Title: Turned Loose 2?

Author: Mandi

Disclaimer: They're not mine

Characters: Bosco, Cruz, Faith

Summary: Bosco confronts Cruz about the 'secret' Faith's apparently keeping from him.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"What's this about, Bosco?" Cruz asked, trying hard to muffle the frustration in her voice. She didn't wanna be there just as much as he didn't want her there.

Bosco's eyes hardened as he seemed to glare back at her, "Faith's keeping something from me—and I want you to tell me what it is."

Cruz fell silent, but her eyes remained locked with his. She swallowed hard. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was the reason why he'd call for her at the House. She had just hoped it wasn't. Bosco looked deeply into Cruz's eyes, seeing into the storm that was waging inside of her. He knew she knew the truth, he knew she knew what Faith's secret was.

"You gonna answer or are you just sitting there thinking up some way to hide it from me—like she does." Bosco accused, his eyes heavy and his breathing deep. It's been two weeks since he took his first steps after being in a bed for months, but he was still extremely drained. He was weak both physically and emotionally, but mentally he was still sharp. That's why he could see pass Faith's exterior shell, straight through to the broken woman within. That's why he knew Faith was keeping something from him.

"Bosco—," Cruz started, shaking her head and looking down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap, "I'm the wrong person to be talkin' to bout this."

"I disagree—I think you're exactly the person I need to be talkin' to—look at me." Bosco hissed, irritated that he had to look at the top of her head and not into her eyes. It was easier to tell if Cruz was lying if she was making eye contact. Something she was trying to avoid at the moment.

Still, after a few seconds Cruz obliged to his demand, slowly lifting her eyes to meet his. His normally brilliant blue eyes were dark and dangerous, frightening Cruz to her core. She had never seem so much contempt in his eyes since the time he confronted her after Mikey died.

"I'm not gonna do this with you." Cruz stated, trying hard to keep her voice even. It was hard to speak to him when he was like this: cold, distant, angry.

"What's she hiding? What really happened on that roof top, Cruz? Cause the story I keep hearing doesn't make much sense."

Cruz leaned forward in her chair and kept her eyes focused on his, "yeah? And why is that?"

Bosco let out a tired laugh, "come on, Ritza. Don't expect me to believe Faith was covering your ass all this time."

"And what, me covering her ass is easier for you to believe?" Cruz shot back, pent up anger causing her to lose her composure for a moment, but it was too late to take back what she had just said. What she had just confessed.

Bosco crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing her awkwardly, "I don't know—you tell me."

"Tell you what! What the hell do you want from me!" Cruz said, standing from her chair and walking over to the window. Bosco watched as she ran her fingers through her hair, obviously frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Bosco said calmly, "did I hit a nerve?"

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Cruz hissed under her breath as she stared out the window into the dark rainy night. The storm probably wouldn't clear till morning. Cruz cursed silently. Her current situation was bad enough without her having to drive home in the rain.

"Just be up front. That's all I ask. Tell it like is—you can do that, right?"

Cruz's shoulders slumped as she turned around to face him. She crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the wall, her eyes meeting Bosco's again. He just stared, emotionless back at her, waiting for her to talk to him.

Cruz shook her head, "you don't understand—."

"What don't I understand! Help me understand, Rizta...come on. You owe me that much." Bosco's voice rising as his frustration grew. When Cruz remained silent, Bosco stood from his chair and started toward her, "my brother's dead—Mikey's dead! Ma almost died in that funeral home and me—I was shot down by that son of a bitch Mann!"

"Bosco—," Cruz uttered softly, as he stepped closer, their noses almost touching. There was nothing but rage in Bosco's eyes as Cruz looked back at him. "I can't—." She hesitated again, trying to look away but he wouldn't let her.

Bosco suddenly snapped, grabbing her chin with one hand and forcing her to look forward, "Look at me—look at me! Look what I have to live with because of him!" He shouted, gesturing to the bandages on his face with his free hand. Cruz blinked back her tears and bit her lip to keep from crying out because of his vicious hold on her, "he took away everything from me! Everything! And you're gonna stand there and tell me you can't! You can't! Or you won't? Either way, Ritza—you're gonna tell me what happened on that roof...I deserve to know the truth!"

Cruz nodded her understanding as Bosco's voice cracked and he weakly leaned forward, his forehead resting lightly against hers. Cruz for a moment was numb, her back up against the wall and unable to process being so close to him again. It had been so long since he even came this near, and now she watched him, watched as tears slowly started down his cheek. He looked so fragile, so weak, so completely drained. This was not the Bosco she knew, the vibrant, full of life cop that she had once thought she could love. And her heart broke for him.

After a few minutes, Bosco gained his composure and pulled back, meeting her gaze with hallow eyes. Cruz quickly wiped away her tears and nodded, "you're right—you do deserve the truth."

Finally, Bosco seemed to relax, his shoulders not so tense and his features softening, "thank you."

Cruz nodded, "but I think you already know what really happened—who really shot Mann."

Bosco's eyes widened for only a moment before his bottom lip started to tremble, "And you—you protected her?"

"It was never about her—it was about making that son of a bitch pay for what he did—I couldn't do it, Bosco. When everything in me wanted to pull that trigger—I couldn't—I don't know why, and the next thing I know, she's emptying your gun into him. Then I looked at her, into her eyes, and you know what I saw? I saw nothing, Bosco because she died—she died the moment she thought you did, but you didn't—and now she has to live what the consequences. I couldn't do it—maybe because—you never meant that much to me...the way you do to her." Cruz finished, her eyes still glazed over and her heart still beating rapidly in her chest. Bosco took a moment to take everything in, deep down, he had always known the truth, but hearing it confirmed, it hit him ten times worse than he thought it would, and he suddenly found himself going week in the knees.

"Bosco," his name left her lips as Cruz caught him, using all the strength she had to lower him slowly to the ground, his head rested lazily on her shoulder as his arms draped around her, holding her tight.

The truth was too much for him. The reality of knowing Faith had killed a man for him was beyond words, too difficult to deal with in his already emotional distress. He found himself suffocating, unable to breathe, he clutched his chest, as Cruz lowered him completely to the ground.

"I can't—I can't breathe—," he gasped, grabbing Cruz's shirt sleeve, "can't—!"

"I'm gonna get a nurse!" Cruz said, racing from the room and screaming for help.

"Bosco!" Her voice echoed from the doorway the second after Cruz left the room. Bosco shut his eyes tight and when he opened them again, there she was, standing over him, her face ghostly white and her fearful as she looked down at him. "Boz?"

"Fay—," he tried to get out, but it was no use. This was another panic attack, something that hadn't happened in years. And like the first time it happened, Faith was there, holding him and telling him everything was going to be okay. But unlike the last time, he didn't trust her words now. He didn't trust the tenderness in her voice, the concern in her eyes, the softness of her touch against his face as she cradled his head gently in her lap.

"Bos—you're gonna be okay, the doctors are on their way," Faith assured him, gently wiping the tears that had fallen from his beautiful blue eyes as he gazed up at her. Bosco shook his head, his grip on her hand tightening. He moved his lips to talk, and at first nothing came out, but he tried again, this time Faith moving her ear closer to his face.

"You—lied—to...me," was all he managed to get out. Faith watched horrified as his eyes drifted shut and his chest stopped moving.

Then there was silence.