"The Road Less Traveled"

Author: carmen085

E-mail:

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

Spoilers: Up through and including most of season two.

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

Chapter One

The lonely light of morning

The wound that would not heal

It's the bitter taste of losing everything

That I have held so dear

-March 2001-

"Hey, you want to go get a drink or something ?" Peering around the corner of her locker, Faith slowly shook her head.

"No," pausing for a second she looked as if she were about to change her mind. "No, I should really get home, Bosco." Quickly averting her gaze, she pretended to be preoccupied with the buttons on her shirt. Allowing a slow and very deliberate breath to escape his lips, Bosco turned away in resignation. For the past few weeks she had not only been cold but also disconnected, and he couldn't help but to think that something may be terribly wrong.

"Is everything alright with us ? I mean... I can't remember doing anything to piss you off lately." Pulling a faded gray sweatshirt over his head, Bosco threw a questioning glance in his partner's direction.

Taking a deep breath, Faith looked directly into her partner's eyes. "Believe, Bosco, this has nothing to do with you. It's my problem...and," pausing for a second Faith felt a sudden surge of guilt. She'd unwittingly drawn another person into her private world of grief and heart ache. Staring into his trusting eyes she realized that at the moment he would have said anything to make the situation better. The reality of this brought tears to her eyes as she blindly groped for the right words. "And...I'm sorry if I've been distant lately." It was a pathetic excuse as she was sure it did nothing to repair the void between them. Feeling a lump rise up in her throat, Faith relegated herself to the simple task of getting dressed.

While her explanation appeared sufficient on the surface, Bosco couldn't help but to feel dissatisfied. Faith was hiding something big; and, although this bothered him, he was reluctant to push her any further. Shutting his locker, Bosco stopped in front of her. "You know if you need anything, just call," swallowing hard he added, "call anytime." Despite his awkward delivery, Faith couldn't help but to feel touched. Sensitivity was never one of her partner's strengths, though over the years he rarely hesitated to make an exception for her.

"Absolutely," the word came out as a choked whisper though it didn't make a bit of difference as Bosco had already left. Staring at the spot where he had stood, she replayed the conversation over in her mind. While it was extremely tempting to confide in him, she couldn't bring herself to say the words. She's couldn't bear to invite someone else into the living hell that she'd knowingly created.

Pulling her jacket on, Faith glanced around the locker room only to find that she was all alone. The idle chatter that filled the room only minutes ago had quickly dissipated as the rhythmic pounding of rain against the precinct roof filled her stream of consciousness. Turning to leave she nearly smacked head on into a very wet Ty Davis Jr.

"Whoa...hey Faith." Snapping her neck abruptly, Faith smiled apologetically at the younger officer.

"Davis...uh, sorry I didn't even see you there." Quickly averting her gaze, Faith hoped that she would be able to leave before being forced to make small talk.

"Not too often someone misses you, Davis," Sully jokingly threw over his shoulder before disappearing into one of the toilet stalls.

"You should talk, man." Peeling off his saturated jacket, Ty seemed to forget about Faith for a moment as he began to walk away. Seeing her escape, Faith moved quickly toward the door stopping only to bid her colleagues farewell.

"Goodnight, guys."

Outside the precinct Faith discovered that the steady drizzle which had been falling all day had now turned into a torrential downpour. Pulling an old newspaper from her bag, she concluded that her only option was to make a run for it. Half heartedly shielding her face she took off toward the subway station. Somewhere behind her an RMP peeled out of the parking lot leaving a trail of dancing blue and red light in its wake. The siren echoed in her mind as she was reminded that tonight somewhere in the city another person was suffering just as badly as her. While the thought was comforting in a miserable sort of way, Faith still couldn't emerge from the shadows of her own despair.

Hastily tossing the dripping newspaper into the garbage can, she started down the dingy subway stairs. Blinking Faith's eyes slowly became accustomed to the bright light of the underground chamber. There were a few other people around yet she couldn't help thinking that the terminal was surprisingly bare for this time of night. Leaning against the back wall, the cop in her took over as she scanned the meager crowd for any signs of trouble. Satisfied that everything seemed to be in order, she closed her eyes allowing a sigh of relief to escape her pursed lips. These people were no threat. They didn't want anything from her. They didn't care about her problems. Although it sounded strange, she felt safe with them. They wouldn't make her talk about anything she didn't want to.

Overhead the lights flickered slightly as a low rumble echoed from the depths of the tunnel. Within seconds the six train was barreling through the terminal. Six. That had been Faith's number as of late. Six months ago she had an abortion and six weeks ago she finally decided to tell Fred. It had been six days since he asked for a divorce and six minutes since she last wanted to cry. Pinching her eyes closed, Faith began to feel the walls shake again. Another train. Slowly opening her eyes she realized that it was her train pulling into the station. Pushing off the white tiled wall, Faith glided into the filthy subway car; choosing a seat near the rear. Small droplets of water tickled the back of her neck as the sudden movement jarred her thoroughly soaked frame.

Fred. She knew the abortion would destroy him but she did it anyway. Then, to complicate matters even further she lied about it...for months. All those days and weeks she lay in bed next her husband harboring a terrible secret, and yet he didn't have a clue. For a while Faith thought that she could keep her secret forever but then, as usual, her emotions got the best of her. Furious that Fred refused to attend his AA meetings, she knew that the only card in her hand worth anything was the abortion. If she played it against him, she knew that it would cause a lot of pain and in more ways than one that was her exact goal. Alcohol had inflicted enough pain upon her to last a lifetime, and, while it was too late to do anything about her father, she still had a chance to do something about Fred. He was a convenient target ,and she desperately needed to regain control over that part of her life. It was as simple as that.

In many ways, the night that she told Fred about the abortion was the beginning of the end for them. She knew that they would fight about it and say things that they didn't mean, but never did she think it would go as far as divorce. Faith was only trying to level the playing field and wage something of her own against Fred's alcohol addiction. Squeezing her hand into an angry fist , she felt another wave of frustration pass over her. If Fred hadn't fallen off the wagon, she would have been able to reason with him about the pregnancy in the first place. Breathing heavy, she realized that her heart was about to pound out of her chest. Every emotion coursed through her body as she swung from an unbelievable pinnacle of anger back to the dark depths of despair.

Without much warning the train screeched to a halt and the doors opened. Gathering up her belongings, Faith proceeded off the train and up the stairs. The rain hadn't let up much since she disappearing into the earth twenty blocks uptown but she didn't really care. Lost in her own thought, Faith numbly walked through downpour. Delicate little rain drops eventually began to collect on her eyelashes. Swiping at them with a heavy hand, Faith realized that her efforts were in vain as she was soaking wet. Shivering noticeably, she ducked inside her building. The only thing on her weary mind at this point was a hot shower. Starting up the stairs, she encountered one of her neighbors, Mrs. Conners. The older woman looked at Faith pitifully before sliding past her down the stairs. Shrugging, Faith concluded that she must have looked worse than she felt. The door to her apartment was locked. In the past should have been alarmed by this as Fred almost always waited up for her, but now...now things were different. Turning the knob, she found the darkened apartment to be unusually quiet.

"Fred ?" Blindly searching the wall for a light switch, Faith nearly tripped over a pair of shoes. "Son of a bitch."

Harsh white light suddenly filled the apartment as she squinted into the empty living room. Where was everyone ? Kicking off her shoes, Faith started toward the bedroom. "Fred, are you asleep already ?" Flicking on another light, she was startled to find her husband no where in site. Oh my God ! Where are the kids ? Fred couldn't possible be irresponsible enough to leave the kids home alone. With a loud bang Faith burst into her children's room. Swallowing hard, she fought back a wave of nausea. The beds were empty, the closets bare, only a few of Charlie's toys were scattered about the floor. Sliding down the door frame, Faith began to sob uncontrollably. They were gone.

Crossing his legs at the ankle, Bosco casually leaned against the RMP. Breathing deeply he reveled in the hot midday sun and above average temperatures. The day's weather was a welcome change from the city's normally cold, damp climate. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, Bosco once again found his red eyed partner staring at nothing in particular. Since the start of the shift she hadn't said but two words to him. Sighing, he absent mindedly picked at the hem of his jacket. Something happened. He didn't know what or how bad it was, but something definitely happened.

Bosco had been trying to talk to Faith for weeks with absolutely no progress. Half of him was almost glad for this as there were few things worse than a crying woman. On the other hand, he also couldn't help but to feel somewhat hurt. Faith had been his partner for five years and in that time he felt that they had built an unbelievable bond. Although he could have been reading into the situation, Bosco took her silence to mean that she didn't trust him and beyond anything else that's what hurt most of all.

"Any available unit.." The abrupt screech of his radio caused Bosco to jump. "Respond to a potential stabbing at 1820 E. 110th Street outside the projects. Witnesses say the suspect is still on scene." Perking up instantly, Bosco impatiently keyed the radio without another thought.

"55 David, 1820 E. 110th Street." Smiling to himself, Bosco flung the car door open jumping into the driver's seat. There was nothing like a good chase to turn his mood right around. Lights and sirens blaring he slammed the accelerator down. A bit perturbed by her partner's voluntary attitude, Faith scowled at him. Why was it that every time she was having a crappy day he felt the need to play super cop ? Biting back a wave of guilt, she begrudgingly reminded herself that the silence between them was her choice alone. If she wanted to talk, Bosco would have listened or at least tried to. Clutching her seatbelt, Faith nearly felt the car careen out of control.

Underneath his fingers Bosco felt the steering wheel shake as he rounded the curb. The projects...just perfect. If there was one way to make a crappy day crappier a trip to the projects would usually do it. Gritting his teeth, Bosco stole a quick glance at his partner. She looked positively miserable. Swallowing a wave of guilt he wondered if maybe he should have conferred with her before taking the call. Sighing, he quickly reasoned that this was their job. If Faith didn't want to be here she could have stayed home.

Turing onto 110th street, Faith spotted an altercation on the sidewalk in front of Claremont Village. From where she was sitting it looked as if the perpetrator, a stocky black male, was stepping the victim's neck. As they got closer, Faith was able to see the look of terror on the victim's face and it made her sick. The young woman, who looked barely eighteen, was a mess of blood and dirt. Her outstretched arms slapped at her attacker's leg in vain as she struggled to take a breath. Shifting her gaze, a deep pang of fear resonated in her body. The attacker. His face was a mix of pleasure and purpose. Narrowing his eyes, Faith watched as he shifted more weight onto the girl's neck. Apparently stabbing her in the chest wasn't enough for him.

"POLICE !!! YOU GET AWAY FROM HER RIGHT NOW !!!" The sound of her partner's voice quickly sent her tumbling back to reality. Unbeknownst to her, Bosco was already out of the car. Yanking the door handle, Faith joined him in drawing her gun. Seeing that he was about to be cornered, the perp took off down the street. Without a second thought Bosco tore after him yelling over his shoulder, "Yokes !! Get the car !!"

Standing there in numb recognition, Faith stared at the victim. Hair matted to the sides of her face she stared back with a twisted expression of horror. Although the sight caused her stomach to turn, she couldn't turn away. Oddly enough, the grotesque positioning of the girl's body was almost addictive to look at. She'd never seen anything like it before.

Initially everything seemed to exist in slow motion, but now the reality of the situation was beginning to catch up to her. The accusatory stares were everywhere as she almost predicted the caustic thoughts that existed behind them. In the projects most people had a permanent negative outlook on the police. Even if you tried your absolute hardest, there was always something more, they'll point out, that you should have done. No one wants to get involved, no one wants to help, but everyone wants swift, exact justice to be brought upon the criminal. Eyes falling back to the hapless girl in front of her, Faith felt her heart begin to pound inside her chest. What was everyone looking at ? They should have helped her when she still had a chance ! Slowly but surely her anger began to rise as she turned back toward the RMP. Down the street Faith caught a glimpse of Bosco rounding the corner.

Snapping her neck in the opposite direction, Faith just now realized that 55-Charlie had arrived on scene. "I 'm going after Bosco !!" Not waiting for a reply she jumped into the RMP and gunned the engines. White hot anger coursed through her veins as the victim's face threatened to burn a hole in her memory. Under any other circumstance, Faith would have realized how dangerous her present state of mind was, but today was different. Blinded by the emotions of her home life and guided by the victim's terror, Faith's stream of consciousness was dominated by a single principle: revenge. Fred had hurt her and gotten away with it. She couldn't do anything about him anymore, even though she wanted to. This perp, however, was still within her reach and if she got the opportunity she was going to give him a beating he would remember. If not for the girl whose future he stole away then for herself.

Approaching the intersection, Faith saw the light turn from yellow to red. For a split second she contemplated slowing down before depressing the accelerator to the floor. The rhythmic wail of the sirens edged her on as she knew that any emergency vehicle going Code Three always had the right away. Turning sharply, she saw a white paneled truck barreling through the intersection. Gripping the steering wheel, sadness suddenly filled her body. She'd made the wrong decision, and now it was too late to take it back. This was how she was going to die and more than anything else she suddenly wished she had just one more day. There were so many things she needed to do. She needed to tell Emily and Charlie how proud she was of them and how much she loved them. She needed to tell Fred how sorry she was for betraying him. She needed to tell Bosco how much he meant to her and how badly she would miss him. All she needed was one more day, that was it. One more day to make sure that the people she loved would be alright without her. In an instant the world went black as a cataclysmic force rocked her entire body

TBC.....

Lyrics are from Sarah Mclachlan's "Fallen"