Third Watch/Halloween Fic: Blood Ties (6/7)
Title: Blood Ties (6/7)
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 Six)
Rochester Avenue, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:03 p.m.
Michael continued to simply stare at Laurie, his head tilted slightly to the left, the butcher knife clutched tightly in his right hand which rested against his leg.
"What are you waiting for, Michael?" she demanded, glaring at him. "This is your big chance! Think you can actually kill me this time?"
After a long moment, he began to move, walking toward her slowly.
Her heart thumping rapidly against her chest, Laurie forced herself to stand her ground and remain motionless.
His steps quickened and as he drew nearer to her, he raised his hand up and the knife's metallic surface reflected brightly in the glare from street light above them.
Laurie swallowed hard, uncontrollable fear surging over her, but still she didn't move. Michael kept coming closer. Closer and closer until he was only a few feet away from her.
She reached into her purse and pulled out the snub-nosed .38 that she'd purchased after she'd recovered from her last battle with her brother. She aimed it at him.
He paused in his steps and looked at her again, tilting his head to the side once more.
"What? You didn't really think I was going to let you kill me without a fight, did you?" she asked, her hand shaking slightly.
Michael took another step toward her.
Laurie pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
She pulled it again and again, but still nothing happened. "Oh, shit," she muttered, backing away with wide eyes.
He started toward her again, this time his steps bigger, faster.
So much for that plan. She turned and began to run.
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Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:15 p.m.
Davis sat in a chair beside Alex's hospital bed, staring intently at her pale face. The doctors still weren't sure she was going to survive the night. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor they had her hooked up to.
He shouldn't technically have been there, given he was supposed to be on duty. But Sully had told him to go back to the hospital, that he would take care of all the paperwork and reports and talking with the detectives about the homicides. He exhaled slowly, leaning his head back against the chair. He still couldn't believe that Officer Watson and Sergeant Christopher were dead. Granted, he'd never been a big fan of Christopher's, but he didn't wish death on the guy. Especially not one as grisly as the one he'd suffered.
Sully had seemed pretty certain that the murders were connected to the attack on Alex and Kim.
Davis didn't understand it. What kind of sick bastard could do something so awful?
He shook his head and opened his eyes again, his gaze locking on the heart monitor. He watched the lines across the screen, unsure of what they meant, but knowing that the steady beeping never faltered and he knew that was a good thing.
His attention refocused on Alex's face and unexpected tears filled his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to cry."
Davis looked up and saw Kim standing behind him, her face pale, as well. "I'm okay," he told her. "How are you holding up?"
She just nodded, and glanced over to where her friend lay in the bed. "Steady heart rhythm. That's good."
"Yeah."
They were both silent for a moment.
"She's gonna pull through this," Kim said softly, her hand still resting on his shoulder.
"How do you know that?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
"The same way you do. We know her."
Davis released another deep breath, one he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "I never told her..."
She glanced down at him. "Told her what?"
He hesitated, looked back at Alex again. "The truth. What she means to me."
"She knows," Kim assured him quietly.
He simply nodded, hoping she was right.
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East Division Street, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:32 p.m.
Faith heard foosteps rushing toward her from the alley to her right and without thinking she drew her gun from its holster, waiting silently around the corner. "Hold it right there!" she said firmly, aiming her gun as the person rounded the corner.
"Faith?"
She squinted her eyes and realized that it was Laurie. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused, lowering her weapon.
"He's coming!"
"What?"
"Michael...he's coming!" Laurie said urgently, looking behind her down the alley.
"Get out of the way," Faith commanded, positioning herself at the front of the alley. He came into view a few seconds later, moving quickly toward her, knife raised in his hand. She aimed her gun at his head and fired without even calling out a warning. She fired all six rounds and watched as her brother collapsed onto the ground.
She swallowed hard, her heart racing. She lowered her weapon slowly, her eyes locked on his unmoving form on the pavement. She'd just shot and killed her own brother. Her brother who had murdered dozens of innocent people, and possibly one of her friends.
Faith felt a hand on her arm and turned to face her sister, whose face was pale and full of fear. "It's over," she said softly.
"No...it's not...come on, we have to go, that won't keep him down for long," Laurie said urgently, tugging on her arm.
"What?"
"Look." She nodded toward the alley.
Faith turned around and watched in shock as Michael began to sit up, staring right at them. "Oh, my God," she whispered.
"Come on, we have to go!" Laurie grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the alley.
Looking over her shoulder once more, Faith saw their brother rise to his feet and pick up the knife he'd dropped. He began to move toward them.
Feeling dazed, Faith followed her sister as she took off running.
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Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
11:00 p.m.
Davis leaned forward in his chair and carefully picked up Alex's hand from where it rested on the blankets covering her. Kim had left to go get some coffee, saying she'd be back in a few minutes and offering to grab him a cup, as well, but he'd turned the offer down, thanking her. She'd paused at the doorway, subtly suggesting that he go ahead and use that time to "talk to Alex."
"Alex..." he whispered, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "I, uh...I don't know if...you can hear me right now, but...I need you to wake up." He hesitated, watched for any flicker of awareness on her face, but saw none. He swallowed hard, looked away for a moment, then returned his gaze to her once again.
"You and me...we've been through some stuff. Not all of it's been good. But I wouldn't trade a minute of it. Not for anything." Davis closed his eyes briefly, kissing her hand again. "We don't always get along and I know we're not...together right now, but...I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. You always have, ever since..." His voice trailed off as he thought about how he and Alex had gotten to be friends in the first place, bonding over the loss of their fathers. "Ever since the beginning."
He opened his eyes again. "And I don't think I ever told you, but...I love you, Al. So I need you to be okay, so I can tell you that when you're awake, all right? Please," he said quietly, gazing at her. She made no movement, no signs that she was nearing consciousness. There was a moment of silence. "You think she heard me?"
Kim glanced over at him from where she stood a few feet away. "Yeah. I'm sure she did."
Davis gave her a small smile.
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111th Street, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
11:01 p.m.
Faith leaned against the wall of the nearest apartment building as her sister did the same, trying to catch their breaths. They'd been running from him for nearly a half-hour and every time they thought they'd managed to lose him, he turned out to be not far behind, after all. "Is he still following us?"
"I don't know," Laurie answered, panting for breath.
"We need a plan," she said, shaking her head.
"We have one. It's called stay alive til morning."
"We can't keep this up much longer. We have to figure out a way to stop him," Faith said, closing her eyes for a moment.
"He's coming!"
Her eyes flew open and she stared in disbelief as their brother walked slowly down the sidewalk toward them. "Doesn't he *ever* get tired?" she demanded in exasperation.
"No," Laurie answered, backing away quickly. "Come on. We have to keep moving."
Faith followed her again, yanking her gun out of its holster and replacing the clip as quickly as she could.
"Let's split up. He can't follow us both."
"No way," she said instantly. "We're safer if we're together."
"Faith, listen to me. No one's safe while he's on the loose. If we split up, we'll have a better chance of throwing him off guard," Laurie argued as they ran.
She couldn't deny the logic of her sister's arguement. "All right. Here. You take this." She held her handgun out.
"You'll need it."
"Please, just take it. If I need to, I can call for backup."
Laurie hesitated, then reached out and took the weapon from her.
"You know how to use one?" Faith asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. Have for awhile. Let's do this."
They stopped abruptly and turned as one to look at Michael, who was several yards behind them, but steadily catching up.
"Be safe," Faith said softly, swallowing hard as she glanced at her sister.
"You too," Laurie answered.
Without another word, Faith turned and headed down the alley to her right, and Laurie took off headed east.
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Faith ran as fast as she could down the alley and turned to her left on 96th. She noticed that the streets were unusually empty as her feet pounded the pavement. She threw a glance over her shoulder but didn't see anyone coming. She faced forward again and continued to run anyway, praying that Bosco and her children were safe, and that her sister would be able to escape from Michael.
Just then she heard footsteps behind her.
Fear clutching at her heart, she rounded another corner and ducked down behind a garbage bin in the alley, desperately looking for some kind of weapon to use.
She heard the footfall pause at the entrance to the alley and she held her breath.
Her police radio suddenly crackled with static and her eyes widened in horror. She quickly reached up and shut it off, praying that her brother hadn't heard the noise. She reached behind her and gripped onto a wooden board that lay behind her on the pavement. She clutched it tightly in her hands, her muscles tense and adrenaline pumping through her body.
She listened, heard the footsteps coming closer.
Her heart pounded loudly and she wondered for a second if maybe her brother could hear it.
She could see his shadow on the ground and she bit down hard on her lip. Oh, God, she thought. It's now or never.
Faith rose to her feet and swung the board in one swift motion at the figure standing by the garbage bin.
"Faith!" Bosco's hands reached up grabbed the board before she could deck him with it.
She stared at him in shock. "Bosco!" She let the board slip from her hands, her eyes closing with relief as she let out a breath.
"Are you all right?" he asked immediately, letting the wood clatter to the ground. "What happened?"
"I ran into Laurie. Michael's been following her all night. We split up to throw him off guard," she explained quickly, opening her eyes again. "My kids?"
"They're fine, Faith. Emily was at a Halloween party at her school, and Charlie was in bed. I picked up Em and put the two of them on a train with Fred to Jersey for the night," Bosco assured her. "They're safe, I swear."
"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.
He quickly hugged her back. "You're welcome." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too," she said softly, pulling away from him. She looked at him seriously. "Now I want you to get out of here."
"What?" Bosco stared at her in disbelief.
"Bosco, I mean it. I want you to go and get back in the squad car and get out of here as fast as you can."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No, I'm not." Faith drew in a deep breath and then reached out to touch his face. "I don't want to see you get hurt, and Michael's proved more than once that he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. You're safer if you're not around me."
"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so just forget it," he said, a hint of anger in his tone.
"Bosco--"
"Look, I made sure your kids are safe. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, but--"
"I love you!" Bosco blurted out.
Faith's mouth dropped open. "What?"
He swallowed hard. "I love you. And I'm not going to leave you no matter what you say, so get over it."
Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Bosco smiled slightly and then caressed her cheek with one hand. He leaned toward her and gently kissed her on the lips. Then he leaned his forehead against hers. "When I came back this morning and you weren't there, I thought...that you regretted what happened between us," he admitted quietly.
Faith's eyes filled with tears. "Never," she whispered. "I woke up and you were gone and I thought..." Her voice trailed off.
"That I'd abandoned you like Fred did?"
"Yeah." She looked down, ashamed that she'd even put Bosco and Fred on the same level.
"That would never happen. I love you, Faith. Always have."
She pressed her lips against his again in another kiss. "I'm scared, Boz."
"I know you are. But we're gonna figure this out, I promise you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Faith lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, but she caught sight of movement behind him and her eyes widened in horror. "Bosco!"
Before he could respond to her scream of warning, Michael grabbed Bosco from behind and plunged the butcher knife into his back once, twice. Then he let go of Bosco's body, which slumped to the ground.
"No," she sobbed, the word choking her.
Michael stared at her for a moment, then raised the bloody knife again and took a step toward her.
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 Six)
Rochester Avenue, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:03 p.m.
Michael continued to simply stare at Laurie, his head tilted slightly to the left, the butcher knife clutched tightly in his right hand which rested against his leg.
"What are you waiting for, Michael?" she demanded, glaring at him. "This is your big chance! Think you can actually kill me this time?"
After a long moment, he began to move, walking toward her slowly.
Her heart thumping rapidly against her chest, Laurie forced herself to stand her ground and remain motionless.
His steps quickened and as he drew nearer to her, he raised his hand up and the knife's metallic surface reflected brightly in the glare from street light above them.
Laurie swallowed hard, uncontrollable fear surging over her, but still she didn't move. Michael kept coming closer. Closer and closer until he was only a few feet away from her.
She reached into her purse and pulled out the snub-nosed .38 that she'd purchased after she'd recovered from her last battle with her brother. She aimed it at him.
He paused in his steps and looked at her again, tilting his head to the side once more.
"What? You didn't really think I was going to let you kill me without a fight, did you?" she asked, her hand shaking slightly.
Michael took another step toward her.
Laurie pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
She pulled it again and again, but still nothing happened. "Oh, shit," she muttered, backing away with wide eyes.
He started toward her again, this time his steps bigger, faster.
So much for that plan. She turned and began to run.
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Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:15 p.m.
Davis sat in a chair beside Alex's hospital bed, staring intently at her pale face. The doctors still weren't sure she was going to survive the night. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor they had her hooked up to.
He shouldn't technically have been there, given he was supposed to be on duty. But Sully had told him to go back to the hospital, that he would take care of all the paperwork and reports and talking with the detectives about the homicides. He exhaled slowly, leaning his head back against the chair. He still couldn't believe that Officer Watson and Sergeant Christopher were dead. Granted, he'd never been a big fan of Christopher's, but he didn't wish death on the guy. Especially not one as grisly as the one he'd suffered.
Sully had seemed pretty certain that the murders were connected to the attack on Alex and Kim.
Davis didn't understand it. What kind of sick bastard could do something so awful?
He shook his head and opened his eyes again, his gaze locking on the heart monitor. He watched the lines across the screen, unsure of what they meant, but knowing that the steady beeping never faltered and he knew that was a good thing.
His attention refocused on Alex's face and unexpected tears filled his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to cry."
Davis looked up and saw Kim standing behind him, her face pale, as well. "I'm okay," he told her. "How are you holding up?"
She just nodded, and glanced over to where her friend lay in the bed. "Steady heart rhythm. That's good."
"Yeah."
They were both silent for a moment.
"She's gonna pull through this," Kim said softly, her hand still resting on his shoulder.
"How do you know that?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
"The same way you do. We know her."
Davis released another deep breath, one he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "I never told her..."
She glanced down at him. "Told her what?"
He hesitated, looked back at Alex again. "The truth. What she means to me."
"She knows," Kim assured him quietly.
He simply nodded, hoping she was right.
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East Division Street, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
10:32 p.m.
Faith heard foosteps rushing toward her from the alley to her right and without thinking she drew her gun from its holster, waiting silently around the corner. "Hold it right there!" she said firmly, aiming her gun as the person rounded the corner.
"Faith?"
She squinted her eyes and realized that it was Laurie. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused, lowering her weapon.
"He's coming!"
"What?"
"Michael...he's coming!" Laurie said urgently, looking behind her down the alley.
"Get out of the way," Faith commanded, positioning herself at the front of the alley. He came into view a few seconds later, moving quickly toward her, knife raised in his hand. She aimed her gun at his head and fired without even calling out a warning. She fired all six rounds and watched as her brother collapsed onto the ground.
She swallowed hard, her heart racing. She lowered her weapon slowly, her eyes locked on his unmoving form on the pavement. She'd just shot and killed her own brother. Her brother who had murdered dozens of innocent people, and possibly one of her friends.
Faith felt a hand on her arm and turned to face her sister, whose face was pale and full of fear. "It's over," she said softly.
"No...it's not...come on, we have to go, that won't keep him down for long," Laurie said urgently, tugging on her arm.
"What?"
"Look." She nodded toward the alley.
Faith turned around and watched in shock as Michael began to sit up, staring right at them. "Oh, my God," she whispered.
"Come on, we have to go!" Laurie grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the alley.
Looking over her shoulder once more, Faith saw their brother rise to his feet and pick up the knife he'd dropped. He began to move toward them.
Feeling dazed, Faith followed her sister as she took off running.
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Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
11:00 p.m.
Davis leaned forward in his chair and carefully picked up Alex's hand from where it rested on the blankets covering her. Kim had left to go get some coffee, saying she'd be back in a few minutes and offering to grab him a cup, as well, but he'd turned the offer down, thanking her. She'd paused at the doorway, subtly suggesting that he go ahead and use that time to "talk to Alex."
"Alex..." he whispered, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "I, uh...I don't know if...you can hear me right now, but...I need you to wake up." He hesitated, watched for any flicker of awareness on her face, but saw none. He swallowed hard, looked away for a moment, then returned his gaze to her once again.
"You and me...we've been through some stuff. Not all of it's been good. But I wouldn't trade a minute of it. Not for anything." Davis closed his eyes briefly, kissing her hand again. "We don't always get along and I know we're not...together right now, but...I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. You always have, ever since..." His voice trailed off as he thought about how he and Alex had gotten to be friends in the first place, bonding over the loss of their fathers. "Ever since the beginning."
He opened his eyes again. "And I don't think I ever told you, but...I love you, Al. So I need you to be okay, so I can tell you that when you're awake, all right? Please," he said quietly, gazing at her. She made no movement, no signs that she was nearing consciousness. There was a moment of silence. "You think she heard me?"
Kim glanced over at him from where she stood a few feet away. "Yeah. I'm sure she did."
Davis gave her a small smile.
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111th Street, New York City
October 31st, 2004--Halloween
11:01 p.m.
Faith leaned against the wall of the nearest apartment building as her sister did the same, trying to catch their breaths. They'd been running from him for nearly a half-hour and every time they thought they'd managed to lose him, he turned out to be not far behind, after all. "Is he still following us?"
"I don't know," Laurie answered, panting for breath.
"We need a plan," she said, shaking her head.
"We have one. It's called stay alive til morning."
"We can't keep this up much longer. We have to figure out a way to stop him," Faith said, closing her eyes for a moment.
"He's coming!"
Her eyes flew open and she stared in disbelief as their brother walked slowly down the sidewalk toward them. "Doesn't he *ever* get tired?" she demanded in exasperation.
"No," Laurie answered, backing away quickly. "Come on. We have to keep moving."
Faith followed her again, yanking her gun out of its holster and replacing the clip as quickly as she could.
"Let's split up. He can't follow us both."
"No way," she said instantly. "We're safer if we're together."
"Faith, listen to me. No one's safe while he's on the loose. If we split up, we'll have a better chance of throwing him off guard," Laurie argued as they ran.
She couldn't deny the logic of her sister's arguement. "All right. Here. You take this." She held her handgun out.
"You'll need it."
"Please, just take it. If I need to, I can call for backup."
Laurie hesitated, then reached out and took the weapon from her.
"You know how to use one?" Faith asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. Have for awhile. Let's do this."
They stopped abruptly and turned as one to look at Michael, who was several yards behind them, but steadily catching up.
"Be safe," Faith said softly, swallowing hard as she glanced at her sister.
"You too," Laurie answered.
Without another word, Faith turned and headed down the alley to her right, and Laurie took off headed east.
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Faith ran as fast as she could down the alley and turned to her left on 96th. She noticed that the streets were unusually empty as her feet pounded the pavement. She threw a glance over her shoulder but didn't see anyone coming. She faced forward again and continued to run anyway, praying that Bosco and her children were safe, and that her sister would be able to escape from Michael.
Just then she heard footsteps behind her.
Fear clutching at her heart, she rounded another corner and ducked down behind a garbage bin in the alley, desperately looking for some kind of weapon to use.
She heard the footfall pause at the entrance to the alley and she held her breath.
Her police radio suddenly crackled with static and her eyes widened in horror. She quickly reached up and shut it off, praying that her brother hadn't heard the noise. She reached behind her and gripped onto a wooden board that lay behind her on the pavement. She clutched it tightly in her hands, her muscles tense and adrenaline pumping through her body.
She listened, heard the footsteps coming closer.
Her heart pounded loudly and she wondered for a second if maybe her brother could hear it.
She could see his shadow on the ground and she bit down hard on her lip. Oh, God, she thought. It's now or never.
Faith rose to her feet and swung the board in one swift motion at the figure standing by the garbage bin.
"Faith!" Bosco's hands reached up grabbed the board before she could deck him with it.
She stared at him in shock. "Bosco!" She let the board slip from her hands, her eyes closing with relief as she let out a breath.
"Are you all right?" he asked immediately, letting the wood clatter to the ground. "What happened?"
"I ran into Laurie. Michael's been following her all night. We split up to throw him off guard," she explained quickly, opening her eyes again. "My kids?"
"They're fine, Faith. Emily was at a Halloween party at her school, and Charlie was in bed. I picked up Em and put the two of them on a train with Fred to Jersey for the night," Bosco assured her. "They're safe, I swear."
"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.
He quickly hugged her back. "You're welcome." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too," she said softly, pulling away from him. She looked at him seriously. "Now I want you to get out of here."
"What?" Bosco stared at her in disbelief.
"Bosco, I mean it. I want you to go and get back in the squad car and get out of here as fast as you can."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No, I'm not." Faith drew in a deep breath and then reached out to touch his face. "I don't want to see you get hurt, and Michael's proved more than once that he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. You're safer if you're not around me."
"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so just forget it," he said, a hint of anger in his tone.
"Bosco--"
"Look, I made sure your kids are safe. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, but--"
"I love you!" Bosco blurted out.
Faith's mouth dropped open. "What?"
He swallowed hard. "I love you. And I'm not going to leave you no matter what you say, so get over it."
Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Bosco smiled slightly and then caressed her cheek with one hand. He leaned toward her and gently kissed her on the lips. Then he leaned his forehead against hers. "When I came back this morning and you weren't there, I thought...that you regretted what happened between us," he admitted quietly.
Faith's eyes filled with tears. "Never," she whispered. "I woke up and you were gone and I thought..." Her voice trailed off.
"That I'd abandoned you like Fred did?"
"Yeah." She looked down, ashamed that she'd even put Bosco and Fred on the same level.
"That would never happen. I love you, Faith. Always have."
She pressed her lips against his again in another kiss. "I'm scared, Boz."
"I know you are. But we're gonna figure this out, I promise you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Faith lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, but she caught sight of movement behind him and her eyes widened in horror. "Bosco!"
Before he could respond to her scream of warning, Michael grabbed Bosco from behind and plunged the butcher knife into his back once, twice. Then he let go of Bosco's body, which slumped to the ground.
"No," she sobbed, the word choking her.
Michael stared at her for a moment, then raised the bloody knife again and took a step toward her.