horrible partner." Davis shook his head grimly. "He deserves better."
"I agree." Sully nodded readily.
"So why don't you to kiss and mak-." Bosco's eyes snapped into hers. "Oops.."
Sully snorted.
"Come on Davis, lets leave Hamlet and Ophelia alone." He pushed Davis out the door.
"A Shakespeare reference? You've changed since I've been gone." Ty's voice faded away.
"I'm okay." Bosco whispered again, trying to take the gauze from her.
"You need to go to Mercy."
"I will." He nodded, trying to pull back.
"Bosco you can't drive."
"I'll find someone.."
"What happened?"
"Devo hit me with a stop sign."
"A stop-?"
"Long story."
"You can tell me on the way to Mercy." Faith muttered, pressing his hand over the gauze and grabbing her purse.
"Faith go home." He shook his head slowly.
"No." She told him firmly. He closed his eyes.
"Are you lightheaded?" She asked in alarm, grasping his arm and pulling him close to her. He let his eyes slip open, his face inches from hers.
"I am now."
She pressed her lips together.
"Sully said it would be an ambulance."
"What?" He breathed, watching the tears pool in her green eyes.
"He said one of us would end up in an-." She shook her head, sniffing back the threatening emotion. "I don't want it between us."
"What do you want between us?" He asked, the heat from her making his breath quicken.
"Nothing." She whispered, carefully pressing her lips to his. His mouth closed around hers with gentle pressure before moving away.
"Faith.."
"I miss you." She whispered moving forward again, boring her eyes into his.
"Faith.." The second time was less worrisome, more soft. He pressed his lips back into hers a little more forcefully.
She pressed her forehead against his when they finally parted. Her hand fluttering back to the gauze as he winced.
"Mercy." She muttered softly.
"Can I have a ride?"
"Absolutely."
