Title: Warning Signs (2/2)
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: A dinner with the third watch crew turns out to be nearly disasterous as fights break out between significant others, partners and ex's. Meanwhile, Bosco grows more worried about Faith after a talk with Kim.
Author's Note: This is the eigth 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," and the seventh is "Reunion." You may want to read those first before continuing.
Warning Signs (Part Two)
Kim sipped her soda and sighed slightly. "Even I'm feeling tense now."
Carlos blinked as he stared at the glass of lemonade in front of him. "What?" he asked, distracted by something else.
She turned to look at him. "I said even I'm feeling tense now..." She paused, a slight frown on her face. "Where'd you go?"
He slowly turned to her, looking over at the table momentarily before meeting her gaze again. "Sorry, was just thinking...where'd Davis and Taylor get to?"
"They went outside awhile ago."
"Oh."
Kim looked at him again, her frown deepening. "Are you okay?"
Carlos shrugged. "Yeah. Just wondering if this stupid dinner was such a great idea, that's all."
She looked away. "Yeah, I guess my idea wasn't so great, huh?" she said, her voice quiet as she stared down at the bar.
"Are you kidding? It was a great idea...just, probably not the best time, considering everyone's...time of month seems to be up."
She raised an eyebrow. "Not everyone's," she said with a slight smile on her lips.
Carlos smiled. "Yeah, not ours," he said flatly. "So how's Joey?"
She smiled. "His birthday is next week."
"Really? How old is he turning?"
"He's going to be nine."
He smiled. "You gonna throw him a party?"
Kim's eyes widened slightly. "That's a great idea."
Carlos smiled. "Well, maybe I can help? If you wanted, that is."
"Yeah? Really?"
He nodded, grabbing his drink and taking a mouthful. He set the glass back down on its coaster. "Yeah. Love to help out."
"Help out with what?" Jimmy asked, coming over to them as he walked in.
Kim stiffened immediately at the sound of his voice.
Carlos noticed the change in Kim and looked over at Jimmy. "Nothing, we're just talking about shift stuff."
Kim looked over at him, surprised by his answer.
Jimmy glanced between them. "You two working together again today?"
"No," she said shortly, not feeling like explaining.
"Right...do you have a minute?" he asked, his voice slightly impatient.
Kim's hand clenched around her soda glass. "For what?"
Carlos looked between them both, seeing the way Kim was reacting to Jimmy being there.
"I need to talk to you about tomorrow."
She tensed even more, and turned to look at her ex-husband. "What about tomorrow?" she asked, her voice calm.
Jimmy looked at her, then over at Carlos, then back at her again. "I really think we should talk about this somewhere else."
"Why? What's to talk about?"
"I can go over to the table if you want, Kim," Carlos said, in a low tone.
She turned to look at Carlos, not wanting him to leave her alone with Jimmy, but not feeling right about asking him to stay either.
He noticed the look on her face, the look of uncertainty, so he decided to stay.
She gave him a grateful smile, realizing he wasn't going anywhere. She turned back to Jimmy.
He sighed. "I want to keep Joey this weekend. There's a father-son picnic tomorrow afternoon."
"What!?" Carlos exclaimed. Realizing he'd said something he shouldn't have, he turned back to his drink, shaking his head.
"No way, Jimmy. Forget it." She turned away, took a drink of water, heat flooding her face.
Jimmy cast a brief glare at Carlos before focusing on Kim again. "Kim..."
"No, dammit. I haven't seen him all week."
"I don't have to let you see him at all," he pointed out.
"Hey, she's his mother," Carlos pointedly at Jimmy, facing the firefighter now.
The glass in Kim's hand suddenly busted as she clenched it too hard. "You can't keep him from me, Jimmy. He's my son, too!" She was dangerously close tears, both from the thought of not seeing her son, and from the pain in her hand.
"Jesus, Kim," he muttered, staring down at her hand.
Carlos immediately reached for Kim's hand and turned it over. There was a pool of blood in the palm of her hand and he looked up at her. "How the hell did you do that?" he asked, shocked by the fact she'd had the kind of strength to break a glass. Especially one as solid as the one she had. He reached for the barman's towel as he handed it to him, and wrapped it around her hand, not even asking if she wanted him to or not.
She didn't pay any attention to his question, but didn't fight him with the impromptu bandage, either. "Jimmy, I need to see Joey."
"I'm not convinced that Joey is safe with you, Kim."
Just behind them, Bosco stood up from the table. "Hey, just who do you think you are to make that call?" he asked Jimmy, voice angered.
"What? I'd never hurt Joey! Jimmy, please."
Jimmy turned to face Bosco. "This isn't any of your business, Bosco. Stay out of it."
"Oh, isn't it?" he asked.
"No, it's not. Joey's my son and I have full custody. I get to decide what's best for him."
Faith stood up as well, and walked over, glaring at Jimmy. "And you think that being kept away from his mother is what's best for him?"
Kim turned away, unable to look at Jimmy anymore. She put her uninjured hand to her face as she started to cry.
Carlos put his hand on Kim's shoulder. "Kim..." he said, worried.
Kim shook her head wordlessly and sat back down on the bar stool, unable to stop her tears.
"You're full of crap, Dohrety. Kim's a damn good mother, you're just afraid that if she spends quality time with her son, he'll want to live with her rather than you," Bosco said, disgusted as he stepped up to Jimmy.
"Whatever."
Faith took a step closer, her glare intensifying. "You like to see her cry? Does that make you feel like a big, tough man?" she asked darkly, flashes of her past few fights with Fred going through her mind.
Jimmy rolled his eyes but didn't respond.
"Come on, I'll take you out to the bus, get that cleaned up and then we'll go to Mercy," Carlos said quietly to Kim.
Kim swallowed hard, trying to stop crying as she nodded.
Doc walked over. "Kim, you okay?" he asked, worriedly.
"I think so," she muttered, wiping her eyes.
"I'm going to take her to the bus," Carlos told Doc.
"Okay."
Bosco shoved Jimmy backward. "My partner asked you a question, Dohrety!"
"Don't push me," he warned, glaring at Bosco.
"And why the hell not!?"
"Because this doesn't have anything to do with you."
"You forget, Dohrety, we're the police.. and in custodial arguments, we have every right to be here."
"You came in here harassing your ex wife. It has everything to do with us," Faith replied angrily.
"Harassing..." He shook his head in disbelief. Without another word, he turned and walked out the door, slamming it open.
"Bastard," she muttered, disgusted. She turned to Kim. "You all right?"
Kim tried to smile as she headed toward the door with Carlos. "Yeah, thanks for your help, guys," she said, looking at both Faith and Bosco, then at Carlos.
"Anytime," Faith assured her, her voice full of sincerity. "He gives you any trouble, call me."
Kim nodded.
Carlos looked at Bosco and Faith with thankful look, and walked with Kim outside to the bus.
"Someone needs to teach that son of a bitch a lesson in how to treat his ex," Bosco muttered, shaking his head.
Faith's hands were clenched into fists. "How can he be like that to her? After they were married for so long?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head.
"Some guys are always assholes," he said, looking out the door Jimmy had gone through. "Once an asshole, always an asshole."
She stared after Kim and Carlos, falling silent at her partner's words.
Faith unfastened her uniform shirt and folded it neatly, placing it into her locker. She heard a locker door slam across the room and she jumped, startled at the sound. Her mind flashed back to the previous day. //He let go of her hand, shoving her away from him. He grabbed a plate from the counter and hurled it down to the tile floor angrily. "Now look what you made me do!"//
She paused, glancing down at the bandaid on her hand from the glass she'd cut herself on cleaning up the mess from the broken plate. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard Bosco's voice and she blinked a few times in rapid succession, trying to bring herself back to the present moment. She glanced over at her partner, a slight frown on her face. "What?"
"I said, can you believe what Dohrety had the nerve to do to Kim?" he repeated, frowning himself at the way his partner hadn't heard him the first time.
She shook her head slightly, not wanting to think about it anymore. "No," she said softly, unstrapping her velcro vest and pulling it off over her head, then placing it into the locker as well.
Bosco removed his own shirt, then vest, and tossed them into his locker. "What's with you today?"
"Nothing," she said, shrugging as she pulled her 'I Love New York' t-shirt out of her locker and put it on.
He sighed, looking over at her. "Are you sure? Because you've been...well, not yourself."
She hesitated a second, wanting to tell him about all the fighting she and Fred had been doing, how tired it was making her. She shook her head. It's not right, she thought. "Yeah, I'm sure."
He nodded, but didn't believe her. But it was her life, he had to remind himself, he had no right to butt in and ask her what was up every five friggen seconds. Angry at himself, he pulled his black jacket from his locker, simultaneously closing it as he did so. He walked over and sat down on the bench, sighing.
She turned to him, worried now. "Boz? You okay?" she asked quietly.
He shrugged, putting his jacket down on the bench beside him. "Just pissed at what Dohrety did to Kim. A husband, especially not an ex, has no right to treat their partner like that. No man has."
Faith closed her locker door and moved over, sitting down next to him on the bench. She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bosco," she said, thinking about how his own childhood had been less than decent.
He looked up at her. "It shouldn't have to be like that, Faith. Not for anyone." He looked away again, shaking his head.
She swallowed hard, moving her hand away and staring down at the floor. She didn't respond. Not for most people, she thought.
"Well at least Dohrety hasn't hit her yet...or, as far as we know...cos I swear, if that son of a bitch lays a hand on her..." He clenched his teeth, angrily shaking his head.
Faith flinched at the anger in his tone, remembering how hard Fred had grabbed her the morning before. A tear trickled slowly down her cheek.
Bosco closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them, his gaze settling on Faith. He noticed the lone tear trickling down her cheek, and his stomach began to knot. "Hey, Faith..." he said, putting his arm around her shoulder.
Without a word, she laid her head down on his shoulder, pressing her face down on it.
He put his other arm around her as he shift his weight closer to her. "God, I'm such a fucking idiot...I should have known..." he said, his tone low and apologetic as he held her closer to him.
She pulled away to look at him, her eyes shiny with tears. "Known what?" she asked, holding her breath.
He gently rubbed her shoulder as he spoke. "After what that bastard Trent did...I'm sorry, Faith."
He doesn't know, she realized. Her eyes closed as relief washed over her. "It's okay...I'm just...tired..it's been a long week," she said softly, opening her eyes again as she looked up at him.
He moved one of his hands to touch the side of her face. "Yeah, well you've been through a lot," he said, his voice still low.
She felt the breath catch in her throat as their gazes locked. She felt her heart speed up and found herself getting lost in the depths of his blue eyes. She couldn't speak.
Bosco swallowed, his gaze moving to his hand, where he gently held her face, back to her eyes. His thumb moving slightly, gently caressing her cheek. "Faith..." he whispered, his voice barely audiable as he moved his face closer to hers.
Her eyes drifted shut just as he brushed his lips against hers lightly. She gripped onto his shoulders for support.
He held his hand against her cheek for a moment longer, the sensation of the kiss coming over him. He moved his hand to support the back of her head as he went to kiss her back, more deeply. But he realized what he was doing and pulled away. "I'm sorry..."
Her eyes opened slowly and she blinked a couple times, staring at him for a moment. "It's my fault. I'm sorry." She stood up.
Bosco stood up behind her. "No, it's not your fault...it was me, I shouldn't have...I'm sorry, Faith."
Tears stung her eyes. She just nodded wordlessly.
"I'll just..." He didn't say anything else, just stood there kind of confused about what to do next, before he reached for his jacket and went to head out of the locker room.
She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to call out for him not to leave, but she couldn't do it.
Bosco was almost at the door when he stopped. He stood there for a moment, before turning around to face her. "You need a ride home or anything?"
She took a second before answering, trying to make sure her voice wasn't going to break. "No. Thanks," she said softly. "I'll walk out with you?"
He nodded. "Sure."
She nodded, too, and walked toward the door, opening it.
As they left the locker room, the only thing Bosco had running through his mind was what had just happened. He didn't listen as some of his and Faith's colleague's said 'night' or 'bye', he just kept running the question through his mind...what the hell had he just done?
Swerksy glanced up just as Faith and Bosco were walking by. "Yokas, Bosco!" he called out.
Faith turned to see Swersky motioning them over. She glanced at Bosco for a brief second before heading toward the desk.
Hearing the Lt's voice, Bosco looked over at Swersky, and instantly walked over to him. "Boss?"
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.
Swersky smiled slightly. "Good. I'll see you there then." He turned and left them standing there alone.
Blinking, Bosco turned his attention to Faith. "Wonder what that was about."
She shrugged. "Who knows?" She swallowed hard and looked toward the front door.
He paused for a moment. "You sure you don't want a ride? I don't mind."
"No, I...need to walk," she said softly. "But thank you. For the offer."
He nodded. "Sure thing," he replied, a little hurt. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
She heard the hurt in his tone and she cringed slightly. "Yeah, tomorrow. Bye, Bosco." Without another word, Faith walked out the door and took a deep breath of the cool night air before she started toward her apartment.
"Bye," he said quietly, taking in a breath before he followed her out the front door of the precinct.
Bosco had just walked out along the ramp that ran along side the precinct to the footpath, when his attention was caught from a familiar figure walking towards him. He swallowed hard. "Crystal..." he said, his voice scratchy.
She smiled at him. "Hey, you. Just wanted to drop by and surprise you."
He took in a low breath. "Aw, well, you did."
Her smile faded slightly. "I can go, if you want."
He forced a smile. "No, it's fine. I'm glad you dropped by," he told her, wanting to believe it himself. What's wrong with me?
Crystal smiled back, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "How was your day?"
He put his arms around her, forcing another smile. "Great. What about yours?"
"It just got a lot better," she admitted.
"So, do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"
She looked up at him curiously.
Carlos took in a breath as he stood outside the entrance of the firehouse. He was only standing there a moment longer when Kim walked out, bag over her shoulder. "Kim, how's the hand?" he asked, walking over to her.
She looked up, startled. She hadn't realized he'd been standing there. She gave him a small smile. "It's better. Thanks, Carlos."
He nodded. "Hey, you want to share a cab home?"
She started to agree when she caught sight of a familiar figure across the street. "Yeah, if you don't mind waiting a couple minutes?"
He nodded again. "Be right here waiting," he replied.
She smiled briefly. "Thanks." Taking a deep breath, she crossed the street and walked over toward Bosco, stopping a few feet away, hesitating. What am I doing? I barely know him. For that matter, I don't know her that well, either. She shook the thoughts off and moved closer. "Boz?"
Bosco almost instantly pulled away from Crystal. He cleared his throat. "Bosco," he corrected her.
Kim frowned briefly. "Sorry. Can I talk to you for a second?"
Crystal glanced from Kim to Bosco, wondering who this woman was. "Is this your partner?" she asked.
Bosco looked between both women. "Sure," he said to Kim, quickly turning to Crystal. "No, Kim's a paramedic," he replied, turning to Kim once more. "What's up?"
She hesitated, glancing at Crystal. "It's about...Faith."
He felt his heart beat heavier in his chest. He looked over at Crystal, gently taking one of her hands in his. "I'll be right back," he promised, then walked with Kim away from her a few steps. "What about Faith?"
"I'm worried about her," she said bluntly, looking up at him seriously.
"Why, what happened?"
She hesitated, unable to bring herself to break Faith's confidentiality. "It's just..." She sighed slightly. "Something's not right with her. She's really pale and she looks...tired. And Alex told me she found her in the bathroom of Haggerty's crying this evening."
Bosco swallowed, taken aback by what Kim had just said. "Well, she's been through a lot lately."
Kim shook her head. "No...that's not what I meant..." She looked away, hesitating to come out and say what she believed.
"Kim, if you think something's wrong...just say it...please."
She looked down at the sidewalk, taking a deep breath. "After Bobby...died..." She swallowed hard, the familiar ache in her chest returning. "I was really...messed up about it. And every time I looked in the mirror...I looked so...lifeless. And that's what I see when I look at Faith now," she said, swallowing hard and forcing herself to look at him.
Bosco felt a shiver go up his spine, and he swallowed hard. "What are you trying to say.. that Faith's..." He couldn't even get his tongue around the words.
"I think she's depressed, Bosco," she said finally. "I think she's really depressed." Her voice was soft.
He shook his head. "What? No, Faith....I would have noticed..." he said, and as soon as he said those words he felt his body freeze, his mind washing over with flashes to the tear that rolled down Faith's face in the locker room moments ago, the way she'd so quickly turned down his offer to get her some food. Like a rush, his world seem to jolt and he blinked, staring at Kim. "What are we going to do?" he asked, his voice a near whisper.
Kim smiled sadly. "I don't know. I just wanted to say something because I think if anyone has the ability to reach her, it's you. You're her partner. If she won't listen to you, who will she listen to?"
Slowly, he nodded. "Thank you, Kim...for telling me...if you hadn't..." He shook his head, hating to think what would would have happened if she hadn't told him.
She nodded. "Sure." She turned to go, then paused, turning back. "Hey, Bosco?"
"Yeah?"
"If she's depressed, there's probably a reason for it. And the only thing that's going to help her deal with it is if she confronts whatever she's depressed about. I know that from experince," she added, her voice quiet.
Again, he nodded. "I think I have an idea," he told her, but didn't say what he thought it might have been. He wouldn't break Faith's confidence like that. "Thank you, again."
"Sure. If you need my help or anything, you know where to find me." She turned and headed back across the street.
"Thanks," he said quietly, taking in a breath as he stared down the road where Faith walked home every night. "Why didn't you tell me, Faith?" he asked aloud, wishing a thousand wishes that she had of.
Crystal came up behind him. "Everything okay?"
Startled, Bosco turned to her, forcing a smile. "Yeah, everything's fine. Hey, ah, I have to go do something...all right if I call you later?"
Crystal frowned slightly. "Sure."
"Just something I have to sort out, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow night," she said with a smile.
He smiled, too, and this time it was real. "Yeah, I'll pick you up around seven."
"Sounds good. Night, Maurice."
Faith arrived home that evening a half-hour after her shift ended. She let herself into the apartment and closed the door behind her, locking it. She hung up her coat on the coat rack, her head pounding. I need some aspirin, she thought. She set her bag on the floor next to the door and headed into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet and took down a bottle of the pain killer and quickly swallowed down two of them with a drink of water.
Then she leaned against the counter for a minute before heading down the hallway to check on her kids and send the babysitter home. To her surprise, when she poked her head into her kids's bedroom, she saw Emily in bed reading and Charlie playing his Gameboy. Neither noticed her presence. She frowned deeply, then headed toward her bedroom. Before she made it there, she was surprised to see Fred step out into the hallway.
He stood there a moment, staring at her. "You're late," he said, not tone of anger or anything for that matter in his voice.
She stared back at him, feeling both confused and angry with him. "Yeah, well, I walked home. What are you doing here? I thought you were working late."
He shrugged slightly. "They let me go early tonight, after the sitter rang and said she had to go home to her sick husband."
She nodded, feeling her anger grow as she remembered their fight over the telephone. "You hung up on me," she said, trying to keep her tone as calm as she could.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that, Faith. I just...didn't want to bring up any more issues between us."
"You mean like how you told Bosco to stay away from me?" she asked, her voice losing a bit of its calmness.
He swallowed. "I had no rights doing that, I was just...worried for your well being, that was all, Babe."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Worried for my well being?" she repeated, shaking her head. "You're kidding, right?"
Fred stepped forward a step. "No, I was...admittably, a little...jealous, but more worried, Faith...but when I got there, I let my emotions get the better of me."
"And you thought you were watching out for my well-being by telling my partner, the guy I count on to watch my back every day at work to stay away from me?"
He swallowed, stuffing his hands in his pant pockets. "I was being an idiot."
"What the hell were you thinking, going to Bosco's in the first place?" she demanded.
"I just wanted to talk to him, find out what happened at the bank, since you wouldn't tell me... I just wanted to know what happened so that I could help you, Faith."
Faith shook her head furiously. "You can't help me, Fred!" she said angrily. "Because there's nothing wrong with me!"
"Faith, please...I was only trying to be there for you."
"No, you were trying to make sure *Bosco* wasn't there for me," she said, glaring at him.
He shook his head again. "I...please, I'm trying to apologize for how I acted..."
"You want to apologize? How about apologizing for the broken plate? Or running Stanley out of the apartment yesterday? Or embarrassing me this morning in front of all the people I have to work with? Are you gonna apologize for that, too?"
Fred was silent. He looked back at her, still no change of expression on his face. "Faith, I..."
Just then, Emily appeared in the doorway of her and Charlie's bedroom. "Daddy...?" she asked, her voice shaking with worry.
Faith turned to see her daughter standing there.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking between them both.
"It's okay honey, just go back to bed," Fred said, his voice lowered as he looked down at his daugther.
Faith looked down at the floor, taking a deep breath and trying to control her anger.
"No, why's Mom yelling at you?"
"Emily, it's nothing to worry about, Sweetie. Just go back to bed," she said softly.
Fred looked at his wife, then to his daughter again. "It's okay, do as your mom said and go back to bed."
Emily went to turn around, when her eyes settled on her mom. "You know there weren't any problems til you came home and started yelling at dad again!" she yelled.
Faith's eyes widened, taken aback by the anger in her daughter's tone and eyes. "Emily, I--"
"Emily, you know that's no way to talk to your mother," he said, a quirk on the corner of his lips, which he changed immediately as he looked over at his shocked wife.
"No! She can't yell at you!"
Faith closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, Em...you're right, I shouldn't have yelled."
"No, you shouldn't have! But you always do!" she cried.
"Emily, sometimes there are things that your dad and I have to talk about that aren't pleasent and we get a little upset and raise our voices. We don't mean to upset you," she said quietly, taking a step toward her daughter.
Emily stepped back, tears flowing down her face. "I don't care. Just leave him alone! You're always mean to him!" she shouted, going back into her room and slamming the door shut behind her.
Dad 1, Mom 0, Fred bitterly thought with amusement.
Faith flinched as the door slammed shut. She stared at it for a long moment in silence, biting down on her lower lip.
"She'll get over it by morning," he remarked, not saying anything else as he walked past Faith, smile broadly stretched across his face.
She didn't even look at him as he walked by her. "I'm getting in the shower," she said softly, turning and heading into their bedroom. She didn't wait for him to respond before closing the door behind her and sitting down heavily on the bed. What's wrong with me? she wondered, shaking her head.
Bosco stood out in the corridor of Faith's apartment, he walked back and forth a couple of times, but still didn't quite get to the door. He was worried, really, REALLY worried after what Kim had told him. And he just had to be sure she was okay, let her know that he was there for her if she ever needed to talk. But he just couldn't seem to be able to get to the door and knock. He contemplated walking away, then actually going to the door again, but he just let out a restless sigh as he wondered what he was honestly doing there.
He was about to walk away when one of the door's to the left of Faith's apartment opened slightly and a little old woman peered through the two inch gap between the door and doorframe. He looked at her, and it was at that point that he thought 'to hell with the consequences' and marched over to Faith's door and tapped a few times. Waiting.
Fred opened the door, scowling as he saw who was there. "What are *you* doing here?"
Bosco swallowed hard. "I came to see if Faith was okay."
"Why wouldn't she be?" he asked blankly, not inviting him inside.
Think Boscorelli, think. "She said she wasn't feeling very well earlier, I just wanted to drop in and see how she was."
"You just saw her at work a half-hour ago. She's fine." He started to close the door.
Bosco put his hand up automatically, shoving the door back as he put one of his feet into the apartment. "I didn't come here to see you, I came to see Faith, and I'm not leaving until I've talked to her," he stated matter-of-factly.
Fred glared at him. "This is my house and I didn't invite you in, *Bosco*."
He glared back. "Yeah, well neither did I yesterday morning," he said, and walked around him and into the small living area.
Fred closed the door, balling his hands into fists. "Do you know what time it is? My kids are in bed!" he said angrily.
Bosco looked over at him, not even paying any attention to his angered tone. "Yeah, well I'm not the one raising my voice."
His eyes darkened, but before he could respond, he caught sight of Faith coming out of the bathroom in her white terrycloth robe, her hair damp. He clenched his fists a little tighter.
He swallowed, nervously. "Faith..." he called, keeping his voice to a minimum so as not to disturb her kids.
Faith sighed as she stepped out of the bathroom after a long hot shower and walked down the hall, thinking about fixing herself a cup of hot tea. She paused at the end of the hallway, seeing Bosco standing in her living room. Her eyes widened slightly, then she flicked her glance to Fred, who looked pretty mad as he stood glaring at her. "Bosco, what are you doing here?" she asked, confused.
He looked at Fred sideways for a moment, then set his gaze back on Faith. "I wanted to come see how you were holding up...first day back after...what happened."
The breath caught in her throat as she looked at him, her mind flashing back to the kiss they'd shared less than an hour ago. "You--uh--want something to drink?" she asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of her tone.
He looked at Fred, noting the glare he received. He turned back to her. "No, it's uh, okay...I did want to talk to you, though...something Kim told me."
Faith frowned in confusion, her gaze still on his face.
"I'm going to bed," Fred announced shortly. "You can take the couch tonight," he muttered to Faith, bumping into her slightly as he moved past her and down the hallway.
She looked down at the floor, closing her eyes as she heard the bedroom door shut.
Bosco's eyes worridly settled on Faith. "He always treat you like that? Make you sleep on the couch?"
"Bosco..." She shook her head and went into the kitchen, taking a tea bag out of the cabinet and setting the kettle on the stove.
He followed behind her, stopping and watching as she put the kettle on the stove. He didn't say anything, just waited for her to continue.
She turned back to face him. "So what are you doing here again?" she asked, raising one hand to her head to massage her temple as the pain there ached.
He swallowed a little. "Well, Kim...when I was leaving, and Cr...she uh, came over, and told me something... about you..."
Faith frowned. "Told you what?"
"Something she noticed...about the way you've been acting since, the stuff at the bank...I hadn't noticed it either..." he said, shaking his head, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Until she pointed it out."
"Bosco, what are you talking about?" she asked, trying to be patient with him.
He swallowed again, this time harder. "You'd tell me, wouldn't you, Faith?" he asked, not leaving her time to question what he was going on about before he continued. "If you were...depressed...wouldn't you?" he asked, his voice sad.
She stared at him. "Depressed?" she repeated.
He shrugged slightly with his right shoulder. "Yeah. After everything you went through, all the shock..."
She closed her eyes momentarily. "Bosco, I'm not depressed."
Bosco looked at her, he wasn't so sure. "But if you were, you'd tell me, wouldn't you, Faith? After everything we've been through, you'd tell me if something was wrong? Promise me."
"Look, I don't know where Kim got this idea, but she barely knows me, Bosco." She shook her head, turning away from him as she pulled a mug down from the cabinet.
He stepped closer to her, watching her every movement. "No, but I know you, Faith...and, something's wrong, something about the bank, the part of your past you won't tell me about...it fits, it all fits."
She froze, clutching the mug in her hand tightly, remembering the way Trent pinned her up against the wall. //"I'm gonna fuck your brains out," he whispered, licking her ear lightly.//) She shuddered, swallowing hard as her heart sped up.
"What happened changed you, Faith...and I..." He bit his lip, shaking his head, unable to find the words to continue.
She set the mug down carefully, her hands trembling. "Bosco, I'm still the same person, okay? I'm fine."
"No, I mean emotionally." He walked up to her, and gently turned her around to face him. "I'm scared for you, Faith."
She looked at him, her heart beating even faster. "There's nothing to be scared of, I'm fine, Boz. You need to stop worrying about me."
"I can't stop worrying...not when I know there's something wrong."
Faith glanced away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Though frustrated, Bosco kept his voice calm still. "It's about your past...something about it, that's what it is."
"Would you just leave it alone? God, Bosco, the past is the past. What happened sixteen years ago doesn't matter anymore!"
He stepped back, blinking. "Sixteen..." He shook his head. "That means, you were....fifteen...you can't keep holding it all in, Faith...if you do, you'll just, explode..."
She stared at him, startled that she'd let that slip. She hadn't even meant to say it. She turned away abruptly, looking down at the stovetop, unable to speak.
"You have to tell me, Faith. It's the only way to move on."
"I don't have to tell you *anything*. And I have moved on. You're the only one here who seems to be stuck on *my* past," she said, her voice low.
Hurt, Bosco stepped back, running his hand over the top of his head, wondering what to do. "You're right...you don't have to tell me anything, but you do have to move on, Faith....but, you don't want my help, so I'll just go," he said, his voice low. He waited a moment, then started to head out of the kitchen.
Tears stung her eyes. "Bosco, wait."
Hearing her voice, he stopped, but didn't turn around.
She turned to face him, only to find his back to her. She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry...that didn't come out right."
He looked over at the far wall, before slowly turning to face her again. "I just want to help, Faith...I hate seeing you like this."
She took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "I know you want to help, but...I'm gonna be fine, Boz. I will be. It's just..." Her eyes filled with tears "...been a really long week."
"I know. It's been hell...I just, I really care about you, and I hate...that you're so sad."
She looked up at him, forcing herself to smile despite the tears in her eyes. "Everyone gets a little sad sometimes, right?" she asked, shrugging lightly.
Bosco nodded. "Yeah, but not everyone has the same past as you...went through what you went through, Faith..."
"Bosco, nothing actually happened," she said, swallowing hard. "Trent only threatened me. He didn't actually--" She couldn't finish her sentence as her gaze dropped to the floor again.
He looked at her, the questions right on the edge of his tongue, but he didn't ask. "Threatening is almost as bad as doing, Faith. You and I both know that."
"It's really not," she said softly, her voice barely audible.
"Because of the past...?" he wondered aloud.
She jerked her head up and looked at him. "What?"
He just looked back at her, almost motionless.
Her heart thudded against her chest. "Look, it's late... I need to get some sleep."
He nodded. "Yeah, of course...I'll see myself out," he said, turning around again and heading towards the apartment door.
"Good night, Bosco," she whispered.
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