How Could An Angel Break My Heart?

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All Third Watch Characters belong to NBC, WB and company

Authors Note. Yeah I know. I said I'd be sooner with this. I have really good reasons I swear but from now on I will never say the next chapter will be just up (

Feedback: Very much appreciated.

Email - Wine_Into_Water@hotmail.com

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A chilly breeze blew causing Bosco to stop walking and zip up his fall jacket. He took one step forward when he felt a light tugging on the back of his coat. He stopped and turning around he glanced down to see a pretty little girl standing there.

The little girl looked up at him. "Hey Mister, mind if I pet your doggie"

Bosco nodded, "Sure go ahead."

Her face lit up as she took a couple of steps to the large golden dog and began patting him on the head.

"Thanks. What's its name?"

"Sam" Bosco replied staring at the little girl with wonder. She had the most piercing blue eyes. They seemed almost familiar to him.

"For Samantha?"

"No just Sam as in Sam."

"Oh" the little girl replied.

After a short while she stood back up and looked at the older man. "My name is Rosie." She held out a tiny hand for Bosco to shake.

Bosco smiled, she sure was a sweet and confident little thing.

Bosco shook her hand. "My name is Maurice. But you know Rosie, you shouldn't be going around and telling strangers your name."

Rosie looked at her feet knowing he was right, both her mother and brother had told her that a million times.

"But you're not a stranger. You let me pet Sam and we shook hands and you told me your name."

Bosco couldn't argue with that logic so he led Sam and Rosie to a picnic bench a few steps away and sat down.

"Plus, plus I'm here with my big brother and he could kick your butt."

Bosco couldn't help but smile again.

"You think he could? Huh?"

"Yup" she nodded confidently.

"I'm betting your parents have their hands full with you."

The little girl got a stubborn look on her face that reminded Bosco of himself. Then said "I'm an angel." She began to giggle at what obviously was an inside joke. Bosco couldn't help but laugh along with her. Her giggle had been contagious.

When she finished laughing she started to stare at Bosco with such intensity that it had began to make him uncomfortable.

Starting to get self-conscious Bosco asked. "What?"

Rosie shook her head. "Nothing, you just look a lot like my daddy. Cept you look a lot older and your hair is all poofy."

"Oh" was all Bosco had said. He didn't know what else he could say and hadn't the slightest clue why the sudden change in conversation. Sure the girl couldn't be older then 4 or 5 but he thought she'd at least stay on one brain wave at a time.

Rosie was back to playing with Sam. "Yeah, daddy lives far far away. So I don't remember meeting him but Mommy says he would be with us if he could and he loves me lots and lots. This much even." she stretched out her little arms as wide as she could.

Bosco gave the little girl a weak smile. How could anybody leave that sweet face? The jag off was probably serving five to ten somewhere.

"Would you like to see a picture of Mommy and Daddy?"

"Sure"

Pulling her long wavy light brown hair to the side and over her shoulder she began to rummage though a tiny plastic pink purse she had slung across her body. She continued searching though her belongings until she pulled out her hand and opened it up to Sam.

"Here boy."

Sam had licked up the treat she had shown him.

Bosco raised up an eyebrow towards her.

"Oh don't worry it's a puppy treat. Gravy flavor."

Bosco nodded knowingly. "So you have a dog?"

She looked up from her purse. "No"

Bosco sat there trying to figure out why she was carrying dog treats in her purse if she didn't even have one and why did such a little girl need so much junk cramped into a tiny purse but at the sudden sound of her voice he was shaken from his thoughts.

"Here it is!" Rosie said excitedly.

She pulled out a picture. He could tell that the corners were bit worn and a visible crease was running through the middle. She looked at it and began to hand it to Bosco. He reached for it, his hands just getting a hold of the corner when they heard.

"Rosie!"

The tiny girl gasped and tugged the picture out of his hand and slipped the picture quickly back into her purse.

"Sorry Mister but that's my brother, I gotta go. Nice meeting you. Bye Sam. " She leaned down and kissed Sam on the top of his head. Then she ran off as quickly as she had appeared.

Bosco watched as the little girl disappeared among the people. He debated if he should follow her to make sure she found her brother. But instead he just stood there staring at the spot where she had disappeared. He had wanted to talk with her more. There was something about her that he just couldn't put a finger on. He had to have seen her before somewhere along the way but where?

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"Where have you been?"

"Nowhere."

"Angela Rose."

She looked down to her feet and begin playing with the cuffs of her sleeves.

"I was just petting a doggie." She spoke the words quietly.

The young man sighed and kneeled down. He zipped up her coat and asked her softly.

"Rosie what have I told you about doing that?"

"I'm sorry Charlie, but but it was a huge doggie, this tall." She held her hands to her forehead.

Charlie smiled. "Really?" He exaggerated, pretending to be shocked.

She nodded, "Yeah huh and he was yellow like a big lion. I bet some kids would of been scared but not me Charlie. I walked right up to him and petted him."

"You didn't?"

She nodded again continuing with her story as her and Charlie began walking again. " I did and and I gave him my doggie treat. His name was Sam but just Sam not Samantha that's what Mr. Maurice said."

Charlie had stopped walking and looked down at his sister. "Who?"

"Mr. Maurice. He's the Mister who owns Sam. He looks a lot like daddy cept his hair is longer and poofy looking. Which is kinda funny because I think he's loosing some of it like uncle Fred. He should get it cut. It doesn't make him look good. "

Charlie continued looking at Angela Rose. A big yellow dog named Sam? An owner named Maurice? It was just a coincidence right? Yeah it had to be Bosco wouldn't be anywhere near here. He wouldn't have any reason to be. They were practically on the other side of the country. No it was just a big weird coincidence.

Charlie was still running things through his head as he bent down to tie up Rosie's running shoe.

Rosie stepped back. "I can do it." She sat down and pulled her knee to her chest and began to tie her shoe.

Between shoes she looked up at Charlie and began to speak. "I was going to show him this picture of mommy and daddy" She reached into her purse and pulled out the worn picture and handed it to her older brother. "But you started calling so I didn't get the chance. " She started retying her other shoe.

"Who?"

Rosie looked at him disappointment clear on her face, "Mr. Maurice. Charlie haven't you been listening?"

Charlie looked at the picture that she had just handed to him. The picture was of Bosco and his mother. It had been taken just weeks before they had broken up. Things had been so simple back then. Sure he was a lot younger and didn't understand much of what was going on but he knew enough to know his mother was happy. But that was before anything bad had happened with Bosco, before the affair, the breakup and way before Angela Rose. Over the years Charlie had placed most of the pieces together and the man he once admired was nothing more then a jerk in his eyes now. He couldn't understand why Faith made him out to be this perfect guy in Rosie's eyes. She should have known the truth but Faith told him to never tell her anything bad about Bosco and Fred had agreed. So he listened and played along with the stories.

"Look that's him there." Rosie was tugging on Charlie's sleeve and pointing behind him.

Charlie looked over his shoulder then turned around. A sick feeling began to fill his stomach as a chill ran over his body. Yes it was Bosco and a little Sam who wasn't so little anymore.

He looked down to Rosie. "Come on, we don't want to keep uncle Fred waiting do we?" Hoping to change the subject.

It worked. Rosie's face lit up. "It's pizza night!" Her excitement faded when she remembered something. "Em's not going to be there is she?"

Charlie shook his head. "No she's away at school remember?"

A smile spread on her face. "Good she's always grumpy."

Charlie laughed he couldn't deny that. "It's just because you're prettier then her."

"I am." Rosie stated with confidence. Positive that she was indeed more pretty then her half sister.

Charlie shook his head, she had gotten her fathers ego among other things. He turned and kneeled down.

"Get on pretty girl."

Rosie squealed with delights she jumped on her brothers back for a piggyback ride. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Charlie can we go say bye to Sam and Mr. Maurice?

Charlie was considering it. Bosco probably wouldn't even recognize him. He had changed a lot in the years since he had last seen him and even if he did Rosie looked enough like their mother that he could always say she was his parents little girl. He hated Bosco but didn't Rosie deserve one last look of her father whether either one of them knew it or not?

"Please Charlie."

Voices for both sides were waging war in his head but finally it was her sweet pleading voice that he heard, picturing that she must be giving him that sad puppy dog look that she had mastered before she could even talk won out and he turned them around. To hell with what happened. Angela Rose deserved this.

He began walking towards Bosco, getting closer and closer by the second. They were only a picnic table away from him when Charlie stopped in his tracks. He couldn't do it. He couldn't walk up to the man who had made a fool out of his mother and broke her heart and just pretend nothing happened. He knew if he walked over there he would say something. Probably the wrong something and who would have to pay for his temper? Rosie and Faith. He wasn't going to give Bosco the satisfaction of disrupting his family again. Faith and Rosie were perfectly fine with out him. They had been for years and it was going to stay that way. He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey were are we going?" Rosie asked.

"He's busy." Charlie bit back a little more angrily then he should have.

"But Charlie."

"Don't try it Rosie."

The little girl sighed.

"And Rosie, don't mention to mom what happened today ok? You know how she gets when you talk to strangers."

"But Charlie he's not a stranger I shook his hand and."

Charlie cut her off. "Angela Rose." He said sternly.

"Ok Charlie I wont." She said defeated.

Rosie sighed and looked back at the man and doggy she had just met and whispered in such a soft quite voice that even Charlie couldn't hear.

"Bye-bye"

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A/N - Now I should be writing "The End" right here but I just couldn't end it there no matter how much I had wanted to. So yes I lied again this isn't the last chapter as planed. At least two more to go.