A/N: Hope you guys like this one. Please review. I really appreciate it!
The sharp crackle was muffled outside the building, but there was little doubt in Faith Yokas' mind as to what it was. Her blue eyes were wide as she turned to look at Lieutenant Swersky. Just past the small cluster of police officers, Doc Parker and Carlos Nieto, 55th precinct paramedics tended to the minor injuries of a few students. Instead of the sight reassuring her like it had countless times before, seeing the parked ambulance with lights still flashing only served to heighten her anxiety. Anger suddenly built in the back of her throat, anger at her partner for running into a situation, half-cocked, like he always did. The man was very nearly impossible to work with. Steadfastly refusing help in his personal and professional life, Faith feared the day when his fearlessness would get him into more trouble than he bargained for. She realized then with a wave of despair that today might be that day.
"I can't get him on his radio,"Swersky spoke up beside her. "I don't like this at all."
A deep frown marred Faith's face, as she unhooked her own radio. She pressed the dial down, listening carefully on all frequencies. Her hope was beginning to drain when her troubles produced nothing but static. But then all of a sudden, things suddenly changed. The last frequency of the radio, the one seldom used by anyone, didn't spew the offending static from the speaker like all the others. Faith could feel her heart beating in her temple as she turned the volume up slowly. Pressing her ear into the speaker, she could just barely make out the sound of quickened breathing.
"Lieu!"she shouted, waving him over. "Listen to this!" She grabbed him forcibly by his sleeve, and held the speaker against his ear. Her commanding officer listened intently for a long minute, then straightened and looked at her closely. "Are we sure it's him? I mean, couldn't it be an interfering signal, or something?"
If at all possible, Faith's frown deepened. Again, she turned the volume up. The next sound that came over the speaker was one that sent shivers running up and down her spine, at the same time as warming her heart. "Faith..."
'You should've gone before we left the station.' The first thought to enter Bosco's mind after he hit the floor was so absurd and unwarranted for the situation that he nearly laughed out loud. Probably would've if not for the burning pain in his right shoulder. His partner's words echoed in his mind , reminding him of the fact that his bladder was full, and needed to be emptied. He had heard horror stories of officers getting shot, and shitting themselves, or pissing their pants. He was quite relieved to feel his boxers still very dry, despite the horrific pain in his shoulder. The last thing he needed was one of his fellow officers finding him with a load in the back of his pants. His vision swam before him, pink swirls and purple spots everywhere he looked. He closed his eyes tightly, forcing his mind to stay focused. 'I was wearing my vest,'he told himself. 'Thank God for Kevlar.' He brought his hand up to his shoulder, fingers already anticipating the pocked mark of the stopped bullet. But when his hand encountered nothing but warm stickiness, and fresh pain shot up his arm and branched out through his chest, he suddenly felt like throwing up. He looked carefully at his fingers, seeing the red liquid there, and panic nearly overcame him. A great heaving sob burst from his lips before he managed to bottle his alarm. 'Now is definitely not the best time to lose it,'a voice said in his mind, and he was somewhat surprised to recognize it as Faith's.
"Faith..."he whispered, longing for his partners sensible stability, her bravery, her common sense.
He had been shot in the shoulder, a place he knew the vest should've protected. So why didn't the damn thing do it's only job? A sickening thought suddenly occurred to him. He remembered a topic Lieu had brought up at roll call several weeks earlier. Bosco had been hung over and as a result wasn't really paying attention, but he seemed to remember something about special bullets designed especially to make it through Kevlar. Cop killers, they called them. He remembered the startling thought of no protection coming to his mind, but he had managed to push it aside, and continue doing his job as normal. Now it seemed the whole subject had come back to bite him in the ass. He fought through the haze of pain for control of his mind, and tried to recall out he had ended up on the floor. He had been talking to the boy, and he had apologized. Bosco remembered getting the impression that he was getting apologized to, then he had turned around...and bam. Someone else had shot him! There was another gun in the room! The thought forced adrenaline coursing through his veins. He looked wildly around the room, moving his head as much as the pain in his shoulder would allow. He could see the boy looking down at him with an expression of pity and sadness on his face. 'Huh,'Bosco thought to himself. 'You should feel it from down here.' He managed to get his good arm underneath him, and raise himself slowly into a sitting position. Breathing rather shortly, he reached for his gun.
"Stay right where you are, Officer."
The feminine voice spoke over the roaring in his ears, and he looked towards the source. A young woman, most definitely not a student of the school, stood over him, holding an identical pair of nine millimeter Glocks in her hands. 'Oh, shit,'Bosco again said to himself. 'The wacko's got my gun.' She wore a black business skirt suit, and even through his personal world of pain, Bosco recognized the woman's curves. Elbow length black hair framed her pretty face. 'Great. Just perfect. Sexy wacko's got a pair of guns trained on me.' He thought for a moment, then in spite of the situation he was in, nearly laughed. 'If only Faith could see me know.' He slid backwards slowly, until his back was pressed against the bookshelf.
"Who the hell are you?"he asked, disturbingly proud of how even his voice managed to sound. She smirked, and took a careful step towards him, her three inch high heels clicking loudly on the floor. She crouched in front of him, looking rather intently at his face. When she reached out to touch his cheek with long fingers, he jerked his head away, sending a fresh stab of pain throughout his body, making him gasp for breath.
"You know," she said seductively. "In another time, another place, I might've asked you out."
Bosco forced his pain down, and smiled bitterly. "Sorry, lady, but I prefer my woman anything but certifiable."
Her response was anything but a surprise. She lashed out with his gun, and pistol whipped him across his face, sending his head knocking back against the book spines. "And I prefer my men without holes in their upper bodies."
Bosco shook his head fiercely, sending the fog out of his mind. He reached up with his good arm, and with a sharp intake of breath, applied pressure to the bullet hole. He maintained eye contact with the woman, his eyes frozen solid like two shards of blue ice. He set his jaw carefully, then said, "Let me ask again. Who the hell are you?"
She smiled, and rose to her feet again. She stepped over his stretched out legs, and settled into the lap of the boy Bosco had been talking with earlier. She kissed him softly on the lips, ran her hands through his short blond hair. 'Oh, that's fucking great. Got myself involved in a damn lovers quest.'
"Hang on,"he said, holding up his bloodied hand. "Let me try to count how many laws you're breaking. Must be some kind of record." He resumed pressure on his aching shoulder as the woman looked up and held his gaze for several long seconds.
"My name is Achsa Rosina. I am, or should I say, was an English teacher here at P.S. 156."
"Oh,"Bosco said suddenly, as if everything made perfect sense. "So you're trying to give your students some hands on experience?"
The wacko shook her head slowly. "It's sad, really. How cocky you can be even when faced with certain death."
A muscle in Bosco's cheek twitched. His tongue itched to come back at her with a smart ass comment, but the dull throbbing of his left cheek held his words in check. He continued to watch her, silently asking her to go on. She took the hint.
"They tried to fire me. Said it wasn't right that I was involved with a student. They said it was against the rules. But we showed them, didn't we, baby?"
The boy smiled weakly, and even from where he sat on the floor, Bosco could see his fear and regret in his eyes. "What's your name?"he asked, looking directly at the student.
He looked up in surprise, as if he wasn't expecting to be a part of the conversation. If you could call it a conversation. "Uh, my name's Mike Webster."
Bosco bit back a sigh. Although he was often criticized for his rash decisions and quick judgements of people, the NYPD officer knew how to read a person. He was receiving the signals loud and clear that this boy didn't want any part of the shooting. A thought occurred to him then; if he could get Mike by himself, away from the sexy whacko, he might be able to convince the boy to help him.
"So, what are we going to do?"Bosco asked, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I mean, what is your purpose for murdering innocent kids and shooting a police officer?"
"They will acknowledge our love,"Rosina answered, rising from Mike's lap. "I don't care what we have to do. They will learn that you can't separate two people in love."
The pain in Bosco's shoulder, and the fact that there were many people in the school that needed help, was wearing his patience thin. He knew the other officers wouldn't enter the building until they got confirmation from him that everything was safe. They had to work on the assumption that it was a hostage situation. It seemed that his lone ranger attitude had once again left him deserted, as it were. "Look,"he said, wincing as he pressed harder into his shoulder. "I need an ambulance. So does that woman over there, and I'm sure there are other people around the school. You've made your point. You two are in love. I doubt anyone will deny that now. Give up now, and you might be able to avoid the chair."
Rosina was shaking her head emphatically. Bosco noticed the boy's eyes widen slightly at the prospect of the death penalty. 'Damn right you should be scared.' His mind worked furiously to come up with a reason to get the woman away. He hadn't forgotten about his shoulder radio. Bosco knew he would only have a few seconds to do what he needed to, because the woman would be on him like a ton of bricks. He also understood that the message would have to be clear, with no room for interpretation. He would only get one chance. He thought back to his time on the beat with Faith, searching for some signal he could send her. A sudden thought came to Bosco, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He watched the sexy whacko as she ran her hands up and down Mike's chest, all the while creeping his hand across his own chest to his portable CB radio. When Rosina bent down to kiss the young boy, Bosco hurried into action. He pressed down the hand held unit, sending a silent prayer up that his partner would get it.
"It's Suzie, Faith! Remember Suzie! I have to help her! It's Suzie!"
The words died on his lips as Rosina launched herself at him.
