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

Editor's Note: Thank you all for your reviews throughout this story, they mean a lot to me. I hope the ending lives up to your expectations. This is the last chapter, so this is your last chance to tell me what you think. Please review it if you read it.

"Understanding Steven"

~Chapter Fourteen~

Ty finally gets the handcuff unlocked from around Faith's wrist and pushes her up through the door of the submerged car to the waiting hands of the other officers that have reached them. They get her out of the car and soon she is pulled out of the water and onto the dock. Sully performs mouth to mouth resuscitation, and after several tries, she finally starts coughing. He turns her onto her side, and she relieves her lungs of the water. The paramedics arrive and take over.

Sully throws a blanket around Ty's shoulders. "Nice job. You took so long to come up...I thought I'd lost you...both of you." He says, showing a fatherly concern. "You did real good...I'm proud of you."

"Is she gonna be alright?" He glances at Faith being carted to the back of the ambulance.

"Doc says she is. That was close though. You were both under water for so long."

"Gusler had her cuffed to the grate between the seats. The car went down so fast, man...I didn't think..." He nods his head down and shakes it. "What happened to him anyway? He wasn't in the car."

"Gusler? I don't know." Sully glances around the pier. "I was too concerned for you and Faith...I didn't notice him."

*****

Just after the car hit the water, Gusler made a break out of the car window, which he purposely opened just before he drove the car off the pier. During the rescue, Gusler swam under water as far as he could, and resurfaced far enough away from the scene, that he went unnoticed. He found a place to come ashore, and quietly slipped away. They combed the area all night, but they never found him.

*****[Nine months later]*****

Faith underwent surgery to repair the damage to her wrist, and then another several months of physical therapy after the break healed. Bosco also had to go for months of physical therapy for his broken leg and his shoulder. They both have returned to work, and are once again riding on patrol in 55-David. They have been back to work for almost two weeks, and it finally feels that things have returned to normal.

They went through a period of anxiety, that only they understood, because it was something they shared. The unexpected betrayal of one of their own...a person they had trusted, by who's hand they were almost killed. A person who has a personal vendetta against them, and since he has not been apprehended, he could still be lurking out there.

For the first few days on the street, they saw Gusler everywhere. Faith thought she saw him coming out of a diner, and another time, she thought she saw him sitting in a car waiting at a light. Bosco chased a man that was in the crowd of onlookers at the scene of an accident, thinking it was Steve. They confided in each other about their fears. They consoled each other, and then convinced each other that if Steve actually survived the plunge into the river, he would be long gone from here by now. He most likely would have left the State, if not the country.

They are still very cautious, looking over their shoulders on and off the job, but the paranoia is starting to subside. They actually joke about it now...calling Steve the bad seed. And if nothing else...the whole experience has made them closer.

It is Friday night, and their shift is over with very little excitement and no last minute calls to make them late. They hurry into the locker room to change, both of them anxious to get out and start their weekend.

Bosco opens his locker and starts removing his gun belt. "So...you and Fred have any plans for the weekend?"

"Yah. We're going to see my parents on Saturday. It's my dad's birthday." She hangs up her gun belt and unbuttons her shirt. "What about you...any plans?"

"Atlantic City...baby. I'm feelen lucky. I'm gonna stay Saturday night and come back Sunday evening...unless I run out of money sooner."

"Hey...play a number for me on the roulette table." She hangs up her vest and shirt, pulls a sweater over her head, then pulls her purse out of the locker. "I'm gonna give you twenty bucks...put it on the number eight."

"Hey...gambling is illegal lady." Sully jokes as he walks into the locker room with Ty following close behind.

"Not in Atlantic City." She says with a smile.

"You going to Atlantic City, Faith?" Ty asks.

"No...not me...Bosco. He's gonna play a number for me." She hands him the money and goes into the bathroom stall to change into her jeans.

"Hey man play a number for me too. How about you Sul...give him a number to play."

"No...I'll pass." Sully growls.

"Oh c'mon. Unclench that fist and hand over a twenty. Where's your sense of adventure."

"If I was feeling adventurous...and I'm not...I would go to Atlantic City myself."

Ty Hangs up his gear and uniform, then pulls on a sweatshirt. He slides on a pair of jeans and reaches for his wallet in the back pocket. "Ok...here." He hands Bosco sixty bucks. "Play forty seven, thirty nine, and sixteen. Then put a few bucks on black. And if I lose that, put a few bucks on even. Then if I hit...play twenty seven...but if I get down to a few bucks...just throw it in the slots."

"In other words...you want me to keep throwing it in until I lose it all." Bosco scoffs. "You better write all of that down."

"Write down eight...for me." Faith calls out from the stall.

"That one I'll remember." Bosco mumbles as he stuffs his uniform into a duffel bag.

"Oh hell...here...take a twenty." Sully says as though he was forced into giving up the money. "Play fifty five for me on the wheel."

"Fifty five? Good idea...play your age." Ty says with a grin, pointing playfully at Sully.

"Smart ass." Sully shoots back.

Faith comes out of the stall and steps to the mirror, brushing her hair. "What are you guys doing over the weekend?" she asks Ty and Sully.

"I got a date tomorrow. With a stewardess." He makes an O shape with his lips and exhales hard, squeezing his face into an intense expression. "She's hot too." he adds.

"Yah? She have a friend? One that wants to see Atlantic City maybe?" Bosco asks.

"No." Ty answers.

"Not one friend..." Bosco says in disbelief.

"Nope."

"No wonder she's dating you." he says snidely.

"She's from 'Cal-ee-forn-yaaa'." He says, emphasizing each syllable. "She has a layover for the weekend. She's never been here over night before...and she don't know anyone in town, so I'm giving her the grand tour of New York."

"The path from the airport to your apartment, is not a grand tour...in case you weren't sure." Sully teases. "So what are you gonna show her first...the inaccessible Statue of Liberty? Or the day glow of smog from the top of the Empire State Building?"

Bosco chuckles. "Yah...and don't forget to show her the midnight muggings in Central Park by moonlight. That always screams romance."

"Ignore them Ty, they're jealous." Faith says laughing. "You have a good time." She is looking at him in the mirror, and as she glances away, she catches a glimpse of a figure stepping around the lockers behind Ty. She gasps as she glances back quickly in the mirror and says, "Oh God!"

"What?" Ty asks.

Sully looks over and Bosco glances up at her as he sits tying his shoes on the end of the bench.

She spins around quickly, hoping that her eyes are playing tricks on her. "Steve?" She says, in a nervous whisper.

They all turn and look behind them to see what has startled her. Standing there in full uniform and brandishing his gun, is Steve Gusler. Bosco cautiously stands up and turns to face him, poised at the end of the row of lockers.

"Hey...how ya doen man?" Ty says...trying to act like nothing happened and that he is glad to see him. He hopes to keep the situation from becoming dangerous, and he knows that all four of them, are no longer wearing their weapons or their vests.

Gusler is glaring at Faith. "So you're back to work...back with him." he accuses, as he nods towards Bosco. His voice is husky and threatening. "You can imagine how surprised I was when I read that you didn't drown."

"Where ya been man? We were...uh...worried about you. Right guys?" Ty says, trying to avert Gusler's attention from the mission he obviously came here to carry out.

"Yah...we thought you drowned." Sully adds, following Ty's lead. "You...ah...ya look good." He smiles, trying to feel out Guslers state of mind, but Gusler doesn't acknowledge him at all. He is staring intently...hatefully...at Faith.

Sully's eyes dart quickly to his locker...which is now closed, making it impossible to reach his gun before Gusler could shoot him. Bosco does the same thing. His gun is about five feet away, hanging locked inside the cage, and without thinking...he stood up to face Steve, realizing now, that he has a gun strapped to his ankle, that he also can no longer reach in time.

"So...what do ya want...ya wanna partner up again?" Faith asks trying to sound calm.

Gusler's expression doesn't change as he hisses at her. "Do you think I'm that crazy...or just that stupid? You betrayed me. I want you dead!" As he yells this, he raises his gun at her and fires.

Faith raises her arms in front of herself, and ducks to her left in an attempt to take cover in the wooden bathroom stall. But the bullet goes through her right arm, and enters her side. The force of the shot knocks her backwards to the floor.

Bosco dives to his right, hitting the floor and skidding behind the row of lockers. He grabs for his spare gun as he slides. Ty dives the other way, ducking behind the row of lockers on the left and out of the line of fire.

Sully makes the split second decision to go for his gun. He feels as if he is moving in slow motion as he steps to the locker, throws it open, and reaches in. At the same time his mind is calculating that he can not possibly open his locker and retrieve his gun before Gusler can turn in his direction and fire. He knows he made a bad decision, but there is no turning back now.

The locker opens and he reaches inside in one swift, smooth motion. To his surprise, he makes an accurate stab for the gun. He feels the grip slide comfortably in his hand, and for a moment, he thinks he can beat Gusler to the draw. Then the gun snags in the holster, and it doesn't pull out. He unconsciously yells "No!" as he hears Gusler's gun fire.

He is struck in the side, and as he falls to the floor in front of his locker, an odd thought enters his mind... 'You do hear the one that got ya.'

The door to the locker room opens as the rest if the precinct comes running to find out what is happening, but Gusler keeps them at bay by firing at the door. The officers that were coming in to help, back out and slam the door closed again.

Bosco is laying on his back on the floor, with his gun now in his hand, pointed at the space between the lockers, thinking that Steve will be walking through there any minute. He is breathing in quick pants through his mouth, and his energy is heightened as he tries to steady his aim between the lockers.

Davis looks wide eyed over at Faith. She is moaning and trying to crawl towards the stall. He glances at Bosco. They make eye contact, and without speaking, he mouths the question to him, "Where is he?"

Bosco shakes his head in response. He places one hand on the floor and raises himself up. His plan is to run across the opening, and spray the spot with bullets where he last saw Gusler standing, but out of the corner of his eye he sees movement.

Bosco turns quickly to his right, and realizes Gusler did not do what he was expecting, which was to walk right up the isle between the lockers. Instead, he moved to his left to come up the next row of lockers, and he now has Bosco in his sites. Bosco turns and fires but Gusler fires first, striking Bosco just below the right shoulder. Bosco's shot strikes the wall above Guslers head. He falls onto his back and drops his gun as he hits the floor. A yell, growls out of him as he grabs at the pain in his shoulder.

Davis realizes that Gusler is approaching up the next isle, so he ducks back around to his locker. He gets it open and reaches inside, feeling the familiar handle of his gun slide into his palm. He unsnaps the holster guard with his thumb in a smooth motion, and as he slides the gun out, he hears another gunshot, in the same instant he feels the hot bullet enter his back and thrust him face first against the cage. As he falls, he drops his gun and he hears it tumbling inside the metal locker. He reaches for it instinctively, but then his strength and his breath leave him.

Gusler walks up to Bosco. He picks up Bosco's gun and leans over him. "I'll deal with you in a minute." he says calmly. "No hurry."

Faith has crawled to the stall, though it provides little cover. Stan storms up to her and drags her out from the stall by her leg. Standing over her he tells her in a strangely deep and throaty voice that sounds nothing like Steve, "You deserve to die you bitch. Everyone respected me...everyone except you. I did everything I could to rid myself of that little whiney bastard Steve...and you chose him over me. I can't live with that. Do you understand why I have to kill you?" He points his gun at her face. "For understanding Steven."

Faith has no strength left to try and defend herself from him. Through the blur of tears and the numbing pain, she gives up and closes her eyes. She flinches at the sound of the gunshot.

The rooms floods with officers. There is a scramble as they tend to the fallen officers, calling for the paramedics, and yelling instructions to each other. Three undercover officers descend on Gusler, making sure he is no longer a threat. The Lieutenant surveys the situation, calling out to his men, asking for the condition of the wounded officers.

"Sully's alive...he took one to the stomach."

"Davis is hurt bad. He was hit in the back. He's alive but we need to get him help fast. Don't move him till the paramedics get here."

"Boscorelli...stay down. You've lost a lot of blood. Just relax...they're on their way."

"Yokas...Yokas, can ya hear me. Try and stay with me. You're gonna be alright. Just hold on...help is coming."

The Lieutenant walks over to Gusler. "Is he dead?" he asks the officers around him.

"Yah...it was a clean shot to the head."

Lieu turns to Cruz, "Nice shot Maritza. I'm putting you in for a commendation. You just saved the lives of four officers."

*****The End*****

I know...I know...how could I let Cruz be the hero...but I felt she owed it to Faith to save her life for a change.