The Road Less Traveled

by carmen-085

While still reeling from a terrible accident, Bosco and his streetwise new partner are choosen to go undercover and investigate a string of arsons that has the 55 questioning members of its own department.

2. Last Kiss

"The Road Less Traveled"

Author: carmen085

Email: All Third Watch characters are property of the NBC corporation and its affiliates while all original characters appearing in this story belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of SEASON TWO.

Summary: A deadly arsonist threatens friendships and loyalties at the 55 while an unlikely stranger helps Bosco overcome the worst day of his life

Chapter Two

I'll never forget the sound that night

The screamin' tires

The bustin' glass

The painful scream that I heard last

Although she had investigated countless accidents throughout her career nothing could have prepared Faith for the actual experience. The sheer force of the collision was enough to make her think that the world had just been ripped in two. Time seemed to slow down as what was taking only a fraction of a second in real time seemed to last an eternity. Everything in her field of vision shook erratically as the air in her lungs compressed through her nose and mouth in a single explosive instant. Searing pain radiated through her left side as she felt her every one of her bones snapping against the force of the collision. Shattering glass pelted her face and neck as the white metal of the RMP twisted grotesquely around her beaten frame. Strangely enough not a single thought crossed her mind. It was as if her brain were completely consumed with the situation at hand as the regret that had filled her only a moment ago was now replaced with a sense of nothingness. Then, all at once, a rocket seemed to launch from the backseat as Faith involuntarily let out a blood curdling scream before her world disappeared into complete darkness.

Down the street Davis was just about to turn away when out of the corner of his eye he saw a white paneled truck come barreling through the intersection. Hoping that he would see the red glow of Faith's brake lights, he delayed in following his partner for just a second. Not even slowing down one bit, the truck smashed into the left side of the RMP and temporarily set the car air borne. Watching in a state of shock, the scene was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. Davis felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest though by the time it relaxed everything was over. In the span of a single heartbeat their lives had changed forever.

Turning the corner behind Claremont Village, Bosco's feet pounded the asphalt with increasing purpose. At least fifty pounds heavier than he and in considerably poorer physical condition, the perp was beginning to tire.

"I'm right behind you, jag off ! Stop running !" Just as Bosco was about to tackle the fleeing suspect, an explosion resounded through the concrete maze of buildings. Out of pure instinct both men hit the ground covering their heads in anticipation for what they thought would be an ensuing hail of gunfire.

Down.

Faith.

In the instant that Bosco dropped to the pavement, those were the only two thoughts that crossed his mind. Cheek pressed against the rough, wet pavement he momentarily pinched his eyes shut. The muscles in his chest fought to relax as he realized that he was holding his breath. Careful not to move his head, Bosco tilted his eyes upward searching for any sign of a gunman. Nothing.

Although it seemed to last longer, this entire sequence of events was over by the time the last audible shred of the explosion had dissipated. Pushing himself off the ground first, the perp once again took off down the alley.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going ?" The uneven, dirty pavement stung his palms as he pushed his body up.

Getting up to speed very quickly, Bosco was once again in a position to bring the fleeing suspect down. Jacket swishing rhythmically side to side he fell into a purposeful trance. He was going to get this son of a bitch no matter what. This was the best part of the job. The chase. The hunt. The capture. The victory. It's what kept him coming back day after day. Preparing himself to leap once more, Bosco was cut short as Davis's panicked voice pierced the airwaves.

"10-13...10-13 ! We have an officer down !" Breath catching in his throat, Bosco's knees suddenly went weak. Something bad had happened. Davis never panicked…something must have happened to Sullivan. Swallowing hard, Bosco recommitted himself to the task at hand. He couldn't let this guy get away.

Leaping over a rusted cyclone fence, the perp made a mad dash back toward the interior of the projects. Vaulting over behind him, Bosco landed directly in a pile of rotting garbage. Now he was really getting pissed. "Dammit ! When I get my hands on you…" Not even bothering to glance over his shoulder, the larger man bolted into the darken Claremont breezeway. Stopping short, Bosco couldn't help but to feel a sense of dread.

This was bad.

A 10-13 had just gone out, he had no backup, and was about to chase a dangerous man into a darkened hallway. Where was Faith? No matter what she was always there. She always backed him up. Taking a deep breath Bosco peered over his shoulder one last time. He had to do this alone. There was no time to call for backup. Silently drawing his gun, Bosco summoned all his courage before stepping into the darkened breezeway.

Never before had Davis seen a crash so violent yet so unexpected. Without a second thought, he turned back toward the RMP. He had to do something. He had to help. From the moment he saw his partner get back into their car, Sully knew that his place in all this would be with the original victim. True they did have an officer down, but back up would be here any second, and he couldn't leave this girl to die all alone. Reluctantly kneeling down, he gave a silent nod to his partner before 55-Charlie peeled out.

55-David couldn't have been more than 50 feet away and Davis couldn't have been going less than 70 mph yet the entire process of getting there seemed to take forever. Turning to his left shoulder, Davis barely had the presence of mind to call the 10-13. He couldn't hear his own voice, or the sirens atop his car, or even the roar of the engines. Ty was completely lost in the moment as Faith's blood curdling scream echoed in his mind.

Taking a deep breath Bosco stepped into the darkened breezeway. Almost immediately his chest began to tighten as the overwhelming darkness suddenly surrounded him. Gripping his gun more tightly, Bosco slowly began to lose all feeling in his fingers. He shouldn't be here. He knew it before he came in but now the danger was very real as he felt it deep inside. Sliding down the wall, Bosco came to rest in the squatting position. Despite the meager lighting, he couldn't find another sign of life anywhere. The bastard must have gotten away. Shit. Standing back up, Bosco was just about to turn away when he heard the sound of crunching glass.

Shining his Kell light in the direction of the disturbance, he gathered himself for one last try at this scumbag.

"If you have a weapon now would be a really good time to drop it," silence, "Drop your weapon and come out with your hands up !"

Bosco jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice. He sounded far braver than he actually felt. Inching farther into the darkness, his muscles became weak with fear that was almost uncontrollable. He needed to back out of here, seal the building, and wait for back up. But then the illogical side of Maurice Boscorelli took over and he once again believed that everything was OK.

Swallowing hard, Bosco gripped his gun more tightly as the battle between his human and superhuman halves threatened to tear him apart. A scuffling in the opposite direction, however, caused him to whirl around suddenly. A rat. That was it. He nearly went into cardiac arrest over a rat. Holstering his gun, Bosco concluded that while he was here in the dark chasing rodents the perp must have gotten away.

"Just great." Turning to leaving, a sense of dread settled in as he recalled the 10-13. This, however, was the last thought to cross Bosco's mind as his world abruptly disappeared into complete darkness.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

She could feel it running down her arm, warm and sticky.

She could taste it in her mouth, salty and bitter.

She could hear it rushing through her veins and out of her body.

Slowly opening her eyes, all that Faith could see was blood. Everything around her was red and she wanted to scream. But she couldn't, there wasn't enough air in her lungs. Wheezing, she struggled to stay conscious as the faint sound of a siren echoed in the distance. Eyes drifting shut, Faith entered a dream like state of perfection where all the horror of her present situation simply melted away.

In a flash, her life back tracked nearly thirteen years to the moment that Emily was born. It was, without a doubt, the greatest moment of her life. Above all else, Faith was most of proud of being a mother. It was the one thing that she worked hardest at yet ever quite succeeded in. Faith worked so many hours that it was hard for her to feel like a good mother. In all fairness, it was Fred who raised the kids…not her. She was never there.

The day Emily was born, Faith received a second chance…a new beginning of sorts. Whatever mistakes she had made in the past were now forgotten as her new role demanded only the best of efforts. Looking back on it, she couldn't help but to recall an overwhelming sense of renewed hope. Emily's birth offered Faith the chance to be a better person not only for herself but also for her family.

Without warning, pain suddenly began to replace the sweet sensation of hope as Faith was unwillingly pulled back to reality. It radiated from every inch of her body as she struggled to open her eyes. Slowly, Faith became aware of the many voices surrounding her. Becoming slightly panicked, she began to wheeze more violently. Who were these people? What if they tried to hurt her? Struggling to move her arm, Faith concluded that there was no way she could reach her gun. Forcing her eyes open, she could barely discern the outline of Ty Davis. Relaxing, Faith's senses slowly came back to her. She was in a car accident and the voices she heard were the people trying to help her…not hurt her. With this in mind, her breathing began to slow as her body wretched and withered in pain. Eyes drifting shut, Davis' blurry face faded into darkness as Faith yet again slipped under the murky waters of her conscious reality.

All that she could see was white. It was everywhere and all around her, though, it didn't have the physical properties of light. Rather it was more like material as she allowed it to run over her face and through her fingers. It was so cool and soft that she couldn't help but to feel completely relaxed. Again, the terror of her reality had given way to a dream like sense of perfection.

Looking up, Faith realized that this was her wedding day. Staring at her reflection, she couldn't help but to smile. She was so in love with Fred that day that nothing else in the world mattered. She didn't care that her parents refused to attend the ceremony. She didn't care that her brother refused to speak with her. She didn't care that Fred really had nothing to offer. They were in love and in his eyes she saw the future.

On that day Faith also made a promise…a promise that she would eventually break. No matter how much she tried to justify it, Faith betrayed her husband's trust when she went behind his back and had the abortion.

"In good times and in bad"

But that's not how it worked. When things got bad, Faith turned her back and forgot all about the man she promised to love for the rest of her life.

"Faith? Faith? Can you hear me ? It's Davis…" As the pain once again returned, Fred's trusting face faded away. "Faith! Hang on…we're going to get you out."

Davis. She could barely make out his voice above all the background noise. Her eyes were becoming harder and harder to open, though, she became keenly aware of the sensations radiating from her hand. Someone was there with her. She could feel their hand in hers. Gathering all her strength she squeezed the other person's hand as hard as she could.

"Faith ? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again if you can hear me." Davis carefully adjusted his body on the crumpled hood of the RMP. "Squeeze it again, Faith."

Gritting her teeth, Faith gave the simple task all she had.

For the first time that day a smile broke out over Davis' panicked face. She was ok. Everything was going to be ok. Throwing a glance over this shoulder, Davis was even more relieved to see Jimmy Doherty and his crew. "Doherty, hurry up! We need to get her out of here now !" Turning back to the busted windshield of 55-David, Davis winced as he felt sharp glass cutting into is arm. Ignoring the pain, he couldn't bring himself to leave Faith now. "Just hang in there, Faith. We're gonna get you out of there. Just hang on."

The fire department had arrived. Faith heard the truck pull up and then Jimmy yelling various commands to his crew. A lot of people were working to help her, and more than anything she wished that she could open her eyes and tell them that it would all be worth it in the end. All they had to do was get her out and then she would take care of the rest. For now, though, all that she could do was wait. Slipping loose of her private struggle, Faith drifted into the comforting waters of unconsciousness.

August 25, 1992. Her first day at the Academy. It was so hot that day and there were so many people gathered in the tiny gymnasium. Men and women full of promise, all wanting to someday be the real Po-lice. While all of the recruits there were excited, there was no one in that gymnasium more excited to be the police than Maurice Boscorelli.

Faith met Bosco a week later, and although they got off to a rocky start, the two soon became good friends. From the start, they knew that they made a great team.

Faith was an excellent student who could study for hours without getting tired. Bosco, on the other hand, had a hard time concentrating on any sort of book for more than ten minutes. Before exams, the two would often study together at the public library until one or two in the morning. While it sounded intense, Faith actually relished those times and often thought about them when things got bad.

Bosco was an exceptional marksmen who could hit a dime fifty yards away. Faith, on the other hand, barely knew how to hold a gun let alone actually shoot it. On weekends, Bosco would pick her up at six am and the two of them would spend the better part of the day at the range. Until Faith had a feel for the power of the Glock, Bosco would often shoot with her as their fingers interlocked on the butt of the gun. While it was not his intent, a part of him fell hopelessly in love with her that day. Although he would never admit it, Bosco often thought about those weekends. It was a memory that kept him company during even the loneliest of nights.

Nine years after those long nights and early mornings, Bosco and Faith were still together working through their problems as a team. Despite their level of trust, however, Faith often felt like she didn't really know her partner. Bosco was very good at hiding his true feelings behind a façade of nonchalant insensitivity. Because of his unwillingness to open up, Faith often wrote her partner off as just another one of her kids. It was an unfair judgment that would later cause her a lot of guilt.

Falling deeper into the dream, Faith's brain fast tracked to this past summer. It had been a warm night and she was going to walk home instead of taking the subway. Bosco offered to join her even though his car was parked across from the precinct. When she questioned him about it, he just shrugged and said that there was no place he had to be. Despite the heat they walked close to each other while maintaining light conversation. It was a comfortable companionship that could only be shared between partners. When they arrived at Faith's apartment, she hesitated going in and suggested that they sit in the park across the street. Fred was probably passed out in the middle of all his empties anyway. For hours they sat on one of the benches and just talked…they talked about everything. Nothing was off limits this night as Bosco divulged some of his darkest childhood secrets. Despite the weight of what was being said, it was the unspoken words between them that Faith truly remembered. For a moment somewhere in the middle of everything, they shared a look of complete understanding. It was a sense of deep spiritual knowing where it felt as if she had lived her partner's life and completely understood every emotion he had ever experienced. In that second, they were almost inside one another. For the first time in nine years, she could truly see her partner for the broken yet amazing man that he was. And the guilt was overwhelming. He was so much more than she had ever given him credit for.

As her memories faded, Faith came to the realization that everything around her was shaking. It felt like she was in a washing machine as her body clanged against the confines of the disintegrated RMP. What was happening? Snapping her eyes open she realized that they were taking the car apart to get her out. Reaching, she felt Ty's hand still firmly planted in her own. Wait a minute….why was Davis with her? Where was Bosco? Why wasn't he the one holding her hand? For the first time since everything had started she wondered where her partner was. Becoming fully awake for the first time, she squirmed from side to side. She needed out of here and she needed to find her partner.

Turning his attention back to Faith, Davis' face registered surprise as he found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.

"Bosco !" Oh God. The pain was mind-blowing. Gritting her teeth she ignored it. There were bigger things to worry about now. "Where is he?"

Thirty thousand emotions ran through Davis at the same time. On one side he was elated to see Faith awake and talking, while on the other an undeniable sense of anger began to build. Where the hell was Bosco? His partner was down and he was nowhere to be found. Biting back his distaste, Davis smiled reassuringly at Faith. "He'll be here, Faith. Just give him a minute."

Davis was a bad liar. He had no idea where Bosco was and she could see it all over his face. Becoming upset, she struggled to free herself from the wreckage. If Davis wasn't going to help her, then she would have to find out where Bosco was for herself. Pulling herself up she nearly blacked out from the sheer intensity of the pain as Davis was quick to hold her back.

"Whoa Faith, we're going to have you out in no time…just sit tight for now. I promise…you'll be on your way to the hospital in a matter of minutes."

As she tried to catch her breath, the realization dawned on Faith that maybe she was hurt worse than she thought. It was so hard to breath and her heart wouldn't stop pounding. Every inch of her body ached in pain as movement of any sort was nearly impossible. These things were not good. Something was seriously wrong with her. Pinching her eyes shut she allowed the tears to flow freely down her cheeks. She was scared, and more than anything else she wanted Bosco to be there with her.

Lying face down on the dirty, wet pavement, the first sense that returned to Bosco was his sense of smell.

Piss.

He could smell it everywhere and all around him as he began to realize that he was probably laying in a puddle of it. Coughing he couldn't help but to feel completely disgusted.

The second sense that came back to him was his sense of touch as he quickly became aware of the hands in his pocket. Clenching his fist, pure rage shot through his body as he discovered that it was not his but someone else's hands in his pockets. Turning over, he grabbed the wrist of the man who was rummaging through his pockets and bent it backwards until a scream of pain was emitted. Kicking in the direction of the scream, the wind rushed out of his lungs as a rather large body fell on top of him.

That was a bad idea.

Now he was pinned underneath a potentially dangerous and definitely fat man. Gritting his teeth, Bosco used all his strength to free himself from his present situation. The perp was onto him, though, as he shifted his weight directly onto the young officer's chest. Wheezing, Bosco groped blindly in the darkness for some escape…any escape.

"Haha…thought you were smarter than me? Well, think again, pig." Winding up, the perp punched Bosco directly in mouth.

Teeth rattling, Bosco's field of vision blurred for a second as he lost all orientation of the situation. Not wasting any time, the larger man rose to his feet before planting his foot directly into the soft tissue surrounding Bosco's ribs. Crying out in pain, he automatically rolled onto his side. That was it. He was going to kill this son of a bitch.

Grunting loudly, he anticipated the larger man's second kick and instead stopped him in mid flow. Yanking his leg, he caused the perp to land hard on his back.

Not wanting to be taken advantage of again, Bosco wasted no time in getting on top of he other man. Driving his knee into the perp's stomach, Bosco hit him in the face as hard as he could. Winding up again he landed a devastating uppercut. Although it existed, the lighting was so meager that he half hoped his fist wouldn't miss the larger man all together. Driving in another blow, he was assured of his accuracy as a painful moan echoed in the darkness.

Sweat began to roll down his face as his heart threatened to pound right out of his chest. Taking a couple deep breaths, Bosco struggled to get a hold of himself. If he got too carried away, IAB would be blowing smoke up his ass for the next decade. Pushing himself into the standing position, Bosco immediately began searching for his Kell light. Panic ripped through his veins as he realized that it must have come loose in the struggle. He needed that light. With fear clouding his judgment, Bosco blindly ran his hands across the floor as he simultaneously lost focus of situation. That lapse in concentration was enough to give the now enraged criminal a window of opportunity.

Springing like a cat, the larger man showed remarkable agility as he tackled Bosco to the ground. Flipping him over, the perp didn't bother to punch his captor but rather went straight for the gun. In an instant terror swept through Bosco as he did everything he could to prevent his opponent from reaching what he wanted. This was his worst nightmare…it was every cop's worst nightmare. Being shot with your own gun is a fear that everyone in blue secretly harbors.

Latching onto the perp's fingers he yanked them back until he heard a crack and then he

continued to bend them anyway. Writhing in pain, the other man screamed while he remained careful not to back off. Filled with an uncontrollable rage, he wrapped his hands around Bosco's neck and slammed his head back into the concrete. Driving his knee into the young officer's groin, he moved to tighten the grip he held on Bosco's neck. Squeezing hard enough to feel the intricacies of his opponent's wind pipe, the criminal broke out into an evil laugh.

"Fuckin' stupid racist son of bitch. You deserve it. Do ya hear me? You deserve this!"

Bosco's world was becoming hazy as the lack of oxygen affected his brain. The perp's evil laugh resounded in his mind as he waited for death to come and take him. He was trapped, there was nothing that could be done. Suddenly, a cool whoosh of air filled his lungs as he realized that the other man was no longer choking him. A sense relief washed over him as he reveled in the second chance that he had been given.

Then it hit him.

His gun. It wasn't in the holster.

Tears involuntarily sprung up in his eyes. This was it. His life was going to end like this.

The uncontrollable urge to vomit came to him a moment later when he heard the click of the safety. Still thrashing he struggled in vain to free himself. The other man was just too big. Not making a sound, he silently cried in the darkness. He had never been this scared before in his entire life.

The next moment would change his life forever as felt the cool barrel of the Glock pressed directly into his forehead. Without warning his entire body began shaking uncontrollably. His hands were now uncoordinated in their retaliatory efforts as he became completely and utterly helpless. This was it. Pinching his eyes shut he didn't want to watch his life end in such a cowardly way. As he waited for death he thought of Faith. She meant the world to him. There's nothing he wouldn't do for her.

Finger nails digging into the soft flesh of palms, Bosco began to pray. "Our father who art in heaven…hallow be they name. Oh God please take care of my Ma. Be with her when she finds out about me. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Oh God please protect Faith. Watch her back on the streets. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as forgive those who trespass against us. Oh God I'm sorry for the terrible things I've done. I'm sorry for the terrible things that I've said. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Oh God please make this quick. I can't stand it any longer. Amen."

TBC……

Above lyrics are from Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss