Title: Reunion (1/1)

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 man from Faith's past resurfaces and unintentionally causes more problems between her and Fred.

Author's Note: This is the seventh 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," and the sixth is "Sadness." You may want to read those first before continuing.

Previously:

*"Apparently Fred and I are supposed to be going to Emily's school to talk to her principal, which he failed to mention to me."
"What? Why do you have to go to the school, or for that matter... why the hell didn't he tell you?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. He probably just forgot." Her jaw clenched. "Some boy at her school was going around looking up all the girl's dresses today."
Bosco cringed at the thought. "What a pervert. Hope they suspend him."
"Three day suspension." She shook her head. "He should be expelled," she said angrily.
"Tell them that tomorrow. The kid should be. When I was seven, this boy at my school did the same thing, he was never allowed back in the school."
"Oh, believe me, I'm gonna tell them. If he's allowed back, who knows what he'll do next," she said tensely.

*"Thanks for being here, Bosco."
"Sure thing. I enjoyed the company."
"No, I meant...For being here for me," she said softly.
He nodded, smiling. "Anytime, you know I'll always be here for you."
"I know." She rose to her feet and instantly felt another dizzy spell wash over her as her head pounded. She grabbed her head in one hand as she sat back down, hard on the booth.
"Faith!" he almost shouted. "Are you okay?"
She grimaced at the pain. "Yeah...my head is just....I've had this headache all day."

*"Why don't you ask your kids? Ask them how many times you've made promises to go to after school soccer matches, but never turned up. Or missing Emily's meet."
Guilt flooded her and she turned away to stare out the window at the rain. She swallowed hard, unable to respond to his words.
"You can't deny it, can you, Faith?" he asked, his voice cruel and sharp.
"No, I can't," she said softly.
Fred lowered his voice as he walked over to her. "I don't want you making promises to them ever again."

*"My problem with him is that I'm sick of you working with him! I'm sick of Bosco this, Bosco that! I'm sick of the fact you won't damn well tell me what the fucking two of you were doing at that damned bank last night!"
The breath caught in her throat. "We were being held hostage," she snapped.
He shook his head. "No! Not then, I meant before...why the two of you were at the bank at the *same* time."
Faith glared at him. "Well, I went because I needed to get some money so I could go grocery shopping. If you want to know why Bosco was there, why don't you ask him? Because I don't know."
He scowled. "Don't you worry, I will," he promised through gritted teeth.

Reunion

Faith awoke on the sofa to the smell of bacon frying. She frowned, confused momentarily. Had she fallen asleep watching tv? Her mind flashed back to the previous night, to the fight she'd had with Fred and everything that had happened the day before. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes again. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

She heard footsteps approaching and she willed herself to keep her eyes shut.

"Faith, breakfast," Fred said, gently shaking Faith by the shoulder. "Come on sleepy head, it's your favorite, bacon and eggs."

She slowly opened her eyes, feeling even more confused when she saw him smiling down at her.

"You made breakfast?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, come on, eat it while it's hot, honey," he replied.

She stared at him, not understanding what was going on in his head. Didn't he even remember their fight last night?

She stood up slowly and followed him into the kitchen, shaking her head as she looked around at all the food. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Fred smiled again. "Well no. But the kids are already off to school, and I rang work to let them know I'd be in late so I could spend some time with my wife."

She smiled back, feeling a bit dazed. "That was nice, Fred. Thanks."

He just smiled again. "Eat up."

Her stomach churned as she looked at the eggs and bacon. She hesitantly reached out and took the plate off the counter and took a few bites. "You're not going to get in trouble for being late are you?"

He shook his head. "I just have to work a little later tonight."

She nodded, then looked down at her plate before pausing. "Emily mentioned that we're supposed to be at her school for a conference with her principal today."

"What?" he asked, frown etching over his face.

Faith took a deep breath and looked at him. "She said she gave you the note."

He let out a long sigh. "And I told her I'd deal with it," he snapped.

She was taken aback by his tone. "It's just she said we were supposed to both be there."

"I said I'd deal with it. Why that girl had to tell you I have no idea," he groaned, staring at his wife.

She frowned. "I'm not working today, anyway. It's not a problem."

"Well, I always deal with these kind of things, she's never needed to tell you before."

"It just came up while they were eating dinner," she said, her voice quiet, hurt by the implication of his statement. "Besides that, she's my daughter, too."

"Your daughter, too?" he asked, huffing. "Since when? Since you felt like playing 'mother'!?"

She stared at him, feeling at a loss for words. "What the hell is going on with you, Fred?" she asked, confused by his change of mood.

Fred eyed her angrily. "You are! I tried to play your game, Faith. But you can't just be a mother to those kids simply because you're not working!"

Faith stood up from the table. "What do you want from me? First you're mad because I work too much and now you're mad because I'm not working?"

He held her gaze, glaring at her. "Mad because you're not working!? Faith, I'm mad because you have hardly anything to do with those kids, then suddenly, a week off work and you think you can just pick up like you never stopped? Not after everything I've done for them, after all we've been through *without* you!"

She shook her head and carried her plate to the sink wordlessly and began to do the dishes. "I'll be at Emily's school at one like Principal Gatsby requested," she said quietly, her voice firm.

Fred walked up behind her, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her around to face him. "Don't turn your back on me. You're not going. I said I'd deal with it, and I'm going to!"

She gritted her teeth. "Let. Go. Of. Me," she commanded, her voice rising as she emphasised each word.

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!"

Faith stared at him. "Get out," she said softly.

He stood there, almost shocked by what she'd said. "I beg your padon?"

"I said get out. Go to work." She turned away from him, tears brimming in her eyes as anger rose within her.

He shook his head at her, teeth clenched. "With pleasure, I'm sick of being around you," he spat, walking out of the kitchen and through to the living room where his cap for work was. He grabbed the cap and his keys from the coffee table and left the apartment.

She closed her eyes as he slammed the door behind him and she stared down at the water in the sink. What the hell had just happened?

Bosco sat reclined in his armchair, hands clasped over his stomach. His mind was filled with thoughts from the day before. He couldn't get away from wondering what was wrong with Faith, hell, he wasn't sure he wanted to. How he felt for her made him even more worried that something was wrong, something that even Faith didn't know what it was. He had lain awake all night long, not able to sleep a single moment, when he finally felt his eyes start to drift shut.

He could feel every part of him drift into that state of mind between sleep and consciousness when there was a loud thumping on the door. Startled, he sat up straight, his hands tightly gripping onto the arms of the chair. He could feel his heart pounding deep in his chest, and he quickly jumped to his feet and went over to the door, cursing the fool on the other side of the door for waking him just as he'd finally been able to get some sleep.

Fred glared at Bosco the minute he opened the door.

"God, what the hell do you want?" he asked, his right eye squinting slightly from the light the opened door let in.

Fred pushed his way past Bosco inside the apartment. "I want to know why the hell you keep showing up everywhere my wife is," he said, his anger just barely under control.

Bosco groaned, rolling his eyes. "No, really, I insist, come on in," he mumbled under his breath, turning to Fred. He let out a breath, slightly shrugging. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Fred glared at him again. "My ass you don't know what I'm talking about. The bank, McDonalds. Everywhere she goes, you show up. I want to know why and I want to know right damned now."

He scratched the back of his head, sighing inwardly. "Well, the day at the bank, I was getting my paycheck cashed. As for McDonald's, I was driving past when I saw them through the window. And, since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, I decided to go get something to eat. Happy?" he asked, his tone full of sarcasm.

"No, I'm not happy," he snapped. "Now you're going to tell me exactly what happened in that damned bank that has Faith so screwed up!"

Bosco eyed him. "As far as I was aware, what happened to Faith is up to her to tell you, not me. So don't you come in here making demands," he said, keeping his voice calm.

"She's my damned wife and I have the right to know what happened!" he said angrily.

"Then ask *her!*"

Fred shook his head in disgust. "I have," he seethed. "She won't talk to me. I don't know what the hell her damned problem is." He glared at Bosco again. "But you know because you were there. So tell me what happened."

Bosco shook his head. "No, I won't break her confidence. If she *wanted* you to know, she would have told you."

"You son of a bitch," he cursed, his eyes narrowing. "What do you think you are? Her fucking knight-in-shining-armor?"

Bosco stepped against the door of his apartment, holding it opened. "*No, I'm her friend.* Now get the hell out before I throw you out!"

Fred stalked toward the door, glaring at Bosco on the way. "Stay away from her, Bosco. I mean it. Or you'll be sorry."

Bosco followed him with his eyes. "You lay a hand on her again, you'll be the one who's sorry," he warned, his eyes set on Fred.

He turned to look at Bosco. "I didn't touch her," he said, scowling.

Bosco didn't reply, just slammed the door shut with a swift movement of his hand.

Faith was in a restless, dreamless sleep when she heard a distant knocking sound. She frowned but didn't open her eyes. Was the knocking in her imagination? After a couple minutes when it didn't stop, she struggled and sat up on the sofa, throwing the blanket off her and standing up, blinking a few times rapidly to try and clear the sleep from her eyes as she headed toward the door. She took a deep breath, tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear and opened the door, stunned to see her brother Stanley standing in front of her.

"Faith," he said, swallowing.

She stared at him, not sure he was really standing there. "Hi," she said, her voice echoing her surprise.

Stanley shifted where he stood."I-ah, heard what happened, on the news...I had to come, see how you're doing."

She could hardly believe he was there. The last time they'd talked was when she'd kicked him out of the apartment on Thanksgiving and that was over two years ago. She shook her head slowly, still not believing that he was there. "Do you....want to come in?"

He slowly nodded. "If...uh, that's okay?"

Faith stepped aside, holding the door open for him. "Yeah, come on in," she said quietly, not taking her eyes off him.

Stanley swallowed again, stepping in the apartment. He stopped only a few feet inside and turned to her again. "How are you holding up?" he asked, his tone deep and caring.

"I'm good," she answered immediately, not even stopping to think about it. "How are you?"

"Doin' alright." He swallowed again, slightly clearing his throat. "How are the kids and Fred?"

She broke her gaze from him. "They're fine. How are Joan and Ryan?"

Stanley took in a low breath. "They're good. Joan's pregnant, five months."

"Are you serious?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah. We'd been trying for six months before."

"That's so great!" She smiled. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thank you." He smiled back. "So how are things with you and Fred?"

She hesitated momentarily, keeping the smile plastered on her face. "Good. You want something to drink?"

Stanley nodded. "Glass of water would be great, thanks."

Faith nodded. "Sure." She headed into the kitchen, wincing as she bumped her hand against a cabinet. She looked down at the bandage she'd put on after cutting it this morning on the broken plate fragments she'd cleaned up. She ignored the pain and then pulled a glass from the cabinet. "Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?"

Stanley followed her to the kitchen. "Well, Joan and I found out when Ryan was born. So we've decided to wait and see this time."

She smiled. "How is Ryan?"

The smile on his face widened. "Great. He's growing up so fast, though."

She looked at him sympathetically. "Yeah, tell me about it," she said softly.

"We're actually thinking of transferring him to St Elizabeth's," he said, pausing to wait for her reply.

She turned to look at him again. "That's a long way away from your place."

He nodded, clearing his throat once more. "After the attacks, and now, with the bank robbery...we...I realised I need to be closer to my family."

She swallowed hard. "I...uh...I was sort of under the impression that you didn't want to see me again. After last time..."

"Things change. At least, I'm hoping they will, between us. I hate this feud between us, Faith, I...I want you back in my life."

Faith felt tears spring to her eyes. "Me too," she admitted.

Stanley stepped over to her. "I'm so sorry for all the shit I put you through," he said, before taking her in his arms and hugging her.

She hugged him back, closing her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry, too. I've missed you."

He closed his eyes, too, hugging her tightly. "I've missed you too, Faith," he whispered.

Faith took a sip of her water and smiled at her brother. "I can't wait to see Ryan again."

Stanley smiled, sipping from his own glass of water. He set it down on the coffee table again. "He's looking forward to seeing you again. We all can't wait to see Emily and Charlie. Those pictures don't really do them justice." He smiled again.

She nodded in agreement. "What are you doing this weekend? Any plans?"

"None. What about you?"

"No, nothing," she said, starting to feel a spark of excitement for seeing her nephew and sister-in-law again.

Stanley nodded, when a half smirk, half smile appeared on his lips. "Why don't we all go to the Zoo? Joan and I have been meaning to take Ryan for weeks now, but with our busy work schedules, we haven't been able to."

"That sounds great." She paused, her mind flashing to Fred's warning about not making any promises to the kids. She pushed the thought away and smiled again. At that moment, she heard the front door open. Oh, no, she thought, her eyes widening slightly.

"Great. It's a plan then. We'll pick you up?" he asked, smiling. "I picked up a mini-van last Thursday, so we can all go together..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the change of expression in his sister's face. He began to worry and put his hand over hers. "Faith, is everything okay?"

She nodded and started to scoot her chair back from the table when Fred walked in. His gaze immediately landed on Stanley. His eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Faith stood up. "He heard about the bank robbery and came to check on me," she said quickly.

Stanley stood up almost instantly. He looked at his sister momentarily before turning back to Fred. He cleared his throat. "She's my sister, I came to make sure she was okay," he said, standing defensively.

"You're not welcome here," he said shortly.

"I didn't come here to see you," he informed Fred.

"I don't care why you're here. This is my house and I said you're not welcome. Get out."

Stanley looked at Faith again, then turned his gaze back to Fred. "I didn't come here to start an argument with you, Fred."

"It's my house, too, Fred," she reminded him quietly.

He turned to glare at her. "You're always on everyone's side but mine, aren't you?"

Stanley glared at Fred. "Hey, leave her alone."

"Don't tell me what to do," he barked, not looking at the other man as he glared at his wife.

Faith looked at her brother sadly. "I'll walk you out," she said, her voice soft, apologetic.

Stanley glared at Fred a moment longer, then turned back to his sister. "Thanks," he said, not even looking at Fred once as he walked toward the apartment door.

She followed him, feeling guilty. She walked him to the door. "I'm really sorry," she apologized.

Stanley stopped after opening the door and turned back to her. "It's okay." He smiled. "I didn't come here to start a fight. Just to sort things out between us. We still on for this weekend?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. I'll call you," she promised.

"Great." He smiled for a long moment, before leaving.

Faith closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment and sighing lightly.

Fred glowered. He walked toward his wife, stopping short of a few feet away from the archway of the small hallway. "What about this weekend?" he demanded.

She didn't even look at him as she headed toward the kitchen to clean up the table from lunch. "He and Joan are taking Ryan to the zoo and I'm gonna take Em and Charlie. You can go if you want."

Fred scowled, following behind her. "Oh no, you're not. I told you, no more promises, Faith! I don't want you taking my kids anywhere near him."

"It wasn't a promise, the kids don't even know. I don't work this weekend. And I know you don't like Stanley, but I don't like a lot of your friends and I don't complain about it. He's my brother, the kids's uncle. They deserve a chance to know him. And their cousin." She calmly put the dishes in the sink and started to run some fresh water.

He let out a long deep breath through his nostrils. "I don't care," he said, keeping his voice stern. "I don't want him having anything to do with them, or this family. Am I understood?"

She turned to glare at him. "You're not going to keep me and my kids from seeing my brother."

The scowl on Fred's face deepened. "Not while you're living under my roof!" he shouted, pointing down at the ground.

Faith raised her eyebrows. "*Your* roof? Excuse me? Last time I checked my name is on that lease, too. You don't rule this household, Fred." She turned back to the dishes.

He angrily shook his head. "Your name might be on that lease, Faith, but this is still *my* apartment," he stated, abruptly walking away and pushing the chair from the table angrily out of his way as he headed out of the apartment.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to follow him. "No, this is *our* apartment, Fred," she said angrily. "You're not the only one who pays the bills!"

Fred stopped in his steps, swinging back around to face her. "This has nothing to do with who pays the bills, Faith! It's about who takes care of everything that has to do with this household! And that sure as hell is not you!" he shouted.

"Yeah, well if it weren't for me we wouldn't have a household in the first place!" she snapped.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean!?"

She glared at him. "I mean this is the first steady job you've *ever* had! I've been working my ass off since we started working together, just to keep a roof over our heads."

He just shook his head, scowl growing deeper. "Go to hell!"

Faith turned around and headed back to the kitchen. "Yeah, I'll see you there," she muttered.

Fred stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Faith took a deep breath, trying to calm her ragged nerves as she knocked on Principal Gatsby's door.

"Come in," a voice called from the other side of the door.

She opened the door and stepped inside, looking at the principal. "Principal Gatsby?"

Gatsby smiled up above his half cut glasses. He smiled, making his thin lined moustache stetching across his broad smile. "Mrs Yokas, please, take a seat," he said, motioning toward the chairs in front of his desk with his hand.

She smiled back, but it was forced, not real. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at him.

His brow creased as he looked back over by the door. He turned his gaze back to Faith, removing his glasses. "Your husband wasn't able to make it to this meeting?"

She shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I don't know if he's coming or not," she answered.

Just then, Fred walked in the doorway, removing his cap as he closed the door behind him. "Sorry I was late," he said, not even looking at Faith once. "Traffic."

Faith avoided looking at him.

Gatsby nodded, motioning towards the seat beside Faith. He waited for Fred to be seated before continuing. "I'm glad you could both make it. In these kind of situations, it's best to talk with both parents."

She nodded. " So what happened exactly?"

The principal frowned. "One of the boys in Emily's class was caught looking up the dresses of the girls' in the same class. I think what I need to know is, what exactly did Emily tell you about what happened?"

She frowned. " I think what I'd like to know is why the boy was only suspended and not expelled."

"Just answer his damned question, Faith," he snapped, still not looking at her.

"No, Mrs. Yokas that's a good question. In fact, that's why the meetings have been called. I've asked the parents of all the girls in the class who had their dresses looked up in, because I want to know what they want done."

"I want him expelled," she said directly, looking right at him.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, looking at Faith for a moment, then back to the principal. "Emily was one of the girls? She never told us that."

"She told me," she answered, not looking at him.

Fred glared at her.

She ignored him and waited for the principal to respond.

"Yes, Mr. Yokas, Emily was one of the girls involved." He looked back at Faith, leaning forward slightly. "We could expell him, Mrs Yokas, but his parents don't want him to leave the school. He's already been expelled from four other schools in the past..."

"I'm not concerned about what his parents want or what happens to him. The only thing I care about is knowing that my daughter is safe here at school," she said, her voice rising slightly.

"She is safe. We have one of the highest safety records in the City. We also believe in giving children a second chance."

"Second chance my ass," he mumbled.

"A second chance to do something worse next time?"

"That's not what I meant." He let out a sigh. "Would it make it any different to know he'll be going to a different class?"

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "What about the playground? And lunch? Just because he's in a different class doesn't mean that he won't be around her at all. And what about the other girls in his class?"

"I assure you Mrs. Yokas, Emily and the other girls are quite safe. Teachers will walk the playground every day, and keep a strict eye on him during all lunch periods."

Faith sat back in her chair."If you'd already decided what his punishment was going to be, why did you call us in here?" she asked calmly.

Gatsby tapped the pen on his desk several times before letting out a breath. "The truth is Mrs. Yokas, I agree with you. As does every parent of the other girls involved in this incident."

She sighed. "So then, what's the problem?"

"School board. They don't want to be seen with this on their record."

She stared at him. "I don't believe this," she muttered, disgusted.

At her side, Fred shook his head, growling. "This is a waste of our time."

"I know I shouldn't tell you this Mr. and Mrs. Yokas," he said, looking between the pair, then settling his eyes on Faith. "But my wife is running a petition to have him expelled. I don't agree with the Board's decision any more than you do. That's why I called this urgent meeting."

Faith nodded. "We'll sign it," she said instantly. "When's the next school board meeting?"

"This Friday," he said, removing the clipboad and attached white sheet of paper from his top drawer and handing it to Faith.

She took the clipboard from him and quickly signed the petition, then handed it off to Fred. "We'll be there."

Gatsby just smiled.

Fred took the clipboard and scribbled out his name and signature, promptly handing it back to the principal."If he doesn't go, our kids will."

Faith rose to her feet. "Thanks for meeting with us, Principal Gatsby."

Gatsby rose to his feet. "Of course." He smiled. "We'll see you on Friday then."

Fred merely gave Gatsby a look and walked out. Not looking at Faith, or saying anything to her.

She nodded, then followed Fred out the door into the hallway.

Faith walked out to the parking lot and caught sight of Fred standing by the truck. He kicked at a rock on the pavement as he stood facing the opposite direction. She took a deep breath and walked over to him.

Fred turned around hearing her, deep frown set on his face. "What the hell was that about?"

She shook her head, still feeling angry and disgusted herself. "Hell if I know. Those board members are gonna get an earful Friday night, though."

"Yeah, well you're on your own Friday."

She frowned, confused. "What?"

He let out a breath, hating to have to give his reasons for not being there. "I've decided to take some overtime at work. I work Friday night."

Faith stared at him. She was supposed to work Friday night, too. Shit, she thought.

"We discussed this months ago, Faith. I told you if an opening for overtime arose, I'd take it."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just didn't realize it was going to be this soon."

"Well, I'm not handing the overtime over to someone else. You'll have to get a sitter."

She sighed slightly. "Yeah, okay."

"A cheap one," he stated.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'll find someone," she said vaguely.

"Good. So you'll remember to pick up the kids this afternoon?"

Faith looked at him. "I've never forgotten to before."

He stared at her briefly, before turning around to unlock the truck. He opened the door, looking at her once again. "Maybe you should just get a sitter to pick them up and watch them."

"I'm not gonna forget my kids, Fred."

"Oh, I'm not doubting you'll remember to pick them up," he said, his voice ringing with cruelty. "I'm worried that you won't be able to handle them."

She stared at him, hurt. Then wordlessly, she turned and walked away, back toward the school.

Fred glared after her, then climbed in the truck and slammed the door shut before starting the engine and driving off.

No sooner after the bell had rung and Emily had gathered her belongings and her bag, she found her way down to Charlie's class room and walked with him out the main doors to the school. They were walking outside when she shoved him forward. "Quit picking on me!" she said, watching him stumble slightly, yet still keep his balance on his feet.

Charlie glared at her. "Don't push me, jerk."

"Well stop picking on me," she bit back, shaking her head at him.

"Then quit bad-mouthing Mom," he snapped.

"I haven't. You're the one that keeps going on about *the past*."

Charlie looked away. "You didn't see her face."

She looked at him, slowing down as he walked ahead. Her stomach suddenly felt all funny. She caught up with Charlie, but didn't say anything else. He was right, she hadn't. But even from the tone of her mom's voice, Emily knew that she'd hurt her. She hadn't meant to.

He looked over to where there was a taxi parked in the parking lot. His eyes widened slightly. "Is that---?"

Emily's eyes followed Charlie's line of vision. "Mom?" she said, a little shocked.

He nodded, then picked up his pace a little. "It is!"

Emily didn't walk any faster, she just slowly walked to the car. The same funny feeling in her stomach growing.

Faith smiled as she spotted her kids walking toward her. Charlie ran the last few steps and hugged her tightly. Her smile faded a bit and her heart sank as she saw the frown on Emily's face and realized that she wasn't moving any faster.

"Mom!"

Faith smiled down at him. "Hey, Sweetie. How was school?"

Emily trugged over, dumping her bag on the ground as she watched her brother hugging their mom.

"It was okay." He shrugged, then smiled at her again. "You didn't work today?"

She looked up, distracted by Emily tossing her bag on the ground. "No, I didn't work today."

Emily leaned up against the cab, sighing. The frown on her face deepened, she looked up at her mom. "Why didn't dad come pick us up? He always picks us up."

Faith bit her lip slightly, trying to keep the smile on her face. "He's working overtime tonight."

"Oh. How come you're not working then? Is it 'cause Dad's working overtime?" she asked, looking at Charlie momentarily, before looking back at their mom.

"No, I just had the day off." Her heart sank a bit more as she heard the disappointment in her daughter's voice. "I thought maybe I'd make you guys dinner and we could watch some movies."

Charlie's eyes widened. "Sweet!"

She smiled faintly and rested her hand on his shoulder.

Emily's mood lightened slightly and a small smile appeared on her face. "What movie?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Well, what do you want to see?" she asked, feeling hopeful.

Emily's smile widened. "Pochahontas?"

Faith smiled back. "Sure, we can watch Pochahontas."

"Cool! And we can have flavoured pop-corn, too? Please, Mom?"

"Sure, Sweetie."

"Awesome!" Charlie said, grinning broadly.

"So what are we still standing around for?" she asked, laughing as she gathered her bag and climbed into the cab.

Faith chuckled and waited for Charlie to get in before she crawled in beside him.

Faith used a spoon to taste the spaghetti sauce she was about to add to the pasta and frowned. It was still too bland. She added a bit more seasoning to it and stirred it up. She could hear the television from the other room, and the sound of her kids talking every now and then as they watched the Disney movie. She looked down at the sauce bowl and staggered backwards a bit as she saw two bowls instead of one. She blinked a few times, feeling suddenly tired.

"Mo-om, what's for dinner?" Emily asked, smiling at Charlie as she called out from the sofa.

Faith squeezed her eyes shut as her head started to pound. "Spaghetti," she called back.

She shook her head, trying to clear her head.

"When's it going to be ready?" she called out again, grinning at Charlie once more.

She pressed her hand to her head. "In about a half-hour." She reached for the wooden spoon and started to stir the sauce again when the room began to spin. Faith grabbed hold of the counter top, trying to keep her balance. I better sit down, she thought. She let go of the counter and headed toward the table, but the second she moved the world tilted.

"Good, cause I'm huunnngrrry!" Charlie called.

Her arms flailed out, trying to grab for the counter again, but only managing to grab the sauce pan as she fell toward the floor, hearing the sound of her children's laughter as the world grew dark.

Almost instantly hearing the thud in the kitchen, followed by the clattering of the pan on the floor, Emily shot a look at her brother. "What was that?" she said, almost breathless.

He looked at her with wide eyes. "I don't know." He looked toward the kitchen. "Mom?"

She looked toward the kitchen, too, climbing up on her knees on the sofa. "Mom, are you okay!?" she called out, looking at Charlie once more, fear in her eyes.

When there was no response from their mom, Charlie looked at her, frightened. "Em..."

"She's okay," she told him quickly, wanting to believe it herself as she jumped off the sofa and headed into the kitchen.

Charlie quickly followed her, his eyes widening even more as he saw his mom laying on the floor, unconscious. "Mom!" he cried.

"Mom!" she cried out at the same time as Charlie. Her hands started to tremble as she rushed over and crouched down beside her. "Wake up, Mom...wake up!" she shouted, shaking her mom by the shoulder.

He stood there, frozen, watching his older sister shake their mom, who remained unresponsive.

Emily turned to Charlie, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Call 911! Tell them to hurry!" she told him, returning her attention to her mom. She shook her again, but she still wouldn't wake up. "Mom, please, wake up!"

Charlie quickly ran for the phone and dialed 911.

Carlos carried the medical bags under his arm as they walked along the hall to apartment 17b. He turned back to Kim for a moment, whom he was working with since Doc and Alex both had the day off, then continued to the door. He knocked several times. "Hello? This is the EMS!" he said in a loud voice, turning to Kim again as she stopped at his side.

Kim waited, feeling slightly impatient.

He knocked louder on the door, when suddenly it opened and a young boy stood in front of him. "Oh God." He turned to Kim. "This is Yokas' place."

Her eyes widened. "What??"

Charlie looked at them frightened. "We can't wake her up!"

Carlos turned back to Charlie. "Where is she?" he asked.

"In the kitchen," he said, stepping aside to let them in.

Carlos nodded, walking into the apartment and heading directly over to the kitchen through the living area. He walked into the kitchen to find Faith's daughter shaking her mom, crying and calling out to her to wake up. "How long ago did she faint?" he asked, placing down his bag and removing the small flashlight from his pocket as he crouched down by Faith's side.

"A while ago. She was making dinner!" she answered, her voice shaking.

Kim knelt down next to Faith, swallowing hard as she pressed her fingers to the other woman's neck to check her pulse.

Carlos shone the pocket light in Faith's left eye first, then her right eye. "Pupil's are responsive," he said, stuffing the pocket light back in his pocket. He removed a blood pressure gauge from the bag and applied it to Faith's arm. "What's the heart rate?" he asked, watching the dial on the bp gauge."BP's 95 over 60. "

"Pulse is 110."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Charlie asked tearfully.

Carlos looked at Kim, then over at Faith's two young children. "She's going to be fine," he told them both, turning back to Kim. "Try the salts."

Kim nodded and reached into one of the medical bags just as Faith moaned lightly.

"Faith...Faith...can you hear me?" Carlos asked loudly.

Her eyes didn't open, but her eyebrows furrowed. "Bosco..."

Kim looked at Carlos, frowning.

Carlos sighed slightly, relieved. He looked back at Kim, noticing the frown on her face. He looked down at Faith again. "No, it's Carlos...you fainted."

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Carlos?" she repeated, sounding confused.

"I'm here. Your kids called 911. Kim and I are here, do you know where you are, Faith?"

She frowned, blinking a few times and struggling to sit up. "My apartment?" she guessed, wincing as her head pounded.

He pushed her back down, gently. "That's right. Just lie down, though, we want to check a few more stats before we let you move."

Kim looked at her in concern as she reached for the thermometer. "Do you remember what happened?"

Faith closed her eyes again, her hand reaching up to head to try and stop the pain. "I was...making spaghetti...then everything got dark. I don't know. "

"Mommy, are you okay?" Charlie asked, frightened.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm fine, Charlie," she said, trying to sound assuring.

Emily stood silent, not knowing what to say or do. Her whole body was shaking.

"Has this ever happened before?" Carlos asked, checking her pulse again.

"No." Her gaze drifted over to her daughter. "It's okay, Em."

Tears streamed down Emily's face, and her lower lip begun to tremble as she tried not to cry.

Faith reached her hand out to Emily."I'm okay," she said again, her voice strong.

Carlos looked at Kim. He turned back to Faith. "Is there any kind of change in diet? Any medicine you might be taking that could have caused this to happen?"

She swallowed hard. "I forgot to eat lunch," she lied.

Kim wasn't sure why, but she didn't believe her. She frowned deeply, feeling worry settle into her stomach.

Carlos didn't believe her either. He looked sternly at Faith. "Your blood pressure was low, Faith. And it's not because you forgot to eat lunch."

Faith turned her head to give him a look of warning. "I was light-headed from not eating. That's all."

"Well, if that's the case, I don't want you missing lunch any more."

Faith sat up slowly. "I'll keep that in mind," she said wryly.

Charlie hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder.

She hugged him back, swallowing hard. "I'm okay," she assured him softly.

"Mommy..." she said, her voice low, scratchy.

Faith reached her arms up and pulled Emily into the hug, as well. She kissed her on the forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys."

Carlos let out a breath, looking over at Kim as he put the equipment he'd removed from his bag back into it.

Kim looked back at him, still frowning slightly, and glancing back at Faith in worry. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital just to be on the safe side."

Faith immediately shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Really. Thank you. I'm sorry I was a bother."

"The doctor's would probably like to keep you in over night, especially with that blood pressure," he added, looking back at Kim.

She looked back at Kim and Carlos. Faith: I'm not going to the hospital.

Carlos shook his head at Faith.

Emily cried into her mom's shoulder.

Faith hugged Emily a little tighter, stroking her hair lightly. "I'm sorry, Em," she whispered.

"It's not a bother. We just want to make sure you're okay."

"I just don't want to lose you..." Emily whispered.

She swallowed hard again. "You're not gonna lose me, all right? I promise."

"We can't make you go to the hospital if you don't want to," he said, sounding dissapointed that Faith, of all people, would be so stubborn.

She heard the disappointment in Carlos' voice and she looked at him, trying to figure out why he even cared. They barely knew each other. She kissed Charlie back, then stood up slowly, pulling away from her kids. "I'll be right back, okay, guys?" she said to her kids.

Charlie nodded, still looking shaken.

"I love you," Emily whispered.

Faith felt tears sting her eyes and her heart clenched. "I love you, too."

Charlie kissed her on the cheek. "Me too."

Carlos picked the bags up and hiked the straps over his shoulder.

Faith guided the paramedics back toward the door, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her kids weren't around. She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Kim frowned, confused as to why she was apologizing. "For what?"

Faith looked at her. "For calling you out here for nothing."

"For nothing?" Carlos repetaed, anger showing in his voice. "That wasn't 'nothing', Faith. You fainted."

She instantly took a small step back from him as she heard the anger in his tone.

Kim stared at her, startled. She glanced over at Carlos.

"I'm okay," she said, her voice shaky.

"If you won't care about yourself for you, care about yourself for your kids. Did you see how frightened they were in there?"

Faith looked down at the floor, feeling the tears start to build again. "Yeah, I did. But I'm fine."

Kim shot him a glare. "Back off ," she said, her voice nearly inaudible.

Carlos glared back at Kim, then looked at Faith. He didn't say anything else, just shook his head and headed back along the hall the way they had come.

Kim smiled briefly at Faith, still feeling worried. "If you change your mind..."

Faith nodded. "Thanks."

Kim turned and followed Carlos down the hall. She caught up with him. "Hey."

Carlos looked at her, frown on his face. He looked away as he continued along the hall. "What?"

"What was that about? You were really hard on her back there."

"She has kids, she should be taking better care of herself," he retorted.

Kim kept up with his fast pace. "Something's not right," she murmured.

He shot her a look, but didn't reply.

Faith was resting on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the tv screen, though she wasn't really paying attention to it. The kids were in their room doing their homework and the apartment was in almost total silence. Her head still hurt despite the fact she'd taken four advil over an hour ago. She pressed a hand to her temple, wincing. She heard the door open, but didn't even try to turn and look.

The door closed with a loud bang, and Fred walked into the living area. His eyes scanned the room with disgust and anger before settling on his wife's figure sitting on the sofa. Angered thoughts went through him and he marched over and switched the tv off. He turned and looked at her. "This place is a mess!"

"I'll clean it up later," she murmured, closing her eyes.

"I beg your pardon!?" He rose his voice, tossing his hat on the seat beside her.

"I said I'll clean it up later," she repeated tiredly.

"This place should have been tidied this afternoon. Well before I came home!"

"Yeah, well, I was kinda busy," she muttered.

"Doing what? Sitting on your fat ass?"

Her eyes flew open and she stared at him. "What?"

He didn't move. "You heard me."

She sat up slowly then rose to her feet, wincing as her head throbbed. "You know what? If it bothers you so much, *you* clean it up."

Fred scowled. "Don't you damn well talk to me like that. I just spent 12 hours working my ass off today, and when I come home, I *expect* this damn place to be clean!"

"Don't yell at me. I've had a screaming headache all afternoon."

"I could give a shit!" he said, lowering his voice, but still keeping that same dominance in his tone. "You're friggen lazy, that's what the fucking problem is!"

She glared at him, feeling anger take over. "Lazy? Screw you, Fred."

"I'm not the one who neglected my damn house chores, am I!?"

"Since when did all the work around here suddenly become just mine?" she demanded.

"Since you decided to sit on your fat ass doing nothing all day!" he shouted, pointing at the sofa.

She shook her head, disgusted, and moved past him toward the kitchen.

Fred followed her, his eyes quickly settled on the stack of dishes in the sink and the mess of spaghetti on the stove. "You lazy..."

"You know what? I don't need this right now," she snapped, turning abruptly and starting for the hallway.

"I warned you about walking away from me..." His voice rose as he followed her again.

"What are you gonna do, Fred? Throw another tempter tantrum? Break another plate?"

He just glared at her.

She continued down the hallway, toward their bedroom, where she sat down on the edge of the bed, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears she felt forming. She opened her eyes again, her gaze drifting immediately to the telephone. She really wanted to talk to Bosco. She swallowed hard, forcing the idea from her mind. It wasn't fair of her to keep turning to him, not with how he thought he felt about her. It wasn't right.

Fred followed her, his feet heavily thumping on the ground as he marched to the room shoved the door back against the wall. The door hit the wall loudly and he stopped in the frame of the doorway, arms across his chest. "I want to know, Faith, once and for all, what the hell happened in that bank that has you acting so damn...ignorant."

She jumped at the loud noise, her heart beating faster. She stared up at him, feeling a tiny bit of fear creep into her stomach. That's not right, she thought. I'm not afraid of Fred. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her confusion. "Nothing happened. It was just scary, that's all."

"Oh really? That's not what Bosco told me," he sneered.

Her mouth went dry. Bosco? No....She frowned, feeling even more confused than before. Bosco wouldn't have told Fred, would he? He couldn't stand Fred...it didn't make any sense. "What did he say?" she asked carefully.

"The truth. Which is more than I can say for what you told me," he lied.

She swallowed hard. "I don't believe you," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"I'm not lying to you, Faith. Bosco told me what happened in there, every detail."

Now she *knew* he wasn't telling the truth. Bosco'd had a hard time telling Swersky and Christopher what happened. He'd never be that open with Fred. Not in a million years. She stood up, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah? Then why do you need to hear it from me if you know it all already?" she challenged.

Fred swallowed, still not moving. He didn't even lower his arms from his chest. "Because it would be nice to hear what happened to my wife *from* my wife! Damn it! And not from some loser partner of hers!"

"He's not a loser," she said automatically, her voice quiet but cold.

He walked over to her. "He's a no-hope son of a bitch that should have lost his job years ago," he spat, glaring down at her.

She glared right back. "You don't know the first thing about Bosco, so shut up," she warned.

He shook his head. "I should've known," he said, his tone filled with disgust.

"Known what?" she demanded.

"That Faith Yokas would go to her useless partner's defense."

She felt herself growing more angry by the moment. "Bosco's always been there for me. Which is more than I can say for *you*."

He scoffed, shaking his head. He lowered his arms to his sides. "Well at least I can say I was there for you at least some of the time, you've never been there for me you know! Look at today, I work late and come home to a filthy damn pig sty!"

Faith shook her head. "Leave me alone," she muttered, feeling suddenly exhausted again as she sat down on the bed.

"Leave you alone?" he asked, shaking his head. "Oh no, not until you tell me what the *fuck* happened in that damned bank!"

She clutched the bedspread in her hands. "You wanna know how worthless Bosco is? He saved my life in that bank!"

He stared at her. "Well let's give him a fucking award for saving your life then! Maybe the kids can make him a fucking card in class tomorrow, and then we can all go over to his place after work and throw him a party!"

She stared at him in disbelief, then anger took over again. "You know what? That sounds like a good idea, Fred."

He just shook his head, eyes narrowing.

Charlie stood in the doorway, looking nervous. "Mom?"

Her gaze quickly diverted to her son and she immediately felt guilty for fighting with Fred in front of him.

Fred spun around. "You, out!" he ordered, pointing outside the door.

Charlie took a step back.

"Go to your room and stay there til morning. Now."

Faith got to her feet again and moved past Fred, shooting him a glare on her way out. "What is it, Sweetie?"

Angered, Fred rubbed his hand over his head and pushed past Faith, going to the living room.

Charlie looked like he was about to cry. "I--I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, shaking.

She knelt down next to him. "I'm okay, Charlie," she promised, pulling him in for a hug.

Fred stood in the doorway of the living room, listening to his wife's conversation with their son, when he heard light footsteps approaching. Emily stepped out of her and Charlie's room and looked in both directions. He felt for sure, a smile appearing on his face apparant of this fact, that Emily would come to him, like she always did. But she gave him an 'I'm sorry' look, and walked down the hallway to her mom and Charlie. He frowned, angered.

Faith looked up to see her daughter standing a couple feet away.

"Mom... is everything all right?" she asked, her voice sad as she stepped closer again.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling another wave of guilt as she realized they'd probably heard the whole fight. "Yeah, everything's fine, Em," she lied.

"Why were you and Dad fighting?"

Faith reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing for you to be worried about, all right? It's no big deal."

Charlie looked at her, his face concerned. "You still look pale. You're not going to pass out again, are you?"

Emily looked at Charlie, sharing the concern.

She took a deep breath. "No, baby. I'm not gonna pass out again," she assured him tiredly.

In the doorway, Fred seemed taken aback by the news. He swallowed. "Why don't you two get back to your homework?" he said, his voice suddenly calm as he walked toward them. He looked at Faith, the same anger still in his eyes, though he tried to hide it.

Charlie glared at his dad for a second, then hugged his mom again. "I love you," he whispered.

Faith felt tears sting her eyes. "I love you, too." She kissed him on top of his head.

Emily gave her mom a hug at the same time as Charlie. "I love you too, Mom," she whispered.

Charlie let go and Faith wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her tightly. "I love you, too, Em."

"Don't faint again," she whispered lower for only her mom to hear, a tear dropping from her eye and rolling down her face.

Faith squeezed her eyes shut. "I won't. I'm sorry for scaring you," she whispered.

Emily pulled away, yet still holding on to her mom. She gave her mom a smile, then stepped back.

Faith managed a small smile back and then stood up and watched as her kids went back to their room. She didn't even look at Fred as she headed back into their bedroom.

Fred stood there, as if waiting for some kind of hug or kiss goodnight from his kids. When he didn't get one from either of them, he walked into his and Faith's room, closing the door behind him. "You passed out?" he asked, his tone rising ever slightly.

She tensed at the tone of his voice. "Yeah," she said, going over to the dresser and pulling out some clean pajamas.

He was silent for a moment. "W-why didn't you tell me?"

"When did I have the chance?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, Faith."

She changed into her pajamas, tears stinging her eyes. "Yeah," she said softly, not looking at him. "Listen, I'm really tired. I think I'm gonna turn in early."

Fred nodded. "I-ah, I'll crash on the couch tonight," he said, swallowing. "I've got some stuff to go over for work." He didn't say anything else, just opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

Faith swallowed hard and sat down on the edge of the bed. She lay back against the pillows, stared up at the ceiling and began to cry.

Back to Reunion Options