Title: The Ball (1/2)

Author: Demelza & X_tremeroswellian

Emails: demelza81@yahoo.co.nz & X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Still don't belong to us, darn it. They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and a bunch of other people that we've never met before. Please don't sue.

Rating: PG-13 for some language

Spoilers: Up through and including "The Unforgiven."

Summary: The annual policeman's ball holds a lot of surprises for Faith and Bosco. But will the evening end in dreams come true, or broken hearts?

Author's Note: This is the ninth story in a series of Third Watch fics we're writing titled "Wherever You Will Go." The first one is "Confessions," the second is "Here With Me," the third is "Pain," the fourth is "Tears," the fifth is "Fear," the sixth is "Sadness," the seventh is "Reunion," and the eigth is "Warning Signs." You may want to read those first before continuing. All fics can be found at the WYWG site: http://wywg.topcities.com/index.html .

Author's Note II: The songs mentioned and used in this fic in order are "A Woman's Worth" by Alicia Keys, "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, "You've Got a Way" by Shania Twain, and "Kissing You" by Des*ree. All appear on the Wherever You Will Go soundtrack, Volume I.

Previously during Third Watch and Wherever You Will Go:

*"I killed someone. This guy was shooting at Bosco and I killed him. Fred...I killed him. But then I didn't even remember...that I killed somebody today."

*"There was this chick at the bar last night..." he said...."Her name was Crystal, a real looker, tall, blonde...she gave me her number, I'm gonna give her a call on our next break..."

*She flinched at the feel of his hand on her shoulder. "I screwed up," she whispered.
"What? Faith, no, don't do this to yourself... you didn't screw up. We're all safe."
She shook her head. "I froze, Bosco." She jerked her eyes up to meet his. "I froze."
He swallowed, remembering. "You were in a bad situation, it's understandable... shock and fear. It does that to people, no matter who they are."
"I'm a cop. And you were in trouble. I didn't back you up. Again."

*"There is something I need to ask you," Davis said, his voice serious.
Alex frowned slightly. "What's that?"
"There's an event tomorrow night...the policeman's ball...and...I want you to be my date," he said, hopefully, gazing down at her.

*Swerksy looked between them, a small frown forming as he noticed the tears in Faith's eyes and how weary Bosco appeared. "You're both going to be attending the policeman's ball tomorrow night, right?"
"I guess," he replied.
Faith hesitated. "I don't know."
Swersky looked at her. "I need you both to be there," he said, gently but firmly.
Bosco looked at Faith, worried at her hesitation, and reply. He turned back to Swersky. "Why, what's so important we be there? I didn't think these things were mandatory."
Swersky shrugged. "They're not, usually. But I need your word that you'll both be in attendance tomorrow night," he said, without answering Bosco's question.
She looked down at the floor, wondering how Fred was going to react to this. "I'll be there," she said finally.
"Yeah, me too," he replied, the questions still running through his mind as he looked at the Lieu.

The Ball (Part One)

Faith stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, pinning part of her hair back with a butterfly comb. A few wisps framed her face. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. She looked like someone else...someone not herself. She looked down at the black silk ballgown she was wearing, feeling uncomfortable and yet amazed at the same time. She looked back to the mirror and shook her head slightly. She caught sight of Fred standing in the doorway behind her, but she didn't turn around.

"I tell you not to spend money, but did you listen?" Fred angrily asked, rising his arms and placing them across his chest in an 'controlling' manner. "No!"

She frowned at his reflection in the mirror. "I didn't spend any money."

"Oh no? Then how do you explain that gown you're wearing?"

"Joan let me borrow it for the night," she replied with a shrug, her tone emotionless.

His eyes rolled. "Really? Well, it doesn't take away from the fact you're dressed like a tramp," he sneered.

She averted her eyes from the mirror and reached for her purse on the bed. She picked it up and moved past him. "I'll call later," she said quietly.

A scowl etched across Fred's forehead. "It's a waste of time and money, if you ask me. You should be working, not having a night out. Not like you deserve one," he said bitterly.

Faith paused momentarily, not looking at him. "Swersky told me to be there. He's my boss. If I don't do what my boss says, I'll get fired. You don't like it, take it up with him." Without another word, she headed for the living room. She smiled at Charlie, who was sitting on the sofa watching television. "Bye, Sweetie."

Charlie looked up at her, his eyes widening. "Mom, you look awesome!"

Her smile broadened slightly. "Thanks." She leaned down to give him a kiss and hug. "I'll call you later, okay? Before bedtime?"

He nodded. "Okay. Have fun."

Fred didn't say anything, just stood in the small hall watching as Faith gave their son a kiss on the head. It angered him, but he kept his scowl set on his face, and followed her every move with his eyes.

"Thanks." She winked at him. "I'll try to bring you back some cake for tomorrow," she promised as she headed for the door.

"Chocolate!" he called after her.

She turned, chuckling slightly. "I'll see what I can do," she told him as she grabbed the shawl her sister-in-law had let her borrow.

"Don't be home late," he said, his tone filled with warning.

Faith turned to look at her husband, her eyes narrowing. "I'll be here when you see me," she said calmly, before turning and walking out the apartment without giving him a chance to respond.

After climbing out of the cab, Alex walked arm-in-arm with Davis up to the front steps of City Hall, where the ball was being held. She hadn't set her expectations too high of what to expect of the ball, especially for it being held for a bunch of police personell. But she pushed all of that aside, and took in a breath as they walked up to the main entrance of the Hall and went inside. She gasped in awe, looking around her with a wide smile. "Oh wow, never in a million years..." she trailed off, taking in the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the abundance of women dressed in wonderfully coloured gowns and the men dressed in their black tuxedos. Her smile grew wider, and that's when she heard the slight chuckle come from Davis. She looked up at him, seeing him smile back with those deep brown eyes of his. "This is amazing," she said in a low voice.

Davis smiled. "You look amazing."

Alex smiled, her cheeks slightly flushing. "Thank you. And so do you, I mean, you look very handsome."

He grinned. "I know it."

She playfully pushed him in the arm, shaking her head slightly. She let out another low breath, looking out amongst the room. "I've never seen anything like this before..." she said, taking in the warmly painted cream walls that covered every part of the large hall, not to forget the pillars of polished wood.

"Yeah, they really go all out with it," he said with a slight shrug, glancing around the room at all the balloons and decorations.

"So, shall we?" Alex asked, motioning toward the room.

He nodded. "Yeah, let's." He smiled down at her and then escorted her inside, glancing around the room for familiar faces.

"Hey, isn't that Sully?" She gently nudged Davis in the side, nodding over toward a round table toward the other end of the hall where a couple sat, talking alone.

Davis looked over in the direction she nodded to and he nodded his head. "Yep. Wanna go say hi?"

Alex looked up at him. "Of course." She smiled, almost pulling him along as she headed towards them.

Davis smiled and nodded at his partner and his wife as he and Alex reached their table. "Hey, Sul. Tatiana."

Sully looked up, then smiled at him, and then at Alex. "Hey, Davis, Taylor."

"Hey," she said in a soft voice, smiling.

Tatiana smiled up from where she was looking down at her and Sully's intertwined hands. "Hi guys." She smiled at them both.

Davis glanced from Tatiana to Alex. "Alex, this is Sully's wife, Tatiana. Tatiana, this is my girlfriend, Alex Taylor."

"I am so pleased to meet you, Alex. John has told me a little about you."

Alex smiled back at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you too," she replied. "Nothing bad though, I hope," she said, shifting her gaze to Sully.

Sully looked startled. "Of course not," he assured her.

Alex just smiled.

Davis glanced around, his gaze falling on two figures halfway across the room. "Hey, there's Bosco and Yokas," he said, nodding toward them.

Tatiana looked in direction that Davis was, not knowing who he was talking about.

Alex turned her attention toward the two figures. "They came together?"

Davis raised an eyebrow. "They look awfully chummy," he commented, noting how close they were standing together, Faith faced away from them, but Bosco faced toward them, talking to her.

"I'm sure Fred's around here somewhere," Sully said with a shrug.

Tatiana looked at her husband, slightly bemused by it all.

Sully turned to look at his wife. "Want to meet some more of my colleagues?" he asked, smiling.

She nodded. "I would love that, very much."

He offered her his hand as he stood up. Smiling, Tatiana placed her hand in her husband's, and stood up at his side, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Davis glanced at Alex. "Wanna go--?" he asked, nodding toward Bosco and Yokas.

Alex just tightly wrapped her hand around his. "Sure."

He smiled and together, the four of them headed over to their other friends. "Hey, Bosco, Yo--" he started to say, his eyes widening slightly as he realized the woman was not Faith. "You are not who I thought. Hi."

"Whoa," Alex said silently to herself.

Crystal looked up at him, a slight smile on her face. "Hi."

Davis looked at Bosco, his eyebrows raised.

Tatiana looked between Davis and Ty, then her husband's colleagues, and back to her husband. "I do not understand," she said softly to him.

Sully looked at her, feeling a bit confused himself. "I don't either," he confessed so only she would hear.

"You ah...I'm sorry, we haven't met," she said politely to the woman standing in front of her. She exended her hand to her. "I'm Alex."

Crystal reached out and shook her hand. "Crystal."

"Crystal?" she said, raising her eyebrow and looking over at Bosco. "Bosco's never mentioned you to us."

Crystal's smile faded slightly. "We've only known each other a couple weeks."

Davis frowned slightly, feeling akward. "I'm Ty," he said, shaking her hand.

"Good to meet you." She looked at Sully and Tatiana.

"John Sullivan, this is my wife Tatiana," he said, also shaking her hand.

Tatiana smiled at her, still feeling confused. "I am pleased to meet you, Crystal."

Crystal smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, too," she said kindly.

Alex still held her smile, but her gaze shifted to Bosco.

"So ah, anyone seen Yokas tonight?" he asked, feeling just as awkward as everyone else.

"Thought I had," Davis said under his breath. Then he raised his voice. "Nope, haven't seen her."

A frown formed on Bosco's forehead. "Guess she'll be in later," he stated.

"Do you all want to come sit with us? We've got a table."

"Can I ah, have a quiet word?" Bosco asked Davis, his voice low.

Davis glanced at Alex briefly, then shrugged. "O-kay." He followed Bosco. "What's up?" he asked.

Bosco looked at the others, before motioning for Crystal to go with Sully and the others. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes," he said, waiting until they all started moving toward the table. He turned to Alex, letting out a low sigh that only he could hear. "I ah, Crystal and Faith... haven't, met...I was wondering if you and the others...don't tell Faith, about Crystal...until I've had a chance to speak with her?"

Davis raised an eyebrow. Bosco actually sounded nervous. No, more than that. He sounded almost fearful. "You haven't told Yokas you're seeing someone?"

He formed several words on his lips, but nothing could come out. He let out another sigh. "She knows, but...it's more than that...I just want to be the one to tell her."

Davis shrugged lightly. "Okay," he agreed. This is going to be an interesting night, he thought.

Davis pulled Alex a bit closer as they danced. He glanced back at the table where his friends were sitting, his gaze focusing on Bosco and Crystal. He shook his head slowly. "It's weird," he commented.

Alex had her arms wrapped around his neck. "What is?"

He nodded toward Crystal. "The woman Bosco brought to the ball."

She followed his line of sight. "Oh...yeah, she looks a lot like Yokas, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's why it's weird."

She nodded. "I wonder if she actually knows..." she wondered aloud, trailing off and not finishing.

Davis raised an eyebrow. "Crystal? Or Yokas?"

Alex met Davis' gaze. "I guess, both."

He shrugged lightly and glanced around, his gaze settling on the entrance of the room. "I don't know. But I think we're about to find out," he said, nodding toward the door where Faith Yokas was standing alone.

You could buy me diamonds, you could buy me pearls
Take me on a cruise around the world
Baby you know I'm worth it
Dinner lit by candles, run my bubble bath
Make love tenderly to last and last
Baby you know I'm worth it

Sully took a sip of his wine and smiled at Tatiana briefly before his glance flickered to the doorway. His eyes widened slightly. "Is that Faith?" he asked, sounding stunned.

Tatiana followed her husband's line of sight, she didn't honestly know, but the likeness of the two women caused her to look questioningly at Sully.

"Isn't Faith your partner?" she asked Bosco, gazing at him.

Bosco looked at Sully for a split moment, then looked in the direction he was, his eyes falling on Faith. She wore an amazing black gown, that seemed to outline all of her best features. He swallowed, feeling his heart beating deep in his chest. It could be overhead in his own ears above Crystal's voice. He nodded slightly, swallowing again.

Wanna please wanna keep wanna treat your woman right
Not just told but to show that you know she is worth your time
You will lose if you choose to refuse to put her first
She will if she can't find a man who knows her worth, mhmn
Cuz a real man knows a real woman when he sees her
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her
And a real woman knows a real man always comes first
And a real man just can't deny a woman's worth

Faith stood in the doorway of the ballroom, glancing around the crowd of police officers and their spouses and dates. She swallowed hard, feeling a bit anxious. This was not her usual scene. She'd only gone to the Policeman's Ball twice before, both times with Fred, and he'd gotten drunk at the second one. She drew in a deep breath, looking around for a familiar face. Someone walked over and stood next to her and she glanced over to see Steve Gusler standing there, looking just as nervous as she felt. "Hey, Steve. How's it going?"

Gusler looked up at Faith, smiling. "Ma'am," he said politely. "You look really beautiful tonight," he said, feeling a bit nervous himself.

She smiled. "Thanks. You look pretty great yourself. You bring a date?" she asked curiously.

He felt his cheeks burn slightly. "I ah, no...I didn't know who to bring," he admitted.

She gave him a quick smile. "You know what, I don't have a date either," she admitted, shrugging lightly. "Don't worry about it."

Gusler smiled. "That's what I like about you, you know, you always make me feel good about myself," he told her, but a part of him wondering why he'd said it, or if he should have said it at all. He looked away.

Faith blinked, surprised by his words. She wasn't sure how to respond for a moment. "Thanks," she said finally.

He returned his gaze to meet Faith's. "Sure," he said, smiling.

She smiled back, then glanced over the crowd again, her gaze settling on a table toward the back of the room. She swallowed hard, her heart speeding up a bit as she spotted Bosco, along with Sully and two women she didn't recognize. Sully motioned for her to go over. She took a deep breath and turned to Gusler. "Sully's waving us over. You wanna go over there with me?" she asked.

Gusler hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Sure, why not. I don't really know anyone else," he told her, admittably.

She reached over and patted his arm lightly. "You will, don't worry. It just takes some time."

He smiled again, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah. I guess."

Faith turned and walked slowly across the room with Gusler at her side. She felt her nervousness increase with every step. Finally, they reached the table. Bosco was staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably. "Hi," she said, smiling quickly to cover her nervousness.

Bosco smiled back, feeling the beats of his heart pound louder and louder in his eardrums. "Hey," he said, not taking his eyes off Faith for even a moment. He couldn't believe how amazing she looked. "You look..." he started. "Really great."

Tatiana merely smiled up at the woman standing beside the table with a younger officer she seemed to vaguely remember.

The breath caught in her throat and for a moment she couldn't speak. "Thanks."

Bosco smiled. "I mean it," he said.

Sully smiled at her. "Faith, this is my wife, Tatiana. Tatiana, this is one of my friends, Faith Yokas."

Tatiana stood up, extending her hand to Faith. "John has told me so much about you, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said.

Faith smiled at Tatiana, then shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, too," she said sincerely.

Smiling, Tatiana sat back down next to Sully.

Crystal looked from Bosco to Faith. "I'm Crystal," she said, smiling slightly. "Nice to finally meet you."

Bosco felt his cheeks suddenly flush. He looked at Crystal, then up at Faith. "Sorry, Faith, this is Crystal...Crystal, this is my partner, Faith Yokas."

Faith turned her attention to the woman next to Bosco, her heart clenching at the name. So this was Crystal. Smile and be nice, she told herself. "Nice to meet you, Crystal," she said quietly, managing to smile back.

Bosco could hear his heart pounding louder and louder in his ears. Someone just shoot me now, he said, putting up a fake smile as Crystal looked back at him.

At that moment, Davis and Alex returned to the table. "Hey, Yokas. You look nice," he told her with a smile.

"More than nice." Alex elbowed Davis in the ribs. "You look really amazing, that dress is beautiful!" she told Faith.

She smiled at Alex and Davis. "Thanks. It's actually my sister-in-law's," she confessed, shrugging lightly.

"She has great taste," she said with a smile.

Faith smiled painfully at Crystal. "Yeah." She turned her attention back to Alex. "I love your dress."

Gusler, feeling alittle uncomfortable, excused himself and walked around to the other side of the table and took a seat beside Tatiana. He smiled, receiving one back, but didn't say anything.

"Your sister in law really does have great taste..." Alex agreed. Flushing slightly with Faith's words back at the dress she wore herself. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said warmly.

"Where's Fred?" Sully asked, curious.

Pound after pound, louder and louder in his ears. Bosco flinched at hearing Fred's name.

She flinched slightly at her husband's name and turned to look at her friend. "He wasn't feeling well," she lied, shrugging again.

Alex nodded. "Must be the flu going around."

"Yeah, something like that," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Davis pulled out a chair for Alex.

Smiling, Alex graciously took the good gesture from Davis in, and sat down on the chair. Pulling it in with his help.

"That's too bad. I hope he gets well soon," Sully told her.

Davis glanced at Faith. "You wanna sit down?"

Who cares about Fred, what a.... Bosco didn't continue his thoughts as he heard Davis' words to Faith. He felt guilty in not having asked himself.

She glanced around the table, realizing there were only seven chairs pulled around it."Actually, it looks a little full," she commented with a forced smile. "I'll just go sit somewhere else."

Gusler immediately stood up. "Why don't you sit here, I'll bring a chair over from that table over there for me," he said, motioning toward the table to their left.

She waved her hand. "No, it's okay, Steve."

"Really, I insist. Please?" he asked, giving her a sad look.

"I think it would be a bit too crowded," she said quietly, glancing at Crystal and Bosco for a very brief second.

"Gusler's right, you can't not sit with us, Faith," Alex said, frowning.

"Come on, Faith. We'll make room," Sully said, looking at her.

She hesitated. "I don't know..."

"Yeah, we can all squish together," Bosco stated, smiling as he looked back at her.

"Yes, the others are right. Please join us," Tatiana said.

Davis scooted his chair closer to Alex, then grabbed a chair from another table and scooted it up to the table. "There we go. Problem solved," he said with a smile.

Faith smiled, feeling embarrassed again. "Thanks, guys."

Gusler smiled, and sat back down, while Alex smiled up at Faith from where she sat.

She sat down, taking her shawl off her shoulders and draping it over the back of her seat. She was sitting directly across the table from Bosco, and to her right was Davis, to her left was Gusler. She nervously played with a napkin on the table.

"So..." Alex started, looking at Davis and slightly nudging him to say something.

Davis glanced over at her. "Looks like a pretty big turn out this year," he commented, looking around the crowd.

Sully nodded his agreement. "Yeah, more than the last few."

"Yeah," Bosco agreed.

Faith was keenly aware of the sudden sense of akwardness that fell over the table and she realized it was because she had shown up. They're probably all remembering Fred's drunken antics from the last one of these I went to, she thought sadly, feeling bad that her friends were uncomfortable.

Tatiana took in a breath, and let it back out with a happy sigh. "So, you all know each other?"

Davis smiled at her. "Pretty much."

Sully nodded his head toward Gusler. "I'm sorry....Tatiana, this is Officer Steven Gusler. Gusler, this is my wife Tatiana."

Gusler smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

"And you." She smiled back at him. She turned her attention over to Faith. "John tells me you have two children."

She smiled. "Yeah, Emily and Charlie."

Tatiana smiled. "Aww. How old are they?"

"Charlie's nine, Emily just turned thirteen a couple months ago. How old is your son?"

"Sergey is 19."

Crystal looked across the table at Gusler. "I'm Crystal Johnson. I'm Bosco's date for the evening."

Gusler nodded, smiling. Something about Crystal startled him, and his gaze shifted over to Faith for a moment, then back to her. Surprise and shock struck the features of his face. "Are you and Officer Yokas related?"

Faith looked at Gusler, startled. "No, we're not," she said immediately, her eyes wide.

"Really? I could have sworn..." He trailed off, seeing the glare he was getting from Bosco.

Tatiana looked over at her husband for a moment, to see him trying to look beyond the next table. "John, what is wrong?" she asked, slight frown forming on her brow.

Sully nodded ahead of them. "The boss and his right hand moron are coming this way," he muttered.

Tatiana nodded.

Faith and Davis both turned to look.

Bosco turned around, looking in Christopher and Swersky's direction. There was a wide grin on Christopher's face. "Oh great..." he moaned.

Swersky reached their table, Christopher right behind him. "Hello. Glad you all could make it." His gaze focused on Faith for a second, then Bosco, a slight smile on his face. "Especially Yokas and Boscorelli here."

"Well, you did ask us, Boss," Bosco replied.

Faith frowned, feeling confused on why Swersky was so thrilled she and Bosco were there. She glanced across the table at Bosco, shooting him a questioning look.

He just shrugged slightly.

"Evening everyone." Christopher smiled, his gaze settling on Alex at Davis's side. "I don't believe we've ever met." His smile widened.

Davis tensed slightly and gave Christopher a dirty look. "This is my girlfriend, Alex Taylor."

Gusler frowned, seeing the sly grin on Christopher's face as he stood near Alex.

Christopher gave Davis a disbelieving look. "Really, I thought you swung the other way?" he said in a really low tone so no one but himself could hear.

"No, that was just your fantasy, Christopher," he replied, his voice just as low.

A grin formed on Alex's face as she looked back at Davis.

Davis winked at her.

"Well, I hope you all have a nice evening. I'll be around," Swersky said, smiling at everyone before he left the table.

"You can go now," Sully told Christopher, nodding toward Swersky's retreating figure.

Crystal frowned slightly, feeling confused as to why everyone seemed so tense with the tall man's presence.

Christopher grinned at Alex once more, frowning over at Sully from his statement. "See you losers later," he remarked, walking off.

"Hopefully not," Faith said sourly, making a face.

Bosco grinned.

"I really hate that guy," Davis said, shaking his head.

"Why?" Crystal asked, confused.

"Me too. First day here, he shoved me against the wall," Gusler said, sadly.

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay

Tatiana placed her hand over Sully's arm. "John, would you like to dance?" she asked, hearing '''Angel" by Sarah McLachlan starting to play.

Sully looked over at her, smiling. "Yeah, I'd love to," he told her.

Tatiana smiled, standing up with him as they then walked over to the dance area.

"Speaking of dancing..." Davis turned to Alex. "You up to another?"

Alex grinned. "Would love to." She smiled.

He grinned back. "Great. I'll try not to step on your feet this time," he said, winking at her.

"You better not," she warned in a teasing tone.

Crystal looked at Bosco. "Would you like to dance?" she asked with a smile.

Bosco nervously glanced over at Faith, seeing the hurt look on her face. He hated this, but he turned his gaze back to Crystal. He smiled. "Would love to," he said, helping her stand as he then led her over to the dance floor.

Faith swallowed hard and looked down at the table, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

Gusler felt a little awkward, but he looked over at Faith. "Would you ah, like to dance?" he asked in a low voice.

She glanced up at him, smiling faintly. "Yeah. Thanks." She stood up.

Gusler smiled, standing up himself before rounding the table and stopping beside Faith.

She took his hand and allowed him to guide her onto the dance floor.

In the arms of an angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

Bosco let out a low breath, smiling at Crystal as they moved smoothly with every slight move left then right. They moved closer, her head almost resting on his shoulder, while he looked ahead. There was a strange restless feeling in his gut that seemed to intensify when Faith and Gusler stepped into view. They moved together without error, and he felt jealous. Jealous because it was Gusler, instead of himself, dancing with Faith. He tried to will himself to look away, to stop staring, but even as the music continued to play, he continued to stare. He felt guilty suddenly, when Faith's eyes fell into his gaze as she looked back at him.

Crystal smiled as she rested her head on Bosco's shoulder, but it faded when she felt him tense. She pulled away slightly to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Bosco shifted his gaze to Crystal momentarily, smiling slightly. "Nothing," he lied, pulling her closer to him again as he settled his gaze back on Faith. She was still looking back at him.

Crystal's frown deepened but she didn't say anything else.

So tired of the straight line
and everywhere you turn
there's vultures and thieves at your back
and the storm keeps on twisting
you keep on building the lie
that you make up for all that you lack
it don't make no difference
escaping one last time
it's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

Faith allowed Gusler to lead her around the dance floor. She was too caught up in staring at Bosco to realize what a good dancer the younger officer was. She swallowed hard, unable to look away from her partner's gaze. She felt a deep sadness well up within her as she gazed back at him, wishing it was him she was dancing with at that moment.

Gusler hadn't really noticed that Faith wasn't looking at him, or really paying attention as he spoke, but he kept on talking. And talking. And talking. "So, I went to Swersky and asked him if I could sit for some of the entrant exams to become a detective...

As the song ended, Faith realized that Gusler had been talking to her and she hadn't heard a word he'd said. She felt guilty, but compelled to look back at Bosco once again, and saw that he was still looking at her even as Crystal pulled away from him and took his hand, guiding him back to the table. She stared after him, her heart aching. She drew in a deep, shaky breath and forced herself to look at Gusler. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

Gusler nodded, smiling. "Sure."

She gave him a small smile and walked away, headed toward the restroom.

Gusler didn't know what to make of the situation, but headed back to the table, alone.

Faith walked into the lady's room, glad that there was no one else inside. She pulled her cellular phone out of her purse and dialed her home number, glancing at her watch. Charlie didn't go to bed for another half hour, which meant she would have a chance to tell him goodnight before he went to sleep. She smiled as the phone rang twice before someone picked up. "Hello?"

"What the hell do you want?" Fred snapped on the other end of the line.

The smile immediately left her face. "I told Charlie I'd call and tell him goodnight."

"Well so damn what. I told you you weren't to make any more promises to the kids," he said back, his tone low but bitter.

"Fred, just put him on the line, all right?" she said wearily.

"No! You're not talking to him."

"What? What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is, you made a promise, and I'm going to make sure you don't get to keep it," he snarled.

Faith stared at herself in the mirror as her mouth dropped open. "What? Fred, just let me talk to him, all right?"

"I wonder how Charlie will feel when he finds out 'mommy' dearest didn't keep her promise...sad, upset, angry?" he taunted. "Emily already hates you, but Charlie..." His tone seemed to ring slightly as he paused. "Well, it's only a matter of time before you screw up and he hates you, too."

She shook her head in disbelief, feeling sick as tears stung her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me? What happened to you, Fred?" she asked.

"Nothing but having my eyes opened up to the truth," he said with bitter disinterest before hanging up.

Her hand dropped to her side, still clutching the cell phone as she stood there, hurt and shocked by her husband's words. She heard the door open and turned to see Crystal walking in. She quickly looked away, trying to hide her tears. The last thing she wanted was for Bosco's girlfriend see her crying.

Crystal walked over to the bench, running the faucet momentarily while she rinsed her hands, before splashing the water on her face. Sighing, she turned the faucet off and stood up again, smiling over at Faith. "Oh, hi Faith," she said in a polite tone. "You know, Bosco talks about you all the time, it's Faith this, Faith that..." She chuckled, continuing. "You must be really special to him."

She swallowed hard, trying to blink away her tears before turning to face the other woman. "Yeah, well...partners and...everything..." She took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "He talks about you a lot, too.

Crystal smiled, waving her hand dismissively. "I hardly think so. And if he did, not as much as he does about you."

Faith tucked her cellular phone into her purse, trying to think of something else to say to the woman. "Well, we've just known each other longer, that's all. He's a great guy. You're really lucky," she said quietly.

She smiled, sighing slightly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, I'm gonna go...back out there," she said abruptly, not giving Crystal a chance to respond as she reached for the door handle and quickly made her escape.

Crystal shrugged, turning back to the mirror, she wondered what it was she'd done to upset, or offend Faith.

Bosco was dancing with Crystal, their arms around each other, but he felt so guilty, so uncomfortable...so out of place. He wanted to be over by Faith, sitting with her, chatting like they always did. But things were different now. He shouldn't be thinking about her while he was dancing with Crystal. My girlfriend, he reminded himself. Faith was married to Fred, and that was all there was to it. But his eyes drifted over to Faith, and he frowned, watching as she sat alone, sad expression on her face. Why do things have to be this way? he asked himself.

Crystal looked up at him. "You know...your partner seemed kind of upset when I ran into her in the restroom a little while ago."

Bosco looked back at Crystal, his eyes staying on Faith for a moment longer before he reluctantly looked away. "She did?"

She nodded slightly. "Yeah. I mean, I don't really know her, but..." She shrugged slightly. "She looked like she'd been crying or was about to. Not sure which."

"Did she say anything?"

"No. I tried to talk to her and she left really suddenly."

"Really?" he asked back, but his question was more in surprise. It didn't really sound like Faith. But then, she never really was an open person to strangers.

She hesitated for a moment. "You know...maybe you should talk to her. I was definitely getting a bad vibe from her."

Bosco nodded. "Yeah, yeah I should," he replied, hesitating himself.

Crystal stopped dancing and nodded toward the table. "Go on. Make sure she's okay," she said in concern.

He hesitated again. "Thanks," he replied, his voice soft. He headed for the table, over to Faith, slowly releasing his hand from Crystal's.

She smiled faintly, then sighed. "Sure. No problem," she said softly.

Go to Part 2

Go to "The Ball" options