Author: Kate Anderson
Email: sam_loves_jack@yahoo.ca
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine! They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and um, some other people! No money is being made from this work. Don't sue!
Rating: PG-13, just be on the safe side
Pairing: Bosco/Faith, UST - eventual romance
Spoilers: None, I think (??)
Summary: After a criminal attempts to attack Faith's kids, Faith finds that her life is changing.
"Did you manage to talk to Charlie and Em?" Bosco asked from his perch on the kitchen counter. He'd been home from the hospital for several days now.
Faith nodded. "Charlie said they had a great time. They went on all the rides and he got to meet Mickey Mouse and Goofy. He said that he'll try and get me some photos once Fred's gotten them developed."
"He does know that they're just people dressed up in costumes, doesn't he?"
"Of course he does." Faith replied, sounding insulted.
"Hey, I'm just askin'. Did he say anything about Fred's new chick?"
"Fred's 'new chick'?"
"I thought you told me that he was taking some chick named Melissa with them." Bosco replied as he hopped off the counter.
"Yeah, but his new chick? What am I? His old chick?"
"Whatever, it was just a question, you don't need to get all huffy about it." Bosco said.
"Charlie didn't mention her." Faith replied. "Probably got told not to."
"You're better off without him Faith." Bosco said, scratching his ear. "This Melissa probably looks like one of those before women in those before and after ads."
"You think I'm jealous of her?" Faith asked, staring at Bosco with disbelief. "She can have him! I just want my kids."
"You didn't talk with Em?"
"Apparently she was out." Faith replied as she opened up a cupboard and peered inside at the contents. "We don't have any food."
"What about left-over turkey? We finally use all that up?"
"No, but aren't you tired of it yet?" Faith asked. "I'm sick of it."
"We could go out." Bosco suggested. "There's a good Italian place down a couple blocks."
"Are you feeling up to the walk?" Faith asked. "The doctor said nothing strenuous for at least two weeks Bos."
"I would hardly call walking a few blocks strenuous and besides, I'm tired of being cooped up in here. You get to go out all the time." Bosco whined.
"To work Bos, I go to work. I'd hardly call that getting out! Besides, it's freezing out, that cold air could be hard on your lungs."
"Just put on something nice and we'll head over there. We'll drive if that would make you feel better." Bosco said.
"Do we need a reservation?" Faith asked.
"Hey, you're with a Boscorelli, you think I need reservations? I got an in with the manager, guarantees me the best seat in the place."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Faith replied and went to find something nicer than a pair of jeans to wear.
___________
"You tell the manager that Maurice Boscorelli is here." Bosco said, staring down the host who was refusing to seat him and Faith.
Faith tugged at Bosco's sleeve. "Let's just get out of here. We'll find some place else to eat." she said, wanting to get Bosco out of the restaurant before he caused a big scene.
"Uh uh Faith, we're eating here. I just need to talk to the manager!" Bosco replied, putting emphasis on the word manager and staring at the host again.
"Is there a problem here?" asked an authoritative sounding voice.
"Yes sir." began the host. "This man refuses to leave the restaurant! He doesn't have a reservation and..."
"Boscorelli!" interrupted the other man, whom Faith took to be the manager that Bosco had been so eager to see.
"Hey Frankie!" Bosco said and clapped him on the back.
"Long time no see Bosco." Frankie said in a thick Italian accent. "I was startin' to think that you'd found a new place to eat."
"Never." Bosco said. "I've just been busy lately."
Frankie eyed Faith. "So I see. I think your table is clear." He turned to the host and said, "Please seat Officer Boscorelli and his lady over by the fireplace."
The host shot Bosco a dirty look but picked a couple menus and led Faith and Bosco over to a cozy table by the fireplace. Once the host had left, Faith leaned in closer to Bosco and whispered, "What did you do to get such great service here? Threaten the man with deportation?"
"Oh ye of little faith." Bosco said. "It just so happens that I saved his life. He owes me one, several times over."
"You're unbelievable Bosco, you know that?"
"I've been told that a few times." Bosco replied with a smirk.
"Oh God." Faith said and leaned back in her seat. She picked up a menu and looked it over. "So what's good here?" she asked.
"Just about everything. I'd stay away from the clams though."
"Do I want to know why?"
"Probably not." Bosco replied. "How does red wine sound to you?"
"Sounds great. Now if only I could decide what to eat. What are you getting?"
Bosco studied his menu. "The baked manicotti with extra cheese is always good, but I don't know, the ziti is good too."
A waiter approached their table to take drink orders and Bosco ordered them a bottle of red. When the waiter returned with the wine, Bosco and Faith ordered their meals, both were having the baked ziti. Faith smiled at Bosco and held up her glass of wine. "We should have a toast." she said.
"To what?"
Faith shrugged. "I don't know - to good friends?"
Bosco picked up his glass. "To good friends." he said and they clinked their glasses together.
____________
"So when's Bosco back at work?" Sully asked Faith as they stood in the locker room together before their shift started.
"Not for a few days yet. He's going stir crazy at home though!"
"They're not putting him back on patrol right away are they?"
Faith shook her head. "No, he'll be answering phones and harassing the perps in lock up for a couple weeks I think."
"I feel sorry for them already!" Sully said with a laugh.
"Tell me about it." Faith said and she looked around. "You seen Gusler yet?"
Sully shook his head. "Haven't seen Davis either."
Faith looked at her watch. "We've got roll call in five minutes, usually those two are right on time."
"Maybe they're off sick." Sully replied.
"Maybe." Faith said with a frown. "You know, Bosco took me out for dinner Saturday night." she said suddenly, not sure why she was telling that to Sully.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, to some great little Italian place."
"Was it a date?" Sully asked, eying Faith curiously.
Faith shrugged. "We had a good time. Drank too much wine. Had to walk home because both of us were too intoxicated to drive."
Sully reached into his locker and pulled out his jacket. "Not that it's any of my business, but did anything happen? You know, between you two?"
Faith shook her head. "No, we got home and I crashed on the couch. I guess Bosco fell asleep in his bed, for a change."
"He's been sleeping on the couch?"
"You didn't think we were sleeping together? Did you?" Faith said accusingly, staring directly at Sully.
Sully tried to look interested in the gloves he held in his hand. "No! I mean, no, I thought you would be sleeping on the couch seeing as how it's his place and all. But you know, with all those rumours flying around..."
"This is unbelievable." Faith said. "A woman can't live with a guy without everything thinkin' they're doing it."
"Well, not when the guy is Bosco." Sully replied. "Look, we'd better get to roll call and see where those no-good partners of ours are at."
As it turned out, both Davis and Gusler had called in sick, so Sully and Faith were paired up and Faith rode in 55-Charlie for the day. When she got home to Bosco's place that evening, she found Bosco sitting at the couch, staring across the room at what she presumed was the blank tv screen.
"You know." Faith said. "It works better if you turn it on."
"What?" Bosco replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"The tv. It works better when it's on."
"Oh, I'm not lookin' at that."
"Yeah?"
"I'm thinking of redecorating." Bosco said. "I've been trying to decide what colour would go good with my furniture."
"I think you've been watching too much of that home decorating channel." Faith replied.
"I need a change." Bosco said. "My apartment is so...so...blah."
"Speaking of a change, I rode with Sully today." Faith said.
"Why Sully?"
"Both Gusler and Davis are out sick. There's a flu going around. What did you have for dinner?"
"I ordered in some Chinese." Bosco said. "There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry."
Faith opened the fridge and pulled out a box. "I'm starvin'." she said and sniffed the contents of the box.
"How could you be hungry after riding with Sully all day? I thought that guy stopped at every weenie vendor and hamburger joint there is."
"We had a busy night." Faith replied and then stuffed a forkful of noodles into her mouth.
"Argh, what I wouldn't give to be back out there!" Bosco said.
"You've gotta give yourself time to heal Bos." Faith said and sat down next to him on the couch.
"It'll be the new year before they have me back on patrol again. I'm gonna miss out on all the Christmas and New Year fun."
"All the drunk people, taking off their clothes, getting into fights? You think that's fun?"
"More fun than sitting on my ass answering phone calls and calming down old ladies who have lost their dogs!" Bosco replied.
"Well, for what it's worth." Faith said. "I miss having you out there with me."
Bosco sighed and leaned back against the couch. He still felt a twinge of pain in his ribs everytime he moved suddenly, but he had learned to ignore and mask it. Faith put her feet up on the coffee table and looked over at Bosco. "Anything on tv tonight?"
Bosco shrugged and handed her the remote. "Probably some movie on one of the channels."
Faith turned the tv on and began flipping through the channels. She settled on an older movie from the 80's and watched it for just over an hour before she noticed that Bosco had fallen asleep beside her.
She turned the tv off and set the remote down on the coffee table. Faith smiled as she looked at Bosco sleeping, he looked so peaceful. Very quietly, Faith threw out the empty Chinese food box and carefully walked around the table, avoiding the chairs.
Faith thought back to Sully's earlier words, about how he had assumed that she'd be the one sleeping on the couch. He was right, Faith though. She should be the one on the couch, not taking up his bed. Faith approached Bosco and put her hand on his shoulder. She gave him a small shake and whispered his name.
Bosco smiled in his sleep as Faith said his name. Faith shook him a bit harder and he finally opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, and then looked up at her.
"You should take the bed." Faith said. "I'll sleep out here."
"You woke me up to tell me to go sleep in the bed?" Bosco asked. "Maybe we should just buy another bed or else start sharing."
Faith shook her head and felt her face grow warmer at Bosco's suggestion of sleeping together. "No, I'll find my own place in the new year, but for now, I think we should switch. I'll sleep on the couch, you can have your bed back."
"Whatever." Bosco said and sleepily rose from the couch and stumbled down the hall into the bathroom. Faith sat down on the couch to wait for Bosco to finish up in there. A few minutes later she heard the toilet flush and the water run and then Bosco wandered into his room.
As Faith brushed her teeth, she suddenly realized that she hadn't grabbed her pyjamas from the bedroom before Bosco had gone in there. She spat out the mouthful of foamy toothpaste and reached for the glass to rinse her mouth out. She briefly contemplated sleeping in her clothes, or even just her bra and panties, but then quickly decided against both options.
Faith turned on the hall light and paused outside the closed bedroom door. She knocked softly, hoping that he hadn't gone to sleep yet. When she received no answer, she knocked a bit louder then pushed open the door. She was greeted by the sight of Bosco, sprawled out on his bed, wearing only his boxers.
Faith tried not to notice how nice his chest looked as she crept over to the chair where her pyjamas were laying. Behind her, she heard the bed creak and she held her breath, praying that he hadn't woken up. After a few seconds, Faith glanced behind her and noticed that he now had a hand splayed across his chest. Faith pretended she didn't wish that hand was hers.
Clutching her pyjamas to her chest, Faith crept back out of the room and once she had closed the door again, she collapsed against the wall. Her heart was pounding and she was feeling as though she'd just been watching a dirty movie on television or something. No, she reasoned with herself, you were just admiring the sight of your partner and best friend mostly naked.
Faith sighed and stalked back into the bathroom to change. On her way past the bedroom again, she found herself stopping and pressing an ear to the door. The bed creaked again and Faith tried to picture how he was laying now. The picture she conjured up made her face burn.
"This is ridiculous." Faith said under her breath and continued on down the hall until she reached the couch where she flopped down and pretended not to notice that the cushions smelled like Bosco.