Title: In a New York Minute (3/?)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Are not, have not and will not ever be mine.
Rating: PG-13/R for language, violence, and sexual content. *Deals with issues of rape, domestic violence, child abuse, torture and homicide.
Spoilers: Up through and including "Act Brave." Also major spoilers for my other fic, "No Mercy."
Summary: Someone from Faith and Bosco's past threatens their happiness with his plans to enact revenge on them for the death of his brother.
Distribution: If you want it, take it. Just let me know where it's going.
Category: Story sequel
Subcategories: Suspense/romance/angst/thriller and a touch of the supernatural.
Feedback: Helps me write faster and is always appreciated.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my fic, "No Mercy." If you haven't read that one, you're going to be confused.
In a New York Minute (Part Three)
Bosco unlocked the door to their apartment and slowly pushed it open. He turned to look at his wife, who was standing motionless beside him, her face still pale. He reached out and laid a hand on her trembling arm. "Come on, let's go inside, baby," he whispered.
She remained silent, but stepped into the apartment, turning to him as he followed.
He shut the door and locked it behind them quickly. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up, doing the same with hers. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "It's all right, Faith."
"You almost died today." Her words were a choked whisper.
"But I didn't. I'm right here with you." He rubbed her back gently.
She held him tightly, afraid he'd disappear if she let go.
Bosco kissed her neck lightly, then frowned. "You're cold."
Faith didn't respond.
He pulled away slightly and put his hands on her arms. "Faith, you're freezing."
Worry settled into his stomach as he began to wonder if she was in shock. "We gotta get you warm. Come on." He slid his fingers through hers and led her down the hall, into their bedroom, then into the master bathroom.
"What are you doing?" she murmured.
Bosco kissed her forehead before reaching out and turning on the hot water in the shower. He watched for a moment as the steam began to rise. Then he turned to her once more.
She watched, shivering as he began to slowly undo the buttons on her blouse. He slid the shirt off her arms, his fingers grazing over her soft skin. He knelt down in front of her, undoing the button on her jeans and drawing down the zipper. He slowly slid the jans off her hips and down her legs.
He gazed up at her, his hands resting on her lower back as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her stomach. "We're okay, Faith," he whispered.
Faith met his eyes, her hands cupping his face, her blue eyes haunted.
"We're okay," he repeated softly. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her underwear and slowly slid them off her before rising to his feet. He kissed her lips gently, leaning her forehead against hers as he reached behind her to unhook her bra.
Faith let the garment slide off her arms and fall soundlessly to the tile floor before she reached out and pulled the t-shirt he was wearing off over his head. She undressed him quickly and then wrapped her arms around his waist.
Bosco kissed her temple and lifted her off the floor and into his arms, stepping inside the shower and closing the sliding glass door behind them. He set her on her feet once they were inside.
The hot water hit her back as she remained facing toward her husband, her arms wound tightly around him. "I've never been that scared in my life," she whispered.
He touched her cheek gently, gazing into her eyes. "I'm not leavin' you, Faith."
She turned her head slightly and kissed the palm of his hand.
"I promise you. I'm not goin' anywhere," Bosco said softly. He brushed some hair out of her face before leaning forward and kissing her lips gently.
Faith kissed him back wordlessly, trying to shake the leftover feelings of terror from her mind. He was right--he was there with her. Safe and sound. It had been a close call. A very close call. But he was all right.
He pulled away, placing another kiss to her forehead. He reached wordlessly for the bar of soap and began to rub it in between his hands until he'd worked up a substantial lather. Then, looking into his eyes reassuringly, he began to slide his soapy hands gently over her skin.
Faith leaned her head against his shoulder as he washed her body with his soap-covered hands. Between his gentle touches and the hot water, she felt herself starting to relax a little.
After he washed her body, he began to wash her hair, pouring shampoo into his hands and massaging it gently into her scalp.
A soft sigh escaped her lips and he smiled, pulling down the shower head and ran his fingers through her hair as he rinsed it.
She pressed a light kiss to his chest before showing him the same intimate, gentle attention as she washed him. After they were both clean, they dried each other off and helped each other dress.
Bosco pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head before weaving his fingers through hers and leading her into the bedroom.
Faith gazed at him silently.
"I just wanna hold you for awhile," he said quietly, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear.
She nodded her agreement and pulled back the covers before crawling inside and moving over to make room for him.
He slid in beside her, then pulled the covers up over them, his eyes locking on her beautiful face as he reached out for her. There was no hesitation as she slid her body over against his, draping an arm over his stomach as she laid her head on his chest, her ear pressed against his heart.
Bosco kissed her head and wrapped his left arm around her, resting his hand on her back. His other hand lingered on the back of her head, his fingers combing gently through her damp hair. It never ceased to amaze him how content he could feel just holding this woman. He'd never experienced such such a peaceful, calm feeling with any other woman. But this was Faith. And everything changed with her. There was a rightness to being with her that he couldn't begin to understand, let alone put into words.
They lay together in silence for a long time before she spoke. "Bosco?" Her voice was soft.
"Yeah?" he said quietly, continuing to run his fingers through her strawberry blond hair.
"How could you have heard me?" she whispered.
Bosco was silent for a moment, unsure of how to answer her question. "A miracle, I guess," he said finally. He didn't know how else to explain it. He knew with absolute certainty that it had been her voice he'd heard. He would know her voice anywhere. But she hadn't screamed...
She lifted her head off his chest and gazed into his eyes. "I guess the how part doesn't really matter," she whispered. "You're with me now. That's what's important, right?"
Bosco gazed back at her, touched her cheek gently. "Right. I'm here and I'm not goin' anywhere."
Her eyes were intense--full of warmth, but also a hint of fear still present. "I love you, Bosco," Faith said softly.
He gave her a warm smile. "I love you, too," he whispered back.
She rested her hands against his chest and leaned down to kiss him. It was a soft, tender kiss that he returned without hesitation. So many of the kisses they shared were filled with passion and intensity. This one was filled with love--pure, unconditional love.
After it ended, she rested her forehead against his.
"You tired?" he asked softly, rubbing her back lightly.
She nodded and he kissed her cheek. "Let's get some sleep before Fred drops the kids off tonight."
Faith kissed his lips tenderly once more, then rested her head on his chest again. Their arms wrapped around each other protectively, they both fell asleep within minutes.
Bosco stood at the kitchen stove, stirring the pot of spaghetti he was making for dinner. He shifted his eyes to watch his wife as she washed a head of lettuce to make a salad. She wore one of his Mets t-shirts over a pair of flannel boxer shorts. Her hair was twisted up in a clip, the graceful curve of her neck begging to be kissed.
A smile on his face, he set down the wooden spoon and moved so he was standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips against her bare skin.
Faith was distracted from her task of shredding lettuce by the feel of his teeth scraping lightly over her skin. Her eyes drifted shut as her breath caught in her throat.
Bosco's smile widened a little as he heard a soft moan escape her lips. Continuing to nibble on her neck, he slid his hands under her shirt, gently caressing the bare skin of her stomach. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her back against him.
She whimpered. "Boz..."
He nibbled his way to her earlobe. "What time are the kids gonna get here?" he murmured.
"5:30." She shivered against him.
"Mmm. Well, it's just now 4:30," Bosco whispered, lowering his lips to her neck once more.
"We've got plenty of time to make dinner."
"Yep. Doesn't take long to make salad and spaghetti."
She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer so that their bodies were pressed together. "Maybe we should continue this," she said softly, leaning over to kiss his lips. "...in the bedroom."
"Mmm," he murmured against her mouth as he deepened th4e kiss, his tongue seeking access to her mouth.
There was a knock on the door and they broke apart a little breathlessly. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Hold that thought." He gave her another quick kiss, then pulled away to head for the door.
She smiled as she watched him leave. Then she turned and picked up the head of lettuce she'd dropped in the sink. She turned the water on and began tearing leaves off it. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she quickly closed her eyes, leaning against the sink for support.
Bosco rolled his eyes as the person on their doorstep knocked loudly again. "I'm comin', chill out," he grumbled, irritated that he and Faith had been interrupted. He pulled the door open and found himself nearly barreled over when Charlie Yokas threw himself forward, hugging him. "Hey, Champ!"
"Hi, Bosco."
He looked up and smiled gently at Faith's daughter. "Hey, Em."
She was holding a duffel bag in one hand and he moved to let her inside, chuckling when Charlie's arms remained wrapped around his waist.
As Bosco straightened up, he found himself looking at one of his least favorite people on the planet. "Fred," he greeted him cooly.
"Bosco." Fred was equally unenthused to see him. "Faith around?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "She's in the kitchen."
Fred raised an eyebrow. "She learned how to cook?"
"We're making dinner together," he informed his wife's ex-husband.
Charlie's eyes lit up. "What are you making?"
Bosco smiled down at him. "Spaghetti."
"All right!" Charlie grinned broadly, then let go of Bosco to go take his bag to his bedroom.
Fred and Bosco watched him go. "I need to talk to Faith."
"About what?" he asked calmly, unable to help feeling suspicious of the other man. Fred had a tendency to be rather manipulative and hurtful when it came to Faith. He was still bitter about the divorce and even more bitter about the fact that she had married Bosco.
"Stuff with the kids," Fred answered flatly.
Bosco eyed him critically for a moment, then stepped aside to let him in reluctantly. "Wait here."
"I'm sure I can find the kitchen."
"Probably could. But waith here." Bosco gave him a warning look, then walked into the kitchen. "Faith, Fred's dropping the kids off early. Says he needs to talk to you ab--" He cut himself off when he saw how she was leaning against the sink. He quickly crossed the room and stood at her side, sliding an arm around her waist. "What's wrong, baby?"
Faith leaned back against him. "I don't know, I just feel a little light-headed," she murmured.
He lifted his free hand to feel her forehead. "You're a little warm. You feel okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm all right." She gave him a small smile as she turned to look at him. Her cheeks were a little pink.
"Are you sure?" he asked, gazing at her in concern.
She rested her hands against his chest. "Guess bein' so close to you has an effect on me."
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I make you light headed?"
Faith smiled and winked at him. "Among other things," she teased.
Bosco raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really?" He kissed her lightly.
"Definitely," she murmured against his mouth.
He pulled away and gazed at her. "Fred's here. He's out in the living room. Wants to talk to you about the kids."
She sighed softly, not really wanting to deal with her ex-husband right then.
"Want me to kick him out?"
She smiled. "No. I'll talk to him." She kissed his cheek, then reached down and slid her fingers through his.
Bosco followed her out into the living room, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
Fred was looking out the window. He heard them come in and turned to see them, a blank expression on his face.
Faith offered him a small smile as she sat down on the sofa, Bosco right next to her. "Fred. How's it going?"
Bosco put his arm around her shoulders, resting a hand on her back. It never failed to surprise him to see how civil and kind she managed to be to the man that had caused her so much heartache and grief. Though he supposed a certain amount of those sentiments were mainly due to the fact that Fred was still the father of her children, no matter how much of a jerk the guy was or what he'd done to her in the past.
"It's fine." There was no hint of emotion or kindness in Fred's voice. "The kids are out of school next week for Easter break. I wanna take them on a trip."
"A trip where?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Jersey shore."
"How long are you gonna be there?"
"The whole week."
"Bosco and I were talkin' about taking them up to Niagra Falls--leavin' Thursday and comin' back on Sunday," Faith told him.
"I won't be back until Saturday."
"Well, what if you left this Sunday and came back Wednesday night or Thursday morning? That way you can still take them to the shore and we can take them up north."
"I've already made plans to be gone Sunday til Saturday."
"Well, I'm sure the hotel would let you change your reservations, Fred."
His jaw clenched. "Or maybe you should have consulted me before deciding to take off with my kids."
Bosco sat forward on the couch. "Now hold on just a minute. First of all, they're her kids, too. And secondly, we always have Em and Charlie Thursday through Sunday. So don't pretend like you didn't think Faith would mind not seeing them for a whole week and a half so you could go to the shore."
"You know what, Boscorelli? This really isn't any of your damn business," Fred informed him.
"The hell it's not." Bosco glared at him.
Faith reached out and rested a hand on his knee. "You're right, Fred. I should have mentioned that we wanted to take the kids on a trip next week. Can we try to work out some sort of compromise?" Her voice was soft, but firm and calm.
Fred shifted his gaze from Bosco to her. "What kind of compromise?"
"Well, maybe you could pick the kids up on Saturday morning and see if the hotel will let you change your reservations to Saturday night through Wednesday night and then you could drop them off here Thursday morning?"
He thought for a moment. "I guess that would be all right." He didn't sound very happy about it.
"Thanks, Fred. I really appreciate it," she said quietly.
"Whatever. Em! Charlie! Come tell me goodbye! I'm leaving!"
"Thank you, Jesus," Bosco said under his breath.
Faith supressed a smile.
Emily and Charlie appeared around the corner a moment later, both of them rushing over to hug their father.
"Bye, Daddy," Emily said softly.
"Bye, Pumpkin," Fred answered, kissing her forehead. "See you Saturday."
"Saturday?" Charlie asked in confusion. "We're supposed to be here with Mom and Bosco til Sunday."
"Not this week, Charlie-boy. Been a change in plans." Fred shot Faith and Bosco a brief glare.
Bosco simply ignored him, ruibbing his wife's back lightly. She leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling when her son climbed up into her lap. She wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, Sweetie."
"I'll let you out," Emily offered, looking at Fred.
He smiled at her. "Thanks, Em." He nodded curtly to Faith, ignoring Bosco's presence all together.
Bosco rested his chin on top of Faith's head, smiling at how Charlie was curled up in her arms. Emily joined them on the sofa a moment later. She sat beside her mom, resting her head against Faith's arm.
Faith kissed her head lightly, wrapping her other arm around her daughter.
He smiled when he saw the happy look in his wife's eyes. She was so beautiful. He was lucky to have her. To have all of them.
This is what it's supposed to be like, Bosco thought. Our family.