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xtremeroswelliaTitle: The Twelve Days of Christmas series: Fic # 3: A Winter's Night
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com & faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Spoilers: Up through and including the majority of fourth season..
Summary: A bickering Faith and Bosco are stranded together in an old abandoned cabin during a winter storm. Will they make it out alive?
A Winter's Night
He tugged the mask down over his face, glancing around the apartment building corridor nervously. "You're sure she's alone in there?" There was a hint of doubt to his voice as he spoke quietly, looking at the other masked man who was picking the lock.
"Have you been payin' attention at all tonight? Of course she's alone."
He shifted from one foot to the other, glancing around again. "Hurry up."
"I -am- hurrying," he snapped. "You think you coulda done it faster?"
He sighed. "We should have just stolen her keys."
Shaking his head he rolled his eyes. The lock clicked, and he slowly turned the doorknob. "Keep your mouth shut," he whispered.
He fell silent, nodding as he followed the other man inside the dark apartment. He turned his flashlight on, shining it around the living room. The light flickered over the clock hanging on the wall. It was nearly 1 in the morning. He was tired, but they were almost finished with the hard part. He crept silently down the hallway, peering into the other bedroom--empty, thankfully. His friend had been right. She was there alone tonight. That was definitely to their advantage.
Pausing outside the room she was in, the other man pulled a scarf out of his pocket. He then held up his fist, placing one finger in the air, then a second and finally a third before they both hurried into the room.
The first man quickly grabbed hold of her as she lay in bed, her eyes immediately flying open as she started to struggle. "Gag her," he commanded.
Quickly stepping into placed he wrapped the scarf around her head, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. He pulled out a large black fabric sack that he was carrying with him, and placed it over the woman's head so she couldn't see them. "I'll grab her legs."
As soon as he said the words, she lashed out, kicking at both of them as terror rolled through her. She connected solidly with the first man's ribs, and managed to kick the second man in the stomach.
"Dammit!" He reached out to try and still her legs. "Where's the rope?"
"Shit," the first man muttered, wincing in pain as he quickly grabbed the rope from his small backpack. He tossed it over to his partner. "Stop strugglin'! We don't wanna hurt you," he told her, disguising his voice best he could.
Catching the rope he made quick work of tying her legs together so she couldn't kick. She continued to struggle. "We gotta hurry."
"No kidding," he replied, using the rest of the rope to tie her hands behind her back. He felt a wave of guilt when he heard her trying to speak, could hear the fear in her attempted protests.
Grabbing hold of her legs, he looked at his partner, understanding exactly how he was feeling just by his body language. "Let's go."
He nodded, carefully holding onto her upper body, making sure to support her back and neck so he didn't hurt her. "Ready?"
"Yeah." He held her legs tight, not wanting to drop her as they carefully moved toward the door.
After a few more moments, she stopped struggling, apparently realizing with the way she was tied it was a lost cause. He could feel her trembling as they carried her.
Readjusting his hold on her legs he grabbed the van keys out of his pocket. "Almost there," he muttered.
"Relax, it's okay," he told the woman, glancing at his partner as they made it outside and approached the van.
He fumbled a little, but managed to get the side door unlocked, realizing it would have been easier to have left it unlocked to begin with. He slid the door open. "Okay, careful," he instructed as they put her into the back of the van.
"You think the others are done yet?" the first man asked as he gently laid the woman down on a pile of blankets in the back.
"Gawd I hope so. I wanna get this over with."
"You and me both." He gazed at her for a moment, then had to climb out of the van and close the doors quickly.
"I think I'd feel better if we'd gotten the other assignment."
"Yeah, somehow I don't think I'd have as much problem with gagging him and tying him up." Davis pulled his mask off and headed around to the passenger side.
Sully nodded his agreement as he took off his mask and climbed into the driver's seat. "I hear ya."
"Let's get outta here," he said quietly, casting a glance toward the back.
"Yeah," he whispered as he started the van. He checked his rearview mirror before pulling out onto the deserted street.
* * *
"Would you -stop-," Jimmy shouted as he pushed open the cabin door with his shoulder, and struggled to hold onto the man's flailing legs.
"I -still- think we shoulda drugged him," Carlos mumbled as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around the man's torso.
"Just move," Doc commanded, holding onto the man's arms tightly.
"Hey, you're not the one tryin' to hold his legs," Doherty shot back as he took a few steps into the cabin.
"Guys, shut your traps," Alex said, folding her arms across her chest as she narrowed her eyes.
"You know, you coulda helped Taylor." Carlos sent a glare in her direction.
She smirked. "Why? Three big guys like you can't handle one small guy like him?"
He continued to struggle even though he recognized the voices around him. The entire car ride he'd been trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It had been silent except for the radio playin in the background. But his heart had been racing ever since he'd been woken by hands holding him down while he was gagged and his head covered. His frazzled mind was still trying to process -why- these people who were supposed to be his friends were torturing him like this.
Alex walked alongside the guys as they carried him over to the small sofa. "Relax, Bosco," she said, her voice gentle.
Bosco continued to thrash around in their arms, her words doing nothing to comfort him in the darkness that surrounded him.
Jimmy unceremoniously dropped Bosco's legs onto the sofa.
"Easy!" Taylor scolded, shooting him a glare. "Take the bag off his head."
"Come on Taylor. He's been kicking us for God knows how long, and you want us to take it easy on him?" Carlos shook his head.
"I know. Let's tie you up, gag you and put a bag over your head and see how -you- respond, Carlos."
"I'm still thinking we shoulda drugged him," Nieto stated again.
She rolled her eyes and reached out, removing the bag from Bosco's head and wadding it up.
His eyes were wide as he quickly glanced around the room. He cursed them all, but it was muffled by the tie they'd used to gag him.
"Just relax, Bosco. We'll take the gag off soon enough. But not until your company gets here."
Bosco glared at all the guys that were staring down at him, and then started to squirm, trying to get off the sofa they'd placed him on. After being gagged, and having his legs and arms tied together he didn't trust them no matter what they said.
"Knock it off, Bosco." Jimmy quickly sat down on the edge of the sofa, and held Bosco down. "You're just gonna hurt yourself!"
"This is for your own good," Doc informed him, glancing toward the door.
Sully pushed the cabin door open, and stumbled inside as he held onto her legs.
"Easy," Davis said as he held onto her upper body.
"So where does this one go," Sully asked over his shoulder.
"Floor, I guess," Doc said with a slight shrug.
"We shoulda dumped him on the floor." Carlos told them as he glanced at Bosco.
Davis carefully lowered her to the floor. "Almost over," he told her softly.
Sully set her legs down, and for a second he thought about untying her. However, he didn't want all of their effort to go to waste. He motioned toward the bag that was over her head. "Take that off, would ya Davis?"
He nodded quickly and pulled the back off her head.
Faith squinted at the sudden light and looked around, her eyes still full of fear. What the -hell- was going on?
"Everything's okay, Faith," Sully told her softly as he stepped into her line of sight.
"You guys definitely had the easier assignment," Doc informed the two officers.
"Yeah, well I don't know about that. I think I may have a broken rib," Davis replied wryly.
"Besides I doubt you guys felt as guilty about tyin' up Bosco as we did about doin' it to Faith," Sully told them.
"Yeah, I gotta admit," Carlos started seriously. "I didn't feel bad at all."
Faith looked around again, still confused about why her co-workers and friends had kidnapped her. And had Sully just said Bosco was tied up? And where the hell were they?
Bosco shifted on the couch, trying to get a good look at his surroundings. The longer they kept him like this the more furious he was going to get.
"All right, this is the deal." Taylor assumed control and moved out of the way so that the tied partners could see each other. "We're sick to death of the two of you bein' at each other's throats. You're gonna work things out and you're gonna have plenty of time to do it in," she informed them.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Taylor and then shifted his gaze to the bound and gagged Faith that was lying on the floor.
"So, you two are gonna stay out here together," Sully added. "And you're gonna play nice or kill each other. It's up to you."
Faith stared at Sully in disbelief, still disoriented from the very long ride from her apartment.
Bosco started fighting against his ropes as he tried to say something, frustrated by the gag in his mouth.
"If we take this off, are you gonna be nice?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows as she gazed down at Bosco.
What the hell kinda question is that, he wondered.
She glanced around at the other guys, then reluctantly reached down and untied the scarf that was keeping him from being able to talk.
"I'm gonna kill you all," he spat as soon as the material was out of his mouth.
Taylor smirked. "Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that, Bosco. Take her gag off, Sully." She nodded toward Faith.
Sully moved over to Faith, and quickly removed the gag.
Faith drew in ragged breath. "What the hell is going on?"
"We told you," Sully said firmly. "We're tired of the two of you, and it's time for you to work it out."
She glared at him. "And where -exactly- are we?"
"Now if we told you that it would make things too easy."
"Okay, that's great. Now can you please untie me?"
"Just the legs," Doc reminded him.
Sully nodded his head, and crouched down to untie the rope around Faith's legs.
"What about me?! Aren't you gonna untie me?!"
Alex rolled her eyes. "Relax, Bosco. We're gonna untie your legs too. In a minute."
"My legs? What about my hands!"
"That's not happenin'," Davis replied.
Bosco sat up slightly. "Why the hell not?"
"You're gonna have to figure out how to get yourself untied," Doc told him.
"We don't really trust you at the moment," Alex said.
"Oh this just keeps gettin' better," Bosco growled as he laid back on the sofa.
"Shut up, Bosco. You got yourself into this situation." Doc looked at him unsympathetically.
"What?!" He turned his head to glare at Doc. "How the hell did -I- get myself into this? You're the ones who broke into -my- apartment and kidnapped me!"
"Yeah, well if you weren't such a jerk--"
"Knock it off," Alex said sharply, glaring at both of them. "Untie his legs and let's get out of here."
"So you're just gonna leave us here?!" Bosco's voice was more high-pitched then he'd intended.
"That's right," Davis replied, glancing at him.
"Come on, this is ridiculous," Faith protested, shaking her head.
"No. What's ridiculous is the way you and your -partner- have been acting," Sully informed them, his voice raised. "You've been acting like two year olds, and it's gotta stop."
She glared at him. "He's -not- my partner anymore."
He looked over at Bosco. "Yeah, and that's ridiculous too, so work it out."
Jimmy finally managed to untie Bosco's feet, and hopped out of the way just before Bosco tried to kick him.
"So what are we supposed to do here? How long are we gonna be here," Bosco asked, his voice irritated.
"Guess that's up to you," Alex told him as she headed for the door.
"Okay, the joke is over. Untie us. I wanna go home," Faith said as she struggled to sit up.
"For once I agree with Faith," Bosco told them.
She scowled as she glanced over at him. "Who cares if we're not partners anymore? What difference does it make? It's not like it has any effect on any of your lives anyway."
"Gee, let's see," Sully pondered. "The screaming, the bickering, the icy cold glares, the tension, the inability to be civil while on calls." He glanced between them. "I'd say it effects us!"
"Well, get over it! If you don't let us go right now, as soon as we get the hell out of here, I'm gonna press charges against all of you for breaking and entering, not to mention kidnapping and holding us hostage." There was fury in her eyes.
"You're not hostages," Davis informed them.
"No. We're just -tied up-!" Bosco reminded him.
"So untie each other when we leave. Pretty simple if you ask me." He shrugged.
Bosco took a deep breath finally coming to the realization that no one in this room was going to help him. "Fine." He managed to get himself to a sitting position, and then stood up, his legs wobbling slightly from having been tied together for so long.
Alex opened the door, holding it for the guys as they walked out. When Bosco tried to follow them, she held a hand up to stop him. "Don't think so."
"Come on, Taylor," he pleaded.
She smirked. "Don't give me that look. I'm not like the other women in your life, Bosco. I don't fall at your feet when you give me the lost little puppy look."
He huffed in frustration. "Were you guys at least nice enough to stock this place with food and stuff," he asked, his voice hard.
"We want you to make up, not starve to death."
"Oh, how thoughtful."
Alex smirked again and started to step outside, pausing briefly. "Have a merry Christmas." Without another word, she closed the door behind her as she left.
"Shit!" Bosco yelled at the top of his lungs.
Faith sat on the floor silently, her jaw tense with anger.
Bosco kicked at the door. "I swear to God when I get outta here..."
"Save it," she muttered as she strained her hands against the ropes.
He spun around to look at her. "Shut up."
"Bite me," she retorted, glaring at him.
"You know, you started this whole mess," he informed her as he walked around the cabin, looking for something that might help him break free from the ropes.
"Excuse me? This is -my- fault now?"
"Yeah. If you weren't so damn jealous that I was actually making something of myself."
"Jealous?" She was barely able to keep herself from laughing. "You think I'm -jealous-? Of you?"
He didn't like the mocking tone of her voice. "Just cause you're gonna be stuck as a beat cop when I move up to ACU. You just couldn't handle the fact that I'm advancing."
"Oh, Bosco. You really need to get over yourself." She struggled to stand up.
"Why couldn't you just be happy for me?"
She shook her head in disgust. "You know what? I'm not gonna fight with you. I'm gonna somehow get these damn ropes off and get the hell outta here."
"We don't even know where we are," he reminded her.
"Yeah, well anywhere else is better than here."
"Better cause I won't be there?" He chuckled. "That's always how it is with you isn't it? Just run away. It's easier."
"Would you please shut up? You're givin' me a headache."
"Right." He nodded his head. "-I'm- givin' you a headache." He wandered into the small kitchen.
Faith glared after him and walked over to the fireplace where the fireplace pokers were located. She backed up against where one was standing up and started rubbing the ropes over the sharp end.
Bosco walked through the kitchen looking for a knife. He strategically turned his back, and grabbed hold of the handle of one of the drawers. "Bingo." He grinned when he turned to see a large cutting knife in the drawer. Turning around once more he managed to get a hold of the knife.
She could feel the ropes weakening and a moment later she managed to wiggle her hands out of them. She rubbed her sore wrists, wincing slightly. Then she glared at the ropes, picked up the remnants and threw them in the fireplace.
With the grin still on his face he held the knife awkwardly as he moved it back and forth against the ropes. "Owww! Dammit!"
Startled by his yelp, she jumped slightly and reluctantly walked into the small kitchen.
He dropped the knife on the floor, a grimace on his face.
Her first instinct was to rush to his side and see how badly he was hurt. Instead, she suppressed the thought and folded her arms across her chest, remaining silent.
His eyes were closed tightly, and he bit his lip. "Damn."
"Are you all right?" Her voice was quiet.
"I cut myself," he whispered, grateful that she was there yet disturbed that she was seeing weakness in him.
Faith's eyes dropped to the knife on the floor and she walked over to him, kneeling down and picking it up. "Turn around."
Without a word he did as she said.
She carefully slipped the blade underneath the ropes, careful not to get it too close to his skin. She tugged hard on the handle and the knife easily sliced through the binding cords. They fell to the floor and she set the blade down on the counter.
Bosco brought his hands around in front of him, and looked down at them. "Thanks," he whispered, his voice barely audible before taking a few steps over to where there was a roll of papertowels sticking out of a grocery bag. He quickly ripped the plastic off the roll, and grabbed a papertowel to hold against his cut hand.
She simply nodded before turning around and leaving the kitchen. She walked over to the door and pulled it open, staring outside.
With a sigh he followed her over to the door. "Have you noticed yet that neither of us has any shoes?"
Faith looked down at her feet and her jaw tensed. "Son of a bitch," she muttered.
"I'm pretty sure they thought of everything."
"Well that's just fantastic." She slammed the door shut loudly.
"How long you figure they're gonna leave us out here?"
"Who knows?"
With a heavy sigh he moved over to have a seat on the sofa. The papertowel still pressed to his hand. "This is gonna rank right up there with the best Christmas ever," he mumbled.
His comment stung and that pissed her off. "Yeah, well, for your information this isn't how I wanted to spend my holiday either," she snapped.
He turned to look at her. "Is this the part where were supposed to decide to make the best of it?"
"This isn't some stupid cheesy movie, so don't count on it." She walked away, moving down the small hallway to explore the cabin.
Bosco rolled his eyes, and laid down on the sofa. Maybe if he fell asleep this would all be over when he woke up.
* * *
Faith sat curled up in front of the small fire she'd managed to build in the fireplace, sitting as close to it as she could without catching her clothes on fire. The cabin was cold and it was still totally dark outside. She didn't have a watch on to tell her what time it was, but she supposed it didn't matter. They were stuck until their "friends" decided to come and get them.
She gazed over her shoulder to where Bosco lay on the small couch, asleep. He wasn't so annoying and frustrating when he was unconscious. She closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees tiredly. She wished she was at home in bed in her own apartment, still asleep. Not that her apartment offered much in the way of comfort lately. Not since Fred had told her he was in love with her best friend Holly and asked for a divorce. Not since the divorce went through and he and the kids moved into an apartment on the other side of Manhattan where Holly frequently visited. She swallowed hard and tried to stuff the feelings down once more.
He groaned as he shifted on the sofa, pulling his legs up closer to his chest to try and keep warm. The effort he'd put forth to try and break free from his captors earlier had left him exhausted, and the fact that he'd been in the dark so long because his head was covered hadn't helped either. It was nice to be relaxed again even if he was freezing cold, and stuck in a cabin somewhere with the person he used to consider his best friend. All things considered it was better than being gagged and tied up with a bag over his head.
She lifted her head up and glanced over at him again, hearing him groan. His eyes were still closed and personally she hoped they stayed closed for awhile longer. As much as she didn't want to be thinking about Fred and Holly and her kids, it was better than fighting with Bosco.
"God, it's cold," he mumbled.
"I didn't find any blankets." She kept her arms wrapped around her legs and gazed back at the fire.
His eyes opened slowly. "So we're gonna freeze to death?"
"I built a fire."
"Am I allowed to come sit by it?"
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and ignored the hostility in his voice. "Free country."
He quickly moved over to sit in front of the fire, casting a glance at her to make sure there was enough space between them.
Faith didn't even bother look over at him as he sat down a few feet away from her.
Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rocked back and forth slowly trying to return some warmth to his body.
She rested her chin on her knees again, closing her eyes.
"So...what were your plans," he asked softly as he stared at the flames.
"For Christmas?"
"Yeah."
"Sleeping. Yours?"
"Sleeping and eating."
A smile tugged at her lips involuntarily. "Shoulda guessed that."
He looked over at her, a smirk on his face. "What else is a single guy supposed to do?"
"You have family," she pointed out.
"Yeah, my mother and her most recent abuser."
"Right," she murmured inaudibly.
"What about your kids?"
She tensed slightly. "They're with Fred."
He turned to look at the fire again. "You weren't gonna see them at all?"
"He always gets together with his family at Christmas."
"That's not what I asked."
"No, I wasn't going to see them at all."
"So you left them too, huh?"
Faith snapped her head over to glare at him. "I didn't leave my kids."
Bosco slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. "Right." He nodded his head. "You just walked out on their dad, and weren't gonna see them at Christmas."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You are such a self-righteous bastard. You think you know everything, you think you have all the answers. But you don't know -anything-, Bosco. So shut the hell up and leave me alone."
His eyes narrowed. "Oh, so I'm wrong?"
She reached up and swiped away a tear before climbing to her feet and walking away.
He spun around to look at her. "You're the one whose been talkin' about leavin' him for years. Gettin' your kids away from him. And now...now you finally do, but the kids are still with him." He shook his head. "That just doesn't make sense."
"You know what? I didn't ask for you opinions on my life. I don't really care what you think of me anymore. So you might as well stop talking!"
"Sure, and I -always- ask for your opinion when you start spoutin' off about my life."
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
He held his hands up. "I'm just doin' to you what you always do to me."
"Fine. I have no intention of giving you any advice anymore because you know what? We're not friends anymore, Bosco. Now leave me alone."
"No. First I want you to explain something to me."
"What?" she demanded.
"How'd we get here?"
Faith stared at him. "What?"
"You and me. How'd it get to this point? Cause if we're not gonna be friends. If you just want me to piss off I'd like to know why."
She folded her arms over her chest. "Because we're too damn different. We're goin' our separate ways. It happens."
"We've been different for 10 years, Faith."
"Yeah, well maybe we were just too stupid to realize it."
"Hey! I'm not stupid," he informed her as he pressed his index finger into his chest.
"Right. Sorry. I forgot. You're a genius who knows everything." She turned and headed out of the room.
"Why you gotta be like that?!" He stood up, and made his way to the kitchen.
"Why do you have to keep talking to me?"
"Cause I don't believe we're over," he said softly, not sure if she could hear him.
"Well, believe it. Because we are."
He shook his head as he started rummaging through the grocery bags on the counter. "Sure...first you dump your husband then me. Who's the next unsuspecting victim on your list?"
"Excuse me? -You're- the one who dumped me for Anti-Crime!"
Bosco looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't dump you, Faith. In case you've forgotten I -asked- you to come help me, remember?"
"Yeah. On -one- case. Because you were backed into a corner and didn't have anyone else to turn to. The only reason you've -ever- come to me about anything!" Her voice was raised.
"Well I woulda asked you to come up to ACU if you'd seemed a little more interested! I just had the feeling you didn't want to move up, so why should I bother askin'?!"
A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Right. I'm sure you would have." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Even if it meant spending less time with your precious sergeant."
"What's she got to do with this?"
"Are you really that blind?"
"Apparently."
"Yeah, apparently," she agreed.
"I still don't see what Cruz has to do with anything. She was just givin' me a chance to move up. Something you -know- I've been wanting to do forever."
"No, Bosco. She's using you. And you're lettin' her."
"What makes you so sure? You don't even know her."
"Two words, Bosco." Her eyes were dark. "Dying declaration."
Bosco gazed at her for a moment, and then looked down to open the package of licorice he'd pulled out of the bag.
"Yeah, I know you lied to me. I've worked with you for ten years, I know when you're lyin' to my face."
"I couldn't tell you," he whispered, still not looking at her.
"Which is why we can't be partners anymore." She moved past him and back out into the living room.
"You didn't need to be involved. It's bad enough that I was," he called after her.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"This isn't about me getting involved. It's about this secret between you and her." She shook her head.
"Faith, I -can't- let anyone know. I can't."
"Tell me why you lied to me."
He closed his eyes, and hung his head. "You really wanna know?"
"I already know why."
His eyes flew open, and he turned his head to look at her. "You do?"
"Yeah. Because this little secret of yours has created this bond between the two of you. You've got a thing for her. You're just dyin' to get in her pants. You think if you do everything she tells you and you cover for her and keep her ass outta trouble, she's gonna reciprocate. And maybe she will. But it won't be real. Because she's dirty." Her voice was harsh.
"You think that's why I lied to you? Cause I wanna get it on with Cruz?"
"Isn't that your motivation for -everything- you do?"
Bosco's eyes narrowed. "You don't know me at all!"
"Oh, I know you better than you think. You're a user, Bosco. It's always about sex. How many women have you slept with?" she asked, gazing at him coolly.
"That's got -nothing- to do with this!"
"Right," Faith said mockingly, nodding. "Sure it doesn't."
He took a few steps away from the counter. Her words bothered him, and he couldn't hide that. "So if I'm a 'user', and it's always about sex. How come I haven't tried to get into -your- pants? Huh?"
"Because I'm not good enough for you," she replied. "Because I don't fit your model of what a woman should be. I don't take your shit like the other women you sleep with."
"You think they sleep with me just because I want them to?" He shook his head, her words stunning him. "What, like I...like I brainwash them or somethin'?"
"I think you believe you're God's gift to women and there are just enough to dumb females in Manhattan to believe it too!"
Bosco flinched slightly, her words hitting him hard. For a moment he was silent. "That's not why I lied to you," he said quietly before going back over to the counter, and putting away some of the groceries.
"You know what? I don't care anymore."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "Yeah, you wouldn't -really- care about the truth."
"You wouldn't know what the truth was if it jumped up and smacked you upside the head."
"I know the truth, Faith," he yelled as he moved back over to the entrance of the other room. "I -know- that she set me up, and I didn't have a choice! And I know that if I'd told you the truth you would have been disappointed in me!" He paused trying to calm himself. "So yeah, I know the truth."
"So why the hell do you keep following her around like a little lapdog?"
He held his arms out to the side. "What the hell was I supposed to do Faith? She's -got- me. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Just tell her you want out. Walk away!"
"It's not that easy," he said softly.
"Really? Because in my experience it's pretty easy to walk away from people who use you."
"In your experience?"
Faith stared at him, not even realizing what she'd said. "What?"
"You said 'in my experience'," he informed her.
She was silent for a moment. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you."
"Right, how could I forget?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "You know what? It's your life. If you wanna screw it up, go right ahead. It's not my place to try and stop you anymore." She turned and left the room.
"You know I lied to you cause I thought I could save us from this!"
"I lied to you so I could save you from getting hurt!" Fred had shouted at her.
She closed her eyes. "No, you lied to me to save -yourself- from getting hurt." Her voice was flat.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"
"You knew I'd be pissed if I found out the truth, so you lied to me, and that just makes it worse."
Bosco shook his head. "Well at the time I thought I'd rather have you pissed than disappointed."
"Oh, right. It had nothing to do with you trying to protect yourself and your -sergeant-."
"Stop doing that. She's not mine."
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"I never said you were stupid."
"I've seen the way you look at her!"
"So why does that matter?! Why does it matter if I..."
"It doesn't. Forget it!" she snapped.
"Look...I didn't think I needed to lie to you to protect myself. I've never had to lie to you cause you've always been there." His voice was soft as he tried to get through to her.
"Yeah, and what the hell has it gotten me? Stuck with you in a cabin in the middle of God-knows-where on Christmas Eve!"
"It's not like I knew this was gonna happen! If I coulda predicted the future I'd have done it all different!"
"Yeah, well, it's too late now."
"You're right, but why does it have to affect -us- like this?"
She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kiddin' me? How could it -not- affect us?"
"You didn't need to know, Faith. I didn't want you involved, but you always have to push. If you knew that we lied about the dying declaration why'd you ask me in the first place?"
"Because maybe I wanted to know if our partnership meant anything to you. If it was salvageable. Obviously it didn't and it wasn't."
"Our partnership -did- mean something to me. I was trying to keep you out of it."
"Well, congratulations. You kept me out of it. And now I'm outta your life. Merry Christmas."
"I'm sorry, Faith. Okay, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, everybody's sorry."
"Don't you wanna fix this?"
"No. I don't. I'm sick of fixin' everything. I'm tired of it."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Maybe you shoulda thought about that before."
Bosco's anger had quickly turned to despair, and he just stared at her. He knew he'd been a jerk, he'd said some things he shouldn't have said to her in the last couple weeks, but he never once thought that it was really the end of their partnership. Not sure what else to say he swallowed hard, and went back into the kitchen to make something to eat.
She stared after him for a moment, shocked that he'd just walked away from her.
* * *
Bosco scraped the bottom of his bowl, and polished off the last bit of soup that he'd warmed up for them.. While putting the groceries away he'd been relieved that their friends had at least splurged on the food supply and gotten them some good hearty soup instead of plain old chicken noodle. He picked up his mug of hot chocolate, feeling the warmth through the sides of the mug as he stared at the fire.
Faith sat curled up silently on the sofa, staring down at the contents of her mug of soup. They'd both been completely silent for the last hour and they'd barely even looked at one another. She wasn't sure if she hated the fighting or the silence more.
"Should I make some more soup," he asked softly, still not looking at her.
"No thanks." She didn't look at him, either.
He nodded his head. "They bought us candy bars. You want one?"
"No. I'm not hungry."
Nodding once more he reached over and grabbed the poker for the fire, and began to stab at the burning logs.
Faith shifted her gaze for a moment, watched him. Then looked away again, setting her mug of soup down on the table.
He let out a breath as he continued to push the logs around with the poker. The silence was really starting to get to him, but he wasn't exactly sure if starting a conversation was the right idea.
"I can't wait to get the hell outta here," she mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face.
Bosco was tempted to turn around and look at her, but decided against it. "I think we need another log." He pushed himself off the floor, and moved over to the stack of logs that were beside the door.
"Oh, so you're ignoring me now?" She was unable to keep the hint of bitterness out of her tone even though she knew her words were certain to cause another fight.
"What?" He turned around to look at her.
"Nothing. Forget it."
"No." He shook his head. "We haven't spoken to each other in an hour and -now- you're upset cause I'm ignoring you?"
She glared at him but remained silent.
"I can't win." He turned away from her, and picked up two small logs before heading back to the fireplace.
"It's not a game."
"Right. How foolish of me. I'm sorry." He pulled the small stool over in front of the fireplace, and sat down.
"Don't patronize me."
He let out a breath, and turned around to look at her. "What do you want me to do?"
"What do you mean what do I want you to do? I don't want you to do anything."
"Okay, so I'm confused now. Am I supposed to ignore you or am I supposed to talk to you?"
"Is this funny to you?" She didn't like his sarcasm.
"No, Faith." He shook his head, his expression serious. "This is far from being funny."
"Maybe we should go back to not talking."
He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay."
She stood up and left the room, heading into the kitchen. She glanced around, then sat down in the far corner of the room, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the counter.
Bosco watched her walk away before turning back to the fire. This was going to be the longest Christmas ever.
* * *
She didn't know how long she sat in the kitchen for, but she was pretty sure she'd dozed off for awhile. When she awoke again, she was freezing and she stood up slowly, wrapping her arms around herself. Her flannel pajamas which were usually so warm felt like a thin sheet of material in the cool cabin. She slowly made her way into the living room, ignoring Bosco's presence all together as she paced the floor back and forth, trying to get warm by getting active.
Bosco sat on the floor his legs stretched out in front of him, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He looked over at her, and then back at the crackling fire. "I could throw another log on."
"I'm fine," she replied distantly.
"Suit yourself."
She didn't reply, just continued to pace, rubbing her arms vigorously.
"Look, I'll move. You can sit here."
"Don't bother. I said I'm fine."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"I don't need you to be nice to me, so just stop pretending like you care."
"You think I'm pretending?"
"Yes."
"Well I'm not," he informed her. "I can tell you're cold, so why don't you just come over here?"
"I'd rather stand."
"Then at least come stand closer to the fire."
She sighed and reluctantly walked over closer, making sure to keep a few feet's distance between them.
Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and motioned to the space that his legs had been occupying.
"No thanks."
He shook his head. "Just cause you're mad at me doesn't mean that you have to freeze."
"Who said I was mad at you?" Her tone was distant, emotionless.
He stared at her as if she was crazy. "I'm pretty sure you did."
"To be mad would imply that I actually gave a damn."
"Oh, so you don't give a damn?" He glared at her. "Ten years of being partners and now you just don't give a damn. Good thing we weren't married cause this way you don't have to get a lawyer like you did with Fred."
"Fuck you, Bosco."
"What? Did I hit a nerve?" He asked with a smirk. "I know it couldn't have been about us cause you don't give a damn. But it kinda surprises me that a comment about Fred would get you all riled up."
"You know what? Just shut the hell up!"
"You know, you -really- need to make up your mind!"
"You're the one who started talking to me. Just leave me the hell alone."
"And you're the one who was pissed cause I supposedly ignored you."
"Do you have to fight with me about -everything-?"
"Well I figure that's what we do best these days."
"Yeah, you've always been good at causing trouble," she snapped.
"And like you've never caused any trouble," he spat back.
"Yeah, well, at least I don't do it intentionally!"
"Whatever you say Yokas...oh wait, it's Mitchell now, right?"
"You are such a bastard."
"Yeah, so you've said."
"You don't know the -first- thing about my life."
"Oh no?" He pushed himself off the floor, and stood with his hands on his hips. "I know how you've been havin' all these troubles with your family. And how you were so freaked out when Fred had his heart attack because you loved him." He shook his head. "But apparently you just couldn't handle it anymore cause you left him. You left him and your kids!"
Hot tears stung her eyes. "For your information, Fred's been -fucking- my good friend Holly for the past three years!" Her words were harsh. "I walked in on them after a shift a few weeks ago. They were getting it on in our bed. He told me he didn't wanna tell me because he didn't wanna hurt me, but after his heart attack he realized life was too short to be unhappy all the time. So he asked for a divorce so he could be with the love of his life. He insisted the kids live with -him- because of the hours I work. So you can take your accusations, and your anti-crime and your sergeant and you can all go to hell because I don't need you. Or Fred. Or Holly. I don't need anyone!" She whirled around and stormed toward the door.
Bosco's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock. "Faith," he whispered.
She didn't turn around. She yanked the door opened and a blast of cold air hit her the second she did. It was snowing furiously.
"Faith, come on," he said softly as he walked over to her. He put his hand on the door trying to close it to keep the cold air out. "I didn't know," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't know."
"Leave me alone, Bosco." She shoved the door open again, wrapped her arms around herself and stepped outside.
"You don't have any shoes on," he reminded her.
"I don't give a damn!" she snapped. She trudged through the snow, heading away from the cabin.
"Dammit." He followed her, the snow instantly making his feet cold, and soaking his socks. "Come back inside."
"Not a chance in hell." She didn't bother to turn around, she just kept walking.
He jogged a few steps to catch up with her, prepared to use physical force to get her back inside.
"Get the hell away from me," she warned darkly.
"Where you gonna go Faith? We don't even know where we are! And you're not exactly dressed for this weather!"
"I don't care. I'd rather freeze to death out here in the middle of a blizzard than go back in that hellhole with a backstabber." Her words were harsh.
"What?!"
"Just go back and leave me the fuck alone," she snapped, glaring at him. Frozen tears staining her cheeks.
"I'm not gonna do that, Faith."
"No, God -forbid- you do something I ask you to do. Oh, wait. That's right. My name isn't Maritza Cruz."
His jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a nerve?"
Bosco pressed his lips together, and shook his head. "I'm gonna let that go cause obviously you're hurtin'."
"Please. Spare me your pop psychology crap. I don't need your sympathy." She kept walking, increasing her pace a little.
"You can't accept -any- help can you?"
"I told you. I don't need you. Not only do I not -need- you, I don't want you in my life. I just took pity on you because no one else wanted to be your partner. Biggest mistake I -ever- made," she said, knowing how hurtful the words were. She didn't mean them. Not even vaguely. She just wanted him to leave her alone.
He stopped walking, and stared after her, blinking rapidly. "You...what," he asked softly.
More tears flooded her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she kept walking.
Bosco's body was numb, not from the cold, but from the sting of her words. The sharp slap to the face that they were.
She knew that he wasn't following her anymore and she felt her stomach tighten as she realized she'd pushed him away for the last time. There would be no coming back from this. Not now, not ever.
* * *
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com & faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Spoilers: Up through and including the majority of fourth season..
Summary: A bickering Faith and Bosco are stranded together in an old abandoned cabin during a winter storm. Will they make it out alive?
A Winter's Night
He tugged the mask down over his face, glancing around the apartment building corridor nervously. "You're sure she's alone in there?" There was a hint of doubt to his voice as he spoke quietly, looking at the other masked man who was picking the lock.
"Have you been payin' attention at all tonight? Of course she's alone."
He shifted from one foot to the other, glancing around again. "Hurry up."
"I -am- hurrying," he snapped. "You think you coulda done it faster?"
He sighed. "We should have just stolen her keys."
Shaking his head he rolled his eyes. The lock clicked, and he slowly turned the doorknob. "Keep your mouth shut," he whispered.
He fell silent, nodding as he followed the other man inside the dark apartment. He turned his flashlight on, shining it around the living room. The light flickered over the clock hanging on the wall. It was nearly 1 in the morning. He was tired, but they were almost finished with the hard part. He crept silently down the hallway, peering into the other bedroom--empty, thankfully. His friend had been right. She was there alone tonight. That was definitely to their advantage.
Pausing outside the room she was in, the other man pulled a scarf out of his pocket. He then held up his fist, placing one finger in the air, then a second and finally a third before they both hurried into the room.
The first man quickly grabbed hold of her as she lay in bed, her eyes immediately flying open as she started to struggle. "Gag her," he commanded.
Quickly stepping into placed he wrapped the scarf around her head, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. He pulled out a large black fabric sack that he was carrying with him, and placed it over the woman's head so she couldn't see them. "I'll grab her legs."
As soon as he said the words, she lashed out, kicking at both of them as terror rolled through her. She connected solidly with the first man's ribs, and managed to kick the second man in the stomach.
"Dammit!" He reached out to try and still her legs. "Where's the rope?"
"Shit," the first man muttered, wincing in pain as he quickly grabbed the rope from his small backpack. He tossed it over to his partner. "Stop strugglin'! We don't wanna hurt you," he told her, disguising his voice best he could.
Catching the rope he made quick work of tying her legs together so she couldn't kick. She continued to struggle. "We gotta hurry."
"No kidding," he replied, using the rest of the rope to tie her hands behind her back. He felt a wave of guilt when he heard her trying to speak, could hear the fear in her attempted protests.
Grabbing hold of her legs, he looked at his partner, understanding exactly how he was feeling just by his body language. "Let's go."
He nodded, carefully holding onto her upper body, making sure to support her back and neck so he didn't hurt her. "Ready?"
"Yeah." He held her legs tight, not wanting to drop her as they carefully moved toward the door.
After a few more moments, she stopped struggling, apparently realizing with the way she was tied it was a lost cause. He could feel her trembling as they carried her.
Readjusting his hold on her legs he grabbed the van keys out of his pocket. "Almost there," he muttered.
"Relax, it's okay," he told the woman, glancing at his partner as they made it outside and approached the van.
He fumbled a little, but managed to get the side door unlocked, realizing it would have been easier to have left it unlocked to begin with. He slid the door open. "Okay, careful," he instructed as they put her into the back of the van.
"You think the others are done yet?" the first man asked as he gently laid the woman down on a pile of blankets in the back.
"Gawd I hope so. I wanna get this over with."
"You and me both." He gazed at her for a moment, then had to climb out of the van and close the doors quickly.
"I think I'd feel better if we'd gotten the other assignment."
"Yeah, somehow I don't think I'd have as much problem with gagging him and tying him up." Davis pulled his mask off and headed around to the passenger side.
Sully nodded his agreement as he took off his mask and climbed into the driver's seat. "I hear ya."
"Let's get outta here," he said quietly, casting a glance toward the back.
"Yeah," he whispered as he started the van. He checked his rearview mirror before pulling out onto the deserted street.
* * *
"Would you -stop-," Jimmy shouted as he pushed open the cabin door with his shoulder, and struggled to hold onto the man's flailing legs.
"I -still- think we shoulda drugged him," Carlos mumbled as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around the man's torso.
"Just move," Doc commanded, holding onto the man's arms tightly.
"Hey, you're not the one tryin' to hold his legs," Doherty shot back as he took a few steps into the cabin.
"Guys, shut your traps," Alex said, folding her arms across her chest as she narrowed her eyes.
"You know, you coulda helped Taylor." Carlos sent a glare in her direction.
She smirked. "Why? Three big guys like you can't handle one small guy like him?"
He continued to struggle even though he recognized the voices around him. The entire car ride he'd been trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It had been silent except for the radio playin in the background. But his heart had been racing ever since he'd been woken by hands holding him down while he was gagged and his head covered. His frazzled mind was still trying to process -why- these people who were supposed to be his friends were torturing him like this.
Alex walked alongside the guys as they carried him over to the small sofa. "Relax, Bosco," she said, her voice gentle.
Bosco continued to thrash around in their arms, her words doing nothing to comfort him in the darkness that surrounded him.
Jimmy unceremoniously dropped Bosco's legs onto the sofa.
"Easy!" Taylor scolded, shooting him a glare. "Take the bag off his head."
"Come on Taylor. He's been kicking us for God knows how long, and you want us to take it easy on him?" Carlos shook his head.
"I know. Let's tie you up, gag you and put a bag over your head and see how -you- respond, Carlos."
"I'm still thinking we shoulda drugged him," Nieto stated again.
She rolled her eyes and reached out, removing the bag from Bosco's head and wadding it up.
His eyes were wide as he quickly glanced around the room. He cursed them all, but it was muffled by the tie they'd used to gag him.
"Just relax, Bosco. We'll take the gag off soon enough. But not until your company gets here."
Bosco glared at all the guys that were staring down at him, and then started to squirm, trying to get off the sofa they'd placed him on. After being gagged, and having his legs and arms tied together he didn't trust them no matter what they said.
"Knock it off, Bosco." Jimmy quickly sat down on the edge of the sofa, and held Bosco down. "You're just gonna hurt yourself!"
"This is for your own good," Doc informed him, glancing toward the door.
Sully pushed the cabin door open, and stumbled inside as he held onto her legs.
"Easy," Davis said as he held onto her upper body.
"So where does this one go," Sully asked over his shoulder.
"Floor, I guess," Doc said with a slight shrug.
"We shoulda dumped him on the floor." Carlos told them as he glanced at Bosco.
Davis carefully lowered her to the floor. "Almost over," he told her softly.
Sully set her legs down, and for a second he thought about untying her. However, he didn't want all of their effort to go to waste. He motioned toward the bag that was over her head. "Take that off, would ya Davis?"
He nodded quickly and pulled the back off her head.
Faith squinted at the sudden light and looked around, her eyes still full of fear. What the -hell- was going on?
"Everything's okay, Faith," Sully told her softly as he stepped into her line of sight.
"You guys definitely had the easier assignment," Doc informed the two officers.
"Yeah, well I don't know about that. I think I may have a broken rib," Davis replied wryly.
"Besides I doubt you guys felt as guilty about tyin' up Bosco as we did about doin' it to Faith," Sully told them.
"Yeah, I gotta admit," Carlos started seriously. "I didn't feel bad at all."
Faith looked around again, still confused about why her co-workers and friends had kidnapped her. And had Sully just said Bosco was tied up? And where the hell were they?
Bosco shifted on the couch, trying to get a good look at his surroundings. The longer they kept him like this the more furious he was going to get.
"All right, this is the deal." Taylor assumed control and moved out of the way so that the tied partners could see each other. "We're sick to death of the two of you bein' at each other's throats. You're gonna work things out and you're gonna have plenty of time to do it in," she informed them.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Taylor and then shifted his gaze to the bound and gagged Faith that was lying on the floor.
"So, you two are gonna stay out here together," Sully added. "And you're gonna play nice or kill each other. It's up to you."
Faith stared at Sully in disbelief, still disoriented from the very long ride from her apartment.
Bosco started fighting against his ropes as he tried to say something, frustrated by the gag in his mouth.
"If we take this off, are you gonna be nice?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows as she gazed down at Bosco.
What the hell kinda question is that, he wondered.
She glanced around at the other guys, then reluctantly reached down and untied the scarf that was keeping him from being able to talk.
"I'm gonna kill you all," he spat as soon as the material was out of his mouth.
Taylor smirked. "Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that, Bosco. Take her gag off, Sully." She nodded toward Faith.
Sully moved over to Faith, and quickly removed the gag.
Faith drew in ragged breath. "What the hell is going on?"
"We told you," Sully said firmly. "We're tired of the two of you, and it's time for you to work it out."
She glared at him. "And where -exactly- are we?"
"Now if we told you that it would make things too easy."
"Okay, that's great. Now can you please untie me?"
"Just the legs," Doc reminded him.
Sully nodded his head, and crouched down to untie the rope around Faith's legs.
"What about me?! Aren't you gonna untie me?!"
Alex rolled her eyes. "Relax, Bosco. We're gonna untie your legs too. In a minute."
"My legs? What about my hands!"
"That's not happenin'," Davis replied.
Bosco sat up slightly. "Why the hell not?"
"You're gonna have to figure out how to get yourself untied," Doc told him.
"We don't really trust you at the moment," Alex said.
"Oh this just keeps gettin' better," Bosco growled as he laid back on the sofa.
"Shut up, Bosco. You got yourself into this situation." Doc looked at him unsympathetically.
"What?!" He turned his head to glare at Doc. "How the hell did -I- get myself into this? You're the ones who broke into -my- apartment and kidnapped me!"
"Yeah, well if you weren't such a jerk--"
"Knock it off," Alex said sharply, glaring at both of them. "Untie his legs and let's get out of here."
"So you're just gonna leave us here?!" Bosco's voice was more high-pitched then he'd intended.
"That's right," Davis replied, glancing at him.
"Come on, this is ridiculous," Faith protested, shaking her head.
"No. What's ridiculous is the way you and your -partner- have been acting," Sully informed them, his voice raised. "You've been acting like two year olds, and it's gotta stop."
She glared at him. "He's -not- my partner anymore."
He looked over at Bosco. "Yeah, and that's ridiculous too, so work it out."
Jimmy finally managed to untie Bosco's feet, and hopped out of the way just before Bosco tried to kick him.
"So what are we supposed to do here? How long are we gonna be here," Bosco asked, his voice irritated.
"Guess that's up to you," Alex told him as she headed for the door.
"Okay, the joke is over. Untie us. I wanna go home," Faith said as she struggled to sit up.
"For once I agree with Faith," Bosco told them.
She scowled as she glanced over at him. "Who cares if we're not partners anymore? What difference does it make? It's not like it has any effect on any of your lives anyway."
"Gee, let's see," Sully pondered. "The screaming, the bickering, the icy cold glares, the tension, the inability to be civil while on calls." He glanced between them. "I'd say it effects us!"
"Well, get over it! If you don't let us go right now, as soon as we get the hell out of here, I'm gonna press charges against all of you for breaking and entering, not to mention kidnapping and holding us hostage." There was fury in her eyes.
"You're not hostages," Davis informed them.
"No. We're just -tied up-!" Bosco reminded him.
"So untie each other when we leave. Pretty simple if you ask me." He shrugged.
Bosco took a deep breath finally coming to the realization that no one in this room was going to help him. "Fine." He managed to get himself to a sitting position, and then stood up, his legs wobbling slightly from having been tied together for so long.
Alex opened the door, holding it for the guys as they walked out. When Bosco tried to follow them, she held a hand up to stop him. "Don't think so."
"Come on, Taylor," he pleaded.
She smirked. "Don't give me that look. I'm not like the other women in your life, Bosco. I don't fall at your feet when you give me the lost little puppy look."
He huffed in frustration. "Were you guys at least nice enough to stock this place with food and stuff," he asked, his voice hard.
"We want you to make up, not starve to death."
"Oh, how thoughtful."
Alex smirked again and started to step outside, pausing briefly. "Have a merry Christmas." Without another word, she closed the door behind her as she left.
"Shit!" Bosco yelled at the top of his lungs.
Faith sat on the floor silently, her jaw tense with anger.
Bosco kicked at the door. "I swear to God when I get outta here..."
"Save it," she muttered as she strained her hands against the ropes.
He spun around to look at her. "Shut up."
"Bite me," she retorted, glaring at him.
"You know, you started this whole mess," he informed her as he walked around the cabin, looking for something that might help him break free from the ropes.
"Excuse me? This is -my- fault now?"
"Yeah. If you weren't so damn jealous that I was actually making something of myself."
"Jealous?" She was barely able to keep herself from laughing. "You think I'm -jealous-? Of you?"
He didn't like the mocking tone of her voice. "Just cause you're gonna be stuck as a beat cop when I move up to ACU. You just couldn't handle the fact that I'm advancing."
"Oh, Bosco. You really need to get over yourself." She struggled to stand up.
"Why couldn't you just be happy for me?"
She shook her head in disgust. "You know what? I'm not gonna fight with you. I'm gonna somehow get these damn ropes off and get the hell outta here."
"We don't even know where we are," he reminded her.
"Yeah, well anywhere else is better than here."
"Better cause I won't be there?" He chuckled. "That's always how it is with you isn't it? Just run away. It's easier."
"Would you please shut up? You're givin' me a headache."
"Right." He nodded his head. "-I'm- givin' you a headache." He wandered into the small kitchen.
Faith glared after him and walked over to the fireplace where the fireplace pokers were located. She backed up against where one was standing up and started rubbing the ropes over the sharp end.
Bosco walked through the kitchen looking for a knife. He strategically turned his back, and grabbed hold of the handle of one of the drawers. "Bingo." He grinned when he turned to see a large cutting knife in the drawer. Turning around once more he managed to get a hold of the knife.
She could feel the ropes weakening and a moment later she managed to wiggle her hands out of them. She rubbed her sore wrists, wincing slightly. Then she glared at the ropes, picked up the remnants and threw them in the fireplace.
With the grin still on his face he held the knife awkwardly as he moved it back and forth against the ropes. "Owww! Dammit!"
Startled by his yelp, she jumped slightly and reluctantly walked into the small kitchen.
He dropped the knife on the floor, a grimace on his face.
Her first instinct was to rush to his side and see how badly he was hurt. Instead, she suppressed the thought and folded her arms across her chest, remaining silent.
His eyes were closed tightly, and he bit his lip. "Damn."
"Are you all right?" Her voice was quiet.
"I cut myself," he whispered, grateful that she was there yet disturbed that she was seeing weakness in him.
Faith's eyes dropped to the knife on the floor and she walked over to him, kneeling down and picking it up. "Turn around."
Without a word he did as she said.
She carefully slipped the blade underneath the ropes, careful not to get it too close to his skin. She tugged hard on the handle and the knife easily sliced through the binding cords. They fell to the floor and she set the blade down on the counter.
Bosco brought his hands around in front of him, and looked down at them. "Thanks," he whispered, his voice barely audible before taking a few steps over to where there was a roll of papertowels sticking out of a grocery bag. He quickly ripped the plastic off the roll, and grabbed a papertowel to hold against his cut hand.
She simply nodded before turning around and leaving the kitchen. She walked over to the door and pulled it open, staring outside.
With a sigh he followed her over to the door. "Have you noticed yet that neither of us has any shoes?"
Faith looked down at her feet and her jaw tensed. "Son of a bitch," she muttered.
"I'm pretty sure they thought of everything."
"Well that's just fantastic." She slammed the door shut loudly.
"How long you figure they're gonna leave us out here?"
"Who knows?"
With a heavy sigh he moved over to have a seat on the sofa. The papertowel still pressed to his hand. "This is gonna rank right up there with the best Christmas ever," he mumbled.
His comment stung and that pissed her off. "Yeah, well, for your information this isn't how I wanted to spend my holiday either," she snapped.
He turned to look at her. "Is this the part where were supposed to decide to make the best of it?"
"This isn't some stupid cheesy movie, so don't count on it." She walked away, moving down the small hallway to explore the cabin.
Bosco rolled his eyes, and laid down on the sofa. Maybe if he fell asleep this would all be over when he woke up.
* * *
Faith sat curled up in front of the small fire she'd managed to build in the fireplace, sitting as close to it as she could without catching her clothes on fire. The cabin was cold and it was still totally dark outside. She didn't have a watch on to tell her what time it was, but she supposed it didn't matter. They were stuck until their "friends" decided to come and get them.
She gazed over her shoulder to where Bosco lay on the small couch, asleep. He wasn't so annoying and frustrating when he was unconscious. She closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees tiredly. She wished she was at home in bed in her own apartment, still asleep. Not that her apartment offered much in the way of comfort lately. Not since Fred had told her he was in love with her best friend Holly and asked for a divorce. Not since the divorce went through and he and the kids moved into an apartment on the other side of Manhattan where Holly frequently visited. She swallowed hard and tried to stuff the feelings down once more.
He groaned as he shifted on the sofa, pulling his legs up closer to his chest to try and keep warm. The effort he'd put forth to try and break free from his captors earlier had left him exhausted, and the fact that he'd been in the dark so long because his head was covered hadn't helped either. It was nice to be relaxed again even if he was freezing cold, and stuck in a cabin somewhere with the person he used to consider his best friend. All things considered it was better than being gagged and tied up with a bag over his head.
She lifted her head up and glanced over at him again, hearing him groan. His eyes were still closed and personally she hoped they stayed closed for awhile longer. As much as she didn't want to be thinking about Fred and Holly and her kids, it was better than fighting with Bosco.
"God, it's cold," he mumbled.
"I didn't find any blankets." She kept her arms wrapped around her legs and gazed back at the fire.
His eyes opened slowly. "So we're gonna freeze to death?"
"I built a fire."
"Am I allowed to come sit by it?"
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and ignored the hostility in his voice. "Free country."
He quickly moved over to sit in front of the fire, casting a glance at her to make sure there was enough space between them.
Faith didn't even bother look over at him as he sat down a few feet away from her.
Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rocked back and forth slowly trying to return some warmth to his body.
She rested her chin on her knees again, closing her eyes.
"So...what were your plans," he asked softly as he stared at the flames.
"For Christmas?"
"Yeah."
"Sleeping. Yours?"
"Sleeping and eating."
A smile tugged at her lips involuntarily. "Shoulda guessed that."
He looked over at her, a smirk on his face. "What else is a single guy supposed to do?"
"You have family," she pointed out.
"Yeah, my mother and her most recent abuser."
"Right," she murmured inaudibly.
"What about your kids?"
She tensed slightly. "They're with Fred."
He turned to look at the fire again. "You weren't gonna see them at all?"
"He always gets together with his family at Christmas."
"That's not what I asked."
"No, I wasn't going to see them at all."
"So you left them too, huh?"
Faith snapped her head over to glare at him. "I didn't leave my kids."
Bosco slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. "Right." He nodded his head. "You just walked out on their dad, and weren't gonna see them at Christmas."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You are such a self-righteous bastard. You think you know everything, you think you have all the answers. But you don't know -anything-, Bosco. So shut the hell up and leave me alone."
His eyes narrowed. "Oh, so I'm wrong?"
She reached up and swiped away a tear before climbing to her feet and walking away.
He spun around to look at her. "You're the one whose been talkin' about leavin' him for years. Gettin' your kids away from him. And now...now you finally do, but the kids are still with him." He shook his head. "That just doesn't make sense."
"You know what? I didn't ask for you opinions on my life. I don't really care what you think of me anymore. So you might as well stop talking!"
"Sure, and I -always- ask for your opinion when you start spoutin' off about my life."
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
He held his hands up. "I'm just doin' to you what you always do to me."
"Fine. I have no intention of giving you any advice anymore because you know what? We're not friends anymore, Bosco. Now leave me alone."
"No. First I want you to explain something to me."
"What?" she demanded.
"How'd we get here?"
Faith stared at him. "What?"
"You and me. How'd it get to this point? Cause if we're not gonna be friends. If you just want me to piss off I'd like to know why."
She folded her arms over her chest. "Because we're too damn different. We're goin' our separate ways. It happens."
"We've been different for 10 years, Faith."
"Yeah, well maybe we were just too stupid to realize it."
"Hey! I'm not stupid," he informed her as he pressed his index finger into his chest.
"Right. Sorry. I forgot. You're a genius who knows everything." She turned and headed out of the room.
"Why you gotta be like that?!" He stood up, and made his way to the kitchen.
"Why do you have to keep talking to me?"
"Cause I don't believe we're over," he said softly, not sure if she could hear him.
"Well, believe it. Because we are."
He shook his head as he started rummaging through the grocery bags on the counter. "Sure...first you dump your husband then me. Who's the next unsuspecting victim on your list?"
"Excuse me? -You're- the one who dumped me for Anti-Crime!"
Bosco looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't dump you, Faith. In case you've forgotten I -asked- you to come help me, remember?"
"Yeah. On -one- case. Because you were backed into a corner and didn't have anyone else to turn to. The only reason you've -ever- come to me about anything!" Her voice was raised.
"Well I woulda asked you to come up to ACU if you'd seemed a little more interested! I just had the feeling you didn't want to move up, so why should I bother askin'?!"
A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Right. I'm sure you would have." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Even if it meant spending less time with your precious sergeant."
"What's she got to do with this?"
"Are you really that blind?"
"Apparently."
"Yeah, apparently," she agreed.
"I still don't see what Cruz has to do with anything. She was just givin' me a chance to move up. Something you -know- I've been wanting to do forever."
"No, Bosco. She's using you. And you're lettin' her."
"What makes you so sure? You don't even know her."
"Two words, Bosco." Her eyes were dark. "Dying declaration."
Bosco gazed at her for a moment, and then looked down to open the package of licorice he'd pulled out of the bag.
"Yeah, I know you lied to me. I've worked with you for ten years, I know when you're lyin' to my face."
"I couldn't tell you," he whispered, still not looking at her.
"Which is why we can't be partners anymore." She moved past him and back out into the living room.
"You didn't need to be involved. It's bad enough that I was," he called after her.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"This isn't about me getting involved. It's about this secret between you and her." She shook her head.
"Faith, I -can't- let anyone know. I can't."
"Tell me why you lied to me."
He closed his eyes, and hung his head. "You really wanna know?"
"I already know why."
His eyes flew open, and he turned his head to look at her. "You do?"
"Yeah. Because this little secret of yours has created this bond between the two of you. You've got a thing for her. You're just dyin' to get in her pants. You think if you do everything she tells you and you cover for her and keep her ass outta trouble, she's gonna reciprocate. And maybe she will. But it won't be real. Because she's dirty." Her voice was harsh.
"You think that's why I lied to you? Cause I wanna get it on with Cruz?"
"Isn't that your motivation for -everything- you do?"
Bosco's eyes narrowed. "You don't know me at all!"
"Oh, I know you better than you think. You're a user, Bosco. It's always about sex. How many women have you slept with?" she asked, gazing at him coolly.
"That's got -nothing- to do with this!"
"Right," Faith said mockingly, nodding. "Sure it doesn't."
He took a few steps away from the counter. Her words bothered him, and he couldn't hide that. "So if I'm a 'user', and it's always about sex. How come I haven't tried to get into -your- pants? Huh?"
"Because I'm not good enough for you," she replied. "Because I don't fit your model of what a woman should be. I don't take your shit like the other women you sleep with."
"You think they sleep with me just because I want them to?" He shook his head, her words stunning him. "What, like I...like I brainwash them or somethin'?"
"I think you believe you're God's gift to women and there are just enough to dumb females in Manhattan to believe it too!"
Bosco flinched slightly, her words hitting him hard. For a moment he was silent. "That's not why I lied to you," he said quietly before going back over to the counter, and putting away some of the groceries.
"You know what? I don't care anymore."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "Yeah, you wouldn't -really- care about the truth."
"You wouldn't know what the truth was if it jumped up and smacked you upside the head."
"I know the truth, Faith," he yelled as he moved back over to the entrance of the other room. "I -know- that she set me up, and I didn't have a choice! And I know that if I'd told you the truth you would have been disappointed in me!" He paused trying to calm himself. "So yeah, I know the truth."
"So why the hell do you keep following her around like a little lapdog?"
He held his arms out to the side. "What the hell was I supposed to do Faith? She's -got- me. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Just tell her you want out. Walk away!"
"It's not that easy," he said softly.
"Really? Because in my experience it's pretty easy to walk away from people who use you."
"In your experience?"
Faith stared at him, not even realizing what she'd said. "What?"
"You said 'in my experience'," he informed her.
She was silent for a moment. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you."
"Right, how could I forget?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "You know what? It's your life. If you wanna screw it up, go right ahead. It's not my place to try and stop you anymore." She turned and left the room.
"You know I lied to you cause I thought I could save us from this!"
"I lied to you so I could save you from getting hurt!" Fred had shouted at her.
She closed her eyes. "No, you lied to me to save -yourself- from getting hurt." Her voice was flat.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"
"You knew I'd be pissed if I found out the truth, so you lied to me, and that just makes it worse."
Bosco shook his head. "Well at the time I thought I'd rather have you pissed than disappointed."
"Oh, right. It had nothing to do with you trying to protect yourself and your -sergeant-."
"Stop doing that. She's not mine."
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"I never said you were stupid."
"I've seen the way you look at her!"
"So why does that matter?! Why does it matter if I..."
"It doesn't. Forget it!" she snapped.
"Look...I didn't think I needed to lie to you to protect myself. I've never had to lie to you cause you've always been there." His voice was soft as he tried to get through to her.
"Yeah, and what the hell has it gotten me? Stuck with you in a cabin in the middle of God-knows-where on Christmas Eve!"
"It's not like I knew this was gonna happen! If I coulda predicted the future I'd have done it all different!"
"Yeah, well, it's too late now."
"You're right, but why does it have to affect -us- like this?"
She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kiddin' me? How could it -not- affect us?"
"You didn't need to know, Faith. I didn't want you involved, but you always have to push. If you knew that we lied about the dying declaration why'd you ask me in the first place?"
"Because maybe I wanted to know if our partnership meant anything to you. If it was salvageable. Obviously it didn't and it wasn't."
"Our partnership -did- mean something to me. I was trying to keep you out of it."
"Well, congratulations. You kept me out of it. And now I'm outta your life. Merry Christmas."
"I'm sorry, Faith. Okay, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, everybody's sorry."
"Don't you wanna fix this?"
"No. I don't. I'm sick of fixin' everything. I'm tired of it."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Maybe you shoulda thought about that before."
Bosco's anger had quickly turned to despair, and he just stared at her. He knew he'd been a jerk, he'd said some things he shouldn't have said to her in the last couple weeks, but he never once thought that it was really the end of their partnership. Not sure what else to say he swallowed hard, and went back into the kitchen to make something to eat.
She stared after him for a moment, shocked that he'd just walked away from her.
* * *
Bosco scraped the bottom of his bowl, and polished off the last bit of soup that he'd warmed up for them.. While putting the groceries away he'd been relieved that their friends had at least splurged on the food supply and gotten them some good hearty soup instead of plain old chicken noodle. He picked up his mug of hot chocolate, feeling the warmth through the sides of the mug as he stared at the fire.
Faith sat curled up silently on the sofa, staring down at the contents of her mug of soup. They'd both been completely silent for the last hour and they'd barely even looked at one another. She wasn't sure if she hated the fighting or the silence more.
"Should I make some more soup," he asked softly, still not looking at her.
"No thanks." She didn't look at him, either.
He nodded his head. "They bought us candy bars. You want one?"
"No. I'm not hungry."
Nodding once more he reached over and grabbed the poker for the fire, and began to stab at the burning logs.
Faith shifted her gaze for a moment, watched him. Then looked away again, setting her mug of soup down on the table.
He let out a breath as he continued to push the logs around with the poker. The silence was really starting to get to him, but he wasn't exactly sure if starting a conversation was the right idea.
"I can't wait to get the hell outta here," she mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face.
Bosco was tempted to turn around and look at her, but decided against it. "I think we need another log." He pushed himself off the floor, and moved over to the stack of logs that were beside the door.
"Oh, so you're ignoring me now?" She was unable to keep the hint of bitterness out of her tone even though she knew her words were certain to cause another fight.
"What?" He turned around to look at her.
"Nothing. Forget it."
"No." He shook his head. "We haven't spoken to each other in an hour and -now- you're upset cause I'm ignoring you?"
She glared at him but remained silent.
"I can't win." He turned away from her, and picked up two small logs before heading back to the fireplace.
"It's not a game."
"Right. How foolish of me. I'm sorry." He pulled the small stool over in front of the fireplace, and sat down.
"Don't patronize me."
He let out a breath, and turned around to look at her. "What do you want me to do?"
"What do you mean what do I want you to do? I don't want you to do anything."
"Okay, so I'm confused now. Am I supposed to ignore you or am I supposed to talk to you?"
"Is this funny to you?" She didn't like his sarcasm.
"No, Faith." He shook his head, his expression serious. "This is far from being funny."
"Maybe we should go back to not talking."
He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay."
She stood up and left the room, heading into the kitchen. She glanced around, then sat down in the far corner of the room, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the counter.
Bosco watched her walk away before turning back to the fire. This was going to be the longest Christmas ever.
* * *
She didn't know how long she sat in the kitchen for, but she was pretty sure she'd dozed off for awhile. When she awoke again, she was freezing and she stood up slowly, wrapping her arms around herself. Her flannel pajamas which were usually so warm felt like a thin sheet of material in the cool cabin. She slowly made her way into the living room, ignoring Bosco's presence all together as she paced the floor back and forth, trying to get warm by getting active.
Bosco sat on the floor his legs stretched out in front of him, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He looked over at her, and then back at the crackling fire. "I could throw another log on."
"I'm fine," she replied distantly.
"Suit yourself."
She didn't reply, just continued to pace, rubbing her arms vigorously.
"Look, I'll move. You can sit here."
"Don't bother. I said I'm fine."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"I don't need you to be nice to me, so just stop pretending like you care."
"You think I'm pretending?"
"Yes."
"Well I'm not," he informed her. "I can tell you're cold, so why don't you just come over here?"
"I'd rather stand."
"Then at least come stand closer to the fire."
She sighed and reluctantly walked over closer, making sure to keep a few feet's distance between them.
Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and motioned to the space that his legs had been occupying.
"No thanks."
He shook his head. "Just cause you're mad at me doesn't mean that you have to freeze."
"Who said I was mad at you?" Her tone was distant, emotionless.
He stared at her as if she was crazy. "I'm pretty sure you did."
"To be mad would imply that I actually gave a damn."
"Oh, so you don't give a damn?" He glared at her. "Ten years of being partners and now you just don't give a damn. Good thing we weren't married cause this way you don't have to get a lawyer like you did with Fred."
"Fuck you, Bosco."
"What? Did I hit a nerve?" He asked with a smirk. "I know it couldn't have been about us cause you don't give a damn. But it kinda surprises me that a comment about Fred would get you all riled up."
"You know what? Just shut the hell up!"
"You know, you -really- need to make up your mind!"
"You're the one who started talking to me. Just leave me the hell alone."
"And you're the one who was pissed cause I supposedly ignored you."
"Do you have to fight with me about -everything-?"
"Well I figure that's what we do best these days."
"Yeah, you've always been good at causing trouble," she snapped.
"And like you've never caused any trouble," he spat back.
"Yeah, well, at least I don't do it intentionally!"
"Whatever you say Yokas...oh wait, it's Mitchell now, right?"
"You are such a bastard."
"Yeah, so you've said."
"You don't know the -first- thing about my life."
"Oh no?" He pushed himself off the floor, and stood with his hands on his hips. "I know how you've been havin' all these troubles with your family. And how you were so freaked out when Fred had his heart attack because you loved him." He shook his head. "But apparently you just couldn't handle it anymore cause you left him. You left him and your kids!"
Hot tears stung her eyes. "For your information, Fred's been -fucking- my good friend Holly for the past three years!" Her words were harsh. "I walked in on them after a shift a few weeks ago. They were getting it on in our bed. He told me he didn't wanna tell me because he didn't wanna hurt me, but after his heart attack he realized life was too short to be unhappy all the time. So he asked for a divorce so he could be with the love of his life. He insisted the kids live with -him- because of the hours I work. So you can take your accusations, and your anti-crime and your sergeant and you can all go to hell because I don't need you. Or Fred. Or Holly. I don't need anyone!" She whirled around and stormed toward the door.
Bosco's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock. "Faith," he whispered.
She didn't turn around. She yanked the door opened and a blast of cold air hit her the second she did. It was snowing furiously.
"Faith, come on," he said softly as he walked over to her. He put his hand on the door trying to close it to keep the cold air out. "I didn't know," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't know."
"Leave me alone, Bosco." She shoved the door open again, wrapped her arms around herself and stepped outside.
"You don't have any shoes on," he reminded her.
"I don't give a damn!" she snapped. She trudged through the snow, heading away from the cabin.
"Dammit." He followed her, the snow instantly making his feet cold, and soaking his socks. "Come back inside."
"Not a chance in hell." She didn't bother to turn around, she just kept walking.
He jogged a few steps to catch up with her, prepared to use physical force to get her back inside.
"Get the hell away from me," she warned darkly.
"Where you gonna go Faith? We don't even know where we are! And you're not exactly dressed for this weather!"
"I don't care. I'd rather freeze to death out here in the middle of a blizzard than go back in that hellhole with a backstabber." Her words were harsh.
"What?!"
"Just go back and leave me the fuck alone," she snapped, glaring at him. Frozen tears staining her cheeks.
"I'm not gonna do that, Faith."
"No, God -forbid- you do something I ask you to do. Oh, wait. That's right. My name isn't Maritza Cruz."
His jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a nerve?"
Bosco pressed his lips together, and shook his head. "I'm gonna let that go cause obviously you're hurtin'."
"Please. Spare me your pop psychology crap. I don't need your sympathy." She kept walking, increasing her pace a little.
"You can't accept -any- help can you?"
"I told you. I don't need you. Not only do I not -need- you, I don't want you in my life. I just took pity on you because no one else wanted to be your partner. Biggest mistake I -ever- made," she said, knowing how hurtful the words were. She didn't mean them. Not even vaguely. She just wanted him to leave her alone.
He stopped walking, and stared after her, blinking rapidly. "You...what," he asked softly.
More tears flooded her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she kept walking.
Bosco's body was numb, not from the cold, but from the sting of her words. The sharp slap to the face that they were.
She knew that he wasn't following her anymore and she felt her stomach tighten as she realized she'd pushed him away for the last time. There would be no coming back from this. Not now, not ever.
* * *
