Title: How Things Seem (Sequel To Knights Reunited)

Authors: Jamie552 (writes Bosco) and Starbright (writes Faith)

Summary: Three years after the party at Haggerty's, Bosco and Faith are married and living happy and normal lives. But Bosco gets offered something he can't refuse...

Disclaimer: We, sadly, own nothing.

Author's Note: Sorry that this took so long to update. We hope you enjoy this chapter!

I walked through the front doors of the 53, nervously looking around for someone I knew. Davis and Finney had called once again, and I'd finally taken it upon myself to see what they wanted with me.

The desk sergeant was hunched over what appeared to be a report of some kind. Taking a deep breath, I made my way over and rested my arms on the surface of the desk. The sergeant looked up, sending me a polite smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm officer Boscorelli from the 79." I held up my badge as if to confirm my identity. "Can you tell me where your Anti-Crime office is?"

"Take the steps over there to the very top, then make a right. You can't miss it."

"Thanks." Pushing myself from the desk, I started towards the steps, nodding at officers as I passed. This house was so different compared to mine and the old 55. It seemed newer and more updated than what I was used to. The floors were shiny and un-scuffed, the benches and chairs were new and free of the creaks.

Making a right at the top of the stairs, I immediately saw an open door and heard conversation from inside the room. Continuing down the hallway, my eyes fell on a woman talking on the phone. She appeared harassed and somewhat stressed as she argued with the person on the other line. Raising my hand, I very gently knocked on the door; she looked over at me, raising her eye-brows. "Davis?" I whispered. She nodded, motioning me inside and continuing her rant on the phone.

"I understand that the guy has layered up, Margo, I get it. But that doesn't change the fact that the bastard sold smack to a 13 year old boy outside of his school!" She fell silent, then started frantically shuffling through papers on her desk. Swallowing hard, I sat down in one of the chairs and nervously looked around the room. She continued. "I have his report in my hand, and you can tell Thompson or whatever the hell the lawyer's name is that if he wants to see it, he can drag is rear-end down here."

I'd never seen this woman before in my life, but there was no mistaking who she reminded me of. She had long brown hair with dark brown eyes and small figure. Her badge hung around her neck on the chain and she wore her gun on her hip. She had Cruz and Anti-Crime written all over her in bold writing.

Not having been paying attention to her conversation, I jumped slightly when she slammed the phone down onto the cradle. Sighing, she looked over at me. "Who did you say you were here to see?"

"Davis…Ty Davis?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." She nodded, plunkering down in her swivel chair. "Finney too, right?" I nodded. "Yeah, they mentioned that someone might be dropping by today."

"Are…they around?"

"They'll be back soon, they're just in with the boss." Looking up from the papers on her desk, she smiled lightly. "Sorry, your stuck with me for a while."

I chuckled. "No worries."

"How do you know Davis and Finney?"

"We used to work together at the 55, King and Arthur?"

"Oh, the house that burned down, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I heard all about that." She shook her head. "Damn shame, that house had a good reputation."

"It had good people."

"Yeah, I heard that to. How long did you work there?"

"That was my first house after graduation, so…probably somewhere around 13 years."

She smiled, looking back down at her report. "That's a long time to work outta one house. You must miss it."

"I sure do…it's hard not to."

"Partners?"

"Only one." I smiled as well, looking down at the floor. "Only one partner."

"Only one?" She raised her eye-brows looking back up at me. "One partner in 13 years?"

"Yeah, we met at the academy, became friends."

"He must be a nice guy."

"Well she is my best friend, so-"

"Oh, he's a she?"

I nodded, still looking at the floor. "Yup, he's a she."

"That's cool. You guys still working together? Or did you get separated after the fire?"

"Oh uh-" My smile widened. "We still work together…daily, actually."

"Oh yeah?"

Raising my left hand, I spun my wedding band around on my finger, showing it to her. "Yeah."

She focused in on the ring, and laughed. "Daily, huh?"

"Daily."

"That's nice."

"She actually works over at Major Cases, so-"

"Oh, the big time."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"She like it?"

"She loves being the boss." I snapped my head to the familiar voice and my eyes fell on Davis' smiling face. "But she always bossed you around anyway, so-"

Standing from my chair, I laughed and pulled Davis into a hug. "Hey man."

"Hey Bosco." He patted my back before pulling away and looking at me. "How the hell are ya?"

"Kinda confused about why you called, but otherwise great. What about you?"

"Never better, dude."

Finney appeared as well, smiling, as we embraced. "Good to see you, Bosco."

"Yeah, you to."

"You been nice to him?" Davis asked the woman behind the desk, who had been watching the exchange with a smile on her face.

"Yes, I've been nice!" She said, her smile growing. "We were just talking about the old 55."

"Damn, the old 55." Davis shook his head sadly. "Memory lane, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding."

"The only thing we didn't talk about was who I am." She stood from the desk and walked over to me, officially introducing herself. "Sergeant Amanda Breda…nice to, officially, meet you."

"Nice to meet you to." I shook her hand. "I've heard about you from my Lieu…nice to put a name to a face."

"Who's your Lieu?"

"Bilko."

A smile came across Breda's face and she nodded. "Steve Bilko…yeah, I'm not surprised he's mentioned me."

Davis raised his eye-brows. "I'm sensing a story."

"Oh yeah, there's a story." Breda said, chuckling lightly. "He was my Lieu when I first graduated. He's the one who recommended me for promotion, then I was transferred here to head up Anti-Crime. That man is my hero."

"Well, your certainly his." I said, also chuckling. "He mentions you whenever he talks about promotions and going the extra mile. You made quite the impression, Sarge."

"That was my intention, believe me. It takes a hell of a lot to get Bilko to notice, that's for sure."

Davis nodded, motioning to a small hallway. "I'm sorry Sarge, but we've gotta talk to Bosco here about…what we talked about."

"Let me know ok?" Looking to me, she once again extended her hand. "Good to finally meet you, Boscorelli."

"You too, ma'am."

She retreated back behind the desk and Davis looked at me, raising his eye-brows. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Falling into step behind him with Finney bringing up the rear, we started down the short hallway, moving into an office. We all filed inside and I took a seat, looking at Davis intently as he leaned back against the edge of the desk. "Thanks for coming, Bosco."

"Hey, no worries, man." I smiled, leaning back in my chair. "You call, I answer…that's the way it goes."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"So, what's up?"

Davis took a deep breath. "You got a lot going on?"

Surprised at the question, I blinked stupidly before answering. "Not really…I mean…with work and stuff, it's the regular routine. Why?"

"What about at home?"

"Well, I'm married to Faith, so life is never dull."

"You thinking about starting a family?"

Looking to Finney, I narrowed my eyes slightly. "What the hell is this about, guys? Are these questions really important?"

"Yeah, Bosco…they are." Davis sighed, glancing around the room before looking back to me. "We need to ask this."

"Don't do that, Davis." I said seriously, my eyes still narrow. "I've been a cop longer than you, don't give me all this mysterious 'we have to ask this' bullshit. What…do you want with me?"

"Bosco-"

"What?"

He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We need you to work here for a couple weeks…maybe a couple months."

"What are you talking about? You want me to transfer-"

"No, no…not a transfer. Just a temporary placement for an assignment. That is, if your willing to take part."

"An assignment?" They both nodded. "What kind of assignment?"

"Undercover…strictly, 100 undercover."

I held up my hand. "Whoa, whoa…undercover? With who and for what?"

"Illegal weapons trafficking…serious stuff."

"Who's involved?"

"I'll give you three guesses, but your only gonna need one."

"The mob?" He nodded. "So let me get this straight…you drag me from my own precinct house, sit my ass down, bombard me with this assignment and tell me that I'll be getting involved with the mafia?" They both nodded stupidly and rather lamely; I sighed. "You guys are insane….no way."

"Bosco, we need you on this-"

"Why can't you get some poor schmuck from your house to do it?"

"Because we need someone who's been on the force for a while and knows what's going on."

"Experience matters with this, Bosco." Finney said, glancing at Davis. "You've been on the streets for a hell of a long time, your street smart-"

"And my family is from the boot, right?" I interjected, shooting them both scowls. "You want someone who's Italian enough to understand that the hell is going on."

"I trust you, Bosco." Davis said, leaning close to me. "You've been my friend since I joined the 55, you've always had my back. I don't trust anyone else to do this."

"We don't trust anyone else." Finney added softly.

I sighed again, throwing my head back in frustration. "I can't get into the mob, you both know that." Raising my head, I locked eyes with Davis. "If shit hits the fan, my family will be held responsible…I can't have that happening."

"Your mother and Faith will be looked after-"

"In the event that something happens to me, or throughout the whole thing?"

"Throughout the whole thing. Nothing is gonna happen to you, Bosco."

"How can you say that? This is the mob, Davis!"

"I understand." Leaving his perch on the desk, Davis moved closer to my chair. "I understand that, but we don't have a choice. No officer in this house is smart enough or savvy enough to pull this off. You know these guys, Bosco."

"Not personally, I don't."

"But you know them well enough to blend in. I know that you did work with Cruz back in the day working with the mafia, and your experience with Nardo."

"Nardo was a nutcase." I said, scoffing lightly. "You think I want back in?"

"Bosco-"

"Let me tell you something; if I get stuck in that world, there's no coming out." I looked at each one of them in turn, trying to get my message across. "I can get lost in that racket for the rest of my life. I can get killed myself, or they could get to Faith or my mother…I can't let that happen…I won't."

Finney sighed, looking down to the floor before looking to me. "I understand where your coming from, Bosco, believe me, I do. But you'll be taken are of-"

"Taken care of? Please, Finney. I'll be taken care of until it goes under, then I'll be alone. You know it, and I know it."

"You think I would abandon you?" Davis said softly, looking at me. "You think…after everything we've been through…that I would leave you like that?"

"I hope not."

"Bosco…your one of my best friends. There's no chance in hell that I'd leave you in. You know I'd get you out."

"I need to think about this, guys. I need time."

"I'm afraid time isn't something that we have."

"What? What are you talking about, we don't have time?"

Finney let out a breath, glancing at Davis. "They're making a drop Tuesday night…we need to know tonight."

I left the office shortly after, my mind in a complete tailspin. The mafia, illegal weapons, undercover, secrecy and lies.

Good grief, it was as though I was back with Cruz.

Finney had also mentioned that Faith was in no way allowed to know where I was or what I was doing; it was for her own safety. So I had to find a way to move out of the house…a way to move out where Faith didn't care that I was leaving. Wonderful…

My nerves went into over-drive as I unlocked the front door and slowly walked into the house. I could smell Faith's cooking coming from the kitchen and kicked off my shoes, locking the door behind me. She must have heard me because she appeared in the kitchen doorway, a smile on her face. "You, Mr. Boscorelli, are late."

"And I, Mr. Boscorelli, apologize to you, Mrs. Boscorelli, for being late." Her smile widened as I started towards her, shedding my jacket as I went. "Smells great in here."

"Well, if you had been any later, you wouldn't be getting any."

"Why? You'd eat without me?"

"No, I'd chuck your serving out the window."

I couldn't help but laugh as I gave her a quick kiss, making my way into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's ok." She followed me in, sitting down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. I smiled at the colossal oven mitts on her hands. "Where were you anyway?"

"Oh uh…got called into Bilko's office at the end of shift."

"What for?"

Grabbing a small piece of lettuce from the large salad bowl on the counter, I popped it into my mouth. "He was asking about a report I took today, that's all." And the lying begins…Turning to look at the table, my nerves increased at the sight of candles and wine glasses. Looking back to Faith, she smiled. "What are you up to?"

Standing from the stool, she wrapped her arms around my neck and tossed the oven mitts onto the counter. "I have something that I wanna talk to you about, and I thought I'd set the mood."

"Talk? About what?"

Kissing the tip of my nose, her smile grew. "Well, we've been talking a lot the last couple months…about...starting a family. And I thought that-"

Here we go. "A family?" I interjected, furrowing my brow. "You want kids now?"

"Well…yeah."

Backing away from her, I started shaking my head. "I dunno-"

"You don't know?"

"No Faith, I don't know. I mean, I've been wanting them for almost a year and you haven't been interested. What? Just because your all of a sudden ready, I'm supposed to feel the same way?"

Faith let her shoulders drop, a totally bewildered look on her face. "Boz, that's not what I meant--I mean, I just assumed that you would-"

"Well, I don't, ok? Not anymore."

"But…why?"

"Does it matter? The answer is no." I felt horrible talking to Faith like that, and I felt horrible that I was telling her that I didn't want kids when really, they were all I wanted in to world. A family was all I needed to make my life complete…and here I was…throwing away my chance with the one woman I'd ever consider having kids with.

"The answer is no?" Faith's eyes immediately narrowed at my rudeness, and I felt the anger starting to radiate to me from across the kitchen. "That's it? The answer is no?"

"I'm over it." I swallowed hard, trying my best to be an obnoxious pig; which I'd been told was something that came quite naturally to me. "Besides, your getting pretty old to be having kids, don't you think?" Turning back to the salad bowl, I tried to stop my hands from shaking as I grabbed another leaf of lettuce.

"What…did you just say?"

"I said, your getting too old."

Faith stood from the stool, crossing her arms across her chest. She looked like she didn't know whether to cry or shout. "I can't believe you just said that to me."

Turning to face her again, I tried to act stupid; another thing that comes naturally. "Said what to you?"

"I'm getting too old, am I?"

"Well…kinda, yeah."

Looking down to the floor, her whole body shook. I felt sick to my stomach at the sight of her so upset, knowing that I'd caused it. I wanted nothing more then to go over to her and take her in my arms, but unfortunately, according to Davis and Finney, for her own safety, Faith had to hate me until the assignment was over. "I want you to leave, Boscorelli."

"Faith-"

"Leave!"

Fighting the urge to apologize, I nodded my head stupidly. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah…that's what the old geezer wants."

I left the house in total shame, pathetically carrying my duffle bag. I was like a refugee, escaping the fury of Faith. She slammed the door behind me and I couldn't help but heave a heavy sigh. My wife hated me, and Davis and Finney had better make sure that they followed through.

Or they'd be refugees from me.