Disclaimer: I don't Own any of it really. Except for maybe the idea.
A/N: Okay, so I'm in the midst of revamping my story and suddenly, there it is just.. sitting there.... more inspiration...
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Bosco had been silent the entire ride to Faith's place. Of course she'd been too wrapped up in herself to really notice until it was time for her to leave the car. She took off her seatbelt slowly, looking over at Bosco. His knuckles were wrapped. A couple had stitches in them.
"You okay Boz?" she asked him, leaning in the door after getting out.
"Yea" he said silently, "Just gonna.. gonna go home and think for a bit"
"Call me, if you need me okay?" she said.
He nodded, "You too" then he looked at her.
Faith felt the full impact of his eyes. Hurt was written all over them. It was like he was bearing his soul to her with his eyes. She felt like he was exposing everything, and suddenly it was gone.
"I should go" he said.
"Yea, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"Tomorrow" Bosco said quietly. She closed the door softly and watched him drive down the street.
Please call Boz, she thought. Please call if you need me, don't take this all on your own. She walked up to her apartment and unlocked the door, collapsing on the couch. Fred was already asleep, the kids were in bed. It was merely her mind left to battle itself. She contemplated on whether her job actually helped. If they couldn't even stop at home abuse, well, what were they stopping? It didn't matter about the arrests on the streets, half them got back out anyways. The other half cost taxpayers more than her salary. And it wasn't as though, when they arrested someone carrying, that no one else carried. It didn't mean that people would stop killing people. Just because they arrested a sex offender didn't mean that there was some other pervert out there molesting kids, or raping women. She remembered statistics from her academy classes. One child molestor usually averaged about one hundred and fifty kids. One hundred and fifty! If the perp was caught, the number dropped down to like, eighty or so. But did that seventy could-have-been kids be guaranteed safe? Not likely. In fact they'd probably still go through it. Instead of twice, once. Once was bad enough. Faith thought sadly of Em and Charlie. What kind of world was she sending them in to?
Bosco drove straight home. Getting in to the apartment he sat on the couch, nursing a cold beer and letting his thoughts roam. He briefly thought about calling up Faith, but when he picked up the phone he hung it back up. She's probably asleep. Plus, she's got her own problems right now, I won't give her mine.
He'd been thinking about his child hood. About now that Tatum was gone, how there had been a connection there. He wondered how long she'd had to put up with his drunken beatings. Often, when he'd been laying on the floor after his father pounded him, he'd wished her were dead. Or he'd wished his father was dead. Had Tatum felt that. Maybe she'd gotten her wish. Maybe now, maybe she was at peace with her mom. With her friend. Maybe she was happy. Bitterly he wondered why he'd never gotten his wish. Wondered why god hadn't answered his prayers to be dead. He never came up with an answer. He took another drink of his beer, staring at the phone.
Faith couldn't not pick up the phone. She dialed, this time, and waited. He picked up one the first ring.
"Bosco?" she asked when he said hello.
"Faith? You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I was just.. just thinking about Tatum"
"Yeah, me too"
For some reason Faith lost it and began to cry again, "Why did she die Boz? How come we couldn't have noticed, why did I stop you from arresting him, this wouldn't have happened"
"Faith, this isn't your fault okay, there's.. there was no way we could have known what would happen. The guy was drunk, but he didn't seem like the type to beat his kid"
She sniffed, "I know, it's just, I look at Em and Charlie. And I don't want them to grow up Boz, it's a bad place we live in"
"You can't protect them forever though, Faith, you know that"
"It's not Fair Boz, she was.. she was good, she saved people out there. And then she died."
"I know Faith, I know"
"Are you okay Boz, you seemed... are you thinking of your dad?"
"I was, yes"
"I'm sorry that you ever had to go through that"
"It's not you fault, Faith"
"I know, but I'm sorry anyways.. if I could I would erase it all, I'd make you forget"
"I don't want to forget Faith, it gives me.. it gives me reason to be out there everyday, risking my life. It lets me know that I'm helping people. Just like you. We can't save everyone but think of the number of people we help everyday"
"I know" she said, quietly. There was a comfortable silence over the line for a few moments.
"Faith?" Fred's voice came from behind her. "Who's on that phone?"
"Bosco, I've gotta go" Faith said, hanging up.
"It's Bosco isn't it? Damn him, that sonuva-"
"Fred, Stop it!"
He pulled the phone from the wall.
"Fred, we were just talking"
"About leaving me?"
"I can't believe this!" Faith exclaimed, "You're drunk!"
"So what if I am?" he roared.
"Get out Fred, you promised"
"You can't kick me out of my own apartment"
"It's not yours Fred, I pay the bills, both names are on the lease, now get out, go sleep it off!"
"I want you to stop seeing that Boscorelli guy"
"No" Faith stated.
"You will.. you'll stop seeing him"
"No Fred, you can't do that, he's my partner"
Fred stumbled and turned, then walked toward Emily and Charlie's room.
"Fred, you leave them alone!" Faith warned.
"I'm taking them with me"
"Where, to sleep on the streets?"
"Where ever, it's away from you"
"Don't even touch them Fred!" Faith said, entering the room behind him. Their voices had woken Emily and Charlie, who were sitting together on Charlie's bed.
"Stop telling me what I can and can't do" he turned on her.
For the first time, Faith realized how big Fred was. How powerful he probably was.
But then he did something that sent her over the edge. He grabbed Chalie, lifting him from the bed by his arm. Charlie screamed.
A/N: Okay, so I'm in the midst of revamping my story and suddenly, there it is just.. sitting there.... more inspiration...
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Bosco had been silent the entire ride to Faith's place. Of course she'd been too wrapped up in herself to really notice until it was time for her to leave the car. She took off her seatbelt slowly, looking over at Bosco. His knuckles were wrapped. A couple had stitches in them.
"You okay Boz?" she asked him, leaning in the door after getting out.
"Yea" he said silently, "Just gonna.. gonna go home and think for a bit"
"Call me, if you need me okay?" she said.
He nodded, "You too" then he looked at her.
Faith felt the full impact of his eyes. Hurt was written all over them. It was like he was bearing his soul to her with his eyes. She felt like he was exposing everything, and suddenly it was gone.
"I should go" he said.
"Yea, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"Tomorrow" Bosco said quietly. She closed the door softly and watched him drive down the street.
Please call Boz, she thought. Please call if you need me, don't take this all on your own. She walked up to her apartment and unlocked the door, collapsing on the couch. Fred was already asleep, the kids were in bed. It was merely her mind left to battle itself. She contemplated on whether her job actually helped. If they couldn't even stop at home abuse, well, what were they stopping? It didn't matter about the arrests on the streets, half them got back out anyways. The other half cost taxpayers more than her salary. And it wasn't as though, when they arrested someone carrying, that no one else carried. It didn't mean that people would stop killing people. Just because they arrested a sex offender didn't mean that there was some other pervert out there molesting kids, or raping women. She remembered statistics from her academy classes. One child molestor usually averaged about one hundred and fifty kids. One hundred and fifty! If the perp was caught, the number dropped down to like, eighty or so. But did that seventy could-have-been kids be guaranteed safe? Not likely. In fact they'd probably still go through it. Instead of twice, once. Once was bad enough. Faith thought sadly of Em and Charlie. What kind of world was she sending them in to?
Bosco drove straight home. Getting in to the apartment he sat on the couch, nursing a cold beer and letting his thoughts roam. He briefly thought about calling up Faith, but when he picked up the phone he hung it back up. She's probably asleep. Plus, she's got her own problems right now, I won't give her mine.
He'd been thinking about his child hood. About now that Tatum was gone, how there had been a connection there. He wondered how long she'd had to put up with his drunken beatings. Often, when he'd been laying on the floor after his father pounded him, he'd wished her were dead. Or he'd wished his father was dead. Had Tatum felt that. Maybe she'd gotten her wish. Maybe now, maybe she was at peace with her mom. With her friend. Maybe she was happy. Bitterly he wondered why he'd never gotten his wish. Wondered why god hadn't answered his prayers to be dead. He never came up with an answer. He took another drink of his beer, staring at the phone.
Faith couldn't not pick up the phone. She dialed, this time, and waited. He picked up one the first ring.
"Bosco?" she asked when he said hello.
"Faith? You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I was just.. just thinking about Tatum"
"Yeah, me too"
For some reason Faith lost it and began to cry again, "Why did she die Boz? How come we couldn't have noticed, why did I stop you from arresting him, this wouldn't have happened"
"Faith, this isn't your fault okay, there's.. there was no way we could have known what would happen. The guy was drunk, but he didn't seem like the type to beat his kid"
She sniffed, "I know, it's just, I look at Em and Charlie. And I don't want them to grow up Boz, it's a bad place we live in"
"You can't protect them forever though, Faith, you know that"
"It's not Fair Boz, she was.. she was good, she saved people out there. And then she died."
"I know Faith, I know"
"Are you okay Boz, you seemed... are you thinking of your dad?"
"I was, yes"
"I'm sorry that you ever had to go through that"
"It's not you fault, Faith"
"I know, but I'm sorry anyways.. if I could I would erase it all, I'd make you forget"
"I don't want to forget Faith, it gives me.. it gives me reason to be out there everyday, risking my life. It lets me know that I'm helping people. Just like you. We can't save everyone but think of the number of people we help everyday"
"I know" she said, quietly. There was a comfortable silence over the line for a few moments.
"Faith?" Fred's voice came from behind her. "Who's on that phone?"
"Bosco, I've gotta go" Faith said, hanging up.
"It's Bosco isn't it? Damn him, that sonuva-"
"Fred, Stop it!"
He pulled the phone from the wall.
"Fred, we were just talking"
"About leaving me?"
"I can't believe this!" Faith exclaimed, "You're drunk!"
"So what if I am?" he roared.
"Get out Fred, you promised"
"You can't kick me out of my own apartment"
"It's not yours Fred, I pay the bills, both names are on the lease, now get out, go sleep it off!"
"I want you to stop seeing that Boscorelli guy"
"No" Faith stated.
"You will.. you'll stop seeing him"
"No Fred, you can't do that, he's my partner"
Fred stumbled and turned, then walked toward Emily and Charlie's room.
"Fred, you leave them alone!" Faith warned.
"I'm taking them with me"
"Where, to sleep on the streets?"
"Where ever, it's away from you"
"Don't even touch them Fred!" Faith said, entering the room behind him. Their voices had woken Emily and Charlie, who were sitting together on Charlie's bed.
"Stop telling me what I can and can't do" he turned on her.
For the first time, Faith realized how big Fred was. How powerful he probably was.
But then he did something that sent her over the edge. He grabbed Chalie, lifting him from the bed by his arm. Charlie screamed.