Disclaimer: Third Watch does not belong to me. It in fact belongs to NBC, the WB, John Wells, and all those other nice folk who've got their name behind this awesome series.
Content: Bad language
Rating: R
Faith and my shift had started like almost every other shift this week past. A quick chat in the locker room while getting ready, then we went to roll call and listen to Christopher hand us the bum assignments for the day, yet again. From there, we hit the streets. As we left the station house, I saw the sympathetic looks from our colleagues for the assignment Christopher had given us, heard the apologies from Sullivan and Davis. In an ideal world, I guess it would have been nice, but we were still stuck with Foot Patrol in our sector, so all the sympathy just made me want to go thump Christopher that much more.
Sixth night in a row with foot patrol, hell it was even in the same area. Some fool had said there were rowdy kids hanging about the streets, and it was our job to see that the people living in the area weren't unjustly harassed by them.
We had gotten through the first four hours of our shift pretty okay, a few of these same kids, or to say, teenagers, were looking for a scrap with some of the local teens, but our presence drove them away soon enough. As we walked along our sector, I remember noticing the amount of respect these kids were showing us. A lot different from before nine-eleven, where the Guys and Gals in Blue hardly ever received respect from the street. It was a nice change, to be completely honest, but again, in some ways it was a little off-putting. I was so used to having to use force to remove people from where they were unwelcome, it was hard to be surrounded by this…respect.
Faith and I had just settled in with our fifteen-minute break when a call came over the radio requesting our return to the station. Since I was in the driver's seat, I started the squad car and pulled it out onto the road, heading back to the station house.
As I pulled the squad into the car park and we both climbed out, I took a quick look around and soon saw Fred's truck parked next to my Mustang. I realized it must have been why we were called back in. But thinking about it, Faith should have been the only one called in, not the two of us. Okay, so that was a little confusing, I pressed the thoughts aside and headed into the station house, walking at Faith's side.
We were about to go up the stairs to the right side of the front desk when a familiar voice reigned in.
"I've been trying to get hold of you all damn afternoon."
Both of our attention was directed to the far left side of the desk. All eyes were on Faith as Fred walked around the desk and came over. Frown deep set in his face, his eyes mean as he stopped a few short feet away. I swallowed, concern for my partner settling in when Fred's eyes landed on me.
"Get lost Boscorelli, this is between me and my wife." He snarled, the smell of the liquor on his breath evident.
I was only inches away from punching him for his tone when I felt Faith's hand on my arm and I slowly turned to look at her. "It's okay. I'll meet you in five," she spoke softly.
I didn't say anything as I looked back at Fred, giving him a glare before walking away. I headed up the stairs where Lieutenant Swersky stood at the top, waiting. I stopped just to his side, noting with interest the concerned look on his face. "Boss?" I asked.
Swersky looked at me. "He's left forty messages in the last two hours. We tried to tell him she was on foot patrol and would be back in a while, but he came down here demanding to see her."
"What!?" I heard myself ask, my attention gliding over to where Faith stood. A strange feeling settled in my stomach and I immediately wished I hadn't left her. It was the same feeling I had always gotten as a child when my old man fought with my mom. I swallowed hard, hearing Fred's bitter words demand why she hadn't called him after all the messages he'd left for her, demand to know why she was ignoring him.
"You're drunk, Fred." I heard Faith say back, her voice low.
"I'm not drunk!" He hollered, my whole body immediately cringing. He was right, he wasn't drunk. He was drunk out of his fuckin' mind, big difference. "I've been calling you for the last two hours to try tell you something, but you're too damn busy for me! Me, Faith! Your husband!"
Faith stood there for a moment, before she walked away from him, heading up to where Swersky and I stood. I gave her a sympathetic look; she just looked at me. Eyes sad. I was sure she was about to say something when Fred came up the stairs, eyes shooting daggers.
"Don't you fucking turn your back on me!" He shouted, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around to face him.
My heart pounded, and I was about to lunge after him when Faith pulled free from his grip.
"I refuse to talk to you when you're drunk, Fred. Just go home!" She told him in a stern voice.
"No!" He shouted back, grabbing her by the arm again, causing Faith to wince.
At that moment, Swersky stepped forward, half a second before I would have, and demanded he let her go. "I'd let go of your wife's arm this instance if I were you."
"Don't you tell me what the fuck to do!" Fred spat, and I mean literally spat, at the Lieutenant.
"Fred!" Faith exclaimed in shock.
I knew I shouldn't have, but something crossed between a laugh and a snort escaped my lips. I quickly apologized, watching the Loo grimace as he wiped the saliva from his face.
I'm not really sure what happened next, everything seemed to happen fast, but Swersky grabbed Fred's arms and somehow managed to twist his arms up behind his back, and slap the cuffs on his wrists. "You're spending the night in a holding cell until you can learn to calm down." And with those words from the Lieutenant, Fred was marched down the corridor.
"You stupid bitch!" Fred screamed and shouted at Faith. "It's all your damn fault!"
As I stood there, watching Fred being dragged away, I looked over at my partner, who was now leaning against the wall behind her. She wore a set look on her face, I couldn't really figure out if it was pain from what her husband had said, or shock at his drunken behavior.
"It's all my fault, you know. He's right." She said, eyes moving from up the corridor where Fred and the Lieutenant had now disappeared from sight, over to me. A great wave of sadness flooded over me as I watched her eyes fill with tears. It was the first time I'd ever seen her cry before, and I had no idea what to do, or what to say, to make it all go away. "It's all my fault."
"Faith, no…don't say that." I spoke in a low voice as I walked over and stood at her side. Her line of sight was down cast, and I put my finger under her chin to turn her head to face me. "It is *not* your fault, do you hear me? It's no one but his own. Don't you ever say otherwise."
Faith looked back at me, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "I made him start drinking again, Bosco."
"Bullshit, Faith," I said back. "His drinking is his own fault." I stated, walking over to her. "You deserve better than that, better than his drunkenness. You deserve to be with someone who appreciates everything you are."
She looked up at me, eyes sparkling from the tears. "Someone like you?"
I swallowed. "Someone better than him."
There was a silence between us, and soon Faith was moving away from the wall, her face moving closer to mine. There were no second thoughts, no trying to rationalize what was happening as our lips met. As soon as the first kiss had begun it ended, but I captured Faith's lips with mine once again, placing my hands around her waist as I felt her arms wind around my neck. The embrace lasted for what seemed like forever when our lips parted and our eyes met.
"There's no where in the world that I'd rather be than with you my love…" Faith sung softly, her eyes searching mine.
I didn't think twice, the words coming to me naturally. "And there's nothing in the world that I would rather see, than your smile my love…"
Taking in a breath, we started to then sing the next verse in union. "For united we stand, divided we fall, and if our back should ever be against the wall we'll be together, together you and I…for united we stand, divided we fall, and if our back should ever be against the wall…we'll be together, together you and I…"
A tear streamed down Faith's face, "And if the world around you falls apart my love, and I'll still be…"
"And if the going gets too hard along the way, just call I'll hear…" I sang back, taking in a breath as I smiled back at her.
"Officer Boscorelli…Officer Boscorelli!"
Bosco's whole body jerked and he blinked, the owner of the small diner angrily staring at him. "That's twelve seventy five."
"Right," he cleared his throat, confused as he rummaged through his back pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He handed it to the woman and patiently waited for his change. When the woman handed him back his change, still scowling, he gathered the three small brown bags with his and Faith's dinner in it and walked out the front door of the diner, headed straight for the squad car.
Opening the door, Bosco climbed in and closed the door behind him as he did so. His eyes instantly fell on Faith, images of them kissing flooding into his mind, along with vivid recollection of the words to a song he'd never been able to remember.
