A/N: I started writing this story nearly four years ago. I was pretty engulfed in Third Watch, and loved writing… but after the show ended, it all sort of faded. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. I have recently re-discovered the show and decided that since I never finished this fic, I would edit it, change up a few things, and give it another shot. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

We were in the RMP after a slow, boring day of traffic monitoring and ticket writing; not what I would call 'fun.' The shift was almost over and I was looking forward to just being able to go home and sleep, something that I hadn't done in a long time.

"Bos, stop starin' at the clock, it's just gunna make the rest of the night go slower," Faith decided to play her usual role of Ms. Know-It-All and tell me that I was acting childish. I guess I'd gotten used to it after awhile. "We only got half an hour left," I said, continuing to stare at the bright numbers of the clock. I just wanted to get out of there.

"So, today sucked," I chimed in, thinking that maybe chatting would get my mind off the minutes left of the grueling shift. "Bosco – " Faith cut in, rolling her eyes at my usual whining. "Sorry! Just tryin' to make conversation," I leant my head back on the headrest, letting out a deep sigh. "Only half an hour."

"5-5 David, we need assistance at 109 and Lexington," The radio crackled to life, abruptly breaking my train of thought. "Damn it!" I cursed, knowing that this call was destroying any chance of me getting off on time. I sighed but reluctantly started up the car and headed towards the location.

"5-5 David responding, what are we needed for?" Faith called back in, clearly as upset as I was about having to stay late. "5-5 David, your assistance is needed for a possible homicide." Faith sighed at the information and slightly cringed at the thought of having to see a dead body before going home to see her kids. Not a particularly great way to end the day. "10-4."

We drove up to the scene, eying the vast amount of yellow police tape enclosing a bagged body that was obviously long dead. "What happened?" I asked to no one in particular. A newly promoted Detective Jones answered, "Lady was walkin' up to her car and BAM, someone came up from behind her and just started stabbin' her. Pretty gruesome."

Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I walked closer to see the victim who was lying right next to what appeared to be her car. It was dark and I couldn't see too much, but I instantly realized something was wrong. "Wait a second," I demanded, keeping my eyes fixed on the vaguely familiar car, "has the body been identified?"

"We just got on the scene; we're not supposed to touch anything in the car."

"So I take that as a no?" I asked again, my eyes still locked on the crime scene.

"We're not positive, but the car is registered to a. . . " The detective looked down at his notes in search for a name, ". . .an Angela Boscorelli."

I felt the blood drain from my face as my mother's name sounded through the silent air. "No," I flatly stated. "No, that's wrong,"

"According to the car's registrat-"

"It's wrong!" I cut him off, pacing back and forth between the police tape and the RMP. My gut was telling me that they were right; that the recognizable car was that of my Ma's. I knew that something was terribly wrong, and that this wasn't a far reach considering the people my mother hung around, but I could not let myself believe it. I could not let this happen again.

"Bosco, whats up?" Faith approached my stone-like figure which was motionlessly staring at the black body bag. "Bosco?"

Knowing that the only way I would believe it was to look under the bag – to see Ma's face, I carelessly ripped at the yellow tape surrounding the piles of blood that were carefully being documented and analyzed. "Hey, hey! Hey what the hell are you doing?" An officer from across the street exclaimed as he came running in my direction.

"Bosco, stop!" Faith protested. As hurriedly as the detectives came running at me, I kneeled down and tore open the body bag, revealing the cold, pale face of my mother.

"No." I stared at her in disbelief. "No!" I ripped away from the scene, grasping at my head. "God damnit, Ma!"

Faith looked on with utter shock, deciding that the wiser decision was to let me deal with the situation without being told what to do. Lieutenant Swersky on the other hand, having been notified of the situation, chose a different course of action. "Bosco, c'mon." He put his shoulder on mine barely long enough for me to jerk away.

I sharply turned back to where Ma was lying and ran over, kneeling beside her. I took a couple breaths to try and calm myself down, but to no avail. "Ma." I placed my hand on her face, "Ma, wake up."

My entire focus was on my mother, and I didn't even realize Faith had been standing behind me until I felt her soft touch on my shoulder. "Bosco, come on."

"Ma please!" I started to shake her, wanting her to wake up. . . needing her to wake up. . . but knowing deep down that it was useless. She was gone.

"Bosco, stop. Bosco. . ." Faith pulled gently at my arm, forcing me to stop violently tugging at my Mother. "Faith, it's Ma," Faith just nodded and pulled me as far away from the scene as she could before I could walk no further. "Faith. . ." I stopped, having lost my ability to speak clearly. I collapsed to the ground, my tears overtaking my ability to decide who saw them fall.

"I know. I know, Bos, it's alright." Faith pulled me into a hug and let me cry there until I was out of tears.

* * *

"Bosco, I think you should go home," Faith insisted. We were sitting in the RMP waiting for 'results' of some of the evidence they had found.

"You shouldn't be working on this case, Bos. If they find anything, I'll call you, but you don't need to be here. Please."

I turned my head and looked at Faith, giving her my answer without even having to open my mouth. I wasn't going home, she knew that. She knew better than to tell me to just leave something like this alone. I had to find the person who had done this.

We sat in the RMP for what must have been hours. Faith sat patiently and silently, waiting for me to tell her that I was ready to go.

"Faith," I said as I gazed out of the window to my side. "Faith, do you see that guy?" I strained my eyes to see a dark figure of a man standing out in the alley to my left. "Who?" She asked, looking over my shoulder to see him. "That guy," I pointed to the alley, getting a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I opened up the door and stepped out, planning to head over towards the alley. "Bosco, no." Faith interjected.

"I'll be right back. Stay here," I told her, already leaving. I knew that I was being a pain in the ass, but at that moment all I cared about was getting to the dark figure and finding out what he had seen.

TBC