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xtremeroswelliaTitle: What Might Have Been
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Rating: Fine for everyone
Category: AU, Fluff, Friendship
Storyline: What might have been if Faith and Bosco met in the Academy and she really did leave Fred after graduation....
It was the start of the weekend, and Bosco couldn't wait to have some time off with Faith and her kids after what had developed between them the night before. With the kids at Mrs. Harris's for the time being and Faith working he decided he'd stop in and pay Faith a visit.
She smiled when she saw him. "Hey there."
"Hi." Resting a hand on her hip he leaned in and kissed her. "How's work?"
"Good." She returned the soft kiss.
"You got a break or anything coming up? I'll buy ya dinner."
"I get dinner free." She winked at him. "But I don't have a break for another hour."
"Then I guess I'll just have to hang out for a while, huh?"
"Sounds good to me." She kissed him once more.
"Is my mother workin' tonight?" he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
"I haven't seen her yet. I think she's coming in for a shift soon."
"You think your boss is gonna mind if I distract you from your job?" He asked with a grin, sliding his arms around her waist.
"Hmm...he might." She shrugged a little, hugging him back.
"I was thinking after you and I have dinner I could go pick up the kids from Mrs. Harris and wait for you at your place."
"That sounds nice." She kissed his cheek, slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out her keys.
Smiling softly he took the keys from her. "Do you want us to come pick you up tonight?"
"No, it'll be kinda late. They should go to bed."
"Okay."
"I'll catch a cab or take the subway," she murmured, kissing his cheek.
He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
She started to say something else when she caught sight of Rose stepping into the bar with a man she didn't recognize. Her eyes widened a little at the sight of the bruises on the woman's face.
His brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Taking hold of his arm, she nodded toward the door.
He looked in the direction Faith pointed out and his heart sank. "Ma," he whispered, immediately starting to pull away from Faith.
Swallowing hard, she let go of him so he could go talk to his mother. Part of her wanting to follow him and find out what had happened, but she wasn't sure it was her place to involve herself in the other woman's life like that.
He hurried over to his mother. "Ma? What happened?"
She didn't meet his eyes, just shook her head. "I'm such a clutz."
"Mom."
"I fell down the stairs."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying." The man behind her gave him an even look.
"Did you do this to her?" He asked, his hands clenching into fists as he looked past his mother.
"Excuse me?"
"Did you do this to her?" he hollered.
"Maurice, he didn't do anything!"
He looked back at his mother, his eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you're defending him now?"
"He didn't do anything to me," she told him.
"So you fell down the stairs on your -face-?"
"Yes." She glared at him.
Looking like he was going to back off Bosco let out a breath and shook his head, then without warning he stepped around his mother and grabbed the other man's shirt.
"Get off me!" he shouted, shoving at Bosco.
"Maurice, no!" Rose protested.
"I asked you nicely," he told the guy through clenched teeth as he slammed him against the wall. "Did you hit my mother?"
"I didn't touch her." He glared at him.
Faith quickly moved over to where they were standing.
"Then why does it look like someone beat her?" he spat.
"Stop it, Maurice," Rose told him, grabbing his arm.
He turned to his mother, still holding the other man against the wall. "If he hurt you he's gonna pay."
"He didn't hurt me!"
Faith took one look at her and knew she was lying.
As soon as he turned back to his mother's boyfriend he slammed a fist into the man's face.
"Somebody call the cops!" Someone across the room said.
Faith shook her head. "It's under control."
Pulling back for a split second Bosco then hit the guy once more as hard as he could. "I don't -ever- want to see you around my mother again, you got it?"
Wordlessly the guy lunged at him, knocking him into a table.
He winced as his back connected with the table and he quickly grabbed the man again and a moment later they were both on the floor.
He punched Bosco in the face as Rose screamed for them to stop. A moment later, the guy was sprawled on the floor on his stomach, Faith's knee in the middle of his back.
Standing up, and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Bosco glared at the man. "Don't come near my mother again!"
"And if you do, you're gonna be dealing with both of us," Faith told him harshly, not letting him up yet.
He couldn't stop himself from smirking at Faith's words.
Grabbing the back of his shirt, she hauled him to his feet, escorting him to the door. "Don't come back."
Bosco watched as Faith shoved the guy out the door then he turned to his mother. "You know better."
Rose was crying. "Why did you do that?" She shook her head in disbelief.
He stared at her. "What?"
"I love him! He's going to be so angry with me!"
"You love him? Do you think he loves you, ma?"
"Of course he loves me!"
"Then why did he do that to you?" He hollered, motioning to her face.
"Because I made him mad!" Tears streaked down her cheeks.
"Mom, no." He shook his head, reaching out to his mother.
"I did!" She pushed him away.
He grabbed her arms. "That doesn't mean he's allowed to -hit- you."
"Maurice is right, Rose." Faith's voice was soft. "He hits you because he wants control of you, not because he loves you."
"Please, ma," he pleaded with her. "Don't go back to him."
Angry and upset, she moved away and headed to the bar.
"Mom, come on."
Faith caught his arm. "Give her a little time," she advised softly.
He turned to look at Faith, swallowing hard.
Her eyes were sad as she gazed at him.
Running a hand through his hair he let out a breath.
"Are you all right?"
He wiped at his mouth again. "I'm fine."
She reached up to touch his cheek where a faint bruise was already appearing.
Bosco flinched but didn't move away.
She kissed the injury lightly. "Your dad...he was like that, wasn't he?" Her voice was barely audible.
Closing his eyes he was quiet for a moment then he nodded his head. "Yeah," he whispered. "He was."
Swallowing hard, she slid her arms around his waist.
"I'm sorry about...I just..." Wrapping his arms around her he shook his head, unsure of how to even begin apologizing for starting a fight while she was working.
"Shh. It's okay."
"I should probably go, huh?"
"You don't have to leave."
"I started a fight," he whispered. "I should be out on my ass."
"Yeah, well...lucky for you, you have an in with the bouncer."
Smiling softly he went to kiss her, but frowned and pulled back, wiping at the small trickle of blood coming from his lip. "I should go clean up."
Nodding a little, she watched him head for the restroom, then took a deep breath and moved over to the bar where Rose was working.
Rose shook her head in disgust. "I don't know where he thinks he gets off treating people like that," she mumbled as she grabbed a towel and started drying glasses.
"He's your son."
"He should know better."
"Then what? To care about you?"
She looked at Faith, frustrated. "I get a good thing in my life and we hit a rough spot and Maurice blows things outta proportion and--"
"The man beat you." Her voice was sharp. "That's hardly a rough spot, Rose."
"I upset him. I hit him first."
"I'm not saying that's right, but it doesn't give him the right to hit you back, either. And from the looks of it, it was a hell of a lot more than one hit."
She shook her head slightly. "I love Scott. We had a good thing until I got angry over something stupid."
"Yeah. A good thing." Faith rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Maurice gets so mad. He hasn't liked any of the guys I've dated since I left his father."
"Why? Because they're all abusive?" she questioned.
Concentrating on drying the glasses she didn't answer Faith's question.
"He loves you. He doesn't wanna see you hurt."
"And he doesn't think beating them up hurts me?"
"Would you rather he not give a damn?"
Leaning her hands against the bar Rose let out a breath. "I just wish he wouldn't get so mad," she said quietly.
"Rose, do you know how many women die from domestic violence every year?"
She didn't look up at the younger woman.
"More than four thousand."
"Scott wouldn't..." She bit her lip.
"If he beat you that badly, what makes you think he wouldn't do worse?"
Looking up, there were tears in her eyes.
"He doesn't wanna see you end up like one of those women," she whispered. "And neither do I."
Rose swallowed hard. "Sometimes I wonder why my Maurice cares so much. It's not like I gave him a good childhood or anything."
Faith bit her lower lip and looked down at the bar. "You're his mother."
"I'm pretty lucky."
"Yeah. Yeah, you are," she agreed softly.
Needing to change the subject Rose took a deep breath and patted Faith's hand. "So...did I see you two kissing when I came in?"
Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head.
She chuckled softly. "I did!"
"Yeah, you did," Faith admitted.
"I thought he told me you two were just friends?"
"We were," she said softly.
Smiling she leaned on the bar. "So...tell me what happened."
Images of the night they'd spent together flashed through her mind and her blush darkened a little. "Oh, uh...well, we just...it sorta happened."
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "So you two are..."
She quickly looked up at the woman.
"The bright red cheeks gave it away," she told her with a smile. "But don't worry. I won't let on that I know when Maurice is around."
"You must think I'm a horrible person," she murmured, looking down at the bar once more.
"Why would I think that?" She asked softly.
"Cause I'm married."
"But things aren’t good with your husband," she stated.
"No. They're not, but..."
"Are you planning on staying with your husband?"
"No." She shook her head.
"Then there's no problem."
"Except that it is still wrong."
"I don't know." She shook her head. "Something tells me that this isn't just about you and Maurice hooking up once. Ya know what I mean?"
She bit her lower lip, gazing at Rose.
"Sure. You're still officially married, but I'm guessing your marriage has been over for a while," she said softly, a look of understanding in her eyes.
"Yeah," she whispered. "It has been."
Rose patted Faith's hand again. "You'll be all right. I got this feelin'."
"Yeah?"
"Yup." She nodded, smiling softly.
Bosco approached the bar a little hesitantly, holding a paper towel to his lip.
She felt his presence and turned to look at him, her eyes full of concern.
His look asked her if it was okay for him to join her and his mother at the bar.
Faith nodded slightly, offering him a small smile.
He walked over to her, reaching for her hand. "Hey," he whispered.
Sliding her fingers through his, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey."
"Do I look any better?" he asked lightly, pulling the towel away from his lip.
She kissed his cheek. "Yeah."
Letting out a breath he looked at his mother, sadness in his eyes.
Rose swallowed hard, hesitated a moment, then moved around the bar so she was standing in front of him.
He stood up a little straighter, unsure of what his mother was going to do, half expecting her to cuff him upside the head.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, Maurice," she whispered.
Bosco let out a breath, relaxing a little and returning the embrace. "I love you, ma," he whispered back. "And I can't..."
"I know." She hugged him a little tighter.
After a moment he pulled back to look at her, gently resting a hand on her cheek. "You deserve so much better."
Tears in her eyes, she couldn't respond.
His lip trembled and he nodded his head.
Faith gazed at them for a moment and suddenly felt like she was intruding. She slipped away from them unnoticed and headed for the door to keep an eye on things.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith sat on her sofa that evening after checking on her kids when she got home from work. It had been several hours since the incident at the bar, but she could still sense Bosco's tension as he sat next to her. "So we should talk."
He turned to look at her. "Uh...okay."
Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his arm.
Bosco looked down at her hand. "What do you wanna talk about?" he asked softly.
"What happened tonight."
He looked away.
"Mau---Bosco, look." She was quiet for a moment. "I don't blame you a bit," she said softly.
"You were gonna call me Maurice," he commented.
"You don't like your first name."
"I don't mind it when people who care about me use it."
She bit her lower lip.
Looking at her, he rested his hand on her leg. "I like when you call me Boz."
"Okay." Nodding a little, she let out a breath. "Look, I just...I'm not upset about what happened. I mean, I am...upset about what happened to your mother, but not about what happened at the bar."
He nodded slightly, and gently slid his hand back and forth along her thigh. "She lets them do this to her all the time."
"Yeah, I picked up on that," she said softly.
"I get -so- mad when they act like they didn't do anything wrong."
"They always do."
"My mother...she's such an amazing woman, ya know? I don't understand why she lets this happen."
"It's all she knows as far as men are concerned. It's what's familiar. She's used to it. She thinks that's how it has to be."
"What do I have to do to get her to realize it doesn't have to be that way?" he asked softly, looking at her.
"That I don't know," she said softly.
He let out a breath. "Me either. So that's why I have to..."
She looked up at him.
"It's why I have to teach them a lesson, ya know?"
Faith gazed at him for a moment, nodding slightly in understanding.
"I'm not a bad guy, Faith," he whispered.
"I know that," she whispered back.
"I just don't want you to worry about things. I mean...I know how to control my anger."
"Hey." She reached out and touched his cheek. "I know that, too."
Leaning forward he kissed her softly.
Kissing him back, she leaned her forehead against his.
He let out a breath. "I hate seeing people hurt, ya know?"
"That's part of what makes you such a good person. And it's...part of what's gonna make you a great cop," she whispered.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
His hand resting on her thigh he kissed her once more. "Guess I can thank my old man and my mom's boyfriends for something then."
"You woulda been a good person anyway."
He smiled softly. "You're so good to me."
Faith was quiet for a moment, resting her head on his collarbone. "So your dad..."
"Was, and is scum."
"Did he hurt you and your brother, too?" Her voice was very soft.
"Not so much physically. Don't get me wrong, he used to smack us around pretty good when we stepped outta line, but we always gave him a reason."
"You really believe that?" She pulled away to look at him, her eyes dark.
He shrugged. "Not really. It's just what I tell myself."
"I'd never hit my kids." Her voice was quiet, and she looked down at the floor.
"I grew up getting hit as discipline. Getting hit so that the 'lesson' would stick." He shook his head. "But I know better. I know that you don't have to hit a kid to teach them."
"Your dad's a bastard."
"I'm not about to disagree."
Biting her lip, she looked up at him once more, her eyes sad.
"I'd never hurt Emily and Charlie," he whispered, wanting to make it clear.
"I know that." She gazed at him.
"Good." He nodded his head. "Cause I love your kids."
Her eyes softened a little. "Yeah?"
Bosco smiled. "Yeah, there's just...there's just something about being able to pick up Charlie and get him to stop fussing, and when Em crawls up on my lap...I don't know, I haven't even been around them all that much. But the thought of not being around them...that hurts."
A faint smile on her lips, she rested her head on his shoulder.
"And I gotta admit..."
"Admit what?" she murmured, closing her eyes.
"That I'm falling for their mother," he whispered.
She swallowed hard, remaining perfectly still for a moment. "You're not just sayin' that are you?" she whispered back.
He shook his head. "No."
Faith lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.
"You know that my past...relationships were based on one thing," he said softly. "But with you...sitting here, relaxing, I enjoy that."
She gazed at him silently, searching his eyes.
"I never pictured myself helping my girlfriend get her kids bathed and ready for bed, but now that I've done it a couple times. I'm that much more drawn to you and being part of that."
She lowered her gaze to his lips and kissed him softly.
Lifting a hand to her cheek he nibbled gently on her bottom lip.
"How did I get so lucky?" she murmured.
"It was cause you had terrible aim," he informed her.
She chuckled. "Right."
He smiled at her and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. "It's late. I should...probably head home."
"Or you could stay." Her voice was very soft.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, gazing at him.
"I'd like that," he whispered.
"Me too."
"Am I sleeping on the couch?"
Faith almost grinned. "I guess if you really want to..."
"I don't."
She chuckled at how quickly he responded. "Well, that's good."
"Did I sound desperate?"
"Maybe a little." She grinned.
"Well, I can't help it," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.
"As long as it's me your desperate to be with," she murmured.
"Mmhmm. Definitely you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
Envelope in hand Bosco made his way up to Faith's apartment after having gone home to change and get some clothes to leave at her place for the occasions when he spent the night. Swallowing hard he adjusted the strap of his duffel bag on his shoulder and knocked softly on her door.
She appeared a moment later, her hair still damp from the shower she'd just finished taking. She smiled at him. "Hey."
Biting his lip he held up the envelope. "Did you get yours?"
The smile faded a little and she nodded, her gladness at seeing him returning to nervousness once more. "I haven't opened it yet."
He nodded slowly, stepping inside and putting his bag down. "I can't believe that what's in this little envelope is gonna shape my career."
Swallowing hard, she moved over to pick hers up off the table. "More than your career," she said softly.
"I know," he whispered. "I just...I didn't wanna think about that."
Biting her lower lip, she looked down at the envelope in her hands. "Should we get this over with?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Count of three?"
Nodding a little she gazed at him. "One."
"Two," he whispered, holding her gaze.
"Three." She tore her envelope open at the same time he did, holding her breath as she pulled out the folded piece of paper.
Quickly unfolding the paper his eyes scanned it. "Congratulations, blah, blah, blah..."
She let out a breath as she looked at the address of the precinct she'd been assigned to. "I don't have to move."
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just on the border of mine."
Biting her lower lip she looked at him. "Where are you assigned?"
"The 55th," he said softly.
Her eyes widened a little and she quickly glanced back at her paper. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Is that bad?"
"Boz..."
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"That's where I was assigned," she whispered.
He stared at her. "What?"
Swallowing hard, she handed him the paper with her assignment.
Bosco took the paper and read the entire letter, checking the precinct and address twice. He then looked up at her, a soft smile spreading across his face.
"Let me see yours."
"You sayin' you don't believe me?" he teased.
"I just wanna see for myself. This is too good to be true."
He handed her his letter, watching as she read it and noticing the smile that started to form on her face as well.
Faith looked back up at him, a wide grin on her face.
"Do you think they know about us? I mean if they did we wouldn't both be at the 55 would we?"
The smile faded a little and she chewed on her lower lip. "Probably not."
He shrugged. "Who cares," he chuckled wrapping his arms around her.
"But what if they find out?"
"What are they gonna do? Stop us from seeing each other?"
"Well, no..."
"All the regs state is that if we get married we can't be partners on the force."
She smiled, her eyes bright. "So...do you think this is some kind of sign?" she asked softly.
"I think maybe it is," he whispered. "And if it's not whose here to argue with us?"
Gazing at him for a moment, she wound her arms around him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
He smiled against her lips. "I might have to stay here a lot now. Your place is closer to the House than mine."
She was quiet for a moment. "What if...you stayed here permanently?" she whispered.
Pulling away a little he moved his hands to her hips. "Are you serious?"
Nodding a little, she looked up at him.
"Wow, Faith," he whispered. "Have you...would Emily be all right with that do you think?"
"I know she would be."
A smile touched his lips. "I could be here all the time," he murmured.
She smiled, as well, resting her hands on his shoulders.
"You know that if I move in my mother's gonna want to know when the wedding date is."
A soft chuckle escaped her. "Probably."
"And when the baby's due," he said lightly.
Faith's eyes widened a little. "How'd you know?"
He chuckled and placed a quick kiss on her lips.
She slid a hand through his hair, pulling him closer as she kissed him again.
"Where are the kids?"
"Both asleep."
"Both asleep, huh? What on Earth are we gonna do all by ourselves?"
"I'm sure we can think of somethin'," she teased.
"Come here." He grabbed her hands and pulled her onto his lap as he sat down on the sofa.
Faith's eyes were bright as she gazed at him. "So is that a yes?"
He laughed. "I guess I forgot to answer, huh?"
She grinned. "Yes, you did."
"Well..." He gazed at her. "When can I move in?"
Leaning forward, she kissed him urgently.
Bosco cupped her face in his hands as he deepened the kiss.
"I love you," she murmured.
He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, too," he whispered.
"Yeah?" Tears prickled at her eyes. "You do?"
Smiling at her he ran his fingers through her hair then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. "Yeah. I do."
She laid her head on his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to his skin as she relaxed in his arms.
He rubbed her back gently. "This is workin' out good, huh?"
"Better than I imagined anything in my life ever could," she whispered.
"Yeah, same here," he whispered back.
Placing another soft kiss against his skin, she closed her eyes.
"Are you tired?" he asked softly. "Cause we can go into bed if you want."
"I just want to hold you," she murmured.
He smiled softly. "That's fine with me."
She tightened her arms around him a little.
His smile widened. "Maybe tomorrow we could all go to the park," he whispered.
"The kids would love that." She lowered her voice a little. "And so would I."
"I'll even push you on the swing."
She chuckled. "Promise?"
"Promise." He held up his pinky finger. "Pinky swear even," he teased.
Grinning, she sat up a little and linked pinkies with him, amused.
"Though...we might need to seal it with a kiss. Just incase."
"Hmmm." She kissed him softly.
He returned the soft kiss then carefully shifted on the sofa, lying down, his arms wrapped around her.
She rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes once more as he held her.
Bosco kissed the top of her head then relaxed into the sofa cushions as he gently rubbed her back. Content just being with her.
"It's never been like this for me," she whispered.
"Whadda ya mean?" he asked softly.
"I mean...with Fred...we were never like this."
"And you like this, right?"
"No," she said softly. "I love this."
"This is nice," he murmured. "I never realized how relaxing it could be to be with a woman. I always thought it was just..."
"About sex?"
"Yeah," he admitted softly.
She was quiet for a moment. "And I thought love always had to hurt," she whispered.
"Guess I did more for you than just teach you to be an expert marksman."
"You have no idea."
"And you...more than returned the favor."
"I hope so," she whispered.
"You did, Faith. No doubt about that. I mean...look at everything I have now."
She lifted her head to gaze at him, her eyes soft.
"We're not married yet, but I've got two great kids and I've got you."
"You'll have us as long as you want us," she murmured.
"We're gettin' pretty serious, huh?" He ran his fingers through her hair.
"I think we have been for awhile now."
"Is it too soon to talk about tyin' the knot?"
Her eyes widened a little and she looked up at him to see if he was serious.
He swallowed hard. "Is it?"
"Are you serious?" Her voice was soft.
He nodded his head.
She was silent for a moment. "Wow," she whispered.
"I'm not sayin' it'd need to be any time soon. I don't want to rush you into anything. All I'm really asking I guess is...is it okay for us to talk about it...to kinda think about heading in that direction."
"Yeah. It's okay to talk about it," she whispered. "I'm just...surprised that...I mean, I thought..."
"What'd you think?" he asked softly.
"You have to promise you won't laugh."
"I'll do my best."
"I didn't think that...after Fred...anyone would really be interested in...marrying me again. Especially you," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I be interested?"
"Because...you've never been married before and...I have."
"I don't hold the marriage experience against you," he told her lightly.
She bit her lower lip, not looking up at him.
"Hey," he whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you by that."
"I know," she whispered. "It's just...something my father said a long time ago."
"What'd he say?"
"Just that...no one would ever really love me because I wasn't good enough."
His eyes widened for a moment then narrowed. "Your dad sounds like a really winner," he said sarcastically.
"He's a drunk," she admitted.
He didn't let the information faze him. "So you know that nothing he says is valid, right?"
She bit her lower lip, nodding but not looking at him.
"Not that that's easy," he said softly.
"I always knew Fred never really loved me, so I guess at some point...I just...agreed with him."
"Let me ask you something."
"Okay."
"Do you know that I really love you?"
She lifted her gaze to meet his. "I feel it," she whispered.
"Good." He lifted up so he could kiss her forehead. "So now you know that any comments your father makes like that aren't true."
"Made," she corrected him.
"Do you talk to your dad anymore?"
"No. Not since I was seventeen."
"What about your mom?"
"Her either," she said softly, resting her head on his chest once more.
"Do you want to?" he asked quietly, gently stroking her hair.
"No." She shook her head a little, closing her eyes.
"Well, I know my mom is capable of doing all the grand parenting so that's no problem."
"They've never really had grandparents...at least not stable ones."
"Grandma Rose to the rescue," he said lightly.
She smiled softly. "I like your mom."
"Yeah?"
Faith nodded slightly. "Yeah. She'll be really good for the kids."
"They'll be really good for her too," he whispered.
She was quiet for a moment. "You still want kids of your own?" she asked softly.
He bit his lip and didn't respond.
"It's okay if you do," she whispered.
"I do, and it's not that I don't love--"
"Shh." She kissed him softly. "I wouldn't mind havin' another baby...as long as we're not talking immediately."
"Seriously? You wouldn't mind?"
"Seriously." She smiled.
His eyes were bright. "We should wait 'til Charlie's older. I don't know if I'd be able to give up holdin' him or splittin' time, ya know?"
Nodding a little, she grinned. "That sounds good to me."
"Now that we've talked about family...what about work?"
"What about it?"
"What's your goal? How high up the ladder do you wanna go?"
She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I wouldn't mind bein' a detective."
He raised an eyebrow. "A detective, huh?"
She smiled. "Yeah. What about you?"
"I don't know I was thinkin' like ESU or somethin'."
"Yeah?"
"Bein' in the Rangers I got a taste of bein' on an elite force, so..."
"I can see you in ESU."
He smiled. "And you've definitely got the brains to be a detective."
Faith smiled, as well. "We're gonna make good cops."
"We're gonna make great cops."
Leaning her forehead against his, she closed her eyes as she kissed him softly. They definitely were.
* * *
Part Twelve
12 Months Later
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco was sitting beside Faith on the sofa as they watched Emily put a tape in the vcr. When she turned around and headed for the spot where she'd been sitting on the floor he reached his arms out. "Come sit with me, Sweetie."
Emily smiled and crawled into his arms, leaning back against him.
"How's my baby girl?" He asked her softly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head.
"Good."
Faith looked over at them and smiled, her eyes soft and full of warmth.
Feeling her gaze he turned to look at Faith and rested his left hand on her leg.
She covered his hand with her own, leaning her head against his.
Looking over at Charlie, he chuckled softly as the infant kicked his legs back and forth wildly as he sat in his swing chair. "Somebody looks a little antsy."
She grinned as she followed his gaze and her son squealed.
"If he's still that full of energy at bedtime I'll take him out in the hall for a walk, let him run around a little."
"That's probably a good idea. Otherwise none of us is gonna get any sleep."
Smiling softly he whispered in her ear. "I'm hopin' we don't get any sleep for another reason."
Faith grinned, elbowing him in the ribs lightly.
He laughed and placed a kiss on her cheek before lifting her hand to his lips and gently kissing the ring on her finger.
Sighing contently, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against his once more. "I never thought it could be like this," she murmured.
"Well it's gonna stay like this," he told her softly. "I promise."
"I know. I believe you," she whispered.
"And when the time's right...I'm gonna take you on that honeymoon," he whispered back.
Nodding a little, she turned her face to kiss him.
He pressed his lips to hers, smiling against her mouth.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," he told her softly. Feeling someone tugging on his shirt sleeve he looked at Emily. "And I love you, too."
Emily grinned. "I know."
"Good," he whispered. "Cause you're my little girl."
She beamed and kissed his cheek.
Smiling just as brightly he kissed Emily's temple.
Charlie squealed again. "Da da!"
He looked over at Charlie. "Are you feelin' left out, Buddy?"
He reached his arms toward Bosco.
"Em, sweetie. You wanna sit with mommy for a while?"
Emily smiled sweetly and scooted over onto Faith's lap, hugging her mom.
He leaned over and kissed Emily's cheek. "Thanks, baby." Then went over to get Charlie. "Hey, little man," he said to the infant as he picked him up out of the swing.
Charlie hugged him. "Da da."
Hugging him back tightly he kissed the side of the boy's head and carried him back over to the sofa where they sat down beside Faith and Emily. "Okay now I guess we're ready for family movie night, huh?"
Faith smiled softly, shifting closer to her husband and leaning her head against his as he hit the play button.
"Thank you, Faith," he whispered.
"For what?"
"This. It's what I always thought a family could be like."
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes soft. "Thank you."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You're supposed to say 'you’re welcome'."
Faith smiled. "We can't thank each other?"
"I guess we can." He nodded slightly.
She kissed his temple softly.
"Marrying you was the best thing I ever did."
She smiled. "Ditto," she whispered.
"Maybe in a few months...we can think about givin' these two a sibling," he whispered back.
Her eyes widened a little. "Yeah?"
Bosco nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Smiling, she kissed his cheek softly before turning her gaze to the TV where Aladdin was playing.
Shifting his attention to the television as well he wrapped one arm around Charlie as the boy leaned against him, and rested his other hand on Faith's leg once more.
She covered his hand with hers, leaning her head against his head, a soft smile on her face.
He moved his hand slightly so they could lace their fingers together as they watched the movie with her kids...their kids. Just like the happy little family that neither of them had ever had.
-The End-
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Rating: Fine for everyone
Category: AU, Fluff, Friendship
Storyline: What might have been if Faith and Bosco met in the Academy and she really did leave Fred after graduation....
It was the start of the weekend, and Bosco couldn't wait to have some time off with Faith and her kids after what had developed between them the night before. With the kids at Mrs. Harris's for the time being and Faith working he decided he'd stop in and pay Faith a visit.
She smiled when she saw him. "Hey there."
"Hi." Resting a hand on her hip he leaned in and kissed her. "How's work?"
"Good." She returned the soft kiss.
"You got a break or anything coming up? I'll buy ya dinner."
"I get dinner free." She winked at him. "But I don't have a break for another hour."
"Then I guess I'll just have to hang out for a while, huh?"
"Sounds good to me." She kissed him once more.
"Is my mother workin' tonight?" he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
"I haven't seen her yet. I think she's coming in for a shift soon."
"You think your boss is gonna mind if I distract you from your job?" He asked with a grin, sliding his arms around her waist.
"Hmm...he might." She shrugged a little, hugging him back.
"I was thinking after you and I have dinner I could go pick up the kids from Mrs. Harris and wait for you at your place."
"That sounds nice." She kissed his cheek, slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out her keys.
Smiling softly he took the keys from her. "Do you want us to come pick you up tonight?"
"No, it'll be kinda late. They should go to bed."
"Okay."
"I'll catch a cab or take the subway," she murmured, kissing his cheek.
He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
She started to say something else when she caught sight of Rose stepping into the bar with a man she didn't recognize. Her eyes widened a little at the sight of the bruises on the woman's face.
His brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Taking hold of his arm, she nodded toward the door.
He looked in the direction Faith pointed out and his heart sank. "Ma," he whispered, immediately starting to pull away from Faith.
Swallowing hard, she let go of him so he could go talk to his mother. Part of her wanting to follow him and find out what had happened, but she wasn't sure it was her place to involve herself in the other woman's life like that.
He hurried over to his mother. "Ma? What happened?"
She didn't meet his eyes, just shook her head. "I'm such a clutz."
"Mom."
"I fell down the stairs."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying." The man behind her gave him an even look.
"Did you do this to her?" He asked, his hands clenching into fists as he looked past his mother.
"Excuse me?"
"Did you do this to her?" he hollered.
"Maurice, he didn't do anything!"
He looked back at his mother, his eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you're defending him now?"
"He didn't do anything to me," she told him.
"So you fell down the stairs on your -face-?"
"Yes." She glared at him.
Looking like he was going to back off Bosco let out a breath and shook his head, then without warning he stepped around his mother and grabbed the other man's shirt.
"Get off me!" he shouted, shoving at Bosco.
"Maurice, no!" Rose protested.
"I asked you nicely," he told the guy through clenched teeth as he slammed him against the wall. "Did you hit my mother?"
"I didn't touch her." He glared at him.
Faith quickly moved over to where they were standing.
"Then why does it look like someone beat her?" he spat.
"Stop it, Maurice," Rose told him, grabbing his arm.
He turned to his mother, still holding the other man against the wall. "If he hurt you he's gonna pay."
"He didn't hurt me!"
Faith took one look at her and knew she was lying.
As soon as he turned back to his mother's boyfriend he slammed a fist into the man's face.
"Somebody call the cops!" Someone across the room said.
Faith shook her head. "It's under control."
Pulling back for a split second Bosco then hit the guy once more as hard as he could. "I don't -ever- want to see you around my mother again, you got it?"
Wordlessly the guy lunged at him, knocking him into a table.
He winced as his back connected with the table and he quickly grabbed the man again and a moment later they were both on the floor.
He punched Bosco in the face as Rose screamed for them to stop. A moment later, the guy was sprawled on the floor on his stomach, Faith's knee in the middle of his back.
Standing up, and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Bosco glared at the man. "Don't come near my mother again!"
"And if you do, you're gonna be dealing with both of us," Faith told him harshly, not letting him up yet.
He couldn't stop himself from smirking at Faith's words.
Grabbing the back of his shirt, she hauled him to his feet, escorting him to the door. "Don't come back."
Bosco watched as Faith shoved the guy out the door then he turned to his mother. "You know better."
Rose was crying. "Why did you do that?" She shook her head in disbelief.
He stared at her. "What?"
"I love him! He's going to be so angry with me!"
"You love him? Do you think he loves you, ma?"
"Of course he loves me!"
"Then why did he do that to you?" He hollered, motioning to her face.
"Because I made him mad!" Tears streaked down her cheeks.
"Mom, no." He shook his head, reaching out to his mother.
"I did!" She pushed him away.
He grabbed her arms. "That doesn't mean he's allowed to -hit- you."
"Maurice is right, Rose." Faith's voice was soft. "He hits you because he wants control of you, not because he loves you."
"Please, ma," he pleaded with her. "Don't go back to him."
Angry and upset, she moved away and headed to the bar.
"Mom, come on."
Faith caught his arm. "Give her a little time," she advised softly.
He turned to look at Faith, swallowing hard.
Her eyes were sad as she gazed at him.
Running a hand through his hair he let out a breath.
"Are you all right?"
He wiped at his mouth again. "I'm fine."
She reached up to touch his cheek where a faint bruise was already appearing.
Bosco flinched but didn't move away.
She kissed the injury lightly. "Your dad...he was like that, wasn't he?" Her voice was barely audible.
Closing his eyes he was quiet for a moment then he nodded his head. "Yeah," he whispered. "He was."
Swallowing hard, she slid her arms around his waist.
"I'm sorry about...I just..." Wrapping his arms around her he shook his head, unsure of how to even begin apologizing for starting a fight while she was working.
"Shh. It's okay."
"I should probably go, huh?"
"You don't have to leave."
"I started a fight," he whispered. "I should be out on my ass."
"Yeah, well...lucky for you, you have an in with the bouncer."
Smiling softly he went to kiss her, but frowned and pulled back, wiping at the small trickle of blood coming from his lip. "I should go clean up."
Nodding a little, she watched him head for the restroom, then took a deep breath and moved over to the bar where Rose was working.
Rose shook her head in disgust. "I don't know where he thinks he gets off treating people like that," she mumbled as she grabbed a towel and started drying glasses.
"He's your son."
"He should know better."
"Then what? To care about you?"
She looked at Faith, frustrated. "I get a good thing in my life and we hit a rough spot and Maurice blows things outta proportion and--"
"The man beat you." Her voice was sharp. "That's hardly a rough spot, Rose."
"I upset him. I hit him first."
"I'm not saying that's right, but it doesn't give him the right to hit you back, either. And from the looks of it, it was a hell of a lot more than one hit."
She shook her head slightly. "I love Scott. We had a good thing until I got angry over something stupid."
"Yeah. A good thing." Faith rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Maurice gets so mad. He hasn't liked any of the guys I've dated since I left his father."
"Why? Because they're all abusive?" she questioned.
Concentrating on drying the glasses she didn't answer Faith's question.
"He loves you. He doesn't wanna see you hurt."
"And he doesn't think beating them up hurts me?"
"Would you rather he not give a damn?"
Leaning her hands against the bar Rose let out a breath. "I just wish he wouldn't get so mad," she said quietly.
"Rose, do you know how many women die from domestic violence every year?"
She didn't look up at the younger woman.
"More than four thousand."
"Scott wouldn't..." She bit her lip.
"If he beat you that badly, what makes you think he wouldn't do worse?"
Looking up, there were tears in her eyes.
"He doesn't wanna see you end up like one of those women," she whispered. "And neither do I."
Rose swallowed hard. "Sometimes I wonder why my Maurice cares so much. It's not like I gave him a good childhood or anything."
Faith bit her lower lip and looked down at the bar. "You're his mother."
"I'm pretty lucky."
"Yeah. Yeah, you are," she agreed softly.
Needing to change the subject Rose took a deep breath and patted Faith's hand. "So...did I see you two kissing when I came in?"
Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head.
She chuckled softly. "I did!"
"Yeah, you did," Faith admitted.
"I thought he told me you two were just friends?"
"We were," she said softly.
Smiling she leaned on the bar. "So...tell me what happened."
Images of the night they'd spent together flashed through her mind and her blush darkened a little. "Oh, uh...well, we just...it sorta happened."
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "So you two are..."
She quickly looked up at the woman.
"The bright red cheeks gave it away," she told her with a smile. "But don't worry. I won't let on that I know when Maurice is around."
"You must think I'm a horrible person," she murmured, looking down at the bar once more.
"Why would I think that?" She asked softly.
"Cause I'm married."
"But things aren’t good with your husband," she stated.
"No. They're not, but..."
"Are you planning on staying with your husband?"
"No." She shook her head.
"Then there's no problem."
"Except that it is still wrong."
"I don't know." She shook her head. "Something tells me that this isn't just about you and Maurice hooking up once. Ya know what I mean?"
She bit her lower lip, gazing at Rose.
"Sure. You're still officially married, but I'm guessing your marriage has been over for a while," she said softly, a look of understanding in her eyes.
"Yeah," she whispered. "It has been."
Rose patted Faith's hand again. "You'll be all right. I got this feelin'."
"Yeah?"
"Yup." She nodded, smiling softly.
Bosco approached the bar a little hesitantly, holding a paper towel to his lip.
She felt his presence and turned to look at him, her eyes full of concern.
His look asked her if it was okay for him to join her and his mother at the bar.
Faith nodded slightly, offering him a small smile.
He walked over to her, reaching for her hand. "Hey," he whispered.
Sliding her fingers through his, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey."
"Do I look any better?" he asked lightly, pulling the towel away from his lip.
She kissed his cheek. "Yeah."
Letting out a breath he looked at his mother, sadness in his eyes.
Rose swallowed hard, hesitated a moment, then moved around the bar so she was standing in front of him.
He stood up a little straighter, unsure of what his mother was going to do, half expecting her to cuff him upside the head.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, Maurice," she whispered.
Bosco let out a breath, relaxing a little and returning the embrace. "I love you, ma," he whispered back. "And I can't..."
"I know." She hugged him a little tighter.
After a moment he pulled back to look at her, gently resting a hand on her cheek. "You deserve so much better."
Tears in her eyes, she couldn't respond.
His lip trembled and he nodded his head.
Faith gazed at them for a moment and suddenly felt like she was intruding. She slipped away from them unnoticed and headed for the door to keep an eye on things.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith sat on her sofa that evening after checking on her kids when she got home from work. It had been several hours since the incident at the bar, but she could still sense Bosco's tension as he sat next to her. "So we should talk."
He turned to look at her. "Uh...okay."
Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his arm.
Bosco looked down at her hand. "What do you wanna talk about?" he asked softly.
"What happened tonight."
He looked away.
"Mau---Bosco, look." She was quiet for a moment. "I don't blame you a bit," she said softly.
"You were gonna call me Maurice," he commented.
"You don't like your first name."
"I don't mind it when people who care about me use it."
She bit her lower lip.
Looking at her, he rested his hand on her leg. "I like when you call me Boz."
"Okay." Nodding a little, she let out a breath. "Look, I just...I'm not upset about what happened. I mean, I am...upset about what happened to your mother, but not about what happened at the bar."
He nodded slightly, and gently slid his hand back and forth along her thigh. "She lets them do this to her all the time."
"Yeah, I picked up on that," she said softly.
"I get -so- mad when they act like they didn't do anything wrong."
"They always do."
"My mother...she's such an amazing woman, ya know? I don't understand why she lets this happen."
"It's all she knows as far as men are concerned. It's what's familiar. She's used to it. She thinks that's how it has to be."
"What do I have to do to get her to realize it doesn't have to be that way?" he asked softly, looking at her.
"That I don't know," she said softly.
He let out a breath. "Me either. So that's why I have to..."
She looked up at him.
"It's why I have to teach them a lesson, ya know?"
Faith gazed at him for a moment, nodding slightly in understanding.
"I'm not a bad guy, Faith," he whispered.
"I know that," she whispered back.
"I just don't want you to worry about things. I mean...I know how to control my anger."
"Hey." She reached out and touched his cheek. "I know that, too."
Leaning forward he kissed her softly.
Kissing him back, she leaned her forehead against his.
He let out a breath. "I hate seeing people hurt, ya know?"
"That's part of what makes you such a good person. And it's...part of what's gonna make you a great cop," she whispered.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
His hand resting on her thigh he kissed her once more. "Guess I can thank my old man and my mom's boyfriends for something then."
"You woulda been a good person anyway."
He smiled softly. "You're so good to me."
Faith was quiet for a moment, resting her head on his collarbone. "So your dad..."
"Was, and is scum."
"Did he hurt you and your brother, too?" Her voice was very soft.
"Not so much physically. Don't get me wrong, he used to smack us around pretty good when we stepped outta line, but we always gave him a reason."
"You really believe that?" She pulled away to look at him, her eyes dark.
He shrugged. "Not really. It's just what I tell myself."
"I'd never hit my kids." Her voice was quiet, and she looked down at the floor.
"I grew up getting hit as discipline. Getting hit so that the 'lesson' would stick." He shook his head. "But I know better. I know that you don't have to hit a kid to teach them."
"Your dad's a bastard."
"I'm not about to disagree."
Biting her lip, she looked up at him once more, her eyes sad.
"I'd never hurt Emily and Charlie," he whispered, wanting to make it clear.
"I know that." She gazed at him.
"Good." He nodded his head. "Cause I love your kids."
Her eyes softened a little. "Yeah?"
Bosco smiled. "Yeah, there's just...there's just something about being able to pick up Charlie and get him to stop fussing, and when Em crawls up on my lap...I don't know, I haven't even been around them all that much. But the thought of not being around them...that hurts."
A faint smile on her lips, she rested her head on his shoulder.
"And I gotta admit..."
"Admit what?" she murmured, closing her eyes.
"That I'm falling for their mother," he whispered.
She swallowed hard, remaining perfectly still for a moment. "You're not just sayin' that are you?" she whispered back.
He shook his head. "No."
Faith lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.
"You know that my past...relationships were based on one thing," he said softly. "But with you...sitting here, relaxing, I enjoy that."
She gazed at him silently, searching his eyes.
"I never pictured myself helping my girlfriend get her kids bathed and ready for bed, but now that I've done it a couple times. I'm that much more drawn to you and being part of that."
She lowered her gaze to his lips and kissed him softly.
Lifting a hand to her cheek he nibbled gently on her bottom lip.
"How did I get so lucky?" she murmured.
"It was cause you had terrible aim," he informed her.
She chuckled. "Right."
He smiled at her and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. "It's late. I should...probably head home."
"Or you could stay." Her voice was very soft.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, gazing at him.
"I'd like that," he whispered.
"Me too."
"Am I sleeping on the couch?"
Faith almost grinned. "I guess if you really want to..."
"I don't."
She chuckled at how quickly he responded. "Well, that's good."
"Did I sound desperate?"
"Maybe a little." She grinned.
"Well, I can't help it," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.
"As long as it's me your desperate to be with," she murmured.
"Mmhmm. Definitely you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
Envelope in hand Bosco made his way up to Faith's apartment after having gone home to change and get some clothes to leave at her place for the occasions when he spent the night. Swallowing hard he adjusted the strap of his duffel bag on his shoulder and knocked softly on her door.
She appeared a moment later, her hair still damp from the shower she'd just finished taking. She smiled at him. "Hey."
Biting his lip he held up the envelope. "Did you get yours?"
The smile faded a little and she nodded, her gladness at seeing him returning to nervousness once more. "I haven't opened it yet."
He nodded slowly, stepping inside and putting his bag down. "I can't believe that what's in this little envelope is gonna shape my career."
Swallowing hard, she moved over to pick hers up off the table. "More than your career," she said softly.
"I know," he whispered. "I just...I didn't wanna think about that."
Biting her lower lip, she looked down at the envelope in her hands. "Should we get this over with?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Count of three?"
Nodding a little she gazed at him. "One."
"Two," he whispered, holding her gaze.
"Three." She tore her envelope open at the same time he did, holding her breath as she pulled out the folded piece of paper.
Quickly unfolding the paper his eyes scanned it. "Congratulations, blah, blah, blah..."
She let out a breath as she looked at the address of the precinct she'd been assigned to. "I don't have to move."
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just on the border of mine."
Biting her lower lip she looked at him. "Where are you assigned?"
"The 55th," he said softly.
Her eyes widened a little and she quickly glanced back at her paper. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Is that bad?"
"Boz..."
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"That's where I was assigned," she whispered.
He stared at her. "What?"
Swallowing hard, she handed him the paper with her assignment.
Bosco took the paper and read the entire letter, checking the precinct and address twice. He then looked up at her, a soft smile spreading across his face.
"Let me see yours."
"You sayin' you don't believe me?" he teased.
"I just wanna see for myself. This is too good to be true."
He handed her his letter, watching as she read it and noticing the smile that started to form on her face as well.
Faith looked back up at him, a wide grin on her face.
"Do you think they know about us? I mean if they did we wouldn't both be at the 55 would we?"
The smile faded a little and she chewed on her lower lip. "Probably not."
He shrugged. "Who cares," he chuckled wrapping his arms around her.
"But what if they find out?"
"What are they gonna do? Stop us from seeing each other?"
"Well, no..."
"All the regs state is that if we get married we can't be partners on the force."
She smiled, her eyes bright. "So...do you think this is some kind of sign?" she asked softly.
"I think maybe it is," he whispered. "And if it's not whose here to argue with us?"
Gazing at him for a moment, she wound her arms around him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
He smiled against her lips. "I might have to stay here a lot now. Your place is closer to the House than mine."
She was quiet for a moment. "What if...you stayed here permanently?" she whispered.
Pulling away a little he moved his hands to her hips. "Are you serious?"
Nodding a little, she looked up at him.
"Wow, Faith," he whispered. "Have you...would Emily be all right with that do you think?"
"I know she would be."
A smile touched his lips. "I could be here all the time," he murmured.
She smiled, as well, resting her hands on his shoulders.
"You know that if I move in my mother's gonna want to know when the wedding date is."
A soft chuckle escaped her. "Probably."
"And when the baby's due," he said lightly.
Faith's eyes widened a little. "How'd you know?"
He chuckled and placed a quick kiss on her lips.
She slid a hand through his hair, pulling him closer as she kissed him again.
"Where are the kids?"
"Both asleep."
"Both asleep, huh? What on Earth are we gonna do all by ourselves?"
"I'm sure we can think of somethin'," she teased.
"Come here." He grabbed her hands and pulled her onto his lap as he sat down on the sofa.
Faith's eyes were bright as she gazed at him. "So is that a yes?"
He laughed. "I guess I forgot to answer, huh?"
She grinned. "Yes, you did."
"Well..." He gazed at her. "When can I move in?"
Leaning forward, she kissed him urgently.
Bosco cupped her face in his hands as he deepened the kiss.
"I love you," she murmured.
He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, too," he whispered.
"Yeah?" Tears prickled at her eyes. "You do?"
Smiling at her he ran his fingers through her hair then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. "Yeah. I do."
She laid her head on his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to his skin as she relaxed in his arms.
He rubbed her back gently. "This is workin' out good, huh?"
"Better than I imagined anything in my life ever could," she whispered.
"Yeah, same here," he whispered back.
Placing another soft kiss against his skin, she closed her eyes.
"Are you tired?" he asked softly. "Cause we can go into bed if you want."
"I just want to hold you," she murmured.
He smiled softly. "That's fine with me."
She tightened her arms around him a little.
His smile widened. "Maybe tomorrow we could all go to the park," he whispered.
"The kids would love that." She lowered her voice a little. "And so would I."
"I'll even push you on the swing."
She chuckled. "Promise?"
"Promise." He held up his pinky finger. "Pinky swear even," he teased.
Grinning, she sat up a little and linked pinkies with him, amused.
"Though...we might need to seal it with a kiss. Just incase."
"Hmmm." She kissed him softly.
He returned the soft kiss then carefully shifted on the sofa, lying down, his arms wrapped around her.
She rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes once more as he held her.
Bosco kissed the top of her head then relaxed into the sofa cushions as he gently rubbed her back. Content just being with her.
"It's never been like this for me," she whispered.
"Whadda ya mean?" he asked softly.
"I mean...with Fred...we were never like this."
"And you like this, right?"
"No," she said softly. "I love this."
"This is nice," he murmured. "I never realized how relaxing it could be to be with a woman. I always thought it was just..."
"About sex?"
"Yeah," he admitted softly.
She was quiet for a moment. "And I thought love always had to hurt," she whispered.
"Guess I did more for you than just teach you to be an expert marksman."
"You have no idea."
"And you...more than returned the favor."
"I hope so," she whispered.
"You did, Faith. No doubt about that. I mean...look at everything I have now."
She lifted her head to gaze at him, her eyes soft.
"We're not married yet, but I've got two great kids and I've got you."
"You'll have us as long as you want us," she murmured.
"We're gettin' pretty serious, huh?" He ran his fingers through her hair.
"I think we have been for awhile now."
"Is it too soon to talk about tyin' the knot?"
Her eyes widened a little and she looked up at him to see if he was serious.
He swallowed hard. "Is it?"
"Are you serious?" Her voice was soft.
He nodded his head.
She was silent for a moment. "Wow," she whispered.
"I'm not sayin' it'd need to be any time soon. I don't want to rush you into anything. All I'm really asking I guess is...is it okay for us to talk about it...to kinda think about heading in that direction."
"Yeah. It's okay to talk about it," she whispered. "I'm just...surprised that...I mean, I thought..."
"What'd you think?" he asked softly.
"You have to promise you won't laugh."
"I'll do my best."
"I didn't think that...after Fred...anyone would really be interested in...marrying me again. Especially you," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I be interested?"
"Because...you've never been married before and...I have."
"I don't hold the marriage experience against you," he told her lightly.
She bit her lower lip, not looking up at him.
"Hey," he whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you by that."
"I know," she whispered. "It's just...something my father said a long time ago."
"What'd he say?"
"Just that...no one would ever really love me because I wasn't good enough."
His eyes widened for a moment then narrowed. "Your dad sounds like a really winner," he said sarcastically.
"He's a drunk," she admitted.
He didn't let the information faze him. "So you know that nothing he says is valid, right?"
She bit her lower lip, nodding but not looking at him.
"Not that that's easy," he said softly.
"I always knew Fred never really loved me, so I guess at some point...I just...agreed with him."
"Let me ask you something."
"Okay."
"Do you know that I really love you?"
She lifted her gaze to meet his. "I feel it," she whispered.
"Good." He lifted up so he could kiss her forehead. "So now you know that any comments your father makes like that aren't true."
"Made," she corrected him.
"Do you talk to your dad anymore?"
"No. Not since I was seventeen."
"What about your mom?"
"Her either," she said softly, resting her head on his chest once more.
"Do you want to?" he asked quietly, gently stroking her hair.
"No." She shook her head a little, closing her eyes.
"Well, I know my mom is capable of doing all the grand parenting so that's no problem."
"They've never really had grandparents...at least not stable ones."
"Grandma Rose to the rescue," he said lightly.
She smiled softly. "I like your mom."
"Yeah?"
Faith nodded slightly. "Yeah. She'll be really good for the kids."
"They'll be really good for her too," he whispered.
She was quiet for a moment. "You still want kids of your own?" she asked softly.
He bit his lip and didn't respond.
"It's okay if you do," she whispered.
"I do, and it's not that I don't love--"
"Shh." She kissed him softly. "I wouldn't mind havin' another baby...as long as we're not talking immediately."
"Seriously? You wouldn't mind?"
"Seriously." She smiled.
His eyes were bright. "We should wait 'til Charlie's older. I don't know if I'd be able to give up holdin' him or splittin' time, ya know?"
Nodding a little, she grinned. "That sounds good to me."
"Now that we've talked about family...what about work?"
"What about it?"
"What's your goal? How high up the ladder do you wanna go?"
She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I wouldn't mind bein' a detective."
He raised an eyebrow. "A detective, huh?"
She smiled. "Yeah. What about you?"
"I don't know I was thinkin' like ESU or somethin'."
"Yeah?"
"Bein' in the Rangers I got a taste of bein' on an elite force, so..."
"I can see you in ESU."
He smiled. "And you've definitely got the brains to be a detective."
Faith smiled, as well. "We're gonna make good cops."
"We're gonna make great cops."
Leaning her forehead against his, she closed her eyes as she kissed him softly. They definitely were.
* * *
Part Twelve
12 Months Later
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco was sitting beside Faith on the sofa as they watched Emily put a tape in the vcr. When she turned around and headed for the spot where she'd been sitting on the floor he reached his arms out. "Come sit with me, Sweetie."
Emily smiled and crawled into his arms, leaning back against him.
"How's my baby girl?" He asked her softly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head.
"Good."
Faith looked over at them and smiled, her eyes soft and full of warmth.
Feeling her gaze he turned to look at Faith and rested his left hand on her leg.
She covered his hand with her own, leaning her head against his.
Looking over at Charlie, he chuckled softly as the infant kicked his legs back and forth wildly as he sat in his swing chair. "Somebody looks a little antsy."
She grinned as she followed his gaze and her son squealed.
"If he's still that full of energy at bedtime I'll take him out in the hall for a walk, let him run around a little."
"That's probably a good idea. Otherwise none of us is gonna get any sleep."
Smiling softly he whispered in her ear. "I'm hopin' we don't get any sleep for another reason."
Faith grinned, elbowing him in the ribs lightly.
He laughed and placed a kiss on her cheek before lifting her hand to his lips and gently kissing the ring on her finger.
Sighing contently, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against his once more. "I never thought it could be like this," she murmured.
"Well it's gonna stay like this," he told her softly. "I promise."
"I know. I believe you," she whispered.
"And when the time's right...I'm gonna take you on that honeymoon," he whispered back.
Nodding a little, she turned her face to kiss him.
He pressed his lips to hers, smiling against her mouth.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," he told her softly. Feeling someone tugging on his shirt sleeve he looked at Emily. "And I love you, too."
Emily grinned. "I know."
"Good," he whispered. "Cause you're my little girl."
She beamed and kissed his cheek.
Smiling just as brightly he kissed Emily's temple.
Charlie squealed again. "Da da!"
He looked over at Charlie. "Are you feelin' left out, Buddy?"
He reached his arms toward Bosco.
"Em, sweetie. You wanna sit with mommy for a while?"
Emily smiled sweetly and scooted over onto Faith's lap, hugging her mom.
He leaned over and kissed Emily's cheek. "Thanks, baby." Then went over to get Charlie. "Hey, little man," he said to the infant as he picked him up out of the swing.
Charlie hugged him. "Da da."
Hugging him back tightly he kissed the side of the boy's head and carried him back over to the sofa where they sat down beside Faith and Emily. "Okay now I guess we're ready for family movie night, huh?"
Faith smiled softly, shifting closer to her husband and leaning her head against his as he hit the play button.
"Thank you, Faith," he whispered.
"For what?"
"This. It's what I always thought a family could be like."
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes soft. "Thank you."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You're supposed to say 'you’re welcome'."
Faith smiled. "We can't thank each other?"
"I guess we can." He nodded slightly.
She kissed his temple softly.
"Marrying you was the best thing I ever did."
She smiled. "Ditto," she whispered.
"Maybe in a few months...we can think about givin' these two a sibling," he whispered back.
Her eyes widened a little. "Yeah?"
Bosco nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Smiling, she kissed his cheek softly before turning her gaze to the TV where Aladdin was playing.
Shifting his attention to the television as well he wrapped one arm around Charlie as the boy leaned against him, and rested his other hand on Faith's leg once more.
She covered his hand with hers, leaning her head against his head, a soft smile on her face.
He moved his hand slightly so they could lace their fingers together as they watched the movie with her kids...their kids. Just like the happy little family that neither of them had ever had.
-The End-
