April 25th, 2005

Bosco yawned in bed. The morning sun was pouring in from the window. He looked around as he stretched. There was no wife sleeping next to him. He took this opportunity to stretch out. One thing about having a wife, she took most of the bed for herself.

"You up?" Faith walked in with a tray of food. Bosco grinned.

"I am now." He said as he sat up. Faith gave him the tray of food. "What's this? Breakfast in bed? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Well, you turned thirty-five." She chuckled. Bosco looked at her.

"Oh yeah. I forgot it was my birthday." Bosco said.

"Lord." Faith smiled getting on the bed; "Don't you want your presents?" Bosco chuckled.

"What kind of gifts?" He asked.

"Well, tonight you'll get mine." Faith winked kissing his shoulder.

"Oh. I like that." Bosco grinned as he popped a piece of bacon in her mouth. Charlie knocked on the door.

"Is he finally up?" He smiled.

"Come on in." Bosco said. Charlie walked in with Vincent in his arms. "What do you want?"

"To give you your present." Charlie smiled. Emily waddled in.

"Okay, got it." Emily held out a red package.

"Let me see." Bosco took the gift and opened the package.

"It isn't much." Emily smiled shyly, "I didn't have much money to spare." Bosco smiled as he held up an engraved pen. It had his initials on it. "You can use it writing out tickets or like for paying bills."

"Oh, I love it, Emily." Bosco said with a smile, "Thank you."

"Here." Charlie handed him a bag; "This is from me and Vincent. It's really from me but mom made me put his name on it."

"Charlie." Faith chuckled.

"Let me see." Bosco opened open the package and pulled out three pairs of black socks. "Wow…Socks."

"I knew you wouldn't like them, Dad." Charlie frowned.

"I love them, Charlie." Bosco smiled, "I needed them badly. Thank you." Bosco kissed Vincent's cheek. Charlie smiled again.

"Why don't we leave Daddy alone so he can finish his breakfast." Faith suggested.

"No. I want you four here…Excuse me, Baby O'Hara, I want you five here." Bosco said. Emily smiled softly at her stepfather. "It's not my birthday if I don't have my family here to celebrate it with me." Faith smiled softly.

"Speaking of which, Angela wants all of us to her place for dinner." She said. Bosco groaned.

"I'm not going. She's going to be groaning the entire time." Bosco said. Vincent crawled into Emily's lap resting his head on her stomach.

"You're going. We're all going." Faith said, "It's you're thirty-fifth birthday. We need to celebrate some of it with the woman who gave you life."

"She's making cake." Emily smiled as she rubbed Vinny's back.

"Mmmmm, Cake. It better be Vanilla." Bosco said. Faith smiled.

"I made vanilla cupcakes." She said.

"You baked?" Bosco asked.

"Only on birthdays." Faith said. Bosco nodded.

"I'll go since you're going." He said. Faith smiled.

"Perfect." She said.

"Happy birthday, Daddy." Charlie said. Bosco smiled softly. Maybe this birthday would be better than his previous ones. He had an amazing family and what more could a person want?

May 7th, 2005

Bosco wrapped his arms around Faith as they slept. The warm night airs seeped through the window making it easier for the family to fall sound asleep. They didn't notice the rag on top of the stove catch on fire from a spark. The towel went up in flames. The flames started to lick at the curtains. The curtains caught on fire. Faith snuggled closer to Bosco. Vincent held his stuffed bear tightly in his crib. Charlie was hanging off his bed but sound asleep. Emily had her arms curled protectively around her large stomach as she slept.

Smoke started to bellow up out of the kitchen and up the stairs, filling it. Faith shifted slightly as Vincent started to cough from his room. She mumbled softly under her breath. The smoke detector failed to go off. Vincent's coughs echoed through the monitor. Faith groaned slightly and sat up. Noelle stood at the top of the stairs parking loudly.

"Momma's coming. Noelle don't wake up the whole house please." She mumbled slipping her slippers on. Faith stopped. Something wasn't right. She smelled the air and smoke immediately began to fill her lungs. She coughed and turned on the bedroom light, "Oh god. Bosco, Wake up."

"What?" He mumbled.

"There's a fire! Wake up!" She cried shaking him. Bosco bolted up from the bed.

"Fire? What??" He looked around him. Faith grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"Get the others." Faith said running to Vincent's room with the cell. She gathered Vincent up in her arms and covered him with the blanket.

"Charlie, wake up." Bosco shook his stepson. His lungs were starting to tighten. My inhaler, he thought briefly.

"Go away." Charlie mumbled.

"Charles, come on. There's a fire in the house. We need to get out." He yanked Charlie out of bed, "Go to your mother." Bosco bolted to Emily's room. His lungs were burning. He needed his inhaler. He glanced at Emily and then the door. Her first.

"Bosco! Come on!" Faith cried. Bosco took Emily's arm and pulled the pregnant teenager out of bed.

"What…What's you doing??" She groaned as she woke up.

"There's a fire." Bosco said pulling her out. Faith wrapped her arm around Charlie.

"Come on." She said.

"I need my inhaler." Bosco said.

"NOW!!!!" Faith cried as she started down the stairs with her family.

"Come on, Em." Bosco helped Emily down the stairs. They could hear sirens in front of the house. Bosco glanced at the kitchen. It was covered in flames. Emily was crying in his arms as the family poured outside. Faith led them across the street as Kim and Carlos ran up to them.

"Are you all all right?" Kim asked.

"Check Emily please." Faith said looking at her daughter.

"I f-fine." Emily whispered wiping her eyes. Bosco sat on the grass trying to drag air into his lungs. His lungs felt like the were on fire. His face was turning red, "Help Dad. He has asthma and his inhaler is in the house." Faith watched as Carlos helped Bosco to the ambulance. Noelle stood at attention watching the firefighters and paramedics.

"Are we going to have a house to live in?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, Charlie." Faith looked at her house. "They're putting the fire out." She hugged Charlie. It was very scary to see their kitchen ablaze like it was. Faith looked at Emily, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Emily said, "Will Dad be okay?"

"He's fine." Faith said, "He just needed his inhaler."

"Okay." Emily said softly. It took the firefighters twenty minutes to get the fire out. It was breaking Faith's heart watching all of this. Alex walked up to them.

"We got the fire out." She said. "We were able to contain it to just the kitchen."

"The kitchen is destroyed right?" Faith asked. Alex nodded.

"Completely." She said, "I recommend staying in a hotel for a week or so." Faith nodded slowly.

"All right." She whispered softly. "Is Bosco okay?" Alex nodded.

"He's fine." She said. Faith held Charlie. This was too much. It had been a beautiful night. They had been sleeping so peacefully. Why did this have to happen to them? Faith was counting her blessings though. Her family hadn't been harmed. They were all alive.