Title: Home 1/7
Pairing: Bosco/Faith
Spoilers: Nothing really, though knowledge up through season 6 is fair game.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I had this posted on other boards and was recently convinced to post it here:) I hope you enjoy it.
Faith froze when she saw him sitting alone at a small table reading the newspaper while sipping on a cup of coffee. The sun filtered in from the window, landing on his table and illuminating his every feature.
The difference in his looks amazed her. His hair was lighter now, and he wore it slightly shaggy and curly. He even wore thin wire-rimmed glasses that matched his face perfectly, like they were always meant to be there. The once overpowering jagged scar on his right cheek was softer and less noticeable. Even from across the room, she could tell that his eyes seemed older.
This man bore little resemblance to the man who was her partner and her friend for so many years. She wondered if anyone who knew him now knew about his life before. Looking at him sitting in the small café, no one would have ever been able to tell that he was once a young, hot-headed, act now ask questions later cop.
He looked like a family man, like he belonged in the small town far from the city. She stood just inside the doorway clutching her small blue purse in her hands, her blond hair cascading over her shoulders, framing her face.
She felt her chest tighten when she saw him sitting there. She knew she had missed him, and she knew that she was dying to see him, but just how much she missed him hit her all at once, slamming into her soul and making sure that she knew just how hard it would be to walk away from him.
A young woman with long dark hair that was pulled up in a neat ponytail who was wearing a dark green apron over her black t-shirt and denim shorts walked up to where he sat, with a pot of coffee in hand.
"I figured it was time for a refill, Maurice," she said smiling brightly at him when he looked up from his paper and nodded happily.
"Thanks. You know me too well," he responded picking up the fresh cup and gratefully taking a drink. She simply laughed briefly and shook her head before turning and marching back behind the counter.
At the sound of his voice, Faith felt her body tense and her stomach turn in anticipation. Their only conversations since he left the city had been over the phone, but somehow hearing is voice travel over miles and miles of wires wasn't quite the same as hearing his voice travel across a room and reach her ears. She sucked in a breath sharply before trying to compose herself before making a move.
It was when he went to set down his cup after the long soothing drink that he spotted her standing there, watching him. His put down the cup completely and hopped off the stool that he was perched on. A large, infectious grin spread across his face as he quickly went to her, not hesitating before wrapping her in a hug. She was hesitant for only a moment as she tried to grasp the fact that not only was she seeing and hearing him, but that she was hugging him. She finally closed her eyes and let herself fall into the sweet comfort of the hug, wrapping her arms around his chest, curling them up to his shoulders as she buried her head in his neck.
"You're late," he whispered finally. She could tell that the grin was still plastered on his face as he spoke. She squeezed him tighter.
"I know. Sorry Bosco."
They stood there a few moments more before reluctantly releasing each other. He motioned with his head to the table before turning around and leading the way. She followed him immediately, never taking her eyes off of him as he walked and then pulled himself onto the stool.
Faith sat herself across from him, briefly looking around, taking in everything about the people surrounding them.
"It's good to see you," he said quietly, his voice bringing her eyes to his face. She smiled at him when she nodded in agreement.
"Ya look great, Bos…happy," she looked down into the empty mug sitting in front of her. She wanted him to be happy, but it hurt somehow. The fact that he had to leave, he had to become someone she didn't know to be happy cut her deeply.
She wondered if he would still be able to read her eyes as well as before, if he would be able to see the pain and the sadness that had become a permanent staple since he had left a year ago.
"I am happy, Faith. I mean, my life is a lot different than it was…it took a long time to get used to it, the slow pace, but I really do like it," he kept his eyes on her while he spoke. He desperately wanted her to look at him. He had waited so long for this moment and he wanted nothing more than to stare into her eyes and know that they were still okay…After everything that happened, that they were still them; partners.
Faith finally looked up as the young woman walked back up to the table, smiling at her and Bosco with the pot of coffee in hand.
"Hi, can I get you anything?" she asked, looking at Faith after smiling at Bosco briefly.
"Coffee's perfect," Faith says smiling politely as the waitress poured the steaming liquid into the waiting cup. When she finished, she stood back and looked to Bosco before looking back to Faith, clearly waiting for an introduction.
"Oh, Kate, this is my friend Faith. Kate owns the café," he said turning to Faith.
"It's so nice to meet you!" Kate started enthusiastically. "We were all starting to think that Maurice had made up all of his friends," she said with a laugh.
"Yeah, I'm sittin' right here, ya know," Bosco interrupted, feigning mild annoyance. Kate simply made a face at him before speaking.
"I'll leave you two alone. If you need anything just yell," she said cheerfully as she turned a headed to another table of customers. Faith and Bosco's eyes met as she walked away.
"So are you guys…" Faith started. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the answer to the question that was pulling at her mind. She wasn't an idiot; she had thought that he would find someone in his new life away from her and everything else that was part of who Bosco was. But it was something that he never shared in any of their conversations, and she never asked about it. She thought he had just finally just learned the meaning of privacy and tact which was something that was always missing from any of his relationships when she and Bosco were still partners.
He smiled at her, amused that he could hear apprehension and slight jealously in her question.
"No, we're not. She and her fiancé live next door to me. They actually showed me around when I first got here. Real nice people."
"Oh, that's nice. Ya made friends here," she said nodding. She wasn't quite sure what to say to him. For the first time in all the years that she had known him, she felt uncertain. She was uncertain about their friendship, about what to say to him, and about how to react to his words.
A short silence erupted between the two, Bosco staring at her smiling, Faith sitting uncomfortably across the table feeling a need to fill the quiet that would have once been extremely comfortable and even welcome.
"So, how's your ma?" she asked finally, picking up her coffee and taking a long drink.
"She's great, Faith. She's actually thinkin' of movin' here. She met a guy who wants to settle down and leave the city, which is great for me." His face was bright as he spoke about his mother, and Faith couldn't help but relax at his voice as he continued on, her unease fading away.
"She's been here a few times. She even brought the guy once. He seems alright, treats her good. And I made it known that New York isn't all that far from here so if I needed to, I could be there real quick. It also didn't hurt to point out that I have a hell of a lot of friends at the NYPD."
She laughed at him as she gazed at his beaming smile. She was really surprised at how happy, how excited about his life he was. She had always imagined that he would move here, away from her, his friends, his ma, leaving the city behind, and he would learn just how much he loved New York City. In her mind, she had given him three months at the most before he was at her door, waiting for her to welcome him back.
But it never happened. He never showed up at her door. He had adjusted to the giant upheaval in his world extremely well. He settled into his new life beautifully, taking to it almost immediately. And his words told her that he wasn't giving it up.
"That's great, Bos. Really great," she said trying to push the sense of loss she was feeling from her mind.
She knew. She knew that it was permanent now, with his mother planning on moving closer to him. He wouldn't be coming home.
Looking at her from across the small table, Bosco saw her eyes grow dim. He had expected as much. He had always told her that someday he would go home. Someday he would be ready. But he had never been able to find the words to tell her that his plans had changed. He had a life here now. A good life. It was almost perfect. Almost.
Faith looked away from him down into her mug, trying to hide the emotions that were threatening to break through to the surface. She could tell that he had noticed that she wasn't as happy as she was trying to seem. He knew her too well. Bosco had sighed sadly when she finished speaking, before they were enveloped in silence once more.
He reached across the table and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her palm, both following the path with their eyes.
"Faith, I'm really glad you came." His voice was hoarse and quiet, barley above a whisper, causing Faith meet his eyes. What she saw there brought tears to her own. Since she walked through that door she had been yearning to see the Bosco that had left her behind, her partner of twelve years or so, and when she looked at him now, she saw him. Behind the glasses, inside his deep pools of blue, there was Bosco.
She let herself smile through the tears that filled her eyes as she stared steadily into his eyes. "Me too, Bos," she said wrapping her hand around his and lightly squeezing. The two friends sat there gazing at each other, their hands joined, both taking in every feature of the other after a year apart.
One final squeeze and their hands separated letting both sit back, both smiling.
"Ya wanna see my house?" he asked finally, his voice sounding like an over-excited child wanting to show off his new favorite toy.
"Of course I wanna see your house. I never thought I would see the day when Maurice Boscorelli would have his own house in a small town," she said with a laugh, his face bright as his smile took over his every feature.
"Alright, let's go," he said standing. He reached for his wallet and dropped a few bills on the table before turning to Kate and waving swiftly. He took Faith's hand and led her to the door, never noticing the smile that crept over her lips as she watched their fingers lace together.
"Ya know, I think that was least I have ever had to spend to get a woman to come home with me," he said with a smile, turning around to face her as he pushed open the door with his body.
"Keep walking, smooth talker," she laughed, pushing him out the door into the warm spring air. She looked at him as that sly smirk appeared on his face and she smiled wider. "I really missed you, Bosco."
"Yeah, me too," he nodded and said quietly pulling her closer to him as they walked around a corner, bound for the place he now called home.
