Title: Test of Time (5/12)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allan Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I don't know.
Rating: R for language and violence
Feedback: Well, it will make me write faster ;)
Chapter 5
Faith watched Bosco as he drove the squad car towards a convenience store where an attempted robbery was taking place. It had been two weeks since Mikey's death and the scene at the funeral. Faith had tried to bring up what had happened on several occasions but to no avail. Aside from his apologizing for almost hitting her, she hadn't been able to get him to open up and confide in her. Seeing him like this was tearing her up inside but she knew better than to push her partner. Bosco would confide in her only when he was ready to. She'd just have to be patient and wait until that day came. She continued to watch him as he careened around the corner, the RMP's tires squealing in the process. Faith noted that he looked tired and doubted very much that he had been getting any sleep in the last fourteen days. He never mentioned his mother and she knew that they must not be speaking to one another. Faith had been worried when her partner had come back to work after only five days off. She had even spoken to the Lieutenant, asking him if he felt that Bosco was ready to be back at work full-time in light of all the recent events. However, the Lieutenant said he was making sure that Bosco was still seeing the department psychologist on a regular basis. According to the shrink, he felt that Bosco was dealing with everything remarkably well. That's what worried Faith. She felt that Bosco was simply feeding the shrink the words he wanted to hear to get him off his back. She knew Bosco was up to something, that he wasn't telling her everything, but she couldn't get him to open up to her. She was jolted out of her reverie as the squad car jerked to a stop. If she hadn't been wearing her seat belt, she would have bashed her head on the windshield. "Jeez, Bos." She said as she quickly undid her seat belt.
"Sorry." He mumbled as he quickly bolted out of the car. "Let's go." He told her as he made his way to the front of the convenience store. He looked through the door, noting that there was only one perp. Without calling in for backup, or waiting for him and Faith to decide what their best approach should be, he opened the door, gun drawn out in front of him. "Police, drop your weapon." He said as he stepped into the store. Faith, who was momentarily stunned, quickly walked in behind him, gun drawn in front of her as well. Faith could tell that the perp in front of her was clearly on something, his blood-shot eyes and dilated pupils giving him away.
"Look," Faith said, her voice ringing throughout the store, which fortunately was deserted with the exception of the storekeeper. "Just put your weapon down. Back up is on its way." She lied as she took in the panicked youth in front of her, noting that the kid couldn't be more than 21 years old. She could see him begin to panic, his eyes darting around trying to look for a means of escape. She noticed Bosco before her, his jaw clenched, and his demeanor tense, his grip firm on his gun, his finger hovering near the trigger. "Look," Faith spoke once more, trying to diffuse the situation before anything unnecessary had to happen. "Just put your weapon down and nothing bad has to happen, okay?" She said. She held her breath waiting for his reaction and exhaled in relief when she saw the youth slowly lower the weapon on the ground and surrender, raising his arms above his head. "Kick your gun towards us, slowly." Faith told him. As soon as he did, Bosco jumped on the perp and quickly handcuffed his hands behind him, and pushed him out the front door towards the RMP, leaving Faith behind to talk to the storekeeper. He too, had noticed his blood-shot eyes and had some questions he wanted to ask him in private.
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He slammed the kid onto the hood of the car and leaned over him, speaking into his ear. "What the fuck are you on, huh? You just using or are you dealing too? Answer me you little prick!" Bosco shouted as he turned the perp around to stare into his face, his hand firmly on his throat. "Do you work for Krychek too, huh? Who is he? Where can I find the bastard? Tell me." Bosco hissed at the perp, who had no idea what the police officer was talking about. The perp's silence infuriated Bosco who started to hit him. "Talk to me you son of a bitch!" Bosco yelled as he swung his fist making contact with the kid's face, the loud crack that resounded and the pain that flared up in his hand only making him feel better. "Tell me about Krychek!" Bosco shouted as he continued to hit the young man. The blood smeared onto his hands, giving him a deep sense of satisfaction. It was at that moment that Faith came running out of the store, having seen what was happening through the store window. She quickly spun her partner around, who hadn't heard her coming because he was too wrapped up in what he was doing. He slammed backwards against the car, confusion crossing his face. He quickly looked at the bloody face of the man beside him and into the disgusted and furious eyes of his partner. He could feel the bile rise up as what he had just done finally penetrated his brain. He got up, trembling slightly, and looked into his partner's eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked him as she took in the scene before her, disbelief and disgust marring her words. "What is going on with you, Bosco? And don't think about lying to me. I have a right to know, too. For the past couple of weeks, you've been jumping at all the drug-related cases and staking out all the hot spots. I'm not an idiot, you know. If there's something going on, something you know about Mikey's death then tell me, please. Let me help." She said, her voice desperate. Bosco looked at her a few moments, wondering whether or not he should tell her. She saw him open his mouth and held her breath. He promptly shut it, and turned away from her, grabbing the perp and leading him to the back of the squad car. "You coming?" He asked, not waiting for a reply as he quickly got into the driver's seat and shut the door. Seconds later, the engine started. Faith stood outside the car in frustration for a few seconds before reluctantly opening the passenger door and sliding in beside him.
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Faith and Bosco were sitting in silence at the precinct, filling out their reports, when his voice broke the silence. "Before he died, I asked Mikey who did that to him." Bosco said, his voice breaking the uncomfortable tension between them. Faith quickly put down her pen and turned to stare at her partner who was looking at her. She waited for him to continue speaking. "He regained consciousness for a brief moment... ma went to get a doctor and me and him were alone in the room together." Bosco paused, the memory clearly painful for him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and composed himself before continuing. "It took him awhile to be able to get it out but he finally did. Then he lost consciousness again. By the time ma and the doctor had come into the room he was already out." Bosco said looking down at the ground. Faith, who had been holding her breath the entire time, finally let it out. The suspense was killing her.
"What did he say?" She asked, her voice breaking the silence. Bosco looked up, interrupted from his memory.
"Krychek." He said, looking at Faith.
"Krychek?" She repeated quietly. "I've never heard of Krychek." She said honestly as she stared back at him. "Have you run his name through the system?"
"Yeah," He said looking away from her. "I did it a few weeks ago but I can't find anything on him."
"He must be new." She mused out loud more to herself than to him. "Bosco, you know I'd love to help you if you'd let me. I liked Mikey, too. I want to help bring down his killer. Mikey might not have been a perfect angel but he wasn't a bad guy, he was just a little lost." Faith told her partner.
"I know." Bosco said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Okay," He told her. "I could use someone's help, actually." He admitted. "I haven't exactly been successful lately."
"Did you try to talk to that kid? What's his name, the one we made a deal with? The one that later lead us to Mikey?" Faith said carefully.
"I'm an idiot." Bosco said, shaking his head at his own stupidity.
"Bos, you've been through a lot lately. It's understandable. Don't beat yourself up over it." She said when she saw his expression. "Besides, that's what I'm here for, right?" She asked.
"Yeah. Thanks, Faith." Bosco said quietly.
"No problem. I'm gonna run his name through the system and see if I can turn up an address. Who knows, maybe he can help?" Faith said as she quickly turned around, eager to start researching.
"Thanks." Bosco said as he got up and walked to the coffee machine in the corner of the room. He felt better knowing that Faith was going to help him track down Krychek. The sooner he could find the son of a bitch, the sooner he could avenge his brother's death and hopefully alleviate some of his own guilt.
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An hour later, Faith placed some papers in front of him. "Did you find an address?" He asked her, looking up from his own work.
"Yeah, but that's not all." She told him, a frown creasing her brow as she slip a photocopy of a newspaper clipping in front of him. He quickly scanned the small blurb, his face pale.
"Hung?" He repeated slowly, not quite believing it.
"It was finally called in when one of the neighbors complained about the music being on all night and all afternoon, or else who knows how long it would have taken them to discover him."
"When did this happen?" Bosco asked, quietly scanning the article.
"Two days before Mikey was mugged." Faith told him softly having already memorized the article.
"That's quite a coincidence." Bosco said, his heart sinking.
"Yeah." Faith said sarcastically. "A real coincidence."
"So, it's true then." Bosco said softly. "My dad was right. I did help kill Mikey."
"No, Bos. Don't say that." Faith said, kneeling down before him.
"Why not Faith? It's the truth isn't it? I mean that kid was most likely whacked because he struck a deal with us and they probably got Mikey, too. Plus, for all we know, Mikey might have put two and two together and realized that he was next. Maybe he wanted out? Who knows? All I know is if I hadn't been after that kid, none of this would have happened..." Bosco said trailing off.
"Bos, for all you know it might be none of those reasons. And even if it was, with Mikey continuing on the path he was on, something like this was going to happen sooner or later." She told him, her heart breaking to see her partner in so much pain and guilt.
"Yeah." Bosco said as he got up and pushed back his chair. He had to get out of there. "Are we done the reports?" He asked her as he gathered his things.
"Bos, we've been finished the reports for the past hour." She told him as she also gathered her things. Bosco looked at his watch and saw that it read 12:35 am.
"Do you need a lift home?" He asked her as they made their way to the locker room.
"Nah, I'm good, thanks." She said as she put on her coat and grabbed her backpack.
"Are you sure?" He asked as he grabbed his car keys and looked at her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she walked by him.
"Faith." He said as she reached the door and pulled it open. She turned around, waiting for him to finish. "Thanks for everything." He told her, grateful that he had her help.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, kay?" She smiled as she looked back at him.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he watched her go. He quickly left the precinct and made his way to his car, eager to go home and get some rest. He had a long way to go before catching his brother's killer and he needed his rest if he was going to be able to bring the bastard down.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allan Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I don't know.
Rating: R for language and violence
Feedback: Well, it will make me write faster ;)
Chapter 5
Faith watched Bosco as he drove the squad car towards a convenience store where an attempted robbery was taking place. It had been two weeks since Mikey's death and the scene at the funeral. Faith had tried to bring up what had happened on several occasions but to no avail. Aside from his apologizing for almost hitting her, she hadn't been able to get him to open up and confide in her. Seeing him like this was tearing her up inside but she knew better than to push her partner. Bosco would confide in her only when he was ready to. She'd just have to be patient and wait until that day came. She continued to watch him as he careened around the corner, the RMP's tires squealing in the process. Faith noted that he looked tired and doubted very much that he had been getting any sleep in the last fourteen days. He never mentioned his mother and she knew that they must not be speaking to one another. Faith had been worried when her partner had come back to work after only five days off. She had even spoken to the Lieutenant, asking him if he felt that Bosco was ready to be back at work full-time in light of all the recent events. However, the Lieutenant said he was making sure that Bosco was still seeing the department psychologist on a regular basis. According to the shrink, he felt that Bosco was dealing with everything remarkably well. That's what worried Faith. She felt that Bosco was simply feeding the shrink the words he wanted to hear to get him off his back. She knew Bosco was up to something, that he wasn't telling her everything, but she couldn't get him to open up to her. She was jolted out of her reverie as the squad car jerked to a stop. If she hadn't been wearing her seat belt, she would have bashed her head on the windshield. "Jeez, Bos." She said as she quickly undid her seat belt.
"Sorry." He mumbled as he quickly bolted out of the car. "Let's go." He told her as he made his way to the front of the convenience store. He looked through the door, noting that there was only one perp. Without calling in for backup, or waiting for him and Faith to decide what their best approach should be, he opened the door, gun drawn out in front of him. "Police, drop your weapon." He said as he stepped into the store. Faith, who was momentarily stunned, quickly walked in behind him, gun drawn in front of her as well. Faith could tell that the perp in front of her was clearly on something, his blood-shot eyes and dilated pupils giving him away.
"Look," Faith said, her voice ringing throughout the store, which fortunately was deserted with the exception of the storekeeper. "Just put your weapon down. Back up is on its way." She lied as she took in the panicked youth in front of her, noting that the kid couldn't be more than 21 years old. She could see him begin to panic, his eyes darting around trying to look for a means of escape. She noticed Bosco before her, his jaw clenched, and his demeanor tense, his grip firm on his gun, his finger hovering near the trigger. "Look," Faith spoke once more, trying to diffuse the situation before anything unnecessary had to happen. "Just put your weapon down and nothing bad has to happen, okay?" She said. She held her breath waiting for his reaction and exhaled in relief when she saw the youth slowly lower the weapon on the ground and surrender, raising his arms above his head. "Kick your gun towards us, slowly." Faith told him. As soon as he did, Bosco jumped on the perp and quickly handcuffed his hands behind him, and pushed him out the front door towards the RMP, leaving Faith behind to talk to the storekeeper. He too, had noticed his blood-shot eyes and had some questions he wanted to ask him in private.
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He slammed the kid onto the hood of the car and leaned over him, speaking into his ear. "What the fuck are you on, huh? You just using or are you dealing too? Answer me you little prick!" Bosco shouted as he turned the perp around to stare into his face, his hand firmly on his throat. "Do you work for Krychek too, huh? Who is he? Where can I find the bastard? Tell me." Bosco hissed at the perp, who had no idea what the police officer was talking about. The perp's silence infuriated Bosco who started to hit him. "Talk to me you son of a bitch!" Bosco yelled as he swung his fist making contact with the kid's face, the loud crack that resounded and the pain that flared up in his hand only making him feel better. "Tell me about Krychek!" Bosco shouted as he continued to hit the young man. The blood smeared onto his hands, giving him a deep sense of satisfaction. It was at that moment that Faith came running out of the store, having seen what was happening through the store window. She quickly spun her partner around, who hadn't heard her coming because he was too wrapped up in what he was doing. He slammed backwards against the car, confusion crossing his face. He quickly looked at the bloody face of the man beside him and into the disgusted and furious eyes of his partner. He could feel the bile rise up as what he had just done finally penetrated his brain. He got up, trembling slightly, and looked into his partner's eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked him as she took in the scene before her, disbelief and disgust marring her words. "What is going on with you, Bosco? And don't think about lying to me. I have a right to know, too. For the past couple of weeks, you've been jumping at all the drug-related cases and staking out all the hot spots. I'm not an idiot, you know. If there's something going on, something you know about Mikey's death then tell me, please. Let me help." She said, her voice desperate. Bosco looked at her a few moments, wondering whether or not he should tell her. She saw him open his mouth and held her breath. He promptly shut it, and turned away from her, grabbing the perp and leading him to the back of the squad car. "You coming?" He asked, not waiting for a reply as he quickly got into the driver's seat and shut the door. Seconds later, the engine started. Faith stood outside the car in frustration for a few seconds before reluctantly opening the passenger door and sliding in beside him.
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Faith and Bosco were sitting in silence at the precinct, filling out their reports, when his voice broke the silence. "Before he died, I asked Mikey who did that to him." Bosco said, his voice breaking the uncomfortable tension between them. Faith quickly put down her pen and turned to stare at her partner who was looking at her. She waited for him to continue speaking. "He regained consciousness for a brief moment... ma went to get a doctor and me and him were alone in the room together." Bosco paused, the memory clearly painful for him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and composed himself before continuing. "It took him awhile to be able to get it out but he finally did. Then he lost consciousness again. By the time ma and the doctor had come into the room he was already out." Bosco said looking down at the ground. Faith, who had been holding her breath the entire time, finally let it out. The suspense was killing her.
"What did he say?" She asked, her voice breaking the silence. Bosco looked up, interrupted from his memory.
"Krychek." He said, looking at Faith.
"Krychek?" She repeated quietly. "I've never heard of Krychek." She said honestly as she stared back at him. "Have you run his name through the system?"
"Yeah," He said looking away from her. "I did it a few weeks ago but I can't find anything on him."
"He must be new." She mused out loud more to herself than to him. "Bosco, you know I'd love to help you if you'd let me. I liked Mikey, too. I want to help bring down his killer. Mikey might not have been a perfect angel but he wasn't a bad guy, he was just a little lost." Faith told her partner.
"I know." Bosco said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Okay," He told her. "I could use someone's help, actually." He admitted. "I haven't exactly been successful lately."
"Did you try to talk to that kid? What's his name, the one we made a deal with? The one that later lead us to Mikey?" Faith said carefully.
"I'm an idiot." Bosco said, shaking his head at his own stupidity.
"Bos, you've been through a lot lately. It's understandable. Don't beat yourself up over it." She said when she saw his expression. "Besides, that's what I'm here for, right?" She asked.
"Yeah. Thanks, Faith." Bosco said quietly.
"No problem. I'm gonna run his name through the system and see if I can turn up an address. Who knows, maybe he can help?" Faith said as she quickly turned around, eager to start researching.
"Thanks." Bosco said as he got up and walked to the coffee machine in the corner of the room. He felt better knowing that Faith was going to help him track down Krychek. The sooner he could find the son of a bitch, the sooner he could avenge his brother's death and hopefully alleviate some of his own guilt.
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An hour later, Faith placed some papers in front of him. "Did you find an address?" He asked her, looking up from his own work.
"Yeah, but that's not all." She told him, a frown creasing her brow as she slip a photocopy of a newspaper clipping in front of him. He quickly scanned the small blurb, his face pale.
"Hung?" He repeated slowly, not quite believing it.
"It was finally called in when one of the neighbors complained about the music being on all night and all afternoon, or else who knows how long it would have taken them to discover him."
"When did this happen?" Bosco asked, quietly scanning the article.
"Two days before Mikey was mugged." Faith told him softly having already memorized the article.
"That's quite a coincidence." Bosco said, his heart sinking.
"Yeah." Faith said sarcastically. "A real coincidence."
"So, it's true then." Bosco said softly. "My dad was right. I did help kill Mikey."
"No, Bos. Don't say that." Faith said, kneeling down before him.
"Why not Faith? It's the truth isn't it? I mean that kid was most likely whacked because he struck a deal with us and they probably got Mikey, too. Plus, for all we know, Mikey might have put two and two together and realized that he was next. Maybe he wanted out? Who knows? All I know is if I hadn't been after that kid, none of this would have happened..." Bosco said trailing off.
"Bos, for all you know it might be none of those reasons. And even if it was, with Mikey continuing on the path he was on, something like this was going to happen sooner or later." She told him, her heart breaking to see her partner in so much pain and guilt.
"Yeah." Bosco said as he got up and pushed back his chair. He had to get out of there. "Are we done the reports?" He asked her as he gathered his things.
"Bos, we've been finished the reports for the past hour." She told him as she also gathered her things. Bosco looked at his watch and saw that it read 12:35 am.
"Do you need a lift home?" He asked her as they made their way to the locker room.
"Nah, I'm good, thanks." She said as she put on her coat and grabbed her backpack.
"Are you sure?" He asked as he grabbed his car keys and looked at her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she walked by him.
"Faith." He said as she reached the door and pulled it open. She turned around, waiting for him to finish. "Thanks for everything." He told her, grateful that he had her help.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, kay?" She smiled as she looked back at him.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he watched her go. He quickly left the precinct and made his way to his car, eager to go home and get some rest. He had a long way to go before catching his brother's killer and he needed his rest if he was going to be able to bring the bastard down.