Disclaimer: I still don't own Third Watch or any of the characters from the show.

Author's Note: Man I was overwhelmed by your reviews. Thanks so much. Don't stop now...I love hearing what you think of the story.

"Understanding Steven"

~Chapter Twelve~

Bosco waits impatiently in his hospital bed for Sully and Davis to return. He remembered everything that happened to him. Driving to the abandoned building, the beating in handcuffs, and being dropped into the empty vat...and the fact that Steve Gusler orchestrated it all. He remembers Steve telling him that he killed Martin, and insinuating he had done this to others as well, and how he wasn't Steve, but someone named Stan, whose job it was to avenge Steve against the world.

He paged Sully and Davis down in emergency and had them come back to his room where he explained everything. He knows that Faith is riding with Gusler and it is urgent that she be warned. Sully and Davis went to the nurse's station to call central, and notify them of the news. He waits for them to come back and tell him what is being done about it.

Bosco can't wait any longer. He gingerly starts to climb out of the bed.

"Where the hell do ya think you're going?" Sully barks as he walks back in.

"Sul...did you notify central?" he asks anxiously.

"Yes Bosco...we called them. They're notifying the detective from the 6 3 that's on your case. Relax."

"But are they calling them back to the house? We gotta get Faith away from that..."

"They're taking care of it. Get back into bed."

"I have to get down there...give them a statement."

"They'll come here and get it from you. You're sure that this stuff you remember is accurate? It was really Steve Gusler that did this to you?"

"Yes Sully...it all came back to me. It was Gusler. Believe me. Central believes me...right?"

Sully and Davis give each other a look. "Yah...they're acting on it."

"What then...what was the look for?"

"Nothing...it's just...so hard to believe." Sully shakes his head. "Gusler."

"Well, he has been acting strange lately...more aggressive." Davis adds.

"The guy has totally lost his mind. He thinks he's someone else for God's sake. He tried to kill me. He 'killed' Martin."

*****

[Back to 55-David]

The accident victims have been transported to the hospital, along with the old man and the perp that Stan beat up. The backup unit accompanied the perp, because the guy was afraid of Gusler. The vehicles are being towed out of the intersection, and other than writing the accident report, 55-David is finished with this call.

"Should I call us in 10-98?" Gusler asks Faith.

"No...not yet. I gotta check on the 10-3." She walks over to a pay phone to call the precinct. Gusler follows her over, intending to listen in. "Hold on Steve. Give me a minute." she says, stopping him from getting too close. She doesn't know what this is all about, but for some reason, they want only her to hear it.

He stops and looks around nervously. He turns his side to her, so it looks as though he isn't listening, but he is straining hard to catch her part of the conversation.

"Central...this is officer Yokas. I'm calling in regards to the 10-3."

"Officer, you're presently riding with officer Steven Gusler, is that correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Do you have a visual on that officer?"

Faith glances over at him, and Steve sees it out of the corner of his eye. "Yes I do. What's this about?"

"Can the officer hear this conversation?"

"No...not really."

"Be advised that officer Gusler is wanted for questioning in connection with the assault on officer Boscorelli, and is to be considered dangerous."

"Are you serious?" She glances at him again, thinking about how viciously he attacked the perp only twenty minutes ago. "Oh my God."

"You are being instructed to return to the precinct with him, and for your own safety, we advise that you not inform him of the nature of this call. The Lieutenant is leaving it up to your discretion as to whether or not you want to disarm him before you transport him in."

"Disarm?" She looks at him again, and he looks away nervously.

She turns her back to him and covers the receiver. Talking softer she says, "You gotta be kidding me. How can I do that...discreetly?"

"Officer...do you want us to send backup?"

"No." She glances at him again and he looks a little scared. "No...I'll do it. I'll bring him in myself."

"Shall I advise the Lieutenant that you are on your way in?"

"Yah...tell him I'm on my way." She says the last part loud enough for Gusler to hear, then hangs up. She pauses for a minute, to process the information, and decide how to handle the situation. She settles on leading him to believe it is a personal matter involving her.

"Is everything ok?" he asks timidly.

"Yah...I gotta report back to the house."

"Why?"

She walks towards the RMP without looking at him. "They need to talk to me about something."

"What...are you in some sort of trouble?" He notices that she nonchalantly unsnapped her holster.

"No...maybe...I don't know. I'd rather not talk about it till I know what's going on. Gimme the keys...I'm driven."

He relinquishes the keys to her and climbs in the car. His chest is starting to feel tight, and every thought that enters his mind, feels heavier than the last.

*****[The ride back]*****

They head back in silence; each of them consumed by their own thoughts of what is happening...and what is about to happen.

'Shall I mount up?' That was the first thing Gusler said to her, the first time they rode together. He was a wide-eyed, frightened and impressionable rookie. She had to explain everything to him. She even had to help him with his seatbelt.

'A good rule of thumb...no tour that starts with a domestic, is ever a good one. I'll take the aggressor to another room...and always keep your gun pointed away from them. These things can go south, real fast.' The call took them to a bloody massacre. Steve was so scared. He was shaking when they entered the apartment; he fell in the blood on the scene, and shied away when they were given a close-up look at the bodies.

The call led to the failed attempt at arresting Feodor Chevchenko, which instead lead to the biggest shootout that the 55 had ever been involved in. She remembers riding with Steve to the location. He was so terrified that he looked to be on the verge of tears.

'Are you all right Gusler? Ya know...I don't even know your first name.' She remembers he looked so young and childlike. He was coming apart at the seams. 'You're gonna be ok. I'll be right there with you. Tell them we're moving up. You be careful now Steve.' She felt more like a mom taking her kid to his first day of school.

The shootout scared him so badly that he actually wet himself. She found him crying behind the car. He was so terrorized by that day, that he told her that he might not return to the job. When did he become this...hardened, dangerous person?

More importantly, why didn't she see it? She thinks about the past few days, how confidant...more arrogant, he was. How he stood up to the biker with the knife and actually antagonized him. She should have seen it back when he attacked Martin in the locker room, but she was so caught up in Martins craziness, that she never considered Steve's. She tries to picture him attacking Bosco, but it seems so absurd.

Although she did feel something was wrong, because she felt uncomfortable at the way he was referring to her as "his" partner...like he knew Bosco wasn't coming back. But she never would have thought that he actually was trying to get Bosco out of the way. She tries to remember exactly what he said when she thanked him for helping in the search, and how he said it.

'We're partners, right? That's what partners do. You'd do the same for me'

"You would never betray me...would you?"

Faith is ripped from her thoughts by Gusler's statement. "What did you say?"

"I said, we're partners...you would never betray me... right?"

"Why are you asken me that?" She looks over at him and he is staring at her. His eyes are dark and demanding.

"Because I need to know if you really have my back. I saw you look at me when you were on the phone. You insisted on driving and then you unsnapped your holster...but you didn't 'disarm' me, like they wanted you too. So I need to know...do you have my back...or are you turning me in?"

"Why do they want to see you Steve?"

"What did they tell you?"

"I'm asking you...you're my partner. What is it that you need me to back you on Steve?" She keeps her voice calm. But this is turning bad and she knows it...and she is still about twenty minutes out from the house.

"I'm gonna come clean with you...I'm not Steve. He quit. He should have quit a long time ago."

"What do you mean, you're not Steve?"

He looks around the street they are driving on. "Where are we going?" He is hanging on to a thread of hope that she is going to stand by him. This is Faith...she never gave up on Bosco...even when helping him seemed hopeless.

"Who are you if you're not Steve?" she persists.

"We're not going back to the house. Take a right up here." he orders.

"No. Tell me what's going on with you. Lets talk it out."

"Ok...turn right at the next light...go to the park. We'll talk there."

"No..." She keeps driving, trying to get closer to the precinct. "...give me something Steve. I have been given an order...and for me to disobey it...you have to give me a reason to listen to you. I don't know what's going on...you need to fill me in on the situation."

"You don't trust me." It was a statement, not a question. His expression turns sad.

"I don't even know who you are." she says softly.

"Alright then..." He reaches for his gun.

"No!...don't do that Steve." Faith reaches for her gun and stops the car. "Do not draw your weapon." She points her gun at him. "I mean it Steve...please. Don't do it."

He looks startled and quickly puts his hands up in front of himself, and turns to face her. "Faith...I'm not drawing on you...I want to give you my weapon."

Her adrenalin is flowing and she can feel her pulse pounding hard through her veins, making her hands quiver. "Place your right palm on the roof, and remove your gun with your left hand, using two fingers...slowly." There is a tone of panic in her voice.

He looks at her, his eyes reflecting his despondency at her disloyalty. He slides his gun out with his thumb and forefinger, and holds it out to her. She takes it from him, checks the safety and places it in her coat.

"It's Stan." he says, slowly lowering his hands into his lap.

"What?"

"My name is Stan." He looks at her sheepishly. "Steve is a nice guy but he was a terrible cop. I had to fill in." He is talking calmly. Faith listens, finding it hard to find the line between his reality and his insanity. "Everything I did...I had to do to save Steve. Do ya see? I was defending him, that's all. You can't take me in. I didn't do anything wrong. It was all justifiable."

"Then you need to go in and explain that to them...they'll understand."

"No! If they understood it would never have come to this. You don't know what they did to him...how they treated him." He is beginning to break down emotionally.

Faith can see the Steve she used to know creeping back in. She lowers her gun, but doesn't holster it. "I'll go in with you. I'll be right there with you. It'll be ok."

"No. The only way you can help me is to drop me off somewhere. You're my partner...I need you to cover for me. Tell them I got away."

"I can't do that." She looks at him sadly. She is angry that they put her in this position. They should have just called them into the house and taken care of it when they arrived.

"You'll be alright. We'll get a rep before you say anything to anybody."

She holsters her gun and is about to start driving again.

"Faith..." He calls to her softly.

She looks over at him and he sprays her in the face with mace. He had taken a small spray can from his pocket while they were walking to the car, and placed it in his lap when he got in.

She yells out in pain. Her eyes are burning, and she can't seem to close them hard enough to ease the sensation. She instinctively rubs at her eyes with one hand and tries to open the car door with the other to get away from Steve.

He pulls her towards him, keeping her from getting out of the car. She pulls her gun but he grabs her wrist and twists it out of her hand. She tries to open her eyes, but that makes the pain worse, and they are tearing so hard that she can't see.

The burn from the mace is so severe that she doesn't even care that he took her gun. Her main concern is to get relief. She rubs her eyes but it only increases the feeling. She feels him push her down on to the seat and holds her head down. He is hollering things at her, but she is too involved in trying to clear the burn from her eyes to hear what he is saying.

Stan pulls his nightstick out and clubs her with it. Dazed and barely conscious, she stops struggling. He looks around to see if anyone is watching this assault, but this is New York, and everyone is too busy to notice anything going on around them...and if anyone did notice, they certainly didn't get involved. He clubs her again so she can't give him any trouble.

He slides her into the passenger seat, cuffs her wrist to the grate between the front and back seat, and removes her radio. He removes her handcuff key, retrieves his gun, then he casually walks around to the driver's side and slides in. He puts his gun in its holster, adjusts the mirrors, gives her a glance and slowly drives away.

********