Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He tugged the mask down over his face, glancing around the apartment building corridor nervously. "You're sure she's alone in there?" There was a hint of doubt to his voice as he spoke quietly, looking at the other masked man who was picking the lock.

"Have you been payin' attention at all tonight? Of course she's alone."

He shifted from one foot to the other, glancing around again. "Hurry up."

"I -am- hurrying," he snapped. "You think you coulda done it faster?"

He sighed. "We should have just stolen her keys."

Shaking his head he rolled his eyes. The lock clicked, and he slowly turned the doorknob. "Keep your mouth shut," he whispered.

He fell silent, nodding as he followed the other man inside the dark apartment. He turned his flashlight on, shining it around the living room. The light flickered over the clock hanging on the wall. It was nearly 1 in the morning. He was tired, but they were almost finished with the hard part. He crept silently down the hallway, peering into the other bedroom--empty, thankfully. His friend had been right. She was there alone tonight. That was definitely to their advantage.

Pausing outside the room she was in, the other man pulled a scarf out of his pocket. He then held up his fist, placing one finger in the air, then a second and finally a third before they both hurried into the room.

The first man quickly grabbed hold of her as she lay in bed, her eyes immediately flying open as she started to struggle. "Gag her," he commanded.

Quickly stepping into placed he wrapped the scarf around her head, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. He pulled out a large black fabric sack that he was carrying with him, and placed it over the woman's head so she couldn't see them. "I'll grab her legs."

As soon as he said the words, she lashed out, kicking at both of them as terror rolled through her. She connected solidly with the first man's ribs, and managed to kick the second man in the stomach.

"Dammit!" He reached out to try and still her legs. "Where's the rope?"

"Shit," the first man muttered, wincing in pain as he quickly grabbed the rope from his small backpack. He tossed it over to his partner. "Stop strugglin'! We don't wanna hurt you," he told her, disguising his voice best he could.

Catching the rope he made quick work of tying her legs together so she couldn't kick. She continued to struggle. "We gotta hurry."

"No kidding," he replied, using the rest of the rope to tie her hands behind her back. He felt a wave of guilt when he heard her trying to speak, could hear the fear in her attempted protests.

Grabbing hold of her legs, he looked at his partner, understanding exactly how he was feeling just by his body language. "Let's go."

He nodded, carefully holding onto her upper body, making sure to support her back and neck so he didn't hurt her. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He held her legs tight, not wanting to drop her as they carefully moved toward the door.

After a few more moments, she stopped struggling, apparently realizing with the way she was tied it was a lost cause. He could feel her trembling as they carried her.

Readjusting his hold on her legs he grabbed the van keys out of his pocket. "Almost there," he muttered.

"Relax, it's okay," he told the woman, glancing at his partner as they made it outside and approached the van.

He fumbled a little, but managed to get the side door unlocked, realizing it would have been easier to have left it unlocked to begin with. He slid the door open. "Okay, careful," he instructed as they put her into the back of the van.

"You think the others are done yet?" the first man asked as he gently laid the woman down on a pile of blankets in the back.

"Gawd I hope so. I wanna get this over with."

"You and me both." He gazed at her for a moment, then had to climb out of the van and close the doors quickly.

"I think I'd feel better if we'd gotten the other assignment."

"Yeah, somehow I don't think I'd have as much problem with gagging him and tying him up." Davis pulled his mask off and headed around to the passenger side.

Sully nodded his agreement as he took off his mask and climbed into the driver's seat. "I hear ya."

"Let's get outta here," he said quietly, casting a glance toward the back.

"Yeah," he whispered as he started the van. He checked his rearview mirror before pulling out onto the deserted street.

* * *

"Would you -stop-," Jimmy shouted as he pushed open the cabin door with his shoulder, and struggled to hold onto the man's flailing legs.

"I -still- think we shoulda drugged him," Carlos mumbled as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around the man's torso.

"Just move," Doc commanded, holding onto the man's arms tightly.

"Hey, you're not the one tryin' to hold his legs," Doherty shot back as he took a few steps into the cabin.

"Guys, shut your traps," Alex said, folding her arms across her chest as she narrowed her eyes.

"You know, you coulda helped Taylor." Carlos sent a glare in her direction.

She smirked. "Why? Three big guys like you can't handle one small guy like him?"

He continued to struggle even though he recognized the voices around him. The entire car ride he'd been trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It had been silent except for the radio playin in the background. But his heart had been racing ever since he'd been woken by hands holding him down while he was gagged and his head covered. His frazzled mind was still trying to process -why- these people who were supposed to be his friends were torturing him like this.

Alex walked alongside the guys as they carried him over to the small sofa. "Relax, Bosco," she said, her voice gentle.

Bosco continued to thrash around in their arms, her words doing nothing to comfort him in the darkness that surrounded him.

Jimmy unceremoniously dropped Bosco's legs onto the sofa.

"Easy!" Taylor scolded, shooting him a glare. "Take the bag off his head."

"Come on Taylor. He's been kicking us for God knows how long, and you want us to take it easy on him?" Carlos shook his head.

"I know. Let's tie you up, gag you and put a bag over your head and see how -you- respond, Carlos."

"I'm still thinking we shoulda drugged him," Nieto stated again.

She rolled her eyes and reached out, removing the bag from Bosco's head and wadding it up.

His eyes were wide as he quickly glanced around the room. He cursed them all, but it was muffled by the tie they'd used to gag him.

"Just relax, Bosco. We'll take the gag off soon enough. But not until your company gets here."

Bosco glared at all the guys that were staring down at him, and then started to squirm, trying to get off the sofa they'd placed him on. After being gagged, and having his legs and arms tied together he didn't trust them no matter what they said.

"Knock it off, Bosco." Jimmy quickly sat down on the edge of the sofa, and held Bosco down. "You're just gonna hurt yourself!"

"This is for your own good," Doc informed him, glancing toward the door.

Sully pushed the cabin door open, and stumbled inside as he held onto her legs.

"Easy," Davis said as he held onto her upper body.

"So where does this one go," Sully asked over his shoulder.

"Floor, I guess," Doc said with a slight shrug.

"We shoulda dumped him on the floor." Carlos told them as he glanced at Bosco.

Davis carefully lowered her to the floor. "Almost over," he told her softly.

Sully set her legs down, and for a second he thought about untying her. However, he didn't want all of their effort to go to waste. He motioned toward the bag that was over her head. "Take that off, would ya Davis?"

He nodded quickly and pulled the back off her head.

Faith squinted at the sudden light and looked around, her eyes still full of fear. What the -hell- was going on?

"Everything's okay, Faith," Sully told her softly as he stepped into her line of sight.

"You guys definitely had the easier assignment," Doc informed the two officers.

"Yeah, well I don't know about that. I think I may have a broken rib," Davis replied wryly.

"Besides I doubt you guys felt as guilty about tyin' up Bosco as we did about doin' it to Faith," Sully told them.

"Yeah, I gotta admit," Carlos started seriously. "I didn't feel bad at all."

Faith looked around again, still confused about why her co-workers and friends had kidnapped her. And had Sully just said Bosco was tied up? And where the hell were they?

Bosco shifted on the couch, trying to get a good look at his surroundings. The longer they kept him like this the more furious he was going to get.

"All right, this is the deal." Taylor assumed control and moved out of the way so that the tied partners could see each other. "We're sick to death of the two of you bein' at each other's throats. You're gonna work things out and you're gonna have plenty of time to do it in," she informed them.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at Taylor and then shifted his gaze to the bound and gagged Faith that was lying on the floor.

"So, you two are gonna stay out here together," Sully added. "And you're gonna play nice or kill each other. It's up to you."

Faith stared at Sully in disbelief, still disoriented from the very long ride from her apartment.

Bosco started fighting against his ropes as he tried to say something, frustrated by the gag in his mouth.

"If we take this off, are you gonna be nice?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows as she gazed down at Bosco.

What the hell kinda question is that, he wondered.

She glanced around at the other guys, then reluctantly reached down and untied the scarf that was keeping him from being able to talk.

"I'm gonna kill you all," he spat as soon as the material was out of his mouth.

Taylor smirked. "Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that, Bosco. Take her gag off, Sully." She nodded toward Faith.

Sully moved over to Faith, and quickly removed the gag.

Faith drew in ragged breath. "What the hell is going on?"

"We told you," Sully said firmly. "We're tired of the two of you, and it's time for you to work it out."

She glared at him. "And where -exactly- are we?"

"Now if we told you that it would make things too easy."

"Okay, that's great. Now can you please untie me?"

"Just the legs," Doc reminded him.

Sully nodded his head, and crouched down to untie the rope around Faith's legs.

"What about me?! Aren't you gonna untie me?!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Relax, Bosco. We're gonna untie your legs too. In a minute."

"My legs? What about my hands!"

"That's not happenin'," Davis replied.

Bosco sat up slightly. "Why the hell not?"

"You're gonna have to figure out how to get yourself untied," Doc told him.

"We don't really trust you at the moment," Alex said.

"Oh this just keeps gettin' better," Bosco growled as he laid back on the sofa.

"Shut up, Bosco. You got yourself into this situation." Doc looked at him unsympathetically.

"What?!" He turned his head to glare at Doc. "How the hell did -I- get myself into this? You're the ones who broke into -my- apartment and kidnapped me!"

"Yeah, well if you weren't such a jerk--"

"Knock it off," Alex said sharply, glaring at both of them. "Untie his legs and let's get out of here."

"So you're just gonna leave us here?!" Bosco's voice was more high-pitched then he'd intended.

"That's right," Davis replied, glancing at him.

"Come on, this is ridiculous," Faith protested, shaking her head.

"No. What's ridiculous is the way you and your -partner- have been acting," Sully informed them, his voice raised. "You've been acting like two year olds, and it's gotta stop."

She glared at him. "He's -not- my partner anymore."

He looked over at Bosco. "Yeah, and that's ridiculous too, so work it out."

Jimmy finally managed to untie Bosco's feet, and hopped out of the way just before Bosco tried to kick him.

"So what are we supposed to do here? How long are we gonna be here," Bosco asked, his voice irritated.

"Guess that's up to you," Alex told him as she headed for the door.

"Okay, the joke is over. Untie us. I wanna go home," Faith said as she struggled to sit up.

"For once I agree with Faith," Bosco told them.

She scowled as she glanced over at him. "Who cares if we're not partners anymore? What difference does it make? It's not like it has any effect on any of your lives anyway."

"Gee, let's see," Sully pondered. "The screaming, the bickering, the icy cold glares, the tension, the inability to be civil while on calls." He glanced between them. "I'd say it effects us!"

"Well, get over it! If you don't let us go right now, as soon as we get the hell out of here, I'm gonna press charges against all of you for breaking and entering, not to mention kidnapping and holding us hostage." There was fury in her eyes.

"You're not hostages," Davis informed them.

"No. We're just -tied up-!" Bosco reminded him.

"So untie each other when we leave. Pretty simple if you ask me." He shrugged.

Bosco took a deep breath finally coming to the realization that no one in this room was going to help him. "Fine." He managed to get himself to a sitting position, and then stood up, his legs wobbling slightly from having been tied together for so long.

Alex opened the door, holding it for the guys as they walked out. When Bosco tried to follow them, she held a hand up to stop him. "Don't think so."

"Come on, Taylor," he pleaded.

She smirked. "Don't give me that look. I'm not like the other women in your life, Bosco. I don't fall at your feet when you give me the lost little puppy look."

He huffed in frustration. "Were you guys at least nice enough to stock this place with food and stuff," he asked, his voice hard.

"We want you to make up, not starve to death."

"Oh, how thoughtful."

Alex smirked again and started to step outside, pausing briefly. "Have a merry Christmas." Without another word, she closed the door behind her as she left.

"Shit!" Bosco yelled at the top of his lungs.

Faith sat on the floor silently, her jaw tense with anger.

Bosco kicked at the door. "I swear to God when I get outta here..."

"Save it," she muttered as she strained her hands against the ropes.

He spun around to look at her. "Shut up."

"Bite me," she retorted, glaring at him.

"You know, you started this whole mess," he informed her as he walked around the cabin, looking for something that might help him break free from the ropes.

"Excuse me? This is -my- fault now?"

"Yeah. If you weren't so damn jealous that I was actually making something of myself."

"Jealous?" She was barely able to keep herself from laughing. "You think I'm -jealous-? Of you?"

He didn't like the mocking tone of her voice. "Just cause you're gonna be stuck as a beat cop when I move up to ACU. You just couldn't handle the fact that I'm advancing."

"Oh, Bosco. You really need to get over yourself." She struggled to stand up.

"Why couldn't you just be happy for me?"

She shook her head in disgust. "You know what? I'm not gonna fight with you. I'm gonna somehow get these damn ropes off and get the hell outta here."

"We don't even know where we are," he reminded her.

"Yeah, well anywhere else is better than here."

"Better cause I won't be there?" He chuckled. "That's always how it is with you isn't it? Just run away. It's easier."

"Would you please shut up? You're givin' me a headache."

"Right." He nodded his head. "-I'm- givin' you a headache." He wandered into the small kitchen.

Faith glared after him and walked over to the fireplace where the fireplace pokers were located. She backed up against where one was standing up and started rubbing the ropes over the sharp end.

Bosco walked through the kitchen looking for a knife. He strategically turned his back, and grabbed hold of the handle of one of the drawers. "Bingo." He grinned when he turned to see a large cutting knife in the drawer. Turning around once more he managed to get a hold of the knife.

She could feel the ropes weakening and a moment later she managed to wiggle her hands out of them. She rubbed her sore wrists, wincing slightly. Then she glared at the ropes, picked up the remnants and threw them in the fireplace.

With the grin still on his face he held the knife awkwardly as he moved it back and forth against the ropes. "Owww! Dammit!"

Startled by his yelp, she jumped slightly and reluctantly walked into the small kitchen.

He dropped the knife on the floor, a grimace on his face.

Her first instinct was to rush to his side and see how badly he was hurt. Instead, she suppressed the thought and folded her arms across her chest, remaining silent.

His eyes were closed tightly, and he bit his lip. "Damn."

"Are you all right?" Her voice was quiet.

"I cut myself," he whispered, grateful that she was there yet disturbed that she was seeing weakness in him.

Faith's eyes dropped to the knife on the floor and she walked over to him, kneeling down and picking it up. "Turn around."

Without a word he did as she said.

She carefully slipped the blade underneath the ropes, careful not to get it too close to his skin. She tugged hard on the handle and the knife easily sliced through the binding cords. They fell to the floor and she set the blade down on the counter.

Bosco brought his hands around in front of him, and looked down at them. "Thanks," he whispered, his voice barely audible before taking a few steps over to where there was a roll of papertowels sticking out of a grocery bag. He quickly ripped the plastic off the roll, and grabbed a papertowel to hold against his cut hand.

She simply nodded before turning around and leaving the kitchen. She walked over to the door and pulled it open, staring outside.

With a sigh he followed her over to the door. "Have you noticed yet that neither of us has any shoes?"

Faith looked down at her feet and her jaw tensed. "Son of a bitch," she muttered.

"I'm pretty sure they thought of everything."

"Well that's just fantastic." She slammed the door shut loudly.

"How long you figure they're gonna leave us out here?"

"Who knows?"

With a heavy sigh he moved over to have a seat on the sofa. The papertowel still pressed to his hand. "This is gonna rank right up there with the best Christmas ever," he mumbled.

His comment stung and that pissed her off. "Yeah, well, for your information this isn't how I wanted to spend my holiday either," she snapped.

He turned to look at her. "Is this the part where were supposed to decide to make the best of it?"

"This isn't some stupid cheesy movie, so don't count on it." She walked away, moving down the small hallway to explore the cabin.

Bosco rolled his eyes, and laid down on the sofa. Maybe if he fell asleep this would all be over when he woke up.

* * *

Faith sat curled up in front of the small fire she'd managed to build in the fireplace, sitting as close to it as she could without catching her clothes on fire. The cabin was cold and it was still totally dark outside. She didn't have a watch on to tell her what time it was, but she supposed it didn't matter. They were stuck until their "friends" decided to come and get them.

She gazed over her shoulder to where Bosco lay on the small couch, asleep. He wasn't so annoying and frustrating when he was unconscious. She closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees tiredly. She wished she was at home in bed in her own apartment, still asleep. Not that her apartment offered much in the way of comfort lately. Not since Fred had told her he was in love with her best friend Holly and asked for a divorce. Not since the divorce went through and he and the kids moved into an apartment on the other side of Manhattan where Holly frequently visited. She swallowed hard and tried to stuff the feelings down once more.

He groaned as he shifted on the sofa, pulling his legs up closer to his chest to try and keep warm. The effort he'd put forth to try and break free from his captors earlier had left him exhausted, and the fact that he'd been in the dark so long because his head was covered hadn't helped either. It was nice to be relaxed again even if he was freezing cold, and stuck in a cabin somewhere with the person he used to consider his best friend. All things considered it was better than being gagged and tied up with a bag over his head.

She lifted her head up and glanced over at him again, hearing him groan. His eyes were still closed and personally she hoped they stayed closed for awhile longer. As much as she didn't want to be thinking about Fred and Holly and her kids, it was better than fighting with Bosco.

"God, it's cold," he mumbled.

"I didn't find any blankets." She kept her arms wrapped around her legs and gazed back at the fire.

His eyes opened slowly. "So we're gonna freeze to death?"

"I built a fire."

"Am I allowed to come sit by it?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and ignored the hostility in his voice. "Free country."

He quickly moved over to sit in front of the fire, casting a glance at her to make sure there was enough space between them.

Faith didn't even bother look over at him as he sat down a few feet away from her.

Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rocked back and forth slowly trying to return some warmth to his body.

She rested her chin on her knees again, closing her eyes.

"So...what were your plans," he asked softly as he stared at the flames.

"For Christmas?"

"Yeah."

"Sleeping. Yours?"

"Sleeping and eating."

A smile tugged at her lips involuntarily. "Shoulda guessed that."

He looked over at her, a smirk on his face. "What else is a single guy supposed to do?"

"You have family," she pointed out.

"Yeah, my mother and her most recent abuser."

"Right," she murmured inaudibly.

"What about your kids?"

She tensed slightly. "They're with Fred."

He turned to look at the fire again. "You weren't gonna see them at all?"

"He always gets together with his family at Christmas."

"That's not what I asked."

"No, I wasn't going to see them at all."

"So you left them too, huh?"

Faith snapped her head over to glare at him. "I didn't leave my kids."

Bosco slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. "Right." He nodded his head. "You just walked out on their dad, and weren't gonna see them at Christmas."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You are such a self-righteous bastard. You think you know everything, you think you have all the answers. But you don't know -anything-, Bosco. So shut the hell up and leave me alone."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh, so I'm wrong?"

She reached up and swiped away a tear before climbing to her feet and walking away.

He spun around to look at her. "You're the one whose been talkin' about leavin' him for years. Gettin' your kids away from him. And now...now you finally do, but the kids are still with him." He shook his head. "That just doesn't make sense."

"You know what? I didn't ask for you opinions on my life. I don't really care what you think of me anymore. So you might as well stop talking!"

"Sure, and I -always- ask for your opinion when you start spoutin' off about my life."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

He held his hands up. "I'm just doin' to you what you always do to me."

"Fine. I have no intention of giving you any advice anymore because you know what? We're not friends anymore, Bosco. Now leave me alone."

"No. First I want you to explain something to me."

"What?" she demanded.

"How'd we get here?"

Faith stared at him. "What?"

"You and me. How'd it get to this point? Cause if we're not gonna be friends. If you just want me to piss off I'd like to know why."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Because we're too damn different. We're goin' our separate ways. It happens."

"We've been different for 10 years, Faith."

"Yeah, well maybe we were just too stupid to realize it."

"Hey! I'm not stupid," he informed her as he pressed his index finger into his chest.

"Right. Sorry. I forgot. You're a genius who knows everything." She turned and headed out of the room.

"Why you gotta be like that?!" He stood up, and made his way to the kitchen.

"Why do you have to keep talking to me?"

"Cause I don't believe we're over," he said softly, not sure if she could hear him.

"Well, believe it. Because we are."

He shook his head as he started rummaging through the grocery bags on the counter. "Sure...first you dump your husband then me. Who's the next unsuspecting victim on your list?"

"Excuse me? -You're- the one who dumped me for Anti-Crime!"

Bosco looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't dump you, Faith. In case you've forgotten I -asked- you to come help me, remember?"

"Yeah. On -one- case. Because you were backed into a corner and didn't have anyone else to turn to. The only reason you've -ever- come to me about anything!" Her voice was raised.

"Well I woulda asked you to come up to ACU if you'd seemed a little more interested! I just had the feeling you didn't want to move up, so why should I bother askin'?!"

A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Right. I'm sure you would have." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Even if it meant spending less time with your precious sergeant."

"What's she got to do with this?"

"Are you really that blind?"

"Apparently."

"Yeah, apparently," she agreed.

"I still don't see what Cruz has to do with anything. She was just givin' me a chance to move up. Something you -know- I've been wanting to do forever."

"No, Bosco. She's using you. And you're lettin' her."

"What makes you so sure? You don't even know her."

"Two words, Bosco." Her eyes were dark. "Dying declaration."

Bosco gazed at her for a moment, and then looked down to open the package of licorice he'd pulled out of the bag.

"Yeah, I know you lied to me. I've worked with you for ten years, I know when you're lyin' to my face."

"I couldn't tell you," he whispered, still not looking at her.

"Which is why we can't be partners anymore." She moved past him and back out into the living room.

"You didn't need to be involved. It's bad enough that I was," he called after her.

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"This isn't about me getting involved. It's about this secret between you and her." She shook her head.

"Faith, I -can't- let anyone know. I can't."

"Tell me why you lied to me."

He closed his eyes, and hung his head. "You really wanna know?"

"I already know why."

His eyes flew open, and he turned his head to look at her. "You do?"

"Yeah. Because this little secret of yours has created this bond between the two of you. You've got a thing for her. You're just dyin' to get in her pants. You think if you do everything she tells you and you cover for her and keep her ass outta trouble, she's gonna reciprocate. And maybe she will. But it won't be real. Because she's dirty." Her voice was harsh.

"You think that's why I lied to you? Cause I wanna get it on with Cruz?"

"Isn't that your motivation for -everything- you do?"

Bosco's eyes narrowed. "You don't know me at all!"

"Oh, I know you better than you think. You're a user, Bosco. It's always about sex. How many women have you slept with?" she asked, gazing at him coolly.

"That's got -nothing- to do with this!"

"Right," Faith said mockingly, nodding. "Sure it doesn't."

He took a few steps away from the counter. Her words bothered him, and he couldn't hide that. "So if I'm a 'user', and it's always about sex. How come I haven't tried to get into -your- pants? Huh?"

"Because I'm not good enough for you," she replied. "Because I don't fit your model of what a woman should be. I don't take your shit like the other women you sleep with."

"You think they sleep with me just because I want them to?" He shook his head, her words stunning him. "What, like I...like I brainwash them or somethin'?"

"I think you believe you're God's gift to women and there are just enough to dumb females in Manhattan to believe it too!"

Bosco flinched slightly, her words hitting him hard. For a moment he was silent. "That's not why I lied to you," he said quietly before going back over to the counter, and putting away some of the groceries.

"You know what? I don't care anymore."

"Yeah." He nodded his head. "Yeah, you wouldn't -really- care about the truth."

"You wouldn't know what the truth was if it jumped up and smacked you upside the head."

"I know the truth, Faith," he yelled as he moved back over to the entrance of the other room. "I -know- that she set me up, and I didn't have a choice! And I know that if I'd told you the truth you would have been disappointed in me!" He paused trying to calm himself. "So yeah, I know the truth."

"So why the hell do you keep following her around like a little lapdog?"

He held his arms out to the side. "What the hell was I supposed to do Faith? She's -got- me. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Just tell her you want out. Walk away!"

"It's not that easy," he said softly.

"Really? Because in my experience it's pretty easy to walk away from people who use you."

"In your experience?"

Faith stared at him, not even realizing what she'd said. "What?"

"You said 'in my experience'," he informed her.

She was silent for a moment. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you."

"Right, how could I forget?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "You know what? It's your life. If you wanna screw it up, go right ahead. It's not my place to try and stop you anymore." She turned and left the room.

"You know I lied to you cause I thought I could save us from this!"

"I lied to you so I could save you from getting hurt!" Fred had shouted at her.

She closed her eyes. "No, you lied to me to save -yourself- from getting hurt." Her voice was flat.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"You knew I'd be pissed if I found out the truth, so you lied to me, and that just makes it worse."

Bosco shook his head. "Well at the time I thought I'd rather have you pissed than disappointed."

"Oh, right. It had nothing to do with you trying to protect yourself and your -sergeant-."

"Stop doing that. She's not mine."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"I never said you were stupid."

"I've seen the way you look at her!"

"So why does that matter?! Why does it matter if I..."

"It doesn't. Forget it!" she snapped.

"Look...I didn't think I needed to lie to you to protect myself. I've never had to lie to you cause you've always been there." His voice was soft as he tried to get through to her.

"Yeah, and what the hell has it gotten me? Stuck with you in a cabin in the middle of God-knows-where on Christmas Eve!"

"It's not like I knew this was gonna happen! If I coulda predicted the future I'd have done it all different!"

"Yeah, well, it's too late now."

"You're right, but why does it have to affect -us- like this?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kiddin' me? How could it -not- affect us?"

"You didn't need to know, Faith. I didn't want you involved, but you always have to push. If you knew that we lied about the dying declaration why'd you ask me in the first place?"

"Because maybe I wanted to know if our partnership meant anything to you. If it was salvageable. Obviously it didn't and it wasn't."

"Our partnership -did- mean something to me. I was trying to keep you out of it."

"Well, congratulations. You kept me out of it. And now I'm outta your life. Merry Christmas."

"I'm sorry, Faith. Okay, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, everybody's sorry."

"Don't you wanna fix this?"

"No. I don't. I'm sick of fixin' everything. I'm tired of it."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Maybe you shoulda thought about that before."

Bosco's anger had quickly turned to despair, and he just stared at her. He knew he'd been a jerk, he'd said some things he shouldn't have said to her in the last couple weeks, but he never once thought that it was really the end of their partnership. Not sure what else to say he swallowed hard, and went back into the kitchen to make something to eat.

She stared after him for a moment, shocked that he'd just walked away from her.

* * *

Bosco scraped the bottom of his bowl, and polished off the last bit of soup that he'd warmed up for them.. While putting the groceries away he'd been relieved that their friends had at least splurged on the food supply and gotten them some good hearty soup instead of plain old chicken noodle. He picked up his mug of hot chocolate, feeling the warmth through the sides of the mug as he stared at the fire.

Faith sat curled up silently on the sofa, staring down at the contents of her mug of soup. They'd both been completely silent for the last hour and they'd barely even looked at one another. She wasn't sure if she hated the fighting or the silence more.

"Should I make some more soup," he asked softly, still not looking at her.

"No thanks." She didn't look at him, either.

He nodded his head. "They bought us candy bars. You want one?"

"No. I'm not hungry."

Nodding once more he reached over and grabbed the poker for the fire, and began to stab at the burning logs.

Faith shifted her gaze for a moment, watched him. Then looked away again, setting her mug of soup down on the table.

He let out a breath as he continued to push the logs around with the poker. The silence was really starting to get to him, but he wasn't exactly sure if starting a conversation was the right idea.

"I can't wait to get the hell outta here," she mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face.

Bosco was tempted to turn around and look at her, but decided against it. "I think we need another log." He pushed himself off the floor, and moved over to the stack of logs that were beside the door.

"Oh, so you're ignoring me now?" She was unable to keep the hint of bitterness out of her tone even though she knew her words were certain to cause another fight.

"What?" He turned around to look at her.

"Nothing. Forget it."

"No." He shook his head. "We haven't spoken to each other in an hour and -now- you're upset cause I'm ignoring you?"

She glared at him but remained silent.

"I can't win." He turned away from her, and picked up two small logs before heading back to the fireplace.

"It's not a game."

"Right. How foolish of me. I'm sorry." He pulled the small stool over in front of the fireplace, and sat down.

"Don't patronize me."

He let out a breath, and turned around to look at her. "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you mean what do I want you to do? I don't want you to do anything."

"Okay, so I'm confused now. Am I supposed to ignore you or am I supposed to talk to you?"

"Is this funny to you?" She didn't like his sarcasm.

"No, Faith." He shook his head, his expression serious. "This is far from being funny."

"Maybe we should go back to not talking."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay."

She stood up and left the room, heading into the kitchen. She glanced around, then sat down in the far corner of the room, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the counter.

Bosco watched her walk away before turning back to the fire. This was going to be the longest Christmas ever.

* * *

She didn't know how long she sat in the kitchen for, but she was pretty sure she'd dozed off for awhile. When she awoke again, she was freezing and she stood up slowly, wrapping her arms around herself. Her flannel pajamas which were usually so warm felt like a thin sheet of material in the cool cabin. She slowly made her way into the living room, ignoring Bosco's presence all together as she paced the floor back and forth, trying to get warm by getting active.

Bosco sat on the floor his legs stretched out in front of him, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He looked over at her, and then back at the crackling fire. "I could throw another log on."

"I'm fine," she replied distantly.

"Suit yourself."

She didn't reply, just continued to pace, rubbing her arms vigorously.

"Look, I'll move. You can sit here."

"Don't bother. I said I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"I don't need you to be nice to me, so just stop pretending like you care."

"You think I'm pretending?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm not," he informed her. "I can tell you're cold, so why don't you just come over here?"

"I'd rather stand."

"Then at least come stand closer to the fire."

She sighed and reluctantly walked over closer, making sure to keep a few feet's distance between them.

Bosco pulled his knees up to his chest, and motioned to the space that his legs had been occupying.

"No thanks."

He shook his head. "Just cause you're mad at me doesn't mean that you have to freeze."

"Who said I was mad at you?" Her tone was distant, emotionless.

He stared at her as if she was crazy. "I'm pretty sure you did."

"To be mad would imply that I actually gave a damn."

"Oh, so you don't give a damn?" He glared at her. "Ten years of being partners and now you just don't give a damn. Good thing we weren't married cause this way you don't have to get a lawyer like you did with Fred."

"Fuck you, Bosco."

"What? Did I hit a nerve?" He asked with a smirk. "I know it couldn't have been about us cause you don't give a damn. But it kinda surprises me that a comment about Fred would get you all riled up."

"You know what? Just shut the hell up!"

"You know, you -really- need to make up your mind!"

"You're the one who started talking to me. Just leave me the hell alone."

"And you're the one who was pissed cause I supposedly ignored you."

"Do you have to fight with me about -everything-?"

"Well I figure that's what we do best these days."

"Yeah, you've always been good at causing trouble," she snapped.

"And like you've never caused any trouble," he spat back.

"Yeah, well, at least I don't do it intentionally!"

"Whatever you say Yokas...oh wait, it's Mitchell now, right?"

"You are such a bastard."

"Yeah, so you've said."

"You don't know the -first- thing about my life."

"Oh no?" He pushed himself off the floor, and stood with his hands on his hips. "I know how you've been havin' all these troubles with your family. And how you were so freaked out when Fred had his heart attack because you loved him." He shook his head. "But apparently you just couldn't handle it anymore cause you left him. You left him and your kids!"

Hot tears stung her eyes. "For your information, Fred's been -fucking- my good friend Holly for the past three years!" Her words were harsh. "I walked in on them after a shift a few weeks ago. They were getting it on in our bed. He told me he didn't wanna tell me because he didn't wanna hurt me, but after his heart attack he realized life was too short to be unhappy all the time. So he asked for a divorce so he could be with the love of his life. He insisted the kids live with -him- because of the hours I work. So you can take your accusations, and your anti-crime and your sergeant and you can all go to hell because I don't need you. Or Fred. Or Holly. I don't need anyone!" She whirled around and stormed toward the door.

Bosco's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock. "Faith," he whispered.

She didn't turn around. She yanked the door opened and a blast of cold air hit her the second she did. It was snowing furiously.

"Faith, come on," he said softly as he walked over to her. He put his hand on the door trying to close it to keep the cold air out. "I didn't know," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't know."

"Leave me alone, Bosco." She shoved the door open again, wrapped her arms around herself and stepped outside.

"You don't have any shoes on," he reminded her.

"I don't give a damn!" she snapped. She trudged through the snow, heading away from the cabin.

"Dammit." He followed her, the snow instantly making his feet cold, and soaking his socks. "Come back inside."

"Not a chance in hell." She didn't bother to turn around, she just kept walking.

He jogged a few steps to catch up with her, prepared to use physical force to get her back inside.

"Get the hell away from me," she warned darkly.

"Where you gonna go Faith? We don't even know where we are! And you're not exactly dressed for this weather!"

"I don't care. I'd rather freeze to death out here in the middle of a blizzard than go back in that hellhole with a backstabber." Her words were harsh.

"What?!"

"Just go back and leave me the fuck alone," she snapped, glaring at him. Frozen tears staining her cheeks.

"I'm not gonna do that, Faith."

"No, God -forbid- you do something I ask you to do. Oh, wait. That's right. My name isn't Maritza Cruz."

His jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a nerve?"

Bosco pressed his lips together, and shook his head. "I'm gonna let that go cause obviously you're hurtin'."

"Please. Spare me your pop psychology crap. I don't need your sympathy." She kept walking, increasing her pace a little.

"You can't accept -any- help can you?"

"I told you. I don't need you. Not only do I not -need- you, I don't want you in my life. I just took pity on you because no one else wanted to be your partner. Biggest mistake I -ever- made," she said, knowing how hurtful the words were. She didn't mean them. Not even vaguely. She just wanted him to leave her alone.

He stopped walking, and stared after her, blinking rapidly. "You...what," he asked softly.

More tears flooded her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she kept walking.

Bosco's body was numb, not from the cold, but from the sting of her words. The sharp slap to the face that they were.

She knew that he wasn't following her anymore and she felt her stomach tighten as she realized she'd pushed him away for the last time. There would be no coming back from this. Not now, not ever.

Chapter Text

It was snowing harder than ever and she could barely see anymore. She couldn't feel most of her body she was so cold. And she was exhausted. She didn't know how long she'd been out in the storm and in fact, she didn't have any idea of where she even was. She hadn't found a road, or another house or anything resembling shelter. And she sure as hell couldn't go back to the cabin--if she could even manage to relocate it. Not after the horrible things she'd said to Bosco.

Unable to go any further, she rested her back against a tree and slid down to the cold ground slowly, her body shaking with sobs as she started to cry. It looked like she was going to get her wish after all. She was going to die out in the middle of a blizzard on Christmas Eve and no one would ever even find her body.

* * *

Bosco sat in front of the fire, his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms resting on top of his knees. He laid his head down on his arms. The warmth from the fire took the chill from his body, but it didn't touch the cold he felt in his heart. Ever since they'd been partners, and even at the academy they'd had words and their share of fights. They'd said terrible things to each other in the past, but what she said today hit him hard, and made him think that maybe all those other times they'd reconciled she'd just been lying to him.

Looking at his watch he realized Faith had been gone a long time. He'd expected her to eventually turn around, and come back to the cabin. He grabbed his socks from where they were hanging on the mantle drying off, and pulled them on before heading over to look out the window. Seeing how hard the snow was still falling made him sick to his stomach knowing that Faith was more than likely still out there somewhere.

* * *

She wished now she could take back all the things she said to him. That he would know she didn't mean any of it because as she grew colder, felt herself fighting to stay awake, she knew the chances of him ever getting to hear her apologize were growing even slimmer. After a few more moments, she gave in and let her eyes close as she laid her head down on the snow bank, too tired to fight the pull of unconsciousness. Within moments, everything was silent and dark.

Snow swirling down around her, covering her motionless body in tiny flakes.

* * *

Bosco pulled the cabin door open, and stepped out into the cold. He looked for their tracks from earlier so he could follow them, but they had already been covered. Remembering the way she'd started in earlier he hurried off in that direction. Hoping she hadn't gone far because he was already cold. "Faith?!"

* * *

Faith shivered in her unconsciousness state, but it was an involuntary response.

* * *

He went as fast as he could go, surveying the area. This was definitely not the type of weather that a person should be out in. Especially when they weren't dressed warm enough and didn't have shoes, plus on top of that they didn't know where they were going. Occasionally he glance over his shoulder to see if the cabin was still in sight. He stopped, and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Faith!"

* * *

The snow continued to fall down on her, beginning to cover her body in a cold white blanket.

* * *

Continuing through the woods he called her name over and over wondering how far she could have gotten. He shivered, and wrapped his arms around himself as he walked deeper amongst the trees. His eyes looking all around him, studying the trees and terrain for any signs of her.

A bird cried shrilly in the trees above him before taking flight, flapping its large wings and heading East against the storm.

Bosco looked up at the large bird, the only sign of life he'd seen since he'd been outside. Faced with the decision of going left or right, he followed the bird.

The bird landed in another tree several yards away, letting out another shrill cry.

He wandered around until he'd come to the tree that the bird was perched in. Leaning against it he took a few deep breaths, and rubbed his arms trying to stay warm. As he looked straight ahead he caught sight of something red in the snow. Curious to see what it was he made his way over to it.

A small patch of flannel material was visible from underneath a growing snowpile.

His eyes widened slightly. He knelt down, and began to brush some of the snow away from the material, revealing more of Faith's pajamas. "Oh God! Faith!"

She remained motionless, her lips blue.

Using both hands Bosco quickly brushed the remaining snow off of her. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest as he tried not to panic. "Faith! Faith can you hear me?" He pressed to fingers to her neck checking for a pulse.

She still didn't respond, though her body was shivering severely.

He swallowed hard, and began to carefully shake her shoulder. "Faith. Faith wake up."

Her pulse was slow, her skin ice cold to the touch, but she didn't awaken.

"Don't do this to me," he whispered, his voice panicked. Looking around the woods, not sure what else to do he stood up, and then bent over, scooping her up into his arms. He needed to get her back to the cabin so he could try and warm her. This was -not- good.

* * *

It was a long trek back to the cabin, but by some miracle he was able to remember the way. He stumbled a few times as he carried her through the woods, and he was relieved once he'd pushed open the cabin door. Still holding her in his arms he looked around the cabin, unsure of what to do. He'd learned about hypothermia when he was in the Rangers, but it was a long time ago to remember all the details. Laying her down on the sofa he paced back and forth for a few moments, rubbing his head. Small pieces of information were coming back to him.

He knew he needed to get her temperature back up, and was furious with his friends for not leaving them any blankets. Bosco looked over at her, frozen in his place for a moment as he realized what the best way to rewarm her body was.

She shivered uncontrollably in her unconscious state, all the color gone from her face. Her lips still a light shade of blue. Her pajamas were frozen stiff from the ice and snow after having been wet.

He took a deep breath, and then began to work the small sofa closer to the fireplace, but not too close because he didn't want it to be a drastic change in temperature. Once the sofa was moved he knelt down on the floor. He checked her pulse, satisfied when he felt a few beats under his fingers. Then he began to quickly unbutton her flannel top. He needed to get her out of her wet, cold pajamas. "Faith? Faith can you hear me?"

Other than more shivering, she didn't move, her breathing very slow, shallow.

Once he'd gotten her top off he began to carefully work off her bottoms. When her clothes were removed he went over and hung them from a nail on the mantle so they could dry out. Returning to the couch he then began to strip out of his clothes. He only hesitated for a second before crawling onto the sofa with her, snuggling close, and wrapping his arms around her. "It'll be okay," he whispered softly.

In her unconscious, she shifted closer to the warmth that was suddenly beside her. Still shivering. Her skin cold to the touch.

Bosco closed his eyes tight, and prayed that this worked. He moved his head a little closer to hers as he began to breathe in, and then blow his warm breath near her nose. "Don't die on me," he whispered.

* * *

A faint whimper escaped her lips as she shivered uncontrollably. She was so cold, and yet there was a solid mass of warmth beside her, and she tried to move closer to it. Wanting desperately to feel warmer.

He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Faith?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she didn't open her eyes. Her eyelids felt too heavy.

"Can you hear me?"

She tried to speak, but her chest ached. It felt like her vocal chords were frozen along with the rest of her.

"It's okay," he whispered as he held her a little tighter. "It's gonna be alright."

She swallowed hard, trying to open her eyes again. She recognized the voice but she wasn't aware enough to place it yet.

He lifted a hand, and placed it against her cheek as he continued to gently blow air around her nose and mouth.

She leaned into the touch, the warmth on her face as much as she could in her weakened state.

"That's it," he said softly, happy that she was reacting to the warmth.

After a few more moments, she moved her lips. "Love you..." she murmured.

Bosco closed his eyes, and shook his head. She was definitely out of it. "Should we move a little closer to the fire?"

"Don't leave me, Boz..." Her words were barely audible.

His eyes opened, and he stared at her, stunned that she realized it was him. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Faith shivered, still unable to open her eyes. "Sorry...earlier..."

"Shhh. Not now." He took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the warm air.

She had to tell him she was sorry. He had to understand. "Didn't...mean it..."

"Later Faith," he whispered. "Let's get you better first."

Her eyebrows furrowed again and a couple of tears managed to escape from beneath her eyelids.

Bosco frowned, and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Faith, I'm gonna get up for a minute so I can move the sofa closer to the fireplace," he informed her.

She whimpered softly at the loss of warmth when he moved away.

He made quick work of moving the sofa a couple feet closer to the fireplace. Going over to the mantle he checked her clothes to see if they were dry, and sighed when he found them still wet. He poked at the fire a little before going back over to Faith. Kneeling down he picked up the sweats that he'd been wearing earlier, and began to put them on her.

She heard a crackling sound close by, but didn't know what it was. She shifted a little closer to the edge of the sofa, feeling warmth in the distance.

"Easy," he whispered as he pulled the sweats up to her waist.

"Cold," she managed to whisper back.

"I know. I'm comin' back." He carefully crawled back onto the sofa.

She moved as close to him as possible, her head resting against his collarbone, her hand resting on his side as they lay face to face, their bodies pressed together.

Bosco ran his hand up and down her back, and nuzzled his face in her neck hoping to add some warmth. "It'll be okay."

The feel of his lips against her neck made her eyes open slightly, a small groan escaping her mouth.

He pulled back a little. "You okay," he asked quickly, concern in his voice.

Faith was a little dazed, her eyes still glassy as she looked back at him, nodding wordlessly.

"You feelin' any warmer?"

"Little," she murmured, her eyes starting to drift shut again.

"Okay, I'm gonna turn us over, alright? Just hold on to me."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she did as he asked, holding onto his side as tightly as she could.

Bosco held her against him as he pulled her on top of him, shifting onto his back and a little deeper into the sofa as he turned. She was now laying on top of him, her chest pressed tightly against his, and his body no longer blocking the warmth of the fire.

She swallowed hard, more than a little shocked as she slowly realized she had no shirt on and neither did he. And that she was now lying on top of him.

"You doin' okay," he asked softly as he rubbed her back.

Faith was silent for another moment. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She vaguely remembered fighting with him, and then feeling extremely cold. "I don't know..."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it right now. Just relax."

She closed her eyes tightly, resting her head against his neck. She kissed his skin very lightly without even thinking about it.

"What was that for," he asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"Nevermind," he whispered. "Get some rest."

Without further hesitation, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep once more.

* * *

It was hours later when she woke up again, her body still cold, but not nearly as cold as it had been the last time she'd been awake. She shifted slightly against the warmth beneath her, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she tried to remember where she was.

Bosco felt her move, and quickly opened his eyes, gazing up at her. "Faith?"

She lifted her head slightly, opening her eyes, as well, surprise there as she gazed back at him. "Bosco?"

"Yeah. How you feelin'?"

She was confused for a moment. "Cold," she answered, not taking her eyes off his.

He frowned. "Still?"

She nodded slightly, her eyes drifting shut. "What time is it?"

He felt around on the floor for his watch that he had taken off earlier. Finding it he lifted it so he could see the numbers. "Almost 10," he told her softly. He set the watch back down, and ran his hands up and down her sides hoping to produce some heat.

She shivered at the sensation of his hands on her bare skin and then she swallowed hard.

"I'd move you closer to the fire, but I'm still a little worried about getting you too warm."

She nodded faintly again, guilt flooding through her as she heard the worry in his voice.

"Do you feel up to eating something? I could make some soup," he offered.

"No, I'm okay," she murmured, resting her head on his collarbone.

"Just tell me if you need anything."

Faith was silent for a moment, her body trembling slightly for reasons other than the sensation of being cold. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It was cold out there. It's not surprising you passed out or whatever."

Her eyes were filled with tears. "Boz, I didn't mean it."

He was quiet as he bit his lip, wondering if she really meant it or if she still wasn't quite with it.

She lifted her head up to look at him, her eyes full of sorrow. "God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it, I swear. I was just upset. I'm sorry, Bosco."

He met her gaze for a moment, and then turned his head. "Look, you don't have to..."

A sob escaped her throat as she realized he didn't believe her. She laid her forehead against his chest. Her body trembling.

Bosco closed his eyes against the tears that were forming. Either she really meant it or she had a great fake cry. Not sure what to say now he gently rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered over and over again. "When I was out there all I could think was that I was gonna die and you would never know that I was sorry, that I hadn't meant it." Her voice was strained as the tears leaked from her eyes.

It broke his heart to hear her like this. "Please don't cry," he whispered. "It's okay."

"I love you, Boz, I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't." The words tumbled out of her mouth without any thought.

He lifted his head a little to look at her. "You...you what?"

"I didn't mean it," she whispered again, placing a soft kiss against his chest.

"Faith...the stuff I said..." He paused. "I was just tryin' to get back at you."

She kissed him again, closing her eyes as she tried to get a grip on her emotions. "I thought I lost you to her," she whispered, nearly inaudible.

Bosco ran his hands up and down her sides. "Faith, no matter what happened you and me would always be friends."

"It's not the same," she murmured.

"I didn't wanna leave you, but you know how bad I wanna move up the ranks," he whispered.

"I feel so alone," she said, her voice strained.

"I wish you woulda just told me."

"I thought you'd blame me."

"Blame you? Why would I blame you?"

"For not tryin' harder to make things work. For not beggin' him to stay." A tear slid down her face.

"He cheated on you, Faith. There's a time for makin' things work...this isn't one of 'em," he told her softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"I miss the kids so bad," she murmured, voice thick with tears.

"I know," he whispered, placing a kiss on her shoulder. "When we get outta here we'll figure something out."

She found his use of the word 'we' very comforting at the same time the light kiss sent a shiver through her body.

He was quiet for a moment. "You and me...we're really gonna work this out, right?"

"Are we?" she whispered, slowly lifting her head from his chest and opening her eyes to look at him.

"I meant what I said earlier, about not believin' we were over."

Faith nodded slightly before kissing his lips. She had meant it to be a brief, chaste kiss symbolic of their friendship but the moment their lips met she felt a spark of energy sweep through her body and couldn't bring herself to pull away.

Bosco was more than a little surprised by the kiss, but he didn't move away deciding instead to see what happened.

She lifted one hand to touch his cheek as the kiss continued for another moment. Then she pulled away, embarrassed. "God. I'm sorry, I wasn't...I shouldn't have..."

He smiled softly, and pressed his index finger to her lips. "Relax," he whispered.

She was caught off guard by his reaction, her eyes locked on his, confusion taking the place of embarrassment.

"Tell me somethin'," he said softly. "Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?" she whispered.

"The kiss."

Faith couldn't find her voice as she gazed at him, her heart pounding heavily against her chest. She nodded faintly, trying to prepare herself for the inevitable rejection.

Wordlessly he lifted his head, and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Her eyes drifted shut as their lips met again.

Bosco smiled against her mouth before slowly parting his lips, taking her bottom lip between his.

She leaned into the kiss a little more, allowing him to deepen it, a flood of warmth rushing through her at the light contact.

He moved his hands up to cup her face as they continued to explore each other slowly. After a few moments he pulled away a little breathlessly.

She gazed down at him for a moment before resting her forehead against his and allowing her eyes to close.

"Let's take it slow," he whispered.

"I meant what I said before." Her voice was very soft.

"About what," he asked though he was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about.

"I do love you," she whispered, keeping her eyes shut. "And I'm not tellin' you because I want you to say it back, because you don't have to, I just...I needed you to know that."

He nodded his head slightly. "When I found you tonight...I thought I was gonna lose you. I was...afraid I didn't find you soon enough."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." She kissed his cheek lightly.

"I'm sorry for all the stuff I said," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I know." Faith laid her head down on his chest, closing her eyes.

He kissed the top of her head. "You want me to get my sweatshirt for you to wear," he asked softly.

She was silent for a moment. "No...I'm okay. Thank you."

"Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded slightly, not opening her eyes. "Thanks for findin' me," she said softly.

"I had a little help," he whispered.

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled softly. "You're gonna think I'm nuts, but there was this bird..."

"A bird?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure which way to go, and I heard the bird and then it started to fly away. That's the direction I picked to go. Then it just...well it landed in this tree, and I stopped." He paused. "And there you were."

Faith was silent for a moment. "Bosco. Are you tellin' me that my guardian angel is a bird?"

"Well...that's the shape it took tonight," he told her softly.

"No," she said just as softly. "I think it took the shape of my best friend."

Bosco placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Maybe this won't be such a bad Christmas after all."

A soft smile touched her lips. "Yeah. Maybe not."

* * *

"I still can't believe we're out here at 6 a.m. on Christmas morning," Davis grumbled sleepily as Sully pulled the van to a stop.

"What were we supposed to do Davis? Let them spend Christmas in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?" He looked over at his young partner.

"We didn't have to get up this early."

Alex zipped her coat up a little more as she climbed out of the van. "This was you guys' idea," she pointed out as she headed for the door of the cabin. She glanced over her shoulder at her co-workers and pressed her ear against the wooden door.

Carlos looked at Doc. "Remember, my money's on Faith."

"I'm not the one who bet against you," Doc replied, nodding toward Jimmy.

"You're my witness though."

He nodded his agreement.

"Well, I don't hear any screaming. So either they're sleeping or they've killed each other," Alex told the group, raising her eyebrows.

Jimmy stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You know, I'm really startin' to wonder if this was such a good idea."

"Little late for doubts now, Doherty," she said with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, no kidding," he chuckled.

"I hope it's not too messy. I hate the sight of blood," Davis mumbled.

"Oh stop, Davis," Sully grumbled as he approached the door. "Let's just go inside."

Alex slowly turned the door handle and stepped inside the small cabin. She glanced around, frowning when she didn't see any signs of life. The crackling fire in the fireplace caught her eye and she tiptoed over toward the couch. It had been moved and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she got closer. Then she stopped abruptly, her eyes widening.

Davis was right behind her and bumped into her. "What's your--" His gaze drifted over to where she was looking and his mouth dropped open. "Oh. My. God."

"Well. At least they didn't kill each other." She smirked.

"What's goin' on," Doherty asked as he closed the door, turning to look at his co-workers.

Doc glanced at Jimmy, then over to where Alex and Davis stood. "Yeah, what is it?"

Not getting answers fast enough Carlos walked over to the sofa. "Way to go Bosco," he chuckled.

Doc's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you--?" His eyes widened as he moved closer and saw the two officers snuggled up together only half-dressed.

Jimmy and Sully wandered over to join the others. Sullivan's eyes widened. "Geez," he mumbled.

"Holy shit," Doherty whispered in shock.

"Apparently they had a very merry Christmas," Alex commented, still smirking.

Hearing the commotion around him, and remembering the last time that happened Bosco jerked awake.

Faith felt him jump slightly and she snuggled closer, her eyebrows furrowing. "Boz?"

"It's okay," he whispered, rubbing her back as he blinked a few times to clear his vision. "You guys here to take us home?"

Faith opened her eyes slowly, confused by his words. She squinted against the light flooding in from the open doorway and saw several figures standing behind the sofa.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah...we're...here to...take you home," Davis mumbled, embarrassed.

"We'll I hope you brought us a separate car cause I'm not exactly ready to leave," Bosco informed them.

Doc stared at him in disbelief for a moment before diverting his eyes. "Is that a joke?"

"Did it sound like one?"

Alex smirked. "Well we didn't, but we can always come back later. It looks like you two reconcilliated."

Bosco glanced at Faith, and smiled softly before turning his attention back to their friends. "Well, a near death experience can really wake people up."

"A near death experience?" Davis repeated in confusion, glancing at Alex, then back at Bosco.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. Things got -really- bad, and Faith took off. I went looking for her, and found her unconscious. And thanks to you jag-offs we didn't even have a damn blanket."

"Body heat," Carlos smirked, nodding his head.

Alex and Doc suddenly looked worried. "We should check you out to make sure you're all right," she said, frowning.

"Oh, believe me, I'm -more- than all right." Faith smirked, as well, suddenly wanting nothing more than to embarrass the hell out of their friends for the predicament they'd left her and Bosco in.

"So, if you guys don't mind waiting outside...I still need to give Faith her Christmas gift," Bosco told them with a wink and a grin.

"Oh my God," Davis said under his breath, quickly turning and heading for the door.

Jimmy swallowed hard, and turned to follow Davis.

"Alright," Carlos practically cheered as he reached down, and slapped the back of the sofa. "You two...gettin' it on."

"Hey, Carlos." Faith glanced up at him, barely managing not to smile.

He smiled at her, nodding his head.

"Boz and I talked about it last night...would you like to join us?" She had to bite down hard on her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Oh God, this got out of hand," Sully said in shock as he walked toward the exit.

Carlos's face turned red, and he held up his hands as he backed toward the door. "Whoa. Whoa! I'm not...I'm not into that kinda stuff."

Alex was laughing so hard she had to lean against Doc for support as they headed toward the door, as well. "Oh, my God..."

As soon as everyone else was outside Bosco started to laugh.

Faith chuckled as well. "Oh, it was worth it just to see the look on Sully's face."

"And Carlos...oh man, you -totally- freaked him out."

She grinned. "Which is an accomplishment considering not much gets to him."

"Hell, it almost made me nervous." He smiled at her as he leaned in to kiss her lips.

Faith kissed him back softly, reaching her hand up to touch his cheek. "Please. Like I'd let Nieto touch me."

"Like -I'd- let Nieto touch you."

She grinned. "Good to know you care."

"Oh, I do," he whispered.

She kissed him again lightly, trailing her hand down to rest on his chest. "Hey, Boz?"

"Yeah?"

"What was that you were telling the others about givin' me a gift?"