Third Watch/Halloween Fic: Blood Ties (1/7)
Title: Blood Ties (1/7)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The Third Watch characters belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells. Laurie and Michael belong to John Carpenter. All others belong to me.
Rating: R for violence, language, and sexual content. This one is *not* for the kiddies, folks.
Spoilers: Up through and including everything in the third season of "Third Watch" except the finale, "Blackout." Also, spoilers for the movies Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween H20 and Halloween Resurrection.
Summary: Evil has come to New York City, hellbent on killing one of the officers at the 55th precinct. Will the rest of the Third Watch crew be able to stop the killer in time? Or will they become victims themselves?
Distribution: My site Only Time, fanfiction.net. Anyone else, just ask.
Category: Story
Subcategories: Horror, angst, romance
Feedback: Is really appreciated.
Author's Note: The idea for this fic came after watching Halloween Resurrection the day it came out in theatres. Sorry to anyone who *liked* the movie. I personally thought it was awful and I felt the need to try and fix it. And what better way to fix something than by throwing the Third Watch characters in the mix? ;) I've never attempted a horror fic before, and I realize the idea of a Halloween/Third Watch crossover is a bit...bizarre, but I decided to take the challenge. So if you like it, or hate it, please let me know.
Dedication: This one is for CCA, my fellow scary movie viewer. :)
Special thanks to Dem and Bree for encouraging me to go through with this story.
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Conclusion
Blood Ties (Part One)
New York City
October 30th, 2004--6:01 p.m.
"I can't believe Lieu's making us work tomorrow night. This is what? The fourth year in a row we've had to work on Halloween? Why us?"
Faith Yokas stared out the passenger window of 55-David. "Just lucky, I guess."
"Oh, yeah. Real lucky. The one night of the year when all the weirdos and loons are even weirder and loonier than usual," Bosco muttered as he leaned his head back against the driver's seat.
"Any units in the 55, we have a 10-21 at 722 N. Grand," the dispatcher announced over their police radios.
"55 Charlie responding to the 10-21 at 722 N. Grand, Central, 10-4," Sully's voice said.
"You're quiet tonight. Anything you want to talk about?"
Faith turned to see Bosco gazing at her. "No. Everything's okay," she said, feeling uneasy.
"Right." He looked out the window. There was a long moment of silence. "Fred's got the kids this weekend?"
She cringed slightly at the mention of her ex-husband's name. "Yeah. He's dropping them off at my place Monday night." She looked out the windshield, trying to push away the sadness she felt.
He glanced over at her again. "You wanna do something then? After the shift tomorrow?"
"I appreciate the support, but I'm okay. I'm not gonna spend my time off curled up in bed crying. I've passed that stage." She gave him a small smile. "Besides, anytime we go anywhere, all the women think I'm your girlfriend."
"So?"
"So? So, I'm scaring off all your potential romantic prospects."
"I'd rather be with you anyway," he said, his voice quiet.
Faith looked away. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Yeah, well, you won't think that ten years from now when you're still the city's 'Most Eligible Bachelor,'" she joked.
"We don't have to go out. We could rent some scary movies and order in pizza," he suggested, his voice hopeful.
She was deeply touched by his concern for her. The past couple years they'd gotten to be even closer than they had been. They still had their disagreements, of course, but they knew they could always count on each other, no matter what.
Ever since her and Fred's divorce had been finalized a few months ago, Bosco had been regularly showing up at her apartment, making her go out for dinner, drinks, or just dropping by to hang out so she wasn't alone when it was Fred's turn to take the kids. She'd resisted his efforts at first; all she'd wanted was to be alone. But he was still stubborn as hell, and when he set his mind to it, he didn't back down.
He hadn't let her sink into the depression she'd been headed for, and for that she would be eternally grateful to him.
The problem was, the more time she spent around him, the more time she *wanted* to spend around him. And that brought up emotions she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with yet.
"What do you say?"
She glanced at him. "Maybe. Let's see how many wackos we have deal with tomorrow."
Bosco nodded.
They fell silent again.
Faith shifted restlessly in her seat. "I hate Halloween," she muttered.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. Ever since I was a kid, this time of year just...gives me the creeps." She shook her head, to that day unable to understand why she always felt a sense of dread for October 31st. "Bad things happen."
"Bad things happen every day," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's like Friday the 13th. It's just...bad luck."
Bosco shook his head. "I never figured you for the superstitious type. I can't believe you hate Halloween."
"Boz, you were just talking about how much you hated it."
"No, I was talking about how much I hated *working* on the day, not hating the day itself."
She looked out the window once more, her eyes fixed on the setting sun.
He shook his head again. "Why would anyone hate Halloween?" he wondered aloud, frowning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurie eased her way through the crowd on the sidewalk, still clutching her small suitcase. Night had fallen and she shivered in the chilly air.
She jumped, startled when some young teenagers zoomed by her on skateboards. She let out a slow, deep breath, trying to relax.
The longer she walked, the more the crowds of people seemed to dissipate until there were just a few people left.
All at once an eerie sensation swept over her. She was being watched.
Laurie stopped in her tracks and slowly turned in a full circle. She found herself staring at a familiar figure on the sidewalk across the street.
She swallowed hard, staring at her brother as he stared back from beneath the white mask he wore. She shut her eyes tightly, willing him to be a figment of her imagination. But when she opened her eyes again, he was still there.
And now he was slowly crossing the street, coming toward her.
"No," she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.
Her suitcase clattered to the pavement as she dropped it and began to run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why do we always get the stupid calls?" Carlos demanded as he followed Doc out of the apartment building and headed toward Adam 55-3.
Doc smiled, but didn't answer as he opened the doors to the back of the ambulance.
"She didn't really think we were going to do CPR on her dead iguana, did she?" He shook his head in disgust.
He started to reply, but as he turned to look at his partner, he caught sight of a woman running toward them, a look of pure terror on her face.
"What's her problem?" Carlos muttered, frowning.
Doc stepped forward, right into the woman's path and caught her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders as she gasped for breath. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
"Please, you have to help me, he's coming!"
"Who's coming?" he asked, his frown deepening.
"He's trying to kill me! I can't let him kill me, I have to find my sister!"
"Okay, just calm down and take a deep breath," he instructed gently.
"I can't, he's coming!" she said, shaking her head.
Doc looked behind her. "Ma'am, there's no one there. It's okay."
"Maybe we should call for the police," Carlos suggested lowly.
"Are you hurt?"
The woman looked over her shoulder, then back at him. "Yes. Can you please take me to the hospital?"
"Yeah, of course." Doc glanced at Carlos, nodding toward the bus as he tossed the younger man the keys. Carlos disappeared around the front of the ambulance and Doc heard the engine start a moment later.
He turned his attention back to the frightened woman. "Why don't you climb in back while my partner drives? Let me take a look at you and make sure you're okay."
Without hesitation, she climbed into the ambulance. He followed her, pulling the doors shut behind him. "Can you tell me what hurts?" he asked as he turned to one of the cabinets and rummaged around for a new run-sheet.
The bus pulled into motion.
Doc never noticed the figure in the white mask standing in the street behind the bus, a large butcher knife in his hand as he stared after them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This stupid S.O.B. rammed right into me!"
"You ran a red light, asshole!"
Faith quickly stepped in between the two men. "Okay, one at a time," she instructed, keeping her voice calm and professional. She turned to the man who'd hit the other man's car. "You first, Sir."
"Why him first?" the other driver demanded.
"Shut your mouth," Bosco commanded, his tone much less patient than hers had been.
"My wife's the one who was hurt!" he protested.
Faith cast a glance to the curb, where Kim and Alex were examining the woman. "She okay?"
Alex glanced up. "Yeah, no serious injuries. A couple of cuts and bruises."
"You hear that? She's fine," Bosco told the man.
"And if she wasn't, it would've been your own fault for running that red light!" the other driver said angrily.
"You son of a--"
Faith quickly blocked the driver's attempt to grab the man who'd hit his car.
"Get off me, you bitch!" he said, shoving her backward.
Bosco instantly grabbed him and had him in handcuffs before he even realized what was going on. Holding on to the man's arm tightly, he spun him around. "Now apologize to my partner."
"Forget it. I'm not apologizing to anyone."
"Apologize to her *now*," he commanded, his tone full of warning.
"Fine. I'm sorry. There, happy?"
"Yep." Bosco shoved him into the back of the squad car and slammed the door behind him. He returned to Faith's side, shaking his head in disgust.
She finished taking the other man's statement and allowed him to leave. She glanced at Kim and Alex. "You mind taking her to the House while we wait for the tow truck?"
"No problem," Kim replied, smiling at her.
"Thanks, Kim."
"Sure."
Faith closed her notepad and slid it into her pocket. She paused, frowning deeply as she glanced around. Her gaze landed on a man a few yards away.
He wore old, dirty, blue jean cover-alls and black boots. His hair was messy, sticking out in all directions behind the plain white mask that covered his face.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as he simply stood there, staring at her.
"...to go."
She blinked as she realized Bosco had been saying something. "What?"
He frowned. "What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, he turned to see what, or who, she was looking at. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, moron! Halloween's tomorrow night, not tonight!" he shouted.
The guy just continued to stare at them, his body completely motionless.
"Don't you think you're a little old to be dressing up anyway?" Bosco called. He turned to Faith, shaking his head. "What a freak."
She swallowed hard, goosebumps rising up on her arms.
"I'm going over there to see what the hell his damn problem is."
Faith instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm. "Don't."
"What?"
"Just don't. Please."
Bosco stared at her for a moment, then looked down to where her hand lingered on his arm. He frowned deeply and wondered what was going on her head right then. He kept his mouth shut, but turned back to look at the man.
The guy finally turned and disappeared into the alley behind the abandoned shoe store.
"Jag-off," he muttered, heading back for the squad car.
Faith remained standing there for a moment, staring at the entrance to the dark alley.
She shuddered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So what's wrong with her?" Carlos asked, his voice low as he glanced sideways at Doc, who'd climbed into the passenger seat after examining the woman.
"Nothing, as far as I can tell."
"What? You mean we're just playing taxi driver now?"
"Keep your voice down," Doc said, glaring at him. "She might not be hurt physically, but you saw the look on her face. She was scared. Really scared."
"So what. We should have called the cops and let them deal with her. What if a real call comes in?"
"Shut up and drive, Carlos."
They rode in silence the rest of the way to Mercy.
As soon as Carlos stopped the bus, Doc turned and glanced over his shoulder. "We're at the--" He stopped when he saw the doors to the back of the ambulance were swung wide open.
The woman was gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bosco pulled his shirt on and closed his locker, grabbing hold of the handles of his duffle bag. He glanced over to where his partner stood at her locker, motionless. Her mind was clearly elsewhere. "Faith?"
She jumped, startled by the sudden sound of his voice. "What?"
He frowned. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird all night."
"Sorry. Guess I'm just a little distracted."
"I can see that. The question is why?"
She looked at him hesitantly. "I don't know," she admitted, glancing down at the floor.
His frown deepened and he moved so he was standing right in front of her. "Well, look, if you want to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?" he asked, his voice quiet as he reached out and touched her arm.
She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. "I know. Thank you." She hesitated again. "I've got a bad feeling."
"About what?"
"I don't know," she answered with a sigh, shaking her head. "It's probably nothing. I probably just need to get some sleep."
Bosco nodded slowly. "Yeah, you said you hadn't been sleeping well."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is." She closed her locker door.
"You want a ride home?" he offered, hoping she'd say yes for a change.
"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"
"It's no trouble at all," he assured her as they headed for the locker room door.
"Thanks. I just don't really feel like walking tonight."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You gonna be okay?" Bosco asked as he stopped his mustang in front of her apartment building.
"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Boz."
"Sure."
He watched as she reached for the door handle and started to climb out of the car. An uneasy feeling settled upon him. "Hey, Faith."
She looked at him over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
Bosco looked at her seriously. "If you need anything or you can't sleep or whatever...call me, okay?"
Faith met his eyes and held his gaze for a long moment. She gave him a small smile. "I will. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Yep."
"Night, Bosco."
"Night, Faith."
She closed the door and he watched to make sure she made it safely inside the building before he put his car into gear.
He pulled away from the curb. He didn't even think to glance in the rearview mirror. If he had, he would have seen the man in the white mask standing under one of the street lights outside of Faith's apartment building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faith restlessly walked the floor of her apartment as she cradled a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, sipping it slowly. She wished she had asked Bosco to come up and have some coffee or something. Despite the fact she'd lived in this apartment for almost three months, she still didn't feel quite at home, quite comfortable in it. Especially without the kids. It was too quiet, too...still.
It just didn't feel quite *right.*
Of course, usually she didn't feel as anxious as she did at that moment, either. And she couldn't even determine the cause of her anxiety.
At that moment, there was a loud knock on her door. She jumped, startled. Some of the hot chocolate splashed onto her sweatshirt. "Damn," she said under her breath.
The knock came again, several quick thumps.
Glancing at the clock, she set her mug down and headed to the door. The only person who would visit her at that time of night was Bosco. Maybe he'd sensed that she didn't really want to be alone and decided to come back. Whatever his reason, she felt relieved as she unlocked the door and swung it open. She frowned in confusion when instead of seeing her partner standing on her doorstep, she found herself face to face with a woman who looked a few years older than her. "Yes?"
For a long moment, the other woman just stared at her. She had short, dark brown hair that was in tangles. Her clothes, a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, were wrinkled. But her eyes...her eyes were haunted.
Maybe she's in trouble, Faith thought, her cop instinct taking over. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"
"Are you Faith Anderson?" the woman asked, her voice low and raspy.
She stared at the woman, totally thrown off guard by her question. How did someone she'd never met before know her maiden name? "Who are you?"
"Is that your name?" There was more than a slight sense of urgency to her tone this time.
"Yes," Faith answered, confused. "How did you know that?"
"Listen to me, you're in a lot of danger--"
"Excuse me? Who are you?" she asked, shaking her head.
The woman hesitated, then looked at Faith with resolve in her eyes. "My name is Laurie Strode. I'm your sister."
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The Third Watch characters belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells. Laurie and Michael belong to John Carpenter. All others belong to me.
Rating: R for violence, language, and sexual content. This one is *not* for the kiddies, folks.
Spoilers: Up through and including everything in the third season of "Third Watch" except the finale, "Blackout." Also, spoilers for the movies Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween H20 and Halloween Resurrection.
Summary: Evil has come to New York City, hellbent on killing one of the officers at the 55th precinct. Will the rest of the Third Watch crew be able to stop the killer in time? Or will they become victims themselves?
Distribution: My site Only Time, fanfiction.net. Anyone else, just ask.
Category: Story
Subcategories: Horror, angst, romance
Feedback: Is really appreciated.
Author's Note: The idea for this fic came after watching Halloween Resurrection the day it came out in theatres. Sorry to anyone who *liked* the movie. I personally thought it was awful and I felt the need to try and fix it. And what better way to fix something than by throwing the Third Watch characters in the mix? ;) I've never attempted a horror fic before, and I realize the idea of a Halloween/Third Watch crossover is a bit...bizarre, but I decided to take the challenge. So if you like it, or hate it, please let me know.
Dedication: This one is for CCA, my fellow scary movie viewer. :)
Special thanks to Dem and Bree for encouraging me to go through with this story.
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Conclusion
Blood Ties (Part One)
New York City
October 30th, 2004--6:01 p.m.
"I can't believe Lieu's making us work tomorrow night. This is what? The fourth year in a row we've had to work on Halloween? Why us?"
Faith Yokas stared out the passenger window of 55-David. "Just lucky, I guess."
"Oh, yeah. Real lucky. The one night of the year when all the weirdos and loons are even weirder and loonier than usual," Bosco muttered as he leaned his head back against the driver's seat.
"Any units in the 55, we have a 10-21 at 722 N. Grand," the dispatcher announced over their police radios.
"55 Charlie responding to the 10-21 at 722 N. Grand, Central, 10-4," Sully's voice said.
"You're quiet tonight. Anything you want to talk about?"
Faith turned to see Bosco gazing at her. "No. Everything's okay," she said, feeling uneasy.
"Right." He looked out the window. There was a long moment of silence. "Fred's got the kids this weekend?"
She cringed slightly at the mention of her ex-husband's name. "Yeah. He's dropping them off at my place Monday night." She looked out the windshield, trying to push away the sadness she felt.
He glanced over at her again. "You wanna do something then? After the shift tomorrow?"
"I appreciate the support, but I'm okay. I'm not gonna spend my time off curled up in bed crying. I've passed that stage." She gave him a small smile. "Besides, anytime we go anywhere, all the women think I'm your girlfriend."
"So?"
"So? So, I'm scaring off all your potential romantic prospects."
"I'd rather be with you anyway," he said, his voice quiet.
Faith looked away. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Yeah, well, you won't think that ten years from now when you're still the city's 'Most Eligible Bachelor,'" she joked.
"We don't have to go out. We could rent some scary movies and order in pizza," he suggested, his voice hopeful.
She was deeply touched by his concern for her. The past couple years they'd gotten to be even closer than they had been. They still had their disagreements, of course, but they knew they could always count on each other, no matter what.
Ever since her and Fred's divorce had been finalized a few months ago, Bosco had been regularly showing up at her apartment, making her go out for dinner, drinks, or just dropping by to hang out so she wasn't alone when it was Fred's turn to take the kids. She'd resisted his efforts at first; all she'd wanted was to be alone. But he was still stubborn as hell, and when he set his mind to it, he didn't back down.
He hadn't let her sink into the depression she'd been headed for, and for that she would be eternally grateful to him.
The problem was, the more time she spent around him, the more time she *wanted* to spend around him. And that brought up emotions she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with yet.
"What do you say?"
She glanced at him. "Maybe. Let's see how many wackos we have deal with tomorrow."
Bosco nodded.
They fell silent again.
Faith shifted restlessly in her seat. "I hate Halloween," she muttered.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. Ever since I was a kid, this time of year just...gives me the creeps." She shook her head, to that day unable to understand why she always felt a sense of dread for October 31st. "Bad things happen."
"Bad things happen every day," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's like Friday the 13th. It's just...bad luck."
Bosco shook his head. "I never figured you for the superstitious type. I can't believe you hate Halloween."
"Boz, you were just talking about how much you hated it."
"No, I was talking about how much I hated *working* on the day, not hating the day itself."
She looked out the window once more, her eyes fixed on the setting sun.
He shook his head again. "Why would anyone hate Halloween?" he wondered aloud, frowning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurie eased her way through the crowd on the sidewalk, still clutching her small suitcase. Night had fallen and she shivered in the chilly air.
She jumped, startled when some young teenagers zoomed by her on skateboards. She let out a slow, deep breath, trying to relax.
The longer she walked, the more the crowds of people seemed to dissipate until there were just a few people left.
All at once an eerie sensation swept over her. She was being watched.
Laurie stopped in her tracks and slowly turned in a full circle. She found herself staring at a familiar figure on the sidewalk across the street.
She swallowed hard, staring at her brother as he stared back from beneath the white mask he wore. She shut her eyes tightly, willing him to be a figment of her imagination. But when she opened her eyes again, he was still there.
And now he was slowly crossing the street, coming toward her.
"No," she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.
Her suitcase clattered to the pavement as she dropped it and began to run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why do we always get the stupid calls?" Carlos demanded as he followed Doc out of the apartment building and headed toward Adam 55-3.
Doc smiled, but didn't answer as he opened the doors to the back of the ambulance.
"She didn't really think we were going to do CPR on her dead iguana, did she?" He shook his head in disgust.
He started to reply, but as he turned to look at his partner, he caught sight of a woman running toward them, a look of pure terror on her face.
"What's her problem?" Carlos muttered, frowning.
Doc stepped forward, right into the woman's path and caught her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders as she gasped for breath. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
"Please, you have to help me, he's coming!"
"Who's coming?" he asked, his frown deepening.
"He's trying to kill me! I can't let him kill me, I have to find my sister!"
"Okay, just calm down and take a deep breath," he instructed gently.
"I can't, he's coming!" she said, shaking her head.
Doc looked behind her. "Ma'am, there's no one there. It's okay."
"Maybe we should call for the police," Carlos suggested lowly.
"Are you hurt?"
The woman looked over her shoulder, then back at him. "Yes. Can you please take me to the hospital?"
"Yeah, of course." Doc glanced at Carlos, nodding toward the bus as he tossed the younger man the keys. Carlos disappeared around the front of the ambulance and Doc heard the engine start a moment later.
He turned his attention back to the frightened woman. "Why don't you climb in back while my partner drives? Let me take a look at you and make sure you're okay."
Without hesitation, she climbed into the ambulance. He followed her, pulling the doors shut behind him. "Can you tell me what hurts?" he asked as he turned to one of the cabinets and rummaged around for a new run-sheet.
The bus pulled into motion.
Doc never noticed the figure in the white mask standing in the street behind the bus, a large butcher knife in his hand as he stared after them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This stupid S.O.B. rammed right into me!"
"You ran a red light, asshole!"
Faith quickly stepped in between the two men. "Okay, one at a time," she instructed, keeping her voice calm and professional. She turned to the man who'd hit the other man's car. "You first, Sir."
"Why him first?" the other driver demanded.
"Shut your mouth," Bosco commanded, his tone much less patient than hers had been.
"My wife's the one who was hurt!" he protested.
Faith cast a glance to the curb, where Kim and Alex were examining the woman. "She okay?"
Alex glanced up. "Yeah, no serious injuries. A couple of cuts and bruises."
"You hear that? She's fine," Bosco told the man.
"And if she wasn't, it would've been your own fault for running that red light!" the other driver said angrily.
"You son of a--"
Faith quickly blocked the driver's attempt to grab the man who'd hit his car.
"Get off me, you bitch!" he said, shoving her backward.
Bosco instantly grabbed him and had him in handcuffs before he even realized what was going on. Holding on to the man's arm tightly, he spun him around. "Now apologize to my partner."
"Forget it. I'm not apologizing to anyone."
"Apologize to her *now*," he commanded, his tone full of warning.
"Fine. I'm sorry. There, happy?"
"Yep." Bosco shoved him into the back of the squad car and slammed the door behind him. He returned to Faith's side, shaking his head in disgust.
She finished taking the other man's statement and allowed him to leave. She glanced at Kim and Alex. "You mind taking her to the House while we wait for the tow truck?"
"No problem," Kim replied, smiling at her.
"Thanks, Kim."
"Sure."
Faith closed her notepad and slid it into her pocket. She paused, frowning deeply as she glanced around. Her gaze landed on a man a few yards away.
He wore old, dirty, blue jean cover-alls and black boots. His hair was messy, sticking out in all directions behind the plain white mask that covered his face.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as he simply stood there, staring at her.
"...to go."
She blinked as she realized Bosco had been saying something. "What?"
He frowned. "What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, he turned to see what, or who, she was looking at. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, moron! Halloween's tomorrow night, not tonight!" he shouted.
The guy just continued to stare at them, his body completely motionless.
"Don't you think you're a little old to be dressing up anyway?" Bosco called. He turned to Faith, shaking his head. "What a freak."
She swallowed hard, goosebumps rising up on her arms.
"I'm going over there to see what the hell his damn problem is."
Faith instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm. "Don't."
"What?"
"Just don't. Please."
Bosco stared at her for a moment, then looked down to where her hand lingered on his arm. He frowned deeply and wondered what was going on her head right then. He kept his mouth shut, but turned back to look at the man.
The guy finally turned and disappeared into the alley behind the abandoned shoe store.
"Jag-off," he muttered, heading back for the squad car.
Faith remained standing there for a moment, staring at the entrance to the dark alley.
She shuddered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So what's wrong with her?" Carlos asked, his voice low as he glanced sideways at Doc, who'd climbed into the passenger seat after examining the woman.
"Nothing, as far as I can tell."
"What? You mean we're just playing taxi driver now?"
"Keep your voice down," Doc said, glaring at him. "She might not be hurt physically, but you saw the look on her face. She was scared. Really scared."
"So what. We should have called the cops and let them deal with her. What if a real call comes in?"
"Shut up and drive, Carlos."
They rode in silence the rest of the way to Mercy.
As soon as Carlos stopped the bus, Doc turned and glanced over his shoulder. "We're at the--" He stopped when he saw the doors to the back of the ambulance were swung wide open.
The woman was gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bosco pulled his shirt on and closed his locker, grabbing hold of the handles of his duffle bag. He glanced over to where his partner stood at her locker, motionless. Her mind was clearly elsewhere. "Faith?"
She jumped, startled by the sudden sound of his voice. "What?"
He frowned. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird all night."
"Sorry. Guess I'm just a little distracted."
"I can see that. The question is why?"
She looked at him hesitantly. "I don't know," she admitted, glancing down at the floor.
His frown deepened and he moved so he was standing right in front of her. "Well, look, if you want to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?" he asked, his voice quiet as he reached out and touched her arm.
She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. "I know. Thank you." She hesitated again. "I've got a bad feeling."
"About what?"
"I don't know," she answered with a sigh, shaking her head. "It's probably nothing. I probably just need to get some sleep."
Bosco nodded slowly. "Yeah, you said you hadn't been sleeping well."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is." She closed her locker door.
"You want a ride home?" he offered, hoping she'd say yes for a change.
"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"
"It's no trouble at all," he assured her as they headed for the locker room door.
"Thanks. I just don't really feel like walking tonight."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You gonna be okay?" Bosco asked as he stopped his mustang in front of her apartment building.
"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Boz."
"Sure."
He watched as she reached for the door handle and started to climb out of the car. An uneasy feeling settled upon him. "Hey, Faith."
She looked at him over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
Bosco looked at her seriously. "If you need anything or you can't sleep or whatever...call me, okay?"
Faith met his eyes and held his gaze for a long moment. She gave him a small smile. "I will. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Yep."
"Night, Bosco."
"Night, Faith."
She closed the door and he watched to make sure she made it safely inside the building before he put his car into gear.
He pulled away from the curb. He didn't even think to glance in the rearview mirror. If he had, he would have seen the man in the white mask standing under one of the street lights outside of Faith's apartment building.
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Faith restlessly walked the floor of her apartment as she cradled a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, sipping it slowly. She wished she had asked Bosco to come up and have some coffee or something. Despite the fact she'd lived in this apartment for almost three months, she still didn't feel quite at home, quite comfortable in it. Especially without the kids. It was too quiet, too...still.
It just didn't feel quite *right.*
Of course, usually she didn't feel as anxious as she did at that moment, either. And she couldn't even determine the cause of her anxiety.
At that moment, there was a loud knock on her door. She jumped, startled. Some of the hot chocolate splashed onto her sweatshirt. "Damn," she said under her breath.
The knock came again, several quick thumps.
Glancing at the clock, she set her mug down and headed to the door. The only person who would visit her at that time of night was Bosco. Maybe he'd sensed that she didn't really want to be alone and decided to come back. Whatever his reason, she felt relieved as she unlocked the door and swung it open. She frowned in confusion when instead of seeing her partner standing on her doorstep, she found herself face to face with a woman who looked a few years older than her. "Yes?"
For a long moment, the other woman just stared at her. She had short, dark brown hair that was in tangles. Her clothes, a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, were wrinkled. But her eyes...her eyes were haunted.
Maybe she's in trouble, Faith thought, her cop instinct taking over. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"
"Are you Faith Anderson?" the woman asked, her voice low and raspy.
She stared at the woman, totally thrown off guard by her question. How did someone she'd never met before know her maiden name? "Who are you?"
"Is that your name?" There was more than a slight sense of urgency to her tone this time.
"Yes," Faith answered, confused. "How did you know that?"
"Listen to me, you're in a lot of danger--"
"Excuse me? Who are you?" she asked, shaking her head.
The woman hesitated, then looked at Faith with resolve in her eyes. "My name is Laurie Strode. I'm your sister."