Ok, here it is, the second chapter, kind of explaining 'why' if not 'how' they end up where they are. LOL Don't worry, it gets there eventually, lol you know M.

Enjoy!

M.

VACATION

BY M

CHAPTER 2

3 weeks ago:

"Have you decided what you're going to about that 'thing' yet," CJ asked as he and Bosco were heading into the station house with the purses snatcher they had arrested earlier. It was a hot August day and Bosco couldn't wait to get back into the cruiser as CJ's constant nagging on this subject was seriously wearing on his nerves, that and the fact that the heat didn't seem to bother CJ at all just pissed him off even more!

"No, and drop it CJ! I mean it," Bosco exclaimed, "you know just because we moved in together doesn't make you my Ma!" The purse snatcher's eyes widened and looking at them each in turn he started laughing as they hauled him up to the desk sergeant to begin processing.

"You two guys LIVE together?!" he screamed in laughter as they looked at him strangely, then at each other and as he continued with, "Fairy cops! Who's the wife? Wait it must be the little one, right," and when he looked pointedly at Bosco, a look of 'Here we go again!" came over their faces and suddenly the purse snatcher found his face had come into sharp contact with the desk rail.

"Owww" he yelled, and looking at the sergeant, "you saw that! Police Brutality! I want a lawyer and you're my witness!"

Sergeant Willis just looked at him innocently and said "See what? I didn't see nothing!" Then looking at the guys and smiling broadly asked "What cha got for me this fine day boys?"

Later that night when they got off and after having visited Faith, inviting her, Fred and the kids to dinner next weekend they headed home. Bosco was driving tonight; since they lived and worked together they took turns driving each week. He was looking forward to a cool shower and a cold beer, but, knowing that he didn't have to deal with the heat in the kitchen cause it was CJ's turn to cook was already lifting his mood.

They were sitting at a red light when CJ started with "Come on Bosco, tell. I mean what an announcement right! After all this time to find out that Jamie got divorced last February?" CJ had no intention of letting this go and Bosco was fast losing patience, CJ ignored the aggravated look on his partners face and continued, "Man her husband must be a real ass! To let a woman like that go, what the hell was he thinking!"

When he paused for breath Bosco turned to him and yelled, "I'll tell you what I think! If you don't shut up about this you're going to walk home! That's what I think!" Then as the light turned green he floored the accelerator knowing the only way to shut CJ up was by hiding out in that cool shower as fast as possible.

Bosco still hadn't come to grips with what Jamie had told him last weekend or why she had waited so damn long to tell him, and he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He could understand not telling him while he was in the hospital but why wait so long after?

"Geesh, Ok already!" CJ was holding his hands up in self defense. Turning back to his window CJ was muttering under his breath about 'touchy people' when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him yell for Bosco to stop the car. A little girl was walking down the sidewalk by herself and it looked to CJ like she was covered in blood. Bosco quickly stopped the car watching as CJ jumped out of the car; yelling for Bosco to call for a bus, then he carefully approached the child. Bosco upon getting out to see what was going on took one look, got on his cell and called for help as he ran around the car to see the little girl collapse in CJ's arms. As he reached them he realized that she had large gashes all over her little arms and face, looking on in horror as CJ began to administer CPR when she stopped breathing.

Looking up and down the street to try to find where she might have come from Bosco saw a man. who running around a building corner and spotting Bosco and CJ with the girl turned and ran back the way he had come. Bosco told CJ to keep it up and took off after the man.

CJ could hear sirens in the distance as the police and EMS converged on the place, and he could taste the little girls blood as he tried to get her to breathe, he had never seen so much blood in his life, looking up quickly between breaths as Bosco took off he saw him running around a corner wondering for a moment what he was doing as CJ had not seen the man Bosco was chasing.

When Kim and Carlos arrived with Sully and Ty right behind them they took over for CJ, the three cops took off following Bosco.

"Was he following anyone or just looking" Sully asked.

"I don't know, I didn't see anyone but the way he took off he must have" CJ answered.

"Damn, I really wish he would wait for backup once in awhile" Sully exclaimed, "You would think after all this counseling he had he would have a cooler head!"

Ty started chuckling, "Sul, you're kidding right! Man you should have YOUR head examined it you think Bosco will ever change on waiting for anything!"

CJ didn't answer them, he was trying to call Bosco's cell phone as they ran down the alley. Bosco picked up when it started vibrating, "CJ that you" he asked in a whisper.

"Yeah its me, where are you", CJ answered as Sully and TY looked on in disbelief.

"I'm right behind the guy. Come down to the first left and then right at the first house he's in the back of the third house down on the right. He thinks he lost me. I'm just keeping an eye on him right now. Hurry up," Bosco finished.

"We're coming. Hang tight" CJ then relayed the instructions as he and the others took off. "Oh and Sully? Bosco always has backup. Me" and holding up his phone he grinned. Sully just rolled his eyes and tried to keep up with the younger guys.

When they reached Bosco, he was standing next to an open wooden gate, seeing them he motioned toward the porch of the house where the guy was watching the opening of the gate from, the man evidently thought that he couldn't be seen because he couldn't see Bosco, not realizing that they could see him between the slats of the fence.

Sully quietly called for backup on his radio and then they began to circle the guy in an attempt to corral him in, as Bosco and CJ approached him on his right and Ty and Sully on his left a woman came out of the house on the right and seeing Bosco and CJ, who were in street clothes, began to yell for help.

"Dam it! Lady stop we're cops," pulling out his badge Bosco motioned for her to go back inside, it was of course too late as the guy heard her and then spotting them kicked in the door of the house upon whose porch he was standing and ran inside.

"Shit," CJ yelled, "Sully! Ty! He's inside" and as Sully and Ty who were heading around the front of the house began to run he and Bosco jumped the fence and followed the guy. When they reached the porch their guns drawn they each took a side of the doorframe and when they heard Sully yell for the guy to come out and that he was surrounded Bosco called "Man if you got a gun put it down and come out with your hands on your head! There is no way out and we're not letting you leave!"

There was no answer.

CJ and Bosco were watching each other and at Bosco's nod CJ quickly stepped around the frame into the room, which was a kitchen and was empty. After having swept the room he motioned for Bosco to enter, they both stepped over to the only exit and repeated the maneuver only to enter into an empty living room. CJ quickly crossed over to the front door and quietly called to Sully and Ty, "Sul, it's CJ. I'm opening the door, ok?"

"Ok man" Sully quietly answered. When CJ opened the door Ty and Sully quickly stepped inside and the four of them moved to the hall entrance.

Sully looked to Bosco and nodded. Bosco called out "We know where you are. I'm not going to tell you again. Drop your weapon and come out with your hands on your head."

There was no answer but they could hear someone moving around. Suddenly the front door opened and a man and woman walked in laughing. When they saw the four men standing there the woman screamed and the man grabbed her and pushed her out of the front door following her and slamming the door behind him.

The four cops looked at each other for a second in shock and then Ty took off after the couple, sirens could be heard in the distance as backup approached.

"Mamm, Sir, Please we're the police, stop" Ty called out as the couple ran across the short walk to the neighbors house. The man looked back over his shoulder at Ty and realizing he was seeing a uniform not a criminal stopped.

"What the hell is going on! What are you doing in my house" he exclaimed.

"We were chasing a suspect and he broke into your house. You do live here" Ty explained and asked.

"Yes, I do, what do you mean he broke in" he asked. Ty then explained quickly what was going on and asked about the layout of the house, when he had the information he needed he told the man to follow his wife and stay there until a policeman came for them. The man nodded and went next door as Ty returned to the other officers as backup arrived.

The officers who had arrived as backup quickly were filled in and the house surrounded, while inside, Bosco, CJ and Sully were still trying to convince the man to come out. They were beginning to think that they were going to need ESU when suddenly he appeared in the door with his hands on his head. They were so startled by his sudden appearance that he almost got shot before he was quickly grabbed and put on the floor, as Bosco handcuffed him he realized that the man was so covered with blood that he was actually slippery.

Bosco thought that he would be physically sick at the thought of what this animal had done to that little girl and it took everything in him not to injure the man as he pulled him to his feet. CJ, Sully and Ty were also in shock by what they saw on him, but the more shocking thing was what he said to them.

"You want me to show you the rest of them" he said as he was smiling at CJ.

Bosco heard him and saw the look of shock and horror on the face of his young partner, seeing Tys face mirror it, Sully looked over at Bosco and with a big grin on his face, commented, "Hey guy, yeah why don't you show us." He knew that he had to play the game if this guy was for real so he played along.

CJ looked at Sully like he had grown horns and started to speak but as Bosco's hard shake of the head he kept quiet.

"I'd like that, too! Why don't you show us" Bosco cheerfully said playing along also and he was looking at Sully as they started to walk him to the door as CJ and Ty followed. None of the officers knew what they would find and when they found it they would wish they had called in sick that day.

The suspect soon to be known as Carl Morris, led them to a basement beneath a house only one street over he had been talking to them the whole way and what he was saying was making no sense but they were realizing that they were dealing with a seriously disturbed man when they reached the house, "The key is in my front pocket" and grinning at Bosco, "Why don't you reach in and get and I'll show you my pretties," as he got this weird happy look on his face and looking straight at the door began to hum.

Bosco looked at the others and then shaking his head and grimacing he reached in and quickly pulled out a house key. "This it" he asked.

"Yes officer it is!" He was looking at Bosco again and continued with, "Do you want to see my pretties? If you do we have to go inside."

Bosco looked around at the others, including the backup that had joined them, as the guy hummed asking, "Sir are you giving me permission to enter your house with this key?" He had already read the guy his rights but was making sure.

"Sir are you giving me permission to enter your house with this key?" The guy turning to Bosco repeated what Bosco had said in a singsong voice. "Of course I am! You are the guys who caught me after all this time so you are the guys who get to share my pretties! Now, officer, may we please go see them now?" Then he looked back forward again.

The hairs on most of their necks were standing up as the guy finished his little song, suddenly they didn't really want to enter that house but knew they would with everyone sort of looking around at everyone else and then at Bosco while they steeled themselves to what might be behind that door. Bosco turned to the door and inserted the key, rotating the knob he pushed the door open and stepped back as several of the other officers in uniform entered the house first in case anyone was inside. After they had cleared the door and the room Bosco, CJ, Sully and Ty entered with the guy, he immediately walked over and entered the kitchen before he stopped at the door leading down to the basement. Turning to them he smiled and said "Welcome to my pretties home. Shall we?"

The room was silent as each of the officers somehow knew that this was the real deal, each contemplating what would be down there and how he would react. Bosco stepped forward and realized that this door also required a key. Holding up the house key he made motion toward the door and raised his eyebrows in question not trusting himself to speak. The guy grinned at him and nodded slowly, he seemed to be almost anticipating their reactions to what was behind the door.

About that time Lieu having arrived came into the room and walked through the group of officers who made way for him. Bosco looked to him and when Lieu heard the guy say "Well what are you waiting for sir, open the door so I can show you all my pretties!" he nodded to Bosco who turned and unlocking and opening the door stepped back quickly, gagging at the smell with several of the others in the room doing the same. It smelled like a slaughter house down there.

Lieu quickly called for EMS in case they were needed. They were.

Bosco, CJ, Sully and Ty, Lieutenant Swersky and several of the others after having covered their mouths and noses descended the stairs and what they found would keep them awake for a long time with nightmares.

XXXX

At the bottom of the stairs next to them in a small circle of light cowering in shock of what he had witnessed and his own blood loss was a 5 year old boy, as the others came into the room they were looking around in horror at what they were seeing but CJ had noticed the boys hair through the railing as he descended and he went round the corner of the banister as he reached the bottom with Ty and squatted down next to him.

When CJ approached him he began to scream but when he saw Ty in his uniform he jumped up and ran to him, Ty took him into his arms and quickly took off up the stairs with him to the waiting paramedics, his eyes had quickly adjusted to the dim light of the basement and he needed to get out of there fast. CJ watching Ty head upstairs stood up and upon doing so let out a cry of horror before shock silenced him.

The others were staring at the walls around them and in all his years on the force Sully had never seen anything like this and hoped to God he never would again, some of the others who had come down were bent over with their hands on their knees trying to keep their composure. A few had already gone back upstairs as soon as they had seen what was down there. Bosco and Lieu had their backs to CJ and he could hear them clearing their throats. Lieu turned and putting his hand on Bosco's shoulder said "Guys, lets go this is a job for the detectives and the coroner.

As he passed CJ saw tears beginning to run down Lieus face, but he didn't look at CJ as he passed him. His heavy footsteps on the stairs echoed his heart. CJ saw Bosco through tears of his own and was about to speak when he saw Bosco begin to shake then Bosco turned and CJ saw the rage on his face. His face was wet with tears, but CJ had seen that look before and knew that there would be hell to pay, suddenly Bosco took off at a dead run for the top of the stairs, causing Sully who was looking at another wall to whirl around, seeing the look on CJ's face he said "Oh shit", the shouted up, "Lieu! Bosco on the way!"

Lieu was standing by the open back door and turned as the basement door slammed against the wall and an enraged Bosco came charging into the room and launched himself onto the guy who had done this. "Bosco, No!" he yelled, knowing that it would do no good and for once in his career didn't really give a damn and in fact did indeed hope that Bosco killed the son of a bitch, the only thing that made him continue to interfere was the idea of losing Bosco to a murder rap.

Others saw what was happening and came to stop him but if their legs suddenly moved very, very slowly well that was just how it was.

CJ and Sully reached the kitchen to see Bosco beating the living shit out of the child killer Carl and then he was strangling him with his bare hands. CJ went to move forward wondering why everyone was seeming to just stand there but Sully put out his arm and stopped him. He looked at CJ and shook his head no, the veins on Bosco's arms were standing out and he was screaming.

Finally Lieu nodded at the others and they stepped up and began to pull Bosco off. CJ was shocked at how slow they moved even though he agreed with what Bosco had done. Bosco was still raging and when they pried him off they hauled him out onto the back porch where he broke away and went down to the bottom of the steps and sat down.

CJ watched as two paramedics began to work on the guy Carl then a few minutes later stepped out onto the porch when Lieu who had blocked his way out motioned for him to step out now. The others, seeing him went back inside, none of them had dry faces but some of them patted him on the shoulder as they passed and one, Jim, asked him quietly, "Are you ok?" CJ looked at him and nodded yes and then shook his head no as he put his head down. "Join the crowd son, join the crowd," then he went back inside. CJ approached the steps and realized that Bosco had his head down and was crying. CJ didn't say anything he just turned and leaned against the frame of the railing and looked at the buildings around them wondering how no one could have noticed what was going on down there, he quietly thanked God that he had seen that little girl out the corner of his eye or else she and the little boy might be dead, then suddenly he stood up and with dread in his heart stepped to the door and asked, "Hey, does anyone know if that little girl is aright?"

Terri, one of the paramedics paused and looked around at him, by the look on her face he knew before she answered him, "I'm sorry CJ she didn't make it," before she looked down and went back to what she was doing.

CJ felt like the room was closing in on him even though he was on the porch. He turned and quickly went down the stairs past Bosco who wiping his face watched as CJ ran over to the side of the house and began throwing up. Bosco sat for a few minutes and then as he had heard Terri's answer gave a huge sigh and getting up walked over to CJ.

He placed his hand on CJ's back and asked, "You ok?"

CJ shook his head no and started to cry, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he asked Bosco, "Why, why would he, what makes someone, I mean Jesus Bosco all those little kids!"

Bosco looked at him sadly and shaking his head said "CJ if we knew the answer to that none of this kind of shit would ever happen man."

"I wish they hadn't pulled you off of him, I wish I had the guts to kill him myself for what he did" CJ was yelling now.

"Me too, CJ, me too, but then that would just bring us down to his level and it wouldn't change what he did it, would just make us killers too. Sometimes I wish I had more control but when it comes to kids but, well I just don't." He was crying again and the two of them leaned against the house and waited until Lieu came out and told them to go home, they could come in an fill out the paperwork later, they went back to where they had left Bosco's car and went home.

What they had seen that night would haunt them for the rest of their lives, it was the bodies of six children who had been slashed until they bled to death and then hung on the walls of the basement like trophies.

But the rescue of the little boy and his return to his grateful parents made unwilling heroes out of them and the Department. rewarded them with a few extra days off at the end of the month which just happened to be the weekend and week of labor day. Sully and Ty went up to Doc's cabin to camp and fish. CJ invited Bosco to his parents camp down in Louisiana for a weeks fishing in the best waters for fishing in the country. Plus his Mother had been nagging him to bring him to meet them and what CJ's Mom wants CJ's Mom gets!

TBC...